Biometric iris templates security based on secret image sharing and chaotic maps

Biometric technique includes of uniquely identifying person based on their physical or behavioural characteristics. It is mainly used for authentication. Storing the template in the database is not a safe approach, because it can be stolen or be tampered with. Due to its importance the template needs to be protected. To treat this safety issue, the suggested system employed a method for securely storing the iris template in the database which is a merging approach for secret image sharing and hiding to enhance security and protect the privacy by decomposing the template into two independent host (public) iris images. The original template can be reconstructed only when both host images are available. Either host image does not expose the identity of the original biometric image. The security and privacy in biometrics-based authentication system is augmented by storing the data in the form of shadows at separated places instead of whole data at one. The proposed biometric recognition system includes iris segmentation algorithms, feature extraction algorithms, a (2, 2) secret sharing and hiding. The experimental results are conducted on standard colour UBIRIS v1 data set. The results indicate that the biometric template protection methods are capable of offering a solution for vulnerability that threatens the biometric template.

Analysis and Research on Spatial Nodes of Historical Villages based on Spatial Syntax Theory: Cuiwei Village in Qianshan Area of Zhuhai as an Example

This research takes Cuiwei Village located in Qianshan District of Zhuhai City as an example. The village is investigated and analyzed through field research, and the street scale, spatial structure, functional characteristics of streets, internal commercial distribution forms, and functions in the Cuiwei Historic Block are studied and analyzed. Based on the convex space analysis method and the line of sight analysis method in the space syntax theory, with the help of the Depthmap software, the complex street nodes, that is, the space of the two nodes A and B analyzed. Through the establishment of a viewshed model, including the analysis of the viewport integration degree, the viewport agglomeration degree, the viewport connection value and the spatial characteristics of the historical area, the most representative traditional buildings in the village, namely the Sanwang Temple and the Weishi Mansion, are selected. =N and when the radius R=3, observe the changes of the two parameters, the integration of the visual field and the visual depth of the two historical buildings. And with the help of Baidu time machine photos in different periods to observe and record the store's changes and people's behavioural characteristics. The results show that: at the present stage, the coordination of villages is poor, people's recognition in the village space is weak, and people cannot use local perception to reflect the overall space. There are obvious sub-interfaces between the interior of the village and the outside world—good but poor global intelligibility. After an on-the-spot investigation and analysis, it can be seen that although people can walk out of Cuiwei Village, they are always in a state of confusion, and it is difficult to grasp the spatial form of the overall area. Therefore, the space syntax analysis results are consistent with the field survey results, so this research method has good reference value and reference significance in the study of village space.

Epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2 infection in Italy using real-world data: methodology and cohort description of the second phase of web-based EPICOVID19 study.

Digital technologies have been extensively employed in response to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic worldwide. This study describes the methodology of the two-phase internet-based EPICOVID19 survey, and the characteristics of the adult volunteers respondents who lived in Italy during the first (April - May 2020) and the second wave (January - February 2021) of the epidemic. Validated scales and ad-hoc questionnaires were used to collect socio-demographic, medical and behavioural characteristics, as well as information on COVID-19. Among those who provided email addresses during phase I (105,355), 41,473 participated in phase II (mean age 50.7 years +/- 13.5 SD, 60.6% females). After a median follow-up of ten months, 52.8% had undergone naso-pharyngeal swab (NPS) testing and 13.2% had positive result. More than 40% had undergone serological test (ST) and 11.9% were positive. Out of the 2,073 participants with at least one positive ST, 72.8% had only negative results from NPS or never performed it. These results indicate that a large fraction of individuals remained undiagnosed, possibly contributing to the spread of the virus in the community. Participatory online surveys offer a unique opportunity to collect relevant data at individual level from large samples during confinement.

What Kind of Travellers Are Using Carsharing in Beijing? A Study Based on Selective Ensemble Learning

As a new urban travel mode, carsharing is significantly different from private cars, buses and other travel modes. Therefore, clarifying the typical characteristics of carsharing, such as individual users’ attributes, travel environment and travel behaviour, is conducive to accurately grasping the development of carsharing. In this study, a selective ensemble learning model is established to analyse typical travel characteristics of carsharing. Firstly, personal characteristics, environmental characteristics and behavioural characteristics were obtained through integrating order data, global positioning system data and station information. Then, based on a consolidated view of carsharing, different types of carsharing travel characteristics were distinguished using selective ensemble learning. Lastly, all kinds of carsharing travel are described in detail. It was identified through this research that carsharing travel can be divided into four kinds: long distance for leisure and entertainment, medium and short distances for business and commuting, a mixed category of medium and short distances for business and residence, and a mixed category of long distance for business and residence. This study can provide a theoretical reference and practical basis for precise planning and design and the scientific operation of carsharing.

Competing cognitive pressures on human exploration in the absence of trade-off with exploitation

Exploring novel environments through sequential sampling is essential for efficient decision-making under uncertainty. In the laboratory, human exploration has been studied in situations where exploration is traded against reward maximisation. By design, these ‘explore-exploit’ dilemmas confound the behavioural characteristics of exploration with those of the trade-off itself. Here we designed a sequential sampling task where exploration can be studied and compared in the presence and absence of trade-off with exploitation. Detailed model-based analyses of choice behaviour revealed specific exploration patterns arising in situations where information seeking is not traded against reward seeking. Human choices are directed toward the most uncertain option available, but only after an initial sampling phase consisting of choice streaks from each novel option. These findings outline competing cognitive pressures on information seeking: the repeated sampling of the current option (for hypothesis testing), and the directed sampling of the most uncertain option available (for structure mapping).

A Critical Realist Approach on Autism: Ontological and Epistemological Implications for Knowledge Production in Autism Research

The ontological status of autism has been a subject of considerable debate and philosophical approaches of it have been recent and sparse. On the one hand, from its conception, autism has been historically heavily located in the fields of psychiatry, psychology and neuroscience, which often assume access to an “objective,” neutral and infallible reality that is external to the research process and is based on the autistic person’s biology and behavioural characteristics, which can be scientifically observed and studied. On the other, proponents of the neurodiversity movement argue against medicalised and pathologising approaches to autism and toward approaches that consider social constructions of autism and relations of power. The Critical Realist philosophy can help reconcile the two positions. Critical Realism conceptualises objectivity as a statement about an object, rather than a neutral and infallible reality. Consequently, Critical Realism suggests that access to reality can only occur through fallible theories. It also suggests that effective theorising goes beyond appearances and phenomena and may even contradict them, which can help challenge dominant behaviourist approaches on autism. I then explore how the tenets of Critical Realism can help strengthen autistic-led theories of autism, the arguments they make, as well as how they support the importance of community autism knowledge. Finally, I present how Critical Realism’s approach to knowledge itself as well as the process of knowledge creation can strengthen autistic theorising, autistic participation in autism research and autistic emancipation. In the last part of the article, I explore how the concepts of Critical Realism apply to autistic sociability. I start with the debate between structure and agency, how Critical Realism reconciles this debate and the implications for autistic emancipation and autism research. I then present Critical Realism’s process of critique and explanation, how they connect to human emancipation and how they can lead to impactful change in autism research by requiring clear links from research to practice, enhancing practices with strong theoretical underpinnings and thus aiding the aims of emancipatory autism research.

Exploring the Compliance of Resilient High-Caries-Risk Patients Who Reversed Caries Severity

Background: Behavioural factors, such as compliance and regular dental attendance, have been proven to reverse caries severity. However, these factors have not been explored enough. The aim of this study was to explore the behavioural characteristics of compliant patients who had severe dental caries in primary dentition but whose dental conditions were considerably improved in mixed or permanent dentition.Methods: The 'w and W' criteria were designed to classify patients who had a worse or higher caries risk in primary and mixed or permanent dentition. Resilience, or reversal of caries severity, was thus defined as improvement based on these criteria. Interviews were performed with two groups of participants, including eight resilient children (M/F= 5/3) and their ten caregivers (M/F=2/8) in the patient group and ten paediatric dentists (M/F=6/4; clinical experience mean=26.9 years, minimum=16 years) in the dentist group. Thematic analyses were used to identify main themes.Results: Four themes were identified: (1) dental things/teeth are their priority, (2) normalising, (3) tiger parenting/conscientiousness and (4) trust. These ideas were identically described by both the patient and dentist groups.Conclusions: Resilience is the behavioural characteristic of children who outperform expectations, given their caries history and risk. Resilient patients reverse the fate of their teeth by their compliance with treatment protocols following dental guidelines, changing their dental behaviours, and thus, leading to treatment success. Dentists' suggestions are the priority and provide the norms in resilient patients' daily life. These patients find no excuses for not implementing dentists' advice, not only because they trust their dentists but also because they and their caregivers were conscientious about following dentists’ orders.

The Essence, Content and Structure of Cadets’ Readiness to Make a Conscious Choice of a Military Career

В статье рассматривается актуальная проблема формирования готовности кадет к осознанному выбору военной профессии в условиях кадетского образования. Анализ отчетов о результатах самообследования федеральных государственных казенных общеобразовательных учреждений кадетского типа за 2019 и 2020 годы показал, что количество кадет-выпускников, поступивших в военные вузы, невысоко, а оставшихся после первого года обучения в военном вузе — с каждым годом снижается по причине их низкой адаптации и самоопределенности в дальнейшей военной службе. Все это актуализирует проблему формирования готовности кадет к осознанному выбору военной профессии в условиях кадетского образования. В статье приводятся результаты анализа психолого-педагогической литературы, позволившего авторам выявить сущность, содержание и структуру готовности к деятельности в целом и готовности кадет к осознанному выбору военной профессии в частности. Дается авторское определение готовности кадет к осознанному выбору военной профессии как интегративного качества личности, которое включает в себя положительную установку, целостную систему ценностно-ориентированных, когнитивных, эмоционально-волевых, операционно-поведенческих характеристик личности, способствующих осознанному выбору военной профессии. Описываются педагогические условия формирования данной готовности, критерии и показатели ее сформированности с учетом специфики подготовки кадет в образовательных учреждениях кадетского типа. По мнению авторов, обобщенные результаты данного исследования могут послужить некоторыми ориентирами в организации индивидуализированной и дифференцированной профориентационной работы с кадетами. The article treats a relevant issue of ensuring cadets’ readiness to make a conscious choice of a military career. The analysis of cadets’ self-assessment that was held in federal military schools in 2019-2020 shows that the number of cadets who apply to military universities is rather low and the number of students who drop out of a military university after their first year is constantly increasing, which can be explained by cadets’ low readiness to make a conscious choice of a military career. The article defines cadets’ readiness to make a conscious choice of a military career as the entirety of personality traits and positive guidelines, a comprehensive system of values, and a comprehensive system of cognitive, emotional, volitional and behavioural characteristics which enable one to make a conscious choice of a military career. The article describes educational conditions that serve as a prerequisite for the formation of cadets’ readiness to make such a choice. It analyzes criteria that can be used to assess whether cadets are ready to make a conscious choice. The authors believe that the results of the research can be used as guidelines for individual and differentiated instruction of cadets.

Effects of Replacement of Wheat Straw with Corn Stover Based TMR on Growth Performance, Behavioural Characteristics, selected Blood Metabolites and Nutrient Digestibility in Beetal Bucks.

An experiment was executed to determine the effects of replacing wheat straw with corn stover on growth performance, behavioural characteristics, blood metabolites and nutrient digestibility in Beetal bucks. A total of twenty four Beetal bucks were assigned randomly to one of three treatment groups, having eight animals each, for 15 weeks experimental period. The dietary treatments included conventional (25% wheat straw and 75% concentrate), corn stover 50 (Fifty percent of wheat straw (12.5%) was replaced with corn stover, and corn stover 100 (Wheat straw was completely replaced with corn stover). Dietary replacement of wheat straw with corn stover has resulted in an increased dry matter intake and average daily gain by 10 and 26%, respectively in the bucks. Rumen pH and fecal score, however, remained unaffected by dietary replacement of wheat straw with corn stover in the bucks. The replacement of wheat straw with corn stover has resulted in an increased feeding and rumination time, improved lying time and length and decreased number of bouts in the bucks. Blood glucose, urea, bilirubin and calcium levels were remained unaffected by replacing wheat straw with corn stover. The blood phosphorous level, however, was decreased in bucks fed corn stover based ration. The bucks fed corn stover based ration has resulted in an increased digestibility of nutrients including organic matter, crude protein, neutral and acid detergent fiber compared to those fed wheat straw based total mixed ration.

Modelling livestock infectious disease control policy under differing social perspectives on vaccination behaviour.

Background: The spread of infection amongst livestock depends not only on the traits of the pathogen and the livestock themselves, but also on the behavioural characteristics of farmers and how that impacts the implementation of livestock disease control measures. Livestock owners may change their disease management behaviours in response to complex factors such as increased awareness of disease risks, pressure to conform with social expectations and the direct imposition of animal health regulations. Controls that are costly may make it beneficial for individuals to rely on the protection offered by others, though that may be sub-optimal for the population. Thus, failing to account for behavioural dynamics may produce a substantial layer of bias in infectious disease models. Methods: We investigated the role of vaccine behaviour across a population of farmers on epidemic outbreaks amongst livestock, caused by pathogens with differential speed of spread over spatial landscapes of farms for two counties in England (Cumbria and Devon). Under different compositions of three vaccine behaviour groups (precautionary, reactionary, non-vaccination), we evaluated from population- and individual-level perspectives the optimum threshold distance to premises with notified infection that would trigger responsive vaccination by the reactionary vaccination group. Results: On our data-informed livestock systems, we demonstrate a divergence between population and individual perspectives in the optimal scale of reactive voluntary vaccination response. In general, minimising the population-level cost requires a broader reactive uptake of the intervention, with individualistic behaviours increasing the likelihood of larger scale disease outbreaks. When the relative cost of vaccination was low and the majority of premises had undergone precautionary vaccination, then an individual perspective gave a broader spatial extent of reactive response compared to the population perspective. Conclusions: Mathematical models integrating epidemiological and socio-behavioural properties, and the feedback between them, can identify instances of strong disagreement between the intervention stringency that is best for a sole individual compared to the overall population. These modelling insights can aid our understanding of how stakeholders may react to veterinary health interventions.