Invasive Species

Abstract Some pests and weeds are considered by the Australian government to be of national significance. Most of these species were introduced from other countries and continents. Red fox (Vulpes vulpes) and the Alligator Weed (Alternanthera Philoxeroides) are some of the invasive species which threaten the ecology and several sectors of the Australian economy.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Invasive Species specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This document discusses why and how these species were introduced in Australia, factors which ensured their successful establishment in the country, as well as, their ecological and economic impacts. Finally, it examines the advantages and disadvantages of the control methods used to manage them. Introduction Numerous invasive species have been introduced in Australia over the years. These species are considered pests and have become a serious threat to biodiversity as well as agriculture in the country. Generally, pests have a direct effect on the environment/ecosystem as well as on human life wherever they exist. Their rate of reproduction is high making it difficult to control them. Most of them were introduced either deliberately or by accident, including some brought in to assist with the control of other nuisance species. Among the animal pests in Australia is red fox (Vulpes vulpes) also known as the European red fox was introduced in Australia in 1855 from Europe (Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water and Communities 2010). Since its introduction in Australia, it has spread across most parts of the country, although it is no longer found in the tropical north as well as some off-shore islands (Tasmanian Department of Primary industries, Parks, Water and Environment, 2010). Vulpes vulpes is classified as a serious invader to native animals as it kills them. On the other hand, one of the weed species which has invaded the ecological s ystem of Australia is the Alligator Weed (Alternanthera Philoxeroides). It was also introduced from Parana River region, South America (Everitt, Little Lonard, 2007, 55).Advertising Looking for report on biology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More They have spread in Queensland, Victoria, Western Australia, New South Wales, Northern Territory, Tasmania and South Australia. According to Bonila and Gunasekera (2001, 17) Alternanthera Philoxeroides is among the top 20 weeds posing serious threats and therefore causes significant concern in Australia. How and why the species were introduced in Australia According to Cuthbertson and Parsons (1992, 155) Alternanthera Philoxeroides was first introduced in Newcastle, New South Wales from South America and has since spread to all states in Australia. It has viable seed which aids its dispersal. As a result it spread from South America through pieces of mud which it used to attach itself to ships which sailed from South America. It was first introduced in this region during in 1946 when ship ballast was abandoned near New Castle (Cuthbertson and Parsons 1992, 155). According to the Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation (2011) Alternanthera Philoxeroides was introduced to Newcastle, New South Wales as a culinary herb. Red fox which has also greatly contributed to serious breakdown of Australian ecology was first introduced in the country from 1855 (Cowan Tyndale-Biscoe 1997, 31). They were first released in Melbourne, Victoria. They were deliberately introduced to the country for recreational hunting. European red fox was hunted by humans beginning 1865. Hunting had started back in 1839 in Australia as people sought after kangaroos, rabbits and dingoes. Factors which contributed to their successful establishment The weed has the ability to survive in terrestrial, Aquatic as well as semi-aquatic habitats in temperate, tropical plus in sub-tropical reg ions. All the regions in Australia where the weed has spread all have the characteristics of these climatic regions. The existence of rivers, wetlands and river tributaries provided the optimum condition for their survival. Red fox can survive in various habitats which include alpine, urban, as well as, arid areas (Pearson Pyres 1998, 87). It can also live in lightly wooded regions, and grasslands. Australia has wooded areas which are found in the country’s agricultural landscapes. This offers a wide range of food and shelter for the fox. The fox can also survive in a cleared farming land which has some livestock such as lambs which it can prey on.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Invasive Species specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Besides, the fox can eat almost anything including small animals, insects and fruit (Larivià ¨re Pasitschniak-Arts 1996, 6). In each environment, red fox is at the apex of the food chain. This enables it to survive even when its preferred prey, small animals, is less available during the summer seasons. Australia has all types climates which the fox can survive in, and due to this, red fox has established itself firmly across the country. On the contrary, native animals of Australia have not yet evolved to protect themselves against the fox because of the circumstances in which red fox was introduced. The fox was introduced so suddenly that the native animals were killed to feed the young foxes. This helped sustain the population of the red fox, which has since become the head of the food chain. Ecological effects Red foxes have had several long-term effects on the Australian environment. One major effect is the decline of biodiversity. Predation by red fox has contributed significantly to the decline of native species in the country and still continues to undermine the efforts of the Australian community to conserve the threatened species which includes the night parrot, malleefowl, as well as, the bridled nail-tail wallaby. The fox has greatly contributed to the reduction in populations of ground-nesting birds, reptiles like the green turtle, as well as, small-to-medium sized mammals like the greater bilby. The fox often loots loggerhead turtle nets. Furthermore, it eats eggs in nests found on the beach. Loggerhead turtles are protected at Mon Repos Conservation Park in Queensland since they are endangered. If these foxes are allowed to continue to breeding, as well as remain among the wild animals for much longer period, the fragile ecology of Australia will be destroyed. This means that it will be difficult to recover this unique environment. In addition, they are carriers of rabies. The spread of rabies could destroy the fragile Australian ecosystem. The disease affects both human beings and animals. Thus eradicating it would be very difficult.Advertising Looking for report on biology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Red foxes normally eat berries in summer seasons when their favourable food resources are not available. In addition, the fox competes alongside native predators which include eagles. In the past, the fox has competed against Tasmania Devils which were once abundant across the mainland; however, it is now found in Tasmania only. Others included Tasmania Tiger, Thylacine, and Tasmania Wolf which are now extinct in the country. Even though the red fox endangers the existence of many native animals, it is itself endangered by some animals. These animals include the Western Quoll, Red-Tailed Phascogale, Numbat, as well as, Brush-Tailed Bettong which are majorly found in South-Western Australia. These animals are poisonous to the red fox since they eat Gastrolobium, as well as, Oxylobium plants, which are poisonous to animals especially the red fox (Cowan Tyndale-Biscoe 1997, 31). These plant species have flouroacetate which is the chemical used to make the poison baits used in 1080 (Co wan Tyndale-Biscoe 1997, 31). On the contrary, these animals considered to be dangerous to the fox have developed immunity to the chemical, and therefore they store the poison in their flesh. When the red fox eats the animal, it dies. Alligator weed disrupts the aquatic environment by covering the surface and therefore hindering penetration of light into the water or soil (Groves, Richardson Shepard 1995, 07). This adversely distresses aquatic fauna as well as flora. Economic impacts Economic Impacts Alligator weed has impacts on several sectors of the economy. The plant has increased the would-be costs to irrigation farming (Groves, Richardson Shepard 1995, 10). It is expected that should the alligator weed not be controlled, then, the Barren Box Swamp infestation will cost about $250 million annually (Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water and Communities 2010). It is also threatening the sustainability of the turf industry in the Sydney Basin. The vegetable industry in the Hawkesbury-Nepan region is also threatened; the industry is estimated to be worth $150 million a year (Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water and Communities 2010). Other than the vegetable industry, there is the extraction industry in the same region, which also under threat. Should these resources be contaminated with the alligator weed, then the resources will have to be restricted. Moreover, it also threatens soy bean as well as sugar cane industries in the Richmond region (Groves, Richardson Shepard 1995, 11). Alligator weed also interferes with livestock farming. The plant contaminates grazing pastures and causes cancerous lesions in cattle. At some point, they become so dense that they deny livestock access to drinking water. This also implies that it limits access to, as well as, use of water. It can also block and damage pumps. In Warragamba Dam in Sydney, the weed causes sedimentation and therefore its major water supply, as well as, storage system (Depar tment of Sustainability, Environment, Water and Communities 2010). It obstructs stream flow of water and as a result leads to sedimentation. This contributes to flooding of the region, and structural damage to infrastructure. Red foxes have significant impacts on the Australian economy. It threatens the existence of native species as well as ecological communities. This impacts on the national heritage as it reduces species population (wildlife resources) in the country. The night parrot, malleefowl, as well as, the bridled nail-tail wallaby are some of the species which have been identified as threatened by red fox (Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water and Communities 2010). Red fox also causes losses to farmers especially those who keep livestock. The fox preys on the kid goats, poultry, as well as, newborn lambs. Moreover, they can also pass rabies on to livestock as well as native mammals. This costs the Australia economy millions of dollars per year since they kill livestock as well as by being a pest to farmers. Advantages of the methods used to control red fox Among the methods the government and the Australian community has employed is the prevention of the spread of red foxes to new regions which includes islands. Protection of the islands has been major priority in controlling red fox population. Islands have often been used as refugee habitats for species which are not available on the mainland any more. This has been effective in eradicating red fox from high-conservation-value islands. Adoption of poison baits on fences has also been successful in reducing the population of red foxes. This has been applied in south-west Western Australia and Eastern Australia. It has enabled native mammals to start to recover, and as a result, return to their former habitats. This method has also reduced the pressure on native species threatened by the red fox. It helps promote the maintenance, as well as, recovery of native animals together with the e cological communities which have been affected by red fox predation. Demerits of the methods used to control red fox Although the Australian community has adopted payment of bounties to encourage people to remove red foxes from among the wild animals, reduction of damages from the fox has not been effective (Tasmanian Department of Primary industries, Parks, Water and Environment, 2010). Again, hunting has not been able to achieve significant or long-term impact red fox population as well as the damage they cause. The application of poison baits in controlling red fox could have effects on other animals which are the target for elimination. Poison baits may also have similar effects on other animals, and therefore lead to their decline in areas where they are used. Besides, poison baits are very expensive and requires much resources to maintain them indefinitely. In south-west Western Australia, a large scale 1080-poison baits is used to control red fox. Advantages of the methods us ed to control alligator weed There are several methods which have been applied in Australia to control alligator weed. These control methods include physical, chemical and biological controls, and through legislation. Physical control method which involves the manual digging and burying of the alligator weed after having applied herbicides which kills any above-underground plant growth. This ensures immediate eradication of the alligator plant (NSW Department of Primary Industries 2008). It has successfully reduced floating mats which grow in Georges River as well as parts of Hawkesbury-Nepean region. Disadvantages of the methods used to control alligator weed One of the methods which have been applied in managing alligator weed is the adoption of alternative vegetable as part of the eradication program. The most notable alternative vegetable that has been adopted is the lesser joy weed which is scientifically known as Alternanthera denticulata (Bonila and Gunasekera 2001, 19). Howe ver, this does not help eliminate alligator weed as most of it grows wildly. Wetlands and river habitat where the weed grows is not affected by this program. Chemical control method applied in Australia is not effective as it takes long to eradicate the weed. Alligator weed can tolerate most herbicides. This means that application of these herbicides may only suppress the weed. Consequently, this method may take as a long as 6 years to completely eradicate the weed since in some cases, the herbicides are applied annually. Again, since the alligator weed is tolerant to most of these herbicides (NSW Department of Primary Industries 2008), it implies that large quantities are used in process. This can be dangerous to other plant species and could lead to their death. This means that chemical control method may lead to further loss of biodiversity. Application of chemicals could also lead to the death of soil micro-organisms which play key role in breaking and enriching the soil. Physic al control on the other hand, cannot be adopted in large and extensive alligator coverage areas. It is difficult to carry out deep manual digging for burying the weed that covers a wide area. Besides, applying herbicides to prevent above-underground plant growth could affect many plant and animal species which were not intended. Conclusion Red fox and alligator weed are among the invasive species which are of great significance to Australia. Both of them cause great damage to the environment, which in turn affects the country’s economy. If they are not carefully controlled, then they may cause reduction of population of various species and even lead to their extinction. Thus, it is important to devise better and more environmentally friendly ways of managing them and their impacts. This means that more research has to be done to enable the Australian community understand their impacts and develop more advanced ways of controlling their population and impacts on the ecology, o ther species and human life. It is also important to understand that these species also play vital roles in the ecosystem, and therefore the control measures adopted should not aim at eliminating them, but also protecting them. Finally, the local community should be involved in controlling these pests and weeds in order to achieve sustainable environmental management. Reference List Bonila, J., Gunasekera, L., 2001, Alligator weed: Tasty vegetable in Australian backyard. Journal of Aquatic Plant Management, 39: 17-20. Burgman, M., Lindenmayer, D., 1998, Conservation biology for the Australian Environment. Sydney: Surrey Beatty Sons. p. 83. Cowan, P. E., Tyndale-Biscoe, C. H., 1997, Reproduction, fertility development: Australia and New Zealand mammal species considered to be pests or problems. CSIRO, 9: 27-35. Cuthbertson, E., Parsons W., 1992, Noxious weeds of Australia. Plant Protection Quartely, 3: 154–157. Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water and Communi ties, 2010, European red fox (vulpes vulpes). Canberra ACT: Commonwealth of Australia. Everitt, J. H., Little, C. R., Lonard, R. L., 2007, Weeds in South Texas and Northern Mexico. Lubbock: Texas Tech University Press. pp. 55. Groves, R., Richardson, R., Shepard, R. 1995, Biology of Australian weeds, Vol. 1. Taipei City: Kluwer Academic Publishers. pp. 1–12. Larivià ¨re, S., Pasitschniak-Arts, M., 1996, Vulpes vulpes. Mamallian Species, 537: pp. 1-11. National Land Water Resources Audit, 2008, Assessing invasive animals in Australia 2008, NLWRA, Canberra./SEWPaC (2010). Web. NSW Department of Primary Industries, 2008, Alligator weed control manual: Eradication and suppression of alligator weed in Australia. Orange: NSW Department of Primary Industries. Pearson, J., Pyres, G., 1998, Ecosystem of Australia: Deserts. Port Melbourne: Heinemann Library. p. 87. Tasmanian Department of Primary industries, Parks, Water and Environment, 2010, Locations of fox activity inTasmania . Web. This report on Invasive Species was written and submitted by user Kamille Riley to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Present Perfect Tense in Spanish

Present Perfect Tense in Spanish Despite its name, the present perfect tense in Spanish (and English as well) is used to refer to events that happened in the past. Its use in Spanish can be tricky, however, because its usage varies with region and it sometimes is used in slightly different ways than it is in English. In Spanish, the present perfect tense is formed by the present tense of haber followed by the past participle. (In English its the present tense of to have followed by the past participle.) It generally indicates that an action has been completed that has some bearing on the present. Forms of Present Perfect Tense Here are the forms in which the present perfect would be stated. Pronouns are included here for clarity but often arent necessary: yo he past participle (I have ...)tà º has past participle (you have ...)usted/à ©l/ella ha past participle (you have, he/she has ...)nosotros/nosotras hemos past participle (we have ...)vosotros/vosotras habà ©is past participle (you have ...)ustedes/ellos/ellas han past participle (you have, they have ...) Note that while in English, as in some of the examples above, it is possible to separate the have from the past participle, in Spanish you normally dont separate  haber  from participles. However, if haber applies to two participles, the second haber can be omitted, as in the second sample sentence below. Sample Sentences Here are some examples of sentences using the present perfect tense along with the way theyd most commonly be translated: Me he comprado una esponja rosa. (I have bought a pink sponge.) ¡Es lo mejor que he visto y escuchado en mi vida! (Its the best thing I have seen and heard in my life!) ¿Alguna vez has hablado con las ranas a medianoche? (Have you talked with the frogs at midnight?)Todos lo hemos pensado. (All of us have thought it.)Minerva ha conocido ya a los padres de su novio. (Minerva has already met her boyfriends parents.)Siempre he anhelado tener un metabolismo con el cual pueda comer lo que quiera. (I have always wanted to have a metabolism that would let me eat whatever I want.)Hay videojuegos que han hecho historia. (There are video games that have made history.)He leà ­do y acepto la polà ­tica de privacidad. (I have read and I accept the privacy policy.) Subjunctive Use The subjunctive present perfect functions in much the same way: Mi amiga niega que su madre haya comprado un regalo para el perro. (My friend denies that her mother has bought a gift for the dog.)Titular: 14 piscinas que no se parecen a nada que hayas visto antes. (Headline: 14 swimming pools that dont seem like anything you have seen before.)Es probable que hayan escondido micrà ³fonos en la casa y està ©n escuchando nuestras conversaciones. (It is likely that they have hidden microphones in the house and are listening to our conversations.)El la eleccià ³n ms sucia que hayamos conocido en los à ºltimos tiempos. (It is the dirtiest election that we have known in recent times.) Present Perfect With Meaning of the Preterite You should be aware, however, that the Spanish present perfect tense should not always be thought of as the equivalent of the English present perfect tense. In many regions, it can be used as the equivalent of the English simple past tense. Sometimes the context will make this clear: Ha llegado hace un rato. (She arrived a little bit ago.)Cuando lo he visto no he podido creerlo. (When I saw it I couldnt believe it.)Leo la carta que me han escrito esta maà ±ana. (I am reading the letter they wrote to me this morning.)Esta maà ±ana he estado en Madrid. (This morning I was in Madrid.) But even where the context doesnt dictate so, the present perfect can be the equivalent of the English preterite, also known as the simple past. This is especially true for events that occurred very recently. Youre also more likely to hear the present perfect used in this way in Spain than in most of Latin America, where the preterite may be preferred (e.g., llegà ³ hace un rato). Key Takeaways The present perfect tense is formed by following the present tense of haber with a past participle.No words should intervene between haber and the participle.The Spanish present perfect sometimes is used to indicate than an action recently took place rather than merely that it has occurred.

Homework3 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Homework3 - Assignment Example The two factors or characteristic of power are highly conspicuous in the film. James sharper uses his political position (power) to influence people’s way of thinking. Ideally, the character influences people’s thinking and decisions through voting and rigging of elections. According to the film, Sharpe has been in office for four consecutive terms. His political success can be traced back to a network of corrupt city workers who protects his interests in Newark streets. Ideally, Sharpe threatened city workers with demotions and false accusations. In addition, traders who did not concur with his political ambitions were either accused of being terrorists or criminals. Consequently, their businesses were denied mayor’s protection and, hence subjected to sabotage. Although power is instrumental in social development, power can be applied in a negative sense, as depicted in the film. James Sharpe uses power for his own interests without considering people’s n eeds. Power gives authority to leaders and, therefore essential in leadership. However, power does not determine the quality of a leader. If it did then Sharpe would have been a better leader than his opponent was. Although the film does not reveal most of Booker leadership qualities, he seems a credible leader. His profile and academic qualifications makes him an outstanding leader compared to his political rival. Power is exercised through influence. In this context, leaders can also influenced by the very power they owe the people. It is unclear whether Booker can sustain his credibility if elected the mayor of the city. The first election illustrates the relationship between power and leadership. Ideally, candidates who had most power won the elections. Although James and Booker were both African-Americans, James had more political power than Booker did. Despite Booker having the best manifestos and visions for Newark and NJ, James had better chances of

Credit Cards - Phase 2 - ip Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Credit Cards - Phase 2 - ip - Essay Example While we know that you have now become a responsible adult, I would nevertheless, like to tell you something about the most crucial factor of one’s life. The management of money, especially the use of credit card is an important aspect of life and becomes all the more critical for the freshman because they not only need to know the advantages of the credit cards but also the pitfalls of its mismanagement. This is the one type of paper currency that gives you instant access to goods and services without actually having it in hard cash so it is easy to forget the value of money. Judicious use of money and credit cards shows responsible behavior and inculcates habits that would never let you fail in life. As you know, the credit cards have great advantages. One of the most important is that it helps you to meet emergency situations with ease and confidence. You do not have to carry large amount of cash while on traveling or shopping. They make it easy to buy goods and protect your purchases in case of theft or loss thus considerably increasing your purchasing power. Sometimes, credit card purchases may also give additional benefits of extra discounts. But the most important advantage of credit card is that they help you to establish credibility in the market which you would be a huge help when you require money for important matters of your life. Good credit card credibility is a great asset for securing loans from financial institutes, facilitates rental application and sometimes even jobs. You can acquire good credit history by making prompt payments of all your bills without resorting to part or installment based scheme of payment schedules. The biggest pitfall of credit cards is that it gives you indiscriminate power of spending and encourages people to spend money that one does not possess! This often leads to debts that keep accruing because as a

Church Reformation in the 16th and 17th century Research Paper

Church Reformation in the 16th and 17th century - Research Paper Example This group rejected to live the previous ways; thus believed that the Judgment Day was near. They formed new societies and much confusion in the social order. The reformation contributed to issues such as the dead of the blacks, western rupture and eroding faith of people in the catholic churches. The fall of the Roman Emperor contributed to the reformation and circulation of protestant churches. Under the Roman Emperor Christianity spread and many churches evolved. The Roman Catholic Church, which became one of the most prominent churches to the councils evolved. It organized in Trent, which is an education centre for church teachings especially in the tradition and scripture issues. Council of the Trent is a convention of cathedral councils or theological professionals whose purpose is to resolve church policy matters or practices. The councils provide teaching programs for the community priests in order to augment pastoral care. This was initiated by the Roman Catholic Church unde r Pope Paul 1112 (Becchio and Johannes 98). The council of the Tent provided teachings, reasserted traditional practices and articulated dogmatic of the Catholic Church doctrines. These doctrines include the seven sacraments, celibacy, belief of taking wine and bread during the mass services, which they translated as the body and blood of Jesus Christ. Other doctrines included worship of remnants and saints whom they referred as the Holy Virgin Mary. Others included the significant of having faith and working towards achieving salvation. Moreover, the ecumenical councils of the Roman Catholic Church made a significant reform on dogmatic issues in the 16th and 17th century. The transformation known as the catholic reformation was the restoration era for the Catholics and it began with the Council of Trent. Some scholars consider the council of Trent as being responsible for Protestant Reformation. They laid strict issues, which the protestant minster nearly disputed. Pope Paul 111 re formed the Roman Catholicism in many European areas. In the first period of the Roman Catholicism, they church accepted the 3Nicene Creed as the basis for the catholic conviction (Queen, Prothero and Shattuck 76). They set the old and New Testament canons and fixed seven sacraments. However, this dogmatic ruled out the doctrines of Martin Luther’s beliefs of faith jurisdiction. The general council established the transubstantiation of doctrines and offered Episcopal authority verdict and other doctrine issues. However, many issues that contributed to protestant reformation started disappearing, and the church began to reclaim many of its followers by the end of the 16th century. The council of the Trent focused so much on education of the clergy because of varied reasons. First, they wanted to eradicate the mistreatments of the 4Catholic cathedral such as alms treats in order to advance the superiority of bishops. This was seen essential to the Catholics because they protesta nt churches criticized their teachings. Hence, they emphasized on the importance of the church teachings and created new rules that clergies were to follow. They followed the teachings of Martin Luther and Calvin and rejected any other reformation leaders. The council of Trent played considerable roles in renewing the catholic cathedral5 of Europe

Obfuscated Data Storage For Cloud Environment

Obfuscated Data Storage For Cloud Environment Ravi Pandey, and Kamlesh Chandra Purohit Abstract. Data storage service is one of the most attractive services provided by the cloud service provider. Despite the benefits of cloud computing threat to data confidentiality, integrity and availability may stop the data owner from switching to a cloud environment. Handing over the data to a third party to store and manage may generate data security issues as owner of the data cannot deploy its own security policies in storage service provider’s premises. A storage service provider may misuse the client’s data. In a cloud environment data is stored in the service provider’s premises so there should be a mechanism which hides meaning of the data from the service provider or any other unauthorized entity. In this paper, we propose a mechanism which utilizes some existing schemes like erasure correcting code, AES, SHA256 and some new techniques to achieve data security guarantees against any unauthorized entity. Keywords: Data storage service, cloud computing, erasure correcting code, AES, SHA256. 1. Introduction Cloud computing technology, which is popular for its pay as you go model attracts enterprises and individuals to host their data in a cloud environment. Based on results from IDCs 2012 North American CloudTrack Survey â€Å"more than 30% of organizations expect that within five years, the majority of their IT capability will be delivered through public cloud services and that within three years, they will access 45.5% of IT resources through some form of cloud — public, private, or hybrid†. As Cloud Computing has advantages for both providers and users, it is developing in an amazing pace and predicted to grow and be adopted by a large amount of users in the near future [1]. Cloud storage is an important service of cloud computing, which allows data owners (owners) to move data from their local computing systems to the cloud [2]. The storage space requirement is increasing every day as rate of data generation is very high. According to IDC Digital Universe Study, June 2011, â€Å"In 2011, the amount of information created and replicated will surpass 1.8 zettabytes (1.8 trillion gigabytes), growing by a factor of nine in just five years. That’s nearly as many bits of information in the digital universe as stars in the physical universe†. Various surveys show that the issue of data security is highest among clients who wish to switch their data in the cloud. Existing encryption schemes assure security guarantee for data while traversing in the network, where data resides for very short time. In case of data stored in a cloud environment, data resides for a long time in the service provider’s storage premises, so the service provider or its any employee can attempt brute force attack to get information from the client’s stored data. In a cloud environment there can be some internal attackers like employee of service provider who can behave dishonestly. Some applications stored by other client on the same server may be malicious which try to access data of other clients. Although it becomes difficult for an external attacker to attack intended data as in cloud where data is stored is not known to attacker but they can try to attack any random data. Therefore, client expects a secure network in which client can upload data, an honest service provider and a third party auditor who can take responsibility to check integrity of data stored in cloud server. This paper is extension of our previous paper []. Here we will explain proposed scheme in more detail and we will analyze the complexity of our algorithm. 2. System Model Cloud storage auditing system consists of three entities client, cloud server and third Party auditor. Client is the owner of data to be stored in cloud. Client generates the data to be hosted in cloud and can access, modify or delete the data to be hosted. Cloud storage server stores the data and provides mechanisms to access, modifying or deleting the data. Fig. 1. Cloud data storage architecture. Storage servers are geographically distant located, data is redundantly stored in multiple servers for security reasons. Third party auditor is an authorised system to check integrity of data storage. Data flow in between any pair of entity happens in encrypted form. We know that system is prone to internal and external attacks; other issues like hardware failure, software bugs, networking may also impact the system. We believe that, the third party auditing scheme, proposed by many researcher with some modification can make the whole cloud storage environment more reliable and secure. 3. Design Goal In Existing scheme key problem is that data stored in cloud data storage server is in meaningful manner. Our design goal is to obfuscate data before uploading it to the cloud server. After that we utilize existing data encryption techniques and hashing algorithm for providing user authentication and ensuring data integrity. 4. Proposed Work 4.1. Data Obfuscation Algorithm Let F be the private file, which is to be uploaded in the cloud environment. (we can see file F as an array of bytes from 0 to Flength.) Select a key K, an array of 10 digits from 0 to 9 without any repetition. Initialize 10 files f0,f1,f2,f3,†¦f9., we call them file components. For each byte F[i] of file F, calculate j= i %10; For each j, look for K[j] and append F[i] byte on fK[j] component. Figure 1. Demonstration of the file F, which is to be uploaded in the cloud environment. Figure 2. Demonstration of the key K. Figure 3. Demonstration of the file component fj. 4.2. Program Code for data obfuscation algorithm Program code in python for splitting file in components. count=0 n=0 path=I:\abcd; khol = open(path,rb) clone1=open(I:\115,wb) clone2=open(I:\116,wb) clone3=open(I:\117,wb) clone4=open(I:\120,wb) clone5=open(I:\121,wb) clone6=open(I:\123,wb) clone7=open(I:\124,wb) clone8=open(I:\125,wb) clone9=open(I:\126,wb) myL=[clone3,clone5,clone2,clone7,clone1,clone9,clone4,clone8,clone6] byte=start while byte!=: byte = khol.read(1) n=count%9 count=count+1 if byte: if n==0: clone=myL[0] clone.write(byte) elif n==1: clone=myL[1] clone.write(byte) elif n==2: clone=myL[2] clone.write(byte) elif n==3: clone=myL[3] clone.write(byte) elif n==4: clone=myL[4] clone.write(byte) elif n==5: clone=myL[5] clone.write(byte) elif n==6: clone=myL[6] clone.write(byte) elif n==7: clone=myL[7] clone.write(byte) elif n==8: clone=myL[8] clone.write(byte) else: break khol.close() clone1.close() clone2.close() clone3.close() clone4.close() clone5.close() clone6.close() clone7.close() clone8.close() clone9.close() Program code in python for regenerating main file from components. clone1=open(I:\115,rb) clone2=open(I:\116,rb) clone3=open(I:\117,rb) clone4=open(I:\120,rb) clone5=open(I:\121,rb) clone6=open(I:\123,rb) clone7=open(I:\124,rb) clone8=open(I:\125,rb) clone9=open(I:\126,rb) recover=open(I:\abcd,wb) myL=[clone3,clone5,clone2,clone7,clone1,clone9,clone4,clone8,clone6] byte=start while byte!=: if byte: for x in myL: byte=x.read(1) recover.write(byte) else: break clone1.close() clone2.close() clone3.close() clone4.close() clone5.close() clone6.close() clone7.close() clone8.close() clone9.close() recover.close() 4.3. Erasure Correcting Code After division of File F in 10 components, we use erasure correcting code [] to achieve data availability against byzantine failure. Erasure coding (EC) is a method of data protection in which data is broken into fragments, expanded and encoded withredundantdata pieces and stored across a set of different locations or storage media. Erasure coding creates a mathematicalfunctionto describe asetof numbers so they can be checked for accuracy and recovered if one is lost. Referred to aspolynomial interpolationor oversampling, this is the key concept behind erasure codes. In mathematical terms, the protection offered by erasure coding can be represented in simple form by the following equation: n = k + m. The variable â€Å"k† is the original amount of data or symbols. The variable â€Å"m† stands for the extra or redundant symbols that are added to provide protection from failures. The variable â€Å"n† is the total number of symbols created after the erasure coding process. For instance, in a [10:16] method six extra symbols (m) would be added to the 10 base symbols (k). The 16 data fragments (n) would be spread across 16 drives, nodes or geographic locations. The original file could be reconstructed from 10 verified fragments. 4.4. Component Encryption (AES) Now we can encrypt each file component with AES using 128 bit, 192 bit, or 256 bit key for encryption. 4.5. Token Generation(SHA256) We calculate hash function SHA256 for every data component H(fi)=xi. TheSHA algorithm is a cryptographic hash functionwhich produces a 64 digithash value. We use this token as a challenge token for auditing the storage server. Third party auditor keeps token value of each encrypted file component. File components are identified by a random_number generated by the client. Size of random_number depends on the requirement of the storage space by the client. 4.6. Database description After uploading files in the data storage server the client can delete the files in its local machine. Client keeps database of each file which contains file name, AES encryption password , file distribution password. Besides this for each file client keeps database for file component of that file. It contains random_number associated with each file component. Third party auditor keeps clients id, random_number associated with file components and challenge token corresponding to each component. Storage server stores client id and file component named with random_number generated by the client. 5. Third Party auditing TPA sends random_number to the cloud storage server. On receiving this random_number, cloud storage server calculates hash function of corresponding file component. Storage server encrypts this hash value with a shared key among TPA and storage server and sends encrypted hash value to TPA. TPA matches this received value with its database. If the stored hash value of a file and received hash value are same then file component is stored correctly, otherwise TPA sends alert message to the corresponding client of that file. 6. Algorithm Analysis In this section, we evaluate the complexity of the proposed scheme under the section 4.1. We took files of size 10 kb, 100 kb, 1000 kb and 10,000 kb for analyzing time complexity of the algorithm. Using time function of python we majored repeatedly the time of execution of proposed algorithm. We found that time of execution linearly (O(n)) depends on the size of file. Similarly, we majored time of execution at the time of regeneration of file from its components, and we found that time of regeneration of file is also linearly (O(n)) depends on file size. After execution of algorithm we found that total size of file components generated from the file to be uploaded is equal to the size of original file. In this way proposed scheme do not impose any extra storage burden. 7. Conclusion To ensure cloud data storage security, it is essential to hide meaning of data from all the third party entities like storage service provider and third party auditor. This is only possible when owner of data obfuscate the file to be uploaded in its own machine before uploading. The scheme which we have proposed ensures that information stored in the file cannot be interpreted by the third party auditor and storage service provider. Hence, client’s file is safe from both internal and external attackers. Utilization of existing scheme erasure correcting code ensures security against byzantine failure and use of random_number associated with file components together with secure hash algorithm allows third party auditor to audit file components without sharing any information which can help storage service provider to interpret the meaning of stored file. References Agrawal, R., Srikant, R.: Fast Algorithms for Mining Association Rules. In Proceedings of the 20th International Conference on Very Large Databases. Morgan Kaufmann, Santiago, Chile, 487-499. (1994) Garcia-Molina, H., Ullman, D. J., Widom, J.: Database Systems: The Complete Book. Prentice Hall, New Jersey, USA. (2002) Wang, X., Bettini, C., Brodsky, A., Jajoida, S.: Logical Design for Temporal Databases with Multiple Granularities. ACM Transactions on Database Systems, Vol. 22, No. 2, 115-170. (1997) Bruce, K. B., Cardelli, L., Pierce, B. C.: Comparing Object Encodings. In: Abadi, M., Ito, T. (eds.): Theoretical Aspects of Computer Software. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, Vol. 1281. Springer-Verlag, Berlin Heidelberg New York, 415–438. (1997) van Leeuwen, J. (ed.): Computer Science Today. Recent Trends and Developments. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, Vol. 1000. Springer-Verlag, Berlin Heidelberg New York (1995) Ribià ¨re, M., Charlton, P.: Ontology Overview. Motorola Labs, Paris (2002). [Online]. Available: http://www.fipa.org/docs/input/f-in-00045/f-in-00045.pdf (current October 2003)

Struggle between Romantic and Enlightened Thought Essay -- Enlightened

We are often presented with potential explanations or answers to current philosophical dilemmas through temporally relevant works of literature. The late eighteenth and early nineteenth century, or the Romantic Era, is characterized as a time in history in which aristocratic social and political norms of the Enlightened Era were radically questioned and investigated. For Enlightened thinkers, the idea of â€Å"being† was composed of three essential parts, the true, the beautiful, and the good. Isaac Newton’s contributions to scientific method were fascinating in the respect that they seemed to provide truths regarding quantitative matter. Yet his science failed to provide us with knowledge of all qualitative matters, such as morals and aesthetics. With Newton’s laws held in such high regard, the model of being was decomposed to simply the â€Å"true,† or scientific knowledge which is recognized and confirmed through his laws of motion, proceeding to exclud e all matters which Newton’s lens could not be pointed. It is apparent that problems would arise as a result. Qualitative matters could not be explained through Newton’s science, which created a sense of bewilderment. People began to question whether certain quantitative matters actually pertained to all aspects of life. Rousseau, whose writings contributed immensely to Romanticism, proposes a new model of â€Å"being,† which is later confirmed by Kant and Schiller. His new model strengthens the enlightened ideas of being, and allows for the application of â€Å"being† to both the quantitative and qualitative. Mary Shelley’s â€Å"Frankenstein† provides an explanation to the struggle dealing with â€Å"true being† between Enlightened and Romantic thinkers while exemplifying Romantic thought on happiness. ... ...nize the monster as more then a hideous being. Instead Walton understands the morals and ethics that lie beneath the monsters flesh, eventually appreciating his true goodness, in a similar fashion that Schiller and Kant propose. The significance of the philosophical dilemma between Enlightened and Romantic thinkers is exemplified through Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. This symbolic literary work provides readers with insight to the problem philosophers of the time faced when dealing with the idea of true being. Through the monster, the townspeople and Walton, we are able to gain a complete understanding of the situation Rousseau, Kant, and Schiller dealt with. In the end, it is clear that in order to experience true being and beauty one must not rely solely on Newton’s scientific lens, but must also understand the quantitative matters such as morals and ethics.