A Majority Voting Technique for Wireless Intrusion Detection Systems

This poster aims to build a misuse Wireless Local Area Network Intrusion Detection System (WIDS), and to discover some important fields in WLAN MAC-layer frame to differentiate the attackers from the legitimate devices. We tested several machine-learning algorithms, and found some promising ones to improve the accuracy and computation time on a public dataset. The Bagging classifier and our customized voting technique have good results (about 96.25% and 96.32% respectively) when tested on all the features

A New MAC Address Spoofing Detection Technique Based on Random Forests

Media access control (MAC) addresses in wireless networks can be trivially spoofed using off-the-shelf devices. The aim of this research is to detect MAC address spoofing in wireless networks using a hard-to-spoof measurement that is correlated to the location of the wireless device, namely the received signal strength (RSS). We developed a passive solution that does not require modification for standards or protocols. The solution was tested in a live test-bed (i.e., a wireless local area network with the aid of two air monitors acting as sensors) and achieved 99.77%, 93.16% and 88.38% accuracy when the attacker is 8–13 m, 4–8 m and less than 4 m away from the victim device, respectively. We implemented three previous methods on the same test-bed and found that our solution outperforms existing solutions. Our solution is based on an ensemble method known as random forests.https://doi.org/10.3390/s1603028

Empirical Techniques To Detect Rogue Wireless Devices

Media Access Control (MAC) addresses in wireless networks can be trivially spoofed using off-the-shelf devices. We proposed a solution to detect MAC address spoofing in wireless networks using a hard-to-spoof measurement that is correlated to the location of the wireless device, namely the Received Signal Strength (RSS). We developed a passive solution that does not require modification for standards or protocols. The solution was tested in a live test-bed (i.e., a Wireless Local Area Network with the aid of two air monitors acting as sensors) and achieved 99.77%, 93.16%, and 88.38% accuracy when the attacker is 8–13 m, 4–8 m, and less than 4 m away from the victim device, respectively. We implemented three previous methods on the same test-bed and found that our solution outperforms existing solutions. Our solution is based on an ensemble method known as Random Forests. We also proposed an anomaly detection solution to deal with situations where it is impossible to cover the whole intended area. The solution is totally passive and unsupervised (using unlabeled data points) to build the profile of the legitimate device. It only requires the training of one location which is the location of the legitimate device (unlike the misuse detection solution that train and simulate the existing of the attacker in every possible spot in the network diameter). The solution was tested in the same test-bed and yield about 79% overall accuracy. We build a misuseWireless Local Area Network Intrusion Detection System (WIDS) and discover some important fields in WLAN MAC-layer frame to differentiate the attackers from the legitimate devices. We tested several machine learning algorithms and found some promising ones to improve the accuracy and computation time on a public dataset. The best performing algorithms that we found are Extra Trees, Random Forests, and Bagging. We then used a majority voting technique to vote on these algorithms. Bagging classifier and our customized voting technique have good results (about 96.25 % and 96.32 %respectively) when tested on all the features. We also used a data mining technique based on Extra Trees ensemble method to find the most important features on AWID public dataset. After selecting the most 20 important features, Extra Trees and our voting technique are the best performing classifiers in term of accuracy (96.31 % and 96.32 % respectively)

Fin and Island Isolation of AlGaN/GaN HFETs and Temperature-dependent Modeling of Drain Current Characteristics of AlGaN/GaN HFETs

Over the past two decades AlGaN/GaN Heterostructure Field Effect Transistors (HFETs) have been the target of many studies on their suitability for high-power and high-temperature applications. Due to the sizable inherent polarization effects, present in these heterostructure-based devices, the built-in sheet charge density at the AlGaN/GaN heterointerface is remarkably high, which makes these devices fall into the category of the depletion-mode field effect transistors. Despite the suitability of this wide-bandgap material system for switching power applications, the depletion-mode character of these HFETs has been acting as an obstacle against the adoption of AlGaN/GaN HFETs to these applications. As a result, a vibrant research on the development of techniques capable of reliably changing the depletion-mode character of AlGaN/GaN HFETs into an enhancement-mode character is currently being pursued by many investigators. Towards this end, the proposed approach of this thesis has been based on modifying the piezoelectric component of the polarization sheet charge density through studying its correlation with the size of the isolation mesa. The impact of the size of the isolation-mesa on the sweeping- and pulsed-mode drain current-voltage characteristics of AlGaN/GaN HFETs has been studied. Investigations reveal that while by implementing AlGaN/GaN HFETs on array of islands or mesas of smaller dimensions, rather than one continuous-mesa, same values for the maximum drain current level can be maintained, pinch-off voltage can be made less negative. Also, it is shown that the maximum gate transconductance is improved by island-type isolation. In addition, it is shown that the proportionally larger surface area available for power dissipation in fin- and island-isolated HFETs can reduce the impact of self-heating on AlGaN/GaN HFETs. Modeling the drain current of AlGaN/GaN HFETs at high-temperature ambient was also another objective of this thesis. A Monte Carlo-based temperature-dependent mobility model, with incorporation of steady-state velocity overshoot, is employed in modeling the drain current-voltage characteristics of AlGaN/GaN HFETs at 300, 400, and 500K. One of the major merits of this model is that it employs a very small set of fitting parameters. The model takes into account the temperature-dependence of the electron transport through the gated-channel of an AlGaN/GaN HFET and also its access regions. This model is validated with regards to the experimentally measured drain current characteristics. Results confirm that the temperature dependency of the drift electron velocity is the cause of the degradation of drain current at elevated temperatures

Functional Analysis of SBPase Gene Promoter in Transgenic Wheat under Abiotic Stresses

Background and Objective: This study focused on evaluation of SBPase promoter in driving transgenes under drought, high light intensity and salinity as major abiotic stresses limiting plant growth and production in various areas of the world. Wheat production has remained constant despite the rapidly growing population around the world. Materials and Methods: This had made it necessary to develop other varieties with higher yield in order to satisfy the future demand. When elite wheat varieties’ photosynthesis is genetically manipulated, it gives a high possibility for yield increase. Lack of a properly defined molecular tool-box promoter for driving gene expression for manipulation of photosynthesis, hinders the progression of this field. Gus histochemical staining and quantitative PCR were used to examine the function of Brachypodium distachyon sedoheptulose-1, 7-bisphosphatase (SBPase) promoter to drive the expression of GUS in the stably transformed wheat plants under various stresses conditions. Results: Results revealed that B. distachyon SBPase promoter fully drive the GUS expression in the stable wheat transformants (cv. Cadenza) in the leaf tissues under normal and high light conditions. It also drove GUS gene expression under drought and salinity stress conditions. In addition, the promoter responds to light/dark/light alternation as light responsive genes. Conclusion: The Bd SBPase promoter provides innovative molecular tool to drive genes in wheat leaves under natural, drought, high light intensity and salinity conditions as well as to allow for multigene photosynthetic manipulation for yield increase under various abiotic conditions

Redesigning the Warren Animal Shelter

The new shelter should incorporate improved natural lighting and ventilation, adequate space for laundry facilities and more space for the animals\u27 living and bathing needs. The design should consider how to prevent dogs from barking and disturbing one another while in the kennels. Increased storage is necessary for the animal shelter to contain the food and living amenities for the incoming animals

CAUSES AND MANAGEMENT OF VIRAL EYE INFECTION

Introduction: The eye is a fascinating organ for several reasons. It is not only have a composite structure, however it is considered an immune-privileged organ. The anatomy of the eye is composed of the anterior and posterior parts, the line of division is posterior to the lens. The anterior chamber lies within the anterior segment and is an immuneprivileged anatomical location, this is due to the fact that the T-cell response in this area is suppressed This protects the eye from potentially destructive immune attacks however it also makes defence against infectious agents challenging, particularly where T-cell responses are critical for immunological defence. Viruses could get into the eye by direct inoculation, or through haematogenous or neuronal spread. The diagnoses of viral eye infections are usually clinical one, helped by taking a thorough history and performing ophthalmic examination. But in challenging cases the lab tests are essential. In this review, we will discuss the most recent evidence regarding Causes and management of viral eye infection Aim of work: In this review, we will discuss the most recent evidence regarding Causes and management of viral eye infection Methodology: We did a systematic search for Causes and management of viral eye infection using PubMed search engine (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/) and Google Scholar search engine (https://scholar.google.com). All relevant studies were retrieved and discussed. We only included full articles. Conclusions: A wide range of of viruses can affect the eye and cause viral eye infections, either as a primary infection or reactivation. Some affect the eye directly while the others indirectly but may still manifest with eye disease. One virus may affect several parts of the eye, while different viruses may cause the same eye disease. This could complicate the clinical diagnosis of viral eye disease, but the lab tests like PCR and antibody tests could assist in challenging cases where there may be diagnostic dilemma. The HIV epidemic has had an huge impact on ophthalmology clinics, this is because the virus can cause different eye diseases, and the associated decrease in cell-mediated immunity makes the person highly susceptible to opportunistic viral eye infections, sometimes with severe morbidity. There could be other viruses that may affect the eye that we did not discuss. Key words: Causes, management, viral eye infection

The Saudi Critical Care Society practice guidelines on the management of COVID-19 in the ICU: Therapy section

BACKGROUND: The rapid increase in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases during the subsequent waves in Saudi Arabia and other countries prompted the Saudi Critical Care Society (SCCS) to put together a panel of experts to issue evidence-based recommendations for the management of COVID-19 in the intensive care unit (ICU). METHODS: The SCCS COVID-19 panel included 51 experts with expertise in critical care, respirology, infectious disease, epidemiology, emergency medicine, clinical pharmacy, nursing, respiratory therapy, methodology, and health policy. All members completed an electronic conflict of interest disclosure form. The panel addressed 9 questions that are related to the therapy of COVID-19 in the ICU. We identified relevant systematic reviews and clinical trials, then used the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) approach as well as the evidence-to-decision framework (EtD) to assess the quality of evidence and generate recommendations. RESULTS: The SCCS COVID-19 panel issued 12 recommendations on pharmacotherapeutic interventions (immunomodulators, antiviral agents, and anticoagulants) for severe and critical COVID-19, of which 3 were strong recommendations and 9 were weak recommendations. CONCLUSION: The SCCS COVID-19 panel used the GRADE approach to formulate recommendations on therapy for COVID-19 in the ICU. The EtD framework allows adaptation of these recommendations in different contexts. The SCCS guideline committee will update recommendations as new evidence becomes available

SARS-CoV-2 susceptibility and COVID-19 disease severity are associated with genetic variants affecting gene expression in a variety of tissues

Variability in SARS-CoV-2 susceptibility and COVID-19 disease severity between individuals is partly due to genetic factors. Here, we identify 4 genomic loci with suggestive associations for SARS-CoV-2 susceptibility and 19 for COVID-19 disease severity. Four of these 23 loci likely have an ethnicity-specific component. Genome-wide association study (GWAS) signals in 11 loci colocalize with expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs) associated with the expression of 20 genes in 62 tissues/cell types (range: 1:43 tissues/gene), including lung, brain, heart, muscle, and skin as well as the digestive system and immune system. We perform genetic fine mapping to compute 99% credible SNP sets, which identify 10 GWAS loci that have eight or fewer SNPs in the credible set, including three loci with one single likely causal SNP. Our study suggests that the diverse symptoms and disease severity of COVID-19 observed between individuals is associated with variants across the genome, affecting gene expression levels in a wide variety of tissue types

A first update on mapping the human genetic architecture of COVID-19

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