Property Inference Attacks on Convolutional Neural Networks:Influence and Implications of Target Model's Complexity

Machine learning models' goal is to make correct predictions for specific tasks by learning important properties and patterns from data. By doing so, there is a chance that the model learns properties that are unrelated to its primary task. Property Inference Attacks exploit this and aim to infer from a given model (i.e., the target model) properties about the training dataset seemingly unrelated to the model's primary goal. If the training data is sensitive, such an attack could lead to privacy leakage. This paper investigates the influence of the target model's complexity on the accuracy of this type of attack, focusing on convolutional neural network classifiers. We perform attacks on models that are trained on facial images to predict whether someone's mouth is open. Our attacks' goal is to infer whether the training dataset is balanced gender-wise. Our findings reveal that the risk of a privacy breach is present independently of the target model's complexity: for all studied architectures, the attack's accuracy is clearly over the baseline. We discuss the implication of the property inference on personal data in the light of Data Protection Regulations and Guidelines

Syntaphilin controls a mitochondrial rheostat for proliferation-motility decisions in cancer.

Tumors adapt to an unfavorable microenvironment by controlling the balance between cell proliferation and cell motility, but the regulators of this process are largely unknown. Here, we show that an alternatively spliced isoform of syntaphilin (SNPH), a cytoskeletal regulator of mitochondrial movements in neurons, is directed to mitochondria of tumor cells. Mitochondrial SNPH buffers oxidative stress and maintains complex II-dependent bioenergetics, sustaining local tumor growth while restricting mitochondrial redistribution to the cortical cytoskeleton and tumor cell motility. Conversely, introduction of stress stimuli to the microenvironment, including hypoxia, acutely lowered SNPH levels, resulting in bioenergetics defects and increased superoxide production. In turn, this suppressed tumor cell proliferation but increased tumor cell invasion via greater mitochondrial trafficking to the cortical cytoskeleton. Loss of SNPH or expression of an SNPH mutant lacking the mitochondrial localization sequence resulted in increased metastatic dissemination in xenograft or syngeneic tumor models in vivo. Accordingly, tumor cells that acquired the ability to metastasize in vivo constitutively downregulated SNPH and exhibited higher oxidative stress, reduced cell proliferation, and increased cell motility. Therefore, SNPH is a stress-regulated mitochondrial switch of the cell proliferation-motility balance in cancer, and its pathway may represent a therapeutic target

Number Concentrations And Size Distributions Of Nanoparticles During The Use Of Hand Tools In Refurbishment Activities

Hand tools, such as a sledgehammer, are widely used in refurbishment activities; nonetheless, there is very little knowledge on nanoparticle generation. We measured particle number size distributions (PSDs) and concentrations (PNCs) in the 10–420 nm using a NanoScan scanning mobility particle sizer (SMPS) during the use of hand tools (i.e., sanding and removal of wall) in a real indoor refurbishment environment. Results indicated that refurbishment activities from removal of wall increased average PNCs by ~ 6 times over the background while it was ~ 1.5 times higher than sanding. The highest total PNC was 1.9 × 105 particles cm−3 that corresponded to removal of wall activities. For sanding activities, PNC was lower as the coat of the plaster was probably slightly wet. Moreover, comparison between the two principal activities showed a similar peak in the accumulation mode (~ 65 nm), with a monomodal pattern. Results suggest that removal of wall activities emitted nanoparticles with a 59% of contribution in the Aitken mode. According to these data, it can be inferred that the application of hand tools in refurbishment activities generates lower total PNC than using electromechanical equipment. This study may contribute to our understanding of nanoparticle generation in refurbishment activities

Maternal obesity in females born small: pregnancy complications and offspring disease risk

Obesity is a major public health crisis, with 1.6 billion adults worldwide being classified as overweight or obese in 2014. Therefore, it is not surprising that the number of women who are overweight or obese at the time of conception is increasing. Obesity during pregnancy is associated with the development of gestational diabetes and preeclampsia. The developmental origins of health and disease hypothesis proposes that perturbations during critical stages of development can result in adverse fetal changes, which leads to an increased risk of developing diseases in adulthood. Of particular concern, children born to obese mothers are at a greater risk of developing cardiometabolic disease. One subset of the population who are predisposed to developing obesity are children born small for gestational age, which occurs in 10% of pregnancies worldwide. Epidemiological studies report that these growth restricted children have an increased susceptibility to type 2 diabetes, obesity and hypertension. Importantly during pregnancy, growth restricted females have a higher risk of developing cardiometabolic disease, indicating that they may have an exacerbated phenotype if they are also overweight or obese. Thus the development of early pregnancy interventions targeted to obese mothers may prevent their children from developing cardiometabolic disease in adulthood. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved

Proximate composition analysis posterior to the cryopreservation of Chaetoceros calcitrans

ABSTRACT Objective. The effect of cryopreservation on the proximate composition of microalgae Chaetoceros calcitrans was evaluated. Materials and methods. C. calcitrans was cultured and cryopreserved using 5% (v/v) dimethylsulfoxide as cryoprotectant. The freezing was controlled at a rate of 3°C/min, up to -60°C and then the microalgae were immersed in liquid nitrogen (-196°C). After storage in liquid nitrogen, microalgae were rapidly thawed out and subcultured. The percentage of proteins, lipids and carbohydrates was analyzed using absorption spectrophotometry and the organic matter was studied by gravimetric analysis. Results. There was no significant variation between the proximate composition of C. calcitrans cryopreserved and the controls (p>0.05). Conclusion. Our results show that, despite low cell recovery after the preservation of this organism at low temperatures, there is no apparent loss of nutritional characteristics caused by the storing process at low temperatures. RESUMEN Objetivo. En este estudio se evaluó el efecto de la técnica de criopreservación sobre la composición proximal de la microalga Chaetoceros calcitrans. Materiales y métodos. C. calcitrans fue cultivada y criopreservada empleando dimetilsulfóxido al 5% (v/v) como crioprotector. La congelación fue controlada a una tasa de 3°C/min, hasta llegar a -60°C y luego las microalgas fueron sumergidas en nitrógeno líquido (-196°C). Posteriormente, las microalgas fueron descongeladas de manera rápida y nuevamente cultivadas. Seguidamente se analizó la cantidad porcentual de proteínas, lípidos y carbohidratos, empleando espectrofotometría de absorción y la materia orgánica por gravimetría. Resultados. Los resultados indicaron que la composición proximal posterior a la criopreservación no evidencia diferencias significativas respecto a los controles no criopreservados (p>0.05). Conclusiones. Los resultados indican que pese a la baja viabilidad post-criopreservación de C. calcitrans, no hay pérdida aparente de la composición nutricional debida al almacenamiento a bajas temperaturas

Evaluación de la calidad del agua en el Canal la Ovejera Campoalegre - Huila, empleando bioindicadores acuáticos

Water is a strategic resource vital to the development and maintenance of living things. The water sources are subjected daily to severe human intervention causing changes in the quality of freshwater systems, directly affecting aquatic biota; therefore, aquatic bioindicators, such as macroinvertebrates, are used as an ideal tool for assessing the degree of pollution in a water body since they allow to quickly and economically identify the ecological status of the water source. In this study the effect of human activities on the macroinvertebrate communities inhabiting the tributary and effluent water channel “La Ovejera” was evaluated. For assessing the water quality a BMWP (Biological Monitoring Working Party Score System) index for water sources in Colombia was used. According to the analysis of macroinvertebrates collected in the water channel “La Ovejera”, it was found that the tributary of the channel has clean water quality while the effluent showed moderately polluted quality. These results suggest that different anthropogenic activities along the channel “La Ovejera” are affecting the structure of communities of aquatic macroinvertebrates, in consequence there are changes in the ecological balance and deterioration of the quality of this water source.El agua es un recurso estratégico de vital importancia para el desarrollo y mantenimiento de los seres vivos. Las fuentes hídricas se ven sometidas diariamente a la severa intervención del hombre, provocando alteraciones en la calidad de los sis­temas dulceacuícolas y afectando directamente la biota acuática. Por tal motivo, una herramienta ideal para la evaluación del grado de contaminación en un cuerpo hídrico es el uso de bioindicadores acuáticos, como los macroinvertebrados, permitiendo identificar el estado ecológico de la fuente hídrica de una forma rápida y económica. En este proyecto se evaluó el efecto de las actividades antrópicas sobre las comunidades de macroinvertebrados que habitan en el afluente y efluente del canal La ovejera. Para la evaluación de calidad del agua se empleó el índice BMWP´Col (Biological Monitoring Working Party Score System) adaptado para las fuentes hídricas de Colombia. De acuerdo con el análisis de los macroinvertebrados colectados en el canal La Ovejera se obtuvo que el afluente del canal presenta una calidad de agua limpia, mientras que el efluente presentó calidad medianamente contaminada. Estos resultados sugieren que las diferentes actividades antropogénicas realizadas a lo largo del canal La ovejera están afectando la estructura de las comunidades de macroinvertebrados acuáticos, teniendo como consecuencia alteraciones en el equilibrio ecológico y el deterioro de la calidad de esta fuente hídrica

CONSIDERACIONES TEÓRICAS DEL PROCESO DE ENSEÑANZA-APRENDIZAJE EN LA EDUCACIÓN SUPERIOR DEL DERECHO CIVIL

El presente artículo ha tenido como objetivo esencial, la determinación de los fundamentos teóricos-doctrinales que sustentan el proceso de enseñanza-aprendizaje en la Educación Superior del Derecho Civil General, pues hoy no se aborda en literatura alguna esta especificidad. Los resultados se proyectan en beneficio del estudio y comprensión del proceso de enseñanza-aprendizaje, permitiendo la participación de todos sus actores, la mejora cualitativa de la clase y donde la vinculación de la teoría y la práctica encuentra su concreción pues evidentemente puede ser utilizado a favor del proceso en cuestión en la asignatura Derecho Civil General, como vía para formar egresados con una mejor preparación profesional