A Candour-based Trust and Reputation Management System for Mobile Ad Hoc Networks

The decentralized administrative controlled-nature of mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs) presents security vulnerabilities which can lead to attacks such as malicious modification of packets. To enhance security in MANETs, Trust and Reputation Management systems (TRM) have been developed to serve as measures in mitigating threats arising from unusual behaviours of nodes. In this paper we propose a candour-based trust and reputation system which measures and models reputation and trust propagation in MANETs. In the proposed model Dirichlet Probability Distribution is employed in modelling the individual reputation of nodes and the trust of each node is computed based on the node’s actual network performance and the quality of the recommendations it gives about other nodes. Cooperative nodes in our model will be rewarded for expanding their energy in forwarding packets for other nodes or for disseminating genuine recommenda-tions. Uncooperative nodes are isolated and denied the available network resources. We employed the Ruffle algorithm which will ensure that cooperative nodes are allowed to activate sleep mode when their service is not required in forwarding packets for its neighbouring trustworthy nodes. The proposed TRM system enshrines fairness in its mode of operation as well as creating an enabling environment free from bias. It will also ensure a connected and capacity preserving network of trustworthy node

Keep it rural : the politics of planning for smart growth in South Fulton County, Georgia

The politics and practice of planning exurban areas in the United States has been a major focus of debate since the 1950s. Urban growth management and more recently smart growth have arisen in response to the sprawling forms of development that are characteristic of most North American cities. While these movements represent the development of a broad set of tools for directing growth and preserving agriculturally and biologically important land, political and institutional barriers to their implementation remain strong. A more robust understanding of the political environment in which plans with strong growth management are enacted and implemented is necessary if we are to find solutions to the problems that dominant growth patters have caused. This paper examines the history of a series of attempts to pass and implement growth management in South Fulton County from the mid 1990s through the incorporation of the City of Chattahoochee Hills in 2007. Despite being in a prime location for new low-density suburbs, over the past two decades, various groups have worked enacted strict land use controls mandating cluster development and preserving up to 80% of its total land area in agricultural and nature preserves. This paper uses a mixed-method approach based on archival research as well as oral history. Understanding how this community succeeded will contribute to the understanding of how alternative development is possible

Network Analysis of Affordable Housing Organizations in Polk County

This study provides a picture of the institutional network engaged in the provision of affordable housing in Polk County, what we have termed the Polk County Affordable Housing Network (PCAH Network). It analyzes the web of relationships that structure the network including the number of connections, strength of connections, and degree of influence within the network. Understanding the structure of the PCAH Network and the relationships between the actors will enable funders, decision-‐‐makers, and others engaged in the issue to identify existing knowledge gaps and barriers to innovation and to improve how organizations work together to provide affordable housing in Polk County

2014 Housing Affordability Survey Results: Polk County, IA

This report provides a snapshot of housing affordability and housing conditions in Polk County, Iowa in 2014. The data in this report are based on a randomized, county-‐‐wide survey that was delivered via mail to 3,697 households in Polk County in 2013 and 2014. We received a total of 531 survey responses, giving us a maximum confidence interval of (±4.27) with 95% confidence. The primary purpose of the survey was to create a baseline measurement of housing affordability in Polk County. The survey instrument for this study consisted of 19 questions that covered basic demographics, housing costs and tenure, and satisfaction with current housing

Housing Barriers and Housing Strategies among Low Income Households in Polk County, Iowa

Traditional housing needs assessments rely on quantitative analyses focused on issues of supply and demand. These studies are not intended to look at the fine-grained details of how individual households manage the trade-offs created by limited resources. This study seeks to provide a more nuanced understanding of the housing needs of low income households in Polk County, including the barriers they face while trying to access affordable housing and the strategies they use in their efforts to remain housed within a context of economic constraints.This qualitative element of the Polk County Housing Needs Assessment study asked two questions: (1) What barriers do households in need of affordable housing face when trying to access affordable housing? And (2) What housing strategies are utilized by income households in Polk County? The findings reported in this study are based on nine in-depth interviews where respondents recounted their personal housing histories and housing aspirations

Navicular Disease: New Developments With an Old Dilemma

Navicular disease (distal sesamoiditis, podotrochilitis, podotrochleosis, bursitis podotrochlearis) affects the distal sesamoid (navicular) bone and its surrounding structures in the equine limb. The disease is characterized by lameness of varied degrees, usually in the forelimbs. It is a difficult disease for clients to deal with because there is no known cure for navicular disease, and most treatments are only palliative

Narrative strategies in the book of Ecclesiastes.

The working premise of this thesis is that the book of Ecclesiastes can be studied with confidence as a narrative text for the purpose of analysis. The first part, then, seeks to flesh out those qualities of the text that are narrative qualities: the presence of events, first-person narration (autobiography in particular), plot and motif. The second part explores the strategy of the frame narrator, who provides a structure that both limits and opens up possibilities for readers. That narrator is in a position of tension in that on the one hand he validates Qoheleth's radicalism by appearing to find his words worth relating. Even words of praise are offered. On the other hand, from the summary of the epilogue, I argue at length, it is clear that the frame narrator did not agree with Qoheleth's approach to wisdom, God and tradition, bound as they were to his wholly different epistemology. Further, the strategy of framing occurs on many levels, and one of its consequences is the bringing into question of the reader's relation to the framed material, as well as the relation of the framer to the one framed. The interpretive possibilities arising from the tension in these narratorial relationships are explored in detail. The third part explores the strategies of Qoheleth, the disillusioned rationalist and story-teller. Here is addressed the fact that in reading Ecclesiastes an interaction seemingly takes place, one in which the reader feels the concern of identity and of the formation of Qoheleth's character. In the guise of Solomon that concern is ironic (almost satirical) and somewhat playful. In the establishment of his self as the central concern of his narrative, Qoheleth shows that although he passionately observes the world's transience and absurdity he desires (again with irony) that his image would be fixed and remembered. After exploring such elements of self-expression, the linguistic characteristics and ideological categories of Qoheleth's quest are surveyed. Included in this investigation are the element of physicality in Qoheleth's language and the identification of the actors in the quest; the Subject, Object and Power (or Sender) in particular. Although I do not categorically argue that Ecclesiastes can only be understood as narrative, the point of the whole is to experiment with what happens when a text is investigated with confidence in its narrative quality. This redresses an interpretive imbalance in Qoheleth-studies in that while there are some scholars who refer vaguely to Ecclesiastes as a story (although usually by implication), and others who make real assumptions about Ecclesiastes' narrative quality, virtually none attempt to critically examine that quality or to demonstrate it with any degree of conclusiveness with the aid of narrative criticism

A Robust Dirichlet Reputation and Trust Evaluation of Nodes in Mobile Ad Hoc Networks

© 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)The distributed nature of mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs) presents security challenges and vulnerabilities which sometimes lead to several forms of attacks. To improve the security in MANETs, reputation and trust management systems (RTMS) have been developed to mitigate some attacks and threats arising from abnormal behaviours of nodes in networks. Generally, most reputation and trust systems in MANETs focus mainly on penalising uncooperative network nodes. It is a known fact that nodes in MANETs have limited energy resources and as such, the continuous collaboration of cooperative nodes will lead to energy exhaustion. This paper develops and evaluates a robust Dirichlet reputation and trust management system which measures and models the reputation and trust of nodes in the network, and it incorporates candour into the mode of operations of the RTMS without undermining network security. The proposed RTMS employs Dirichlet probability distribution in modelling the individual reputation of nodes and the trust of each node is computed based on the node’s actual network performance and the accuracy of the second-hand reputations it gives about other nodes. The paper also presents a novel candour two-dimensional trustworthiness evaluation technique that categorises the behaviours of nodes based on their evaluated total reputation and trust values. The evaluation and analyses of some of the simulated behaviours of nodes in the deployed MANETs show that the candour two-dimensional trustworthiness evaluation technique is an effective technique that encourages and caters to nodes that continuously contribute to the network despite the reduction in their energy levels.Peer reviewedFinal Published versio

Hunger in the Land of Plenty: Local Responses to Food Insecurity in Iowa

Story County (estimated population 92,406 in 2013) lies in the heart of central Iowa, a state renowned for its remarkable agricultural productivity. Iowa leads all states for production of corn, soybean, and hogs. Revenues from agricultural products in Iowa total more than $30 billion annually according the 2012 Agricultural Census (USDA-NASS 2014). This productivity stems from a favorable natural and political environment. The temperate climate, productive soils, and gentle topography are ideal for our production system of commodity agriculture facilitated by federal policies, which include subsidized crop insurance and commodity payments (Horrigan, Lawrence, and Walker 2002). Despite this productivity and political support for commodity production, a very small amount of acreage in Iowa produces food crops such as fruits and vegetables. Within Story County, the amount of cropland dedicated to fruit, vegetable, and nut production per one thousand residents is 2.4 acres, compared to 3.7 acres statewide, which is much lower than the US average of 32 acres per one thousand residents (ISUEO 2014). Paradoxically, in this land so perfectly suited for agriculture, there is an increasing demand for food assistance. Iowa State University Extension and Outreach (ISUEO) estimates 16,366 people live in poverty in Story County, a 20.1 percent poverty rate, compared to a statewide average of 12.2 percent (2014). ISUEO further estimates that 15.2 percent of Story County residents are food insecure, representing nearly 14,000 individuals. Comparatively, the statewide rate is 12.7 percent (ISUEO 2014). Compounding the problem, 45 percent of people who are food insecure in Story County do not qualify for direct government assistance because their income is above the economic threshold set for federal food assistance, and so they depend on charitable efforts to meet their needs. According to Feeding America’s statistics, Story County is the most food insecure county in Iowa (Gundersen, Engelhard, and Waxman 2015). The juxtaposition of a productive agricultural system with persistent hunger and need for food assistance is widely apparent in Story County and has inspired community-based efforts to address food needs. Through this chapter, we analyze the work of Food at First (FAF), a nonprofit that has emerged in response to the need for food assistance in Story County. Their work addresses the food needs of Story County residents by providing a daily free meal program and market as well as the recent development of a community garden. We illustrate the benefits of the FAF effort dedicated to building community-based solutions to hunger and food insecurity through a form of food democracy. We also explore key challenges associated with doing this work, including pragmatic issues of retaining and engaging volunteers. Further, we examine limitations of this model by exploring the underlying causes of food insecurity and how this organization contests as well as perpetuates a neoliberal model of food assistance. This neoliberal focus emphasizes individual responsibility and corporate charitable donations rather than collective, and/or government-level, responsibility for community food insecurity. We hope to raise important questions about how this community-driven work critically improves food security and a broader sense of community while still falling short of addressing poverty and inequality, the underlying reason for food insecurity in Ames and across the country