Enterprise information security policy assessment - an extended framework for metrics development utilising the goal-question-metric approach

Effective enterprise information security policy management requires review and assessment activities to ensure information security policies are aligned with business goals and objectives. As security policy management involves the elements of policy development process and the security policy as output, the context for security policy assessment requires goal-based metrics for these two elements. However, the current security management assessment methods only provide checklist types of assessment that are predefined by industry best practices and do not allow for developing specific goal-based metrics. Utilizing theories drawn from literature, this paper proposes the Enterprise Information Security Policy Assessment approach that expands on the Goal-Question-Metric (GQM) approach. The proposed assessment approach is then applied in a case scenario example to illustrate a practical application. It is shown that the proposed framework addresses the requirement for developing assessment metrics and allows for the concurrent undertaking of process-based and product-based assessment. Recommendations for further research activities include the conduct of empirical research to validate the propositions and the practical application of the proposed assessment approach in case studies to provide opportunities to introduce further enhancements to the approach

A Case Study of ParentSchool Relationships: How Spanish-Speaking Latino Parents of Elementary Multilingual Learners Perceive Parental Involvement in Schools

This study examined how Spanish-speaking Latino parents of multilingual learners (MLs) perceived their participation in the school community and their role in the educational process of their children. It explored several factors that can influence the involvement of Spanish-speaking parents in their children\u27s education. Social capital, cultural capital, and social learning theories guided this study to provide a deeper understanding of the parental involvement of Spanishspeaking Latino parents in schools. Ten participating parents shared their experiences and described their view of parental involvement in their children’s school. This study concluded that Spanish-speaking Latino parents displayed characteristics of highly involved parents, defying previous conceptions of Latino parents\u27 lack of caring and involvement. Implications for policy and practices at the district and school building levels include providing teachers and educational leaders with professional development focused on cultural awareness and culturally responsive practices, developing language resources to assist families navigate the U.S. educational system, implementing parent workshops to serve as opportunities to promote parent awareness of the school’s expectations for involvement and engagement with the curriculum, as well as designating district and school budgets for the purchase of translation devices and services to attend to the language needs of the population they serve. Recommendations are offered for future research to expand the understanding of Spanish-speaking Latino parents’ involvement in their children’s educatio

Role of Macrophages in Ocular Surface Fibrosis

The present study is designed to investigate whether irradiation as used for conditioning regimen to ablate recipient’s diseased bone marrow prior to transplantation could trigger macrophage activation and polarization and whether macrophages could cause the transdifferentiation of ocular surface fibroblasts into myofibroblasts, thus contributing to oGVHD-associated fibrosis. Bone marrow cells were cultured in M-CSF to obtain M0 macrophages, which were subsequently polarized into M1 and M2 phenotypes using IFN-g + LPS and IL-4, respectively. The macrophages were exposed to 7 Gy radiation. The effect of irradiation on macrophage activation markers, phagocytosis, and apoptosis was assessed using real-time PCR, confocal microscopy, and flow cytometry. Ocular surface fibroblasts were co-cultured using membrane inserts placed on top of cultured M0, M1, and M2 macrophages for 3 days. Myofibroblast formation was assessed using a-SMA immunostaining and gene expression. The effect of macrophages on profibrotic mediators in the fibroblasts was quantified using real-time PCR. Finally, chemokine release from macrophages was analyzed using real-time PCR and bead-based immunoassay. Our data demonstrates successful generation of M0 macrophages and their polarization into M1 and M2 phenotypes as confirmed by gene quantification and flow cytometry for macrophage markers CD11b, F4/80, CD86, CD206, iNOS, and arginase-1. Our data demonstrates that irradiation caused an increase in macrophage pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-1b, TNF-a, and IL-6 and chemokine CCL2. While irradiation did not cause increase in M1 markers, there was a robust increase in M2 markers. Furthermore, irradiation significantly increased macrophage phagocytosis without compromising their viability. Our data alsodemonstrates that M0 and M2 macrophages induced significant increase of a-SMA expression in ocular surface fibroblasts and a concomitant notable increase in RAS components and TGF-b1 receptor, but no change in PDGF and M-CSF expression was noted. Finally, our data demonstrates that both M1 and M2 macrophages showed increased gene expression and secretion of chemokines CCL17 and CCL22. In conclusion, our data demonstrates that macrophages could play a key role in the pathology of oGVHD-associated fibrosis due to their likely activation in response to irradiation and cross-talk with ocular surface fibroblasts, resulting in their transdifferentiation to myofibroblasts

Characterization of Proanthocyanidins as a Biomarker for Wood Quality in the Native Timber-Wood Tree Acacia koa.

M.S. Thesis. University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa 2017

Impacts of Growing Technology on Students\u27 Reading and Writing Skills

Technology has radically changed the ways in which students and teachers function within the classroom. The use of mobile technologies, specifically laptop computers and internet use, has transformed teacher instruction along with student expectations. Given that students have a high exposure to technology in the classroom, especially at the middle school level, this senior capstone examines the impact of growing technology on their reading and writing skills through the use of literature review, teacher interviews and survey, interviews with principals and superintendents, and online teacher survey. The result findings reveal that there are several positive impacts of technology integration on students. It is also found that there is a growing dependency rate for technology and internet access use for both students and teachers

A Process Improvement Study on a Military System of Clinics to Manage Patient Demand and Resource Utilization Using Discrete-Event Simulation, Sensitivity Analysis, and Cost-Benefit Analysis

Inefficiencies in the healthcare system are a growing concern. Long wait-times are a concern at military clinics because it takes servicemembers away from performing their duties. Managing wait-times are particularly challenging due to frequent relocations of servicemembers and variable patient demands that are less likely to be experienced by civilian clinics. Military clinics must be capable to meet increasing demand when servicemembers require a Deployment Health Assessment; it also needs to be capable of handling an instantaneous surge of walk-ins when a medical incident occurs in the local area. It must be able to meet these demands in a fiscally austere environment. Existing research primarily focuses on stand-alone clinics, whereas this research takes a novel approach of examining a system of clinics, in which some resources are shared. This research evaluates the impacts of variable staffing levels on total wait-time for the system of clinics at baseline demand and when demand increases, using discrete-event simulation, sensitivity analysis, and cost-benefit analysis. This research finds misallocated resources; the wait-time of alternative systems are sensitive to deployment and medical incident demands; and hiring an optometrist while removing an occupational medicine doctor provides the highest savings in baseline, deployment, and medical incident demand environments

Traditional Versus Revisionist: The Case of the Industrial Revolution in Sweden, 1830-1980

This empirical paper uses modern methodology and techniques to analyze old and ongoing scholarly disagreements about the nature of Industrial Revolution. It analyzes the Industrial Revolution in Sweden and to find out whether it supports the traditional or revisionist view of the Industrial Revolution through quantitative time-series methodology and techniques such as cointegration analysis, Vector Error Correction Model, which isolates short-run from long-run relationships between variables under study, and Vector Autoregressive Model. Using data on labor productivity in Manufacturing and Building and Construction Industries as well as data on real product wage – nominal wage deflated by the price of the product – in Manufacturing Industry and Handicrafts, the results in this paper suggest that the “revolution” was not immediately widespread as many of the short-run effects in productivity in one sector on the productivity in other sectors are economically and statistically insignificant. The evidences presented in this paper support the revisionist rather than the traditional view of the Industrial Revolution

Shifting Paradigms in Coffee-Based Cultivation: Cultural Management Practices and Technology Utilization in Upland, Cavite, Philippines

Purpose: The aim of this study is to analyze the changes in the cultural management practices and technology used in farming that have taken place with the coffee-based farming systems in an upland area in Cavite, Philippines from 2001-2020.   Theoretical framework: The Triple Bottom Line (TBL) paradigm is a sustainable development strategy considering social, environmental, and economic factors. Once agricultural systems are tested, TBL might help promote productive and sustainable farming practices that benefit producers, communities, and the environment. By adopting a complete sustainability strategy, the TBL framework may help develop socially, ecologically, and economically sustainable agricultural systems and contribute significantly to long-term adaptation and prosperity.   Design/methodology/approach: The study is qualitative research design and used several data collection methods, including in-depth interviews, key informant interviews, focus group discussion, document analysis, field notes, and farm visits and observations.   Findings: The results show that in farmers' different cultural management practices, significant changes have occurred in several methods over the past two decades. Regarding the application and use of new technologies, farmers applied newly introduced technologies by individuals and other institutions.   Research, Practical & Social implications: The study sheds light on the current state of coffee-based cultivation and practices and make recommendations to further improve farmers' cultural management practices and sustain the local coffee-based farming system. In addition, access to new and relevant technology and knowledge on how to apply it to improve farming productivity among coffee-based farmers This study also provides valuable guidance for extension experts and workers, policymakers, coffee-based growers, and researchers who want to improve coffee-based farming systems' sustainability and economic viability at the same time empower farming communities.   Originality/value: This study is a qualitative examination of how technology utilizations and cultural management practices interact with coffee-based agricultural systems in Upland Cavite, Philippines. This research provides much-needed in-depth knowledge of how traditional agricultural systems adjust to technology improvements during the global crisis since there have been few qualitative studies on this topic, particularly at such a trying time. It provides a localized perspective that acknowledges regional variations and the influences of geographical and socio-cultural nuances as it examines the socio-economic and cultural impacts of technology adoption in the specific sector of coffee-based farming, which is vital to the Philippine economy. Moreover, the study is noteworthy in providing a temporal component that describes how technology has changed practices through time. The findings of this research, which were obtained during an unprecedented period, should help stakeholders create more effective and culturally-sensitive strategies for adopting technology and sustainability in coffee-based cultivation. Combining these distinctive elements highlights the research's significant uniqueness and worth

THE EXPERIENCE OF SELECTED TYPHOON HAIYAN SURVIVORS ON CO-OPERATIVE FORMATION AS PART OF THEIR REBUILDING AND RECOVERY STRATEGY (CASE STUDY APPROACH)

This paper was initiated as an offshoot to help selected Typhoon Haiyan survivors and to serve as a model to other calamity survivors who would like to help themselves after the devastation. It considered the experience of selected Typhoon Haiyan survivors on the co-operative formation. It also ascertained how cooperative formation could help create jobs as rebuilding strategy to help the survivors of calamities.  The study used the case study methodology to develop a theory on cooperative formation for the survivors of calamities and to evaluate the cooperative entrepreneurship livelihood program as an intervention.  Findings show that formation of coops could create jobs and contribute to helping the survivors to escape from poverty.  The cooperative formation mobilized the selected typhoon survivors to be together and look for solutions that could help them rebuild what they had lost during the calamity.  These outcomes support the literature review showcasing how cooperative formation is well suited to ordinary people, including survivors of calamities who do not have enough capital to put up their own business. It would be to the advantage of survivors of different calamities to have similar studies that would support the identified research outcomes for easier replication and modeling