bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Study and Survey on Blockchain Privacy and Security Issues
Authors: Banerjee Sourav , Das Debashis , Biswas Manju , Biswas Utpal
Published: May 2021

Blockchain-based technology is becoming increasingly popular and is now used to solve a wide range of tasks. And it's not all about cryptocurrencies. Even though it's based on secure technology, a blockchain needs protection as well. The risks of exploits, targeted attacks, or unauthorized access can be mitigated by the instant incident response and system recovery. Blockchain technology relies on a ledger to keep track of all financial transactions. Ordinarily, this kind of master ledger would be a glaring point of vulnerability. Another tenet of security is the chain itself. Configuration flaws, as well as insecure data storage and transfers, may cause leaks of sensitive information. This is even more dangerous when there are centralized components within the platform. In this chapter, the authors will demonstrate where the disadvantages of security and privacy in blockchain are currently and discuss how blockchain technology can improve these disadvantages and outlines the requirements for future solution.
Internet of Things (IoT) Security and Privacy
Authors: Al Dalaien Muawya N. , Bensefia Ameur , Hoshang Salam A. , Bathaqili Abdul Rahman A.
Published: May 2021

In recent years the Internet of Things (IoT) has rapidly become a revolutionary technological invention causing significant changes to the way both corporate computing systems, and even household gadgets and appliances, are designed and manufactured. The aim of this chapter is to highlight the security and privacy issues that may affect the evolution of IoT technology. The privacy issues are discussed from customer perspectives: first, the IoT privacy concern where the privacy debates on IoT and the IoT privacy that reflected from users' perspective based on the examination of previous researches results. In addition, the different architectures for IoT are discussed. Finally, the chapter discusses the IoT security concern by collecting, analyzing and presenting the major IoT security concerns in the literature as well as providing some potential solutions to these concerns.
Security and Privacy in Big Data Computing
Authors: Modi Kiritkumar J. , Shah Prachi Devangbhai , Prajapati Zalak
Published: May 2021

The rapid growth of digitization in the present era leads to an exponential increase of information which demands the need of a Big Data paradigm. Big Data denotes complex, unstructured, massive, heterogeneous type data. The Big Data is essential to the success in many applications; however, it has a major setback regarding security and privacy issues. These issues arise because the Big Data is scattered over a distributed system by various users. The security of Big Data relates to all the solutions and measures to prevent the data from threats and malicious activities. Privacy prevails when it comes to processing personal data, while security means protecting information assets from unauthorized access. The existence of cloud computing and cloud data storage have been predecessor and conciliator of emergence of Big Data computing. This article highlights open issues related to traditional techniques of Big Data privacy and security. Moreover, it also illustrates a comprehensive overview of possible security techniques and future directions addressing Big Data privacy and security issues.
An End to End Cloud Computing Privacy Framework Using Blind Processing
Authors: Gahi Youssef , El Alaoui Imane , Guennoun Mouhcine
Published: May 2021

Database-as-a-service (DBaaS) is a trend allowing organizations to outsource their databases and computations to external parties. However, despite the many advantages provided by this service in terms of cost reduction and efficiency, DBaaS raises many security issues regarding data privacy and access control. The protection of privacy has been addressed by several research contributions proposing efficient solutions such as encrypted databases and blind queries over encrypted data, called blind processing. In this latter context, almost all proposed schemes consider an architecture of a single user (the data owner) that requests the database server for encrypted records while he is the only one capable of decrypting. From a practical perspective, a database system is set up to support not only a single user but multiple users initiating multiple queries. However, managing various accesses to an encrypted database introduces several challenges by itself, like key sharing, key revocation, and data re-encryption. In this article, we propose a simple and efficient blind processing protocol that allows multiple users to query the same encrypted data and decrypt the retrieved results without getting access to the secret key.
The Cultural Foundation of Information Security Behavior
Authors: Lin Canchu , Kunnathur Anand S. , Li Long
Published: May 2021

Past behavior research overwhelmingly focused on information security policy compliance and under explored the role of organizational context in shaping information security behaviors. To address this research gap, this study integrated two threads of literature: organizational culture, and information security behavior control, and proposed a framework that integrates mid-range theories used in empirical research, connects them to organizational culture, and predicts its role in information security behavior control. Consistent with the cultural-fit perspective, this framework shows that information security policy compliance fits hierarchical culture and the approach of promoting positive, proactive, and emerging information security behaviors fits participative culture. Contributions and practical implications of this framework, together with future research directions, are discussed.
Delivering Effective Cybersecurity Awareness Training to Support the Organizational Information Security Function
Authors: Sabillon Regner
Published: May 2021

Traditional security education, training, and awareness (SETA); cybersecurity awareness programs; and information security awareness programs are falling behind to deal with the current cyberthreat landscape in any organizational environment. Human behaviors are the weakest links in cybersecurity, especially in situations where cyberthreats are not isolated, blocked, or reported to the information security specialists for further action. Moreover, the study compares recent awareness frameworks, approaches, and methodologies. An extended research that includes an awareness training model to deal with existing challenges when delivering cybersecurity to different levels of positions in any organization. The cybersecurity awareness training model (CATRAM) has been designed to deliver training to different organizational audiences, each of these groups with specific content and separate objectives. The study concluded by addressing the need for future and innovative research to target new approaches to keep cybersecurity awareness focused on the everchanging cyberthreat landscape.
A Privacy-Aware Data Aggregation Scheme for Smart Grid Based on Elliptic Curve Cryptography With Provable Security Against Internal Attacks
Authors: Kamil Ismaila Adeniyi , Sunday Oyinlola Ogundoyin
Published: May 2021

In smart grids (SGs), smart meters (SMs) are usually deployed to collect and transmit customers' electricity consumption data in real-time to the control center. Due to the open nature of the SG communication, several privacy-preserving data aggregation schemes have been proposed to protect the privacy of customers. However, most of these schemes cannot protect against internal attackers and they are not efficient, since SMs are constrained in processing, memory, and computing capabilities. To address these problems, the authors propose a privacy-aware lightweight data aggregation scheme against internal attackers based on Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC). The scheme satisfies all the security requirements of SG, and supports conditional traceability, strong anonymity and autonomy. The authors demonstrate that the proposed scheme provides confidentiality based on the Computational Diffie-Hellman (CDH) assumption and unforgeability in the security model based on the intractability of the Discrete Logarithm (DL) problem. Extensive performance analysis shows that the proposed scheme is very efficient.
Privacy Preserving Data Mining Using Time Series Data Aggregation
Authors: Reddi Sivaranjani
Published: May 2021

This article proposes a mechanism to provide privacy to mined results by assuming that the data is distributed across many nodes. The first objective includes mining the query results by the node in a cluster, communicating it to the cluster head, aggregating the data collected from all the cluster nodes and then communicating it to the group controller. The second objective is to incorporate privacy at each level of the clusters node: cluster head and the group controller level. The final objective is to provide a dynamic network feature, where the nodes can join or leave the distributed network without disturbing the network functionality. The proposed algorithm was implemented and validated in Java for its performance in terms of communication costs computational complexity.
Privacy Preserving Fuzzy Association Rule Mining in Data Clusters Using Particle Swarm Optimization
Authors: Krishnamoorthy Sathiyapriya , Sadasivam G. Sudha , Rajalakshmi M. , Kowsalyaa K. , Dhivya M.
Published: May 2021

An association rule is classified as sensitive if its thread of revelation is above certain confidence value. If these sensitive rules were revealed to the public, it is possible to deduce sensitive knowledge from the published data and offers benefit for the business competitors. Earlier studies in privacy preserving association rule mining focus on binary data and has more side effects. But in practical applications the transactions contain the purchased quantities of the items. Hence preserving privacy of quantitative data is essential. The main goal of the proposed system is to hide a group of interesting patterns which contains sensitive knowledge such that modifications have minimum side effects like lost rules, ghost rules, and number of modifications. The proposed system applies Particle Swarm Optimization to a few clusters of particles thus reducing the number of modification. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed approach is efficient in terms of lost rules, number of modifications, hiding failure with complete avoidance of ghost rules.
Analysis of Privacy Preservation Techniques in IoT
Authors: Apare Ravindra Sadashivrao , Gujar Satish Narayanrao
Published: May 2021

IoT (Internet of Things) is a sophisticated analytics and automation system that utilizes networking, big data, artificial intelligence, and sensing technology to distribute absolute systems for a service or product. The major challenges in IoT relies in security restrictions related with generating low cost devices, and the increasing number of devices that generates further opportunities for attacks. Hence, this article intends to develop a promising methodology associated with data privacy preservation for handling the IoT network. It is obvious that the IoT devices often generate time series data, where the range of respective time series data can be extremely large.
Fog/Cloud Service Scalability, Composition, Security, Privacy, and SLA Management
Authors: Kaushik Shweta , Gandhi Charu
Published: May 2021

Cloud computing has started a new era in the field of computing, which allows the access of remote data or services at anytime and anywhere. In today's competitive environment, the service dynamism, elasticity, and choices offered by this highly scalable technology are too attractive for enterprises to ignore. The scalability feature of cloud computing allows one to expand and contract the resources. The owner's data stored at the remote location, but he is usually afraid of sharing confidential data with cloud service provider. If the service provider is not the trusted one, there may be a chance of leakage of confidential data to external third party. Security and privacy of data require high consideration, which is resolved by storing the data in encrypted form. Data owner requires that the service provider should be trustworthy to store its confidential data without any exposure. One of the outstanding solutions for maintaining trust between different communicating parties could be the service level agreement between them.
Context and End-User Privacy Policies in Web Service-Based Applications
Authors: Kapitsaki Georgia M.
Published: May 2021

Privacy protection plays a vital role in pervasive and web environments, where users contact applications and services that may require access to their sensitive data. The current legislation, such as the recent European General Data Protection Regulation, is putting more emphasis on user protection and on placing users in the center of privacy choices. SOAP (simple object access protocol)-based and RESTful services may require access to sensitive data for their proper functioning, but users should be able to express their preferences on what should and should not be accessed. In this chapter, the above issues are discussed and a solution is presented for reconciling user preferences expressed in privacy policies and the service data needs tailored to SOAP-based services. A use example is provided and the main open issues providing directions for future research are discussed.
A Trust Based Secure and Privacy Aware Framework for Efficient Taxi and Car Sharing System
Authors: Olakanmi Oladayo , Oluwaseun Sekoni
Published: May 2021

This article describes how taxi service is an essential means of mobility in many cities. Recent findings show that average automobile owners utilize their vehicles for only 5% of its time in a day. Therefore, the advent of autonomous vehicles and car sharing will make it possible for owners to engage their vehicles as taxis when not in use by utilizing its 95% free time for income generation. Sensitive private information is required to be released during a taxi service delivery, which may bring certain security and privacy issues and challenges. This may hinder the prospect of using autonomous vehicles as a form of taxi. As a result of these, the authors propose a secure and privacy-preserving taxi service framework for car sharing, which ensures protection of car owner and passengers personal details, e.g. identity, location, destination, etc. The authors developed a decay-based trust model for a framework in order to monitor and improve the quality of service rendered to passengers by vehicles. The decay-based trust model was simulated on the framework. The simulation of the decay-based trust model shows that it is a perfect model for rewarding vehicles which render good quality of service and blacklisting vehicles with frequent poor service delivery.
Cyber Security Aspects of Virtualization in Cloud Computing Environments
Authors: Tank Darshan Mansukhbhai , Aggarwal Akshai , Chaubey Nirbhay Kumar
Published: May 2021

Cybercrime continues to emerge, with new threats surfacing every year. Every business, regardless of its size, is a potential target of cyber-attack. Cybersecurity in today's connected world is a key component of any establishment. Amidst known security threats in a virtualization environment, side-channel attacks (SCA) target most impressionable data and computations. SCA is flattering major security interests that need to be inspected from a new point of view. As a part of cybersecurity aspects, secured implementation of virtualization infrastructure is very much essential to ensure the overall security of the cloud computing environment. We require the most effective tools for threat detection, response, and reporting to safeguard business and customers from cyber-attacks. The objective of this chapter is to explore virtualization aspects of cybersecurity threats and solutions in the cloud computing environment. The authors also discuss the design of their novel ‘Flush+Flush' cache attack detection approach in a virtualized environment.
Critical Issues in the Invasion of the Internet of Things (IoT)
Authors: Devarakonda Shravani , Halgamuge Malka N. , Mohammad Azeem
Published: May 2021

In this chapter, the authors collected data from issues related to threats in the applications of IoT-based technologies that describe the security and privacy issues from 30 peer reviewed publications from 2014 to 2017. Further, they analyzed each threat type and its percentages in each application of the internet of things. The results indicated that the applications of smart transportation (20%) face the highest amount of security and privacy issues followed by smart home (19%) and smart cities (18%) compared to the rest of the applications. Further, they determined that the biggest threats were denial of service attack (9%) followed by eavesdropping (5%), man in the middle (4%), and replay (4%). Denial of service attacks and man in the middle attack are active attacks that can severely damage human life whereas eavesdropping is a passive attack that steals information. This study has found that privacy issues have the biggest impacts on people. Therefore, researchers need to find possible solutions to these threats to improve the quality of IoT applications.
Creepy Technologies and the Privacy Issues of Invasive Technologies
Authors: McWhorter Rochell R. , Bennett Elisabeth E.
Published: May 2021

Technology has become increasingly invasive and corporate networks are expanding into public and private spaces to collect unprecedented data and provide new services such as artificial intelligence and through unsettling human-like personas. The term “creepy technology” is appearing in the literature along with concerns for privacy, ethical boundaries, cybersecurity, and mistaken identity but is also in news articles to inform the public about technology advances that affect consumer privacy. Invasive technology provides the impetus for external adaptation for many organizations and current trends require rapid adaption to potential threats to security. Also, usability addresses how users respond and adapt to new technology. This chapter includes the presentation of an exploratory study of how the public responded to various technology announcements (N=689 responses) and results indicated a significant response to invasive technologies and some sense of freedom to opine. This chapter also provides discussion of interventions that are critical to both public and private sectors.
GDPR
Authors: Pikulík Tomáš , Štarchoň Peter
Published: May 2021

Implementation of the GDPR changed the way how personal data of EU customers are processed. The purpose of this chapter is to explore the links between the rights of customers as a data subject and related aspects of customer satisfaction. Entities in modern economy (encompassing not only goods and services but also intellectual property) generate and process huge quantities of customer data. Information and communication technology (ICT) infrastructure became a basis for the digital economy and society in the EU (settled by Eurostat as ISOC) that definitely replaced the previous era of the information economy that was based on the effective acquisition, dissemination, and use of information. Data-driven marketing puts data at the center of additional value creation and brings new insights and perspectives, included in the results of this research. The impact of GDPR on customer-centric ICT, stronger consumer awareness of data protection rights, creates new pathways to customer centricity and the legal and technical aspects of data processing within the digital economy ecosystem.
Consumer Privacy Regulations
Authors: Davis Martha
Published: May 2021

Big data and analytics have not only changed how businesses interact with consumers, but also how consumers interact with the larger world. Smart cities, IoT, cloud, and edge computing technologies are all enabled by data and can provide significant societal benefits via efficiencies and reduction of waste. However, data breaches have also caused serious harm to customers by exposing personal information. Consumers often are unable to make informed decisions about their digital privacy because they are in a position of asymmetric information. There are an increasing number of privacy regulations to give consumers more control over their data. This chapter provides an overview of data privacy regulations, including GDPR. In today's globalized economy, the patchwork of international privacy regulations is difficult to navigate, and, in many instances, fails to provide adequate business certainty or consumer protection. This chapter also discusses current research and implications for costs, data-driven innovation, and consumer trust.
Information Security Practices in Small-to-Medium Sized Businesses
Authors: Marett Kent , Barnett Tim
Published: May 2021

Small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in North America do not always adequately address security. Based on responses from 232 SME owners and managers, the authors found that the adoption of security recommendations made by experts appear to be significantly influenced by the decisions of other local SMEs. A hot-spot analysis of information security practices suggested that local trends lead to prioritizing certain security practices and not adopting others. Follow-up interviews with business owners and Chamber of Commerce directors provided insights on how security hotspots developed or not. The study identified both hot spot and cold spot communities, and sought to assess how local business networking conduits like chambers of commerce help promote best security practices
Fuzzy Evaluation of Agricultural Water Conservancy Facilities in Reuse
Authors: Han Shen Shan , Sharma Amit
Published: May 2021

It is increasingly important to reuse the wastewater conservancy facilities, which can further promote the development of agricultural economy. The basis of full investigation and research on the wastewater conservancy facilities in rural areas by using fuzzy mathematics method. This paper constructs a hierarchy model to evaluate the reuse value of wastewater conservancy facilities. The model conducts empirical research on the wastewater conservancy facilities in a certain farmland. The research results show that the transformation of abstract research into quantitative research, a scientific and reasonable practical research model, is established, which can evaluate the research object well. The comprehensive evaluation value of a certain farmland is 0.608. The wastewater conservancy facilities in the farmland are in good condition and can be repaired by reconstruction; some economic benefits are obtained.
Developing Sustainable Performance Measurement System for Emerging Quick Service Restaurant Chains
Authors: Elshaer Ibrahim A. , Fouad Remon S. , Sobaih Abu Elnasr E.
Published: May 2021

This research evaluates the practices of performance measurement systems (PMSs) in quick-service restaurant (QSR) chains. It proposes a sustainable PMS (SPMS) for emerging QSR chains enabling them to enhance their practices and achieve their strategic goals. A sequential explanatory mixed methodology was undertaken starting with self-administered survey directed to QSR managers in international and national chains in Egypt. This informed the second phase of a Delphi study with QSR experts. The results showed significant differences between the practices of PMSs in international and national chains. The research used an innovative approach to develop a meaningful and SPMS for supporting emerging QSR chains to enable them functioning properly in their environment, achieve their economic and operational goals, and compete successfully with international QSRs. Implications and limitations of the study were also discussed.
Factors That Influence Customer Trust and Satisfaction in Mobile Banking
Authors: Geebren Ahmed , Jabbar Abdul
Published: May 2021

Over the last decade, banks have significantly invested in mobile banking. While mobile banking research focuses increasingly on adoption and behavioural intention, and post-adoption behaviours such as customer satisfaction have been given little attention. This paper draws on the information system success model to look into the antecedents of trust and satisfaction in mobile banking. It adopts the problematization and the systematic literature review approaches to problematize, organise, and integrate previously published literature related to trust in mobile banking in the post-adoption stage. The paper proposes a conceptual model with five factors that influence customer trust in mobile banking: system quality, information quality, services quality, structural insurance, and task characteristics. The relationships between the independent variables and satisfaction are mediated by trust. This paper is one of the first to discuss the Delone and Mclean model within a customer trust and satisfaction framework.
Techno-Economic Evaluation of Hydrogen Fuel Cell Electricity Generation Based on Anloga (Ghana) Wind Regime
Authors: Acakpovi Amevi , Adjei Patrick , Asabere Nana Yaw , Sowah Robert Adjetey , Sackey David Mensah
Published: May 2021

This paper assesses the performance of electricity generation using wind/hydrogen/fuel-cell technology. The intermittency of renewables, especially wind, and the need for storage of excess energy make them unattractive for continuous generation of electricity. This paper focuses on the wind resource of Anloga (Ghana) and the potential of hydrogen production from water electrolysis. The assessment of this system covers three main areas including the potential energy generation, environmental impacts, and economic impacts. The paper adopted analytical models of energy generation of fuel cell and hydrogen technologies and further performs their assessment using HOMER software. It was revealed that the annual electricity production from the hydrogen fuel cell is 25,999kW/yr, with an annual capacity shortage of 392kW/yr representing a 10% capacity shortage. The levelized cost of electricity was 0.602$/kWh and the emissions have been completely minimized as compared to diesel generation plants.
Battery Management for Small Hydroponic Systems and Cultivation Experiments
Authors: Yamaguchi Satoru , Motosugi Takuya , Takahashi Yoshihiko
Published: May 2021

A small hydroponic system that can use sustainable energy such as solar power has been developed. However, the amount of power generated is not constant, and in the case of unstable weather, enough power cannot be obtained. Therefore, it is necessary to store the generated energy in a battery. In order to design low-cost charging equipment, it is necessary to use a smaller battery and to estimate the remaining charge capacity (state of charge: SOC) accurately. To provide an accurate SOC estimation for such systems, a fusion of CI (current integral) and OCV (open circuit voltage) methods is proposed. When using this method, it is necessary to frequently disconnect the electronic load. In these experiments, the optimum disconnection duration, the effects on plants of frequent battery disconnection, and cutting off of the lighting were investigated.
Turning SKD 11 Steel Using Silver Nanofluids With Minimum Quantity Lubrication
Authors: Babu M. Naresh , Anandan V. , Babu M. Dinesh , Muthukrishnan N.
Published: May 2021

The influence of lubrication has an effect on health, surroundings, and manufacturing regions. In the current analysis, the impact of turning parameters such as cutting speed, feed rate and cutting conditions on surface roughness (Ra), cutting temperature, tool wear, and chip morphology are examined on SKD 11 steel. The experiments were performed with Taguchi's L18 orthogonal-array. The significance of the investigation involved in comparing the effect of dry, oil machining, and nano lubricants with minimum quantity lubrication (MQL) in turning process. Additionally, simple additive weighting method (SAW) has been utilized to enhance the turning parameters in SKD 11 steel for improved machining performance. Results indicate that the use of nanoparticles as cutting fluids serve in reducing the surface roughness, cutting temperature, and wear on the tool.
eParticipation in Neighbourhood Development
Authors: Heyder Monika , Höffken Stefan , Heydkamp Constanze
Published: May 2021

Public involvement in urban planning is not new, but with recent innovations in the ICT sector and their rapid uptake by society, urban planners and public authorities have access to new digital means to facilitate it. The article focuses on the potential of digital solutions for stakeholder participation during the whole lifecycle of the urban neighborhood, such as participatory maps, 3D-visualisation, augmented reality, and virtual reality, and emphasizes their specifics. The article draws on diverse project experiences in Germany, but the authors argue its relevance for other cases in Europe and worldwide.
The Impact of Customer Halal Supply Chain Knowledge on Customer Halal Fashion Purchase Intention
Authors: Sumarliah Eli , Li Tieke , Wang Bailin , Moosa Anitha , Sackey Irene
Published: May 2021

Prior studies have demonstrated that halal supply chain knowledge by professionals within an organization is a vital predictor of halal clothing buying intention. This research in contrast explored how supply chain knowledge by retail customers impacts their intention to purchase halal clothing. Customer knowledge includes knowledge of halal resourcing (RES); halal production and design (PRO); halal handling, storage, and packaging logistics (HAN); and halal retailing (RET). An online questionnaire gathered data from 374 retail Muslim customers. The study employed SmartPLS 3 software and PLS-SEM to test the significance of the variables. Regression analysis found that knowledge of halal supply chain practices by retail customers has an important impact on their intention to buy halal fashion.
Precipitation Hardening of Triplex Steel by Using Nickel Aluminum Inter-Metallic Precipitates
Authors: Maghawry Mahmoud M. , Elfawakhry Mohamed K. , Faramwy Hoda El , Abdelwahab Sabreen A. , Wahed Khaled Abdel
Published: May 2021

This paper deals with three types of triplex steel, where containing 25 to 28 wt.% manganese, 0.8 to 0.89 wt.% Carbon, 9.9 to 11.11 wt.% Aluminum, and with different Nickel content. Two types contain Ni in range of 0.9 to 2 wt.% and third type doesn’t contain Ni. The precipitation of Nano-size kappa carbides is the most proper technique used for this objective. It is expected that inter-metallic strengthening mechanism should act more effective in promoting the strength of Triplex steel with ductility. From this point of view, this research was designed to study the effect of inter-metallic inductive alloying element as Nickel on promoting of the strength and ductility of the high aluminum containing high manganese steel. Optical microscope, scanning electron microscope (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) were used to detect of inter-metallic precipitates through steel investigated ranged in Nickel from 0 to 2 wt.%. Mechanical and strain hardening properties were determined in the steel investigated after different regimes of heat treatment. It was found that Ni3Al inter-metallic compound provides the austenite matrix with good strength and ductility, depending on the ageing time. Further deterioration was obviously observed in the steel investigated as increasing the ageing time, attributing to coarse structure occurrence.
Association of Developmental Lumbar Spinal Canal Stenosis and Stunting
Authors: Muthuuri Jamlick Micheni
Published: May 2021

Objective:

To determine a possible relationship between developmental lumbar spinal canal stenosis (DLSS) and stunting.

Background:

Stunting is due to failure of longitudinal length with shortened long bones. Stunted individuals have failure of growth of long bones implying a possibility of involvement of short and flat bones. The hypothesis in this study is that DLSS is part of a generalized skeletal dysplasia.

Materials and Methods:

This is a cross-sectional study (CSA) of 400 patients looking at the association of DLSS with stunting. The study compares the size of the spinal canal in individuals with stunting and those without stunting. Stunting was defined according to the WHO/UNICEF criteria of −2SD of the median height of the same population. The participants were divided into two types: those who were deemed stunted and those who were not. DLSS was similarly defined as −2SD of the relevant measured parameter. The study included skeletally mature patients between 18 and 60 years. All syndromic individuals, those with spine tumors and previous spine surgery, were excluded.

Results:

Four hundred individuals were sampled from a pool of 597 participants. One hundred and eight or 27% were stunted. The stunted individuals had statistically significantly shallow canal depths or anteroposterior diameters (11.2 ± 2.0 mm vs. 14.6 ± 2.6 mm, t(398) = −11.1, P < 0.001), and narrower canal widths (transverse diameters) (14.6 ± 3.3 mm vs. 18.8 ± 4.5 mm, t(398) = −8.1, P < 0.001) and smaller CSAs (134.0 ± 49.4 mm vs. 220.2 ± 82.0, t(398) = −9.4, P < 0.001) when compared to individuals with normal heights. Odds ratio was 10.

Conclusions:

Stunted individuals have smaller lumbar spinal canals when compared to nonstunted individuals. It can be concluded that developmental lumbar spinal canal stenosis is part of a generalized skeletal dysplasia.
Fractured Cervical Facet Osteophyte Causing Acute Traumatic Myelopathy
Authors: Patel Bharat K. , Bapat Mihir R. , Upadhyay Arpit
Published: May 2021

A 52-year-old gentleman presented with acute onset quadriparesis of ten days duration after a trivial fall. Both extremities had grade-2 power. Bilateral hand grip was poor with interossei weakness. The sensation was reduced below C6 with positive Lhermitte’s sign. Deep tendon reflexes were exaggerated except absent bilateral biceps jerk. The bowel and bladder had urgency and frequency. Neck movements were terminally painful. CT and MRI showed a floating bony spicule adjacent to left C5-6 facet joint encroaching the spinal canal causing cord compression. A focal left C5 hemi-laminectomy and foraminotomy were performed. A onecm floating bony spicule adjoining to left C5-6 facet joint was excised. Biopsy ruled out osteochondroma and synovial cyst. The power improved to grade-4 in both extremities with moderate grip and he became dependent ambulatory within three months of surgery. At the end of two years, he recovered almost completely with residual mild left-hand grip weakness.
A novel laparoscopic near-infrared fluorescence spectrum system with indocyanine green fluorescence overcomes limitations of near-infrared fluorescence image-guided surgery
Authors: Ebihara Yuma , Li Liming , Noji Takehiro , Kurashima Yo , Murakami Soichi , Shichinohe Toshiaki , Hirano Satoshi
Published: May 2021

Background:

Near-infrared (NIR) fluorescence image-guided surgery (FIGS) introduces a revolutionary new approach to address this basic challenge in minimally invasive surgery. However, current FIGS systems have some limitations – the infrared rays cannot detect and visualise thick tissues with low concentrations of the fluorescent agent. We established a novel laparoscopic fluorescence spectrum (LFS) system using indocyanine green (ICG) fluorescence to overcome these limitations.

Materials and Methods:

Bovine serum albumin (BSA) was conjugated to ICG, and the mixtures were serially diluted at 5 × 10−8–5 × 10−1 mg/mL. We used the LFS system and a NIR camera system (NLS; SHINKO OPTICAL CO., LTD Tokyo, Japan) to determine the optical dilution for the fluorescence detection. BSA was conjugated to ICG (5.0 × 10−2 mg/mL) and used to coat the clips. We attempted to identify the fluorescence-coated clip from the serosal side of the cadaveric porcine stomach tissues using the LFS system and the NIR camera system. We measured the depth of the cadaveric porcine stomach wall at the thickest part that could be confirmed.

Results:

We could not visualise fluorescence concentrations <2.5 × 10−3 mg/mL using the NIR camera system. The spectrum was detected at a concentration <2.5 × 10−3 mg/mL. We were able to identify the spectrum of ICG (829 nm) to a 13-mm depth of cadaveric porcine stomach wall by using the LFS system but could not identify the same with the NIR camera system regardless of wall thickness.

Conclusions:

The novel LFS system with NIR fluorescence imaging in this ex vivo and cadaveric porcine model was confirmed useful at deeper depths and lower concentrations. Based on these findings, we anticipate that the LFS system can be integrated and routinely used in minimally invasive surgery.
Epidemiology Profile and Outcomes of Oral Potentially Malignant Disorders among Different Geographic Regions of Taiwan
Authors: Chiu Sheng-Fu , Ho Chung-Han , Chen Yi-Chen , Wu Li-Wha , Chen Yuh-Ling , Wu Jer-Horng , Wu Wei-Sheng , Hung Hui-Kun , Chiang Wei-Fan
Published: May 2021

Background:

The malignant transformation of oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMDs) is a potential cause of oral cancers. However, epidemiological studies on malignant transformation of OPMDs are lacking. The present study is aimed to investigate the percentage of OPMD in the oral mucosal screening database and the malignant transformation (%) across different regions of Taiwan.

Methods:

We determined the cases of malignant transformation of OPMD to oral cancers during the 2-year follow-up by the oral mucosal screening database and the cancer registry database contained in the National Health Insurance Research Database. Patients with oral cancer history before OPMD diagnosis were excluded from the study. We collected data including clinical diagnosis, biopsy result, follow-up, and place of residence of the patient. The most widely used definition from the Council for Economic Planning and Development in Taiwan was used in this study for the classification into Southern, Northern, Eastern, and Western Taiwan regions. Differences in the malignant transformation (%) and ranking between regions were evaluated using analysis of variance test.

Results:

Chiayi city located in Southern Taiwan has the highest percentage of OPMD in oral screening citizen. The percentage of OPMD in the oral mucosal screening database was highest in Southern Taiwan and lowest in Eastern Taiwan; however, the malignant transformation (%) was highest in the Eastern Taiwan and lowest in Northern Taiwan.

Conclusion:

Dentists and otolaryngologists in Southern Taiwan, especially Chiayi city, should be cautious when screening the patient because of the high percentage of OPMD in oral mucosal screening database. The percentage of OPMD in the oral mucosal screening database and the malignant transformation (%) are different among the different regions in Taiwan. Further research is needed to clarify the reasons for the different malignant transformation (%) between regions.
Surveillance of Human Guinea Worm in Chad, 2010–2018
Authors: Guagliardo Sarah Anne J. , Ruiz-Tiben Ernesto , Hopkins Donald R. , Weiss Adam J. , Ouakou Philippe Tchindebet , Zirimwabagabo Hubert , Unterwegner Karmen , Tindall Dillon , Cama Vitaliano A. , Bishop Henry , Sapp Sarah G. H. , Roy Sharon L.
Published: May 2021

The total number of Guinea worm cases has been reduced by 99.9% since the mid-1980s when the eradication campaign began. Today, the greatest number of cases is reported from Chad. In this report, we use surveillance data collected by the Chad Guinea Worm Eradication Program to describe trends in human epidemiology. In total, 114 human cases were reported during the years 2010–2018, with highest rates of containment (i.e., water contamination prevented) in the years 2013, 2014, 2016, and 2017 (P < 0.0001). Approximately half of case-patients were female, and 65.8% of case-patients were aged 30 years or younger (mean: 26.4 years). About 34.2% of case-patients were farmers. Cases were distributed across many ethnicities, with a plurality of individuals being of the Sara Kaba ethnicity (21.3%). Most cases occurred between the end of June and the end of August and were clustered in the Chari Baguirmi (35.9%) and Moyen Chari regions (30.1%). Cases in the northern Chari River area peaked in April and in August, with no clear temporal pattern in the southern Chari River area. History of travel within Chad was reported in 7.0% of cases, and male case-patients (12.5%) were more likely than female case-patients (1.7%) to have reported a history of travel (P = 0.03). Our findings confirm that human Guinea worm is geographically disperse and rare. Although the proportion of case-patients with travel history is relatively small, this finding highlights the challenge of surveillance in mobile populations in the final stages of the global eradication campaign.
The need for a good enough territorial and economic governance in south Sudan
Authors: Onditi Francis , D’Alessandro Cristina
Published: May 2021

Peace and conflict dynamics in South Sudan are intertwined with political governance, institutional capacities, and leadership. Nevertheless, in the specific South Sudanese intractable civil wars since signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in 2005, territorial and economic governance are also certainly strictly connected to any possible prospect of sustainable peace for the country. As such, after carefully defining these concepts, this article emphasizes that territorial governance in South Sudan relates to boundaries definition and to the division of the national territory in states with a certain degree of autonomy. The issues and divergences engendered by territorial governance are intertwined with economic governance concerns. The uneven distribution of natural resources (especially oil) produces wealth and power redistribution concerns that are at the core of contentious relations between social and ethnic groups. These circles of tensions rapidly degenerate into conflict in a context of widespread poverty, inequality, and consequent social vulnerability. The article defines and illustrates a “good enough” territorial and economic governance framework for the South Sudanese case study.Keywords: South Sudan; Governance; Resources; Territory; Political System.
Inclusive development as an imperative to realizing the human right to water and sanitation
Authors: Obani Pedi , Gupta Joyeeta
Published: May 2021

There are a plethora of governance instruments for operationalizing human rights obligations on water and sanitation at multiple levels of governance. The realization that the human right to water and sanitation depends on the discourses and approaches used in a country to implement it implies that it is not self-evident that implementing the right will lead to inclusive development. The inclusive development aims at not only social inclusion but also ecological and relational inclusion, where the latter aims at ensuring that the structural causes of inequality are also addressed. Relying on an extensive literature review and jurisprudence on the human right to water and sanitation, we develop an ideal-typical conceptual framework for assessing the human right to water and sanitation with inclusive development as an imperative. Our framework is based on the premise that governance instruments are valueladen tools which can steer social changes depending on the contextual political paradigm which can be garnered from the goals, ownership models, accountability mechanisms and incentives of actors involved in the governance process. We, therefore, propose a simple model for assessing whether the governance instruments for operationalizing the human right to water and sanitation will, in fact, lead to inclusive development.Keywords: Human Rights, Governance, Water and Sanitation
Antibacterial effect of Ocimum gratissimum against bacteria from paediatric diarrhoeal stool samples in the tropics
Authors: B. Odebisi-Omokanye M. , Agbabiaka T. O. , Zakariyah R. F. , Sanya O.
Published: May 2021

The upsurge in the prevalence of side effects of many synthetic antimicrobial agents and incidence of multidrug resistant bacteria has spurred scientists on the research for plant based antimicrobial of therapeutic potentials. Ocimum gratissimum presents such potential of high medicinal value. This plant is used in Nigeria traditionally as condiments and for the treatment of various ailments such as pyorrhea, dysentery and bronchitis. Aqueous and ethanolic leaf extracts of O. gratissimum was screened for antibacterial activity against bacteria recovered from paediatric diarrhoea stool samples. Both extracts were found to exhibit selective inhibition against the isolates. The diameter zones of inhibition exhibited by the extracts were between 2.50±0.50mm – 26.00±1.00mm. The ethanolic and aqueous extracts had minimum inhibitory concentrations that ranged between 15 and 25mg/ml, the extracts were bacteriostatic. Ethanolic extract showed more inhibitory effects compared to the aqueous extracts. The phytochemical analysis of both extracts revealed the presence of saponins, alkaloids, flavonoids, phenolics, tannins and glycosides, volatile oils, proteins and amino acids and terpernoids. In view of the efficacy of these extracts in inhibiting the growth of diarrhoea- causing organisms in paediatric stool samples, the utilization of the extracts in the formulation of new antibacterial drugs for the treatment of gastroenteritis caused by these organisms is strongly recommended especially when the availability and low cost of this medicinal plant are put into strong consideration.Keywords: Ocimum, diarrhoea, paediatric, stool, antibacterial
Exercise participation and diet monitoring in pursuit of healthy aging among the university staff members
Authors: Gbenga J. B. , Babalola J. F.
Published: May 2021

This study examined the level of exercise participation and diet monitoring in pursuit of healthy aging. Descriptive survey research design and self-structured questionnaire was used to elicit information from the respondents. Proportionate stratified and simple random sampling techniques were used to select two hundred and nineteen (219) respondents (60.7% male and 33.2% female) who formed the sample size for the study. Statistical analysis of mean, standard deviation, percent counts, frequency, chi-square and spearman rank correlation coefficient were carried out. Results showed that university staff members had significant level of exercise participation and proper diet monitoring in pursuit of healthy aging (X2=204.05, p=.000; X2=235.16, p=.000). Exercise participation and diet monitoring in pursuit of healthy aging had very weak positive relationship (r=0.132,p=.000). The study revealed that it is possible to focus more on exercise participation and neglect diet monitoring or vice versa. Exercise participation and diet monitoring are closely related to living a healthy lifestyle with satisfactory life-work growing productivity level and both should be given adequate attention.Keywords: Exercise participation, diet monitoring, healthy aging
Modeling of acetosolv pulp yields from plantain stalk
Authors: Ogunsile B. O. , Omotoso M. A.
Published: May 2021

Organosolv pulping processes have been developed as a substitute to the conventional process because of its little or no emission into the environment. Plantain stalk was subjected to acetosolv pulping at atmospheric conditions under the influence of three operating parameters, namely, concentration of acetic acid, H2SO4 – catalyst and time. The influence of the operationalvariables on the pulp yield was evaluated using a second - order factorial design. The results showed that the highest pulp yield was 64.14 % which was obtained at the lowest value of the operational variables. The greatest influence on the pulp yield was caused by the concentration of acetic acid while the H2SO4 – catalyst had the least. The polynomial equation derived predicted the pulp yields with errors less than 6 %.Keywords: Acetosolv, pulp yield, operational variables, factorial design