Retrofitting privacy controls to stock Android

Android ist nicht nur das beliebteste Betriebssystem für mobile Endgeräte, sondern auch ein ein attraktives Ziel für Angreifer. Um diesen zu begegnen, nutzt Androids Sicherheitskonzept App-Isolation und Zugangskontrolle zu kritischen Systemressourcen. Nutzer haben dabei aber nur wenige Optionen, App-Berechtigungen gemäß ihrer Bedürfnisse einzuschränken, sondern die Entwickler entscheiden über zu gewährende Berechtigungen. Androids Sicherheitsmodell kann zudem nicht durch Dritte angepasst werden, so dass Nutzer zum Schutz ihrer Privatsphäre auf die Gerätehersteller angewiesen sind. Diese Dissertation präsentiert einen Ansatz, Android mit umfassenden Privatsphäreeinstellungen nachzurüsten. Dabei geht es konkret um Techniken, die ohne Modifikationen des Betriebssystems oder Zugriff auf Root-Rechte auf regulären Android-Geräten eingesetzt werden können. Der erste Teil dieser Arbeit etabliert Techniken zur Durchsetzung von Sicherheitsrichtlinien für Apps mithilfe von inlined reference monitors. Dieser Ansatz wird durch eine neue Technik für dynamic method hook injection in Androids Java VM erweitert. Schließlich wird ein System eingeführt, das prozessbasierte privilege separation nutzt, um eine virtualisierte App-Umgebung zu schaffen, um auch komplexe Sicherheitsrichtlinien durchzusetzen. Eine systematische Evaluation unseres Ansatzes konnte seine praktische Anwendbarkeit nachweisen und mehr als eine Million Downloads unserer Lösung zeigen den Bedarf an praxisgerechten Werkzeugen zum Schutz der Privatsphäre.Android is the most popular operating system for mobile devices, making it a prime target for attackers. To counter these, Android’s security concept uses app isolation and access control to critical system resources. However, Android gives users only limited options to restrict app permissions according to their privacy preferences but instead lets developers dictate the permissions users must grant. Moreover, Android’s security model is not designed to be customizable by third-party developers, forcing users to rely on device manufacturers to address their privacy concerns. This thesis presents a line of work that retrofits comprehensive privacy controls to the Android OS to put the user back in charge of their device. It focuses on developing techniques that can be deployed to stock Android devices without firmware modifications or root privileges. The first part of this dissertation establishes fundamental policy enforcement on thirdparty apps using inlined reference monitors to enhance Android’s permission system. This approach is then refined by introducing a novel technique for dynamic method hook injection on Android’s Java VM. Finally, we present a system that leverages process-based privilege separation to provide a virtualized application environment that supports the enforcement of complex security policies. A systematic evaluation of our approach demonstrates its practical applicability, and over one million downloads of our solution confirm user demand for privacy-enhancing tools

MIDI Electronic Wind Instrument: A Study of the Instrument and Selected Works

The development of the MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) electronic wind instrument (EWI) stemmed from earlier electronic instruments including analog/digital synthesizers, earlier control devices (Lyricon), and electronic instruments using a blow tube trigger generator (Yamaha WX) or breath controllers (Yamaha BC). Developing such devices began as early as the 1940s and were originally intended for compositional use instead of performance. However, the technology of electro-acoustic sounds continued to expand commercially from the 1950s through the 1970s, including more general access to sound synthesis and live performance. Various companies including Yamaha, Akai, Moog, Korg, and others would establish lines of synthesizers that shaped the music instrument industry throughout the rest of the century. During the 1970s, the technology used only allowed each company\u27s devices to communicate with those of the same brand and not others. This incompatibility would be resolved with the introduction of MIDI in 1983. MIDI is the current industry standard in compatible synthesizer technology and allows a musician to connect devices from different companies, as they communicate using the same signals. The EWI is uniquely designed so that it is accessible to a musician with prior experience on selected woodwind instruments. Many musicians including Michael Brecker and Bob Mintzer have performed on the EWI in addition to saxophone. During the mid-1980s, classical composers took interest in the instrument and composed specifically for the EWI. Some musicians believed that this would be the instrument of the future. However, this notion has faded away over the years. There is only a limited amount of classical music written for the EWI, primarily within a brief span between the late 1980s and early 1990s.;The document serves as a resource for teachers, students, and composers interested in studying the EWI. This presents a brief history of the EWI; performance analysis of selected works; and a guide to the instrument\u27s western art-music repertoire, recordings, technical specifications, and pedagogy. Works by Leonard V. Ball, Marilyn Shrude, Gil Trythall, and William Moylan are studied in this document, exploring techniques and solving possible issues a performer may encounter when learning the EWI repertoire. The detailed information provided the selected works may be beneficial for those seeking to perform works dedicated to the EWI. Since there are many technical components involved with the EWI, the author provides instruction on using these devices: MIDI tone generator, mixer, computer, and cable configurations. Tone generators studied include the Yamaha WT11, Yamaha TG55, and Korg Wavestation. All examples in this document are examined through the lens of the Yamaha WX5 EWI, covering its specifications and adaption to the selected works. A comprehensive fingering chart is included as a supplement. In addition to the examined works, this author has compiled a list of western art-music repertoire that includes pertinent information for each piece: composer, duration, composition date, specified equipment, publisher/contact, and library via WorldCat (OCLC). The compiled list of recordings consists of a combination of sources that may be obtained in both a tangible format (i.e. tape, CD) and/or online source (i.e. YouTube, SoundCloud)

Towards circular economy in wastewater management : Environmental impacts, benefits and drawbacks of improved nutrient recovery and recycling by source separation

Due to the growing need for phosphorus and nitrogen in food production, more attention needs to be paid for the efficient recovery and safe recycling of wastewater nutrients and organic matter back to agriculture. Source separation of household wastewaters has emerged as an efficient way to recover these nutrients. This can be accomplished by collecting and treating nutrient-rich and nutrient-poor wastewater separately. The nutrients can be recovered in a plant-available form without being mixed with harmful substances from sources other than toilet water. In addition, nutrient recovery is technically easier when the nutrients are undiluted and thus present in higher concentrations. The objective of this dissertation was to analyze the life cycle environmental impacts, advantages and drawbacks, of wastewater management to improve nutrient recovery by source separation in urban, peri-urban and rural areas. Moreover, the limitations of life cycle assessment (LCA) in assessing the environmental impacts of nutrient recovery and recycling were analyzed. The results indicate a substantial increase in the nutrient recovery potential with source separation of wastewaters in urban, peri-urban and rural areas compared to conventional wastewater treatment systems. In urban areas, the source separation of wastewater would allow up to ten times higher nitrogen recovery compared to the conventional system. In rural areas, the source separation of wastewater would bring even greater benefits. Phosphorus recovery could be improved 3-5 times and nitrogen recovery over 30 times. Moreover, improved recovery and recycling of nutrients by source separation would reduce the climate impact of wastewater treatment in urban areas by about half, but the climate impact in rural areas would remain at the same level. Source separation of wastewater would also reduce eutrophication of water bodies, especially in rural areas. Instead, acidifying emissions may increase. However, the actual environmental benefits of improved nutrient recovery and recycling require the realization of avoided emissions, which rely strongly on the decisions made in the planning and design of the system and on the policies and decisions made in the society. LCA offers a good tool to support planning, decision making, and policy related to nutrient recycling. However, the LCA methodology still needs further development and accepted rules to take into account the impacts of carbon content of organic matter in recycled nutrients. Tackling the inefficiencies of nutrient recovery and recycling promotes the transition towards circular economy and carbon neutrality in wastewater management. Source separation of wastewaters offers one way to accomplish these. Source separation allows for more efficient nutrient recycling and supports the self-sufficiency of fertilizers. This requires that the nutrients are recovered and processed into safe end products. To realize the nutrient potential and environmental benefits of the agricultural use of wastewater-based nutrients, policy support and careful planning from a life-cycle perspective are needed.Ruuan tuotannolle välttämättömien ravinteiden, fosforin ja typen, kasvavan tarpeen vuoksi tulee kiinnittää enemmän huomiota jäteveden ravinteiden talteenottoon ja turvalliseen kierrätykseen. Kotitalouksien jätevesien syntypaikkaerottelu (erotteleva sanitaatio, jätevesien erilliskeräys) on todettu tehokkaaksi tavaksi ottaa talteen jäteveden ravinteita kasveille käyttökelpoisessa muodossa. Jätevesien erottelu voidaan toteuttaa keräämällä ja käsittelemällä erikseen ravinnerikkaat (käymälävesi) ja ravinneköyhät jätevedet (harmaa vesi). Samalla voidaan vähentää ravinteisiin päätyviä haitta-aineita. Lisäksi ravinteiden talteenotto on teknisesti helpompaa, kun ravinteet ovat suurempina pitoisuuksina. Tämän väitöskirjan tavoitteena oli arvioida jätevesien ravinteiden talteenoton tehostamista jätevesiä erottelemalla, sen elinkaarisia ympäristövaikutuksia, etuja ja haittoja kaupunki- ja haja-asutusalueilla. Lisäksi työn tavoitteena oli analysoida elinkaariarvioinnin (LCA) menetelmällisiä rajoituksia ravinteiden talteenoton ja kierrätyksen ympäristövaikutuksien arvioinnissa. Väitöskirjan tulokset osoittavat, että jätevesien erottelulla voidaan tehostaa ravinteiden talteenottoa huomattavasti sekä haja-asutusalueella että kaupunkialueilla tavanomaiseen käsittelyyn verrattuna. Kaupunkiympäristössä jätevesien erottelu mahdollistaisi jopa yli kymmenen kertaa suuremman typen talteenoton. Haja-asutusalueella jätevesien erottelulla saavutettaisiin vielä suurempi hyöty. Fosforin talteenotto voisi tehostua noin 3-5 kertaa suuremmaksi ja typen yli 30 kertaa suuremmaksi tavanomaiseen käsittelyyn verrattuna. Tulosten mukaan ravinteiden tehokkaampi talteenotto ja kierrättäminen jätevesiä erottelemalla vähentäisi kaupunkialueilla jätevedenkäsittelyn ilmastovaikutuksia noin puoleen, mutta haja-asutusalueella vaikutukset pysyisivät arviolta samalla tasolla. Jätevesien erottelu vähentäisi myös vesistöjä rehevöittäviä vaikutuksia, erityisesti haja-asutusalueella. Sen sijaan happamoittavat päästöt voivat kasvaa. Tehokkaammalla ravinteiden talteenotolla saavutettujen ympäristöhyötyjen toteutuminen edellyttää usein vältettyjen päästöjen (energia, ravinteet) toteutumista, joka on voimakkaasti riippuvainen sekä erottelevan järjestelmän suunnittelusta ja toteutuksesta että yhteiskunnassa toteutettavasta politiikasta ja päätöksenteosta. LCA-menetelmä soveltuu hyvin suunnittelun työkaluksi sekä päätöksenteon tueksi ravinteiden kierrätyksessä. Menetelmä vaatii kuitenkin vielä kehitystä ja yhteisesti sovittuja käytäntöjä, erityisesti kierrätyslannoitteiden sisältämän orgaanisen aineksen vaikutusten sisällyttämiseksi. Jätevesien ravinteiden talteenoton ja kierrätyksen tehostaminen jätevesiä erottelemalla edistää vesihuollon kiertotaloutta ja hiilineutraaliutta. Ravinteiden tehokkaampi talteenotto jätevesistä vahvistaa myös huoltovarmuutta. Talteen otettujen ravinteiden kierrätys takaisin maatalouteen kuitenkin edellyttää, että ravinteet jalostetaan turvallisiksi lopputuotteiksi. Ravinnepotentiaalin ja ympäristöhyötyjen saavuttaminen edellyttää poliittista tukea jätevesipohjaisten ravinteiden maatalouskäytölle sekä huolellista suunnittelua elinkaarinäkökulma huomioiden

Chinese Water Systems

This open-access book addresses latest Sino-German results of the joint research efforts within Major Water Program of the Chinese Government supported by German research funding. The Major Water Program aims at the restoration of polluted water environments and sustainable management of water resources in China. The joint BMBF-CLIENT project SINOWATER deals with three most significant and strongest polluted Chinese waters, the river Liao and the Dian-lake as well as Tai-lake in the area of the metropolises Shenyang, Kunming and Suzhou, respectively. The project was conducted by the Research Institute for Water and Waste Management at RWTH Aachen (FiW) e.V., Bavarian State Ministry of the Environment and Consumer Protection, Technical University of Munich, RWTH Aachen University, German and Chinese companies (Martin Membrane Systems AG, Steinhardt GmbH Wassertechnik, GuHong, JT-elektronik, bluemetric, Huawang Water, EVU Group, Atemis GmbH, i+f process GmbH) in close cooperation with Chinese Academy of Environmental Sciences, Tongji University, and the Dianchi Lake Management Authorities. Overall, the joint Sino-German research project SINOWATER provided solutions for the improvement of the water quality in the mentioned water bodies as well as development and optimization of Good Water Governance. These objectives could be achieved through the implementation of innovative German water technologies and the optimization of water management elements in the fields of industrial and municipal wastewater treatment as well as river and shallow lake management

SYSTEM STUDIES OF FISSION-FUSION HYBRID MOLTEN SALT REACTORS

This work proposes and evaluates a Fission-Fusion Hybrid Molten Salt Reactor (FFHMSR), combining two subsystems, a deuterium + tritium (DT) fusion reactor surrounded by a neutron-absorbing Fusion Blanket (FB) and a critical Molten Salt fission Reactor (MSR). The molten salt, which contains dissolved actinides, circulates at a high rate between them. As envisioned the MSR exhibits the large Conversion Ratio of graphite moderated reactors having small fissile and large fertile inventories. DT fusion neutrons irradiating actinides in the molten salt release additional neutrons which increase isotope conversion and fission. Actinide fuel is continually added while fission products are continually removed so the system\u27s operation never requires refueling interruptions. The choice of molten salt as a eutectic mixture of the fluorides of lithium, sodium, and actinide fuel is explained by eliminating other options. System behavior is explored through simulations invoking modules from the Scale 6.1 code package. Modules include ORIGEN which simulates evolution over time of an isotope inventory and others for neutronics transport, criticality and cross section weighting. The simulation automatically adjusts the ratio of fission to fusion power to maintain MSR criticality, implemented through FORTRAN codes and associated files developed as part of this work. Simulations showed actinide inventories stabilizing to steady levels while fresh actinide fuel from feedstocks of Spent Nuclear Fuel or uranium-238 or thorium-232 continued to be added and fissioned. Required fusion was less than 1% of total power and adequate tritium breeding was obtained. The non-removal strategy was also tried with long-lived fission products (FPs) with the mixed results that some inventories stabilized while others did not. FFHMSR benefits of consuming all actinides and some long-lived FPs are that waste issues are ameliorated while available fission energy is increased by two orders of magnitude. Proliferation resistance is enhanced by the absence of fuel reprocessing and related transportation, by low fissile inventories and by denaturing all fissile by nonfissile isotopes. Safety is enhanced by liquid fuel characteristics allowing emergency draining of fuel to a passively cooled safe location while also providing a stronger negative power coefficient than feasible with solid fuel

The Eurasian Economic Union: from an historical examination to its legal and economic analysis with particular focus on the development of Belarus

The Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) is a modern project of economic integration in post-Soviet space. It comes from the idea of Nazarbayev about the establishment of economic alliance, to obtain stability in Eurasia. The idea was supported by Putin, who called for the institution of an union to achieve economic prosperity against the globalization. Nazarbayev and Lukashenka do not see any politic involvement of the EEU, while Putin sees it as instrument to relive the Russian hegemony in the region. However, the EEU wants to create a solid mutual-trade, guaranteeing the four fundamental freedoms

Glitched Rhetorics: Online Deliberation of New Technology

This dissertation examines public deliberation on the social media site reddit regarding two controversial technologies: Alexa and Bitcoin. Such vernacular deliberation of prominent new technologies is widespread online and increasingly significant—with Alexa and Bitcoin generating numerous controversies throughout the 2010s & early 2020s—yet understudied by rhetoric and media scholars. Arguments for and against the technologies consistently emerge, and so I ask: What are the terms, patterns, and logics in the binarized reddit deliberations of emergent technology? There is also an alternative rhetorical practice of those conflicted and ambivalent, yet not absent from the deliberations. I name it glitching, a paleologism used to describe a digital version of a transhistorical and transgressive anti-idealism (i.e., kynicism). My second question is: In what way do redditors glitch the deliberation of emergent technology? Rhetorical-archaeological analysis and digital rhetorical ethnography are the methods I utilize to answer the first and second questions, respectively. Arguments for Alexa employ terms “connect,” “work,” and “convenience,” in patterns emphasizing expertise and rationality, toward a logic of technological progress. “Listening” and “labor” are the terms which appear throughout anti-Alexa posts and comments, in patterns resembling investigative journalism, to advance a logic of economic justice. Pro-Bitcoin arguments employ terms “buy” and “celebration,” in a pattern resembling that of speculative finance, undergirding a logic of prosperity technology. “Privacy” and “scam” are the terms which appear throughout anti-Bitcoin posts and comments, in a pattern of technical expertise which supports logics of technological and financial skepticism. Glitched rhetorics are ambivalent and irreverent interruptions in the binary oscillation of vernacular deliberation about technology which frequently appear in online fora, and closely resemble the kynicism of Diogenes of Sinope. The glitched rhetorics about Alexa and Bitcoin diverge in extremeness, but share embrace of risk and use of sexual vulgarity to challenge customs and interrupt sober deliberations which otherwise lead to the synthesis of managed decline. Glitched rhetorics are not the collective action necessary for systemic change in the matter of society’s relationship to technology, but as a kynical signal not unlike the barking of a dog they persistently reveal that such action is necessary

Interregional Water Transfers: Projects and Problems

Shortage of water is one of the constraints for economic development in many regions of the world. One of the ways to alleviate the situation is the transfer of water from places with surplus to areas with deficit of water. Now very large projects exist implying diversions of big amounts of water from one distant basin to another one. These projects and their impacts should be regarded as large complex systems. The Resources and Environment Area at IIASA is carrying out systems studies of water problems from the foundation of the Institute. These studies deal with the resource, use and management of water. A task on "Interregional Water Transfers and their Geophysical, Ecological and Economic Aspects" lies along the lines of activity mentioned above. It was carried out at IIASA in 1977. The final task force meeting was held at IIASA 11-14 October 1977. This volume is the proceedings of the meeting and includes a bibliography on interregional water transfer problems