A Survey on Software Protection Techniques against Various Attacks

Software security and protection plays an important role in software engineering. Considerable attempts have been made to enhance the security of the computer systems because of various available software piracy and virus attacks. Preventing attacks of software will have a huge influence on economic development. Thus, it is very vital to develop approaches that protect software from threats. There are various threats such as piracy, reverse engineering, tampering etc., exploits critical and poorly protected software. Thus, thorough threat analysis and new software protection schemes, needed to protect software from analysis and tampering attacks becomes very necessary. Various techniques are available in the literature for software protection from various attacks. This paper analyses the various techniques available in the literature for software protection. The functionalities and the characteristic features are various software protection techniques have been analyzed in this paper. The main goal of this paper is to analyze the existing software protection techniques and develop an efficient approach which would overcome the drawbacks of the existing techniques

ROBUST PRODUCT DESIGN – INFLUENCING FACTORS ON UPGRADEABLE MODULAR PRODUCTS

In today\u27s VUCA-World it is necessary to consider future requirements to develop change- and future-robust future products, especially regarding the increasing demand for sustainable solutions. In order to address this situation, upgradeability of modular products can be a solution. Considering that elements of modular products are used in several different products and over a long period of time, there is a need to act on this challenge. To uncover areas with a need for action, a systematic literature review on upgradeable and modular products was conducted. After resolving four fields of action and under consideration of the need for sustainable products, another systematic literature review examined the solution space of upgradable modular product architecture. In conclusion, several influencing factors on the upgradeable design of modular products could be identified, which are presented in this work

Mental Health Benefits of Physical Activity in Older Adults

Physical activity is the fountain of youth, strengthening both the physical body as well as the mind, leading to better emotional stability and a general sense of well-being. The population over age 65 is nearing retirement age and are transitioning from a high paced work and family life to a slower and less active “empty nest” lifestyle. Among adults over age 65, will implementing an exercise program for 30 minutes per day increase mental well-being? The benefits of physical activity will be supported by gathering a group of older adults ages 65 and up from a local retirement community to exercise 30 minutes a day for four weeks. Educating the public to the benefits of increased mental well-being with daily physical activity is important for preventive medicine. Using social cognitive theory and self-care theory is an effective way to help the patient to be motivated, acquire skills, remove barriers, develop habits, and progress physically and mentally, using the patient’s own goals as positive reinforcement. Overcoming potential barriers of lack of support and/or motivation can be assisted by APRN’s by providing a means for accountability and follow-up

Social comparison processes as contributors to consistent physical activity.

The present study examined the impact that attention to social comparison (SC) information may have on consistency in physical activity (PA) behaviors across genders. SC factors, including SC frequency, SC direction and trait tendency to compare (SCO) were assessed within the Dynamic Relapse Model (DRM) as markers of PA consistency within men and women. Participants were N=200 individuals engaging in physical activity at YMCA gym facilities. Data collection utilized cross-sectional methods including anthropomorphic data collection at the point of recruitment and online selfreport measures post-recruitment. High adherence to regular physical activity was observed, with participants reporting infrequent slips in PA (modal PA slips was 0). Participants reported engaging in upward and lateral SC most frequently, with downward SC being infrequently reported. Overall reported engagement in SC was intermittent; the modal frequency of SC engagement was “sometimes.” Specific hypotheses were developed to explore the relationships between SC direction, SCO, gender and PA consistency outcomes. SC direction and frequency were not related to PA consistency. Gender differences were not observed in the frequency of SC constructs or PA consistency, however, a significant interaction was observed between gender and SCO; women’s PA consistency was impacted by SCO to a greater extent than their male counterparts’. A decrease in PA consistency was observed at high levels of SCO in women, but not in men. Study findings suggest that SCO may be most impactful on women’s PA behaviors, regardless of SC direction and frequency. Results identify possible clinical intervention points for the promotion of PA consistency, particularly focusing on women who demonstrate a high tendency to compare themselves (SCO). The study provides support for the contribution of social comparison processes to PA consistency and demonstrates that social cognitions warrant greater exploration within models of health behavior

Biological and behavioural correlates of protective psychosocial factors in UK and cross-cultural samples

The overall aim of this thesis is to examine the relationship between psychosocial factors and health; the specific aims are: to investigate links between psychosocial factors; to investigate the relationship between psychosocial factors, health behaviour and biology and finally, to investigate these relationships in cross-cultural samples. The recent incorporation of positive aspects, such as happiness and increased social support, into models of health has indicated a protective link between psychosocial factors and health outcomes. Psychosocial factors may impact upon health through behavioural and biological pathways, and there may be interactions between psychosocial factors, including constructs such as psychological and social function and both behavioural and biological pathways, This thesis focuses on the association of three psychosocial constructs, positive well-being, social support and optimism, with health. The first study investigates the relationship between positive well-being and health behaviour in an international sample. The findings showed that life satisfaction was associated with increased healthy behaviours for smoking, exercise, fat intake, sun protection and fruit intake, with no relationship for alcohol consumption or fibre intake. The second study investigated the associations of positive well-being, social support and optimism, and found that social support was strongly related to positive well-being. This study also found a relationship between social support and exercise; between social support and cortisol, and an association between these and positive affect. The third study presents data from a Japanese sample. This study found that social support was related to positive well-being, although effects were different to those found in the UK study. Although effects were small and there were several null findings, overall this thesis concludes that social support and positive well-being may be a part of a protective network of wider psychosocial factors, and that effects on health are exerted by moderation of behavioural and biological pathways

Identification and Characterization of Inhibitors of Human Apurinic/apyrimidinic Endonuclease APE1

APE1 is the major nuclease for excising abasic (AP) sites and particular 3′-obstructive termini from DNA, and is an integral participant in the base excision repair (BER) pathway. BER capacity plays a prominent role in dictating responsiveness to agents that generate oxidative or alkylation DNA damage, as well as certain chain-terminating nucleoside analogs and 5-fluorouracil. We describe within the development of a robust, 1536-well automated screening assay that employs a deoxyoligonucleotide substrate operating in the red-shifted fluorescence spectral region to identify APE1 endonuclease inhibitors. This AP site incision assay was used in a titration-based high-throughput screen of the Library of Pharmacologically Active Compounds (LOPAC1280), a collection of well-characterized, drug-like molecules representing all major target classes. Prioritized hits were authenticated and characterized via two high-throughput screening assays – a Thiazole Orange fluorophore-DNA displacement test and an E. coli endonuclease IV counterscreen – and a conventional, gel-based radiotracer incision assay. The top, validated compounds, i.e. 6-hydroxy-DL-DOPA, Reactive Blue 2 and myricetin, were shown to inhibit AP site cleavage activity of whole cell protein extracts from HEK 293T and HeLa cell lines, and to enhance the cytotoxic and genotoxic potency of the alkylating agent methylmethane sulfonate. The studies herein report on the identification of novel, small molecule APE1-targeted bioactive inhibitor probes, which represent initial chemotypes towards the development of potential pharmaceuticals