The study of Talmud has experienced a virtual explosion. Aside from many benefits that can be gained from the daily study of Talmud, it facilitates life-long learning behaviors. The creation of life-long learners is especially crucial in today's job market, where the introduction of new technologies makes it essential for employees to constantly update their skills. In particular, the idea of studying a page of Talmud a day, known as Daf Yomi, conceived in 1923 by Rabbi Meir Shapiro, has become common practice. Although once the purview of Orthodox males, it has been proposed this practice has extended to females, Jews of all denominations, and even some non-Jews. Paralleling this practice, there has been an explosion of technology based resources created for the Daf Yomi student. The last known study of these resources was in 1990 and focused exclusively on the one resource available, a telephone call-in system. Based upon the many developments in computing technologies in the past 25 years, the time has arrived to determine what types of additional resources currently exist, how they are being used, and who is using them. These methods were documented in a single, current resource to enable both people who learn Daf Yomi to easily determine what resources are available, and those designing the programs to better take the needs of the customer into account. In addition, the demographic of those using these resources is largely undocumented. The study attempted to discover if the increase in technological tools has caused the study of Talmud to expand to a much larger segment. It was found that many people are currently studying Daf Yomi for the first time. Woman, Conservative Jews, and non-Jews are involved in Talmud study; many for the first time ever. Many attributed the technological tools available to them as the reason for their study.

The usability of Identity Management (IdM) systems is highly dependent upon design that simplifies the processes of identification, authentication, and authorization. Recent findings reveal two critical problems that degrade IdM usability: (1) unfeasible techniques for managing various digital identifiers, and (2) ambiguous security interfaces. The rapid growth of online services consisting of various identifier concepts and indistinct designs overwhelm users and disrupt desired computing activities. These complexities have led to an increase in work operations and additional effort for end users. This work focused on these challenges towards developing a contextual model that enhanced IdM usability. The context of this model provided users with preapproved identification and technical features for managing digital identifiers. A sample population of military and government participants were surveyed to capture their relative computing characteristics and end user requirements for IdM and identifiers. Characteristics, such as Ease of Access Management, Cognitive Overload, Identifier Selection, Confidentiality, and Trust were recorded and measured by means of their frequency of occurrence. A standard deviation was utilized for assessing the volatility of the results. Conclusive results were successfully integrated into an attribute-based architecture so that the contextual model's algorithm, which was the contribution of this work, could be utilized for interpreting requirement attributes for defining end user IdM parameters for business applications. Usability inspection results illustrated that the model's algorithm was able to reduce cognitive overloads and disruptions in workflow by limiting recognition, recall, and convenience values of end users.

Knowledge has been recognized as an important intangible asset to gain competitive advantage for organizations. Many firms invest and deploy knowledge management (KM) practices to manage the knowledge asset effectively. KM practices are context-specific since context acts as a governance mechanism of how employees behave. The deployment of KM practices, in turn, will be varied based on the organizational context differences. These differences can be both KM barriers and important enablers. Moreover, a successful KM project is believed to be associated with the organization design and structuring of knowledge assets, information technology, and people. This research examined organizational context influences on knowledge sharing, one of the KM practices. More specifically, this research model focused on three organizational context factors - organizational structure, organizational culture, and information technology - and their roles on the sharing of two types of knowledge assets: tacit and explicit. Organizational context constitutes the environment where knowledge sharing practices take place. The goal of this research was to detect and explain the environment and to provide both academics and practitioners with the empirical evidence relating to the knowledge sharing enablers. A survey research study was conducted to obtain a comprehensive understanding of how organizational context influenced employees' knowledge sharing intentions, based on a social-technical perspective. The results identified key factors (such as organizational norms, innovation, and specialization) that contributed to promoting individual knowledge sharing intention. It also indicated that social factors, compared to the technical factor, were more likely to stimulate knowledge sharing. The findings supported extant studies, lending credibility to the results. Additionally, this research extended the literature on knowledge sharing by simultaneously considering individual intention to share two forms of knowledge assets: tacit and explicit.

The current method of distributing Automated Teller Machine (ATM) Data Encryption Standard (DES) keys involves manual distribution of the same DES key in component form to all A TMs in a banks network. The components are entered into the ATM keyboard and combined to form the ATM Terminal Master Key (TMK) used for all ATM transactions. Public key cryptosystems can be used to distribute and manage A TM TMKs. However, existing cryptosystem implementations have numerous problems. Moreover, little research has targeted cryptosystem implementations that use tamper-resistant security modules (TRSMs). Almost all security attacks of cryptosystems utilizing security processors and cryptography are the result of weak implementation and deployment. This case study describes how a public key cryptosystem for distribution and management of A TM Triple Data Encryption Standard (3DES) TMKs may be successfully implemented. This case study was developed to offer a repeatable approach, design, and implementation for a public key cryptosystem for A TM 3DES TMK distribution and management. The study's design was based on a single case, using multiple sources of evidence and propositions. Using Toronto Dominion (TD) Bank as the unit of analysis, the study focuses on four main propositions relating to (a) system development processes (SDPs), (b) electronic data assurances, (c) key and certificate life cycle management, and (d) ATM key hierarchies. Results of the study show that SDPs provided a general framework for system development and were not tailored to specific needs of an A TM cryptosystem. Evidence shows that the ATM public key cryptosystem met all CAIN digital assurance and ATM key hierarchy requirements but did not meet all key and certificate life cycle requirements. The author recommends a modified SDP framework for A TM public key cryptosystems called cryptosystem SDPs. These consist of SDPs, an integration of A TM cryptosystem requirements, and software security best practices. This framework utilizes existing SDPs but adds four new phases to take into account ATM public key cryptosystem requirements.

College Faculty, in small institutions, are reluctant to upgrade their classroom presentations to include multimedia support. Research has indicated that traditional instruction persists because of insufficient faculty training in the use of appropriate technologies, inaccessibility of hardware and software, and a general unawareness of presentation software that can provide a user-friendly introduction to multimedia technology in the presentation process. The goal of this dissertation is to move Siena Heights College faculty in the direction of technology supported teaching and learning. This work is a giant first step in that process. It involves selection and purchase of appropriate multimedia hardware and software, creation of a training manual, guided mastery of the tutorial material, preparation and presentation of software supported classroom presentations, faculty and student feedback, and plans for college-wide technology development. The work performed will be readily applicable to small two and four year colleges operating on limited budgets.

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The purpose of this dissertation was to investigate, design, and develop a computer system which is capable of controlling several small experiments in a space environment. The steps taken to design such a computer system included reviewing literature pertaining to computer architecture for space based computers and determining which architectures did support the necessary computing needs. Based on the literature review, a computer design and methodology was determined which is the basis for building a complete computer system. Seven experiments were interfaced to the computer system which was launched aboard the Space Shuttle "Discovery". After returning, the collected data shows the performance of this computer was satisfactory. Future research is needed in using modem computer structures to control experiments that will be subjected to longer durations in a space environment. This research would greatly enhance the scientific usability for small payloads within the International Space Station.

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Technology presents great opportunities for developing and delivering education and training. Specifically, audio and video communication technologies have become useful tools for extending the reach of training and staff development. Unfortunately, many of these opportunities are missed due to lack of technology adoption and assimilation. Developing formal training programs is one way to improve organizational effectiveness. Therefore, it is essential that organizations design and implement training programs that are efficient and address relevant job competencies. Training managers and development executives are eager to leverage technologies to train and support employees. Today's institutions and organizations rely to a large extent on training, and there is ample reason to believe that the importance of training for organizations will continue to increase in the future. The quality of employees and their development through training and education are major factors in determining organizational growth. Desktop video-conferencing (DVC), when used effectively can present an effective channel for training at a distance. The goal was to establish a model training process for DVC instruction that addressed the professional development needs of a globally-dispersed trainer population. Trainers completed a needs assessment that translated into a needs-driven instructional design. Course content was developed to meet specifications of a predefined template to be delivered by the technology. Implementation of the training was guided by six interrelated components of training that included conceptual framing, guided practice, establishment of evaluation benchmarks, provision of social and technical support and retraining. Participants were provided opportunities for hands-on and collaborative activities during the training. The study contributed to the knowledge base of training and learning technologies and provided practical uses of DVC for professional development of distant trainers.

The widespread popularity of the Internet has made the promise of worldwide electronic commerce (EC) a reality. Companies are exploring how to provide goods and services over the Internet in order to extend their reach to a global marketplace that conducts business 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The low cost of transacting business electronically has been the motivating factor as consumers eagerly look toward the Internet to create economic opportunities. Electronic payment, a financial exchange that takes place online between buyers and sellers, is an integral part of EC. The content of this exchange usually involves some form of digital financial instrument (such as encrypted credit card numbers, electronic checks, or digital cash) that is backed by a bank or an intermediary, or by legal tender. With the rapid growth in EC, organizations are often faced with the problem of selecting an appropriate electronic payment system (EPS) to meet their requirements. While demand is rapidly growing, security concern is a major reason that impedes EC growth. Organizations selecting individual EPS with different security methods find it extremely difficult to do business with each other. Selection of an EPS is a complex task. Firms often lack the necessary in-house expertise to make this choice. Hiring external consultants with expertise in the area can be expensive. A poor decision may have a significant negative impact. Implementing an EPS requires considerable technical expertise. Difficulties involved in selection and implementation include identifying the firm’s requirements, understanding available EPS options, and evaluating the best option based on economic, technical, and operational concerns. To deal with the complex decision of EPS selection in a changing environment, an expert system may be used. An expert system prototype for the selection of EPS was proposed, based on analysis and evaluation of major electronic payment systems (EPSs). The goal of this dissertation was to develop a rule-based expert system that would aid the requirement analysis process by asking appropriate questions; maintain a knowledge base on the security characteristics of various EPSs; and contain the expertise required to select and implement an appropriate system that meets an organization's security requirements. An extensive literature review was conducted to evaluate major EPSs to ascertain each system's applicability, strengths and weaknesses. Features of each were analyzed, with an emphasis on security aspects. Results were used to help design and build a prototype rule-based system to help organizations determine an appropriate strategy for security in EPS. The following EPSs were considered: Electronic card-based systems: First Virtual (FV), Cyber Cash, and Secure Electronic Transactions (SET). Electronic checks: Net Bill and NetCheque. Electronic cash payment systems: Ecash and CyberCoin. Micropayment systems: Millicent and Pay word. The decision table approach was utilized to ensure that the rule base was well designed. The proposed system is capable of providing security advice related to those EPSs that have been included in the system. The proposed system handles questions based on security characteristics, but is not able to handle new systems whose characteristics have not been entered into the system. The expert system was designed in such a way that future changes to EPS characteristics require minimum change to the knowledge base. A prototype expert system for the selection of electronic payment systems was built and tested to validate the system. The recommendations of the expert system were compared to the recommendations of experts. Test results indicated that the rule-based paradigm with decision tables is useful in the design of a successful expert system for the selection of EPSs.