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• 1. [Article] Testing the Effectiveness of Healthy Start-Healthy Families Oregon: Outcomes and Cost-Benefits

  Objectives. This study was designed to achieve several specific objectives: (1) to conduct a large-scale randomized study of the impact of the Healthy Families Oregon (HFO) program, a home visitation program ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Testing the Effectiveness of Healthy Start-Healthy Families Oregon: Outcomes and Cost-Benefits Author: Green, Beth L., Tarte, Jerod, Sanders, Mary Beth, Waller, Mark S. Year: 2016 Objectives. This study was designed to achieve several specific objectives: (1) to conduct a large-scale randomized study of the impact of the Healthy Families Oregon (HFO) program, a home visitation program using the Healthy Families America model, on child welfare system involvement, access to self-sufficiency resources, and use of preventive and other medical services; (2) to conduct a comprehensive and detailed cost-benefit study of the HFO program; and (3) to develop and disseminate a web-based tool to support home visiting program managers, funders, and others to better understand and develop readiness for conducting program cost analysis and cost-benefit research. Approach. 2,727 eligible first-time parents were randomly assigned to receive the HFO program or a community services-as-usual control group. The research team obtained 2 years of postenrollment follow-up data on all study participants from Oregon’s child welfare system, selfsufficiency services, and medical assistance programs. Additionally, a 1-year post-enrollment telephone interview was conducted with a random sample of 803 study participants (403 program, 400 control). Analyses were also conducted to examine whether program impacts varied for subgroups of families with different demographic and baseline risk characteristics, and to explore the relationship of program fidelity and dosage to outcomes. Finally, a detailed program cost analysis was conducted and administrative data outcomes were used in a cost-benefit analysis. Results/Benefits. 1-year follow-up interviews with parents found that HFO families were significantly more likely (compared to controls) to read to their young children frequently, to provide developmentally supportive activities, and to report lower parenting-related stress as measured by the Parent Stress Inventory (PSI). These effects appeared to be strongest for families with four or more risk factors (two factors more than the threshold for “at risk”). Administrative data outcomes at 2 years post enrollment found that families were no more likely to have a founded child abuse report than were controls (6.3% vs. 6.0%), but were significantly more likely to have an unfounded report (9.7% vs. 7.9%). HFO families, compared to controls, were also significantly more likely to have been enrolled in TANF services for the first time, received more days of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and were more likely to be enrolled in substance abuse treatment services. There were no significant differences between groups in terms of use of or access to publicly funded health insurance or health-related services. Consistent with other cost-benefit analyses of home visiting and early childhood programs, results of the cost-benefit analyses did not support short-term cost savings associated with receipt of the HFO program. A web-based tool, The Home Visiting Cost Tool, was posted to the following web address: www.homevisitcosts.com. Title: Testing the Effectiveness of Healthy Start-Healthy Families Oregon: Outcomes and Cost-Benefits Author: Green, Beth L., Tarte, Jerod, Sanders, Mary Beth, Waller, Mark S. Year: 2016 Objectives. This study was designed to achieve several specific objectives: (1) to conduct a large-scale randomized study of the impact of the Healthy Families Oregon (HFO) program, a home visitation program using the Healthy Families America model, on child welfare system involvement, access to self-sufficiency resources, and use of preventive and other medical services; (2) to conduct a comprehensive and detailed cost-benefit study of the HFO program; and (3) to develop and disseminate a web-based tool to support home visiting program managers, funders, and others to better understand and develop readiness for conducting program cost analysis and cost-benefit research. Approach. 2,727 eligible first-time parents were randomly assigned to receive the HFO program or a community services-as-usual control group. The research team obtained 2 years of postenrollment follow-up data on all study participants from Oregon’s child welfare system, selfsufficiency services, and medical assistance programs. Additionally, a 1-year post-enrollment telephone interview was conducted with a random sample of 803 study participants (403 program, 400 control). Analyses were also conducted to examine whether program impacts varied for subgroups of families with different demographic and baseline risk characteristics, and to explore the relationship of program fidelity and dosage to outcomes. Finally, a detailed program cost analysis was conducted and administrative data outcomes were used in a cost-benefit analysis. Results/Benefits. 1-year follow-up interviews with parents found that HFO families were significantly more likely (compared to controls) to read to their young children frequently, to provide developmentally supportive activities, and to report lower parenting-related stress as measured by the Parent Stress Inventory (PSI). These effects appeared to be strongest for families with four or more risk factors (two factors more than the threshold for “at risk”). Administrative data outcomes at 2 years post enrollment found that families were no more likely to have a founded child abuse report than were controls (6.3% vs. 6.0%), but were significantly more likely to have an unfounded report (9.7% vs. 7.9%). HFO families, compared to controls, were also significantly more likely to have been enrolled in TANF services for the first time, received more days of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and were more likely to be enrolled in substance abuse treatment services. There were no significant differences between groups in terms of use of or access to publicly funded health insurance or health-related services. Consistent with other cost-benefit analyses of home visiting and early childhood programs, results of the cost-benefit analyses did not support short-term cost savings associated with receipt of the HFO program. A web-based tool, The Home Visiting Cost Tool, was posted to the following web address: www.homevisitcosts.com. 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• 2. [Article] Evaluation of the Kindergarten Readiness Partnership & Innovation Grants

  In July 2014, Oregon’s Early Learning Division provided first-time funding for sixteen communities across the state to implement Kindergarten Readiness Partnership & Innovation (KRPI) projects. The KRPI ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Evaluation of the Kindergarten Readiness Partnership & Innovation Grants Author: Green, Beth L., Patterson, Lindsey Brianna, Morris, Mackenzie, Cochran, Lindsey Anne, Lambarth, Callie H. Year: 2015 In July 2014, Oregon’s Early Learning Division provided first-time funding for sixteen communities across the state to implement Kindergarten Readiness Partnership & Innovation (KRPI) projects. The KRPI projects share the common goal of improving children’s school readiness and, ultimately, improving school success and reducing the achievement gap. To achieve these goals, grantees were given considerable local flexibility to implement innovative approaches in one or more of the following areas: 1. Supporting kindergarten readiness skills and smooth transitions to kindergarten; 2. Increasing family engagement in children’s learning and connecting families and schools; 3. Providing professional development to early learning and/or elementary school professionals to improve knowledge and skills; and/or 4. Increasing alignment, connection, and collaboration in the prenatal to Grade 3 (P-3) system. All grantees were also expected to work toward addressing achievement gaps for underrepresented children, including those with special needs, Dual Language Learners, and/or children from low income or racial/ethnic minority backgrounds. Across the sixteen grantees, a variety of different strategies and interventions were selected and implemented. Portland State University was contracted to conduct an evaluation of the KRPI initiative, with a focus on documenting and describing the types of innovations delivered, early program outcomes, and lessons learned from the first year of implementation. The evaluation took a multi-level, mixed-methods approach that included: Developing web-based reporting tools, including: Service reporting tools to track the types of events and interventions used; Demographic and background characteristics of participants; and Frequency of participation by early learning and elementary school professionals, families, and community partners; Outcome tools designed to capture short-term outcomes for three primary types of interventions: Kindergarten Transition programs Cross-Sector Professional Development activities; and Family Engagement activities; Interviewing 28 key stakeholders representing the 16 communities to document key project successes, challenges, and lessons learned; and conducting five site-specific “mini evaluations” that allowed a more in-depth evaluation of selected grantee projects. Title: Evaluation of the Kindergarten Readiness Partnership & Innovation Grants Author: Green, Beth L., Patterson, Lindsey Brianna, Morris, Mackenzie, Cochran, Lindsey Anne, Lambarth, Callie H. Year: 2015 In July 2014, Oregon’s Early Learning Division provided first-time funding for sixteen communities across the state to implement Kindergarten Readiness Partnership & Innovation (KRPI) projects. The KRPI projects share the common goal of improving children’s school readiness and, ultimately, improving school success and reducing the achievement gap. To achieve these goals, grantees were given considerable local flexibility to implement innovative approaches in one or more of the following areas: 1. Supporting kindergarten readiness skills and smooth transitions to kindergarten; 2. Increasing family engagement in children’s learning and connecting families and schools; 3. Providing professional development to early learning and/or elementary school professionals to improve knowledge and skills; and/or 4. Increasing alignment, connection, and collaboration in the prenatal to Grade 3 (P-3) system. All grantees were also expected to work toward addressing achievement gaps for underrepresented children, including those with special needs, Dual Language Learners, and/or children from low income or racial/ethnic minority backgrounds. Across the sixteen grantees, a variety of different strategies and interventions were selected and implemented. Portland State University was contracted to conduct an evaluation of the KRPI initiative, with a focus on documenting and describing the types of innovations delivered, early program outcomes, and lessons learned from the first year of implementation. The evaluation took a multi-level, mixed-methods approach that included: Developing web-based reporting tools, including: Service reporting tools to track the types of events and interventions used; Demographic and background characteristics of participants; and Frequency of participation by early learning and elementary school professionals, families, and community partners; Outcome tools designed to capture short-term outcomes for three primary types of interventions: Kindergarten Transition programs Cross-Sector Professional Development activities; and Family Engagement activities; Interviewing 28 key stakeholders representing the 16 communities to document key project successes, challenges, and lessons learned; and conducting five site-specific “mini evaluations” that allowed a more in-depth evaluation of selected grantee projects. Close

• 3. [Article] Implementation of SaaS for Investment Inc.

  Investment, Inc. is in the financial services industry that have licensed broker dealer who sell investments to clients. Investment Inc. is currently evaluating a new software platform to support its broker ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Implementation of SaaS for Investment Inc. Author: Patil, Prajakta, Razavi, Asma, Puthanpura, Aurobindh Kalathil Year: 2015 Investment, Inc. is in the financial services industry that have licensed broker dealer who sell investments to clients. Investment Inc. is currently evaluating a new software platform to support its broker dealers in order to improve operation and to have better insight into their business. Currently, they use four system in order to get the information that is required to manage their operations. After evaluating systems in the marketplace, Investment Inc. has contacted the sales department to generate proposal for the system that would be compared with other vendors. The proposal will be evaluated under their internal evaluation procedures and the preferred vendor would be notified by July 6, 2015. The Project plan is due by June 8, 2015 along with additional documents. The additional documents requested were recent SSAE audit report, Business continuity policy (BCP) procedure document, web application assessment for the SaaS performed by an independent 3rd party, Certificate of current cyber security insurance and summary of coverage, Network penetration testing results for SaaS network perimeter performed by an independent 3rd party, Incident response and escalation procedure, and background check procedures for employees and contractors. Title: Implementation of SaaS for Investment Inc. Author: Patil, Prajakta, Razavi, Asma, Puthanpura, Aurobindh Kalathil Year: 2015 Investment, Inc. is in the financial services industry that have licensed broker dealer who sell investments to clients. Investment Inc. is currently evaluating a new software platform to support its broker dealers in order to improve operation and to have better insight into their business. Currently, they use four system in order to get the information that is required to manage their operations. After evaluating systems in the marketplace, Investment Inc. has contacted the sales department to generate proposal for the system that would be compared with other vendors. The proposal will be evaluated under their internal evaluation procedures and the preferred vendor would be notified by July 6, 2015. The Project plan is due by June 8, 2015 along with additional documents. The additional documents requested were recent SSAE audit report, Business continuity policy (BCP) procedure document, web application assessment for the SaaS performed by an independent 3rd party, Certificate of current cyber security insurance and summary of coverage, Network penetration testing results for SaaS network perimeter performed by an independent 3rd party, Incident response and escalation procedure, and background check procedures for employees and contractors. Close

• 4. [Article] SLH Property Management: Web Based Portals Project

  The purpose of the project is to develop a web application for the company. Since our company operates in a mature, competitive industry, customer retention through excellent customer service is a necessity. ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: SLH Property Management: Web Based Portals Project Author: Janzen, Henry, Paneerselvam, Sridharkumar, Lee, Yongjun Year: 2015 The purpose of the project is to develop a web application for the company. Since our company operates in a mature, competitive industry, customer retention through excellent customer service is a necessity. To improve customer service, company should provide online services to client by creating a new website. The proposed web application would double revenues in three years. Title: SLH Property Management: Web Based Portals Project Author: Janzen, Henry, Paneerselvam, Sridharkumar, Lee, Yongjun Year: 2015 The purpose of the project is to develop a web application for the company. Since our company operates in a mature, competitive industry, customer retention through excellent customer service is a necessity. To improve customer service, company should provide online services to client by creating a new website. The proposed web application would double revenues in three years. Close

• 5. [Article] Exploring Capability Maturity Models and Relevant Practices as Solutions Addressing IT Service Offshoring Project Issues

  Western countries' information technology and software intensive firms are increasingly producing software and IT services in developing countries. With this swift advancement in offshoring, there are ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Exploring Capability Maturity Models and Relevant Practices as Solutions Addressing IT Service Offshoring Project Issues Author: Salman, Rosine Hanna Year: 2014 Western countries' information technology and software intensive firms are increasingly producing software and IT services in developing countries. With this swift advancement in offshoring, there are many issues that can be investigated which will enable companies to maximize their benefits from offshoring. However, significant challenges can occur throughout the lifecycle of offshoring IT service projects that turn the potential benefits into losses. This research investigated CMM/CMMI best practices and their effects on managing and mitigating critical issues associated with offshore development. Using a web based survey, data was collected from 451 Information Technology and software development firms in the US. The survey instrument was validated by an expert panel which included practitioners and researchers. The survey population consisted of Information Technology and software engineering managers who work on offshore IT and software development projects. Statistical methods including Chi Square and Cramer's V were used to test the research hypotheses. The results of the analysis show that IT companies applying CMM/CMMI models have fewer issues associated with IT offshoring. When US IT companies utilize and incorporate different practices from TSP and People CMM into CMMI for DEV/SVC and CMMI for ACQ, they have fewer offshoring issues related to language barriers and cultural differences. The results of this research contribute to the existing body of knowledge on the offshoring of IT services from the client management perspective and provide practitioners with increased knowledge regarding IT offshoring decisions. Title: Exploring Capability Maturity Models and Relevant Practices as Solutions Addressing IT Service Offshoring Project Issues Author: Salman, Rosine Hanna Year: 2014 Western countries' information technology and software intensive firms are increasingly producing software and IT services in developing countries. With this swift advancement in offshoring, there are many issues that can be investigated which will enable companies to maximize their benefits from offshoring. However, significant challenges can occur throughout the lifecycle of offshoring IT service projects that turn the potential benefits into losses. This research investigated CMM/CMMI best practices and their effects on managing and mitigating critical issues associated with offshore development. Using a web based survey, data was collected from 451 Information Technology and software development firms in the US. The survey instrument was validated by an expert panel which included practitioners and researchers. The survey population consisted of Information Technology and software engineering managers who work on offshore IT and software development projects. Statistical methods including Chi Square and Cramer's V were used to test the research hypotheses. The results of the analysis show that IT companies applying CMM/CMMI models have fewer issues associated with IT offshoring. When US IT companies utilize and incorporate different practices from TSP and People CMM into CMMI for DEV/SVC and CMMI for ACQ, they have fewer offshoring issues related to language barriers and cultural differences. The results of this research contribute to the existing body of knowledge on the offshoring of IT services from the client management perspective and provide practitioners with increased knowledge regarding IT offshoring decisions. Close

• 6. [Article] Using Spammers' Computing Resources for Volunteer Computing

  Spammers are continually looking to circumvent counter-measures seeking to slow them down. An immense amount of time and money is currently devoted to hiding spam, but not enough is devoted to effectively ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Using Spammers' Computing Resources for Volunteer Computing Author: Bui, Thai Le Quy Year: 2014 Spammers are continually looking to circumvent counter-measures seeking to slow them down. An immense amount of time and money is currently devoted to hiding spam, but not enough is devoted to effectively preventing it. One approach for preventing spam is to force the spammer's machine to solve a computational problem of varying difficulty before granting access. The idea is that suspicious or problematic requests are given difficult problems to solve while legitimate requests are allowed through with minimal computation. Unfortunately, most systems that employ this model waste the computing resources being used, as they are directed towards solving cryptographic problems that provide no societal benefit. While systems such as reCAPTCHA and FoldIt have allowed users to contribute solutions to useful problems interactively, an analogous solution for non-interactive proof-of-work does not exist. Towards this end, this paper describes MetaCAPTCHA and reBOINC, an infrastructure for supporting useful proof-of-work that is integrated into a web spam throttling service. The infrastructure dynamically issues CAPTCHAs and proof-of-work puzzles while ensuring that malicious users solve challenging puzzles. Additionally, it provides a framework that enables the computational resources of spammers to be redirected towards meaningful research. To validate the efficacy of our approach, prototype implementations based on OpenCV and BOINC are described that demonstrate the ability to harvest spammer's resources for beneficial purposes. Title: Using Spammers' Computing Resources for Volunteer Computing Author: Bui, Thai Le Quy Year: 2014 Spammers are continually looking to circumvent counter-measures seeking to slow them down. An immense amount of time and money is currently devoted to hiding spam, but not enough is devoted to effectively preventing it. One approach for preventing spam is to force the spammer's machine to solve a computational problem of varying difficulty before granting access. The idea is that suspicious or problematic requests are given difficult problems to solve while legitimate requests are allowed through with minimal computation. Unfortunately, most systems that employ this model waste the computing resources being used, as they are directed towards solving cryptographic problems that provide no societal benefit. While systems such as reCAPTCHA and FoldIt have allowed users to contribute solutions to useful problems interactively, an analogous solution for non-interactive proof-of-work does not exist. Towards this end, this paper describes MetaCAPTCHA and reBOINC, an infrastructure for supporting useful proof-of-work that is integrated into a web spam throttling service. The infrastructure dynamically issues CAPTCHAs and proof-of-work puzzles while ensuring that malicious users solve challenging puzzles. Additionally, it provides a framework that enables the computational resources of spammers to be redirected towards meaningful research. To validate the efficacy of our approach, prototype implementations based on OpenCV and BOINC are described that demonstrate the ability to harvest spammer's resources for beneficial purposes. Close

• 7. [Article] Exploratory Study of the Adoption and Use of the Smartphone Technology in Emerging Regions: Case of Saudi Arabia

  Users' acceptance of a new information technology (IT) is considered to be a key determinant factor of its success. Also, studying users' adoption and use of new IT plays an important role in determining ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Exploratory Study of the Adoption and Use of the Smartphone Technology in Emerging Regions: Case of Saudi Arabia Author: Aldhaban, Fahad Abdulaziz Year: 2016 Users' acceptance of a new information technology (IT) is considered to be a key determinant factor of its success. Also, studying users' adoption and use of new IT plays an important role in determining users' needs and reducing business risk, especially in industry segments with rapid changes in IT such as Smartphone technology. Such rapid evolution is influencing consumers' behaviors, their daily lifestyle, the manner of conducting their activities and their ways of consuming and using information. Smartphone technology holds a promising future with an expected global market that could reach US $258 billion by the end of year 2015 [1]. Besides the mobile industry, Smartphone technology introduces a wide range of opportunities and challenges for many related industries that participate directly or indirectly in producing and providing Smartphone services/products to the end users. Moreover, the Smartphone technology is relatively new technology with plenty of room for improvement. Better understanding of users' intentions and their behaviors regarding the adoption and use of the Smartphone technology plays a critical role in determining its success and benefiting all stakeholders. Significant efforts have been made to study and explain users' adoption and use of Smartphone technology. However, most of the empirical research focused on only a limited number of Smartphone aspects or on a specific profession such as doctors and nurses which may neglect other important factors. In emerging regions such as Jordan and China, cultural and social influence showed significant relationships with users' adoption and use of the Smartphone and its related technologies. Saudi Arabia is a developing country that has different cultural and social contexts that could influence users' intention to adopt and use the Smartphone technology. The key factors that influence general users' intention to adopt and use Smartphone technology in Saudi Arabia have not yet been studied and explored in a comprehensive manner. Therefore, the main purpose of this dissertation is to empirically study and explore the key factors that influence general users' adoption and use of the Smartphone in a comprehensive manner in Saudi Arabia. This dissertation starts with a literature review of existing research related to the adoption and use of Smartphone technology. Taxonomy is developed that includes factors that were identified as important in previous research and related to the adoption and use of the Smartphone technology. By using the developed taxonomy and reviewing literature related to the IT adoption theories, a preliminary theoretical research model is developed based on the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT). A number of qualitative methods, namely brainstorming, focus group and individual interviews, have been conducted to evaluate, select and validate the existing factors, as well as introduce new factors, and to identify only the most related factors to be included in the preliminary research model. A survey questionnaire has been developed and validated to survey general users of the Smartphone in Saudi Arabia. A web-based survey has been designed and sent through email to 5,000 randomly selected smartphones users in Saudi Arabia. Data has been statistically analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). The results indicate that performance expectancy factor, effort expectancy factor, brand influence factor, perceived enjoyment factor and design factor have a positive and significant relationship with users' intention to adopt and use smartphones in Saudi Arabia. Also, the results indicate that the social influence factor has a significant and positive relationship with use behavior or actual use of smartphones in Saudi Arabia. The results of this dissertation provide more insights to practitioners in the smartphones domain and information that contributes to the body of knowledge regarding information technology adoption and its related research, especially in Saudi Arabia. Title: Exploratory Study of the Adoption and Use of the Smartphone Technology in Emerging Regions: Case of Saudi Arabia Author: Aldhaban, Fahad Abdulaziz Year: 2016 Users' acceptance of a new information technology (IT) is considered to be a key determinant factor of its success. Also, studying users' adoption and use of new IT plays an important role in determining users' needs and reducing business risk, especially in industry segments with rapid changes in IT such as Smartphone technology. Such rapid evolution is influencing consumers' behaviors, their daily lifestyle, the manner of conducting their activities and their ways of consuming and using information. Smartphone technology holds a promising future with an expected global market that could reach US $258 billion by the end of year 2015 [1]. Besides the mobile industry, Smartphone technology introduces a wide range of opportunities and challenges for many related industries that participate directly or indirectly in producing and providing Smartphone services/products to the end users. Moreover, the Smartphone technology is relatively new technology with plenty of room for improvement. Better understanding of users' intentions and their behaviors regarding the adoption and use of the Smartphone technology plays a critical role in determining its success and benefiting all stakeholders. Significant efforts have been made to study and explain users' adoption and use of Smartphone technology. However, most of the empirical research focused on only a limited number of Smartphone aspects or on a specific profession such as doctors and nurses which may neglect other important factors. In emerging regions such as Jordan and China, cultural and social influence showed significant relationships with users' adoption and use of the Smartphone and its related technologies. Saudi Arabia is a developing country that has different cultural and social contexts that could influence users' intention to adopt and use the Smartphone technology. The key factors that influence general users' intention to adopt and use Smartphone technology in Saudi Arabia have not yet been studied and explored in a comprehensive manner. Therefore, the main purpose of this dissertation is to empirically study and explore the key factors that influence general users' adoption and use of the Smartphone in a comprehensive manner in Saudi Arabia. This dissertation starts with a literature review of existing research related to the adoption and use of Smartphone technology. Taxonomy is developed that includes factors that were identified as important in previous research and related to the adoption and use of the Smartphone technology. By using the developed taxonomy and reviewing literature related to the IT adoption theories, a preliminary theoretical research model is developed based on the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT). A number of qualitative methods, namely brainstorming, focus group and individual interviews, have been conducted to evaluate, select and validate the existing factors, as well as introduce new factors, and to identify only the most related factors to be included in the preliminary research model. A survey questionnaire has been developed and validated to survey general users of the Smartphone in Saudi Arabia. A web-based survey has been designed and sent through email to 5,000 randomly selected smartphones users in Saudi Arabia. Data has been statistically analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). The results indicate that performance expectancy factor, effort expectancy factor, brand influence factor, perceived enjoyment factor and design factor have a positive and significant relationship with users' intention to adopt and use smartphones in Saudi Arabia. Also, the results indicate that the social influence factor has a significant and positive relationship with use behavior or actual use of smartphones in Saudi Arabia. The results of this dissertation provide more insights to practitioners in the smartphones domain and information that contributes to the body of knowledge regarding information technology adoption and its related research, especially in Saudi Arabia. Close

• 8. [Article] Intersections of Critical Systems Thinking and Community Based Participatory Research in Developing a Web Site for Autistic Adults

  People with disabilities, including those on the autism spectrum, comprise the world's largest minority and experience significant inequities in Internet use. Existing standards for accessible web sites ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Intersections of Critical Systems Thinking and Community Based Participatory Research in Developing a Web Site for Autistic Adults Author: Raymaker, Dora Madeline Year: 2015 People with disabilities, including those on the autism spectrum, comprise the world's largest minority and experience significant inequities in Internet use. Existing standards for accessible web sites are necessary but not sufficient without the direct engagement of end users in identifying access needs. Yet little is known about methods for effective engagement, and there are no systematically derived Web accessibility guidelines for autistic end users. Here I explore a hybrid approach to direct engagement using critical systems thinking (CST) and community based participatory research (CBPR) during the co-development of a healthcare-focused web site by the Academic Autism Spectrum Partnership in Research and Education (AASPIRE). I explore these ideas on three levels: theory, practice, and critical self-reflection. On the theory level, I examine the common philosophical and historical roots of CST and CBPR, ways in which they intersect and complement, and propose the hybrid approach exemplified by AASPIRE. On the practice level, I explore our web site development process and evaluate the accessibility, usability, and acceptability of the web site for autistic end users; from that work, comes a set of recommendations for working with people with disabilities in technology development and a set of accessibility guidelines for autistic end users. On the critical self-reflection level, I inquire into my own experiences as an insider-researcher during the web site development. I then synthesize the levels to evaluate whether or not taking a hybrid CST/CBPR approach to web development was effective, as indicated by the team's ability to function as an emancipatory learning organization (an indicator of effective systems thinking on an organizational level), and the overall usability and accessibility of the web site. The result of the synthesis suggests a hybrid CST/CBPR approach was effective. Implications of this work include innovations in CST methods for operationalizing its commitment to human emancipation, potential for drawing a more ideologically-aligned systems thinking literature into the domain of CBPR, a means for individuals wishing to create a more power-balanced learning organization, innovations around including people with disabilities in research and technology development, more accessible web sites for people on the autism spectrum, and a potential small shift of dominant discourse around autism, disability, and the value of insider-researchers over time. Title: Intersections of Critical Systems Thinking and Community Based Participatory Research in Developing a Web Site for Autistic Adults Author: Raymaker, Dora Madeline Year: 2015 People with disabilities, including those on the autism spectrum, comprise the world's largest minority and experience significant inequities in Internet use. Existing standards for accessible web sites are necessary but not sufficient without the direct engagement of end users in identifying access needs. Yet little is known about methods for effective engagement, and there are no systematically derived Web accessibility guidelines for autistic end users. Here I explore a hybrid approach to direct engagement using critical systems thinking (CST) and community based participatory research (CBPR) during the co-development of a healthcare-focused web site by the Academic Autism Spectrum Partnership in Research and Education (AASPIRE). I explore these ideas on three levels: theory, practice, and critical self-reflection. On the theory level, I examine the common philosophical and historical roots of CST and CBPR, ways in which they intersect and complement, and propose the hybrid approach exemplified by AASPIRE. On the practice level, I explore our web site development process and evaluate the accessibility, usability, and acceptability of the web site for autistic end users; from that work, comes a set of recommendations for working with people with disabilities in technology development and a set of accessibility guidelines for autistic end users. On the critical self-reflection level, I inquire into my own experiences as an insider-researcher during the web site development. I then synthesize the levels to evaluate whether or not taking a hybrid CST/CBPR approach to web development was effective, as indicated by the team's ability to function as an emancipatory learning organization (an indicator of effective systems thinking on an organizational level), and the overall usability and accessibility of the web site. The result of the synthesis suggests a hybrid CST/CBPR approach was effective. Implications of this work include innovations in CST methods for operationalizing its commitment to human emancipation, potential for drawing a more ideologically-aligned systems thinking literature into the domain of CBPR, a means for individuals wishing to create a more power-balanced learning organization, innovations around including people with disabilities in research and technology development, more accessible web sites for people on the autism spectrum, and a potential small shift of dominant discourse around autism, disability, and the value of insider-researchers over time. Close

• 9. [Article] Infrastructure and Service Integration as a Key Process in Technology Management

  Services delivered through technologies have emerged as key contributors to the economy. In fact, the service sector has developed into a critical value driver in the 21st century, even for manufactured ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Infrastructure and Service Integration as a Key Process in Technology Management Author: Daim, Tugrul Unsal, Griffy-Brown, Charla Year: 2015 Services delivered through technologies have emerged as key contributors to the economy. In fact, the service sector has developed into a critical value driver in the 21st century, even for manufactured products. Furthermore, technology infrastructure has become one of the key success factors in the delivery of services. This special issue focuses on technology management aspects of the critical integration of services and infrastructure. This integration is complex and requires more systematic scholarly understanding in order to enhance successful service delivery. It is envisioned that this special issue begins to fill this gap. There are many examples of success and failure to learn from but little theory and systematic approaches to assist decision-makers as they provide technology enabled services. One recent example has been the roll out of the new US healthcare system (healthcare.gov) and the failure of the web interface. The main issue in this example was the process of integrating health care services with the information technology infrastructure. The less than effective management of technology in this case led to a failure which was globally newsworthy and had a significant negative effect on the intended outcome of providing affordable healthcare. This special issue explores both strategic aspects such as evaluation and planning of technologies as well as operational aspects such as implementation and actual integration of technologies with the services. It is envisioned that new scholarly approaches and understanding will inform decision-makers so that better outcomes can result regardless of whether the services are in the commercial, public or non-profit sectors and regardless of industry vertical. Title: Infrastructure and Service Integration as a Key Process in Technology Management Author: Daim, Tugrul Unsal, Griffy-Brown, Charla Year: 2015 Services delivered through technologies have emerged as key contributors to the economy. In fact, the service sector has developed into a critical value driver in the 21st century, even for manufactured products. Furthermore, technology infrastructure has become one of the key success factors in the delivery of services. This special issue focuses on technology management aspects of the critical integration of services and infrastructure. This integration is complex and requires more systematic scholarly understanding in order to enhance successful service delivery. It is envisioned that this special issue begins to fill this gap. There are many examples of success and failure to learn from but little theory and systematic approaches to assist decision-makers as they provide technology enabled services. One recent example has been the roll out of the new US healthcare system (healthcare.gov) and the failure of the web interface. The main issue in this example was the process of integrating health care services with the information technology infrastructure. The less than effective management of technology in this case led to a failure which was globally newsworthy and had a significant negative effect on the intended outcome of providing affordable healthcare. This special issue explores both strategic aspects such as evaluation and planning of technologies as well as operational aspects such as implementation and actual integration of technologies with the services. It is envisioned that new scholarly approaches and understanding will inform decision-makers so that better outcomes can result regardless of whether the services are in the commercial, public or non-profit sectors and regardless of industry vertical. Close

• 10. [Article] Thumbnail Preserving Encryption for JPEG

  With more and more data being stored in the cloud, securing multimedia data is becoming increasingly important. Use of existing encryption methods with cloud services is possible, but makes many web-based ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Thumbnail Preserving Encryption for JPEG Author: Wright, Charles V., Feng, Wu-chi Year: 2015 With more and more data being stored in the cloud, securing multimedia data is becoming increasingly important. Use of existing encryption methods with cloud services is possible, but makes many web-based applications difficult or impossible to use. In this paper, we propose a new image encryption scheme specially designed for protecting JPEG images in cloud photo storage services. Our technique allows efficient reconstruction of an accurate low-resolution thumbnail from the ciphertext image, but aims to prevent the extraction of any more detailed information. This will allow efficient storage and retrieval of image data in the cloud but protect its contents from outside hackers or snooping cloud administrators. Experiments of the proposed approach using an online selfie database show that it can achieve a good balance of privacy, utility, image quality, and file size. Title: Thumbnail Preserving Encryption for JPEG Author: Wright, Charles V., Feng, Wu-chi Year: 2015 With more and more data being stored in the cloud, securing multimedia data is becoming increasingly important. Use of existing encryption methods with cloud services is possible, but makes many web-based applications difficult or impossible to use. In this paper, we propose a new image encryption scheme specially designed for protecting JPEG images in cloud photo storage services. Our technique allows efficient reconstruction of an accurate low-resolution thumbnail from the ciphertext image, but aims to prevent the extraction of any more detailed information. This will allow efficient storage and retrieval of image data in the cloud but protect its contents from outside hackers or snooping cloud administrators. Experiments of the proposed approach using an online selfie database show that it can achieve a good balance of privacy, utility, image quality, and file size. Close