Improving user content privacy on social networks using rights management systems

Currently, millions and millions of users are using online social networks to share their thoughts, experiences and content with online friends. Documents, videos, music and pictures are shared online, relying on the privacy and security controls offered by the social network platforms, with little control from the end user. This creates serious privacy concerns, since the control over the content shared online on the social network is out of the hands of the user. In this paper, the authors propose an approach for content privacy shared on social networks that is user-centric and not based on the social network platform. In order to achieve that, an architecture based on a rights management platform capable of enforcing the necessary security and privacy mechanisms that extend the original controls provided by the social network platform will be presented. That way, users will be able to control their privacy settings and protect their own content, even when they are no longer part of the social network (suspending or deleting its account).     

Characterization of a water-based paint for corrosion protection

Corrosion of steel rebars in reinforced concrete is one of the major problems in the construction industry. Carbonation reactions of concrete with carbon dioxide and, mainly, the chloride salts action are the main causes responsible for concrete degradation. Protective coatings help to improve the durability of concrete structures by acting as a physical barrier against the corrosion agents. Waterborne paints are usually used for concrete protection rather than solvent-based paints since they are less pollutant. The aim of this work is to investigate the influence of the pore size and porosity on the permeability of the paints films toward sodium chloride. Three characterization methods from membrane science were implemented to characterize paint coatings. The time-lag method was used to determine the permeability toward the sodium chloride and toward helium and argon, these for approximately 100% relative humidity. From the seven waterborne paints formulated, only one was found to be suitable for surface protection of reinforced concrete, since its permeability toward NaCl was smaller than 10⁻¹⁴ m² s⁻¹, the threshold value required by National Laboratory of Civil Engineering (LNEC) in Portugal. For the formulated paints, it was observed that the average pore size correlates well with the permeability toward sodium chloride. This is an important result since obtaining the permeability toward sodium chloride of corrosion protective paints is very time consuming, while the average pore size can be obtained in a much shorter time.     

Improvement of mead fermentation by honey‐must supplementation

Through honey's fermentation, diverse beverages can be obtained, among which is mead, an alcoholic drink with 8 to 18% of ethanol (v/v). Since honey is a matrix with a low nutrient concentration and other unfavourable growth conditions, several problems are usually encountered, namely delayed or arrested fermentations, unsatisfactory quality parameters and lack of uniformity of the final product, as well as unpleasant sensory properties. In this context, the aim of this work was to optimize mead production through honey‐must supplementation with (a) salts, (b) vitamins or (c) salts + vitamins. The effects of the honey‐must formulation on the fermentation kinetics, growth profile and physicochemical characteristics of final meads were evaluated. The results showed minor differences in the fermentation profile and time between fermentations with the different formulations. The growth profile was influenced more by the yeast strain than by the supplements added to the honey‐must. In general, the honey‐must composition did not influence meads’ final characteristics, except regarding the SO₂ concentration of the meads produced using the strain QA23. In summary, the addition of salts and/or vitamins to honey‐must had no positive effects on the fermentation, growth profile or characteristics of the final products. Copyright © 2015 The Institute of Brewing & Distilling     

Spray-dried solid dispersions containing ferulic acid: comparative analysis of three carriers,in vitro dissolution,antioxidant potential and in vivo anti-platelet effect

This article aimed to improve the relative solubility and dissolution rate of ferulic acid (FA) by the use of spray-dried solid dispersions (SDs) in order to ensure its in vitro antioxidant potential and to enhance its in vivo anti-platelet effect. These SDs were prepared by spray-drying at 10 and 20% of drug concentration using polyvinylpyrrolidone K30 (PVP-K30), polyethylene glycol 6000 (PEG 6000) and poloxamer-188 (PLX-188) as carriers. SDs and physical mixtures (PM) were characterized by SEM, XRPD, FTIR spectroscopy and TGA analysis. Spray-dried SDs containing FA were successfully obtained. Relative solubility of FA was improved with increasing carrier concentration. PVP-K30 and PEG 6000 formulations showed suitable drug content values close to 100%, whereas PLX-188 presented mean values between 70 and 90%. Agglomerates were observed depending on the carrier used. XRPD patterns and thermograms indicated that spray-drying led to drug amorphization and provided appropriate thermal stability, respectively. FTIR spectra demonstrated no remarkable interaction between carrier and drug for PEG 6000 and PLX-188 SDs. PVP-K30 formulations had changes in FTIR spectra, which denoted intermolecular O–H???O?=?C bonds. Spray-dried SDs played an important role in enhancing dissolution rate of FA when compared to pure drug. The free radical-scavenging assay confirmed that the antioxidant activity of PEG 6000 10% SDs was kept. This formulation also provided a statistically increased in vivo anti-platelet effect compared to pure drug. In summary, these formulations enhanced relative solubility and dissolution rate of FA and chosen formulation demonstrated suitable in vitro antioxidant activity and improved in vivo anti-platelet effect.     

Pressure-induced structural phase transitions and amorphization in selected molybdates and tungstates

High pressure has been one of key tools for discovering and accessing new phases and novel properties of materials. Under these extreme conditions, it is possible to obtain information about the structural instabilities and to probe the delicate balance between short and long range interactions, which is fundamental for understanding the emergence of many properties. In this paper we reviewed the high-pressure behavior of some molybdate and tungstate materials, which comprises a large class of inorganic compounds that exhibit interesting physical properties (optical, ferroelastic, ferroelectric, negative thermal expansion) and have technological applications in different fields. These materials have a rich polymorphism in high pressures and some of them exhibit pressure-induced amorphization, thus making molybdates and tungstates compounds good prototypes to exploit new concepts about the physics of amorphization processes and about chemical decomposition under high pressure. We discussed how the combination of short and long-range probe techniques (which gives detailed information on the structural changes occurring in these materials) under high-pressures provides significant insight into the origin of lattice instabilities and pressure-induced amorphization in this particular class of inorganic materials. Furthermore, we reviewed in detail, how these structural changes affect their optical and ferroelectric properties. The conclusions derived from the high-pressure studies duly reviewed herewith have important implications for science and applications of these materials.     

Real time algorithms for digital pulse processing applied to gamma-ray and hard X-ray spectroscopy

The duration of a single plasma discharge in the next generation of fusion experiments will be much longer than in the present devices. Storing all raw data acquired in each discharge will be more difficult and the high rates achieved by the new digitizers are already contributing to storage overload. This gap can be mitigated by real time (RT) analysis and compression, using devices such as field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) capable to transfer and process data on the fly. However, to ensure a correct RT analysis, the FPGA algorithm must be adapted to the signal to be acquired. Since minor changes in signal shape may require significant algorithm modifications, it is important to know in advance the signal attributes. For that reason, the availability of more than one RT algorithm, especially during commissioning of new sub-systems and during campaigns with relevant changes in diagnostic conditions, is advantageous. This paper presents an implementation using two RT algorithms processing simultaneously, developed for the gamma-ray and hard X-ray diagnostics of the Joint European Torus (JET). Both algorithms perform pulse height analysis with pile-up rejection. While the first algorithm is suitable for Gaussian shaped pulses, the second is suitable for exponential signals. The algorithms are selectable by the user, during discharge configuration. Tests with radioactive sources made in JET are presented.     

Mobile touchscreen user interfaces: bridging the gap between motor-impaired and able-bodied users

Touchscreen mobile devices are highly customizable, allowing designers to create inclusive user interfaces that are accessible to a broader audience. However, the knowledge to provide this new generation of user interfaces is yet to be uncovered. The goal was to thoroughly study mobile touchscreen interfaces and provide guidelines for informed design. The paper presents an evaluation performed with 15 tetraplegic and 18 able-bodied users that allowed to identify their main similarities and differences within a set of interaction techniques (Tapping, Crossing, and Directional Gesturing) and parameterizations. Results show that Tapping and Crossing are the most similar and easy to use techniques for both motor-impaired and able-bodied users. Regarding Tapping, error rates start to converge at 12 mm, showing to be a good compromise for target size. As for Crossing, it offered a similar level of accuracy; however, larger targets (17 mm) are significantly easier to cross for motor-impaired users. Directional Gesturing was the least inclusive technique. Regarding position, edges showed to be troublesome. For instance, they have shown to increase Tapping precision for disabled users, while decreasing able-bodied users’ accuracy when targets are too small (7 mm). It is argued that despite the expected error rate disparity, there are clear resemblances between user groups, thus enabling the development of inclusive touch interfaces. Tapping, a traditional interaction technique, was among the most effective for both target populations, along with Crossing. The main difference concerns Directional Gesturing that in spite of its unconstrained nature shows to be inaccurate for motor-impaired users.