bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
European Union digital single market - Get connected or still a vision from the Slovak Republic perspective?
Authors: Ručinská Silvia , Fečko Miroslav
Published: July 2020

European Union Internal Market has become a key element of the European integration and of a citizens´ daily life. Some of the European Union Internal Market´s components are well established and functioning, others have still to struggle with existing barriers. New information and communication technologies and the digitalisation challenged the European Union Internal Market and the European Union Member States to move into the digital era. European Union Member States are now facing the need to adapt the four economic freedoms as a crucial part of the European Union Internal Market to a digital freedom. The aim of the article is to analyse the current state of play of the European Union Digital Single Market and to identify most common and urgent existing obstacles of the European Union Digital Single Market from the perspective of the Slovak Republic.
Content analysis of new means of communication in contemporary democratic states
Authors: Rusu Mihaela
Published: July 2020

The previous period of United States presidential elections of 1996 has redirected the relevant scientific research to investigate the correlation online communication - political sphere. Consequently were formulated various paradigms and the most discussed was the democratic paradigm, according to which the representation serve as a basic principle of modern democracy. The study of the level of influence of new communication technologies on political sphere became, for a number of scientific investigations carried out in USA, Canada and later in some European countries such as France, Italy, the UK (in 2000 and since 2007 in Romania), an important objective of empirical research. In most cases, the first stage of the investigation of online political communication has been marked by some methodological problems such as: the changeable nature of web space, the necessity to elaborate new indicators able to represent basic aspects of studied reality, the temporal validity of the data. The elaboration of A Model of Cyber –Interactivity by Sally J. McMillan has contributed to overcome these difficulties and has demonstrated the effectiveness of content analysis as research method used for the study of Web Space dynamic reality. Later, the research team from the University of Rochester (Paul Ferber, Frantz Foltz, Rudy Pugliese) have perfected the two-way interactivity model (elaborated by Sally J. McMillan) and have it completed with three-dimensional model of interactivity for the purpose of quantitative investigation of political websites and to argue that these forms of new media correspond to the ideals of cyberdemocracy.
Electronic services with impact on quality of life - a survey of usage and attitudes of north-western croatian
Authors: Hrustek Nikolina Žajdela , Šimić Diana , Vrček Neven
Published: July 2020

Nowadays governmental and non-governmental organizations and private businesses offer a range of electronic services that, if used, directly or indirectly affect quality of life. The supply of electronic services is growing fast, and this growth is expected to continue in the near but also in the distant future. Current generation of digital natives will not know how to live without ICTs and services provided by these technologies. User attitudes towards electronic services and the relationship between their supply and demand are the focus of this paper. Data on demand for and user attitudes towards electronic services were collected on a representative sample of adult population from Northwest Croatia. Participants were interviewed using a measurement instrument created for this purpose. Survey covered usage of electronic services offered by various governmental and non-governmental organizations and private businesses, the nature of user attitudes and the extent to which electronic services are used for the purpose of education, communication, entertainment, employment, improvement of health services and culture. The results show that, on the one hand, participants' demand for electronic services is very poor, while on the other hand their motivation and attitudes towards these services are very positive. Consistently significant differences were found in usage and attitudes toward electronic services by age, level of education and English language fluency. On the other hand, gender, standard of living and urban / rural residence were generally not associated with differences in usage of or attitudes to electronic services.
The legend of information security
Authors: Som Zoltán , Szádeczky Tamás
Published: July 2020

Act 50 of 2013 has served as a new and large scale impetus for both public bodies and local governments regarding information security in Hungary. This naturally means an increased need for professionals on the field. The National University of Public Services has become an institution that may very well be capable of training the required number of professionals. The aforementioned act has been amended by an implementing regulation (no. 41/2015) and as a result the system as a whole has changed regarding information security.3 This paper aims to highlight any problems that shall be addressed and solved as quickly and swiftly as possible. Basic skills and areas that shall be improved will also be in focus as well as processes that are vital in order to realize the actual situation of information security. Without the possibility to continuously determine the actual situation and without the means to assess such situation, the probability of deterring from the right path increases. Further challenges that this area has to face actually originate from situation assessment and the determination of the “correct” path. The theoretical model (to be presented), developed during the previous years, provides quick and swift possibilities to intervene in such areas if need be. The model guarantees a way to give feedback and is able to set up a communication channel that may be used to support the whole structure on the long run in a cost efficient manner. It is capable to provide feedback from numerous areas of the system while maintaining its structure and applying clarity or additional precision where necessary. Its real advantage is that the whole system (of institutions and/or public bodies) may use it as a single institution or body would not be able to realize or develop the model in its entirety.
Individual awareness of cyber-security vulnerability - Citizen and public servant
Authors: Győrffy Krisztina , Leitold Ferenc , Arrott Anthony
Published: July 2020

Cyber-security is not concerned so much with average or median vulnerability in an organization. Rather more important is identifying the weakest links. Individual user susceptibility and user behaviour risk assessment are key to measuring the effectiveness of cyber-security awareness programs and policies. Increasingly, it has been demonstrated that managing individual user susceptibility is as critical to organization well-being as maintaining patched IT infrastructure or responding to specific immediate cyber-threat alerts.
Despite IT systems audits, human factor studies, training courses, user policies, and user documentation, managing user cyber-security awareness remains one of the weakest links in protecting organizations from cyber-threats. Most employees are not aware of the cyber-threats they are most likely to encounter while performing their work. They are susceptible to malicious manipulation (social engineering threats) and they tend not to follow standard procedures (either through ignorance or in attempting to circumvent security procedures to achieve more productivity). Typically, employees only recognize the importance of cyber-security policies and practices after an incident has happened to themselves.
With the increasing availability and utility of IT network traffic analysis tools and active user behaviour probes (e.g., fake-phishing), employees can be given direct and individual feedback to increase their cyber-security awareness and improve their cyber-security practices. Beyond an organization’s employees, the same holds for a country’s citizens, or a government’s public servants. At their best, these user behaviour monitoring tools can be used in an open and transparent way to increase awareness of individual vulnerability before actual incidents occur.
In addition to presenting results from the application of user behaviour monitoring tools to cybersecurity, this paper examines the efficacy of the privacy protection safeguards that they incorporate. These results are applied to public sector approaches to: (a) public awareness of citizen cyber-health; (b) securing online pubic services; and (c) public servant awareness of their own vulnerability to cyber-threats.
Challenges for implementing open educational resources by teachers in higher education
Authors: Dumbraveanu Roza
Published: July 2020

Higher Education Institutions (HEI) are facing a number of problems during the last decades: the need to update the curricula to make it compatible with the similar ones from other national and European universities; demand to update the content and the pedagogical approach due to knowledge, technological and research development. Open Educational Resources (OER) might be a sound strategy for institutions to meet these challenges. At the same time OER are themselves one of the challenges that the teachers are faced with. OER could be implemented in courses in different ways, depending on the types of OER and the educational philosophy adopted by the teachers. The paper describes some challenges for implementing Open Educational Resources by teachers in Higher Education in Moldova: the level of awareness on availability and usage of OER; fair use matters; quality assurance of resources; pedagogical approaches for implementing OER into teaching and learning. The paper also grasps the issues of the digital divide that emerge when investigating these challenges. The judgment is based on the literature analysis and on the author’s teaching experience within courses for initial and continuous professional teachers’ training.
Options and possibilities of using biometrical identification systems in case of disasters in Hungary - In the light of privacy versus security
Authors: Polgar Miklos
Published: July 2020

There is a need for possibility and application of a new IT hardware and software in case of catastrophes for better intervention. In our opinion these new IT tools are able to make faster and more efficient disaster management in practice. Better to say, the registration of people can became faster compared to the old (e.g. paper-based) systems. A cooperating partner of official disaster management developed a new biometric identification system which can do it. On one hand, it serves security; on the other hand this application raises privacy issues. We can see a conflict between privacy (rights) and security. Where is the balance between them?
I would like to analyse this question, and solve this problem in my presentation.
E-government services in Romanian cities: A look from the inside
Authors: Urs Nicolae
Published: July 2020

How good the e-government services of local governments are is usually ascertained through their success in attracting users. This paper looks at the other part of the equation. Our research aims to find out how successful the implementation of e-government services in Romanian local government is in the eyes of those tasked with rolling out these services.
As such, we surveyed heads of IT departments in the largest city halls in Romania (the county seats and the capital, Bucharest) to see how their IT professionals implemented e-government services and what their opinion was on E-government progress at a national level. We found that eService development was not a priority for Romanian city halls and that, with one exception, e-government did not appear prominently in their strategic development plans.
E-Petitioning in Environmental Matters in Romania: Is it an Effective Environmental Governance Tool?
Authors: Suciu Raluca
Published: July 2020

E-petitioning related to environmental matters is a rather new participatory behavior in the Romanian society and it seems to attract more and more the attention of a larger public (not just a minority of educated eco-citizens or experts in related fields). Lately, in Romania there were a few major e-petitioning campaigns trying to stop large and popular economic investments projects that were detrimental to the environment (the most visible are petitions fighting the building of microdams on mountain rivers, regional landfills, mining projects). Also, those campaigns led to media coverage, brought on a public debate through some media channels, revealed serious problems with how the state authorizes such projects, and even managed to get the attention of the European Commission. None of these would have been possible without the very source of large public mobilization on an environmental matter, e-participation and e-petitions.
Thus, the paper investigates e-petitions in the environmental field in order to understand their impact on environmental problems, and also, most importantly, if these e-petitions manage to influence environmental policy and governance. For decades, through the entire process of European integration, Romania has struggled with meeting the environmental standards required by the EU. Data is lacking or unreliable, there is a culture of lack of transparency related to environmental matters both in the public and in the private sector, and Romania needs to seriously address this problem. The paper provides an investigation of ‘if’ and ‘how’ e-petitioning could be a tool to move state and society towards effective environmental governance in the Romanian context.
To have, or not to have: that is not the Question!
Authors: Kudo Hiroko
Published: July 2020

The paper examines the difference between citizens’ access to information and their levels of understanding it, in relation to transparency and cognitive issues, in order to understand the issues of digital divide. Research suggests that the effects of transparency on understanding depend upon the way information is presented. Indeed, more detailed content will negatively affect understanding and this negative affect will be stronger when the information is structurally fluent.
The results of both literature review and experiments demonstrate that effects of transparency on information understanding are heavily dependent upon presentation – citizens exposed to more detailed information understand the information worse than those exposed to less detailed information. This relationship is strengthened when the information is structurally fluent.
The research results suggest that guaranteeing citizen the access to information does not necessary mean that they understand it, because of cognitive constrains, according to the cognitive load theory [38]. Digital divide, thus, would not be overcome just because information would be provided. The paper investigates the gap between having information and understanding it, especially when the information is presented in different ways, in order to reconsider its implications for digital divide issues.
Semantic Reconciliation between two Different Aspects of Law
Authors: Molnár Bálint
Published: July 2020

This paper presents a proposal for reconciliation between the warehouse of legal documents created during legislation and Knowledge Warehouse that is dedicated to assisting both citizens and public officers in the procedural legal rules of Public Administration in Hungary. The Knowledge Warehouse contains several thousand detailed rules that describe how to manage and handle life events of citizens. This description can be considered as generic legal cases within legal procedures of authorities. The citizens trigger specific instances of the generic ones. The evolving Knowledge Warehouse main purpose is to enable citizens to get their specific legal cases started either through Web on the Government Portal or with the help of public officers. The Knowledge Warehouse will be extended by ontologies and semantic search capabilities. An Integrated System for Supporting of Codification will be created in an on-going project that will serve as sound basis for the National Warehouse of Legal Rules. The National Warehouse pursues the prescription of MetaLex legal standards in the case of representation of electronic legal documents. The two Warehouse are strongly coupled to each other. However, the syntactic and semantic structure of both differs profoundly. The representation of e-documents within the National Warehouse is in line with ELI, the European Legislation Identifier, even the ontologies and attached semantic description concentrates on the legal documents structural elements and their interpretation. The Knowledge Warehouse focuses on ontologies of life events and procedures of authorities to leverage semantic searching. The proposed solution tries to reconcile and integrate the two differing approaches.
Top ten smart cities in the world. What do they have in common and how can Eastern European cities use that?
Authors: Vrabie Catalin , Tirziu Andreea-Maria
Published: July 2020

Although the smart city concept is rather old, the literature fails in defining it properly – however, most, if not all, scholars are sharing the same idea: a main characteristic of smart cities is the use of information and communications technology in all aspects of city life. All of the actors actively involved in building a smart city (and we mention here academia, IT professionals and municipalities’ officials) are trying to build up a common definition, but until now they were not successful. However, many smart city rankings have been made by different researchers from various fields of activity. In this paper we will use the indicators that were found as being common in some of those rakings (made by prestigious institutions) in order to find the most common features of a smart city. Our intention is to suggest a model of a smart city based on the existing international experiences and to offer it for study to municipalities’ officials in Romania and other countries in the region. The main research method will be a quantitative one (based, as we have already mentioned, on the common indicators used in building international rakings), but we will use a qualitative one as well in order to highlight, as study cases, few of the most notorious examples of smart cities.
The Need for Standards - Tools for Transparency and Open Data (The Case of the Republic of Moldova)
Authors: Petrov Alexandru , Petrov Cristina
Published: July 2020

The Government must make transparency and open data a key priority, as it encourages responsibility, drives development in public services by informing choice, and stimulates innovation and growth. The move to greater openness and transparency is part of a transformation process. Due to nonexistence of transparency standards at the local level, the municipalities’ websites differ in terms of structure and published data.
These conditions do not provide sufficient access to data of citizens’ interest. Also, there is neither predictability in searching data, nor they can be compared or processed.
Our main objective is identifying and establishing standards for transparency and open data, that will be useful for citizens, as well as accepted and applied by all local government units.
The Shoppers; Venue Shopping, Asylum Shopping: A Resolution in EURODAC?
Authors: Odorige Catherine
Published: July 2020

The term shopping used in reference to two strictly legal/politically somewhat related issues ‘Asylum shopping’ and ‘Venue shopping’, belong to two different spheres of actors. Asylum shopping is descriptive of the action of asylum seekers selectivity, in choice of member state where they perceive better social and welfare conditions. Venue shopping, a concept introduced by Guiraudon in 2000, explain the action of movement by member states in the European Union from venues of national jurisdiction, less amenable to their search for more restrictive migration policy to venues howbeit transnational like transit countries and EU institutions suitable for their policy perspectives. This they did for the primary purpose of avoiding adversary activities of non-state actors and the judicial scrutiny within their national sphere. Common European Asylum System (CEAS) the Dublin Directive and the EURODAC are spill-over in the European integration Project, commonly referred to as the Schengen acquis in the area of migration and integration of third country nationals. The three directives are the results of policy search to administer the entrance and residence of third country nationals especially in the area of irregular migration.
This paper seeks to examine the inter-relationship between the two actors to which the commercial term shopping describes, how an electronic regulation in EURODAC became a check to their ‘shopping.’ For the asylum seekers exposing their agency, for the member states reducing anxieties, and influenced the ceding of powers hitherto held by member states through (intergovernmental) negotiations to the EU (Supranational) and the impact of these policy measures in checking security challenges and sanitization of this angle of asylum administration in the EU.
Digitalisation vs. Informatisation: Different Approaches to Governance Transformation
Authors: Paulin Alois
Published: July 2020

The twentieth century brought humanity radically new knowledge in form of electronics, informatics, and telecommunication technologies, which gave rise to cyberspace as a channel for data exchange, data storage, and as an enabler of new approaches to steering and controlling realworld systems. Thus-created new opportunities have been successfully deployed for the automation of processes in areas such as production, service provision, data exchange, navigation, logistics, etc., or for creating new possibilities through concepts of virtualisation, respectively. While this has led to radical transformations of paradigms in industry and free market service provision, the systems that make up modern states have been broadly spared of disruption by these technologies. Behind this backdrop, this contribution aims to discuss the differences between digitalization and informatization as two differing approaches to system transformation. The discussion is set in the context of societal governance, where digitalization is the main approach to modernisation. The focus on digitalisation and the lack of progress towards informatization in this field of interest is criticized, and the advantages of informatization are brought to attention.
Researchers as mediators between policymakers and practitioners - do they have the necessary skills?
Authors: Zaiţ Adriana
Published: July 2020

Scientific research is nowadays a larger endeavor than ever, and researchers more than ever overwhelmed by questions of purpose, trust and future prospects, seen as either saviors and providers of solutions, or cash generating machines through altered and irreproducible results. Research is conducted in various social structures contexts, which shape everything from the questions asked within a society to the way responses given by researchers are used by policymakers and companies. It is no surprise, in these conditions, that they are often in the middle between policymakers as providers of regulations and funding, and practitioners as providers of markets for the products and ideas obtained through scientific research. Skills required for such a mediation process, for the complex array of informative interactions among various groups of stakeholders and interests are huge, way beyond technical knowledge and abilities in their field of specialization. But are they prepared for this role, as long as educating researchers doesn’t necessarily go farther than providing them the methodological background for doing research? Scientific rigor and managerial relevance, communication and education have very different facets for policymakers and for practitioners, and researchers often lack the skills for this ambiguous game of instrumental, conceptual and strategic knowledge development and utilization. The aim of the present study is to analyze the skills inventory necessary for the modern researcher, as perceived by junior researchers, and the way ICTs, eDemocracy and civic participation could help shaping the researcher as mediator between politicians and practitioners. Literature review, indepth interviews with junior researchers and content analysis are used from a methodological point of view.
eGovernment as an element of the right to good administration
Authors: Matusiak Justyna , Princ Marcin
Published: July 2020

The right to good administration constitutes an established principle of European Union law, which includes the procedural rights of stakeholders in administrative proceedings, the result of which may affect their interests. Article 41 of the European Union Charter of Fundamental Rights states that every person has the right to have his or her affairs handled impartially, fairly and within a reasonable time by the institutions and bodies of the Union. When it comes to reasonable time of handling the case one can ask if eGovernment solutions are the guarantee of such a right.
eGovernment understood as the use of all kinds of electronic means of communication, in particular, however, the Internet, improves services provided by the state to its citizens. The usage of IT technology in public administration allows it to perform its activities in a more efficient way. This improvement applies not only to the communication between parties but also to the quality of citizens’ life.
To sum up, one can ask the question if the European right to good administration can be understood as the right to eGovernment solutions and if so, to what extent. Which services and technical solutions should be guaranteed as ones ensuring challenges of good administration?
Democracy at the one-click distance: Is electronic voting the best option for Moldova?
Authors: Vîrtosu Ina , Guceac Ion
Published: July 2020

Electronic voting, known as e-voting, has become increasingly popular in our fast developing technology-driven world. Hence, the Republic of Moldova is a source country of migrants, a significant number of citizens reside abroad. Therefore in most of cases Moldovan citizens have to cast their vote in other countries when Moldova has to hold its elections. Presidential elections from 2016 showed that a poorly organized electing process could lead to violations of constitutional political rights. Hundreds of citizens that travelled a long journey to London, Bologna, Milano and other cities, where polling stations were located, were not able to cast their vote because election officials did not send enough ballot papers. For a country with a numerous Diaspora, e-voting could be a solution for all problems that Moldovans have related to the exercising of voting right. The process is seductively simple, but it is also shockingly vulnerable to different problems - from software failure to malicious hacking - and also requires some special conditions for its implementation. This paper aims to provide an insight into the issues of e-voting, and the debate of pros and cons surrounding it, in order to assess if this solution is the best way to go for Moldova.
Cryptography Chaos Theory
Authors: Rodica Bulai , Fanari Victor
Published: July 2020

The development of information society, which has led to an impressive increase in the volume of information, mainly economic, circulated in computer networks, accelerated the development and mostly the use of modern cryptography tools. In the last years, researchers have pointed out that there is a possible similarity between chaos and cryptography, many of the properties of chaotic dynamic systems having correlation among the cryptographic systems that are based on computational methods.
Studies carried out on chaotic dynamic systems usage in digital crypto-systems have determined the occurrence of similar to classic techniques, but also of some specific techniques and methods that have been analyzed and evaluated. The attempts to develop new encryption ?lgorithms based on chaos theory have evolved gradually from simple solutions, which suppose the iteration of a din?mic system to obtain binary sequence used for text masking, to methods that imply coupled din?mic systems and hybrid techniques that would combine the chaos advantages with classical methods.
In this article there are presented 3 encryption algorithms based on chaos theory: RC4, Fractal Encryption and Cellular Automata, implemented in a system of encryption and operation mode analysis for each algorithm separately.
The effect of the EIDAS Regulation on the model of Hungarian public administration
Authors: Klimkó Gábor , Kiss Péter József , Kiss József Károly
Published: July 2020

Regulation (EU) N°910/2014 on electronic identification and trust services for electronic transactions in the internal market, adopted on 23 July 2014 (hereinafter the eIDAS Regulation) is a significant step towards providing such a predictable regulatory environment that enables secure and seamless electronic interactions between businesses, citizens and public authorities of the members of the European Union. The Regulation ensures that people and businesses are allowed to use their own national electronic identification schemes (eIDs) to access public services in other EU countries where eIDs are available, moreover, it introduces the concept of trust services and prepares for the harmonization of further areas.
Unfortunately, the eIDAS Regulation together with the Commission Implementing Regulation 2015/1501 is not in perfect harmony with the established and emerging models of operations in public administration in Hungary and consequently a common foundation for secure electronic interaction could be provided only with strong limitations.
To avoid this undesirable situation, the paper proposes the introduction of two registration procedures (built on the basis of the services in the scope of the Regulation) that would complement the missing data items in a transparent manner. This extension would result in the provision of all registered electronic services of the EU countries for all EU citizens.
CdSe/ZnS Core/Shell for Luminescent Solar Concentrator
Authors: Fadhil Eman Abd alkareem , Abdullah Manal Madhat
Published: July 2020

Fabrication and investigation of the properties of CdSe/ZnS core/shell for the luminescent solar concentrates (LSC) application is presented. An increase of the efficiency of a silicon solar cell was obtained by applying the LSC. The increase was a result of the optical properties of the semiconductor nanoparticles CdSe/ZnS core/shell that were deposited over the top surface of the silicon solar cell facing the illumination source (Halogen lamp). The gravity force was invested for the film deposition process.The optical properties of these nanoparticles were studied. The absorption spectra for the CdSe/ZnS core-shell were 270-600nm, i.e., located within the spectral response area of the examined solar cell. The energy gap values for CdSe were 2.5 eV and 3.3eV for ZnS. X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) analysis was adopted and showed that the particle dimensions are within the nanometer scale.The efficiency value of the bare solar cell was 7.3%, whereas the value was increased to 8.0 % by applying the CdSe/ZnS core/shell LSC, indicating an efficiency gain percentage of 9.59%.
Estruturas multiplicativas na form(ação) de professores dos anos iniciais do ensino fundamental de uma escola de Fortaleza
Authors: Barreto Antonio Luiz de Oliveira , Rêgo Rogéria Gaudencio do
Published: July 2020

Visando entender melhor o conhecimento dos docentes sobre o Campo Multiplicativo, este trabalho objetivou mapear e analisar os tipos de problemas multiplicativos elaborados por professores de uma escola cearense do Ensino Fundamental. Em um dos instrumentos de coleta de dados, cada um dos 15 professores teve que elaborar seis problemas envolvendo multiplicação e/ou divisão. Como categoria de análise, foram utilizadas as situações-problema classificadas por Magina, Merlini e Santos (2016). Das 90 questões apresentadas, 75 foram classificadas como problemas multiplicativos e restritos a três eixos: proporções simples, comparação multiplicativa e produto de medidas. Nenhum problema dos outros dois eixos nem da classe configuração retangular foi sugerido, desvelando um restrito repertório de situações multiplicativas dos docentes. Os resultados apontam para uma formação continuada que explore os outros problemas multiplicativos e aprofunde aqueles já elaborados.
Lu-Hf analyses of zircon from the Makoppa Dome and Amalia-Kraaipan area: implications for evolution of the Kimberley and Pietersburg blocks of the Kaapvaal Craton
Authors: Elburg M.A. , Poujol M.
Published: July 2020

Previously dated zircon crystals from the Amalia-Kraaipan granite-greenstone belts and Makoppa Dome were analysed for their Lu-Hf isotopic characteristics to refine the geological evolution of these areas. Samples from the Makoppa Dome, belonging to the Pietersburg Block, largely fall within the epsilon Hf-age range for granitoids from the eastern part of the block. However, the oldest 3.01 to 3.03 Ga trondhjemitic gneisses show that reworking of juvenile mafic crust started earlier in the western than the eastern part of the block, suggesting a diachronous tectonic evolution. The three granitoids from the Amalia-Kraaipan area fall within the field for Pietersburg and Kimberley block granitoids. Contribution from older crustal material is seen in a 3.08 Ga schist, likely derived from a volcanic protolith, from the Madibe Belt, in the far east of the Kimberley Block, with a mantle extraction age of 3.25 to 3.45 Ga. The data suggest that the Kimberley Block, like the Pietersburg Block, also contains (minor) ancient crustal components, derived from a depleted mantle source prior to 3.1 Ga. The new data suggest that the Kimberley and Pietersburg blocks underwent a very similar Paleo- to Mesoarchean crustal evolution, with a major crust formation event at 3.1 to 3.0 Ga followed by successive crust reworking until 2.77 Ga. Lavas of the Ventersdorp Supergroup, for which zircon grains from a ca. 2.75 lapilli tuff give εHfi of +2, are the first evidence of a juvenile source, after 300 Myr of crustal reworking.
МЕТОД АВТОМАТИЗАЦІЇ ТЕСТУВАННЯ НА ПРОНИКНЕННЯ ВЕБАТАК
Authors: Stetsenko Inna , Savchuk Viktoriia
Published: July 2020

Актуальність теми дослідження. Збільшення можливості для розширення мереж та вибір у використанні сервісів у сучасному світі, призводить до прогалин у безпеці. З цієї причини виконується моделювання системи, що дозволяє відтворити характеристики інформаційної атаки, а також провести оцінювання рівня її небезпеки. Постановка проблеми. Нині немає програмного застосунку, що дозволяє автоматизовано моделювати та оцінювати захищеність власної інформаційної системи без втручання в саму систему. Аналіз останніх досліджень і публікацій. Процес моделювання атак за допомогою мереж Петрі розглядався в декількох роботах закордонних авторів. Виділення недосліджених частин загальної проблеми. Наявні моделі графових атак створювались лише на
прикладі певної архітектури мережі, проблемою залишилось створення універсального автоматизованого застосування, на основі вхідних даних про зв’язки та архітектуру мережі.
Постановка завдання. Автоматизація виявлення зовнішніх вразливостей для аналізу захищеності інформаційної системи, шляхом розробки програмного забезпечення, що моделює за допомогою мереж Петрі розповсюдження атаки залежно від її архітектури. Виклад основного матеріалу. Програмне забезпечення розроблено на основі мови програмування Java, включає графічну оболонку Java FX, для пошуку сервісів хосту використовується Shodan REST API, для ідентифікації вразливостей ресурси NVD і CVE details. Зібрані дані використовує окремий програмний модуль, що працює зі створенням моделі на основі мережі Петрі. Висновки відповідно до статті. Запропонований метод дозволяє автоматизувати перевірку інформаційної системи на вразливість до хакерських атак.
NATIONAL IDENTITY AND THE PERSPECTIVE OF THE OTHER: NEW ZEALAND CHILDREN RESPONDING TO SOUTH AFRICAN PICTURE BOOKS
Authors: Mckenzie John
Published: July 2020

The issue of national identity is a central concern for learners both in terms of formal education (social studies) and personal pleasure (sports). This study adopted a theoretical model of how national identity can be envisaged by middle school learners, and through an intensive weekâ€™s case study, demonstrated both the strengths and potential problems of using picture books as a source of information about a nation state. Having self-reflected on their own sense of national identity, a class from a provincial town in New Zealand (NZ) were given the opportunity to explore over 85 educational readers/trade picture book titles sourced from South Africa (SA) (plus other texts from Africa that were locally available) and attempt to define what it is to be a South African. Prior knowledge was factored in the findings and the results were compared to a South African classâ€™s perceptions using the same theoretical model. This article draws a tentative conclusion as to the presences and absences of which South African national identity features can be located whilst reading the two types of fictional texts. Additionally the article proposes that the methodology can be replicated in the classroom in the context of learning as inquiry.
THE EFFECTS OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES ON INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES IN SOUTH AFRICA: A LIBRARY AND INFORMATION SCIENCE PERSPECTIVE
Authors: Chisa Ken , Hoskins Ruth
Published: July 2020

When information and communication technologies (ICTs) are introduced in an indigenous environment, they bring along with them mass media, popular culture and global languages such as English. This may cause conflict with existing local traditions and may sometimes erode cultural stability. Paradoxically, these technologies can also empower the same community with new tools to create new economic, social and political opportunities besides preserving, promoting, and even safeguarding its indigenous cultural identity. This dichotomy begs the question: under which conditions can ICTs empower indigenous communities? This article investigates this question, focusing on the role of ICTs in promoting indigenous peoplesâ€™ livelihoods in South Africa. It analyses key factors under which information and knowledge can be instrumental for the empowerment of marginalised groups. The article argues that improved access to information coupled with ICT skills can enhance indigenous peoplesâ€™ capabilities to make strategic life choices and uplift their own livelihoods. Furthermore, the article develops an alternative evaluation framework for ICT interventions in indigenous communities based on Senâ€™s (1999) capability approach. In contrast to the dominant narrative around the â€˜digital divideâ€™, this framework places the human development of indigenous communities other than ICTs at the centre of the analysis. With examples and experiences from two case studiesfrom South Africa and Uganda, the article concludes that there is no direct causal link between ICTs and the social development of indigenous communities, but that in fact this relationship is shaped by a dynamic, multi-dimensional interrelationship between technology and the social context.
NEXT-GENERATION CATALOGUES: HOW ARE THE ACADEMIC LIBRARIES IN KENYA FARING?
Authors: Chilimo Wanyenda
Published: July 2020

The library catalogue has changed over the years from a card catalogue to its electronic successor, the Online Public Access Catalogue (OPAC), to what is called the next-generation library catalogue, sometimes referred to as the library 2.0 catalogue or â€˜the third-generation catalogueâ€™. The purpose of this study was to investigate the current state of catalogues in academic libraries in Kenya and to evaluate whether these libraries have incorporated features of the next-generation catalogues in their OPACs. The study applied a checklist of features commonly identified as characteristics of the next-generation catalogue to examine whether the OPACs of university libraries in Kenya are comparable to the next-generation library catalogue. The findings of the study showed that libraries in Kenya have made some progress towards transforming their OPACs to the next-generation catalogue but have not reached the ideal. None of the OPACs has all the features evaluated. Progress has been made with features, such as enhanced content, simple keyword search and faceted navigation. However, none of the catalogues has federated searching capabilities. The study also found out that close to half of the libraries which have their OPACs available online are using Koha as their Library Management System (LMS). This article provides valuable information for library policy makers interested in modernising their catalogues or acquiring discovery tools for their institution. The article may also be a useful tool for evaluating OPACs modules of the integrated LMS, especially for libraries that are in the process of selecting a suitable LMS.
RE-DISCOVERING MYTHOLOGY: ADAPTATION AND APPROPRIATION IN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIANS SAGA
Authors: Leighton Alexander
Published: July 2020

Buchbinder (2011:128) writes that adaptations are often regarded as barely a step away from plagiarism; however, he notes that â€˜much of the literary output of classical Greek culture, for instance, consisted of reworkings of already familiar narrativesâ€™. His point is not only true of the classical Greek output, but of a contemporary adolescent fantasy saga, Riordanâ€™s Percy Jackson and the Olympians (2006â€“2011), which retells many of the classical Greek mythological narratives in a contemporary setting. Given that many adolescent audiences may be unfamiliar with the root narratives, the Percy Jackson and the Olympians saga serves the function of re-introducing an audience to classical mythology, thereby helping them to rediscover their value. This article argues that by skilfully adapting and appropriating the monomythic hero-journeys of Greek mythology, and by retelling them within a contemporary narrative, Riordan is creating a space where readers, possibly unfamiliar with the root classical narratives, can re-discover classical mythology.
Age group and gender-wise comparison of obesity indices in subjects of Varanasi
Authors: Sarvottam Kumar , Ranjan Prabhat , Yadav Umashree
Published: July 2020

Objectives:

Deposition of body fat may differ in different age groups and gender-wise differences are also likely. The present study aims to evaluate age- and gender-wise differences in obesity parameters in healthy subjects of both genders of Varanasi.

Materials and Methods:

Anthropometric measurements were performed in 346 subjects reported in health check-up camp. Parameters were compared between each age group for males and females separately as well as gender-wise comparison for each age group was also performed. Regression analysis was performed to observe the relationship of age with obesity parameters and body mass index (BMI) with other parameters of obesity.

Results:

Both males and females had central obesity with males having higher waist circumference (WC) than females (P = 0.002) while females had higher body fat (fat %) (P = 0.000). Obesity indices of males of age group of 18–29 years were lesser as compared to other age groups. Obesity indices of female subjects were comparable in 18–39 years of age. Age group of 30–39 and 50–59 years males had higher WC than females (P = 0.002, 0.016, respectively) while fat % of females in each age group were significantly higher than males of corresponding age groups. Positive correlation of age with obesity parameters and BMI with WC and fat % was observed.

Conclusion:

Gender-wise differences in BMI, WC, WHtR and fat % tend to increase with age, indicative of increase in adiposity and central obesity with progressing age. Males in general have higher WC than females but lesser fat %. Gender differences in obesity may show age group specific variations. Findings of the study may be useful for identifying age specific distribution of obesity indices in males and females.
Age-associated changes in physiological and biochemical arterial stiffness markers in apparently healthy individuals
Authors: Kar Manisha , Panigrahi Madhuri , Mahapatra Sushil Chandra
Published: July 2020

Objectives:

Arterial stiffness occurs with increasing age and it is an independent cardiovascular risk factor. Brachial ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) and serum osteoprotegerin (OPG) are relatively new physiological and biochemical parameters to ascertain arterial stiffness. We determined age-associated changes in physiological and biochemical parameters of arterial stiffness.

Materials and Methods:

It was a cross-sectional, observational study conducted on apparently healthy 118 male and 114 female subjects of age group 30–>60 years without any cardiovascular or peripheral vascular disease or on any antihypertensive and lipid-lowering therapy. Brachial systolic blood pressure (bSBP), brachial diastolic blood pressure, central systolic blood pressure (cSBP), central diastolic blood pressure (cDBP), heart rate, augmentation index (AIx[%]) and baPWV were recorded after 10 min of rest. Mean arterial pressure (MAP), pulse pressure (PP) and PP ratio (PPR) were derived from the recorded data. Serum samples were analysed to estimate OPG level and lipid profile. Kruskal–Wallis test was performed to compare the differences of the parameters. Spearman correlation analysis was performed to determine any association between baPWV and other parameters. Multiple linear regression analysis was performed to determine the factors associated with baPWV. P < 0.05 was considered as statistically significant.

Results:

Males had significantly higher value of height, weight and PPR than females. Females had significantly higher values of BMI, AIx (%), cSBP, cPP and brachial PP than males. Aged males had significantly higher AIx (%), cPP and brachial PP in comparison to younger males. Aged females showed significantly higher AIx (%), cPP, brachial PP, serum cholesterol, triglyceride (TG), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDLc) and very LDLc (VLDLc) in comparison to younger females. Serum OPG level was found to be a major factor influencing the values of baPWV in both males and females. Other cardiovascular parameters such as cSBP, cDBP, cMAP, brachial SBP and MAP influenced baPWV values in both genders, but biochemical parameters such as serum cholesterol, LDLc influenced baPWV values in the male participants in the present study. Regression analysis revealed that serum TG and OPG levels were strongly associated with baPWV in both genders.

Conclusion:

With increasing age, cardiovascular parameters such as central blood pressure, peripheral blood pressure and AIx (%) were increased in both genders, and PPR was decreased in males. The values of baPWV also exhibited an increasing trend with age. Serum cholesterol, TG, LDLc and VLDLc levels in females were increased with age. Serum OPG level and serum TG levels emerged as major influencing factors of baPWV values in both genders irrespective of age.