Development of audit and data protection principles in electronic voting systems

It is assumed in standard information protection technologies that there are owners of this information who put forward requirements for protection. In secret voting systems, the information belongs to the community of citizens, and to protect it, vote organizers must create conditions that allow each voter to make sure that the vote secrecy and accuracy of vote counting are preserved. In developed democracies, this issue is resolved through a widely available audit of all procedures that may be mistrusted. Any voter can conduct such an audit. The anxiety of citizens of democratic countries is based on the idea that if electronic voting is introduced, it will be impossible to conduct such an audit. The article proposes principles of auditing all those software and hardware tools and processes of the online voting system that can generate voter distrust. This audit is carried out using a dedicated server open to voters and their fiduciaries. This server provides continuous monitoring of actions of the service staff in terms of possible interference in the operation of the voting system. Also, due to this server, auditors receive data on the integrity of the voting system hardware and software including its audit tools and an alarm signal in the event of a threat. It was possible to reduce the average time of processing the voter requests to two seconds. This means that processing a maximum of 2,500 voter requests at a vote station will take no more than two hours. Simultaneous access of 50 voters to the server will not make them wait in the queue for more than 2 minutes. Implementation results were described and links were given for conducting experimental voting on the Internet.

The adaptive role of cell death in yeast communities stressed with macrolide antifungals

Microorganisms cooperate with each other to protect themselves from environmental stressors. An extreme case of such cooperation is regulated cell death for the benefit of other cells. Dying cells can provide surviving cells with nutrients or induce their stress-response by transmitting an alarm signal; however, the role of dead cells in microbial communities is unclear. Here we searched for types of stressors the protection from which can be achieved by death of a subpopulation of cells. Thus, we compared the survival of Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells upon exposure to various stressors in the presence of additionally supplemented living versus dead cells. We found that dead cells contribute to yeast community resistance against macrolide antifungals (e.g. amphotericin B [AmB] and filipin) to a greater extent than living cells. Dead yeast cells absorbed more macrolide filipin than control cells because they exposed intracellular sterol-rich membranes. We also showed that, upon the addition of lethal concentrations of AmB, supplementation with AmB-sensitive cells but not with AmB-resistant cells enabled the survival of wild-type cells. Together, our data suggests that cell-to-cell heterogeneity in sensitivity to AmB can be an adaptive mechanism helping yeast communities to resist macrolides, which are naturally occurring antifungal agents.

The parabrachial-to-amygdala pathway provides aversive information to induce avoidance behavior in mice

The neuronal circuitry for pain signals has been intensively studied for decades. The external lateral parabrachial nucleus (PB) was shown to play a crucial role in nociceptive information processing. Previous work, including ours, has demonstrated that stimulating the neuronal pathway from the PB to the central region of the amygdala (CeA) can substitute for an actual pain signal to drive an associative form of threat/fear memory formation. However, it is still unknown whether activation of the PB–CeA pathway can directly drive avoidance behavior, escape behavior, or only acts as strategic freezing behavior for later memory retrieval. To directly address this issue, we have developed a real-time Y-maze conditioning behavioral paradigm to examine avoidance behavior induced by optogenetic stimulation of the PB–CeA pathway. In this current study, we have demonstrated that the PB–CeA pathway carries aversive information that can directly trigger avoidance behavior and thereby serve as an alarm signal to induce adaptive behaviors for later decision-making.

Philately’s Implications in Ecological Education via Romanian Thematic Joint Issues (V) - Regarding the 3rd Colaboration with WWF

The collaboration of the Romanian postal administration with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), and its purely philatelic interpretations, was limited to the introduction in the postal circulation, starting with 1977, of philatelic issues aiming at the protection of various endangered species. Thus, in addition to the issues that appeared in 1977 and 1984, towards the end of 1994, a third philatelic issue appeared. This, entitled "World Wide Fund for Nature", illustrates various species of fish, most of which are also found in aquatic ecosystems in Romania. In this context, the purpose of this paper is to make known to the public and to widely promote the term of protection and sustainable management of habitats and those endangered species, as an alarm signal of their condition. The results of the research undertaken emphasize once again the mass character of thematic philately and the fundamental role - as an ambassador of the promotion of knowledge - that it has had over time, and still has. Regarding the philatelic issues studied, in terms of the rich material reproduced (postage stamps, blocks and other forms of pagination, first day covers - FDCs, illustrated and maximum postcards, occasional envelopes, and postal circulation), it can be stated that it highlights another concern of the WWF (conservation of fish species), from the perspective of promoting natural capital.

The Romanian Philatelic issue "Hunting", Appeared in 1956

Because Romania is placing an increasing emphasis on biodiversity conservation, it is appropriate to bring into discussion a series of aspects that alter the idea of conservation. One of the activities in question is hunting. Therefore, continuing the extensive project to promote protected natural heritage and biodiversity, we decided to focus this time on the hunting act and its pure artistic interpretations, introducing the idea of hunting associated with philately. In this sense, the first topic addressed is the first issue of Romanian postage stamps dedicated exclusively to hunting, which appeared at the beginning of 1956. Since then and until now, at the beginning of 2021, philately has been constantly enriched with issues between the most interesting and unique at the same time. The aim of this paper is to make known to the public and to promote nationally and internationally the term sustainable hunting, as an alarm signal for the deplorable state in which game species are treated, some of which even reach endangered. The results of the research undertaken emphasize the mass character of thematic philately and the fundamental role - as an ambassador of knowledge promotion - that it has had over time. Regarding the first philatelic issue that addresses this issue, we can say that it was a welcome one among the collectors of philatelic effects, as well as among those who used the postal service of the time. At the same time, from the large mass of pieces identified as belonging to the issue in question, the key findings are that the hunt was fully felt and known, at least locally and regionally, through the philatelic circulations exposed.

Contributions to Driver Fatigue Detection Based on Eye-tracking

In recent years, one of the most important factors in road accidents is the drowsiness of drivers and the distraction while driving. In this paper, we describe a system that monitors the detection of fatigue or drowsiness. The proposed solutions follow the driver's gaze, and if the system identifies the closed eyes, it triggers an alarm signal intended to alert against losing control of the car and causing traffic accidents. Eye-tracking is the process that measuring the eye position and eye movement. The proposed method is structured in three phases. In the first phase, eye images are captured at constant time intervals and converted into grayscale images. In the second phase these images are fed to Haar algorithm to identify the driver eyes. In the third phase, based on the previous phase the system can now take action to continue monitoring or trigger alarm to alert the driver if the drowsiness has been detected.

Philately’s Implications in Ecological Education Via Romanian Thematic Joint Issues (III) - Regarding the 1st Colaboration with WWF

Continuing the extensive project to promote protected natural heritage and biodiversity, we decided, this time, to emphasize the collaboration of the Romanian postal administration with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and its purely philatelic interpretations, introducing in scientific circulation the idea of thematic philately for endangered species protection. In this sense, the first topic addressed is the first issue of Romanian postage stamps dedicated exclusively to protected animals in Romania, published in early 1977. From that date until now, at the end of 2020, Romanian philately has been enriched, on quite rare occasions (3-4 in number), with the most interesting and original issues at the same time. As mentioned, the purpose of this paper is to make known to the public and to widely promote the term of protection and sustainable management of endangered species, as an alarm signal on the deplorable condition in which various species of fish, birds or even mammals are treated. For some of these species not to disappear, it was decided to pass them under the protection of the law, where the WWF also has a special contribution through its initiatives. The results of the research undertaken underline the mass character of thematic philately and the fundamental role - as an ambassador of knowledge promotion - that it has played over time. Regarding the philatelic issues that address this thematic, we can say that they successfully highlight the implications of WWF along with those of the Romanian postal administration in promoting the natural capital to be protected, but especially the impressive work of collectors of philatelic effects, as well as of those who used the postal service.

The Importance of Respecting the Psychological Contract by Managers

The paper wants to be an alarm signal that non-compliance with the psychological contract by managers can negatively affect the organizational climate. The paper starts with a selection of the most important aspects of the literature on the psychological contract. The results of this study from secondary sources are interpreted in terms of the current socio-economic context, showing the possible negative influences of economic crises and pandemics such as COVID-19 on compliance with the psychological contract in organizations. The situations of violation of the psychological contract by the management can be numerous in this context. Therefore, the paper then presents an exploratory research conducted online, the respondents being employed in various companies in the Sibiu County (Romania). The main objectives of the research were to find out the importance of the psychological contract for employees and how it is or is not respected by managers. The results showed that the psychological contract is very important for respondents, but their perceptions of compliance with it are influenced by the crises faced by the organization. Another important conclusion shows that, in the opinion of the employees, many managers from the organizations in Sibiu County do not respect the psychological contract.

CLASSICAL METHODS TO PREDICT THE PERFORMANCE OF BUCHHOLZ RELAY BY GIVING THE PHENOMENA OF INCIPIENT FAULT INTO THE OIL IMMERSED TRANSFORMER

This work explains the classical methods for predicting the performance of the Buchholz relay. The traditional methods use the simulation by giving a phenomenon of incipient fault into the oil-immersed transformer. The Buchholz relay is a type of mechanical relay whose operating mechanism is influenced by oil and gas in the transformer tank tend to move into the expansion tank through the interconnecting piping. This device is a critical component that is integrated into the oil-immersed transformer protection philosophy. An electronic circuit-based simulator that is integrated with a circuit breaker operation control panel was chosen as a means for creating conditions during alarm or trip. The performance measurement provides simulated fault conditions for setting on alarm and trip. The provision of faults simulation in the form of pressing a push-button one time to simulate the existence of an alarm condition. In that condition, the CBs control panel does not operate, but the appointment of an alarm signal. Based on that, the Buzzer sounds and the status check trip is still normal or "no lock-out". Giving full pressure as a form of simulation for trip conditions on the Buchholz relay, the control panel designates the condition of the two CBs (side of 150 kV and 20 kV side) open, and the alarm signal designation also occurs with Buzzer sounding. Hence, the check trip status becomes "lock-out". The Buchholz relay serves to detect the presence of gas caused by local heating or pressure surges in the transformer oil. After giving all of the conditions, the Buccholz relay performance is known.