Technology and Innovation Commons^™

Image Processing – I: Automated System For Fingerprint Image Enhancement Using Improved Segmentation And Gabor Wavelets, Amna Saeed, Anam Tariq, Usman Jawaid

International Conference on Information and Communication Technologies

This research revolves around the fingerprint image enhancement. It is used for automated fingerprint identification systems (AFIS) for extracting the best quality fingerprint images. Accurate feature extraction and identification is the basic theme of this enhancement. This paper is on the fingerprint image enhancement using wavelets. Wavelets are famous for their special localization property and orientation flow estimation. The proposed technique is basically comprises of three main steps: segmentation followed by image sharpening and then Gabor wavelet filtering. Segmentation distinguishes between image background and foreground which in turn reduces processing time. Our sharpening stage of enhancement algorithm sharpens the edges …

Application Of Ict: Potential Of Cloud Computing Architecture, Saira Begum, Muhammad Khalid Khan

International Conference on Information and Communication Technologies

Cloud computing is a massively central advancement in the technique that businesses and users devour and work on computing. It's a elementary modify to an prepared model in which applications don't subsist out their lives on a specific section of hardware and in which possessions are more supplely deployed than was the historical standard. It's a primary shift to expansion and utilization model that replaces hard-wired, proprietary associations surrounded by software components and the clients of those components with unimportant Web services and Web-based software admittance. As difficulty under the virtualization is how to allocate resources to every application on-demand …

Image Processing – I: Automated System For Macula Detection In Digital Retinal Images, Maryam Mubbashar, Anam Usman, M. Usman Akram

International Conference on Information and Communication Technologies

In the field of medicines, medical image processing plays a vital role to detect the abnormalities of eye or eye diseases like glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy. Macular degeneration is one of the medical conditions that affect the vision of elder people. If not detected in early stages it causes loss of eye sight. This paper presents an automated system for the localization and detection of macula in digital retinal images. In this paper, macula is first localized by making use of localized optic disc centre and enhanced blood vessels. Finally macula is detected by taking the distance from center of …

Artificial Intelligence - I: Fuzzy Logic Based Robust Pole-Placement Controller For Dc-Dc Buck Converter, Ghulam Abbas, Umar Farooq, Muhammad Usman Asad

International Conference on Information and Communication Technologies

This paper describes the fuzzy logic based robust pole-placement controller for the buck converter working in Continuous Conduction Mode (CCM). The converter operates at a switching frequency of 500 KHz. Pole-placement controller does not show good robustness to the load variations and the change in supply and reference voltages. In order to improve the static and dynamic properties, pole-placement controller supported by decomposed PID fuzzy algorithm is investigated. The performance of both the controllers, pole-placement and optimal pole-placement, is compared and conclusions are drawn. It will be shown that optimal control shows better dynamic performance. MATLAB/SIMULINK based simulation results validate …

Artificial Intelligence – I: Adaptive Automated Teller Machines — Part I, Ghulam Mujtaba, Tariq Mahmood

International Conference on Information and Communication Technologies

During the past few years, the banking sector has started providing a variety of services to its customers. One of the most significant of such services has been the introduction of the Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) for providing online support to bank customers. The use of ATMs has reached its zenith in every developed country, and thousands of ATM transactions are occurring on a daily basis. In order to increase the customers' satisfaction and to provide them with more user-friendly ATM interfaces, it becomes important to mine the ATM transactions to discover useful patterns about the customers' interacting behaviors. In …

Artificial Intelligence – I: A Preliminary Framework For Human-Agent Communication In Electronic Negotiations, Moez Ur Rehman, Nosheen Riaz

International Conference on Information and Communication Technologies

Electronic negotiations are business negotiations conducted via electronic means using information and communications technologies (ICT). Two dominant types of electronic negotiation systems are automated negotiation systems for software agents and negotiation support systems (NSSs) for humans. However, the integration of two types for human-agent negotiations is an important task. In this paper, an extended communication model for human-agent business negotiations is presented. For this purpose, the underlying communication models of automated negotiations and NSSs are analyzed. The extended communication model is based on a common negotiation ontology which captures the negotiation agenda and paves the way for such hybrid communication, …

Using Skype As An Academic Tool: Lessons Learned, Martin Sivula

Technology

Several years ago I witnessed a graduate student speaking to person on his laptop screen. I asked, “who are you talking to?” He said to his wife in Turkey. I asked what software are you using? He said Skype, and it is free. Thus began my entry into the world of Skype. At first chance I downloaded Skype onto my personal computer. Since that time I have used Skype as a communication and instructional tool for academic purposes. Skype software allows communication (audio, video, and text) between and among various electronic devices (computers, mobile phones, smartphones, I pods, etc.) over …

E-Mail Management Of Japanese Hotels In Comparison With South Korean Hotels, Kyoko Morikoshi

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

There has been little study done concerning the service quality of Japanese hotels toward foreign guests; especially e-mail management in English has not been analyzed in Japan before. Since e-mail inquiries in English from foreign guests could be the first step for Japanese hotels to provide good service to prospective guests, managing English e-mails efficiently is a key to attracting more foreign guests. Therefore this study examined the actual condition of e-mail management at Japanese hotels by sending an English inquiry to them. Korean hotels were also included because South Korea and Japan have similar linguistic and economic backgrounds. A …

Technology Base Self Service In Hospitality Industry, Wan Chi Chen

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

There are more and more technology based self service (TBSS) encountering people’s daily life, even hospitality industry, where people pay to get service, has began to add TBSS as part of their service. Some people believe this TBSS is the trend for the future, but some others who have experienced this service believe that traditional human touch service (THTS) will be remain as the main service providing channel. While people are wondering what kind of service to provide as they want to get a high return on their investment, they need to have a better understanding on self service technology. …

Evaluating Websites By Features: Do Independent Hotels In Singapore Get It Right?, Prasetya Purnawan

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This study aims to evaluate the websites of independent hotels in Singapore in the business-to-consumer (B2C) framework. The modified balanced scorecard (BSC) approach is incorporated into the evaluation by features method in order to avoid the dominance of the marketing perspective by including technical, customer, and destination information perspectives. A set of website evaluation criteria representing these four perspectives is then used to examine the websites of 37 independent hotels. Almost three of four hotels get it right in developing, utilizing, and maintaining their websites. These websites have the presence of features that are known to be contributing towards website …

Temperature Control Device With A Flexible Temperature Control Surface, Phil D. Belgrader, Christopher G. Cooney, Robert D. Doebler, Anna D. Hickerson, Bruce D. Irvine, Ali D. Nadim, James D. Sterling, Reza Miraghale

Business and Information Technology Faculty Research & Creative Works

A device for controlling temperature in a reaction chamber is disclosed. The device comprises: a bladder assembly comprising a housing dimensioned to hold a reaction chamber disposed within an interior Volume of the housing; and a first temperature-control bladder disposed within the housing, the first temperature-control bladder is configured to receive a temperature-control fluid and comprises a flexible, heat conductive Surface that comes in contact with at least a portion of an exterior surface of the reaction chamber after receiving the temperature-control fluid. Also disclosed are a bladder thermal cycler, a temperature-control bladder assembly and methods for producing a thermal …

Value Capture In Global Production Networks:Evidence From The Taiwanese Electronics Industry, Namchul Shin, Alan Eisner

Cornerstone 3 Reports : Interdisciplinary Informatics

No abstract provided.

Managing Risk In A Failing It Project: A Social Constructionist View, Wee-Kiat Lim, Siew Kien Sia, Adrian Yeow

CCX Research

Why do IT projects continue to stumble, despite the proliferation of risk management methodologies and a growing body of knowledge on project risk assessment and mitigation? In this paper, we propose an alternative theoretical perspective that views project risk as a social construction process shaped by the risk accounts of social groups and actors within an implementation context. Risk management is embedded in the social processes where risks are negotiated and contested, with some risk accounts amplified and some attenuated. Through the analysis of a large IT implementation in an Asian logistics firm and its trajectory of successive crises, we …

The Impact Of Transnational Intellectual Property Rights On Firms’ Knowledge Formation: Evidence From China-Us Patent Dyads, Kenneth Guang-Lih Huang

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

As firms and organizations increasingly operate and conduct R&D in emerging economies, “transnational patenting” – patenting of the same invention across more than one country – is becoming the cornerstone of their intellectual property strategy. Drawing on works from signaling theory and intellectual property strategy, I examine the dynamics and impact of transnational patenting on technological knowledge formation across distinct intellectual property right (IPR) institutions. Using a novel dataset of 4226 China-US patent dyads covering 1104 firms and organizations, I find patent grant to technological invention under a weak IPR institution such as China significantly increases (by up to 108%) …

Relation-Specific Creative Performance In Voluntary Collaborations: A Micro-Foundation For Competitive Advantage?, Terence Ping Ching Fan, Duncan Robertson

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

A fundamental question in the strategy literature is how sustainable competitive advantage can be generated within one firm and yet difficult to copy by another. We offer one solution to this conundrum by way of relation-specific performance that is developed in creative projects – where the individuals involved have significant latitude on the intended objectives as well as their collaborators on these projects. Because higher-level cognition is involved in navigating such projects from conception to implementation, there is heightened relation-specificity in their performance – as measured by how widely they are adopted by third-party users. This relationspecificity means that any …

A Quality Metric For Sustainable Innovations, Arcot Desai Narasimhalu

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Sustainability has become a major concern for nations and firms especially since the Kyoto Protocol was defined in 1997. While there have been several studies on benchmarks for national innovation systems and effectiveness of innovation management within firms there is as yet no reasonable metric for determining the quality of an innovation much less its quality relating to sustainability? Similarly, there have been several studies on sustainability but that such research groups have also not focused on developing a metric for denoting the quality of sustainable innovations. This paper offers a metric that defines the quality of an innovation, especially …

How Much Do U.S. University Students Know, And Want To Know, About Sustainability And Green Building? The Findings Of A Survey, And Possible Implications For General Elective Curricula., Jeremy R. Farner

Purdue Polytechnic Masters Theses

Using the survey approach, this investigation examined the attitudes and interest of college students at two universities in different geographic locations within the United States.  Approximately 24,000 students from all disciplines and majors at Weber State University (WSU) in Utah, and 4,000 at Purdue University in Indiana, were invited to participate in a study to determine current knowledge, familiarity, and interest in topics within the sustainability and Green Building educational arena. The goal of this study was to determine what students already know, would like to know, and how much interest there would be in developing …

Risky Ventures With Possibly No Returns: The Allure Of The "Wonderful But Weird World Of Biotechnology", Knowledge@Smu

Knowledge@SMU

Entrepreneurs in the biotech industry require large risk thresholds. For one, the business of research is an expensive one, the results of which may not necessarily translate to commercial viability. Investors with the foresight and patience for such long-term, high-risk ventures are also hard to come by. At a talk organised by SMU's Lee Kong Chian School of Business, Dr. Steven Fang, founder of CordLife, shared insights on what 'biotechopreneurship' entails.

An Entrepreneur’S Voyage, With The Five Rs As His Guide, Knowledge@Smu

Knowledge@SMU

Behind the glamour of the booming marine industry, are the various supporting players like ship chandlers and maintenance service providers that help keep the vessels well-oiled and their crews well fed. In a recent talk organised by SMU’s Institute of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Danny Lien, founder of Amos International, shares how he run this business based on relationship, reputation, resilience, realism and recreation.

One-To-One Laptop Project: Perceptions Of Teachers, Parents, And Students, Matthew D. Constant

Dissertations

One-to-one laptop programs are becoming more prevalent across the world in K-12 institutions. School districts are searching for more engaging tools that seek to have impact on school success, such as grade achievement, college/career preparation, and/or 21st-century skill preparation and attainment. Additionally, boards of education continuously want some positive indication of the return on their substantial financial investment.

This study utilized surveys of three important stakeholder groups (parents, students, and teachers) related to a one-to-one laptop project in a moderately-sized rural Midwestern school district. Perceptions about how often laptops were used in the classroom setting and across content areas (Language …

Explanatory Audiovisual About Cps Process, Ainhoa Otaegui Ainhoa

Creativity and Change Leadership Graduate Student Master's Projects

Explanatory Audiovisual about CPS Process
With this Master’s Project, my aim is to create a medium to help raise awareness of "Creative Problem Solving". To this end, I believe that the creation of audiovisual material could provide an excellent medium to be used as a support for explanation sessions, and that it will facilitate understanding, specially for the Spanish and Basque Country’s market, where the CPS process is still very unknown.
The idea behind creating this material, or the necessity to do so, arose from several educational, facilitation and training sessions that I have run. When working with groups of …

Content Management System, Timothy P. Daigle

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

The goal of my project was to develop a Content Management System for the CitrusTV website. This project was first brought to my attention in the Fall of 2009 by fellow Syracuse University student Alyssa Elias.

As a Newhouse Broadcast Journalism major, Alyssa recognized a need to develop a site that better mirrored the CBS news video website after having interned there the summer entering Junior year.

I was brought into the project because of my Information Technology minor, which allowed me to be familiar with the technical background necessary for the project. Additionally, my role involved maintaining communication between …

How Do Millennial Engineering And Technology Students Experience Learning Through Traditional Teaching Methods Employed In The University Setting?, Elizabeth A. Howard

Department of Computer Graphics Technology Degree Theses

The purpose of the study was to document and analyze how Millennial engineering and technology students experience learning in large lecture classrooms. To help achieve this purpose, perceptions Millennials have toward traditional teaching methods employed in large lecture classes were analyzed and discussed. Additionally, this study documented how Millennials experienced technology within large lecture classrooms. A learning model depicting how Millennials experience learning within the large lecture classroom was created based on the results of this study. This model employed three separate tools utilized within the large lecture classroom. These tools: Lecture, Technology, and Homework, work together to synthesize learning …

Alternate Models For Forecasting Hedge Fund Returns, Michael A. Holden

Senior Honors Projects

Alternate Models for Forecasting Hedge Fund Returns

Michael Holden

Faculty Sponsor: Gordon Dash, Finance and Decision Sciences

Investors have always wanted to improve the efficiency of modeling realized volatility to maximize directional trading returns and substantially improve profitability. As proposed, this honors project will provide evidence from hedge fund returns that a Radial-Basis Function (RBF) artificial neural network (ANN), specifically the Kajiji-4 RBF-ANN dominates other forecast methods in producing one-period ahead change-of-direction when forecasting the expected returns of various hedge fund indexes.

I began this project by collecting historical economic data in monthly increments to serve as the dependent variables. …

Engaging Knowledge Management Learners Through Web-Based Ict: An Empirical Study, Thomas Menkhoff, Tze Yian Thang, Yue Wah Chay, Yue Kee Wong

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

The purpose of this paper is to examine how to successfully blend an e-learning module into a knowledge management (KM) course aimed at getting KM students interested in the respective subject matter (=KM) in a web-based learning environment. Based on data obtained from 138 undergraduate business management students at a university in Singapore, practical aspects of effectively implementing an e-learning system with a focus on KM are analyzed and the importance determined of three conceptual variables in the context of successful blended learning approaches: online faculty to student interaction, social presence and personal e-learning experiences. The study shows some positive …

Innovation And Commoditization: Prioritizing And Profiling Asian Managers’ Cross-Border Sourcing Practices, Sudhindra Seshadri

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

The paper investigates several sourcing practices and argues that two main behavioral constructs, supply commoditization and supply innovation, underlie many of these practices. It then develops hypotheses involving these constructs and company profiling ratios such as revenue per employee. The paper reports on survey research with a subset of ASEAN country based purchasing managers; on new scales. The results contribute to a growing literature on dynamic customer value in business markets and sourcing competencies. The paper also discusses managerial implications for sales targeting and sales approaches arising from the model.

The Death Of Music Videos?: An Analysis On The Effectiveness Of Music Videos As A Promotional Tool, Carmen Cheng

Business and Economics Honors Papers

This research explored whether or not music videos remained an effective marketing tool for the music industry after the diffusion of the Internet in American culture. As a result of the transitions in media through which music videos were distributed, this project asked the following research questions: 1. What impact has the airing of music videos on MTV had on music sales? 2. What was the impact of music videos on sales when music videos moved from airing on television to being distributed over the Internet?

A Cost-Benefit Analysis Of A Campus Computing Grid, Preston M. Smith

Purdue Polytechnic Masters Theses

Any major research institution has a substantial number of computer systems on its campus, often in the scale of tens of thousands. Given that a large amount of scientific computing is appropriate for execution in an opportunistic environment, a campus grid is an inexpensive way to build a powerful computational resource. What is missing, though, is a model for making an informed decision on the cost-effectives of a campus grid. In this thesis, the author describes a model for measuring the costs and benefits of building a campus computing resource based on the institution’s existing investment in computing hardware.

For …

Partnership For International Research And Education In Microfluidic Technology With Applications In Point Of Care Diagnostic, Mohammed Faghri, Sigrid Berka, John Grandin, Thomas Mather, D.M.L Meyer, Zongqin Zhang, Otto Gregory, Stephan Grilli, Christopher Baxter, Constantine Anagnostopoulos, Assem Abolmaaty

Discovery@URI

This poster summarizes the research highlights of a project conducted as part of an National Science Foundation (NSF) partnership for research and education. The objective of this multidisciplinary, international project was to conduct research on microfluidic technology and applications. The project team is comprised of participants from the University of Rhode Island and the Technical University of Braunschweig in Germany. The research focuses on the following four tasks: Task 1 – Discovery of disease biomarkers; Task 2 –Streaming based microfluidic platform for pumping, mixing, separation and detection; Task 3 – Development of rapid, quantitative and sensitive microfluidic fluorescence immunosensors for …

The Business Of Art, The Art Of Business, Knowledge@Smu

Knowledge@SMU

Fuelled by her life-long passion for the arts, Krisstel Martin chucked aside her degree in finance and banking to open an art gallery. At a recent talk organised by SMU’s Institute of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Martin, owner of a gallery named after herself, shares the intricacies of dealing with prospective buyers, the joys of dealing with artists, and the passion and satisfaction of immersing herself in a business that she loves.