Artificial Intelligence and Big Data Analytics in Support of Cyber Defense

Cybersecurity analysts rely on vast volumes of security event data to predict, identify, characterize, and deal with security threats. These analysts must understand and make sense of these huge datasets in order to discover patterns which lead to intelligent decision making and advance warnings of possible threats, and this ability requires automation. Big data analytics and artificial intelligence can improve cyber defense. Big data analytics methods are applied to large data sets that contain different data types. The purpose is to detect patterns, correlations, trends, and other useful information. Artificial intelligence provides algorithms that can reason or learn and improve their behavior, and includes semantic technologies. A large number of automated systems are currently based on syntactic rules which are generally not sophisticated enough to deal with the level of complexity in this domain. An overview of artificial intelligence and big data technologies in cyber defense is provided, and important areas for future research are identified and discussed

Modelling the role of intrapreneurial strategy-making in small firm performance

Intrapreneurs are those employees who identify and pursue opportunities in a firm. By pursuing these opportunities with new products, services or processes, intrapreneurial employees may influence the strategic direction of the firm, a process called intrapreneurial strategy-making. Little consideration has been given to how small firms may use this process to improve performance. To this end this paper describes the results of an empirical study conducted with 454 small firms. Analysis of the data indicates that intrapreneurial strategy-making has a significant positive relationship with firm performance, depending on the size of the firm, its organizational structure and the dynamism of the environment. It further shows that differentiation strategies may mediate this relationship

Essential Oils in Food Preservation: Mode of Action, Synergies, and Interactions with Food Matrix Components

Essential oils are aromatic and volatile liquids extracted from plants. The chemicals in essential oils are secondary metabolites, which play an important role in plant defense as they often possess antimicrobial properties. The interest in essential oils and their application in food preservation has been amplified in recent years by an increasingly negative consumer perception of synthetic preservatives. Furthermore, food-borne diseases are a growing public health problem worldwide, calling for more effective preservation strategies. The antibacterial properties of essential oils and their constituents have been documented extensively. Pioneering work has also elucidated the mode of action of a few essential oil constituents, but detailed knowledge about most of the compounds’ mode of action is still lacking. This knowledge is particularly important to predict their effect on different microorganisms, how they interact with food matrix components, and how they work in combination with other antimicrobial compounds. The main obstacle for using essential oil constituents as food preservatives is that they are most often not potent enough as single components, and they cause negative organoleptic effects when added in sufficient amounts to provide an antimicrobial effect. Exploiting synergies between several compounds has been suggested as a solution to this problem. However, little is known about which interactions lead to synergistic, additive, or antagonistic effects. Such knowledge could contribute to design of new and more potent antimicrobial blends, and to understand the interplay between the constituents of crude essential oils. The purpose of this review is to provide an overview of current knowledge about the antibacterial properties and antibacterial mode of action of essential oils and their constituents, and to identify research avenues that can facilitate implementation of essential oils as natural preservatives in foods

Cross-college collaboration: Communication opportunities with 2-D and 3-D technology

Recent research in global communication and CAD technologies indicates the need for improved communication through the development and use of CAD applications, namely within global supply chain management strategies (Easters, 2012). Additionally, direct communications and an individual’s abilities and skills contribute to the efficiency and success of the product lifecycle (Chen, Murray, & Jones, 2007). Critical areas for professional student preparation in the apparel and textile industries include oral and written communication, critical thinking and problem solving, decision making, marketing, and cooperative skills (Hyman & Hu, 2005). Therefore, this project investigates 2-D and 3-D design technological applications using social media as the communication between apparel design students in two geographic regions

Hvad er det med de drenge? Kønsforskelle i matematikkulturer

Denne artikel præsenterer resultater af en undersøgelse af kønsforskelle i kulturer i det al-mene gymnasium i matematik på B-niveau. Nogle drenge synes at være styret af lyst. Som en dreng siger: “Når vi er trætte, så er vi trætte”. Værdier fra drengenes fritid og ungdom synes desuden at trække drengene væk fra skoleprojektet, således at de spændes ud mellem skolens værdier og værdier fra venskabsrelationer. Et sådant pres ser ikke ud til i samme grad at være til stede for pigerne. De arbejder mere fokuserede og fremstår mere målrettede end drengene. Dette kan have betydning for drenges og pigers karakterer

The Promise of Small Cities: Connecting Urban Residents with the Environment and Their Community in Portland, Maine

As modern American society has progressed, the need to live less expansively, more conscientiously, and more sustainably has become increasingly clear. Meanwhile, reliance on technology has driven urban residents to become further distanced from the environment, and further dissociated from their communities and local cultural traditions. Over the last 50 years, those interested in maintaining and fostering connections to the outdoors and a specific community have largely sought fulfillment in the suburban landscape. While, in recent decades, it has been recognized that the suburban residential model cannot be sustained, urban housing remains deficient. In order to acknowledge both the value of urban living and the potential for learning from the appeal of suburbia, it is incumbent upon designers to explore housing and amenities that better address the needs of the 21st century multi-family resident. This thesis aims to restore situational awareness of climate, community, and cultural traditions, by marrying opportunities for building community with higher density residences that have a strong emphasis on outdoor spaces

The Influence of Metformin and TGF-β2 on Proliferation and Migration of Glioblastoma Cells

To this day, glioblastoma (GBM) remains a brain tumor impossible to cure. Among its tumor properties are rapid proliferation and aggressive migration, two hallmarks investigated in this study. GBM's rapid recurrence after treatment is attributed to tumor cells exhibiting stem cell properties, the so called brain tumor initiating cells (BTICs). These are targeted by the anti-diabetic drug metformin which has demonstrated its anti-glioma potential in previous studies. However, metformin's mechanisms and especially its links to transforming growth factor beta 2 (TGF-β2) are not yet fully understood. Therefore, this study explored the effects of different doses of metformin and a single dose of TGF-β2 on proliferation and migration of proneural and mesenchymal BTICs and their differentiated counterparts (TCs) as well as possible functional interactions. Proliferation and migration of 5 BTIC and 5 TC lines were assessed in cell counts, CyQuant assays, spheroid migration assays and scratch migration assays. The functional investigation showed that 10 mM metformin reliably reduced proliferation and migration of primary GBM cell lines and also demonstrated that low doses of metformin may inhibit proliferation of proneural BTICs. Proneural cells were more susceptible to metformin than mesenchymal cells and BTICs were more susceptible than TCs providing possible predictors for successful metformin treatment. The low-dose effects of metformin also seem attainable in brain tissue of human cancer patients. Hence, this study sets the rationale to explore higher doses of metformin in patients who may profit from metformin treatment, especially since proneural cells respond less to standard temozolomide (TMZ) treatment. The effects of TGF-β2, a cytokine held responsible for GBM's proliferation, invasion, angiogenesis and immunosuppression, were also assessed. Unexpectedly, TGF-β2 had either no effects or it decreased proliferation and migration. Generally, mesenchymal cells showed an increased sensitivity. As TGF-β2 has been described to increase proliferation and migration while metformin may lower both, this study investigated whether their functional effects were opposite. This was not the case. The effects of the combination of TGF-β2 and metformin were anti-proliferative and anti-migratory. They were either as strong as those of the single agents or stronger indicating that there is no functional opposition of the two but rather uniform effects possibly potentiating each other. Thus, this study suggests that metformin and TGF-β2 exert their functional effects independently of each other

Achromobacter Species Isolated from Cystic Fibrosis Patients Reveal Distinctly Different Biofilm Morphotypes

Achromobacter species have attracted attention as emerging pathogens in cystic fibrosis. The clinical significance of Achromobacter infection is not yet fully elucidated; however, their intrinsic resistance to antimicrobials and ability to form biofilms renders them capable of establishing long-term chronic infections. Still, many aspects of Achromobacter biofilm formation remain uncharacterized. In this study, we characterized biofilm formation in clinical isolates of Achromobacter and investigated the effect of challenging the biofilm with antimicrobials and/or enzymes targeting the extracellular matrix. In vitro biofilm growth and subsequent visualization by confocal microscopy revealed distinctly different biofilm morphotypes: a surface-attached biofilm morphotype of small aggregates and an unattached biofilm morphotype of large suspended aggregates. Aggregates consistent with our in vitro findings were visualized in sputum samples from cystic fibrosis patients using an Achromobacter specific peptide nucleic acid fluorescence in situ hybridization (PNA-FISH) probe, confirming the presence of Achromobacter biofilms in the CF lung. High antibiotic tolerance was associated with the biofilm phenotype, and biocidal antibiotic concentrations were up to 1000 fold higher than for planktonic cultures. Treatment with DNase or subtilisin partially dispersed the biofilm and reduced the tolerance to specific antimicrobials, paving the way for further research into using dispersal mechanisms to improve treatment strategies