Detection of advanced persistent threat using machine-learning correlation analysis

As one of the most serious types of cyber attack, Advanced Persistent Threats (APT) have caused major concerns on a global scale. APT refers to a persistent, multi-stage attack with the intention to compromise the system and gain information from the targeted system, which has the potential to cause significant damage and substantial financial loss. The accurate detection and prediction of APT is an ongoing challenge. This work proposes a novel machine learning-based system entitled MLAPT, which can accurately and rapidly detect and predict APT attacks in a systematic way. The MLAPT runs through three main phases: (1) Threat detection, in which eight methods have been developed to detect different techniques used during the various APT steps. The implementation and validation of these methods with real traffic is a significant contribution to the current body of research; (2) Alert correlation, in which a correlation framework is designed to link the outputs of the detection methods, aims to identify alerts that could be related and belong to a single APT scenario; and (3) Attack prediction, in which a machine learning-based prediction module is proposed based on the correlation framework output, to be used by the network security team to determine the probability of the early alerts to develop a complete APT attack. MLAPT is experimentally evaluated and the presented sy

Experiences of obesity among Saudi Arabian women contemplating bariatric surgery: An interpretative phenomenological analysis

This is the author's accepted manuscript. The final published article is available from the link below. Copyright @ 2013 The Authors.This study explored experiences of obesity, its perceived causes and motives for surgery, as described by seven Saudi women contemplating bariatric surgery. The women experienced cultural restrictions on their physical and social activities. Obesity embodied these restrictions, attracting stigma and moral failure. Traditional clothing, foods, hospitality norms and limited outdoor female activities were regarded as barriers to weight loss. Bariatric surgery was chosen to protect health and to access normative female roles. Some were encouraged by relatives who had undergone surgery. Opting for surgery reflected both participants’ sense of powerlessness to self-manage weight and the social acceptability, within their family context, of this biomedical approach

Importance of tetrahedral coordination for high-valent transition metal oxides: YCrO4_4 as a model system

We have investigated the electronic structure of the high oxidation state material YCrO$_4$ within the framework of the Zaanen-Sawatzky-Allen phase diagram. While Cr$^{4+}$-based compounds like SrCrO$_3$/CaCrO$_3$ and CrO$_2$ can be classified as small-gap or metallic negative-charge-transfer systems, we find using photoelectron spectroscopy that YCrO$_4$ is a robust insulator despite the fact that its Cr ions have an even higher formal valence state of 5+. We reveal using band structure calculations that the tetrahedral coordination of the Cr$^{5+}$ ions in YCrO$_4$ plays a decisive role, namely to diminish the bonding of the Cr $3d$ states with the top of the O $2p$ valence band. This finding not only explains why the charge-transfer energy remains effectively positive and the material stable, but also opens up a new route to create doped carriers with symmetries different from those of other transition-metal ions.Comment: 6 pages, 6 figure

Integration of Adolescent Health Needs Into Primary Health Care Services: Designing Care Model

Integration of the health needs of all adolescent into primary health services will package all services together which leads to better health overall. Aims: toconduct a situational analysis of adolescent health needs in Assiut governorate, assess the primary health care facilities anddevelop a design model to integrate adolescent health needs into primary health care settings and assess its effectiveness. Methodology: cross-sectional and quasi-experimental design was used.Sample size was 350 adolescents (175 study and 175 control group) attending two health facilities (urban and rural)which were selected randomly. Three questionnaires were used. Firstly, pre and posttest interview structured questionnaire was used which developed according to evidence –based questionnaires. Secondly, Health care providers’ questionnaire asked question in the same modules of adolescent’s questionnaire. Last one, questionnaireto assess PHC services’ quality as perceived by adolescents. Results: One third of adolescents had moderate level of anxiety. Half of them were suffering from various level of depression. About two thirds of them hadn’t stress.Violence attitude is lower in studied group. The knowledge scores of all modules (mental, reproductive, Nutritional health, smoking / addiction, accidents and violence)  were significantly better among adolescents in studied group than control group. The majority of health providers had high level of knowledge.There are high levels of satisfaction among adolescents of most PHC services. Conclusion: Adolescents' knowledge, habits and beliefs were mostly inadequate as regards all modules. After implementation of the program remarkable improvement were achieved in adolescents’ knowledge and practice. Keywords: Adolescent Health , Primary Services, Designing Care Mode

Impact of Nutrition Education Program Based on Nutritional Assessment of Adolescent in Assiut -Egypt

Background: Adolescence is a stage of rapid changing, adequate nutrition is vital for achieving full growth probable, and any disturbance will occur in this stage may lead to various health problems. Aims: to assess the nutritional status and food habits among adolescents and evaluate the impact of the educational program in primary health care sittings. Methodology: quasi-experimental research design was used. Sample size was 350 adolescents (175 intervention group and 175 control group) attending two health facilities (urban and rural) which were selected randomly. Pre and posttest (immediate and late) interview structured questionnaire was used which included socio-demographic data, anthropometric measurements, hemoglobin level, questions regarding knowledge about nutrition and food habits. Results: more than two fifths (44.4%) of the sample was anemic. The mean body mass index was 21.09±4.6. Obesity was significantly more prevalent in female (13.4%) than male (3.4%).The knowledge scores of nutritional health was significantly better among adolescents in studied group than control group (p value= 0.00). Also their eating and consumption habits had a slightly improvement. Conclusion: After implementation of the program the Adolescents' knowledge and habits had a remarkable improvement. Keywords: Adolescent, nutrition, eating habits DOI: 10.7176/JHMN/58-0

Evaluation of Bond Strength Between Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) Composites with Modified Epoxy Resins and Concrete

Rehabilitation and strengthening of concrete structures are becoming more significant in civil engineering applications. The use of externally bonded Fiber Reinforced Polymers (FRP) is one of the methods to strengthen and rehabilitate reinforced concrete members, providing noticeable improvement to their capacity in resisting load. Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) is used along with epoxy resins to evaluate the bond strength of two commercially available epoxies (EPON 828 and EPON 862) between CFRP and concrete. In addition, three new combinations that resulted from mixing the two epoxies were examined. The mechanical properties of epoxy resins are significantly weaker than this of the CFRP making the epoxy characteristics the determining factor in the quality of the bond strength. Three-point flexural test was conducted to examine the bond strength between the CFRP composites and concrete. Further, differential scanning calorimetry was conducted to examine the glass transition temperature of the resultant epoxies. The results showed that the optimum composition was a mixture of 70% of epoxy 828 and 30% of epoxy 862. Therefore, achieving better bond strength and high glass transition temperature, resulting in CFRP composite with higher fire resistance

EFFECT OF DIFFERENT ALKALI CONCENTRATIONS DURING THE REFINING PROCESS ON THE FATTY ACID COMPOSITION OF SUNFLOWER AND SOYBEAN OILS

The effect of NaOH and KOH at concentrations of 12, 14 and 16 Bé° during the refining of sunflower and soybean oils on the fatty acid composition was studied using GLC technique. The quantity of linolenic, linoleic, oleic, palmitic and stearic acid as well as the USFA (unsaturated fatty acids): SFA (saturated fatty acids) ratio were measured. Only slight changes in the quantity of individual fatty acids were found particularly at higher alkali concentrations. The changes in the USFA : SFA ratio compared with crude or semirefined oil were not significant

EFFECT OF DIFFERENT ALKALI CONCENTRATIONS DURING THE REFINING PROCESS ON THE OXIDATIVE STABILITY OF SUNFLOWER AND SOYBEAN OILS

The oxidative stability of bleached soybean and sunflower oils which were previously refined using NaOH and KOH at concentrations of 12, 14 and 16 Béo was studied in comparison with semirefined sunflower and crude soybean oils. Semirefined sunflower oil and crude soybean oil showed the highest stability. Oils previously refined using 12 Béo NaOH or KOH had an acceptable stability. Higher NaOH concentrations resulted in a decrease of stability

EFFECT OF REFINING ON THE PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL PROPERTIES OF SUNFLOWER AND SOYBEAN OILS

The effect of different refining processes on the physical (colour, specific gravity, refractive index) and chemical (acidity, saponification number, ester number, iodine value, peroxide value, unsaponifiable matter) properties of sunflower and soybean oils was studied. Degumming and dewaxing procedures caused negligible differences in the properties mentioned above. Treatment with NaOH or KOH of 12, 14 and 16 Be⁰ concentration resulted in a reasonable refining loss and residual acidity. Using Na₂C0₃ and NaHC0₃ or KOH and NaOH of higher concentration (over 16 Be⁰) caused high refining losses and unacceptable residual acidity