bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Mapping the Integration of the Sustainable Development Goals in Universities: Is It a Field of Study?
Authors: Murillo-Vargas Guillermo , Gonzalez-Campo Carlos Hernan , Brath Diony Ico
Published: April 2021

This article maps the scientific production and the contents associated with the sustainable development goals and their integration with universities during the past 21 years. Although many of the topics related to sustainable development goals (SDGs) have been addressed in different studies for decades, it is since 2015 onwards that they gained greater prominence due to the inclusion of higher education as an important actor in the fulfillment of the 2030 agenda and the United Nations SDGs. For the purpose of this paper, a bibliometric analysis of 871 papers, 535 documents in Scopus, and 336 in Web of Science (WoS) from 1998 to 2019 was performed, and the Bibliometrix analysis tool was used. The objective of this mapping is to answer the following research question: Is the integration of the Sustainable Development Goals and Universities a field of study? An analysis of the network of collaborators and trend topics in Scopus and WoS allows us to identify the concurrence and relationships of some keywords, such as sustainable development, sustainability and planning, and some background words, such as humans and global health. In another analysis, the word “higher education” is related to change. This article suggests that the integration of the Sustainable Development Goals in Universities is becoming a field of study under exploration, with a peak of production in 2016 and that has remained stable in the last three years, but thanks to the leading role assigned to Universities, intellectual production should increase in the following years.
A Study on the Status of Sustainability Education among Iranian EFL Instructors: Developing a Glocalized Model
Authors: Tavakkoli Zahra , Rashidi Naser
Published: April 2021

In the Iranian education context where the concept of Sustainability Education is to a certain extent novel and fresh, one must first determine the state of Sustainability Education in education systems and specifically TEFL departments to discover EFL instructors’ needs. This way, EFL instructors can be equipped with Sustainability Education competencies needed for transforming EFL education systems. Sustainability Education can be best implemented through language learning and specifically English learning compared with other subjects because language classes are the best sights for discussing sustainability issues. Additionally, the actualization of Sustainability Education in language classes can facilitate CLT and global citizenship operationalization. Having these in mind, the present study attempts to depict a clear picture of Sustainability Education among EFL instructors and provide education systems and policymakers with the necessary Sustainability Education competencies to equip teachers and help learners to feel and identify the relationship among sustainability issues such as culture, ecology, economy, power structures, and even their own families. The study was conducted using a Sustainability Education questionnaire developed by the researchers. The questionnaire was distributed among 150 EFL instructors. The findings of the study reveal that EFL instructors experience an apparent lack of sustainability literacy. On the other hand, their level of implementation is better than literacy but still not much satisfactory. The important findings can bring about the transformation and modification of EFL teacher education and curriculum and will be highly advantageous regarding professional and ethical dimensions of education system.
Interdisciplinary Inquiry-based Teaching and Learning of Sustainability in Saudi Arabia
Authors: Alghamdi Amani K. Hamdan , El-Hassan Wai Si
Published: April 2021

Saudi Arabian citizens, including university students, are in an interesting and precarious situation – they care for sustainability, but their economy thrives because of oil production. This study used an author-developed instrument to briefly explore 135 Saudi university students’ (nine disciplines) knowledge, awareness, evaluation and convictions of how to facilitate the nation to achieve sustainable development goals (SDGs) per Vision 2030 despite living in an oil-based economy. Within this context, the paper then reports 31 female Saudi pre-service teachers’ (also university students) experience with and reaction to using inquiry-based learning (IBL) to teach sustainability. Their feedback as emergent educators is invaluable for Saudi initiatives concerned with Education for Sustainability (EfS). Study participants were from Saudi’s Eastern Province (convenience and snowball sampling) with data collected in fall 2019. Recommendations include integrating IBL into teacher education, supporting IBL with Saudi cultural and religious practices, and communicating anthropogenic impact to Saudi citizens.
Environmental Education Competency: Enhancing the Work of Teachers
Authors: Wanchana Yodsaphon , Inprom Pram , Rawang Wee , Ayudhya Art-ong Jumsai Na
Published: April 2021

The research into the environmental education competency of secondary school teachers was conducted using mixed research methods. The data were collected using the questionnaire and the structured interview. The teachers of eco-schools completed the questionnaire and teacher advisors as well as mentor teachers of the eco-school project participated in the structured interview. The research findings revealed that most respondents had a moderate level of environmental education competency that involved six aspects: knowledge of the environment, basic understanding of the environment, responsibility for the environmental education of professional teachers, planning and practice with regard to the environmental education, promoting learning about the environmental education and evaluation of the environmental education. The approaches to enhance the environmental education competency of secondary school teachers should involve multidisciplinary instruction learning, community-based learning, project-based learning, happy teaching and learning, and holistic learning management.
Characterisation of a new molecule based on two E2 sequences from bovine viral diarrhoea-mucosal disease virus fused to the human immunoglobulin Fc fragment
Authors: González Pose Alaín , Montesino Seguí Raquel , Maura Pérez Rafael , Hugues Salazar Florence , Cabezas Ávila Ignacio , Altamirano Gómez Claudia , Sánchez Ramos Oliberto , Roberto Toledo Jorge
Published: April 2021

Introduction

Proper conformational arrangement of the E2 molecules of bovine viral diarrhoea-mucosal disease virus (BVD-MDV) is crucial to obtain an effective recombinant vaccine candidate against the disease. In this study, we characterised a new molecule composed of two distinct sequences of the E2 glycoprotein of BVD-MDV and the Fc fragment of human immunoglobulin (BVDE2Fc).

Materials and Methods

The chimaeric protein was expressed in mammalian cell lines of different species by adenoviral transduction and purified by immobilised metal-affinity chromatography. The N-glycans were profiled by HPLC, and the BVDE2Fc immunogenicity was assessed in male mice. The antigen-antibody reactions were evaluated by ELISA.

Results

The MDBK cell line was selected from among five for the final production of BVDE2Fc. After purification to over 90%, the N-glycan profile showed neutral and complex oligosaccharides. The mouse immunisation induced a strong humoral response, which produced antibodies able to attach to conformational epitopes on E2 molecules, while the Fc fragment barely contributed to the immune response. Additionally, BVDE2Fc attached to antibodies from bovine sera positive to distinct BVD-MDV subtypes, whereas the loss of BVDE2Fc structure during the deglycosylation process considerably diminished those interactions.

Conclusion

These results demonstrate that the structure of E2 molecules arranged in tandem and attached to an Fc fragment could represent a viable design for future vaccine candidates against BVD-MD.
Rift Valley fever – a growing threat to humans and animals
Authors: Kwaśnik Małgorzata , Rożek Wojciech , Rola Jerzy
Published: April 2021

Rift Valley fever (RVF) is a zoonotic, vector-borne infectious disease of ruminants and camels transmitted mainly by the Aedes and Culex mosquito species. Contact with the blood or organs of infected animals may infect humans. Its etiological factor is the Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) of the Phlebovirus genus and Bunyaviridae family. Sheep and goats are most susceptible to infection and newborns and young individuals endure the most severe disease course. High abortion rates and infant mortality are typical for RVF; its clinical signs are high fever, lymphadenitis, nasal and ocular secretions and vomiting. Conventional diagnosis is done by the detection of specific IgM or IgG antibodies and RVFV nucleic acids and by virus isolation. Inactivated and live-attenuated vaccines obtained from virulent RVFV isolates are available for livestock. RVF is endemic in sub-Saharan Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, but in the last two decades, it was also reported in other African regions. Seropositive animals were detected in Turkey, Tunisia and Libya. The wide distribution of competent vectors in non-endemic areas coupled with global climate change threaten to spread RVF transboundarily. The EFSA considers the movement of infected animals and vectors to be other plausible pathways of RVF introduction into Europe. A very low risk both of introduction of the virus through an infected animal or vector and of establishment of the virus, and a moderate risk of its transmission through these means was estimated for Poland. The risk of these specific modes of disease introduction into Europe is rated as very low, but surveillance and response capabilities and cooperation with the proximal endemic regions are recommended.
Expression, purification, and bioactivity of a soluble recombinant ovine interferon-tau in Escherichia coli
Authors: Yu Hai-Yang , Gao Dong-Mei , Zhou Wei , Xia Bing-Bing , He Zhi-Yuan , Wu Bo , Jiang Min-Zhi , Wang Ming-Li , Zhao Jun
Published: April 2021

Introduction

Ovine interferon-tau (oIFN-τ) is a newly discovered type I interferon. This study used biochemical techniques to transform the oIFN-τ gene into Escherichia coli to obtain the mass and soluble expression of the recombinant protein.

Material and Methods

First, total RNA was extracted from fresh sheep embryonic tissues with TRIzol reagent and then used as a template to reverse transcribe and amplify the mature oIFN-τ gene with RT-PCR. The amplified product was next digested with the HindIII and XhoI restriction enzymes and inserted into the pET-32a(+) vector to construct the prokaryotic expression plasmid. The corrected in-frame recombinant plasmid, pET-32a(+)-oIFN-τ, was transformed into E. coli Rosetta (DE3) competent cells. After induction with isopropyl-beta-D-thiogalactopyranoside (IPTG), the recombinant protein was detected in bacteria. Finally, the bacteria were lysed by sonication, and the recombinant protein was purified by nickel affinity chromatography and DEAE anion exchange chromatography.

Results

The protein was confirmed to be oIFN-τ, which mainly existed in the soluble lysate fraction, as proven by SDS-PAGE and Western blot assays.

Conclusion

Purified IFN-τ exists mostly in a soluble form, and its anti-vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) activity reached 7.08×10(6)IU/mL.
Corrosion characteristics of sintered heterogeneous materials composed of iron and iron oxides
Authors: Kupková M. , Kupka M. , Oriňaková R. , Gorejová R.
Published: April 2021

In a coronary angioplasty or orthopaedic surgery, metallic implants are often used to provide mechanical support to the healing tissues. In some situations, this support is really needed only temporarily. After tissue recovery, the implant no longer provides any benefits and can trigger adverse reactions. An optimal solution might be the short-term implants which are able to decompose in situ and can be readily excreted from the body. Iron-based materials are promising candidates for application in biodegradable devices. For the successful application, the ability to control the material’s corrosion rate is important. In this contribution, the corrosion of iron-iron oxide composites is investigated. In order to obtain such materials, iron-oxide granules were incompletely reduced, compacted and sintered. Materials consisting of a pure iron and iron oxides were obtained. Specimens from as-sintered materials and materials reduced once again after sintering were prepared. Potentiodynamic polarization testing in Hanks’ solution indicated that specimens underwent a galvanic corrosion, where the release of ferrous ions from iron surfaces represents the anodic reaction and the oxygen reduction on surfaces of both iron and iron oxides represents the cathodic reaction. Changes in the content of oxides resulted in anticipated shifts in corrosion potential and apparent corrosion current density.
Influence of surface treatment on corrosion resistance of steel in liquid Pb
Authors: Pazderová M. , Rozumová L. , Košek L. , Hojná A.
Published: April 2021

This work deals with behaviour of steel in liquid lead environment and possibilities of corrosion resistance improvement. Liquid metal cooled systems are under wide investigation and development and represent a good alternative. It is necessary to find materials, which would be affected by liquid lead minimally. Austenitic steel 316L without coating and coated with TiSiC was studied in flowing liquid lead. Conditions of the experiment simulated real environment of the system. Deposition of protective barrier reduced the metals dissolution and diffusion of liquid lead into the steel substrate, degradation of substrate due to high temperature and mechanical stress. Presence of Si in the layer increased the surface ability to form stabile oxide and contribute to steel´s protection.
Explain the law: When the evidence is not enough
Authors: Benešová Martina , Faltýnek Dan , Zámečník Lukáš Hadwiger
Published: April 2021

The article responds to the current variability of research into linguistic laws and the explanation of these laws. We show basic features to approach linguistic laws in the field of quantitative linguistics and research on linguistic laws outside the field of language and text. Language laws are usually explained in terms of the language system—especially as economizing—or of the information structure of the text (Piantadosi 2014). One of the hallmarks of the transmission of linguistic laws outside the realm of language and text is that they provide other kinds of explanations (Torre et al. 2019). We want to show that the problem of linguistics in the explanation of linguistic laws lies primarily in its inability to clarify the internal structure of language material, and the influence of the theory or method used for sample processing on the result of law analysis—which was formulated by Peter Grzybek (2006). We would like to show that this is the reason why linguistics avoids explanations of linguistic laws.
The Worldwide Search for the New Mutations in the RNA-Directed RNA Polymerase Domain of SARS-CoV-2
Authors: Dabravolski Siarhei A. , Kavalionak Yury K.
Published: April 2021

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is an RNA virus, responsible for the current pandemic outbreak. In total, 200 genomes of the SARS-CoV-2 strains from four host organisms have been analyzed. To investigate the presence of the new mutations in the RNA-directed RNA Polymerase (RdRp) of SARS-CoV-2, we analyzed sequences isolated from different hosts, with particular emphasis on human isolates. We performed a search for the new mutations of the RdRp proteins and study how those newly identified mutations could influence RdRp protein stability. Our results revealed 25 mutations in Rhinolophus sinicus, 1 in Mustela lutreola, 6 in Homo sapiens, and none in Mus musculus RdRp proteins of the SARS-CoV-2 isolates. We found that P323L is the most common stabilising radical mutation in human isolates. Also, we described several unique mutations, specific for studied hosts. Therefore, our data suggest that new and emerging variants of the SARS-CoV-2 RdRp have to be considered for the development of effective therapeutic agents and treatments.
Pregnancy-Specific Protein B in Yankasa Ewes During Pregnancy and Postpartum Periods
Authors: Adeyeye Adewale Ayodeji , Abubakar Yusha'u Usman , Leigh Olufisayo Oluwadamilare , Ate Iyorhembe Utim , Stephen Jashilagari , Raheem Kabir Ayo , Ubah Simon Azubuike
Published: April 2021

Pregnancy-specific protein B (PSPB) is produced by mono and binucleate trophoblast cells in the placenta of ruminants during pregnancy. This study was designed to determine the pattern of serum PSPB in Yankasa ewes during pregnancy and postpartum periods. Mature cycling Yankasa ewes were synchronized and divided into two groups A (n=11) and B (n=13). Group A was bred, while group B was unbred. Blood samples for PSPB assessment were collected from the ewes starting from the day of breeding until 4 weeks post-lambing. All pregnant Yankasa ewes lambed with singleton lambs after an average of 151.18 days. There was a significant (p<0.05) increase in PSPB in pregnant compared with the non-pregnant ewes in the period between 3 weeks post-breeding and 3 weeks post-lambing. Peaks were detected in the first (100.60 ng/ml), second (133.90 ng/ml), and third (114.82 ng/ml) trimesters at 5, 10 and 21 weeks of gestation, respectively, but steadily decreased within 4 weeks (2.38 ng/ml) postpartum. In conclusion, PSPB detected pregnancy in Yankasa ewes from 3 weeks post-breeding with peak levels at 5, 10 and 21 weeks post-breeding in the first, second, and third trimesters, respectively. PSPB decreased gradually after lambing until 4 weeks postpartum.
Study of the Effect of Echinophora platyloba Ethanolic Extract on Survival of Listeria monocytogenes in Lighvan Cheese During Ripening Time
Authors: Ghaderi Siavash , Mahdavi Saman , Yousefi Alireza
Published: April 2021

Listeria monocytogenes is one of the most frequent foodborne bacteria that can be transmitted through dairy products. The demand for replacing chemical preservatives with natural compounds has increased recently. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of Echinophora platyloba DC ethanolic extract on the survival of L. monocytogenes in Lighvan cheese during ripening time. Three concentrations of E. platyloba ethanolic extract (0, 0.5, 1 and 1.5%) were added to raw milk at the beginning of Lighvan cheese manufacture, and the population of L. monocytogenes was counted on days 15, 30, 60 and 90. Furthermore, the pH and salt concentration of Lighvan cheese were evaluated in these periods. The results showed that an increase in the concentration of ethanolic extract, as well as the ripening time of Lighvan cheese, resulted in a significant decrease (p<0.05) in the levels of L. monocytogenes (cfu/g). Moreover, the logarithm of the L. monocytogenes population (log cfu/g) was significantly decreased (p<0.05) as the concentration of the added ethanolic extract was enhanced over the ripening time, but no significant changes in pH and salt concentration were observed in Lighvan cheese (p>0.05). It was found that the optimal concentration of E. platyloba ethanolic extract for the complete inhibition of L. monocytogenes was 1-1.5% following 90 days of the ripening.
Prevalence of the Enterotoxigenic Staphylococcus Aureus Strains Isolated from Raw Milk and Cheese Produced in North Macedonia
Authors: Manovska Marija Ratkova , Prodanov Mirko , Angelovski Ljupcho , Jankuloski Dean , Sekulovski Pavle
Published: April 2021

Staphylococcus aureus is an important foodborne pathogen due to toxin-related virulence, invasiveness and antibiotic resistance. The ability of S. aureus strains to produce one or more staphylococcal enterotoxins (SEs) in food has been associated with the occurrence of staphylococcal food poisoning (SFP), which is the most common foodborne intoxication worldwide. The study aimed to determine the count of S. aureus strains in samples of raw cow’s milk and various cheeses produced in R. North Macedonia and to detect their ability to produce enterotoxins by passive agglutination SET RPLA (OXOID, UK) and by enzyme-linked fluorescence assay (ELFA) VIDAS SET 2 (Biomerieux, France). A total of 130 S. aureus strains were analyzed. The ability to produce SEs was determined in 17 (13.1%) strains using the SET RPLA detection kit and in 20 (15.4%) strains using the VIDAS SET 2. The study detected enterotoxigenic strains in cheese samples, despite the low count of S. aureus which was below the detection limit according to the Book of rules for microbiological criteria (Off. G. of R.M no 100/2013). Based on these and similar findings, S. aureus must be considered as a possible cause of intoxication, despite the undetected and underreported cases of SFP in the scientific literature.
Democratising Moves: Power, Agency and the Body
Authors: Prickett Stacey
Published: April 2021

Recently, the word ’democracy’ has been featured prominently in the press, with calls to restore it, save it from ominous threats and expose challenges to its principles, all predicated on an assumed understanding of the concept. Many of the roots of today’s democracies reach back to the 18th century revolutions in the pre-U.S. American colonies and France, which continue to reinforce Euro-American values and ideologies of nation. The transfer of power remains a defining principle, shifting control from elites to the masses. How do the principles that inspired democratic revolutions relate to the ballot-box versions of democracy today? This article considers contemporary complexities of democracy as a concept, offering examples of how it is embodied through iconography, gestures of defiance and civil disobedience. Democratic values are explored in more formal choreography and in creative processes that establish associations with political agency.
A critical review of filter bubbles and a comparison with selective exposure
Authors: Dahlgren Peter M.
Published: April 2021

The new high-choice media environment has raised concerns that users of social networking sites primarily select political information that supports their political opinions and avoid information that challenges them. This behaviour is reinforced by personalisation algorithms that create filter bubbles and both narrow the available content and exclude challenging information over time. These concerns have, however, been contested. This article challenges the underlying theoretical assumptions about filter bubbles, and compares filter bubbles to what we already know about selective exposure and human psychology. The article lists nine counterarguments to the filter bubble thesis. In short, I argue that the assumptions of filter bubbles contradict many of the previous findings of selective exposure research. More specifically, when discussing filter bubbles there is a risk of confusing two arguments: one strong – but also trivial – that is about technology (e.g., personalisation leads to different information), and one weak and speculative – but also the most interesting – that is about society (e.g., personalisation increases political polarisation in society).
Organisational Culture and Organisational Citizenship Behaviour: The Dark Side of Organisational Politics
Authors: Al-Madadha Amro , Al-Adwan Ahmad Samed , Zakzouk Fida Amin
Published: April 2021

Background and Purpose: Organisational politics can have a substantial negative effect on employees’ performance, however many organisations still do not pay attention to this organisational behaviour. In our study, we aim to examine the relationship between organisational culture and organisational citizenship behaviour through how employees perceive political behaviour within organisations.

Methods: Convenience sampling technique has been employed, quantitative data were collected from 532 employees in the Jordan banking industry via online surveys. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was employed to test the hypotheses of the study.

Results: Analyses showed that organisational culture within the banking industry has an effect on how employees perceive political behaviour. A negative perception of political behaviour by employees, in turn, has a negative influence on employees’ citizenship behaviour. These findings answer previous calls to investigate the destructive effect of organisational politics on employee outcomes.

Conclusion: Organisations should pay more attention to the destructive effect of organisational politics and try to minimise such behaviour. Organisational citizenship behaviour, in contrast, benefits organisational performance, and the enhancement of this is recommended through the implementation of more effective policies and strategies.
The Social Background of 1 Corinthians 1-4
Authors: Mihăilă Corin
Published: April 2021

The social structure of the Corinthian ecclesia is a reasonable cause for the dissensions that had occurred between her members. The people from the higher social strata of the church may have sought to advance their honor by desiring to extend their patronage over those teachers in the church that could help them in that regard. This situation was aided by the fact that the members of the Christian community have failed to allow the cross to redefine the new entity to which they now belonged. Rather, they perceived the Christian ecclesia according to different social models that were available at that time in the society at large: household model, collegia model, political ecclesia, and Jewish synagogue. As a result, the apostle Paul, in the first four chapter of 1 Corinthians, shows how the cross has overturned the social values inherent in these models. He argues that the Christian ecclesia is a new entity, with a unique identity, and distinct network of relations, which should separate those inside the Christian community from those outside.
Apollos’ Function in 1 Corinthians 1-4
Authors: Mihăilă Corin
Published: April 2021

The dissensions in the Corinthian church bring up the question of the mention of Apollos’ name in Paul’s argument against the partisan spirit. Over time, there have been different proposals as to the role that Apollos had in the dissensions as well as his function in the argument of 1 Corinthians 1-4. Some say that Paul and Apollos were rivals and thus Paul formulates his argument against dissensions as a subtle attach on Apollos and his party. Others say that Apollos’ role in the dissensions is a more indirect one, give his modus operandi. Apollos is seen as a preacher characterized by rhetorical skill (cf. Acts 18:24-28), who has made a great impression on the Corinthian congregation especially on those of a certain high social status, who have used Apollos against the less skillful Paul in order to advance their honor. Thus, in this view, Apollos is seen as having an unintentional and indirect role in the dissensions, being played by some in the congregation. Others, however, see Apollos as having no role in the dissensions, the mention of his name by Paul being only as a way of example and with direct application to others. This view is based on a certain interpretation of meteschēmatisa in 1 Corinthians 4:6. An analysis of these views and their supporting arguments leads us to believe that the fault for the dissensions falls not on Apollos, but on the Corinthians. Paul and Apollos share a close collaboration in the mission work; it is the Corinthians who have pitched one against the other.
Decision making models in various fields of nursing
Authors: Kosicka Bogumiła , Ksykiewicz-Dorota Anna , Kulczycka Kinga , Stychno Ewa , Piasecka Katarzyna , Drop Bartłomiej
Published: April 2021

Introduction.Identification of the process of decision making by nurses is a basis for better preparation of future nurses to an independent, and at the same time, effective decision making. This is related with the provision of high quality nursing services.

Aim.The objective of the presented study was identification of the decision making models applied by Polish nurses, and investigation of the relationship between specificity of work in individual wards and the applied model of decision making.

Material and methods.The research instrument was the Finnish 56-item questionnaire form examining decision making by nurses. This questionnaire was translated and adjusted to the Polish conditions, and its psychometric properties were confirmed concerning validity and reliability. The study covered nurses employed in conservative treatment wards (n=977), surgical wards (n=361) and intensive care units (n=293); a total number of 1631 Polish nurses employed in the hospitals was examined.

Results.Analysis of data showed that nurses from various wards in the study applied four models of decision making: analytical, intuitive, analytical-intuitive, and intuitive-analytical. Selection of the model used was associated with the specificity of work in individual wards.

Conclusions.The studies confirmed that during the process of decision making the nurses used both analytical and intuitive approaches, according to the type of ward and the specificity of the work of a nurse.
EL PASSO: Efficient and Lightweight Privacy-preserving Single Sign On
Authors: Zhang Zhiyi , Król Michał , Sonnino Alberto , Zhang Lixia , Rivière Etienne
Published: April 2021

Anonymous credentials are a solid foundation for privacy-preserving Single Sign-On (SSO). They enable unlinkable authentication across domains and allow users to prove their identity without revealing more than necessary. Unfortunately, anonymous credentials schemes remain difficult to use and complex to deploy. They require installation and use of complex software at the user side, suffer from poor performance, and do not support security features that are now common, such as two-factor authentication, secret recovery, or support for multiple devices. In contrast, Open ID Connect (OIDC), the de facto standard for SSO is widely deployed and used despite its lack of concern for users’ privacy. We present EL PASSO, a privacy-preserving SSO system based on anonymous credentials that does not trade security for usability, and can be incrementally deployed at scale alongside Open ID Connect with no significant changes to end-user operations. EL PASSO client-side operations leverage a WebAssembly module that can be downloaded on the fly and cached by users’ browsers, requiring no prior software installation or specific hardware. We develop automated procedures for managing cryptographic material, supporting multi-device support, secret recovery, and privacy-preserving two-factor authentication using only the built-in features of common Web browsers. Our implementation using PS Signatures achieves 39x to 180x lower computational cost than previous anonymous credentials schemes, similar or lower sign-on latency than Open ID Connect and is amenable for use on mobile devices.
Holes in the Geofence: Privacy Vulnerabilities in “Smart” DNS Services
Authors: Fainchtein Rahel A. , Aviv Adam J. , Sherr Micah , Ribaudo Stephen , Khullar Armaan
Published: April 2021

Smart DNS (SDNS) services advertise access to geofenced content (typically, video streaming sites such as Netflix or Hulu) that is normally inaccessible unless the client is within a prescribed geographic region. SDNS is simple to use and involves no software installation. Instead, it requires only that users modify their DNS settings to point to an SDNS resolver. The SDNS resolver “smartly” identifies geofenced domains and, in lieu of their proper DNS resolutions, returns IP addresses of proxy servers located within the geofence. These servers then transparently proxy traffic between the users and their intended destinations, allowing for the bypass of these geographic restrictions.

This paper presents the first academic study of SDNS services. We identify a number of serious and pervasive privacy vulnerabilities that expose information about the users of these systems. These include architectural weaknesses that enable content providers to identify which requesting clients use SDNS. Worse, we identify flaws in the design of some SDNS services that allow any arbitrary third party to enumerate these services’ users (by IP address), even if said users are currently offline. We present mitigation strategies to these attacks that have been adopted by at least one SDNS provider in response to our findings.
Too Close for Comfort: Morasses of (Anti-) Censorship in the Era of CDNs
Authors: Gosain Devashish , Mohindra Mayank , Chakravarty Sambuddho
Published: April 2021

Recent research claims that “powerful” nation-states may be hegemonic over significant web traffic of “underserved” nations (e.g., Brazil and India). Such traffic may be surveilled when transiting (or ending in) these powerful nations. On the other hand, content distribution networks (CDNs) are designed to bring web content closer to end-users. Thus it is natural to ask whether CDNs have led to the localization of Internet traffic within the country’s boundary, challenging the notion of nation-state hegemony.

Further, such traffic localization may inadvertently enhance a country’s ability to coerce content providers to censor (or monitor) access within its boundary. On top of that, the obvious solution, i.e., anti-censorship approaches, may sadly face a new dilemma. Traditional ones, relying on proxies, are easily discoverable. Whereas newer ones (e.g., Decoy Routing, Cache-Browser, Domain Fronting and CovertCast etc.) might not work as they require accessing web content hosted outside the censors’ boundary. We thus quantitatively analyzed the impact of web content localization on various anti-censorship systems.

Such analysis requires geolocating the websites. Thus we adapted a multilateration method, Constraint Based Geolocation (CBG), with additional heuristics. We call it as Region Specific CBG (R-CBG). In more than 89% cases, R-CBG correctly classifies hosts as inside (or outside) w.r.t. a nation. Our empirical study, involving five countries, shows that the majority (61%−92%) of popular country-specific websites are hosted within a client’s own country. Further, additional heuristics classify the majority of them to be on CDNs.
DyPS: Dynamic, Private and Secure GWAS
Authors: Pascoal Túlio , Decouchant Jérémie , Boutet Antoine , Esteves-Verissimo Paulo
Published: April 2021

Genome-Wide Association Studies (GWAS) identify the genomic variations that are statistically associated with a particular phenotype (e.g., a disease). The confidence in GWAS results increases with the number of genomes analyzed, which encourages federated computations where biocenters would periodically share the genomes they have sequenced. However, for economical and legal reasons, this collaboration will only happen if biocenters cannot learn each others’ data. In addition, GWAS releases should not jeopardize the privacy of the individuals whose genomes are used. We introduce DyPS, a novel framework to conduct dynamic privacy-preserving federated GWAS. DyPS leverages a Trusted Execution Environment to secure dynamic GWAS computations. Moreover, DyPS uses a scaling mechanism to speed up the releases of GWAS results according to the evolving number of genomes used in the study, even if individuals retract their participation consent. Lastly, DyPS also tolerates up to all-but-one colluding biocenters without privacy leaks. We implemented and extensively evaluated DyPS through several scenarios involving more than 6 million simulated genomes and up to 35,000 real genomes. Our evaluation shows that DyPS updates test statistics with a reasonable additional request processing delay (11% longer) compared to an approach that would update them with minimal delay but would lead to 8% of the genomes not being protected. In addition, DyPS can result in the same amount of aggregate statistics as a static release (i.e., at the end of the study), but can produce up to 2.6 times more statistics information during earlier dynamic releases. Besides, we show that DyPS can support a larger number of genomes and SNP positions without any significant performance penalty.
Validity and Reliability of the Scale Internet Users’ Information Privacy Concerns (IUIPC)
Authors: Groß Thomas
Published: April 2021

Internet Users’ Information Privacy Concerns (IUIPC-10) is one of the most endorsed privacy concern scales. It is widely used in the evaluation of human factors of PETs and the investigation of the privacy paradox. Even though its predecessor Concern For Information Privacy (CFIP) has been evaluated independently and the instrument itself seen some scrutiny, we are still missing a dedicated confirmation of IUIPC-10, itself. We aim at closing this gap by systematically analyzing IUIPC’s construct validity and reliability. We obtained three mutually independent samples with a total of N = 1031 participants. We conducted a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) on our main sample to assert the validity and reliability of IUIPC-10. Having found weaknesses, we proposed a respecified instrument IUIPC-8 with improved psychometric properties. Finally, we confirmed our findings on a validation sample. While we found sound foundations for content validity and could confirm the overall three-dimensionality of IUIPC-10, we observed evidence of biases in the question wording and found that IUIPC-10 consistently missed the mark in evaluations of construct validity and reliability, calling into question the unidimensionality of its sub-scales Awareness and Control. Our respecified scale IUIPC-8 offers a statistically significantly better model and outperforms IUIPC-10’s construct validity and reliability. The disconfirming evidence on IUIPC-10’s construct validity raises doubts how well it measures the latent variable Information Privacy Concern. The less than desired reliability could yield spurious and erratic results as well as attenuate relations with other latent variables, such as behavior. Thereby, the instrument could confound studies of human factors of PETs or the privacy paradox, in general.
GANDaLF: GAN for Data-Limited Fingerprinting
Authors: Oh Se Eun , Mathews Nate , Rahman Mohammad Saidur , Wright Matthew , Hopper Nicholas
Published: April 2021

We introduce Generative Adversarial Networks for Data-Limited Fingerprinting (GANDaLF), a new deep-learning-based technique to perform Website Fingerprinting (WF) on Tor traffic. In contrast to most earlier work on deep-learning for WF, GANDaLF is intended to work with few training samples, and achieves this goal through the use of a Generative Adversarial Network to generate a large set of “fake” data that helps to train a deep neural network in distinguishing between classes of actual training data. We evaluate GANDaLF in low-data scenarios including as few as 10 training instances per site, and in multiple settings, including fingerprinting of website index pages and fingerprinting of non-index pages within a site. GANDaLF achieves closed-world accuracy of 87% with just 20 instances per site (and 100 sites) in standard WF settings. In particular, GANDaLF can outperform Var-CNN and Triplet Fingerprinting (TF) across all settings in subpage fingerprinting. For example, GANDaLF outperforms TF by a 29% margin and Var-CNN by 38% for training sets using 20 instances per site.
The importance of flaps in reconstruction of locoregionally advanced lateral skull-base cancer defects: a tertiary otorhinolaryngology referral centre experience
Authors: Vozel Domen , Pukl Peter , Groselj Ales , Anicin Aleksandar , Strojan Primoz , Battelino Saba
Published: April 2021

Background

The aim of the study was to identify the value of extensive resection and reconstruction with flaps in the treatment of locoregionally advanced lateral skull-base cancer.

Patients and methods

The retrospective case review of patients with lateral skull-base cancer treated surgically with curative intent between 2011 and 2019 at a tertiary otorhinolaryngology referral centre was made.

Results

Twelve patients with locoregionally advanced cancer were analysed. Lateral temporal bone resection was performed in nine (75.0%), partial parotidectomy in six (50.0%), total parotidectomy in one (8.3%), ipsilateral selective neck dissection in eight (66.7%) and ipsilateral modified radical neck dissection in one patient (8.3%). The defect was reconstructed with anterolateral thigh free flap, radial forearm free flap or pectoralis major myocutaneous flap in two patients (17.0%) each. Mean overall survival was 3.1 years (SD = 2.5) and cancer-free survival rate 100%. At the data collection cut-off, 83% of analysed patients and 100% of patients with flap reconstruction were alive.

Conclusions

Favourable local control in lateral skull-base cancer, which mainly involves temporal bone is achieved with an extensive locoregional resection followed by free or regional flap reconstruction. Universal cancer registry should be considered in centres treating this rare disease to alleviate analysis and multicentric research.
Hepatorenal syndrome: pathophysiology and evidence-based management update
Authors: Hasan Irtiza , Rashid Tasnuva , Chirila Razvan M , Ghali Peter , Wadei Hani M.
Published: April 2021

Hepatorenal syndrome (HRS) is a functional renal failure that develops in patients with advanced hepatic cirrhosis with ascites and in those with fulminant hepatic failure. The prevalence of HRS varies among studies but in general it is the third most common cause of acute kidney injury (AKI) in cirrhotic patients after pre-renal azotemia and acute tubular necrosis. HRS carries a grim prognosis with a mortality rate approaching 90% three months after disease diagnosis. Fortunately, different strategies have been proven to be successful in preventing HRS. Although treatment options are available, they are not universally effective in restoring renal function but they might prolong survival long enough for liver transplantation, which is the ultimate treatment. Much has been learned in the last two decades regarding the pathophysiology and management of this disease which lead to notable evolution in the HRS definition and better understanding on how best to manage HRS patients. In the current review, we will summarize the recent advancement in epidemiology, pathophysiology, and management of HRS.
Influence of Superior Vibration Modes on the Seismic Response of Reinforced Concrete Structures with Eigen-Periods Near Code Control Periods
Authors: Adrian-Alexandru Savu
Published: April 2021

The current paper studies the effect of superior eigen-modes on the seismic response for a series of reinforced concrete structures having eigen-periods near code control periods. Although the structural design is based on Romanian seismic design codes (“P100-1/2013 - Seismic design code - Part 1 - Design provisions for buildings” and “SR-EN 1998/2004 - Design of structures for earthquake resistance”), it carries some importance for other countries with similar seismic design spectra.

A total of twenty-four models for structures were considered by varying their location (through control period values), three-dimensional regularity, overall dimensions and height regime.

Results were compared and conclusions were drawn based on percentage values of relative displacements (storey drifts) and base shear forces.
Examining the Impact of Different Technical and Environmental Parameters on the Performance of Photovoltaic Modules
Authors: Abdel Hamid Radwan H. , Elidrissi Youssef , Elsamahy Adel , Regragui Mohammed , Menoufi Karim
Published: April 2021

This article presents an evaluation of the performance of PV modules with the variation of some technical and environmental parameters: The PV module tilt angle, and the impact of soiling on the power output of PV module, and the transmittance of the PV glass surfaces. The experiments were achieved in Helwan City (Egypt) at the premises of the Faculty of Engineering of Helwan University. For the soiling part, it comprises two experiments: Transmittance of PV glass surfaces, and the power output of PV modules. For the transmittance experiment, it has been achieved using a simplified method, where three PV glass surfaces were placed at three different tilt angles (0°, 15°, and 30°) and left exposed to the outdoor environment without cleaning for a period of 25 days during the summer season. For the experiment concerning the impact of soiling on the power output, a set of PV modules connected in series have been exposed for a period of 75 days to the outdoor environment without cleaning. Finally, for the PV module tilt angle experiment, another set of PV modules have been used for that purpose, where four different tilt angles were experimented: 0°, 15°, 30°, and 45°. The present research recommends that more studies are needed in the same context, taking into consideration correlating the technical and environmental parameters in one single experiment and during different times of the year. This would be helpful in having overarching perspective regarding the electrical performance of PV modules under different circumstances of tilt angles and soiling patterns within the area of Helwan (Egypt).
Energy and Thermal Conductivity Assessment of Dimethyl-Ether and its Azeotropic Mixtures as Alternative Low Global Warming Potential Refrigerants in a Refrigeration System
Authors: Bolaji Bukola Olalekan , Oyelaran Olatunde Ajani , Abiala Israel Olutunji , Ogundana Tunde Oluwatoyin , Amosun Semiu Taiwo
Published: April 2021

Substituting Hydrofluorocarbons with natural refrigerants in domestic refrigerators will significantly reduce the direct contributions of fluorinated gases to global warming which will be of great environmental benefit. In this study, the performances of dimethyl-ether (RE170) and its azeotropic mixtures (R510A and R511A) in a refrigeration system were assessed theoretically and compare with that of conventional refrigerant. The study revealed that the three investigated alternative refrigerants exhibited significantly good heat transfer characteristics, low pressure ratio, high latent heat in the liquid phase which resulted in their high thermal conductivity and Volumetric Cooling Capacity (VCC). The thermal conductivity of the refrigerants reduces while the evaporating temperature rises and the value obtained for RE170 was the highest among the four refrigerants studied. The Coefficient of Performance (COP) for RE170, R510A and R511A were higher than that of R134a by 6.20, 10.06 and 3.02 % respectively while their power consumptions per ton of refrigeration were lower than that of R134a by 6.99, 11.04 and 1.47 % respectively. In conclusion, dimethyl-ether and its azeotropic mixtures performed better than R134a in that they have higher thermal conductivity, refrigerating effect, VCC, COP, lower power consumption per ton of refrigeration and hence, they can be considered as suitable replacements for R134a in domestic refrigerator.