Federated Authentication using the Cloud (Cloud Aura)

Individuals, businesses and governments undertake an ever-growing range of activities online and via various Internet-enabled digital devices. Unfortunately, these activities, services, information and devices are the targets of cybercrimes. Verifying the user legitimacy to use/access a digital device or service has become of the utmost importance. Authentication is the frontline countermeasure of ensuring only the authorised user is granted access; however, it has historically suffered from a range of issues related to the security and usability of the approaches. Traditionally deployed in a point-of-entry mode (although a number of implementations also provide for re-authentication), the intrusive nature of the control is a significant inhibitor. Thus, it is apparent that a more innovative, convenient and secure user authentication solution is vital. This thesis reviews the authentication methods along with the current use of authentication technologies, aiming at developing a current state-of-the-art and identifying the open problems to be tackled and available solutions to be adopted. It also investigates whether these authentication technologies have the capability to fill the gap between the need for high security whilst maximising user satisfaction. This is followed by a comprehensive literature survey and critical analysis of the existing research domain on continuous and transparent multibiometric authentication. It is evident that most of the undertaken studies and proposed solutions thus far endure one or more shortcomings; for instance, an inability to balance the trade-off between security and usability, confinement to specific devices, lack or negligence of evaluating users’ acceptance and privacy measures, and insufficiency or absence of real tested datasets. It concludes that providing users with adequate protection and convenience requires innovative robust authentication mechanisms to be utilised in a universal manner. Accordingly, it is paramount to have a high level of performance, scalability, and interoperability amongst existing and future systems, services and devices. A survey of 302 digital device users was undertaken and reveals that despite the widespread interest in more security, there is a quite low number of respondents using or maintaining the available security measures. However, it is apparent that users do not avoid applying the concept of authentication security but avoid the inconvenience of its current common techniques (biometrics are having growing practical interest). The respondents’ perceptions towards Trusted Third-Party (TTP) enable utilising biometrics for a novel authentication solution managed by a TTP working on multiple devices to access multiple services. However, it must be developed and implemented considerately. A series of experimental feasibility analysis studies disclose that even though prior Transparent Authentication Systems (TAS) models performed relatively well in practice on real live user data, an enhanced model utilising multibiometric fusion outweighs them in terms of the security and transparency of the system within a device. It is also empirically established that a centralised federated authentication approach using the Cloud would help towards constructing a better user profile encompassing multibiometrics and soft biometric information from their multiple devices and thus improving the security and convenience of the technique beyond those of unimodal, the Non-Intrusive and Continuous Authentication (NICA), and the Weighted Majority Voting Fusion (WMVF) and what a single device can do by itself. Furthermore, it reduces the intrusive authentication requests by 62%-74% (of the total assumed intrusive requests without operating this model) in the worst cases. As such, the thesis proposes a novel authentication architecture, which is capable of operating in a transparent, continuous and convenient manner whilst functioning across a range of digital devices – bearing in mind it is desirable to work on differing hardware configurations, operating systems, processing capabilities and network connectivity but they are yet to be validated. The approach, entitled Cloud Aura, can achieve high levels of transparency thereby being less dependent on secret-knowledge or any other intrusive login and leveraging the available devices capabilities without requiring any external sensors. Cloud Aura incorporates a variety of biometrics from different types, i.e. physiological, behavioural, and soft biometrics and deploys an on-going identity confidence level based upon them, which is subsequently reflected on the user privileges and mapped to the risk level associated to them, resulting in relevant reaction(s). While in use, it functions with minimal processing overhead thereby reducing the time required for the authentication decision. Ultimately, a functional proof of concept prototype is developed showing that Cloud Aura is feasible and would have the provisions of effective security and user convenience.Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu, Kingdom of Saudi Arabi

Cytogenetic Investigations and Y-Chromosome Microdeletion Screening in some Infertile Kurdish males In Erbil province/ Iraq

لعقم هو مرض يصيب الجهاز التناسلي يُعرف بالفشل في تحقيق الحمل السريري بعد 12 شهرًا أو أكثر من الجماع المنتظم غير المحمي. في جميع أنحاء العالم ، يؤثر العقم على ما يقرب من 15٪ من جميع الأزواج الذين يحاولون الإنجاب. يعد العقم عند الرجال مسؤولاً عن حوالي 50٪ من حالات العقم عامة. تشوهات الكروموسومات وحذف الكروموسوم Y هي الأسباب الجينية الأكثر شيوعًا لعقم الذكور، أذ تعد متلازمة كلاينفيلتر و الحذف الصغير لعامل فقد النطاف على كروموسوم Y من اهمهما. هدف هذه الدراسة هو التحري عن و مدى انتشار كلاً من التشوهات الكروموسومية وعمليات الحذف الدقيقة على كروموسوم Y في 296 رجلاً كرديًا يعانون من العقم في محافظة أربيل ، من بينهم 289 مريضًا يعانون من نقص النطاف (97.6٪) و 7 مرضى يعانون من قلة النطاف الشديدة (2.4٪) و 50 من الرجال الأصحاء كمجموعة مقارنة. وجد ان 29 مريضا (9.8٪) لديهم تشوهات كروموسومية مختلفة. تم العثور على تشوهات الكروموسومات الأكثر شيوعًا في الكروموسومات الجنسية (93.1٪ ؛ 29/27) ، من بين هذه التشوهات 20 مريضًا (69٪) لديهم متلازمة كلاينفيلتر النمط النووي 47,XXY ، 4 مرضى (13.8٪) لديهم نمط 45X0/46, Xder(Y)، كان لدى مريضان نمط XXY t(11;22)(q25;q13)   وكان لدى مريض واحد (3.4٪) نمط متلازمة تيرنر Mosaic Turner 46XY/45X0. تم اكتشاف تشوهات الكروموسومات الجسمية (6.9٪ ؛ 2/29) في مريضين 45 XY rob (13;14) (q10;q10).  تم العثور على الحذف الصغير لكروموسوم Y في 10 من 289 مريضًا يعانون من فقد النطاف (3.5٪) ، ثلاثة منهم (30٪) لديهم حذف دقيق في منطقة AZFc ، 3 منهم (30٪) لديهم حذف دقيق في منطقة AZFb ، كما كان لدى 3 مرضى آخرين الحذف الصغير في كل من المنطقة من  AZFb و  AZFc ، والمريض الأخير (10٪) كان لديه عمليات حذف صغيرة في المنطقة a و b و AZFc, AZFb, AZFa) c). وكشفت هذه الدراسة  ان كلا من تشوهات الكروموسومات و الحذف الصغير لكروموسوم  Yوجد في 3 مرضى.Infertility is a disease of the reproductive system defined by the failure to achieve a clinical pregnancy after 12 months or more of regular unprotected sexual intercourse. Worldwide, infertility affects approximately 15% of all couples trying to conceive. Male infertility is responsible for about 50% of the infertility cases. Chromosomal abnormalities and Y-chromosome microdeletions are the most common genetic causes of male infertility. Klinefelter syndrome (KS) is the most prevalent factor of the chromosomal abnormality in the infertile male. Azoospermia Factor (AZF) microdeletions located on the Y chromosome are one of the recurrent genetic cause of male infertility. This study aims to investigate the prevalence of chromosomal anomalies and AZF microdeletions in 296 infertile Kurdish men in Erbil province, 289 patients diagnosed as azoospermia (97.6%) and 7 patients as severe oligozoospermia (2.4%) and 50 healthy men as control group. Twenty nine patients (9.8%) had various chromosomal abnormalities. The most common chromosomal abnormalities were found in sex chromosomes (93.1%; 29/27),  among these abnormalities 20 patients (69%) had Klinefelter syndrome 47,XXY karyotype, 4 patients (13.8%) had 45X0/46, Xder(Y), 2 patients (6.9%) had XXY t(11;22)(q25;q13) and 1 patients (3.4%) had Mosaic Turner syndrome 46XY/45X0. The autosomal chromosomal abnormalities (6.9%; 2/29) detected in 2 patients 45, XY, rob (13;14) (q10;q10). Y chromosome microdeletions were found in 10 of 289 patients with azoospermia (3.5%), three of them (30%) had microdeletions in the AZFc region, 3 of them (30%) had microdeletions in the AZFb region, also other 3 patients had microdeletions in the b and c of AZF (AZF b,c) region, and the final one patient (10%) had microdeletions in the all a, b and c (AZF a,b,c) region. Combined Y chromosome microdeletions and chromosomal abnormalities were detected in 3 patients

Continuous and transparent multimodal authentication: reviewing the state of the art

Individuals, businesses and governments undertake an ever-growing range of activities online and via various Internet-enabled digital devices. Unfortunately, these activities, services, information and devices are the targets of cybercrimes. Verifying the user legitimacy to use/access a digital device or service has become of the utmost importance. Authentication is the frontline countermeasure of ensuring only the authorized user is granted access; however, it has historically suffered from a range of issues related to the security and usability of the approaches. They are also still mostly functioning at the point of entry and those performing sort of re-authentication executing it in an intrusive manner. Thus, it is apparent that a more innovative, convenient and secure user authentication solution is vital. This paper reviews the authentication methods along with the current use of authentication technologies, aiming at developing a current state-of-the-art and identifying the open problems to be tackled and available solutions to be adopted. It also investigates whether these authentication technologies have the capability to fill the gap between high security and user satisfaction. This is followed by a literature review of the existing research on continuous and transparent multimodal authentication. It concludes that providing users with adequate protection and convenience requires innovative robust authentication mechanisms to be utilized in a universal level. Ultimately, a potential federated biometric authentication solution is presented; however it needs to be developed and extensively evaluated, thus operating in a transparent, continuous and user-friendly manner

The Possibility of Utilization of Tamper-evident Bands (TEB) as Fibers in Concrete Blends

The impact of tamper-evident bands (TEB) as fiber on the distinctive properties of concrete was examined through a few laboratory tests. In this study, the tamper-evident band (TEB) is the plastic ring left around the neck of bottled drinking water. The properties examined incorporate workability, compressive strength, flexural strength, and splitting tensile strength at 7 and 28 days of moist curing. Three varied fiber volumes were added to concrete mixes at 0.5%, 1.0%, and 1.5% by volume of concrete. The test results show that the employment of 1% (TEB) fibers by volume of concrete lead to the increment of flexural and splitting tensile strengths of concrete 34.5% and 38.56% respectively in comparison to the reference concrete at 28 days of moist curing.nbsp; It can be inferred, according to a preliminary analysis, that tamper-evident bands (TEB) are modern forms of fibers that have a good effect on the improvement of concrete's tensile properties

Determinants of Customer Loyalty toward Mobile Wallet Services in Post-COVID-19: The Moderating Role of Trust

One of the highly acclaimed innovations is the mobile wallet. Mobile wallets ensure that customers can make purchases even if they forget their wallets at home. The use of these wallets has increased significantly with the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic as a preventive measure. However, with COVID-19 restrictions lifted and adaptation to the pandemic, customers are no longer forced to use mobile wallets. That is, things have returned to normal as before the pandemic, where the customer is left free to choose the method of payment. In this regard, businesses need to retain their customers and make sure that those customers will reuse their own mobile wallets even during this period (post-COVID-19). Hence, it is critical to explore customer loyalty determinants toward mobile wallet services in such a period. Therefore, using the Indian context, this paper sought to explore the determinants of customer loyalty toward mobile wallet services post-COVID-19. This study also investigated the role of trust as a moderator. Based on a sample size of 243 customers in India, the relationships in the proposed model were tested using SmartPLS statistical technology. The results revealed that service quality, privacy and security, and trust are the key determinants in gaining customer loyalty toward mobile wallets. Yet, the results did not support perceived usefulness and ease of use as determinants of customer loyalty. As for trust as a moderator, the results supported only one of the four proposed hypotheses. Specifically, the results supported that “trust has a significant moderating impact on the relationship between service quality and customer loyalty”. The results offer a more precise comprehension of the relationships between customer loyalty and customer loyalty determinants in post-COVID-19 and enable managers to make better management decisions

Determinants of interaction intention to purchase online in less developed countries: The moderating role of technology infrastructure

AbstractEven though there is significant growth in online purchasing platforms globally, interaction with such platforms is not very popular in less developed countries (LDCs) like Yemen and needs further investigation. Thus, this empirical research aims to investigate the determinants of Yemeni consumers’ interaction intention to purchase online (IIPO) as a context for LDCs. The research developed an extended model of the technology acceptance model (TAM) by adding technology infrastructure (TI), technology anxiety (TA), social influence (SI), and self-efficacy (SE) as independent variables that impact IIPO. The study model further included technology infrastructure as a moderator. The suggested model was investigated through quantitative research with a sample of 273 Yemeni consumers. The results were estimated using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). The results revealed that TI, SI, and SE have a direct positive impact on IIPO. However, perceived usefulness, ease of use, and TA showed an insignificant direct impact on IIPO. Moreover, technology infrastructure moderates the relationship between (perceived ease of use, TA, SE) and IIPO. A technology infrastructure, in contrast, does not moderate the relationships between other determinants (such as perceived usefulness and SI) and IIPO. The suggested model interpreted 70.5% of the variance in IIPO and 51.7% in perceived usefulness. There is a scarcity of empirical research investigating online purchasing behaviour in LDCs. In Yemen, particularly, the factors influencing Yemeni consumers’ interaction intention to purchase online have not been empirically determined. Moreover, this is one of the first studies to explore the moderate role of technological infrastructure in online purchasing. In this regard, this research claims its uniqueness. More implications were discussed in this study

Electrochemical properties of a novel EDLC derived from plasticized biopolymer based electrolytes with valuable energy density close to NiMH batteries

Abstract This study introduces a novel system of solid electrolytes for electrical double-layer capacitors (EDLCs) utilizing biopolymer electrolytes with high energy density comparable to NiMH batteries. To prepare the electrolytes, a proton-conducting plasticized chitosan: poly(2-oxazoline) (POZ) with good film-forming properties was fabricated using a solution casting technique, and ammonium trifluoromethanesulfonate (NH4CF3SO3) salt was employed as a proton provider. Various glycerol concentrations were incorporated into the chitosan:POZ: NH4CF3SO3 system to enhance the ionic conductivity and fully transparent films were obtained. The impedance technique was utilized to determine the conductivity and measure the diffusion coefficient, mobility, and number density of ions. The electrochemical measurements, including linear sweep voltammetry (LSV) and cyclic voltammetry (CV), validated the high performance of the system. The EDLC was examined using galvanostatic charge-discharge (GCD) equipment, and the results revealed an energy density of 43 Wh/kg, specific capacitance of 300 F/g, and power density of 1800 W/kg over 500 cycles. These findings suggest that it is plausible to develop EDLCs that resemble batteries, making them a more desirable energy storage option for the industry

Characteristics of Methyl Cellulose Based Solid Polymer Electrolyte Inserted with Potassium Thiocyanate as K⁺ Cation Provider: Structural and Electrical Studies

The attention to a stable and ionic conductive electrolyte is driven by the limitations of liquid electrolytes, particularly evaporation and leakage, which restrain their widespread use for electrochemical device applications. Solid polymer electrolyte (SPE) is considered to be a potential alternative since it possesses high safety compared to its counterparts. However, it still suffers from low device efficiency due to an incomplete understanding of the mechanism of ion transport parameters. Here, we present a simple in situ solution casting method for the production of polymer-based electrolytes using abundantly available methylcellulose (MC) doped at different weight percentages of potassium thiocyanate (KSCN) salt. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) methods were used to characterize the prepared samples. Based on EIS simulation and FTIR deconvolution associated with the SCN anion peak, various ion transport parameters were determined. The host MC medium and KSCN salt have a strong interaction, which was evident from both peak shifting and intensity alteration of FTIR spectra. From the EIS modeling, desired electric circuits correlated with ion movement and chain polarization were drawn. The highest ionic conductivity of 1.54 × 10−7 S cm−1 is determined from the fitted EIS curve for the film doped with 30 wt.% of KSCN salt. From the FTIR deconvoluted peak, free ions, ions in contact with one another, and ion aggregates were separated. The extracted ion transport parameters from the EIS method and FTIR spectra of the SCN anion band confirm that both increased carrier concentration and their mobility were crucial in improving the overall conductivity of the electrolyte. The dielectric investigations were further used to understand the conductivity of the films. High dielectric constants were observed at low frequencies for all MC:KSCN systems. The dispersion with a high dielectric constant in the low-frequency band is ascribed to the dielectric polarization. The wide shift of M″ peak towards the high frequency was evidenced by the MC-based electrolyte impregnated with 30 wt.% of KSCN salt, revealing the improved ionic movement assisted with chain segmental motion. The AC conductivity pattern was influenced by salt concentration