Propagation model of smartphone worms based on semi-Markov process and social relationship graph

Smartphone applications are getting more and more popular and pervasive in our daily life, and are also attractive to malware writers due to their limited computing source and vulnerabilities. At the same time, we possess limited understanding of our opponents in cyberspace. In this paper, we investigate the propagation model of SMS/MMS-based worms through integrating semi-Markov process and social relationship graph. In our modeling, we use semi-Markov process to characterize state transition among mobile nodes, and hire social network theory, a missing element in many previous works, to enhance the proposed mobile malware propagation model. In order to evaluate the proposed models, we have developed a specific software, and collected a large scale real-world data for this purpose. The extensive experiments indicate that the proposed models and algorithms are effective and practical. © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The impact of living environment on satisfaction with social relationships upon commencing university

Making the transition to university is a significant life event for many young people. It is believed that strong social relationships can help make this transition more successful. In this study, 201 full-time, first year university students completed a survey in order to examine whether those students who remained living with their parents differed on a range of social relationship variables compared to those who lived on-campus or off-campus independently from their parents. Results revealed that students living independently off-campus reported significantly lower satisfaction with their living environment and opportunities to make new friends at university, as well as significantly higher levels of depression, and higher levels of loneliness which approached significance. These findings indicate that universities may need to focus more attention on this particular sub-group, in an attempt to increase the successful transition of students from high school to university. Future research could endeavour to develop strategies for increasing university students' social relationships and support networks.

Modeling malware propagation in smartphone social networks

Smartphones have become an integral part of our everyday lives, such as online information accessing, SMS/MMS, social networking, online banking, and other applications. The pervasive usage of smartphones also results them in enticing targets of hackers and malware writers. This is a desperate threat to legitimate users and poses considerable challenges to network security community. In this paper, we model smartphone malware propagation through combining mathematical epidemics and social relationship graph of smartphones. Moreover, we design a strategy to simulate the dynamic of SMS/MMS-based worm propagation process from one node to an entire network. The strategy integrates infection factor that evaluates the propagation degree of infected nodes, and resistance factor that offers resistance evaluation towards susceptible nodes. Extensive simulations have demonstrated that the proposed malware propagation model is effective and efficient.

Mining mechanism of top-k influential nodes based on voting algorithm in mobile social networks

In recent years, evaluating the influence of nodes and finding top-k influential nodes in social networks, has drawn a wide attention and has become a hot-pot research issue. Considering the characteristics of social networks, we present a novel mechanism to mine the top-k influential nodes in mobile social networks. The proposed mechanism is based on the behaviors analysis of SMS/MMS (simple messaging service / multimedia messaging service) communication between mobile users. We introduce the complex network theory to build a social relation graph, which is used to reveal the relationship among people's social contacts and messages sending. Moreover, intimacy degree is also introduced to characterize social frequency among nodes. Election mechanism is hired to find the most influential node, and then a heap sorting algorithm is used to sort the voting results to find the k most influential nodes. The experimental results show that the mechanism can finds out the most influential top-k nodes efficiently and effectively. © 2013 IEEE.

First-priority relation graph-based malicious users detection in mobile social networks

Mobile social networks (MSNs) consist of many mobile users (individuals) with social characteristics, that provide a variety of data delivery services involving the social relationship among mobile individuals. Because mobile users move around based on their common interests and contact with each other more frequently if they have more social features in common in MSNs. In this paper, we first propose the first-priority relation graph, say FPRG, of MSNs. However, some users in MSNs may be malicious. Malicious users can break the data delivery through terminating the data delivery or tampering with the data. Therefore, malicious users will be detected in the process of looking for the data delivery routing to obtain efficient and reliable data delivery routing along the first-priority relation graph. Secondly, we propose one hamiltonian cycle decomposition of FPRG-based adaptive detection algorithm based on in MSNs under the PMC detection model (the system-level detection model).

Factors facilitating successful engagement among patients with first-episode psychosis

This thesis investigated factors that facilitate successful engagement with psychiatric treatment among young patients experiencing first-onset psychosis. The results revealed the importance of the treatment setting and key relationships in achieving engagement. Service delivery implications include the need for a social relationship model between clinicians, patients, and their peers.

Reduction of adolescent alcohol use through family-school intervention: a randomized trial

Purpose
Two-year longitudinal follow-up data evaluated the behavioral impact of Resilient Families, a universal intervention that aimed to prevent early initiation and frequent and heavy adolescent alcohol use in secondary schools in Melbourne, Australia.

Methods
Of 24 secondary schools (62% of those approached), 12 were randomly assigned to intervention and 12 as controls. Intervention students received a social relationship curriculum; their parents received parent education handbooks and invitations to parent education events outlining strategies to encourage healthy adolescent development and reduce adolescent alcohol misuse. At Wave 1 (2004), students were in Year 7 secondary school (mean age, 12.3 years). Data were imputed for students completing at least two of three annual surveys (N = 2,354). Wave 3 (2006; mean, 14.5 years) main outcome measures for alcohol use were “any,” “frequent” (at least monthly), and “heavy” (five or more drinks in a session at least once in the prior fortnight). Multivariate logistic regression assessed intervention exposure effects, adjusting for school classroom clustering and baseline measures.

Results
Relative to controls, intervention students showed significant reductions in any lifetime use (adjusted odds ratio [AOR], .78; 95% confidence interval [CI], .62–.97), and reduced progression to frequent (AOR, .69; CI, .56–.86) and heavy use (AOR, .75; CI, .60–.94).

Conclusions
Randomized assignment to Resilient Families was associated with a significant reduction in adolescent alcohol use among families volunteering for the evaluation. Family–school-based interventions appear promising as a strategy to contribute to population reductions in currently high rates of adolescent alcohol misuse.

Containing smartphone worm propagation with an influence maximization algorithm

In recent years, wide attention has been drawn to the problem of containing worm propagation in smartphones. Unlike existing containment models for worm propagation, we study how to prevent worm propagation through the immunization of key nodes (e.g.; the top k influential nodes). Thus, we propose a novel containment model based on an influence maximization algorithm. In this model, we introduce a social relation graph to evaluate the influence of nodes and an election mechanism to find the most influential nodes. Finally, this model provides a targeted immunization strategy to disable worm propagation by immunizing the top k influential nodes. The experimental results show that the model not only finds the most influential top k nodes quickly, but also effectively restrains and controls worm propagation.

A longitudinal evaluation of the resilient families randomized trial to prevent early adolescent depressive symptoms

This study aimed to evaluate whether an intervention prevented the development of depressive symptoms through the early years of secondary school (Grades 7 to 9 - mean ages 12.3 to 14.5 years) in Victoria, Australia. Twelve schools were randomized to a universal preventative intervention (including a student social relationship/emotional health curriculum, and parent/caregiver parenting education); 12 were randomized as control schools. Multivariate regression analyses used student self-report to predict depressive symptoms at 26-month follow-up (13-months after intervention completion) from baseline measures and intervention status (N = 2027). There was no overall intervention effect on depressive symptoms. However, intervention students with moderate symptoms whose parents attended parent education events had a significantly reduced risk of depressive symptoms at follow-up. Future evaluations of interventions of this type should investigate: therapeutic processes; methods to increase recruitment into effective parent education events; and the potential to target assistance to students with high depressive symptoms.

Struggling with food and eating - life after major upper gastrointestinal surgery

Purpose

Few qualitative studies have explored patients' experience of food and eating following major upper gastrointestinal cancer surgery. The aim of this article was to explore the longer-term impact of different types of major upper gastrointestinal surgeries on people's relationship with food.

Methods

Twenty-six people having had major upper gastrointestinal cancer surgery greater than 6 months ago participated in semi-structured interviews. These interviews aimed to explore a person's physical, emotional and social relationship with food and eating following surgery. Interviews were tape-recorded, transcribed and analysed using an inductive thematic analysis approach.

Results

Interview findings revealed a journey of adjustment, grieving and resignation. The physical symptoms and experiences of people differed between types of surgery, but the coping mechanisms remained the same.

Conclusions

The grieving and resignation people experienced suggest adjustment and coping similar to that of someone with a chronic illness. Remodeling of health services is needed to ensure this patient group receives ongoing management and support.

An ecological study of the relationship between social and environmental determinants of obesity

There is growing concern with the increasing prevalence of obesity in industrialised countries, a trend that is more apparent in the poor than in the rich. In an ecological study, the relationship between an area measure of socioeconomic status (SES) and the density of fast-food outlets was examined as one possible explanation for the phenomenon. It was found that there was a dose-response between SES and the density of fast-food outlets, with people living in areas from the poorest SES category having 2.5 times the exposure to outlets than people in the wealthiest category. The findings are discussed.

Experiential learning in social science theory: an investigation of the relationship between student enjoyment and learning

This paper provides an analysis of student experiences of an approach to teaching theory that integrates the teaching of theory and data analysis. The argument that supports this approach is that theory is most effectively taught by using empirical data in order to generate and test propositions and hypotheses, thereby emphasising the dialectic relationship between theory and data through experiential learning. Bachelor of Commerce students in two second-year substantive organisational theory subjects were introduced to this method of learning at a large, multi-campus Australian university. In this paper, we present a model that posits a relationship between students' perceptions of their learning, the enjoyment of the experience and expected future outcomes. The results of our evaluation reveal that a majority of students:

•enjoyed this way of learning;
•believed that the exercise assisted their learning of substantive theory, computing applications and the nature of survey data; and
•felt that what they have learned could be applied elsewhere.

We argue that this approach presents the potential to improve the way theory is taught by integrating theory, theory testing and theory development; moving away from teaching theory and analysis in discrete subjects; and, introducing iterative experiences in substantive subjects.

Relationship between men's and women's body image and their psychological, social, and sexual functioning

This study was designed to examine the relationships between different aspects of body image and psychological, social, and sexual functioning throughout adulthood. The respondents were 211 men and 226 women (age range 18–86 years; mean = 42.26). Respondents completed measures of self-rated attractiveness, body satisfaction, body image importance, body image behaviors, appearance comparison, social physique anxiety, self-esteem, depression, anxiety, and social and sexual functioning. Body image was associated with self-esteem for all groups, but was unrelated to other aspects of psychological, social, and sexual functioning. There were some exceptions; a disturbance in body image was related to problematic social and sexual functioning among middle-aged men and to depression and anxiety symptoms in late adulthood among men and women. Middle-aged men who presented with the type of body image disturbance typical of women were more likely to have impaired interpersonal functioning. These results demonstrate that social aspects of body image appear to be important in understanding psychological functioning in later life.

A preliminary investigation of the relationship between parental empathy and social anxiety and children's social anxiety

This study investigated the association between parents' social anxiety and empathy, and their children's social anxiety, Twenty-one mothers, 12 fathers and 24 children aged between 7 and 12 years were recruited from state primary schools in the eastern metropolitan region of Melbourne, Australia. Parents completed self-report questionnaires assessing their parental empathy and level of social anxiety. Children completed a modified version of the social anxiety questionnaire. All parent variables, except for maternal anxiety, were related to children's social anxiety. Overall, parental empathy was found to have a considerable association with child social anxiety, which is consistent with arguments that micro-level family mechanisms are important influences on child social anxiety. Future studies of parental empathy with clinical populations and data collection from multiple sources are recommended.