Behavioural research in telematics.

Discusses telematics, a new field of behavioral research in Canada that has grown with the technical developments in which computers and telecommunications have been combined. Three domains of behavioral research reflect relationships between humans and the technology and use the evidence and methods of different areas of psychology: (1) interface studies address perception and performance questions, (2) dialog studies focus on cognitive processes, and (3) impact studies investigate social relations and how institutions and individuals are affected by telematics. Studies conducted during the past 5 yrs by the Behavioural Research and Evaluation division of the Department of Communications, Government of Canada, are described in each of these 3 domains. Behavioral research in telematics is expected to be an increasingly important activity in which psychologists may play an active part as the technology disseminates. (French abstract) (47 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Information Assurance Technology Forecast 2008

A virtual roundtable (featuring panelists Steven Bellovin, Terry Benzel, Bob Blakely, Dorothy Denning, Whitfield Diffie, Jeremy Epstein, and Paulo Verissimo) discussing the next 15 years in computer security.     

DDT absorption and chylomicron transport in rat

Male rats were fed 100 nM dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane-¹⁴C in oil by gastric tube. Recovery of dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane-¹⁴C in thoracic duct lymph was 60% in 12 hr. Lymph dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane-¹⁴C (97%) occurred in lipoproteins of d<1.006, designated chylomicrons. Mechanical separation of chylomicron triglyceride core (labeled with triglyceride-³H) from chylomicron membrane (labeled with phospholipid-³²P) showed that 97% dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane-¹⁴C was present in triglyceride core. To investigate possible association of plasma clearance of the two core lipids, rats were pulse injected with chylomicrons, doubly labeled with triglyceride-³H and dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane-¹⁴C. The decay of dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane-¹⁴C in sequential serum samples was rapid (T^1/2=2 min) and was independent of triglyceride-³H decay. In tissues removed 14 min after injection of chylomicrons, 30% administered dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane-¹⁴C was found in liver but only 1% in adipose tissue. In hepatectomized (eviscerated) rats, the decay of serum dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane-¹⁴C (T^1/2=10 min) was also independent of and more rapid than triglyceride-³H decay. With sucrose density gradients, it was shown that chylomicron dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane-¹⁴C transferred to higher density serum proteins in vitro and in vivo and to bovine albumin in vitro. Thus, dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane was transported from intestine largely in the triglyderide phase of chylomicrons; disappearance of chylomicron-dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane from the systemic circulation was rapid and partly independent of the presence of the liver and of triglyceride hydrolysis; some dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane was transported from serum chylomicrons to albumin or other plasma proteins before tissue uptake.     

Coupling and comparing a spatially- and temporally-detailed eutrophication model with an ecosystem network model: An initial application to Chesapeake Bay

Coastal waters are modeled for a variety of purposes including eutrophication remediation and fisheries management. Combining these two approaches provides insights which are not available from either approach independently. Coupling is confounded, however, by differences in model formulations and “currencies.” We present here an initial coupling of a spatially- and temporally-detailed eutrophication model, CE-QUAL-ICM, with a network fisheries model, Ecopath. We list commonalities between the models and present algorithms and software for the exchange of information. The models are applied to the central portion of Chesapeake Bay for a contemporary summer period. After comparison of the representations of Chesapeake Bay by the two models, an illustrative example one-way, off-line, coupling is presented. In an initial examination of a 20% increase in predation on phytoplankton by a small, highly-exploited fish (Atlantic menhaden, Brevoortia tyrannus), computed reduction in phytoplankton biomass is accompanied by increased production due to enhanced nutrient recycling. Minimal impact on the structure of the food web or on biomass of higher-trophic level organisms is computed. The algorithms and software can be adapted to alternate eutrophication models and Ecopath applications and provide the first, necessary, steps for subsequent coupling with the time-variable Ecosim model.     

The it Imperative in Business Transformation

The IT imperative is to construct enterprisewide systems and capabilities needed by business to compete. For IS managers, this means embracing the viewpoint that IT plays a crucial role in building the business of the future. IS and business management must act as true partners, each supporting the other in creating an optimally performing company.     

Consideration of the errors inherent in mapping historical glacier positions in Austria from the ground and space (1893-2001)

The historical record of in situ measurements of the terminus positions of the Pasterze and Kleines Fleißkees glaciers in the eastern Alps of Austria is used to assess uncertainties in the measurement of decadal scale changes using satellite data. Topographic maps beginning in 1893, and satellite data from 1976 to 2001, were studied in concert with ground measurements to measure glacier changes. Ground measurements show that the tongue of the Pasterze Glacier receded ∼1150 m from 1893 to 2001, while satellite-derived measurements, using August 2001 Landsat Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) data registered to an 1893 topographic map, show a recession of 1300-1800 m, with an unknown error. The measurement accuracy depends on the registration technique and the pixel resolution of the sensor when two satellite images are used. When using topographic maps, an additional source of error is the accuracy of the glacier position shown on the map. Between 1976 and 2001, Landsat-derived measurements show a recession of the terminus of the Pasterze Glacier of 479±136 m (at an average rate of 19.1 m a⁻¹) while measurements from the ground showed a recession of 428 m (at an average rate of 17.1 m a⁻¹). Four-meter resolution Ikonos satellite images from 2000 and 2001 reveal a shrinkage of 22,096±46 m² in the Pasterze tongue. The nearby Kleines Fleißkees glacier lost 30% of its area between 1984 and 2001, and the area of exposed ice increased by 0.44±0.0023 km², according to Landsat satellite measurements. As more recent satellite images are utilized, especially data that are geocoded, the uncertainty associated with measuring glacier changes has decreased. It is not possible to assess the uncertainty when an old topographic map and a satellite image are coregistered.     

Affordances,experimentation and actualization of FinTech: A blockchain implementation study

Blockchain, the technology underlying bitcoin, is an emerging financial technology (FinTech) that is poised to have strategic impacts on organizations. Because it is a new phenomenon, there are few studies on blockchain, and those studies have focused mainly on the technology’s potential impacts, whereas how to effectively implement it in an organization remains unknown. Our study intends to fill that gap. Using affordance-actualization (A-A) theory as the theoretical lens, we conducted a case study of blockchain implementation in an organization that has effectively implemented it. We identify three affordances of blockchain in the organization and a process model whereby these affordances are actualized. The process model extends A-A theory by adding an experimentation phase where blockchain’s use cases within the organization are identified, developed and tested through conceptual adaptation and constraint mitigation. Our study makes important theoretical contributions to the literature on A-A theory, blockchain, information technology (IT) implementation, and strategic information systems (SIS). Our study can also help IT practitioners to implement blockchain effectively and extract value from their investment.     

CYPHER MACHINES MAINTENANCE AND RESTORATION SPANNING SIXTY YEARS

We describe the life and times of a servicing mechanic for cypher equipment for the Royal Air Force during World War II and an opportunity to serve again as a cypher machine restorer for Bletchley Park Museum.