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Watchdog monitoring for detecting and handling of control flow hijack on RISC-V-based binaries
Get PDFControl flow hijacking has been a major challenge in software security. Several means of protections have been developed but insecurities persist. This is because existing protections have sometimes been circumvented while some resilient protections do not cover all applications. Studies have revealed that a holistic way of tackling software insecurity could involve watchdog monitoring and detection via Control Flow Integrity (CFI). The CFI concept has shown a good measure of reliability to mitigate control flow hijacking. However, sophisticated attack techniques in the form of Return Oriented Programming (ROP) have persisted. A flexible protection is desirable, which not only covers as many architecture structures as possible but also mitigates known resilient attacks like ROP. The solution proffered here is a hybrid of CFI and watchdog timing via inter-process signaling (IP-CFI). It is a software-based protection that involves recompilation of the target program. The implementation here is on vulnerable RISC-V-based process but is flexible and could be adapted on other architectures. We present a proof of concept in IP-CFI which when applied to a vulnerable program, ROP is mitigated. The target program incurs a run-time overhead of 1.5%. The code is available
Social work students and dyslexia: outcomes from an empirical study and some implications for practice
Get PDFThis is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Social Work Education on 07/09/2022, available online: https://doi.org/10.1080/02615479.2022.2120192Dyslexia is likely one of the most misunderstood conditions impacting on educational outcomes at all levels, in and across all practice and intellectual domains. This paper discusses a project carried out by two qualified social workers, one an academic involved in teaching and assessing social work students, the other a doctoral student with a formal diagnosis of dyslexia and dyspraxia. The research involved 9 social work students from 3 different universities who identified as having dyslexia. Semi structured interviews were held in order to identify challenges experienced by participants as well as any strategies they used to ameliorate them. The data from the interviews was coded and analysed, the findings indicated a range and variety of experiences. Participants described feeling anxious and questioned their ability to study social work, both in university and on placement. Feelings of exhaustion were noted, which indicated the need to examine and potentially to rebalance educators’ expectations across academic and practical roles, and to provide support for students to meet workload requirements particularly when on placement. Findings from the interviews were shared with academic staff and practice educators, additionally a ‘good practice’ guide was produced to support educators in placement as well as in universitie
Quantifying the hip-ankle synergy in short-term maximal cycling
Get PDFSimulation studies have demonstrated that the hip and ankle joints form a task-specific synergy during the downstroke in maximal cycling to enable the power produced by the hip extensor muscles to be transferred to the crank. The existence of the hip-ankle synergy has not been investigated experimentally. Therefore, we sought to apply a modified vector coding technique to quantify the strength of the hip-ankle moment synergy in the downstroke during short-term maximal cycling at a pedalling rate of 135 rpm. Twelve track sprint cyclists performed 3 × 4 s seated sprints at 135 rpm, interspersed with 2 × 4 s seated sprints at 60 rpm on an isokinetic ergometer. Data from the 60 rpm sprints were not analysed in this study. Joint moments were calculated via inverse dynamics, using pedal forces and limb kinematics. The hip-ankle moment synergy was quantified using a modified vector coding method. Results showed, for 28.8% of the downstroke the hip and ankle moments were in-phase, demonstrating the hip and ankle joints tend to work in synergy in the downstroke, providing some support findings from simulation studies of cycling. At a pedalling rate of 135 rpm the hip-phase was most frequent (42.5%) significantly differing from the in- (P = 0.044), anti- (P < 0.001), and ankle-phases (P = 0.004), demonstrating hip-dominant action. We believe this method shows promise to answer research questions on the relative strength of the hip-ankle synergy between different cycling conditions (e.g., power output and pedalling rates)
Correction of High-Order Lk Approximation for Subdiffusion
Get PDFThis version of the article has been accepted for publication, after peer review (when applicable) and is subject to Springer Nature’s AM terms of use, but is not the Version of Record and does not reflect post-acceptance improvements, or any corrections. The Version of Record is available online at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10915-022-01984-8The subdiffusion equations with a Caputo fractional derivative of order arise in a wide variety of practical problems, which describe the transport processes, in the force-free limit, slower than Brownian diffusion. In this work, we derive the correction schemes of the Lagrange interpolation with degree convolution quadrature, called approximation, for the subdiffusion. The key step of designing correction algorithm is to calculate the explicit form of the coefficients of approximation by the polylogarithm function or Bose-Einstein integral. To construct a approximation of Bose-Einstein integral, the desired th-order convergence rate can be proved for the correction scheme with nonsmooth data, which is higher than kth-order BDFk method in [Jin, Li, and Zhou, SIAM J. Sci. Comput., 39 (2017), A3129–A3152; Shi and Chen, J. Sci. Comput., (2020) 85:28]. The numerical experiments with spectral method are given to illustrate theoretical results
Five years of national policies: progress towards tackling obesity in England.
Get PDFObesity is a major burden on the health system in England and the rest of the UK. Obesity prevalence is high in adults and children and most of the UK population are consuming more energy than required, and not meeting other dietary recommendations, including those for saturated fat, free sugars, fibre, oily fish and fruit and vegetables. Over the past 5 years, a number of cross-government policies, both promoting voluntary action and legislative, have been put in place to tackle diet-related health and obesity. The food environment is complex with many influencing factors, some of which act through individual automatic choices. Other factors such as accessibility, advertising, promotion and nudging drive increased food and drink purchases. With continual changes in the food environment favouring fast-food outlets and meal delivery companies alongside the adverse impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on diets and physical activity levels, further governmental action is likely needed to deliver sustained improvements to diet and health
SME Corporate Philanthropy (CP): Exploring how CP is managed and appraised for its impact on communities
Get PDFPurpose
The ability to appraise the impact of any project allows for the opportunity to improve the project over time. The purpose of this study is to develop a bespoke Appraisal Tool, for SMEs, for Strategic Corporate Philanthropy (SCP), which allows organisations to appraise the impact of their SCP projects for themselves and the community. Exploring approaches to appraise SCP has been severely neglected by academics. Most appraisal tools focus on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). This study will research how organisations practise and appraise their SCP activities. It is believed that a strategic approach to corporate philanthropy will increase the impact it has on the community, and the bespoke SCP Appraisal Tool for SMEs developed by the researcher will complement this approach. The central focus of this study is the way key decision makers of SMEs manage SCP. The impact of utilising a separate Appraisal Tool from that used to measure CSR will be observed by focusing on the impact the relevant projects have on the community and the SMEs’ corporate objectives. The study commenced in 2019. In 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 as a worldwide pandemic, which had a great impact on businesses and their philanthropic activities. It is for this reason that the researcher also included a research objective to address this phenomenon. The study aimed to gain an understanding of the influence that the COVID-19 worldwide pandemic had on company decision making with regards to philanthropic activities.
Research Design
A phenomenological approach was undertaken, given the unique pandemic situation and the need to gain a deep understanding of the experience and decision making of SME entrepreneurs and managers. Data collection was undertaken via in-depth, semi-structured interviews and observations within eight small and medium companies and one large corporate (key informant). The study identified the definitions of SCP that set it apart from CSR. The study also investigated how entrepreneurs and SME decision makers appraised and managed CSR projects and identified if this was undertaken separately from philanthropic activities. Qualitative data analysis was undertaken via cognitive mapping and template analysis.
Findings
This research echoed Kubíčková’s (2018) review of the current literature relating to SCP. Kubíčková stated that turning corporate philanthropy into measurable projects will benefit both society and corporations alike, and this seems to have been confirmed
by this research. The respondents in this study felt that their philanthropic activities were driven by a deep-seated desire to “do good” and a desire to “support their local community.” They felt that their local community was an important stakeholder and as important as their customers. The data indicated that SMEs that publicised their CSR and SCP activities seemed to have a positive effect on the SME’s company and on the organisations they supported. Respondents involved their staff with all their CSR and SCP activities, from inception through to completion. The research indicated that the pandemic had a great effect on the day-to-day business of all participants, affecting staff numbers, staff morale and income, which in turn influenced their philanthropic activities. Companies adapted by adjusting their resource allocation and by focusing on local causes. Companies that held fundraising events in the past reverted to hosting online events and sponsoring local projects and
clubs. The data indicated that COVID-19 had urged people to take a closer look at their own neighbours and communities and that the focus moved away from supporting international causes in favour of local community causes. This could have
a knock-on effect for the income streams of international charities.
Recommendations
Key recommendations of this study (Chapter 7) are as follows:
• Charities should build relationships with SMEs and not just larger corporates.
• National and international charities are advised to establish community projects and team up with local businesses and organisations.
• Government should consider reinstating the mandatory reporting of corporate giving (as part of the Companies Act), as was the case in 2013.
• The United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) could be simplified for use by SMEs.
• Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Strategic Corporate Philanthropy (SCP) could be defined and managed separately for better results and impact.
This study found that most literature (both academic and practice) relating to CSR and SCP mostly focused on larger corporates and not on SMEs. The study found a gap in the literature with regards to defining, managing, and appraising SCP from the
perspective of an SME.
Originality
The originality and distinctiveness of this research project is found in the development of a bespoke SCP Appraisal Tool for SMEs and the research done relating to corporate giving by SMEs during the COVID-19 pandemic, as this has never been done before
The ‘People’s Sport’: Petty Theft in the German Democratic Republic, 1963-1985
Get PDFThis article examines petty theft in the GDR. It considers offences committed from the early 1960s to 1985. It shows that GDR citizens stole a range of items including money, vehicle parts, clothes, food, cigarettes, alcohol, and construction materials and/or equipment from places such as factories, construction sites, shops, staff rooms, private homes, and colleagues’ bags. Many of these thieves were apparently motivated by a lack of money to buy the things that they desired. Though petty theft did undermine the vision of socialist society that the Party hoped to create, there is little evidence to support the conclusion that it constituted an act of outright resistance. Thieves stole for personal gain rather than in order to thumb their nose at Party bosses
‘Roots in the soil’: the evolution of a countryside youth service in Westmorland, 1939-c.1950
Get PDFThis is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in History of Education on 4 March 2022, available online: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/0046760X.2021.2019322This article traces the evolution of the statutory Youth Service in rural Westmorland (now part of Cumbria), from its establishment in 1939 to the early post-war years. It focuses on how the county’s Youth Service innovated and developed new ways of working with young country people in their spare time, and the challenges of introducing urban-focused policy into rural practice. It argues that to be effective in work outside urban areas, the national Youth Service had to adapt to existing patterns of country life and leisure. Tensions between this external organising body and local communities are also considered. The article draws on official Youth Service records, including minute books, correspondence and annual reports, alongside local press accounts and oral history testimony. In doing so, it enhances our understanding of the professionalisation of informal education, and the leisure habits of rural youth, during and immediately after the Second World War
Weight loss practices and eating behaviours among female physique athletes: Acquiring the optimal body composition for competition
Get PDFLittle is known about weight loss practices and eating behaviours in female physique athletes. This study investigated the weight loss history, practices, and key influences during the pre-competition period in a large cohort of female physique athletes stratified by division and experience level. Eating attitudes and behaviours were assessed to identify whether athletes were at risk of developing an eating disorder. Using a cross-sectional research design, female physique athletes (n = 158) were recruited and completed an anonymous online self-reported survey consisting of two validated questionnaires: Rapid Weight Loss Questionnaire and Eating Attitudes Test-26. Irrespective of division or experience, female physique athletes used a combination of weight loss practices during the pre-competition phase. Gradual dieting (94%), food restriction (64%) and excessive exercise (84%), followed by body water manipulation via water loading (73%) were the most commonly used methods. Overall, 37% of female physique athletes were considered at risk of developing an eating disorder. Additionally, 42% of female physique athletes used two pathogenic weight control methods with 34% of Figure novice athletes indicating binge eating once a week or more. The coach (89%) and another athlete (73%) were identified as key influences on athletes' dieting practices and weight loss. The prevalence of athletes identified with disordered eating symptoms and engaging in pathogenic weight control methods is concerning. In future, female physique athletes should seek advice from registered nutritionists to optimise weight management practices and minimise the risk of developing an eating disorder
Buddhism in Five Minutes
No full textThis short chapter explores the ways in which the fifth precept has been interpreted in different social locations, as well as Buddhist ritual use of entheogens, the association of spirituality and psychedelics, and Buddhist approaches to addiction recovery
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