Weaving Security into DevOps Practices in Highly Regulated Environments

In this article, the authors discuss enhancing a DevOps implementation in a highly regulated environment (HRE) with security principles. DevOps has become a standard option for entities seeking to streamline and increase participation by all stakeholders in their Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC). For a large portion of industry, academia, and government, applying DevOps is a straight forward process. There is, however, a subset of entities in these three sectors where applying DevOps can be very challenging. These are entities mandated by security policies to conduct all, or a portion, of their SDLC activities in an HRE. Often, the reason for an HRE is protection of intellectual property and proprietary tools, methods, and techniques. Even if an entity is functioning in a highly regulated environment, its SDLC can still benefit from implementing DevOps as long as the implementation conforms to all imposed policies. A benefit of an HRE is the existence of security policies that belong in a secure DevOps implementation. Layering an existing DevOps implementation with security will benefit the HRE as a whole. This work is based on the authors extensive experience in assessing and implementing DevOps across a diverse set of HREs. First, they extensively discuss the process of performing a DevOps assessment and implementation in an HRE. They follow this with a discussion of the needed security principles a DevOps enhanced SDLC should include. For each security principle, the authors discuss their importance to the SDLC and their appropriate placement within a DevOps implementation. They refer to a security enhanced DevOps implementation in an HRE as HRE-DevSecOps.

A New Approach to Compensator Design Based on Multi-Loop Technique and Scalable Forward Model Complexity

Using a compensator in the structure is one of the simplest ways to achieve efficient control of a non-linear process. Unfortunately, accessing the inverse process model is not a trivial issue. Except for some special cases, it is much easier to determine the forward process model than the inverse one. For this reason, it would be interesting to propose an alternative solution to the well-known feedforward control method. In this paper, a simple multi-loop concept will be introduced. The main idea is based on the natural (but limited) robustness offered by a single PID loop and the ability to scale up the complexity of the forward process model. The proposed structure multiplies a single PID loop including forward models with increasing complexity to calculate the resultant non-linear control value. This new approach produces a comparable performance to the feedforward method but does not require access to the inverse properties of the process. The idea was evaluated in terms of stability and robustness to parameter changes. In addition, a simulation study was carried out using two coupled non-linear processes, i.e., the position control of a robot manipulator with force interaction. The selection of this process was no casual choice. On the one hand, it is extremely complex; however, on the other hand, it provides the possibility to determine both the inverse and the forward dynamic model. This capability was helpful to perform an effective comparison of the proposed solution with the known feedforward structure.

Ring-shaped multimeric structure enables the acceleration of KaiB-KaiC complex formation induced by the ADP/ATP exchange inhibition

Circadian clocks tick a rhythm with a nearly 24-hour period in various organisms. The clock proteins of cyanobacteria, KaiA, KaiB, and KaiC, compose a minimum circadian clock. The slow KaiB-KaiC complex formation, which is essential in determining the clock period, occurs when the C1 domain of KaiC binds ADP produced by ATP hydrolysis. KaiC is considered to promote this complex formation by inhibiting the backward process, ADP/ATP exchange, rather than activating the forward process, ATP hydrolysis. Remarkably, although inhibition of backward process, in general, decelerates the whole process, KaiC oppositely accelerates the complex formation. In this article, by building a novel reaction model, we investigate the molecular mechanism of the simultaneous promotion and acceleration of the complex formation, which may play a significant role in keeping the period invariant under environmental perturbations. Based on several experimental results, we assume in this model that six KaiB monomers cooperatively and rapidly binds to C1 with the stabilization of the binding-competent conformation of C1 only when C1 binds six ADP. We find the cooperative KaiB binding effectively separates the pre-binding process of C1 into a fast transformation to binding-competent C1 requiring multiple ATP hydrolyses and its slow backward transformation. Since the ADP/ATP exchange retards the forward process, its inhibition results in the acceleration of the complex formation. We also find that, in a simplified monomeric model where KaiB binds to a KaiC monomer independently of the other monomers, the ADP/ATP exchange inhibition cannot accelerate the complex formation. In summary, we conclude that the ring-shaped hexameric form of KaiC enables the acceleration of the complex formation induced by the backward process inhibition because the cooperative KaiB binding arises from the structure of KaiC.

Promoting Partnership between Urban Design and Urban Ecology through Social-Ecological Resilience Building

A closer partnership between urban design and urban ecology can yield new knowledge with the predictive advancement of both fields. However, achieving such partnership is not always a straight-forward process due to different epistemological departures. This chapter provides a rudimentary background of the fields of urban design and urban ecology and familiarizes readers with some epistemological characteristics that are useful to consider in all forms of partnership activities between designers and ecologists. Social-ecological resilience offers a useful framework for inquiry of particular relevance for urban transition at a time when global societal challenges of massive biodiversity loss and climate change require urgent attention and where wicked environmental problems require creative urban tinkering. Such a framework could open up for more dynamic research approaches with a greater potential to bridge the gap between design and ecology that has tended to be dominated by relatively static design approaches in the past, ignoring a more non-linear understanding of the interconnectedness of social and ecological systems. The chapter ends by focusing on some important determinants for cooperation and dealing with ‘Research Through Design(ing)’ as a viable methodology for transition to urban sustainability.

The Dying Forward Hypothesis of ALS: Tracing Its History

The site of origin of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), although unsettled, is increasingly recognized as being cortico-fugal, which is a dying-forward process primarily starting in the corticomotoneuronal system. A variety of iterations of this concept date back to over 150 years. Recently, the hallmark TAR DNA-binding protein 43 (TDP-43) pathology, seen in >95% of patients with ALS, has been shown to be largely restricted to corticofugal projecting neurons (“dying forward”). Possibly, soluble but toxic cytoplasmic TDP-43 could enter the axoplasm of Betz cells, subsequently causing dysregulation of nuclear protein in the lower brainstem and spinal cord anterior horn cells. As the disease progresses, cortical involvement in ALS becomes widespread, including or starting with frontotemporal dementia, implying a broader view of ALS as a brain disease. The onset at the motor and premotor cortices should be considered a nidus at the edge of multiple cortical networks which eventually become disrupted, causing failure of a widespread cortical connectome.

WAYS OF FORMING PROFESSIONAL GRAPHIC COMPETENCE OF FUTURE ARCHITECTS

In the article actuality of research of questions of reformation is certain in the system of higher education, including from the point of view of improvement of modern principles of teaching of graphic disciplines creation of that assists forming of professional graphic competence students of architectural specialties. The forward process of improvement of educational activity produces new requirements to educating, in particular to his quality constituent, in this connection there is a necessity of development of mechanisms of the permanent monitoring of progress. The European model of education on the nearest future plugs in itself one of directions beginning such type of educating, that is characterized the considerable volume of independent work and active bringing in of students of creative specialties to the real projects, already from the first course, that it is impossible without steady skills individual graphic competence. In the last few years the circle of tasks that can be decided by graphic methods broadened, from meaningfulness of graphic disciplines that mortgage bases of the spatial thinking is accordingly enhance able therefore. The aim of our study is to analyze and summarize the results of experiments on the effect of quality of graphic competence of students which contributes to the effectiveness of their professional development. Long-term practice of teaching and exchange of experience in the methodology of graphic disciplines has shown that the formation of professional competence is impossible without a thorough study of the foundations of graphic literacy, whose essence lies in the study of the discipline Descriptive Geometry. Graphic education is a process, which leads to student’s gaining knowledge and skills of work with graphical information. The development of the ability to correctly perceive, create, store and transmit different graphical information about objects, processes and phenomena is the task of graphic training of professional education. Professional knowledge is objective necessary knowledge and abilities that is highly sought by future practical activity.

Snapshot – changing melanocyte identity in melanoma developing route

The largest organ with immune function, the skin, has complex structure and various physiological functions. Cells comprising this complex structure sustain various processes and have proteomic/transcriptomic/genomic patterns that would subside to developing a specific function in a specific moment of time and in a defined space. Within the complex skin structure melanocyte is one of the cell types that is involved in skin’s main functions. In the process of normal melanocyte transformation into a neoplastic cell there are several stages that are favored by a protumor inflammatory milieu. A tumorigenesis-friendly environment would increase cell’s genetic instability that will further lead to tumorigenesis and additionally to metastasis. In the environment, immune cells and immune-related molecules seminally contribute to the inflammatory landscape. Melanomagenesis is not a straight forward process. In order to take place, various factors need to collide, environmental, genetic, and immune factors must conjoint. Melanomas are heterogeneous and the transformed melanocyte has various genetic alterations, these mutations being specific to the site, to the degree of UV exposure, and/or specific for the genetic make-up of the host’s organism. This variability suggests that melanoma has more than one causal pathway. Within our paper we will snapshot the cellular identity of normal melanocyte, through benign transformed melanocyte up to a full blown tumorigenesis. Factors that are triggering these transformations(s) will be briefly highlighted.

Assessment of Nanocalcite Synthesis Routs on Green Biodiesel Production: Comparative Study

There has been a large demand for producing and utilizing eco-friendly fuel during the past few decades. In this regard, proposing an alternative to fossil fuel has to be judged based on its availability, and sustainability. Biodiesel is one of the realistic candidates to be a fossil fuel substitute. Albeit, biodiesel production is not straight forward process as it involves a chemical reaction that necessitates the use of a catalyst. In current research, we synthesized calcite (CaCO/CaCO3) nanocatalysts were prepared using two common methods, namely, sol-gel and thermal method. The findings revealed that synthesized nanocatalyst by sol-gel method enhanced the biodiesel yield to 93% compare to 98% for nanocatalyst synthesized from egg shell by the thermal method. In a similar vein, the nanocatalysts manufactured by sol-gel and thermal methods were tested for their reusability and showed a 81%, and 88%, biodiesel yield respectively. Furthermore, the Cetane Index (CI) was measured to confirm the efficiency of the produced biodiesel which was within a recommended range of (45-54), suggestive that CaCO/CaCO3 nanocatalyst might be a good candidate for efficient and reasonably clean biodiesel production from cooking oil waste.

Programmable Kirigami: Cutting and Folding in Science, Technology and Architecture

This paper investigates the potential of kirigami-folding with the addition of strategically placed cuts at multiple scales through both computational design and physical prototyping. The study develops a novel method and workflow for generating two-dimensional (2D) kirigami patterns developed from doubly curved three-dimensional (3D) surfaces (Inverse process). Corresponding simulations of the kirigami folding motion from 2D pattern to 3D goal shape are presented (Forward process). The workflow is based on a reciprocal feedback loop including computational design, finite element analysis, dynamic simulation and physical prototyping. Extended from previous research on kirigami geometry, this paper incorporates material properties into the folding process and successfully develops active kirigami models from the DNA scale to human scale. The results presented in this paper provide an attractive method for kirigami design and fabrication with a wide range of scales and applications.