Business Commons^™

Cybersecurity Risk Assessment Using Graph Theoretical Anomaly Detection And Machine Learning, Goksel Kucukkaya

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The cyber domain is a great business enabler providing many types of enterprises new opportunities such as scaling up services, obtaining customer insights, identifying end-user profiles, sharing data, and expanding to new communities. However, the cyber domain also comes with its own set of risks. Cybersecurity risk assessment helps enterprises explore these new opportunities and, at the same time, proportionately manage the risks by establishing cyber situational awareness and identifying potential consequences. Anomaly detection is a mechanism to enable situational awareness in the cyber domain. However, anomaly detection also requires one of the most extensive sets of data and features …

Spring 2021, Joëlle Walls

The Investigator Research Magazine

Dear readers,

We are proud to present the spring issue of The Investigator and share with you the expansion of diverse research and scholarly activities occurring at Kennesaw State. Although this year was met with challenges, KSU’s research enterprise has thrived and grown.

In this issue, Pamela Whitten discussed the establishment of the Interdisciplinary Innovation Initiative, an internal funding program to spur new collaborations focused on KSU’s research themes. And alumni Carl Saint-Louis and Karen Armstrong, featured in our cover story, have returned as faculty to mentor the next generation.

This publication would not have been possible without the visual …

Preventing Needle Stick Injuries: A Quality Improvement Project, Adrianna Kerns, Emilea Pitts, Grace Richman, Katie Rawlings, Megan Riley, Mary Suzanne White

2021 Celebration of Student Scholarship - Poster Presentations

"Needlestick injuries (NSI) affect approximately 1,000 people per day across U.S. hospitals. Needlestick injuries cost an estimated $3,042 per victim annually, according to the report. The costs go toward laboratory fees for testing exposed employees, associated labor and counseling and post-exposure follow-ups." (Beckner's Clinical Leadership & Infection Control, 2020). It was noted at an urban teaching hospital that needlestick injuries are an issue. Researchers believe this number is an underestimate of the actual amount of needle stick injuries. The purpose is to increase the education of staff nurses on the topic of needle stick injuries. We thoroughly reviewed 56 studies …

Modeling The Stock Market Through Game Theory, Kylie Hannafey

Honors College Theses

Game Theory is used on many occasions to help us understand interactions between decision-makers. The famous Nash equilibrium is a steady state in a model that shows the interaction of different players, in which no player can do better by choosing a different action if the actions of the other players do not change. These two concepts can be applied to numerous situations that vary in types of players, but for our research, we are focusing on businesses in the stock market. The main objective is to use Game Theory to analyze data collected from the stock market, model our …

J Mich Dent Assoc April 2021

The Journal of the Michigan Dental Association

In the April 2021 issue of the Journal of the Michigan Dental Association, we offer a comprehensive range of original feature content showcasing the latest developments in dental practice and knowledge, including:

1. AI in Dental Care Delivery: Explore the groundbreaking role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning in dental care, revolutionizing efficiency, safety, care outcomes, and treatment planning consistency.
2. AI in Dental Claims Processing: Discover how AI is employed by third-party payers to streamline dental claims processing, resulting in cost containment and the proactive identification of potential fraud, waste, and abuse.
3. Evidence-Based Dentistry: As part of …

Powered By Ai, Christopher J. Smiley

The Journal of the Michigan Dental Association

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing dental practice through its ability to process vast amounts of data, enhance diagnosis, and improve patient care. However, AI introduces the challenge of bias and ethical considerations. Dentists and dental benefit providers are utilizing AI for early disease detection and efficient data management, but transparency and fairness in AI algorithms are vital. The Rome Call for AI Ethics emphasizes ethical, non-biased AI development. In the broader context, AI-driven marketing and predictive behavior raise concerns about privacy and ethical data use. The dental community must embrace AI's power while upholding ethical standards and transparency.

Mathematical Modeling In Finance, Owen Sweeney

Honors Projects

Financial tools play an integral role in the day-to-day lives of individuals and businesses. Many of these tools use predefined formulas to calculate items such as loan payments, interest and capital structure components. These tools do not usually provide the flexibility needed when new parameters are introduced. By utilizing mathematical modeling, these standard formulas can be derived and even improved to provide the needed flexibility.

Digital Sustainability And Its Implications For Finance And Climate Change, Gerard George, Simon J.D. Schillebeeckx

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

As the pandemic forced the entire world to a virtual standstill, nature revived a little. The US emitted 10.3% less CO2 in 2020 than in 2019 and other regions similarly experienced emission declines. Depending on the source, global carbon emissions were down between 4 and 8% in 2020.2 Consumers globally have expressed more concern about sustainability, an observation confirmed by large survey research by Accenture, Kantar, Boston Consulting Group (BCG), and Ipsos.3 In its latest Emissions Gap Report4 , the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) explicitly connected the pandemic to climate change, nature loss, and pollution. Besides the acceleration of business …

Food Security As A Factor Of Sustainable Development Of The Country, Timur Nurimbetov

Karakalpak Scientific Journal

The article examines the state of the food market and the trends in ensuring the country’s food security. The article also analyzes the regional characteristics of the agricultural products market in the Republic of Karakalpakstan. The saturation level of regional food markets has been studied. Scientific conclusions and practical recommendations on the supply of food to the population have been made.

Financial News And Cds Spreads, Paresh Kumar Narayan, Deepa Bannigidadmath

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

This paper examines whether financial news moves CDS spreads for a large number of U.S. stocks sorted into 19 panels consisting of sectors, sizes and credit quality. Using a unique financial news data set, we discover that while both positive and negative news predicts CDS spread changes in most of the panels, annualised mean–variance profits and utility gains are dominated by forecasting models that use positive news as a predictor. At best, risk factors only account for around 31% of observed profits.

Commodity Futures Returns And Policy Uncertainty, Deepa Bannigidadmath, Paresh Kumar Narayan

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

This paper investigates whether economic policy uncertainty is predictable using three sets of commodity futures market variables, namely the equal-weighted average of futures excess returns, the excess returns on a portfolio of going long in backwardated commodities, and the excess returns on a portfolio of going short in contango commodities as predictors. We find significant evidence of both in-sample and out-of-sample predictability. Combination forecasts also reveal strong evidence of predictability. Our findings remain unchanged following several robustness tests.

What A Load Of Rubbish! The Efficacy Of Theory Of Planned Behaviour And Norm Activation Model In Predicting Visitors’ Binning Behaviour In National Parks, Kourosh Esfandiar, Ross Dowling, Joanna Pearce, Edmund Goh

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

A specific concern for many park managers is the generation of waste by visitors. One way to combat this issue in national parks is to encourage visitors to put their litter in a bin. This study investigates binning behaviour, as a type of pro-environmental behaviour, of visitors to Yanchep National Park, Australia. Using structural equation modelling, this study tested an integrated structural model combining the theory of planned behaviour and the norm-activation model with data from 219 visitors to this park. The study tried to move away from measuring visitors' pro-environmental intention and instead gathered data based on their current …

Flocc: From Agent-Based Models To Interactive Simulations On The Web, Scott Donaldson

Northeast Journal of Complex Systems (NEJCS)

Agent-based modeling (ABM) is a computational technique wherein systems are represented through the actions and interactions of many individual entities (‘agents’) over time. ABM often attempts to elucidate the unpredictable, high-level behavior of systems through the predictable, low-level behavior of actors within the system. There are currently few software or frameworks for ABM that allow modelers to design and build interactive models on the web, for a wide audience as well as a scientifically literate audience well-versed in complexity, models, and simulations. Flocc is a novel framework for agent-based modeling written in JavaScript, the lingua franca programming language of the …

Emergent Hierarchy Through Conductance-Based Degree Constraints, Christopher Tyler Diggans, Jeremie Fish, Erik M. Bollt

Northeast Journal of Complex Systems (NEJCS)

The presence of hierarchy in many real-world networks is not yet fully understood. We observe that complex interaction networks are often coarse-grain models of vast modular networks, where tightly connected subgraphs are agglomerated into nodes for simplicity of representation and computational feasibility. The emergence of hierarchy in such growing complex networks may stem from one particular property of these ignored subgraphs: their graph conductance. Being a quantification of the main bottleneck of flow through the coarse-grain node, this scalar quantity implies a structural limitation and supports the consideration of heterogeneous degree constraints. The internal conductance values of the subgraphs are …

Network-Based Analysis Of Early Pandemic Mitigation Strategies: Solutions, And Future Directions, Pegah Hozhabrierdi, Raymond Zhu, Maduakolam Onyewu, Sucheta Soundarajan

Northeast Journal of Complex Systems (NEJCS)

Despite the large amount of literature on mitigation strategies for pandemic spread, in practice, we are still limited by naive strategies, such as lockdowns, that are not effective in controlling the spread of the disease in long term. One major reason behind adopting basic strategies in real-world settings is that, in the early stages of a pandemic, we lack knowledge of the behavior of a disease, and so cannot tailor a more sophisticated response. In this study, we design different mitigation strategies for early stages of a pandemic and perform a comprehensive analysis among them. We then propose a novel …

A Quantitative Analysis On Bitmex Perpetual Inverse Futures Xbtusd Contract, Yue Wu

Undergraduate Economic Review

The perpetual inverse futures contract is a recent and most popularly traded cryptocurrency derivative over crypto derivatives exchanges. Exchanges implement a liquidation mechanism that terminates positions which no longer satisfy maintenance requirements. In this study, we use regression, stochastic calculus, and simulation methods to provide a quantitative description of the wealth/return process for holding an XBTUSD contract on BitMEX, examine the funding rate and index price properties, and relate liquidation to leverage as a stopping time problem. The results will help investors understand liquidation to optimize their trading strategy and researchers in studying the design of crypto derivatives.

Multi-Step-Ahead Exchange Rate Forecasting For South Asian Countries Using Multi-Verse Optimized Multiplicative Functional Link Neural Networks, Kishore Kumar Sahu, Sarat Chandra Nayak, Himansu Sekhar Behera

Karbala International Journal of Modern Science

The dynamic nonlinearity approach, coupled with the exchange rate data series, makes its future predictions difficult. Sophisticated methods are highly desired for effective prediction of such data. Artificial neural networks (ANNs) have shown their ability to model and predict such data. This article presents a multi-verse optimizer (MVO) based multiplicative functional link neural network (MV-MFLN) model to forecast the exchange rate data. Functional link neural network (FLN) makes use of functional expansion for input data with a fewer number of adjustable neuron weights, which makes it capable of learning the uncertainties accompanying the exchange rate data. In contrast to the …

Are Terrorist Networks Just Glorified Criminal Cells?, Elie Alhajjar, Ryan Fameli, Shane Warren

Northeast Journal of Complex Systems (NEJCS)

The notions of organized crime and terrorism have an old and rich history around the globe. Researchers and practitioners have been studying events and phenomena related to these notions for a long time. There are pointers in the literature in which it is misleading to see the unfair comparison between terrorist and criminal networks with the argument that all actors involved in these networks are simply evil individuals. In this paper, we conduct a systematic study of the operational structure of such networks from a network science perspective. We highlight some of the major differences between them and support our …

Developing Institutional Skills For Addressing Big Data: Experiences In Implementation Of Aacsb Standard 5, Sumantra Sarkar, Joy Gray, Scott R. Boss, Emmet Daly

Accountancy Faculty Publications

The explosion of data coupled with firms’ desire to utilize it is driving rapid changes in the desired skillset for accounting and assurance professionals. Educational institutions are considering how to catch up to these requirements, while accreditors are also modifying standards to reflect changes in desired skillsets. We present evidence from two institutions’ efforts to update their courses to address contemporary skill requirements, accompanied by discussion from a Big 4 professional. We find that despite significant differences between the two institutions and their approaches, similar challenges were encountered, and similar feedback was obtained from students. We conclude with a proposal …

Can We Classify Cashless Payment Solution Implementations At The Country Level?, Dennis Ng, Robert J. Kauffman, Paul Robert Griffin

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

This research commentary proposes a 3-D implementation classification framework to assist service providers and business leaders in understanding the kinds of contexts in which more or less successful cashless payment solutions are observed at point-of-sale (PoS) settings. Three constructs characterize the framework: the digitalization of the local implementation environment; the relative novelty of a given payment technology solution in a country at a specific point in time; and the development status of the country’s national infrastructure. The framework is motivated by a need to support cross-country research in this domain. We analyze eight country mini-cases based on an eight-facet (2 …

An Examination Of Civilian Retention In The United States Air Force, William F. Wilson

Theses and Dissertations

The backbone of the United States Air Force is undoubtedly the large civilian workforce that supplements the great work that is accomplished. Many research studies have been conducted on officer and enlisted personnel to ensure that the career fields are properly developed and managed to meet the ever growing demands of the military's varied missions, but no recent studies have focused on the civilian workforce. Striking a balance between new and experienced employees is paramount to success given the ever-changing economic and political landscapes where we find ourselves. The first part of the research uses logistic regression to determine the …

3d Printing Of Human Microbiome Constituents To Understand Spatial Relationships And Shape Parameters In Bacteriology, Jacques Izard, Teklu Kuru Gerbaba, Shara R. P. Yumul

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

Effective laboratory and classroom demonstration of microbiome size and shape, diversity, and ecological relationships is hampered by a lack of high-resolution, easy-to-use, readily accessible physical or digital models for use in teaching. Three-dimensional (3D) representations are, overall, more effective in communicating visuospatial information, allowing for a better understanding of concepts not directly observable with the unaided eye. Published morphology descriptions and microscopy images were used as the basis for designing 3D digital models, scaled at 20,000×, using computer-aided design software (CAD) and generating printed models of bacteria on mass-market 3D printers. Sixteen models are presented, including rod-shaped, spiral, flask-like, vibroid, …

Analyzing Student Experience On Group Work With The Application Of Different Group Allocation Approaches, An Yee Tan

Management and HR

Working as a group can be as challenging as working by oneself. Common issues like ineffective group work, unequal work contribution, and poor communication are believed to be the reasons why many students preferred to work individually. The purpose of this study is to understand if there is a disparity in student experience on group work by implementing different methods of group formation, which are, intentional group formation and random assignment. Topics around team well-being, team communication, and team effectiveness are the main focus of this study. The second emphasis of this study is students’ opinions on whether or not …

An Analysis Of The Effects Of Technology Readiness Levels On Cost Growth, Christopher R. Bissing

Theses and Dissertations

This research seeks to evaluate the effects of Technology Readiness Levels (TRL) on Cost Growth. It makes use of data from Technology Readiness Assessments (TRA) and Selected Acquisition Reports (SAR) to explore relationships between TRLs at Milestone B and cost growth in Major Defense Acquisition Programs (MDAP) and Major Automated Information Systems (MAIS). Programs using higher proportions of critical technologies rated below TRL 7 tend to experience greater cost growth than programs that use more mature technologies. Current DoD doctrine requires TRL 6 to enter Milestone B. The results of this research seek to evaluate the merit of this requirement. …

Explainable Recommendation With Comparative Constraints On Product Aspects, Trung-Hoang Le, Hady W. Lauw

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

To aid users in choice-making, explainable recommendation models seek to provide not only accurate recommendations but also accompanying explanations that help to make sense of those recommendations. Most of the previous approaches rely on evaluative explanations, assessing the quality of an individual item along some aspects of interest to the user. In this work, we are interested in comparative explanations, the less studied problem of assessing a recommended item in comparison to another reference item.

In particular, we propose to anchor reference items on the previously adopted items in a user's history. Not only do we aim at providing comparative …

Outsourcing Life Cycle Model For Financial Services In The Fintech Era, Tristan Lim, Patrick Thng

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

In today’s financial services landscape, staying ahead of the innovation curve and being disciplined at enhancing core service offerings entail careful resource planning. A well-structured outsourcing arrangement can go a long way towards enhancing long term organizational strategic growth. In the post-2014 FinTech era, (i) strategic management with an innovation focus and (ii) financial technology-associated risks, have brought about changes to outsourcing in the financial services industry. Presently, most outsourcing life cycle models in existing literature seek to provide comprehensive, yet industry-neutral guidelines lacking industry context and depth of coverage. A newly licensed financial institution deciding to embark on outsourcing …

Traceable Monero: Anonymous Cryptocurrency With Enhanced Accountability, Yannan Li, Guomin Yang, Wily Susilo, Yong Yu, Man Ho Au, Dongxi Liu

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Monero provides a high level of anonymity for both users and their transactions. However, many criminal activities might be committed with the protection of anonymity in cryptocurrency transactions. Thus, user accountability (or traceability) is also important in Monero transactions, which is unfortunately lacking in the current literature. In this paper, we fill this gap by introducing a new cryptocurrency named Traceable Monero to balance the user anonymity and accountability. Our framework relies on a tracing authority, but is optimistic, in that it is only involved when investigations in certain transactions are required. We formalize the system model and security model …

How Do Monetary Incentives Influence Giving? An Empirical Investigation Of Matching Subsidies On Kiva, Zhiyuan Gao, Zhiling Guo, Qian Tang

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Matching subsidies, through which third-party institutions provide a dollar-for-dollar match of private contributions made through selected campaigns, have served as effective tools to boost fundraising. We utilize a quasi-experiment on a prosocial crowdfunding platform to examine the effectiveness of matching subsidies in shaping funding outcomes and lender behaviors. Although matching subsidies offer matched loans competitive advantages over unmatched loans, we find that total private contributions made to both matched and unmatched loans increase compared to their prematching counterparts, suggesting a positive spillover effect on unmatched loans. However, matching subsidies lead to decreased private contributions made on the platform after a …

Creating An Organization To Support Sfa’S Women Employees, Heather K. Olson Beal, Sarah Sanchez, Lauren Brewer, Amanda Rudolph

Diversity Conference

The purpose of this session is two-fold. First, we wish to introduce the SFA OWLE (Organization for Women’s Leadership and Equity), the newly created professional women’s organization, to interested members of our campus community. Second, we wish to share experiences that we believe are relevant to others on our campus, in our community, and at other institutions, who might seek to create organizations through which to advocate for the unique needs of their marginalized or underrepresented group. To that end, this session will include a panel of female employees at SFA who have worked for more than a year to …

Factors Influencing Small Construction Businesses From Implementing Information Security: A Case Study, Carl Andrew Mayes

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This qualitative study described the influence of small businesses’ failure to properly implement information security technologies resulting in the loss of sensitive and proprietary business information. A collective case study approach was used to determine the most effective way to gain a holistic picture of how small construction businesses make security technology implementation decisions to support their workforce. The theory guiding this study was the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) model which is related to the Theory of Planned Behavior and the Technology Acceptance Model which helped explain the intentions of individuals to use information systems. …