Cost benefits of using machine learning features in NIDS for cyber security in UK small medium enterprises (SME)

Cyber security has made an impact and has challenged Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in their approaches towards how they protect and secure data. With an increase in more wired and wireless connections and devices on SME networks, unpredictable malicious activities and interruptions have risen. Finding the harmony between the advancement of technology and costs has always been a balancing act particularly in convincing the finance directors of these SMEs to invest in capital towards their IT infrastructure. This paper looks at various devices that currently are in the market to detect intrusions and look at how these devices handle prevention strategies for SMEs in their working environment both at home and in the office, in terms of their credibility in handling zero-day attacks against the costs of achieving so. The experiment was set up during the 2020 pandemic referred to as COVID-19 when the world experienced an unprecedented event of large scale. The operational working environment of SMEs reflected the context when the UK went into lockdown. Pre-pandemic would have seen this experiment take full control within an operational office environment; however, COVID-19 times has pushed us into a corner to evaluate every aspect of cybersecurity from the office and keeping the data safe within the home environment. The devices chosen for this experiment were OpenSource such as SNORT and pfSense to detect activities within the home environment, and Cisco, a commercial device, set up within an SME network. All three devices operated in a live environment within the SME network structure with employees being both at home and in the office. All three devices were observed from the rules they displayed, their costs and machine learning techniques integrated within them. The results revealed these aspects to be important in how they identified zero-day attacks. The findings showed that OpenSource devices whilst free to download, required a high level of expertise in personnel to implement and embed machine learning rules into the business solution even for staff working from home. However, when using Cisco, the price reflected the buy-in into this expertise and Cisco’s mainframe network, to give up-to-date information on cyber-attacks. The requirements of the UK General Data Protection Regulations Act (GDPR) were also acknowledged as part of the broader framework of the study. Machine learning techniques such as anomaly-based intrusions did show better detection through a commercially subscription-based model for support from Cisco compared to that of the OpenSource model which required internal expertise in machine learning. A cost model was used to compare the outcome of SMEs’ decision making, in getting the right framework in place in securing their data. In conclusion, finding a balance between IT expertise and costs of products that are able to help SMEs protect and secure their data will benefit the SMEs from using a more intelligent controlled environment with applied machine learning techniques, and not compromising on costs.</p

Adoption of cloud services in central banks : hindering factors and the recommendations for way forward

Current research on cloud computing often focuses on the technology itself and the benefits that one company can use and choose from cloud services. Most of the research has focused on mainstream enterprises and limited regard to Central Banks' (CBs') Cloud Computing Adoption (CCA). CBs are continually exploring opportunities to enhance IT efficacy while minimizing expenditures and ensuring data protection and network security. This paper investigates the factors affecting the CBs' CCA by surveying 40 CBs representing approximately 25% of total CBs worldwide. The main participants were senior IT managers who are responsible for any IT decisions in CBs. The findings are also significant for other organizations or businesses where data privacy is crucial. The study results indicate that CBs are still reluctant to migrate to the public cloud. Influential factors preventing CCA are data protection, privacy, and risks.peer-reviewe

Games technology: console architectures, game engines and invisible interaction

This presentation will look at three core developments in games technology. First we will look at the architectural foundations on which the consoles are built to deliver games performance. Millions of consoles are sold and the console performance is improving in parallel. Next we look at the cutting edge features available in game engines. Middleware software, namely game engines, help developers build games with rich features and also simultaneously harness the power of the game consoles to satisfy gamers. The third part focuses on Invisible Game Interaction. The Nintendo Wii games console was an instant success because of the Wiimote. Old and young alike embraced it. The Microsoft Kinect pushed the boundary even further, where the interaction device is slowly becoming invisible and the human body becomes the interface. Finally, we look at novel research developments that go beyond current game interaction devices

Mild and selective catalytic oxidation of organic substrates by a carbon nanotube-rhodium nanohybrid

International audienceA heterogeneous catalyst was assembled by stabilization of rhodium nanoparticles on carbon nanotubes. The nanohybrid was used for the catalytic aerobic oxidation of diverse substrates such as hydroquinones, hydroxylamines, silanes, hydrazines and thiols, at room temperature. The system proved very efficient on the investigated substrates and demonstrated high selectivity. The selective oxidation of organic compounds under mild conditions is of practical importance in synthetic chemistry. In addition to classical stoichiometric processes, catalytic systems have been devised to perform oxidation reactions. 1 Further improvements in terms of sustainability were also achieved by supporting the catalysts, thus allowing their reclaim and reuse. 2 Among the various catalyst supports, nanostructured carbon allotropes, in particular carbon nanotubes (CNTs), have emerged as highly promising platforms that provide unique advantages such as chemical, thermal, and mechanical stability in liquid media, inertness, high specific surface area, and chemically tunable topography. 3 We previously reported supramolecular assemblies of metallic nanoparticles (e.g. Au, Pd, Ru) on carbon nanotubes. These assemblies afforded metal-coated CNTs that were subsequently used in the heterogeneous catal-ysis of various organic transformations. 4 In the course of our investigations we demonstrated that CNTs acted as synergistic support capable of enhancing the performances of the catalytic metal. With these critical features in mind, we sought to expand the scope of our nanohybrid systems by developing a catalyst that would promote a broad scope of oxidation reactions under mild and sustainable conditions

PotteryVR: virtual reality pottery

Handcrafting ceramic pottery in the traditional method or virtual reality (VR) with intricate surface details is still challenging for the ceramic and graphic artist. Free-form pottery modeling can be efficiently geometrically modeled with the right tools with detailed 3D print outputs, yet challenging to be manufactured using traditional art. The new advanced pottery VR simulation is a promising method to recreate the traditional pottery simulation for a better experience with some barriers. The challenges that arise from surface detail in pottery are a tedious task accomplished by mesh blending and retopology. This paper focuses on refining the VP application’s performance by adding unique sound resonance as a more likely infinite geometric phenomenon textures, blending it into the basic shapes. This paper combines creativity and visual computing technologies such as VR, mesh blending, fixing errors, and 3D printing to bring the ceramic artist’s imagination to life. We have used sound resonance with virtual pottery (VP) systems refinements to demonstrate several standard pottery methods from free form deformed pottery, retopology, mesh blended for surface details, and 3D printed pottery with materials including polymer and ceramic resins

Chladni plate visualisation

The creation of images made out of sound is an ancient discovery from many civilisations, called Cymatics. Cymatics can be referred to as the science of visualising audio frequencies through the Chladni plate. Over the past several years, many scientists, artists and designers have tried to visually and physically represent sound. Physicalising sound was through using liquids and particles as a medium with sound energy to deform and reform the medium aesthetically, creating a unique texture. In the visual arts of computer graphics, the texture is the perceived surface quality showing details of the surface model and colour. The use of texture in computer graphics for modelling and gaming industries is still growing, opening new possibilities for new complex textures yet simple to apply. The paper explores methods of integrating art and science, showing the practices of contemporary Chladni visualisation from an artist’s perspective in 3D modelling. The paper also introduces the technique of using computer graphics to compare procedural textures with Chladni’s plate representing visual aspects of our novel approach

Detection and Minimization of Malware by Implementing AI in SMEs

The malware can threaten personal privacy by opening backdoors for attackers to access user passwords, IP addresses, banking information, and other personal data, whilst some malware extracts personal data and sends them to people unknown to the users. In this chapter, the authors will present recent case studies and discuss the privacy and security threats associated with different types of malwares. The small medium enterprises (SMEs) have a unique working model forming the backbone of the UK economy and malware affects SMEs’ organizations. Also, the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) as both an offense and defense mechanism, for the hacker, and the end user will be investigated further. In conclusion, finding a balance between IT expertise and the costs of products that are able to help SMEs protect and secure their data will benefit the SMEs by using a more intelligent controlled environment with applied machine learning techniques and not compromising on costs will be discussed

Enteral Multiple Micronutrient Supplementation in Preterm and Low Birth Weight Infants: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

OBJECTIVES To assess effects of supplementation with 3 or more micronutrients (multiple micronutrients; MMN) compared to no MMN in human milk-fed preterm and low birth weight (LBW) infants. RESULTS Data on a subgroup of 414 preterm or LBW infants from 2 randomized controlled trials (4 reports) were included. The certainty of evidence ranged from low to very low. For growth outcomes in the MMN compared to the non-MMN group, there was a small increase in weight-for-age (2 trials, 383 participants) and height-for-age z-scores (2 trials, 372 participants); a small decrease in wasting (2 trials, 398 participants); small increases in stunting (2 trials, 399 participants); and an increase in underweight (2 trials, 396 participants). For neurodevelopment outcomes at 78 weeks, we found small increases in Bayley Scales of Infant Development, Version III (BISD-III), scores (cognition, receptive language, expressive language, fine motor, gross motor) in the MMN compared to the non-MMN group (1 trial, 27 participants). There were no studies examining dose or timing of supplementation. CONCLUSIONS Evidence is insufficient to determine whether enteral MMN supplementation to preterm or LBW infants who are fed mother's own milk is associated with benefit or harm. More trials are needed to generate evidence on mortality, morbidity, growth, and neurodevelopment.publishedVersio

Direct and co-catalytic oxidative aromatization of 1,4-dihydropyridines and related substrates using gold nanoparticles supported on carbon nanotubes

International audienceA heterogeneous catalyst was assembled by stabilization of gold nanoparticles on carbon nanotubes. The resulting nanohybrid was used in the catalytic aerobic oxidation of 1,4-dihydropyridines. The system proved very efficient on the investigated substrates either directly or in the presence of a quinone co-catalyst. Pyridines have found applications in various domains such as in the synthesis of drugs, 1 herbicides, 2 or insecticides. 3 In addition, the pyridine scaffold plays a central role in living systems since nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD + / NADH) and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADP + /NADPH) are key pyridine-incorporating co-factors involved in oxido-reduction processes. 4 Among the various methods developed for the synthesis of pyridine derivatives, 5 the oxidation of Hantzsch 1,4-dihydropyridines is likely one of the most straightforward approaches. The Hantzsch pyridine synthesis is a multi-component process which involves an aldehyde, two equivalents of a β-keto ester, and a nitrogen atom source. The initial condensation affords a dihydro-pyridine intermediate which can be oxidized, in a second step, into the corresponding pyridine. This reaction was reported for the first time in 1881 by Arthur Hantzsch. 6 Numerous reagents have been reported to promote the second step-oxidative aromatization reaction and include, for example , copper bromide, 7 ferric chloride, 8 palladium on carbon, 9 manganese dioxide, 10 and tert-butylhydroperoxide. 11 However, the oxidation of dihydropyridines is not always easy when substrates bear sensitive functional groups and there is still the quest for mild and general protocols. Also, some of the reported procedures lead to the formation of by-products which can be difficult to remove from the reaction mixture. Therefore, the development of milder, sustainable, and more effective methods for the oxidative aromatization of 1,4-dihydropyridines is sound. In the present article, we report the assembly and use of a recyclable CNT-supported gold catalyst for the selective and mild aerobic oxidation of 1,4-dihydropyridines (DHPs) and related substrates (Fig. 1). The CNT-gold catalyst was assembled using a layer-by-layer approach according to a previously reported procedure Fig. 1 Overview of the catalytic assembly and catalyzed oxidation process studied in the present work

‘Orientalism is a partisan book’: applying Edward Said's insights to early modern travel writing

Since its publication in 1978, Edward Said's Orientalism has had a significant impact on postcolonial studies in a range of fields. This paper assesses his impact on the historiography of Anglophone travel writing concerning Ottoman Empire during the early modern period. Said's analysis of the relationship between representational power and colonial authority remains relevant to our understanding of early modern travel texts. Said's epistemology raises significant issues for historians of early modern intercultural encounters. This article summarises recent debates surrounding early modern travel narratives. It contrasts doctrinaire applications of Said's theory with more recent, particularistic studies. It provides a much-needed survey of travel writing historiography that considers the continuing impact of Said's postcolonial thought on the study of early modern travel narratives relating to the Ottoman Middle East. In so doing, it explores the lack of fit between early modern travel narratives and Said's methodology. I explore the methodological problems thrown up by conventional applications of Said's epistemology to precolonial travellers' texts. Based on a wide-ranging survey of Said's oeuvre, the article demonstrates that, more than 30 years on, Said's work remains relevant to the historiographical challenges presented by early modern English travel writing about Islam