Brief announcement: passive and active attacks on audience response systems using software defined radios

Audience response systems, also known as clickers, are used at many academic institutions to offer active learning environments. Since these systems are used to administer graded assignments, and sometimes even exams, it is crucial to assess their security. Our work seeks to exploit and document potential vulnerabilities of clickers. For this purpose, we use software defined radios to perform jamming, sniffing and spoofing attacks on an audience response system in production, which provide different possible methods of cheating. The results of our study demonstrate that clickers are easily exploitable. We build a prototype and show that it is practically possible to covertly steal or forge answers of a peer or even an entire classroom, with high levels of confidence. Additionally, we find that the receivers software of the system lacks protection against unexpected answers, which allows our spoofer to submit any ASCII character and opens the receiver up to possible fuzzing attacks. As a result of this study, we discourage using clickers for high-stake assessments, unless they provide proper security protection..http://people.bu.edu/staro/SSS2017_Brief_v0.pdfhttp://people.bu.edu/staro/SSS2017_Brief_v0.pdfhttp://people.bu.edu/staro/SSS2017_Brief_v0.pdfAccepted manuscrip

Significance of KRAS/PAK1/Crk pathway in non-small cell lung cancer oncogenesis.

BackgroundKey effector(s) of mutated KRAS in lung cancer progression and metastasis are unknown. Here we investigated the role of PAK1/Crk axis in transduction of the oncogenic KRAS signal in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).MethodsWe used NSCLC clinical specimens to examine the correlation among KRAS mutations (codon 12, 13 and 61); PAK1/Crk axis activation [p-PAK1(Thr423), p-Crk(Ser41)]; and adhesion molecules expression by immunohistochemistry. For assessing the role of proto-oncogene c-Crk as a KRAS effector, we inhibited KRAS in NSCLC cells by a combination of farnesyltransferase inhibitor (FTI) and geranylgeranyltransferase inhibitor (GGTI) and measured p-Crk-II(Ser41) by western blotting. Finally, we disrupted the signaling network downstream of KRAS by blocking KRAS/PAK1/Crk axis with PAK1 inhibitors (i.e., IPA-3, FRAX597 or FRAX1036) along with partial inhibition of all other KRAS effectors by prenylation inhibitors (FTI + GGTI) and examined the motility, morphology and proliferation of the NSCLC cells.ResultsImmunohistochemical analysis demonstrated an inverse correlation between PAK1/Crk phosphorylation and E-cadherin/p120-catenin expression. Furthermore, KRAS mutant tumors expressed higher p-PAK1(Thr423) compared to KRAS wild type. KRAS prenylation inhibition by (FTI + GGTI) completely dephosphorylated proto-oncogene c-Crk on Serine 41 while Crk phosphorylation did not change by individual prenylation inhibitors or diluent. Combination of PAK1 inhibition and partial inhibition of all other KRAS effectors by (FTI + GGTI) dramatically altered morphology, motility and proliferation of H157 and A549 cells.ConclusionsOur data provide evidence that proto-oncogene c-Crk is operative downstream of KRAS in NSCLC. Previously we demonstrated that Crk receives oncogenic signals from PAK1. These data in conjunction with the work of others that have specified the role of PAK1 in transduction of KRAS signal bring forward the importance of KRAS/PAK1/Crk axis as a prominent pathway in the oncogenesis of KRAS mutant lung cancer

Posterior sub-Tenon capsule anesthesia for photocoagulation treatment of diabetic retinopathy performed in an inner-city county hospital clinic setting

poster abstractProliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) is a blinding eye disease demanding prompt therapy. However, treatment with panretinal photocoagulation (PRP) can be painful thereby limiting its extent. In addition, compliance to diabetic eye visits remains poor particularly in inner cities. Therefore, it is imperative to optimize treatment during clinic visits. The purpose of this study is to present the effect of sub-Tenon (Sub-T) capsule lidocaine anesthesia on PRP treatment extent for PDR performed during the eye clinic visit. This is an IRB-approved retrospective review of initial 12 eyes (9 subjects) with PDR undergoing PRP treatment involving Sub-T anesthesia in the eye clinic. Sub-T capsule lidocaine anesthesia was delivered and PRP was immediately performed. Primary end point was extent of treatment (number of PRP laser spots) delivered. Comparison was made to PRP in prior sessions without Sub-T anesthesia. All subjects had active PDR and sometimes vitreous hemorrhage (VH) at time of treatment. Decision was made to offer Sub-T anesthesia due to intolerable pain from prior PRP treatments in all subjects. We observed all subjects were able to tolerate a significantly greater extent of PRP with Sub-T anesthesia even with presence of VH, oftentimes undergoing thousands of laser spots and capable to complete treatment in same clinic visit. By comparison, prior PRP treatments (without Sub-T anesthesia) were much less extensive sometimes involving only a few laser spots. We conclude that Sub-T anesthesia allows a tier of pain control for those not able to tolerate traditional PRP without anesthesia performed in the eye clinic. This new information suggests that certain patients undergoing PRP can be offered Sub-T anesthesia, and it will be important to define algorithm for selection of such individuals

Practical Flapping Mechanisms for 20cm-span Micro Air Vehicles

[[abstract]]In the body of research relevant to high-performance flapping micro air vehicles (MAV), development of light-weight, compact and energy-efficient flapping mechanisms occupies a position of primacy due to its direct impact on the flight performance and mission capability. Realization of such versatile flapping mechanism with additional ability of producing thrust levels that fulfill requirements of cruising forward flight and vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) conditions demand extensive design validation and performance evaluation. This paper presents a concerted approach for mechanism development of a 20 cm span flapping MAV through an iterative design process and synergistic fabrication options involving electrical-discharge-wire-cutting (EDWC) and injection molding. Dynamic characterization of each mechanism is done through high speed photography, power take-off measurement, wind tunnel testing and proof-of-concept test flights. The research outcome represents best-in-class mechanism for a 20 cm span flapping MAV with desirable performance features of extra-large flapping stroke up to 100°, minimal transverse vibrations and almost no phase lag between the wings.[[notice]]補正完畢[[journaltype]]國外[[incitationindex]]SCI[[ispeerreviewed]]Y[[booktype]]紙本[[countrycodes]]US

Gene expression and splicing alterations analyzed by high throughput RNA sequencing of chronic lymphocytic leukemia specimens.

BackgroundTo determine differentially expressed and spliced RNA transcripts in chronic lymphocytic leukemia specimens a high throughput RNA-sequencing (HTS RNA-seq) analysis was performed.MethodsTen CLL specimens and five normal peripheral blood CD19+ B cells were analyzed by HTS RNA-seq. The library preparation was performed with Illumina TrueSeq RNA kit and analyzed by Illumina HiSeq 2000 sequencing system.ResultsAn average of 48.5 million reads for B cells, and 50.6 million reads for CLL specimens were obtained with 10396 and 10448 assembled transcripts for normal B cells and primary CLL specimens respectively. With the Cuffdiff analysis, 2091 differentially expressed genes (DEG) between B cells and CLL specimens based on FPKM (fragments per kilobase of transcript per million reads and false discovery rate, FDR q < 0.05, fold change >2) were identified. Expression of selected DEGs (n = 32) with up regulated and down regulated expression in CLL from RNA-seq data were also analyzed by qRT-PCR in a test cohort of CLL specimens. Even though there was a variation in fold expression of DEG genes between RNA-seq and qRT-PCR; more than 90 % of analyzed genes were validated by qRT-PCR analysis. Analysis of RNA-seq data for splicing alterations in CLL and B cells was performed by Multivariate Analysis of Transcript Splicing (MATS analysis). Skipped exon was the most frequent splicing alteration in CLL specimens with 128 significant events (P-value <0.05, minimum inclusion level difference >0.1).ConclusionThe RNA-seq analysis of CLL specimens identifies novel DEG and alternatively spliced genes that are potential prognostic markers and therapeutic targets. High level of validation by qRT-PCR for a number of DEG genes supports the accuracy of this analysis. Global comparison of transcriptomes of B cells, IGVH non-mutated CLL (U-CLL) and mutated CLL specimens (M-CLL) with multidimensional scaling analysis was able to segregate CLL and B cell transcriptomes but the M-CLL and U-CLL transcriptomes were indistinguishable. The analysis of HTS RNA-seq data to identify alternative splicing events and other genetic abnormalities specific to CLL is an added advantage of RNA-seq that is not feasible with other genome wide analysis

Pan-Cancer Analysis of lncRNA Regulation Supports Their Targeting of Cancer Genes in Each Tumor Context

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are commonly dys-regulated in tumors, but only a handful are known toplay pathophysiological roles in cancer. We inferredlncRNAs that dysregulate cancer pathways, onco-genes, and tumor suppressors (cancer genes) bymodeling their effects on the activity of transcriptionfactors, RNA-binding proteins, and microRNAs in5,185 TCGA tumors and 1,019 ENCODE assays.Our predictions included hundreds of candidateonco- and tumor-suppressor lncRNAs (cancerlncRNAs) whose somatic alterations account for thedysregulation of dozens of cancer genes and path-ways in each of 14 tumor contexts. To demonstrateproof of concept, we showed that perturbations tar-geting OIP5-AS1 (an inferred tumor suppressor) andTUG1 and WT1-AS (inferred onco-lncRNAs) dysre-gulated cancer genes and altered proliferation ofbreast and gynecologic cancer cells. Our analysis in-dicates that, although most lncRNAs are dysregu-lated in a tumor-specific manner, some, includingOIP5-AS1, TUG1, NEAT1, MEG3, and TSIX, synergis-tically dysregulate cancer pathways in multiple tumorcontexts

Genomic, Pathway Network, and Immunologic Features Distinguishing Squamous Carcinomas

This integrated, multiplatform PanCancer Atlas study co-mapped and identified distinguishing molecular features of squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs) from five sites associated with smokin

UC-182 Designing a User-Centered Mobile Application for Anderson Power Services

This paper presents the design and development process of a mobile application for Anderson Power Services, emphasizing both frontend and backend aspects as well as their design. The frontend focuses on creating a visually appealing and user-friendly interface by utilizing clear text, an accessible color scheme, appropriate logos, animations, and modern typography. On the development side, the app leverages tools like Expo for rapid front-end development and integrates the Java-based backend with the Google Sheets API for easy data management. The backend architecture incorporates OAuth 2.0 for secure authentication, Gradle to facilitate a connection between the JavaScript frontend to the Java middleware, and Docker to connect it all. Overall, the project demonstrates the importance of balancing user-centered design principles with robust technical solutions for developing a functional and intuitive mobile application