bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Hematología y química sanguínea de la codorniz japonesa (Coturnix coturnix japonica)
Authors: Caicedo Álvarez Camilo Andrés , Hurtado Nery Víctor Libardo , Torres Novoa Diana Milena , Fuentes Reyes Edgar Edilberto
Published: July 2021

El presente trabajo se realizó con el objetivo de determinar los valores de hematología y química sanguínea de la codorniz japonesa en la ciudad de Villavicencio, ya que en la actualidad no se encuentran resultados de estudios sobre este tema realizados en el país y en especial en la Región de la Orinoquía, a la vez se determinó cómo puede afectarse el metabolismo, cuando componentes esenciales de la dieta como lo son los aminoácidos L-lisina y DL-metionina se encuentran en diferentes niveles. Se emplearon 36 codornices de 45 días de edad, con peso promedio de 155.5 g, en un diseño experimental completamente al azar con tres tratamientos, cuatro repeticiones y tres aves por unidad experimental. Los tratamientos estaban constituidos por ración basal 1.036% de lisina y 0.393% de metionina. Se realizó análisis de varianza mediante el software de análisis estadístico Statisitical Analysis Sistem, SAS®. Las variables evaluadas fueron conteo total de eritrocitos, hemoglobina, hematocrito, volumen corpuscular medio, trombocitos, recuento diferencial de leucocitos, glucosa, lactosa, calcio, potasio, sodio, dióxido de carbono total, bicarbonato, saturación de oxígeno, presión parcial de dióxido de carbono y pH sanguíneo. Los parámetros de hematología, bioquímica y gases en sangre para codornices japonesas no fueron afectados (P>0.05) por los tratamientos evaluados excepto para el recuento de leucocitos y la saturación de oxígeno en sangre. En conclusión, la suplementación de aminoácidos sintéticos L-lisina y DL-metionina aumenta el porcentaje de saturación de oxígeno en sangre, y niveles de 0.153% de lisina en la dieta pueden favorecer el sistema inmune de codornices japonesas en fase de postura, previniendo la aparición de patologías que afectan los sistemas productivos.
Uso de probióticos en alimentación animal
Authors: Gutiérrez Castro Litsy , Güechá Castillo Andrea Yamily
Published: July 2021

Estudios realizados en los últimos años denotan que el uso de probióticos implementados en la dieta animal demuestra un óptimo aumento sobre los parámetros productivos en la producción de animales rumiantes y no rumiantes destinados a satisfacer la alta demanda que se presenta en proteína de origen animal. La implementación de los probióticos en la dieta para animales de producción se perfila como una opción positiva para el productor mejorando indicadores productivos y económicos, puesto que entra a competir con el uso exagerado de antibióticos, lo cual está afectando el rendimiento productivo animal y la utilidad empresarial. En el presente trabajo se recopila información sobre el uso de probióticos como alternativa para optimizar los parámetros zootécnicos con el fin de disminuir pérdidas económicas sin desmejorar el valor nutricional del producto final garantizando al consumidor la entrega de un producto inocuo y de buena calidad.
Pronostics Factors of Csm; Experience of Military Hospital of Rabat/Maroc about 107 Cases
Authors: Patrice Koffi Niamien , Kouakou Frank , Jawad Laaguili , Cherkaoui Mandour , Miloud Gazzaz , Brahim El Mostarphid
Published: July 2021

Background: The surgery outcome of cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM) for some authors depend to the clinical signs (obesity, smoking, sex, age, patient’s activity, and the surgery delays). Nevertheless, for others authors it’s depending to the chirurgical approach (anterior or posterior or the levels number of decompression in the cervical spine). There is no consensus although some arguments prevail over to others in the literature. Our study purpose was to determine the important clinical factors predictors of surgical outcome in patients with CSM. It’s a retrospective study of 107 patients admitted to the Mohamed V hospital in Rabat over 06 years from January 2013 to December 2018 for cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM) operated and were followed up for 1year. Their neurological status pre and postoperative was assessed using the Japan Orthopedic Association (JOA) score and others prognostics factors such as sex, age, duration of symptoms, Cobbs angle, number of discs compressed, MODIC class signal and, (P<0.05) was statistically significant. Patients were classified into 02 groups, youngers patients in group 1 = G1 (<60 years of age; n = 70) and an elderly patients group = G2 (>/=60 years of age; n = 37). The mean age = 52.72 years [42.27-63.16], male 64.5% against 35.5% of women, a sex ratio = 2/1 in favor of men. In G1, mean age X1= 45.6 years. In G 2, mean age X2 = 61.85 years. The average delays for surgery = 11.28 months [6-18.19]. In G1 it was 10.30 months and 16.34 months in G2. The pre operatory JOA score (JOA PREO) = 9.87 +/- 2.033. JOA PREO score was 11 and 7 respectively in G1 and G2. The prevalence of MODIC (MC) = 52.23% and type 2 of MC was predominant in both groups, with p> 0.05. G1 patients underwent an ACDF in 82% and laminectomy in 18%. In G 2 laminectomy was performed in 50% and the anterior discectomy in 21.73%, corporectomy in 28.27%. After surgery, JOA score passed to severe to moderate 13.48 and 13.27 after 1year of follow-up in G1 and G2. In conclusion those factors such as sex, number of discs involved, and Cobbs angle on prognosis were not statistically significant (P>0.05) but patient’s age and duration of symptoms < 1 year predict to have more neurologic improvement (P<0.05) according to the JOA score.
Post-Marketing Surveillance Study to Substantiate the Efficacy and Safety for the Combination of Paracetamol, Phenylephrine, Chlorpheniramine Maleate, Sodium Citrate and Menthol in Indian Patients of Common Cold
Authors: Kiran Dr. Mayuresh , Pawaskar Mr. Lalit , Sheikh Ms. Shaheen , Waghambare Ms. Pramita
Published: July 2021

Introduction: Common cold is frequently encountered by people and it also largely affects productivity of the daily routine life. Combination of Paracetamol, Phenylephrine and Chlorpheniramine maleate which acts as an antipyretic, nasal decongestant and anti-histaminic respectively, can be used for the symptomatic treatment of common cold. To the above-mentioned combination, Sodium Citrate was added as an expectorant and Menthol for cooling effect and this post marketing surveillance study was conducted to test the efficacy and safety for the symptomatic treatment of common cold. Methodology: Out of 200 enrolled, 174 patients completed the study. Safety assessment was made by analysing the adverse events reported by the patient or their guardian. Efficacy was evaluated by total symptom score [TSS] (eleven-point scale ranging from 0 to 10 where 0 is no symptom to 10 is the maximum symptoms) which was extrapolated to four-point Likert-type symptom severity scales. Results: TSS was reduced from 5.57 at baseline visit to 3.40 at day 3 to 1.69 at day 5. At day 3 and day 5 there was TSS reduction of 38.865 % and 69.690 % respectively as compared to baseline. 18 episodes of adverse drug reactions were reported and all of them were of expected and non-serious nature. Conclusion: Fixed-dose combination of Paracetamol 125mg, Phenylephrine 5mg, Chlorpheniramine Maleate 1mg, Sodium Citrate 60mg and mentholated flavoured syrupy base q.s. per 5ml was found to be safe and efficacious for the treatment of common cold in children of age between 2 to 12 years.
The Effect of Self-Esteem, Positive Future Expectation and Attitude Toward Future on Happiness: An Analysis of Vocational School Students
Authors: Toker Boran , Kalıpçı M. Bahadır
Published: July 2021

The aim of this study is to determine the effects of self-esteem, positive future expectation, and future attitudes on the happiness of vocational school students. The Self-Esteem Scale developed by Tafarodi and Swann (1995), The Attitude toward Future and Positive Future Expectations Scales developed by İmamoğlu (2001), The Oxford Happiness Scale-Short Form developed by Hills and Argyle (2002), and a personal information form were used to collect the data. The data were obtained from 715 university students studying at Manavgat Vocational School, with one of the highest number of students at Akdeniz University. Reliability analysis, factor analysis, correlation analysis, and regression analysis were used to analyze the data. These analyses revealed positive and significant relationships among happiness, "self-liking" and "self-competence", which are the sub-dimensions of Self-Esteem Scale. Positive significant relationships were found between "positive orientation" and "planned orientation" sub-dimensions of attitude toward future scale, and happiness. However, a negative significant relationship was found between "anxious orientation" and happiness. A positive significant relationship was found between positive future expectation and happiness. In addition, from among all the independent variables, the "self-liking" sub-dimension was found to have the highest effect on happiness. This was followed by the planned orientation, positive future expectation, anxious orientation, positive orientation, and self-competence sub-dimensions. Self-esteem, attitude toward future, and positive future expectation had a share of 54% in describing the total change in happiness. The findings were discussed in light of the literature and some suggestions were made for school administrations.
Training of teachers of higher education institutions for the use of distance learning technologies in the context of digitalization
Authors: Astremska Iryna , Honcharuk Vitalii , Bialyk Oksana , Horbatiuk Nataliia , Martynyshyn Yaroslav , Pidlypskyi Andrii
Published: July 2021

This reflective study using exploratory research is based on a hypothesis because that the training of university teachers in the use of distance learning technologies will be effective if: the potential of distance learning technologies at the university has been determined; the essence and content of the notion "readiness of a university teacher to use distance learning technologies" are disclosed, indicators and levels of formation of the components of teacher readiness are determined university to this type of activity; the previous pedagogical conditions have been theoretically identified and experimentally substantiate. The study showed that, when conditions, means and efforts are well oriented, there are consistently satisfactory results in the use of distance learning technologies in the context of digitalization.
Historiography of Science and History of Science
Authors: Condé Mauro
Published: July 2021

From the Editor Historiography of Science and History of Science
ALASAN DISPENSASI NIKAH USIA DINI (STUDI KASUS DI PENGADILAN AGAMA PALU )
Authors: M. Aso Ribhan Abd , Malarangan Hilal , Raden Sahran
Published: July 2021

The study, entitled "Reasons for Early Marriage Dispensation (Case Study in the Palu Religious Court class IA") aims to provide an overview and explanation of the submission of an early marriage dispensation request at the 1.A Palu Religious Court and the consideration of judges in giving or rejecting requests for dispensation early marriage at the Klas 1 Palu Religious Court. This research was designed using descriptive research type, using a qualitative approach in data collection techniques. The results of the study, pointed out that the reason for the request for marriage dispensation in the Palu Religious Court was due to the fear of slander, pregnancy outside marriage, economic aspects, social aspects, and moral aspects. As for the judges' consideration in providing the determination of marriage dispensations at the hearing, the Panel of Judges used "kaida namely al-mashlahah al-mursalah". because the provisions on age restrictions and marriage dispensation are not explained in detail in the Koran, but the benefits are in line with the shariah action 'which wants to bring benefit to humans (the two brides and their families).

Abstrak

Penelitian yang berjudul “Alasan Dispensasi Nikah Usia Dini (Studi Kasus di Pengadilan Agama Palu klas IA” ini bertujuan untuk memberikan gambaran dan penjelasan terhadap pengajuan permohonan dispensasi nikah usia dini di Pengadilan Agama Klas 1.A Palu dan pertimbangan hakim dalam memberi atau menolak permohonan dispensasi nikah usia dini di Pengadilan Agama Klas 1 Palu. Penelitian ini di desain dengan menggunakan jenis penelitian deskriptif, dengan menggunakan pendekatan kualitatif dalam teknik pengumpulan data. Hasil penelitian, menujukan bahwa alasan permohonan dispensasi nikah di Pengadilan Agama Palu dikarenakan khawatir timbulnya fitnah, hamil diluar nikah, aspek ekonomi, aspek sosial, dan aspek moral. Sedang mengenai pertimbangan hakim dalam memberikan penetapan dispensasi nikah di persidangan, Majelis Hakim menggunakan”kaida yaitu al-mashlahah al-mursalah”. karena ketentuan pembatasan umur dan dispensasi nikah tidak dijelaskan secara rinci di dalam al-Quran, tetapi kandungan maslahatnya sejalan dengan tindakan syara’ yang ingin mewujudkan kemaslahatan bagi manusia (kedua calon mempelai beserta keluarga).
TINJAUAN SOSIO-POLITIK TERHADAP LARANGAN POLIGAMI (Pembaharuan Hukum Keluarga Tunisia)
Authors: Bahauddin Ahmad
Published: July 2021

The practice of polygamy which is carried out by some Tunisian society generally torments the wife. This is the basis for the prohibition of polygamy in Tunisia. The purpose of this research is to find out about the prohibition of polygamy in Tunisia which is contained in the Tunisian Family Law. This study uses literature research that focuses on the object of study on existing books and literature. While the method used in this research is descriptive-analysis method, which provides an overview and analyzes the Tunisian family law regarding the prohibition of polygamy. The results of this study indicate that the Tunisian State in implementing the law on the prohibition of polygamy cannot be separated from social politics. The factor is the number of husbands who torment their wives and children. This is one of the reasons that makes the law on the prohibition of polygamy come into effect. Because of the injustice committed by husbands to their wives. But in reality the regulations on the prohibition of polygamy are still not running optimally. This is because there is no common will between the government and the people.

 

Abstrak

Praktek poligami yang dilakukan oleh sebagian masyarakat Tunisia pada umumnya menyengsarakan pihak isteri. Inilah yang menjadi dasar pelarangan Poligami di Tunisia. Tujuan penelitian ini adalah mencari tau terhadap pelarangan poligami di Negara Tunisia yang termuat dalam Hukum Keluarga Tunisia. Penelitian ini menggunakan penelitian kepustakaan yang memfokuskan pada objek kajian pada buku-buku dan literature yang ada. Sedangkan metode yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah metode deskriptif-analisis, yaitu memberikan gambaran dan menganalisis Hukum Keluarga Tunisia terkait tentang pelarangan poligami. Hasil dari penelitian ini menunjukkan bahwa Negara Tunisia dalam penerapan undang-undang tentang larangan poligami tidak lepas dari social politik. Faktornya ialah dengan banyaknya para suami yang menyengsarakan pihak isteri dan anak. Inilah salah satu penyebab yang menjadikan berlakunya perundang-undangan tentang larangan poligami. Karena ketidakadilan yang dilakukan suami terhadap para isterinya. Tetapi pada kenyataannya peraturan larangan poligami tersebut berjalan masih belum maksimal. Ini disebabkan karena tidak adanya kesamaan kehendak antara pemerintah dan masyarakat.
Determination of Enalapril maleate from tablets using a new HPLC method
Authors: Gherman Simona , Zavastin Daniela , Şpac Adrian , Panainte Alina Diana
Published: July 2021

For the determination of enalapril maleate in tablets a new, simple and economical HPLC method was developed and fully validated. Chromatographic separation was achieved on Hewlett Zorbax SB-C 18 (150 x 4.6 mm, 5 μm) column and the mobile phase consisted of acetonitrile: 0.025 M phosphate buffer adjusted to pH 3 (70:30 v/v) pumped at a flow rate 0.8 mL/min and UV-detection was performed at 210 nm. The proposed method was validated according to ICH guidelines (linearity, limit of detection, limit of quantification, precision, accuracy, recovery and system suitability). The total run time was less than 3 min and the retention time for Enalapril maleate was 2.3 min. The calibration graph was linear in the concentration range between 10 – 100 μg/mL with the correlation coefficient r2 = 0.9998. The developed and validated method was successfully applied to determine the Enalapril maleate in tablets. Therefore, this method proved to be sensitive, specific and reproducible and can be applied for routine analysis of enalapril maleate from pharmaceutical formulation due to its simplicity of application.
Considerations on goat milk biochemical composition
Authors: Anghel Andreea , Jitariu Daniela , Nadolu Dorina , Zamfir Zoia , Ilişiu Elena
Published: July 2021

The benefits of human consumption of goat's milk are given by the presence in this milk of short-chain fatty acids (approximately 20% are short-chain fatty acids) and medium-chain fatty acids (55%), this milk being easier to digest. An important qualitative indicator of goat's milk with technological, nutritional and dietary impact is the fat content. Our data show that the percentage of milk fat increases immediately after parturition, then decreases for most of the lactation. This is due to two factors: a diluting effect, by increasing the volume of milk to the maximum level of lactation and a decreasing effect of lipid mobilization, which leads to a decrease in the plasma level of unesterified fatty acids (especially C18:0 and C18:1), with a role in lipid synthesis in the mammary gland. From the third month of lactation, the average daily amount of milking milk undergoes only slight variations. Also, the fat and protein percentage remain relatively constant during June-August. In summer there was an increase in the levels of monounsaturated, polyunsaturated fatty acids and of conjugated linoleic acids in milk, compared to spring. Our results indicate that multiparous Carpathian breed females, whose food comes mostly from grazing, produce milk during the summer with a ratio between omega-6 and omega-3 below 4.
Dynamic viscosity dependence on temperature for fuels used for diesel engine
Authors: Niţă Irina , Osman Sibel , Iulian Olga
Published: July 2021

Viscosity is an important property of fuels used for diesel engine affecting engine’s efficiency and harmful gases emission. Viscosity of liquid fuels depends especially on fuels composition and temperature. The dynamic viscosity of diesel fuel, biodiesel and blends of diesel with biodiesel, i-propanol and n-butanol was measured for temperature ranging from 293.15 K to 323.15 K and atmospheric pressure. It has been verified that well-known Arrhenius derived equations can be used to estimate with good accuracy, viscosity at different temperatures for diesel, biodiesel, diesel+biodiesel blends, but also for diesel blends with propanol and butanol. Values of activation parameters: activation energy, activation enthalpy and activation entropy for the viscous flow were derived based on linearized Eyring’s type equation. The values of the activation energy for viscous flow of fuels and fuels blends calculated based on measured values of dynamic viscosity in the temperature range of 273.15 K and 323.15 K were similar to those presented in the literature for some hydrocarbons, esters, and alcohols, respectively.
Effect of Gender Differences and Other Factors on Remuneration of Employees in EU Countries
Authors: Antošová Irena , Hazuchová Naďa , Stávková Jana
Published: July 2021

The aim of the paper is to verify gender income differences and to reveal factors influencing differences in remuneration. Gender income differences across the EU range from 6% in Romania to 27% in the Czech Republic. Data from 178,878 employees filtered from the EU-SILC database were used for calculations. Stepwise regression analysis was used to identify factors that affect gender income differences. The greatest effect was shown in the “Absolute Income”, then the “Job Change in the Last Year” factor, but the “Education” and “Age” showed a strongly negative tendency. Extraordinary attention is devoted to the effect of the “Job sector” factor, which also significantly contributes to the difference in income. Different representation of gender appears in different industries, which can be caused by preferences and be a consequence of persisting society-wide stereotypes. Social policies are not in line with changes in society and lag behind the development of society.
Parental Leave in the Czech Republic and Slovakia – Where Is It More Favourable to Become a Father?
Authors: Nevická Denisa , Hamuľák Juraj , Krippel Mikuláš
Published: July 2021

The article deals with the position of the child’s father in labour relations. The comparative analysis of legislation in the Czech Republic and Slovakia is based not only on labour law, but also on social security law and anti-discrimination law. The authors aim to point out the difference in treatment and answer the fundamental research question – In which country is it easier for a man to reconcile work and family responsibilities?
Interest Limitation Rule Under ATAD: Case of the Czech Republic
Authors: Pivoňková Aneta , Tepperová Jana
Published: July 2021

The anti-tax avoidance directive (ATAD) implemented in the EU countries in 2019 has brought, among other things, a common rule for tax-deductibility of exceeding borrowing costs of corporate taxpayers – the interest limitation rule. For interest limitation, the Czech Republic had so far used the so-called safe haven thin capitalisation rule. With the implementation of ATAD, companies need to test not only the thin capitalisation rule but also the new interest limitation rule according to ATAD. This paper aims to review the impact of the new interest limitation rule on the 200 largest Czech companies by their 2017 revenue as recorded in the Albertina database. Results covering the new rules, i.e. following the ATAD implementation, are being compared to the situation before the implementation. Most of the analysed companies seem unaffected by the new interest limitation rule. The analysis also showed that most of the analysed companies do not imply exceeding borrowing costs, either before or following the ATAD implementation.
Does Monetary Union Membership Affect Convergence in the European Union?
Authors: Siljak Dzenita , Nagy Sándor Gyula
Published: July 2021

The objective of the article is to investigate the effects of the stage of integration on convergence in the European Union. The relationships between the selected macro-economic variables and per capita GDP growth rate are econometrically tested for the period 2004–2018 and three sub-periods: the pre-crisis period 2004–2008, the crisis period 2009–2013, and the post-crisis period 2014–2018. Convergence is estimated using ordinary least squares (OLS) semi-log regression based on cross-sectional data. The findings show that convergence rates range between 1.9 percent and 4.8 percent. The positive effects of deeper integration are identified, as well as the negative effects of the 2008/2009 crisis. The empirical results suggest that the selected variables have an impact on the per capita GDP growth rate in at least one analyzed period.
Effect of Cerebrospinal Fluid on Fibroblasts Concerning Epidural Fibrosis: An In Vitro Study
Authors: Gürkanlar Doğa , Lafcı Fahrioğlu Sevda , Fahrioğlu Umut
Published: July 2021

One of the most common treatments for lumbar disc herniation and other lumbar disorders is lumbar laminectomy. There may be some unwanted and serious complications with this procedure such as the “failed back surgery syndrome (FBSS)”. Epidural fibrosis (EF), mainly due to fibroblast proliferation, emerges as the main cause of failed back surgery syndrome. According to the current literature and practice techniques, different agents are being used to prevent EF formation. To date there is no single agreed upon treatment method of EF. In this study, dilutional effect of CSF, together with low potassium levels, on primary skin fibroblast cultures was studied as a possible material for EF prevention. CSF at different concentrations (0-100%) were tested to see its effect on Skin fibroblast proliferation. A wound healing assay was also performed to see the effect of CSF on wound healing. The cell proliferation goes up from 24h to 72hr in all CSF percentages from 0-75% but the proliferation was inhibited at 100% CSF. The “wound” is closed successfully in all CSF percentages between 0-75. The 100% CSF fails to completely close the wound. Adverse effects of low concentrations of potassium levels and dilutional effect of CSF may be a promising solution in the prevention of EF. Further in vivo and in vitro experiments are required to characterize its use.
Synthesis, Characterization, and Optimization of Green Silver Nanoparticles Using Neopestalotiopsis clavispora and Evaluation of Its Antibacterial, Antibiofilm, and Genotoxic Effects
Authors: Kahraman Tuğba , Elif Korcan Safiye , Liman Recep , Hakkı Ciğerci İbrahim , Acikbas Yaser , Konuk Muhsin , Uysal Akkuş Gülderen
Published: July 2021

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have been used in a variety of biomedical applications in the last two decades, including antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer treatments. The present study highlights the extracellular synthesis of silver nanoparticles AgNPs using Neopestalotiopsis clavispora MH244410.1 and its antibacterial, antibiofilm, and genotoxic properties. Locally isolated N. clavispora MH244410.1 was identified by Internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequences of nuclear ribosomal DNA. Optimization of synthesized AgNPs was performed by using various parameters (pH (2, 4, 7, 9 and 12), temperature (25, 35 and 45 °C), and substrate concentration (0.05, 0.1, 0.15, 0.2 and 0.25 mM)). After 72 hours of incubation in dark conditions, the best condition for the biosynthesis of AgNPs was determined as 0.25 mM metal concentration at pH 12 and 35 °C. Fungal synthesized AgNPs were characterized via spectroscopic and microscopic techniques such as Fouirer Transform Infrared Spectrophotometer (FTIR), UV-Visible Spectroscopy, and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). The average size of the AgNPs was determined less than 60 nm using the TEM and Zetasizer measurement system (measured in purity water suspension). The characteristic peak of AgNPs was observed at ~414 nm from UV-Vis results. Antibacterial and genotoxic activity of synthesized AgNPs (0.1, 1, and 10 ppm) were also determined by using the agar well diffusion method and in vivo Somatic Mutation and Recombination Test (SMART) in Drosophila melanogaster. AgNPs exhibited potential antimicrobial activity against all the tested bacteria (Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa) except Escherichia coli in a dose-dependent manner. AgNPs did not induce genotoxicity in the Drosophila SMART assay. 79.33, 65.47, and 41.95% inhibition of biofilms formed by P. aeruginosa were observed at 10, 1, and 0.1 ppm of AgNPs, respectively. The overall results indicate that N. clavispora MH244410.1 is a good candidate for novel applications in biomedical research.
New Technology Tools and Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) Applied to a Sustainable Livestock Production
Authors: D’Agaro Edo , Rosa Franco , Akentieva Natalia P.
Published: July 2021

Agriculture 4.0, a combination of mechanical innovation and information and communication technologies (ICT) using precision farming, omics technologies and advanced waste treatment techniques, can be used to enhance the biological potential of animal and crop productions and reduce livestock gaseous emissions. In addition to animal proteins being excellent nutritional ingredients for the human diet, there is a growing concern regarding the amount of energy spent converting vegetable crops into animal protein and the relevant environmental impacts. Using the value chain analysis derived from the neoclassic production theory extended to industrial processing and the market, the hypothesis to be tested concerns the sustainability and convenience of different protein sources. The methodology implies the use of life cycle analysis (LCA) to evaluate the efficiency of different livestock diet ingredients. The use of feeding products depend upon various factors, including cost reduction, consumer acceptance, incumbent industry response, civil society support, policy consensus, lower depletion of natural resources, improved sustainable agri-food supply chain and LCA. EU policy makers should be aware of these changes in livestock and market chains and act proactively to encourage the use of alternative animal proteins.
Effect of storage time on the biodegradability of olive oil mill wastewater from the cold extraction of olive oil system
Authors: Gueboudji Zakia , Bagues Mohamed , Kadi Kenza , Nagaz Kamel , Addad Dalila
Published: July 2021

The olive oil processing industry’s liquid effluents (OMW) have a polluting capacity for the ecosystems. This study aimed to evaluate the physicochemical quality of OMW of two varieties of separated and combined olives cultivated in Khenchela Eastern Algeria, from the cold extraction of the olive oil extraction system. These was to determine their degree of pollution and biodegradability during one year of storage at ambient temperature to recommend the correct treatment for each storage time. Results of the measured parameters pH, EC,TSS percent, H2O percent, lipids, DM, OM, MM, VM, COT percent, NTK percent, C/N, BOD5, COD, BI, TOM, BOD5/COD show that wastewater from olive oil mills has an acid pH, and they are very loaded with organic matter evaluated in terms of COD and BOD5, quite filled with minerals. The storage of olive mill waste can reduce progressively the pollution caused by this waste. Whereas during one year, the reduction rate of COD, BOD5, TOM, BI, is respectively 29.4%, 54.8%, 39.16%, 54.2%, but C/N, BOD5/COD continue to increase as well as pH that continues to decrease during the storage. Accordingly, storing olive mill waste during a year reduces its pollution rate, so it is slowly biodegradable. When disposing of it, an adequate treatment procedure must be required to protect the environment.
Investigation on Control Strategies for a Single-Phase Photovoltaic Inverter Using PSCAD/EMTDC Software
Authors: Henz Cristiano Luiz , Gasparin Fabiano Perin
Published: July 2021

In the last decades, electric power produced through photovoltaic conversion has been increasing because of the need to reduce fossil fuel burning. Recently, photovoltaic systems have become more competitive and their role in the renewable energies market share is steadily gaining in importance. Improvements in the power electronics employed in the DC/AC conversion are topics of interest in the quest for more efficient and eventually reduced-cost inverters. The goal of this paper is to perform an investigation of control strategies and propose a topology for a single-phase DC/AC converter for photovoltaic arrays using the simulation software Power System Computer Aided Design/ Electromagnetic Transient Design and Control (PSCAD/EMTDC). The circuit proposed in this paper employs an isolating transformer to a grid-connected photovoltaic inverter. The control strategy proposed uses the instantaneous reactive power theory (p–q theory) and phase-locked loop (PLL). The p-q theory uses two virtual axes in the Park Transformation, which provide to the control system a good dynamic response, accuracy, and decoupling between the control and power system. Computer simulations using the electromagnetic transient software PSCAD show the efficiency of the proposed strategy for a single-phase inverter. The control strategy and topology are quite simple and easy to implement in the future using a Digital Signal Processor (DSP). The results provide insights into new power electronics solutions, which can improve the efficiency and efficacy of the current available in DC/AC converters for photovoltaic systems.
Effectiveness Analysis of Rolling Bearing Fault Detectors Based On Self-Organising Kohonen Neural Network – A Case Study of PMSM Drive
Authors: Jankowska Kamila , Ewert Pawel
Published: July 2021

Due to their many advantages, permanent magnet synchronous motors (PMSMs) are increasingly used in not only industrial drive systems but also electric and hybrid vehicle drives, aviation and other applications. Unfortunately, PMSMs are not free from damage that occurs during their operation. It is assumed that about 40% of the damage that occurs is related to rolling bearing damage. This article focuses on the use of Kohonen neural network (KNN) for rolling bearing damage detection in a PMSM drive system. The symptoms from the fast Fourier transform (FFT) and Envelope (ENV) Analysis of the mechanical vibration acceleration signal were analysed. The signal ENV was obtained by applying the Hilbert transform (HT). Two neural network functions are discussed: a detector and a classifier. The detector detected the damage and the classifier determined the type of damage to the rolling bearing (undamaged bearing, damaged rolling element, outer or inner race). The effectiveness of the analysed networks from the point of view of the applied signal processing method, map size, type of neighbourhood radius, distance function and the influence of input data normalisation are presented. The results are presented in the form of a confusion matrix, together with 2D and 3D maps of active neurons.
ZKSENSE: A Friction-less Privacy-Preserving Human Attestation Mechanism for Mobile Devices
Authors: Querejeta-Azurmendi Iñigo , Papadopoulos Panagiotis , Varvello Matteo , Nappa Antonio , Zhang Jiexin , Livshits Benjamin
Published: July 2021

Recent studies show that 20.4% of the internet traffic originates from automated agents. To identify and block such ill-intentioned traffic, mechanisms that verify the humanness of the user are widely deployed, with CAPTCHAs being the most popular. Traditional CAPTCHAs require extra user effort (e.g., solving mathematical puzzles), which can severely downgrade the end-user’s experience, especially on mobile, and provide sporadic humanness verification of questionable accuracy. More recent solutions like Google’s reCAPTCHA v3, leverage user data, thus raising significant privacy concerns. To address these issues, we present zkSENSE: the first zero-knowledge proof-based humanness attestation system for mobile devices. zkSENSE moves the human attestation to the edge: onto the user’s very own device, where humanness of the user is assessed in a privacy-preserving and seamless manner. zkSENSE achieves this by classifying motion sensor outputs of the mobile device, based on a model trained by using both publicly available sensor data and data collected from a small group of volunteers. To ensure the integrity of the process, the classification result is enclosed in a zero-knowledge proof of humanness that can be safely shared with a remote server. We implement zkSENSE as an Android service to demonstrate its effectiveness and practicality. In our evaluation, we show that zkSENSE successfully verifies the humanness of a user across a variety of attacking scenarios and demonstrate 92% accuracy. On a two years old Samsung S9, zkSENSE’s attestation takes around 3 seconds (when visual CAPTCHAs need 9.8 seconds) and consumes a negligible amount of battery.
“I would have to evaluate their objections”: Privacy tensions between smart home device owners and incidental users
Authors: Cobb Camille , Bhagavatula Sruti , Garrett Kalil Anderson , Hoffman Alison , Rao Varun , Bauer Lujo
Published: July 2021

Recent research and articles in popular press have raised concerns about the privacy risks that smart home devices can create for incidental users—people who encounter smart home devices that are owned, controlled, and configured by someone else. In this work, we present the results of a user-centered investigation that explores incidental users’ experiences and the tensions that arise between device owners and incidental users. We conducted five focus group sessions through which we identified specific contexts in which someone might encounter other people’s smart home devices and the main concerns device owners and incidental users have in such situations. We used these findings to inform the design of a survey instrument, which we deployed to a demographically representative sample of 386 adults in the United States. Through this survey, we can better understand which contexts and concerns are most bothersome and how often device owners are willing to accommodate incidental users’ privacy preferences. We found some surprising trends in terms of what people are most worried about and what actions they are willing to take. For example, while participants who did not own devices themselves were often uncomfortable imagining them in their own homes, they were not as concerned about being affected by such devices in homes that they entered as part of their jobs. Participants showed interest in privacy solutions that might have a technical implementation component, but also frequently envisioned an open dialogue between incidental users and device owners to negotiate privacy accommodations.
Less is More: A privacy-respecting Android malware classifier using federated learning
Authors: Gálvez Rafa , Moonsamy Veelasha , Diaz Claudia
Published: July 2021

In this paper we present LiM (‘Less is More’), a malware classification framework that leverages Federated Learning to detect and classify malicious apps in a privacy-respecting manner. Information about newly installed apps is kept locally on users’ devices, so that the provider cannot infer which apps were installed by users. At the same time, input from all users is taken into account in the federated learning process and they all benefit from better classification performance. A key challenge of this setting is that users do not have access to the ground truth (i.e. they cannot correctly identify whether an app is malicious). To tackle this, LiM uses a safe semi-supervised ensemble that maximizes classification accuracy with respect to a baseline classifier trained by the service provider (i.e. the cloud). We implement LiM and show that the cloud server has F1 score of 95%, while clients have perfect recall with only 1 false positive in > 100 apps, using a dataset of 25K clean apps and 25K malicious apps, 200 users and 50 rounds of federation. Furthermore, we conduct a security analysis and demonstrate that LiM is robust against both poisoning attacks by adversaries who control half of the clients, and inference attacks performed by an honest-but-curious cloud server. Further experiments with Ma-MaDroid’s dataset confirm resistance against poisoning attacks and a performance improvement due to the federation.
SoK: Privacy-Preserving Computation Techniques for Deep Learning
Authors: Cabrero-Holgueras José , Pastrana Sergio
Published: July 2021

Deep Learning (DL) is a powerful solution for complex problems in many disciplines such as finance, medical research, or social sciences. Due to the high computational cost of DL algorithms, data scientists often rely upon Machine Learning as a Service (MLaaS) to outsource the computation onto third-party servers. However, outsourcing the computation raises privacy concerns when dealing with sensitive information, e.g., health or financial records. Also, privacy regulations like the European GDPR limit the collection, distribution, and use of such sensitive data. Recent advances in privacy-preserving computation techniques (i.e., Homomorphic Encryption and Secure Multiparty Computation) have enabled DL training and inference over protected data. However, these techniques are still immature and difficult to deploy in practical scenarios. In this work, we review the evolution of the adaptation of privacy-preserving computation techniques onto DL, to understand the gap between research proposals and practical applications. We highlight the relative advantages and disadvantages, considering aspects such as efficiency shortcomings, reproducibility issues due to the lack of standard tools and programming interfaces, or lack of integration with DL frameworks commonly used by the data science community.
LogPicker: Strengthening Certificate Transparency Against Covert Adversaries
Authors: Dirksen Alexandra , Klein David , Michael Robert , Stehr Tilman , Rieck Konrad , Johns Martin
Published: July 2021

HTTPS is a cornerstone of privacy in the modern Web. The public key infrastructure underlying HTTPS, however, is a frequent target of attacks. In several cases, forged certificates have been issued by compromised Certificate Authorities (CA) and used to spy on users at large scale. While the concept of Certificate Transparency (CT) provides a means for detecting such forgeries, it builds on a distributed system of CT logs whose correctness is still insufficiently protected. By compromising a certificate authority and the corresponding log, a covert adversary can still issue rogue certificates unnoticed.

We introduce LogPicker, a novel protocol for strengthening the public key infrastructure of HTTPS. LogPicker enables a pool of CT logs to collaborate, where a randomly selected log includes the certificate while the rest witness and testify the certificate issuance process. As a result, CT logs become capable of auditing the log in charge independently without the need for a trusted third party. This auditing forces an attacker to control each participating witness, which significantly raises the bar for issuing rogue certificates. LogPicker is efficient and designed to be deployed incrementally, allowing a smooth transition towards a more secure Web.
“We, three brothers have always known everything of each other”: A Cross-cultural Study of Sharing Digital Devices and Online Accounts
Authors: Al-Ameen Mahdi Nasrullah , Kocabas Huzeyfe , Nandy Swapnil , Tamanna Tanjina
Published: July 2021

Although many technologies assume that a device or an account would be used by a single user, prior research has found that this assumption may not hold true in everyday life. Most studies conducted to date focused on sharing a device or account with the members in a household. However, there is a dearth in existing literature to understand the contexts of sharing devices and accounts, which may extend to a wide range of personal, social, and professional settings. Further, people’s sharing behavior could be impacted by their social background. To this end, our paper presents a qualitative study with 59 participants from three different countries: Bangladesh, Turkey, and USA, where we investigated the sharing of digital devices (e.g., computer, mobile phone) and online accounts, in particular, financial and identity accounts (e.g., email, social networking) in various contexts, and with different entities - not limited to the members in a household. Our study reveals users’ perceptions of risks while sharing a device or account, and their access control strategies to protect privacy and security. Based on our analysis, we shed light on the interplay between users’ sharing behavior and their demographics, social background, and cultural values. Taken together, our findings have broad implications that advance the PETS community’s situated understanding of sharing devices and accounts.
SoK: Efficient Privacy-preserving Clustering
Authors: Hegde Aditya , Möllering Helen , Schneider Thomas , Yalame Hossein
Published: July 2021

Clustering is a popular unsupervised machine learning technique that groups similar input elements into clusters. It is used in many areas ranging from business analysis to health care. In many of these applications, sensitive information is clustered that should not be leaked. Moreover, nowadays it is often required to combine data from multiple sources to increase the quality of the analysis as well as to outsource complex computation to powerful cloud servers. This calls for efficient privacy-preserving clustering. In this work, we systematically analyze the state-of-the-art in privacy-preserving clustering. We implement and benchmark today’s four most efficient fully private clustering protocols by Cheon et al. (SAC’19), Meng et al. (ArXiv’19), Mohassel et al. (PETS’20), and Bozdemir et al. (ASIACCS’21) with respect to communication, computation, and clustering quality. We compare them, assess their limitations for a practical use in real-world applications, and conclude with open challenges.
Multiparty Homomorphic Encryption from Ring-Learning-with-Errors
Authors: Mouchet Christian , Troncoso-Pastoriza Juan , Bossuat Jean-Philippe , Hubaux Jean-Pierre
Published: July 2021

We propose and evaluate a secure-multiparty-computation (MPC) solution in the semi-honest model with dishonest majority that is based on multiparty homomorphic encryption (MHE). To support our solution, we introduce a multiparty version of the Brakerski-Fan-Vercauteren homomorphic cryptosystem and implement it in an open-source library. MHE-based MPC solutions have several advantages: Their transcript is public, their o~ine phase is compact, and their circuit-evaluation procedure is noninteractive. By exploiting these properties, the communication complexity of MPC tasks is reduced from quadratic to linear in the number of parties, thus enabling secure computation among potentially thousands of parties and in a broad variety of computing paradigms, from the traditional peer-to-peer setting to cloud-outsourcing and smart-contract technologies. MHE-based approaches can also outperform the state-of-the-art solutions, even for a small number of parties. We demonstrate this for three circuits: private input selection with application to private-information retrieval, component-wise vector multiplication with application to private-set intersection, and Beaver multiplication triples generation. For the first circuit, privately selecting one input among eight thousand parties’ (of 32 KB each) requires only 1.31 MB of communication per party and completes in 61.7 seconds. For the second circuit with eight parties, our approach is 8.6 times faster and requires 39.3 times less communication than the current methods. For the third circuit and ten parties, our approach generates 20 times more triples per second while requiring 136 times less communication per-triple than an approach based on oblivious transfer. We implemented our scheme in the Lattigo library and open-sourced the code at github.com/ldsec/lattigo.
CrowdNotifier: Decentralized Privacy-Preserving Presence Tracing
Authors: Lueks Wouter , Gürses Seda , Veale Michael , Bugnion Edouard , Salathé Marcel , Paterson Kenneth G. , Troncoso Carmela
Published: July 2021

There is growing evidence that SARS-CoV-2 can be transmitted beyond close proximity contacts, in particular in closed and crowded environments with insufficient ventilation. To help mitigation efforts, contact tracers need a way to notify those who were present in such environments at the same time as infected individuals. Neither traditional human-based contact tracing powered by handwritten or electronic lists, nor Bluetooth-enabled proximity tracing can handle this problem efficiently. In this paper, we propose CrowdNotifier, a protocol that can complement manual contact tracing by efficiently notifying visitors of venues and events with SARS-CoV-2-positive attendees. We prove that CrowdNotifier provides strong privacy and abuse-resistance, and show that it can scale to handle notification at a national scale.