India should reconsider its decision not to participate in the belt and road initiative

Following India’s decision not to attend the Belt and Road Initiative Conference in Beijing last month, Nafees Ahmad discusses the objections which may have motivated the boycott. He writes that in spite of its reservations, India would be well advised to engage with BRI as it stands to gain more by participating, despite the tensions in its bilateral relationship with China

Vulnerability anti-patterns:a timeless way to capture poor software practices (Vulnerabilities)

There is a distinct communication gap between the software engineering and cybersecurity communities when it comes to addressing reoccurring security problems, known as vulnerabilities. Many vulnerabilities are caused by software errors that are created by software developers. Insecure software development practices are common due to a variety of factors, which include inefficiencies within existing knowledge transfer mechanisms based on vulnerability databases (VDBs), software developers perceiving security as an afterthought, and lack of consideration of security as part of the software development lifecycle (SDLC). The resulting communication gap also prevents developers and security experts from successfully sharing essential security knowledge. The cybersecurity community makes their expert knowledge available in forms including vulnerability databases such as CAPEC and CWE, and pattern catalogues such as Security Patterns, Attack Patterns, and Software Fault Patterns. However, these sources are not effective at providing software developers with an understanding of how malicious hackers can exploit vulnerabilities in the software systems they create. As developers are familiar with pattern-based approaches, this paper proposes the use of Vulnerability Anti-Patterns (VAP) to transfer usable vulnerability knowledge to developers, bridging the communication gap between security experts and software developers. The primary contribution of this paper is twofold: (1) it proposes a new pattern template – Vulnerability Anti-Pattern – that uses anti-patterns rather than patterns to capture and communicate knowledge of existing vulnerabilities, and (2) it proposes a catalogue of Vulnerability Anti-Patterns (VAP) based on the most commonly occurring vulnerabilities that software developers can use to learn how malicious hackers can exploit errors in software

Med Conformity: Enhance Adherence with Prescription Opioids

A person dies in America approximately every 16 minutes from opioid overdose. It is estimated that one in four patients receiving long-term opioid therapy in a primary care setting struggles with opioid addiction. Medication non-adherence causes unfavorable healthcare outcomes and raises healthcare costs through increased service utilization. We need to provide tools and information for healthcare professionals working on overdose prevention and treatment, and increase awareness and share best practices with providers and patients. Developing a digital health application to run on a smartphone is an inexpensive solution for addressing medication non-adherence. Objective data captured on a digital device can facilitate better communication between patients and their providers. This talks presents Med Conformity, an open-sourced application for helping patients to better control the medications they use as needed. The opensourced application is customizable for various patients’ needs. Due to proprietary information and a lack of published results, it is hard to learn from past successes and failures of medication adherence programs. Additionally, emerging digital health technologies can be interfaced with the application in the future to create novel solutions to address medication non-adherence. The talk also explains how a smart phone application can act as a personal assistant for many patients in their quest for an ideal medication treatment experience. To break the non-adherence cycle, patients, in partnership with their doctors and pharmacist, need to commit to a mutually agreed schedule for optimal medication compliance. Adherence is a team effort involving the patient, healthcare providers, and other supportive individuals (spouse, friends, etc.) Functionality of Med Conformity can also be enhanced by incorporating other forms of digital health technology, such as automated sensors. Another digital health technology that could be incorporated with Med Conformity would be a sensor enabled pill container. The talk will also present how the automated data could be reviewed by healthcare providers when there is concern about possible misuse or diversion (stealing, selling, etc.) of medications

Accurate portfolio risk-return structure modelling

Markowitz's modem portfolio theory has played a vital role in investment portfolio management, which is constantly pushing the development on volatility models. Particularly, the stochastic volatility model which reveals the dynamics of conditional volatility. Financial time series and volatility models has become one of the hot spots in operations research. In this thesis, one of the areas we explore is the theoretical formulation of the optimal portfolio selection problem under Ito calculus framework. Particularly, a stochastic variation calculus problem, i.e., seeking the optimal stochastic volatility diffusion family for facilitating the best portfolio selection identified under the continuous-time stochastic optimal control theoretical settings. One of the properties this study examines is the left-shifting role of the GARCH(1, 1) (General Autoregressive Conditional Heteroskedastic) model's efficient frontier. This study considers many instances where the left shifting superior behaviour of the GARCH(1, 1) is observed. One such instance is when GARCH(1, 1) is compared within the volatility modelling extensions of the GARCH environ in a single index framework. This study will demonstrate the persistence of the superiority of the G ARCH ( 1, 1) frontier within a multiple and single index context of modem portfolio theory. Many portfolio optimization models are investigated, particularly the Markowitz model and the Sharpe Multiple and Single index models. Includes bibliographical references (p. 313-323)

Practice Note: Using Yoga for Emotional Regulation in Intermediate School Teenagers

Background: This paper examines techniques used in yoga, including breathing techniques, various forms of meditation and physical postures that can impact youth diagnosed with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) learning to regulate their emotions to enhance their academic performance. Methods: The intervention was administered to teens at an intermediate public school for six weeks. Seventeen participants were chosen by mental health counselors and worked together with a yoga facilitator to better serve teens struggling with emotional regulation. Results: Pre- and post-tests show that meditation was the overall preferred technique chosen by students as a method to aid with emotional regulation. The intervention proved to be a step in the right direction. Conclusion: Moving forward in assisting students labeled with emotional and behavioral disorders including ADHD and ODD, it is imperative for educators and caregivers to be educated in childhood experiences as the leading cause of EBD. Simple techniques can have a great impact in helping them heal and live more fulfilling lives