This master's thesis seeks to design, implement, and point out new techniques for obfuscation of ransomware activity using the entropy principles of data that do not fall within the detection capabilities of known anti-ransomware and anti-virus tools. The proposed techniques are aimed at changing the ransomware activity in the downgrading phase (encryption or obfuscation) of files on the infected system.

This thesis investigates the violation of Bell's Inequality through the use of nonlocal measurement schemes as encapsulated in a quasi-deterministic toy model. This toy model, called the Q Box, is reminiscent of Mermin's Box in that it describes a system that appears to be deterministic yet produces the statistics of a quantum type system. [1] The workings of the Q Box are detailed both as a thought experiment and as a computer simulation. Nonlocal measurement protocols similar to those which generate a violation of Bell's Inequality in the Q Box are also applied to Mermin's Box, with comparable results. [1] N.D. Mermin, "Bringing home the atomic world: Quantum mysteries for anybody," Am. J. Phys. 49: 940-943 (1981). N. David Mermin, Am. J. Phys. 58:731-734 (1990).

No description available.

No description available.

During unitized shipment, the components of unit loads are interacting with each other. During floor stacking of unit loads, the load on the top of the pallet causes the top deck of the pallet to bend which creates an uneven top deck surface resulting in uneven, or asymmetrical support of the corrugated boxes. This asymmetrical support could significantly affect the strength of the corrugated boxes, and it depends on the top deck stiffness of the pallet. This study is aimed at investigating how the variations of pallet top deck stiffness and the resulting asymmetric support, affects corrugated box compression strength. Pallet top deck stiffness was determined to have a significant effect on box compression strength. There was a 27-37% increase in box compression strength for boxes supported by high stiffness pallets in comparison to low stiffness pallets. The fact that boxes were weaker on low stiffness pallets could be explained by the uneven pressure distribution between the pallet deck and bottom layer of boxes. Pressure data showed that a higher percentage of total pressure was located under the box sidewalls that were supported on the outside stringers of low stiffness pallets in comparison to high stiffness pallets. This was disproportionately loading one side of the box. Utilizing the effects of pallet top deck stiffness on box compression performance, a unit load cost analysis is presented showing that a stiffer pallet can be used to carry boxes with less board material; hence, it can reduce the total unit load packaging cost. / Master of Science / Packaged products are primarily shipped as unit loads that consist of packaged products restrained to a platform, commonly a pallet. Paying particular attention to the design of the unit loads' components is necessary to safely ship products while still maintaining low packaging costs and sustainability initiatives. Stacking unit loads is a common practice to effectively use warehouse space, but warehouse stacking causes large amounts of weight for packaging to support. Pallets are not completely rigid and will deform because of this weight. The purpose of the study was to investigate the effect of pallet stiffness on the compression strength of corrugated boxes. Compression tests were completed on boxes supported by pallet designs having different deck stiffnesses. The top deck stiffness of a pallet was determined to have up to a 37% effect on the strength of corrugated boxes. Pressure data recorded between the bottom layer of boxes and the top deck of the pallet showed a larger percentage of pressure was located towards the outside edges of the unit load for boxes carried by a flexible pallet. Effectively, one side of the box was stressed more than the other causing package failure. Utilizing the effects of pallet top deck stiffness on box compression performance, a unit load cost analysis is presented showing that a stiffer pallet can be used to carry boxes with less board material; hence, it can reduce the total unit load packaging cost.

No description available.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-07-29T14:49:09Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Regina Machado de Souza.pdf: 2267991 bytes, checksum: 8d027b752f21409f678aeb40c2f660a8 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2010-08-17 / This word aimeded to develop a friendly computational tool that, given the expectation of the producer in relation to soybean prices at a future date, help them decide whether or not it‟s worth waiting to sell their produce at that future date or sell in the current date. This work relied mainly with the System Dynamics methodology for model building and testing of Box-Jenkins to obtain the price expectations. The model also allows deriving the likely minimum price to be received by the producer in order to justify its decision to postpone its sale. We found no empirical evidence capable of sustaining the existence of a priori a better time to sell soybeans. / Este trabalho desenvolveu um instrumento computacional amigável que pudesse, dada a expectativa do produtor em relação ao preço da soja em uma data futura, auxiliá-lo a decidir se vale a pena ou não esperar para vender sua produção naquela data futura ou vendê-la na data atual. Para tanto, contou principalmente com a metodologia System Dynamics para construção do modelo e a análise de Box-Jenkins para obtenção das expectativas de preços. O modelo desenvolvido, também, permite auferir o provável preço mínimo a ser recebido pelo produtor, a fim de que possa justificar sua decisão em postergar sua venda. Não foram encontradas evidências empíricas capazes de sustentar a existência a priori de uma melhor data para se vender a soja.

Thesis (M.Statistics) North-West University, Mafikeng Campus, 2010

G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are a large family of trans-membrane receptors that transmit signals from extracellular stimuli to target intracellular signal transduction pathways. The gonadotropin-releasing hormone receptor (GnRH-R) is a GPCR which binds the decapeptide GnRH. In the pituitary gonadotrope, GnRH stimulates gonadotropin (LH and FSH) biosynthesis and secretion to regulate reproduction. GnRH and the GnRH-Rs are also present in many extra-pituitary tissues, although their role at these sites remains largely undetermined. GnRH-Rs are known to recruit a diverse array of signalling pathway mediators in different cell-types. These include; Gq/11-PLCβ-IP3/DAG-Ca2+/PKC signalling, monomeric G-proteins and integrins to mediate cell adhesion and migration, the activation of the major members of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) super-family (extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), c-Jun N-terminal Kinase (JNK) and p38MAPK), and β-catenin and other mediators of the canonical Wnt signalling pathway. This thesis describes the regulation of Forkhead Box O (FOXO) transcription factors by GnRH. The mammalian FOXO transcription factors, FOXO1, FOXO3a and FOXO4, are emerging as an important family of proteins that modulate the expression of genes involved in cell-cycle regulation, induction of apoptosis, DNA damage repair and response to oxidative stress. In this thesis, emphasis is placed on delineating the novel role of FOXO transcription factors in mediating two important and widely-researched areas of GnRH biology. Firstly, the role of FOXO transcription factors in mediating cell-growth inhibition in response to GnRH treatment is assessed in a heterologous HEK293/GnRH-R expressing cell line. Secondly, the role of transcription factors in regulating luteinising hormone-β (LHβ)-subunit expression is investigated in the LβT2 gonadotrope cell line. Activation of the GnRH-R can inhibit cell proliferation and induce apoptosis in certain tumour-derived cell lines. Several studies have reported that these events can occur as a result of changes in the expression profiles of specific cell-cycle regulatory and apoptotic genes, many of which are FOXO-target genes, including GADD45, FasL, p21Cip1 and p27Kip1. In this thesis, a role for FOXOs in targeting the expression of several of these genes in response to GnRH is assessed, highlighting a specific role for FOXO3a in mediating GADD45 and FasL expression. The signalling mechanisms through which FOXO3a regulates GADD45 expression in response to GnRH is also described. Finally, a stable FOXO3a-knock-down cell line was generated in order to further examine FOXO3a involvement in GnRH-induced cell-growth inhibition. GnRH is an essential regulator of the reproductive process by stimulating the synthesis of LH and FSH in pituitary gonadotropes, thereby regulating gametogenesis and steroidogenesis. Diverse signalling pathways have been reported to regulate LHβ-subunit expression in response to GnRH, including the ERK/JNK/p38MAPK cascades and factors such as Egr1, SF1 and β-catenin. In the second part of this thesis, the role of FOXOs in regulating LHβ-subunit expression in response to GnRH is described. The data presented suggests that GnRH can regulate LHβ-subunit expression through both indirect and direct FOXO3a-mediated mechanisms. Firstly, FOXO3a was found to regulate Egr1 expression to indirectly target LHβ-promoter activity. Secondly, a role for β-catenin as a FOXO3a co-factor to directly regulate LHβ-subunit expression, together with Egr1 and SF1, is also proposed. FOXO3a expression and sub-cellular localisation was assessed and demonstrated in LβT2 cells and in adult human male pituitary sections. The research presented in this thesis adds to the diversity of signalling pathways and mediators that GnRH can target in different cellular backgrounds in order to mediate a variety of cellular processes. The antiproliferative and apoptotic effects of GnRH on tumour-derived cell lines are well-documented, and this research highlights a novel role for FOXO3a in mediating these events. The regulation of gonadotropin synthesis remains an important topic of research, and the novel implication of FOXO3a in mediating LHβ-subunit expression adds further complexity to gonadotrope physiology.

The family Corivdae, which includes crows and ravens, contains arguably some of the most intelligent species the animal kingdom has to offer. Separated from primates by at least 252 million years of evolution, birds bear striking physiological differences from mammals, while displaying similar intellectual abilities. This apparent convergent evolution of intelligence sheds light on what could possibly be a universal phenomenon. While many excellent studies show the abilities of corvids, the majority of them test only captive subjects. This study tested the capabilities of both captive and wild ravens, from three different species. The first portion of the study tested which of the four solutions offered wild ravens would choose when solving a Multi-Access Box. The second portion of the study tested the performance of wild and captive ravens when solving a Multi-Latch Box. The nine raven subjects were split into four different levels of enculturation based on their known histories. Two wild common ravens (Corvus corax) on the campus of the University of Arizona were level 1, four wild common ravens in the parking lot of a United States Forest Service parking lot were level 2, two captive and trained Chihuahuan ravens (Corvus cryptoleucus) from the Raptor Free Flight program at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum comprised level 3, and one captive and trained white-necked raven (Corvus albicollis) made level 4. It is possible to run trials with completely wild and free birds. It was found that ravens prefer direct methods of obtaining food, such as opening doors and pulling strings, instead of tool use. It was also found that while the relationship between enculturation level and success solving a puzzle was not linear, captive birds were the best solvers. The data given here suggest that captivity, training and enrichment history, and enculturation should all be considered when performing cognitive studies with animals.