0E2FA: Zero Effort Two-Factor Authentication

Smart devices (mobile devices, laptops, tablets, etc.) can receive signals from different radio frequency devices that are within range. As these devices move between networks (e.g., Wi-Fi hotspots, cellphone towers, etc.), they receive broadcast messages from access points, some of which can be used to collect useful information. This information can be utilized in a variety of ways, such as to establish a connection, to share information, to locate devices, and to identify users, which is central to this dissertation. The principal benefit of a broadcast message is that smart devices can read and process the embedded information without first being connected to the corresponding network. Moreover, broadcast messages can be received only within the range of the wireless access point that sends the broadcast, thus inherently limiting access to only those devices in close physical proximity, which may facilitate many applications that are dependent on proximity. In our research, we utilize data contained in these broadcast messages to implement a two-factor authentication (2FA) system that, unlike existing methods, does not require any extra effort on the part of the users of the system. By determining if two devices are in the same physical location and sufficiently close to each other, we can ensure that they belong to the same user. This system depends on something that a user knows, something that a user owns, and—a significant contribution of this work—something that is in the user’s environment

Ricci magnetic geodesic motion of vortices and lumps

Ricci magnetic geodesic (RMG) motion in a k\"ahler manifold is the analogue of geodesic motion in the presence of a magnetic field proportional to the ricci form. It has been conjectured to model low-energy dynamics of vortex solitons in the presence of a Chern-Simons term, the k\"ahler manifold in question being the $n$-vortex moduli space. This paper presents a detailed study of RMG motion in soliton moduli spaces, focusing on the cases of hyperbolic vortices and spherical $\mathbb{C}P^1$ lumps. It is shown that RMG flow localizes on fixed point sets of groups of holomorphic isometries, but that the flow on such submanifolds does not, in general, coincide with their intrinsic RMG flow. For planar vortices, it is shown that RMG flow differs from an earlier reduced dynamics proposed by Kim and Lee, and that the latter flow is ill-defined on the vortex coincidence set. An explicit formula for the metric on the whole moduli space of hyperbolic two-vortices is computed (extending an old result of Strachan's), and RMG motion of centred two-vortices is studied in detail. Turning to lumps, the moduli space of static $n$-lumps is $Rat_n$, the space of degree $n$ rational maps, which is known to be k\"ahler and geodesically incomplete. It is proved that $Rat_1$ is, somewhat surprisingly, RMG complete (meaning that that the initial value problem for RMG motion has a global solution for all initial data). It is also proved that the submanifold of rotationally equivariant $n$-lumps, $Rat_n^{eq}$, a topologically cylindrical surface of revolution, is intrinsically RMG incomplete for $n=2$ and all $n\geq 5$, but that the extrinsic RMG flow on $Rat_2^{eq}$ (defined by the inclusion $Rat_2^{eq}\hookrightarrow Rat_2$) is complete

Production of antibacterial compounds using Bacillus spp. isolated from thermal springs in Saudi Arabia

Seventeen water samples were collected from four different thermal springs in Saudi Arabia. Microbiological assays were used to assess the antibacterial activities of bacterial colonies against antibiotic-resistant and susceptible-bacterial strains, and 16S rRNA gene sequencing was used to identify the genus and species of these antibiotic-producing bacteria. Chromatography and spectroscopy were used to separate the active compounds and help figuring out what their structures were. Four compounds were isolated using bacteria: N-acetyltryptamine (1), isovaleric acid (2), ethyl-4-ethoxybenzoate (3) and phenylacetic acid (4). Compounds 1, 2 and 4 were produced from Bacillus pumilus and 3 was from Bacillus licheniformis (AH-E1). The outcomes of the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) showed that all pure compounds produced in this work had antibacterial activities against Gram-positive pathogens (between 128 mg/L and 512 mg/L compared to the control) and compound 2 had activity against E. coli

Saudi Retail Firms’ Attitudes Towards Social Responsibility in Advertising: A Comparison with Western Firms

The purpose of this study is to determine the attitudes of Saudi retail firms towards social responsibility in advertising, in comparison with western firms. In order to meet this objective, a qualitative research method is employed, using interviews as the primary source of information. The study finds that Saudi retail firms expect advertising to be socially responsible, in order to safeguard both them and their consumers, as well as society in general. They believe that social responsibility involves being mindful of society, and being equipped with values such as fairness and honesty that they consider will protect the interests of society. The limitation involved in this study is that only a small sample group is interviewed, although the interviewees represent the strongest stakeholders in the sector concerned. This study is significant as it enhances the understanding of the importance of social responsibility, and determines the factors that hinder its implementation. Keywords: social responsibility, developing countries, developed countries, advertisement, Saudi Arabia. DOI: 10.7176/EJBM/11-17-09 Publication date:June 30th 201

Secure Mobile Payment Architecture Enabling Multi-factor Authentication

The rise of smartphones has led to a significant increase in the usage of mobile payments. Mobile payments allow individuals to access financial resources and make transactions through their mobile devices while on the go. However, the current mobile payment systems were designed to align with traditional payment structures, which limits the full potential of smartphones, including their security features. This has become a major concern in the rapidly growing mobile payment market. To address these security concerns,in this paper we propose new mobile payment architecture. This architecture leverages the advanced capabilities of modern smartphones to verify various aspects of a payment, such as funds, biometrics, location, and others. The proposed system aims to guarantee the legitimacy of transactions and protect against identity theft by verifying multiple elements of a payment. The security of mobile payment systems is crucial, given the rapid growth of the market. Evaluating mobile payment systems based on their authentication, encryption, and fraud detection capabilities is of utmost importance. The proposed architecture provides a secure mobile payment solution that enhances the overall payment experience by taking advantage of the advanced capabilities of modern smartphones. This will not only improve the security of mobile payments but also offer a more user-friendly payment experience for consumers