Edge-centric multimodal authentication system using encrypted biometric templates

Data security, complete system control, and missed storage and computing opportunities in personal portable devices are some of the major limitations of the centralized cloud environment. Among these limitations, security is a prime concern due to potential unauthorized access to private data. Biometrics, in particular, is considered sensitive data, and its usage is subject to the privacy protection law. To address this issue, a multimodal authentication system using encrypted biometrics for the edge-centric cloud environment is proposed in this study. Personal portable devices are utilized for encrypting biometrics in the proposed system, which optimizes the use of resources and tackles another limitation of the cloud environment. Biometrics is encrypted using a new method. In the proposed system, the edges transmit the encrypted speech and face for processing in the cloud. The cloud then decrypts the biometrics and performs authentication to confirm the identity of an individual. The model for speech authentication is based on two types of features, namely, Mel-frequency cepstral coefficients and perceptual linear prediction coefficients. The model for face authentication is implemented by determining the eigenfaces. The final decision about the identity of a user is based on majority voting. Experimental results show that the new encryption method can reliably hide the identity of an individual and accurately decrypt the biometrics, which is vital for errorless authentication

\u3ci\u3eClavibacter nebraskensis\u3c/i\u3e causing Goss\u27s wilt of maize: Five decades of detaining the enemy in the New World

Goss\u27s bacterial wilt and leaf blight of maize (Zea mays) caused by the gram-positive coryneform bacterium Clavibacter nebraskensis is an economically important disease in North America. C. nebraskensis is included within the high-risk list of quarantine pathogens by several plant protection organizations (EPPO code: CORBMI), hence it is under strict quarantine control around the world. The causal agent was reported for the first time on maize in Nebraska (USA) in 1969. After an outbreak during the 1970s, prevalence of the disease decreased in the 1980s to the early 2000s, before the disease resurged causing a serious threat to maize production in North America. The re-emergence of Goss\u27s wilt in the corn belt of the United States led to several novel achievements in understanding the pathogen biology and disease control. In this review, we provide an updated overview of the pathogen taxonomy, biology, and epidemiology as well as management strategies of Goss\u27s wilt disease. First, a taxonomic history of the pathogen is provided followed by symptomology and host range, genetic diversity, and pathogenicity mechanisms of the bacterium. Then, utility of high-throughput molecular approaches in the precise detection and identification of the pathogen and the management strategies of the disease are explained. Finally, we highlight the role of integrated pest management strategies to combat the risk of Goss\u27s wilt in the 21st century maize industry. Disease symptoms: Large (2–15 cm) tan to grey elongated oval lesions with wavy, irregular water-soaked margins on the leaves. The lesions often start at the leaf tip or are associated with wounding caused by hail or wind damage. Small (1 mm in diameter), dark, discontinuous water-soaked spots, known as “freckles”, can be observed in the periphery of lesions. When backlit, the freckles appear translucent. Early infection (prior to growth stage V6) may become systemic and cause seedlings to wilt, wither, and die. Coalescence of lesions results in leaf blighting. Host range: Maize (Zea mays) is the only economic host of the pathogen. A number of Poaceae species are reported to act as secondary hosts for C. nebraskensis. Taxonomic status of the pathogen: Class: Actinobacteria; Order: Micrococcales; Family: Microbacteriaceae; Genus: Clavibacter; Species: Clavibacter nebraskensis. Synonyms: Corynebacterium nebraskense (Schuster, 1970) Vidaver & Mandel 1974; Corynebacterium michiganense pv. nebraskense (Vidaver & Mandel 1974) Dye & Kemp 1977; Corynebacterium michiganense subsp. nebraskense (Vidaver & Mandel 1974) Carlson & Vidaver 1982; Clavibacter michiganense subsp. nebraskense (Vidaver & Mandel 1974) Davis et al. 1984; Clavibacter michiganensis subsp. nebraskensis (Vidaver & Mandel 1974) Davis et al. 1984. Type materials: ATCC 27794T; CFBP 2405T; ICMP 3298T; LMG 3700T; NCPPB 2581T. Microbiological properties: Cells are gram-positive, orange-pigmented, pleomorphic club-or rod-shaped, nonspore-forming, nonmotile, and without flagella, approximately 0.5 × 1–2.0 μm. Distribution: The pathogen is restricted to Canada and the United States. Phytosanitary categorization: EPPO code CORBNE

Total System Cost and Average Routing Distance Analysis of Master-Slave Super-Super-Hypercube 4-Cube Message-Passing Architecture

Recent research has focused on improving different aspects of parallel processing systems design including speed, reliability, fault tolerance, flexibility, compatibility, availability, cost and size. Implementation of an appropriate inter-connectivity scheme of a network is an important part of the design of a parallel computer architecture. Its topology and architecture directly influence overall capability and performance of a parallel system. Consequently, new architectures are developed to improve parameters that mostly affect different applications. A new architecture is proposed in this paper, based on master-slave super-super-hypercube 4-cube ( MS/sup 3/ HA - cube) message passing architecture. The main focus is on the calculation of ARD (average routing distance) which is a key factor used in performance evaluation of this newly proposed architecture. To further investigate the viability of the proposed architecture, a cost analysis is incorporated to assess the usefulness of the MS/sup 3/ HA - cube architecture

Bacterial ring rot of potato caused by Clavibacter sepedonicus: A successful example of defeating the enemy under international regulations

Background: Bacterial ring rot of potato (Solanum tuberosum) caused by the gram- positive coryneform bacterium Clavibacter sepedonicus is an important quarantine dis-ease threatening the potato industry around the globe. Since its original description in 1906 in Germany, management of ring rot has been a major problem due to the seed-borne nature (via seed tubers not true seeds) of the pathogen allowing the bacterium to be transmitted long distances via infected tubers.Disease symptoms: On growing potato plants: interveinal chlorosis on leaflets leading to necrotic areas and systemic wilt. On infected tubers: vascular tissues become yel-lowish brown with a cheesy texture due to bacterial colonization and decay.Host range: Potato is the main host of the pathogen, but natural infection also occurs on eggplant, tomato, and sugar beet.Taxonomic status of the pathogen: Class: Actinobacteria; Order: Actinomycetales; Family: Microbacteriaceae; Genus: Clavibacter; Species: Clavibacter sepedonicus(Spieckermann and Kotthoff 1914) Li et al. 2018.Synonyms (nonpreferred scientific names): Aplanobacter sepedonicus; Bacterium sepe-donicum; Corynebacterium sepedonicum; Corynebacterium michiganense pv. sepedoni-cum; Clavibacter michiganensis subsp. sepedonicus.Microbiological properties: Gram- positive, club-shaped cells with creamy to yellowish-cream colonies for which the optimal growth temperature is 20–23°C.Distribution: Asia (China, Japan, Kazakhstan, Nepal, North Korea, Pakistan, South Korea, Uzbekistan, the Asian part of Russia), Europe (Belarus, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Romania, European part of Russia, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, Ukraine), and North America (Canada, Mexico, USA).Phytosanitary categorization: CORBSE: EPPO A2 list no. 51. EU; Annex designation I/A2

Effect of Polyphenols on Microbial Cell-Cell Communications

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