What did I really vote for? On the usability of verifiable e-voting schemes

E-voting has been embraced by a number of countries, delivering benefits in terms of efficiency and accessibility. End-to-end verifiable e-voting schemes facilitate verification of the integrity of individual votes during the election process. In particular, methods for cast-as-intended verification enable voters to confirm that their cast votes have not been manipulated by the voting client. A well-known technique for effecting cast-as-intended verification is the Benaloh Challenge. The usability of this challenge is crucial because voters have to be actively engaged in the verification process. In this paper, we report on a usability evaluation of three different approaches of the Benaloh Challenge in the remote e-voting context. We performed a comparative user study with 95 participants. We conclude with a recommendation for which approaches should be provided to afford verification in real-world elections and suggest usability improvements

Bubbles and denaturation in DNA

The local opening of DNA is an intriguing phenomenon from a statistical physics point of view, but is also essential for its biological function. For instance, the transcription and replication of our genetic code can not take place without the unwinding of the DNA double helix. Although these biological processes are driven by proteins, there might well be a relation between these biological openings and the spontaneous bubble formation due to thermal fluctuations. Mesoscopic models, like the Peyrard-Bishop-Dauxois model, have fairly accurately reproduced some experimental denaturation curves and the sharp phase transition in the thermodynamic limit. It is, hence, tempting to see whether these models could be used to predict the biological activity of DNA. In a previous study, we introduced a method that allows to obtain very accurate results on this subject, which showed that some previous claims in this direction, based on molecular dynamics studies, were premature. This could either imply that the present PBD should be improved or that biological activity can only be predicted in a more complex frame work that involves interactions with proteins and super helical stresses. In this article, we give detailed description of the statistical method introduced before. Moreover, for several DNA sequences, we give a thorough analysis of the bubble-statistics as function of position and bubble size and the so-called $l$-denaturation curves that can be measured experimentally. These show that some important experimental observations are missing in the present model. We discuss how the present model could be improved.Comment: 15 pages, 5 figures, published as Eur. Phys. J. E 20 : 421-434 AUG 200

Conformation of a Polyelectrolyte Complexed to a Like-Charged Colloid

We report results from a molecular dynamics (MD) simulation on the conformations of a long flexible polyelectrolyte complexed to a charged sphere, \textit{both negatively charged}, in the presence of neutralizing counterions in the strong Coulomb coupling regime. The structure of this complex is very sensitive to the charge density of the polyelectrolyte. For a fully charged polyelectrolyte the polymer forms a dense two-dimensional "disk", whereas for a partially charged polyelectrolyte the monomers are spread over the colloidal surface. A mechanism involving the \textit{overcharging} of the polyelectrolyte by counterions is proposed to explain the observed conformations.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures (6 EPS files

2012 Capacity Building Outcomes Report: SVP Value Nonprofit Investee Perspective

The 2012 Report on Capacity Building Outcomes shares the findings from the data collected in 2012 that measures our own organizational effectiveness and the outcomes or our mission. The quantitative survey used to capture the data focuses on two outcomes: Nonprofit Investee satisfaction with SVP; and Time, money and connections received by Investees through partners. It also includes a sampling of the results of the "Most Significant Change" tool, which collects qualitative data on two additional outcomes: Strengthened Investee organizational capacity; and Improved Investee programmatic effectiveness

A Transcendental Phenomenological Inquiry of First-Generation Community College Students’ Experiences

In the United States, 36% of community college enrollments are comprised of first-generation students (FGCS); however, little is known about FGCS as a cohort. Various initiatives have been formulated to encourage success among students with constraints related to social capital, bandwidth recovery, and the education system. The purpose of this phenomenological study aimed to understand the experiences of FGCS in community colleges in the Northeast region of the United States. FGCS are defined as students whose parents did not graduate from college with at least a bachelor’s degree. This study addressed student experiences—including social interactions—that impacted academic achievement positively or negatively. Tinto’s interactionalist theory of college student departure guided this study because student retention and success in college are affected by formal and informal interactions. Data were collected from 15 participants using one-on-one interviews, a writing prompt, and a focus group discussion. Data analysis was conducted using Moustakas’ guidelines for organizing and analyzing transcendental phenomenology. The four main themes identified were a) shared experiences, b) defining success, c) protective factors, and d) social factors

Thermodynamic Contributions of Deoxyuridine Loops to the Folding of DNA Straight Hairpin Loops with d(GCGC/GCGC) Stems

The global stability of DNA molecules depends on base stacking, base-pairing, ionic and hydration contributions. To understand the mechanisms that govern the many biological roles of nucleic acids, it is essential to have a complete physical description of the folding of nucleic acids, including ion and water binding. We used a combination of temperature-dependent UV spectroscopy and differential scanning calorimetry to investigate the effect of the loop length on the unfolding thermodynamics of a set of DNA stem-loop motifs with the following sequence: d(5’-GCGCUnGCGC), where n = 3, 5, 7, and 9. The folding of each hairpin loop resulted in a monophasic transition that was monomolecular. The favorable folding of each hairpin (negative ∆Go) in this set resulted in a thermodynamic compensation of a favorable enthalpy with an unfavorable entropy contributions, enthalpy contributions correspond to formation of base-pair stackings while the unfavorable entropy contributions correspond mainly to the immobilization of counterions, as the length of the uracil hairpin loop increases, the stability of the hairpin decreases (the free energy term becomes more positive), due to a less favorable entropic contribution because more counterions are binding. Relative to a similar set of thymine hairpin loops, we measured less favorable free energy terms because of the lower thermal stability of the uracil hairpins (lower TM’s) and their lesser impact of ion binding. Supported by Grant MCB-1912587 from the NSF.https://digitalcommons.unmc.edu/surp2022/1025/thumbnail.jp

EVALUASI PERKECAMBAHAN BENIH DAN PERTUMBUHAN BIBIT KELAPA HASIL PERSILANGAN GSK DAN DMT

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengevaluasi perkecambahan benih dan pertumbuhan bibit kelapa hasil persilangan antara kelapa GSK x DMT 1188, 1172, dan 781, dan mengetahui pengaruh tetua jantan pada pertumbuhan bibit kelapa hasil persilangan.  Persilangan GSK x DMT 1188 memiliki rata-rata daya kecambah 75.85, periode berkecambah 9–12 minggu, kecepatan berkecambah 7.20 kecambah/minggu, persentase warna tunas dan tulang daun 100%, tinggi rata-rata pada bulan keempat sesudah akhir berkecambah 162.39 cm, diameter batang semu 3.64 cm, dan jumlah daun 7.07 helai.  Persilangan GSK x DMT 1172 memiliki rata-rata  daya  kecambah  70.24,  periode  perkecambahan 7–13 minggu, kecepatan berkecambah 6.57 kecambah/minggu, persentase warna tunas dan tulang daun 95.63%, tinggi bibit bulan keempat sesudah akhir berkecambah 153.28 cm, diameter batang semu 3.62 cm, dan jumlah daun 6.71 helai.  Persilangan GSK x DMT 781 memiliki rata-rata daya kecambah 42.31%, periode berkecambah 7–14 minggu, kecepatan berkecambah 3.05 kecambah/minggu, persentase warna tunas dan tulang daun 98.33%, tinggi bibit bulan keempat sesudah akhir berkecambah 125.42 cm, diameter batang semu 3.36 cm, dan jumlah daun 6.22 helai.  Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bibit kelapa hasil persilangan GSK x DMT relatif seragam.  Pengaruh tetua jantan pada pertumbuhan bibit ada pada tinggi bibit dan jumlah daun yang dihasilkan bibit kelapa