A Diamond Model Analysis on Twitter's Biggest Hack

Cyberattacks have prominently increased over the past few years now, and have targeted actors from a wide variety of domains. Understanding the motivation, infrastructure, attack vectors, etc. behind such attacks is vital to proactively work against preventing such attacks in the future and also to analyze the economic and social impact of such attacks. In this paper, we leverage the diamond model to perform an intrusion analysis case study of the 2020 Twitter account hijacking Cyberattack. We follow this standardized incident response model to map the adversary, capability, infrastructure, and victim and perform a comprehensive analysis of the attack, and the impact posed by the attack from a Cybersecurity policy standpoint.Comment: 8 pages, 3 figures, 2 table

Comparison of BRICS-TM Countries' Biosimilar Regulatory Frameworks With Australia, Canada and Switzerland: Benchmarking Best Practices

Objectives: The aim of this study was to identify, compare and evaluate regulatory requirements for the biosimilar development and review processes in BRICS-TM (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Turkey, Mexico) countries with mature regulatory systems of Australia, Canada, Singapore and Switzerland. It is hoped that this benchmark study provides an opportunity for BRICS-TM agencies to identify the key areas for improvement in their regulatory processes. Materials and Methods: A semi-quantitative questionnaire was developed covering the different criteria used in biosimilar development and registration process. Eleven regulatory agencies from BRICS-TM and ACSS (Australia, Canada, Switzerland and Singapore) countries were invited to take part in this study. Data processing and analysis was carried out using descriptive statistics for quantitative data and content analysis to generate themes for qualitative data. Results and Discussions: Nine of the 11 regulatory agencies recruited for the study completed the questionnaire. China and Singapore did not meet the deadline due to lack of resources. The organisational structure of BRICS-TM agencies revealed support from external assessors by most of these agencies in comparison with ACSS agencies. There was absence of reliance approach and participation in harmonisation activities across most BRICS-TM agencies. Despite alignment over biosimilarity, the mandate for in vivo non-clinical studies and additional local clinical studies in some of the BRICS-TM countries illustrates a lack of effective implementation of a step-wise approach. Adopting flexible regulatory standards in the sourcing of a RBP (Reference Biologic Product) by BRICS-TM similar to ACSS, will facilitate cost-effective development of biosimilar products. Conclusions: Comparative assessment of the biosimilar regulatory framework of BRICS-TM with ACSS agencies reveals the scope for enhancing efficiency of the regulatory approval process. To achieve this, BRICS-TM agencies should consider relying on reference agencies for alternative review mechanisms such as abridged or verification models, streamlined processes for providing scientific advice to developers and for waiving local clinical studies in-lieu of advanced scientific data.Peer reviewedFinal Published versio

Diffusion of Polymers in Polyelectrolyte Gels

Polyelectrolyte gels have the ability to undergo volume transitions in response to external stimuli. As a result, they are used in a wide variety of applications such as sensors, actuators, artificial implants, and controlled drug delivery. In addition, diffusion of trapped macromolecules inside gels is of tremendous significance in drug delivery systems. In this thesis, the dynamics of trapped polyelectrolytes in a polyelectrolyte gel is studied using dynamic light scattering technique. The effect of the crosslink density and the charge density of the gel, as well as of solvent quality and salt concentration are investigated. In general, two distinct diffusive modes (fast and slow) are observed in light scattering experiments. We have discovered that the fast mode corresponds to the gel elasticity and the slow mode corresponds to diffusion of trapped polymer. The deduced diffusion coefficient of the trapped polymer obeys an exponential dependence on the volume fraction of the gel, in accordance with the presence of an entropic barrier for polymer diffusion. In addition, we have monitored the diffusion of a neutral polymer in polyelectrolyte gels using fluorescence correlation spectroscopy. We demonstrate that the polymer diffusion is considerably slowed down by the gel due to the coupling between polymer dynamics and gel dynamics

Content Addressed P2P File System for the Web with Blockchain-Based Meta-Data Integrity

With the exponentially scaled World Wide Web, the standard HTTP protocol has started showing its limitations. With the increased amount of data duplication & accidental deletion of files on the Internet, the P2P file system called IPFS completely changes the way files are stored. IPFS is a file storage protocol allowing files to be stored on decentralized systems. In the HTTP client-server protocol, files are downloaded from a single source. With files stored on a decentralized network, IPFS allows packet retrieval from multiple sources, simultaneously saving considerable bandwidth. IPFS uses a content-addressed block storage model with content-addressed hyperlinks. Large amounts of data is addressable with IPFS with the immutable and permanent IPFS links with meta-data stored as Blockchain transactions. This timestamps and secures the data, instead of having to put it on the chain itself. Our paper proposes a model that uses the decentralized file storage system of IPFS, and the integrity preservation properties of the Blockchain, to store and distribute data on the Web

Last-male sperm precedence in Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (Olivier): observations in laboratory mating experiments with irradiated males

The Red PalmWeevil (RPW)Rhynchophorus ferrugineus(Olivier 1790) is an invasive pest from southeastern Asia and Melanesia that in the last 30 years has spread widely in the Middle East and Mediterranean Basin. Its stem-boring larvae cause great damage to several palm species of the Arecaceae family, many of which are economically important for agricultural and ornamental purposes. Therefore, great attention has recently been focused in studying this species to identify sustainable and effective eradication strategies, such as sterile insect technique (SIT). The rapid spread of RPW is associated with its high reproductive success. To evaluate the suitability of a SIT strategy, particular physiological and behavioral aspects of RPW reproduction, such as the presence of polyandry and post-copulatory sperm selection mechanisms, were investigated. To determine paternity of progeny from multiply mated females, double-crossing experiments were carried out confining individual females with either a wild-type male or a γ-irradiated male (Co-60). Fecundity and fertility of females were scored to evaluate post-copulatory sperm selection. Results showed that progeny were almost exclusively produced by the sperm of the second male, suggesting that a last-male sperm precedence is expressed at high levels in this species, and providing interesting insights for an area-wide RPW management strategy such as the SIT

Evaluation of the Regulatory Requirements for Development and Approval of Biosimilar Medicines in the BRICS-TM Countries: Improving Patients' Access

Biosimilars are affordable medicines of the original innovator biologic products that has the potential to improve access and create valuable savings for patients and the overall healthcare systems. Biosimilars are expected to emerge as a rapidly growing segment in emerging economies, as the treatment rates with biologics are low in these economies combined with constraints on affordability. However, unlike small molecule generics, biosimilars are complex molecules and have high associated cost of development. The biosimilar industry faces multiple challenges and obstacles in developing and marketing these complex products. While a common regulatory framework has been proposed by World Health Organisation (WHO), countries have only partially adopted them. Regulatory principles governing biosimilars in emerging economies like BRICS-TM (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Turkey, Mexico) are still in an evolving stage. There is differing regulatory guidelines for biosimilar development and registration in these countries; hence there remains scope for improving transparency in the national regulatory frameworks and aligning regulatory standards among these countries. Standardisation of regulatory requirements would assist in the common biosimilar development process across these economies. Comparisons of the regulatory requirements with mature regulatory agencies of countries such as Australia, Canada, Singapore and Switzerland (ACSS consortium) will facilitate benchmarking best practices leading to convergence of regulatory processes in BRICS-TM countries. This would impact the overall review and approval process as well as enabling a common development programme across these countries. Also, biosimilars are similar but not identical to the innovator product and therefore prescribers are sometimes unsure about the safety and efficacy profile of these medicines. Due to such roadblocks, the healthcare system and patients are yet to realize the full benefits of biosimilars. The aim of the research study was to explore, identify and evaluate the biosimilar regulatory framework in terms of resources in biosimilar domain, biosimilar development criteria i.e., biosimilarity principle, comparative studies including physicochemical characterisation, non-clinical studies, clinical studies and biosimilar marketing authorisation approval pathway, of regulatory agencies in BRICS-TM (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Turkey, Mexico) countries. This was achieved by identifying and comparing the regulatory requirements of the selected emerging economies with those of mature agencies to understand the differing regulatory expectations for biosimilar development and approval process. The study also focused on understanding the perspectives of different stakeholders like industry, regulators, physicians and patients on the challenges for the development and uptake of biosimilars in these emerging economies. The outcome from the assessment of the challenges faced by the stakeholders, biosimilar development criteria, content of the marketing authorization application and approval pathway were likely to form the basis of a proposed standardized model for the BRICS-TM countries. The research programme considered various methodologies for determining the appropriate study design including a combination of self-administered questionnaires and interviews to achieve the study objectives. A semi-quantitative questionnaire was developed covering the different criteria used in biosimilar development and registration process. Eleven regulatory agencies from BRICS-TM and ACSS countries were invited to take part in the study. Similarly, another semi-quantitative questionnaire was designed based on secondary research for the representatives from biopharmaceutical industry specifically to understand the perceptions of industry on the barriers faced by them in terms of complexity, costs for biosimilar development and time-to-market of biosimilar product. Following completion of the questionnaires, interviews were carried out and recorded verbatim to exclude any misinterpretations. Another set of questionnaires were prepared for the physicians and patients to identify challenges to the uptake of biosimilar medicines by physicians and patients in the developing countries. The results indicated that the perspectives of the BRICS-TM regulatory agencies varied on a number of aspects relating to the review criteria for biosimilar development and licensing process. The most prevalent model for data assessment was the ‘full review’ of a marketing authorisation application and absence or partial reliance approach across most of these economies. The biggest hurdles in the development of biosimilar product were the sourcing of the reference biological product (RBP); there was lack of a standard approach or flexibility in the regulatory standards across the BRICS-TM agencies on sourcing of the reference biological product and hence posed as key concern for facilitating cost-effective development of biosimilar products. Despite alignment over biosimilarity, the mandate for in vivo non-clinical studies and additional local clinical studies in some of the BRICS-TM countries illustrated a lack of effective implementation of a step-wise approach. Most agencies limited interaction with biosimilar developers and any scientific advice was non-binding. The marketing authorisation approval was dependent on scientific assessment of the dossier, sample analysis and GMP certification. The BRICS-TM agencies except ANVISA (Brazil), did not issue any public assessment report specifying the summary basis of biosimilar approval. The results also revealed that physicians have significant knowledge gaps in the area of biosimilar medicines. While they understand the importance of improving patients’ access to biological therapies, they expect to gain complete confidence in the quality, efficacy, safety, and immunogenicity of these medicines to underpin their decision to prescribe them. For the patients, access to affordable biosimilar medicines was the single biggest factor that greatly influenced their wider adoption. The findings from this study indicated the scale of the challenges that could exist across the emerging economies (i.e. BRICS-TM), the need for fresh perspectives in guidelines and policies facilitating wider adoption of biosimilars as well as improved patients’ access. The outcomes from these studies formed the basis of a proposed standardized model for the BRICS-TM countries. This proposed regulatory model is likely to simplify new biosimilar development programmes and pave the way for patients’ access to quality and affordable biosimilar medicines. It is hoped that the outcomes of this study will help in streamlining of the regulatory standards in these countries, leading to improved patient access to affordable medicines without compromising their quality, safety, or efficacy

Enabling ab initio Hessian and frequency calculations of large molecules

A linear scaling method, termed as cardinality guided molecular tailoring approach, is applied for the estimation of the Hessian matrix and frequency calculations of spatially extended molecules. The method is put to test on a number of molecular systems largely employing the Hartree-Fock and density functional theory for a variety of basis sets. To demonstrate its ability for correlated methods, we have also performed a few test calculations at the Moller-Plesset second order perturbation theory. A comparison of central processing unit and memory requirements for medium-sized systems with those for the corresponding full ab initio computation reveals substantial gains with negligible loss of accuracy. The technique is further employed for a set of larger molecules, Hessian and frequency calculations of which are not possible on commonly available personal-computer-type hardware.Financial support from the Center for Development of Advanced Computing C-DAC, Pune, Naval Research Board NRB, New Delhi, and Council of Scientific and Industrial Research CSIR, New Delhi is gratefully acknowledged

Making informed decisions in cutting tool maintenance in milling: A KNN based model agnostic approach

In machining processes, monitoring the condition of the tool is a crucial aspect to ensure high productivity and quality of the product. Using different machine learning techniques in Tool Condition Monitoring TCM enables a better analysis of the large amount of data of different signals acquired during the machining processes. The real time force signals encountered during the process were acquired by performing numerous experiments. Different tool wear conditions were considered during the experimentation. A comprehensive statistical analysis of the data and feature selection using decision trees was conducted, and the KNN algorithm was used to perform classification. Hyperparameter tuning of the model was done to improve the models performance. Much research has been done to employ machine learning approaches in tool condition monitoring systems, however, a model agnostic approach to increase the interpretability of the process and get an in depth understanding of how the decision making is done is not implemented by many. This research paper presents a KNN based white box model, which allows us to dive deep into how the model performs the classification and how it prioritizes the different features included. This approach helps in detecting why the tool is in a certain condition and allows the manufacturer to make an informed decision about the tools maintenance

Molecular tailoring approach for exploring structures, energetics and properties of clusters

Molecular Tailoring Approach (MTA) is a method developed for enabling ab initio calculations on prohibitively large molecules or atomic/molecular clusters. A brief review of MTA, a linear scaling technique based on set inclusion and exclusion principle, is provided. The Molecular Electrostatic Potential (MESP) of smaller clusters is exploited for building initial geometries for the larger ones, followed by MTA geometry optimization. The applications of MTA are illustrated with a few test cases such as (CO2)n and Lin clusters employing Density Functional theory (DFT) and a nanocluster of orthoboric acid at the Hartree-Fock (HF) level. Further, a discussion on the geometries and energetics of benzene tetramers and pentamers, treated at the Moller-Plesset second order (MP2) perturbation theory, is given. MTA model is employed for evaluating some cluster properties viz. adiabatic ionization potential, MESP, polarizability, Hessian matrix and infrared frequencies. These property evaluations are carried out on a series of test cases and are seen to offer quite good agreement with those computed by an actual calculation. These case studies highlight the advantages of MTA model calculations vis-a-vis the actual ones with reference to the CPU-time, memory requirements and accuracy

Synergistic Hypergolic Ignition of Amino End Group in Monomers and Polymers

A few monomers, oligomers and polymers with amino end groups have been discovered to undergo synergistic ignition with red fuming nitric acid (RFNA) when mixed with large quantities of magnesium powder. Aluminium powder under similar conditions does not ignite the mixture while powders of Zn, Co and Cu cause the ignition. Amongst the polymers used in the experiment commercially available nylon 6 is the most important which may be used as a binder for rocket propellant fuel grains, hypergolic with RFNA. Degree of polymerisation or the chain length of the polymers does not drastically affect the synergistic ignition of the polymer mixture with magnesium powder but high molecular weight and fully aromatised polymers like Kevlar and Nomex fail to ignite under similar conditions. Based upon the earlier work of the authors, explanations for the phenomena oberved have been provided in terms of creation of hot spots leading to ignition at the amino end groups