Evolution of security engineering artifacts: a state of the art survey

Security is an important quality aspect of modern open software systems. However, it is challenging to keep such systems secure because of evolution. Security evolution can only be managed adequately if it is considered for all artifacts throughout the software development lifecycle. This article provides state of the art on the evolution of security engineering artifacts. The article covers the state of the art on evolution of security requirements, security architectures, secure code, security tests, security models, and security risks as well as security monitoring. For each of these artifacts the authors give an overview of evolution and security aspects and discuss the state of the art on its security evolution in detail. Based on this comprehensive survey, they summarize key issues and discuss directions of future research

Vibration analysis of a beam with an internal hinge subjected to a random moving oscillator

[[abstract]]In this paper, we investigate the dynamic response of a fixed–fixed beam with an internal hinge on elastic foundation, which is subjected to a moving oscillator with uncertain parameters such as random mass, stiffness, damping, velocity and acceleration. This model can be used to simulate the interaction among the train (vehicle), track and foundation, as well as simulate the bridge–vehicle interaction without considering the elastic foundation. In particular, the distributed parameter system is assumed to be a beam of Bernoulli–Euler type, and the system dynamic response is a random process despite its deterministic characteristics. By utilizing the modal analysis and Galerkin’s method, we can obtain a set of approximate governing equations of motion with time-dependent random coefficients and forcing functions. The improved perturbation technique is adopted to evaluate the statistical characteristics of the deflection of the beam, and the Monte Carlo simulation is used to check the results from the improved perturbation technique. The statistical response of the structure from the proposed approach plays an important role in estimating the structural safety and reliability

An Elastic Model for Non-Brownian Motion of Nanoparticles

[[abstract]]Recently, nanomechanics research has been quite popular and significant in estimating the mechanics properties of nanoparticle used in electronics engineering, material engineering, mechanical engineering, and construction engineering. Nanomachines working in the fluid are the size of Brownian particles, however, some movements, such as biomolecular motions in which the variance of nanoparticle position is nonlinear in tiny times, are therefore called non-Brownian motion. In the present study, we propose a model of a nanoparticle by considering it as an elastic body instead of assuming it is rigid. The modeling of the nanoparticle and then the modeling of impact transfer are adopted to predict the non-Brownian motion. By solving the stochastic governing equation for the nanoparticle, we are able to estimate the variance of nanoparticle motion with respect to time. The results based on the proposed model match with those by experimental observations. In conclusion, the proposed model can be adopted to measure the mechanics properties of nanoparticles; these properties will enable us to manipulate the nanoparticles such as biomolecules and to control an autonomous machine in nanosize

Study on a hydrophobic nano-TiO2 coating and its properties for corrosion protection of metals

A uniform TiO2 nanoparticle film has been coated on the surface of 316L stainless steel by using sol-gel and dip-coating technology. A hydrothermal post-treatment method has been developed to eliminate the crack defects in the coatings, and to improve the structure and property for the coating. A self-assembly of fluoroalkylsiane (FAS-13) has been conducted to enhance the surface hydrophobic property of the nano-TiO2 coatings. The distribution of particle sizes of TiO2 sol has been analyzed by zeta-potential analysis, and the surface morphology and structure have been characterized by contract angle, XRD, and SEM measurements. The results indicate that the surface of coatings is uniform and dense, with approximately 375 nm thickness. The diameter of particles of TiO2 anatase is in the range of 15-18 nm. The contact angle of the super-hydrophobic surface is 150 +/- 1 degrees. It shows, from the electrochemical tests, that the super-hydrophobic coatings on 316L stainless steel exhibit an excellent corrosion resistance in chloride containing solution at the room temperature. (C) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Herpes zoster infection associated with acute coronary syndrome: a population-based retrospective cohort study

[[abstract]]BACKGROUND: Vasculopathy in varicella zoster virus (VZV) infection and a proposed association between herpes virus infection and atherosclerosis suggest a possible link between VZV infection and vascular thrombosis. OBJECTIVES: To determine the risk of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) associated with herpes zoster infection. METHODS: We used the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database to identify 57,958 patients newly diagnosed with herpes zoster between 1999 and 2010; 231,832 patients without herpes zoster were examined as the control group. Both cohorts were followed up until the end of 2010 to measure the incidence of ACS. Cox proportional-hazards regression and Kaplan-Meier analyses were used to measure the hazard ratios (HR) and the cumulative incidences of ACS, respectively. RESULTS: The incidence of ACS was 1·24-fold higher in the herpes zoster group than in the control group [36·8 vs. 29·6 per 10,000 person-years, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1·16-1·33]. After adjusting for age, sex and comorbidities, the HR of ACS for the herpes zoster group compared with the control group was 1·15 (95% CI 1·07-1·24). Analysis by the time lag (≤ 3 months, ≤ 1 year, > 1 year) showed that the incidence of ACS remained significantly higher in the herpes zoster group than in the control group, with an adjusted HR of 1·10 (95% CI 1·02-1·19) after the 1-year follow-up period. The Kaplan-Meier survival curve showed that the risk of ACS was significantly higher in the herpes zoster group than in the control group (P < 0·001). CONCLUSION: Herpes zoster infection is associated with an increased risk of ACS. © 2013 British Association of Dermatologists

Inhibitors of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase and mTOR but not Akt enhance replication of bovine ephemeral fever virus

Non-segmented, negative-sense RNA viruses (NNSVs) depend on Akt (protein kinase B) for efficient replication. Infection with bovine ephemeral fever virus (BEFV) increases Akt phosphorylation. This study examined the effect of inhibition of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)-Akt signalling on BEFV replication, since PI3K is the major upstream regulator of Akt. Treatment of BEFV-infected cells with two specific PI3K inhibitors (wortmannin and LY294002) enhanced replication of BEFV when compared to the effects of Akt inhibitors III and IV. BEFV antagonised the effects of PI3K inhibitors on Akt dephosphorylation. Inhibition of mTOR by rapamycin also enhanced replication of BEFV. The results provide evidences that inhibition of PI3K and mTOR has positive effects on replication of BEFV. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved