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Automatic annotation of confidential data in Java code
Get PDFThe problem of confidential information leak can be addressed by using automatic tools that take a set of annotated inputs
(the source) and track their flow to public sinks. Unfortunately, manually annotating the code with labels specifying the secret sources is one of the main obstacles in the adoption of such trackers.
In this work, we present an approach for the automatic generation of labels for confidential data in Java programs. Our solution is based on a graph-based representation of Java methods: starting from a minimal set of known API calls, it propagates the labels both intra- and inter-procedurally until a fix-point is reached. In our evaluation, we encode our synthesis and propagation algorithm in Datalog and assess the accuracy of our technique on seven previously annotated internal code bases, where we can reconstruct 75% of the pre-existing manual annotations. In addition to this single data point, we also perform an assessment using samples from the SecuriBench-micro benchmark, and we provide additional sample programs that demonstrate the capabilities and the limitations of our approach
Early detection of oesophageal cancer through colour contrast enhancement for data augmentation
Get PDFWhile white light imaging (WLI) of endoscopy has been set as the gold standard for screening and detecting oesophageal squamous cell cancer (SCC), the early signs of SCC are often missed (1 in 4) due to its subtle change of early onset of SCC. This study firstly enhances colour contrast of each of over 600 WLI images and their accompanying narrow band images (NBI) applying CIE colour appearance model CIECAM02. Then these augmented data together with the original images are employed to train a deep learning based system for classification of low grade dysplasia (LGD), SCC and high grade dysplasia (HGD). As a result, the averaged colour difference (ΔE) measured using CIEL*a*b* increased from 11.60 to 14.46 for WLI and from 17.52 to 32.53 for NBI in appearance between suspected regions and their normal neighbours. When training a deep learning system with added enhanced contrasted WLI images, the sensitivity, specific and accuracy for LGD increases by 10.87%, 4.95% and 6.76% respectively. When training with enhanced both WLI and NBI images, these measures for LGD increases by 14.83%, 4.89% and 7.97% respectively, the biggest increase among three classes of SCC, HGD and LGD. In average, the sensitivity, specificity and accuracy for these three classes are 88.26%, 94.44% and 92.63% respectively for classification of SCC, HGD and LGD, being comparable or exceeding existing published work
Intra- and inter-day reliability of weightlifting variables and correlation to performance during cleans
Get PDFThe purpose of this investigation was to examine intra- and inter-day reliability of kinetic and kinematic variables assessed during the clean, assess their relationship to clean performance, and determine their suitability in weightlifting performance analysis. Eight competitive weightlifters performed 3 sets of single repetition cleans with 90% of their one-repetition maximum. Force-time data were collected via dual force plates with displacement-time data collected via 3-dimensional motion capture, on three separate occasions under the same testing conditions. Seventy kinetic and kinematic variables were analyzed for intra- and inter-day reliability using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) and the coefficient of variation (CV). Pearson’s correlation coefficients were calculated to determine relationships between barbell and body kinematics and ground reaction forces and for correlations to be deemed as statistically significant, an alpha-level of p ≤ 0.005 was set. Eleven variables were found to have ‘good’ to ‘excellent’ intra- and inter-day ICC (0.779-0.994 and 0.974-0.996, respectively) and CV (0.64-6.89% and 1.14-6.37%, respectively), with strong correlations (r = 0.880-0.988) to cleans performed at 90% 1RM. Average resultant force of the weighting 1 (W1) phase demonstrated the best intra- and inter-day reliability (ICC = 0.994 and 0.996 respectively), and very strong correlation (r = 0.981) to clean performance. Average bar power from point of lift off to peak bar height exhibited the highest correlation (r = 0.988) to clean performance. Additional reliable variables with strong correlations to clean performance were found, many of these occurred during or included the W1 phase, which suggests coaches should pay particular attention to the performance of the W1 phase
Measuring what matters: the positioning of students in feedback processes within national student satisfaction surveys
Get PDFThe increasing prominence of neoliberal agendas in international higher education has led to greater weight being ascribed to student satisfaction, and the national surveys through which students evaluate courses of study. In this article, we focus on the evaluation of feedback processes. Rather than the transmission of information from teacher to student, greater recognition of the fundamental role of the learner in seeking, generating, and using feedback information is evident in recent international literature. Through an analysis of the framing of survey items from 10 national student satisfaction surveys, we seek to question what conceptions or models of feedback are conveyed through survey items, and how such framing might shape perceptions and practice. Primarily, the surveys promote an outdated view of feedback as information transmitted from teacher to student in a timely and specific manner, largely ignoring the role of the student in learning through feedback processes. Widespread and meaningful change in the ways in which feedback is represented in research, policy, and practice requires a critical review of the positioning of students in artefacts such as evaluation surveys. We conclude with recommendations for practice by proposing amended survey items that are more consistent with contemporary theoretical conceptions of feedback
Researching Organisations in Transition Economies: Ethics of Fieldwork. SAGE Research Methods Video: Research Ethics & Integrity
No full textThis video offers a reflective account on the fieldwork experience and ethical dilemmas I encountered in case study research investigating enterprise restructuring and workplace relations in the Former Soviet Union. I will draw out problems and solutions to ethnography in a post socialist context and identify recommendations for research practice. To begin with, I will consider explain the research objectives directed at investigating organisational change, management practices and labour process in post-socialist enterprises. The general aim was to develop a critique of institutionalist and managerialist views of soviet and post-soviet organisation, which dominated and are still prevalent in western literature. Choice of ethnographic methods will follow, including participant and non-participant observation, interviewing with workers managers and local analysts. The body of the video will focus on detailed cases of fieldwork dilemmas and tactics developed to overcome them. This account of methods will not follow a standard textbook sequence because it arises from real-life experience and aims at practical advice
Editorial: Security of cloud service for the manufacturing industry
Get PDFWith the rapid development of the industrial Internet, cloud service-based manufacturing has emerged as a next generation manufacturing paradigm that has potential to revolutionize the manufacturing industry. It is foreseeable that cloud services will be popular in the next generation manufacturing industry. In recent years, more and more manufacturing companies have recognized the benefits of cloud service and have developed cloud-based manufacturing models. However, the security problems need to be researched and solved for the cloud services in the manufacturing industry, especially the data security issues are important, and restrict the cloud application in the manufacturing industry. Regarding the security of data, some people believe that when data are stored in the cloud, manufacturing companies lose control of the data. The manufacturing companies focus on how to secure the data from the top-level management and how to minimize the security risks, such as those caused by data security or service migration challenges. The manufacturing companies select the reliable cloud service while consider function and budget feasibility. How to ensure security in cloud service for the manufacturing industry has become a topic of increasing interest for both academic researchers and developers from the industry. This special issue addresses this emerging and fast developing research area on cloud security in manufacturing industry. The summary of these papers is as follows. [...
'Americanization' and the drivers of the establishment and use of works councils in three post-socialist countries
Get PDFWe question notions of the ‘Americanization’ of employment relations in Slovenia, Slovakia and Croatia. First, we examine the roles of unions, the use of US strategic approach to Human Resource Management (SHRM), and management perceptions of their organizations’ innovativeness in the establishment of Works Council (WCs). Second, we employ the same variables in relation to the use of WCs for downward communication in these countries in comparison with what Amable (2003) terms the Continental European Coordinated Market Economy (CECME) of Austria, adding the CECMEs Germany and Norway as control variables. Union influence drives the adoption of WCs and their use for management downward communication. Hence, on our measures the three countries share features of the CECME category and have not been “Americanized”
Making sense of sensory brand experience: constructing an integrative framework for future research
Get PDFThis study asserts that conceptualising sensory brand experience (SBE) as an independent construct is critical to expanding our understanding of experiences provided by brands. To achieve this goal, a rigorous examination of its foundational knowledge structure underpinning the construct is urgently required. Using co-citation analysis examining 151 SBE-related articles with 4,038 citations over more than two decades (1994–2019), six knowledge fields deemed to have constitutive influence on SBE literature have been identified - atmospherics, product evaluation, sensory marketing, service marketing, experiential marketing and brand experience. Combining the results of a hierarchical cluster analysis and a metric multidimensional scaling analysis, the authors located three fundamental premises: (1) brand settings are arbiters of brand meaning; (2) the intrinsic processing of SBE involves the entrainment of exteroceptive and interoceptive processes; and (3) SBE outcomes are non-representational. At the end of the paper, these findings are organised into an integrative framework, highlighting research concerns and research gaps at the antecedent, processing and outcome stages. In doing so, this paper contributes to the conceptual development of SBE by constructing a doctrinal schema for future research undertakings
Instagram influencers: the role of opinion leadership in consumers’ purchase behavior
Get PDFInstagram has gained momentum in influencer marketing for cosmetic products. This study aims to examine the antecedents of social media opinion leadership and its effects on consumers’ actual purchase behavior. The results based on a sample of 223 followers reveal that originality, quality, and quantity are essential elements leading a user to be perceived as an opinion leader. Besides, opinion leadership impacts consumers’ purchase intention, actual purchase behavior, and purchase loyalty. These findings deepen our understanding of the effects of opinion leadership on consumers’ purchase decisions. Moreover, the findings have beneficial implications for developing effective social media marketing communication strategies
An exploration on the nexus between managers’ present bias and corporate investment
Get PDFThis study aims to explore the role of top manager’s present bias as a main driver of corporate investment. For this purpose, we embed an experiment in a firm-level panel survey with a sample of top managers from 623 textile and garment firms in Vietnam. The experiment enables us to elicit present bias for each individual manager. We find that firms led by managers with a greater level of present bias are more likely to have a lower investment. There also exists evidence that the effect of managers’ present bias on corporate investment is stronger for SMEs than for large firms