AI-based Sound-Squatting Attack Made Possible

Domain squatting is an efficient attacking technique that relies on the similarity between domain names to trick users. Sound-squatting is a type of domain squatting that explores the similarity in the pronunciation of domains. Sound-squatting requires better approaches to protect users, and indeed it demands more research attention due to popularization of intelligent speakers and the increase of voice-based navigation. In this work we propose an AI-based methodology to automatically build sound-squatting candidates. We leverage recent results of AI, namely the ability to translate text, to automatically generate possible sound-squatting candidates. We evaluate our methodology by verifying the generated candidates and classifying them according to their threat class. We generate over twenty thousand candidates from popular domains, out of which, 7% are found active at the time of the analysis. Active domains include “Parked/Ads/For-Sale” domains. We thus show that automatic sound-squatting generation is useful to proactively check and limit the abuse of such offence

Construct validity of a Portuguese version of the Female Sexual Function Index

Este trabalho teve como objetivos avaliar a validade de construto de uma versão do Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI). A versão foi inserida ao final de um questionário multidimensional e aplicada face a face em 235 mulheres esterilizadas. O índice de não resposta foi de 1,7%. A amostra apresentou-se bastante homogênea com baixa renda e nível educacional. Um coeficiente alfa de Cronbach de 0,948 indicou uma consistência interna muito alta. A análise fatorial demonstrou que o instrumento parece medir quatro fatores latentes: desejo/excitação, lubrificação, orgasmo/satisfação e dor. Isso pode referir-se a uma característica do próprio instrumento, às características da resposta sexual feminina ou ainda às peculiaridades culturais da amostra, o que pode interferir no entendimento das perguntas ou dos conceitos sobre os quais o instrumento versa. Assim aponta-se para necessidade de desenvolvimento de outros estudos na população geral para a definição do conjunto de propriedades do FSFI, como sua composição de fatores latentes e o estabelecimento de pontos de corte adequados à população brasileira.This study aimed to evaluate the construct validity of a version of the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI). The version was inserted into a multidimensional questionnaire and applied face-to-face to 235 sterilized women. Non-response rate was 1.7%. The sample proved to be highly homogeneous, with low income and education. Cronbach's alpha of 0.948 indicated high internal consistency. Factor analysis showed that the instrument was measuring four factors: desire/arousal, lubrication, orgasm/satisfaction, and pain. This may reflect characteristics of the instrument itself, female sexual response, or even the sample's cultural peculiarities, which can affect understanding of the questions or concepts with which the instrument deals. This study emphasizes the need for further research in the general population to determine the psychometric properties of the FSFI, such as its factor composition and definition of appropriate cut-off points for the Brazilian population.Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP

Allocation of Funds from Public Offerings of Shares (IPO's) in Brazil and Stock Returns

This study analyzes the relationship between the allocation of funds raised in a public offering of shares and abnormal profitability on the first day of trading. The objective is to identify whether the allocation of resources can be considered for the decision-making of investors. To measure the data, multivariate analysis was used, and the data survey considered the information from the prospectuses of the public offers and the announcements for the closing of the offers, between January 2007 and December 2011. Two hypotheses were tested: one in relation to allocation of resources and another in relation to the group of investors participating in the offer. The results show that there is no relationship between the allocation of resources and the abnormal returns of companies. However, for investors who are part of the company's management, they were related to abnormal stock returns on the first day of trading

Greywolf Entertainment: Estágio Curricular

O presente relatório foi elaborado no âmbito de Estágio Curricular, incluído no curso de Design e Desenvolvimento de Jogos Digitais, na Universidade da Beira Interior. O estágio foi efetuado na empresa Greywolf Entertainment, que fica na cidade de Leiria. Este documento dividido em seis capítulos, pretende apresentar o tema do estágio, a empresa, descrever as atividades desenvolvidas ao longo do estágio, a metodologia de trabalho utilizada e por fim acabo o relatório com uma reflexão do que fiz e aprendi durante o estágio, e como o mesmo contribuiu para o meu desenvolvimento nas áreas de Game Design, Quality Ensurance e Bug Tracking.This report was prepared as part of a Curriculum Internship, included in the course of Design and Development of Digital Games, at the University of Beira Interior. The internship was carried out at the company Greywolf Entertainment, located in the city of Leiria. This document, divided into six chapters, intends to present the theme of the internship, the company, describe the activities developed during the internship, the work methodology used and finally, I end the report with a reflection on what I did and learned during the internship, and how it contributed to my development in the areas of Game Design, Quality Ensurance and Bug Tracking

Tracking Knowledge Propagation Across Wikipedia Languages

In this paper, we present a dataset of inter-language knowledge propagation in Wikipedia. Covering the entire 309 language editions and 33M articles, the dataset aims to track the full propagation history of Wikipedia concepts, and allow follow-up research on building predictive models of them. For this purpose, we align all the Wikipedia articles in a language-agnostic manner according to the concept they cover, which results in 13M propagation instances. To the best of our knowledge, this dataset is the first to explore the full inter-language propagation at a large scale. Together with the dataset, a holistic overview of the propagation and key insights about the underlying structural factors are provided to aid future research. For example, we find that although long cascades are unusual, the propagation tends to continue further once it reaches more than four language editions. We also find that the size of language editions is associated with the speed of propagation. We believe the dataset not only contributes to the prior literature on Wikipedia growth but also enables new use cases such as edit recommendation for addressing knowledge gaps, detection of disinformation, and cultural relationship analysis

THE INFLUENCE OF LAW 12.431 OF 2011 ON ENCOURAGED DEBENTURE SPREAD

Applying resources in the infrastructure is vitally important for the expansion of national infrastructure. The government enacted Law No. 12.431/2011, which provides for income tax exemption for individuals residing in Brazil or foreigners who invest in debentures related to the infrastructure projects implementation (encouraged debentures).  Thus, it is expected that the tax benefit, granted by the Law, will be one of the determining factors in the pricing of debentures, since, by the rational choice theory, it seeks to test the hypothesis that the spread required for encouraged debentures is equivalent to the spread of any other debenture of the same level of risk adjusted for the income tax fiscal impact. However, the results do not show that the spread of encouraged debentures is lower than the spread of non-encouraged debentures. The research contribution addresses questions about government sectorial public policies and the characteristics of the debentures market in Brazil, the research showed a new outlook on this investment market in recent years

Cross-cultural adaptation of the Female Sexual Function Index

Ainda hoje pouco se conhece sobre a epidemiologia das disfunções sexuais femininas. O Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) [Índice de Função Sexual Feminina] é um questionário breve, que pode ser auto-aplicado, e que se propõe avaliar a resposta sexual feminina. Este estudo teve por objetivo avaliar a adaptação transcultural da versão em português do FSFI. O processo envolveu cinco etapas: tradução, versão, apreciação formal de equivalência, revisão crítica por especialistas em sexualidade e pré-teste do instrumento. Após a identificação de problemas semânticos, concordâncias e discordâncias, foi possível propor uma versão sintética, escolhendo e incorporando itens de uma das duas versões em português. Algumas mudanças foram realizadas após o pré-teste do questionário, para tornar a versão em português mais coloquial e aceitável para a população-alvo ao utilizar termos mais corriqueiros, como opção ou complemento à linguagem científica. Ao se comparar mais de uma versão do instrumento, no processo de equivalência transcultural, foi possível detectar problemas e dificuldades na adaptação da linguagem que poderiam ter passado despercebidos, caso não se observassem todas as fases do processo.The epidemiology of female sexual dysfunctions is still not well known. The Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) is a short questionnaire specially designed to assess female sexual response. This study aimed to evaluate the cross-cultural equivalence of the Portuguese version of the FSFI. The cross-cultural adaptation involved five steps: translation, back-translation, formal equivalence assessment, review by specialists in sexuality, and pre-testing. After identification of semantic problems, agreements, and disagreements, a brief version was proposed, selecting and incorporating items from one of the two Portuguese versions. Some changes were made after pre-testing the questionnaire, most of which to make the Portuguese version more readily comprehensible and acceptable for the target population, using ordinary words as options or to complement the scientific language. Comparing more than one version of the instrument in the process of cross-cultural equivalence allowed detecting problems and difficulties in adapting the language, which would not have been observed otherwise

Slag foaming fundamentals : a critical assessment

Slag foaming is part of steelmaking process and could bring several benefits: it helps to save energy, improves productivity, enhances the refractory service life, decreases noise pollution and protects the bath from nitrogen incorporation. Unfortunately, slag foaming is a highly dynamic process that is difficult to control. There are factors that limit the quality of the foam generated on the slag, such as: basicity, FeO content, surface tension, viscosity, carbon and oxygen injection. This paper aims to discuss the main factor that induces foaming, mathematical models proposed by different authors and the use of isothermal solubility diagram (ISD) to predict the foam quality

Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus modulates the inflammatory response and the subsequent lung damage in a murine model of acute lung inflammation

Objective: The present study investigated the anti-inflammatory effect of the probiotic Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus (Lr) on lung inflammation induced by Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) of Escherichia coli in C57BL/6 mice. Methods: C57BL/6 mice were divided into four groups: control, LPS, Lr (1 day) + LPS, and Lr (14 days) + LPS. Total and differential cells from Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid (BALF) were counted in a Neubauer 40X chamber, and pro-and anti-inflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, IL-6, CXCL-1, TNF-α, TGF-β, and IL-10) were measured by ELISA assay. The analysis of whole leukocytes in blood was performed using the automated system Sysmex 800i. Morphometry of pulmonary tissue evaluated alveolar hemorrhage, alveolar collapse, and inflammatory cells. Pulmonary vascular permeability was assessed by Evans blue dye extravasation, and bronchoconstriction was evaluated in a tissue bath station. The transcription factor NF-kB was evaluated by ELISA, and its gene expression and TLR-2, TLR-4, MMP-9, MMP-12, and TIMP by PCR. Results: The probiotic Lr had a protective effect against the inflammatory responses induced by LPS. Lr significantly reduced pro-inflammatory cells in the airways, lung parenchyma, and blood leukocytes. Furthermore, Lr reduced the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines in BALF and the expression of TLRs, MMPs, and NF-kB in lung tissue and maintained the expression of TIMP in treated animals promoting a protective effect on lung tissue. Conclusions: The results of the study indicate that pre-treatment with the probiotic Lr may be a promising way to mitigate lung inflammation in endotoxemia

Viabilidade da Alocação de Recursos em Fundos de Investimentos de Renda Fixa em Relação ao Tesouro Direto / Feasibility of Allocation of Resources in Investments Funds of Fixed Income in Relation to Treasury Title

Considerando os investimentos, num universo limitado, as pessoas físicas podem obter resultados semelhantes ou maiores se comparados aos investimentos em fundos de renda fixa com gestão dos grandes bancos do país. O objetivo do artigo é comparar os resultados, rentabilidade e o risco, das aplicações em fundos de investimentos dos grandes bancos que tem como público-alvo os investidores através do Tesouro Direto. Por meio de uma análise quantitativa de risco e retorno, custos transacionais e impacto dos custos no valor final, foi selecionada uma amostra de 10 fundos de investimentos, 2 de cada um dos 5 maiores bancos do país, e criados 2 grupos que se diferenciam pelo valor mínimo de aplicação inicial. Observou-se, que as LFT’s trariam maior resultado do que os fundos de investimento com mesmo nível de risco. As LTN’s ficaram abaixo em alguns períodos, por conta da marcação a mercado, e foram a melhor opção em outros, bem como seriam se mantidas entre 2015 e 2017, porém com risco maior. Evidenciou que o Tesouro Direto ainda apresenta ticket de entrada inferior a 9 dos 10 fundos de investimentos da amostra, porém tem um número de investidores irrelevante se comparado ao da indústria de fundos