A proposed adaptive pre-encryption crypto-ransomware early detection model

Crypto-ransomware is a malware that uses the system's cryptography functions to encrypt user data. The irreversible effect of crypto-ransomware makes it challenging to survive the attack compared to other malware categories. When a crypto-ransomware attack encrypts user files, it becomes difficult to access these files without having the decryption key. Due to the availability of ransomware development tool kits like Ransomware as a Service (RaaS), many ransomware variants are being developed. This contributes to the rise of ransomware attacks witnessed nowadays. However, the conventional approaches employed by malware detection solutions are not suitable to detect ransomware. This is because ransomware needs to be detected as early as before the encryption takes place. These attacks can effectively be handled only if detected during the pre-encryption phase. Early detection of ransomware attacks is challenging due to the limited amount of data available before encryption. An adaptive pre-encryption model is proposed in this paper which is expected to deal with the population concept drift of crypto-ransomware given the limited amount of data collected during the pre-encryption phase of the attack lifecycle. With such adaptability, the model can maintain up-to-date knowledge about the attack behavior and identify the polymorphic ransomware that continuously changes its behavior

Translating the Human Right to Water and Sanitation into Public Policy Reform

Abstract The development of a human right to water and sanitation under international law has created an imperative to implement human rights in water and sanitation policy. Through forty-three interviews with informants in international institutions, national governments, and non-governmental organizations, this research examines interpretations of this new human right in global governance, national policy, and local practice. Exploring obstacles to the implementation of rights-based water and sanitation policy, the authors analyze the limitations of translating international human rights into local water and sanitation practice, concluding that system operators, utilities, and management boards remain largely unaffected by the changing public policy landscape for human rights realization. To understand the relevance of human rights standards to water and sanitatio

Assessing composition in modeling approaches

Modeling approaches are based on various paradigms, e.g., aspect-oriented, feature-oriented, object-oriented, and logic-based. Modeling approaches may cover requirements models to low-level design models, are developed for various purposes, use various means of composition, and thus are difficult to compare. However, such comparisons are critical to help practitioners know under which conditions approaches are most applicable, and how they might be successfully generalized and combined to achieve end-to-end methods. This paper reports on work done at the 2nd International Comparing Modeling Approaches (CMA) workshop towards the goal of identifying potential comprehensive modeling methodologies with a particular emphasis on composition: (i) an improved set of comparison criteria; (ii) 19 assessments of modeling approaches based on the comparison criteria and a common, focused case study

The Psychological Science Accelerator’s COVID-19 rapid-response dataset

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Psychological Science Accelerator coordinated three large-scale psychological studies to examine the effects of loss-gain framing, cognitive reappraisals, and autonomy framing manipulations on behavioral intentions and affective measures. The data collected (April to October 2020) included specific measures for each experimental study, a general questionnaire examining health prevention behaviors and COVID-19 experience, geographical and cultural context characterization, and demographic information for each participant. Each participant started the study with the same general questions and then was randomized to complete either one longer experiment or two shorter experiments. Data were provided by 73,223 participants with varying completion rates. Participants completed the survey from 111 geopolitical regions in 44 unique languages/dialects. The anonymized dataset described here is provided in both raw and processed formats to facilitate re-use and further analyses. The dataset offers secondary analytic opportunities to explore coping, framing, and self-determination across a diverse, global sample obtained at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, which can be merged with other time-sampled or geographic data

The Psychological Science Accelerator’s COVID-19 rapid-response dataset

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Psychological Science Accelerator coordinated three large-scale psychological studies to examine the effects of loss-gain framing, cognitive reappraisals, and autonomy framing manipulations on behavioral intentions and affective measures. The data collected (April to October 2020) included specific measures for each experimental study, a general questionnaire examining health prevention behaviors and COVID-19 experience, geographical and cultural context characterization, and demographic information for each participant. Each participant started the study with the same general questions and then was randomized to complete either one longer experiment or two shorter experiments. Data were provided by 73,223 participants with varying completion rates. Participants completed the survey from 111 geopolitical regions in 44 unique languages/dialects. The anonymized dataset described here is provided in both raw and processed formats to facilitate re-use and further analyses. The dataset offers secondary analytic opportunities to explore coping, framing, and self-determination across a diverse, global sample obtained at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, which can be merged with other time-sampled or geographic data

A global experiment on motivating social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic

Significance Communicating in ways that motivate engagement in social distancing remains a critical global public health priority during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study tested motivational qualities of messages about social distancing (those that promoted choice and agency vs. those that were forceful and shaming) in 25,718 people in 89 countries. The autonomy-supportive message decreased feelings of defying social distancing recommendations relative to the controlling message, and the controlling message increased controlled motivation, a less effective form of motivation, relative to no message. Message type did not impact intentions to socially distance, but people’s existing motivations were related to intentions. Findings were generalizable across a geographically diverse sample and may inform public health communication strategies in this and future global health emergencies. Abstract Finding communication strategies that effectively motivate social distancing continues to be a global public health priority during the COVID-19 pandemic. This cross-country, preregistered experiment (n = 25,718 from 89 countries) tested hypotheses concerning generalizable positive and negative outcomes of social distancing messages that promoted personal agency and reflective choices (i.e., an autonomy-supportive message) or were restrictive and shaming (i.e., a controlling message) compared with no message at all. Results partially supported experimental hypotheses in that the controlling message increased controlled motivation (a poorly internalized form of motivation relying on shame, guilt, and fear of social consequences) relative to no message. On the other hand, the autonomy-supportive message lowered feelings of defiance compared with the controlling message, but the controlling message did not differ from receiving no message at all. Unexpectedly, messages did not influence autonomous motivation (a highly internalized form of motivation relying on one’s core values) or behavioral intentions. Results supported hypothesized associations between people’s existing autonomous and controlled motivations and self-reported behavioral intentions to engage in social distancing. Controlled motivation was associated with more defiance and less long-term behavioral intention to engage in social distancing, whereas autonomous motivation was associated with less defiance and more short- and long-term intentions to social distance. Overall, this work highlights the potential harm of using shaming and pressuring language in public health communication, with implications for the current and future global health challenges

Effect of Various Substrates on Growth, Flower and Tuber Production of Dahlia (Dahlia variabilis Desf.) cv. Pink Attraction

An experiment entitled Effect of Various Substrates on Growth, Flowering and Tuber Production of Dahlia (Dahlia variabilis Desf.) cv. ‘Pink Attraction’ was carried out in the earthen pots at the Research Farm, Division of Floriculture, Medicinal and Aromatic Plants, SKUAST-K, Shalimar during 2007 and 2008. There were twelve treatments of growing substrates comprising of soil, FYM + sand (1:1), sheep manure + sand (1:1), poultry manure + sand (1:1), cocopeat + FYM (1:1), perlite + FYM (1:1), vermiculite + FYM (1:1), soil + FYM + sand (1:1:1), soil + sheep manure + sand (1:1:1), soil + cocopeat + FYM (1:1:1), soil + perlite + FYM (1:1:1), soil + vermiculite + FYM (1:1:1). The study revealed that medium cocopeat + FYM (1:1) recorded maximum plant height (54.72 cm), number of leaves (102.93), primary branches (8.30), stem diameter (10.68 mm) and plant spread (3364.45 cm2). Cocopeat + FYM (1:1) also recorded earliness in flowering (82.0 day) and maximum flower diameter (12.6 cm), length of flower stalk (9.5 cm), number of flowers/plant (18.5), fresh weight of flowers (20.8 g), duration of flowering (13.5) and flower yield (253.8 g/plant). Moreover the various physiological parameters in Dahlia were also influenced markedly by the growing substrates cocopeat peat + FYM (1:1). However, maximum number of tubers/plant (14.8) and fresh weight of tubers (213.1 g) were recorded under substrate vermiculite + FYM (1:1). The maximum net return was obtained with cocopeat + FYM medium. Viewing of these effects, it is concluded that substrates cocopeat + FYM (1:1) can be taken for better plant growth and flower production whereas vermiculite + FYM (1:1) can be effectively used for tuber production in Dahlia cv. Pink Attraction under Kashmir valley conditions

Analysis of collaborative wireless vehicular technologies under realistic conditions

Abstract Reliable communications are essential to provide intelligent services to connected cars. For operational services, connected vehicles in VANET (Vehicle Ad hoc Networks) regularly transfer large amounts of data related to vehicular safety. Similarly, V2X (Vehicle-to-Everything) communications include vehicles exchanging information with each other and with infrastructure that is, Vehicle-to-Infrastructure (V2I) and Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V). This paper has analyzed the performance of IEEE 802.11p and 5G test network in a collaborative manner under realistic conditions. For performance analysis the exchange of safety-critical road weather and traffic information has been performed to enhance the traffic safety and traffic efficiency in the domain of intelligent transportation system (ITS). The vehicular connectivity is provided in V2V and V2I scenarios by utilizing short-range IEEE 802.11 standard or cellular approaches, such as the 5G network. Here, we consider combining these technologies in a cooperative manner to exploit jointly their advantages. In this cooperative heterogeneous network, the IEEE 802.11p supports safety-related pilot use cases while the provision of non-safety-related pilot use cases are supported by the 5G test network. The performance analysis revealed that the IEEE 802.11p performs quite reasonably well with restricted mobility in contrast of 5G test network in a collaborative manner to avoid road accidents

Analysis of VANET wireless networking technologies in realistic environments

Abstract Communication is essential to provide an intelligent services to connected cars. For operational services, connected vehicles in VANET (Vehicle Ad hoc Networks) regularly try to transfer large amounts of data for vehicular safety. Similarly, V2x (Vehicle-to-Everything) communication includes vehicles transferring information with each other and with infrastructure i.e., Vehicle-to-Infrastructure (V2I) and Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V) are proven to increase traffic safety and security as well as to enhance the efficiency of intelligent transportation system (ITS). Vehicular connectivity is provided using short-range technologies such as the IEEE 802.110 standard or cellular approaches, such as the 5G network. In this article, we consider combining these technologies in a cooperative manner and aiming at exploiting jointly their advantages. In this cooperative heterogeneous network, the IEEE 802.11p supports safety-related pilot use cases while the provision of non-safety-related pilot use cases are supported by the 5G test network

Impact of Stevia rebaudiana substitution on physico-chemical characteristics, sensory profile and microstructure in selected Indian desserts

Stevia rebaudiana has been used since hundreds of years as a natural sweetener, it is 300-450 times sweeter than sugar. The study aimed at incorporation of S. rebaudiana in traditional Indian desserts and test its sensory profile, storage properties, textural and color attributes. Carrot halwa (CH) and kesar peda (KP) were prepared with variations such as complete replacement of sugar in variation 1 (V1: CHV1 & KPV1) and 40% replacement of sugar in variation 2 (V2: CHV2 & KPV2) with stevia. Standard methods such as Quantitative Descriptive Analysis scores for sensory profile, fat oxidation for storage studies and surface morphology, texture profile and color analysis of samples were studied. Sensory profile revealed higher taste acceptability in CHV1 and KPV2. During storage, the maximum peroxide value was 5 mEq/kg in all products of refrigerated KP. Microstructural studies revealed changes in surface morphology wherein stevia incorporation increased ragged edges in CH and porosity in KP. Both products exhibited increased hardness, gumminess and chewiness during storage. There was no major change in the color profile of products. Overall, incorporation of stevia in Indian desserts can significantly reduce the use of sugar and can be relished by people who are health conscious