Social-Aware Forwarding Improves Routing Performance in Pocket Switched Networks

Several social-aware forwarding strategies have been recently introduced in opportunistic networks, and proved effective in considerably in- creasing routing performance through extensive simulation studies based on real-world data. However, this performance improvement comes at the expense of storing a considerable amount of state information (e.g, history of past encounters) at the nodes. Hence, whether the benefits on routing performance comes directly from the social-aware forwarding mechanism, or indirectly by the fact state information is exploited is not clear. Thus, the question of whether social-aware forwarding by itself is effective in improving opportunistic network routing performance remained unaddressed so far. In this paper, we give a first, positive answer to the above question, by investigating the expected message delivery time as the size of the net- work grows larger

Limit overturning moment chuck

Limited memory capacity is one of the major constraints in Delay Tolerant Wireless Sensor Networks. Efficient management of the memory is critical to the performance of the network. This paper proposes a novel buffer management algorithm, SmartGap, a Quality of Information (QoI) targeted buffer management algorithm. That is, in a wireless sensor network that continuously measures a parameter which changes over time, such as temperature, the value of a single packet is governed by an estimation of its contribution to the recreation of the original signal. Attractive features of SmartGap include a low computational complexity and a simplified reconstruction of the original signal. An analysis and simulations in which the performance of SmartGap is compared with the performance of several commonly used buffer management algorithms in wireless sensor networks are provided in the paper. The simulations suggest that SmartGap indeed provides significantly improved QoI compared the other evaluated algorithms.QC 20150605</p

Knowledge Management & Loyalty Programs: A Customer Perception Analysis, the Greek Retail Market

The Food Retail sector in Greece is currently facing a number of challenges. From an economic point of view, the austerity programs imposed in Greece since 2010 resulted in losses of retail sales, alongside with bankruptcies and mergers of retail chains. At the same time, technological development creates an environment for innovation in terms of operations and marketing and offers new opportunities to retailers. Additionally, consumers become more involved and active in the purchasing processes. However, Greek consumers are also experiencing a dramatic decline in their disposable income. The study examines the perception of Greek consumers of several marketing efforts based on Information &amp; Communication Technology Systems (ICT) introduced by a Greek food retailer in Northern Greece. More specifically, it investigates the relationship between ICT related marketing efforts, such as loyalty programs, and analytics regarding food control systems and purchases and consumer characteristics such as gender, age, income, status and family size. The study reveals a number of relationships between marketing efforts and consumer characteristics/segments. However, since the relationships are found to be weak, marketing managers are advised to use advanced analytics systems, such as big data technologies, in order to enhance the efficiency of their marketing strategies and approaches. The weak relationships between the parameters examined indicate that marketing efforts have to focus in several consumer sub segments in order to achieve significant results. The study’s sample population is consumers of one of the top food retailers in Greece. The findings contribute to the literature on the use of ICT on marketing strategies and the use of big data. Furthermore, they have practical implications for marketers in the retail food sector, as they reveal the need for a more focused approach to different consumer groups, in order to increase the efficiency of marketing efforts and to achieve maximum results. &nbsp; &nbsp; Keywords: knowledge management, loyalty programs, ICT, segmentatio

Molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying the evolution of form and function in the amniote jaw.

The amniote jaw complex is a remarkable amalgamation of derivatives from distinct embryonic cell lineages. During development, the cells in these lineages experience concerted movements, migrations, and signaling interactions that take them from their initial origins to their final destinations and imbue their derivatives with aspects of form including their axial orientation, anatomical identity, size, and shape. Perturbations along the way can produce defects and disease, but also generate the variation necessary for jaw evolution and adaptation. We focus on molecular and cellular mechanisms that regulate form in the amniote jaw complex, and that enable structural and functional integration. Special emphasis is placed on the role of cranial neural crest mesenchyme (NCM) during the species-specific patterning of bone, cartilage, tendon, muscle, and other jaw tissues. We also address the effects of biomechanical forces during jaw development and discuss ways in which certain molecular and cellular responses add adaptive and evolutionary plasticity to jaw morphology. Overall, we highlight how variation in molecular and cellular programs can promote the phenomenal diversity and functional morphology achieved during amniote jaw evolution or lead to the range of jaw defects and disease that affect the human condition

Investigation of the fabrication and subsequent emulsifying capacity of potato protein isolate/κ-carrageenan electrostatic complexes

The fabrication of protein-polysaccharide complexes via electrostatic interactions was investigated with a naturally cationic protein, potato protein isolate (PoPI), and an anionic polysaccharide, κ-carrageenan (κC), at unadjusted pH conditions. Moreover, the emulsifying capacity of these electrostatic complexes (PoPI-κC) was assessed. PoPI-κC complexes were prepared with a fixed concentration of PoPI (1 wt %), and varying concentrations of κC (0.01–0.5 wt %), using gentle agitation, followed by sonication to fabricate the complexes. The physicochemical properties of PoPI-κC complexes was assessed in terms of size and surface charge, measured using light scattering techniques and electrokinetic potential, respectively. The emulsifying performance of emulsions prepared with PoPI-κC complexes was assessed as a function of κC, and to PoPI, with respect to initial emulsion droplet size, emulsion stability, interfacial tension and optical microscopy. Addition of κC to a 1 wt % PoPI solution yielded the formation of submicron (∼120 nm) electrostatic complexes up to a κC concentration of ≤0.0375 wt %. Higher concentrations of κC yielded micron sized complexes (&gt;10 μm). Emulsions prepared with PoPI-κC complexes yielded comparable emulsion droplet sizes to that of PoPI alone, with the exception of complexes prepared with κC in the range of 0.05–0.07 wt %. Larger emulsion droplets were observed, as these complexes possessed an electrokinetic potential close to the isoelectric point, resulting in aggregation. Emulsions prepared with PoPI-κC complexes possessed marginally enhanced long-term stability in comparison to emulsions prepared with PoPI alone

Introductory programming: a systematic literature review

As computing becomes a mainstream discipline embedded in the school curriculum and acts as an enabler for an increasing range of academic disciplines in higher education, the literature on introductory programming is growing. Although there have been several reviews that focus on specific aspects of introductory programming, there has been no broad overview of the literature exploring recent trends across the breadth of introductory programming. This paper is the report of an ITiCSE working group that conducted a systematic review in order to gain an overview of the introductory programming literature. Partitioning the literature into papers addressing the student, teaching, the curriculum, and assessment, we explore trends, highlight advances in knowledge over the past 15 years, and indicate possible directions for future research