Reading the Academic Library Blog Through the Lens of Genre Theory: A Preliminary Discussion

ABSTRACT

This article is a theoretical discussion that introduces examining the emerging library blog of the public academic library from the approach of genre theory. Genre theory classifies texts not only by form but by the social actions performed, a definition developed by Carol Miller. Public and private spheres are found to intersect in the library blog, complicating the traditional role of the librarian as objective information provider.     

Software engineering research for computer games: A systematic review

ContextCurrently, computer game development is one of the fastest growing industries in the worldwide economy. In addition to that, computer games are rapidly evolving in the sense that newer game versions arrive in a very short interval. Thus, software engineering techniques are needed for game development in order to achieve greater flexibility and maintainability, less cost and effort, better design, etc. In addition, games present several characteristics that differentiate their development from classical software development.ObjectiveThis study aims to assess the state of the art on research concerning software engineering for computer games and discuss possible important areas for future research.MethodWe employed a standard methodology for systematic literature reviews using four well known digital libraries.ResultsSoftware engineering for computer games is a research domain that has doubled its research activity during the last 5 years. The dominant research topic has proven to be requirements engineering, while topics such as software verification and maintenance have been neglected up to now.ConclusionThe results of the study suggest that software engineering for computer games is a field that embraces many techniques and methods from conventional software engineering and adapts them so as to fit the specific requirements of game development. In addition to that, the study proposes the employment of more elaborate empirical methods, i.e. controlled experiments and case studies, in game software engineering research, which, have not been extensively used up to now.     

Game Theory and Decision Theory in Multi-Agent Systems

In the last few years, there has been increasing interest from the agent community in the use of techniques from decision theory and game theory. Our aims in this article are firstly to briefly summarize the key concepts of decision theory and game theory, secondly to discuss how these tools are being applied in agent systems research, and finally to introduce this special issue of Autonomous Agents and Multi-Agent Systems by reviewing the papers that appear.     

e-Sports: Playing just for fun or playing to satisfy life goals?

Purposee-Sports is an area of the game scene, in which computer game players specialize in a specific game, form game teams (clans), compete together in tournaments and meet at so-called LAN (Local Area Network) parties. The objective of this study was to compare the different types of e-Sports players from the perspective of their personality traits and explicit motives and to compare e-Sports players with casual players in selected life goals.MethodsA questionnaire assessing life goals (Pöhlmann & Brunstein, 1997) and basic personality traits (Personality inventory KUD, 1986) were administered to 108 e-Sports players and 54 casual computer game players.ResultsIn the group of e-Sports players, only clan leaders significantly differed in life goal power from those who were not members of any clan. Significant differences were also found between e-Sports players and casual players in terms of life goals affiliation and diversion.Conclusionse-Sports seem not only to be about playing computer games, but can also serve as a means of satisfying the need to belong. They do this by creating friendly relationships through membership in game teams and participation in LAN parties, or satisfying the need for power by upholding a position of a game team leader and determining its course of action.     

A Quantum Treatment of Public Goods Economics

Quantum generalizations of conventional games broaden the range of available strategies, which can help improve outcomes for the participants. With many players, such quantum games can involve entanglement among many states which is difficult to implement, especially if the states must be communicated over some distance. This paper describes a quantum approach to the economically significant n-player public goods game that requires only two-particle entanglement and is thus much easier to implement than more general quantum mechanisms. In spite of the large temptation to free ride on the efforts of others in the original game, two-particle entanglement is sufficient to give near optimal expected payoff when players use a simple mixed strategy for which no player can benefit by making different choices. This mechanism can also address some heterogeneous preferences among the players. PACS: 03.67-a; 02.50Le; 89.65.Gh     

Has open source software been institutionalized in organizations or not?

ContextAlmost a decade ago, researchers in information systems and analysts of the information technology (IT) industry were predicting a bright future for open source software (OSS). Recent examples appear to lend support to this, but there exist many detractors of OSS and resistance to the transformation it creates. Thus, it is relevant to take a closer look at the institutionalization of OSS.ObjectiveThis paper evaluates the extent of OSS institutionalization in organizations. A practice or innovation is said to be institutionalized when it is taken-for-granted and its use becomes the norm.MethodDrawing on institutional theory, the underlying concept of organizing vision and the rhetorical theory of diffusion of innovations, we analyze OSS institutionalization through the observation of the evolution of the public discourse about OSS and, simultaneously, the observation of the rate of adoption or diffusion of OSS in organizations.ResultsOSS has become institutionalized for many back-end applications and is gradually becoming institutionalized for some front-end applications, mainly in small and medium enterprises but also in organizations in the financial, publishing, education, government and public sectors. Using the rhetorical theory of diffusion of innovations in tandem with the concept of organizing vision, we provide a deep understanding of the institutionalization of OSS by showing that it has not only diffused among organizations, but is also taken-for-granted in thought and social action. The positive tone and prominence of the public discourse on OSS have an important role to play in its institutionalization.ConclusionThe institutionalization of OSS in organizations cannot be underestimated by IT and business executives as well as key players in the IT industry. Future research efforts should be pursued and directed toward the institutionalization of particular OSS applications in a variety of industries and geographic regions.     

基于博弈论优化的高效联邦学习方案

随着网络信息技术与互联网的发展,数据的隐私与安全问题亟待解决,联邦学习作为一种新型的分布式隐私保护机器学习技术应运而生。针对在联邦学习过程中存在个人数据信息泄露的隐私安全问题,结合Micali-Rabin随机向量表示技术,基于博弈论提出一种具有隐私保护的高效联邦学习方案。根据博弈论激励机制,构建联邦学习博弈模型,通过设置合适的效用函数和激励机制保证参与者的合理行为偏好,同时结合Micali-Rabin随机向量表示技术设计高效联邦学习方案。基于Pedersen承诺机制实现高效联邦学习的隐私保护,以保证联邦学习各参与者的利益和数据隐私,并且全局达到帕累托最优状态。在数字分类数据集上的实验结果表明,该方案不仅提高联邦学习的通信效率,而且在通信开销和数据精确度之间实现平衡。     

Using Cultural‐Historical Activity Theory to design and evaluate an educational game in science education

The aim of this paper is to describe a methodology for using Cultural‐Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) at the initial stages of the design process of an educational game, by exploring how the theory can be used as a framework for producing not only usable but also useful computer tools. The research also aimed to investigate how the theory could be used for designing computer tools for learning science. Although CHAT and specifically the concepts of ‘activity system’ and ‘contradictions’ were used as the basis for the design and development of the educational game, subsidiary design guidelines also contributed significantly to this process. These derived from the research fields of Human Computer Interaction and Science Education and from students' everyday experiences when playing video games at home. The educational game produced was concerned with the teaching and learning of ‘Expansion and Contraction of Air’ in primary science, a subject that existing research suggests is conceptually difficult for students. As far as the main outcomes of the study are concerned, it was revealed through the implementation of the game that contradictions could be adequately resolved, while stakeholders' needs and motives could be appropriately addressed.     

A theory of defeasible reasoning

Reasoning can lead not only to the adoption of beliefs, but also to the retraction of beliefs. In philosophy, this is described by saying that reasoning is defeasible. My ultimate objective is the construction of a general theory of reasoning and its implementation in an automated reasoner capable of both deductive and defeasible reasoning. the resulting system is named “OSCAR.” This article addresses some of the theoretical underpinnings of OSCAR. This article extends my earlier theory in two directions. First, it addresses the question of what the criteria of adequacy should be for a defeasible reasoner. Second, it extends the theory to accommodate reasons of varying strengths.     

A Global Maximum Error Controller Based Nonlinearity Aware TPWL Method for Reducing Nonlinear Systems

Abstract

Model order reduction is a common practice to reduce large order systems so that their simulation and control become easy. Nonlinearity aware trajectory piecewise linear is a variation of trajectory piecewise linearization technique of order reduction that is used to reduce nonlinear systems. With this scheme, the reduced approximation of the system is generated by weighted sum of the linearized and reduced sub-models obtained at certain linearization points on the system trajectory. This scheme uses dynamically inspired weight assignment that makes the approximation nonlinearity aware. Just as weight assignment, the process of linearization points selection is also important for generating faithful approximations. This article uses a global maximum error controller based linearization points selection scheme according to which a state is chosen as a linearization point if the error between a current reduced model and the full order nonlinear system reaches a maximum value. A combination that not only selects linearization points based on an error controller but also assigns dynamic inspired weights is shown in this article. The proposed scheme generates approximations with higher accuracies. This is demonstrated by applying the proposed method to some benchmark nonlinear circuits including RC ladder network and inverter chain circuit and comparing the results with the conventional schemes.     

On the Complexity of Computing Winning Strategies for Finite Poset Games

This paper is concerned with the complexity of computing winning strategies for poset games. While it is reasonably clear that such strategies can be computed in PSPACE, we give a simple proof of this fact by a reduction to the game of geography. We also show how to formalize the reasoning about poset games in Skelley’s theory W₁¹\mathbf{W}_{1}^{1} for PSPACE reasoning. We conclude that W₁¹\mathbf{W}_{1}^{1} can use the “strategy stealing argument” to prove that in poset games with a supremum the first player always has a winning strategy.     

Forensic Methodologies: A Computer Forensic Professional's Compass!

Abstract

Documenting and formalizing your forensics program will not only provide structure and consistency, but it will also keep you out of trouble. This is the fourth article in a five-part series on computer forensics considering five aspects of a computer forensics program: building a forensics laboratory, tools, training, methodologies, and conducting forensic work.     

An Intrusion Detection Game Theoretical Model

ABSTRACT

We propose, in this article, a game theoretical model for Host-based Intrusion Detection Systems (HIDS). The main drawbacks of existing HIDSs, such as Swatch, are the high computation cost in detection and the generation of false alarms. These limitations are not acceptable in resource-limited systems such as wireless mobile devices. We address these issues by applying game theory to HIDSs, so that HIDSs can discover potential attackers with lower computation cost and false alarm rates. To achieve that, we explore two solutions: The Bayesian model and the Dempster-Shafer (DS) model where the identity of the attacker is unknown. Such type of models can be used in Mobile Ad hoc Networks (MANET) where the sender identity is unknown. They help to determine the belief value that determines whether a sender is misbehaving or not. Our novel contribution in this article is a hybrid model that combines the Bayesian and DS models for decreasing false positives and detecting accurately an attacker. Our simulation results show the benefits from the combination of these two models regarding the posterior belief function that is used for increasing the possibility of intrusion detection.     

Creativity,method and process in digital fabric printing: a 21st century paintbrush

Abstract

This paper analyses how the arrival and widespread use of digital printing affects the artist as maker in the postmodern world of instant reproduction. In response to the question of using digital printing as an artistic tool, a 21^st century paintbrush, the marks and imagery of paintings and drawings of the author's own work produced over the past few years were analysed. The digitally printed fabric outcomes, large scale painterly prints, will be presented as examples of how digitisation becomes a powerfultoolto the textile artist with the creative textile maker manipulating technology and not being controlled by it. The conclusion will show how digitisation and new technologies should not be seen as creating isolation but can be integrated into the textile artist's tool box to inspire and enhance creativity.     

信息安全攻防博弈研究

信息安全中攻防对抗的本质可以抽象为攻防双方的策略依存性,防御者所采取的防御策略是否有效,不应该只取决于其自身的行为,还应取决于攻击者和防御系统的策略。通过对信息安全攻防不对称性、不完全信息、合理性、重复博弈等特点的分析,以及博弈模型要素和一般模型的分析,构建了信息安全的攻防模型,并对其博弈过程进行了详尽地研究与分析。最后,建议应从攻防博弈的视角来研究信息安全问题,为信息安全问题的解决提供一种新的思路。     

Enterprise Vulnerability Management and Its Role in Information Security Management

Abstract

Companies continue to pay heavily for confronting hacker attacks and responding to rapidly spreading viruses, worms, and Trojans. The impact on an organization can be substantial, ranging from loss of productivity to reputation. Hackers exploit known vulnerabilities. Hybrid malcode not only piggybacks on core services for delivery, but also exploits known vulnerabilities. This article underscores the central role of vulnerability management in ensuring enterprise security. An effective vulnerability management program will not only guard against hackers, but will also assure minimal impact from hybrid malcode that exploits known vulnerabilities.     

Games Played under Fuzzy Constraints

Psychological experiment studies reveal that human interaction behaviors are often not the same as what game theory predicts. One of important reasons is that they did not put relevant constraints into consideration when the players choose their best strategies. However, in real life, games are often played in certain contexts where players are constrained by their capabilities, law, culture, custom, and so on. For example, if someone wants to drive a car, he/she has to have a driving license. Therefore, when a human player of a game chooses a strategy, he/she should consider not only the material payoff or monetary reward from taking his/her best strategy and others' best responses but also how feasible to take the strategy in that context where the game is played. To solve such a game, this paper establishes a model of fuzzily constrained games and introduces a solution concept of constrained equilibrium for the games of this kind. Our model is consistent with psychological experiment results of ultimatum games. We also discuss what will happen if Prisoner's Dilemma and Stag Hunt are played under fuzzy constraints. In general, after putting constraints into account, our model can reflect well the human behaviors of fairness, altruism, self‐interest, and so on, and thus can predict the outcomes of some games more accurate than conventional game theory.     

Coalition formation in weighted simple-majority games under proportional payoff allocation rules

In this paper, we introduce a simple coalition formation game in the environment of bidding, which is a special case of the weighted majority game （WMG）, and is named the weighted simple-majority game （WSMG）. In WSMG, payoff is allocated to the winners proportional to the players powers, which can be measured in various ways. We define a new kind of stability： the counteraction-stability （C-stability）, where any potential deviating players will confront counteractions of the other players. We show that C-stable coalition structures in WSMG always contains a minimal winning coalition of minimum total power. For the variant where powers are measured directly by their weights, we show that it is NP-hard to find a C-stable coalition structure and design a pseudo-polynomial time algorithm. Sensitivity analysis for this variant, which shows many interesting properties, is also done. We also prove that it is NP-hard to compute the Holler-Packel indices in WSMGs, and hence in WMGs as well.