Partial Evaluation for Java Malware Detection

The fact that Java is platform independent gives hackers the opportunity to write exploits that can target users on any platform, which has a JVM implementation. Metasploit is a well-known source of Java exploits and to circumvent detection by Anti Virus (AV) software, obfuscation techniques are routinely applied to make an exploit more difficult to recognise. Popular obfuscation techniques for Java include string obfuscation and applying reflection to hide method calls; two techniques that can either be used together or independently. This paper shows how to apply partial evaluation to remove these obfuscations and thereby improve AV matching. The paper presents a partial evaluator for Jimple, which is a typed three-address code suitable for optimisation and program analysis, and also demonstrates how the residual Jimple code, when transformed back into Java, improves the detection rates of a number of commercial AV products

The non-unique Universe

The purpose of this paper is to elucidate, by means of concepts and theorems drawn from mathematical logic, the conditions under which the existence of a multiverse is a logical necessity in mathematical physics, and the implications of Godel's incompleteness theorem for theories of everything. Three conclusions are obtained in the final section: (i) the theory of the structure of our universe might be an undecidable theory, and this constitutes a potential epistemological limit for mathematical physics, but because such a theory must be complete, there is no ontological barrier to the existence of a final theory of everything; (ii) in terms of mathematical logic, there are two different types of multiverse: classes of non-isomorphic but elementarily equivalent models, and classes of model which are both non-isomorphic and elementarily inequivalent; (iii) for a hypothetical theory of everything to have only one possible model, and to thereby negate the possible existence of a multiverse, that theory must be such that it admits only a finite model

Cosmic microwave background multipole alignments in slab topologies

Several analyses of the microwave sky maps from the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) have drawn attention to alignments amongst the low-order multipoles. Amongst the various possible explanations, an effect of cosmic topology has been invoked by several authors. We focus on an alignment of the first four multipoles (\ell = 2 to 5) found by Land and Magueijo (2005), and investigate the distribution of their alignment statistic for a set of simulated cosmic microwave background maps for cosmologies with slab-like topology. We find that this topology does offer a modest increase in the probability of the observed value, but that even for the smallest topology considered the probability of the observed value remains below one percent.Comment: 6 pages RevTex with 6 figures included. Minor changes to match version accepted as Physical Review D Rapid Communicatio

Nonverbal Behavior During Face-to-face Social Interaction in Schizophrenia

Patients with a diagnosis of schizophrenia display social cognitive deficits. However, little is known about patients’ nonverbal communication during their social encounters with others. This review identified 17 studies investigating nonverbal communication in patients’ unscripted face-to-face interactions, addressing a) nonverbal differences between patients and others, b) nonverbal behavior of the patients’ partners, c) the association between nonverbal behavior and symptoms, and d) the association between nonverbal behavior and social outcomes. Patients displayed fewer nonverbal behaviors inviting interaction, with negative symptoms exacerbating this pattern. Positive symptoms were associated with heightened nonverbal behavior. Patients’ partners changed their own nonverbal behavior in response to the patient. Reduced prosocial behaviors, inviting interaction, were associated with poorer social outcomes. The evidence suggests that patients’ nonverbal behavior, during face-to-face interaction, is influenced by patients symptoms and impacts the success of their social interactions

Why are some people with neurological illness more resilient than others?

The current qualitative study was designed to evaluate the coping strategies of people living with a chronic progressive neurological illness and their carers. The neurological illnesses were Huntington&rsquo;s disease, motor neurone disease, multiple sclerosis and Parkinson&rsquo;s disease. Participants included 15 people who showed high levels of adjustment and 15 who showed low levels of adjustment. Participants were selected from an earlier study, to ensure that they satisfied the inclusion criteria for the current study. Interviews were completed to determine the strategies used to cope with the demands of the illness. Participants who demonstrated good adjustment were more likely to draw on social support to provide them with the resources to deal with the illness. In contrast, those who evidenced poor adjustment were more likely to draw on external supports to complete tasks for them. The implications of these findings for people with chronic neurological illnesses and their families are discussed.<br /

NICMOS Images of the GG Tau Circumbinary Disk

We present deep, near-infrared images of the circumbinary disk surrounding the pre-main-sequence binary star, GG Tau A, obtained with NICMOS aboard the Hubble Space Telescope. The spatially resolved proto-planetary disk scatters roughly 1.5% of the stellar flux, with a near-to-far side flux ratio of ~1.4, independent of wavelength, and colors that are comparable to the central source; all of these properties are significantly different from the earlier ground-based observations. New Monte Carlo scattering simulations of the disk emphasize that the general properties of the disk, such as disk flux, near side to far side flux ratio and integrated colors, can be approximately reproduced using ISM-like dust grains, without the presence of either circumstellar disks or large dust grains, as had previously been suggested. A single parameter phase function is fitted to the observed azimuthal variation in disk flux, providing a lower limit on the median grain size of 0.23 micron. Our analysis, in comparison to previous simulations, shows that the major limitation to the study of grain growth in T Tauri disk systems through scattered light lies in the uncertain ISM dust grain properties. Finally, we use the 9 year baseline of astrometric measurements of the binary to solve the complete orbit, assuming that the binary is coplanar with the circumbinary ring. We find that the estimated 1 sigma range on disk inner edge to semi-major axis ratio, 3.2 < Rin/a < 6.7, is larger than that estimated by previous SPH simulations of binary-disk interactions.Comment: 40 pages, 8 postscript figures, accepted for publication in Ap

Cholesterol and coronary heart disease: screening and treatment

Coronary heart disease (CHD) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in the United Kingdom, accounting for just under one quarter of all deaths in 1995: 27% among men and 21% among women.1 Although many CHD deaths occur among elderly people, CHD accounts for 31% of male and 13% of female deaths within the 45–64 age group

Measuring the Mass of a Pre-Main Sequence Binary Star Through the Orbit of TWA 5A

We present the results of a five year monitoring campaign of the close binary TWA 5Aab in the TW Hydrae association, using speckle and adaptive optics on the W.M. Keck 10 m telescopes. These measurements were taken as part of our ongoing monitoring of pre-main sequence (PMS) binaries in an effort to increase the number of dynamically determined PMS masses and thereby calibrate the theoretical PMS evolutionary tracks. Our observations have allowed us to obtain the first determination of this system's astrometric orbit. We find an orbital period of 5.94 +- 0.09 years and a semi-major axis of 0.066" +- 0.005". Combining these results with a kinematic distance, we calculate a total mass of 0.71 +- 0.14 M_sun (D/44 pc)^3. for this system. This mass measurement, as well as the estimated age of this system, are consistent to within 2$\sigma$ of all theoretical models considered. In this analysis, we properly account for correlated uncertainties, and show that while these correlations are generally ignored, they increase the formal uncertainties by up to a factor of five and therefore are important to incorporate. With only a few more years of observation, this type of measurement will allow the theoretical models to be distinguished

System, Apparatus and Method for Pedal Control

An apparatus, method, and system for controlling motion in six degrees of freedom is described. The apparatus includes a support structure, a first pedal and a second pedal. A first set of three independent articulating mechanisms is operatively connected to the support structure and the first pedal. The first set of three independent articulating mechanisms, in combination, enable motion of the first pedal in three control axes corresponding to three discrete degrees of freedom. A second set of three independent articulating mechanisms, operatively connected to the second pedal, enable motion, in combination, in three control axes corresponding to a discrete second set of three degrees of freedom. The apparatus may also include first and second sensors configured to detect the motion of the first and second pedals