#'mini-analysis' 900 words

[missingn000]

tpg character mini-analysis: hajime kashimo + honor

i wanted to talk a bit about one of kashimo's defining traits that no other tpg character has: honor. after gojo meets them, he trudges away thinking kashimo has no moral structure, but this isn't...quite true. this quality shapes how hajime views the world as they evaluate others' actions based on a certain standard of conduct.

take a look at this line of theirs:

“What [the sorcerers] did back then in order to execute [Sukuna]…I can’t think of anything else so honorless. It doesn’t matter how many sorcerers he took down. There are some things you just don’t do.”

sukuna's yet-unrevealed backstory is incredibly devastating and tragic. in most people, it would evoke intense feelings of sympathy, sorrow, and anger on sukuna's behalf. others would say the people who did That to sukuna were heartless.

but instead kashimo says it was honorless. to them, this is the equivalent of the visceral reaction other people would've had. it's about perspective and priorities.

more below cut!

hajime continues to say:

They shake their head. “If the stories of what the sorcerers did to him back then are true...as far as I’m concerned, they deserved it.”

they deserved it. they DESERVED it? even mahito says he's surprised hajime would take sukuna's side. i'll say this conclusively about sukuna's backstory: the myth that after his failed execution, he wiped out an entire prefecture upon becoming a curse is true.

but hajime still thinks that punishment was deserved. what the sorcerers did to execute sukuna was so far beyond their rigid standard of conduct that such a fate was an appropriate punishment to them.

further, something that significantly annoys them about mahito is that he kills people who can't fight back. tpg 37 got long as hell, so i cut a few things, including this short snippet:

It’s not the violence that repulses them; that’d be illogical for someone whose body count is in the triple-digits. But there’s no honor in it, just slaughtering people who can’t even put up a fight. Kashimo’s fought more than their fair share of unsatisfying, ultimately one-sided battles, but that’s what they were: battles. Reciprocated killing intention. Of course weaklings deserve to die, but that’s a retroactive punishment.

they're repulsed at the idea of killing someone who's done nothing at all for no reason. killing the storehouse guards had a purpose: those people were in the way of their goals and actively fought back to try to stop them. but mahito frequently kills innocent people just for fun, which is completely honorless to them.

four hundred years ago, when sorcery was all about duels and death matches, honor existed in the place of laws or a legal structure. since death was a permitted end to a fight, there had to be something to keep sorcerers from just going around slaughtering people. honor is a form of social currency that earns respect and dignity within a community. conducting actions that fall outside its definition result in being hated and shunned.

however, despite mahito's misgivings, mahito is still rapidly becoming someone important to them -- the first person ever to be important to them. this does not fit in their current moral structure. take a look at what kashimo says when gojo is surprised they'd lay down their life to protect mahito:

Hajime flinches. “I made a promise,” they try. The glow beneath their eyes flickers, a store sign that can’t decide if it’s open or closed. “Breaking it would be honorless. I’d rather die than not be able to live with myself.”

Honor? No one has done anything strictly for honor in hundreds of years. “Is that really what you’re worried about?”

“Of course it is,” Hajime replies, after a delay too long to be entirely convincing. “I have no interest in forming bonds with others, least of all him.”

they're still pretty in denial regarding caring about mahito, so they're trying to convince themself it's about honor, because they can tie that to their existing values. since caring about someone is new, it's far more grounding to sort it into a value structure they already possess rather than face the horrifying ordeal of creating a new one that goes against their current worldview.

in that quote, they say they'd rather die than not be able to live with themself. honor is so important to them that the idea of acting without it is worse than death; they couldn't sleep at night. extreme, right? but i actually got this idea from canon.

take a look at this panel from hakari vs kashimo:

this. why did no one talk about this?? kashimo is someone who exists for fighting strong opponents. they let kenjaku brutally mutilate their body into a cursed object to incarnate four centuries into the future with the sole purpose of fighting sukuna. if hakari killed them here, that goal would not happen.

and yet.

they ask him to kill them. or rather, they think hakari should kill them. it was a fair fight. a fair loss of which they accept the outcome. therefore, they believe it is hakari's right to kill them. that's so, so interesting to me, and it really stands out against the backdrop of their otherwise shallow personality, so i just couldn't resist expanding on it.

their character will continue to develop throughout the story, so stay tuned. thanks for reading!

[serenavangstuff]

Juniper Publishers-The Influence of Sarcopenia on Walking in Frail Elderly People

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to clarify the influence of sarcopenia on walking in frail elderly people. The subjects were 28 elderly people aged 65 years or over who could walk independently, attend community day-care centers. Assessment and measurement items were: history of falls during the past year, the presence or absence of sarcopenia, characteristics of walking, lower limb muscle strength, cognitive function, ability to perform activities of daily living (ADL), and general information. The subjects were divided into two groups depending on the presence or absence of sarcopenia, and a comparison was made between the two groups. Five people (severe sarcopenia group) fulfilled all evaluation items of sarcopenia and seven people (control group) did not fulfill any evaluation items. The remaining 16 fulfilled some items but they were not included in this comparative study. The ankle joint maximum plantar flexion moment and walking velocity of the severe sarcopenia group showed significantly lower values than the control group. This study suggested that reduced lower limb muscle strength is not the only cause of the decrease in walking velocity in frail elderly people with sarcopenia.

Keywords: Frail elderly people, Sarcopenia, Walking velocity

Abbreviations: ADL: Activities of Daily Living; MMSE: Mini-Mental State Examination; FIM: Functional Independence Measure

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Introduction

In Japan, the population of elderly people aged 65 and over has been increasing. At the end of fiscal year 2000 when the long-term care insurance system was enforced, the population aged 65 and over was 22.42 million [1]. As of November 1, 2016, the elderly population aged 65 and over has increased to 34.63 million [2]. Among elderly people aged 65 and over, the number of people who are in a condition requiring some kind of support or nursing care is also increasing year by year. The number of people certified as requiring support and care was 2.47 million people at the end of fiscal year 2000, 5.92 million people at the end of fiscal year 2014 [1,3]. Furthermore, it is estimated that in 2025 when the "baby-boomer generation" is over 75 years old, it is predicted that the elderly population aged 65 and over will reach 36.57 million people and will also further increase thereafter [4]. As a result, there is a possibility that the number of people who qualify for support and care may increase, so the field of care prevention has attracted attention.

When an elderly person suffers a fall it is liable to result in injury such as a fracture, and this acts as a trigger to subsequent deteriorating health [5]. According to a survey conducted in fiscal year 2013 [6], falls and fractures are the fourth leading cause of the need for support and long-term care, accounting for 11.8% of the total. The rate of falls in one year in elderly people in Japan is about 10 to 20% for community-dwelling elderly and about 20 to 40% for elderly people in care facilities [7-10]. According to a survey estimate in 2009 [11], it is reported that medical expenses and nursing care expenses associated with falls exceed 900 billion yen annually. In other words, in Japan, which has a very aging society, it can be said that prevention of falls in elderly people is an extremely important task. Falls by elderly people occur in a variety of scenarios, but it is reported that approximately 60% of them occur during walking [7]. Therefore, efforts to prevent falls are necessary, focusing on walking of elderly people.

Fall-related factors affecting the elderly fall into two main categories: internal factors such as physical factors and external factors such as living environment factors [12]. Among internal factors, falls due to sarcopenia have been drawing attention in recent years. Sarcopenia was defined as "the age-dependent loss of skeletal muscle mass" by Rosenberg in 1989 [13]. The prevalence of sarcopenia in elderly people over 65 in Japan is approximately 20% [14]. According to a survey on the relationship between sarcopenia and falls [14-15], sarcopenic elderly people are reported to have an incidence of falls approximately two to three times higher than those in elderly people without sarcopenia. It is also necessary to consider not only the one-way relationship; that sarcopenia induces a fall, but also the opposite relationship; that the fall and the resulting reduction in activity lead to sarcopenia. It is reported that muscle mass differs by approximately 5% between falling and non-falling people [16]. That is, prevention of falls and sarcopenia is considered to be an important issue in extending healthy life-span and reducing medical and nursing care expenses.

However, the specific relationship between falls and sarcopenia has not yet been clarified, and concrete preventive measures have not been established. Therefore, by focusing on sarcopenia, one of the factors causing falls, in this study, we will clarify its relationship with walking and clarify the mechanism of falling occurrence. By doing so, we believe that a more effective method of intervention for fall prevention could be established which would help avoid the need for elderly care.

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Materials And Methods

Subjects

The subjects were 28 elderly people (11 males and 17 females, 82.9 ± 5.2 years) aged 65 years and over who could walk independently and who were attending community daycare centers. People who were unable to undergo bioelectrical impedance analysis due to pacemakers or other medical electronic devices, those who had a history of cerebrovascular disorder, those who were undergoing injury treatment, and those who had a Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score of 23 or less were excluded from the study. This study was conducted with the approval of the medical corporation Shutaikai ethics committee (2015.10.19), written informed consent was obtained and the rights of the subjects were protected.

Assessments and Measurements

The history of falls over the past year was ascertained by interview. If there was a history of falls, the number of falls, the date, place, situation, direction and the result of falls (injury or fracture) were recorded.

The presence or absence of sarcopenia was judged based on the diagnostic criteria of the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia (AWGS) [17]. For measurement of muscular mass (skeletal muscle mass), a body composition meter (InBody 230,InBody Japan Inc., Tokyo, Japan) was used. Then, the value (kg/ m2) obtained by dividing the limb muscle mass (kg) obtained by Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (BIA) by the square of the height (m) was used for evaluation. Measurement of muscular strength (grip strength) was performed using a grip strength meter (TTM Smedlay's Dynamo Meter 100 kg Yo II, Tsutsumi Seisakusho Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan), measuring twice each on the left and right side, with the best value recorded. Measurement of physical function (10 m usual walking velocity) was performed using a stopwatch, measurement was performed twice, and the average value was recorded.

To measure the characteristics of walking, one force plate (Accu Gait, AMTI Inc., Watertown, MA, USA) and four digital high vision video cameras (GZ-G5-B, JVC KENWOOD Inc., Kanagawa, Japan) were used. We installed digital high vision video cameras around the 4 m walking path where the force plate was installed, and photographed walking motion from front to back and from left and right. The sampling frequency was set to 60 Hz, and an optical-synchronization signal generator (PH-145, DKH Inc., Tokyo, Japan) was used for synchronization. The walking velocity was taken as the comfortable walking velocity of each subject and the number of times measurement was performed was set to three on each side. Markers (diameter 15 mm) were applied at 10 points: on both sides of each of the acromion, the greater trochanter, the lateral joint space, the lateral malleolus, and the head of the fifth metatarsal bone. The captured motion picture was imported into a 3D motion analysis system (Frame- DIAS V, DKH Inc., Tokyo, Japan), and the 3D spatial coordinates of each marker were calculated. In addition, the data obtained from the 3D spatial coordinates and the force plate were converted into DIFF (Date Interface File Format) and then converted into Excel format using DIFF gait and Wave Eyes, which are software provided by the clinical gait analysis group [18]. The joint angle and joint moment of the hip joint, knee joint, and ankle joint during one gait cycle were calculated from the respective data in Excel format.

Measurement of lower limb muscle strength used a muscle strength meter (μ Tas F-1, ANIMA Inc., Tokyo, Japan). Isometric hip joint flexion muscle strength, isometric hip joint extension muscle strength, isometric knee joint extension muscle strength, and isometric ankle joint plantar flexion muscle strength, which are the major muscular strengths affecting walking, were measured. Measurement of each muscular strength was performed during maximum isometric contraction of about 3 seconds. Measurements were carried out twice on each side at intervals of 30 seconds or more. Then, each maximum value was adopted, and the value obtained by dividing the left and right average value (kgf) by the body weight (kg) was expressed as the muscle force value (kgf/kg). For each measurement, the procedure was fully explained to the subjects, the subjects practiced beforehand, and performed the test, and when the posture was lost, the measurement was performed again.

For evaluation of cognitive function, the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) was used.

To evaluate activities of daily living (ADL), the Functional Independence Measure (FIM) was used.

General information on each subject was collected from their medical records.

Statistical analysis

The subjects were divided into two groups: those with severe sarcopenia (positive for all evaluation criteria) and control group (negative for all criteria) according to the corresponding number of criteria of sarcopenia. Attributes (gender, age, degree of care) and physical characteristics (height, weight) of the subjects, history of falls during the past year, each joint angle and joint moment in one walking cycle, parameters of walking (walking velocity, stride, walking rate), and lower limb muscle strength were compared between the two groups. Fisher's direct stochastic method, chi-squared independence test, and Mann-Whitney U test were used for comparison between the two groups. JSTAT statistical analysis software was used for statistical analysis, and the significance level was set at P < 0.05.

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Results

Of the 28 subjects, there were 5 people (1 male and 4 females, 85.8 ± 4.5 years) who fulfilled all the criteria of sarcopenia (severe sarcopenia group) and 7 people (4 males and 3 females, 81.7 ± 5.5 years) who did not fall under any judgment items of sarcopenia (control group) (Table1).

Table 2 shows the results of comparing the attributes and physical characteristics of subjects between the severe sarcopenia group and the control group. There was no significant difference in gender or age between the two groups. However, with regard to the level of nursing care, three people (60.0%) in the severe sarcopenia group required nursing care level 1 which was significantly higher than the control group of whom none (0%) required nursing care (P < 0.05). With regard to physical characteristics of the subjects, both height (severe sarcopenia group: 1.49 ± 0.04 m, control group: 1.62 ± 0.07 m, P < 0.05) and weight (severe sarcopenia group: 46.4 ± 8.9 kg, control group: 62.4 ± 11.8 kg, P < 0.05) were significantly lower in the severe sarcopenia group compared to the control group.

The results of comparing each evaluation and measurement item between the severe sarcopenia group and the control group are shown in Table 3. There was no significant difference in the fall rate of the past year or in lower limb muscle strength between the two groups. Although the fall rate did not show a significant difference between the groups, the rate was 40.0% in the severe sarcopenia group and 28.6% in the control group, showing a higher tendency in the severe sarcopenia group. Regarding the parameter of walking, walking velocity (severe sarcopenia group: 0.67 ± 0.11 m/sec, control group: 1.08 ± 0.16 m/sec, P < 0.01) and walking rate (severe sarcopenia group: 1.79 ± 0.19 steps/sec, control group: 2.04 ± 0.08 steps/sec, P < 0.05) were significantly lower in the severe sarcopenia group than in the control group. In each joint angle and joint moment during one walking cycle, only the hip joint flexion angle at the initial contact (severe sarcopenia group: 22.5 ± 4.5°, control group: 29.4 ± 3.8°, P < 0.05) and the ankle joint maximum flexion moment (severe sarcopenia group: 0.84 ± 0.22 Nm/kg, control group: 1.22 ± 0.08 Nm/kg, P < 0.01) were significantly lower in the severe sarcopenia group than in the control group. The knee joint extension angle at the terminal stance (severe sarcopenia group: -11.9 ± 8.8°, control group: -23.0 ± 7.7°, P < 0.05) was significantly higher in the severe sarcopenia group than in the control group.

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Discussion

When the fall rate of the past year was compared between the severe sarcopenia group and the control group, the fall rate was 40.0% in the severe sarcopenia group and 28.6% in the control group, showing a high tendency in the severe sarcopenia group. This seems to be because the severe sarcopenia group has a lower ADL ability than the control group and the risk of a fall is higher. This was in agreement with a previous study [14-15]. In addition, among walking parameters, no significant difference was observed in the stride, but walking velocity and walking rate were both significantly lower in the severe sarcopenia group than in the control group. Generally, it is reported that walking parameters such as walking velocity, stride and walking rate decrease with age [19-21]. However, in this study, the walking velocity and the walking rate of the control group were about the average value for the general elderly, whereas in the severe sarcopenia group it was lower than the average value for the general elderly. Therefore, we considered that both these parameters are affected not only by age but also by sarcopenia, and that the state of sarcopenia can be reflected in the comparison between the severe sarcopenia group and the control group.

As a result of comparing walking characteristics between the severe sarcopenia group and the control group, we found that the maximum plantar flexion moment of the ankle joint at the terminal stance in the severe sarcopenia group was significantly lower than that in the control group. That is, the severe sarcopenia group had weak kicking out of the lower limb required to move the body forward in walking, indicating that the walking velocity was lowered. In general, one of the causes of the decrease in walking velocity is considered to be muscle weakness accompanying muscle atrophy due to aging [22]. In the severe sarcopenia group of this study, the lower limb muscle strength was also lower than in the general elderly. In other words, it seems that there is a possibility that reduced muscle strength of the lower limb may influence the decrease in walking velocity in the severe sarcopenia group. However, when the lower limb muscle strength of the severe sarcopenia group was compared with the control group, no significant difference was found between the two groups. This is probably due to the fact that the number of subjects in this study was small and it was difficult to obtain statistically-significant differences, or that the items for direct evaluation and measurement of lower limb muscle strength were not included in the criteria of sarcopenia. In other words, not only the lower limb muscle strength but also other factors may be influenced by the state of sarcopenia. Therefore, from the results of this study, we considered that the cause of the decrease in the walking velocity of the severe sarcopenia group suggests that the reduction of muscle strength of the lower limb muscle may not be the only pertinent factor.

Other causes ofthe decrease in walking velocity are a decrease in muscle weakness of the trunk muscles, etc. Unlike the upper limbs and lower limbs, trunk muscles are greatly involved in maintenance of postures such as sitting and standing. Therefore, the trunk muscles are considered to be less susceptible to the influence of sarcopenia, which is mainly responsible for the decrease of type II fibers, because the proportion of type I fibers is greater in the trunk muscles than that of the limb muscles [23-26]. However, according to a report by Ikezoe et al. [27] which investigated muscle atrophy of the trunk muscle accompanying aging, in the elderly with independent walking, the rate of decrease of the internal abdominal oblique muscle and external abdominal oblique muscle among the trunk muscles was as large as 47.6% and 40.2% respectively. In frail elderly people who need assistance in walking, the rate of decrease of the transverses abdominis muscle, the multifidus muscle, and the thoracic erector spinae muscle among the trunk muscles was about 3 to 4 times greater than that in the elderly with independent walking. In other words, the trunk muscle may also be affected by sarcopenia. Since the back muscles such as the transverses abdominis muscle, the multifidus muscle, and the erector spinae muscle function in maintaining posture and protecting the spinal column, so, as their muscle strength decreases, postural changes such as kyphosis occur more easily [28-29]. In addition, muscular weakness of the trunk muscle is thought to be one of the causes of lower back pain [30]. Because low back pain presents walking disturbance, it is considered that walking velocity may also be affected. Therefore, one of the causes of the decrease in walking velocity in sarcopenia of elderly people who require support and care may be that the trunk muscles are influential.

In the future, in order to prevent the severity of nursing care due to sarcopenia and falls, it is necessary to clarify the relationship between sarcopenia and walking. Therefore, we will focus on the trunk muscles considered as one of the causes of walking velocity decline in sarcopenia of elderly people who required support and care, which we aim to further compare and examine.

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Conclusion

In the severe sarcopenia group, despite no clear difference in the lower limb muscle strength compared to the control group, a decrease in walking velocity was observed. Therefore, this study suggested that reduced lower limb muscle strength is not the only cause of the decrease in walking velocity in frail elderly people with sarcopenia.

To read more articles in Journal of Gerontology & Geriatric Medicine

Please Click on: https://juniperpublishers.com/oajggm/index.php

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[safety-blocks-pub]

Midsem Exam Solutions

Here’s the solution for the midsem exam, credit to my tutor Andrew:

= COMP6[84]41 Midsemester Exam : 2019t2 = == Total number of marks: 55 == == Total duration: 55 minutes + 5 minutes reading time ==

This is a closed book exam. The class textbook is not provided for this exam.

There is one mark for following the examination instructions.

A result of 50 marks will be scaled to be full marks so you can skip 5 marks worth of questions in part A and still get full marks. I suggest you skip the final question in part A if you are tight for time as part B is worth much more.

If you are doing a pen and paper version of the exam write you name and student number here and sign it

{{{ Name: Student Number: Which course: COMP6441/COMP6841 (cross out the wrong one) Signature: }}}

If you are doing the exam on a terminal your answers can be submitted by pressing save on this application. You may submit your solutions as many times as you like. The last submission ONLY will be marked.

Write your name and student number on the top of each sheet of any rough working paper you use, this will not be marked, and write your answers in the computer files as directed in the exam instructions.

You must hand in ALL writing paper at the end of the exam.

Once the exam has commenced you may not leave the exam.

You may only use the viewer, GUI calculator, and the decoding app supplied for the last question. Other programs including scripting or interpreted languages may not be used. We are logging all activity and use of other software etc will result in 0 fail. If you are unsure ask the supervisor.

If no answer seems perfect, or if more than one answer seems correct then give the answer which you think best answers the question.

The use of Top Men, misdirection, or social engineering is prohibited. Strict exam conditions apply, including that you may not attempt to communicate with any other person, or access other computers or external data/information or any internet resources.

If you do not follow these instructions you will get zero marks for the exam and a possible zero marks for the course or a charge of academic misconduct.

Phones must be turned off and not visible, either left outside the room in your bag or sealed in an opaque bag placed under your seat.

v1.4

==== Part A ====

This part is worth 39 marks and consists of 13x3 mark questions.

=== Question 0 === (3 Marks)

You are setting the password policy for your company. What is the best policy according to NIST?

.[A] Users must change password every 6 months .[B] Require passwords to satisfy structural rules such as "at least one uppercase letter, one digit, and one non-alphanumeric symbol" .[C] Passwords must not be on a blacklist of common passwords .[D] Passwords must be of a minimum length .[E] Use a set of personal questions as challenges rather than passwords eg "What was the name of your first teacher" .[F] Generate the password randomly for the user and don't allow them to change it.

=== Question 1 === (3 Marks)

The modulus of a particular RSA key is generated by multiplying two different prime numbers, each having a length of 20 decimal digits (there are about 2x10^18 such primes). The modulus is public, the two primes which produced it are secret. All you need to know about RSA is if an attacker can ever find the two prime factors they can find the private key, and so break the code.

If it takes 8 bits of work to test if one number divides into another how many bits of work would it take on average to brute force one of the two factors of the modulus by repeated trial divisions?

.[A] 0-19 bits of work .[B] 20-29 bits of work .[C] 30-39 bits of work .[D] 40-49 bits of work .[E] 50-59 bits of work .[F] 60-69 bits of work .[G] 70-79 bits of work .[H] 80 or more bits of work

=== Question 2 === (3 Marks)

In a hypothetical electronic voting system the candidate names are "Putin", "Trump", "Xi", "Ahern", "Johnson", "Duterte" and "Trudeau". Candidates vote by encrypting their selected candidate's name, and posting the resulting encrypted candidate name on a public bulletin board which is tamper evident. The ID of the voter is shown alongside their encrypted vote on the bulletin board so everyone can check that no one voted twice, and that only eligible voters voted.

ASSUME THAT ELECTORAL OFFICIALS CAN BE SAFELY TRUSTED i.e. don't consider insider attacks in your answer. For each of the following encryption/hash schemes state whether or not it could safely be used to encrypt the candidate names in order to ensure that no candidate can view the bulletin board and learn who did, or who didn't, vote for them.

Vignere Cipher (each individual voter has a unique key also known to electoral officials) .[Yes] Safe to use .[No] Not safe to use

2048 bit RSA (encrypted using a publicly known public key, only the electoral officials know the private key) .[Yes] Safe to use .[No] Not safe to use

SHA256  .[Yes] Safe to use .[No] Not safe to use

One Time Pad (each individual voter has a unique key also known to electoral officials) .[Yes] Safe to use .[No] Not safe to use

 === Question 3 === (3 Marks)

You encode your favorite quote using METHOD A and paste the cipher text at the end of a long email to your friend - and then you encrypt the whole email using METHOD B before you send it. So the quote has been encrypted twice.

Roughly how much work will it take to find the decryption of the quote if it takes 30 bits of work to decrypt METHOD A and if it takes 30 bits of work to decrypt METHOD B?

.[A] 30 bits .[B] 60 bits .[C] 90 bits .[D] 900 bits .[E] A good quote by Goethe is "You can easily judge the character of a person by how they treat those who can do nothing for them" - however it's not the one you encrypted.

=== Question 4 === (3 Marks)

The following question relates to the Houdini case study done in your analysis group.

The object of the case study was to devise a protocol for Bess to follow. What are the two most important properties the protocol needed to have?

Most important property (use between 4 and 20 characters in your answer) (hint: it is one of the CIA properties) Authentication_____

Second most important property (use between 4 and 20 characters in your answer) (no hints for this one) Non-repudiation ______

  === Question 5 === (3 Marks)

Suppose the president of a country is the only one who knows the 10 digit pin needed to arm the country's nuclear weapons (to prevent unauthorised launches). If you were the country's head of military security what would you be most worried about in this scenario:

.[A] Integrity .[B] Authentication .[C] Security Engineering .[D] Proof of liveness .[E] Security by obscurity .[F] Type I/Type II error tradeoff

=== Question 6 === (3 Marks)

What sort of attack would the following most likely be used in?

.[A] Bump .[B] Rake .[C] Shim .[D] Brute force .[E] Impressioning .[F] Social Engineering

=== Question 7 === (3 Marks)

A locksmith uses the tool below to pick a tumbler lock with 6 pins and 6 possible pin heights. Suppose she already knows the correct sequence in which to try the pins. How many combinations will she have to test in the worst case?

.[A] 6 .[B] 6+6 .[C] 6*6 .[D] 6^6 .[E] 2^(6+6)

=== Question 8 === (3 Marks)

Suppose your company has been hit by a ransomware attack. What is the most likely to have been used in the attack?

.[A] Corrupt Insider .[B] Social engineering .[C] Memory corruption .[D] Brute force .[E] Rainbow table .[F] Security by obscurity .[G] 0-day .[H] Integrity .[I] Confidentiality .[J] Proof of Liveness

=== Question 9 === (3 Marks)

On average how many hashes would be required to succeed in each of the following attacks against SHA-256? You may assume SHA-256 has not yet been broken. Write your answer to the nearest power of 2 eg if you think the answer is 250 enter "8" as your answer (since 2^8 is 256)

Preimage: 2^ 255 hashes

Second preimage: 2^255 hashes

Collision: 2^128 hashes

=== Question 10 === (3 Marks)

Lachlan and I are going to use going to use Merkle Puzzles to securely discuss the exam questions on Friday the day before the exam runs (because he loves Merkle Puzzles). I'll send him 1,000,000 encrypted mini-messages of the form:

{{{ ... ... This is puzzle two hundred thousand and seventeen, the key is jHg4t5ct&rqSg This is puzzle two hundred thousand and eighteen, the key is 3pojygv3x%wD? ... ... }}}

What cipher/hash would be best to use to encrypt these mini-messages?

.[A] One Time Pad .[B] Ceasar .[C] Vigenere .[D] RSA 64 bit modulus (encrypted using my public key) .[E] RSA 2048 bit modulus (encrypted using my public key) .[F] SHA256

=== Question 11 === (3 Marks)

A confident sounding comment about passwords posted on the internet: {{{ I’ve moved to using three word passphrases that use Subject->Action->Object format. They need not be sensible though. Things like:

Obama Punting Cornflakes

or

Grandma Curling Pumpkins

Both of those are over 80 bits, and you’ll never forget them. In fact, if you read this, you’ll never get the image of Obama punting a box of cornflakes out of your head."

- Jonathan Beerhalter 2012-03-08 }}}

Most people have a vocabulary of between 20,000 and 40,000 words that they use or can recognise.

Assume that the three words in each passphrase are randomly chosen from three dictionaries of 10,000 familiar words each (one of Subject words, one of Action words, one of Object words) and are written separated by a space, first letter uppercase, remaining letters lowercase, and that it takes one bit of work to test one passphrase.

How many bits of work would it take on average to break one of Jonathan's passphrases?

.[A] Around 40 bits .[B] Around 50 bits .[C] Around 60 bits .[D] Around 70 bits .[E] Around 80 bits .[F] Around 90 bits .[G] Around 100 bits or more

=== Question 12 === (3 Marks)

I suggest you don't do this question until and unless you have finished Part B below - it is probably not worth it. Remember you can skip 5 marks in Part A and still get full marks.

The ciphertext below has been produced by a Vignere cipher.

OUEYZLWCFMGYOULHEXWWRISCGHGADLWZBKDCXUOEDUHJRTQOFUOEDCXUPMHP WUCIDUJCATBNAPRBEHWUETOJWUEYZLAZSTQUHJRTQHWUEBESGOEXMYECRLGU NYNWUUFNNZDVSCGMGYECSMGYQUEXBIFZHLDXUUCMTLWNUXLCXNUXXUJYANLY JIHLOLWJNKDZGLGADGAZGADSSLRLSLGHTTUIAXGADGAZGADSSLRTMAJSVLSO JVGADGAZGADSSLRATGTFRFZEWNUXLBSOTASSAZGADSSLRKDFSRRWSIAFGADG AZGADSSLRTKFMHVMDXKYCTQULYGADG

What is the likely period of the cipher? (ie length of the cipher key)?

_6_

  ==== Part B ====

This part is worth 15 Marks and consists of one question.

=== Question 13 === (15 Marks)

Decode the ciphertxt in the NSA app (which is in a tab in your web browser). If you close it by mistake you can reopen it by right clicking on the desktop, or ask the exam supervisor for help.

The message has been enciphered using a monoalphabetic substitution cipher.

Write the deciphered plaintext below, use ? symbols for undecrypted letters, partial marks for partial decryptions so long as it is clear.

[ulrichfoester]

Your life’s purpose. Why finding your passion is essential to maintaining brain health.

’

I’ve been writing this brain health blog since 2013, and it has changed my life and my career in extraordinary ways.

My original purpose for this blog has been to provide impeccably-researched evidence-based stories that are told in a simple, fun and compelling way. And it has certainly taken me on an extraordinary journey.

Purpose, defined as the tendency to derive meaning from life’s experiences and to possess a sense of intentionality and goal-directedness that guides behaviour, can be quantified!

With purpose and meaning comes positive emotions — love, compassion, and appreciation — which counteract stress and support a healthy brain throughout life.

Blue Zones residents are members of faith communities and find meaning and purpose through spirituality. Living a meaningful life seems an unlikely addition a brain blog, but ‘purpose in life’ is a concept in neuroscience that links to robust brain and mind health.

Purpose in life reduces risk of Alzheimer’s disease and cognitive impairment

Drs David Bennett and Pamela Boyle the Rush Medical Centre in Chicago, published this finding in a paper in the Archives of General Psychiatry in 2010.

The project studied more than than 900 community-dwelling older people without dementia.

All participants underwent baseline evaluations of their purpose in life. And they were followed up over seven years to see if they went on to develop cognitive impairment or symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease.

The study defined ‘purpose in life’ as: the psychological tendency to derive meaning from life’s experiences and to possess a sense of intentionality and goal-directedness that guides behaviour.

To measure ‘purpose in life’ the team asked participants to rate their level of agreement from one to five, to each of the following statements:

I feel good when I think of what I have done in the past and what I hope to do in the future.

I live life one day at a time and do not really think about the future.

I tend to focus on the present because the future nearly always brings me problems.

I have a sense of direction and purpose in life.

My daily activities often seem trivial and unimportant to me.

I used to set goals for myself, but that now seems like a waste of time.

I enjoy making plans for the future and working them to a reality.

I am an active person in carrying out the plans I set for myself.

Some people wander aimlessly through life, but I am not one of them.

I sometimes feel as if I have done all there is to do in life.

Scoring for the negatively worded items was flipped (e.g. Qs 5, 6 & 10) and item scores were averaged to give a total purpose in life score for each person, with higher scores indicating greater purpose in life.

All of the scores were adjusted (a statistical technique that takes into account other factors and ‘levels the playing field’) for depressive symptoms, neuroticism, social networks, and chronic medical conditions.

Results showed

In the 7 years of the study, 155 of 951 people (16.3%) developed Alzheimer’s disease. Statistical analysis showed that greater purpose in life was associated with a substantially reduced risk of Alzheimer’s disease (hazard ratio, 0.48; 95% confidence interval, 0.33-0.69; P<0.001).

A person with a high purpose in life score was approximately 2.4 times more likely to remain free of AD than was a person with a low purpose in life score.

A high purpose in life score was also linked to less ‘mild cognitive impairment’. Mild cognitive impairment is a long preclinical phase during which people may transition before they show sufficient symptoms be diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.

A high purpose in life score was also linked to a slower rate of cognitive decline in old age. And purpose in life was related to a decline in semantic memory, followed by episodic memory, then perceptual speed, and working memory.

Purpose in life had been previously linked to positive health outcomes including :

better mental health

less depression

happiness

satisfaction

personal growth, self-acceptance

better sleep

longevity

What is the biological basis of purpose in life?

How does purpose in life protect against cognitive decline?

This is a hard question to answer.

The researchers state,

The finding that purpose in life is related to longevity in older persons suggests that aspects of human flourishing—particularly the tendency to derive meaning from life’s experiences and possess a sense of intentionality and goal-directedness that guides behavior—contribute to successful aging.

It is likely people who experience greater purpose in life are less stressed and experience more positive emotions. For example, lack of purpose in life is associated with high levels of the stress hormone cortisol, markers of inflammation, low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels (the ‘good’ cholesterol), and abdominal fat – all factors that associated with poor general health.

A subsequent study is published in 2012 in the Archives of General Psychiatry reported greater purpose in life may help stave off the harmful effects of plaques and tangles associated with Alzheimer’s disease. Patricia Boyle said,

Our study showed that people who reported greater purpose in life exhibited better cognition than those with less purpose in life even as plaques and tangles accumulated in their brains…

These findings suggest that purpose in life protects against the harmful effects of plaques and tangles on memory and other thinking abilities. This is encouraging and suggests that engaging in meaningful and purposeful activities promotes cognitive health in old age.

A 2019 Frontiers of Psychology review titled Something to Live for”: Experiences, Resources, and Personal Strengths in Late Adulthood  explores ‘disengagement theory’. The theory suggests a view of old age as a time of life when people step back from various commitments and social roles. But the findings of the present study highlight the desire and importance of older adults to remain active participants in society through creating opportunities for social connectedness, contribution, and belongingness.

One of the elders interviewed for the 2019 review stated:

To be part of a bigger group enables you to deal better with things. This is what gives meaning to our lives… We are not loners that live merely to survive; we live because we are part of society. This is what holds us, this is what I think gives life purpose and meaning…

And another said,

I see that there are times when I’m not focused on a specific target, and then I waste my time not doing things that are meaningful for me. And there are things that are important to me, things that I really want to do, but due to a lack of thinking ahead or planning, I postpone them or don’t do them properly… It is important for me not to waste time, not only because I think that there is a limited time to each person, but because everyone has missions to fulfill in life, and it’s a pity to postpone them. It’s not just that we are born and then die.

How do you find your life’s purpose?

By lovely coincidence, another wellness blogger Mark Sisson from Mark’s Daily Apple was also writing about purpose and longevity recently.

Because he says it so well, here is his take on how to find your purpose, and I couldn’t agree more …

…do the list making, the rational weighing, the free from brainstorming that experts suggest. Reflect on your passions, your priorities, your values, your talents and temperament. Consider where all of these can intersect with the needs you see in the circles or society around you. Talk to friends. Take a stab at writing a personal mission statement if you’re so inclined. Mull on the question while you’re washing dishes. Fill your head with the possibilities, the pros and drawbacks, the complexities and ambiguities. But then move out of cerebral mode entirely, get out of your own way, and hand the question over to your intuitive self.

Personally, I find there’s nothing more conducive to intuitive thinking than solo time outdoors… Think the question once – and only once – as you head out “into the wild” for your mini retreat. Then forget about it for the day. Just be and do and watch and smell and head home when you’re good and ready….

One day you’ll leave with your answer. Maybe it will come to you like a vision as you round the corner of a trail one day. Maybe it will settle in quietly, almost imperceptibly until you finally notice it’s there with you. Either way, you’ll have let your answer come forth from hours of, call it, Primal meditation. Not a bad source to tap into when you’re seeking purpose – and time away worth the health benefits all on its own.

As I wrote in my book, it’s useful to ask yourself what’s your north star? Your ‘ikigai’. Your ‘plan de vida’? There are possibly many clever strategies to find the meaning of your life — somewhere in the nexus of passion, skillset, employment opportunity, education and service to others. William James the psychologist said in 1920,

The deepest principle in human nature is the craving to be appreciated.

Recently I’ve come across a simpler way.

Over the years, I’ve taken to the ‘science careers advice’ stage with Paul Baldock, a bone biologist at Sydney’s Garvan Institute of Medical Research. We called on to share our wisdom, purpose and what we’ve learned on our career paths in science. Baldock has developed a novel formula for every decision he makes in the research lab, career, and life. He simply asks,

Is it awesome? Does it help?

This blog post was updated in December 2019.

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