RAPD Markers and Genetic Information Entropy in Environmental Monitoring: A Case Study with Wild Mushrooms

Mushrooms have a remarkable scientific value due to their nutritional, medicinal properties and industrial applications in enzyme production, so that effort in the maintenance of native wild mushroom varieties is increasing. The present study focuses on the use of Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers for biodiversity measure of wild mushroom species of the Northwest mountainous region of Greece. Data mining of similarity matrices from RAPD analysis was used to extract measurable entropy parameters for mushroom biodiversity monitoring based on Shannon’s information entropy. Shannon information index provides an easy assessment of the entropy of the genetic information of the germplasm per mushroom species while the total equitability index (EH) = 0.871 offers an overall estimation of the genetic variation evenness of all species in the population of the studied mushrooms. Application of RAPDs with parallel entropy analysis is an easily applicable and low-cost valuable technology in environmental monitoring, using genetic information of wild mushroom species as an indicator that can lead to future actions in biodiversity maintenance and germplasm protection. The provided methodology can serve as a pilot procedure enriched with other environmental factors to monitor and protect wild mushroom communities native to the Greek countryside or in any part of the world and provide comparable results about biodiversity from different regions using common entropy indices.

OIL MONITORING DIAGNOSTIC CRITERIONS BASED ON MAXIMUM ENTROPY PRINCIPLE

A method of applying maximum entropy probability density estimation approachto constituting diagnostic criterions of oil monitoring data is presented. The method promotes theprecision of diagnostic criterions for evaluating the wear state of mechanical facilities, andjudging abnormal data. According to the critical boundary points defined, a new measure onmonitoring wear state and identifying probable wear faults can be got. The method can be applied tospectrometric analysis and direct reading ferrographic analysis. On the basis of the analysis anddiscussion of two examples of 8NVD48A-2U diesel engines, the practicality is proved to be aneffective method in oil monitoring.

The Use of GIS, Remote Sensing and Shannon’s Entropy Statistical Techniques to Analyze and Monitor the Spatial and Temporal Patterns of Urbanization and Sprawl in Zarqa City, Jordan

The aim of this study is to understand and quantify the urban growth and trend in Zarqa city during the period 1990 to 2014 and to produce land use and cover map for the studied area through the use of the GIS and remote sensing techniques with Shannon’s Entropy statistical method. For this purpose, three Landsat images were used for land use classification by using supervised maximum likelihood classification techniques to extract and assess the changes of urban lands. The results indicated that the urban areas in Zarqa city increased by 22.15% in the period from 1990 to 2005 and 14.86% from 2005 to 2014, with a rate of expansion of 0.96 and by 1.31 km2/ year for the two time periods respectively. The entropy value increased from 1.20 in the first period to 1.38 in the second, while the entropy value for the NE, NW, SE and SW zones showed high values, which confirmed that urban expansion and sprawling had existed in the past twenty four years in the study area. Urban expansion and sprawl cause different impacts on the natural, economic, and aesthetic aspects of the city which lead and guide government officials and planners to understand and monitor current growth and visualize future growth.

A Review: Biosensor Progression in Glucose Monitoring for Patients with Diabetes

Diabetes is a condition that can come to the surface at any point throughout a person’s life. Although Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes have different triggers that cause them to arise, a person can experience similar complications from either if not monitored and treated accordingly. Through the Diabetes Control and Complications Trial, it was found that a significant way to monitor diabetes is through glucose levels in a person’s body. The research surrounding glucose monitoring dates to the mid-1800s, with the first successful reagent for glucose testing being developed in 1908. Since then, glucose sensing has become one of the most rapidly growing areas of research and development in biosensor technology, creating a competitive market for more advanced, accurate, and convenient glucose monitoring. This article reviews the history of biosensors used for glucose monitoring, and major advancements in biosensor technology to enhance performance and improve quality of life for patients with diabetes.

Accuracy of FreeStyle Libre flash glucose monitoring in patients with type 2 diabetes who migrated from highlands to plains

BACKGROUND The FreeStyle Libre flash glucose monitoring(FGM)system entered the Chinese market in 2017 to complement the self-monitoring of blood glucose.Due to its increased usage in clinics,the number of studies investigating its accuracy has increased.However,its accuracy has not been investigated in highland populations in China.AIM To evaluate measurements recorded using the FreeStyle Libre FGM system compared with capillary blood glucose measured using the enzyme electrode method in patients with type 2 diabetes(T2D)who had migrated within 3 mo from highlands to plains.METHODS Overall,68 patients with T2D,selected from those who had recently migrated from highlands to plains(within 3 mo),were hospitalized at the Department of Endocrinology from August to October 2017 and underwent continuous glucose monitoring(CGM)with the FreeStyle Libre FGM system for 14 d.Throughout the study period,fingertip capillary blood glucose was measured daily using the enzyme electrode method(Super GL,China),and blood glucose levels were read from the scanning probe during fasting and 2 h after all three meals.Moreover,the time interval between reading the data from the scanning probe and collecting fingertip capillary blood was controlled to<5 min.The accuracy of the FGM system was evaluated according to the CGM guidelines.Subsequently,the factors influencing the mean absolute relative difference(MARD)of this system were analyzed by a multiple linear regression method.RESULTS Pearson’s correlation analysis showed that the fingertip and scanned glucose levels were positively correlated(R=0.86,P=0.00).The aggregated MARD of scanned glucose was 14.28±13.40%.Parker's error analysis showed that 99.30%of the data pairs were located in areas A and B.According to the probe wear time of the FreeStyle Libre FGM system,MARD_(1 d) and MARD_(2-14 d) were 16.55%and 14.35%,respectively(t=1.23,P=0.22).Multiple stepwise regression analysis showed that MARD did not correlate with blood glucose when the largest amplitude of glycemic excursion(LAGE)was<5.80 mmol/L but negatively correlated with blood glucose when the LAGE was≥5.80 mmol/L.CONCLUSION The FreeStyle Libre FGM system has good accuracy in patients with T2D who had recently migrated from highlands to plains.This system might be ideal for avoiding the effects of high hematocrit on blood glucose monitoring in populations that recently migrated to plains.MARD is mainly influenced by glucose levels and fluctuations,and the accuracy of the system is higher when the blood glucose fluctuation is small.In case of higher blood glucose level fluctuations,deviation in the scanned glucose levels is the highest at extremely low blood glucose levels.

Application and management of continuous glucose monitoring in diabetic kidney disease

Diabetic kidney disease(DKD)is a common complication of diabetes mellitus that contributes to the risk of end-stage kidney disease(ESKD).Wide glycemic var-iations,such as hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia,are broadly found in diabetic patients with DKD and especially ESKD,as a result of impaired renal metabolism.It is essential to monitor glycemia for effective management of DKD.Hemoglobin A1c(HbA1c)has long been considered as the gold standard for monitoring glycemia for>3 months.However,assessment of HbA1c has some bias as it is susceptible to factors such as anemia and liver or kidney dysfunction.Continuous glucose monitoring(CGM)has provided new insights on glycemic assessment and management.CGM directly measures glucose level in interstitial fluid,reports real-time or retrospective glucose concentration,and provides multiple glycemic metrics.It avoids the pitfalls of HbA1c in some contexts,and may serve as a precise alternative to estimation of mean glucose and glycemic variability.Emerging studies have demonstrated the merits of CGM for precise monitoring,which allows fine-tuning of glycemic management in diabetic patients.Therefore,CGM technology has the potential for better glycemic monitoring in DKD patients.More research is needed to explore its application and management in different stages of DKD,including hemodialysis,peritoneal dialysis and kidney transplantation.

Comparison of Entropy vs. Bispectral Index Anesthetic Depth Monitoring during Isoflurane Anesthesia in Living Donor Liver Transplantation: Observational Study

Liver transplantation (LT) recipients are known to require less anesthetic agents. Providing minimally required anesthetics while avoiding awareness is especially important in LT recipients because it would help manage perioperative hemodynamic instability with less vasopressor and fast track recovery. This study aims to compare state entropy (SE) against bispectral index (BIS) during isoflurane anesthesia in LT. We adjusted anesthesia to BIS values 40 - 60, and compared it with concomitant SE values. BIS, SE values, and anesthetic requirements according to liver failure severity, etiology and LT stages were analyzed. For BIS-SE differences, SE value that is different from the concomitant BIS by more than 15 was defined as a significant disagreement. Mann Whitney, Kruskal Wallis test and a Poisson exact test were used for analysis. The BIS-SE pair sets of 2895 from 38 patients were analyzed. BIS, SE values and anesthetic requirements were significantly lower in MELD ≥ 20 (p < 0.001 in all) and in alcoholic etiology (p < 0.001 in all). For BIS-SE differences, 320 disagreement data pairs were seen at a rate of 1.33 times/hr (95% CI = [1.19, 1.48], p < 0.001). A significant disagreement was delineated in MELD score ≥ 20 (3.04 times/hr, CI = [2.64, 3.49], p < 0.001), alcoholic etiology (3.19 times/hr, [2.67, 3.78], p < 0.001) and postreperfusion stage (1.63 times/hr, [1.43, 1.85], p < 0.001). In these significant BIS-SE differences, 95.9% (307/320 disagreement data pairs) showed higher BIS than SE. In conclusion, in high MELD and alcoholic etiology, anesthetic requirements were significantly less, and BIS and SE showed great discrepancy with lower SE values. Therefore, when SE monitoring is used during LT, anesthesiologists may need to consider that in high MELD and alcoholic etiology, SE tends to show lower values than the concomitant BIS values that are within optimal anesthetic depth ranges.

Continuous glucose monitoring metrics in pregnancy with type 1 diabetes mellitus

Managing diabetes during pregnancy is challenging,given the significant risk it poses for both maternal and foetal health outcomes.While traditional methods involve capillary self-monitoring of blood glucose level monitoring and periodic HbA1c tests,the advent of continuous glucose monitoring(CGM)systems has revolutionized the approach.These devices offer a safe and reliable means of tracking glucose levels in real-time,benefiting both women with diabetes during pregnancy and the healthcare providers.Moreover,CGM systems have shown a low rate of side effects and high feasibility when used in pregnancies complicated by diabetes,especially when paired with continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion pump as hybrid closed loop device.Such a combined approach has been demonstrated to improve overall blood sugar control,lessen the occurrence of preeclampsia and neonatal hypoglycaemia,and minimize the duration of neonatal intensive care unit stays.This paper aims to offer a comprehensive evaluation of CGM metrics specifically tailored for pregnancies impacted by type 1 diabetes mellitus.

Tunnel, Infrastructure Convergences/Monitoring and Engineering Role

Worldwide we see that the construction industry is expanding, requiring new directions, new perspectives that can help reduce time, cost, and make transportation easy, safe, and affordable. For decades now, most of the large cities have completed their surface infrastructure. It has become urgent to address their issues for overpopulated cities where nowadays all infrastructure is overwhelmed, these issues must be addressed, solved and have vision to build underground infrastructure. Developed countries are focused on expanding their infrastructure for road systems, subway network, railway, storm, and sanitary systems. The emergency for underground infrastructure development requires more large-scale projects to be built and it is becoming more crucial building tunnels/underground structures for the future than ever before. Engineering focus, scientific searches are looking to develop their ideas for designing and delivering project underground, but government, agencies and engineers are concerned about the safety, durability, functionality, and the lifetime of this structures planned to be functional for decades. To address all this concerns this study provides information of how to identify the risk on tunnels and underground structures by capturing data from the beginning phases of construction, to analyze, evaluate and produce bulletins and engineering reports through convergences and monitoring. Convergences are the key factor on development of infrastructure underground as it is the only way to explore and analyze the rock mass disturbance during excavation. Convergences and monitoring in infrastructure are the safety coefficient for building underground, preventing accidents, and assessing real risks associated with tunnel/mine works and ensuring progress of the construction in underground structures. This study delves into the engineering role of convergence monitoring, during construction activities on project excavated using New Austrian Tunnelling method and Sequential Excavation Method. The primary objective of convergence monitoring is to gather critical information on ground movements and disturbances, thereby enhancing safety measures during tunnel construction. The monitoring process serves as an early warning system offering evidence of the real risks associated with underground infrastructure, bringing results and engineering data to be used for the design as key coefficient for structural design, type of material, type and strength of the concrete, rebars, concrete mix design. By using the convergence and monitoring system on underground infrastructure this study represents information that can contribute to risk assessment, structural analysis, and the lifetime of a project.

Risk Assessment of Hydrogen Peroxide Low- Temperature Plasma Sterilization Using Different Monitoring Methods

Objective:This study aims to evaluate the application value of biological monitoring and different types of chemical indicator cards in batch monitoring of hydrogen peroxide low-temperature plasma sterilization.The goal is to standardize the selection of loading conditions for this sterilization method and avoid positive biological monitoring results.Methods:Physical monitoring,Class I chemical indicator card monitoring,Class IV chemical indicator card monitoring,and biological monitoring were used to monitor the hydrogen peroxide low-temperature plasma sterilization process.The sterilization effect on instruments inside the Johnson&Johnson 100S plasma sterilizer was monitored and the qualification of various monitoring methods was compared.Results:The comparison showed that when non-standard or adsorption-prone packaging materials were used,the interception rate of biological monitoring and Class IV chemical indicator cards was significantly higher than that of physical monitoring and Class I chemical indicator cards.These methods more intuitively and effectively detected sterilization failures.Conclusion:Biological monitoring and Class IV chemical indicator cards are safe,fast,accurate,and easy to interpret in hydrogen peroxide low-temperature plasma sterilization,especially for monitoring instruments inside packages.They provide a reliable basis for the release of sterilized instrument packages.Identifying the reasons for positive biological monitoring results in hydrogen peroxide low-temperature plasma sterilization and taking effective measures promptly can minimize associated risks.

Review and Prospect of Research on Structural Health Monitoring Technology for Bridges

As a crucial infrastructure in the transport system,the safe operation of bridges is directly related to all aspects of people’s daily lives.The development of bridge structural health monitoring technology and its application play an important role in ensuring the safety and extending the service life of bridges.This paper carries out in-depth research and analysis on the related technology of bridge structural health monitoring.Firstly,the existing monitoring technologies at home and abroad are sorted out,and the advantages and problems of various methods are compared and analyzed,including nondestructive testing,stress measurement,vibration characteristic identification,and other commonly used monitoring technologies.Secondly,the key technologies and equipment in the bridge health monitoring system,such as sensor technology,data acquisition,and processing technology,are introduced in detail.Finally,the development trend in the field of bridge health monitoring is prospected from both theoretical research and technical application.In the future,with the development of emerging technologies such as big data,cloud computing,and the Internet of Things,it is expected that bridge health monitoring with intelligent and systematic features will be more widely applied to provide a stronger guarantee for the safe and efficient operation of bridges.

Wavelet packet decomposition entropy threshold method for discrete spectrum interferences rejection of on-line partial discharge monitoring

The frequency domain division theory of dyadic wavelet decomposition and wavelet packet decomposition (WPD) with orthogonal wavelet base frame are presented. The WPD coefficients of signals are treated as the outputs of equivalent bandwidth filters with different center frequency. The corresponding WPD entropy values of coefficients increase sharply when the discrete spectrum interferences (DSIs), frequency spectrum of which is centered at several frequency points existing in some frequency region. Based on WPD, an entropy threshold method (ETM) is put forward, in which entropy is used to determine whether partial discharge (PD) signals are interfered by DSIs. Simulation and real data processing demonstrate that ETM works with good efficiency, without pre-knowing DSI information. ETM extracts the phase of PD pulses accurately and can calibrate the quantity of single type discharge.

Application of GNSS-PPP on Dynamic Deformation Monitoring of Offshore Platforms

The real-time dynamic deformation monitoring of offshore platforms under environmental excitation is crucial to their safe operation.Although Global Navigation Satellite System-Precise Point Positioning(GNSS-PPP)has been considered for this purpose,its monitoring accuracy is relatively low.Moreover,the influence of background noise on the dynamic monitoring accuracy of GNSS-PPP remains unclear.Hence,it is imperative to further validate the feasibility of GNSS-PPP for deformation monitoring of offshore platforms.To address these concerns,vibration table tests with different amplitudes and frequencies are conducted.The results demonstrate that GNSS-PPP can effectively monitor horizontal vibration displacement as low as±30 mm,which is consistent with GNSS-RTK.Furthermore,the spectral characteristic of background noise in GNSS-PPP is similar to that of GNSS-RTK(Real Time Kinematic).Building on this observation,an improved Complete Ensemble Empirical Mode Decomposition with Adaptive Noise(CEEMDAN)has been proposed to de-noise the data and enhance the dynamic monitoring accuracy of GNSS-PPP.Field monitoring application research is also undertaken,successfully extracting and analyzing the dynamic deformation of an offshore platform structure under environmental excitation using GNSS-PPP monitoring in conjunction with improved CEEMDAN de-noising.By comparing the de-noised dynamic deformation trajectories of the offshore platform during different periods,it is observed that the platform exhibits reversible alternating vibration responses under environmental excitation,with more pronounced displacement deformation in the direction of load action.The research results confirm the feasibility and potential of GNSS-PPP for dynamic deformation monitoring of offshore platforms.

Natural Disaster Risk Monitoring for Immovable Cultural Relics Based on Digital Twin

Natural disaster risk monitoring is an important task for disaster prevention and reduction.In the case of immovable cultural relics,however,the feedback mechanism,risk factors,monitoring logic,and monitoring indicators of natural disaster risk monitoring are complex.How to achieve intelligent perception and monitoring of natural disaster risk for immovable cultural relics has always been a focus and a challenge for researchers.Based on the analysis of the concepts and issues related to the natural disaster risk of immovable cultural relics,this paper proposes a framework for natural disaster risk monitoring for immovable cultural relics based on the digital twin.This framework focuses on risk monitoring,including the physical entities of natural disaster risk for immovable cultural relics,monitoring indicators,and virtual entity construction.A platform for monitoring the natural disaster risk of immovable cultural relics is proposed.Using the Puzhou Ancient City Site as a test bed,the proposed concept can be used for monitoring the natural disaster risk of immovable cultural relics at different scales.

Fiber optic monitoring of an anti-slide pile in a retrogressive landslide

Anti-slide piles are one of the most important reinforcement structures against landslides,and evalu-ating the working conditions is of great significance for landslide mitigation.The widely adopted analytical methods of pile internal forces include cantilever beam method and elastic foundation beam method.However,due to many assumptions involved in calculation,the analytical models cannot be fully applicable to complex site situations,e.g.landslides with multi-sliding surfaces and pile-soil interface separation as discussed herein.In view of this,the combination of distributed fiber optic sensing(DFOS)and strain-internal force conversion methods was proposed to evaluate the working conditions of an anti-sliding pile in a typical retrogressive landslide in the Three Gorges reservoir area,China.Brillouin optical time domain reflectometry(BOTDR)was utilized to monitor the strain distri-bution along the pile.Next,by analyzing the relative deformation between the pile and its adjacent inclinometer,the pile-soil interface separation was profiled.Finally,the internal forces of the anti-slide pile were derived based on the strain-internal force conversion method.According to the ratio of calculated internal forces to the design values,the working conditions of the anti-slide pile could be evaluated.The results demonstrated that the proposed method could reveal the deformation pattern of the anti-slide pile system,and can quantitatively evaluate its working conditions.

Interplay of laser power and pore characteristics in selective laser melting of ZK60 magnesium alloys:A study based on in-situ monitoring and image analysis

This study offers significant insights into the multi-physics phenomena of the SLM process and the subsequent porosity characteristics of ZK60 Magnesium(Mg)alloys.High-speed in-situ monitoring was employed to visualise process signals in real-time,elucidating the dynamics of melt pools and vapour plumes under varying laser power conditions specifically between 40 W and 60 W.Detailed morphological analysis was performed using Scanning-Electron Microscopy(SEM),demonstrating a critical correlation between laser power and pore formation.Lower laser power led to increased pore coverage,whereas a denser structure was observed at higher laser power.This laser power influence on porosity was further confirmed via Optical Microscopy(OM)conducted on both top and cross-sectional surfaces of the samples.An increase in laser power resulted in a decrease in pore coverage and pore size,potentially leading to a denser printed part of Mg alloy.X-ray Computed Tomography(XCT)augmented these findings by providing a 3D volumetric representation of the sample internal structure,revealing an inverse relationship between laser power and overall pore volume.Lower laser power appeared to favour the formation of interconnected pores,while a reduction in interconnected pores and an increase in isolated pores were observed at higher power.The interplay between melt pool size,vapour plume effects,and laser power was found to significantly influence the resulting porosity,indicating a need for effective management of these factors to optimise the SLM process of Mg alloys.

Detection method of forward-scatter signal based on Rényi entropy

The application scope of the forward scatter radar(FSR)based on the Global Navigation Satellite System(GNSS)can be expanded by improving the detection capability.Firstly,the forward-scatter signal model when the target crosses the baseline is constructed.Then,the detection method of the for-ward-scatter signal based on the Rényi entropy of time-fre-quency distribution is proposed and the detection performance with different time-frequency distributions is compared.Simula-tion results show that the method based on the smooth pseudo Wigner-Ville distribution(SPWVD)can achieve the best perfor-mance.Next,combined with the geometry of FSR,the influence on detection performance of the relative distance between the target and the baseline is analyzed.Finally,the proposed method is validated by the anechoic chamber measurements and the results show that the detection ability has a 10 dB improvement compared with the common constant false alarm rate(CFAR)detection.

Design and Construction of Automatic Monitoring System for Open-pit Coal Mine Slopes

[Objectives]To monitor the stability of open-pit coal mine slopes in real time and ensure the safety of coal mine production.[Methods]The automatic monitoring system of coal mine slope was explored in depth,and the core functions of the system were designed comprehensively.According to the design function of the automatic monitoring system,the slope automatic monitoring system was constructed.Besides,in accordance with the actual situation of the slope,the monitoring frequency of slopes was set scientifically,and the key indicators such as rainfall,deep displacement and surface displacement of the slopes were monitored in an all-round and multi-angle way.[Results]During the monitoring period,the overall condition of the slope remained good,and no landslides or other geological disasters occurred.At the same time,the overall rainfall in the slope area remained low.In terms of monitoring data,the horizontal displacement and settlement of the slopes increased first and then tended to be stable.Specifically,the maximum horizontal displacement during the monitoring period was 22.74 mm,while the maximum settlement was 18.65 mm.[Conclusions]The automatic slope monitoring system has obtained remarkable achievements in practical application.It not only improves the accuracy and efficiency of slope stability monitoring,but also provides valuable reference experience for similar projects.

IGED:Towards Intelligent DDoS Detection Model Using Improved Generalized Entropy and DNN

As the scale of the networks continually expands,the detection of distributed denial of service(DDoS)attacks has become increasingly vital.We propose an intelligent detection model named IGED by using improved generalized entropy and deep neural network(DNN).The initial detection is based on improved generalized entropy to filter out as much normal traffic as possible,thereby reducing data volume.Then the fine detection is based on DNN to perform precise DDoS detection on the filtered suspicious traffic,enhancing the neural network’s generalization capabilities.Experimental results show that the proposed method can efficiently distinguish normal traffic from DDoS traffic.Compared with the benchmark methods,our method reaches 99.9%on low-rate DDoS(LDDoS),flooded DDoS and CICDDoS2019 datasets in terms of both accuracy and efficiency in identifying attack flows while reducing the time by 17%,31%and 8%.

Composition optimization and performance prediction for ultra-stable water-based aerosol based on thermodynamic entropy theory

Water-based aerosol is widely used as an effective strategy in electro-optical countermeasure on the battlefield used to the preponderance of high efficiency,low cost and eco-friendly.Unfortunately,the stability of the water-based aerosol is always unsatisfactory due to the rapid evaporation and sedimentation of the aerosol droplets.Great efforts have been devoted to improve the stability of water-based aerosol by using additives with different composition and proportion.However,the lack of the criterion and principle for screening the effective additives results in excessive experimental time consumption and cost.And the stabilization time of the aerosol is still only 30 min,which could not meet the requirements of the perdurable interference.Herein,to improve the stability of water-based aerosol and optimize the complex formulation efficiently,a theoretical calculation method based on thermodynamic entropy theory is proposed.All the factors that influence the shielding effect,including polyol,stabilizer,propellant,water and cosolvent,are considered within calculation.An ultra-stable water-based aerosol with long duration over 120 min is obtained with the optimal fogging agent composition,providing enough time for fighting the electro-optic weapon.Theoretical design guideline for choosing the additives with high phase transition temperature and low phase transition enthalpy is also proposed,which greatly improves the total entropy change and reduce the absolute entropy change of the aerosol cooling process,and gives rise to an enhanced stability of the water-based aerosol.The theoretical calculation methodology contributes to an abstemious time and space for sieving the water-based aerosol with desirable performance and stability,and provides the powerful guarantee to the homeland security.