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Driven by the rapid escalation of its utilization, as well as ramping commercialization, Internet of Things (IoT) devices increasingly face security threats. Apart from denial of service, privacy, and safety concerns, compromised devices can be used as enablers for committing a variety of crime and e-crime. Despite ongoing research and study, there remains a significant gap in the thorough analysis of security challenges, feasible solutions, and open secure problems for IoT. To bridge this gap, we provide a comprehensive overview of the state of the art in IoT security with a critical investigation-based approach. This includes a detailed analysis of vulnerabilities in IoT-based systems and potential attacks. We present a holistic review of the security properties required to be adopted by IoT devices, applications, and services to mitigate IoT vulnerabilities and, thus, successful attacks. Moreover, we identify challenges to the design of security protocols for IoT systems in which constituent devices vary markedly in capability (such as storage, computation speed, hardware architecture, and communication interfaces). Next, we review existing research and feasible solutions for IoT security. We highlight a set of open problems not yet addressed among existing security solutions. We provide a set of new perspectives for future research on such issues including secure service discovery, on-device credential security, and network anomaly detection. We also provide directions for designing a forensic investigation framework for IoT infrastructures to inspect relevant criminal cases, execute a cyber forensic process, and determine the facts about a given incident. This framework offers a means to better capture information on successful attacks as part of a feedback mechanism to thwart future vulnerabilities and threats. This systematic holistic review will both inform on current challenges in IoT security and ideally motivate their future resolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

New Materialism examines the role of subjects and objects in an environment shaped by new technologies. Based on these observations and considerations, the aim was to develop a new conception of materiality in the dynamic interplay of signifying processes and material structures. In a twenty-first-century world, where the points of interaction between humans and modern technological devices are steadily increasing, this approach becomes even more relevant. From a legal perspective, however, it becomes clear that this interplay between humans and processes has only been inadequately traced so far. In order to redress this dissatisfying situation, what is needed is a contemporary law that not only recognizes new subjects as such, but also understands new processes and roles. The aim of the present paper is thus to trace these processes between subjects and objects. In a second step, the aim is to build on the theory of New Materialism to make these insights workable for intellectual property law. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human amniotic membranes (hAMs) are extraembryonic tissues currently employed in the treatment of many ocular and systemic diseases. Several reports indicate that hAMs can suppress the signaling pathway of tissue growth factor beta (TGF-β), a cytokine that plays a major role in the pathogenesis of proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR) through the induction of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in exposed retinal pigmented epithelium (RPE) cells. The present study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of a modified vitrectomy procedure (hAMP-V) involving the extensive coverage of exposed RPE with hAM patches to prevent postoperative PVR in a series of 15 cases of retinal detachment complicated by severe preoperatory PVR. The primary outcome was to assess the rate of successful retinal reattachment of a single hAMP-V procedure at 6 months from silicone oil removal. Secondary outcomes included the collection of intraoperative data concerning the quantity, size, and scope of hAM patches, and the assessment of postoperative improvements in mean LogMar BCVA at 3 and 6 months. Successful retinal reattachment was obtained in 14 out of 15 eyes (93.3%). Surgical failure due to major recurrence of PVR occurred in 1 out of 15 eyes (6.7%). Postoperative improvements in mean LogMar BCVA were statistically significant (p < 0.05, paired t-test). No intraoperative and postoperative adverse effects were reported. The study helped to refine the surgical technique while also offering cues for future improvements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of ZARCH: Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies in Architecture & Urbanism is the property of Universidad de Zaragoza and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Aforismos is the property of Dykinson SL and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Cellulite mainly affects the female sex, being an aesthetic burden. Although initially it was considered a problem only from an aesthetic point of view, it is now considered the predisposition to develop systemic diseases depending on the cellulite fence. Cellulite develops rapidly during adolescence, during pregnancy or during menopause. The treatment can be cumbersome and raises problems, including from the point of view of the final results, making visible the lack of thorough studies in the field.

Abstract Honey bee, Apis mellifera L., is considered as an essential organism to the agricultural sector due to its role in pollination and alleviation of poverty in rural areas. Many pests attack honey bee colonies causing severe damages and economic losses. These pests include Varroa mites, Vespa hornets, wax moths, small hive beetles, and parasitic flies. Using chemical methods to control these pests causes some negative effects on honey bees and contaminates their products, while using biological control agents is promising and has no serious hazards. This article aimed to review available studies on the role of biological control agents mainly predators, parasitoids, and pathogens in controlling bee’s pests and to present new perspectives. Also, obstacles of using biocontrol agents inside and outside the hives were presented. This article is essential for planning integrated management programs for honey bee pests.

Severe spinal cord injuries (SCI), causing physical handicaps and accompanied by many serious complications, remains one of the most challenging problems in both, human and veterinary health care practices. The central nervous system in mammals does not regenerate, so the neurological deficits in a dog following SCI persists for the rest of its life and the affected animals display an image of permanent suffering. Diagnostics are based on: neurological examination, plain x-rays of vertebral column, x-rays of the vertebral column following intrathecal administration of a water-soluble contrast medium (myelography), x-rays of the vertebral column following epidural administration of a contrast medium (epidurography), computed tomography (CT) and/or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Currently, only limited therapeutic measures are available for the dogs with SCIs. They include: the administration of methylprednisolone sodium succinate (MPSS) during the acute stage; early spinal cord decompression; stabilisation of vertebral fractures or luxations; prevention and treatment of complications, and expert rehabilitation. Together with the progress in the understanding of pathophysiologic events occurring after SCI, different therapeutic strategies have been instituted, including the local delivery of MPSS, the utilisation of novel pharmacological agents, hypothermia, and stem/precursor cell transplantation have all been tested in the experimental models and preclinical trials with promising results. The aim of this review is the presentation of the generally accepted methods of diagnostics and management of dogs with SCIs, as well as to discuss new therapeutic modalities. The research strategy involved a PubMed, Medline (Ovid), Embase (Ovid) and ISI Web of Science literature search from January 2001 to December 2017 using the term “spinal cord injury”, in the English language literature; also references from selected papers were scanned and relevant articles included.

The aim of this, comparative in nature, study was to investigate the in vitro antioxidant activity of bee pollen, Quercus ilex honey, and saffron on the basis of the effective concentration of phytochemicals/antioxidants that could inhibit the DPPH free radical by 60% (EC60), using the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH) assay, in combination with regression analysis. Aqueous, ethanolic, and methanolic extracts of the aforementioned matrices of different concentrations were subjected to analysis. Results showed that the effective concentration of phytochemicals/antioxidants found in bee pollen, Quercus ilex honey and saffron could inhibit the DPPH free radical by 60% (EC60). The respective order of the significantly different (p < 0.05) antioxidant power was: Bee pollen > saffron > Quercus ilex honey. Results were further evaluated using standard gallic acid and quercetin. The use of a new index for the expression of the in vitro antioxidant power of natural products/foods may be of great importance for different bodies, concerning the producers, traders, consumers, and may be the solid basis for the development of numerous in vivo studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the Old Testament, there are four episodes of the buying and selling of a field on behalf of a well-known person: Abraham, Boaz (for Ruth), David and Jeremiah. This article analyzes the stories (five in total because the third is a double version) so similar in language and plot that one can define this as truly a type-scene, that is to say as a narrative cliché with analogous rhetorical functions. Each one of these, in fact, engages on a literary level - that is, ideally - a new development in salvation history. The literary use of the opportunity of buying a field, with its implications of investment for the future, becomes, therefore, one of the foundational themes of the theology of history according to the Biblical perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For more than 10 years, we have been observing the Fayda Tijaniyya and its ramifications around the world. Starting in 2006 we have been conducting observations in Nigeria, Niger, Senegal and Mauritania. Between 2015 and 2017, we closely followed some developments of the Fayda in the French capital and in other European cities. In parallel to these field investigations, we have been interested in the new religious arrangements that are gradually emerging in the United Kingdom. More recently, in 2020, we benefited from a stay in the USA which allowed us to widen our observation framework. From there, we were able to collect empirical material consisting of several dozen interviews, direct observation notes, private and public documents (reports, administrative documents, correspondences, letters of recommendation, press articles, travel chronicles and private videos, among others). In the Fayda Ibrahimiyya, the global culture suggests an update of the mode of inheritance, but in addition it makes emerge a new framework of activity essentially composed of a device of formation with global character, of a hybrid diplomatic-religious space, finally of a humanitarian action which appears as a missionary presenza. We first show that the conjunction of these three registers of action has as a condition, a process of articulation and appropriation through which the actors of the Fayda manage to convince of the link of identity that prevails between their own history and that of the founder. The conclusion of the article is devoted to a critical discussion in which we postulate that the imagination of a homogeneous global community comes up against a form of local resistance that is a counterpoint and probably an anti-globalizing replica. The historical socio-anthropology of comprehensive inspiration that we favour allows us to finely approach the interdependencies between these three registers and the narrative elaborated locally by the supporters of this community. The paradigm of mobility in which we place the Fayda, allows us to grasp the scope of the globalization of practices and uses, as well as the tension that operates between a dynamic of continuity and a dynamic of rupture that crosses for some decades this religious community.

Cellulite mainly affects the female sex, being an aesthetic burden. Although initially it was considered a problem only from an aesthetic point of view, it is now considered the predisposition to develop systemic diseases depending on the cellulite fence. Cellulite develops rapidly during adolescence, during pregnancy or during menopause. The treatment can be cumbersome and raises problems, including from the point of view of the final results, making visible the lack of thorough studies in the field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper aims to relate the author’s original project on the reopening of the historic canals of Milan and the construction of a new urban landscape, under the revival of tourism in the city. The reopening of these canals is facilitated by measures restricting traffic in the city centre through the formation of Area C, subject to Congestion – Charge. Moreover, the new Urban Plan places a track for the reopening of the city’s canals, subjected to a feasibility study. The essay concludes by emphasizing the scenic value of the insertion of canals in the perspective lines that develop from the peripheries to the centre of Milan, highlighting in new ways some of the city’s most important monuments, such as the Senate house, the Church of San Marco and the Docks, Milan’s historic city port.

New Perspectives (NP) aims to prevent persistent criminal behavior. We examined the long-term effectiveness of NP and whether the effects were moderated by demographic and delinquency factors. At-risk youth aged 12 to 19 years were randomly assigned to the intervention group (NP, n = 47) or care as usual (CAU, n = 54). Official and self-report data were collected to assess recidivism. NP was not more effective in reducing delinquency levels and recidivism than CAU. Also, no moderator effects were found. The overall null effects are discussed, including further research and policy implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Objectives New Perspectives (NP) aims to prevent that youth at onset of a criminal career will develop a more persistent criminal behavior pattern. The study aim was to examine whether NP was effective relative to care as usual in preventing and reducing (persistent) delinquency. Moreover, we examined improvements in secondary outcomes (e.g., peer and parent relationships and cognitive distortions) and other outcomes (e.g., substance use and self-esteem). Methods At-risk youth ( N = 101) aged 12 to 19 years were randomly assigned to the intervention group (NP, n = 47) or control group (‘care as usual’, n = 54). The effects of the NP intensive phase (3 months after program start) and aftercare phase (6 months after program start) were analyzed. Results NP and care as usual did not differ on any of the outcome measures at both post-test occasions. The effects of NP were the same for boys and girls, different age groups, and ethnic groups. Conclusions The overall null-effects are discussed, including implications for further research, policy, and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SMEs form one of the sectors mostly affected by this financial crisis, due to their lack of financial power. Still, a HVI analysis indicates this period as favorable to any SME that manages to identify and to react promptly to market changes. Most of the times, managers tend to focus on the technical and practical aspects of the manufacturing process, underestimating the financial management and the real facts related to the operations under their control. Starting from these thoughts, the hereby article approaches the real need for specific training in the field of financial reports and indicators aiming to draw the attention to the performances that may be achieved by the small and medium size enterprises, performances that mainly depend on the effective financial management, on the good understanding of basic accounting notions and on an adequate decision making process.Even after 20 years of „capitalism” and democracy, the Romanian SMEs are still at a low level. This is not discouraging, although, having in view the lack of liquidities at global level, the possibility to get a bank loan is limited, and the over-exigency of commercial banks. Thus, the long-term loans designed for SME’s and corporations become more and more difficult to get1. Despite these, performances can still be achieved, even on the background of a deep crisis. Compared to the big companies from EU and not only, the advantage of SME’s is their increased flexibility and their capacity to implement new services and to market new products. In the absence of higher levels of decision and approval, the decision-making process in SME’s is easier and thus, more efficient. In this context, SME’s may act promptly by applying solutions adjusted to the market conditions. (Ciobanu, 1998, p. 98 ) ”The small entrepreneurs are the engine of the economy” is a well-known saying, but we are still far from reaching the level of the European Union.

English language has gained the status of being the lingua franca of today’s world. It enjoys more privileges in the territories which used to be under British rule. Bangladesh, being one such postcolonial country, emphasizes the role and importance of the English language in its education system and society. In spite of Bangla being the state language, English enjoys the privilege of being the dominant language in major domains such as education. The results of the national examinations, where the reason for failure for most of the students is lack of competence in English, only asserts the importance of English in our education. Therefore, it can be said that this privileged language is pushing Bangla to the threshold, making it a vernacular in a country where majority speaks Bangla. Consequently, it evidently creates “structural and cultural inequalities” (p. 47) within the society as asserted by Phillipson (1992) and reconfirms the notion of linguistic imperialism in the context of Bangladesh. The obvious manifestation of inequality created by the role of English language in the education system can be observed in the three mediums of schooling existing in Bangladesh which ultimately produces three categories of citizens for the country. Thus, this paper aims to discuss the current role of English in Bangladeshi education and society, and also intends to explore linguistic imperialism in 21st century Bangladesh. The paper will consider views from both proponents and critics of linguistic imperialism. It will try to come up with an answer regarding the relevance of linguistic imperialism and whether this notion should have a preference or not in this age of globalization.

As a classical field of anthropological studies, gender studies have not remained outside the process of critical considerations and deconstruction of theoretical and analytical categories and the values of the discipline which characterizes the contemporary anthropological theory. As in the case of changes in the general theory and practice of anthropology, the reasons which have led to a transformation in the gender studies, are the result of theoretical arguments and controversies within the discipline, but to a significant degree, from outsider influences as well- the factors which are exterior in relation to the anthropology as a discipline. The contradictory character of the contemporary period in gender studies is being emphasized, with an effort to give the answer to the question what did the phrase "gender crisis" denote and whether the crisis signifies a broad trait of anthropological studies at that point in time. The article pays particular attention to the analysis of the criticism of the theoretical i methodological formalism of the classic kinship theories and to the perspectives aimed to prove that " kinship does not exist",

This paper examines the evolution of the observational methodology in developments in sports psychology. As noted in Martens' pioneering work, the crisis in social psychology has seen a shift towards observation, an approach that has now become well established. Indeed, considerable advances have been made over the last decade, with different elements of the observational methodology (designs, observational instruments, data recording software etc.) being increasingly applied in the context of sports psychology and in various sporting disciplines (soccer, handball, basketball, hockey, swimming, tennis, judo, physical exercise, athletics etc.). This situation is crucial in the development of these new methodological approaches, and we need to ensure that they continue to bear fruit and can be applied in an open flexible way to the wide range of perspectives that characterize the field of sports psychology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

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Children, teaching and modern science. In this paper, we propose to achieve some appropriate features of some concepts, to analyze some of the possibilities offered by the modern teaching, in particularly those in science and environmental protection. The teachers must constantly find new methods and learning techniques, which have to be interesting and attractive for the students. Science today became a necessity of knowledge, primarily through the vastness of the information provided the development of techniques and approach problems in an interdisciplinary manner. To let the young people's imagination "fly" to find new ideas, new perspectives, is a matter of modern didactics. Only this way we can change our conception and open to something new! [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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