Security Settings Research Articles

Comparative analysis of characteristics among young people discharged from adolescent medium secure psychiatric hospital

BackgroundSpecialised forensic mental health provision for young people with mental disorders and high-risk behaviours has developed significantly in the UK. Despite this, research on the young people within secure settings remains limited. Adolescents in secure settings exhibit higher levels of mental disorders and have complex needs. This study aims to compare the demographic characteristics of patients discharged from an adolescent medium secure unit (AMSU) to different discharge destinations: community, another hospital, or custodial setting. MethodsA retrospective study was conducted using data from 155 patients admitted to a UK AMSU from 2008 to 2021. Demographic data, clinical information and Millon Adolescent Clinical Inventory (MACI) scores were extracted from electronic health records. A descriptive statistical method was used to report observational differences in patient characteristics between discharge locations. Statistical analysis included Chi-squared tests and AVOVA testing. ResultsPatients discharged to different settings exhibited distinct demographic and clinical characteristics. Those discharged to custodial settings were predominantly male and often transferred from custodial settings. Those discharged to other hospitals were mostly females with a diagnosis of Borderline Personality Disorder. The community-discharged group had a higher frequency of admissions from other hospitals under civil sections. Multiple variables were found to be statistically significant in relation to discharge location including gender and age at discharge. Findings of the MACI were not statistically significant in relationship with discharge location. ConclusionsThe study enhances understanding of healthcare transitions from AMSUs. The influence of diagnoses, particularly personality disorders, and their connection to admission duration is explored, as is the influence of this on transitioning patients across care settings. The impact of trauma-informed, attachment focussed models of care in regards transitions from AMSUs is also examined. Despite diversity in discharge locations, self-reported personality questionnaires show consistent outcomes, demonstrating psychological similarities across groups. Further research is needed to understand post-discharge trajectories enabling targeted interventions and improved care pathways.

‘Connection Rather Than Output’: Reflections on the Role of Art Workshops in Qualitative Research With Women in Prison

This paper offers a reflective account of delivering art workshops in women’s prisons in England, as one method in a larger, qualitative study around the role of food in prisons. We present reflections around the role of art workshops in building relationships and community between the researcher and the participants, and the participants themselves. We found that building connection through art workshops, in a hostile and challenging environment like prison, enabled us to gather richer and deeper data during the qualitive interviews that succeeded the art workshops. We propose that attention from researchers to the ‘unintended consequences’ can contribute to research projects which are impactful for both the participants and researchers. This paper addresses gaps in literature around the use of visual art as method in women’s prisons and the role of arts-based methods in larger qualitative research projects in secure settings.

ECONOMIC AND MATHEMATICAL MODELING OF THE FACTORS OF FORMATION AND USE OF THE INTELLECTUAL ECONOMIC SYSTEM OF CONSTRUCTION ENTERPRISES

Summary. The topicality of the topic of economic-mathematical modeling of the factors of formation and use of the intellectual economic system of construction enterprises is proven. The definition of an intelligent economic system is proposed as a set of economic, geospatial, security, and social components that are developed by applying modern mathematical methods and models, artificial intelligence, information and analytical support and tools and form the basis for making management decisions in the context of the development of construction enterprises. As a result of the evaluation, the average level of the integral indicator of the formation and use of the intelligent economic system at all construction enterprises was determined. This indicates mediocre opportunities for the formation and use of an intelligent economic system, taking into account the economic, geospatial, security, and social aspects of construction enterprises. Along with this, for the formation and implementation of an intellectual economic system, there is a need to develop relevant scientifically based recommendations by applying the tools of economic and mathematical modeling to forecast changes in the integral indicator and its impact on the generalizing factor of the development of construction enterprises.A scientific-methodical approach to determining the influence of the factors of the formation and use of the intellectual economic system on the integral indicator based on economic-mathematical modeling has been developed, which allows predicting changes in the generalizing criterion to create a basis for the development of relevant scientifically based recommendations. Based on the results of the numerical experiment of economic and mathematical modeling, it was concluded that a high correlation is observed between the integral indicator of the formation and use of the intelligent economic system of construction enterprises and economic and safety factors. The regression models built for these factor characteristics are significant and adequate.

Navigating the Ethical Frontier: Governance Strategies in Artificial Intelligence: A Comprehensive Review

Artificial intelligence has evolved since its debut in 1950, resulting in widespread usage across a variety of sectors. This increased dependence on AI has highlighted ethical issues, emphasizing the importance of strong governance to enable responsible research and deployment. This review investigates the ethical issues and governance options surrounding artificial intelligence (AI), with a focus on its influence on community security in the United Arab Emirates. Additionally, it investigates AI ethics, compatibility, and intricacy in the setting of community security using a comprehensive review of 10 studies. The findings emphasize the need to resolve privacy issues and the impact of government regulations and laws on AI governance. The review underlines how important it is to create tailored governance structures that maintain ethical norms in AI applications both inside and outside of the United Arab Emirates and strike an appropriate balance between innovation and security. To guarantee that AI technology benefits society while limiting possible threats, it is crucial that we actively tackle these ethical and governance problems as AI continues to evolve.

Treatment of mentally disordered offenders in Italy: prisons and REMS

In Italy, the treatment of dangerous patients found not guilty by reason of insanity (NGRI) underwent a radical reform in 2014 with the Law 81, that promulgated the closure of secure hospitals, Ospedali Psichiatrici Giudiziari (OPG), that provided psychiatric care within a secure setting. OPG were replaced by new psychiatric facilities called Residence for the Execution of a Security Measure (REMS) which currently host NGRI patients who cannot be sent to prison. Eight years after the creation of the REMS, many questions still need to be addressed in relation to their functions, limitations, and cooperation with the other services. This article describes the process of deinstitutionalisation of psychiatric care in Italy over the past forty years, which culminated in the creation of the REMS. The functioning of the REMS and some of the issues that have emerged since their creation are explored, and possible solutions are proposed. Finally, the impact of the 2014 reform on psychiatric care in Italian prisons is highlighted.

Enhancing the VPN Tunnels from IKEv1 to IKEv2 with improved Security Settings

Enhancing the VPN Tunnels from IKEv1 to IKEv2 with improved Security Settings

Navigating Smog: Legislation Addressing Children’s Right to Health in India and Pakistan

The negative consequences of air pollution on children’s health have reached a crisis in some South Asian countries, such as India and Pakistan, particularly in the sister cities of Delhi and Lahore. Urban air pollution poses unique dangers to the health of children. Children are particularly susceptible to the health impacts of smog since their organs and immune systems are still developing. Smog has been related to a variety of chronic health issues, including retarded lung development and cognitive impairment. The Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) emphasises that all children have the right to grow up in a secure and healthy setting. Governments are obligated to provide children with health care and a safe environment under the CRC. The health of children in heavily populated and industrialised cities like Delhi and Lahore needs legal safeguards. A nuanced picture emerges of the effectiveness of laws protecting children's health during smog in Delhi and Lahore. In Delhi and Lahore, there is a dire need for comprehensive laws to safeguard children's health during smog. Comprehensive legislation is essential to mandate pollution control measures, improve air quality, and ensure a healthier future for the region's children. There are several issues caused by smog, and this article advocates for reforms to the laws in Delhi and Lahore that aim to solve these issues.

Effectiveness of Virtual Reality Rehabilitation versus Conventional Physical Therapy on Quality-of-Life function and Balance in Parkinson's Disease Patients: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Background: Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by motor and non-motor symptoms, affecting the quality of life, functional independence, and balance of individuals. While conventional physical therapy (PT) has been a standard approach, emerging technologies like Virtual Reality (VR) have shown promise in neurorehabilitation. Objective: This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of Virtual Reality (VR) Rehabilitation with Conventional Physical Therapy (PT) in enhancing the quality of life, functional status, and balance among individuals diagnosed with Parkinson's disease (PD). Methods: A randomized controlled trial was conducted, involving 46 PD patients the participants were randomly assigned to either the VR group (n=23) or the PT group (n=23). Data was collected from johar poly clinic Lahore Pre-intervention and post-intervention assessments included the Short Form 36 (SF-36) for quality of life, Barthel Index for functional status, and Berg Balance Scale for balance. Descriptive statistics and paired t-tests were employed for data analysis. Results: Pre-intervention demographics indicated comparable age distributions (VR group: 65.0 ± 5.2; PT group: 67.1 ± 4.8) and a predominance of males in both groups. Baseline scores demonstrated no significant differences between VR and PT groups for SF-36 (41.40 ± 4.87 vs. 38.20 ± 4.21), Barthel Index (90.00 ± 7.14 vs. 86.00 ± 6.93), and Berg Balance Scale (44.00 ± 6.52 vs. 40.00 ± 7.11). Conclusion: The study results indicated that rehabilitation programs for individuals with Parkinson's disease were efficacious in enhancing their functional outcome. An evaluation of the two programs, both centered around physical exercises, demonstrated that virtual reality (VR) rehabilitation surpasses traditional therapy in assessing overall improvements (such as upper limb function, gait, balance, and the psychological aspect of quality of life) in a secure and stimulating setting.

When the ward is the patient: Using the PRISM protocol to understand and reduce violence in an inpatient intellectual disability setting.

Violence in inpatient settings is recognised as a worldwide issue, with inpatient intellectual disability services having higher rates than other mental health settings. Violence results in injury and illness, lack of confidence in the organisation and staff burnout. These combined effects have a negative impact on the ability of services to provide therapeutic environments. Attempts to manage violence tend to focus on the individual. This is only one part of the solution. Situational risk factors for violence within secure settings can be identified and modified to reduce violence rates. The role of situational risk factors in rates of institutional violence requires consideration in addition to individual patient risk assessment and management. To discuss an illustrative case study of a ward experiencing high levels of violence, resulting in staff burnout and low morale. To describe how assessing and addressing the relevant situational risk factors led to demonstrable reductions in violence and improvements in the service provided. This case study demonstrates the practical application of assessing and managing situational risk factors for violence in a locked intellectual disability ward in order to effectively reduce levels of violent incidents. A description of the violence and critical issues faced by the ward is provided, noting key elements of the timeline of events and the application of the Promoting Risk Intervention by Situational Management (PRISM) process to address these. The PRISM protocol enabled a comprehensive assessment and understanding of situational factors relevant to the violence rates in the ward. The recommendations following the analysis enabled the management team to identify areas for immediate and long-term action. Practical steps to address issues such as improving soundproofing were implemented quickly whilst other issues required changes over the longer term. Significantly, reduced levels of violence were observed within a 2-month period of immediate steps being taken, with further gains achieved over the longer term. This paper provides the only example of the use of the PRISM protocol in an intellectual disability inpatient setting. The reduction in violence seen in this unit provides 'real world' evidence that addressing situational factors for institutional violence can be effective in intellectual disability inpatient settings, with beneficial outcomes for patients and staff. Whilst individual patient risk assessment and risk management are key components of forensic mental health care, situational risk factors for violence are highly relevant to rates of violence within secure care settings. Structured assessment of situational risk factors should be considered when inpatient settings experience persistent high levels of violence. Further research on the impact of assessing situational risk factors in forensic mental health settings (including intellectual disability services) would help to develop the existing evidence base.

The Evolving Landscape of Biosafety and Biosecurity: A Review of International Guidelines and Best Practices

Biosafety and biosecurity encompass the intersection of bioengineering and biotechnology, along with the evaluation and control of risks to human, animal health, and the environment. This link encompasses the danger created by research and its use, as well as research and application to reduce risk via bioengineering and biotechnology. High-level biosafety laboratories provide a secure and reliable setting, integrating robust containment measures, well-educated staff, and precise biosafety protocols to safeguard scientists from infections while working with microbial pathogens. Simultaneously, they prevent the accidental release of these pathogens into the surrounding environment. In recent decades, there has been the construction and operation of labs with different tiers of protection, the establishment of legal regulations and a laboratory biosafety management system, and these functional labs have played a crucial role in addressing newly emerging and recurring infectious diseases. This review article offers useful insights into the complicated environment of biosafety and biosecurity at both the national and international levels. It advocates for more international cooperation among states, organizations, and stakeholders to ensure the effective implementation of biosafety and biosecurity measures, fostering a safer and more secure global biotechnology landscape.

Cost-aware defense for parallel server systems against reliability and security failures

Parallel server systems in transportation, manufacturing, and computing heavily rely on dynamic routing using connected cyber components for computation and communication. Yet, these components remain vulnerable to random malfunctions and malicious attacks, motivating the need for resilient dynamic routing that is both traffic-stabilizing and cost-efficient. In this paper, we consider a parallel server system with dynamic routing subject to reliability and stability failures. For the reliability setting, we consider an infinite-horizon Markov decision process where the system operator strategically activates a protection mechanism upon each job arrival based on traffic state observations. We prove that an optimal deterministic threshold protecting policy exists based on the dynamic programming recursion of the Hamilton–Jacobi–Bellman equation. For the security setting, we extend the model to an infinite-horizon stochastic game where the attacker strategically manipulates routing assignments. We show that both players follow a threshold strategy at every Markov perfect equilibrium. For both failure settings, we also analyze the stability of the traffic queues. Finally, we develop approximate dynamic programming algorithms to compute the optimal/equilibrium policies and present numerical examples/experiments for validation and illustration.

Defence and security perspectives on the operationalization, measurement, and training of resilient performance under stress

Using a qualitative design, the aim of the current research was to examine specialist defence and security personnel's perspectives on the operationalization, measurement, and training of resilient performance. Specialist personnel working in defence and security settings often have to perform under high levels of demand. To date, few studies have examined the nature of resilient performance in these settings based on in-depth perspectives from personnel themselves. A sample of 17 participants were recruited comprising eight military, three intelligence, and six police firearms personnel. Semi structured interviews were conducted with participants. A qualitative descriptive approach was used. Seven themes were identified, these included: markers of resilient performance (theme 1), enablers (theme 2), and disablers (theme 3) of resilient performance, dynamic resilient performance processes related to resources (theme 4) and demands (theme 5), measuring resilient performance (theme 6), and training resilient performance (theme 7). This paper is the first of its kind to openly report perspectives of resilient performance from those involved with specialist groups within the defence and security community. Findings from this work can aid progress in the study of resilient defence and security performance that helps meet the needs of end-users.

Private Set Intersection Based on Lightweight Oblivious Key-Value Storage Structure

At this stage, the application of Private Set Intersection (PSI) protocols is essential for smart homes. Oblivious Key-Value Stores (OKVS) can be used to design efficient PSI protocols. Constructing OKVS with a cuckoo hashing graph is a common approach. It increases the number of hash functions while reducing the possibility of collisions into rings. However, the existing OKVS construction scheme requires a high time overhead, and such an OKVS applied to PSI protocols would also have a high communication overhead. In this paper, we propose a method called 3-Hash Garbled Cuckoo Graph (3H-GCG) for constructing cuckoo hash graphs. Specifically, this method handles hash collisions between different keys more efficiently than existing methods, and it can also be used to construct an OKVS structure with less storage space. Based on the 3H-GCG, we design a PSI protocol using the Vector Oblivious Linear Evaluation (VOLE) and OKVS paradigm, which achieves semi-honest security and malicious security. Extensive experiments demonstrate the effectiveness of our method. When the set size is 218–220, our PSI protocol is less computationally intensive than other existing protocols. The experiments also show an increase in the ratio of raw to constructed data of about 7.5%. With the semi-honest security setting, our protocol achieves the fastest runtime with the set size of 218. With malicious security settings, our protocol has about 10% improvement in communication compared with other existing protocols.

Development of the ARENA training programme for resilient performance in defense and security settings

ABSTRACT Defense and Security Personnel (DSP) often have to operate in the presence of stressful demands. Prior research has identified factors and processes associated with DSP being able to perform resiliently in demanding situations and settings. The aim of the present study was to develop a resilient performance training programme for UK defense and security operators. An intervention mapping (IM) method was used to guide the development of the programme. Typically, IM follows six sequential phases. In the present work, these phases were shaped by insights from prior research (e.g. systematic review and end user interviews), the input of a dedicated working group (N = 13) and from practitioner focus groups. During the IM process, the importance of programme flexibility was emphasized by practitioners. As such, the enAbling REsilieNt performAnce (ARENA) training programme was designed to be agile and include both face-to-face training and online learning modules. Theoretical behavior change principles, closely aligned to findings of earlier work on resilient defense and security performance, were used to underpin programme content and delivery. Future research should seek to gather data on the impact of the ARENA programme, in the targeted biological, psychological and social factors that previously been associated with resilient performances.

Comprehensive Dialectical Behavior Therapy for Adolescents in a Juvenile Correctional Treatment Center: A Pilot Evaluation.

Incarcerated youth commonly present with emotion dysregulation, aggression, and comorbid psychiatric disorders, yet often do not receive necessary mental health treatment while confined. It is therefore crucial to expand the evidence base regarding empirically supported mental health interventions which are feasible to implement in secure settings to address incarcerated youth's mental health needs. Through a community-academic partnership, the current pilot study evaluated a comprehensive Dialectical Behavior Therapy program implemented in a juvenile correctional treatment center. Youth participants (N=113) were on average 15.37 years old (SD=1.10, range=13-17), 68.1% boys, and identified as 69.0% Latinx, 22.1% Black, 8.0% White, and 0.9% Native American. Youth received comprehensive Dialectical Behavior Therapy for Adolescents (DBT-A), including individual therapy, skills training groups, family therapy, multi-family skills training groups, and skills coaching in the milieu by direct care staff who participated in extensive training and ongoing consultation team meetings. As part of a facility-designed program evaluation, youth completed a battery of empirically validated assessments of mental health and emotion regulation prior to and following completion of the program. Results show that comprehensive DBT-A is feasible to implement in a juvenile correctional treatment center and overall, youth improved from pre- to post-treatment in mental health symptoms and emotion regulation, with small to medium effect sizes. These findings build upon a growing literature showing Dialectical Behavior Therapy is a promising intervention for treating emotion dysregulation and mental health conditions and can be successfully implemented in juvenile forensic settings.

Role of Social Media In Business Management Students’ Communication Skills

This study explores the role of social media in business management students' communication skills. Specifically, the study aims to answer ten research questions related to social media use, benefits and challenges, perceptions, improvements, engagement, workplace attitudes, communication patterns and behaviours, training strategies, and academic performance. Quantitative and qualitative methods, such as surveys, interviews, and social media analysis, were utilized to gather data from business management students. The findings suggest that social media is widely used by business management students for communication purposes, with a preference for certain platforms. Business management students recognize the benefits of social media but also acknowledge challenges such as privacy and security concerns. The use of social media in communication positively influences engagement among students, but improvements in multimedia content creation and knowledge of privacy and security settings are needed. The survey findings suggest that business management students can benefit from several recommendations to effectively use social media for professional purposes. They should prioritize engaging in conversations, invest in multimedia content creation and promotions, increase their knowledge of privacy settings, improve their proficiency in social media analytics, participate in online courses, and seek opportunities to collaborate. By following these recommendations, students can leverage social media in their professional lives, enhance their communication skills, and adapt to changes in the business environment.

The temptation to cheat in online exams: moving beyond the binary discourse of cheating and not cheating

Discussions around assessment integrity often focus on the exam conditions and the motivations and values of those who cheated in comparison with those who did not. We argue that discourse needs to move away from a binary representation of cheating. Instead, we propose that the conversation may be more productive and more impactful by focusing on those who do not cheat, but who are tempted to do so. We conceptualise this group as being at risk of future cheating behaviour and potentially more receptive of targeted strategies to support their integrity decisions. In this paper we report on a large-scale survey of university students (n = 7,511) who had just completed one or more end of semester online exams. In doing so we explore students’ reported temptation to cheat. Analysis surrounding this “at risk” group reveals students who were Tempted (n = 1379) had significant differences from those who Cheated (n = 216) as well as those who were Not tempted (n = 5916). We focus on four research questions exploring whether there are specific online exam conditions, security settings, student attitudes or perceptions which are more strongly associated with the temptation to cheat. The paper offers insights to help institutions to minimise factors that might lead to breaches of assessment integrity, by focusing on the temptation to cheat during assessment.

Students' Instagram Social Media Behavior A Study at Aisyiyah Boarding School, Indonesia

There has been studies on social media use in Asia, especially in Indonesia. However, not many of them exclusively emphasize on one particular homogeneous community based on religion aspect. This paper aims to describe the use of Instagram among muslimah students in an Islamic Boarding School in West Java, Indonesia. Specifically, this study portrays how muslimah students use and behave during their time using Instagram. This paper also tries to display their understanding on the emergence of safety and security setting function. The data were taken from online questionnaires shared to muslimah students at Aisyiyah Boarding School. The questions are open and closed questions. The research method used is a descriptive quantitative method. The results show that their social media behaviors are positively formed in an environment that supports well-scheduled activities. They only use Instagram occasionally, especially when the teachers ask them to submit tasks there. They rarely post personal contents that have no correlation with school assignments. Most of them use the “block comments and users” setting to keep their account private and safe. They claimed themselves as a non-Instagram addicts as they never experience the same fun feeling when they socialize face-to-face with their friends.
 Keywords: social media study, Muslimah students, Instagram users behavior

How Should Enterprises Quantify and Analyze (Multi-Party) APT Cyber-Risk Exposure in their Industrial IoT Network?

Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) networks (e.g., a smart grid industrial control system) are increasingly on the rise, especially in smart cities around the globe. They contribute to meeting the day-to-day needs (e.g., power, water, manufacturing, transportation) of the civilian society, alongside making societal businesses more efficient, productive, and profitable. However, it is also well known that IoT devices often operate on poorly configured security settings. This increases the chances of occurrence of (nation-sponsored) stealthy spread-based APT malware attacks in IIoT networks that might go undetected over a considerable period of time. Such attacks usually generate a negative first-party QoS impact with financial consequences for companies owning such IIoT network infrastructures. This impact spans (i.e., aggregates) space (i.e., the entire IIoT network or a sub-network) and time (i.e., duration of business disruption), and is a measure of significant interest to managers running their businesses atop such networks. It is of little use to network resilience boosting managers if they have to wait for a cyber-attack to happen to gauge this impact. Consequently, one of the questions that intrigues us is: can managers estimate this first-party impact prior to APT cyber-attack(s) causing financial damage to companies? In this paper, we propose the first computationally efficient and quantitative network theory framework to (a) characterize this first-party impact apriori as a statistical distribution over multiple attack configurations in a family of malware-driven APT cyber-attacks specifically launched on businesses running atop IIoT networks, (b) accurately compute the statistical moments (e.g., mean) of the resulting impact distribution, and (c) tightly bound the accuracy of worst-case risk estimate of such a distribution - captured through the tail of the distribution, using the Conditional Value at Risk (CVaR) metric. In relation to (a) above, our methodology extends the seminal Factor Analysis of Information Risk (FAIR) cyber-risk quantification methodology that does not explicitly account for network interconnections among system-risk contributing variables. We validate the effectiveness of our theory using trace-driven Monte Carlo simulations based upon test-bed experiments conducted in the FIT IoT-Lab. We further illustrate quantitatively that even if spread-based APT cyber-attacks induce a statistically light-tailed first-party cyber-loss distribution on an IIoT networked enterprise in the worst case, the aggregate multi-party cyber-risk distribution incurred by the same enterprise in supply-chain ecosystems could be heavy-tailed. This will pose significant market scale-up challenges to cyber-security improving commercial cyber (re-)insurance businesses. We subsequently propose managerial action items to mitigate the first-party cyber-risk exposure emanating from any given IIoT driven enterprise.

A low-cost unity-based virtual training simulator for laparoscopic partial nephrectomy using HTC Vive.

Laparoscopic education and surgery assessments increase the success rates and lower the risks during actual surgeries. Hospital residents need a secure setting, and trainees require a safe and controlled environment with cost-effective resources where they may hone their laparoscopic abilities. Thus, we have modeled and developed a surgical simulator to provide the initial training in Laparoscopic Partial Nephrectomy (LPN-a procedure to treat kidney cancer or renal masses). To achieve this, we created a virtual simulator using an open-source game engine that can be used with a commercially available, reasonably priced virtual reality (VR) device providing visual and haptic feedback. In this study, the proposed simulator's design is presented, costs are contrasted, and the simulator's performance is assessed using face and content validity measures. CPU- and GPU-based computers can run the novel simulation with a soft body deformation based on simplex meshes. With a reasonable trade-off between price and performance, the HTC Vive's controlled soft body effect, physics-based deformation, and haptic rendering offer the advantages of an excellent surgical simulator. The trials show that the medical volunteers who performed the initial LPN procedures for newbie surgeons received positive feedback.