Human Factors in Airfield Air Traffic Control∗

The area of airfield air traffic control is briefly introduced, and potential increases in demands outlined. The tasks involved are described as an initial approach to the problem of developing improved systems. The various methods of information collection and organization for such tasks are discussed. Possible future developments in systems are mentioned together with their associated ergonomics aspects.     

Are Stacker Crane Problems easy? A statistical study

Many full truckload pick-up and delivery problems in the intermodal freight container transport industry can be modeled as Asymmetric Traveling Salesman Problems (ATSPs). Several authors have noted that while ATSPs are NP-hard, some instances are readily solved to optimality in only a short amount of time. Furthermore, the literature contains several references to the Stacker Crane Problem (SCP) as an “easy” problem amidst the ATSPs. We put this hypothesis to test by using statistical methods to build a model relating measurable distance matrix structures to the amount of time required by two existing exact solvers in finding solutions to over 500 ATSP instances. From this analysis we conclude that SCPs are not necessarily easier than other ATSPs, but a special subset of SCPs, termed drayage problems, are more readily solved. We speculate that drayage problems are “easy” because of a comparatively high number of zeros in symmetric locations within the distance matrix. In real-world drayage problems (i.e. the movement of containers a short distance to/from a port or rail terminal), these zeros correspond to the prevalence of jobs originating at or destined to a fixed number of freight terminals.     

Scholarly Communication in the Sciences—A Third World Perspective

ABSTRACT

A study was undertaken to assess the impact of the Internet on scientific communication among a group of scientists and information professionals from leading research institutions in India. The object of the study was to understand the information-seeking behavior of Indian scientists and information professionals and the use of the Internet in their work. In order to determine subject specific differences in Internet use, participants included physicists, mathematicians, chemists, biomedical scientists, and information professionals. This article also examines the perceptions of scientists on recent developments in scholarly communication and explores the role of Indian librarians and information professionals in the electronic environment.     

Data Management in Peer-to-Peer Environment: A Perspective of BestPeer

Peer-to-Peer (P2P) systems have attracted much attention in academic commu-nity and industry circles due to their promising applications in various domains. This paper presents the authors‘ research efforts on introducing complex query capabilities in a P2P environ-ment consisting of numerous peers with large volume of data. An underlying hybrid P2P computing platform, named BestPeer is described first. The connection among peers within BestPeer is self-configurable through maintaining the nearest neighbor of peers, and the agent techniques employed in the system ensure its capability of providing sophisticated services. The designs of three P2P data management systems which are all based on BestPeer are described in detail. They provide support for information retrieval, query processing and Web services respectively. Advantages and limitations are discussed, while ongoing work is presented. Current systems can provide basic functions for keyword-based search, SQL-like query processing, and Web services querying and discovery. Some further topics on providing fully-fledged data management functionalities for P2P distributed computing systems with security guarantee are also discussed.     

Compressed Word Problems in HNN-extensions and?Amalgamated Products

It is shown that the compressed word problem for an HNN-extension ??H,t?Ot ^?1 at=?(a) (a??A)?? with A finite is polynomial time Turing-reducible to the compressed word problem for the base group H. An analogous result for amalgamated free products is shown as well.     

Where does the end begin? Problems in musico-cognitive modeling

Research with computer systems and musical grammars into improvisation as found in the tabla drumming system of North India has indicated that certain musical sentences comprise (a) variable prefixes, and (b) fixed suffixes (or cadences) identical with those of their original rhythmic themes. It was assumed that the cadence functioned as a kind of target in linear musical space, and yet experiments showed that defining what exactly constituted the cadence was problematic. This paper addresses the problem of the status of cadential patterns, and demonstrates the need for a better understanding and formalization of ambiguity in musico-cognitive processing. It would appear from the discussion that the cadence is not a discrete unit in itself, but just part of an ever-present underlying framework comprising the entire original rhythmic theme. Improvisations (variations), it is suggested, merely break away from and rejoin this framework at important structural points. This endorses the theory of simultaneity. However, the general cognitive implications are still unclear, and further research is required to explore musical ambiguity and the interaction of musical, linguistic, and spatio-motor grammars.     

A Human-Cognitive Perspective of Users’ Password Choices in Recognition-Based Graphical Authentication

ABSTRACT

Graphical password composition is an important part of graphical user authentication which affects the strength of the chosen password. Considering that graphical authentication is associated with visual search, perception, and information retrieval, in this paper we report on an eye-tracking study (N = 109) that aimed to investigate the effects of users’ cognitive styles toward the strength of the created passwords and shed light into whether and how the visual strategy of the users during graphical password composition is associated with the passwords’ strength. For doing so, we adopted Witkin’s Field Dependence-Independence theory, which underpins individual differences in visual information and cognitive processing, as graphical password composition tasks are associated with visual search. The analysis revealed that users with different cognitive processing characteristics followed different patterns of visual behavior during password composition which affected the strength of the created passwords. The findings underpin the need of considering human-cognitive characteristics as a design factor in graphical password schemes. The paper concludes by discussing implications for improving recognition-based graphical passwords through adaptation and personalization techniques based on individual cognitive characteristics.     

Factors That Influence Employees’ Security Policy Compliance: An Awareness-Motivation-Capability Perspective

Information security policy (ISP) plays an important role in information security management in organizations. Past research investigated various factors that may impact employee behavior toward security policy compliance from the perspective of general deterrence theory (GDT), protection and motivation Theory (PMT), and rational choice theory (RCT). However, there is no unifying foundation/framework that examines all of those factors in a harmonic way so that the research findings can guide information security practices and research into the employee ISP compliance management context. Additionally, prior findings provided mixed results. This study proposes a research model based on the awareness-motivation-capability (AMC) framework, aiming to unify the factors to predict employee ISP compliance intention. We believe that a harmonic approach in managing employee ISP compliance can create optimal outcomes.     

Strategic Assessment of Lisbon’s Accessibility and Mobility Problems from an Equity Perspective

Accessibility planning with reference to sustainability and equity principles has been advocated as the best approach to deal with the urban mobility complexity. It has enabled the development of more sustainable and fair policies in relation to access provision. However, despite this paradigm shift, many planning initiatives in practice are still focused on assessing alternatives and proposing solutions, instead of centering on the understanding and assessment of problems as the primary activity of planning. Therefore, in order to contribute for the problem-oriented paradigm in the accessibility planning, this work proposes a strategic assessment methodology for unequal and inequitable distribution problems of accessibility and mobility. This methodology relies on spatial analysis techniques and allows the characterization of accessibility and mobility conditions, as well as the diagnosis of accessibility and mobility problems and their causal relationships. It was applied for the case of Lisbon and the results of the performed assessment allowed an intelligent reading of the problems considered. Specifically, it was found that Lisbon presents an unequal and inequitable distribution of job accessibility and mobility by private car and public transport, and also that job accessibility, along with other transportation, land-use and socioeconomic variables, impact the mobility levels of its citizens.     

Understanding Port Choice Behavior—A Network Perspective

A novel Network-based Integrated Choice Evaluation (NICE) model is developed to enhance the multinomial logit preference (MNL) model that is widely employed in the existing port choice literature. The NICE model integrates the element of port service network with observational port attributes to identify important quality characteristics on which liner shipping companies base their port choices. An empirical study of the proposed model is conducted through the service schedules of three established liner shipping companies. Results show that port efficiency and scale economies are the more important dimensions influencing liner shipping companies’ selection of major Asian ports. Nevertheless, it is important for a competitive port to balance its efforts among all the dimensions.     

MNP: A Class of NP Optimization Problems

A large class of NP optimization problems called MNP are studied.It is shown that Rmax(2)is in this class and some problems which are not likely in Rmax(2) are in this class.A new kind of reductions,SL-reductions,is defined to preserve approximability and nonapproximability,so it is a more general version of L-reductions and A-reductions.Then some complete problems of this class under SL-reductions are shown and it is proved that the max-clique problem is one of them.So all complete problems in this class are as difficult to approximate as the max-clique problem.     

Development of Software Engineering: A Research Perspective

In the past 40 years, software engineering has emerged as an important sub-field of computer science and has made significant contribution to the software industry. Now it is gradually becoming a new independent discipline. This paper presents a survey of software engineering development from a research perspective. Firstly, the history of software engineering is reviewed with focus on the driving forces of software technology, the software engineering framework and the milestones of software engineering development. Secondly, after reviewing the past academic efforts, the current research activities are surveyed and new challenges brought by Internet are analyzed. Software engineering researches and activities in China are also reviewed. The work in Peking University is described as a representative.     

Human–Vehicle Cooperation in Automated Driving: A Multidisciplinary Review and Appraisal

ABSTRACT

To draw a comprehensive and cohesive understanding of human–vehicle cooperation in automated driving, a review is made on key studies in human–robot interaction and human factors. Throughout this article, insight is provided into how human drivers and vehicle systems interplay and influence each other. The limitations of technology-centered taxonomies of automation are discussed and the benefits of accounting for human agents are examined. The contributions of machine learning to automated driving and how critical models in human-system cooperation can inform the design of a more symbiotic relationship between driver and vehicle are investigated. Challenges in the human element to enable the safe introduction of road automation are also discussed. Particularly, the unintended consequences of vehicle automation on driver’s workload, situation awareness and trust are examined, and the social interactions between driver, vehicle, and other road users are investigated. This review will help professionals shape future directions for safer and more efficient and effective human–vehicle cooperation.     

Critical Success Factors to Improve the Game Development Process from a Developer’s Perspective

The growth of the software game development industry is enormous and is gaining importance day by day. This growth imposes severe pressure and a number of issues and challenges on the game development community. Game development is a complex process, and one important game development choice is to consider the developer’s perspective to produce good-quality software games by improving the game development process. The objective of this study is to provide a better understanding of the developer’s dimension as a factor in software game success. It focuses mainly on an empirical investigation of the effect of key developer’s factors on the software game development process and eventually on the quality of the resulting game. A quantitative survey was developed and conducted to identify key developer’s factors for an enhanced game development process. For this study, the developed survey was used to test the research model and hypotheses. The results provide evidence that game development organizations must deal with multiple key factors to remain competitive and to handle high pressure in the software game industry. The main contribution of this paper is to investigate empirically the influence of key developer’s factors on the game development process.