Information Flow Analysis Research Articles

Potential-driven random walks on interconnected systems.

Interconnected systems have to route information to function properly: At the lowest scale neural cells exchange electrochemical signals to communicate, while at larger scales animals and humans move between distinct spatial patches and machines exchange information via the Internet through communication protocols. Nontrivial patterns emerge from the analysis of information flows, which are not captured either by broadcasting, such as in random walks, or by geodesic routing, such as shortest paths. In fact, alternative models between those extreme protocols are still eluding us. Here we propose a class of stochastic processes, based on biased random walks, where agents are driven by a physical potential pervading the underlying network topology. By considering a generalized Coulomb dependence on the distance on destination(s), we show that it is possible to interpolate between random walk and geodesic routing in a simple and effective way. We demonstrate that it is not possible to find a one-size-fit-all solution to efficient navigation and that network heterogeneity or modularity has measurable effects. We illustrate how our framework can describe the movements of animals and humans, capturing with a stylized model some measurable features of the latter. From a methodological perspective, our potential-driven random walks open the doors to a broad spectrum of analytical tools, ranging from random-walk centralities to geometry induced by potential-driven network processes.

Visualizing Instagram: Tracing Cultural Visual Rhythms

Picture-taking has never been easier. We now use our phones to snap photos and instantly share them with friends, family and strangers all around the world. Consequently, we seek ways to visualize, analyze and discover concealed socio-cultural characteristics and trends in this ever-growing flow of visual information. How do we then trace global and local patterns from the analysis of visual planetary–scale data? What types of insights can we draw from the study of these massive visual materials? In this study we use Cultural Analytics visualization techniques for the study of approximately 550,000 images taken by users of the location-based social photo sharing application Instagram. By analyzing images from New York City and Tokyo, we offer a comparative visualization research that indicates differences in local color usage, cultural production rate, and varied hue’s intensities— all form a unique, local, ‘Visual Rhythm’: a framework for the analysis of location-based visual information flows.

Enhanced joint effects of ENSO and IOD on Southeast China winter precipitation after 1980s

Based on the NCEP/NCAR reanalysis data, the COBE sea surface temperature (SST) and the GPCC precipitation, the influences of El Niño-South Oscillation (ENSO) on the variability of winter rainfall anomalies in Southeast China is analyzed under the synergistic effect of Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD). Winter precipitation and atmospheric circulation of the years of IOD concurring with ENSO are compared with single IOD or ENSO, to reveal the mechanism of synergistic effects on the variability of winter rainfall anomalies in Southeast China. The results show that the correlation between IOD/ENSO and the winter precipitation in Southeast China has increased since 1980s. These correlations were significant in years of IOD and ENSO co-occurrence compared to years of IOD or ENSO only, which is mainly due to the lagged atmospheric thermal and dynamic responses to an IOD forcing in synergy with ENSO. The positive IOD (PIOD) events can trigger and modify the anticyclone to the east of India, which transports moisture from the tropical Indian Ocean to Southeast China. In addition, El Niño events can strengthen the abnormal anticyclone over Philippines in winter, which is conducive to maintain the water vapor channel from the tropical western Pacific to Southeast China. Information flow analysis shows that the causalities between IOD and ENSO were enhanced after 1980s, causing the significant increase in the frequency of winter abnormal precipitation in the years of IOD and ENSO concurrence. Furthermore, the higher frequency of PIOD with El Niño (compared to negative IOD with La Niña) attained a ratio of 2:1 after the 1980s, enhancing the Southeast China winter precipitation events associated with IOD and ENSO and the generation of interdecadal variability. This study is helpful to understand the mechanisms of winter precipitation changes in Southeast China, and to improve the forecast accuracy of winter extreme precipitation events.

Revisiting Negation in Neural Machine Translation

In this paper, we evaluate the translation of negation both automatically and manually, in English–German (EN–DE) and English– Chinese (EN–ZH). We show that the ability of neural machine translation (NMT) models to translate negation has improved with deeper and more advanced networks, although the performance varies between language pairs and translation directions. The accuracy of manual evaluation in EN→DE, DE→EN, EN→ZH, and ZH→EN is 95.7%, 94.8%, 93.4%, and 91.7%, respectively. In addition, we show that under-translation is the most significant error type in NMT, which contrasts with the more diverse error profile previously observed for statistical machine translation. To better understand the root of the under-translation of negation, we study the model’s information flow and training data. While our information flow analysis does not reveal any deficiencies that could be used to detect or fix the under-translation of negation, we find that negation is often rephrased during training, which could make it more difficult for the model to learn a reliable link between source and target negation. We finally conduct intrinsic analysis and extrinsic probing tasks on negation, showing that NMT models can distinguish negation and non-negation tokens very well and encode a lot of information about negation in hidden states but nevertheless leave room for improvement.

Awas: AADL information flow and error propagation analysis framework

Awas: AADL information flow and error propagation analysis framework

Разработка системы мониторинга действий пользователя в информационной системе

Currently, there are a large number of mechanisms for protecting computer systems, one of the directions is the creation of systems that respond to possible threats to the information security of the enterprise. Since according to statistics, a large number of information-related crimes are committed by employees of enterprises, monitoring of user actions in the information environment is a particularly important and relevant issue. The main advantages of such monitoring systems are the ability to represent arbitrary parameter values in the form of analytics of specified values, the ability to take into account a large number of development scenarios, the ability to use this system when making decisions, when describing schemes for analyzing information flows, and also to track a large number of computer parameters. In order to respond to information security incidents in a timely manner, it is important to develop a system that also takes into account the interrelationship of user actions. The authors of this paper hypothesized that the user's actions in a computer system are interrelated with each other, that is, if a user performs suspicious actions in a separate monitored parameter, then with a greater degree of confidence, we can say that this user will perform suspicious actions in another monitored parameter. Correlation analysis is necessary for possible reduction of the number of iterations during the program operation, which in the future allows to speed up the analysis of user actions in the information environment. In order to study the statistical relationship of the parameters, the authors found a mathematical measure of correlation - the correlation coefficient (Pearson correlation coefficient) for the studied parameters. Based on the analysis, fuzzy rules were formulated, on the basis of which a system for monitoring user actions in the information environment is built. In this development, a term such as reference user behavior is introduced. Any deviation from this "standard" is considered as a suspicious action and requires a timely response to a possible incident.

International rivers as border infrastructures: En/forcing borders in South Asia

Rivers have long been convenient yet troublesome borders. Inherently itinerant, rivers routinely defy cartographic depictions of borders as static, territorially bounded formations. Such dynamism poses material and conceptual challenges to state regulatory activities, resulting in increasingly heterodox attempts to fix waterbodies through various securitizing mechanisms. I examine the dialectical relationship between rivers and borders through the concept of the river-border complex. I ask how the Ganges River shapes the form and function of the Indo-Bangladeshi border and how, in turn, bordering practices in India regulate flows along the river, which comprises 129 km of India's border with Bangladesh. Drawing on archival records, in-person interviews, and river data, I find that the border and efforts to secure it mediate many flows along the river. The study corroborates previous work within critical border studies that securitizing cross-border flows has the perverse effect of generating greater insecurity in adjoining countries. Crucially, historical analysis of sediment, information, and human flows reveals how international rivers also determine patterns and processes of circulation and thereby warrant reconceptualization as border infrastructures, rather than as merely being subject to them.

People’s Information Security during a Pandemic and in the Post-Pandemic Period as a Systemic Phenomenon in Terms of Their Protectedness

This paper shares the findings from a study that assessed the level of a person’s information security during a pandemic and in the post-pandemic period. The base for the study was advertising and textual and visual content with theoretical-academic, practical-medical, cultural-educational, social, and social-political narratives containing information about COVID-19, an acute respiratory disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. The authors analyzed materials from leading media outlets in Ukraine, Russia, the UK, Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic, Spain, and Italy and from the official website of the World Health Organization (WHO). For a better insight into the ongoing processes, the following key groups of threats to one’s information security wereidentified: another person, groups of people, collectives, masses, and social institutions;programming and technical means and information-telecommunications systems;structured channels for dissemination of mass information. The more tangible impacts on one’s information security within the specialized information space segment were investigated in the third group of threats, namely at the level of analysis of structured channels for dissemination of mass information. Based on their analysis of the latest information flows, the authors developed a special socio-communication model for ensuring a person’s security in times of epidemics and crises that covers principles of informing the public such as filling the information space with various conceptual markers;ensuring proper professional-information interpretation of various phenomena and processes;undertaking the innovative enhancement of the sphere of information production and diffusion;ensuring a universal individual nature. The authors suggest that the study of content in local, regional, statewide, and international media resources potentially can serve as a crucial knowledge base for comprehending all significant characteristics of informing the public in times of societal disruption. The authors’ exploration of information flowing across multiple media channels helped them gain a better understanding of the need for and utility ofverifying and fact-checking information to ensure the meeting of information needs and proper performance of relevant roles in society, with the following key characteristics of good information identified: value, relevance, objectivity, reliability, completeness, comprehensibility, and adequacy. Copyright © 2021 by Academic Publishing House Researcher s.r.o.

Shifting From Sectoral to Integrated Surveillance by Changing Collaborative Practices: Application to West Nile Virus Surveillance in a Small Island State of the Caribbean.

After spreading in the Americas, West Nile virus was detected in Guadeloupe (French West Indies) for the first time in 2002. Ever since, several organizations have conducted research, serological surveys, and surveillance activities to detect the virus in horses, birds, mosquitoes, and humans. Organizations often carried them out independently, leading to knowledge gaps within the current virus' situation. Nearly 20 years after the first evidence of West Nile virus in the archipelago, it has not yet been isolated, its impact on human and animal populations is unknown, and its local epidemiological cycle is still poorly understood. Within the framework of a pilot project started in Guadeloupe in 2019, West Nile virus was chosen as a federative model to apply the “One Health” approach for zoonotic epidemiological surveillance and shift from a sectorial to an integrated surveillance system. Human, animal, and environmental health actors involved in both research and surveillance were considered. Semi-directed interviews and a Social Network Analysis were carried out to learn about the surveillance network structure and actors, analyze information flows, and identify communication challenges. An information system was developed to fill major gaps: users' needs and main functionalities were defined through a participatory process where actors also tested and validated the tool. Additionally, all actors shared their data, which were digitized, cataloged, and centralized, to be analyzed later. An R Shiny server was integrated into the information system, allowing an accessible and dynamic display of data showcasing all of the partners' information. Finally, a series of virtual workshops were organized among actors to discuss preliminary results and plan the next steps to improve West Nile Virus and vector-borne or emerging zoonosis surveillance. The actors are willing to build a more resilient and cooperative network in Guadeloupe with improved relevance, efficiency, and effectiveness of their work.

Modular network mechanism of CCN1-associated resistance to HSV-1-derived oncolytic immunovirotherapies for glioblastomas

Glioblastomas (GBMs) are the most common and lethal primary brain malignancy in adults. Oncolytic virus (OV) immunotherapies selectively kill GBM cells in a manner that elicits antitumor immunity. Cellular communication network factor 1 (CCN1), a protein found in most GBM microenvironments, expression predicts resistance to OVs, particularly herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1). This study aims to understand how extracellular CCN1 alters the GBM intracellular state to confer OV resistance. Protein–protein interaction network information flow analyses of LN229 human GBM transcriptomes identified 39 novel nodes and 12 binary edges dominating flow in CCN1high cells versus controls. Virus response programs, notably against HSV-1, and cytokine-mediated signaling pathways are highly enriched. Our results suggest that CCN1high states exploit IDH1 and TP53, and increase dependency on RPL6, HUWE1, and COPS5. To validate, we reproduce our findings in 65 other GBM cell line (CCLE) and 174 clinical GBM patient sample (TCGA) datasets. We conclude through our generalized network modeling and system level analysis that CCN1 signals via several innate immune pathways in GBM to inhibit HSV-1 OVs before transduction. Interventions disrupting this network may overcome immunovirotherapy resistance.

Renormalized Mutual Information for Artificial Scientific Discovery.

We derive a well-defined renormalized version of mutual information that allows us to estimate the dependence between continuous random variables in the important case when one is deterministically dependent on the other. This is the situation relevant for feature extraction, where the goal is to produce a low-dimensional effective description of a high-dimensional system. Our approach enables the discovery of collective variables in physical systems, thus adding to the toolbox of artificial scientific discovery, while also aiding the analysis of information flow in artificial neural networks.

Sevastopol in the Historical Memory of the Great Patriotic War: Media Space Analysis

This article identifies the content and structural features of social and media communication of Runet users in relation to the information presence of Sevastopol in the construction of the historical memory of the Great Patriotic War. An interdisciplinary approach is used to fully implement the goal and objectives of the research being conducted. Media and information spaces cybermetry intrinsic to modern sociology make it possible to identify new trends in the formation of unconventional historical attitudes about the Great Victory, including the presence of Sevastopol in the historical memory of the Great Patriotic War. The use of the social media monitoring system "Medialogia" enabled an analysis of information flows about the Great Patriotic War and the role of Sevastopol in the Great Victory. The results of the study can contribute to the development of a guide aimed at intensifying the activities in the field of formation of the historical memory of the Great Victory. The authors believe that it will positively affect the consistent upholding of Russia's historical victories and their preservation in the modern digital space by shaping the agenda and managing information flows in the context of the ideological confrontation of the main world actors.

Information and analytical activities of "brain centers"

The need for constant analysis of intensive information flows has led the most successful social systems to create structures of information and analytical activities (ІАА) aimed at the adequacy of action in conditions of total change in the situation. Highly intelligent analytical technologies appear, systems of specialized institutions or subdivisions called "brain centers" — analytical centers (AC), are formed as part of various organizations engaged in analytical research in their field.
 The article is devoted to the study of the main types of information and analytical activities, methods and technologies of AC development, characteristics and experience of "brain centers" of some countries.

Una revisión sociotécnica de las redes sociales de una organización universitaria

En ese artículo se plantean los indicadores de eficiencia para las redes sociales (RS) de una organización universitaria y se proponen algunas bases teórico-prácticas para investigaciones futuras que consideren importante el creciente uso de las RS en procesos de gestión. Se trata de una revisión teórico-conceptual sobre los aspectos sociotécnicos de las RS capaces de subsidiar una metodología de evaluación. Esta investigación es de naturaleza y enfoque aplicado, con objetivos exploratorios y descriptivos, realizando un análisis sociotécnico de las RS, el estudio de los lineamientos de la organización universitaria para las RS, el análisis del flujo de la información y las proposiciones de los indicadores de eficiencia que serán mencionados. Este artículo es producto parcial del proyecto principal denominado “El flujo de información a través de las redes sociales”, que plantea como principal producto una metodología de evaluación de eficiencia de las RS de una organización universitaria.

Analysis and Design of Distribution Systems Information Flow in the Sugar Supply Chain in Indonesia

Today's modern supply chain represents a complex and real-time, organization, resource, activity, information, and data source that is involved in the distribution of products and services ranging from upstream to downstream of the supply chain. In the past 4.0 supply chain technology was not just a linear business function, but as the center of the main process of ecosystems that are in a blind spot chained by value. With information as a foundation in the decision-making process so that information can create integrated and efficiently coordinated supply chains. So that it can show continuity from planning to production, inventory, quality, and price control in each chain. An inefficient distribution that results in mistrust among stakeholders, because it has an impact on the decline and loss of value chain in quality and quantity. Integrity problems from the data collected were found in this study. These findings include the identification of various stakeholders, including farmers, importers to customers, and regulators, as well as their needs, which will be described through the use case, and BPMN. The results obtained are that the main actors (stakeholders) of the system are divided into farmers, importers, processing factories, headquarters, hauling services, and markets (customers) in the distribution of product information flow systems. Suggests tracking and tracing based on real-time data flow of product information coming from each actor in the sugar supply chain that is equipped with an accurate data distribution information support system.

Analysis of Processes Information Flows and Items as Additional Design Factor in COBIT Framework

COBIT is a process-oriented IT governance framework. In the 2019 version, the framework offers a significantly redesigned approach to prioritise processes and set process target capability levels. The design phase is very important to achieve a governance system in future. Although there are several design factors defined in the design phase of COBIT 2019, these factors do not assess process suitability and value for the governance system. Thus, connections and continuity among processes are not taken into consideration enough. Therefore, the aim of the article is to suggest another design factor based on the interrelationships of processes in the COBIT framework represented by its information flows. The nature of the proposed innovation is described, and the analysis of process information flows and items is performed. The article also publishes several inconsistencies in COBIT 2019 documentation that have been identified in the process of research. The application of process information flows and items analysis has been illustrated in two case studies. We have identified new information that can be relevant to decision making in the design phase and discussed their importance for the planned governance system. The results could help to improve the quality of the design phase by providing additional information about the context of the processes designed to ensure the governance system. Implications for Central European audience: The implications for senior managers in the Central European region will be beneficial. Optimisation and effective use of information technologies is a prerequisite for achieving long-term competitiveness. COBIT is a best practice framework, and its implementation in companies is largely based on the specifics of each organisation. Therefore, it is important to pay close attention to the implementation phase of the application of COBIT. Framework application positively supports the holistic approach to management, resource optimisation, management based on responsibility and measurability. Today, these attributes of the organisation’s management are emphasised not only in Central Europe but in developed countries in general.

Relative contributions of global warming, AMO and IPO to the land precipitation variabilities since 1930s

The relative contributions of ocean modes to the JJA and DJF land precipitation variabilities during 1934–2015 are investigated using a variety of statistical and dynamical system methods, i.e., singular value decomposition (SVD), multivariate linear regression, and information flow analysis. Through SVD analysis for the tropical land precipitation and sea surface temperature (SST), three ocean modes are found to most affect the trend and interdecadal variation of the land precipitation. They are the global warming (GW) mode, Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO) and Interdecadal Pacific Oscillation (IPO). GW contributes dominantly to the tropical land rainfall variability in both the JJA and DJF seasons. In JJA (DJF), AMO (IPO) plays a role only secondary to GW. Locally, within the thin latitude bands 10° S–10° N, 50° N–60° N and 40° S–50° S, GW, AMO and IPO are of equal importance in JJA; outside these bands, in the same season the first two dominate. In the band 10° N–40° N, IPO is the primary contributor in DJF, but outside it, GW dominates. Also, these contributions differ geographically from continent to continent. These results have been substantiated in the application of information flow analysis, a recently developed method in physics for the inference of causality between dynamical events. In terms of information flow, we have presented the regions of sensitivity to the three modes. Also presented are a number of ECHAM model experiments, which, besides verifying the above results, show for the first time that the Indian Ocean is pivotal in having AMO and IPO in effect in causing the precipitation variabilities.

Analysis of Information Flow Characteristics in Shop Floor: State-of-the-Art and Future Research Directions for Developing Countries

The information flow in a company is a whole set of static or dynamic data obtained from communication used for the conception and realization of products; facing competition, every company aims at improving its performance to meet customer needs. The focus on information flow to improve the performances of companies has always been a major preoccupation in the research domain, which always contributes to the evolution of the analysis of information flow for companies to be more efficient. This article presents the state of the art on the analysis of information flow model based on information characteristics in shop floor manufacturing companies (known as advanced in technology) to ameliorate their performance and future research directions for small- and medium-sized manufacturing companies for developing countries to be more competitive and efficient.

ВИКОРИСТАННЯ ІНФОРМАЦІЙНИХ ПОТОКІВ ДЛЯ ОПТИМІЗАЦІЇ ВИРОБНИЧИХ ПРОЦЕСІВ НА ПРОМИСЛОВОМУ ПІДПРИЄМСТВІ

Organization, planning and management at the enterprise directly related to the use of information flows, including the collection, transmission, processing, analysis of information and the adoption of appropriate management decisions. Economic activity is impossible without the effective use of information flows, which in turn will contribute to the optimization of production processes. To do this, it is necessary to consider the organizational structure of this unit, the systemic organization in it, the nature of subordination and accountability to each other, as well as a set of coordination and information links, the procedure for distributing management functions across various levels and subdivisions of the enterprise management hierarchy. Also to explore the functions of each unit of the structural unit, reflect the essence of their elements, the relationship between them. The study of the types and essence of information flows determines the maximum completeness of their receipt, and this will ensure their effective use at all levels of enterprise management. The important thing in the middle of all the storage elements in management is the loan organization structure of the management of the enterprise, the rationalization of the incentives and the success of its function. The situation in the light metallurgical halls has negatively impacted the business of the enterprise. To that it is necessary to develop the optimization of the go for the efficiency of the function of the enterprise in the smart minds. The head of the poll in the analysis of information flows in the business processes of AT "Nikopolskiy ferroplaviv plant" with the method of optimizing virobnichny processes. An enterprise is a dynamic structure, the work of which is based both on the basis of the relationship between the feeling of the middle and the internal relationship between the elements. Every enterprise cannot be realized without the transfer of information. Management of information streams is one of the main tasks, without a lot of ill-advised development, not only of the enterprise, but of the whole.

Permissive runtime information flow control in the presence of exceptions

Information flow control (IFC) has been extensively studied as an approach to mitigate information leaks in applications. A vast majority of existing work in this area is based on static analysis. However, some applications, especially on the Web, are developed using dynamic languages like JavaScript where static analyses for IFC do not scale well. As a result, there has been a growing interest in recent years to develop dynamic or runtime information flow analysis techniques. In spite of the advances in the field, runtime information flow analysis has not been at the helm of information flow security, one of the reasons being that the analysis techniques and the security property related to them (non-interference) over-approximate information flows (particularly implicit flows), generating many false positives. In this paper, we present a sound and precise approach for handling implicit leaks at runtime. In particular, we present an improvement and enhancement of the so-called permissive-upgrade strategy, which is widely used to tackle implicit leaks in dynamic information flow control. We improve the strategy’s permissiveness and generalize it. Building on top of it, we present an approach to handle implicit leaks when dealing with complex features like unstructured control flow and exceptions in higher-order languages. We explain how we address the challenge of handling unstructured control flow using immediate post-dominator analysis. We prove that our approach is sound and precise.