Systematic Literature Review on Cloud Computing Security: Threats and Mitigation Strategies

Cloud computing plays a significant role in modern information technology, providing organizations with numerous benefits, including flexibility, scalability, and cost-efficiency. However, it has become essential for organizations to ensure the security of their applications, data, and cloud-based networks to use cloud services effectively. This systematic literature review aims to determine the latest information regarding cloud computing security, with a specific emphasis on threats and mitigation strategies. Additionally, it highlights some common threats related to cloud computing security, such as distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks, account hijacking, malware attacks, and data breaches. This research also explores some mitigation strategies, including security awareness training, vulnerability management, security information and event management (SIEM), identity and access management (IAM), and encryption techniques. It discusses emerging trends in cloud security, such as integrating artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), serverless computing, and containerization, as well as the effectiveness of the shared responsibility model and its related challenges. The importance of user awareness and the impact of emerging technologies on cloud security have also been discussed in detail to mitigate security risks. A literature review of previous research and scholarly articles has also been conducted to provide insights regarding cloud computing security. It shows the need for continuous research and innovation to address emerging threats and maintain a security-conscious culture in the company.

Geostructures, dynamics and risk mitigation of high-altitude and long- runout rockslides

Long-runout rockslides at high altitude could cause disaster chain in river basins and destroy towns and major infrasturctures.This paper firstly explores the initiation mechanism of high-altitude and long-runout rockslides.Two types of sliding-prone geostructure models,i.e.the fault control type in orogenic belt and the fold control type in platform area,are proposed.Then,large-scale experimental apparatus and associated numerical simulations are conducted to understanding the chain-style dynamics of rockslide-debris avalanche-debris flow.The results reveal the fragmentation effects,the rheological behaviors and the boundary layer effect of long-runout avalanche-debris flow.The dynamic character-istics of quasi-static-transition-inertia state and solid-liquid coupling in rapid movement of rockslide-debris avalanche-debris flow are investigated.Finally,the risk mitigation strategy of the non-structure and structure for resilient energy dissipation are illustrated for initiation,transition and deposition zones.The structural prevention and mitigation methods have been successfully applied to the high-altitude and long-runout rockslides in Zhouqu and Maoxian of the Wenchuan earthquake zone,as well as the other major geohazards in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and its adjacent areas.

Addressing Nursing Safety Hazards and Mitigation Strategies for Elderly Endocrinology Patients in Hospital Care

Objective:To investigate the safety hazards in nursing and explore mitigation strategies for elderly patients in the endocrinology department.Methods:A total of 240 bedridden elderly patients from February 2021 to January 2023 were recruited and divided into two groups using the random number table method.The control group(n=120)received conventional nursing care,and the observation group(n=120)received personalized nursing care.Patients’quality of life,the incidence rate of pressure sores,and patient satisfaction with nursing care were observed and analyzed.Results:The incidence of pressure ulcers in the observation group was significantly lower at 17.50%compared to 30.00%in the control group(P<0.05).Quality of life in the observation group was significantly higher than that in the control group(P<0.05).The satisfaction rate in the observation group was significantly higher at 93.33%compared to 84.17%in the control group(P<0.05).Conclusion:These findings emphasize that only through the implementation of scientific and rational nursing measures can effectively reduce nursing risks,enhance therapeutic outcomes,and improve the quality of life for elderly patients.

Mitigation of greenhouse gases released from mining activities:A review

Climate changes that occur as a result of global warming caused by increasing amounts of greenhouse gases(GHGs)released into the atmosphere are an alarming issue.Controlling greenhouse gas emissions is critically important for the current and future status of mining activities.The mining industry is one of the significant contributors of greenhouse gases.In essence,anthropogenic greenhouse gases are emitted directly during the actual mining and indirectly released by the energy-intensive activities associated with mining equipment,ore transport,and the processing industry.Therefore,we reviewed both direct and indirect GHG emissions to analyze how mining contributes to climate change.In addition,we showed how climate change impacts mineral production.This assessment was performed using a GHG inventory model for the gases released from mines undergoing different product life cycles.We also elucidate the key issues and various research outcomes to demonstrate how the mining industry and policymakers can mitigate GHG emission from the mining sector.The review concludes with an overview of GHG release reduction and mitigation strategies.

Evaluation Method and Mitigation Strategies for Shrinkage Cracking of Modern Concrete

The complex compositions and large shrinkage of concrete,as well as the strong constraints of the structures,often lead to prominent shrinkage cracking problems in modem concrete structures.This paper first introduces a multi-field(hydro-thermo-hygro-constraint)coupling model with the hydration degree of cementitious materials as the basic state parameter to estimate the shrinkage cracking risk of hardening concrete under coupling effects.Second,three new key technologies are illustrated:temperature rise inhibition,full-stage shrinkage compensation,and shrinkage reduction technologies.These technologies can efficiently reduce the thermal,autogenous,and drying shrinkages of concrete.There after,a design process based on the theoretical model and key technologies is proposed to control thecracking risk index below the threshold value.Finally,two engineering application examples are provided that demonstrate that concrete shrinkage cracking can be significantly mitigated by adopting the proposed methods and technologies.

Nutritional impact of mycotoxins in food animal production and strategies for mitigation

Mycotoxins are toxic secondary metabolites produced by filamentous fungi that are commonly detected as natural contaminants in agricultural commodities worldwide.Mycotoxin exposure can lead to mycotoxicosis in both animals and humans when found in animal feeds and food products,and at lower concentrations can affect animal performance by disrupting nutrient digestion,absorption,metabolism,and animal physiology.Thus,mycotoxin contamination of animal feeds represents a significant issue to the livestock industry and is a health threat to food animals.Since prevention of mycotoxin formation is difficult to undertake to avoid contamination,mitigation strategies are needed.This review explores how the mycotoxins aflatoxins,deoxynivalenol,zearalenone,fumonisins and ochratoxin A impose nutritional and metabolic effects on food animals and summarizes mitigation strategies to reduce the risk of mycotoxicity.

A synthetical geoengineering approach to evaluate the largest hydraulic fracturing-induced earthquake in the East Shale Basin, Alberta

On 2019-03-04,the largest induced earthquake(ML4.18)occurred in the East Shale Basin,Alberta,and the underlying physical mechanisms have not been fully understood.This paper proposes a synthetical geoengineering methodology to comprehensively characterize this earthquake caused by hydraulic fracturing.Based on 3D structural,petrophysical,and geomechanical models,an unconventional fracture model is constructed by considering the stress shadow between adjacent hydraulic fractures and the interactions between hydraulic and natural fractures.Coupled poroelastic simulations are conducted to reveal the triggering mechanisms of induced seismicity.It is found that four vertical basement-rooted faults were identified via focal mechanisms analysis.The brittleness index(BI)along two horizontal wells has a high magnitude(BI>0.5),indicating the potential susceptibility of rock brittleness.Due to the presence of overpressure,pre-existing faults in the Duvernay Formation are highly susceptible to fault reactivation.The occurrence of the earthquake clusters has been attributed to the fracturing fluid injection during the west 38^(th)-39^(th) stage and east 38^(th) stage completions.Rock brittleness,formation overpressure,and large fracturing job size account for the nucleation of earthquake clusters,and unconventional natural-hydraulic fracture networks provide fluid flow pathways to cause fault reactivation.This workflow can be used to mitigate potential seismic risks in unconventional reservoirs in other fields.

Framework for Effective Utilization of Distributed Scrum in Software Projects

There is an emerging interest in using agile methodologies in Global Software Development(GSD)to get the mutual benefits of both methods.Scrum is currently admired by many development teams as an agile most known meth-odology and considered adequate for collocated teams.At the same time,stake-holders in GSD are dispersed by geographical,temporal,and socio-cultural distances.Due to the controversial nature of Scrum and GSD,many significant challenges arise that might restrict the use of Scrum in GSD.We conducted a Sys-tematic Literature Review(SLR)by following Kitchenham guidelines to identify the challenges that limit the use of Scrum in GSD and to explore the mitigation strategies adopted by practitioners to resolve the challenges.To validate our reviewfindings,we conducted an industrial survey of 305 practitioners.The results of our study are consolidated into a research framework.The framework represents current best practices and recommendations to mitigate the identified distributed scrum challenges and is validated byfive experts of distributed Scrum.Results of the expert review were found supportive,reflecting that the framework will help the stakeholders deliver sustainable products by effectively mitigating the identified challenges.

Impacts of Roof/Ground Mitigation Strategies on Improving the Urban Thermal Environment and Human Comfort over the Yangtze River Delta, China

The combined effects of global warming and the urban heat islands exacerbate the risk of urban heat stress. It is crucial to implement effective cooling measures in urban areas to improve the comfort of the thermal environment. In this study, the Weather Research and Forecasting Model(WRF), coupled with a single-layer Urban Canopy Model(UCM), was used to study the impact of heat mitigation strategies. In addition, a 5-km resolution land-cover dataset for China(ChinaLC), which is based on satellite remote sensing data, was adjusted and used, and 18 groups of numerical experiments were designed, to increase the albedo and vegetation fraction of roof/ground parameters. The experiments were conducted for four heatwave events that occurred in the summer of 2013 in the Yangtze River Delta urban agglomeration of China. The simulated results demonstrated that, for the single roof/ground schemes, the mitigation effects were directly proportional to the albedo and greening. Among all the experimental schemes, the superposed schemes presented better cooling effects. For the ground greening scheme, with similar net radiation flux and latent heat flux, its storage heat was lower than that of the roof greening scheme, resulting in more energy flux into the atmosphere, and its daytime cooling effect was not as good as that of the roof greening scheme. In terms of human thermal comfort(HTC), the improvement achieved by the ground greening scheme was better than any other single roof/ground schemes, because the increase in the relative humidity was small. The comprehensive evaluation of the mitigation effects of different schemes on the thermal environment presented in this paper provides a theoretical basis for improving the urban environment through rational urban planning and construction.

The Realistic Dilemma, Problem Tracking and Mitigating Strategies of Primary School Science Teachers’ Professional Happiness

The Science teachers in primary schools are the key group in developing science education, and they play a vital role in realizing the dream of strengthening the country through education. Their professional happiness deserves special attention. Whether this group is happy not only affects their own working conditions and quality of life, but also affects the work vitality of other teachers. Improving the professional happiness of science teachers in primary schools has become an important topic in the construction of teachers’ team in the new period. At present, the intensity of primary school science teachers’ own work is high, their non-own work is increasing, their physical and mental health is difficult to guarantee, and their professional happiness is reduced. The main causes of the problems are poor individual psychological quality, poor school management style and improper social cognitive evaluation. In order to solve this problem, we have explored strategies to improve the professional happiness of science teachers in primary schools through reshaping teachers’ work, democratic management of schools and national policy guarantee.

Centrifuge modelling of landslides and landslide hazard mitigation:A review

Landslides are serious geohazards that occur under a variety of climatic conditions and can cause many casualties and significant economic losses.Centrifuge modelling,as a representative type of physical modelling,provides a realistic simulation of the stress level in a small-scale model and has been applied over the last 50 years to develop a better understanding of landslides.With recent developments in this technology,the application of centrifuge modelling in landslide science has significantly increased.Here,we present an overview of physical models that can capture landslide processes during centrifuge modelling.This review focuses on(i)the experimental principles and considerations,(ii)landslide models subjected to various triggering factors,including centrifugal acceleration,rainfall,earthquakes,water level changes,thawing permafrost,excavation,external loading and miscellaneous conditions,and(iii)different methods for mitigating landslides modelled in centrifuge,such as the application of nails,piles,geotextiles,vegetation,etc.The behaviors of all the centrifuge models are discussed,with emphasis on the deformation and failure mechanisms and experimental techniques.Based on this review,we provide a best-practice methodology for preparing a centrifuge landslide test and propose further efforts in terms of the seven aspects of model materials,testing design and equipment,measurement methods,scaling laws,full-scale test applications,landslide early warning,and 3D modelling to better understand the complex behaviour of landslides.

Early performance of two tropical dry forest species after assisted migration to pine-oak forests at different altitudes:strategic response to climate change

Assisted migration has been proposed as a strategy for adaptive management of forest species in response to expected effects of climate change,but it is controversial for several reasons.Tropical dry forests are among the most threatened ecosystems in the world.In Mexico,historically,land-use change and deforestation have been decreasing forest cover,and climate change is shifting the potential distribution of different forest types,exacerbating the risk of local extinctions.Assisted altitudinal migration could be a feasible strategy for reducing local extinctions in response to climate change and lack of landscape connectivity.Our objective was to evaluate survival and growth of Albizia plurijuga and Ceiba aesculifolia,two tropical deciduous forests species in Mexico.We transplanted 4-month-old seedlings to experimental raised beds at three altitudes(2100,2400 and 2700 m a.s.l.),exceeding their upper regional limit of distribution(2000 m a.s.l.).We also tested seed germination at each altitude.We monitored the experiment for 10 months.For both species,as altitude increased and cold weather was more prevalent,plant performance declined.Within species,differences in individual growth were significant among altitudes.Overall survival was 18.5%for A.plurijuga and 24.5%for C.aesculifolia.Both species had higher survival and better growth at lower altitude,and no seedling emergence at any altitude.We conclude that assisted migration can be implemented for each species by an upward attitudinal shift within,and not exceeding,400 m beyond their present upper altitudinal limit of distribution.Our results indicate that for many species that show altitudinal gradients at regional scales,unless current climate conditions change,the potential to establish outside their range is minimal.

The African Elephant (<i>Loxodonta africana</i>): Mini-Review of an Endangered Species

Humankind is responsible for conditioning the distribution of species, including the African elephant. From its great physical form to its fascinating social behaviour, Loxodonta africana can trigger an admiration in some and be undervalued by others, often ending up being a victim of human activities. Increasingly, the apparent impossibility of the coexistence of these two species represents a problem for the conservation of the large African mammal. Here it was reviewed the published bibliography about the African savannah elephant (L. africana), between July 2015 and December 2019. The Web of Science (WoS) database enabled the search for the words “Loxodonta africana”. From this research, we obtained 310 articles, 149 of them were analysed. Elephants have characteristics that define its uniqueness that are constantly reported, such as: its cognition and extraordinary memory, factors that influence its movements and its distribution, its specific vocalization and the strong dependence on social connections. Threats to the conservation of the species and the urgency of interventions are also an important subject of discussion. Poaching for ivory represents a major obstacle on conservation and has been drastically reducing the number of elephant populations and causing future consequences for those who thrive. Law enforcement in reducing/prohibit poaching has proven to be insufficient, so there is an urgent need to combat the demand for ivory. Also, it is necessary to bypass the conflict, promote tolerance and enable cohabitation. We believe that educating human populations to better understand the species may be the difference to guarantee a future for the species. Conservationists may be the enablers of these educational actions, however, to make the difference, it is necessary to know the species in detail. Mastering knowledge in these behavioural areas will contribute to improve mitigation strategies, which could make the difference to guarantee a future for the species.

Agricultural Phosphorus Management for Environmental Protection: A Review

This review addresses research done over the past 40 years on different aspects of agricultural phosphorus (P) management for environmental protection. Inputs of P are essential for profitable crop production. Long-term application of P to agricultural soils has resulted in elevated levels of soil P. This accumulation may be desirable from an agronomic point of view but it represents a threat to freshwater quality. Indeed, P in runoff from agricultural land is an important component of non-point source pollution and can accelerate eutrophication of lakes and streams. Even very small amounts of P can raise the concentration above the critical value for eutrophication. Excessive eutrophication restricts water use for recreation, industry, and drinking due to the increased growth of undesirable algae and aquatic weeds. Current concerns facing the environmentally sound management of P in agriculture are similar worldwide and revolve around agricultural, economic, and environmental compromises associated with balancing productivity with environmental values. Agricultural P management strategies should be geared towards ensuring that P, a finite earth resource, is not wasted and those soils do not become so enriched with P that there is an unnecessary risk of too much P being mobilized to water from agricultural fields. Approaches, such as soil P testing and either P models or indices have been studied and implemented to mitigate agricultural P losses. Apparently, P indices are preferred instead of P models for this purpose because they are more flexible. A holistic management strategy is therefore suggested by using soil P testing in conjunction with either a P index or a P model.

Modeling the effect of time delay in implementation of mitigation policies on the control of atmospheric greenhouse gases

Mitigation of the enhanced greenhouse gas(GHG)concentrations in the Earth's atmosphere is imperative to meet the climate change mitigation objective.Governments of many countries are developing and implementing various mitigation strategies to reduce their GHG emissions.However,a time delay between the formulation and implementation of these mitigation policies can affect their effectiveness in controlling greenhouse gas levels in the atmosphere.This work presents a nonlinear mathematical model to investigate the effect of application of mitigation strategies and the delay involved in their implementation over the reduction of atmospheric greenhouse gases.In model formulation,it is assumed that the mitigation strategies work two-fold;first they reduce the GHG emission rate from the anthropogenic source and second they increase the removal rate of greenhouse gas from the atmosphere.A comprehensive stability analysis of the proposed model system is made to examine its long-term behavior.The model analysis shows that an increase in the implementation rate of mitigation strategies and their efficiencies to cut down the GHG emission rate from point sources and increase the GHG uptake rate lead to reduction in equilibrium GHG concentration.It is found that a long delay in the execution of mitigation policies can destabilize the system dynamics and leads to the generation of periodic oscillations.The expression for the threshold value of the delay parameter at which periodic oscillations arise via Hopf-bifurcation is determined.The stability and direction of bifurcating periodic solutions are discussed.A sensitivity analysis is performed to investigate the effect of changes in key parameters over system dynamics.

The effect of global warming on beef production in developing countries of the southern hemisphere

Developing countries from the southern hemisphere will be confronted by the same beef production challenges caused by global warming, because these countries are at the same geographical positions in southern latitudes. Global warming is expected to have a more extreme effect on the southern hemisphere than on other continents and will have a negative effect on the beef production environments in these countries. The negative effects will include high ambient temperatures, nutritional stress and altered patterns of animal diseases. Heat stress in beef cattle on veld/savannah is expected to increase as a result of changing weather patterns on a global and regional scale. This may negatively influence food production from beef cattle for the human food chain. Negative effects of increased temperatures and thus heat stress can include lower reproductive rates and weaning weights. The effect of heat stress can be partly addressed by nutritional strategies, such as replacing rapid fermentable carbohydrates with saturated fatty acids and the feeding of more by-pass protein and dietary electrolytes. Global warming will also alter the distribution pattern of animal diseases and the vectors of some of these diseases. This may even include the spread to South American countries. Likewise the nutritional value of natural pastures may be influenced. The effect of global warming on the quality of pastures will depend on whether the global warming is a result of increased carbon dioxide levels or not. An improved understanding of the adaptation of beef cattle to their production environments is important, but adaptation is complex and thus difficult to measure. Fortunately, several proxy-indicators for adaptation such as reproductive, production and health traits are available. The selection of animals and genotypes that are better adapted to the production system, including heat stress, is possible and should be persuade to ensure sustainable beef production in hotter climates.

Mechanism and mitigation of spontaneous Ga whisker growth on Cr2GaC

Spontaneous growth of A-element whiskers on Mn+1AXn(MAX for short) phase materials poses a barrier to their practical applications, since it casts doubts on their stability. In this study, Ga whisker growth on sintered Cr2GaC samples was investigated. The elemental source for spontaneous growth of Ga whiskers is identified as the free Ga contained in the Cr2GaC material, not the lattice atoms from Cr2GaC grains, which removes the doubts on the stability of Cr2GaC material. The growth behavior and morphologies of the Ga whiskers follow a new catalysis-based model, with cleavage planes of Cr2GaC grains involved as nucleation sites. This model explains and predicts well the growth behavior of the whiskers. The mitigation strategy based on this model is in principle simple: to prevent free Ga in Cr2GaC material or limit it to a certain level;to avoid cleavage plane of Cr2GaC grains;to achieve high density of the Cr2GaC material.

Ochratoxin A:Carryover from animal feed into livestock and the mitigation strategies

This review aims to highlight the effects of ochratoxin A(OTA)in the feed of meat-producing animals.The accumulation of OTA in feed and its distribution in various farm animals were compared and evaluated.Primarily,the oral administration of OTA-contaminated feed and the predisposition in an animal's vital organ were critically examined in this work.The collated reports show that OTA directly associated with endemic nephropathy and its high concentration leads to degeneration of liver cells,and necrosis of intestinal and lymphoid tissues.At present,limited reports are available in the recent liter-ature on the problems and consequences of OTA in feed.Therefore,this review focused on the OTA carryover from feed to farm animals and the interaction of its secondary metabolites on their biochemical parameters.Hence,this report provides greater insights into animal health related to OTA residues in meat and meat products.This article also explores mitigation strategies that can be used to prevent the carryover effects of OTA in livestock feeds and the effects in the food chain.

Fire hazard in transportation infrastructure:Review,assessment,and mitigation strategies

This paper reviews the fire problem in critical transportation infrastructures such as bridges and tunnels.The magnitude of the fire problem is illustrated,and the recent increase in fire problems in bridges and tunnels is highlighted.Recent research undertaken to address fire problems in transportation structures is reviewed,as well as critical factors governing the performance of those structures.Furthermore,key strategies recommended for mitigating fire hazards in bridges and tunnels are presented,and their applicability to practical situations is demonstrated through a practical case study.Furthermore,research needs and emerging trends for enhancing the“state-of-the-art”in this area are discussed.

The effect of Urban Heat Island mitigation strategies on outdoor human thermal comfort in the city of Baghdad

Todays,most Iraqi cities suffer from extremely hot-dry climate for long periods throughout the year.However,most urban patterns that exist inside these cities are not suitable for this harsh conditions and lead to an increase in the value of the Urban Heat Island(UHI)index.Consequently,this will increase outdoor human thermal discomfort as well as energy consumption and air pollution in cities.This study attempts to evaluate the effect of UHI mitigation strategies on outdoor human thermal comfort in three different common types of urban patterns in the biggest and most populated city in Iraq,Baghdad.Three different mitigation strategies are used here-vegetation,cool materials,and urban geometry-to build 18 different scenarios.Three-dimensional numerical software ENVI-met 4.2 is utilised to analyse and assess the studied parameters.The input data for simulations process are based on two meteorological stations in Baghdad:Iraqi Meteorological Organization&Seismology,and Iraqi Agrometeorological Network.All measurements are taken in a pedestrian walkway.The results of different scenarios are compared based on their effect on human thermal comfort.Outdoor thermal comfort is assessed according to Predicted Mean Vote index,as mentioned in ISO 7730 standard.This study provides a better understanding of the role of UHI mitigation strategies on human thermal comfort in the outdoor spaces of Baghdad’s residential neighbourhoods.This can help generate guidelines of urban design and planning practices for better thermal performance in hot and dry cities.