Common Browser Research Articles

Blockchain Corda-based IoT-Oriented Information-Sharing System for Agricultural Worker Physical Movement Data with Multiple Sensor Unit

In this study, we attempted to develop and implement a blockchain Corda-based record sharing system for traditional agricultural (agri-) researchers, workers, and their managers. Corda differs from other domain and practical blockchain techniques (e.g., Bitcoin, Ethereum) with respect to its main aims and structural features. Corda-based network systems can transmit and share basic data concerning ledgers at banks or other financial societies and can be handled on common web browsers (e.g., Google Chrome or Microsoft Internet Explorer). This study consists of three phases: (1) designing and confirming the validity of the entire system, (2) constructing and tuning various minor system settings (e.g., programs or networking specifications), and (3) conducting experiments in indoor settings using hoe acceleration data obtained from previous research projects. The integrated system performed with an acceptable level of accuracy. However, it was extremely difficult to quantitatively present the accuracy data. We were unable to concretely show the success and error rates for the data transmitting and receiving, nor the examination operation time. We thus present the specific error content. Overall, the main error trends were (1) errors concerning the rather small transaction time-delay, (2) mistakes concerning the transaction data in the system, and (3) broken transaction data in the system. In particular, we could determine the transaction time delay according to the JavaScript operations and features by observing. We present experimental ranges for these time delays and other error types. Noting concerns concerning previous trials, we suggest practical applications of the proposed system. In short, we believe that our results are novel achievements in the fusion of agricultural informatics, statistics, and human dynamics. We believe that combining this data and other kinds of timeline data with blockchain-based technology and multiple sensors will improve not only agri-business and management, but also agri-skill and security.

Encoding immersive sessions for online, interactive VR analytics

Capturing and recording immersive VR sessions performed through HMDs in explorative virtual environments may offer valuable insights on users’ behavior, scene saliency and spatial affordances. Collected data can support effort prioritization in 3D modeling workflow or allow fine-tuning of locomotion models for time-constrained experiences. The web with its recent specifications (WebVR/WebXR) represents a valid solution to enable accessible, interactive and usable tools for remote VR analysis of recorded sessions. Performing immersive analytics through common browsers however presents different challenges, including limited rendering capabilities. Furthermore, interactive inspection of large session records is often problematic due to network bandwidth or may involve computationally intensive encoding/decoding routines. This work proposes, formalizes and investigates flexible dynamic models to volumetrically capture user states and scene saliency during running VR sessions using compact approaches. We investigate image-based encoding techniques and layouts targeting interactive and immersive WebVR remote inspection. We performed several experiments to validate and assess proposed encoding models applied to existing records and within networked scenarios through direct server-side encoding, using limited storage and computational resources.

Relevant Measures to Prevent the Spread of African Swine Fever in the European Union Domestic Pig Sector.

During the past decade, African swine fever (ASF) has spread from the Caucasus region to eastern European Union countries affecting domestic pig and wild boar populations. In order to avert ASF spread, mitigation measures targeting both populations have been established. However, despite these efforts, ASF has been reported in thirteen different countries (Georgia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, the Russian Federation, Ukraine, Belarus, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Moldova, Czech Republic, and Romania). In the absence of an effective vaccine or treatment to ASF, introduction and spread of ASF onto domestic pig farms can only be prevented by strict compliance to control measures. This study systematically reviewed available measures to prevent the spread of ASF in the EU domestic pig sector distinguishing between commercial, non-commercial, and outdoor farms. The search was performed in PubMed and using a common browser. A total of 52 documents were selected for the final review process, which included scientific articles, reports, EU documents and official recommendations, among others. From this literature review, 37 measures were identified as preventive measures for the introduction and spread of ASF. Subsequently, these measures were assessed by ASF experts for their relevance in the mitigation of ASF spread on the three mentioned types of farms. All experts agreed that some of the important preventive measures for all three types of farms were: the identification of animals and farm records; strict enforcement of the ban on swill feeding; and containment of pigs, so as to not allow direct or indirect pig–pig and/or pig–wild boar contacts. Other important preventive measures for all farms were education of farmers, workers, and operators; no contact between farmers and farm staff and external pigs; appropriate removal of carcasses, slaughter residues, and food waste; proper disposal of manure and dead animals, and abstaining from hunting activities during the previous 48 h (allowing a 48 h interval between hunting and being in contact with domestic pigs). Finally, all experts identified that the important preventive measures for non-commercial and outdoor farms is to improve access of those farms to veterinarians and health services.

A comparative forensic analysis of privacy enhanced web browsers and private browsing modes of common web browsers

Growing concerns regarding internet privacy has led to the development of enhanced privacy web browsers. The authors conducted a digital forensic examination, to determine the recoverable artefacts of three enhanced privacy web browsers (Dooble, Comodo Dragon and Epic) and three commonly used web browsers in anonymous browsing mode (Chrome, Edge and Firefox). In addition, the authors compared two digital forensic tools (FTK and Autopsy) commonly used by law enforcement to determine differences in recoverable browser artefacts. Results indicated the enhanced privacy browsers performed about the same as the common browsers in anonymous browsing mode. In addition, FTK was the better tool for recovering and viewing browser artefacts for both browser groups. Overall, this study did not produce sufficient evidence to conclude enhanced privacy browsers do indeed provide better privacy.

YAAM: Yeast Amino Acid Modifications Database

Proteins are dynamic molecules that regulate a myriad of cellular functions; these functions may be regulated by protein post-translational modifications (PTMs) that mediate the activity, localization and interaction partners of proteins. Thus, understanding the meaning of a single PTM or the combination of several of them is essential to unravel the mechanisms of protein regulation. Yeast Amino Acid Modification (YAAM) (http://yaam.ifc.unam.mx) is a comprehensive database that contains information from 121 921 residues of proteins, which are post-translationally modified in the yeast model Saccharomyces cerevisiae. All the PTMs contained in YAAM have been confirmed experimentally. YAAM database maps PTM residues in a 3D canvas for 680 proteins with a known 3D structure. The structure can be visualized and manipulated using the most common web browsers without the need for any additional plugin. The aim of our database is to retrieve and organize data about the location of modified amino acids providing information in a concise but comprehensive and user-friendly way, enabling users to find relevant information on PTMs. Given that PTMs influence almost all aspects of the biology of both healthy and diseased cells, identifying and understanding PTMs is critical in the study of molecular and cell biology. YAAM allows users to perform multiple searches, up to three modifications at the same residue, giving the possibility to explore possible regulatory mechanism for some proteins. Using YAAM search engine, we found three different PTMs of lysine residues involved in protein translation. This suggests an important regulatory mechanism for protein translation that needs to be further studied. Database URL: http://yaam.ifc.unam.mx/

A comparative forensic analysis of privacy enhanced web browsers and private browsing modes of common web browsers

A comparative forensic analysis of privacy enhanced web browsers and private browsing modes of common web browsers

Abstract B06: HTSvis: An user-friendly application for analysis of arrayed high-throughput experiments by interactive data representations

Abstract The presented application HTSvis provides an user-interface tool for interactive analysis of arrayed high-throughput screening experiments. Arrayed formats are broadly used for cell-based screens which help to reveal mechanisms of complex diseases such as cancer. Technological advances allow to screen tens of thousands experimental conditions in a single experiments resulting in large datasets with complicated annotation files. Software packages for standardized analysis with a minimized programming effort have been developed accordingly. Even though such pipelines provide comprehensive analysis options, interpretation of the results remains a challenge as the user has to manually compare files and possibly re-run the analysis to prosecute certain hypotheses. Here we present HTSvis, a web application that visualizes data from arrayed screens. The data can be read-in as result files of the established R package CellHTS2 or as any spreadsheet table. This enables the user to feed in data which has been statistically analyzed whilst preserving flexibility to analyze data independent of the CellHTS2 package. The application provides several informative data representations like heatmaps, scatter plots and tables. Within the application, the data can be browsed in an ad hoc manner via the implemented user interface. This allows the user to assess data quality, compare experiments, identify measurements of interest and to verify generated hypotheses in an exploratory manner. The direct allocation of data points to experimental conditions is preserved in all representations facilitating an intuitive interpretation. HTSvis is easy to install, data input is straight forward and no programming skills are required for the usage. The application is compatible with common web browsers and can be set up on local computers as well as on server clusters which allows parallel access for multiple users. Summarized, HTSvis provides a helpful tool for interactive data analysis and interpretation for both, users with and without programming skills. Thereby, the application also promotes the cooperation and exchange of ideas between bioinformaticians and experimental biologists or between collaborators. Citation Format: Christian Scheeder, Florian Heigwer, Michael Boutros. HTSvis: An user-friendly application for analysis of arrayed high-throughput experiments by interactive data representations [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Precision Medicine Series: Opportunities and Challenges of Exploiting Synthetic Lethality in Cancer; Jan 4-7, 2017; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Mol Cancer Ther 2017;16(10 Suppl):Abstract nr B06.

INTEGRATION OF 3D MODELS AND DIAGNOSTIC ANALYSES THROUGH A CONSERVATION-ORIENTED INFORMATION SYSTEM

Abstract. In the recent years, mature technologies for producing high quality virtual 3D replicas of Cultural Heritage (CH) artefacts has grown thanks to the progress of Information Technologies (IT) tools. These methods are an efficient way to present digital models that can be used with several scopes: heritage managing, support to conservation, virtual restoration, reconstruction and colouring, art cataloguing and visual communication. The work presented is an emblematic case of study oriented to the preventive conservation through monitoring activities, using different acquisition methods and instruments. It was developed inside a project founded by Lombardy Region, Italy, called “Smart Culture”, which was aimed to realise a platform that gave the users the possibility to easily access to the CH artefacts, using as an example a very famous statue. The final product is a 3D reality-based model that contains a lot of information inside it, and that can be consulted through a common web browser. In the end, it was possible to define the general strategies oriented to the maintenance and the valorisation of CH artefacts, which, in this specific case, must consider the integration of different techniques and competencies, to obtain a complete, accurate and continuative monitoring of the statue.

Distributed real‐time monitoring system for atmospheric particles

Haze occurs frequently in many cities, and becomes the authors' great common concern. A distributed real-time monitoring system for atmospheric particles has been designed, implemented and tested. The proposed system consists of a front-end data wireless acquisition network, an embedded web server system, a central server and remote monitoring terminals. The front-end data-acquisition network is made up of mobile data-acquisition nodes distributed in atmospheric particle monitoring areas which collect atmospheric particle data periodically. The data is transmitted by Jennet wireless network and sent to the Internet through the embedded web servers attached to the coordinator nodes via the serial ports. Only a common Internet browser is required for a remote user to check the atmospheric particle data. The central server is responsible for storing the pollution data for further usage of pollution analysis, evaluation and early warning. In this study, the PM1.0, PM2.5 and PM10 particle data were successfully collected, transmitted and checked by the monitoring system in Lanzhou, China. The results show that the designed system can meet the needs of functional requirements of atmospheric particle monitoring.

PathwayMapper: a collaborative visual web editor for cancer pathways and genomic data.

While existing network visualization tools enable the exploration of cancer genomics data, most biologists prefer simplified, curated pathway diagrams, such as those featured in many manuscripts from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). These pathway diagrams typically summarize how a pathway is altered in individual cancer types, including alteration frequencies for each gene. To address this need, we developed the web-based tool PathwayMapper, which runs in most common web browsers. It can be used for viewing pre-curated cancer pathways, or as a graphical editor for creating new pathways, with the ability to overlay genomic alteration data from cBioPortal. In addition, a collaborative mode is available that allows scientists to co-operate interactively on constructing pathways, with support for concurrent modifications and built-in conflict resolution. The PathwayMapper tool is accessible at http://pathwaymapper.org and the code is available on Github ( https://github.com/iVis-at-Bilkent/pathway-mapper ). ivis@cs.bilkent.edu.tr. Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.

The Use of Smart Glasses for Surgical Video Streaming.

Observation of surgical procedures performed by experts is extremely important for acquisition and improvement of surgical skills. Smart glasses are small computers, which comprise a head-mounted monitor and video camera, and can be connected to the internet. They can be used for remote observation of surgeries by video streaming. Although Google Glass is the most commonly used smart glasses for medical purposes, it is still unavailable commercially and has some limitations. This article reports the use of a different type of smart glasses, InfoLinker, for surgical video streaming. InfoLinker has been commercially available in Japan for industrial purposes for more than 2 years. It is connected to a video server via wireless internet directly, and streaming video can be seen anywhere an internet connection is available. We have attempted live video streaming of knee arthroplasty operations that were viewed at several different locations, including foreign countries, on a common web browser. Although the quality of video images depended on the resolution and dynamic range of the video camera, speed of internet connection, and the wearer's attention to minimize image shaking, video streaming could be easily performed throughout the procedure. The wearer could confirm the quality of the video as the video was being shot by the head-mounted display. The time and cost for observation of surgical procedures can be reduced by InfoLinker, and further improvement of hardware as well as the wearer's video shooting technique is expected. We believe that this can be used in other medical settings.

A web-based modern ultrasound diagnostic scanner simulation (SimulUS) from high-school students for undergraduate medical e-learning education

Purpose: A unique interactive software has been developed to support E-teaching of students and teachers in medical studies. The functions and settings of a modern ultrasound imaging platform/console (B-/M-Mode, Colour-, Spectral-, Power-Doppler) are simulated to allow users to learn interactively the basic handling and main knobology of an imaging equipment as real as possible. Material and methods: The tool is designed as an HTML-based application to use it with common web-browsers being most flexible for its operation on different back-end devices used by students and account for their mobile learning behaviour. On the other hand this design chosen make it possible to access the tool as web-based (server-based) or standalone (downloadable from our lab's website) application. Only one external plugin is needed to run this web-based tool because it was originally layouted and developed with Visual Studio by high school students within a funded summer school program of 4 weeks (FFG Talente 2015, project # 851538). Results: Within this simulation the basic functions like selection of transducers, TGC, gain, focal setting, penetration depth etc. have been implemented to explain the essential settings that have to be changed/optimised during a real ultrasound examination. The changes can be seen interactively as live images within the displayed B-Mode image. Additionally the scanner simulates M-Mode as well as Spectral-, Colour- or Power-Doppler features (Fig. 1). Conclusion: This simulation seems to be an e-learning tool with effective application potential in our medical curriculum or for self-learning at home. It allows reducing temporal and equipment resources in hands-on sessions/skills-labs and fits the personal needs of students.

New features in the MOGADOC database

The development of the Molecular Gas-Phase Documentation database is briefly described. It has been developed from a unique literature compilation via the first client programs on computer mainframes and personal computers to a versatile HTML-based version, which can be run platform-independently by common Web browsers. In the database, the structural parameters for about 9200 organic, metalorganic, and inorganic compounds studied in the gas phase mainly by electron diffraction and microwave spectroscopy are given numerically, and the molecular structures can be visualized in many ways, particularly in three-dimensional representation. Moreover, the spectroscopic parameters (such as rotational and centrifugal distortion constants, dipole moments, nuclear quadrupole coupling constants, and barriers of hindered rotation) can be retrieved by keywords.

SU‐E‐T‐689: Semi‐Automated GPU‐Based Monte Carlo Dose Calculation for Total Body Irradiation

Purpose:To enable fast and accurate TBI dose calculations for research and clinical applications.Methods:We adapted GPU‐based Monte Carlo (MC) dose calculation library written for patient specific IMRT quality assurance to enable us to compute dose delivered to a patient during total body irradiation (TBI). The full CT dataset of the patient is loaded into the system along with organ contours, specifically, the body and lung contours, as well as rectangular contours denoting compensator sizes and locations. The CT data is automatically cropped by setting all values outside of the body contour to air HU value. The lung and compensator contours are automatically voxelized, projected and rotated by 45 degrees onto the 40×40 cm fluence map plane and weighted by the appropriate attenuation value. The mirror image of the fluence map is also computed for the opposite beam configuration (P‐A for A‐P, or R‐L for L‐R). The fluence maps are then included as input, along with the auto‐segmented material types and density values from the CT dataset, into the GPU‐based MC calculation. The Result is the full body MC calculated TBI dose for the patient which can then be used for various research studies. The users upload their data to the GPU server using FTP. The interface to the calculation software is in the form of an iPython Notebook, enabling the user to access the GPU server through a common web browser to input various parameters, monitor the process, and analyze results.Results:The developed software enables researchers and clinicians to compute MC TBI dose results in less than 2 minutes given lung and body contours and compensator transmission coefficients.Conclusion:We successfully designed and developed a semi‐automated MC TBI dose calculation software to enable research and clinical studies.

Online watershed boundary delineation: sharing models through Spatial Data Infrastructures

Abstract. The proposal in this paper is to make accessible the hydrology analysis tools that were developed by our research team in the past years through an interoperable Spatial Data Infrastructure. To this aim we chose to develop add-ons for the geOrchestra OGC-compliant platform. Such add-ons trigger algorithms and retrieve their output in real time through OGC standard WPS. We then introduce a watershed WPS add-on and its functioning modes. In so doing we exemplify the fact that the use of OGC standards make it straightforward (and transparent to the user operating a common web browser) to remotely trigger a process on a distant server, then apply it to distant data present on a remote cartographic server, and drop the outcome onto a third-party cartographic server while visualizing it all on a browser.

Research of marine sensor web based on SOA and EDA

A great deal of ocean sensor observation data exists, for a wide range of marine disciplines, derived from in situ and remote observing platforms, in real-time, near-real-time and delayed mode. Ocean monitoring is routinely completed using sensors and instruments. Standardization is the key requirement for exchanging information about ocean sensors and sensor data and for comparing and combining information from different sensor networks. One or more sensors are often physically integrated into a single ocean ‘instrument’ device, which often brings in many challenges related to diverse sensor data formats, parameters units, different spatiotemporal resolution, application domains, data quality and sensors protocols. To face these challenges requires the standardization efforts aiming at facilitating the so-called Sensor Web, which making it easy to provide public access to sensor data and metadata information. In this paper, a Marine Sensor Web, based on SOA and EDA and integrating the MBARI’s PUCK protocol, IEEE 1451 and OGC SWE 2.0, is illustrated with a five-layer architecture. The Web Service layer and Event Process layer are illustrated in detail with an actual example. The demo study has demonstrated that a standard-based system can be built to access sensors and marine instruments distributed globally using common Web browsers for monitoring the environment and oceanic conditions besides marine sensor data on the Web, this framework of Marine Sensor Web can also play an important role in many other domains’ information integration.

Overconfidence: Personal Behaviors Regarding Privacy that Allows the Leakage of Information in Private Browsing Mode

A growing concern of users about confidentiality and privacy in web related tasks presses companies to present more secure solutions that respect the right to individual privacy. However, as some sources show, the most common browsers on the market are not able to maintain adequate privacy, even with the adoption of private browsing mode. For law enforcement agents this vulnerability may give a chance to acquire evidence during an investigation. Information security or lack of it solidifies into issues that often are not technical. The first concept is the confidence. Conceptually, trust is the firm belief that one has in relation to another person or something. Certainly, several security incidents began in the confidence that software and hardware would not fail under certain conditions. This paper presents a data capture method of browsers related activities and argues that it is possible to recover text and graphics data related to pages visited during private browsing sessions. The observations, reported in this article, show a clear violation of the functional requirement to maintain user’s privacy. Overall, it is important to assess and validate private browsing techniques.

Web Browsers and Security

This article will discuss the range of web browsers available and the ways in which they can present distinct security risks to users and organisations, both directly and as an enabling factor in other attacks. A brief look at the most common browser platforms is followed by discussion of some common issues found in multiple browsers, along with mitigation strategies.

Application of Interactive Motion Charts for Displaying Liver Transplantation Data in Public Websites

In the past several years a vast amount of digital information has become available in every field of science, and ideas to apply improved strategies for obtaining a more in-depth knowledge of the data are considered in many areas. Although several American and European organizations show regularly in their public websites the aggregated results of organ donation and transplantation, no tools are provided to engage with the final users and to enable them to handle these data. In this study, a new model of Web-based interactive motion charts was applied to aggregated liver transplantation data obtained from a consecutive 28-year series of liver transplantation performed in a single Italian center. The interactive charts were obtained by combining the Google visualization application programming interface and the googleVis package within the open source statistical environment R. The interactive charts may be embedded into online/offline Web pages and rendered in each common browser. The users may interact with the charts by selecting chart type (bubble, bar, or line chart), x- and y-axis scales (linear or logarithmic), variables, bubble size, color, and even changing opacity of unselected items. Moreover, the charts may dynamically display the trend over time of each continuous/categoric variable, allowing users both to trace how the lines changes over time and to control the animation speed. The interactive motion charts should be used in the public websites that manage aggregated data concerning organ donation and transplantation.

Conceptual support with virtual reality in Web-based learning

The fast growing attention for multi–modality, full three–dimensional virtual reality (VR) and the avoidance of anisotropy has partly supplanted the designer's attention for the students' conceptual states. This paper is intended to prepare and structure the VR course for educationalists on the Web, and provides an overview of ongoing research into the urgent question of how to orient students in conceptually complex domains using VR. The central theme is to give an overview of VR learning environments that enable learners to explore new physical spaces, but even more important is to let them experiment with new materials, complex processes like kinaesthetic, extruding, casting, etc. Virtual reality becomes a substantial and ubiquitous technology and subsequently penetrates applications for education, learning and training. In addition to multimedia, VR places the user in a three–dimensional environment. The user feels 'in the middle of another environment'. Most VR systems allow the user to travel and navigate. More promising for learning purposes is to let the user manipulate objects and experience the consequences. This paper introduces the potential impact of 'immersion' for learning environments, the current state of the art in VR, its drawbacks, the overall metaphor of virtuality and the most feasible application areas. The main section of the report is the research agenda for VR in the next few years. The recommendations involve VR and collaborative aspects (multi–user domain, object–oriented) its integration with video conferencing, drama and constructionism, temporal awareness, and finally the integration into special curricular topics. The goal of this paper is the gradual embedding of VR elements in current research and developmental practices. In particular, the fast propagation of WWW–based tele–learning can benefit from the VR prospects, as VR programs can now be accessed by the most common Web browsers such as Netscape Navigator and Internet Explorer.