Block-Chain-Based Vaccine Volunteer Records Secure Storage and Service Structure

Accurate and complete vaccine volunteer’s data are one valuable asset for clinical research institutions. Privacy protection and the safe storage of vaccine volunteer’s data are vital concerns during clinical trial services. The advent of block-chain technology fetches an innovative idea to solve this problem. As a hash chain with the features of decentralization, authentication, and resistibility, blockchain-based technology can be used to safely store vaccine volunteer clinical trial data. In this paper, we proposed a safe storage method to control volunteer personal /clinical trial data based on blockchain with storing on cloud. Also, a service structure for sharing data of volunteer’s vaccine clinical trials is defined. Further, volunteer blockchain features are defined and examined. The projected storage and distribution method is independent of any third person and no single person has the complete influence to disturb the processing.

Crash dynamics of interdependent networks

The emergence and evolution of real-world systems have been extensively studied in the last few years. However, equally important phenomena are related to the dynamics of systems’ collapse, which has been less explored, especially when they can be cast into interdependent systems. In this paper, we develop a dynamical model that allows scrutinizing the collapse of systems composed of two interdependent networks. Specifically, we explore the dynamics of the system’s collapse under two scenarios: in the first one, the condition for failure should be satisfied for the focal node as well as for its corresponding node in the other network; while in the second one, it is enough that failure of one of the nodes occurs in either of the two networks. We report extensive numerical simulations of the dynamics performed in different setups of interdependent networks, and analyze how the system behavior depends on the previous scenarios as well as on the topology of the interdependent system. Our results can provide valuable insights into the crashing dynamics and evolutionary properties of interdependent complex systems

A privacy-preserving data storage and service framework based on deep learning and blockchain for construction workers' wearable IoT sensors

Classifying brain signals collected by wearable Internet of Things (IoT) sensors, especially brain-computer interfaces (BCIs), is one of the fastest-growing areas of research. However, research has mostly ignored the secure storage and privacy protection issues of collected personal neurophysiological data. Therefore, in this article, we try to bridge this gap and propose a secure privacy-preserving protocol for implementing BCI applications. We first transformed brain signals into images and used generative adversarial network to generate synthetic signals to protect data privacy. Subsequently, we applied the paradigm of transfer learning for signal classification. The proposed method was evaluated by a case study and results indicate that real electroencephalogram data augmented with artificially generated samples provide superior classification performance. In addition, we proposed a blockchain-based scheme and developed a prototype on Ethereum, which aims to make storing, querying and sharing personal neurophysiological data and analysis reports secure and privacy-aware. The rights of three main transaction bodies - construction workers, BCI service providers and project managers - are described and the advantages of the proposed system are discussed. We believe this paper provides a well-rounded solution to safeguard private data against cyber-attacks, level the playing field for BCI application developers, and to the end improve professional well-being in the industry

An Integrated Psycho-Sociological Perspective on Public Employees’ Motivation and Performance

In the context of profound social, economic and financial changes, private and public organizations managers turn their attention towards the most valuable resource they have – the human resource (HR), the one that can ensure increased organizational performance. Using adequate HR policies and practices, organizations can build a positive work environment that sustains employees’ development, encourages communication, innovation, and pro-active attitudes and behaviors. However, managerial practices specific to the private sector do not seem to be the solution to the problems public institutions deal with. While specialists have mainly explored the link between human resources management (HRM) and performance in the private sector, due consideration ought to be paid to the particularities of this relationship in the public sector as well, and to the factors that influence public employees’ motivation and determine their level of performance. The purpose of our paper is to show that HRM in public institutions should be approached in a manner that focuses more on the work motivation theory, specifically on the psycho-sociological profile of the public employee, and argue that higher performance can be achieved by establishing a social exchange relationship between managers and the members of their teams. A supportive work environment positively impacts upon public employees’ performance, self-efficacy and job satisfaction, even though they are mainly driven in performing their tasks by intrinsic motivators and devotion to public values and interest

Reputational Risk: A Bibliometric Review of Relevant Literature

This paper focuses on analyzing the level of research development regarding reputational risk on a general basis to identify what topics remain to be investigated. As a result, it offers a broader scope of research, including research debates, resolutions, and gaps that are relevant to the topic. A bibliometric analysis has been employed in this study to identify the topic’s trends and pinpoint potential gaps in the literature. The data were collected from the Scopus database for the period of 1994–2022, where the search resulted in a total of 659 documents relating in any way to reputational risk that fit the selection criteria. Research shows that conducted investigations are in favor of reputation risk and e-commerce, reputation insurance, corporate social responsibility, operational risk, risk management, and sustainability reporting. However, some of the articles' results on related topics were contradictory, and others found no evidence relating to reputation risk; some other topics were not fully examined or presented in the literature. Therefore, the current topic-related literature does not suffice, and further research is required to cover more topics on reputation risk and further highlight alignment between similar studies. This study has brought to light the relevant papers related to reputational risk and demonstrated potential gaps in the literature by investigating articles’ contradictory results on the researched topics, in turn conveying which topics need further examination. Thus, the literature will continue to evolve as members of the global academic community strive to fill the gaps and identify potential rescue strategies for jeopardized business entities. Doi: 10.28991/ESJ-2023-07-02-025 Full Text: PD

Darwin’s Other Dilemmas and the Theoretical Roots of Emotional Connection

Modern scientific theories of emotional behavior, almost without exception, trace their origin to Charles Darwin, and his publications On the Origin of Species (1859) and The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals (1872). The most famous dilemma Darwin acknowledged as a challenge to his theory of evolution through natural selection was the incomplete Sub-Cambrian fossil record. However, Darwin struggled with two other rarely referenced theoretical and scientific dilemmas that confounded his theories about emotional behavior. These included (1) the origin of social instincts (e.g., altruism, empathy, reciprocity and cooperation) and the reasons for their conservation in evolution and (2) the peripheral control of heart rate vis-à-vis emotional behavior outside of consciousness. Darwin acknowledged that social instincts are critical to the survival of some species, but had difficulty aligning them with his theory of natural selection in humans. Darwin eventually proposed that heart rate and emotions are controlled via one’s intellect and cortical mechanisms, and that instinctive behavior is genetically programmed and inherited. Despite ongoing efforts, these two theoretical dilemmas are debated to this day. Simple testable hypotheses have yet to emerge for the biological mechanisms underlying instinctive behavior or the way heart rate is controlled in infants. In this paper, we review attempts to resolve these issues over the past 160 years. We posit that research and theories that supported Darwin’s individualistic brain-centric and genetic model have become an “orthodox” Western view of emotional behavior, one that produced the prevailing behavioral construct of attachment as developed by John Bowlby. We trace research and theories that challenged this orthodoxy at various times, and show how these challenges were repeatedly overlooked, rejected, or misinterpreted. We review two new testable theories, emotional connection theory and calming cycle theory, which we argue resolve the two dilemmas We show emerging scientific evidence from physiology and a wide variety of other fields, as well from clinical trials among prematurely born infants, that supports the two theories. Clinical implications of the new theories and possible new ways to assess risk and intervene in emotional, behavioral and developmental disorders are discussed