scholarly journals A systematic analysis of the science of sandboxing

2016 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
pp. e43 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Maass ◽  
Adam Sales ◽  
Benjamin Chung ◽  
Joshua Sunshine
Keyword(s):  
Building Materials ◽  
Ad Hoc ◽  
Qualitative Content Analysis ◽  
Software Systems ◽  
Policy Enforcement ◽  
Barriers To Advancement ◽  
Systematic Analysis ◽  
Development Lifecycle ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Secure Software

Sandboxes are increasingly important building materials for secure software systems. In recognition of their potential to improve the security posture of many systems at various points in the development lifecycle, researchers have spent the last several decades developing, improving, and evaluating sandboxing techniques. What has been done in this space? Where are the barriers to advancement? What are the gaps in these efforts? We systematically analyze a decade of sandbox research from five top-tier security and systems conferences using qualitative content analysis, statistical clustering, and graph-based metrics to answer these questions and more. We find that the term “sandbox” currently has no widely accepted or acceptable definition. We use our broad scope to propose the first concise and comprehensive definition for “sandbox” that consistently encompasses research sandboxes. We learn that the sandboxing landscape covers a range of deployment options and policy enforcement techniques collectively capable of defending diverse sets of components while mitigating a wide range of vulnerabilities. Researchers consistently make security, performance, and applicability claims about their sandboxes and tend to narrowly define the claims to ensure they can be evaluated. Those claims are validated using multi-faceted strategies spanning proof, analytical analysis, benchmark suites, case studies, and argumentation. However, we find two cases for improvement: (1) the arguments researchers present are oftenad hocand (2) sandbox usability is mostly uncharted territory. We propose ways to structure arguments to ensure they fully support their corresponding claims and suggest lightweight means of evaluating sandbox usability.

scholarly journals Understanding the crisis in harm reduction funding in Central and Eastern Europe

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Michal Miovský ◽  
Silvia Miklíková ◽  
Viktor Mravčík ◽  
Jean-Paul Grund ◽  
Tereza Černíková
Keyword(s):  
Harm Reduction ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Ad Hoc ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Qualitative Content Analysis ◽  
Grey Literature ◽  
Economic Transformation ◽  
The Body ◽  
Institution Building ◽  
Wide Range

Abstract Background The harm reduction (HR) approach to injecting drug use was rapidly adopted in Central Europe following the fall of the Iron Curtain. The associated social and economic transformation had significant consequences for drug policies in the region. A large number of emerging services have been dependent on funding from a wide range of national and/or local funding programmes, which continue to be unstable, and closely associated with political decisions and insufficient institution building. A sharp distinction is made between health and social services, often without regard to client input. The main objective of the paper is to identify the causes of the funding problems currently faced by HR services in the context of their history of institution building which represents a major threat to the future of HR services in the region. Methods Qualitative content analysis of documents was conducted in the development of two case studies of the Czech and Slovak Republics. The body of documentation under study comprised policy documents, including National Drug Strategies, Action Plans, ministerial documents, and official budgets and financial schedules, as well as documents from the grey literature and expert opinions. Results The insufficient investments in finalising the process of the institution building of HR services have resulted in a direct threat to their sustainability. An unbalanced inclination to the institutionalisation of HR within the domain of social services has led to a misperception of their integrity, as well as to their funding and long-term sustainability being endangered. In addition, this tendency has had a negative impact on the process of the institutionalisation of HR within the system of healthcare. Conclusion The case study revealed a lack of systemic grounding of HR services as interdisciplinary health-social services. The aftermath of the financial crisis in 2008 fully revealed the limitations of the funding system established ad hoc in the 1990s, which remains present until today, together with all its weak points. The entire situation is responsible for the dangerous erosion of the interpretation of the concept of harm reduction, which is supported by various stereotypes and false, or ideological, interpretations of the concept.

scholarly journals Software Development Initiatives to Identify and Mitigate Security Threats - Two Systematic Mapping Studies

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paulina Silva ◽  
René Noël ◽  
Santiago Matalonga ◽  
Hernán Astudillo ◽  
Diego Gatica ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Software Development ◽  
Software Security ◽  
The Other ◽  
Software Systems ◽  
Security Threats ◽  
Controlled Experiments ◽  
Systematic Mapping ◽  
Development Lifecycle ◽  
Secure Software ◽  
Software Development Lifecycle

Software Security and development experts have addressed the problem of building secure software systems. There are several processes and initiatives to achieve secure software systems. However, most of these lack empirical evidence of its application and impact in building secure software systems. Two systematic mapping studies (SM) have been conducted to cover the existent initiatives for identification and mitigation of security threats. The SMs created were executed in two steps, first in 2015 July, and complemented through a backward snowballing in 2016 July. Integrated results of these two SM studies show a total of 30 relevant sources were identified; 17 different initiatives covering threats identification and 14 covering the mitigation of threats were found. All the initiatives were associated to at least one activity of the Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC); while 6 showed signs of being applied in industrial settings, only 3 initiatives presented experimental evidence of its results through controlled experiments, some of the other selected studies presented case studies or proposals.

scholarly journals Understanding the Crisis in Harm Reduction Funding in Central and Eastern Europe

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michal Miovský ◽  
Silvia Miklíková ◽  
Viktor Mravčík ◽  
Jean-Paul Grund ◽  
Tereza Černíková
Keyword(s):  
Harm Reduction ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Ad Hoc ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Qualitative Content Analysis ◽  
Grey Literature ◽  
The Body ◽  
Institution Building ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Drug Policies

Abstract BACKGROUND: The harm reduction (HR) approach to injecting drug use was rapidly adopted in Central Europe following the fall of the Iron Curtain. The associated social and economic transformationhad significant consequences for drug policies in the region. A large number of the emerging services have been dependent on funding from a wide range of national and/or local funding programmes, which continue to be unstable,and closelyassociated with political decisions and insufficient institution building. A sharp distinction is made between health and social services, often without regard to client input.The main objectiveof the paper is to identify the causes of the funding problems currently faced by HR services in the context of their history of institution buildingwhich represents a major threatto the future of HR services in the region. METHODS: Qualitative content analysis of documents was conducted in the development of two case studies of the Czech and Slovak Republics. The body of documentation under study comprised policy documents, including National Drug Strategies, Action Plans, ministerial documents, and official budgets and financial schedules, as well as documents from the grey literature and expert opinions.RESULTS: The insufficient investments in finalising the process of the institution building of HR services has resulted in a direct threat to their sustainability. An unbalanced inclination to the institutionalisation of HR within the domain of social services has led to a misperception of their integrity, as well as to their funding and long-term sustainability being endangered. In addition, this tendency has had a negative impact on the process of the institutionalisation of HR within the system of healthcare. CONCLUSION:The case study revealed a lack of systemic grounding of HR services as interdisciplinary health-social services. The aftermath of the financial crisis in 2008 fully revealed the limitations of the funding system established ad hoc in the 1990s,which remains present until today, togetherwith all its weak points. The entire situation is responsible for the dangerous erosion of the interpretation of the concept of harm reduction, which is supported by various stereotypes and false, or ideological, interpretations of the concept.

Recycling and Reuse in the Roman Economy

2020 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Building Materials ◽  
Computational Modelling ◽  
Late Antique ◽  
Roman Economy ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Status ◽  
Recent Developments ◽  
Methodological Approaches ◽  
First Time ◽  
Site Types

The recycling and reuse of materials and objects were extensive in the past, but have rarely been embedded into models of the economy; even more rarely has any attempt been made to assess the scale of these practices. Recent developments, including the use of large datasets, computational modelling, and high-resolution analytical chemistry, are increasingly offering the means to reconstruct recycling and reuse, and even to approach the thorny matter of quantification. Growing scholarly interest in the topic has also led to an increasing recognition of these practices from those employing more traditional methodological approaches, which are sometimes coupled with innovative archaeological theory. Thanks to these efforts, it has been possible for the first time in this volume to draw together archaeological case studies on the recycling and reuse of a wide range of materials, from papyri and textiles, to amphorae, metals and glass, building materials and statuary. Recycling and reuse occur at a range of site types, and often in contexts which cross-cut material categories, or move from one object category to another. The volume focuses principally on the Roman Imperial and late antique world, over a broad geographical span ranging from Britain to North Africa and the East Mediterranean. Last, but not least, the volume is unique in focusing upon these activities as a part of the status quo, and not just as a response to crisis.

scholarly journals Recent Advances in Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Forest Remote Sensing—A Systematic Review. Part I: A General Framework

Forests ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 327 ◽  
Author(s):  
Riccardo Dainelli ◽  
Piero Toscano ◽  
Salvatore Filippo Di Gennaro ◽  
Alessandro Matese
Keyword(s):  
Remote Sensing ◽  
Unmanned Aerial Vehicle ◽  
Relevant Information ◽  
Forest Monitoring ◽  
Machine Learning Techniques ◽  
Planted Forests ◽  
Systematic Analysis ◽  
Aerial Photogrammetry ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Aerial Vehicle

Natural, semi-natural, and planted forests are a key asset worldwide, providing a broad range of positive externalities. For sustainable forest planning and management, remote sensing (RS) platforms are rapidly going mainstream. In a framework where scientific production is growing exponentially, a systematic analysis of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)-based forestry research papers is of paramount importance to understand trends, overlaps and gaps. The present review is organized into two parts (Part I and Part II). Part II inspects specific technical issues regarding the application of UAV-RS in forestry, together with the pros and cons of different UAV solutions and activities where additional effort is needed, such as the technology transfer. Part I systematically analyzes and discusses general aspects of applying UAV in natural, semi-natural and artificial forestry ecosystems in the recent peer-reviewed literature (2018–mid-2020). The specific goals are threefold: (i) create a carefully selected bibliographic dataset that other researchers can draw on for their scientific works; (ii) analyze general and recent trends in RS forest monitoring (iii) reveal gaps in the general research framework where an additional activity is needed. Through double-step filtering of research items found in the Web of Science search engine, the study gathers and analyzes a comprehensive dataset (226 articles). Papers have been categorized into six main topics, and the relevant information has been subsequently extracted. The strong points emerging from this study concern the wide range of topics in the forestry sector and in particular the retrieval of tree inventory parameters often through Digital Aerial Photogrammetry (DAP), RGB sensors, and machine learning techniques. Nevertheless, challenges still exist regarding the promotion of UAV-RS in specific parts of the world, mostly in the tropical and equatorial forests. Much additional research is required for the full exploitation of hyperspectral sensors and for planning long-term monitoring.

scholarly journals Characterization of a Novel CaCO3-Forming Alkali-Tolerant Rhodococcus erythreus S26 as a Filling Agent for Repairing Concrete Cracks

Molecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (10) ◽  
pp. 2967
Author(s):  
Seunghoon Choi ◽  
Sungjin Park ◽  
Minjoo Park ◽  
Yerin Kim ◽  
Kwang Min Lee ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Building Materials ◽  
Culture Fluid ◽  
Natural Phenomenon ◽  
Environment Friendly ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Filling Agent ◽  
Calcium Source ◽  
Alkali Tolerance ◽  
High Alkali

Biomineralization, a well-known natural phenomenon associated with various microbial species, is being studied to protect and strengthen building materials such as concrete. We characterized Rhodococcus erythreus S26, a novel urease-producing bacterium exhibiting CaCO3-forming activity, and investigated its ability in repairing concrete cracks for the development of environment-friendly sealants. Strain S26 grown in solid medium formed spherical and polygonal CaCO3 crystals. The S26 cells grown in a urea-containing liquid medium caused culture fluid alkalinization and increased CaCO3 levels, indicating that ureolysis was responsible for CaCO3 formation. Urease activity and CaCO3 formation increased with incubation time, reaching a maximum of 2054 U/min/mL and 3.83 g/L, respectively, at day four. The maximum CaCO3 formation was achieved when calcium lactate was used as the calcium source, followed by calcium gluconate. Although cell growth was observed after the induction period at pH 10.5, strain S26 could grow at a wide range of pH 4–10.5, showing its high alkali tolerance. FESEM showed rhombohedral crystals of 20–60 µm in size. EDX analysis indicated the presence of calcium, carbon, and oxygen in the crystals. XRD confirmed these crystals as CaCO3 containing calcite and vaterite. Furthermore, R. erythreus S26 successfully repaired the artificially induced large cracks of 0.4–0.6 mm width.

scholarly journals 6-Axis Stress Tensor Sensor Using Multifaceted Silicon Piezoresistors

Micromachines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 279
Author(s):  
Kentaro Noda ◽  
Jian Sun ◽  
Isao Shimoyama
Keyword(s):  
Stress Tensor ◽  
Elastic Body ◽  
Building Materials ◽  
Sensor Response ◽  
Stress Change ◽  
Sensor Chip ◽  
Naked Eye ◽  
Highly Sensitive ◽  
Wide Range

A tensor sensor can be used to measure deformations in an object that are not visible to the naked eye by detecting the stress change inside the object. Such sensors have a wide range of application. For example, a tensor sensor can be used to predict fatigue in building materials by detecting the stress change inside the materials, thereby preventing accidents. In this case, a sensor of small size that can measure all nine components of the tensor is required. In this study, a tensor sensor consisting of highly sensitive piezoresistive beams and a cantilever to measure all of the tensor components was developed using MEMS processes. The designed sensor had dimensions of 2.0 mm by 2.0 mm by 0.3 mm (length by width by thickness). The sensor chip was embedded in a 15 mm3 cubic polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) (polydimethylsiloxane) elastic body and then calibrated to verify the sensor response to the stress tensor. We demonstrated that 6-axis normal and shear Cauchy stresses with 5 kPa in magnitudes can be measured by using the fabricated sensor.

scholarly journals Modelling Software Architecture for Visual Simultaneous Localization and Mapping

Automation ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 48-61
Author(s):  
Bhavyansh Mishra ◽  
Robert Griffin ◽  
Hakki Erhan Sevil
Keyword(s):  
System Integration ◽  
Ad Hoc ◽  
Simultaneous Localization And Mapping ◽  
Software Systems ◽  
Model Driven ◽  
Performance Improvements ◽  
Software Model ◽  
Localization And Mapping ◽  
Stereo Cameras ◽  
Core Components

Visual simultaneous localization and mapping (VSLAM) is an essential technique used in areas such as robotics and augmented reality for pose estimation and 3D mapping. Research on VSLAM using both monocular and stereo cameras has grown significantly over the last two decades. There is, therefore, a need for emphasis on a comprehensive review of the evolving architecture of such algorithms in the literature. Although VSLAM algorithm pipelines share similar mathematical backbones, their implementations are individualized and the ad hoc nature of the interfacing between different modules of VSLAM pipelines complicates code reuseability and maintenance. This paper presents a software model for core components of VSLAM implementations and interfaces that govern data flow between them while also attempting to preserve the elements that offer performance improvements over the evolution of VSLAM architectures. The framework presented in this paper employs principles from model-driven engineering (MDE), which are used extensively in the development of large and complicated software systems. The presented VSLAM framework will assist researchers in improving the performance of individual modules of VSLAM while not having to spend time on system integration of those modules into VSLAM pipelines.

scholarly journals Human Plasma and Recombinant Hemopexins: Heme Binding Revisited

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 1199
Author(s):  
Elena Karnaukhova ◽  
Catherine Owczarek ◽  
Peter Schmidt ◽  
Dominik J. Schaer ◽  
Paul W. Buehler
Keyword(s):  
Protein S ◽  
Soret Band ◽  
Cell System ◽  
Size Exclusion ◽  
Heme Binding ◽  
Systematic Analysis ◽  
Molar Ratios ◽  
Recombinant Production ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Exclusion Chromatography

Plasma hemopexin (HPX) is the key antioxidant protein of the endogenous clearance pathway that limits the deleterious effects of heme released from hemoglobin and myoglobin (the term “heme” is used in this article to denote both the ferrous and ferric forms). During intra-vascular hemolysis, heme partitioning to protein and lipid increases as the plasma concentration of HPX declines. Therefore, the development of HPX as a replacement therapy during high heme stress could be a relevant intervention for hemolytic disorders. A logical approach to enhance HPX yield involves recombinant production strategies from human cell lines. The present study focuses on a biophysical assessment of heme binding to recombinant human HPX (rhHPX) produced in the Expi293FTM (HEK293) cell system. In this report, we examine rhHPX in comparison with plasma HPX using a systematic analysis of protein structural and functional characteristics related to heme binding. Analysis of rhHPX by UV/Vis absorption spectroscopy, circular dichroism (CD), size-exclusion chromatography (SEC)-HPLC, and catalase-like activity demonstrated a similarity to HPX fractionated from plasma. In particular, the titration of HPX apo-protein(s) with heme was performed for the first time using a wide range of heme concentrations to model HPX–heme interactions to approximate physiological conditions (from extremely low to more than two-fold heme molar excess over the protein). The CD titration data showed an induced bisignate CD Soret band pattern typical for plasma and rhHPX versions at low heme-to-protein molar ratios and demonstrated that further titration is dependent on the amount of protein-bound heme to the extent that the arising opposite CD couplet results in a complete inversion of the observed CD pattern. The data generated in this study suggest more than one binding site in both plasma and rhHPX. Furthermore, our study provides a useful analytical platform for the detailed characterization of HPX–heme interactions and potentially novel HPX fusion constructs.

scholarly journals The Cryptographic Complexity of Anonymous Coins: A Systematic Exploration

Cryptography ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 10
Author(s):  
Niluka Amarasinghe ◽  
Xavier Boyen ◽  
Matthew McKague
Keyword(s):  
Ad Hoc ◽  
Significant Rise ◽  
Security Models ◽  
Systematic Exploration ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Distributed Transaction ◽  
Common Framework

The modern financial world has seen a significant rise in the use of cryptocurrencies in recent years, partly due to the convincing lure of anonymity promised by these schemes. Bitcoin, despite being considered as the most widespread among all, is claimed to have significant lapses in relation to its anonymity. Unfortunately, studies have shown that many cryptocurrency transactions can be traced back to their corresponding participants through the analysis of publicly available data, to which the cryptographic community has responded by proposing new constructions with improved anonymity claims. Nevertheless, the absence of a common metric for evaluating the level of anonymity achieved by these schemes has led to numerous disparate ad hoc anonymity definitions, making comparisons difficult. The multitude of these notions also hints at the surprising complexity of the overall anonymity landscape. In this study, we introduce such a common framework to evaluate the nature and extent of anonymity in (crypto) currencies and distributed transaction systems, thereby enabling one to make meaningful comparisons irrespective of their implementation. Accordingly, our work lays the foundation for formalizing security models and terminology across a wide range of anonymity notions referenced in the literature, while showing how “anonymity” itself is a surprisingly nuanced concept, as opposed to existing claims that are drawn upon at a higher level, thus missing out on the elemental factors underpinning anonymity.

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