Stegano-Morphing: Concealing Attacks on Face Identification Algorithms

© 2021 IEEE. Personal use of this material is permitted. Permission from IEEE must be obtained for all other uses, in any current or future media, including reprinting/republishing this material for advertising or promotional purposes, creating new collective works, for resale or redistribution to servers or lists, or reuse of any copyrighted component of this work in other worksFace identification is becoming a well-accepted technology for access control applications, both in the real or virtual world. Systems based on this technology must deal with the persistent challenges of classification algorithms and the impersonation attacks performed by people who do not want to be identified. Morphing is often selected to conduct such attacks since it allows the modification of the features of an original subject's image to make it appear as someone else. Publications focus on impersonating this other person, usually someone who is allowed to get into a restricted place, building, or software app. However, there is no list of authorized people in many other applications, just a blacklist of people no longer allowed to enter, log in, or register. In such cases, the morphing target person is not relevant, and the main objective is to minimize the probability of being detected. In this paper, we present a comparison of the identification rate and behavior of six recognizers (Eigenfaces, Fisherfaces, LBPH, SIFT, FaceNet, and ArcFace) against traditional morphing attacks, in which only two subjects are used to create the altered image: the original subject and the target. We also present a new morphing method that works as an iterative process of gradual traditional morphing, combining the original subject with all the subjects' images in a database. This method multiplies by four the chances of a successful and complete impersonation attack (from 4% to 16%), by deceiving both face identification and morphing detection algorithms simultaneouslyThis work was supported by the Consejería De Ciencia, Universidad e Innovación, Comunidad de Madri

Adhesion signature based enrichment of tumor initiating cells

In spite of major therapeutic advances, cancer relapse and low rates of patient response to cancer therapeutics persist. This failure is due in part to a small subpopulation of tumor initiating cells (TICs) with stem cell-like properties that are responsible for the growth of the tumor and the progression of metastasis. These cells are capable of surviving chemotherapy, rendering them highly resistant to conventional cancer therapies. Although the question of whether TICs are stem cells remains a controversial topic in the cancer field, it has become increasingly evident that a better understanding of their biology and function is necessary to effectively treat cancer and eradicate tumors without allowing for relapse to occur. This project aimed to develop an objective, label-free, fast, and scalable method for cancer cell and TIC enrichment based on the adhesion strength signature of these cells. Currently, no efficient and reliable methods to isolate TICs exist. Although many in the field rely on surface marker expression profiles, these are variable and subjective, which hinders the study of TIC biology. Our lab has developed a technology to isolate cells based on their unique adhesion binding strength to a matrix. The novel technology (micro-Stem cell High- Efficiency Adhesion based Recovery [μSHEAR]) consists of a microfluidic device that applies varying degrees of detachment shear forces to adherent cells. Using this device, human pluripotent stem cells and their progeny have been isolated with high reproducibility, yield (>97%), purity (95-99%), and survival (>95%) rates (Singh et al, Nature Methods 2013). The process is fast (<10 min), label free, and scalable. Our hypothesis was that subtypes of cancer cells will exhibit distinct ‘adhesive force signatures’ that can be exploited to selectively purify TICs with high efficiency using the μSHEAR technology. The significance of this work was the development of a novel platform for objective, reliable, and scalable TIC purification.Ph.D

Digital Transformation Success Through Aligning the Organizational Structure: Case Study of Swedish Public Organizations

A Digital Transformation fundamentally involves the implementation of one or more digital tools, which is a process often burdened with challenges. It is estimated that approximately 66 to 84 percent of the taken Digital Transformation initiatives are unsuccessful, which can be attributed to organizational shortcomings, more specifically structural ones. While public organizations regularly do not achieve the same success as those in the private sector, it was of interest to investigate the Swedish ones. Where 86 percent of residents use the internet to interact with public authorities. Previous research has singled out the IT organization to be the appointed leader of Digital Transformations, further research on that relationship is limited. Therefore, this study examines how the IT organization, in an agile environment, can align its structure for a successful Digital Transformation. To answer the discovered research problem, the following research question has been formulated: “How should an IT organization’s structure be aligned in an agile environment in order to achieve a successful Digital Transformation?”. This is research in progress and will be continued by conducting case studies in four public organizations. Data will be collected through semi0structured interviews and analyzed thematically. Finally, a presentation of different aspect of organizational structure alignment through digital transformation based on these cases will be provided

Global relationship between phytoplankton diversity and productivity in the ocean

The shape of the productivity–diversity relationship (PDR) for marine phytoplankton has been suggested to be unimodal, that is, diversity peaking at intermediate levels of productivity. However, there are few observations and there has been little attempt to understand the mechanisms that would lead to such a shape for planktonic organisms. Here we use a marine ecosystem model together with the community assembly theory to explain the shape of the unimodal PDR we obtain at the global scale. The positive slope from low to intermediate productivity is due to grazer control with selective feeding, which leads to the predator-mediated coexistence of prey. The negative slope at high productivity is due to seasonal blooms of opportunist species that occur before they are regulated by grazers. The negative side is only unveiled when the temporal scale of the observation captures the transient dynamics, which are especially relevant at highly seasonal latitudes. Thus selective predation explains the positive side while transient competitive exclusion explains the negative side of the unimodal PDR curve. The phytoplankton community composition of the positive and negative sides is mostly dominated by slow-growing nutrient specialists and fast-growing nutrient opportunist species, respectively.Marie Curie International Outgoing Fellowship (FP7)Gordon and Betty Moore FoundationSpain. Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (Ramon y Cajal Contracts

Factors controlling the community structure of picoplankton in contrasting marine environments

The effect of inorganic nutrients on planktonic assemblages has traditionally relied on concentrations rather than estimates of nutrient supply. We combined a novel dataset of hydrographic properties, turbulent mixing, nutrient concentration, and picoplankton community composition with the aims of (i) quantifying the role of temperature, light, and nitrate fluxes as factors controlling the distribution of autotrophic and heterotrophic picoplankton subgroups, as determined by flow cytometry, and (ii) describing the ecological niches of the various components of the picoplankton community. Data were collected at 97 stations in the Atlantic Ocean, including tropical and subtropical open-ocean waters, the northwestern Mediterranean Sea, and the Galician coastal upwelling system of the northwest Iberian Peninsula. A generalized additive model (GAM) approach was used to predict depth-integrated biomass of each picoplankton subgroup based on three niche predictors: sea surface temperature, averaged daily surface irradiance, and the transport of nitrate into the euphotic zone, through both diffusion and advection. In addition, niche overlap among different picoplankton subgroups was computed using nonparametric kernel density functions. Temperature and nitrate supply were more relevant than light in predicting the biomass of most picoplankton subgroups, except for Prochlorococcus and low-nucleic-acid (LNA) prokaryotes, for which irradiance also played a significant role. Nitrate supply was the only factor that allowed the distinction among the ecological niches of all autotrophic and heterotrophic picoplankton subgroups. Prochlorococcus and LNA prokaryotes were more abundant in warmer waters ( \u3e 20°C) where the nitrate fluxes were low, whereas Synechococcus and high-nucleic-acid (HNA) prokaryotes prevailed mainly in cooler environments characterized by intermediate or high levels of nitrate supply. Finally, the niche of picoeukaryotes was defined by low temperatures and high nitrate supply. These results support the key role of nitrate supply, as it not only promotes the growth of large phytoplankton, but it also controls the structure of marine picoplankton communities

Metabolic flexibility as a major predictor of spatial distribution in microbial communities

A better understand the ecology of microbes and their role in the global ecosystem could be achieved if traditional ecological theories can be applied to microbes. In ecology organisms are defined as specialists or generalists according to the breadth of their niche. Spatial distribution is often used as a proxy measure of niche breadth; generalists have broad niches and a wide spatial distribution and specialists a narrow niche and spatial distribution. Previous studies suggest that microbial distribution patterns are contrary to this idea; a microbial generalist genus (Desulfobulbus) has a limited spatial distribution while a specialist genus (Methanosaeta) has a cosmopolitan distribution. Therefore, we hypothesise that this counter-intuitive distribution within generalist and specialist microbial genera is a common microbial characteristic. Using molecular fingerprinting the distribution of four microbial genera, two generalists, Desulfobulbus and the methanogenic archaea Methanosarcina, and two specialists, Methanosaeta and the sulfate-reducing bacteria Desulfobacter were analysed in sediment samples from along a UK estuary. Detected genotypes of both generalist genera showed a distinct spatial distribution, significantly correlated with geographic distance between sites. Genotypes of both specialist genera showed no significant differential spatial distribution. These data support the hypothesis that the spatial distribution of specialist and generalist microbes does not match that seen with specialist and generalist large organisms. It may be that generalist microbes, while having a wider potential niche, are constrained, possibly by intrageneric competition, to exploit only a small part of that potential niche while specialists, with far fewer constraints to their niche, are more capable of filling their potential niche more effectively, perhaps by avoiding intrageneric competition. We suggest that these counter-intuitive distribution patterns may be a common feature of microbes in general and represent a distinct microbial principle in ecology, which is a real challenge if we are to develop a truly inclusive ecology

Diatoms Si uptake capacity drives carbon export in coastal upwelling systems

Coastal upwelling systems account for approximately half of global ocean primary production and contribute disproportionately to biologically driven carbon sequestration. Diatoms, silica-precipitating microalgae, constitute the dominant phytoplankton in these productive regions, and their abundance and assemblage composition in the sedimentary record is considered one of the best proxies for primary production. The study of the sedimentary diatom abundance (SDA) and total organic carbon content (TOC) in the five most important coastal upwelling systems of the modern ocean (Iberia-Canary, Benguela, Peru-Humboldt, California, and Somalia-Oman) reveals a global-scale positive relationship between diatom production and organic carbon burial. The analysis of SDA in conjunction with environmental variables of coastal upwelling systems such as upwelling strength, satellite-derived net primary production, and surface water nutrient concentrations shows different relations between SDA and primary production on the regional scale. On the global scale, SDA appears modulated by the capacity of diatoms to take up silicic acid, which ultimately sets an upper limit to global export production in these ocean regions

Coalition unionism : exploring how and when coalitions contribute to union renewal in Sydney, Toronto and Chicago

Item does not contain fulltextWe have previously identified eight novel autoantibody targets in the cerebrospinal fluid of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, including sperm-associated Ag 16 (SPAG16). In the current study, we further investigated the autoantibody response against SPAG16-a protein with unknown function in the CNS-and its expression in MS pathology. Using isoelectric focusing, we detected SPAG16-specific oligoclonal bands in the cerebrospinal fluid of 5 of 23 MS patients (22%). Analysis of the anti-SPAG16 Ab reactivity in the plasma of a total of 531 donors using ELISA demonstrated significantly elevated anti-SPAG16 Ab levels (p = 0.002) in 32 of 153 MS patients (21%) compared with all other control groups with 95% specificity for the disease. To investigate the pathologic relevance of anti-SPAG16 Abs in vivo, anti-SPAG16 Abs were injected in mice with experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis, resulting in a significant disease exacerbation. Finally, we demonstrated a consistent upregulation of SPAG16 in MS brain and experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis spinal cord lesions, more specifically in reactive astrocytes. We conclude that SPAG16 is a novel autoantibody target in a subgroup of MS patients and in combination with other diagnostic criteria, elevated levels of anti-SPAG16 Abs could be used as a biomarker for diagnosis. Furthermore, the pathologic relevance of anti-SPAG16 Abs was shown in vivo

Phytoplankton dynamics in relation to seasonal variability and upwelling and relaxation patterns at the mouth of Ria de Aveiro (West Iberian Margin) over a four-year period

From June 2004 to December 2007, samples were weekly collected at a fixed station located at the mouth of Ria de Aveiro (West Iberian Margin). We examined the seasonal and inter-annual fluctuations in composition and community structure of the phytoplankton in relation to the main environmental drivers and assessed the influence of the oceano-graphic regime, namely changes in frequency and intensity of upwelling events, over the dynamics of the phytoplankton assemblage. The samples were consistently handled and a final subset of 136 OTUs (taxa with relative abundance > 0.01%) was subsequently submitted to various multivariate analyses. The phytoplankton assemblage showed significant changes at all temporal scales but with an overriding importance of seasonality over longer-(inter-annual) or shorter-term fluctuations (upwelling-related). Sea-surface temperature, salinity and maximum upwelling index were retrieved as the main driver of seasonal change. Seasonal signal was most evident in the fluctuations of chlorophyll a concentration and in the high turnover from the winter to spring phytoplankton assemblage. The seasonal cycle of production and succession was disturbed by upwelling events known to disrupt thermal stratification and induce changes in the phytoplankton assemblage. Our results indicate that both the frequency and intensity of physical forcing were important drivers of such variability, but the outcome in terms of species composition was highly dependent on the available local pool of species and the timing of those events in relation to the seasonal cycle. We conclude that duration, frequency and intensity of upwelling events, which vary seasonally and inter-annually, are paramount for maintaining long-term phytoplankton diversity likely by allowing unstable coexistence and incorporating species turnover at different scales. Our results contribute to the understanding of the complex mechanisms of coastal phytoplankton dynamics in relation to changing physical forcing which is fundamental to improve predictability of future prospects under climate change.Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT, Portugal) [SFRH/BPD/ 94562/2013]; FEDER funds; national funds; CESAM [UID/AMB/50017]; FCT/MEC through national funds; FEDERinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Frataxin-deficient neurons and mice models of Friedreich ataxia are improved by TAT-MTScs-FXN treatment.

Friedreich ataxia (FA) is a rare disease caused by deficiency of frataxin, a mitochondrial protein. As there is no cure available for this disease, many strategies have been developed to reduce the deleterious effects of such deficiency. One of these approaches is based on delivering frataxin to the tissues by coupling the protein to trans-activator of transcription (TAT) peptides, which enables cell membranes crossing. In this study, we tested the efficiency of TAT-MTScs-FXN fusion protein to decrease neurodegeneration markers on frataxin-depleted neurons obtained from dorsal root ganglia (DRG), one of the most affected tissues. In mice models of the disease, we tested the ability of TAT-MTScs-FXN to penetrate the mitochondria and its effect on lifespan. In DRG neurons, treatment with TAT-MTScs-FXN increased cell survival, decreased neurite degeneration and reduced apoptotic markers, such as α-fodrin cleavage and caspase 9 activation. Also, we show that heat-shock protein 60 (HSP60), a molecular chaperone targeted to mitochondria, suffered an impaired processing in frataxin-deficient neurons that was relieved by TAT-MTScs-FXN addition. In mice models of the disease, administration of TAT-MTScs-FXN was able to reach muscle mitochondria, restore the activity of the succinate dehydrogenase and produce a significant lifespan increase. These results support the use of TAT-MTScs-FXN as a treatment for Friedreich ataxia. J Cell Mol Med 2018 Feb; 22(2):834-848