Assessing the Threat Level of Software Supply Chains with the Log Model

The use of free and open source software (FOSS) components in all software systems is estimated to be above 90%. With such high usage and because of the heterogeneity of FOSS tools, repositories, developers and ecosystem, the level of complexity of managing software development has also increased. This has amplified both the attack surface for malicious actors and the difficulty of making sure that the software products are free from threats. The rise of security incidents involving high profile attacks is evidence that there is still much to be done to safeguard software products and the FOSS supply chain. Software Composition Analysis (SCA) tools and the study of attack trees help with improving security. However, they still lack the ability to comprehensively address how interactions within the software supply chain may impact security. This work presents a novel approach of assessing threat levels in FOSS supply chains with the log model. This model provides information capture and threat propagation analysis that not only account for security risks that may be caused by attacks and the usage of vulnerable software, but also how they interact with the other elements to affect the threat level for any element in the model

A system for the documentation and validation of non-formal and informal learning of engineers (NFIF)

The main goal of the entire project was the creation in several phases of an overall concept, i.e. a sys-tem, for the documentation and validation of non-formal and informal learning activities. This initial development phase was followed by a implementation phase. This meant the integration of the con-cept into the already existing database system of the engineering card of VDI by creating a prototype application for testing and marketing purposes. The entire process included the revision of VDIs engi-neering card database as well as the creation of a blueprint for a handbook and several working docu-ments.During the course of the project, dissemination by FEANI and the project partners of the project goals and achievements to as many engineering organizations and other stakeholders as possible played a major part. This included information and consultation processes with different stakeholder groups on the European as well as the national level. However, dissemination was rather difficult and only three of the originally planned multiplier events were realized during the final phase of the project. Thus, some stakeholders were integrated into the project. From the view of the project partners, this has lead to an increased publicity and broader acceptance of the project in particular and the engineering card in general.In the long run, the wide dissemination of the engineering card as the only professional card exclu-sively for engineers will hopefully lead to growing transparency on the European labor market for en-gineers. This would benefit the European economy in two ways. On one hand, it would be highly ben-eficial for companies looking for qualified labor, thus helping to reduce the lack of qualified personnel in some countries. On the other hand, in countries with a large surplus of highly qualified personnel, professional mobility will increase with the availability of an instrument simplifying the often very complex and time-consuming recognition processes.For European political decision makers the engineering card offers a prototype for a simple, non-bu-reaucratic and well-tested system for recognition of professional qualifications and training. The engi-neering card may therefore function as a blueprint for projects with similar goals

Academic success of mature students in higher education: a Portuguese case study

The increasing number and diversity of non-traditional participants who are now entering Higher Education Institutions (HEI) highlights the relevance of questioning on mature students’ academic success. Thus, the purpose of this study is to characterise mature students over 23 years old (MS23) of two Portuguese HEI, and understand their academic success. The study focuses on results obtained through a case study, based on quantitative and qualitative data: questionnaires and focus groups, respectively. We discuss the influence of different variables (such as: age, gender, area of study, schooling level at the entrance to the university, family monthly income) on MS23’s academic success, and we also describe some obstacles they face and changes they perceive when attending HEI. Results seem to demonstrate a similar tendency between data gathered on both HEI. Some recommendations for HEI, based on the results, are presented in the final section of this article

Treatment implications of predominant polarity and the polarity index: a comprehensive review.

Background: Bipolar disorder (BD) is a serious and recurring condition that affects approximately 2.4% of the global population. About half of BD sufferers have an illness course characterized by either a manic or a depressive predominance. This predominant polarity in BD may be differentially associated with several clinical correlates. The concept of a polarity index (PI) has been recently proposed as an index of the antimanic versus antidepressive efficacy of various maintenance treatments for BD. Notwithstanding its potential clinical utility, predominant polarity was not included in the DSM-5 as a BD course specifier. Methods: Here we searched computerized databases for original clinical studies on the role of predominant polarity for selection of and response to pharmacological treatments for BD. Furthermore, we systematically searched the Pubmed database for maintenance randomized controlled trials (RCTs) for BD to determine the PI of the various pharmacological agents for BD. Results: We found support from naturalistic studies that bipolar patients with a predominantly depressive polarity are more likely to be treated with an antidepressive stabilization package, while BD patients with a manic-predominant polarity are more frequently treated with an antimanic stabilization package. Furthermore, predominantly manic BD patients received therapeutic regimens with a higher mean PI. The calculated PI varied from 0.4 (for lamotrigine) to 12.1 (for aripiprazole). Conclusions: This review supports the clinical relevance of predominant polarity as a course specifier for BD. Future studies should investigate the role of baseline, predominant polarity as an outcome predictor of BD maintenance RCTs. Keywords

Fundam Clin Pharmacol

BACKGROUND: Due to its psychoactive effects, ketamine has become a drug used for non-medical purpose. OBJECTIVES: To assess the latest trends in ketamine use among people with substance use disorder and to characterize its clinical complications using complementary health data sources of the French Addictovigilance Network. METHODS: First, we extracted all reports involving ketamine from 2012 to 2021 from the database of the OPPIDUM program (i.e., a multicentric program conducted in collaboration with hundreds of substance abuse treatment facilities that collects data on drugs used by subjects with substance use disorders). We described the reports globally and the changes from 2012 to 2021. Second, we extracted all cases involving ketamine from July 2020 to December 2022 from the French National Pharmacovigilance Database (BNPV). We identified the cases related to ketamine use among people with substance use disorder and described them. RESULTS: There was a 2.5-fold increase in the number of ketamine users with substance use disorder in the OPPIDUM program, from 35 (0.7%) subjects in 2012 to 89 (1.7%) subjects in 2021. There was an increase in the proportion of subjects who were daily users, had distress upon discontinuation, and presented addiction. There were 238 cases related to ketamine use among people with substance use disorder in the French National Pharmacovigilance Database from July 2020 to December 2022. Among them, 94 (39.5%) cases involved ketamine use disorder, 20 (8.4%) cases involved urinary tract and kidney symptoms, and 13 (5.5%) cases involved hepatobiliary symptoms. CONCLUSION: The trend observed over 10 years reflects the growth in ketamine use among people with substance use disorder, although it does not allow to estimate the rates of non-medical use of ketamine in the general population. Ketamine-induced uropathy and cholangiopathy are reported in ketamine users with substance use disorder, especially in case of repeated and/or prolonged use of high doses

Telomere length and bipolar disorder

Variation in telomere length is heritable and is currently considered a promising biomarker of susceptibility for neuropsychiatric disorders, particularly because of its association with memory function and hippocampal morphology. Here, we investigate telomere length in connection to familial risk and disease expression in bipolar disorder (BD). We used quantitative polymerase chain reactions and a telomere-sequence to single-copy-gene-sequence ratio method to determine telomere length in genomic DNA extracted from buccal smears from 63 patients with BD, 74 first-degree relatives (49 relatives had no lifetime psychopathology and 25 had a non-BD mood disorder) and 80 unrelated healthy individuals. Participants also underwent magnetic resonance imaging to determine hippocampal volumes and cognitive assessment to evaluate episodic memory using the verbal paired associates test. Telomere length was shorter in psychiatrically-well relatives (p=0.007) compared to unrelated healthy participants. Telomere length was also shorter in relatives (regardless of psychiatric status; p<0.01) and patients with BD not on lithium (p=0.02) compared to lithium-treated patients with BD. In the entire sample, telomere length was positively associated with left and right hippocampal volume and with delayed recall. This study provides evidence that shortened telomere length is associated with familial risk for BD. Lithium may have neuroprotective properties that require further investigation using prospective designs

Luminosity determination using Z boson production at the CMS experiment

Data Availability Statement - This manuscript has no associated data or the data will not be deposited. [Authors’ comment: Release and preser vation of data used by the CMS Collaboration as the basis for publi cations is guidedbytheCMSpolicyasstatedinhttps://cms-docdb.cern. ch/cgibin/PublicDocDB/RetrieveFile?docid=6032&filename=CMSD ataPolicyV1.2.pdf&version=2. CMS data preservation,re-use and open access policy.]The measurement of Z boson production is presented as a method to determine the integrated luminosity of CMS data sets. The analysis uses proton–proton collision data, recorded by the CMS experiment at the CERN LHC in 2017 at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV . Events with Z bosons decaying into a pair of muons are selected. The total number of Z bosons produced in a fiducial volume is determined, together with the identification efficiencies and correlations from the same data set, in small intervals of 20 pb-1 of integrated luminosity, thus facilitating the efficiency and rate measurement as a function of time and instantaneous luminosity. Using the ratio of the efficiency-corrected numbers of Z bosons, the precisely measured integrated luminosity of one data set is used to determine the luminosity of another. For the first time, a full quantitative uncertainty analysis of the use of Z bosons for the integrated luminosity measurement is performed. The uncertainty in the extrapolation between two data sets, recorded in 2017 at low and high instantaneous luminosity, is less than 0.5%. We show that the Z boson rate measurement constitutes a precise method, complementary to traditional methods, with the potential to improve the measurement of the integrated luminosity.SCOAP

In vivo hippocampal subfield volumes in bipolar disorder—A mega-analysis from The Enhancing Neuro Imaging Genetics through Meta-Analysis Bipolar Disorder Working Group

The hippocampus consists of anatomically and functionally distinct subfields that may be differentially involved in the pathophysiology of bipolar disorder (BD). Here we, the Enhancing NeuroImaging Genetics through Meta‐Analysis Bipolar Disorder workinggroup, study hippocampal subfield volumetry in BD. T1‐weighted magnetic resonance imaging scans from 4,698 individuals (BD = 1,472, healthy controls [HC] = 3,226) from 23 sites worldwide were processed with FreeSurfer. We used linear mixed‐effects models and mega‐analysis to investigate differences in hippocampal subfield volumes between BD and HC, followed by analyses of clinical characteristics and medication use. BD showed significantly smaller volumes of the whole hippocampus (Cohen's d = −0.20), cornu ammonis (CA)1 (d = −0.18), CA2/3 (d = −0.11), CA4 (d = −0.19), molecular layer (d = −0.21), granule cell layer of dentate gyrus (d = −0.21), hippocampal tail (d = −0.10), subiculum (d = −0.15), presubiculum (d = −0.18), and hippocampal amygdala transition area (d = −0.17) compared to HC. Lithium users did not show volume differences compared to HC, while non‐users did. Antipsychotics or antiepileptic use was associated with smaller volumes. In this largest study of hippocampal subfields in BD to date, we show widespread reductions in nine of 12 subfields studied. The associations were modulated by medication use and specifically the lack of differences between lithium users and HC supports a possible protective role of lithium in BD

Mitochondrial physiology

As the knowledge base and importance of mitochondrial physiology to evolution, health and disease expands, the necessity for harmonizing the terminology concerning mitochondrial respiratory states and rates has become increasingly apparent. The chemiosmotic theory establishes the mechanism of energy transformation and coupling in oxidative phosphorylation. The unifying concept of the protonmotive force provides the framework for developing a consistent theoretical foundation of mitochondrial physiology and bioenergetics. We follow the latest SI guidelines and those of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) on terminology in physical chemistry, extended by considerations of open systems and thermodynamics of irreversible processes. The concept-driven constructive terminology incorporates the meaning of each quantity and aligns concepts and symbols with the nomenclature of classical bioenergetics. We endeavour to provide a balanced view of mitochondrial respiratory control and a critical discussion on reporting data of mitochondrial respiration in terms of metabolic flows and fluxes. Uniform standards for evaluation of respiratory states and rates will ultimately contribute to reproducibility between laboratories and thus support the development of data repositories of mitochondrial respiratory function in species, tissues, and cells. Clarity of concept and consistency of nomenclature facilitate effective transdisciplinary communication, education, and ultimately further discovery

Observation of the Rare Decay of the η Meson to Four Muons

A search for the rare η→μ+μ−μ+μ− double-Dalitz decay is performed using a sample of proton-proton collisions, collected by the CMS experiment at the CERN LHC with high-rate muon triggers during 2017 and 2018 and corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 101  fb−1. A signal having a statistical significance well in excess of 5 standard deviations is observed. Using the η→μ+μ− decay as normalization, the branching fraction B(η→μ+μ−μ+μ−)=[5.0±0.8(stat)±0.7(syst)±0.7(B2μ)]×10−9 is measured, where the last term is the uncertainty in the normalization channel branching fraction. This work achieves an improved precision of over 5 orders of magnitude compared to previous results, leading to the first measurement of this branching fraction, which is found to agree with theoretical predictions