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Analytical analysis of cyber threats and defense mechanisms for web application security
Get PDFThe use of internet technologies offers numerous advantages and has significantly transformed our daily lives, becoming a primary means of communication. Additionally, many businesses have shifted their services to digital platforms by leveraging web application technologies. As a result, vast amounts of data are exchanged between users and web applications—much of which contains sensitive and critical information. This makes them prime targets for cyber-attacks, including data theft and the unauthorized disclosure of confidential information. According to the Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP), there are ten major risks that pose significant threats to web applications. In response, this paper aims to provide a thorough understanding of web applications, the potential cyber threats they face, and a detailed review of existing literature related to cybersecurity risks in web applications. To achieve this, a comprehensive literature review will be conducted to identify the primary vulnerabilities in web applications and explore current methods for mitigating and preventing these security threats.</p
Understanding human behavior through smart home IoT data analysis: patterns and insights
No full textThis paper outlines the preprocessing methods and utilisation of clustering algorithms on a dataset [1] capturing individual tasks within a household (via energy consumption and reactive sensors). The analysis spans seven months that includes multi-sensor readings from a single household. In an effort to identify patterns through Human Activity Recognition (HAR), various clustering algorithms were applied to refined data to compare their respective outcomes. Hence, the paper examines multiple clustering algorithms suitable for the dataset exceeding 800,000 instances after preprocessing. It delves into the real-world applications of smart home data and conducts initial experiments where feasible, comparing results to uncover patterns indicative of user habits and changes therein. The study emphasises the potential for early intervention, particularly in identifying deviations to assist individuals such as those with dementia
Pain displays in childbirth: how first-stage contractions are interactionally managed in midwife-led births
No full textBirthing is an exemplary setting for investigating how non-pathological painful sensations are intersubjectively established. Contractions are integral to giving birth and are physiologically normal events that can range from mild to intensely painful sensations. This conversation analytic study is the first to examine how first-stage labour contractions are made recognisable and shape interaction between labouring women, birth partners and attending clinicians. Drawing on recordings from two UK midwife-led units, we show how participants convey and recognise contraction pain through breathiness, pain cries, (limited) talk, and visible bodily actions. Contractions can be prospectively announced and/or retrospectively noticed. We demonstrate that breathing patterns become central to how participants collectively orient to and manage contractions, with the onset of pain temporarily suspending ongoing activities in favour of breath work. Data are in British English
A blueprint for LGBTQ+ leadership development programmes in UK higher education
Get PDFEducation leadership for people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and other sexual and gender minorities (LGBTQ+) presents distinct challenges that heterosexual and cis-gendered leaders do not have to navigate. Despite this, there is currently no national leadership development programme specifically for LGBTQ+ aspirant leaders in UK Higher Education. This article researches the outcomes of the first LGBTQ+ specific leadership development programme at a university in England. The authors, one a participant and the other the founder and co-leader of the programme explore the outcomes for the mentees, the mentors and the host university through interviews, field notes and written feedback. The research underscores the distinct leadership development needs of the LGBTQ+ educators and the importance of having a dedicated LGBTQ+ leadership development programme. It also offers a framework to guide the development of future LGBTQ+ specific leadership development in Higher Education
Accomplishing choral and collectively performed multi-modal self-defence actions
Get PDFThis article examines multi-modal self-defence actions in personal safety training classes for girls and women. The actions have linguistic and embodied components. An example is shouting “back off” at an imagined attacker while assuming a self-defensive stance position. An additional distinctive aspect of the phenomenon of interest is that it is done collectively as a multi-person party. Our work builds on and extends prior research in multimodal conversation analysis which has shown the ways language and bodily actions fit together. Using a collection of 200 cases drawn from more than 50 hours of video footage, two broad kinds of recurrent practices are described the support the class to achieve the collective, co-production of multi-modal self-defence actions. One is the projective, embodied syntactic structures instructors use to demonstrate the action and co-ordinate its execution. The other is the grammar of the verbal component that scaffolds the timing of physical techniques, especially ones where there is a combination of moves. By examining how linguistic and embodied components of multi-modal self-defence actions are brought together and done by multiple participants at the same time, we find empirical support for the innovative theoretical idea that syntax can be emergent and embodied rather than predominantly hierarchical and psycholinguistic. Data is in New Zealand English
Stiffness a coaches guide (Part 2): recommendations for testing and training
Get PDFAbstract: High levels of vertical, leg and joint stiffness are generally advantageous for short time span performance actions, with stiffness changes sensitive to training. Consequently it is vital to monitor stiffness changes in any training intervention designed to enhance stiffness. Measures of stiffness are often seen as too complex to be carried out as part of a training intervention, but this approach misses key adaptations which drive performance. Part 2 of this narrative review focuses on measurement methods that are accessable to coaches and how subsets of stiffness can be trained. To measure a structures stiffness there is a requirement for the force applied to and the corresponding change in length of a given structure (Hookes law). Vertical stiffness focuses on centre of mass (COM) displacement, rather then compression of the leg-spring seen in leg stiffness measurements. This makes leg stiffness a preferable measure, compared to vertical stiffness, if more horizontal movements are explored. However, leg stiffness will miss torso deviations in vertical actions and should not be used to replace COM deviation seen in vertical stiffness measures. Joint stiffness measures individual joint actions giving valuable insight into how joints impact system stiffness. Measures of stiffness require high technical knowledge and complex equipment, often beyond the scope of coaches. However, practical monitoring of stiffness can be relatively easly accumplished by tracking temporal and performance outcomes interactions reliably via readly available high sampling frequency phone apps. Enhancing stiffness has been achieved with isometric, eccentric, isotonic and plyometric training, frequently linked to higher intensity interventions, whether acute or chronic stiffness increases are required. Interventions must maximise force output without increasing ground contact or contraction time, while it is recommended to sequence structural, neural and coordinative-based objectives in any training intervention
Observations on the implementation of Relationships, Sex, and Health Education (RSHE), which include LGBT themes in an English primary school
Get PDFThe article belongs to the Special Issue The Embodiment of LGBTQ+ Inclusive Education. The latest Relationships Education, Relationships and Sex Education, and Health Education (RSHE) Draft Guidance seeks to reduce the inclusion of LGBT themes in English schools. Additionally, the Gender Questioning Draft Guidance for Schools and Colleges and the Cass Review overlook the rights of trans and non-binary young people, further intensifying the heated debates surrounding their lives. In response, the author draws upon research conducted in a primary school in Greater London in 2021, when statutory RSHE, including LGBT content, was first introduced. The research aimed to understand how teachers felt about teaching RSHE and to collaborate with them to enhance pupil learning within and beyond the RSHE curriculum. This paper critiques lesson observations and teachers’ reflections on their lessons using a Framework for Sexuality Education and Queer Theory. The researcher’s call to rethink how RSHE is taught should not be taken to mean it should not be taught. To the contrary, the findings suggest a need for the school to broaden its curriculum, teaching methods, and strategies to become a truly ‘LGBT-inclusive’ environment. However, the paper also illuminates the apprehensions these primary school teachers experienced, which in turn influenced pedagogical decisions. The article concludes by recommending specific whole-school approaches and effective pedagogical practices for RSHE in the school, which could be beneficial to other primary school settings. Effective teaching of LGBT themes requires clear support for educators, especially within the complexity of a primary school setting and given the changing political and social climate
Cohort profile: the Children's Health in London and Luton (CHILL) cohort
Get PDFThe Children’s Health in London and Luton (CHILL) cohort was established to investigate the impact of London’s Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) on children’s health. Key strengths of CHILL include: the parallel prospective cohort, natural experimental design in which children living in London (exposed to the ULEZ) and children living in Luton (not exposed to a ULEZ or other major air-pollution control measure) are followed over time and compared; its large size (compared with similar studies) and ethnic diversity; high-resolution air pollution exposure data; and objective physiological measurements of lung function
Using convolution neural network methods for the ultrasound characterization of porosity across carbon fiber reinforced polymer layers
Get PDFThis study investigates the use of Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) with ultrasound imaging for the characterization of porosity across Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) layers using both simulated and experimental dataset. CFRPs are widely used in aerospace and other engineering fields due to their exceptional mechanical properties. However, porosity remains a critical defect that can significantly impair their performance. Traditional non-destructive testing (NDT) methods face some challenges in accurately detecting and characterizing porosity. The present work aims to overcome these challenges by developing a CNN-based approach to improve the detection and assessment of porosity across CFRP layers. The study relies on the development of a numerical model and the acquisition of real data from fabricated CFRP samples to successfully apply CNN techniques to evaluate porosity. The CNN model demonstrated fairly good accuracy and reliability, particularly with an increased number of dataset. The results suggest valuable opportunities for improving quality control in CFRP manufacturing processes. The study presents the potential of applying machine learning techniques for the non-destructive testing of CFRP, with a relative good amount of datasets. The present work contributes to the larger project of enhancing the reliability of CFRP structures and improving the composite materials' manufacturing processes
A model-based cost-effectiveness analysis of prescribing by dietitians and therapeutic radiographers in England
Get PDFNon-medical prescribing (NMP) was introduced into the UK healthcare system and other countries to improve patient care and facilitate better access to medicine. However, very few studies have evaluated the cost-effectiveness of the prescribing authorities granted to certain healthcare professional groups. This study aims to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of prescribing by dietitians and therapeutic radiographers in England. A model-based cost-effectiveness analysis was conducted to evaluate the services provided by dietitian and therapeutic radiographer prescribers compared to services delivered by dietitian and therapeutic radiographer non-prescribers in terms of direct and indirect costs and effectiveness outcomes, e.g. quality-adjusted life year (QALY) and patient satisfaction, from the National Health Service (NHS) perspective. Unit costs were obtained from the NHS National Reference Costs 2021-22. Sensitivity analyses were performed to assess the robustness of the model parameters. The mean costs associated with NMP were higher for prescribers than non-prescribers due to training costs and consultation time to manage prescriptions. However, these costs were compensated by higher referrals by non-prescribers to other specialists for prescribing. NMP in either profession was perceived as positive by patients. Differences in QALY were not statistically significant among patients managed by prescribers and non-prescribers for either profession. Results were sensitive to the model assumptions and parameters. Our estimates suggest NMP might save £64,269 over five years per dietitian prescriber and £16,570 per therapeutic radiographer prescriber. Despite uncertainties around the cost-effectiveness of NMP, it may save money with minimal or no changes in quality-of-life outcomes for patients being managed by either profession
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