The Web has come a long way. It started as a distributed document repository and quickly became the spring board for a new type of application. Propped on top of the original HTML+HTTP architecture, this new application platform shifted the way the architecture was used so that commands and functionality were embedded in the form data of Web requests rather than in the HTTP command conveying the request. This approach enabled Web requests to convey any type of data, not just document operations. This is occurring because the Web provides such a powerful platform on which to create applications. This is occurring because web development methods are still evolving toward the structure and stability required taking on this enormous new role. As the needs of developers change, certain themes that arise more frequently than others become embedded into new environments to support those needs. Until recently, Web application programming has largely been done with a set of keywords and metaphors developed long before the Web became a popular place to program. APIs have been developed to support Web specific features, but they are no replacement for fundamental changes in the programming environment itself. The growth of Web applications requires a new type of programming designed specifically for the needs of the Web. This thesis aims to contribute towards the development of an abstract framework to generate abstract and dynamic Web user interfaces that are not developed to a specific platform. To meet this aim, this thesis suggests a general implementation of a prototype system that uses the information in database metadata in conjunction with PHP. Database metadata is richer in providing the information needed to build dynamic user interfaces. This thesis uses PHP and the abstract library ADOdb to provide us with a generalised database metadata based prototype. PHP does not have any restrictions on accessing and extracting database metadata from numerous database management systems. As a result, PHP and relational database were used to build the proposed framework. Additionally, ADOdb was used to link the two mentioned technologies. The implemented framework in this thesis demonstrates that it is possible to generate different automatic Web entry forms that are not specific at any platform.

published_or_final_version / Sociology / Master / Master of Philosophy

No description available.

Series: EI Working Papers / Europainstitut

This dissertation creates an information agent that correctly identifies Web pages containing scholarly research approximately 96% of the time. It does this by analyzing the Web page with a set of criteria, and then uses a classification tree to arrive at a decision. The criteria were gathered from the literature on selecting print and electronic materials for academic libraries. A Delphi study was done with an international panel of librarians to expand and refine the criteria until a list of 41 operationalizable criteria was agreed upon. A Perl program was then designed to analyze a Web page and determine a numerical value for each criterion. A large collection of Web pages was gathered comprising 5,000 pages that contain the full work of scholarly research and 5,000 random pages, representative of user searches, which do not contain scholarly research. Datasets were built by running the Perl program on these Web pages. The datasets were split into model building and testing sets. Data mining was then used to create different classification models. Four techniques were used: logistic regression, nonparametric discriminant analysis, classification trees, and neural networks. The models were created with the model datasets and then tested against the test dataset. Precision and recall were used to judge the effectiveness of each model. In addition, a set of pages that were difficult to classify because of their similarity to scholarly research was gathered and classified with the models. The classification tree created the most effective classification model, with a precision ratio of 96% and a recall ratio of 95.6%. However, logistic regression created a model that was able to correctly classify more of the problematic pages. This agent can be used to create a database of scholarly research published on the Web. In addition, the technique can be used to create a database of any type of structured electronic information.

Smelser's theory of collective behavior holds that people join radical social movements because they experience strain. Among the most serious strains are anxieties that relate to one's social status and the roles that correspond to it. A social movement arises as a means of coping with these anxieties. Militia presence and activity on the Internet (especially Usenet) is a phenomenon that can be studied within the framework of Smelser's theory. Militia watchers contend that those who join the militias have experienced the kinds of strain to which Smelser refers. A content analysis of Internet traffic of U.S. militias provides a test of the general thesis outlined above. By analyzing Internet sites it is possible to examine whether militiamen have experienced strain, and whether the strain, together with other factors, influence an individual's decision to join the militia. This dissertation was the first sociological study of American militias on the Internet and the first in which militias from all regions of the country was studied. Information was gathered on 171 militiamen who joined 28 militias. A qualitative analysis of militia web sites and Usenet traffic (n=1,189 online documents) yielded answers to seven research questions. Most militiamen studied experienced some form of stress or strain prior to joining the militia. Within this context, three generalized beliefs arose to help explain this stress among those militiamen. Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms and Tobacco (BATF) raids at Ruby Ridge, Idaho and Waco, Texas were mentioned most often as movement precipitants. Based on the militiamen studied, the militia movement was Internet-driven, although a number of alternative media played a joint role in movement mobilization. On the basis of the cases studied, increased social control following the Oklahoma City bombing affected the direction of the movement as many militias went underground. Yet, Usenet traffic by and about militiamen rose significantly. Constitutionalism was the primary philosophical orientation of the militias in this dissertation; however, Christian Identity militias were growing in number and visibility.

Mémoire numérisé par la Direction des bibliothèques de l'Université de Montréal.

Orientadora: Larissa Maués Pelucio Silva / Banca: Heloisa Pait / Banca: Jorge Alberto Silva Machado / Resumo: Esta pesquisa teve como objetivo central a compreensão do modo pelo qual as pessoas trans têm se apropriado de espaços online de interação a fim de fomentar debates políticos, e tecer redes de solidariedade e sociabilidade, e de que forma essas interlocuções repercutem na formação de uma consciência política em torno dos direitos dessas pessoas. Para tal, parto da investigação da proliferação desses espaços, tomando como ponto de partida um grupo da plataforma Facebook, (mas não permanecendo apenas nele), visto não somente o quantitativo de membros no grupo, mas, principalmente, as temáticas frequentemente discutidas e a participação ativa de um elevado número de participantes nas discussões. Utilizo-me da etnografia multissituada como aporte teóricometodológico, especialmente no que diz respeito ao entrecruzamento entre as interações on e offline, tendo em vista que o acesso a novas possibilidades tecnológicas e a novos espaços de discussão, associada a transformações sociais e políticas tendem a modificar a forma com que as pessoas trans experienciam os sentidos atribuídos ao ser e se tornar pessoa trans, e a buscar alternativas de enfrentamento em relação aos mecanismos que garantem a delimitação de espaços, dinâmicas e direitos. Desse modo, ao buscar analisar os discursos que são acionados a partir das discussões nesses espaços e a forma com que eles marcam espaços offline de interação, utilizo-me do referencial teórico Queer, e dos estudos feministas, além do estudo sóci... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: This research aimed to understand the way in which trans people have appropriated online spaces of interaction in order to foment political debates, and to create networks of solidarity and sociability, and in what way these interlocutions have repercussions in the formation of a political awareness of the rights of these people. To do so, I proceed from the investigation of the proliferation of these spaces, taking as a starting point a group of the Facebook platform, (but not remaining only in it), seen not only the number of members in the group, but mainly the topics often discussed and the active participation of a large number of participants in the discussions. I use multi-situational ethnography as a theoretical and methodological contribution, especially in relation to the interlinking between on and offline interactions, given that access to new technological possibilities and new spaces of discussion, associated with social and political transformations tend to to change the way in which trans people experience the meanings attributed to being and become a trans person, and to seek alternatives to coping with the mechanisms that guarantee the delimitation of spaces, dynamics and rights. Thus, in seeking to analyze the discourses that are triggered from the discussions in these spaces and the way in which they mark offline spaces of interaction, I use Queer's theoretical framework and feminist studies, as well as the anthropological socio-digital study on digital me... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Mestre

A dissertation submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Engineering in the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment School of Electrical and Information Engineering August 2017 / Modular web content management systems (WCMS) are widely adopted software plat- forms that facilitate the creation of web applications through a process of con guration and assembly of add-on modules. Although WCMSs have been used in a variety of ap- plication domains (e-commerce, news) no clear guidance as to when it is suitable to use a WCMS could be found. This work proposes a methodology to evaluate the suitability of a WCMS in a particular context. This is done by evaluating the suitability indicators (capability, e ort and ease of implementation) for a given WCMS application. The met- hodology evaluates each indicator per application requirement. Capability is evaluated on a Yes/No basis. E ort is evaluated using e ort level, a relative indicator of e ort. E ort levels are de ned in terms of increasing e ort, varying from 0 (feature present in the product) through to 5 (feature requires a custom module to be written). Ease of implementation is evaluated using a qualitative measure (easy, moderate or di cult) of the implementation di culty. The methodology has been successfully validated through the development and evaluation of a web application for a school within a university faculty. In this instance the WCMS capability was evaluated at 100%, as all require- ments could be implemented. The e ort level analysis showed 16% of requirements were present by default in the core product, 22% required some con guration of the core pro- duct, 32% required a single add-on module to be installed, and 30% required multiple add-on modules to be installed. The ease of implementation analysis showed that 86% of requirements were easy, 7% moderate and 7% di cult. The analysis is presented in order to demonstrate the operation of the methodology. Further data would be nee- ded to extrapolate general trends. With repeated use of the methodology in various contexts, it would be possible to build up a useful reference for those considering the use of a WCMS. In addition, this data would permit analysis of overall strengths and weaknesses of a particular WCMS. / MT2018

Thesis advisor: James Gips / This paper examines the impact of a multicultural approach on the usability of web and software interface designs. Through the use of an eye-tracking system, the study compares the ability of American users to navigate traditional American and Japanese websites. The ASL R6 eye-tracking system recorded user search latency and the visual scan path in locating specific items on the American and Japanese pages. Experimental results found statistically significant latency values when searching for left- or right-oriented navigation menus. Among the participants, visual observations of scan paths indicated a strong preference for initial movements toward the left. These results demonstrate the importance of manipulating web layouts and navigation menus for American and Japanese users. This paper further discusses the potential strengths resulting from modifications of interface designs to correspond with such cultural search tendencies, and suggestions for further research. / Thesis (BA) — Boston College, 2005. / Submitted to: Boston College. College of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Computer Science. / Discipline: College Honors Program.