Vol. 22 No. 2/2018

Issue Topic: Business Process Management (BPM)

New Approaches of NARX-Based Forecasting Model. A Case Study on CHF-RON Exchange Rate
Cătălina-Lucia COCIANU, Mihai-Șerban AVRAMESCU 5
The work reported in the paper focuses on the prediction of the exchange rate of the Swiss Franc-Romanian Leu against the US Dollar-Romanian Leu using the NARX model. We propose two new forecasting methods based on NARX model by considering both additional testing and network retraining in order to improve the generalization capacities of the trained neural network. The forecasting accuracy of the two methods is evaluated in terms of one of the most popular quality measure, namely weighted RMSE error. The comparative analysis together with experimental results and conclusive remarks are reported in the final part of the paper. The performances of the proposed methodologies are evaluated by a long series of tests, the results being very encouraging as compared to similar developments. Based on the conducted experiments, we conclude that both resulted algorithms perform better than the classical one. Moreover, the retraining method in which the network is conserved over time outperforms the one in which only additional testing is used.
Keywords: Exchange Rate Forecasting, NARX Neural Network, Retraining, Time-series, Mobile Average.

The Key Success Factors for an M-Learning Cryptocurrency Application
Octavian DOSPINESCU, Miruna Elena CARAMANGIU 14
The “buzz” surrounding cryptocurrencies in online media last year has led to an increased interest in the topic as a possible source for investments. This paper aims to identify the key success factors for an m-learning cryptocurrency application that explains blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies for non-tech savvy people. The research methodology used for this paper applies the experimental method and probative logic. A survey was conducted among 128 participants, the target population being composed of people who have an interest in cryptocurrencies and who are involved in online crypto communities. The results of the study show that the people who invest in cryptocurrencies are usually those who have a high income and who possess other investment methods as well. When it comes to analyzing the mobile applications success factors, the study revealed that there are no significant differences between people who have cryptocurrency investments and those who do not in ranking mobile apps success factors. Also, besides cryptocurrency training the news and prices are among the most important features of an m-learning cryptocurrency application and on that account such an app must include them. The originality of this study comes from addressing an innovative topic as the research in this field is scarce. Furthermore, this paper raises awareness towards the necessity of educating people on this topic, on the need to research before investing in a specific project.
Keywords: Cryptocurrency, m-learning cryptocurrency applications, key success factors

Big Data Analytics: Analysis of Features and Performance of Big Data Ingestion Tools
Andreea MATACUTA, Cătălina POPA 25
The purpose of this study was to analyze the features and performance of some of the most widely used big data ingestion tools. The analysis is made for three data ingestion tools, developed by Apache: Flume, Kafka and NiFi. The study is based on the information about tool functionalities and performance. This information was collected from different sources such as articles, books and forums, provided by people who really used these tools. The goal of this study is to compare the big data ingestion tools, in order to recommend that tool which satisfies best the specific needs. Based on the selected indicators, the results of the study reveal that all tools consistently assure good results in big data ingestion, but NiFi is the best option from the point of view of functionalities and Kafka, considering the performance.
Keywords: Big Data, Data ingestion, Real-time processing, Performance Functionality, Data Ingestion Tools

Arbitrage Trading Systems for Cryptocurrencies. Design Principles and Server Architecture
Cristian PAUNA 35
When dot.com has become a quaint idea, when electronic shops have lost the mass attention, while classical and margin trading has become obsolete, something new is coming: cryptocur-rencies. Hundreds of virtual coins have been invented for a single reason: the profit. The high price volatility of these new markets and the fact that the virtual coins price is not regulated by a central bank or a single exchange, gives us opportunities for arbitrage trading. The existence of important price differences makes possible the profit when an automated system buy cheaper and sell more expensive in the same time. This paper will present the general principles under-pinning the implementation of arbitrage trading software for virtual coins market. The very large number of cryptocurrencies and exchanges fundamentally change the server architecture of the trading software. The distributed price data in hundreds of sources and the technical dif-ferences of each of these data providers make all the things difficult to be implemented in a sin-gle application. The low-latency order calculation needed for the fast delivery before a signifi-cant price change, in the presence of thousands of price quotes coming from hundreds of dis-tributed servers makes everything special.
Keywords: Cryptocurrency (CRYC), Arbitrage trading (ART), Algorithmic trading (AT), High Frequency Trading (HFT), Automated trading software (ATS)

Big Data in Healthcare - Opportunities and Challenges
Adriana Gabriela ALEXANDRU, Irina Miruna RADU, Mădălina - Lavinia BIZON 43
Healthcare system has evolved once with technology, trying to improve the quality of living and save human lives. Big data is nowadays one of the most important domain of future technology and has gain attention of the healthcare system. This article investigates the advantages and disadvantages of using this technology in healthcare, as they are perceived by the publications and media. To achieve this aims, this paper analyze different documentation and underline the important aspect presented in there. This study can be used as an overview on how big data is noticed by the large public and how is used in saving lives.
Keywords: Big data analytics, Health care, Opportunities and Challenges in Healthcare, Analytics

The Influence of Augmented Reality in Construction and Integration into Smart City
Ioan ADASCALITEI, Ion-Costel-Marius BALTOI 55
This paper presents the current state of AR technology applications in the field of construction through some examples already applied in simulation of the organization of utilities networks, simulation of site organization in various stages, simulation of the new urban plan, modeling of building details, interior organization and navigation site and proposes to design of an IT application that integrates these benefits into a unitary application, easy to use by all parties involved in project: project owner, architects, builders, local community and public authorities. The application will be specific to the Android platform and will provide a virtual view of the stages in the construction. It will also run on mobile devices such as smartphones, tablets, or other devices that have a camera, internet connection, and location sensors.
Keywords: Augmented reality, Building, Smart City, Architecture, City planning


A Smart Approach for E-Learning Domain: The Use of Business Models and Semantic Technologies
Georgiana STĂNESCU (NICOLAIE) 68
By making a topology of the benefits and disadvantages in e-business, we can see why a business presence in the web environment is better than a traditional one and mentioned the companies that have already begun to introduce technology into their platforms. Analyzing the major semantic technologies and the current state of their use in e-business, I will be able to demonstrate the viability of an e-business model and to discover the areas for which it is opportune to implement a technology. In this article, I will present the ways to use software products and I will mention the most usable and important, which facilitates the integration of business in the web domain.
Keywords: E-business, Semantic web, Semantic technology, Business models, Web

Generating Antivirus Evasive Executables Using Code Mutation
Stefan Sabin NICULA 81
The paper is focus around developing a utility tool based on a python component and a C++ stub in order to compile executable Windows files that are capable of staying undetected to Antivirus solutions. The research process was focused around Antivirus software's ability to detect a malicious file and methods of bypassing the identified techniques. Dependencies and auxiliary links of the project are defined as inputs from the user as well as support software and frameworks designed to provide malicious payload with listeners and handlers for the generated shellcode. Overall, the utility tool is able to receive shellcode and one encryption key as input and generate malware in the shape of a Windows executable file that is able to successfully run and bypass Antivirus detection.
Keywords: Antivirus bypass, Antivirus evasion, Executable malware, Shellcode execution, Undetected virus, Obfuscation techniques

The 11th International Conference on Information Technology and Communications Security, SECITC 2018 87

Publishing Guide for Authors 88

INFOREC Association 90