A Risk-Driven Investment Model for Analysing Human Factors in Information Security

Information systems are of high importance in organisations because of the revolutionary industrial transformation undergone by digital and electronic platforms. A wide range of factors and issues forming the current business environments have created an unprecedented level of uncertainty and exposure to risks in all areas of strategic and operational activities in organisations including IT management and information security. Subsequently, securing these systems, which keep assets safe, serves organisational objectives. The Information Security System (ISS) is a process that organisations can adopt to achieve information security goals. It has gained the attention of academics, businesses, governments, security and IT professionals in recent years. Like any other system, the ISS is highly dependent on human factors as people are the primary concern of such systems and their roles should be taken into consideration. However, identifying reasoning and analysing human factors is a complex task. This is due to the fact that human factors are hugely subjective in nature and depend greatly on the specific organisational context. Every ISS development has unique demands both in terms of human factor specifications and organisational expectations. Developing an ISS often involves a notable proportion of risk due to the nature of technology and business demands; therefore, responding to these demands and technological challenges is critical. Furthermore, every business decision has inherent risk, and it is crucial to understand and make decisions based on the cost and potential value of that risk. Most research is solely concentrated upon the role of human factors in information security without addressing interrelated issues such as risk, cost and return of investment in security. The central focus and novelty of this research is to develop a risk-driven investment model within the security system framework. This model will support the analysis and reasoning of human factors in the information system development process. It contemplates risk, cost and the return of investment on security controls. The model will consider concepts from Requirements Engineering (RE), Security Tropos and organisational context. This model draws from the following theories and techniques: Socio-technical theory, Requirements Engineering (RE), SWOT analysis, Delphi Expert Panel technique and Force Field Analysis (FFA). The findings underline that the roles of human factors in ISSs are not being fully recognised or embedded in organisations and there is a lack of formalisation of main human factors in information security risk management processes. The study results should confirm that a diverse level of understanding of human factors impacts security systems. Security policies and guidelines do not reflect this reality. Moreover, information security has been perceived as being solely the domain of IT departments and not a collective responsibility, with the importance of the support of senior management ignored. A further key finding is the validation of all components of the Security Risk-Driven Model (RIDIM). Model components were found to be iterative and interdependent. The RIDIM model provides a significant opportunity to identify, assess and address these elements. Some elements of ISSs offered in this research can be used to evaluate the role of human factors in enterprise information security; therefore, the research presents some aspects of computer science and information system features to introduce a solution for a business-oriented problem. The question of how to address the psychological dimensions of human factors related to information security would, however, be a rich topic of research on its own. The risk-driven investment model provides tangible methods and values of relevant variables that define the human factors, risk and return on investment that contribute to organisations’ information security systems. Such values and measures need to be interpreted in the context of organisational culture and the risk management model. Further research into the implementation of these measurements and evaluations for improving organisational risk management is required

Menopausal age and its influencing factors, Birjand, 2001

یائسگی به عنوان مرحله پایان دوره باروری در زنان، همراه با تغییراتی در سلامتی زنان می باشد. به منظور بررسی فاکتورهای مرتبط با سن یائسگی از میان زنان بالای 40 سال شهر بیرجند که به مدت حداقل یک سال قاعدگی نداشتند، 810 نفر به روش نمونه گیری خوشه ای انتخاب گردیدند و از طریق مصاحبه حضوری اطلاعات مورد نظر در یک پرسشنامه ثبت شد. نتایج نشان داد که متوســـط سن یائسگی 31/5 ±19/47 ســـال و میزان فراوانی یائسگی زود رس 8/13 بود. سن بالاتر در اولین حاملگی، سن بالای 35 سال در آخرین حاملگی، سابقه مصرف قرص های جلوگیری از حاملگی (OCP= Oral Contracrptive Pills)، ابتلا به دیابت نوع II و مولتی پاریتی با یائسگی در سن بالاتر همراه بود. فراوانی بالای یائسگی زودرس در زنان شهر بیرجند نسبت به سایر مطالعات احتیاج به مطالعات بیشتری در این زمینه دارد

Synthesis and Preformulation Studies of KTTKS and PAL-KTTKS as Anti-Wrinkle Peptides

Introduction: Skin aging is a complicated process which is one of the major issues in the field of dermatology and cosmetic products. Peptides are one of the novel ingredients included in the anti-aging formulations. KTTKS (Lys-Thr-Thr-Lys-Ser) and its derivative, PAL-KTTKS (Palmitic acid-KTTKS), have attracted a lot of attention in arresting or delaying skin aging, but unfortunately, there are almost no preformulation studies available about them. Methods and Results:Both peptides were synthesized by solid phase peptide synthesis and identified by Mass spectroscopy technique. UV absorption ability, percentage of crystallinity, melting point, decomposition temperature and thermal behavior of both peptides were analyzed by UV spectroscopy, XRD, TGA and DSC techniques respectively. Partition coefficient was also determined by ACD/chemsketch software. In addition stability studies for the aqueous solution of KTTKS were performed at 32 and 37 ℃.  The results of UV spectroscopy showsthe wavelength of maximum absorbance of both peptides is in the vacuum UV range. Based on the results of melting point and TGA apparatuses, KTTKS and PAL- KTTKS decompose at about 154 ℃ and 112 ℃ respectively and there is no melting point for them before decomposition. The results of DSC thermogramsindicate an endothermic peak at the temperature below 60 ℃ for both peptides which is probably due to intrinsic structural rearrangement or evaporation of volatile solvents. Crystallinity percentage for KTTKS and PAL-KTTKS are 62% and 32% respectively. cLogp of KTTKS is -3.27 and cLogp of PAL-KTTKS is 3.32. Conclusions: The results of this investigation can be employed for the formulation of these peptides for TTD

Blood Biomarkers for Triaging Patients for Suspected Stroke:Every Minute Counts

Early stroke diagnosis remains a big challenge in healthcare partly due to the lack of reliable diagnostic blood biomarkers, which in turn leads to increased rates of mortality and disability. Current screening methods are optimised to identify patients with a high risk of cardio-vascular disease, especially among the elderly. However, in young adults and children, these methods suffer low sensitivity and specificity and contribute to further delays in their triage and diagnosis. Accordingly, there is an urgent need to develop reliable blood biomarkers for triaging patients suspected of stroke in all age groups, especially children and young adults. This review explores some of the existing blood biomarkers, as single biomarkers or biomarker panels, and examines their sensitivity and specificity for predicting stroke. A review was performed on PubMed and Web of Science for journal articles published in English during the period 2001 to 2021, which contained information regarding biomarkers of stroke. In this review article, we provide comparative information on the availability, clinical usefulness, and time-window periods of seven single blood biomarkers and five biomarker panels that have been used for predicting stroke in emergency situations. The outcomes of this review can be used in future research for developing more effective stroke biomarkers

How have waste management policies impacted the flow of municipal waste? An empirical analysis of 14 European countries

Waste management policies aim to divert waste from lower positions on the waste hierarchy such as landfill and incineration to higher positions in the hierarchy such as energy recovery and recycling. However, empirical evaluations of such policies are scarce. This study highlighted the effect of waste management policies on the amount of waste treated with landfill, incineration, energy recovery and recycling by analysing a panel dataset consisting of 14 European countries and the period 1996 to 2018. Findings from a seemingly unrelated regression model suggest that the landfill ban is associated with a decrease in landfill waste, but an increase in incineration, energy recovery and recycling waste. The landfill tax is also correlated with an increase in energy recovery waste but, in contrast, it is associated with a reduction in incineration and recycling waste. Meanwhile, the deposit refund scheme is associated with a decrease in the amount of landfill waste. Concerning the effects on total waste generated, regression results from a fixed effects model indicate that the landfill tax and the deposit refund scheme are both correlated with a reduction in the amount of waste generated. These findings contribute to the scarce academic literature evaluating waste management policies and may better inform policy makers on their longer-term implications

Exercise adherence in men with prostate cancer undergoing androgen deprivation therapy: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) for prostate cancer treatment is associated with adverse physiological changes; however, exercise can improve outcomes. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to determine exercise intervention adherence and its effects on physiological outcomes in men diagnosed with prostate cancer undergoing ADT. Uniquely, this review incorporated a meta-aggregation of qualitative data, providing perspectives from the men’s experiences. A systematic review and meta-analysis were completed following PRISMA guidelines. Databases (CINAHL, Cochrane, PubMed) were searched for studies using "prostate cancer", "exercise intervention", and "androgen deprivation therapy". Quantitative randomised controlled trials describing adherence to exercise interventions were selected, with qualitative articles selected based on descriptions of experiences around participation. Subgroup meta-analyses of adherence, exercise mode, and intervention duration were completed for quality of life, aerobic fitness, fatigue, and strength. In total, 644 articles were identified, with 29 (n = 23 quantitative; n = 6 qualitative) articles from 25 studies included. Exercise had no effects (p 12-weeks

An Investigation into the Effect of Various Penetration Enhancers on Percutaneous Absorption of Piroxicam

Abstract Achieving a desirable percutaneous absorption of drug molecule is a major concern in formulating dermatological products. The use of penetration enhancers could provide a successful mean for this purpose. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of incorporating a few common penetration enhancers (in different concentrations) into a 0.5% w/w piroxicam (model drug) gel formulation, on the permeability rate of drug through rat abdominal skin in vitro. For this purpose various concentrations of oleic acid (OA), urea (UR), lecithin (LEC) and isopropyl myristate (IPM) were used as the penetration enhancer. In order to investigate the effect of penetration enhancers used in this study on the permeability rate of piroxicam through sections of excised rat skin, Franz-type diffusion cells were employed. The receptor phase was constantly stirring 0.9% w/v sodium chloride solution at 32°C. At set intervals up to 8h, 5ml samples were removed from the receptor compartment and the amount of piroxicam permeated through the skin calculated by determining the UV absorbance of drug at 353 nm. Results show that among the penetration enhancers used, the use of OA at a concentration of 1.0% w/w had the greatest effect on the permeability rate of piroxicam, and produced the highest enhancement ratio among all the penetration enhancers examined. The other penetration enhancers used were found to have a far smaller effect on the permeability rate of piroxicam through rat skin. The enhancement ratio of the penetration enhancers used in the formulation of piroxicam gel were found to increase in the order of OA>> IPM > LEC > UR

The Use of Nanoaccelerator in Cement Slurries in Low Temperature Well Conditions

It has long been known that temperature during circulation and after cement placement is one of the most important parameters for slurry design and the success in cement production. Conventional cements and low density cement slurries usually take a long time to set and cannot provide significant compressive strength. Therefore, it is important to design appropriate low density cement slurries for low temperature conditions during surface casing cementation. In well cementing procedures, the slurry must be fluid for a sufficient time to allow the task to be completed. One of the problems that frequently happens in cementing a low temperature formation is a long setting time, in which the cement is influenced by low temperatures and the thickening time increases. To solve this problem, a unique cement system, which contains nanosilica, hollow spherical material, and class-G oil well cement, was developed for the first time. For this purpose, some additives such as; dispersants and fluid loss control agents were used in the cement system. The laboratory tests show that this slurry has a low density, excellent fluid loss control, no free fluid, right-angle-set, and a short thickening time (47 minutes) at low temperatures. The experimental results presented herein can help resolving problems in surface casing cementing</span

Experimental Study on RC Deep Beams with Non-Prestressed Tendons as Main Reinforcement

In the present study, The main purpose is to focus on the applicability of using non-prestressed tendons as the main reinforcement in concrete beams. Therefore, the main reason for the analytical study is to develop a model that can predict the flexural behavior of RC beams with ordinary reinforcements and/or with non-prestressed tendons (cables). An experimental program, as well as a computational program, was designed to see the behavior of such concrete reinforced beams. To do so, 9 beam models of one concrete mix were cast. The beams were cast in accordance with ACI recommendations and all tests were conducted under the same condition. The beams tested include two types of beams with ordinary steel rebar and with cables (tendons). The beams studied in this research are classified as deep beams (L/h<4); so the effect of shear deformations was considered. In addition, test results were compared with the predicted theoretical values. The theoretical model was able to predict the experimental load-deflection curves almost accurately. Therefore, it was demonstrated that the same concepts of the normal reinforced concrete beams can be applied for reinforced concrete beams using tendons as main reinforcement for both stiffness and strength calculations. Also, the same methodology used in concrete beams with steel rebar is applicable to the ones with non-prestressed tendons. The results showed that using the nominal flexural strength equations of regular reinforced concrete beams can accurately predict the strength of the beams with cables

Application of an Immersed Boundary Treatment in Simulation of Natural Convection Problems with Complex Geometry via the Lattice Boltzmann Method

In this study, a version of thermal immersed boundary-Lattice Boltzmann method (TIB-LBM) is used to simulate thermal flow problems within complex geometries. The present approach is a combination of the immersed boundary method (IBM) and the thermal lattice Boltzmann method (TLBM) under the double population approach. The method combines two different grid systems, an Eulerian grid for the flow domain and a Lagrangian grid for the boundary points immersed in the flow. In the present method, an unknown velocity correction is considered on the boundary points to impose the no-slip boundary condition. As a similar approach, an unknown internal energy correction on the boundary points is applied to satisfy the constant temperature boundary condition. The advantages of this approach are its second-order accuracy and straightforward calculation of the Nusselt number. The natural convection in an annulus with various outer cylinder shapes for different Rayleigh numbers have been simulated to demonstrate the capability and the accuracy of present approach. In terms of accuracy, the predicted results show an excellent agreement with those predicted by other experimental and numerical approaches