Advanced threat hunting over software-defined networks in smart cities

The emergence of Software-Defined Networking (SDN) has brought along a wave of new technologies and developments in the field of networking with hopes of dealing with network resources more efficiently and providing a foundation of programmability. SDN allows for both flexibility and adaptability by separating the control and data planes in a network environment by virtualizing network hardware. Threat hunting is a technique that allows for the detection of advanced network threats through forensic analysis. We present an advanced threat hunting model by combining the SDN infrastructure with threat hunting techniques and machine learning models aiming to intelligently handle advanced network threats such as lateral movement. We found that our approach outperforms current threat hunting models in vital areas such as the detection to mitigation time. Our results show that we are able to detect advanced threats with 93.4% accuracy and begin mitigation within 10 seconds of detection

Keeping track of worm trackers

C. elegans is used extensively as a model system in the neurosciences due to its well defined nervous system. However, the seeming simplicity of this nervous system in anatomical structure and neuronal connectivity, at least compared to higher animals, underlies a rich diversity of behaviors. The usefulness of the worm in genome-wide mutagenesis or RNAi screens, where thousands of strains are assessed for phenotype, emphasizes the need for computational methods for automated parameterization of generated behaviors. In addition, behaviors can be modulated upon external cues like temperature, O2 and CO2 concentrations, mechanosensory and chemosensory inputs. Different machine vision tools have been developed to aid researchers in their efforts to inventory and characterize defined behavioral “outputs”. Here we aim at providing an overview of different worm-tracking packages or video analysis tools designed to quantify different aspects of locomotion such as the occurrence of directional changes (turns, omega bends), curvature of the sinusoidal shape (amplitude, body bend angles) and velocity (speed, backward or forward movement)

Distribution and Measurement of Aflatoxin in 1983 Iowa Corn

Six corn samples from each of Iowa\u27s 99 counties were collected in December, 1983, to determine the degree of aflatoxin contamination in 1983 Iowa corn. While the statewide average was 18.8 parts per billion (ppb), 23% of the counties had no detectable aflatoxin and 11% were over 100 ppb. Aflatoxin concentrations were highest in the southeast and southcentral regions, coinciding with the extreme drought conditions suffered there during August. The coefficient of variation among samples within counties averaging over 20 ppb was 105%. The data support other reports that high temperatures and drought stress in the three to four weeks following silking promote aflatoxin contamination. The accuracy of a whole- kernel black-light test as a presumptive test for aflatoxin concentration in excess of 20 ppb was examined for two sample sizes (10.9 and 1.8 kg). The black light identified all 10.9-kg samples that contained aflatoxin contamination above 20 ppb. For the 1.8-kg samples, 11% of samples with aflatoxin levels above 20 ppb were missed. Of the large samples with bright greenish-yellow fluorescent particles, 55% contained less than 20 ppb compared with 33% of the small samples

Quality Characteristics of Midwestern Soybeans

Soybeans, from the 1983 and 1984 crops, were analyzed for official grade-factors, protein/oil composition, and breakage susceptibility. Samples were collected from 13 locations across four states. U.S. Grades did not differ greatly between years or sample origins, but nutrients and breakage susceptibility did. The average protein and oil percentages, basis 13.0% moisture, were 33.9, 19.7 and 34.2, 19.1 for 1983 and 1984 respectively. Several equations were developed to interrelate quality factors. For a one-percentage-point increase in protein content, there was an average decline of 0.43 percentage points of oil. This relationship varied by origin, with some origins showing less loss in oil for increase in protein. Breakage susceptibility, by the Wisconsin breakage tester, increased 22% for a one-percentage-point fall in moisture content

Images of internal tides near the Norwegian continental slope

Author Posting. © American Geophysical Union, 2009. This article is posted here by permission of American Geophysical Union for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Geophysical Research Letters 36 (2009): L00D10, doi:10.1029/2009GL038909.Internal tides, or internal gravity waves propagating at tidal frequencies, play an important role in ocean mixing but are challenging to detect and map over large spatial sections in the ocean's interior. We present seismic images of oceanic finestructure in the Norwegian Sea that demonstrate that semidiurnal (M2) internal tidal beams can be seismically imaged. We observe bands of seismic reflections that cross isotherms and closely mimic the expected internal tide ray characteristic over hundreds of meters vertically and tens of km laterally, in an area where critical seafloor slopes are common. Coincident temperature and density profiles show that the reflections come from reversible finestructure caused by internal wave strains. Where the beams intersect the seafloor, indications of enhanced mixing are present, including finestructure disruption and enhanced internal wave energy. These results suggest that seismic oceanography can be an effective tool in studies of ocean mixing by internal tides.This work was supported by Office of Naval Research grant N00014-04-1-0585 and by NSF's Ocean Drilling Program (grant OCE-0221366) and Physical Oceanography Program (grants OCE-0337289, OCE-0452744, and OCE-0648620)

Star-Planet Interactions

Much effort has been invested in recent years, both observationally and theoretically, to understand the interacting processes taking place in planetary systems consisting of a hot Jupiter orbiting its star within 10 stellar radii. Several independent studies have converged on the same scenario: that a short-period planet can induce activity on the photosphere and upper atmosphere of its host star. The growing body of evidence for such magnetic star-planet interactions includes a diverse array of photometric, spectroscopic and spectropolarimetric studies. The nature of which is modeled to be strongly affected by both the stellar and planetary magnetic fields, possibly influencing the magnetic activity of both bodies, as well as affecting irradiation and non-thermal and dynamical processes. Tidal interactions are responsible for the circularization of the planet orbit, for the synchronization of the planet rotation with the orbital period, and may also synchronize the outer convective envelope of the star with the planet. Studying such star-planet interactions (SPI) aids our understanding of the formation, migration and evolution of hot Jupiters.Comment: 8 pages, proceedings of Cool Stars 15, St. Andrews, July 2008, to be published in the Conference Proceedings Series of the American Institute of Physics - "Star-planet interactions" splinter session summar

Seismic estimates of turbulent diffusivity and evidence of nonlinear internal wave forcing by geometric resonance in the South China Sea

Author Posting. © American Geophysical Union, 2017. This article is posted here by permission of American Geophysical Union for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans 122 (2017): 8063–8078, doi:10.1002/2017JC012690.The Luzon Passage generates some of the largest amplitude internal waves in the global ocean as the result of coupling between strong tides, strong stratification, and topography. These internal waves propagate into the South China Sea (SCS) and develop into soliton-like internal wave pulses that are observed by moored instruments and satellite backscatter data. Despite the observation of these waves, little is known of the mechanisms related to their evolution into nonlinear wave pulses. Using seismic data, we find evidence that the geometry of bathymetric conditions between the Heng-Chun and Lan-Yu ridges drive nonlinear internal wave pulse generation. We produce three seismic images and associated maps of turbulent diffusivity to investigate structure around the two ridges and into the SCS. We do not observe large amplitude soliton-like internal waves between the ridges, but do observe one outside the ridges, a finding in accord with the interpretation that wave pulses form due to geometrical resonance. Additionally, we find no evidence for lee wave activity above the ridges in either the seismic images or associated turbulence maps, suggesting an unlikelihood of hydraulic jump driven generation around the ridges. Our results show increased levels of turbulent diffusivity (1) in deep water below 1000 m, (2) associated with internal tide pulses, and (3) near the steep slopes of the Heng-Chun and Lan-Yu ridges as explored in this paper.NSF Grant Number: 0648620; ONR/DEPSCoR Grant Grant Number: DODONR400272018-04-2

Latino Volunteerism in the 4-H Youth Development Program

Nationally, the 4-H Youth Development Program utilizes more than 350,000 adult volunteers annually, and 25% of the nation’s K-12 students identify as Hispanic or Latino; however, there is a dearth of published literature on Latino volunteerism in the 4-H Youth Development Program. Developmental relationships, a critical component of realizing youth development outcomes, are enhanced when adults and young people share cultural values and identity markers. The Cooperative Extension System has an obligation to reach a diverse audience and ensure program participation reflects the demographics of the communities in which youth live. We review the literature on Latino volunteerism in 4-H, share what we learned implementing the 2016-2019 University of California 4-H Latino Initiative, and provide our reflections and recommendations

Seismic imaging of a thermohaline staircase in the western tropical North Atlantic

© The Authors, 2010. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License. The definitive version was published in Ocean Science 6 (2010): 621-631, doi:10.5194/os-6-621-2010.Multichannel seismic data acquired in the Lesser Antilles in the western tropical North Atlantic indicate that the seismic reflection method has imaged an oceanic thermohaline staircase. Synthetic acoustic modeling using measured density and sound speed profiles corroborates inferences from the seismic data. In a small portion of the seismic image, laterally coherent, uniform layers are present at depths ranging from 550–700 m and have a separation of ~20 m, with thicknesses increasing with depth. The reflection coefficient, a measure of the acoustic impedance contrasts across these reflective interfaces, is one order of magnitude greater than background noise. Hydrography sampled in previous surveys suggests that the layers are a permanent feature of the region. Spectral analysis of layer horizons in the thermohaline staircase indicates that internal wave activity is anomalously low, suggesting weak internal wave-induced turbulence. Results from two independent measurements, the application of a finescale parameterization to observed high-resolution velocity profiles and direct measurements of turbulent dissipation rate, confirm these low levels of turbulence. The lack of internal wave-induced turbulence may allow for the maintenance of the staircase or may be due to suppression by the double-diffusive convection within the staircase. Our observations show the potential for seismic oceanography to contribute to an improved understanding of occurrence rates and the geographical distribution of thermohaline staircases, and should thereby improve estimates of vertical mixing rates ascribable to salt fingering in the global ocean.This research was supported by NSF grant OCE-0221366 and ONR grant ONR-N000140410585 to Holbrook, NSF grant OCE-0647573 to Schmitt and the University of Wyoming Graduate School Women and Minority Fellowship to Nandi

Mapping turbulent diffusivity associated with oceanic internal lee waves offshore Costa Rica

© The Author(s), 2016. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in Ocean Science 12 (2016): 601-612, doi:10.5194/os-12-601-2016.Breaking internal waves play a primary role in maintaining the meridional overturning circulation. Oceanic lee waves are known to be a significant contributor to diapycnal mixing associated with internal wave dissipation, but direct measurement is difficult with standard oceanographic sampling methods due to the limited spatial extent of standing lee waves. Here, we present an analysis of oceanic internal lee waves observed offshore eastern Costa Rica using seismic imaging and estimate the turbulent diffusivity via a new seismic slope spectrum method that extracts diffusivities directly from seismic images, using tracked reflections only to scale diffusivity values. The result provides estimates of turbulent diffusivities throughout the water column at scales of a few hundred meters laterally and 10 m vertically. Synthetic tests demonstrate the method's ability to resolve turbulent structures and reproduce accurate diffusivities. A turbulence map of our seismic section in the western Caribbean shows elevated turbulent diffusivities near rough seafloor topography as well as in the mid-water column where observed lee wave propagation terminates. Mid-water column hotspots of turbulent diffusivity show levels 5 times higher than surrounding waters and 50 times greater than typical open-ocean diffusivities. This site has steady currents that make it an exceptionally accessible laboratory for the study of lee-wave generation, propagation, and decay.This work was funded by NSF Grants 0405654 and 0648620, and ONR/DEPSCoR Grant DODONR4002