Corrupted MP4 carving using MP4-karver

The usage of digital video is rapidly increasing recently. The analog CCTV systems are replaced by digital systems. Moreover, digital cameras and smartphones are increasingly popular and becoming affordable. The criminals use these digital devices; particularly smartphones to record crimes such as child pornography and other violent activities. Many at times, these videos are altered or deleted by the criminals in order to avoid persecution by the law enforcement. In digital forensic, carvings of deleted, damaged video files have an important role in searching for evidence. Therefore, many existing tools and techniques such as Scalpel’s, PhotoRec, Bi-Fragment Gap Carving (BGC), Smart Carving and Frame Based Carving attempt to carve the videos files, but some of the carved videos files are usually corrupted or damaged and not playable. However, there is still room for improvement in repair corrupted MP4 videos to make it playable. In this research, MP4-Karver tool is proposed to carve and repair the corrupted MP4 videos. MP4-Karver is developed by using visual studio platform in C# programming language. The proposed MP4-Karver tool focuses on carving, repair corrupted MP4 videos and getting a higher successful rate of playable MP4 video file format. The experimental result shows that the proposed MP4-Karver tool increases the restoration carving and repairing of MP4 corrupted videos with average of 97% improvement as compared to PhotoRec and Scalpel. The MP4-Karver tool is a good alternative for MP4 videos restoration and repairing damaged videos as compared to other tools and techniques

The Somali Conflict: Root causes, obstacles, and peace-building strategies

Unlike many African populations, the overwhelming majority of the Somalis are part of a single, homogeneous ethnic group. All Somalis are Muslim and share the same language and culture. Nevertheless, one of the most terrible civil wars in Africa has been waged in this country for more than two decades. Somalia has been without a functioning central government since the late dictator General Mohamed Siad Barre was ousted in 1991. This essay examines the root causes of the Somali conflict and analyses some of the obstacles that have plagued peace efforts for the last fourteen years. Finally, it identifies peace-building strategies that could help establish durable peace in Somalia. We argue that competition for resources and power, repression by the military regime and the colonial legacy are the background causes of the conflict. Politicised clan identity, the availability of weapons and the presence of a large number of unemployed youth have exacerbated the problem. With regard to the obstacles to peace, ..

The Role of Islamic Microfinance for Poverty Alleviation in Mogadishu, Somalia: An Exploratory Study

This research aims to investigate the current practice of Islamic microfinance in Mogadishu, Somalia and to examine the effectiveness of Islamic microfinance institutions in Somalia on poverty reduction. In total, 65 microfinance recipients participated in the survey. This research adopts a quantitative methodology, using a survey and descriptive analysis. Findings show that the current practice of Islamic microfinance in Mogadishu is serving the poor and that these microfinance activities are effective in terms of obtaining loans, enhancement of standards of living and usefulness of the system. Nonetheless, there is a low level of awareness among the locals regarding the availability of Islamic microfinance

Improving Cognitive Regulation in Patients with Bipolar Disorder Using Cyberspace-Based and Family-Centered Intervention

Introduction:Bipolar Affective Disorder is cyclic swinging of mood between mania or hypomania and depression. The present study aimed to examine cognitive regulation in patients with bipolar disorder using the cyberspace-based family-centered intervention.Method:This study was a quasi-experimental research with a pretest-posttest design and a follow-up period. The statistical population of the study included patients with bipolar disorder and a family member. 30 patients with a family member were selected by convenient sampling method and randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. Garnefski Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (CERQ) was the research tool. After administration of the questionnaires, the Miklowitz family-focused therapy was performed for the experimental group using cyberspace. At the end of the course, participants in both groups were evaluated using the research tools. Data were analyzed using SPSS22 software and mixed analysis of variance with the repeated measures.Result:The results of analysis of variance with repeated measures showed that the Miklowitz model led to a significant difference in the score of emotion regulation with an effect size of 45% in the experimental and control groups (P<0.05). In other words, the cognitive emotion regulation and its subscales have been evident in the experimental group. Conclusion:As a result, it can be said that the use of the Miklowitz model through cyberspace affects cognitive emotion regulation and subscales of self-blame, acceptance, rumination, positive refocusing, refocusing on planning, positive reappraisal, putting into perspective, catastrophizing, and other-blame.Declaration of Interest: Non

Scorpions of the Horn of Africa (Arachnida, Scorpiones). Part XVII.Revision of \u3cem\u3eNeobuthus\u3c/em\u3e, with description of seven new species from Ethiopia, Kenya and Somaliland (Buthidae)

New information about the taxonomy and distribution of the genus Neobuthus Hirst, 1911 is presented, based on material recently collected mainly from Somaliland, but also Djibouti and Kenya. Emended diagnoses are proposed for N. berberensis Hirst, 1911 and N. ferrugineus (Kraepelin, 1898) sensu stricto. New species described are: N. amoudensis sp. n. from Ethiopia and Somaliland; N. erigavoensis sp. n., N. factorio sp. n., N. gubanensis sp. n., N. maidensis sp. n., and N. montanus sp. n. from Somaliland; and N. kloppersi sp. n. from Kenya. This doubles the number of species in Neobuthus, unearthing a rich diversification of this genus of diminutive buthids in the Horn of Africa. Included is a key and distribution map. In N. gubanensis sp. n., we report a second known case of anomalous pectine development with tarsal-like structures that implicate homeotic mutation, providing further evidence of pectine-leg homology in scorpions

Campylobacter jejuni outer membrane vesicle-associated proteolytic activity promotes bacterial invasion by mediating cleavage of intestinal epithelial cell E-cadherin and occludin.

Outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) play an important role in the pathogenicity of Gram-negative bacteria. Campylobacter jejuni produces OMVs that trigger IL-8, IL-6, hBD-3 and TNF-α responses from T84 intestinal epithelial cells and are cytotoxic to Caco-2 IECs and Galleria mellonella larvae. Proteomic analysis of 11168H OMVs identified the presence of three proteases, HtrA, Cj0511 and Cj1365c. In this study, 11168H OMVs were shown to possess proteolytic activity that was reduced by pretreatment with specific serine protease inhibitors. OMVs isolated from 11168H htrA, Cj0511 or Cj1365c mutants possess significantly reduced proteolytic activity. 11168H OMVs are able to cleave both E-cadherin and occludin, but this cleavage is reduced with OMVs pretreated with serine protease inhibitors and also with OMVs isolated from htrA or Cj1365c mutants. Co-incubation of T84 monolayers with 11168H OMVs results in a visible reduction in both E-cadherin and occludin. The addition of 11168H OMVs to the co-culture of live 11168H bacteria with T84 cells results in enhanced levels of bacterial adhesion and invasion in a time-dependent and dose-dependent manner. Further investigation of the cleavage of host cell structural proteins by C. jejuni OMVs should enhance our understanding of the interactions of this important pathogen with intestinal epithelial cells

Revisiting Campylobacter jejuni Virulence and Fitness Factors: Role in Sensing, Adapting, and Competing.

Campylobacter jejuni is the leading cause of bacterial foodborne gastroenteritis world wide and represents a major public health concern. Over the past two decades, significant progress in functional genomics, proteomics, enzymatic-based virulence profiling (EBVP), and the cellular biology of C. jejuni have improved our basic understanding of this important pathogen. We review key advances in our understanding of the multitude of emerging virulence factors that influence the outcome of C. jejuni-mediated infections. We highlight, the spatial and temporal dynamics of factors that promote C. jejuni to sense, adapt and survive in multiple hosts. Finally, we propose cohesive research directions to obtain a comprehensive understanding of C. jejuni virulence mechanisms

The Campylobacter jejuni MarR-like transcriptional regulators RrpA and RrpB both influence bacterial responses to oxidative and aerobic stresses.

The ability of the human intestinal pathogen Campylobacter jejuni to respond to oxidative stress is central to bacterial survival both in vivo during infection and in the environment. Re-annotation of the C. jejuni NCTC11168 genome revealed the presence of two MarR-type transcriptional regulators Cj1546 and Cj1556, originally annotated as hypothetical proteins, which we have designated RrpA and RrpB (regulator of response to peroxide) respectively. Previously we demonstrated a role for RrpB in both oxidative and aerobic (O2) stress and that RrpB was a DNA binding protein with auto-regulatory activity, typical of MarR-type transcriptional regulators. In this study, we show that RrpA is also a DNA binding protein and that a rrpA mutant in strain 11168H exhibits increased sensitivity to hydrogen peroxide oxidative stress. Mutation of either rrpA or rrpB reduces catalase (KatA) expression. However, a rrpAB double mutant exhibits higher levels of resistance to hydrogen peroxide oxidative stress, with levels of KatA expression similar to the wild-type strain. Mutation of either rrpA or rrpB also results in a reduction in the level of katA expression, but this reduction was not observed in the rrpAB double mutant. Neither the rrpA nor rrpB mutant exhibits any significant difference in sensitivity to either cumene hydroperoxide or menadione oxidative stresses, but both mutants exhibit a reduced ability to survive aerobic (O2) stress, enhanced biofilm formation and reduced virulence in the Galleria mellonella infection model. The rrpAB double mutant exhibits wild-type levels of biofilm formation and wild-type levels of virulence in the G mellonella infection model. Together these data indicate a role for both RrpA and RrpB in the C. jejuni peroxide oxidative and aerobic (O2) stress responses, enhancing bacterial survival in vivo and in the environment

Investigating the interaction between Campylobacter jejuni and intestinal epithelial cells resulting in activation of the unfolded protein response

Problem Statement Campylobacter jejuni adheres, invades and resides within intestinal epithelial cells (IECs). However, the exact process at the cellular level leading to diarrhoeal disease is poorly understood. There have been studies that link intestinal inflammation and the unfolded protein response (UPR), which is a conserved pathway to restore homeostasis in the endoplasmic reticulum. Recent data has shown that C. jejuni activates UPR through IRE1α pathway. Here, we investigated the activation of the UPR through PERK, IRE1α, and ATF6 pathways by C. jejuni. Approach To investigate whether C. jejuni infection induces UPR in IECs, T84 cells were infected with C. jejuni 11168H, 81-176, and 488 wild-type strains with different exposure times. RNA and proteins were isolated from infected cells, and the induction of UPR by C. jejuni wild-type strains was observed using transcription and proteomic methods. Results The activation of all three UPR branches, PERK, IRE1α, and ATF6 was demonstrated by increased levels of transcription of chop, spliced xbp1, and atf6, respectively compared to uninfected control. The upregulation of these genes was confirmed by western blot, which showed increased amount of proteins for CHOP, phosphorylated eIF2α, and spliced XBP1 compared to the control. Conclusions The combined results demonstrate that C. jejuni induces the UPR through all three pathways. This study opens the way forward for improved understanding of the interaction between C. jejuni and IECs via UPR activation leading to intestinal inflammation. This understanding will further benefit the investigation of cellular pathways triggered by C. jejuni which can lead to diarrhoeal disease