The current online voting system used in Estonia has not employed mathematically secure verifiable proofs of correctness for ensuring the honesty of the tabulation server [Com13a]. The auditing is based on observation of the procedures and if the procedures are done according to the protocol. Even though the protocol was not followed, as the cast votes were transferred from ballot storing serve...

Mix-automatic sequences form a proper extension of the class of automatic sequences, and arise from a generalization of finite state automata where the input alphabet is state-dependent. In this paper we compare the class of mix-automatic sequences with the class of morphic sequences. For every polynomial φ we construct a mix-automatic sequence whose subword complexity exceeds φ. This stands in...

We study the random composition of a small family of O(n3) simple permutations on {0, 1}n. Specifically we ask what is the number of compositions needed to achieve a permutation that is close to k-wise independent. We improve on a result of Gowers [1] and show that up to a polylogarithmic factor, n3k3 compositions of random permutations from this family suffice. We further show that the result ...

Recently there has been much interest in blending successful development methods such as agile development and product line engineering into an even more successful hybrid. I will consider one technique for accomplishing this blending. I will briefly present an example that will be discussed in more detail at the Software Product Line Conference (SPLC) in September. In this issue of Strategic S...

The marketing mix refers to variables that a marketing manager can control to influence a brand’s sales or market share. Traditionally, these variables are summarized as the four Ps of marketing: product, price, promotion, and place (i.e., distribution; McCarthy, 1996). Product refers to aspects such as the firm’s portfolio of products, the newness of those products, their differentiation from ...

Bituminous mix design is a delicate balancing act among the proportions of various aggregate sizes and bitumen content. For a given aggregate gradation, the optimum bitumen content is estimated by satisfying a number of mix design parameters. This article briefly discusses the current approaches in bituminous mix design and singles out the issues involved.

Sixty-nine unselected patients with locally advanced and metastatic carcinoma of the pancreas, who had not received previous chemotherapy or radiotherapy were randomised to receive either 5-fluorouracil, epirubicin and mitomycin C (FEM) or epirubicin. Survival was not significantly different in the two arms. Toxic reactions (WHO grade > 3) in the FEM and epirubicin arm respectively included nau...

In 2005, Chekitan Dev and Don Schultz introduced the customer focused marketing mix (SIVA) in Marketing Management. SIVA was presented as an alternative approach to McCarthy’s classic business orientated marketing mix popularly known as the 4Ps. SIVA and 4Ps are presented here as a complementary mechanisms to shape marketing practice through considering the needs of the customer within the cons...

The integration of heterogeneous systems is still an evolving research area. Due to the complexity of integration processes, there are challenges for the optimization of integration processes. Message-based integration systems, like EAI servers and workflow process engines, are mostly document-oriented, using XML technologies to achieve suitable data independence from the different and particul...