MECInOT: a multi-access edge computing and industrial internet of things emulator for the modelling and study of cybersecurity threats

In recent years, the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) has grown rapidly, a fact that has led to an increase in the number of cyberattacks that target this environment and the technologies that it brings together. Unfortunately, when it comes to using tools for stopping such attacks, it can be noticed that there are inherent weaknesses in this paradigm, such as limitations in computational capacity, memory and network bandwidth. Under these circumstances, the solutions used until now in conventional scenarios cannot be directly adopted by the IIoT, and so it is necessary to develop and design new ones that can effectively tackle this problem. Furthermore, these new solutions must be tested in order to verify their performance and viability, which requires testing architectures that are compatible with newly introduced IIoT topologies. With the aim of addressing these issues, this work proposes MECInOT, which is an architecture based on openLEON and capable of generating test scenarios for the IIoT environment. The performance of this architecture is validated by creating an intelligent threat detector based on tree-based algorithms, such as decision tree, random forest and other machine learning techniques. Which allows us to generate an intelligent and to demonstrate, we could generate an intelligent threat detector and demonstrate the suitability of our architecture for testing solutions in IIoT environments. In addition, by using MECInOT, we compare the performance of the different machine learning algorithms in an IIoT network. Firstly, we present the benefits of our proposal, and secondly, we describe the emulation of an IIoT environment while ensuring the repeatability of the experiments

Agent Programming in Ciao Prolog

The agent programming landscape has been revealed as a natural framework for developing “intelligence” in AI. This can be seen from the extensive use of the agent concept in presenting (and developing) AI systems, the proliferation of agent theories, and the evolution of concepts such as agent societies (social intelligence) and coordination

A MEC-IIoT intelligent threat detector based on machine learning boosted tree algorithms

In recent years, new management methods have appeared that mark the beginning of a new industrial revolution called Industry 4.0 or the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT). IIoT brings together new emerging technologies, such as the Internet of Things (IoT), Deep Learning (DL) and Machine Learning (ML), that contribute to new applications, industrial processes and efficiency management in factories. This combination of new technologies and contexts is paired with Multi-access Edge Computing (MEC) to reduce costs through the virtualisation of networks and services. As these new paradigms increase in growth, so does the number of threats and vulnerabilities, making IIoT a very desirable target for cybercriminals. In addition, IIoT devices have certain intrinsic limitations, especially due to their limited resources, and this makes it impossible, in many cases, to detect attacks by using solutions designed for other paradigms. So it is necessary to design, implement and evaluate new solutions or adapt existing ones. Therefore, this paper proposes an intelligent threat detector based on boosted tree algorithms. Such detectors have been implemented and evaluated in an environment specifically designed to test IIoT deployments. In this way, we can learn how these algorithms, which have been successful in multiple contexts, behave in a paradigm with known constraints. The results obtained in the study show that our intelligent threat detector achieves a mean efficiency of between 95%–99% in the F1 Score metric, indicating that it is a good option for implementation in these scenarios

Higher transactivation activity associated with LTR and Tat elements from HIV-1 BF intersubtype recombinant variants

BACKGROUND: HIV-1 is characterized by its rapid genetic evolution and high diversity as a consequence of its error-prone reverse transcriptase and genetic recombination. This latter mechanism is responsible for the creation of circulating recombinant forms (CRFs) found in nature. Previous studies from our lab group have shown that the epidemic in Argentina is characterized by one highly prevalent circulating recombinant form, CRF12_BF, and many related BF recombinant forms. Since transcriptional transactivation of the HIV-1 long terminal repeat (LTR) promoter element requires the essential viral Tat protein, since these genetic structures underwent recombination in variants widely spread in South America, the aim of this work was to study transcriptional activity associated with the recombinant LTR and Tat elements. RESULTS: Differential transcriptional activity was measured for the BF recombinant LTR/Tat complex that is present in widely spread viral variants was demonstrated. This analysis demonstrated a higher activity for the BF complex when compared to its B subtype counterpart. CONCLUSION: This study indicates structural and functional consequences of recombination events within the LTR promoter and Tat transactivator protein of a naturally occurring HIV-1 recombinant form

Influence of Boron, Tungsten and Molybdenum Modifiers on Zirconia Based Pt Catalyst for Glycerol Valorization

The influence of boron, tungsten and molybdenum modifiers on zirconia-based Pt catalyst was studied for glycerol valorization. Zirconia modified supports were prepared by impregnation of ZrO2 with either boric, silicontungstic or phosphomolybdic acids to obtain supports with enhanced Brönsted acidic properties. The modified supports were subsequently impregnated with chloroplatinic acid to obtain Pt-based catalysts. Pt incorporation resulted in the increase in Lewis acidity of the solids, being more significant for the Pt//W/ZrO2 catalyst. Reduced Pt catalysts were tested for the liquid-phase glycerol hydrogenolysis, observing a synergistic effect between catalyst acid sites and metal function that proved to be crucial in glycerol hydrogenolysis. The Pt//W/ZrO2 catalyst was the most active catalyst in this reaction, being the only leading to 1,3-PDO (45% sel., 160 °C) while Pt//Mo/ZrO2 is the best option for 1,2-PDO (49% sel., 180 °C). Reusability studies carried out for Pt//W/ZrO2 showed that catalytic activity dropped after the first use, remaining constant for the second and subsequent ones. Selectivity to reaction products also changes during reuses. Therefore, the selectivity to 1,2 PDO increases in the first reuse in detriment to the selectivity to n-propanol whereas the selectivity to 1,3-PDO remains constant along the uses. This behavior could be associated to the lixiviation of W species and/or catalyst fouling during reaction runs

Detection and classification of aircraft fixation elements during manufacturing processes using a convolutional neural network

The aerospace sector is one of the main economic drivers that strengthens our present, constitutes our future and is a source of competitiveness and innovation with great technological development capacity. In particular, the objective of manufacturers on assembly lines is to automate the entire process by using digital technologies as part of the transition toward Industry 4.0. In advanced manufacturing processes, artificial vision systems are interesting because their performance influences the liability and productivity of manufacturing processes. Therefore, developing and validating accurate, reliable and flexible vision systems in uncontrolled industrial environments is a critical issue. This research deals with the detection and classification of fasteners in a real, uncontrolled environment for an aeronautical manufacturing process, using machine learning techniques based on convolutional neural networks. Our system achieves 98.3% accuracy in a processing time of 0.8 ms per image. The results reveal that the machine learning paradigm based on a neural network in an industrial environment is capable of accurately and reliably estimating mechanical parameters to improve the performance and flexibility of advanced manufacturing processing of large parts with structural responsibility.This publication was carried out as part of the project Nuevas Uniones de estructuras aeronáuticas reference number IDI-20180754. This project has been supported by the Spanish Ministry of Ciencia e Innovación and Centre for Industrial Technological Development (CDTI)

Modulation of innate immunity in chickens induced by in vivo administration of baculovirus

Baculoviruses stimulate cytokine production in mammalian cells. They induce a strong innate immune response in animals and have adjuvant properties. The purpose of this work was to study the in vivo effect of baculovirus on chicken innate immune response. SPF chickens were inoculated intravenously with Autographa californica nuclear polyhedrosis virus (BV). Three hours later, chickens were bled, euthanized and their spleen, duodenum and cecal tonsils were excised in order to take samples for RNA extraction and real time PCR, and to isolate lymphocytes, which were stained and analyzed by flow cytometry. The results obtained showed that baculovirus inoculation up-regulates the expression ofIFNg, IL-6 and LITAF in spleen cells. This result (IFNg) correlated with that obtained by ELISA which showed a very strong increase of IFNg in chicken plasma. Flow cytometry analysis revealed that BV inoculation induced in spleen an increase in the percentage of monocyte/macrophage population together with an increase in CD3+CD4+T lymphocytes. On the other hand, BV inoculation decreased the percentage of CD3+CD4+T lymphocytes and increased the percentage of NK cells in cecal tonsils. However, intraepithelial lymphocytes of the gut did not show differences between BV and control treated animals. Even though further studies in order to understand the mechanisms by which BVs affect the avian immune response are needed, results obtained in the present work demonstrate the ability of BVs to stimulate the innate immunity in chickens, modifying the expression pattern of related genes and the profile of the immune cells involved.Fil: Chimeno Zoth, Silvina Andrea. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro de Investigación en Ciencias Veterinarias y Agronómicas. Instituto de Biotecnología; ArgentinaFil: Carballeda, Juan Manuel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro de Investigación en Ciencias Veterinarias y Agronómicas. Instituto de Biotecnología; ArgentinaFil: Gómez, Evangelina. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro de Investigación en Ciencias Veterinarias y Agronómicas. Instituto de Biotecnología; ArgentinaFil: Gravisaco, María José. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro de Investigación en Ciencias Veterinarias y Agronómicas. Instituto de Biotecnología; ArgentinaFil: Carrillo, Elisa Cristina. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro de Investigación en Ciencias Veterinarias y Agronómicas. Instituto de Biotecnología; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Berinstein, Analía. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro de Investigación en Ciencias Veterinarias y Agronómicas. Instituto de Biotecnología; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentin

Effect of co-precipitation and solid-state reaction synthesis methods on lithium-rich cathodes Li1.2Ni0.2Mn0.6O2

Lithium-rich oxides (Li1.2Ni0.2Mn0.6O2) were obtained by two synthesis routes: co-precipitation method and solid-state reaction. Both materials showed a high degree of crystallinity, and XRD analysis revealed intense and well-defined signals corresponding to the R3m and C2/m space groups of these types of compounds, with a difference in the cationic order in the hexagonal structure layers. The cycling performances showed an initial discharge capacity of 200 mAh g−1 from the co-precipitated material, against the 150 mAh g−1 obtained from the solid-state reaction route but, unlike the large drop in the discharge capacity of the co-precipitated material after 160 cycles, the material obtained by solid-state reaction provided a slightly constant discharge capacity of ⁓120 mAh g−1 throughout cycling. The high initial discharge capacity of the co-precipitated material may be associated with the activation of the Li2MnO3 phase cycled at 0.2 C between 2.0–4.8 V and 2.0–5.2 V, the better cationic order and wider space between the layers of the LiMO2 phase. Therefore, the electrochemical performance could be directly related to those structural characteristics obtained thorough the selected synthetic procedures.Fil: Rodríguez Carrillo, Augusto Manuel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Fisicoquímicas Teóricas y Aplicadas. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas. Instituto de Investigaciones Fisicoquímicas Teóricas y Aplicadas; ArgentinaFil: Sanservino, Miguel Angel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Fisicoquímicas Teóricas y Aplicadas. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas. Instituto de Investigaciones Fisicoquímicas Teóricas y Aplicadas; ArgentinaFil: Gómez, Sofía. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Fisicoquímicas Teóricas y Aplicadas. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas. Instituto de Investigaciones Fisicoquímicas Teóricas y Aplicadas; ArgentinaFil: Ortiz, Mariela Gisela. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Fisicoquímicas Teóricas y Aplicadas. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas. Instituto de Investigaciones Fisicoquímicas Teóricas y Aplicadas; ArgentinaFil: Thomas, Jorge Enrique. YPF - Tecnología; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Visintin, Arnaldo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Fisicoquímicas Teóricas y Aplicadas. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas. Instituto de Investigaciones Fisicoquímicas Teóricas y Aplicadas; Argentin

Análisis de volátiles en el proceso de fermentado de cacao, mediante una nariz electrónica para el control de calidad del producto en Norte de Santander-Cúcuta

The presents study consists of an electronic nose compounds of 10 gas sensors of MQ type to classify CLON ICS-95 cocoa samples. The development of different trials was of qualitative type, obtaining a fingerprint that characterized each class, such as: desired fermented: 144 hours, over-fermented and bad fermentation cocoa infected with monilia. All sensors used at different trials were of metal oxides material with the ability to measure various types of gases, butane, propane, alcohols, carbon monoxide in different concentrations, when making contact with the associated volatiles produce an alteration in the output voltage. The signals were acquired by an Arduino-card based for data acquisition and the use of Labview software, allowing the data storing. The algorithm for the extraction of parameters, pre-processing and data processing was carried out through the use of Python software, the results were analyzed by implementing PCA analysis, and the implementation of two methods of data pre-processing such as data centring and scaled, achieving a percentage of variance by using principal components of 97.8% and with the Manhattan method of 93.8% of the percentage of variance on PC1, which was obtained. With these results we could see that the electronic smell system was able to classify the data according to the defined classes, fermented desired: 144 hours, over fermented and bad fermentation cocoa infected with moniliaEl presente estudio consiste de una nariz electrónica compuesta de 10 sensores de gases de tipo MQ para la clasificación de muestras de CLON ICS-95 de cacao. El desarrollo de las pruebas fue de tipo cualitativo, obteniendo una huella digital que caracterizó cada clase, las cuales fueron: Fermentado deseado: 144 horas, sobre-fermentado y mala fermentación cacao infectado con monilia. Todos los sensores usados en las diferentes pruebas fueron de material de óxidos metálicos con capacidad de medir diversos tipos de gases, butanos, propanos, alcoholes, monóxido de carbono en diferentes concentraciones, donde al hacer contacto con los volátiles asociados producen una alteración en el voltaje de salida. Las señales se adquirieron mediante un sistema de adquisición de datos basado en tarjeta Arduino y uso del software Labview, permitiendo el almacenamiento de los datos. El algoritmo para la extracción de parámetros, pre-procesamiento y procesamiento de datos se realizó mediante el uso de software Python. Los resultados se analizaron implementando análisis de componente principales PCA y ejecución de dos métodos de pre-procesamiento de datos, como el centrado y escalado de datos, logrando un porcentaje de varianza en los componentes principales de 97.8% y con el método Manhattan se obtuvo un 93.8% del porcentaje de varianza en la componente principal PC1. Con estos resultados se logró observar que el sistema de olfato electrónico fue capaz de clasificar los datos de acuerdo a las clases definidas, fermentado deseado: 144 horas, sobre-fermentado y mala fermentación cacao infectado con monili

A proposal for an interchange abstract syntax for (parallel) Prolog

We propose an abstract syntax for Prolog that will help the manipulation of programs at compile-time, as well as the exchange of sources and information among the tools designed for this manipulation. This includes analysers, partial evaluators, and program transformation tools. We have chosen to concentrate on the information exchange format, rather than on the syntax of programs, for which we assume a simplified format. Our purpose is to provide a low-level meeting point for the tools which will allow them to read the same programs and understand the information about them. This report describes our first design in an informal way. We expect this design to evolve and concretize, along with the future development of the tools, during the project