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Online detection of hardware Trojan enabled packet tampering attack on network-on-chip: A Bayesian approach
No full textHardware Trojans (HTs), proven difficult to be detected and removed at the offline post-silicon stage, can secretly launch dangerous packet tampering attacks on the network-on-chip (NoC) of a many-core chip. In this paper, we present an online HT detection scheme that is based on continuous, on-the-fly assessment of how likely any single node in the NoC includes an HT. In specific, the scheme first collects the routing path information of any data packet flowing through the NoC. The probability of a node being infected with HTs will next be determined based on each packet’s authentication result and this probability is iteratively updated through Bayesian analysis. A node shall be marked as a high-risk node, if its probability of infection exceeds a threshold, and all the high-risk nodes thus discovered will be bypassed by any future traffic. Since the proposed scheme only needs end-to-end authentication, as opposed to costly hop-to-hop authentication, the hardware overhead is kept low. To help further reduce the bandwidth and computation overheads, three approximate schemes are also proposed. Experiments have confirmed that the proposed HT detection methods can effectively locate the malicious nodes and thus reduce the infection rate to below 5%
Transformational space: group psychotherapy with young people experiencing gender-related distress
No full textThis qualitative research explores what group psychotherapy can offer adolescents experiencing gender-related distress (GRD). An exponential increase in young people seeking help for GRD over the last 15 years, amid legal challenge and public dispute about the ethics and efficacy of associated medical intervention, has focussed attention on what psychological therapies can contribute to an appropriate response. The Cass Review - commissioned to make recommendations on NHS care for this population - stated that ‘a much better understanding is needed’ about the increasing numbers presenting for help, ‘their support needs, and the full range of potential treatment options’ (Cass 2022, p.39). While the diverse and often complex antecedents and manifestations of adolescent GRD indicate no one model will fit all, this study aims to better understand what group psychotherapy can offer this cohort as one such option. It examines a provision informed by psychoanalytic, group analytic, mentalization-based and art therapy approaches that has been shaped through trial, error and collaborative endeavour with adolescents experiencing GRD in a community-based setting across this 15 year period of change. The data are transcripts of interviews with former group members. They are analysed using Braun & Clarke’s (2006, 2019) Reflexive Thematic Analysis method. Findings offer important insights into links between psychosocial experience, the development of GRD and the therapeutic needs of affected adolescents. Identified themes illustrate how key components of this therapy are utilised in practice, including benefits and challenges. Group factors, a balance between safety and challenge, freedom of expression supported by a range of routes for communication and connection, and an analytic, mentalizing framework are identified as key therapeutic features. Young people’s testimonies evidence the many ways in which this therapy has much to contribute to current discussion of what meaningful therapeutic support for this growing and under-served population could look like
Tech at the table: Managerial insights into workforce evolution in restaurants
Full text linkBy integrating the technology acceptance model (TAM) and technology-organisation-environment (TOE), this study explores the factors affecting UK restaurant managers’ intentions to adopt advanced technologies and how these intentions shape the future of the restaurant workforce. Drawing on a qualitative approach, the data collection involves semi-structured interviews and field observations to provide comprehensive insights. Thematic analysis was employed to extract key themes, uncovering factors across three dimensions: technological (usefulness, ease-of-use, cost), organisational (trust, employee engagement, readiness), and environmental (brand perception, competitive pressure, labour dynamics). The analysis led to three in-depth scenarios of the workforce future: (1) human-technology interaction (HTI), (2) tech-related joblessness (TJ), and (3) unemployment and job creation paradox (UJCP). Each scenario was explored thoroughly and individually, informing strategies for workforce management. This research enhances the TAM-TOE model by providing a comprehensive insight into managerial decision-making towards technology adoption. It also offers practical workforce solutions for policymakers, enabling them to address automation challenges while supporting sustainable employment practices
Normalisation of Wage and Benefit Theft in the Bangladeshi Garment Industry
No full textWage and benefit theft is a systemic feature of capitalist organisations, yet it remains critically under-theorised in sociology. Drawing on an in-depth case study of the Bangladeshi garment industry, this article identifies three interrelated mechanisms of wage and benefit theft—denial of the monthly attendance bonus, alternative calculations of maternity allowance and maintenance of two service books—normalised through the interplay of micro-level practices and macro-structural imperatives. This article makes two key contributions. First, it challenges discourses framing such theft as aberrant misconduct by deviant employers, exposing it instead as a routinised, industry-wide exploitation strategy. Second, it advances the theorisation of normalisation by showing how macro-structural conditions foster environments that embed exploitative micro-level practices with impunity. The systematic erosion of meso-level institutions under authoritarian regimes intensifies this normalisation. This article calls for collective resistance to empower trade unions and civil society in confronting the normalisation of wage and benefit theft
Application of genetic algorithms for malware obfuscation and static vulnerability analysis in Android environments
Full text linkAs digitisation grows, from social media to banking applications, malicious software (malware) threats have become increasingly problematic. A large proportion of malware is developed directly based on previous malware samples. This allows low-skilled developers to modify known malware and reap the benefits. This dissertation highlights how effective a standard programming paradigm, and a low-performance computer can be in evading modern antivirus systems, demonstrating that the security for mobile applications can be overcome without the need for high-performance computers. This dissertation aims to provide a standardised way to make Android application code unrecognisable/hide its characteristics (obfuscate), highlighting security vulnerabilities without the need for professional knowledge on the subject. Obfuscation can be used for legitimate purposes, such as protecting intellectual property and hiding sensitive information or vulnerabilities in software code; conversely, it has the illegitimate purpose of making malware more evasive. In this dissertation, a program was developed using a genetic algorithm combined with several preexisting tools and then tested using malicious Android applications. The contributions of this research are two-fold. Firstly, existing research was recreated using recent Android applications rather than pre-1995 DOS-era applications, making its insights relevant to current computer systems. Secondly, achieving this with standard computer resources (i.e., not a high-performance computer), as is typically used in related research, broadens the audience to which the results are applicable. Key findings from this research are that, with obfuscation methods built in the year 2020, a genetic algorithm can find sequences of obfuscation that can bypass antivirus systems in 2025. The program achieved this with only control and data flow manipulation-based obfuscation and produced good results with a population of five after twenty-one generations. This finding is significant because the methods used are not highly complex to implement, and in terms of computer technology, five years is a significant amount of time
Blood Flow Restriction Does Not Impair Ankle Proprioception in Healthy Male Adults
Full text linkBlood flow restriction (BFR) training has been widely used to enhance muscle strength and hypertrophy at low loads, yet its impact on proprioception, particularly ankle joint position sense (JPS), is not fully understood. This study assessed the effect of BFR on ankle proprioception in 30 healthy male subjects, who were randomly assigned to control (n = 10), sham (n = 10), and BFR (n = 10) groups. Joint position sense was evaluated using constant error (CE) and variable error (VE) during passive ankle plantarflexion before, during, and after the intervention. The BFR group underwent 80% arterial occlusion pressure, whereas the sham group received minimal pressure. Results indicated a significant effect of the group on CE (p = 0.016), with subjects in the control group overshooting the target angle more than those in the BFR group. However, no significant differences in CE were found between the BFR and sham groups (p > 0.05). Variable error showed a significant effect of time point (p = 0.048), but no interaction effect with the group was observed. These findings suggest that BFR does not impair ankle JPS accuracy or consistency in healthy males. These results provide evidence that BFR can be safely incorporated into rehabilitation or training contexts without compromising proprioception, making it a valuable option for populations that cannot engage in high-load resistance training. Future studies should expand on these findings by exploring varied populations and refining BFR protocols for optimal proprioceptive function
MeetSumAid: A Mobile Human-AI Collaborative Meeting Summarization System
Full text linkExisting AI-based meeting summarization tools have enabled rapid generation of meeting notes, yet their reliability and user controllability remain limited. This paper explores human-AI collaboration for mobile meeting summarization and presents MeetSumAid, a multifunctional system that integrates summarization algorithms with an interactive user interface. The system is designed to support users in understanding, validating, and refining AI-generated summaries through natural interactions and flexible control mechanisms. By enabling real-time inspection, editing, and feedback, MeetSumAid facilitates reliable collaboration between humans and AI in dynamic meeting scenarios. A user study with 20 participants shows that MeetSumAid significantly improves summary quality, generation efficiency, and user-perceived reliability compared with baseline AI summarizers, while reducing cognitive load. Further analysis reveals how different interface components enhance users' engagement and confidence during collaboration. This work provides a practical step toward reliable and user-centered human-AI collaboration in mobile meeting summarization and offers actionable design implications for future intelligent collaborative systems
Multi-Objective Genetic Programming-based Algorithmic Trading, using Directional Changes and a Modified Sharpe Ratio Score for Identifying Optimal Trading Strategies
Full text linkThis study explores the integration of directional changes (DC), genetic programming (GP), and multi-objective optimisation (MOO) to develop advanced algorithmic trading strategies. Directional changes offer a dynamic, event-based approach to market analysis, identifying significant price movements and trends. Genetic programming evolves trading rules to discover effective and profitable strategies. However, financial trading presents a multi-objective challenge, balancing conflicting objectives such as returns and risk. We propose a novel algorithmic trading framework, termed MOO3, which integrates genetic programming with the NSGA-II multi-objective optimisation algorithm to optimise three fitness functions: total return, expected rate of return, and risk. While the use of NSGA-II itself is well-established, our contribution lies in how we apply it within a trading context that combines (i) directional changes, (ii) genetic programming with both DC-based and physical-time indicators, and (iii) a modified Sharpe Ratio for post-optimisation strategy selection based on trader preferences. Utilising indicators from both paradigms allows the GP algorithm to create profitable trading strategies, while the multi-objective fitness function allows it to simultaneously optimise for risk. A definitive strategy is chosen from Pareto-optimal solutions using the modified Sharpe Ratio, allowing traders to prioritise multiple objectives. Our methodology is tested on 110 stock datasets from 10 international markets, aiming to demonstrate that the multi-objective framework can yield superior trading strategies with lower risk. Results indicate that the MOO3 algorithm consistently and significantly outperforms single-objective optimisation (SOO) methods, even when the same SOO criterion is employed for choosing a single, definitive investment strategy from the Pareto front
The exploration of parenting styles and psychosis: individuals with lived experience of psychosis/caregiver retrospective subjective experiences of parenting
Full text linkBackground: Psychosis is lived not only individually but within families, cultural contexts, and communities. Parenting practices, such as warmth, boundaries, communication, and responses to stress, shape how distress is understood, expressed, and managed over time. This thesis comprises a systematic review and a qualitative study examining how parenting experiences are interpreted by adults with lived experience of psychosis and caregivers, and how these relational contexts intersect with adversity, culture, and recovery. Aims: The research aimed to: (1) evaluate the quality and scope of evidence linking parenting features with psychosis-related outcomes; (2) explore how individuals with lived experience of psychosis and caregivers retrospectively describe parenting within family relationships; and (3) examine how broader emotional, cultural, and structural contexts shaped these experiences. Methods: A PRISMA-aligned systematic review with narrative synthesis appraised empirical studies using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT), with attention to design, measurement, and cultural context. The qualitative study used Reflexive Thematic Analysis (RTA) of semi-structured interviews with a UK-based purposive sample of adults with lived experience of psychosis and caregivers (not necessarily related), reflecting a small but information-rich dataset. A dual-perspective design enabled both groups’ interpretations to be analysed together while attending to points of convergence and divergence. Results: The review mostly identified retrospective, single-informant studies using standardised self-report measures, with moderate methodological quality. Across studies, lower warmth and higher control were more frequently associated with greater symptom distress, while warmth with structure related to better functioning; adversity and contextual stressors amplified these effects. The qualitative analysis generated four themes. Theme 1: Emotional Climate and Relational Safety described climates marked by criticism, control, or inconsistency, alongside protective routines, repair after conflict, and steady, non-intrusive parental presence. Theme 2: Parenting Style as a Pathway to Mental Health and Psychosis captured how permissiveness, role reversal, and blurred boundaries shaped participants’ experiences of safety, autonomy, and early interpretations of distress. Theme 3: Meaning-Making and Identity Reconstruction examined how participants reframed earlier experiences, moving from blame or confusion toward more nuanced understandings of parenting under strain and developing resilient identities. Theme 4: Trauma, Belief, and the Emotional Ecology of Psychosis encompassed experiences of trauma, intergenerational loss, and cultural and spiritual framings of distress, alongside the stabilising effects of acceptance, love, and emotional presence. Across themes, parenting was portrayed as dynamic, culturally embedded, and context-dependent: a relational environment in which psychotic experiences were interpreted and managed, rather than a singular causal factor. Conclusion: Findings highlight non-blaming, feasible levers for practice, including supporting warmth with structure, protecting sleep and daily routines, enabling repair after conflict and role clarity, and working with families’ cultural and spiritual frameworks while recognising the structural pressures that constrain caregiving. The thesis emphasises psychosis as relationally and contextually shaped, and it offers developmentally and culturally sensitive implications for family-inclusive and trauma-informed care
