XI.—On Superposed Magnetisms in Iron and Nickel

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VIII.—The Electrical Resistance of Nickel at High Temperatures

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Student Perceptions Of Password Security And Maintenance

Increasing concerns about security and privacy have raised the bar for interest in ways to protect information. Although newer approaches include face recognition, the use of passwords is commonly used today as the best approach for protecting data. Web sites, software programs, financial institutions universities, and many commercial stores are requiring that a password include the following attributes: consist of a fixed number of characters, include numbers and letters, special characters and lower and upper case letters. In addition, repetition of a password is not allowed, i.e. the updated password must be original to the user. These circumstances are just a few of the requirements that have made generating a password somewhat of a challenge. Many institutions also require changing a password on a regular schedule. The growth of the use of password coupled with the frequency of changing these codes have made the creation and use of passwords a challenging necessity. This paper explores how students view and use password protection. One of the questions addressed in this research is: Do student attitudes toward password protection impact how passwords are used? Another inquiry discussed in this paper is perception of the importance of the use of passwords. Interest in using an automated tool to facilitate use of password protection is also explored. Evidence connecting the use of passwords and the habits developed by undergraduates in protecting their information are also explored in this paper. Some of the questions addressed in this research include the following: • How many web sites do you visit that require a password? • Given the following classifications: personal banking, social networking, shopping, and gaming, how many websites of each type do you use that require passwords? • How do you view the importance of password security? • How many passwords do you use? • How often do you change your password(s) voluntarily? • How often do you change your password(s) because you are required to? • Do you find it challenging to change your passwords, given many sites requirements, to include a capital letter, symbol or other character? • Are you familiar with any software that aids in creation and/or saving of your personal passwords? If so, which software? • Would you be interested in such a tool, if you aren’t familiar with one? • Of the following devices: desktop, iPad, laptop, and cell phone, how would you rate the importance of securing them with password protection? The findings of the survey help to understand the perspective of today’s students and how to address the critical need to secure their passwords. The consequence of misapplying a password can lead to frustration, loss of information, and delays in accessing data. The practice of employing an automated password tool is seen as a solution to the complexities of creating and applying passwords. This research contributes to understanding some of the attitudes and habits of students in their use of passwords. Approximately 94% of the respondents to the survey felt that password protection was important. The perception of the degree of trouble of changing password was almost evenly divided between a high level of difficult and a low level of difficulty among the students surveyed. The majority of students in the study (57%) are interested in learning about a software tool to automate password management. In terms of the relationships between the perceptions and the behaviors reported in the survey, it was found that there is a significant relationship between the number of sites requiring passwords and the use of passwords. There was also a significant relationship between the difficulty in changing passwords and interest in an automated tool

Accounting Compensation Modeling Using The Analytic Hierarchy Process Supporting The Sarbanes-Oxley Act

The Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOA) of 2002 included a wide range of reforms for issuers of publicly traded securities, auditors, corporate board members, and lawyers. It was aimed at deterring and punishing corporate and accounting fraud with severe penalties for wrongdoers, and protecting the interests of workers and shareholders. The SOA along with the economic downturn of 2008 and the subsequent passing of the Dodd-Frank Act has focused additional attention to executive compensation especially for CEOs. This paper proposes that the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) may be useful in developing input to compensation contracts in ways that support regulations and the interests of investors and stockholders. AHP is suggested as a framework to explore when considering the factors that can be used to measure the performance of a CEO. Seven reasons for using AHP for this purpose are presented in this report: (1) emphasizes objectivity and consistency, (2) creates an audit trail for compensation agreements, (3) improves understanding between CEOs and compensation committees, (4) supports review and updating CEO compensation contracts, (5) augments CEO selection, (6) supports SOA and Dodd-Frank Act, and (7) may attract investors

Encryption And Portable Data Storage

The protection of data is key issue in todays world. The wide of availability and use of portable technologies such as USB flash has increased concern about securing the data resides on these devices. Because USB flash drives are small, relatively inexpensive, and easy to use, the security of the information stored on these thumb drives is on-going concern. A number of approaches to safeguarding the information stored on these drives are available. This paper examines one approach to this goal through the use of encryption. This method encrypts all the data on the drive. In addition the fact the data on the drive is encrypted is not visually obvious when viewing the contents of the disk. The proposed approach uses publically available and free encryption algorithms. A user password is needed to view and access the data that has been encrypted. The proposed methodology is quick and easy to use. Individuals who routinely carry around their USB drives need to be able to decrypt and encrypt the device quickly and conveniently. Furthermore, if the device is lost, it is still possible with the method advocated in this paper to include information about how to return the device to the owner without compromising the secured data on the drive. Without encrypting the data on portable drives, the user risks the disclosure of information. This paper argues that portable storage should be secured and suggests a way to secure the data through password and encryption that further enhances the usability and flexibility of the USB flash drive. The paper includes the results and analysis of an undergraduate student survey that determined what habits and practices they followed with respect to securing their personal data and files. Some of the questions included in the analysis are the following:Do you encrypt your USB flash drive?Do you use any type of security for your USB flash drive?How important do you think security is for a flash drive? (A Likert scale)Do you use passwords to protect your USB flash drive?Do you backup your work?Do you think it is important to use security when using a USB flash drive?The findings of the survey help to understand the perspective of todays students and how to address the critical need to secure their information and data files with them

Perceptions About Data Security For Portable Storage Devices

The importance of securing data and information is a critical issue in todays world. These are no longer stored on a central system that is easy to protect and secure. Now everyone carries around small storage devices, which make guaranteeing that the information is guarded is much more complex and uncertain. This paper builds on the previous research of Knott & Steubes in the paper Encryption and Portable Data Storage, to be published in the Spring of 2011. In the previous work we identified the potential security issues that arise from using a portable storage device such as a USB flash drive. TrueCrypt software was introduced as an option that allows users to encrypt and hide data. The TrueCrypt software, which is publically available, is particularly useful for safeguarding data on USB flash drives that are easily compromised. A survey of undergraduate students was administered which focused on their practices and attitudes about security. It was found that there were strong associations between the use of flash drives, security, and the use of passwords

FIB-SEM Nanotomography in Materials and Life Science at EPFL

Extended abstract of a paper presented at Microscopy and Microanalysis 2010 in Portland, Oregon, USA, August 1 - August 5, 201

Manual of Quaternions

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