Rhetorical appeals and legitimacy perceptions: How to induce information security policy compliance

This paper intends to extend Protection Motivation Theory (one of the leading theories in Information Security research) based on innovation diffusion and institutional legitimacy theories. We postulate that legitimacy, in which fear is only a partial representation, is a more comprehensive antecedent to intention to comply with security policies. We argue the use of ethos, pathos, and logos appeals to complement the fear rhetoric traditionally present in information security research to elicit legitimacy judgments and indirectly intention to comply. We propose an experiment in which by manipulating the rhetorical elements of the communication, we can study its impact on legitimacy and ultimately intention to abide by the security policy

A New Approach for Accurate Identification of Allele State Based on Real-Time PCR for Biomedical Tasks

Genotyping of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) is an important task in medicine, veterinary medicine and biology. Precise differentiation of SNPs can be challenging. Methods based onTaqman can lead to false positive results due to nonspecific annealing of the probe. The aim of this research was to develop a new approach for the accurate differentiation of SNPs based on real-time PCR with Taqmanprobes and their rivals.The rivals competed with the Taqmanprobes for annealing to the site. The rivals blocked the nonspecific allele so that the Taqmanprobe could not anneal to it. Thus,the Taqmanprobe only detected specific alleles.This approach madeit possible to fine-tune the diagnostic system by selecting the ratio of Taqmanprobes and rivals (in non-equimolar amounts too).The new approach was tested on several diagonally significant SNPs in veterinary medicine.Using Taqman probes and rival probes showed a significantly greater specificity and efficiency in the determination of both homozygotes and heterozygotes than when conventional systems based only on Taqmanwere used. Keywords: SNP, allele identification, real-time PCR, fluorescent dy

An Extended UTAUT Model for the Study of Negative User Adoption Behaviours of Mobile Commerce

An extended Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) for mobile commerce (m-commerce) was empirically tested using data collected from a web survey distributed to and through the Hong Kong undergraduates and postgraduates. The partial least squares (PLS) technique of the structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to evaluate the causal model and the confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was performed to examine the reliability and validity of the measurement model. Findings indicated that the new construct of Disturbance Concerns (DC) is a significant factor affecting users’ behavioural intention. This study aims to understand both the positive and negative factors that can significantly explain user acceptance intention and use behaviour so that service providers can adjust their strategies for providing successful m-commerce services. It also provides a base for further research on the user acceptance models of new information systems

Diregular Digraphs with Minimum Diameter

In recent years many advances in very large scale integrated circuit technology have been made. These have resulted in a growing interest in the design of microprocessor networks. In such networks it is obviously desirable to minimize the distance (i.e., the number of times a message has to be relayed to reach its destination) between any two microprocessors, and thus to reduce the delays and also the load on the interconnecting lines. Ignoring other factors, the smaller the distance between any two microprocessors, the more efficient the network. On the other hand, the cost of the interconnections between the microprocessors increases with the number of lines in the network. Thus it is desirable to have networks with both the minimum distance between any two microprocessors, and the minimum total number of lines. However, if the number of lines is decreased then the distance between the microprocessors tends to increase and vice versa. There seems to be some kind of an inverse relationship between these two criteria of a network, although it is possible that there might be some anomalies

Termination of Safeguards on ULWBR Material

The Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Environmental Management, has approved the disposition of 31 metric tons of Unirradiated Light Water Breeder Reactor (ULWBR) material in canisters stored within dry wells of the Underground Fuel Storage Facility at the Idaho Nuclear Technology and Engineering Center (INTEC). This unirradiated material consists primarily of ceramic pellets of thorium oxide in stainless steel cladding, but it also contains 300 kilograms of uranium that is 98 wt% U-233. The ULWBR material was not processed at the INTEC because it was incompatible with prior chemical separation schemes. Other economical recovery options have not been identified, and expressions of interest for consolidating the material with existing projects at other DOE sites have not been received. The U-233 could be used for producing the medical isotope Actinium-225, but the proof-of-principle demonstration and follow-on pilot program have not been developed to the point of requiring production quantities of U-233. Consequently, the selected disposition of the ULWBR material was burial as Low Level Waste at the Nevada Test Site (NTS), which required terminating safeguards controls for the contained Category II quantity of Attractiveness Level D special nuclear material (SNM). The requested termination followed the twelve point evaluation criteria of the Historical Defense Program Discard Guidance and included a security analysis for evaluating the risks of theft, diversion, and radiological sabotage associated with the material. Continuity of knowledge in the book inventory was assured by documenting that the original shipper’s measurements accurately reflected the quantities of materials received and that the ULWBR materials had remained under adequate physical protection and had been subject to periodic physical inventories. The method selected for substantiating the book values as the basis for terminating safeguards was the nondestructive assay used during physical inventories. Shipping arrangements included refurbishing a licensed cask to be reused over the duration of the termination process. An accompanying batching plan and shipping schedule were developed to accommodate multiple commercial shipments of Category III quantities of SNM in the selected cask, such that all canisters would be received at NTS prior to the expiration of the nonrenewable cask license

Development of a Cyberinfrastructure for Assessment of the Lower Rio Grande Valley North and Central Watersheds Characteristics

Lower Laguna Madre (LLM) is designated as an impaired waterway for high concentrations of bacteria and low dissolved oxygen. The main freshwater sources to the LLM flow from the North and Central waterways which are composed of three main waterways: Hidalgo/Willacy Main Drain (HWMD), Raymondville Drain (RVD), and International Boundary & Water Commission North Floodway (IBWCNF) that are not fully characterized. The objective of this study is to perform a watershed characterization to determine the potential pollution sources of each watershed. The watershed characterization was achieved by developing a cyberinfrastructure, and it collects a wide inventory of data to identify which one of the three waterways has a major contribution to the LLM. Cyberinfrastructure development using the Geographic Information System (GIS) database helped to comprehend the major characteristics of each area contributing to the watershed supported by the analysis of the data collected. The watershed characterization process started with delineating the boundaries of each watershed. Then, geospatial and non-geospatial data were added to the cyberinfrastructure from numerous sources including point and nonpoint sources of pollution. Results showed that HWMD and IBWCNF watersheds were found to have a higher contribution to the water impairments to the LLM. HWMD and IBWCNF comprise the potential major sources of water quality impairments such as cultivated crops, urbanized areas, on-site sewage facilities, colonias, and wastewater effluents