Conformance Checking Based on Multi-Perspective Declarative Process Models

Process mining is a family of techniques that aim at analyzing business process execution data recorded in event logs. Conformance checking is a branch of this discipline embracing approaches for verifying whether the behavior of a process, as recorded in a log, is in line with some expected behaviors provided in the form of a process model. The majority of these approaches require the input process model to be procedural (e.g., a Petri net). However, in turbulent environments, characterized by high variability, the process behavior is less stable and predictable. In these environments, procedural process models are less suitable to describe a business process. Declarative specifications, working in an open world assumption, allow the modeler to express several possible execution paths as a compact set of constraints. Any process execution that does not contradict these constraints is allowed. One of the open challenges in the context of conformance checking with declarative models is the capability of supporting multi-perspective specifications. In this paper, we close this gap by providing a framework for conformance checking based on MP-Declare, a multi-perspective version of the declarative process modeling language Declare. The approach has been implemented in the process mining tool ProM and has been experimented in three real life case studies

Bayesian outlier detection in Capital Asset Pricing Model

We propose a novel Bayesian optimisation procedure for outlier detection in the Capital Asset Pricing Model. We use a parametric product partition model to robustly estimate the systematic risk of an asset. We assume that the returns follow independent normal distributions and we impose a partition structure on the parameters of interest. The partition structure imposed on the parameters induces a corresponding clustering of the returns. We identify via an optimisation procedure the partition that best separates standard observations from the atypical ones. The methodology is illustrated with reference to a real data set, for which we also provide a microeconomic interpretation of the detected outliers

Anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory activity of ketogenic diet. New perspectives for neuroprotection in alzheimer’s disease

The ketogenic diet, originally developed for the treatment of epilepsy in non-responder children, is spreading to be used in the treatment of many diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease. The main activity of the ketogenic diet has been related to improved mitochondrial function and decreased oxidative stress. B-Hydroxybutyrate, the most studied ketone body, has been shown to reduce the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), improving mitochondrial respiration: it stimulates the cellular endogenous antioxidant system with the activation of nuclear factor erythroid-derived 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), it modulates the ratio between the oxidized and reduced forms of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+/NADH) and it increases the efficiency of electron transport chain through the expression of uncoupling proteins. Furthermore, the ketogenic diet performs anti-inflammatory activity by inhibiting nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-kB) activation and nucleotide-binding domain, leucine-rich-containing family, pyrin domain-containing-3 (NLRP3) inflammasome as well as inhibiting histone deacetylases (HDACs), improving memory encoding. The underlying mechanisms and the perspectives for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease are discussed

Parallel packing code for propellant microstructure analysis

In recent years, packing codes have become a successful alternative to experimental data collection for microstructure investigation of heterogeneous materials. Composite solid rocket propellants are interesting representatives of this category, consisting of a mix of fuel and oxidizer powders embedded in a polymeric binder. Their macroscopic properties are strictly dependent on the peculiar microstructure, which influences mechanical, combustion, as well as physical features. This work addresses algorithm development, validation, and scalability of POLIPack, a parallel packing code based on the Lubachevsky–Stillinger algorithm, developed at the Space Propulsion Laboratory (SPLab) of Politecnico di Milano. The application can reproduce the organization of spheres of any diameter inside a cube with periodic boundary. In addition to the general code description, the paper identifies a collision condition not addressed by the original Lubachevsky's algorithm (here called back impact), introduces a novel post-impact handling granting a minimum separation velocity between particles, and presents a parallelization approach based on OpenMP shared memory paradigm. Monomodal and bimodal packs have been compared to experimental data through statistic descriptors and packing maps

Motility fractionation of bacteria by centrifugation

Centrifugation is a widespread laboratory technique used to separate mixtures into fractions characterized by a specific size, weight or density. We demonstrate that centrifugation can be also used to separate swimming cells having different motility. To do this we study self-propelled bacteria under the influence of an external centrifugal field. Using dynamic image correlation spectroscopy we measure the spatially resolved motility of bacteria after centrifugation. A significant gradient in swimming-speeds is observed for increasing centrifugal speeds. Our results can be reproduced by a model that treats bacteria as "hot" colloidal particles having a diffusion coefficient that depends on the swimming speed.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figures (in press

A social-engineering-centric data collection initiative to study phishing

Phishers nowadays rely on a variety of channels, ranging from old-fashioned emails to instant messages, social networks, and the phone system (with both calls and text messages), with the goal of reaching more victims. As a consequence, modern phishing became a multi-faceted, even more pervasive threat that is inherently more difficult to study than traditional, email-based phishing. This short paper describes the status of a data collection system we are developing to capture different aspects of phishing campaigns, with a particular focus on the emerging use of the voice channel. The general approach is to record inbound calls received on decoy phone lines, place outbound calls to the same caller identifiers (when available) and also to telephone numbers obtained from different sources. Specifically, our system analyzes instant messages (e.g., automated social engineering attempts) and suspicious emails (e.g., spam, phishing), and extracts telephone numbers, URLs and popular words from the content. In addition, users can voluntarily submit voice phishing (vishing) attempts through a public website. Extracted telephone numbers, URLs and popular words will be correlated to recognize campaigns by means of cross-channel relationships between messages

FIXED BROADBAND CONNECTIONS AND ECONOMIC GROWTH: A DYNAMIC OECD PANEL ANALYSIS

Technological innovation is viewed as a major stimulus for economic growth. High-speed internet access via broadband infrastructure has been experiencing a prompt development since the end of 90s, thanks to the deployment of both fix and mobile technologies. The present study investigates on the behavior of broadband diffusion as a technological determinant of economic growth in the main OECD countries. The estimations performed allowed to control and interpret the time evolution of the phenomenon according to the achievable target of growth, as resulting from the promotion of broadband internet connections. Our main goal is to provide evidence of a relevant - in quantitative term - relation between broadband diffusion and economic dynamics in the short, medium and long run

A meta-analysis and systematic review of randomized controlled trials with degarelix versus gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonists for advanced prostate cancer

Our aim was to systematically evaluate the benefits of degarelix as antagonist versus agonists of gonadotropin-releasing hormones (GnRH) for the treatment of advanced prostate cancer (PC). This comparison was performed either in terms of biochemical or oncological or safety profiles. To this end we, carried out a systematic review and meta-analysis of the literature.We selected only studies directly and prospectively analyzing the two treatments in the same population (randomized phase III studies). We followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and meta-analyses process for reporting studies.After we eliminated studies according to the exclusion criteria, 9 publications were considered relevant to this review. These articles described 5 clinical trials that were eligible for inclusion. The follow-up duration in all trials did not exceed 364 days. This meta-analysis and review comprised a total of 1719 men, 1061 randomized to degarelix versus 658 to GnRH agonists treatment for advanced PC. Oncological results were evaluated only in 1 trial (CS21:408 cases) and they were not the primary endpoints of the study. Treatment emerging adverse events were reported in 61.4% and 58.8% of patients in the degarelix and GnRH agonists group, respectively (odds ratio, OR = 1.17; 95% confidence interval, 95% CI: 0.78-1.77, P > 0.1). Treatment related severe cardiovascular side effects were reported (trial CS21-30-35) in 1.6% and 3.6% of patients in the degarelix and GnRH agonists group, respectively (OR = 0.55, 95% CI: 0.26-1.14, P > 0.1).Our analysis evidences relevant limitations in particular for the comparative evaluation of the efficacy and the oncological results related to degarelix