Security Measures in Mobile Commerce: Problems and Solutions

Due to the advent of the Internet, electronic business transactions have exploded around the globe. Along with the Internet, wireless technology has exponentially developed as well. Today, new technologies that allow mobile (cellular) phones and other handheld devices to access the Internet have made wireless business transactions possible. This phenomenon is known as mobile commerce or M-Commerce. It has been predicted that the number of mobile phones connected to the mobile Internet will exceed the number of Internet-connected PCs before 2007. The mobile phone will therefore become the most prevalent device for accessing the Internet. Several industry analysts predict that Mcommerce will constitute a multibillion dollar business by 2005. However, M-Commerce brings new challenges in providing information security as information travels through multiple networks often across wireless links. What must be done to secure financial transactions via mobile commerce? Generally speaking, M-Commerce creates more security concerns than traditional E-Commerce. In this paper, security measures in M-Commerce, wireless security, and the application of cryptography for key generation, authentication, digital signature and digital certificate are discussed

Potentiometric determination of oxybutynin hydrochloride in pharmaceutical formulations at modified carbon paste electrodes

A new potentiometric sensitive and selective modified carbon paste (MCPE) electrodes based on phosphotungestic acid (PTA),  sodium tetraphenyl borate (NaTPB),  phosphomolybdic acid (PMA) or ammonium reineckate (RN) ion pairing agents for determination of (Ox.HCl) were developed. The proposed electrodes have a Nernstian slope values of 58.50±0.71, 58.71±1.20, 54.80±1.30 and 59.20±0.70 mV decade-1for electrodes modified with 20, 10, 5 and 10 mg of Ox-TPB (electrode I), Ox-RN (electrode II), Ox-PMA (electrode III) and Ox-PTA (electrode IV) ion pairs, respectively, with a dynamic drug concentration range at 25 (C was 1.0x10-5 - 1.0x10-2 mole L-1 with detection limit of 1.0× 10-5 mol L-1. The response of MCPEs were pH independent in the range 2.0-6.0 with a fast response time of 10 s for electrode I and 12 s for electrodes II-IV. The MCPEs showed a relatively long life time of 36 days. A pure and pharmaceutical formulation of Ox.HCl was quantified using calibration and standard addition methods and the obtained results agreed with that of the official HPLC method. Validation parameters were optimized according to ICH recommendations.

Evaluation of serotonin serum level in cases of alopecia areata and vitiligo

Background: There are cutaneous illnesses that could be exacerbated or precipitated by stress, including alopecia areata, psoriasis, and even vitiligo. Psychological sequelae mainly affected by serotonin have been studied among these patients.Objective: Assessment of blood serotonin levels in alopecia areata and vitiligo patients for psychological impacts. Patients and Methods: 15 individuals with vitiligo, 15 with alopecia areata, and 15 healthy age and sex matched controls were studied in this study. A modified version of the Social Readjustment Rating Scale (SRRS) was used to quantify the stress index, and blood serotonin levels were also measured to study the role of stress in alopecia areata and vitiligo.Results: Patients who had alopecia areata as well as vitiligo had considerably greater serum serotonin levels than controls. In the vitiligo group, there was a strong positive connection between serum serotonin, the vitiligo area scoring index (VASI) score, and the stress index. On the other hand, no positive correlation was found between serum serotonin and both severity of alopecia tool (SALT) score and stress index in alopecia areata group. Conclusion: In both alopecia areata and vitiligo, psychological stress appears to play a significant role as a triggering factor and we should pay attention to psychiatric role to get proper treatment for such chronic diseases

Assessment of left ventricular function by global longitudinal strain in patients with non-ST elevation myocardial infarction: Comparative study with conventional method

Background: Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) is a strong prognostic parameter in patients with heart disease. The assessment of global longitudinal strain (GLS) from speckle-tracking analysis of 2-dimensional echocardiography has become a clinically feasible alternative to LVEF for the measurement of myocardial function.Objective: The aim of the current work was to compare between GLS speckle tracking echocardiography and Simpson’s biplane methods for assessment of left ventricular function in non-STEMI patients.Patients and methods: This study was carried out in Cardiology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Zagazig University on 44 non‐ST‐elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) patients scheduled for assessment of Left ventricular function by GLS and biplane Simpson method.Result: Mean systolic blood pressure was 122.05±18.37 mmHg. No statistically significant difference in systolic blood pressure was found across GLS groups (P= 0.17). Mean diastolic blood pressure was 73.41±12.00 mmHg. No statistically significant difference in diastolic blood pressure was found across GLS groups (P= 0.35). Mean heart rate was 68.84±7.13 bpm, and a statistically significant difference was found in heart rate across GLS groups (P= 0.039).Conclusion: It could be concluded that GLS speckle tracking echocardiography and Simpson’s biplane methods can be used as alternative different parameters for assessment of left ventricular function in non-STEMI patients

Bioactive Glass Nanoparticles as a New Delivery System for Sustained 5-Fluorouracil Release: Characterization and Evaluation of Drug Release Mechanism

Bioactive glass nanoparticles were synthesized and tested for the first time as a new delivery system for sustained 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) release. They were characterized by TEM, DTA, TGA, and FT-IR. The porosity % and specific surface area of glass nanoparticles were 85.59% and 378.36 m2/g, respectively. The in vitro bioactivity evaluation confirmed that bioactive glass disks prepared from these nanoparticles could induce hydroxyapatite layer over their surfaces in simulated body fluid. The in vitro drug release experiment indicated that glass nanoparticles could serve as long-term local delivery vehicles for sustained 5-FU release. The release profile of 5-FU showed an initial fast release stage followed by a second stage of slower release. The initial burst release of 5-FU in the first day was about 23% (28.92 mg·L−1) of the total amount of loaded 5-FU, while the final cumulative percentage of the 5-FU released after 32 days was about 45.6% (57.31 mg·L−1) of the total amount of loaded 5-FU. The application of different mathematical models indicated that 5-FU was released by diffusion controlled mechanism and suggested that its release rate was dependent on glass particles dissolution, changes of surface area as well as diameter of glass particles, and concentration of loaded drug

Detection of Botnet Attacks against Industrial IoT Systems by Multilayer Deep Learning Approaches

Industry 4.0 is the next revolution in manufacturing technology that is going to change the production and distribution of goods and services within the following decade. Powered by different enabling technologies that are also being developed simultaneously, it has the potential to create radical changes in our societies such as by giving rise to highly-integrated smart cities. The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) is one of the main areas of development for Industry 4.0. These IIoT devices are used in mission-critical sectors such as the manufacturing industry, power generation, and healthcare management. However, smart factories and cities can only function when threats to cyber security, data privacy, and information integrity are properly managed. In this regard, securing IIoT devices and their networks is vital to preserving data and privacy. The use of artificial intelligence is an enabler for more secure IIoT systems. In this study, we propose high-performing deep learning models for the classification of botnet attacks that commonly affect IIoT devices and networks. Evaluation of results shows that deep learning models such as the artificial neural network (ANN), the long short-term memory (LSTM), and the gated recurrent unit (GRU) can successfully be used for classifications of IIoT malware attacks with an accuracy of up to 99%

Immunotherapeutic Concepts to Target Acute Myeloid Leukemia: Focusing on the Role of Monoclonal Antibodies, Hypomethylating Agents and the Leukemic Microenvironment

Intensive chemotherapeutic protocols and allogeneic stem cell transplantation continue to represent the mainstay of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) treatment. Although this approach leads to remissions in the majority of patients, long-term disease control remains unsatisfactory as mirrored by overall survival rates of approximately 30%. The reason for this poor outcome is, in part, due to various toxicities associated with traditional AML therapy and the limited ability of most patients to tolerate such treatment. More effective and less toxic therapies therefore represent an unmet need in the management of AML, a disease for which therapeutic progress has been traditionally slow when compared to other cancers. Several studies have shown that leukemic blasts elicit immune responses that could be exploited for the development of novel treatment concepts. To this end, early phase studies of immune-based therapies in AML have delivered encouraging results and demonstrated safety and feasibility. In this review, we discuss opportunities for immunotherapeutic interventions to enhance the potential to achieve a cure in AML, thereby focusing on the role of monoclonal antibodies, hypomethylating agents and the leukemic microenvironment