IT Certification: Demand, Characteristics and Integration into Traditional University MIS Curriculum

The value of IT certification is a subject of debate. IT magazines suggest that certifications can provide opportunities for new positions, promotions or salary increases to existing employees. Research suggests that IT certification can boost a fresh graduate’s profile to garner the attention of a hiring manager. Research also suggests that certification, education and experience are complimentary factors in the future job prospects of a candidate. For years, educators have been suggesting to include IT certifications in the traditional computing curricula of colleges and universities. However, due to a dearth of knowledge and commitment, faculty members have been reluctant to follow the suggested route. In this paper, we report the steps of integrating several IT certifications in the graduate MIS curriculum of a U.S. university over a period of six years. Certifications from the leading vendors such as Microsoft, Oracle, and Cisco were integrated into the programming, database, and networking courses. A Survey of past and present students suggests that almost all believe that IT certification can help them build a better career and they were prepared well for the certification exams. We recommend that educationists who have been faced with the dilemma of whether or not to adapt IT certifications in their computing curricula, should take the steps and do so. That will bring IT departments up to the par with IT industry standards

System Development and Management Methodology in Teaching E-Commerce Technology

While many business schools developed programs or courses on e-commerce, there is a need for a course that truly focuses on the technology. Specifically, the course should address the knowledge of tools, techniques, and developmental methodology of e-commerce systems. In this paper, we address the developmental methodology for an e-commerce technology course. We focus on the development of an infrastructure and management of an e-commerce application development environment. We also discuss a systems development methodology that addresses both the business and technology aspects of e-commerce

Intertwined Relationships between Systems Analysis & Design and Software Engineering

Systems Analysis & Design (SA&D) and Software Engineering (SE) are two comparable subjects taught in two different educational disciplines. SA&D is focused on developing an information system, while SE is focused on developing a software. Although only one course exists on SA&D, various courses are available in the field of Software Engineering. However,both of them discuss the same process models to develop a system or software. An information system cannot be built withoutbuilding a software. So why the need exist to address various subject areas within Software Engineering as compared to a single course in SA&D? What is the relationship between the two subject areasand what are differences? Our analysis shows that although the process models are same in both cases; however, focusing on the ‘quality’ of software is the key factor in the area of software engineering, whereas the organization of the chapters according to the water fall model is a major factor in the SA&D texts. We have identified that in addition to selecting a process model, a software engineer needs to focus on five Quality Management metrics (5QMMs) to develop a quality software. Furthermore, traditionally, SA&D was focused on developing business systems while SE was focused on developing large, complex, embedded, and real-time systems. However, this trend is changing in today’s software market, which is dominated by large business systems rather than traditional technical and governmental systems. As such, both SA&D and SE texts are verging towards a common direction to address the complex business needs of the information systems where big dollars are spent in the ever-growing market of demand and supply.Thus the SE texts should continue to address the topics that relate to large business systems including databases and web technologies. On the other hand, SA&D texts should continue to adapt many software engineering quality concepts and bring them in par with the SE texts.

Practical Complexity in Adapting Object Oriented Approach of Systems Analysis and Design

Recently, there has been a surge of interest in adapting object-oriented (OO) concepts, UML, and Unified Process of system development in the Systems Analysis and Design texts. However, there is a question of how to best fit these concepts with the existing coherent discussion of structured approach. This paper addresses some of the intricacies of OO concepts such as complexity of diagrams and models, weak links between phases, and lack of support for designing system components. We would like to recommend that there should be a separate text for the OO methodology and it should not present various OO models according to the phases of the traditional structured approach, rather it should focus on the evolution of the models leading to the design of system components. Furthermore, there should be a standard set of models for the OO methodology as well as a clear definition of steps as an analyst moves from one set of models to the next

Online Real-Time Credit Card Processing Models

Although a variety of payment mechanisms have been developed over the years for online businesses, payment by credit cards remain the leading mechanism for online payments. For real-time online credit card processing, a merchant needs to install a third-party proprietary software in the merchant e-commerce server. However, many issues need to be resolved before integrating a third-party payment solution to a merchant e-commerce system. In this paper, we attempt to address the current state of the online real-time credit card processing models. We also discuss several factors such as cost, complexity and security issues related to implementing such a system

Security Measures in Mobile Commerce: Problems and Solutions

Due to the advent of the Internet, electronic business transactions have exploded around the globe. Along with the Internet, wireless technology has exponentially developed as well. Today, new technologies that allow mobile (cellular) phones and other handheld devices to access the Internet have made wireless business transactions possible. This phenomenon is known as mobile commerce or M-Commerce. It has been predicted that the number of mobile phones connected to the mobile Internet will exceed the number of Internet-connected PCs before 2007. The mobile phone will therefore become the most prevalent device for accessing the Internet. Several industry analysts predict that Mcommerce will constitute a multibillion dollar business by 2005. However, M-Commerce brings new challenges in providing information security as information travels through multiple networks often across wireless links. What must be done to secure financial transactions via mobile commerce? Generally speaking, M-Commerce creates more security concerns than traditional E-Commerce. In this paper, security measures in M-Commerce, wireless security, and the application of cryptography for key generation, authentication, digital signature and digital certificate are discussed

Quantitative properties of complex porous materials calculated from X-ray μCT images

A microcomputed tomography (μCT) facility and computational infrastructure developed at the Department of Applied Mathematics at the Australian National University is described. The current experimental facility is capable of acquiring 3D images made up of 20003 voxels on porous specimens up to 60 mm diameter with resolutions down to 2 μm. This allows the three-dimensional (3D) pore-space of porous specimens to be imaged over several orders of magnitude. The computational infrastructure includes the establishment of optimised and distributed memory parallel algorithms for image reconstruction, novel phase identification, 3D visualisation, structural characterisation and prediction of mechanical and transport properties directly from digitised tomographic images. To date over 300 porous specimens exhibiting a wide variety of microstructure have been imaged and analysed. In this paper, analysis of a small set of porous rock specimens with structure ranging from unconsolidated sands to complex carbonates are illustrated. Computations made directly on the digitised tomographic images have been compared to laboratory measurements. The results are in excellent agreement. Additionally, local flow, diffusive and mechanical properties can be numerically derived from solutions of the relevant physical equations on the complex geometries; an experimentally intractable problem. Structural analysis of data sets includes grain and pore partitioning of the images. Local granular partitioning yields over 70,000 grains from a single image. Conventional grain size, shape and connectivity parameters are derived. The 3D organisation of grains can help in correlating grain size, shape and orientation to resultant physical properties. Pore network models generated from 3D images yield over 100000 pores and 200000 throats; comparing the pore structure for the different specimens illustrates the varied topology and geometry observed in porous rocks. This development foreshadows a new numerical laboratory approach to the study of complex porous materials

Warsaw Breakage Syndrome associated DDX11 helicase resolves G-quadruplex structures to support sister chromatid cohesion

Warsaw Breakage Syndrome (WABS) is a rare disorder related to cohesinopathies and Fanconi anemia, caused by bi-allelic mutations in DDX11. Here, we report multiple compound heterozygous WABS cases, each displaying destabilized DDX11 protein and residual DDX11 function at the cellular level. Patient-derived cell lines exhibit sensitivity to topoisomerase and PARP inhibitors, defective sister chromatid cohesion and reduced DNA replication fork speed. Deleting DDX11 in RPE1-TERT cells inhibits proliferation and survival in a TP53-dependent manner and causes chromosome breaks and cohesion defects, independent of the expressed pseudogene DDX12p. Importantly, G-quadruplex (G4) stabilizing compounds induce chromosome breaks and cohesion defects which are strongly aggravated by inactivation of DDX11 but not FANCJ. The DNA helicase domain of DD

Support for UNRWA's survival

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) provides life-saving humanitarian aid for 5·4 million Palestine refugees now entering their eighth decade of statelessness and conflict. About a third of Palestine refugees still live in 58 recognised camps. UNRWA operates 702 schools and 144 health centres, some of which are affected by the ongoing humanitarian disasters in Syria and the Gaza Strip. It has dramatically reduced the prevalence of infectious diseases, mortality, and illiteracy. Its social services include rebuilding infrastructure and homes that have been destroyed by conflict and providing cash assistance and micro-finance loans for Palestinians whose rights are curtailed and who are denied the right of return to their homeland