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Leveraging activation and optimisation layers as dynamic strategies in the multi-task fuzzing scheme
No full textFuzzing is a common technique for identifying vulnerabilities in software. Recent approaches, like She et al.’s Multi-Task Fuzzing (MTFuzz), use neural networks to improve fuzzing efficiency. However, key elements like network architecture and hyperparameter tuning are still not well-explored. Factors like activation layers, optimisation function design, and vanishing gradient strategies can significantly impact fuzzing results by improving test case selection. This paper delves into these aspects to improve neural network-driven fuzz testing. We focus on three key neural network parameters to improve fuzz testing: the Leaky Rectified Linear Unit (LReLU) activation, Nesterov-accelerated Adaptive Moment Estimation (Nadam) optimisation, and sensitivity analysis. LReLU adds non-linearity, aiding feature extraction, while Nadam helps to improve weight updates by considering both current and future gradient directions. Sensitivity analysis optimises layer selection for gradient calculation, enhancing fuzzing efficiency. Based on these insights, we propose LMTFuzz, a novel fuzzing scheme optimised for these Machine Learning (ML) strategies. We explore the individual and combined effects of LReLU, Nadam, and sensitivity analysis, as well as their hybrid configurations, across six different software targets. Experimental results demonstrate that LReLU, individually or when paired with sensitivity analysis, significantly enhances fuzz testing performance. However, when combined with Nadam, LReLU shows improvement on some targets, though less pronounced than its combination with sensitivity analysis. This combination improves accuracy, reduces loss, and increases edge coverage, with improvements of up to 23.8%. Furthermore, it leads to a significant increase in unique bug detection, with some targets detecting up to 2.66 times more bugs than baseline methods
The state and the labour process: Bureaucratic flexibility and constrained autonomy in the Indian information technology industry
No full textABSTRACTThis paper examines the connections between state regulation and the labour process, an underdeveloped area within labour process analysis. It explores the interaction between state employment regulation and bureaucratic control mechanisms in the Indian Information Technology (IT) industry to understand whether and how state regulation affects work organisation, focusing especially on control elements related to discipline, grievance redressal and dismissals. The findings reveal not only how state regulation constrain the individualisation and flexibilisation of managerial controls, but also how employers attempt to circumvent them. Based on the findings, the paper argues that the labour process could be better understood as being organised with a constrained autonomy, rather than a relative autonomy that is attributed to it
Data note on the Avian Contact Study: A questionnaire resource for avian influenza public health planning
No full textThe Avian Contact Study is a cross-sectional questionnaire of poultry workers and other individuals who have contact with domestic and/or wild birds in the UK. The questionnaire was launched online in May 2024 and in-person responses were gathered at the British Pig and Poultry Fair in Birmingham on 15 and 16 May 2024. This Data Note documents questionnaire development, content and delivery methods. Data collected include information on demographics, seasonal influenza vaccination, avian influenza exposure, contact with birds and people, and awareness of avian influenza. This Data Note provides insights into the first data release collected up to 31 July 2024 for 225 respondents. Data have been released as a University of Bristol held dataset available upon request. The Avian Contact Study provides a pilot resource for research into avian influenza from a zoonotic perspective. [Abstract copyright: Copyright: © 2025 Thomas AC et al.
Homes under the microscope: Results from a pilot community science approach to measure airborne microfibres in the home
Get PDFNon-natural airborne microfibres are an emerging concern in indoor air pollution, yet relatively little is known about their sources or concentrations. This is particularly relevant in home environments, where individuals spend significant amounts of time, but which are challenging for researchers to access at scale. Consequently, the concentration of indoor airborne microfibres remains poorly constrained. This paper presents results from the pilot phase of a participatory community (or citizen) science project, where participants collected airborne microfibres in their homes using simple, low-cost passive samplers consisting of Petri dishes lined with forensic tape. Microfibre deposition rates were then quantified through a combination of participant-contributed microscopy images and laboratory-based manual counting. The study found an average indoor microfibre deposition rate of 1,960 fibres m-2 day-1, with significant variability between homes (mean rates ranging from 570 to 4,534 fibres m-2 day-1). Among rooms sampled, bedrooms had the highest deposition rates (2,893 fibres m-2 day-1), followed by bathrooms (2,482 fibres m-2 day-1), with kitchens (1,225 fibres m-2 day-1) and living rooms (942 fibres m-2 day-1) showing lower rates. This study demonstrates a scalable, community-driven method for measuring indoor microfibres in the built environment
Perspectives and Practices of Education for Sustainable Development. A critical guide for higher education
No full textInformed by theory and full of practical advice, this key title offers a clear route to education for sustainable development (ESD) whilst questioning how we reconcile participatory, inclusive processes and the urgency of global crises.This handbook provides guidance for those with an interest in the purpose and direction of learning and the principles and practices of sustainability in universities in the UK and beyond. With critical analysis and useful case studies and recommendations, the book covers key topics such as:The need for sustainable development and the role that universities can play in thisShowing how ESD should be part of a whole institution approachDevelopment of relevant curricula with innovative and inspiring pedagogies to support sustainability competenciesTransdisciplinary learning and pioneering forms of knowledge productionGraduate futures and emerging priorities in the field of ESDThrough detailed case studies from experts in the field, this book demonstrates how ESD enables a critical interrogation of our world and strengthens the capacities of our universities to nurture future thinking leaders.This is essential reading for all those interested in beginning or widening ESD in programmes, universities and the wider sector, including academic staff, university senior managers and support staff, students, policy makers, employers, and community leaders
The effect of epoxy and nanomaterial filling on honeycomb core strength: Experimental and numerical studies
No full textHoneycomb structures exhibit considerable resistance to compressive forces due to their geometric configuration. The existence of hollow cells leads to structural deficiency, specifically, failure under localized compressive stresses, causing the structure to be unable to endure substantial compressive forces. A solution to this problem is to fill the empty cells with reinforcing materials. This research involved initially filling the cells with epoxy resin and then evaluating the structure by numerical and experimental methods. This structure can withstand approximately 280 kilonewtons of stress and absorb 700 J of energy before its initial failure. The data obtained from the experimental test have been confirmed using numerical analysis. The significance of the findings was further illustrated by evaluating the structure by finite element methods over various cell configurations, with results compared across them. In the next phase of the investigation, to further expand the field of research, the cells were filled with epoxy resin-containing clay nanoparticles, and the structure was analyzed using experimental approaches
How can we move from cold spots to hot spots? Learning from current practices which nurture languages education in the four nations of the United Kingdom
Get PDFIn this opinion piece, Jo Biddle and Jane Andrews consider a small set of examples of close-to-practice research from the four nations of the UK to learn from initiatives which have potential to be transferred into new contexts. Our focus on existing practices seeks to support the move from language education cold spots to hot spots
Routledge Handbook of Arts and Health
No full textThis comprehensive Handbook defines, surveys, and critiques the burgeoning discipline of arts and health. It brings together the growing evidence base and discusses policy and practice from around the world. Divided into five sections, the Handbook introduces the discipline of the arts and health, explains its importance, and critically examines historical developments, current practice, research, theory, and policy.The first section looks at contemporary approaches to the arts and health, including considerations from global perspectives, with discussion of relevant models and frameworks for conceptualising it. The second section provides an overview of the main methods, applications, evidence base, and active ingredients of individual domains of art, such as the performing arts, creative writing, and the visual arts. The third section highlights how the arts are used to help with specific health needs and with specific populations, providing a more detailed overview of research and practice in key areas, such as adult mental health, and working with children and young people. In the fourth section, consideration is given to how the arts can be used and integrated with specific health professions, such as within public health interventions, forensic settings, psychiatry, schools, hospitals and occupational therapy. The fifth section explores established and emerging theoretical perspectives, debates, and models for understanding the impact of the arts for health, including epidemiological, biological, social, ethical and critical perspectives. The Handbook ends with a discussion of trends, complexities, and future directions in the field.A comprehensive overview of burgeoning research and scholarship in the arts and health, this Handbook is an essential reference for all advanced students, scholars, and practitioners from a wide range of related backgrounds, including the health professions, psychology, education, and the medical humanities
Regional concentrations of heavy metals in surface soils and risk of body pain in elderly residential population: A national cohort study in China
Get PDFBackground: The accumulation of heavy metals in surface soil raises significant environmental and public health concerns around the world. This study aimed to examine the relationship between exposure to heavy metals in surface soil and the risk of pain among residents. Methods: Using national data on eight heavy metals (arsenic, cadmium, chromium, copper, lead, mercury, nickel and zinc) in China's surface soil and a population cohort from 2011 to 2018, we analyzed pain occurrences in various body locations. Logistic regression models were used to assess the association between exposure to heavy metal in soil and pain, as adjusting for gender, age, education level, body mass index, living region, and lifestyle. The study included 13,178 individuals. Results: Higher exposure to soil arsenic was found to be associated with increased risk of shoulders [adjusted odds ratio (99.99% CI), 1.49 (1.01, 2.19)], wrists [1.68 (1.06, 2.64)] and ankles pain [1.58 (1.01, 2.50)]. No association was found between the remaining seven heavy metals and different types of body pain. Conclusion: Our results indicate that higher soil arsenic exposure is associated with an increased risk of pain in specific body regions. This study is the first examining the associations between multiple heavy metals in surface soil and the risks of pain in different body sites. Our findings provide new insights into the health risks of soil heavy metal exposure
NO more hiding: Whole-plant live imaging of nitric oxide reveals systemic signalling
Get PDFThis article is a Commentary on Mohanty et al. (2025), 247: 2473–2483. DOI: 10.1111/nph.70094