Privacy preserving and transactional advertising for mobile services

The many sensors embedded in phones nowadays provide advanced sensing capabilities that make it possible to capture real-time information about the user and his surroundings. There are already examples of apps/services that use this information to provide highly useful and contextual advertisements to the users. However, users are still reluctant to share their personal data with advertisers due to their privacy implications (if misused). In this work, we provide protocols that allow users to store their sensor data on third party (untrusted) cloud servers. The data is stored in encrypted form, hence protected from the cloud provider. The advertisements are also stored on the server. They are customized to potential users. The server selects the advertisements appropriate to the users, based on their sensor values, and forwards them to the users. We consider two cases: (i) appropriate advertisements are sent to individual users automatically; and (ii) advertisements are sent to groups of users after getting permission from the group members. In both cases, the concurrency control protocols performed by the cloud provider ensure that the data and advertisements are ‘fresh and consistent’. This is to avoid situations where served advertisements are not in sync with the user’s current context or the advertisements have already expired. The above is achieved by integrating transactional and cryptographic primitives, such as atomic uploads, optimistic concurrency control, searchable encryption and homomorphic encryption. Finally, experimental results are given to illustrate the practical feasibility and scalability of the proposed protocols.     

Item dwell time in project inventories: A field experiment

This paper describes the use of item dwell-time measurement in the context of capital investment projects. It contributes to the research on product-centric control and intelligent products by empirically demonstrating the value of item dwell-time alerts in the context of project delivery. The paper shows how item dwell-time measurement can be implemented in the field, and compares item dwell-time alerts to conventional measures of inventory turnover and inventory value in four telecommunications infrastructure projects. We find that when individual items cannot be used interchangeably at project sites, conventional inventory measures do not provide sufficiently timely and accurate information about emerging problems in project inventories. These findings are especially important in situations in which supply chain managers can find alternative uses for materials at other sites or in other projects. Timely reallocation of materials prevents the accumulation of slow-moving items that weigh on project performance by increasing obsolescence and inventory holding costs.     

Self-organization of behavioral primitives as multiple attractor dynamics: A robot experiment

This paper investigates how behavior primitives are self-organized in a neural network model utilizing a distributed representation scheme. The model is characterized by so-called parametric biases which adaptively modulate the encoding of different behavior patterns in a single recurrent neural net (RNN). Our experiments, using a real robot arm, showed that a set of end-point and oscillatory behavior patterns are learned by self-organizing fixed points and limit cycle dynamics that form behavior primitives. It was also found that diverse novel behavior patterns can be generated by modulating the parametric biases arbitrarily. Our analysis showed that such diversity in behavior generation emerges because a nonlinear map is self-organized between the space of parametric biases and that of the behavior patterns. The origin of the observed nonlinearity from the distributed representation is discussed. This paper investigates how behavior primitives are self-organized in a neural network model utilizing a distributed representation scheme. Our robot experiments showed that a set of end-point and oscillatory behavior patterns are learned by self-organizing fixed points and limit cycle dynamics that form behavior primitives. It was also found that diverse novel behavior patterns, in addition to previously learned patterns, can be generated by taking advantage of nonlinear effects that emerge from the distributed representation.     

高效精准的移动应用广告投放系统研究

针对移动应用广告投放技术,着重研究基于内容定向和位置信息的移动应用广告平台,由此构建高效精准的移动应用平台广告投放系统。     

Knowledge management systems and organizational knowledge processing challenges: A field experiment

This paper investigates the appropriateness of knowledge management system (KMS) designs for different organizational knowledge processing challenges. Building on the theory of task-technology fit (TTF), we argue that different KMS designs are more effective for different knowledge tasks. An exploratory field experiment was conducted in the context of Internet-based knowledge sharing services to provide empirical support for our hypotheses. The results of our experiment show that a KMS designed to support the goal GENERATE is more appropriate for divergent type knowledge problems because of its affordances for iterative brainstorming processes. Conversely, for convergent type knowledge processing challenges, a KMS with the goal CHOOSE that supports the ability to clarify and to analyze is more effective.     

Determinants of behavioral intention to mobile banking

With the improvement of mobile technologies and devices, banking users are able to conduct banking services at anyplace and at anytime. Recently, many banks in the world have provided mobile access to financial information. The reason to understand what factors contribute to users’ intention to use mobile banking is important issue of research. The purpose of this research is to examine and validate determinants of users’ intention to mobile banking. This research used a structural equation modeling (SEM) to test the causalities in the proposed model.The results indicated strong support for the validity of proposed model with 72.2% of the variance in behavioral intention to mobile banking. This study found that self-efficiency was the strongest antecedent of perceived ease-of-use, which directly and indirectly affected behavioral intention through perceived usefulness in mobile banking. Structural assurances are the strongest antecedent of trust, which could increase behavioral intention of mobile banking. This research verified the effect of perceived usefulness, trust and perceived ease-of-use on behavioral intention in mobile banking. The results have several implications for mobile banking managers.     

Privacy‐preserving targeted mobile advertising: requirements,design and a prototype implementation

With the continued proliferation of mobile devices, the collection of information associated with such devices and their users—such as location, installed applications and cookies associated with built‐in browsers—has become increasingly straightforward. By analysing such information, organisations are often able to deliver more relevant and better focused advertisements. Of course, such targeted mobile advertising gives rise to a number of concerns, with privacy‐related concerns being prominent. In this paper, we discuss the necessary balance that needs to be struck between privacy and utility in this emerging area and propose privacy‐preserving targeted mobile advertising as a solution that tries to achieve that balance. Our aim is to develop a solution that can be deployed by users but is also palatable to businesses that operate in this space. This paper focuses on the requirements and design of privacy‐preserving targeted mobile advertising and also describes an initial prototype. We also discuss how more detailed technical aspects and a complete evaluation will underpin our future work in this area. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The effects of product involvement and impulse buying on purchase intentions in mobile text advertising

While research in mobile advertising is abundant, limited attention has been paid to date to how consumers respond to mobile advertisements for different product categories and in which way impulsivity affects intentions to purchase. In this paper, we study the dimensionality of the product involvement construct and its effects on consumers’ purchase intentions via a simulated field experiment (N = 736). We show that the cognitive dimension of product involvement and impulsiveness significantly affect purchase intentions. We also present that the relationship between product involvement and purchase intention is moderated by the consumers’ impulse buying personality traits. These findings progress the current state-of-the-art in mobile advertising research, while also having significant practical consequences for the design of effective mobile SMS advertising campaigns.     

Improving learning and writing outcomes: Influence of cognitive and behavioral group awareness tools in wikis

International Journal of Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning - Group awareness (GA) tools can facilitate learning processes and outcomes by visualizing different social attributes, such as...     

Computer-mediated communication and the reduction of prejudice: A controlled longitudinal field experiment among Jews and Arabs in Israel

The promise of computer-mediated communication (CMC) to reduce intergroup prejudice has generated mixed results. Theories of CMC yield alternative and mutually exclusive explanations about mechanisms by which CMC fosters relationships online with potential to ameliorate prejudice. This research tests contact-hypothesis predictions and two CMC theories on multicultural, virtual groups who communicated during a yearlong online course focusing on educational technology. Groups included students from the three major Israeli education sectors—religious Jews, secular Jews, and Muslims—who completed pretest and posttest prejudice measures. Two sets of control subjects who did not participate in virtual groups provided comparative data. An interaction of the virtual groups experience × religious/cultural membership affected prejudice toward different religious/cultural target groups, by reducing prejudice toward the respective outgroups for whom the greatest initial enmity existed. Comparisons of virtual group participants to control subjects further support the influence of the online experience. Correlations between prejudice with group identification and with interpersonal measures differentiate which theoretical processes pertained.     

A field experiment in Saharan Algeria for the calibration of optical satellite sensors

A field experiment took place in February-March 1993 to characterize the reflectance properties of four Saharan desert sites, identified from satellite imagery as having remarkably stable optical properties. The objective of the experiment was to measure reflectances so that they can be used as references for the calibration of optical satellite sensors. Bidirectional measurements of the surfaces in reflectance (and also in polarization) were collected in different planes, in the visible, near infrared, and shortwave infrared. Particular attention was given to instrumental calibration, with independent calibration experiments in the laboratory and in the field. The surface reflectance measurements were then adjusted against an empirical model of bidirectional reflectance, and converted to reflectances at the top of the atmosphere (TOA) using an atmospheric radiative transfer model. The angular dependence of these TOA reflectances, named reference reflectances, was tested against those seen by AVHRR on the four desert sites. This comparison shows that multiangular calibration of optical sensors using reference reflectances can be achieved with an accuracy better than 1 per cent.     

An exploratory study on mobile banking adoption in Indian metropolitan and urban areas: a scenario-based experiment

Security concerns have thwarted the widespread adoption of mobile banking in India. To respond to the concerns of Indian banks and their customers, we present in this paper our exploratory attempts to understand how the levels of security affect perceived risk and control and ultimately, adoption of mobile banking by Indian customers. This study also examines the moderating influence of the type of city on the relationship between security levels and risk/control perceptions associated with mobile banking. Using a scenario-based experiment, we classified security-enhancing approaches into three categories and examined their effectiveness in decreasing Indian customers’ perceived risk, increasing their perceived control, and then in turn, facilitating mobile banking adoption. Our findings reveal the important role of perceived risk and control in influencing customers’ intention to adopt mobile banking. Moreover, perceived risk and control significantly influenced mobile banking adoption by customers in urban areas, but only perceived control significantly influenced mobile banking adoption by metropolitan customers. Additional analyses show that customers’ risk and control perceptions differ according to the level of security; however, these perceptions do not have a significant influence on risk and control.     

Haptic tele-driving of wheeled mobile robot over the internet via PSPM approach: theory and experiment

ABSTRACT

We propose novel haptic tele-driving control frameworks of a wheeled mobile robot (WMR) over the imperfect Internet communication network with varying delay and packet loss. We consider both the dynamic and kinematic WMRs and their various tele-driving modes. By utilizing passive set-position modulation framework, we can guarantee two-port passivity or passivity/stability combination of the closed-loop tele-driving system with some theoretical performance measures. Experiments are performed to show the efficacy of the proposed frameworks using the Internet-emulated communication and a custom-built dynamic/kinematic WMR.     

The role of presence awareness in organizational communication: An exploratory field experiment

Millions of adults currently use instant messaging (IM) in the workplace, and yet there is very little research examining how use and perceptions of this new medium affect intra-organizational communication. While one of the characteristics of instant messaging is the ability to exchange real-time communication, what truly distinguishes instant messaging from other widely adopted forms of mediated communication is the integration of presence technology, which allows parties to detect if others are online and available to communicate. In this paper, we propose a theory of productivity benefits of presence-aware communication technology, building upon past research. Based on this model, we use a quasi-experimental longitudinal research design to test how providing instant messaging to selected workgroups at a Fortune 500 company impacts employees' attitudes and work behavior.

Results suggest that IM use had a positive effect on improving productivity with participants citing reductions in voice mail and phone tag, improvements to how easy it was to see if colleagues were online and available to communicate as well as increased productivity served by back-channel communications conducted via IM. Results and future research directions are discussed.     

移动代理在气田分布式计算机环境中的应用与研究

针对传统的基于DCOM/CORBA/EJB的C/S分布式计算机模型在网络的高速和可靠性中存在的矛盾,采用Aglet移动代理平台来构建气田生产运行监控管理系统的多级移动代理环境,并设计了基于移动代理的协作信息中间件(CISOM),以此来实现气田生产管理部门各级结点的信息交互和信息共享,使得气田生产运行监控管理系统具有良好的协作性、快速反应性、易重构性等特点,较好的满足了气田生产运行管理的需要.     

A problem in jointly optimal production and advertising decisions

In this paper, a production control model proposed by Holt, Modigliani, Muth and Simon and a marketing model suggested by Nerlove and Arrow, are combined to produce an optimal control problem with two state variables, two control variables and inequality constraints on these variables. The optimal production rate and advertising expenditures over time are determined using the maximum principle. Due to the complex nature of the necessary conditions, the numerical technique known as the initial-value shooting method, is used to generate optimal trajectories. A numerical example is presented to illustrate the solution.     

Transforming homo economicus into homo ludens: A field experiment on gamification in a utilitarian peer-to-peer trading service

During recent years, the addition of game mechanisms to non-game services has gained a relatively large amount of attention. Popular discussion connects gamification to successful marketing and increased profitability through higher customer engagement, however, there is a dearth of empirical studies that confirm such expectations. This paper reports the results of a field experiment, which gamifies a utilitarian peer-to-peer trading service by implementing the game mechanism of badges that users can earn from a variety of tasks. There were 3234 users who were randomly assigned to treatment groups and subjected to different versions of the badge system in a 2 × 2 design. The results show that the mere implementation of gamification mechanisms does not automatically lead to significant increases in use activity in the studied utilitarian service, however, those users who actively monitored their own badges and those of others in the study showed increased user activity.     

A field experiment on microwave forest radiometry: L-band signal behaviour for varying conditions of surface wetness

From July-December 2004 the experimental campaign ‘Bray 2004’ was conducted in the coniferous forest of Les Landes near Bordeaux, France, using a multi-angle L-band (1.4 GHz) radiometer to measure from above the forest at horizontal polarization. At the same time, ground measurements were taken of soil and litter moisture content, while precipitation was also permanently monitored. This experiment was done in the context of the upcoming SMOS mission in order to improve our understanding of the behaviour of the L-band signal from forested areas for different wetness conditions and viewing angles. This is especially relevant for solving the problem of heterogeneity since a large fraction of SMOS pixels (∼ 30 × 30 km²) is partially covered by forest.This paper describes the objectives and the overall set-up of the Bray-2004 experiment and shows some first results. The greater part of the horizontally polarized L-band signal is found to be dominated by the influence of physical temperature. Variations in soil and/or litter moisture content are visible in the angular signal and in the above-canopy microwave emission, although the dynamic range of this last effect is very small. This, together with the fact that emissivity values are very high, is possibly due to the presence of a substantial litter layer. However, decoupling of soil and litter effects is difficult because of the strong correlation found between soil and litter moisture.     

嵌入式无线移动设备的开放式远程现场升级

在嵌入式设备中使用带ISP功能的元件,使得设备具有远程现场升级能力。在讨论嵌入式无线移动设备远程现场升级的开放性,并与有线设备升级进行差异比较的基础上,提出与无线移动设备相适应的升级模式集合。以基于GPS/GIS/GSM的无线车载设备作为升级实验对象,通过对升级方案和升级实验数据的详尽叙述,验证了独立型升级模式的正确性和有效性。