IncogniSense: An anonymity-preserving reputation framework for participatory sensing applications

Reputation systems are fundamental for assessing the quality of user contributions in participatory sensing. However, naively associating reputation scores to contributions allows adversaries to establish links between multiple contributions and thus de-anonymize users. We present the IncogniSense framework as a panacea to these privacy threats. IncogniSense utilizes periodic pseudonyms generated using blind signature and relies on reputation transfer between these pseudonyms. Simulations are used to analyze various reputation cloaking schemes that address the inherent trade-off between anonymity protection and loss in reputation. Our threat analysis confirms the robustness of IncogniSense and a prototype demonstrates that associated overheads are minimal.     

Personality and thinking style in different creative domains.

The crucial aspect of creativity in both personality and thinking style may be the ability or tendency to change within personality traits, such as, for example, moving between extraversion and introversion, and within thinking styles, such as moving between heuristic and algorithmic thinking. Such mobility is characteristic of the “complex” personality. On personality and thinking style tests, complexity would be expected to manifest itself in greater variability of responses to items measuring the same overall trait. This issue was investigated with 158 visual art, 136 music, and 309 psychology students. Art students (visual art and music students) showed greater complexity in conscientiousness than psychology and music students, respectively. Visual art students further showed a greater overall complexity (mean complexities across personality and thinking style) than psychology students did. A more traditional analysis revealed that visual art students were more neurotic, more open to experience and more inclined to heuristic thinking than psychology students do, whereas music students were more extraverted and more agreeable than visual art students were, and more inclined to heuristic thinking than psychology students were. Thus, it was possible to distinguish visual art students from music and psychology students by their personality and thinking style. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

An extended actuator cylinder model: Actuator‐in‐actuator cylinder (AC‐squared) model

In this paper, the actuator‐in‐actuator cylinder (AC‐squared) model is presented. This model is an extension of the original actuator cylinder model of Madsen and is capable of modelling the effect of a two concentric actuation surfaces in 2D. The induced velocity at every point in the 2D field is affected by the force field acting on the two actuator cylinders. The equations are derived, and a model verification is performed using analytical solutions of flows, proof of flow equivalence, and using OpenFOAM calculations. Finally, the model is applied to different case studies, and the results are compared with a time‐dependent free wake vortex method.     

Investigation of steel corrosion in MX80 bentonite at 120°C

Corrosion experiments were performed on two metallic substrates, a ferritic–pearlitic steel (P285NH) and a ferritic one (Armco), in silicate environment during 30 days at 120°C. Corrosion products were characterized in terms of morphology (scanning electron microscope and transmission electron microscopy), composition (energydispersive X-ray spectroscopy) and structure (µ-Raman, selected area electron diffraction, X-ray absorption near edge structure). Results show a nanometric inner layer made of compact and adherent nanocrystallized magnetite with, locally a thickness up to several micrometers due to the metal microstructure. An outer layer of Fe-rich phyllosilicate, smectite and serpentine, more porous than the inner one and poorly adherent is observed around both the samples.     

uSafe: A privacy-aware and participative mobile application for citizen safety in urban environments

Recent mobile applications empower citizens to monitor noise pollution or report on features of their urban environment. One important aspect of urban life has, however, not been sufficiently addressed, namely the safety of citizens. We present a privacy-aware application called uSafe, in which users indicate how safe they feel in geographical locations. These feelings are then consolidated into summary maps accessible by other users and urban planners. We evaluate our concept with a questionnaire-based study involving 183 participants. The results confirm the utility of uSafe and show that privacy protection is a decisive factor in their decision to contribute to it.     

Curved focal plane detector array for wide field cameras

Miniaturization is the main goal for system design in future cameras. This paper offers a novel method to scale down the optical system and to improve the image quality. As with the human retina, the detector array is spherically bent to fit the curved image surface; so the field curvature aberration is directly suppressed, leading to a better resolution and a simplified optical design. By thinning the substrate, the device is monolithically curved without modifying the fabrication process of the active pixels. Optical characterizations have been performed on planar and curved focal plane based cameras to illustrate the optical advantages of detector array curvature.     

Synthesis, electron tomography and single-particle optical response of twisted gold nano-bipyramids

A great number of works focus their interest on the study of gold nanoparticle plasmonic properties. Among those, sharp nanostructures appear to exhibit the more interesting features for further developments. In this paper, a complete study on bipyramidal-like gold nanostructures is presented. The nano-objects are prepared in high yield using an original method. This chemical process enables a precise control of the shape and the size of the particles. The specific photophysical properties of gold bipyramids in suspension are ripened by recording the plasmonic response of single and isolated objects. Resulting extinction spectra are precisely correlated to their geometrical structure by mean of electron tomography at the single-particle level. The interplay between the geometrical structure and the optical properties of twisted gold bipyramids is further discussed on the basis of numerical calculations. The influence of several parameters is explored such as the structural aspect ratio or the tip truncation. In the case of an incident excitation polarized along the particle long axis, this study shows how the plasmon resonance position can be sensitive to these parameters and how it can then be efficiently tuned on a large wavelength range.     

Increasing emotional competence improves psychological and physical well-being, social relationships, and employability.

This study builds on earlier work showing that adult emotional competencies (EC) could be improved through a relatively brief training. In a set of 2 controlled experimental studies, the authors investigated whether developing EC could lead to improved emotional functioning; long-term personality changes; and important positive implications for physical, psychological, social, and work adjustment. Results of Study 1 showed that 18 hr of training with e-mail follow-up was sufficient to significantly improve emotion regulation, emotion understanding, and overall EC. These changes led in turn to long-term significant increases in extraversion and agreeableness as well as a decrease in neuroticism. Results of Study 2 showed that the development of EC brought about positive changes in psychological well-being, subjective health, quality of social relationships, and employability. The effect sizes were sufficiently large for the changes to be considered as meaningful in people's lives. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Key Resources and Internationalization Modes of Creative Knowledge‐Intensive Business Services: The Case of Design Consultancies

In the ‘knowledge economy’, knowledge‐intensive business services (KIBS) are a key driver for innovation and competitiveness. The internationalization of these businesses raises challenges given their specificities such as knowledge intensity, the importance of customer interaction and intimacy in service delivery. This paper focuses on design consultancies as a specific type of creative KIBS for which these characteristics are emphasized. The objective of this research is to analyse the resources leveraged by the firms to compete internationally. It is based on 11 case studies of design consultancies located in five different countries (France, Italy, Portugal, Spain and the UK) that were selected for their capacity to perform at the international level for several years. The paper advances three internationalization modes depending on contingent variables and focusing on specific resources that enable international competitiveness: star‐based, process‐based and glocality‐based. In star‐based creative KIBS, the individual designer has developed a reputation that attracts customers internationally, operating as a brand. In process‐based creative KIBS, the reputation of a collective creative process attracts clients from other countries. In glocality‐based creative KIBS, the geographical proximity obtained by opening international offices helps to develop a close understanding of the client through frequent interactions, and also to know the client's market well and to better understand local codes and signs. These modes complement those presented in the existing internationalization literature which takes the peculiarities of creative KIBS into consideration.