A prudent based approach for compromised user credentials detection

© Springer Science+Business Media New York 2018. Compromised user credential (CUC) is an activity in which someone, such as a thief, cyber-criminal or attacker gains access to your login credentials for the purpose of theft, fraud, or business disruption. It has become an alarming issue for various organizations. It is not only crucial for information technology (IT) oriented institutions using database management systems (DBMSs) but is also critical for competitive and sensitive organization where faulty data is more difficult to clean up. Various well-known risk mitigation techniques have been developed, such as authentication, authorization, and fraud detection. However, none of these methods are capable of efficiently detecting compromised legitimate users’ credentials. This is because cyber-criminals can gain access to legitimate users’ accounts based on trusted relationships with the account owner. This study focuses on handling CUC on time to avoid larger-scale damage incurred by the cyber-criminals. The proposed approach can efficiently detect CUC in a live database by analyzing and comparing the user’s current and past operational behavior. This novel approach is built by a combination of prudent analysis, ripple down rules and simulated experts. The experiments are carried out on collected data over 6 months from sensitive live DBMS. The results explore the performance of the proposed approach that it can efficiently detect CUC with 97% overall accuracy and 2.013% overall error rate. Moreover, it also provides useful information about compromised users’ activities for decision or policy makers as to which user is more critical and requires more consideration as compared to less crucial user based prevalence value

Compromised user credentials detection using temporal features: A prudent based approach

© 2017 ACM. This study exposes a serious and rapidly growing cyber threat of compromised legitimate user credentials which is very effective for cyber-criminals to gain trusted relationships with the account owners. Such a compromised user\u27s credentials ultimately result in damage incurred by the attacker at large-scale. Moreover, the detection of compromised legitimate user activities is crucial in competitive and sensitive organizations because wrong data is more difficult to clean from the database. The proposed study presents a novel approach to detect compromised users\u27 activity in a live database. Our approach uses a composition of prudence analysis, ripple down rules (RDR) and simulated experts (SE) to detect and identify accounts that experience a sudden change in behavior. We collected data from a sensitive running database for a period of Six months and evaluate the proposed technique. The results show that this combined model can fully detect outlier user\u27s activity and can provide useful information for the concerned decision maker

Protection of apricot Biodiesel from Thermal Degradation by using natural antioxidants of Fagopyrum tataricum (L.) Gaertn

The present study aims to improve the oxidation stability of wild apricot kernel oil biodiesel (WAKOB) by using natural antioxidants of Tartary buckwheat (Fagopyrum tataricum (L.) Gaertn). Biodiesel was synthesized at different catalyst (NaOH) concentrations, reaction temperatures, reaction time intervals and methanol-to-oil molar ratios. Thermal oxidative stability measurements were carried out according to EN14112 using a Rancimet instrument. Our results showed a high yield of biodiesel (97±1.092) at 65oC in the presence of 1% NaOH (%w/w oil) and methanol/oil molar ratio of 9:1 and for the time duration of 60 min. Proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR) confirmed the conversion percentage of kernel oil into biodiesel, which was further evidenced by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and refractometer analyses. Methanolic fraction of Tartary buckwheat leaves (MTBWLF) was standardized to contain the highest amount of phenolics (209 mg gallic acid/100 g). In this study, the mixture of synthetic antioxidant butylated hydroxyl toluene (BHT) (0.25%) and methanolic extract of Tartary buckwheat leaves (0.5%) ensured high oxidation stability of biodiesel samples, leading to stabilizing factor of 4.86

The Relationship between Ethical Leadership and Whistle-Blowing: The Moderating Effects of Job Security and Affective Commitment

The present study examines the positive impact of ethical leadership on whistleblowing. The study further investigates the role of job security and affective commitment as moderators on the relationship between ethical leadership and whistleblowing. This study examined the fundamental moderating mechanism, which is unique because no such mechanism has been investigated in previous research. A cross-sectional representative sample of 285 Federal Government employees from various Ministries/Divisions and the Benazir Income Support Programme, a corporate body and a renowned social safety net under the Federal Government of Pakistan, was collected. Of the 285 questionnaires, only 241 were deemed useable and were analyzed. A statistical analysis was carried out through correlation, descriptive, and moderated regression analysis. The results supported the first three hypotheses that ethical leadership and whistleblowing had a positive relationship. Furthermore, job security moderated the positive relationship between ethical leadership and whistleblowing, such that the relationship is stronger for employees with high job security and weaker for employees with low job security. Affective commitment also moderated the relationship directly meaning that the relationship is stronger when the affective commitment is strong and weaker when it is weak. Discussion, implications, limitations, and future directions have been suggested in accordance with the results of the study

Health risks assessment diagnosis of toxic chemicals (heavy metals) via food crops consumption irrigated with wastewater

The present study investigated the concentration of metals in commonly grown vegetables (Luffa acutangula L., Zea mays L., Solanum melongena L.) irrigated with waste water in District Bannu, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. The pH (5.80) and electrical conductivity (13 dS/m) of waste water indicated the acidic nature that is not suitable for irrigation purposes. Soil and vegetables samples were analyzed for metals concentration through flame atomic absorption spectrometry (Varian FAAS-240). The findings showed that waste water irrigated soil was highly contaminated with Cd (4.62 mg/kg) which was above permissible limits set by European Union Standard (EU 2006, 2002). The concentrations of heavy metals such as Cr and Cd in vegetables were higher than the permissible limits set by World Health Organization/Food and Agriculture Organization U.S.A guidelines 2001. The health hazard quotient (HQ) of waste water irrigated vegetables was observed higher for Ni (0.699-0.1029 mg/kg), (0.0456-0.1040 mg/kg), (0.731-0.0994 mg/kg) in Luffa acutangula, Solanum melongena and Zea mays, respectively. The study concluded that the consumption of commonly grown vegetables in waste water zone of the study area may pose potential health threats in local population

Bintrafusp Alfa, a Bifunctional Fusion Protein Targeting TGF-β and PD-L1, in Patients with Esophageal Adenocarcinoma: Results from a Phase 1 Cohort

Adenocarcinoma esofàgic; Bintrafusp AlfaAdenocarcinoma Esofágico; Bintrafusp AlfaEsophageal Adenocarcinoma; Bintrafusp AlfaBackground Esophageal adenocarcinoma patients have limited treatment options. TGF-β can be upregulated in esophageal adenocarcinoma, and blocking this pathway may enhance clinical response to PD-(L)1 inhibitors. Bintrafusp alfa is a first-in-class bifunctional fusion protein composed of the extracellular domain of the TGF-βRII receptor (a TGF-β “trap”) fused to a human IgG1 mAb blocking PD-L1. Objective The objective of this study was to investigate the efficacy and safety of bintrafusp alfa in patients with advanced, post-platinum esophageal adenocarcinoma, unselected for PD-L1 expression. Patients and Methods In this phase 1 study, patients with post-platinum, PD-L1–unselected esophageal adenocarcinoma received bintrafusp alfa 1200 mg every 2 weeks until disease progression, unacceptable toxicity, or withdrawal. The primary endpoint was confirmed best overall response per RECIST 1.1 by independent review committee (IRC). Results By the database cutoff of 24 August 2018, 30 patients (80.0% had two or more prior anticancer regimens) received bintrafusp alfa for a median of 6.1 weeks. The confirmed objective response rate (ORR) per IRC was 20.0% (95% CI 7.7–38.6); responses lasted 1.3–8.3 months. Most responses (83.3%) occurred in tumors with an immune-excluded phenotype. Investigator-assessed confirmed ORR was 13.3% (95% CI 3.8–30.7). Nineteen patients (63.3%) had treatment-related adverse events: seven patients (23.3%) had grade 3 events; no grade 4 events or treatment-related deaths occurred. Conclusions Bintrafusp alfa showed signs of clinical efficacy with a manageable safety profile in patients with heavily pretreated, advanced esophageal adenocarcinoma.This trial was funded by Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, and is part of an alliance between Merck KGaA and GlaxoSmithKline. Merck KGaA provided the study drug and worked with investigators on the trial design and plan, collection and analysis of data, and interpretation of results. Funding for a professional medical writer with access to the data was provided by Merck KGaA and GlaxoSmithKline

Cross-company customer churn prediction in telecommunication: A comparison of data transformation methods

© 2018 Elsevier Ltd Cross-Company Churn Prediction (CCCP) is a domain of research where one company (target) is lacking enough data and can use data from another company (source) to predict customer churn successfully. To support CCCP, the cross-company data is usually transformed to a set of similar normal distribution of target company data prior to building a CCCP model. However, it is still unclear which data transformation method is most effective in CCCP. Also, the impact of data transformation methods on CCCP model performance using different classifiers have not been comprehensively explored in the telecommunication sector. In this study, we devised a model for CCCP using data transformation methods (i.e., log, z-score, rank and box-cox) and presented not only an extensive comparison to validate the impact of these transformation methods in CCCP, but also evaluated the performance of underlying baseline classifiers (i.e., Naive Bayes (NB), K-Nearest Neighbour (KNN), Gradient Boosted Tree (GBT), Single Rule Induction (SRI) and Deep learner Neural net (DP)) for customer churn prediction in telecommunication sector using the above mentioned data transformation methods. We performed experiments on publicly available datasets related to the telecommunication sector. The results demonstrated that most of the data transformation methods (e.g., log, rank, and box-cox) improve the performance of CCCP significantly. However, the Z-Score data transformation method could not achieve better results as compared to the rest of the data transformation methods in this study. Moreover, it is also investigated that the CCCP model based on NB outperform on transformed data and DP, KNN and GBT performed on the average, while SRI classifier did not show significant results in term of the commonly used evaluation measures (i.e., probability of detection, probability of false alarm, area under the curve and g-mean)

Eftilagimod alpha, a soluble lymphocyte activation gene-3 (LAG-3) protein plus pembrolizumab in patients with metastatic melanoma

© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2020. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ. BACKGROUND: To evaluate the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of eftilagimod alpha (efti), a soluble lymphocyte activation gene-3 protein, in combination with the programmed cell death-1 (PD-1) antagonist pembrolizumab. METHODS: The study was divided into two parts; parts A and B, where part A was the dose escalation part and part B was an extension part of the study. Patients with metastatic melanoma were treated with efti plus the standard dose of pembrolizumab. Blood samples were assayed to determine plasma pharmacokinetic parameters, detect efti antibody formation and determine long-lived CD8 T cell responses and associated pharmacodynamic parameters. RESULTS: Twenty-four patients with melanoma received pembrolizumab and bi-weekly subcutaneous (s.c.) injections of efti at doses 1 mg, 6 mg or 30 mg/injection for up to 6 months (part A) or 30 mg/injection for up 12 months (part B). No dose-limiting toxicities were reported and the main adverse event for efti was injection site reactions. Sustained systemic exposure to the product was obtained in all patients following s.c. injections of 30 mg dose. Treatment induced an increase in activated CD8 and CD4 T cell counts, and in some of the soluble biomarkers, particularly interferon (IFN)-γ, a Th1 signature cytokine. An overall response rate (ORR) of 33% was observed in patients partly with pembrolizumab-refractory of part A and ORR of 50% was observed in patients with PD-1 naïve of part B. CONCLUSIONS: Efti was well tolerated in combination with pembrolizumab with encouraging antitumor activity. This warrants further clinical studies of this new combination therapy combining an antigen-presenting cell activator with an immune checkpoint inhibitor

Association of computed tomography measures of muscle and adipose tissue and progressive changes throughout treatment with clinical endpoints in patients with advanced lung cancer treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors

To investigate the association between skeletal muscle mass and adiposity measures with disease-free progression (DFS) and overall survival (OS) in patients with advanced lung cancer receiving immunotherapy, we retrospectively analysed 97 patients (age: 67.5 ± 10.2 years) with lung cancer who were treated with immunotherapy between March 2014 and June 2019. From computed tomography scans, we assessed the radiological measures of skeletal muscle mass, and intramuscular, subcutaneous and visceral adipose tissue at the third lumbar vertebra. Patients were divided into two groups based on specific or median values at baseline and changes throughout treatment. A total number of 96 patients (99.0 %) had disease progression (median of 11.3 months) and died (median of 15.4 months) during follow-up. Increases of 10 % in intramuscular adipose tissue were significantly associated with DFS (HR: 0.60, 95 % CI: 0.38 to 0.95) and OS (HR: 0.60, 95 % CI: 0.37 to 0.95), while increases of 10 % in subcutaneous adipose tissue were associated with DFS (HR: 0.59, 95 % CI: 0.36 to 0.95). These results indicate that, although muscle mass and visceral adipose tissue were not associated with DFS or OS, changes in intramuscular and subcutaneous adipose tissue can predict immunotherapy clinical outcomes in patients with advanced lung cancer

Bintrafusp Alfa, a Bifunctional Fusion Protein Targeting TGF-β and PD-L1, in Patients with Esophageal Adenocarcinoma: Results from a Phase 1 Cohort

BACKGROUND: Esophageal adenocarcinoma patients have limited treatment options. TGF-β can be upregulated in esophageal adenocarcinoma, and blocking this pathway may enhance clinical response to PD-(L)1 inhibitors. Bintrafusp alfa is a first-in-class bifunctional fusion protein composed of the extracellular domain of the TGF-βRII receptor (a TGF-β trap ) fused to a human IgG1 mAb blocking PD-L1. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to investigate the efficacy and safety of bintrafusp alfa in patients with advanced, post-platinum esophageal adenocarcinoma, unselected for PD-L1 expression. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In this phase 1 study, patients with post-platinum, PD-L1-unselected esophageal adenocarcinoma received bintrafusp alfa 1200 mg every 2 weeks until disease progression, unacceptable toxicity, or withdrawal. The primary endpoint was confirmed best overall response per RECIST 1.1 by independent review committee (IRC). RESULTS: By the database cutoff of 24 August 2018, 30 patients (80.0% had two or more prior anticancer regimens) received bintrafusp alfa for a median of 6.1 weeks. The confirmed objective response rate (ORR) per IRC was 20.0% (95% CI 7.7-38.6); responses lasted 1.3-8.3 months. Most responses (83.3%) occurred in tumors with an immune-excluded phenotype. Investigator-assessed confirmed ORR was 13.3% (95% CI 3.8-30.7). Nineteen patients (63.3%) had treatment-related adverse events: seven patients (23.3%) had grade 3 events; no grade 4 events or treatment-related deaths occurred. CONCLUSIONS: Bintrafusp alfa showed signs of clinical efficacy with a manageable safety profile in patients with heavily pretreated, advanced esophageal adenocarcinoma. CLINICAL TRIALS REGISTRATION: NCT02517398