Information technology

Capturing pedestrian mobility patterns with high fidelity provides a foundation for data-driven decision-making in support of city planning, emergency response, and more. Due to scalability requirements and the sensitive nature of studying pedestrian movements in public spaces, the methods involved must be passive, low-cost, and privacy-centric. Pedestrian localization based on Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) measurements from Wi-Fi probe requests is a promising approach. Probe requests are spontaneously emitted by Wi-Fi-enabled devices, are readily captured by of-the-shelf components, and offer the potential for anonymous RSSI measurement. Given the ubiquity of Wi-Fi-enabled devices carried by pedestrians (e.g., smartphones), RSSI-based passive localization in outdoor environments holds promise for mobility monitoring at scale. To this end, we developed the Mobility Intelligence System (MobIntel), comprising inexpensive sensor hardware to collect RSSI data, a cloud backend for data collection and storage, and web-based visualization tools. The system is deployed along Clematis Street in the heart of downtown West Palm Beach, FL, and over the past three years, over 50 sensors have been installed.
Our research first confirms that RSSI-based passive localization is feasible in a controlled outdoor environment (i.e., no obstructions and little signal interference), achieving ≤ 4 m localization error in more than 90% of the cases. When significant time-varying signal fluctuations are introduced as a result of long-term deployment, performance can be maintained with an overhaul of the problem formulation and an updated localization model. However, when the outdoor environment is fully uncontrolled (e.g., along Clematis Street), the performance decreases to ≤ 4 m error in fewer than 70% of the cases. However, the drop in performance may be addressed through improved sensor maintenance, additional data collection, and appropriate domain knowledge.

Deciding what information we attend to has implications on our ability to remain
valuable and productive in our respective academic and economic domains. This study
investigated if attentional switching due to information technology interruptions would
deplete resources in a unique way and impair performance on a response inhibition task.
Three groups were compared on the Simon task after participants either did or did not
receive interruptions during a self-regulation task. Unexpectedly, a larger Simon effect
was found for participants who did not receive interruptions.
These results conform to previous evidence showing sustained directed attention
may result in depletion and effect subsequent inhibitory control. Although not supporting
predictions, these results may provide a basis for further research, particularly because
younger generations are developing in a more connected world than preceding
generations. By understanding these differences, younger generations may better adapt to
technological advances and leverage them to their advantage.

The purpose of this research project was to develop a predictive model for faculty integration of technology in higher education, specifically among faculty who are members of the Commission of Professors of Adult Education. The variables included both those that the educational institution could affect, such as technical support, release time, tenure and promotion opportunities, and personal variables of faculty, such as computer self-efficacy, attitudes towards computers and perceived institutional support. Three hundred and eighty-nine (389) surveys were mailed to the sample participants. One hundred and twenty-four (124) were returned completed, thirty-six were returned undeliverable and seven were deemed unusable, for a return rate of 33.14%. The survey used in this study, the "Instructional Technology Integration Assessment" was adapted from the Computer Self Efficacy Scale (CSE), developed by Murphey and others (1988) and the Middle Tennessee State University Survey developed by Lea, Brace and Roberts (1998). Multiple regression was performed, using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) to determine which of the variables showed a stronger influence on the dependent variable. Integration of technology significantly correlated with five of the variables: Job Satisfaction (.403, p < .001); Quality of My Instruction (.422, p < .001); Tenure and Promotion Opportunities (.240, p < .05); and the Impact of Technology on the Depth and Breadth of Content and Student Participation (.347, p < .001). Years Teaching in Higher Education was negatively correlated with Integration (-.185, p < .05). With a multiple regression correlation coefficient (R) of .550, the squared multiple correlation coefficient (R2) resulted in .303. Thirty percent (30%) of the variance in integration could be accounted for by the predictor variables. Analysis of responses to open-ended questions revealed three main themes in regards to barriers and incentives for technology integration: psycho/social barriers, student readiness barriers and institutional barriers. Suggestions for future research included adding variables such as learning style, teaching style and fear of change to the overall survey.

The contribution of this research is in positing that national level indicators matter in IT adoption and diffusion and providing empirical support for this theory. National level indicators are scantily represented in IT adoption or diffusion theory. Empirical results on this are almost absent in literature. Diffusion theory models of Rogers (1985) and Kwon and Zmud (1987) do not address national level attributes. National level indicators like culture, economy, institutional factors, physical distance from the innovating nation, IT infrastructure etc., could all be relevant to IT diffusion. Three types of major models (models based on adoption and growth rate factors and diffusion rate) are introduced and the effects of national indicators are examined. First, a general model is developed showing the relationship of various national factors with IT adoption and growth rate. The adoption and growth rates of nine IT products/paradigms are examined in context of the model posited. The hypotheses tested include: (1) IT adoption and growth rate is related to national value systems based on Inglehart's and Hofstede's dimensions, even after controlling for major economic and other indicators; (2) IT adoption and growth rate is related to economic as well as institutional and other national level factors; (3) The factors of adoption and growth rate of IT products/phenomena are different for different products/paradigms. Next, non-linear (temporal as well as space-time) diffusion models are used for modeling the diffusion process. For this purpose, mathematical models are developed and assessed. These models provide additional contributions in the area of diffusion model development. Time-series data on various countries are researched and gathered for this purpose. Preliminary empirical results show support for the hypothesis that national level indicators do exert influence on growth and diffusion of various IT products and paradigms.

In this thesis, a framework for improving model-driven system design productivity with Requirements-Driven Design Automation (RDDA) is presented. The key to the proposed approach is to close the semantic gap between requirements, components and architecture by using compatible semantic models for describing product requirements and component capabilities, including constraints. An ontology-based representation language is designed that spans requirements for the application domain, the software design domain and the component domain. Design automation is supported for architecture development by machine-based mapping of desired product/subsystem features and capabilities to library components and by synthesis and maintenance of Systems Modeling Language (SysML) design structure diagrams. The RDDA framework uses standards-based semantic web technologies and can be integrated with exiting modeling tools. Requirements specification is a major component of the system development cycle. Mistakes and omissions in requirements documents lead to ambiguous or wrong interpretation by engineers, causing errors that trickle down in design and implementation with consequences on the overall development cost. We describe a methodology for requirements specification that aims to alleviate the above issues and that produces models for functional requirements that can be automatically validated for completeness and consistency. The RDDA framework uses an ontology-based language for semantic description of functional product requirements, SysML structure diagrams, component constraints, and Quality of Service. The front-end method for requirements specification is the SysML editor in Rhapsody. A requirements model in Web Ontology Language (OWL) is converted from SysML to Extensible Markup Language Metadata Interchange (XMI) representation.

In the first chapters we will give a short introduction to signature schemes in single and multi-user settings. We give the definition of a signature scheme and explain a group of possible attacks on them. In Chapter 6 we give a construction which derives a subliminal-free RSA public key. In the construction we use a computationally binding and unconditionally hiding commitment scheme. To establish a subliminal-free RSA modulus n, we have to construct the secret primes p and q. To prove p and q are primes we use Lehmann's primality test on the commitments. The chapter is based on the paper, "RSA signature schemes with subliminal-free public key" (Tatra Mountains Mathematical Publications 41 (2008)). In chapter 7 a one-time signature scheme using run-length encoding is presented, which in the random oracle model offers security against chosen-message attacks. For parameters of interest, the proposed scheme enables about 33% faster verification with a comparable signature size than a construction of Merkle and Winternitz. The public key size remains unchanged (1 hash value). The main cost for the faster verification is an increase in the time required for signing messages and for key generation. The chapter is based on the paper "A one-time signature using run-length encoding" (Information Processing Letters Vol. 108, Issue 4, (2008)).

International development literature suggests that Internet marketing has the potential to play an important role in rural development. Despite the abundant theoretical support for incorporating Internet marketing into development strategies, there is little empirical evidence regarding whether Internet marketing actually generates development. This thesis helps fill this gap in the literature by investigating whether one Internet marketing application associated with development, competitive-online auctions (COAs), contributes to growth and poverty reduction. An analysis of price premiums earned in Latin American specialty coffee auctions and interviews with participating coffee farmers suggest that this application's strength lies in its ability to catalyze development; it provides the foundation from which farmers can pursue above-market prices, access new markets, and improve local living conditions. However, evidence also emphasizes that COAs do not inevitably advance development goals because their ability to do so is contingent on external factors, including the actions taken by individual farmers.