Clustering Malicious DNS Queries for Blacklist-Based Detection

Some of the most serious threats to network security involve malware. One common way to detect malware-infected machines in a network is by monitoring communications based on blacklists. However, such detection is problematic because (1) no blacklist is completely reliable, and (2) blacklists do not provide the sufficient evidence to allow administrators to determine the validity and accuracy of the detection results. In this paper, we propose a malicious DNS query clustering approach for blacklist-based detection. Unlike conventional classification, our cause-based classification can efficiently analyze malware communications, allowing infected machines in the network to be addressed swiftly

Analysis of mRNA expression for steroidogenic enzymes in the remaining adrenal cortices attached to adrenocortical adenomas.

DESIGN AND METHODS: We have recently demonstrated that the adrenal cortices attached to aldosterone-producing adenoma (APA) contained microscopic subcapsular micronodules suggestive of active aldosterone production. In this study, we used in situ hybridization to investigate the mRNA expression of steroidogenic enzymes in the adrenal cortices attached to cortisol-producing adenoma (CPA) and clinically silent adenoma (non-functioning adenoma; NFA), in addition to APA. RESULTS: Microscopic subcapsular micronodules, which were several hundreds of micrometers in size and spheroid in shape, were observed in the cortices attached to CPA and NFA, as well as APA, at high frequency. Most of the cortical nodules in zona fasciculata to zona reticularis showed a suppressed steroidogenesis in the cortices attached to adenoma, but some expressed intensely all necessary steroidogenic enzyme mRNAs for cortisol synthesis. CONCLUSIONS: It is thus necessary to keep in mind, on the occasion of subtotal adrenalectomy, that lesions with the potential to later develop into functional adrenocortical nodules may be present in other parts of the ipsilateral or contralateral adrenal cortices

Association of severe hypertension with pneumonia in elderly patients with acute ischemic stroke

Pneumonia is one of the most frequent complications in elderly patients with acute ischemic stroke. Although severe hypertension is often observed in the early phase of acute stroke, there are few studies of acute hypertension as a factor influencing the incidence of stroke-associated pneumonia (SAP) in elderly subjects with acute ischemic stroke. To assess the association of acute phase blood-pressure elevation with the incidence of SAP, we compared 10 elderly patients with acute ischemic stroke complicated with severe hypertension (⩾200/120 mm Hg) with 43 patients with moderate hypertension (160–199/100–119 mm Hg), as well as with 65 control normotensive or mildly hypertensive (<160/100 mm Hg) controls on admission. Data were collected on known risk factors, type of ischemic stroke and underlying chronic conditions. The significance of differences in risk factors was analyzed using univariate and multivariate comparisons of 38 SAP cases and others, 8 SAP death cases and others, and 28 patients with poor outcome associated with in-hospital death or artificial feeding at discharge and others. After adjustment for potential confounding factors, the relative risk estimates for SAP, SAP death and poor outcome were 2.83 (95% confidence interval 1.14–7.05), 5.20 (1.01–26.8) and 6.84 (1.32–35.4), respectively, for severe hypertension relative to normotensive or mildly hypertensive controls. We conclude that severe hypertension on admission is an independent predictive factor for SAP in elderly patients with acute ischemic stroke

Teaching along the new course of study 3 : Studies of approachable Hanshi and Hanwen starting with modern works of literature.

古典重視を標榜した新指導要領の具体化において, 単に旧来の指導の踏襲ではない方向性を模索した結果, 近現代の作品を入り口にすることが親しみやすい漢詩・漢文の学習に繋がると提案した一昨年度, その具体的な授業構想に取り組み, 教材化への条件を明らかにした昨年度を承けて, 今年度は実際の授業を行った。 王維「九月九日憶山東兄弟」詩は, 年齢が近いことからも理解しやすく見える作品だが, 実際には生徒にとって心情を理解するのは容易ではない。そこで, さだまさし「案山子」を合わせたところ, 一挙に身近な作品となった。また, 岑参「磧中作」詩は, 自身の実体験に基づく辺塞詩であるが, 生徒にとっては非日常の世界である。しかし, 大岡昇平「野火」との出会いで, 戦争はけっして生徒自身と無関係ではないこと, また生身の人間が生きているとはどういうことかを深く考えさせることができた。 このように現代と繋がるとき, 漢詩・漢文は漢字を通じて一挙に現代に立ち現れる。他にも渡辺淳一の「孤舟」が広く中国文学に根ざした言葉であったことや, 綾香の歌う「三日月」と杜甫「月夜」との比較等, 近現代の作品を入り口にした授業のさらなる可能性を見ることができた

A Cause-Based Classification Approach for Malicious DNS Queries Detected Through Blacklists

Some of the most serious security threats facing computer networks involve malware. To prevent this threat, administrators need to swiftly remove the infected machines from their networks. One common way to detect infected machines in a network is by monitoring communications based on blacklists. However, detection using this method has the following two problems: no blacklist is completely reliable, and blacklists do not provide sufficient evidence to allow administrators to determine the validity and accuracy of the detection results. Therefore, simply matching communications with blacklist entries is insufficient, and administrators should pursue their detection causes by investigating the communications themselves. In this paper, we propose an approach for classifying malicious DNS queries detected through blacklists by their causes. This approach is motivated by the following observation: a malware communication is divided into several transactions, each of which generates queries related to the malware; thus, surrounding queries that occur before and after a malicious query detected through blacklists help in estimating the cause of the malicious query. Our cause-based classification drastically reduces the number of malicious queries to be investigated because the investigation scope is limited to only representative queries in the classification results. In experiments, we have confirmed that our approach could group 388 malicious queries into 3 clusters, each consisting of queries with a common cause. These results indicate that administrators can briefly pursue all the causes by investigating only representative queries of each cluster, and thereby swiftly address the problem of infected machines in the network

Classes based on the new course of study 1 : Learning of Hanshi and Hanwen to develop students' imagination.

中学校国語の「思考力や想像力を養い」と同じく高等学校の新学習指導要領でも,目標に「思考力や想像力を伸ばし」と「想像力」が加わった。一方,小・中学校「国語」並びにこのたび必履修科目となった「国語総合」においても古典重視の姿勢が明らかになった。この両者は必ずしも直接結びつくものではない。しかし,従来訓詁注釈にとらわれがちに見えた漢詩・漢文こそ,実は「想像力」を伸ばすにふさわしい教材なのである。「想像力を伸ばす」とは「実際には見たり体験したりしていない事柄などを頭の中に思い描く段階から更に進んで,様々な資料を基に,これから起こるであろうことやどのように行動すればよいのかということを思い描くなど,将来の状況やあるべき姿を予測したり,見通しをもって行動したりすることの能力までも身に付けることである」という。歴史を越えて読み継がれてきた普遍的内容を持ち,心情的側面と論理的側面を併せ持つ漢詩・漢文は,一字一字に意味と働きを持つ漢字の特性をふまえたとき,近現代の日本文学にも日本の古典文学にも無い独自の教材的価値を持つのである。このたびはそれを明らかにし,来年度以降の方向性を模索した

ACAGT-007a, an ERK MAPK Signaling Modulator, in Combination with AKT Signaling Inhibition Induces Apoptosis in KRAS Mutant Pancreatic Cancer T3M4 and MIA-Pa-Ca-2 Cells

The mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK)/ERK and phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase (PI3K)/AKT pathways are dysregulated in various human cancers, including pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), which has a very poor prognosis due to its lack of efficient therapies. We have previously identified ACAGT-007a (GT-7), an anti-cancer compound that kills ERK-active melanoma cells by inducing ERK-dependent apoptosis. Here, we investigated the apoptosis-inducing effect of GT-7 on three PDAC cell lines and its relevance with the MAPK/ERK and PI3K/AKT signaling pathways. GT-7 induced apoptosis in PDAC cells with different KRAS mutations (MIA-Pa-Ca-2 (KRAS G12C), T3M4 (KRAS Q61H), and PANC-1 (KRAS G12D)), being T3M4 most susceptible, followed by MIA-Pa-Ca-2, and PANC-1 was most resistant to apoptosis induction by GT-7. GT-7 stimulated ERK phosphorylation in the three PDAC cells, but only T3M4 displayed ERK-activation-dependent apoptosis. Furthermore, GT-7 induced a marked down-regulation of AKT phosphorylation after a transient peak in T3M4, whereas PANC-1 displayed the strongest and most sustained AKT activation, followed by MIA-Pa-Ca-2, suggesting that sustained AKT phosphorylation as a determinant for the resistance to GT-7-mediated apoptosis. Consistently, a PI3K inhibitor, Wortmannin, abolished AKT phosphorylation and enhanced GT-7-mediated apoptosis in T3M4 and MIA-Pa-Ca-2, but not in PANC-1, which showed residual AKT phosphorylation. This is the first report that ERK stimulation alone or in combination with AKT signaling inhibition can effectively induce apoptosis in PDAC and provides a rationale for a novel concurrent targeting of the PI3K/AKT and ERK pathways

Combined Analysis of Plasma Amphiregulin and Heregulin Predicts Response to Cetuximab in Metastatic Colorectal Cancer.

Amphiregulin, a ligand of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), is associated with the efficacy of cetuximab, an antibody against EGFR, as treatment for colorectal cancer (CRC). In contrast, the HER3 ligand heregulin correlates with cetuximab resistance. In this study, we evaluated how the combined levels of circulating amphiregulin and heregulin affect clinical outcomes in patients who receive cetuximab as therapy against advanced CRC.Plasma levels of amphiregulin and heregulin were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in 50 patients with CRC in a training cohort, and in 10 patients in a validation cohort. The combined expression was then assessed with clinical outcome after receiver operating characteristics analysis.Overall response rate was 26%, and median progression-free survival was 110 days in the training cohort. Patients with high amphiregulin and low heregulin had significantly higher objective response rate at 58% and significantly longer progression-free survival of 216 days. This result was confirmed in the validation cohort.A subgroup of CRC patients with high amphiregulin and low heregulin respond to cetuximab therapy better than other patients