bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Support of Sufism as a Counterweight to Radicalization: An Assessment
Authors: Sedgwick Mark
Published: February 2025

Supporting Sufis as alternatives to Salafis has been a popular strategy but has generally not proved successful, as this paper shows. This lack of success, it will be argued, results partly from the organizational nature of Sufism, which makes it hard to mobilize Sufis in large numbers, and partly from the choice of Sufi orders that particular governments have made. Examples are taken from Morocco, the USA, the UK, and Egypt.
Corruption and Youth's Recruitment into Violent Extremism
Authors: Shelley Louise I.
Published: February 2025

Youth are vulnerable to recruitment into extremist groups which may commit terrorist acts when they inhabit environments with extremely high levels of corruption. This corruption includes both daily low-level corruption and the high level corruption that drains resources from countries and undermines the possibility of foreign direct investment. In the absence of possibilities for employment and in an environment of pervasive cynicism, youth are drawn into and can be recruited for extremist organizations. This phenomenon has been observed in many regions ranging from the Sahel, North Africa to the Middle East, Central Asia and Afghanistan and Pakistan. Terrorist groups often provide social services in an attempt to recruit youth who can subsequently be radicalized. The centrality of corruption to the problem of youth recruitment has not received the attention it deserves nor has been it been recognized for its galvanizing force in many regions of the world. This paper will discuss its influence and the reasons it must be more central to the discussions of violent extremism.
System Behaviours and Problem Frames: Concepts, Concerns and the Role of Formalisms in the Development of Cyber-physical Systems
Authors: Jackson Michael
Published: February 2025

Two salient issues in software engineering are the proper relationships of requirements to design and implementation and of formal to non-formal development techniques. Both of these issues are prominent in the development of software for cyber-physical systems—that is, for systems whose explicit purpose is to ensure desired effects and behaviours in the physical world. In such systems the software monitors and controls those parts of the world in which the desired effects and behaviours are located: the system behaviour is the result of this interaction between the machine and the problem world. In this paper these salient issues are addressed using the Problem Frames approach. Requirements are understood as desired properties of the system behaviour: design of the structure and content of that behaviour is the central development task. The relationship between formal and non-formal techniques is one of dependence: pre-formal development activities must precede the deployment of full formalisation and formal verification. These pre-formal activities embody the exploration, investigation and design that are an essential preliminary to formal work. They clarify the structure of system behaviour as an assemblage of constituent behaviours, separating the identification and study of those behaviours from the careful treatment of their interactions. In this way formal reasoning is accorded its proper role and an intellectual structure established within which it can play its due part in the development of dependable systems.
Explicit p-adic methods for elliptic and hyperelliptic curves
Authors: Balakrishnan Jennifer S.
Published: February 2025

We give an overview of some p-adic algorithms for computing with elliptic and hyperelliptic curves, starting with Kedlaya’s algorithm. While the original purpose of Kedlaya’s algorithm was to compute the zeta function of a hyperelliptic curve over a finite field, it has since been used in a number of applications. In particular, we describe how to use Kedlaya’s algorithm to compute Coleman integrals and p-adic heights on elliptic and hyperelliptic curves. Throughout, we give several numerical examples, and we conclude by showing how to use Coleman integrals to explicitly find integral points on hyperelliptic curves whose Jacobians have Mordell-Weil rank equal to their dimension.
1.1. Historic Aspects and Future Research Directions in Vehicle Dynamics and System Design
Authors: Vantsevich Vladimir V.
Published: February 2025

This Chapter presents a brief analysis of research and engineering directions in ground vehicle dynamics and system design for more than 100 past years. It is shown that peculiarities of vehicle motion and dynamics of vehicles were established as an applied science – vehicle dynamics. Steady motion and transient maneuvers, multi-body dynamics, non-linear and stochastic dynamics, terramechanics, vehicle operational properties and their multi-criterion optimization, computer simulation, analysis and optimal synthesis, various types of control, inverse and direct vehicle dynamics approach, open architecture-type and multi-domain systems – all these makes the milestones of developments over the past century. New research directions were formulated in this Chapter, including agile interaction between ground vehicles and severe environments.
1.2. Past, Present and Future of Control Theory Applied to Autonomous Agents
Authors: Vamvoudakis Kyriakos G.  , Hudas Gregory R.
Published: February 2025

This chapter introduces classical and modern control theory by providing a short history of automatic control theory and describing basic elements and techniques of classical and modern control theory. Finally, the section concludes with a brief overview of existing autonomous platforms and navigation techniques in severe environments.
10.2. Mass Distribution, Vehicle Structures, Light-Weighting and Optimization
Authors: Blundell Mike  , Christensen Jesper
Published: February 2025

This Section covers the contribution of the vehicle body and the critical importance of producing light-weight structures with the correct mass distribution to ensure agile performance. The Dynamic Index design parameter and its influence on handling performance is described together with a practical example using an experimental vehicle. The use of finite element methods to optimize vehicle structures is also described.
3.1. Agility in Vehicle Dynamics and Relaxation Time Constants
Authors: Vantsevich Vladimir V.  , Gray Jeremy P.
Published: February 2025

This section analyzes the transient period of the tire reaction force development process, which is characterized by the relaxation length, for the purpose of agile tire dynamics control as a pre-emptive, fast and exact response of a tire to dynamic changes of its interaction with terrain.
The Terror Next Door: A Security Analysis of the Escalating Threat of Lone Wolf Terrorists
Authors: Parker Grace N.
Published: February 2025

The following analysis introduces a detailed discussion of the epistemology of the present-day lone wolf terror phenomenon; in turn, providing critical insights into practicable preventative measures to counter this accelerating global development. Through an objective study of the limited, but compelling threads of commonality observable as a general rule of lone wolf styled attacks, preemptive security procedures can be successfully implemented within law enforcement operations. Such possibilities are based on a basic key indicator profiling of the lone wolf actor with greater emphasis placed on the cohesive modus operandi prior to the attack itself – a traceable cycle of behaviors irrespective of religious, political and personal influences framed in the virtual society of the 21st Century.
Complex Conflict Dynamics in Mali
Authors: Wilandh Helen
Published: February 2025

Ethnic tensions have long existed in Mali, and intercommunal violence erupted in light of the crisis in 2012. The current resurgence in the north has inflamed an increase in ethnic tensions, and armed groups in the north have splintered into conflicts between local communities, ethnic groups and tribesFor example, Ansar Dine's Berabiche Arabs in January formed their own brigade, Ansar al-Sharia. IRIN, “Mali Conflict Inflames Ethnic Tensions,” AllAfrica, at http://allafrica.com/stories/201310241480.html (last visited 07 Sep. 2014), see also Sarah Halifa-Legrand and Farid Aïchoune, “MALI. La mosaïque de l'armée islamiste,” Le Nouvel Observateur (18 January 2013), available at http://tempsreel.nouvelobs.com/guerre-au-mali/20130115.OBS5442/mali-la-mosaique-de-l-armee-islamiste.html (last visited 07 Sep. 2014). For more information about Ansar al-Sharia, see GCTAT, “Oumar Ould Hamaha: A Case Study of the Bridges between Three Groups,” at http://www.gctat.org/fr/analyses-rapports-et-notes/29-ranoc/220-oumar-ould-hamaha-a-case-study-of-the-bridges-between-three-groups.html (last visited 07 Sep. 2014). However their leader, Oumar Ould Hamaha, was killed by French airstrike on 8 March 2014. Baba Ahmed, “UN mission: Mali Jihadist Spokesman Hamaha Killed,” Associated Press (14 March 2014), at http://bigstory.ap.org/article/un-mission-mali-jihadist-spokesman-killed (last visited 07 Sep. 2014). There were ethnic clashes between Tuareg rebels and black civilians in July 2013. Alex Duval Smith, “Mali unrest: Kidal's Deadly Race Riots,” BBC News (19 July 2013), available at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-23379122 (last visited 07 Sep. 2014).
Security of Radioactive Sources in Use, Storage and Transport
Authors: Tuniz Claudio
Published: February 2025

This paper provides a brief summary of the basic definitions, principles and guidelines currently used to implement nuclear security measures and protect radioactive sources during their use, storage and transport.
Verification of Concurrent Software
Authors: Kroening Daniel
Published: February 2025

We provide a tutorial on the verification of concurrent software. We first discuss semantics of modern shared-variable concurrent software. We then provide an overview of algorithmic methods for analysing such software. We begin with Bounded Model Checking, a technique that performs an analysis of program paths up to a user-specified length. We then discuss methods that are, in principle, able to provide an unbounded analysis. We discuss how to apply predicate abstraction to concurrent software and then present an extension of lazy abstraction with interpolants to such software.
Hybrid War – Effects on Geopolitical Ground
Authors: Simileanu Vasile  , Muţu Cătălina Monica
Published: February 2025

We starts talking about hybrid war in the 80's as an atypical form of conflict, involving military structures in collaboration with some non-military components, the first concept being the “war of the entire people”. Such manifestations of asymmetric conflicts have met during the period of the Cold War. Defined and analyzed by specialists from NATO, after 2005, as a form of waging hostile actions with a small military component based on flexible strategies undertaken long term, this form of conflicts is becoming more obvious and clothes to “modal asymmetries” various manifestations. Particularly visible in the conflict in Ukraine, but also in Syria, the agenda of this form of conflict is debated by analysts and military experts. The hybrid war, in our view, is an asymmetrical multimodal conflict.
Countering Hybrid Warfare. The Need for a Comprehensive Approach
Authors: Podgorean Radu
Published: February 2025

Hybrid warfare is not new: I am sure that the events in Ukraine in March 2014 and how they developed leading to Russia's illegal annexation of Crimea were of no surprise to intelligence and security experts. However, the employment of hybrid warfare by Russia against Ukraine last year, as well as its manifestation in other forms as put forward by terrorist organizations like ISIL/Daesh across the Middle East, raises a number of issues when it comes to countering it, especially in an Allied setting and in a complex, interconnected world as we have today.
Hybrid Warfare after a Long Term Informational War
Authors: Chifu Iulian
Published: February 2025

The hybrid warfare in Eastern Ukraine didn't appear suddenly, without a proper preparation in terms of military preparedness, recruiting, training, identifying local support and fundamental changes in the mood of the population. Everything has been put in place after a very clear long term propaganda and control of the public space, but especially based on a well-established informational war developed in the region of Donbas and also at different levels in the whole of Ukraine. The difference in the region of Donetsk and Luhansk was is that it was a more targeted operation and the population had a higher degree of openness in absorbing this propaganda fitting with local beliefs, cultural background and level of education of the average population, including the presence of former members of the institutions present in the Soviet Union period. This capacity and possibility to replicate the change of the perception of a given targeted population, by inoculating a pre-determined narrative and alternative reality that fits in the plans of the aggressor, could be used for further developing the war inside Ukraine, especially in the larger region called Novorossia.
Stronger Together: Enhancing Cooperation Capacity for Forward Resilience
Authors: Rhinard Mark  , Sundelius Bengt
Published: February 2025

The Euro-Atlantic Community views resilience as an important concept for guiding anticipatory capacity building in the face of varied and complex security threats. The next step is to examine the notion of ‘forward resilience’, a more dynamic concept that recognizes key interdependencies amongst allies, partners and neighbors. In this paper we argue that the ‘capacity to cooperate’ must be a central feature of forward resilience as a shared endeavor. The capacity to cooperate – quickly, effortlessly and to mutual benefit – seems so obvious that it is taken-for-granted by allies and partners. But in an expanded NATO and European Union which must work closely together, with instability in the surrounding neighborhoods, and in the face of a legacy of cooperation failures, we must study the essential factors that increase nations' capacity for transboundary cooperation before, and during, a major security incident.
Border Surveillance Using UAVs with Thermal Camera
Authors: Hayrapetyan Narek  , Hakobyan Robert  , Poghosyan Aghasy  , Gabrielyan Vazgen
Published: February 2025

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) provide an opportunity to make 24/7 surveillance possible in large areas of strategic importance such as industrial plants and borders. In this paper we present an algorithm for detecting people in surveillance areas in low visibility conditions. The efficiency of the current solution is based on using an onboard thermal camera as a sensor, which generates a heat map even at nighttime and in bad weather. UAV flight details and technical characteristics are also discussed.
A Study of Security Threats in the Private Cloud
Authors: Satimowa Yelena  , Bytleuowa Assel
Published: February 2025

Today, nearly all companies have adopted cloud technologies. Both public and private clouds have a number of advantages and disadvantages in terms of security, scalability and reliability. The choice of a cloud provider depends on the organization's particular requirements, which entails a comparative analysis of various cloud providers based on the needs of IT infrastructure. This chapter presents the results of the evaluation of cloud technology for social and governmental agencies. Recommendations for assessing quality of service are also given.
Historical Perspectives of Telemedicine Use in NATO
Authors: Poropatich Ronald  , Lam David
Published: February 2025

In 2000, NATO created the Telemedicine Expert Panel (TMED-EP) when few nations had deployed telemedicine systems to support military field operations. This group and its successor the Telemedicine Expert Team (TMED-ET) have been encouraging the nations to deploy telemedicine (TMED) in support of their forces, and have continued developing the doctrine and technical standards which will facilitate the use of TMED within NATO. This has been a highly successful effort, and TMED is increasingly being used within the military medical structures of some NATO and Partnership for Peace (PfP) nations to provide medical care to deployed military personnel. This chapter describes the history and accomplishments of the TMED-EP and ET which include development of Telemedicine Interoperability Standards for use among deployed NATO forces and doctrine to support TMED use. Also discussed are more recent efforts to include NATO sponsored Advanced Research Workshops in 2012 and 2013 to discuss a multi-national telemedicine system to be used in response to disasters involving both NATO and PfP nations, and the follow-on 2015 NATO Science for Peace and Security (SPS) telemedicine project in the Ukraine which demonstrated the potential role of telemedicine in disaster response among NATO nations.
Multinational Telemedicine for Trauma, Disasters and Emergency Management – Its Time Has Come
Authors: Latifi Rifat  , Doarn Charles R.  , Hostiuc Filip
Published: February 2025

The integration of information and telecommunications technology in emergency situations that result in trauma, injury, and significant loss of life and economic stability has been successfully developed, deployed and used in disasters. This book represents a collection of materials about how telemedicine has been applied in disasters over the past 40 years and how subject matter experts from across the international community came together and developed a Multinational Telemedicine System (MnTS) for disasters. This NATO-funded concept was evaluated and determined to have utility in disasters. It also has laid the ground work for taking telemedicine and disasters to a new level. The ability to project knowledge and healthcare delivery modalities across great distances is no longer a challenge. It is an expectation. It is something that is now a tool in the arsenal for us to respond. As technology and ICT continue to march forward, we will be able to project a wide variety of medical specialties, including surgical care and advanced trauma support. Each of these capabilities will reinforce our ability to respond and further our MnTS concept.
Conclusions and Recommendations
Authors: Glenn Jerome C.  , Sharan Yair
Published: February 2025

Although terrorism is not a new phenomenon, future terrorists groups in general and lone wolf terrorists in particular will create new threats and put new security challenges to society. They are likely to have access to far more destructive technologies than available today. It is conceivable that one day a single individual acting alone could make and deploy a weapon of mass destruction. Finding such individuals and preventing their terror actions, could be done by: 1) technological means and administrative measures developed and managed by the state; 2) education and public health means to reduce the number of such potential individuals; and 3) new roles for the general public for early detection of such individuals.
Towards a New Social Contract
Authors: Theiler Olaf
Published: February 2025

We will need a new kind of social contract to fight terrorism effectively in future. The main reason behind this logic is the simple fact, that new technologies will empower the individual in more ways than we can imagine today. And these new ways of empowerment will include also some very deadly technologies, creating a world of “many-to-many threats”, making “many-to-many defenses” necessary, almost existential. This will change the role of the state in relation to the role of the citizens, the individual.
The Resurgence of al-Qaeda? Consequences of the Syrian Conflict's Denouement
Authors: Harris Halistair  , Welander Frej  , Lind Daniel  , Watson Robert Akira
Published: February 2025

This paper expands upon the thesis presented by Alistair Harris, CEO of the ARK Group DMCC, at the NATO Advanced Research Workshop: “Human Factors in the Defence Against Terrorism: The Case of Jordan” hosted from 21 to 23 November 2016. This paper argues al-Qaeda's main affiliate in Syria, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (formerly Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, and al-Nusra) is positioned to be one of the greatest beneficiaries from the confluence of two current trends in the Syrian Civil War: (1) the increasing likelihood of the preservation of the Assad regime, and (2) the mounting territorial losses of the Islamic State from coalition efforts in both Iraq and Syria. This paper assesses the civil war through the prism of these two trends, and considers what the success of al-Qaeda's Syrian franchise might portend for the global organisation.
Come and Go: Trajectories of Foreign Fighters in and out of Moldova
Authors: Secrieru Stanislav
Published: February 2025

This chapter addresses the issue of foreign fighters in and out of Moldova. In addition to approaching the phenomenon from two angles, it will seek to expose some parallels between military conflicts in Transnistria and Donbas, reveal Russia's techniques to incite and sustain violence in both instances and demonstrate linkages between the inflow and outflow of foreign fighters in and out of Moldova. The first part covers the 1992 conflict in Transnistria, when foreign fighters from Russia and Ukraine infiltrated Moldova. After a brief description of the conflict, it will estimate the numbers and uncover origins of foreign fighters, reveal their motivations and track down their post-conflict careers where public sources permit. The second part will dwell on the problem of foreign fighters from Moldova in Donbas between 2014 and 2015. It will aim to approximate their numbers and draw a general profile of the fighters whose identities were fully or partially revealed. This part will conclude with scenarios assessing risks the return of foreign fighters may pose to Moldova.
Profiling Foreign Fighters in Eastern Ukraine: A Theoretical Introduction
Authors: Legieć Arkadiusz
Published: February 2025

The foreign fighters phenomenon is forcing national governments to devise new methods to deal with emerging threats. Interest of the world's media, experts and policy makers is focused in this aspect primarily on the Islamic State, which is justified by the greater number of people joining its ranks, the scale of its operations, and the number of victims. However, despite the focus on Middle East discourse, there is a profound need for research on the phenomenon of the militants in the Ukrainian-Russian conflict, because in recent years this has become a testing ground for extremely radical groups from more than 50 countries around the world. There is a need to formulate conclusions about the implications for international security raised by the conflict in Ukraine, and to consider carefully whether people from all over the world, who freely took part in this conflict, will become in the near future an unexpected source of radicalisation and new threats. This can be done only through effective understanding of their motivations, national structures, and the ideological relations that exist between them.
Tunisian Foreign Fighters: Between De-Territorialisation and Re-Territorialisation
Authors: Sayah Habib M.
Published: February 2025

According to various studies and reports, Tunisia has been one of the top exporters of foreign terrorist fighters. This paper seeks to analyse the causes and factors underpinning flows of Tunisian foreign fighters. It will be argued that in Tunisia's case, the role of domestic mobilization structures played a key role in determining the amplitude of the foreign fighter phenomenon. In particular, Ansar al-Shari'a in Tunisia's (AST) efforts to structure the Jihadi-Salafi community into a large grassroots movement were instrumental in creating a wide pool of potential foreign fighters. Whilst the existence of a domestic grassroots movement made outflows of foreign fighters possible, these flows were motivated and oriented by the evolving geographical distribution of political and military opportunities across the Middle East and North Africa region. Indeed, new threats to the survival of the Tunisian jihadi movement manifested by the government crackdown on AST in 2013, in conjunction with the expansion and consolidation of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant, generated a significant outflow of Tunisian foreign fighters to Syria and Iraq. From the Islamic State's core territory, de-territorialized Tunisian fighters saw an opportunity to reconnect with their homeland in engaging in competition with al-Qaeda for the control of AST's legacy networks in Tunisia. During this whole period, neighbouring Libya played an important role as a line of flight or a foreign fighter corridor between Tunisia and Islamic State's core territory, until the centre of gravity of the Tunisian jihadi system shifted towards conflict-affected Libya when it became the host of three Islamic State provinces.
UNSCR 1325 National Action Plans in Post-Conflict States: Implications for Policy and Practice
Authors: Basini Helen S.A.
Published: February 2025

For more than a decade, the UN and other agencies have promoted National Actions Plans (NAPs) in order to best realise the objectives of UNSCR 1325. To date, 60 countries, including many that are currently in the process of recovering from conflict, have taken up the challenge to create a NAP. Drawing upon evidence directly sourced in both Liberia and Sierra Leone, this paper will assess whether NAPs offer the best solution for implementing UNSCR 1325 in post-conflict contexts. It will examine whether a basic “one size fits all” approach is the best option for the actual delivery of the resolution's objectives, and it will further discuss the policy implications and the impact on practice brought about by the implementation of such plans. In particular, it will consider options for localisation and local ownership; evaluate strategies to strengthen implementation, coordination, and accountability; and reflect upon the financing difficulties faced by post-conflict States.
Hard and Soft Power Approaches to Countering Online Extremism
Authors: Hardy Keiran
Published: February 2025

‘Hard power’ criminal offences and ‘soft power’ policy programs are both required to counter the threat of online extremism. However, the lines between these two approaches can blur significantly in practice. This chapter considers the overlap and interaction between the UK's counter-terrorism laws and its Prevent strategy. It argues that overlap between these hard and soft power approaches creates substantial confusion over the lines between lawful and unlawful online conduct, and generates damaging perceptions about the motives behind a government's soft power responses to terrorism.
Understanding the Vulnerabilities of Critical Energy Infrastructure to Cyber Terrorism and Threats: How to Secure Our Energy Systems
Authors: Gücüyener Ayhan
Published: February 2025

Despite various doomsday scenarios or popular cyber war theories if you ask ten people what cyber-terrorism is, you will get at least nine different answers. In fact, the roots of the nation of cyber-terrorism and an “electronic Pearl Harbor” and can be traced back to the early 1990's when people started to discuss the rapid growth in Internet use with the emerging of “information society.” Nevertheless, it should be added that despite all the gloomy predictions, until now, no single instance of real cyber-terrorism has been recorded.
European Energy Security and the Governance of the Caspian Sea: An Overview of Dynamics and Trends
Authors: Contessi Nicola
Published: February 2025

The legal and political complexities affecting the Caspian Sea are critical to understanding the possible role of the South Caucasus as an energy gateway for Europe and Turkey. Uncertainty over these features can be detrimental to both the stability of existing supplies and to the ability to plan other developments in the future. This chapter examines the ongoing negotiation of a legal and political order as two analytically distinct, though empirically intertwined, processes aiming, on one hand, to formulate the formal rules pertaining to the sovereign rights and obligations of coastal states; on the other, to clarify whose interests the informal rules of the basin shall ultimately embody.
Iraq Biological Dual-Use Knowledge and Emerging Biological Warfare Threats
Authors: al Sharaa Mohammed  , Muhi Sinan
Published: February 2025

The efforts of preventing the spread of WMD expertise are often labeled as “scientists' redirection” are essential to redirect the scientists' skills and expertise to peaceful civilian activities. Such redirection efforts have historically boosts these activities for securing WMD materials. Human expertise in WMD science and technology poses as high a risk as acquires WMD materials. Thus, states should strengthen their efforts on ensuring personnel reliability to prevent unauthorized access to WMD-related materials. Delays in securing WMD expertise can be more alarming than comparable delays in securing WMD materials. In this paper, the efforts of the Iraqi government to reduce the threat of proliferation of dual-use expertise and materials have presented.
Telemedicine Applications in Turkey as a NATO Member and as a Balkan Country
Authors: Şen Serkan  , Şen Merve
Published: February 2025

Turkey is a secular, democratic and constitutional republic with a diverse cultural heritage. It is an important player regionally and globally, a member of the NATO, OECD, a candidate for European Union accession, and chair of the 2015 G20. As of May 2016, Turkey's Ministry of Health has about 900 hospitals and more than 7,000 health centers, about twice as many as a decade ago. Today there is a limited amount of telemedicine in Turkey but those numbers are expected to increase. Telemedicine is on the duty-supervised urgent e-change action plan of Turkey. Tele-radiology and tele-pathology are a current focus of the ministry of health as there are inadequate numbers of medical imaging specialists. Unlike these two areas, tele dentistry is newly developing in Turkey. Out of all of them government decided to prepare a project of 15 city hospitals or digital hospital in 15 Metropolitans in Turkey in 2013. Digital hospital will be a hospital model in which information systems work integrated, all kinds of medical device can send data to the information management's system through networks and sensors, the information in the system can be accessed from hospital and distantly in the limits of personnel's' and patience's authorization and approval. It is know that telemedicine can save time, money and reduce costs for the medical practices in the world.
TeleGenetics: Bringing Telemedicine Closer to the New Era of Personalized Medicine
Authors: Georgieva Milena  , Staneva Dessislava  , Miloshev George
Published: February 2025

Telemedicine approaches are relevant to genetic services. Current developments in genetic services allow the fast accumulation of massive genetic data bases, most of which grant free access to both medical specialists and private individuals. Figuratively, we are talking about an ocean of genetic data which has the potential to transform modern medicine into a more precise and personalized field. Personalized medicine in the age of genomics and epigenomics literally means that we are living in a time when anyone can very easily obtain information about his own genetics, about a predisposition to a certain deadly disease, or about the presence of mutations which could potentially be transferred to one's offspring. Genetic screening produces massive amounts of data, which increases every day. Patients and medical specialists face serious challenges in dealing with this. Special genetic services and counseling is not easy to find, especially in rural and distant places which are sometimes referred to as “genetic deserts.” These locations may reach out for solutions to fill the gap between modern health care services and the proper understanding of, and use of, genetic data. Genetic counselling via the internet and mobile devices already occasionally takes place, but is not regulated. The topic needs attention by specialists, politicians, and decision makers in the field of healthcare and medicine. Videoconferencing for genetic consultation is becoming a logical extension of what people already do with their webcams and smartphones. Telemedicine is a good solution as it saves patients' time, the cost and burden of transportation and, oftentimes, the need to find day care or take time off from work. This opens a new field of providing genetic counselling using videoconferencing and other and other forms of media, allowing specialists and patients to benefit from genetic data.
NATO Advanced Training Course 2017: Lessons Learned and Best Practices
Authors: Yaakov Uri Ben
Published: February 2025

Since September 11, 2001 when the United States, a NATO member state faced a world-changing terror attack, states have been forced to face enemies in non-conventional war settings. Since, NATO member states have been hit repeatedly by acts of terror, highlighting the need to develop strategies for preparedness, response and engagement to combat terrorism. With Israel's vast experience in the field of counter-terrorism, and its membership in the Atlantic Treaty Association, the NATO Advanced Training Course was created. This article will provide an overview of the counter-terrorism lessons learned throughout the five-day course, which were taught through a variety of lectures, tours and a final hands-on war-game scenario.
Towards a Better Understanding of Anti-Western Propaganda & Building an Efficient Model to Fight Back
Authors: Sultănescu Dan  , Sultănescu Dana C.  , Buti Daniel
Published: February 2025

Anti-Western propaganda is increasing in the Eastern European countries. The Center for Civic Participation and Democracy CPD-SNSPA is in the process of developing a regional project to monitor, evaluate and understand anti-Western narratives in the region, using a variety of methodologies – classic surveys, and also data collected through new instruments, relevant to understanding online communication. The methodological mix used in our research allows us to identify certain segments of the Romanian population that are more vulnerable to anti-Western propaganda and the paper presents the most important conclusions derived from our work so far. It also includes a set of solutions proposed by CPD-SNSPA in order to extend and improve research into anti-Western propaganda content, channels and possible targets, as well as increase resilience to propaganda efforts in Romania and in the region.
Shock and Impact Resistance of Elements for Civil and Military Infrastructure Object
Authors: Ovcharova Nataliia  , Berlizova Tetiana
Published: February 2025

High-rate elastic-plastic deformation of elements of modern constructions in three-dimensional formulation is considered. Changes of properties of materials in a process of deformation under impact and impulse loads are taken into account. Modelling of the processes of high-rate deformation with involved dynamic properties of materials and finite displacements is carried out. A dynamic stress-strain state of structural elements, based on a finite element, is analyzed. Comparison with known results and experimental data is given. Practical problems of analyzing the stress-strain state of elements of facing vehicles and gas turbine engine corps under shock loading are considered. The advantage of multilayered protective elements for local shock loads is presented in the paper.
Decoding Complexity: CHPDA – Intelligent Pattern Exploration with a Context-Aware Hybrid Pattern Detection Algorithm
Authors: Koli Lokesh , Kalra Shubham , Singh Karanpreet
Published: February 2025

Detecting sensitive data such as Personally Identifiable Information (PII) and Protected Health Information (PHI) is critical for data security platforms.[1] This study evaluates regex-based pattern matching algorithms and exact-match search techniques to optimize detection speed, accuracy, and scalability. Our benchmarking results indicate that Google RE2 provides the best balance of speed (10-15 ms/MB), memory efficiency (8-16 MB), and accuracy (99.5%) among regex engines, outperforming PCRE while maintaining broader hardware compatibility than Hyperscan. For exact matching, Aho-Corasick demonstrated superior performance (8 ms/MB) and scalability for large datasets. Performance analysis revealed that regex processing time scales linearly with dataset size and pattern complexity. A hybrid AI + Regex approach achieved the highest F1 score (91. 6%) by improving recall and minimizing false positives. Device benchmarking confirmed that our solution maintains efficient CPU and memory usage on both high-performance and mid-range systems. Despite its effectiveness, challenges remain, such as limited multilingual support and the need for regular pattern updates.[2] Future work should focus on expanding language coverage, integrating data security and privacy management (DSPM) with data loss prevention (DLP) tools, and enhancing regulatory compliance for broader global adoption.
Self-assessment of the education quality and educational activities of general secondary education institutions: organizational and methodological aspect
Authors:   Institute of Pedagogy of the National Academy of Educational Sciences of Ukraine, Lukina Tеtyana
Published: February 2025

The monograph is devoted to the consideration of organizational and methodological aspects of the problem of self-assessment of the education quality and educational activities of general secondary education institution as a component of the internal system of ensuring the education quality. In a historical retrospective, the prerequisites for the transformation of systems of control and evaluation of the activities of general secondary education institution of are revealed, the theoretical foundations of self-assessment of the education quality and educational activities of an educational institution as a factor in the development of the school are substantiated. A comparative analysis of systems of the education quality indicators in general secondary education institutions used in different countries of the world was carried out. The principles of self-assessment of the education quality and educational activities of the school are determined and justified, and a systematization of organizational models for its implementation is proposed.
Particular attention is paid to the results of an empirical study of the characteristics of the manifestation of some elements of the culture of evaluation activities of school leaders, the formation of which is considered by the author as a prerequisite for the successful implementation of an internal system for ensuring the education quality and educational activities of the school and its effectiveness. The study of the characteristics of the manifestation of the evaluation activity of school leaders was carried out depending on their official status, professional characteristics, demographic characteristics, as well as taking into account their attitude to certain processes, in particular, such as motivating school staff, introducing innovations, etc. Using statistical analysis methods, it has been proven that there are features and differences in the perception of school principals and their deputies regarding the procedures for assessing various components of educational and management processes in educational institutions, which is of practical importance for ensuring the effective implementation of self-assessment of the education quality in general secondary education institutions and the development of the content of improvement programs qualifications of managers and teachers of educational institutions.
The monograph will be useful to scientific and scientific-pedagogical workers in the field of general secondary, postgraduate and adult education, graduate students, doctoral students, managers and teachers of general secondary education institutions, civil servants of the education quality management system.
Effect of reaction conditions on the etherification between glycerol and tert-butyl alcohol over beta zeolite
Authors:   Faculty of Chemical Engineering, Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology (HCMUT), 268 Ly Thuong Kiet Street, District 10, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, Nguyen Hong-Gam Thi ,   Vietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, Dang Phuc Hoang ,   Vietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; Department of Chemical Engineering, School of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, International University, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, Nguyen Thanh Ngoc ,   NTT Hi-tech Institute, Nguyen Tat Thanh University, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, Phung Thanh Khoa ,   Vietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; Department of Chemical Engineering, School of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, International University, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, Do Tai Chiem ,   Hong Bang International University, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Published: February 2025

Introduction: Glycerol tert-butyl ethers (GTBEs) can be used as diesel additives due to their physico-chemical properties, such as flash point, viscosity, and cetane number. GTBEs were produced from the reaction between tert-butyl alcohol and glycerol using a stirred reactor at moderate temperatures. This study aims to discuss the effect of reaction conditions on the etherification between glycerol and tert-butyl alcohol.

Methods: In this work, the etherification of glycerol and tert-butyl alcohol was performed using beta zeolite (SiO2/Al2O3 = 360:1) under different reaction conditions, including different molar ratios, catalyst loadings, reaction times, and reaction temperatures, to evaluate glycerol conversion and product selectivity. Beta zeolite was characterized by infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and NH3-TPD.

Results: The results showed that the suitable conditions for the synthesis of GTBEs using beta zeolite were a temperature of 80 °C, a tert-butyl alcohol/glycerol feed ratio of 12:1, a catalyst loading of 1:3 weight of glycerol, and a reaction time of 6 hours. Under these conditions, the highest glycerol conversion was 81.35%, the selectivity of the diether was 32.44%, and the overall yield of the diether was 26.39%.

Conclusion: Reaction conditions are important factors in tailoring glycerol conversion and product selectivity in the reaction between glycerol and tert-butyl alcohol.
A Review of Road Traffic Safety Education Programs: Current Trends, Challenges, and Proposed Application of Theory of Planned Behavior in Program Development in Vietnam
Authors:   Faculty of Civil Engineering, Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology (HCMUT), 268 Ly Thuong Kiet Street, District 10, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, Nguyen Xuan Long ,   Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City, Linh Trung Ward, Thu Duc District, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, Vo Manh Thong ,   Faculty of Civil Engineering, Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology (HCMUT), 268 Ly Thuong Kiet Street, District 10, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City, Linh Trung Ward, Thu Duc District, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Published: February 2025

Road traffic accidents continue to be a leading cause of death worldwide, with the World Health Organization (WHO) reporting millions of fatalities each year. These accidents frequently involve motorcyclists in Southeast Asian countries, such as Vietnam. To address this issue, various road safety strategies have been implemented globally, with road safety education being a crucial element in reducing accidents. Therefore, it is important to review the research on these traffic safety education programs to understand the strategies' effectiveness and outcomes. This study aims to provide insights into different global and Vietnam-specific road safety strategies and their associated challenges. On the basis of the issues identified in the examined traffic education programs, the theory of planned behavior (TPB) can be an effective framework for addressing these challenges. Additionally, the TPB is proposed as a practical tool to evaluate the effectiveness of current road safety education strategies. The study also includes a method for developing a road safety education program, informed by findings from the referenced studies.
Analysis of the degree of influence of the media on the political consciousness of the population: preferences and trust (regional aspect)
Authors:   Toraighyrov University, Kappassova G.M. , Аltybassarova М.А. ,   Toraighyrov University, Begimtayev А.I. ,   Toraighyrov University
Published: February 2025

The article discusses the degree of influence of the media on the political consciousness of the population of Pavlodar region. The authors noted that in any modern political system, the media perform a number of important functions: informational, ideological, educational, integration, criticism, control, constitution and association of political subjects, mobilization and the most important influence, management and manipulation. The political influence of the media is carried out through the impact on the consciousness, mind and feelings of a person. In all democratic states (including the Republic of Kazakhstan), a rational model of mass communications prevails, designed to convince people with the help of information and argumentation built in accordance with the laws of logic. This model corresponds to the prevailing type of mentality and political culture of the society. It involves a joint struggle between different media in order to achieve the attention and trust of the audience.

In such countries, it is de jure forbidden to use the media to incite racial, national, class and religious hatred and antagonism. However, even here, various political forces often replace the emotional impact with the promotion of their ideas and values.

For this reason, the article is mainly focused on the ability of the media to serve various political purposes: managing information flows, strengthening political decisions, political PR, information lobbying. The authors conclude that, realizing the impact of modern information technologies and virtual information space on public opinion and political processes, government officials successfully use virtual communication with citizens.

In preparing the article, the authors used the results of a sociological survey «Studying the degree of influence of the media in Pavlodar region» conducted by the authors and the research group of the NAO «Toraigyrov University», commissioned by the State Institution "Department of Information and Social Development of Pavlodar Region».
Aspects of studying the vocabulary of the Turkic languages
Authors:   Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Kulzhanova B. , Zhuzbayeva A. ,   Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Ilyassova N. ,   Al-Farabi Kazakh National University
Published: February 2025

The article examines the features of phonetic, morphological, semantic development and changes of some words found in the Turkic languages. When studying the basic vocabulary of the Turkic languages, various phonetic patterns and phenomena are important. The patterns revealed in science in recent years attest to this. The article focuses on the fact that the study of the phonetic, morphological, semantic sides of the lexeme, considering it in unity when finding the etymology of the word, leads to a great result. Therefore, the analysis taking into account phono-morpho-semantic patterns is a complex work. The article discusses the use of the words root and stem of a plant in modern Turkic languages. Sound and semantic changes in the word are considered. The correspondence of vowel and consonant sounds and phonetic features of each Turkic languages are analyzed. The composition of words is divided into the root and the attachment of affixes. The etymological assumptions of scientists about the origin of these words are analyzed. It also examines which phrases originated in the modern Kazakh language from the words root and stem.