A two-layer dimension reduction and two-tier classification model for anomaly-based intrusion detection in IoT backbone networks

With increasing reliance on Internet of Things (IoT) devices and services, the capability to detect intrusions and malicious activities within IoT networks is critical for resilience of the network infrastructure. In this paper, we present a novel model for intrusion detection based on two-layer dimension reduction and two-tier classification module, designed to detect malicious activities such as User to Root (U2R) and Remote to Local (R2L) attacks. The proposed model is using component analysis and linear discriminate analysis of dimension reduction module to spate the high dimensional dataset to a lower one with lesser features. We then apply a two-tier classification module utilizing Naïve Bayes and Certainty Factor version of K-Nearest Neighbor to identify suspicious behaviors. The experiment results using NSL-KDD dataset shows that our model outperforms previous models designed to detect U2R and R2L attacks

Mechanical properties of dense mycelium-bound composites under accelerated tropical weathering conditions

Mycelium, as the root of fungi, is composed of filamentous strands of fine hyphae that bind discrete substrate particles into a block material. With advanced processing, dense mycelium-bound composites (DMCs) resembling commercial particleboards can be formed. However, their mechanical properties and performance under the working conditions of particleboards are unknown. Here, we show how weathering conditions affect the DMC stress and elastic modulus. DMC was made using Ganoderma lucidum mycelium grown on a substrate of sawdust and empty fruit bunch. The DMC was then subjected to weathering under tropical conditions over 35 days and tested under flexural, tensile, and compressive loading with reference to international standards. After exposure to specified weathering conditions, the maximum stress in flexure, tension, and compression decreased substantially. The addition of a protective coating improved the resistance of DMC to weathering conditions; however, the difference between coated and uncoated samples was only found to be statistically significant in tensile strength

Fresh red blood cells transfusion protects against aluminum phosphide-induced metabolic acidosis and mortality in rats

BACKGROUND: Aluminum phosphide (AlP) is used as pesticide in some countries for protection of stored grains. Human poisoning with AlP due to suicide attempt or accidental environmental exposure is associated with very high mortality partially due to development of severe metabolic acidosis. Previous studies have shown that hemoglobin has high buffering capacity and erythrocytes can potentially be used for management of metabolic acidosis. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of fresh packed red blood cells (RBC) transfusion on survival and cardiovascular function in AlP-poisoned rats. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Rats were poisoned with AlP by gavage. Fresh packed RBC was transfused via tail vein after AlP administration. Acid-base balance, vital signs and mortality was assessed and compared in experimental groups. Infusion of fresh packed RBC (1.5 ml) one hour after AlP (4-15 mg/kg) intoxication was associated with a significant decrease in mortality rate. Packed RBC infusion improved blood pH, HCO3-, Na+ and Ca2+ levels. Plasma troponin level was also reduced and ECG changes were reversed following packed RBC infusion in AlP intoxicated rats. CONCLUSIONS: Our results showed that fresh RBC transfusion could ameliorate metabolic acidosis and enhance survival in AlP-poisoned rat. We assume that an increase in pool of RBCs may modulate acid-base balance or potentially chelate AlP-related toxic intermediates via phosphine-hemoglobin interaction

Evaluation of Seismic Behavior of a Braced Tubular Steel Structure by Pseudodynamic Testing

The inelastic seismic behavior of an X-braced, tubular Introduction To exploit limited oil resources, many offshore drilling towers are constructed in seismically active areas, such as the coastal regions of Southern California. To reduce construction costs while maintaining conservative safety precautions, the American Petroleum Institute (API) design criteria [1] permit inelastic deformations of structural members during severe earthquake excitations. However, the API provisions specify that the structures should remain stable and develop high energy-absorption capabilities under extreme seismic conditions. Experimental studies regarding the inelastic behavior of such structures provide valuable information for assessing design criteria and for improving current analytical techniques. Recently, an on-line computercontrol (pseudodynamic) method has been developed to simulate quasi-statically the inelastic dynamic response of structures to seismic excitations. The pseudodynamic method retains the economy and versatility of conventional quasi-static testing. Moreover, it produces results as informative as those of shaking table tests by accounting for the changing dynamic characteristics of a test structure. This experimental technique was initiated at the University of Tokyo in Japan, where it was successfully applied to the testing of building systems and component

Air injection into the stereotactic biopsy site in cerebral lesions; A feasibility study

We assessed the utility and safety of injecting a small amount of air into the stereotactic biopsy site. Specifically, we wanted to know whether it helps in visualizing the target on a post-op brain CT scan. In this clinical series, we chose our subjects by consecutive sampling, among candidates for frame-based stereotactic biopsy of a supratentorial cerebral lesion. By applying certain inclusion and exclusion criteria, twenty cases were biopsied by two surgeons in a four-month period. After obtaining the tissue sample, we injected 0.5-1 ml of filtered room air through the biopsy cannula. The immediate post-op CT scan was evaluated by two researchers for the presence and location of the air bubble. The subjects consisted of 12 male and 8 female patients, 10-76 years old. The histologic diagnosis rate was 100; 60 high - grade glioma, 20 low-grade glioma, 10 metastasis and one case of meningioma and brain abscess. The air bubble could be visualized in all cases within the lesion territory. In two cases (10) bubbles were also found in other locations. There was no neurologic or radiologic complications. Our findings substantiates the limited available literature in regard with safety and diagnostic usefulness of air bubbles. Further research is needed to verify and quantify the diagnostic impact and any complications attributable to this measure

Comparison of Falls and its Determinants in the Elderly with and without Knee Osteoarthritis

Background and Objective: The growth of aging reveals the importance of paying attention to the health needs of the elderly. According to some studies, falls and its consequences are more common in the individuals with knee osteoarthritis (KOA) than those without KOA, but due to lack of evidence, its related factors are still unknown. Thus, the aim of this study was to compare the falls and its determinants in the elderly with and without KOA. Methods: In this case-control study, 700 older adults in two groups of elderly with and without KOA were compared in terms of falls and some variables including KOA, sex, age, body mass index, living status, quadriceps femoris muscle strength, hand muscles strength, balance, number of comorbidities, number of drugs used, walking duration, physical activity and frailty. KOA was diagnosed based on The American College of Rheumatology (ACR) criteria. Findings: In this study, falls were 1.90 times higher in the elderly with KOA than elderly without KOA. Although all variables were significantly different in case and control groups, only female gender (p=0.035) and KOA (p=0.012) were significantly associated with falls. Conclusion: These findings suggest that variables in combination may increase the risk of falls in the elderly with KOA, while each of them alone may not be associated with falls

Assessing the Responsiveness of the Persian Version of the Western Ontario Meniscal Evaluation Tool in Patients with Meniscus Injuries

Background and Objective: Responsiveness is one of the important properties of health-related questionnaires in demonstrating the changes in a patient's clinical conditions before and after therapy. The present study was carried out with the aim of assessing the responsiveness of the Western Ontario Meniscal Evaluation Tool (WOMET) and determining its minimal clinically important difference in patients undergoing physical therapy interventions after meniscus injuries. Methods: This cross-sectional methodological study was performed on 100 patients aged 18-70 years with meniscus injuries who underwent physical therapy interventions. Patients completed WOMET and Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) questionnaires in the first and tenth sessions. The minimum score obtained from the WOMET questionnaire was zero and the maximum was 1600, and the minimum score obtained from the KOOS questionnaire was zero and the maximum was 168. Internal and external responsiveness were the primary outcomes, and effect size tests, ROC curves, and correlation coefficients were used to examine them. The relationship between the WOMET and KOOS questionnaires were considered as secondary outcomes, which were evaluated by calculating the correlation coefficient. Findings: The results of internal responsiveness showed that the standardized response mean for the entire WOMET questionnaire was 0.11 (insignificant) and Cohen's d score for the entire WOMET questionnaire was -1.586 (large). The difference in the mean internal responsiveness between recovered (20%) and unrecovered (80%) patients reached a significant level (p<0.001). This questionnaire had an acceptable external responsiveness; the area under the curve of the ROC curve was greater and equal to 0.7 and the optimal cut-off point was 20.031 (p<0.001). The Pearson correlation coefficient between WOMET and KOOS questionnaires (except the emotions subscale) was moderate to large (0.5-0.8) with p<0.001. Conclusion: The findings of the study showed that the Persian version of the WOMET questionnaire has a high level of responsiveness and is a suitable tool for evaluating the quality of life among patients suffering from meniscus injury

Generalized Hyers-Ulam Stability of the Second-Order Linear Differential Equations

We prove the generalized Hyers-Ulam stability of the 2nd-order linear differential equation of the form +()+()=(), with condition that there exists a nonzero 1∶→ in 2() such that 1+()1+()1=0 and is an open interval. As a consequence of our main theorem, we prove the generalized Hyers-Ulam stability of several important well-known differential equations

Types of Human Papillomavirus (HPV) in Patients with ASCUS Pap Smear

Background and Objective: Human papillomavirus (HPV) is one of the common infectious and pathogenic agents, and some of its genotypes have the ability to cause malignant changes in the surface of mucous cells. By examining the prevalence of HPV in atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance (ASCUS) Pap smear according to the risk factors, we can make a more correct decision in choosing the evaluation method and directing the patient to report the ASCUS lesion. Therefore, the aim of this study is to investigate the types of human papillomavirus (HPV) in patients with ASCUS Pap smear. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 200 patients with ASCUS pap smear results and HPV test referred to the colposcopy clinic of Babol Ayatollah Rouhani Hospital during the last two years. Demographic information, history of obstetrics, history of OCP use, history of STD disease and high-risk behaviors, cervical treatments, HPV typing, Pap smear, colposcopy and cervical biopsy results were recorded and analyzed. Findings: The mean age of the patients was 33.83±8.09 years, and ASCUS pap smear showed 129 cases (64.5%) of high-risk papillomavirus, 16 cases (0.8%) of low-risk papillomavirus and 55 cases (27.5%) of both types. Cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 2 was in 18 cases (0.9%), cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 1 in 10 cases (0.5%) and cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 3 in 2 cases (0.1%). 17.1% of high-risk viruses caused cervical neoplasm. None of the low-risk viruses led to neoplasms and all of them were inflammatory. In both high-risk and low-risk cases, 14.5% neoplasm was seen. However, the relationship between the type of papillomavirus and the incidence of neoplasm was significant (p=0.058). Conclusion: Based on the results of this study, the ASCUS pap smear needs more detailed investigation such as colposcopy and cervical biopsy under the supervision of experts because it is associated with the high-risk HPV virus in many cases

The Predictive Role of Preoperative Leukocytosis, Anemia and Thrombocytosis with the Severity of Epithelial Ovarian Tumors

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Ovarian cancer is the sixth common cancer among women in the world. Preoperative blood cell count can be a biomarker that predicts the severity of different types of cancer and determine the type of surgery. Therefore, the present study was conducted to determine the predictive role of the three blood markers of anemia, leukocytosis and thrombocytosis in the stage and grade of epithelial ovarian cancer before the operation. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, the data of 60 patients with epithelial ovarian cancer were evaluated. Demographic data, hemoglobin, white blood cell count and platelets were statistically compared based on the stage of disease and the grade of mass differentiation as good, moderate and undifferentiated. FINDINGS: 61.1% of patients with thrombocytosis were in stage 3 and 33.3% of patients with leukocytosis were in stage 2 (p≤0.05), while 20.5% of the patients with anemia were in stage 3 (p>0.05). Moreover, 52.4% of patients with leukocytosis and 61.1% of patients with thrombocytosis had grade 3 tumor (p≤0.05), but only 34.1% of patients with anemia were in this group (p>0.05). Based on the evaluation of the ROC curve, cut-off point of the white blood cell was calculated to be 9050/ml with a sensitivity of 64% and specificity of 65% and platelet count was calculated to be 266000/ml with a sensitivity of 88% and specificity of 53%. CONCLUSION: Based on the results of this study, preoperative leukocytosis and thrombocytosis were correlated with stage and grade of epithelial ovarian cancer and had a predictive role