A survey of security issue in multi-agent systems

Multi-agent systems have attracted the attention of researchers because of agents' automatic, pro-active, and dynamic problem solving behaviors. Consequently, there has been a rapid development in agent technology which has enabled us to provide or receive useful and convenient services in a variety of areas such as banking, transportation, e-business, and healthcare. In many of these services, it is, however, necessary that security is guaranteed. Unless we guarantee the security services based on agent-based systems, these services will face significant deployment problems. In this paper, we survey existing work related to security in multi-agent systems, especially focused on access control and trust/reputation, and then present our analyses. We also present existing problems and discuss future research challenges. © Springer Science+Business Media B.V 2011

Mosque-based emotional support among young Muslim Americans

Despite a growing literature on social support networks in religious settings (i.e., church-based social support), little is known about mosque-based support among Muslims. This study investigates the demographic and religious behavior correlates of mosque-based social support among a multi-racial and ethnic sample of 231 young Muslims from southeast Michigan. Several dimensions of mosque-based support are examined including receiving emotional support, giving emotional support, anticipated emotional support and negative interactions with members of one’s mosque. Results indicated that women both received and antic- ipated receiving greater support than did men. Higher educational attainment was associated with receiving and giving less support compared to those with the lowest level of educational attainment. Moreover, highly educated members reported fewer negative interactions than less educated members. Mosque attendance and level of congregational involvement positively predicted receiving, giving, and anticipated emotional support from congregants, but was unrelated to negative interactions. Overall, the study results converge with previously established correlates of church- based emotional support.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/107410/1/art%3A10.1007%2Fs13644-013-0119-0(1).pd

Comparison of the Effectiveness of Mellisan Gel and Acyclovir 5% Cream in the Improvement of Recurrent Herpes Labialis

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Recurrent herpes labialis is a common infection of the mouth area, caused by herpes simplex virus. This infection appears in the mucus or lip skin and is commonly known as oral herpes. The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of Mellisan gel and acyclovir 5% cream in the improvement of recurrent herpes labialis. METHODS: This double-blind clinical trial was conducted on 60 patients (14 men and 46 women), with the average age of 23.8 years (minimum of 20 and maximum of 32 years) and a prior history of recurrent herpes labialis three times a year. The previously-coded medicines were randomly distributed among patients. The subjects were asked to apply the cream or gel locally on the infected region three times a day, according to the manufacturer's instructions. All patients were examined within one, two, four and seven days after using the cream or gel to determine the changes in pain intensity, size of the ulcer, inflammation and recovery time. IRCT: 13870819144281.  FINDINGS: Mellisan gel and acyclovir cream were not significantly different in reducing the size of the ulcer, inflammation or the associated side-effects. Mellisan gel was accompanied by a significant reduction in pain intensity in patients on the second and fourth days of the examination (p=0.0001 and p=0.02, respectively). Moreover, on the second day, there was a significant difference in recovery (p=0.001). CONCLUSION: The results of this study suggested that Mellisan gel is more effective than acyclovir cream in terms of pain reduction and recovery, whereas no significant difference was observed regarding the size of the ulcer or inflammation. Also, the administration of Mellisan gel and acyclovir cream was associated with no side-effects

Assessment and Comparison of Impacted Maxillary Canine Position in Panoramic Radiography with CBCT

Introduction: This study aimed to assess the position of impacted maxillary canine in panoramic radiography via two variables of angulation and magnification. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, each panoramic radiography was numbered on which the patient ‘s name was written as well. Two variables, angulation (The angle of impacted maxillary canine was measured in relation to Occlusal plane) and magnification( the ratio of the widest dimension of mesiodistal canine crown to that of the ipsilateral central incisor crown) were assessed in each panoramic radiography (44 impacted maxillary canines), then they were compared with CBCT. Kappa test was used to assess the agreement of the two variables in panoramic radiography and CBCT. Results: Utilizing angulation variable, 41.6% buccally impacted maxillary canines and 84.3% palatally impacted maxillary canines were determined in their real positions. Moreover, magnification variable also detected 58.3% buccally impacted maxillary canines and 37.5% palatally impacted maxillary canines in their real positions. Degree of agreement between angulation and CBCT was 0.275, and it was reported 0.03 between magnification and CBCT. Conclusion: The study findings revealed that the angulation and magnification methods were not reliable in order to assess the impacted maxillary canines in panoramic radiography, though Angulation proved to be more successful than magnification method