Level Of Protection Research Articles

Prisoners’ Opinions About Religious Practices in Polish Penitentiary Facilities: An Analysis of the Results of a Study

Religious freedom and the right to practice a religion by persons deprived of their liberty do not cause controversy in democratic states. The challenge, not easily met, is to exercise guaranteed religious rights in penitentiary facilities. This study aimed to compare legal regulations and the level of protection of religious freedom that they impose with the real possibility of the voluntary performance of religious practices. In other words, this study sought to answer the question of whether prisoners in Polish penitentiary facilities are free to practise the religion of their choice and are not forced to participate in religious practices against their will. This article presents the general results of a survey on religious practices carried out in the Polish penitentiary facilities that were examined. The data were supplemented by prisoners’ comments about freedom to practice religion. This article includes the comments of both believers (assessing the availability of practices) and non-believers (assessing the compulsion to participate in the practices of the dominant religion). Opinions about practising a religion given by the penitentiary staff will serve as a specific counterpoint. The presented study results allowed the formulation of basic conclusions of a general nature, which can contribute to further discussions on religious freedom in post-criminal isolation units. The survey was carried out from March to October 2022 based on a prepared questionnaire. It was completed by 556 prisoners, including 34 females and 444 males (68 respondents did not indicate their gender). In total, prisoners incarcerated in 35 penitentiary facilities located throughout Poland were surveyed. Simultaneously, a survey was carried out among educators and teachers in all the above penitentiary facilities, who completed, in total, 164 questionnaires. An analysis of the replies to the questions and the free comments of all the respondents and their comparison with the current regulations make it possible to conclude that Poland—on a constitutional and statutory level—adequately safeguards prisoners’ religious rights, but their practical application must be assessed as unsatisfactory. Prisoners do not always have the possibility to observe rites or manifest their religion. Problems are encountered by both followers of the strongly dominant religion in Poland (Roman Catholicism) and minority denominations. Despite the reported difficulties, Roman Catholics are indisputably in a much more favourable position. Freedom from religion is also not fully respected—prisoners involuntarily participate in certain practices and take part in the religious observance of church festivals.

A New Fish in the Sea? The Collocation of the New NATO Mission Appeals Tribunal among International Administrative Tribunals

Abstract The Mission Appeals Tribunal, established in 2022, is a new international administrative tribunal designed to provide judicial relief for NATO-led mission personnel challenging administrative decisions affecting their service conditions. However, the peculiarities of its founding instrument and the military context in which it operates raise questions about its precise classification as an international administrative tribunal. This article will shed light on the reasons for establishing this Tribunal, its constitutive process, and the most relevant rules governing its procedure in order to determine how it compares to its counterparts already established in other international organizations. It concludes that, despite this sui generis context, the MAT is a full-fledged international administrative tribunal capable of fostering a level of protection no less intense than that provided by other fora operating in different organizations.

Comparison of ELISA Versus FAMA Titers in Children After Chemotherapy and Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation Who Received the Live Attenuated MAV/06 Strain Varicella Vaccine.

Varicella can lead to severe complications in immunocompromised children, including those undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) or chemotherapy. Preventing primary varicella zoster virus (VZV) infection is crucial in these populations to mitigate morbidity and mortality. This study aimed to evaluate the immunogenicity and safety of the live attenuated MAV/06 varicella vaccine in pediatric patients post-HSCT and post-chemotherapy. Additionally, it sought to compare fluorescent-antibody-to-membrane-antigen (FAMA) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) titers to establish effective cut-off levels for protection against varicella. The FAMA assay was conducted at the Vaccine Bio Research Institute, and a VARICELLA-ZOSTER ELISA (Vircell, Granada, Spain) kit, which relies on lysate from whole cells infected with VZV, was used to determine VZV IgG. A prospective cohort study was conducted with 76 pediatric patients under 18 years old who tested negative for VZV IgG via ELISA. Patients post-HSCT and post-chemotherapy were included. Participants received the MAV/06 varicella vaccine, and serologic responses were evaluated using ELISA and FAMA. The median age of participants was 9.8 years, with acute lymphoid leukemia and acute myeloid leukemia being the most common underlying disease. Post-dose 1, the seropositive rate was 56.1% by ELISA and 97.2% by FAMA. Based on the FAMA seropositive cut-off ≥1:4, post-dose 1 geometric mean titers (GMTs) of seropositive patients in the post-HSCT group were 14.7 (95% CI, 11.3-19.1) versus 20.2 (95% CI, 13.0-31.3) in the post-chemotherapy group (p = 0.690). Based on a FAMA seropositive cut-off ≥1:16, the post-dose 1 GMT of patients considered seropositive in the post-HSCT group was 19.3 (95% CI, 15.6-24.0) versus 34.1 (95% CI, 21.0-55.4) in the post-chemotherapy group (p = 0.116), and post-dose 2 FAMA titers of 76.1 (95% CI, 14.6-398.1) in the post-HSCT group and 64.0 (95% CI, 11.4-358.1) in the post-HSCT group (p = 0.853) were observed. In patients with lower baseline FAMA titers (1:4 to 1:8), 66.7% in the post-HSCT group and 71.5% in the post-chemotherapy group achieved a greater than four-fold increase in FAMA titers post-dose 1, while those with higher baseline titers (≥1:16) did not. There were no serious adverse events or vaccine-related rashes occurring in any of the patients. The MAV/06 varicella vaccine is immunogenic in pediatric patients post-HSCT and post-chemotherapy, particularly when administered in a two-dose schedule using a cut-off FAMA titer of <1:16.

Coupling Coordination and Driving Mechanisms of Regional Protection and Development in Traditional Villages of the Loess Hilly and Gully Region, Northern Shaanxi Province

With the rapid urbanization in China, traditional villages are undergoing simultaneous construction and destruction, making it crucial to scientifically balance the protection and development of these villages. The Loess Hilly Area of Northern Shaanxi, one of the most severely eroded regions in the world, was chosen as the study area. Socio-economic, land use, and natural ecological data from 152 traditional villages in this area were analyzed. First, an evaluation model was developed to assess the comprehensive level of protection and development in these villages. Next, a coupling coordination model and spatial autocorrelation model were employed to measure the coordination level and spatial distribution of protection and development. Finally, a coordination influence model was combined with a geographically weighted regression model to reveal the driving mechanisms promoting the coupling coordination between protection and development. The results indicate that (1) the protection and development levels of traditional villages in the study area exhibit contrasting patterns of “high in the east and low in the west” and “high in the west and low in the east”, respectively; (2) nearly half of the regions show a low level of coordination between protection and development, with a few counties and districts in the east achieving better coordination; and (3) the spatial variation in the coupling of protection and development is influenced by regional economic capacity, social development, resource endowment, and policy inclination, with various factors influencing the coordination in different ways. This study helps to further elucidate the relationship between the protection and development of traditional villages and provides valuable references for the protection and development of traditional villages in other ecologically fragile areas.

Relationship Between Internet Use and Cognitive Function Among Middle-Aged and Older Chinese Adults: 5-Year Longitudinal Study.

Cognitive decline poses one of the greatest global challenges for health and social care, particularly in China, where the burden on the older adult population is most pronounced. Despite the rapid expansion of internet access, there is still limited understanding of the long-term cognitive impacts of internet use among middle-aged and older adults. This study aims to explore the association between internet use and age-related cognitive decline among middle-aged and older Chinese adults. To gain a more comprehensive understanding of the effects of internet use, we also focused on assessing the impact of both the frequency of internet use and the types of internet devices on cognition. Moreover, we assessed the mediating role of internet use on cognitive function for characteristics significantly linked to cognition in stratified analysis. We analyzed data based on 12,770 dementia-free participants aged ≥45 years from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study. We used a fixed effects model to assess the relationship between internet use and cognitive decline and further validated it using multiple linear regression analysis, generalized estimating equations, propensity score matching, inverse probability of treatment weighting, and overlap weighting. We further examined the varying effects of internet device type and frequency on cognitive function using fixed effects models and Spearman rank correlations. The Karlson-Holm-Breen method was used to estimate the mediating role of internet use in the urban-rural cognitive gap. Participants using the internet (n=1005) were younger, more likely to be male, more educated, married, retired and living in an urban area and had higher cognitive assessment scores than nonusers (n=11,765). After adjusting for demographic and health-related risk factors, there was a positive correlation between internet use and cognitive function (β=0.551, 95% CI 0.391-0.710). Over the follow-up period, persistent internet users had a markedly lower 5-year incidence of neurodegenerative diseases, at 2.2% (15/671), compared with nonusers, at 5.3% (379/7099; P<.001). The negative impact of aging (>50 years) on cognitive function was consistently less pronounced among internet users than among nonusers. Furthermore, increased frequency of internet use was associated with greater cognitive benefits for middle-aged and older adults (rs=0.378, P<.001). Among digital devices used for internet access, cell phones (β=0.398, 95% CI 0.283-0.495) seemed to have a higher level of cognitive protection than computers (β=0.147, 95% CI 0.091-0.204). The urban-rural disparity in cognitive function was partially attributed to the disparity in internet use (34.2% of the total effect, P<.001). This study revealed that the use of internet by individuals aged 45 years and older is associated with a reduced risk of cognitive decline. Internet usehas the potential to be a viable, cost-effective, nonpharmacological intervention forcognitive decline among middle-aged and older adults.

Tetanus Vaccination in Agricultural Workers: A Retrospective Study on Seroprevalence over 10 Years.

Tetanus is a serious, non-contagious infection caused by Clostridium tetani, which remains a global health threat despite the availability of an effective vaccine. The current state of immunization for agricultural workers in Italy reveals significant disparities, reflecting a non-homogeneous distribution of vaccination coverage across regions and subgroups. The aim of the study was to investigate the prevalence of tetanus antibodies in a cohort of agricultural workers in Eastern Sicily in order to evaluate possible public health strategies for improving vaccination coverage. This observational retrospective study assessed tetanus immunization coverage in agricultural workers in Eastern Sicily during the period from 2012-2022. A total of 1143 workers participated, of which 71% (n = 871) had protective tetanus antitoxin levels. Of the 835 vaccinated workers, 9% were not immune, while 19% of those who were not vaccinated or did not recall their vaccination history were immune. Significant gaps in vaccination were noted, particularly among non-European workers, with only 23% vaccinated compared to 89% of European workers. Additionally, vaccination rates were higher in those born after 1963, when vaccination became mandatory. The results underscore the need for targeted vaccination strategies, especially for older and migrant workers, as well as the importance of workplace immunization programs led by occupational physicians. Improving vaccination coverage among agricultural workers is essential for preventing tetanus infections in high-risk agricultural populations.

Ensuring High Integrity of GNSS Precise Orbit and Clock Products Based on Performance-Assured Sliding-Window Innovation Test

Precise Point Positioning – Real-Time Kinematic (PPP-RTK) can offer fast and accurate positioning services by employing raw measurements from Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) along with precise satellite orbit, clock, bias, and atmospheric products. Incorrect orbit and clock products may threaten the generation of satellite bias and atmospheric products, leading to hazardously misleading information at the user end. Therefore, their integrity monitoring is of great importance for achieving safety-assured PPP-RTK. There had been a few studies focusing on fault detection of precise orbit and clock products. However, they paid little attention to theoretically quantify the integrity performance of the detectors, thereby being unable to provide reliable integrity support message and be applied in Protection Level (PL) calculation. In response, a dedicated sliding-window innovation-based integrity monitoring detector is designed for precise orbit and clock products, whose integrity performance can be guaranteed. To achieve this, innovation-based test statistics utilized in this paper is constructed step by step from raw measurement equations. After analyzing the drawback of performance degradation using snapshot-based detection method, the sliding-window innovation-based detector is designed to detect the faults in orbit and clock products, with a special focus on small ramp errors. Then, the theoretical performance of the designed detector considering the requirement of integrity is analytically derived. The theoretical optimal window length is also analyzed. Simulations are carried out for performance verification. Comparing to snapshot-based method, sliding window method has better performance on ramp fault detection, even with very short window length.

ВЕЛИКІ МОВНІ МОДЕЛІ ТА ОСОБИСТА ІНФОРМАЦІЯ: ПРОБЛЕМИ БЕЗПЕКИ ТА ШЛЯХИ ЇХ ВИРІШЕННЯ ЗА ДОПОМОГОЮ АНОНІМІЗАЦІЇ

In light of the growing capabilities of Large Language Models (LLMs), there is an urgent need for effective methods to protect personal data in online texts. Existing anonymization methods often prove ineffective against complex LLM analysis algorithms, especially when processing sensitive information such as medical data. This research proposes an innovative approach to anonymization that combines k-anonymity and adversarial methods. Our approach aims to improve the efficiency and speed of anonymization while maintaining a high level of data protection. Experimental results on a dataset of 10,000 comments showed a 40% reduction in processing time (from 250 ms to 150 ms per comment) compared to traditional adversarial methods, a 5% improvement in medical data anonymization accuracy (from 90% to 95%), and a 7% improvement in data utility preservation (from 85% to 92%). Special attention is paid to the application of the method in the context of interaction with LLM-based chatbots and medical information processing. We conduct an experimental evaluation of our method, comparing it with existing industrial anonymizers on real and synthetic datasets. The results demonstrate significant improvements in both data utility preservation and privacy protection. Our method also takes into account GDPR requirements, setting a new standard in the field of data anonymization for AI interactions. This research offers a practical solution for protecting user privacy in the era of LLMs, especially in sensitive areas such as healthcare. Keywords: AI, data security, ML, LLM, privacy.

An introduction to ecosystem services for radiological protection

It is important that the system of radiological protection provides for an appropriate level of human and environmental protection without unduly limiting desirable human actions, adversely affecting sustainable development, or resulting in unintended consequences. As such, there has been increasing interest in incorporating monitoring and assessment of ecosystem services in many contexts related to environmental protection and policy making. Ecosystem services are the benefits humankind derives from the workings of the natural world, i.e., from ecosystems, and are crucial to human well-being by, for example, providing nutritious food and clean water; regulating air quality; supporting crop pollination and soil formation; and offering recreational, cultural, and spiritual benefits. The mandate of the recently formed Task Group 125 is to explore and share knowledge on ecosystem services by providing background and recommendations on if and how ecosystem services can support a more holistic approach to environmental radiological protection (ERP) and, as specifically relevant to ERP, explore how the system of radiological protection contributes to the delivery of sustainable development. This paper provides an overview of ecosystem services and an introduction to the ongoing work of Task Group 125.

Стандарты достойного уровня жизни: современные подходы и судебная практика

The right to a decent standard of living presupposes the right to social benefits guaranteed in the legislation of the State, a certain amount of which can be protected in the courts. The standards of fair wages, minimum social security, adequate housing, education, medical care and other social services can be assessed by the court in terms of their compliance with the fundamental principle of human dignity and other legal principles. Some of these standards are more precisely defined in doctrine and judicial practice. These are (1) the minimum wage, which is an indicator of the assessment of a decent wage, and (2) the subsistence level, which is of primary importance for determining a decent level of social protection for persons in need of social support. Their application is analysed on the basis of doctrinal provisions and examples from the judicial practice of constitutional courts of foreign countries. The concept of minimum core obligations developed by the United Nations is considered as one of the approaches to defining universal standards for the implementation of social rights.

Intellectual property protection and firm risk: How service transition and knowledge intensity mitigate the loss of strategic resources

The inherent rarity and inimitability of intellectual property (IP) has long been recognized as the foundation of its strategic value. These characteristics are compromised in markets with weak IP protection, where IP cannot be leveraged to create sustainable competitive advantage. This presents significant challenges for internationalization, and extant literature provides little guidance on how firms can mitigate this risk. From first principles of resource-based theory, we posit that service transition alleviates this loss of a strategic resource, representing a basis for reliable revenue generation that retains its rarity and inimitability across markets with varying levels of regulatory protection. Combining novel datasets on firms’ foreign market activity and countries’ IP rights, we find that IP risk increases the volatility of revenues and consequently firm idiosyncratic risk, but that this can be offset by (a) deriving a larger share of revenues from service-based business segments and (b) increasing the knowledge intensity of service offerings. Results from a 12-year panel of 2,716 firms across 223 industries offer new insights into how the regulatory environment can erode the strategic value of resources and practical recommendations to mitigate the detrimental effects on firm-specific risk and market performance.

Role of route of delivery on Chlamydia abortus vaccine-induced immune responses and genital tract immunity in mice.

We investigated if the efficacy of a Chlamydia abortus (Cab) subunit vaccine is influenced by route of administration. Thus, female CBA/J mice were immunized either by mucosal or systemic routes with Vibrio cholerae ghost (VCG)-based vaccine expressing T and B cell epitopes of Cab polymorphic membrane protein (Pmp) 18D, termed rVCG-Pmp18.3. Vaccine evaluation revealed that all routes of vaccine delivery induced a Th1-type antibody response after a prime boost or three-dose immunization regimen. Also, the intranasal and rectal mucosal and intramuscular systemic routes induced cross-reactive neutralizing antibodies against homologous and heterologous Cab strains. Irrespective of the route of immunization, the vaccine elicited a Th1-type cytokine response (IFN-γ/IL-4 >1) in immunized mice. Analysis of reduction in genital Cab burden as an index of protection showed that immunization induced substantial degrees of protection against infection, irrespective of route of delivery with the intranasal and rectal mucosal routes showing superior levels of protection 12 days postchallenge. Furthermore, there was correlation between the humoral and cellular immune response and protection was associated with the Cab-specific serum IgG antibody avidity and IFN-γ. Thus, while route of administration impacts vaccine efficacy, the rVCG-Pmp18.3-induced protective immunity against Cab respiratory infection can be accomplished by both mucosal and systemic immunization.

Treatment of Food Allergy: Immunotherapy, Omalizumab, or Both.

Food allergy is a common disease that has substantial impacts on the quality of life of patients and their families, and all reactions have the potential for causing life-threatening anaphylaxis. Food-allergic individuals currently have 2 Food and Drug Administration- approved therapeutic options available to them aside from life-long allergen avoidance: oral immunotherapy (OIT) and omalizumab. OIT for food allergy has been extensively studied in clinical trials and currently provides the greatest level of protection; however, it also has a high burden of treatment. Studies suggest that more successful OIT outcomes may be attained with earlier intervention; however, early OIT presents its own challenges. Omalizumab, recently Food and Drug Administration-approved, is a biologic targeting IgE, a major driver of allergic reactions. In contrast to OIT, omalizumab monotherapy offers a low treatment burden therapeutic option that provides a safety net against reactions to accidental ingestion of multiple allergens. In addition, omalizumab has been investigated as an adjunct to OIT, improving the speed and safety of single-allergen or multiallergen OIT. Here, we discuss the clinical use of these therapeutic options and provide a guide for shared decision making between patients and physicians about what therapeutic option might be more appropriate.

Developing the system of radiological protection to enhance its contribution to sustainable development

The ICRP stated in 2007 that the primary aim of its recommendations is to contribute to an appropriate level of protection for people and the environment from the detrimental effects of radiation exposure without unduly limiting the desirable human actions which lead to such exposure. We face climate, humanitarian, biodiversity, health, pollution, and other crises. This rapidly changing context has potential implications for: the radiological protection system; views on what constitutes desirable human actions; and for how societies view the risks and benefits of technologies. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are an ideal framework for facilitating a balanced approach to socio-economic development, good health and wellbeing and environmental protection. The SDGs could be used to guide the development and application of the radiological protection system to ensure that it is fit for the 21st century. This paper considers the fundamental purposes of sustainable development and radiological protection and their underpinning values and principles. It considers how radiological protection contributes to sustainable development and how this might be enhanced; and whether the primary aim of radiological protection should be amended to make its contribution to sustainable development explicit.

United We Stand, Divided We Fall: An Autogenic Perspective on Empowering Cybersecurity in Organizations

Cybersecurity groups navigate complex, challenging environments in their mission to protect their organizations. They experience uncertainty from adaptive threats from external attackers and unpredictable stakeholders. Under such volatility, business groups operate best when they are psychologically empowered. Recognizing the potential for empowerment to reduce organizational risk, we sought to learn how cybersecurity groups come to be (dis)empowered and how this (dis)empowerment is sustained. Instead of the conventional view of the empowerment process as designed, we advance an emergent view of the empowerment process. We abductively surface this process from our case analyses of 15 U.S. organizations. We offer three insights: First, organizations with empowered cybersecurity groups enjoy an enhanced level of protection from breaches. Second, we highlight generative rules through which groups become empowered—via their bridging initiatives that co-opt stakeholders into security behaviors and stakeholder responsiveness to bridging, rather than unilaterally applied buffering initiatives. Third, we highlight reinforcing rules through which empowered states persist—via the group’s ability to safeguard organizational information assets, thereby ensuring cybersecurity group viability, continued bridging, and motivated stakeholder responsiveness. For practitioners, our study underscores the interdependence between cybersecurity groups and their stakeholders in securing an organization and posits processes for empowering cybersecurity groups.

Assessing South Africa’s marine protected area quality and progress towards conservation goals: An application of The MPA Guide framework

Marine protected areas (MPAs) are a widely used area-based conservation tool for preventing or reversing the loss of marine biodiversity and sustaining the social-ecological systems that it underpins. Global targets for ocean protection typically track the extent of ocean area within MPAs. However, understanding the effectiveness of protection is crucial, as the level of protection and associated benefits for biodiversity and human wellbeing can vary among different types of MPAs. In South Africa, 41 MPAs currently protect 5.4 % of the country’s mainland exclusive economic zone (EEZ), each with varied conservation goals and unique zonation. We evaluated all 41 MPAs using the MPA Guide assessment framework to clarify levels of protection, expected conservation outcomes, and meaningful progress towards meeting national protection targets. We also compared types of site-specific management goals to the assessed level of protection for each MPA to understand whether MPAs are likely to achieve their stated goals. We found that all MPAs are at least Implemented, with most coverage Fully or Highly Protected (70.1 % of total MPA area; 3.8 % of EEZ). We also found that 40 MPAs have levels of protection that are likely to support all types of site-specific management goals. Our results indicate that South Africa’s MPA network has strong potential to deliver positive conservation benefits if MPA funding and capacity constraints, as well as other socio-economic factors, are addressed. Future protection initiatives should consider these factors prior to anticipated MPA expansion.

Comparative Study of Information Security Awareness and Practice Within Home and Work Environments: Case Study in Libya

The abundance of information available through the internet, mobile applications, and cloud computing has made it convenient for users to access a wide range of data. However, this convenience comes at a cost, as this information is constantly at risk of being compromised by cybercriminals and hackers. While the recognition of potential information security dangers is increasing in developed countries, regions like Libya in North Africa still exhibit insufficient protection levels. The purpose of this study is to compare various factors that may influence or affect users' practices and awareness in home and work environments. Specifically, the factors investigated are policy, behavior, IT knowledge, and education. To achieve the study's goals, a quantitative methodology was employed, and a survey was created to assess the correlation between these key factors and security awareness and practices in home and workplace settings. The survey attracted 220 respondents and was analyzed using statistical methods to determine the relationship between the independent variables and the dependent variables. The results of this study indicate a moderate positive correlation between policy, IT knowledge, and education with security awareness and practice in both home and workplace environments. Only the behavior factor had a low correlation for home users. These findings indicate that the level of security awareness and practices at home and in the workplace is generally moderate. This study aims to serve as an initial step in emphasizing the importance of security training sessions for employees and highlighting the need to increase knowledge of information security. The findings are intended to inspire further research and focus on providing security information to the public, thereby disseminating new knowledge on the importance of security training and enhancing awareness of information security.

Evolution of flood protection levels and flood vulnerability in Europe since 1950 estimated with vine-copula models

AbstractThe magnitude of flood impacts is regulated not only by hydrometeorological hazard and exposure, but also flood protection levels (primarily from structural flood defenses) and vulnerability (relative loss at given intensity of hazard). Here, we infer the variation of protection levels and vulnerability from data on historical riverine, coastal, and compound floods and associated impacts obtained from the HANZE database, in 42 European countries over the period 1950–2020. We contrast actual damaging floods, which imply flood protection was locally inadequate, with modelled potential floods, i.e. events that were hydrologically extreme but did not lead to significant impacts, which imply that flood protection was sufficient to prevent losses. Further, we compare the reported magnitude of impacts (fatalities, population affected, and economic losses) with potential impacts computed with depth-damage functions. We finally derive the spatial and temporal drivers of both flood protection and vulnerability through a multivariate statistical analysis. We apply vine-copulas to derive the best predictors out of a set of candidate variables, including hydrological parameters of floods, exposure to floods, socioeconomic development, and governance indicators. Our results show that riverine flood protection levels are much lower than assumed in previous pan-European studies. North-western Europe is shown to have better riverine protection than the south and east, while the divide is not so clear for coastal protection. By contrast, many parts of western Europe have relatively high vulnerability, with lowest value observed in central and northern Europe. Still, a strong decline in flood vulnerability over time is also observed for all three indicators of relative losses, suggesting improved flood adaptation. Flood protection levels have also improved since 1950, particularly for coastal floods.

High velocity impact performance of double ceramic stacking on multilayer sandwich armor structures

For a new armor system development that increases the level of ballistic protection but reduces weight, ceramic materials have recently been utilized due to their features such as low density (light-weight), high hardness, high compression strength, and high modulus of elasticity. Generally, these kinds of ceramic materials such as silicon carbide (SiC), boron carbide (B4C), and alumina (Al2O3) have been used in armor systems for a while. This study aims to show the effect of using two different ceramic layers adjacent to each other and their stacking sequences on ballistic performance in multilayered ceramic/metal armor systems experimentally and analytically. Two ceramics, SiC and Alumina were used to configure the test panels in this study. For the front plate, polyurea and armor steel, and for the back plate, aluminum was arranged to form the test panels. What makes this study different is that, unlike the other studies in the literature, two ceramic layers are used adjacent to each other in all configurations. In former studies, only one or two layers of ceramic were generally used but not one just after another in stacking sequence. In addition, the extent to which the metallic front layer used in armor systems will affect the ballistic performance to protect the ceramic armor layers from external factors has been evaluated. Moreover, the optimum areal density, which was calculated as the mass per unit area, and kilogram per square meter (kg/m2) of the armor configurations was obtained by keeping the same ballistic protection level to evaluate the effect of the front layer. All four configurations tested were halting the projectile successfully according to STANAG 4569 Level three ballistic test specifications. According to the test results, the configuration with the highest ballistic performance was the Config. 4 (Polyurea, SiC, Al2O3, and Aluminum) concerning with the lowest areal density. Results also showed that using ceramic layers with high hardness properties as the first layer and second layer next to it would provide better ballistic protection when compared to the ones using the ceramics separately from each other in armor solutions. Aim of the Study: In this study, the effect of the arrangement of double ceramic layers on ballistic performance in a multilayer sandwich armor system was analyzed experimentally and analytically. What makes this study different is that unlike the other studies in the literature, two ceramic layers are used adjacent to each other in all configurations. In former studies, only one or two layers of ceramic were generally used but not one just after another in stacking sequence. In addition, it has been evaluated to what extent the metallic front layer used in armor systems will affect the ballistic performance in order to protect the ceramic armor layers from external factors. On the other hand, the optimum areal density of the armor configurations was attempted to be obtained by keeping the same ballistic protection level.

CYBER THREATS IN THE NEW REALITY OF RUSSIA: STATUS AND METHODS OF COUNTERING

In the modern world, information security issues are becoming an integral part of life . In connection with the widespread introduction of modern information technologies into human activity, his life, information resources are the most vulnerable part of the system, subject to increasing attacks from intruders and of interest . Moreover, every year, cybercriminals use new ways and methods of committing atrocities, finding vulnerabilities both in computer networks, information security systems, and taking advantage of the gullibility and computer illiteracy of users, including using social engineering techniques . This necessitates the need to focus on data security in cyberspace, ensuring the proper level of information protection, and an integrated approach to solving this problem . In the modern world, users use many techniques and methods for protecting data - cryptography, hardware protection for computer equipment, authentication and many others . This article, based on scientific research materials and special literature on the subject of research, presents the capabilities of one of the most reliable technologies - blockchain technology, which, due to a number of distinctive properties and characteristics, allows for more reliable information protection . Further digitalization of society determines the development of new techniques and methods for protecting information . The main trends in the development of cyber defense are the further study and use of artificial intelligence, quantum cryptography, and cloud technologies . An important role in the field of data protection is also played by increasing the level of information security of society, eliminating computer illiteracy of users, and complying with the rules for using computer networks .