Reinforcing of Citizen’s Trust in E-Government: The Cameroon’s Case

The embracing of ICTs and related technologies has enhanced different approaches for governments worldwide to deliver services to their citizens in a smart way. However, the usage of e-government services by common citizens is recognized as one of the major setbacks of e-government development in both developed and developing countries. Moreover, government agencies in these countries are facing great challenges in keeping the citizens motivated enough to continue to use e-government services. This research aims to investigate the factors that influence citizens’ trust towards continue use of e-government services in Cameroon. The proposed research model consisted of three main constructs including technological, governmental, risk factors as well as six demographic characteristics (age, gender, educational level, income, internet experience and cultural perception). A five-point Likert scale questionnaire was designed to collect data physically and electronically, 352 valid questionnaires were retrieved. Simple and Multiple regression analysis methods were applied to build an adequate model based on the verification of hypotheses proposed. Based on results obtained, four demographic characteristics (age, education, occupation and income) have influence on citizens’ trust in e-government meanwhile gender and cultural affiliation have no influence. Furthermore, technological factors and governmental factors positively influence trust level in e-government, whereas risk factors have a negative influence on trust level. Deducing from the results, a list of recommendations is proposed to the government of Cameroon in order to reinforce citizens’ trust in e-government services.

Investigation of Carbonation of Concrete Based on Crushed Sand and Admixtures

Carbonation is a natural aging process that occurs in all types of concrete. One of its primary implications is the acceleration of steel corrosion caused by the phenomena of depassivation. The goal of this research is to investigate the carbonation of quarry sand-based concrete. The concrete is made of 100% crushed sand 0/6.3, gravel 8/15, and 15/25 from the Arab Contractor quarry in Nomayos, Cameroon, with CEM II B-P 42.5 R from CIMENCAM (Cimenteries du Cameroun). The study employed two admixtures: one with a dual superplasticizing and reducing action (Sikamen) and another with a water-repellent effect (Sika liquid). Carbonation was performed on concrete samples at the following dates: 0, 7, 14, 28, 56, 90, 180 days, one year, and six months. Carbonated concrete (CC) and non-carbonated concrete (NCC) samples are compared in terms of their physical attributes and mineralogical characteristics. The results of this investigation reveal that after more than a year and six months of carbonation, porosity decreases and permeability increases. Despite the high fineness modulus of quarry sand, the compressive strength of quarry sand-based concrete is satisfactory. Carbonation depth is relatively high on some dates, exceeding the minimal cover value for concrete reinforcement. Sikament additive increases concrete compactness and durability while decreasing permeability. Sika water repellant mixes with the lime in cement to generate complimentary crystallizations that block the mortar’s capillaries, making it watertight.

Rare-Element Pegmatites Rocks Rich and Li of the Aïr Massif of the Tchirozerine: Mineralogy and Chemical Composition Agadez Region-Northem Niger

The lithium potential in the Aïr massif is represented by mineral index of spodumene pegmatites and, lepidolite pegmatites. The mineral deposits of lithium occur in cluster or veins that cut the host rock or are located near the contact between the greenstone belt and granitic massif. The evidence of lithium is in the form of clusters or disseminated and stockwerk. Mineralogical characteristics show similarities between the Air Massif pegmatites and indicate the same homogenous source during the magma-generation process. The pegmatite rocks attracted the attention due to their wide exposure and composition, well appearance, and economically hosting of significant rare earth metals such as Sn and W. The mineralogical and petrographical investigations on the eight pegmatites rocks samples observed have a relative similarity, while a little difference in the shapes attributed to the ratio in the pegmatite rocks of the minerals. The occurrence of the kink band indicates the influence of the tectonic processes which affected the Aïr massif after the emplacement of late magmatic or post-magmatic pegmatites by injection into fractured rocks in the upper part of the crust. The Air Massif pegmatite has higher concentrations Li and of all trace elements except Hf and occasionally Zr, Ti, Sn and Mg of for the economic exploration.

Contribution for Efficient Planning of Millimeter Wave Frequencies: Case of the 80 GHz E-Band for High-Speed Broadband Transmissions

Due to the very high demand for Internet data capacity from mobile and fixed customers as well as the saturation of conventional frequency bands by numerous services, many countries have opened the E band, for broadcasting services. E-band involves the creation of a significant number of links in a given area. The present work addressed the problem that arises in the context of transmission is that of assigning the frequencies of this band to these multiple transmission links. The aim of this work is to study and plan the radio links of the 80 GHz frequency and to implement them in a tool in order to define an optimal distribution on the telecommunications network by guaranteeing maximum flow of data traffic while minimizing the interference. The contribution of this work is part of its unique subject: the planning of E-band frequencies for improving the quality of service of transmission in the network of telecommunications operators. Also, it intends to contribute to the resolution of unsatisfied situations of poor planning of E-band radio frequencies in telecommunications networks. With the aim of opening several opportunities for alternative high-speed data transport solutions, our work has helped prove that E-band transmission links are very efficient with capacities in the gigabyte range.

Strengthening the Security of Supervised Networks by Automating Hardening Mechanisms

In recent years, the place occupied by the various manifestations of cyber-crime in companies has been considerable. Indeed, due to the rapid evolution of telecommunications technologies, companies, regardless of their size or sector of activity, are now the target of advanced persistent threats. The Work 2035 study also revealed that cyber crimes (such as critical infrastructure hacks) and massive data breaches are major sources of concern. Thus, it is important for organizations to guarantee a minimum level of security to avoid potential attacks that can cause paralysis of systems, loss of sensitive data, exposure to blackmail, damage to reputation or even a commercial harm. To do this, among other means, hardening is used, the main objective of which is to reduce the attack surface within a company. The execution of the hardening configurations as well as the verification of these are carried out on the servers and network equipment with the aim of reducing the number of openings present by keeping only those which are necessary for proper operation. However, nowadays, in many companies, these tasks are done manually. As a result, the execution and verification of hardening configurations are very often subject to potential errors but also highly consuming human and financial resources. The problem is that it is essential for operators to maintain an optimal level of security while minimizing costs, hence the interest in automating hardening processes and verifying the hardening of servers and network equipment. It is in this logic that we propose within the framework of this work the reinforcement of the security of the information systems (IS) by the automation of the mechanisms of hardening. In our work, we have, on the one hand, set up a hardening procedure in accordance with international security standards for servers, routers and switches and, on the other hand, designed and produced a functional application which makes it possible to: 1) Realise the configuration of the hardening;2) Verify them;3) Correct the non conformities;4) Write and send by mail a verification report for the configurations;5) And finally update the procedures of hardening. Our web application thus created allows in less than fifteen (15) minutes actions that previously took at least five (5) hours of time. This allows supervised network operators to save time and money, but also to improve their security standards in line with international standards.

Influence of the Partial Substitution of Bitumen by a Mixture of Sulphur and Tyre and Plastic Bottle Powders on the Behaviour of Bituminous Concrete

This article deals with the influence of the partial substitution of bitumen by a mixture of sulphur and tyre and plastic bottle powders on the characterization of asphalt concrete. The approach adopted was to subject a control asphalt concrete to level 2 formulation tests as well as those modified at 10%, 20%, 30% and 40% by substituting bitumen with a mixture of tyre powder, plastic bottle powder and sulphur at 40%, 28% and 32% respectively. The results of the PCG, Duriez and rutting tests carried out on the control and modified bituminous concretes (manufactured using the wet process) revealed three (03) major findings, in particular with regard to workability, resistance to simple compression and rutting. The experimental results show an increasing trend in the essential parameters. At 40% substitution, there was a 22.73% increase in compactness, reflecting a significant improvement in the material’s workability. With regard to simple compressive strength, the increase is 34.02% at 40% substitution, highlighting the limitation of crack formation and propagation under heavy precipitation. With regard to rutting, the 16% drop in susceptibility at 40% substitution reflects a significant improvement in the behaviour of the material under dynamic mechanical stresses in heavy precipitation. The improvement in these behaviours results from the insertion of the plastic bottle powder into the interstices of the granular skeleton, thus reducing its cellular structure, and also from the interactions between the sulphur with the tyre powder and the sulphur with the plastic bottle powder, i.e. cross-linking or vulcanisation.

Okumura Hata Propagation Model Optimization in 400 MHz Band Based on Differential Evolution Algorithm: Application to the City of Bertoua

Propagation models are the foundation for radio planning in mobile networks. They are widely used during feasibility studies and initial network deployment, or during network extensions, particularly in new cities. They can be used to calculate the power of the signal received by a mobile terminal, evaluate the coverage radius, and calculate the number of cells required to cover a given area. This paper takes into account the standard k factors model and then uses the differential evolution algorithm to set up a propagation model adapted to the physical environment of the Cameroonian cities of Bertoua. Drive tests were made on the LTE TDD network in the city of Bertoua. Differential evolution algorithm is used as the optimization algorithm to deduct a propagation model which fits the environment of the considered town. The calculation of the root mean square error between the actual data from the drive tests and the prediction data from the implemented model allows the validation of the obtained results. A comparative study made between the RMSE value obtained by the new model and those obtained by the Okumura Hata and free space models, allowed us to conclude that the new model obtained is better and more representative of our local environment than the Okumura Hata currently used. The implementation shows that Differential evolution can perform well and solve this kind of optimization problem;the newly obtained models can be used for radio planning in the city of Bertoua in Cameroon.

Waste Recovery and Sustainable Development. A Case Study of Material Development from Used Tires in Africa

This paper outlines a mechanical transformation process for rubber recycling, demonstrating the development of a new material from used tires. With the crumbs obtained using a crusher-compactor, a novel material for the manufacture of O-rings has been developed, with properties close to those found on the market. The process includes an experimental methodology of a sulfur vulcanization system choice and the quantification of ingredients, as well as the experimental determination of cure parameters. Mechanical tests on the samples completed the work by providing the mechanical characteristics of both unaged and aged (thermo-oxidative ageing) novel material. This process has a high potential for sustainable development and industrialization, making it a valuable contribution to the recycling of rubber in African developing countries.

New Ecg Signal Compression Model Based on Set Theory Applied to Images

Cardiovascular diseases are the origin of many causes of death worldwide. They impose on practitioners optimal diagnostic methods such as telemedicine in order to be able to quickly detect anomalies for daily care and monitoring of patients. The Electrocardiogram (ECG) is an examination that can detect abnormal functioning of the heart and generates a large number of digital data which can be stored or transmitted for further analysis. For storage or transmission purposes, one of the challenges is to reduce the space occupied by ECG signal and for that, it is important to offer more and more efficient algorithms capable of achieving high compression rates, while offering a good quality of reconstruction in a relatively short time. We propose in this paper a new ECG compression scheme that is based on a subset of signal splitting and 2D processing, the wavelet transform (DWT) and SPIHT coding which has proved their worth in the field of signal processing and compression. They are exploited for decorrelation and coding of the signal. The results obtained are significant and offer many perspectives.

Theoretical assessment of the impact of desert aerosols on the dynamical transmission of meningitidis serogroup A

This paper has been motivated by the following biological question: how influential me desert uerosols in the transmission of meningitidis serogroup A (MenA)? A mathematical model for the dynamical transmission of MenA is considered,with the aim of investigating the impact of desert aerosols.Sensitivity analysis of the model has been performed in order to determine the impact of related parameters on meningitis outbreak.We derive the basic reproduction number R0.We prove that there exists a threshold parameter ζ such that when R0 <ζ< 1,the disease-free equilibrium is globally asymptotically stable (GAS).However,when ζ< R0 < 1,the model exhibits the phenomenon of backward bifurcation.At the endemic level,we show that the number of infectious individuals in the presence of desert aerosols is larger than the correspond-ing number without the presence of desert aerosols.In conjunction with the inequality R0^0< R0 where R0^0 is the basic reproduction number without desert aerosols,we found that the ingestion of aerosols by carriers will increase the endemic level,and the severity of the outbreak.This suggests that the control of MenA passes through a combination of a large coverage vaccination of young susceptible individuals and the production of a vaccine with a high level of efficacy as well as respecting the hygienic rules to avoid the inhalation of desert aerosols.Theoretical results are supported by numerical simulations.

Theoretical assessment of the impact of environmental contamination on the dynamical transmission of polio

A mathematical model for the dynamical transmission of polio is considered,with the aim of investigating the impact of environment contamination.The model captures two infection pathways through both direct human-to-human transmission and indirect human-to-environment-to-human transmission by incorporating the environment as a transition and/or reservoir of viruses.We derive the basic reproduction number R0^env We show that the disease free equilibrium is globally asymptotically stable(GAS)if R0^env<1,while if R0^env>1,there exists a unique endemic equilibrium which is locally asymptotically stable(LAS).Similar results hold for environmental contamination free sub-model(without the incorporation of the indirect transmission).At the endemic level,we show that the number of infected individuals for the model with the environ mental-related contagion is greater than the corresponding number for the environmental contamination free sub-model.In conjunction with the inequality R0<R0^env.Qnv,where R0 is the basic reproduction number for the environmental contamination free sub-model,our finding suggests that the contaminated environment plays a detrimental role on the transmission dynamics of polio disease by increasing the endemic level and the severity of the outbreak.Therefore,it is natural to implement control strategies to reduce the severity of the disease by providing adequate hygienic living conditions,educate populations at risk to follow rigorously those basic hygienic rules in order to avoid adequate contacts with suspected contaminated objects.Further,we perform numerical simulations to support the theory.