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The need for secure user authentication in blockchain-based applications has been growing with the increased adoption of Decentralized Identity (DID) credentials in blockchain. Zokrates, a tool designed to protect user privacy within smart contracts, had a limitation in that it could not accept authenticated user information such as credentials, only allowing the use of manually inputted data. In this paper, we propose a smart contract system that securely validates DID credentials to overcome the limitations of traditional centralized authentication systems. This system ensures the safe identification of users within blockchain-based applications by authenticating their identities in a trusted manner within the blockchain. As the demand for user authentication in blockchain rises, this paper emphasizes the significance of a blockchain-based identity verification system that guarantees both privacy and security. Leveraging the Zero-Knowledge Proof method and utilizing the Zokrates tool, this innovative approach aims to provide solutions for the digital identity verification process, thereby expanding the scope of blockchain technology applications. Moreover, we also provide a CLI for each entity. We help anyone who wants to authenticate their identity using the tool to safely verify it on-chain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Professional credentialing refers to the process of obtaining a certifi cation or license that validates an individual’s knowledge, skills, and abilities according to industry-accepted ethics and standards. The International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) confers and manages professional arborist certifi cation as well as other arborist credentials. However, many communities, such as in the southern United States, have few if any credentialed commercial tree care professionals. This study explores the motivations and barriers commercial tree care workers place on professional arborist certifi cation. Methods: The research employed 60 qualitative interviews from 3 of the 8 southern states to elicit emergent themes and detailed understanding of participants’ attitudes and experiences. In addition, an online survey of 742 international respondents was conducted to validate and complement interview fi ndings. Results: Results illustrate degrees of professional interest in certifi cation. For example, some arborists pursued certifi cation to improve sales with government organizations, while both certifi ed and noncertifi ed participants suggested few clients were aware of certifi cation and therefore did not consider certifi cation valuable to market competition. Additionally, company cultures supporting professional development and engagement with professional organizations infl uenced certifi cation among new employees. Finally, some arborists viewed certifi cation as a pathway to increase knowledge, skills, and confi dence in arboriculture. Others discussed diffi culties in traditional education and testing required for certifi cation. Conclusion: The reasons for pursuing certifi cation were as diverse as the tree care workers in the industry. Findings suggest several possible interventions to address the challenges some individuals have in achieving certifi cation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BackgroundOne Health is defined as an integrated, unifying approach that aims to sustainably balance and optimize the health of people, animals and ecosystems; this approach attracts stakeholders from multiple sectors, academic disciplines, and professional practices. The diversity of expertise and interest groups is frequently and simultaneously framed as (1) a strength of the One Health approach in the process of understanding and solving complex problems associated with health challenges such as pathogen spillovers and pandemics and (2) a challenge regarding consensus on essential functions of One Health and the sets of knowledge, skills, and perspectives unique to a workforce adopting this approach. Progress in developing competency-based training in One Health has revealed coverage of various topics across fundamental, technical, functional, and integrative domains. Ensuring that employers value the unique characteristics of personnel trained in One Health will likely require demonstration of its usefulness, accreditation, and continuing professional development. These needs led to the conceptual framework of a One Health Workforce Academy (OHWA) for use as a platform to deliver competency-based training and assessment for an accreditable credential in One Health and opportunities for continuing professional development.MethodsTo gather information about the desirability of an OHWA, we conducted a survey of One Health stakeholders. The IRB-approved research protocol used an online tool to collect individual responses to the survey questions. Potential respondents were recruited from partners of One Health University Networks in Africa and Southeast Asia and international respondents outside of these networks. Survey questions collected demographic information, measured existing or projected demand and the relative importance of One Health competencies, and determined the potential benefits and barriers of earning a credential. Respondents were not compensated for participation.ResultsRespondents (N = 231) from 24 countries reported differences in their perspectives on the relative importance of competency domains of the One Health approach. More than 90% of the respondents would seek to acquire a competency-based certificate in One Health, and 60% of respondents expected that earning such a credential would be rewarded by employers. Among potential barriers, time and funding were the most cited.ConclusionThis study showed strong support from potential stakeholders for a OHWA that hosts competency-based training with opportunities for certification and continuing professional development.

National certification has been available for most school professionals, including teachers, school counselors, and school psychologists, for a number of years. It provides opportunities for candidates to demonstrate that they have met the highest standards in their profession. Because school social workers play an important role in schools, the School Social Work Association of America (SSWAA) developed a national certification for school social workers as a means for school social workers to demonstrate excellence and recognize their contributions to youth, families, and schools. The purpose of this qualitative study was to determine the major reasons why school social workers pursue national certification. The initial group of candidates for certification consisted of thirty-six school social workers. Findings of this study indicated that the primary motivations for pursuing national certification included opportunities for achieving personal and professional growth, advancing the profession, demonstrating leadership, and expanding professional networks. This article suggests ways that school administrators, school social work researchers, and SSWAA can contribute to the sustainability of national certification for school social workers and support practitioners in pursuing national certification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background One Health is defined as an integrated, unifying approach that aims to sustainably balance and optimize the health of people, animals and ecosystems; this approach attracts stakeholders from multiple sectors, academic disciplines, and professional practices. The diversity of expertise and interest groups is frequently and simultaneously framed as (1) a strength of the One Health approach in the process of understanding and solving complex problems associated with health challenges such as pathogen spillovers and pandemics and (2) a challenge regarding consensus on essential functions of One Health and the sets of knowledge, skills, and perspectives unique to a workforce adopting this approach. Progress in developing competency-based training in One Health has revealed coverage of various topics across fundamental, technical, functional, and integrative domains. Ensuring that employers value the unique characteristics of personnel trained in One Health will likely require demonstration of its usefulness, accreditation, and continuing professional development. These needs led to the conceptual framework of a One Health Workforce Academy (OHWA) for use as a platform to deliver competency-based training and assessment for an accreditable credential in One Health and opportunities for continuing professional development. Methods To gather information about the desirability of an OHWA, we conducted a survey of One Health stakeholders. The IRB-approved research protocol used an online tool to collect individual responses to the survey questions. Potential respondents were recruited from partners of One Health University Networks in Africa and Southeast Asia and international respondents outside of these networks. Survey questions collected demographic information, measured existing or projected demand and the relative importance of One Health competencies, and determined the potential benefits and barriers of earning a credential. Respondents were not compensated for participation. Results Respondents (N = 231) from 24 countries reported differences in their perspectives on the relative importance of competency domains of the One Health approach. More than 90% of the respondents would seek to acquire a competency-based certificate in One Health, and 60% of respondents expected that earning such a credential would be rewarded by employers. Among potential barriers, time and funding were the most cited. Conclusion This study showed strong support from potential stakeholders for a OHWA that hosts competency-based training with opportunities for certification and continuing professional development.

This article describes the development of national certification for school social workers. The need for national certification emerged in the late 1990s, but many steps were required to establish this credential. These steps included developing a national practice model, documenting competencies outlined in this model, developing performance indicators that clearly describe what the competencies look like in practice, and creating a process for application. Although work began in 2003, national certification for school social workers did not launch until 2021. Now that national certification has become a reality, there is more work to be done. This article will describe those next steps. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The growing need for formal instruction for nonprofit professionals in the social sector has increased since the mid-1980s. Colleges and universities alike have tried to address this issue through curriculum alone; however, research continually shows the value credentials, and service-based learning adds to developing sector-based knowledge. This study evaluates the Campus Partner Track offered through the Nonprofit Leadership Alliance available to college campuses across the nation. Through this track, eligible students can earn their Certified Nonprofit Professional (CNP) credential, ensuring they master eight general competencies essential to success in the nonprofit sector. Prior research has shown that those obtaining their CNP are seven times more likely to rise to a leadership position in the sector, while reducing the learning curve on the job by 2 years. To further explore the effects of the CNP credential, data is used from surveys distributed to current Campus Partners reporting on variables needed to create a flourishing CNP Program on college campuses, factors that are beneficial to students, and the overall value of the CNP credential to young professionals entering the workforce. Results indicate that internships, coursework, and professional experience opportunities are all vital in bolstering the educational learning of nonprofit students in higher education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The School Social Work Association of America's national certified school social worker (NCSSW) credential was launched in April 2021. Because the certification is so new, it has not yet been evaluated. Without information on the benefits of the NCSSW credential, it is difficult to promote the certification, to help the certification grow, or to establish the credential as a national standard across the United States. During a focus group, four participants who had completed NCSSW certification were asked a series of questions; responses were analyzed using Atlas.ti. The focus group was recorded using Zoom, and a transcription was created with the participants de-identified. Participants reported positive outcomes as a result of certification, but additional research will be needed. Although the results are limited and cannot be generalized, they provide a foundation for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Job satisfaction among nurses may be influenced by competency, education, income level, or the work environment, such as the type of facility, management, professional or career development, and access to resources. The purpose of this study was to analyze the effect of credentials, competence, career levels, and professionalism on the satisfaction among nurses in mental hospital. Subjects and Method: This was an analytic observational study with a cross sectional design. The study was conducted in Surakarta, Central Java, from September to October 2022. A sample of 215 nurses from 22 Surakarta Mental Hospital was selected for this study. The dependent variable was satisfaction of nurses. The independent variables were credential, competence, career levels, and profesionalism. The data were collected by questionnaire and analyzed by a multivariate linear regression. Results: Education master or doctor (b= 0.05; 95% CI= 0.03 to 0.15; p= 0.02), income (b= 1.47; 95% CI= 0.10 to 0.78; p= 0.04), competence (b= 1.20; 95% CI= 0.07 to 0.32; p= 0.002), career levels (b= 1.08; 95% CI= 0.05 to 0.35; p= 0.007), professionalism (b= 0.22; 95% CI= 0.06 to 0.10; p= 0.005) increased satisfaction and it was statistically significant. Credentials (b= 1.11; 95% CI= 0.006 to 0.67; p= 0.08), increased satisfaction, but it was statistically non-significant. Conclusion: Job satisfaction among nurses increases with high career levels, good competence, good professionalism, good credential, education =Diploma III, and high income. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Results from two studies provided strong evidence for the validity of the HiSET® tests, thereby demonstrating that HiSET is a well‐developed battery of tests with passing and college and career readiness (CCR) standards that, when met, provide a pathway to postsecondary education, better employment opportunities and wages, and a better quality of life to those who are unable to experience a traditional high school education. Positive relationships exist between HiSET scores and both high school grades and ACT scores, including high levels of agreement between HiSET CCR indicators and ACT CCR indicators. Therefore, evidence supports the claim that HiSET scores are measures of high school equivalency, preparedness for middle skills jobs, and college readiness. Furthermore, there is evidence that passing the HiSET provides value to stakeholders. Passing the HiSET battery is associated with gaining academic and personal skills, college enrollment, employment gains (e.g., obtaining employment, obtaining more full‐time employment, wage increases, and improvement in a job or position), and quality‐of‐life improvements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Self-Sovereign Identity (SSI) is a novel and emerging, decentralized digital identity approach that enables entities to control and manage their digital identifiers and associated identity data while enhancing trust, privacy, security, and the many other properties identified and analyzed in this paper. The paper provides an overview and classification of the SSI properties, focusing on an in-depth analysis, furthermore, presenting a comprehensive collection of SSI properties that are important for the implementation of the SSI system. In addition, it explores the general SSI process flow, and highlights the steps in which individual properties are important. After the initial purification and classification phase, we then validated properties among experts in the field of Decentralized and Self-Sovereign Identity Management using an online questionnaire, which resulted in a final set of classified and verified SSI properties. The results can be used for further work on definition and standardization of the SSI field.

[Display omitted] • Buyers, close to markets, give lower ratings than other experts. • Highly reputed industry credentials generate some peer effects. • Female judges consistently give lower grades than their male counterparts. • Judges tend to be harsher when there are more female peers, regardless of their own gender. • Experts have a specific assessment of sparkling wines. The aim of this article is to better understand why experts give different scores to the same wines in identical tasting environments. This research focuses on the personal characteristics of experts (or judges), such as their gender, industry credentials, and occupation within the wine industry, and examines how judges respond to their peers' characteristics. Using a dataset of 5,395 wines judged in the 2022 International Wine and Spirits Competition, we analyse 18,224 scores from different judges. We estimate a series of grade equations at the judge level to understand why a same wine received different scores from judges. A first model makes use of the panel structure of the dataset, incorporates wine fixed effects, and focuses on the personal characteristics of judges. A second model encompasses characteristics of the judging team, without the inclusion of wine fixed effects. At large, on-trade buyers give lower scores than off-trade buyers, as well as female judges compared to male ones. While credentials are not a very significant factor per se , they do have the potential to generate peer effects. Judges tend to be more generous in their assessments when they are assigned to a team with Master of Wine judges. Conversely, they are also consistently more severe when the number of female judges on the team increases. Estimation results converge across sub-datasets, with the exception of sparkling wines. Given the feminisation of the wine industry, in terms of producers, consumers, and experts, the severity of female judges could be beneficial in terms of social welfare. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Pharmacists provide increased access to care, vaccinations, and medication management for patients. Credentialing and privileging of pharmacists allows pharmacists to practice at the top of their licenses and elevate pharmacy practice., Objective: The primary objective of this study was to assess the perception of healthcare team members of credentialed and privileged pharmacists working in a pediatric primary care network before and after implementation of pharmacist privileges. The secondary objective was to determine team members' perceptions on the amount of time spent refilling medications, resolving medication access issues, and ordering vaccines before and after implementation of pharmacist privileges., Methods: This was a prospective pre-post study utilizing surveys to capture healthcare team members' perceptions of credentialed and privileged ambulatory care pharmacists. Surveyed participants included attending physicians, advanced practice nurses, registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, medical assistants, and patient care assistants. Summary statistics are reported as frequencies and percentages. Statistical analysis was conducted using SAS version 9.4., Results: Fifty-eight pre-privileging and 56 post-privileging surveys were distributed. The return rate was 79.3% (n=46) for pre-privileging and 80.4% (n=45) for post-privileging surveys. More than 90% of respondents had a favorable perception of credentialed and privileged pharmacists in the clinic. There was a significant difference in the perception of the amount of time spent on medication access issues after pharmacist privileges were implemented (p = 0.0296)., Conclusion: Credentialed and privileged pharmacists in a pediatric primary care network are viewed favorably by clinic team members and can have a positive impact on clinic workload., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

The general principles of gastrointestinal endoscopy training in the United States were formulated and summarized more than a decade ago and the principles have been consistent until now. To summarize, trainees should be prepared to (i) appropriately recommend endoscopic procedures as indicated by the findings of the consultative evaluation, with an explicit understanding of accepted specific indications, contraindications, and diagnostic/therapeutic alternatives, (ii) perform procedures safely, completely, and expeditiously, including possessing a thorough understanding of the principles of conscious sedation/analgesia techniques, the use of anesthesia-assisted sedation where appropriate, and pre-procedure clinical assessment and patient monitoring, (iii) correctly interpret endoscopic findings and integrate them into medical or endoscopic therapy, (iv) identify risk factors for each procedure, understand how to minimize each, and recognize and appropriately manage complications when they occur, (v) acknowledge the limitations of endoscopic procedures and personal skills and know when to request help, and (vi) understand the principles of quality measurement and improvement. This article provides an overview of the endoscopy training system and structure, evaluation scheme, and competence and credentialing process in the United States., Competing Interests: Yutaka Tomizawa serves as a consultant for Boston Scientific Company, Medtronic, and AI Medical Service Inc., (© 2024 The Author(s). DEN Open published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Japan Gastroenterological Endoscopy Society.)

Retention of administrators is related to student achievement, but little is known about factors related to the retention of special education directors. We examine whether educational credentials, certifications, and number of years served are related to the number of years served as local education agency special education director. Special education directors with amaster's degree or higher serve significantly longer. Years in special education are positively and strongly associated, whereas years in general education are nonsignificantly associated with years as a special education director. Additional certifications and endorsements are not associated with increased longevity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Featured Application: The proposed DID-based service model is designed as an agent that is based on a platform with DID. It provides interoperability, privacy, and efficiency to manage identity in cloud CDM. The Conventional Cloud Common Data Model (CDM) uses a centralized method of user identification and credentials. This needs to be solved in a decentralized way because there are limitations in interoperability such as closed identity management and identity leakage. In this paper, we propose a DID (Decentralized Identifier)-based cloud CDM that allows researchers to securely store medical research information by authenticating their identity and to access the CDM reliably. The proposed service model is used to provide the credential of the researcher in the process of creating and accessing CDM data in the designed secure cloud. This model is designed on a DID-based user-centric identification system to support the research of enrolled researchers in a cloud CDM environment involving multiple hospitals and laboratories. The prototype of the designed model is an extension of the encrypted CDM delivery method using DID and provides an identification system by limiting the use cases of CDM data by researchers registered in cloud CDM. Prototypes built for agent-based proof of concept (PoC) are leveraged to enhance security for researcher use of ophthalmic CDM data. For this, the CDM ID schema and ID definition are described by issuing IDs of CDM providers and CDM agents, limiting the IDs of researchers who are CDM users. The proposed method is to provide a framework for integrated and efficient data access control policy management. It provides strong security and ensures both the integrity and availability of CDM data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Decentralized SSI(Self Sovereign Identity) has become an alternative to a new digital identity solution, but an efficient de-identification technique has not been proposed due to the unique algorithmic characteristics of data transactions. In this study, to ensure the decentralized operation of SSI, we propose a de-identification technique that does not remove identifiers by restructuring the verification results of ZKP (Zero Knowledge Proof) into a form that can be provided to the outside by the verifier. In addition, it is possible to provide restructured de-identification data without the consent of data subject by proposing the concept of differential sovereignty management for each entity participating in verification. As a result, the proposed model satisfies the domestic personal information protection law in a decnetralized SSI, in addition provides secure and efficient de-identification processing and sovereignty management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Kernels of operating systems are written in low-level unsafe languages, which make them inevitably vulnerable to memory corruption attacks. Most existing kernel defense mechanisms focus on preventing control-data attacks. Recently, attackers have turned the direction to non-control-data attacks by hijacking data flow, so as to bypass current defense mechanisms. Previous work has proved that noncontrol-data attacks are the critical threat to kernels. One of the important purposes of these attacks is to achieve privilege escalation by overwriting sensitive kernel data. The goal of our research is to develop a lightweight protection mechanism to mitigate non-control-data attacks that compromise sensitive kernel data. We propose an approach that enforces data integrity of sensitive kernel data by preventing the illegal write to these data to mitigate privilege escalation attacks. The main challenge of the proposed approach is to validate the modification of sensitive kernel data at runtime. The validation routine must verify the legitimacy of the duplicated sensitive data and ensure the credibility of the verification. To address this challenge, we modify the system call entry point to monitor the change of the sensitive kernel data without any change to Linux access control mechanism. Then, we use stack canaries to protect the duplication of sensitive kernel data that are used for integrity checking. In addition, we protect the integrity of sensitive kernel data by forbidding illegal updates to them. We have implemented the prototype for Linux kernel on Ubuntu Linux platform. The evaluation results of our prototype demonstrate that it can mitigate privilege escalation attacks and its performance overhead is moderate.

This paper reviews the findings of a professional task force from the Association of Outdoor Recreation and Education (AORE), which explored the feasibility of and support for a credentialing system for students and young professionals aspiring to a career in the outdoor industry. The task force used initial public discussions to design a survey, which was then sent to AORE members. The quantitative and qualitative data revealed an almost 50% division in favor of/ against a credentialing system. In general, younger professionals and students expressed more interest in a credential than seasoned veterans did. All respondents identified similar challenges to a credentialing system: cost versus benefit, assessing and evaluating the qualifications, and a lack of value-added (a sense that there are already too many credentials in the industry). Although credentialing can signal a unified profession that agrees on the professional competencies required for effective professional practice, our findings indicate the outdoor industry is not yet there. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Conventional Cloud Common Data Model (CDM) uses a centralized method of user identification and credentials. This needs to be solved in a decentralized way because there are limitations in interoperability such as closed identity management and identity leakage. In this paper, we propose a DID (Decentralized Identifier)-based cloud CDM that allows researchers to securely store medical research information by authenticating their identity and to access the CDM reliably. The proposed service model is used to provide the credential of the researcher in the process of creating and accessing CDM data in the designed secure cloud. This model is designed on a DID-based user-centric identification system to support the research of enrolled researchers in a cloud CDM environment involving multiple hospitals and laboratories. The prototype of the designed model is an extension of the encrypted CDM delivery method using DID and provides an identification system by limiting the use cases of CDM data by researchers registered in cloud CDM. Prototypes built for agent-based proof of concept (PoC) are leveraged to enhance security for researcher use of ophthalmic CDM data. For this, the CDM ID schema and ID definition are described by issuing IDs of CDM providers and CDM agents, limiting the IDs of researchers who are CDM users. The proposed method is to provide a framework for integrated and efficient data access control policy management. It provides strong security and ensures both the integrity and availability of CDM data.

The Eduventures survey examined next-generation demand for online postsecondary education, assessing online experience, delivery mode and marketing channels preferences, and perceptions of price, quality and location, identifying key takeaways in each area

This quantitative Q‐sort research was designed to evaluate representations of counselor qualifications and to determine which configurations account for the variance in consumer preference and selection. The sample consisted of 161 graduate and undergraduate students in a regional university in Texas. An iterative inverse factor analysis produced 3 distinct factors that accounted for 65.85% of the variance in the data, explaining a majority of the differences in how consumers perceive counselor credentials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]