BlackWatch:increasing attack awareness within web applications

Web applications are relied upon by many for the services they provide. It is essential that applications implement appropriate security measures to prevent security incidents. Currently, web applications focus resources towards the preventative side of security. Whilst prevention is an essential part of the security process, developers must also implement a level of attack awareness into their web applications. Being able to detect when an attack is occurring provides applications with the ability to execute responses against malicious users in an attempt to slow down or deter their attacks. This research seeks to improve web application security by identifying malicious behaviour from within the context of web applications using our tool BlackWatch. The tool is a Python-based application which analyses suspicious events occurring within client web applications, with the objective of identifying malicious patterns of behaviour. This approach avoids issues typically encountered with traditional web application firewalls. Based on the results from a preliminary study, BlackWatch was effective at detecting attacks from both authenticated, and unauthenticated users. Furthermore, user tests with developers indicated BlackWatch was user friendly, and was easy to integrate into existing applications. Future work seeks to develop the BlackWatch solution further for public release

I Told Him/Her/It/Them?: The Problem of Epicene Pronouns

To determine how Americans have naturally been using epicene pronouns, as opposed to the dictates of prescriptive grammar rules, this study focuses on speech patterns and informal writing. Because of their natural resistance to prescriptions, these two forms of communication tend to be more indicative of the epicenes most commonly used by Americans. 1 In this study, I seek an answer to the question of which epicene is used the most by Americans in speech and informal writing. I will use this information to determine the effectiveness of efforts to change prescriptions and traditions of epicene pronoun usage. After presenting a brief history of the use and evolution of epicene pronouns, I will present the methodology and results of the two surveys conducted in this study and then conclude with a discussion of the results. The results of the two surveys of this study indicate that a change in the gendered pronominal system is not only possible, but will occur as they loses grammatical number and becomes the established, genderless epicene pronoun in every grammatical situation

The Spatial Agency of the Catacombs: An Analysis of the Interventions of Damasus I (305-384)

Damasus I (305-384) ascended to the office of the Bishop of Rome after a bitter and bloody battle with Ursinus in 366 CE. The violence was a culmination of doctrinal squabbles and power contests which erupted in the Roman church over the course of the fourth century. Damasus engaged in a substantial program of physical renovation and enlargement of martyr sites and personally penned numerous epigrams both extolling the virtue of the honored dead and the patronage of the bishopric. Scholarship related to Damasus and his works is typically narrowly focused, considering motive(s) for his actions, his use of specific architecture and/or materials, the content of his epigrams, etc. This dissertation expands the analysis to synthesize elements of space and architectural theory, sensory theory, and anthropological issues to fully explore the impact of his works related to martyr sites on the minds and bodies of pilgrims visiting such sites during martyr festival. The bishop’s interventions at the catacomb of Callistus serve as a prime example of his use of architectural features, materials, decoration, and rhetoric to forge a distinct collective memory for visitors to the space – memory that was both manifestly Christian and manifestly Roman. Damasus’ use of materials and architectural features redefined the catacomb as monumental space. His proscription of physical movement and the stunning impact of the performance of his epigrams, combined with the sights, sounds, and smells within the space engaged the visitors’ senses to incite synesthesia and visceral seeing toward an encounter with the divine. These elements--catacomb-as-monument and synesthesia--provided visitors a shared visceral experience, which cemented a message of unity and a distinct collective identity for the fracturing Roman Christian community

Measuring the Impact of the ‘Two Hours/Two Periods of Quality Physical Education’ Programme

No abstract available

Impression management and formation on Facebook: A lens model approach

To extend research on online impression formation and warranting theory, the present investigation reports a Brunswick lens model analysis of Facebook profiles. Facebook users’ (N = 100) personality (i.e., extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, neuroticism, openness) was self-reported. Facebook users’ profiles were then content analyzed for the presence and rate of 53 cues. Observers (N = 35), who were strangers to profile owners, estimated profile owner personality. Results indicate that observers could accurately estimate profile owners’ extraversion, agreeableness, and conscientiousness. For all personality traits except neuroticism, unique profile cues were diagnostic warrants of personality (i.e., indicative of profile owner personality and used to estimate personality by strangers). The results are discussed in relation to warranting theory, impression formation, and lens model research

Instagram Power Users and their Effect on Social Movements

poster abstractSocial movements, complex systems of informal but organized relationships that pursue a shared goal of social change, have existed for decades. Since the advent of the Internet, technology and social media have increasingly played a role in social movement development. Recent research indicates that “power users” influential users with higher audience engagement are an important faction of users on social media. Power users have been identified on Facebook and Twitter, but not on Instagram. Instagram is a particularly interesting platform to study as it differs from Facebook and Twitter in that it’s imagebased, can be anonymous, and likely appeals to a different demographic of users than those who primarily use Facebook or Twitter. We hypothesize that power users will be an identifiable segment on Instagram and that they can and do play a vital role in the success of social movement mobilization. This research seeks to build on reallife social movements, social movement theory, and social media research to gain a deeper understanding of online activism and the role of the power user. Due to the prominence of images on this social network, examining the role of Instagram in social movements will likely speak to the role of emotion in social movements. This lack of such discussion is a major critique of social movement theory. This study aims to first identify and define the "power users" on Instagram posting about social movements, then to understand the attitude and behaviors of these "power users" and how it differs from average users. We will do this by identifying patterns in Instagram content about social movements, "power" and "average" user survey results. We will also examine the posts through the analysis of images, captions, number of likes and other metrics. The results will inform subsequent research about Instagram that has been scarce

Connecting Through Technology During COVID-19

This manuscript examines the patterns of information communication technology (ICT) use with friends and family outside of the home during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the associations among ICT use and psychological (i.e., loneliness; stress) and social (i.e., social needs; relationship maintenance) wellbeing. In early May 2020, a representative panel of American adults was surveyed (N = 1,947). Results suggest that despite 90% of the sample complying with shelter-in-place (SIP) orders, face-to-face contact with friends and family outside of the home was the primary predictor of getting one’s social needs met and mitigating loneliness. In contrast with predictions drawn from media richness theory, voice calls were associated with less stress, loneliness, and relationship maintenance difficulties, while video chat was positively associated with all three. Moderation analyses suggested that other factors (i.e., SIP, age) influenced the strength of association between modalities (i.e., face-to-face, email, social media) and outcomes. The theoretical implications for MRT and the practical implications for mediated sociality during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic are discussed