The kindest cut: Enhancing the user experience of mobile tv through adequate zooming

The growing market of Mobile TV requires automated adaptation of standard TV footage to small size displays. Especially extreme long shots (XLS) depicting distant objects can spoil the user experience, e.g. in soccer content. Automated zooming schemes can improve the visual experience if the resulting footage meets user expectations in terms of the visual detail and quality but does not omit valuable context information. Current zooming schemes are ignorant of beneficial zoom ranges for a given target size when applied to standard definition TV footage. In two experiments 84 participants were able to switch between original and zoom enhanced soccer footage at three sizes - from 320x240 (QVGA) down to 176x144 (QCIF). Eye tracking and subjective ratings showed that zoom factors between 1.14 and 1.33 were preferred for all sizes. Interviews revealed that a zoom factor of 1.6 was too high for QVGA content due to low perceived video quality, but beneficial for QCIF size. The optimal zoom depended on the target display size. We include a function to compute the optimal zoom for XLS depending on the target device size. It can be applied in automatic content adaptation schemes and should stimulate further research on the requirements of different shot types in video coding

In Search for the Right Measure: Assessing Types of Developed Knowledge While Using a Gamified Web Toolkit

Game-based learning has been used to teach topics in diverse domains, but it is still hard to determine when such approaches are an efficient learning technique. In this paper we focus on one open challenge – the limited understanding in the community of the types of knowledge these games help to develop. Using a taxonomy that distinguishes between declarative, procedural and conditional knowledge, we evaluate a game-based toolkit to analyse and solve an information security problem within a holistic crime prevention framework. Twenty-eight participants used the toolkit. We designed a portfolio of learning assessment measures to capture learning of different types of knowledge. The measures included two theoretical open-answer questions to explore participants' understanding, three problem-specific open-answer questions to test their ability to apply the framework, and 9 multiple-choice questions to test their ability to transfer what was learned to other contexts. The assessment measures were administered before and after use of the tookit. The application questions were analysed by classifying suggested ideas. The theoretical questions were qualitatively analysed using a set of analytical techniques. The transferability questions were statistically analysed using ttests. Our results show that participants' answers to the application questions improved in quality after the use of the toolkit. In their answers to the theoretical questions most participants could explain the key features of the toolkit. Statistical analysis of the multiple-choice questions testing transferability however failed to demonstrate significant improvement. Whilist our participants understood the CCO framework and learned how to use the toolkit, participants didn't demonstrate transfer of knowledge to other situations in information security. We discuss our results, limitations of the study design and possible lessons to be learned from these

The compliance budget: Managing security behaviour in organisations

A significant number of security breaches result from employees’ failure to comply with security policies. Many organizations have tried to change or influence security behaviour, but found it a major challenge. Drawing on previous research on usable security and economics of security, we propose a new approach to managing employee security behaviour. We conducted interviews with 17 employees from two major commercial organizations, asking why they do or don’t comply with security policies. Our results show that key factors in the compliance decision are the actual and anticipated cost and benefits of compliance to the individual employee, and perceived cost and benefits to the organization. We present a new paradigm – the Compliance Budget - as a means of understanding how individuals perceive the costs and benefits of compliance with organisational security goals, and identify a range of approaches that security managers can use to influence employee’s perceptions (which, in turn, influence security behaviour). The Compliance Budget should be understood and managed in the same way as any financial budget, as compliance directly affects, and can place a cap on, effectiveness of organisational security measures

Transmission of primary resistance mutation K103N in a cluster of Belgian young patients from different risk groups

Background: We analysed the distribution of an HIV-1 subtype B strain resistant to efavirenz and nevirapine among incident infections in the Belgian population. Method: The Belgian AIDS reference laboratories searched their databases for HIV-1 subtype B sequences harbouring the K103N mutation in the reverse transcriptase (RT) or the C67S and V77I mutations in the protease (PR). We included the earliest RT sequence available of drug-naïve patients as well as sequences related to treatment failure. Fifty sequences were aligned omitting the codon 103 and submitted to phylogenetic analysis. Epidemiological data were collected through the Institute of Public Health national database. In addition, three sequences from the cluster were analysed by deep sequencing using the Roche GS Junior platform. Results: Phylogenetic analysis revealed the presence of a 24 virus sequences cluster. All except one of those sequences resulted from patients who were ARV-naïve at the time of sampling, and 21 had the K103N mutation. Two thirds of the clustered patients were infected through homosexual or bisexual contacts while the others were heterosexuals. No case was related to migrants contaminated abroad. Fifteen of the clustered patients were diagnosed between January 2011 and June 2012; 87% of them were aged between 20 and 29 at the time of diagnosis. Interestingly, 60% of them reside in the province of Namur. Deep sequencing analysis of 3 individuals sampled near seroconversion revealed no other resistance mutations at a frequency > 1% than those already picked up by Sanger sequencing (RT A98S, K103N; PR V77I), except the RT V90I. Conclusion: We identified a transmission cluster of drug resistant HIV-1 variants mainly including homo- and heterosexual young adults. Most individuals are of Belgian origin and are living around the city of Namur (Belgium). The K103N mutation had no apparent impact on transmission fitness as its spread raised during the last years. These observations may impact on local prevention and ARV prophylaxis strategies

A two-way interactive broadband satellite architecture to break the digital divide barrier

September 24-26, 2007, Turin, Ital

TV-Centric technologies to provide remote areas with two-way satellite broadband access

October 1-2, 2007, Rome, Italy TV-Centric Technologies To Provide Remote Areas With Two-Way Satellite Broadband Acces

Considering the User in the Wireless World

The near future promises significant advances in communication capabilities, but one of the keys to success is the capability understanding of the people with regards to its value and usage. In considering the role of the user in the wireless world of the future, the Human Perspective Working Group (WG1) of the Wireless World Research Forum has gathered input and developed positions in four important areas: methods, processes, and best practices for user-centered research and design; reference frameworks for modeling user needs within the context of wireless systems; user scenario creation and analysis; and user interaction technologies. This article provides an overview of WG1's work in these areas that are critical to ensuring that the future wireless world meets and exceeds the expectations of people in the coming decades

Cyber Security Awareness Campaigns: Why do they fail to change behaviour?

This paper by Dr. Maria Bada and Professor Angela Sasse focuses on Security Awareness Campaigns, trying to identify factors which potentially lead to failure of these in changing the information security behaviours of consumers and employees. Past and current efforts to improve information security practices have not had the desired effort. In this paper, we explain the challenges involved in improving information security behaviours. Changing behaviour requires more than giving information about risks and correct behaviours – firstly, the people must be able to understand and apply the advice, and secondly, they must be willing to do – and the latter requires changes to attitudes and intentions. These antecedents of behaviour change are identified in several psychological models of behaviour (e.g. theory of reasoned action, theory of planned behaviour, protection motivation theory). We review the suitability of persuasion techniques, including the widely used fear appeals. Essential components for an awareness campaign as well as factors which can lead to a campaign’s failure are also discussed. In order to enact change, the current sources of influence-whether they are conscious or unconscious, personal, environmental or social, which are keeping people from enacting vital behaviours, need to be identified. Cultural differences in risk perceptions can also influence the maintenance of a particular way of life. Finally, since the vast majority of behaviours are habitual, the change from existing habits to better information security habits requires support. Finally, we present examples of existing awareness campaigns in U.K., in Australia, in Canada and Africa