Early SQL Injection Detection

Computer security is a moving target that moves or increases with the growth of technology. Organizations during the 21st century have to create and/or adopt new technologies in order to stay in business and be competitive. These new technologies involve thousands of lines of code using programming languages, crossing servers, and database engines. Along with the growth of technology, organizations’ IT professionals are trying to prevent any data breach to valuable data from hackers by locking all vulnerable doors that hackers might use to access a system. While IT professionals are trying to lock all vulnerable doors, hackers need only one door to hack a given system using one of the hacking methods available. One of the most used hacking methods and most security concerning is SQL Injection that hackers use to bypass a system by gaining unauthorized access to retrieve or modify valuable data such as Social Security Numbers, bank information, health records, etc. SQL Injection can be achieved through injecting SQL commands into a SQL statement via a web page. There is a number of SQL Injection methods used to gain unauthorized access into a given system; however, SQL Injection through Sign-in/Log-in process is the most used technique with 63% of all SQL injection types used [1]. Therefore, this research focuses on SQL Injection through Sign-in/Log-in process and presents a new way of alerting the system admin of any SQL Injection attempts and blocks, as well as any further access attempts by the same user (abuser)

The Value of Comparative Animal Research : Krogh’s Principle Facilitates Scientific Discoveries

There are no conflicts of interest to declare. This paper developed from the 2016 Early Career Impact Award from the Federation of Associations in Behavioral & Brain Sciences to TJS. TJS has received funding from The Leverhulme Trust. FJPE is in receipt of funding from the BBSRC (BB/M001555/1). The National Institutes of Health has funded RDF (NS 034950, NS093277, NIMH 087930), AGO (HD079573, IOS-1354760) and AMK (HD081959). BAA is an Arnold O. Beckman postdoctoral fellow.Peer reviewedPostprin

Translating the Ten Arabic Verb Patterns into English: A Morpho-Semantic Study

هدفت هذه الدراسة إلى استكشاف الصعوبات التي يواجها طلاب الترجمة عند ترجمة الأوزان العشرة للفعل في اللغة العربية إلى الإنجليزية. ولتحقيق ذلك، تم اتباع المنهج الوصفي الكمي والنوعي من خلال استخدام اختبار مكون من 16 جملة تحتوي على الأوزان العشرة وتطبيقها على 112 طالبا وطالبة تم اختيارهم عشوائياً من خمس جامعات يمنية. وقد أظهرت نتائج الدراسة أن المقاطع الملحقة بالفعل يمكن أن تحدث تغييراً ذات دلالة متعددة يصعب على الطلبة ترجمتها، حيث تُعزى هذه الصعوبات إلى افتقار الطلبة للمعرفة والفهم الأساسيين لمعاني هذه المقاطع الدالة وما يتبعها من تغيير دلالي مما يؤدي إلى عدم قدرة الطلبة على إدراك وظائفها المتعددة. كذلك، أظهرت نتائج الدراسة أنه كلما زاد عدد المقاطع الدلالية المضافة للفعل زادت صعوبة ترجمتها. وتوصلت الدراسة أيضاً إلى نتائج مهمة، منها أن المقاطع المضافة الى وسط الفعل تشكل تحديا أكثر من تلك المقاطع المضافة في بداية الفعل. وأوصت الدراسة بضرورة إضافة الأوزان العشرة للفعل في اللغة العربية إلى المقررات الدراسية لطلبة الترجمة مع التركيز على العلاقة بين تركيب الأفعال ووظائفها المختلفة. الكلمات المفتاحية: اللواحق، خصائص المقاطع الدلالية، الجذر، الترجمة، أوزان الأفعال.This study aimed to investigate the difficulties encountered by translation students when translating the ten Arabic verb patterns into English. To achieve this objective, the descriptive quantitative and qualitative method was followed. A translation test consisting of 16 sentences which included the ten Arabic verb patterns was administered to a sample of 112 participants who were randomly selected from five Yemeni universities. The findings revealed that the additions associated with the Arabic verb root can create multiple semantic changes which are fraught with difficulties for student translators. The difficulties may lie in the fact that student translators lack basic knowledge and understanding of the multiple functions of the morpho-semantic features which might be due to the translators' unfamiliarity of the multiple and underlying meanings of the morphemes affixed to the root form. The findings revealed that the more features the pattern takes, the more difficult it is for student translators. Furthermore, the pattern with infixed morphemes was more difficult to be recognized than the one with prefixed morphemes. The findings also provide further insights on the importance of integrating the Arabic verb patterns into the translation modules with a focus on the link between form and functions of each morpho-semantic feature affixed to each pattern. Keywords: affixes, morpho-semantic features, root, translation, verb patterns

Differential Effects of Ethanol on Serum GABAergic 3α,5α/3α,5β Neuroactive Steroids in Mice, Rats, Cynomolgus Monkeys, and Humans

Acute ethanol administration increases plasma and brain levels of progesterone and deoxycorticosterone-derived neuroactive steroids (3α,5α)-3-hydroxypregnan-20-one (3α,5α-THP) and (3α,5α)-3,21-dihydroxypregnan-20-one (3α,5α-THDOC) in rats. However, little is known about ethanol effects on GABAergic neuroactive steroids in mice, non-human primates or humans. We investigated the effects of ethanol on plasma levels of 3α,5α- and 3α,5β-reduced GABAergic neuroactive steroids derived from progesterone, deoxycorticosterone, dehydroepiandrosterone and testosterone using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

Simultaneous quantification of GABAergic 3α,5α/3α,5β neuroactive steroids in human and rat serum

The 3α,5α- and 3α,5β-reduced derivatives of progesterone, deoxycorticosterone, dehydroepiandrosterone and testosterone enhance GABAergic neurotransmission and produce inhibitory neurobehavioral and anti-inflammatory effects. Despite substantial information on the progesterone derivative (3α,5α)-3-hydroxypregnan-20-one (3α,5α-THP, allopregnanolone), the physiological significance of the other endogenous GABAergic neuroactive steroids has remained elusive. Here, we describe the validation of a method using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry to simultaneously identify serum levels of the eight 3α,5α- and 3α,5β-reduced derivatives of progesterone, deoxycorticosterone, dehydroepiandrosterone and testosterone. The method shows specificity, sensitivity and enhanced throughput compared to other methods already available for neuroactive steroid quantification. Administration of pregnenolone to rats and progesterone to women produced selective effects on the 3α,5α- and 3α,5β-reduced neuroactive steroids, indicating differential regulation of their biosynthetic pathways. Pregnenolone administration increased serum levels of 3α,5α-THP (+1488%, p<0.001), (3α,5α)-3,21-dihydroxypregnan-20-one (3α,5α-THDOC, +205%, p<0.01), (3α,5α)-3-hydroxyandrostan-17-one (3α,5α-A, +216%, p<0.001), (3α,5α,17β)-androstane-3,17-diol (3α,5α-A-diol, +190%, p<0.01). (3α,5β)-3-hydroxypregnan-20-one (3α,5β-THP) and (3α,5β)-3-hydroxyandrostan-17-one (3α,5β-A) were not altered, while (3α,5β)-3,21-dihydroxypregnan-20-one (3α,5β-THDOC) and (3α,5β,17β)-androstane-3,17-diol (3α,5β-A-diol) were increased from undetectable levels to 271 ± 100 and 2.4 ± 0.9 pg ± SEM, respectively (5/8 rats). Progesterone administration increased serum levels of 3α,5α-THP (+1806%, p<0.0001), 3α,5β-THP (+575%, p<0.001), 3α,5α-THDOC (+309%, p<0.001). 3α,5β-THDOC levels were increased by 307%, although this increase was not significant because this steroid was detected only in 3/16 control subjects. Levels of 3α,5α-A, 3α,5β-A and pregnenolone were not altered. This method can be used to investigate the physiological and pathological role of neuroactive steroids and to develop biomarkers and new therapeutics for neurological and psychiatric disorders

The role of neuroactive steroids in ethanol/stress interactions: proceedings of symposium VII at the Volterra conference on alcohol and stress, May 2008

This report summarizes the proceedings of the symposium VII on the role of neuroactive steroids in stress/alcohol interactions. The production of GABAergic neuroactive steroids, including (3α,5α)-3-hydroxypregnan-20-one (3α,5α-THP) and (3α,5α)-3,21-dihydroxypregnan-20-one (3α,5α-THDOC) is a consequence of both acute stress and acute ethanol exposure. Acute, but not chronic ethanol administration elevates brain levels of these steroids and enhances GABAA receptor activity. Neuroactive steroids modulate acute anticonvulsant effects, sedation, spatial memory impairment, anxiolytic-like, antidepressant-like and reinforcing properties of ethanol in rodents. Furthermore, these steroids participate in the homeostatic regulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. Therefore, it is not surprising that neuroactive steroids are involved in ethanol/stress interactions. Nevertheless, the interactions are complex and not well understood. This symposium addressed the role of neuroactive steroids in both stress and alcohol responses and their interactions. Professor Giovanni Biggio of the University of Cagliari, Italy presented the effects of juvenile isolation stress on neuroactive steroids, GABAA receptor expression and ethanol sensitivity. Professor Howard Becker of the Medical University of South Carolina, USA presented evidence for neuroactive steroid involvement in ethanol dependence and drinking behavior. Professor Patrizia Porcu of the University of North Carolina, USA described a potential neuroactive steroid biomarker that may predict heavy drinking in monkeys and mice. These presentations provide a framework for new theories on the nature of ethanol/stress interactions that may be amenable to therapeutic interventions

Simulated Warming Differentially Affects the Growth and Competitive Ability of Centaurea maculosa Populations from Home and Introduced Ranges

Climate warming may drive invasions by exotic plants, thereby raising concerns over the risks of invasive plants. However, little is known about how climate warming influences the growth and competitive ability of exotic plants from their home and introduced ranges. We conducted a common garden experiment with an invasive plant Centaurea maculosa and a native plant Poa pratensis, in which a mixture of sand and vermiculite was used as a neutral medium, and contrasted the total biomass, competitive effects, and competitive responses of C. maculosa populations from Europe (home range) and North America (introduced range) under two different temperatures. The warming-induced inhibitory effects on the growth of C. maculosa alone were stronger in Europe than in North America. The competitive ability of C. maculosa plants from North America was greater than that of plants from Europe under the ambient condition whereas this competitive ability followed the opposite direction under the warming condition, suggesting that warming may enable European C. maculosa to be more invasive. Across two continents, warming treatment increased the competitive advantage instead of the growth advantage of C. maculosa, suggesting that climate warming may facilitate C. maculosa invasions through altering competitive outcomes between C. maculosa and its neighbors. Additionally, the growth response of C. maculosa to warming could predict its ability to avoid being suppressed by its neighbors

The role of valuation and bargaining in optimising transboundary watercourse treaty regimes

In the face of water scarcity, growing water demands, population increase, ecosystem degradation, climate change, and so on transboundary watercourse states inevitably have to make difficult decisions on how finite quantities of water are distributed. Such waters, and their associated ecosystem services, offer multiple benefits. Valuation and bargaining can play a key role in the sharing of these ecosystems services and their associated benefits across sovereign borders. Ecosystem services in transboundary watercourses essentially constitute a portfolio of assets. Whilst challenging, their commodification, which creates property rights, supports trading. Such trading offers a means by which to resolve conflicts over competing uses and allows states to optimise their ‘portfolios’. However, despite this potential, adoption of appropriate treaty frameworks that might facilitate a market-based approach to the discovery and allocation of water-related ecosystem services at the transboundary level remains both a challenge, and a topic worthy of further study. Drawing upon concepts in law and economics, this paper therefore seeks to advance the study of how treaty frameworks might be developed in a way that supports such a market-based approach to ecosystem services and transboundary waters

The Effects of Warming-Shifted Plant Phenology on Ecosystem Carbon Exchange Are Regulated by Precipitation in a Semi-Arid Grassland

BACKGROUND: The longer growing season under climate warming has served as a crucial mechanism for the enhancement of terrestrial carbon (C) sink over the past decades. A better understanding of this mechanism is critical for projection of changes in C cycling of terrestrial ecosystems. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: A 4-year field experiment with day and night warming was conducted to examine the responses of plant phenology and their influences on plant coverage and ecosystem C cycling in a temperate steppe in northern China. Greater phenological responses were observed under night than day warming. Both day and night warming prolonged the growing season by advancing phenology of early-blooming species but without changing that of late-blooming species. However, no warming response of vegetation coverage was found for any of the eight species. The variances in species-level coverage and ecosystem C fluxes under different treatments were positively dependent upon the accumulated precipitation within phenological duration but not the length of phenological duration. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: These plants' phenology is more sensitive to night than day warming, and the warming effects on ecosystem C exchange via shifting plant phenology could be mediated by precipitation patterns in semi-arid grasslands

NF-κB Mediates Tumor Necrosis Factor α-Induced Expression of Optineurin, a Negative Regulator of NF-κB

Optineurin is a ubiquitously expressed multifunctional cytoplasmic protein encoded by OPTN gene. The expression of optineurin is induced by various cytokines. Here we have investigated the molecular mechanisms which regulate optineurin gene expression and the relationship between optineurin and nuclear factor κB (NF-κB). We cloned and characterized human optineurin promoter. Optineurin promoter was activated upon treatment of HeLa and A549 cells with tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα). Mutation of a putative NF-κB-binding site present in the core promoter resulted in loss of basal as well as TNFα-induced activity. Overexpression of p65 subunit of NF-κB activated this promoter through NF-κB site. Oligonucleotides corresponding to this putative NF-κB-binding site showed binding to NF-κB. TNFα-induced optineurin promoter activity was inhibited by expression of inhibitor of NF-κB (IκBα) super-repressor. Blocking of NF-κB activation resulted in inhibition of TNFα-induced optineurin gene expression. Overexpressed optineurin partly inhibited TNFα-induced NF-κB activation in Hela cells. Downregulation of optineurin by shRNA resulted in an increase in TNFα-induced as well as basal NF-κB activity. These results show that optineurin promoter activity and gene expression are regulated by NF-κB pathway in response to TNFα. In addition these results suggest that there is a negative feedback loop in which TNFα-induced NF-κB activity mediates expression of optineurin, which itself functions as a negative regulator of NF-κB