A Deep-Learning Based Robust Framework Against Adversarial P.E. and Cryptojacking Malware

This graduate thesis introduces novel, deep-learning based frameworks that are resilient to adversarial P.E. and cryptojacking malware. We propose a method that uses a convolutional neural network (CNN) to classify image representations of malware, that provides robustness against numerous adversarial attacks. Our evaluation concludes that the image-based malware classifier is significantly more robust to adversarial attacks than a state-of-the-art ML-based malware classifier, and remarkably drops the evasion rate of adversarial samples to 0% in certain attacks. Further, we develop MINOS, a novel, lightweight cryptojacking detection system that accurately detects the presence of unwarranted mining activity in real-time. MINOS can detect mining activity with a low TNR and FPR, in an average of 25.9 milliseconds while using a maximum of 4% of CPU and 6.5% of RAM. Therefore, it can be concluded that the frameworks presented in this thesis attain high accuracy, are computationally inexpensive, and are resistant to adversarial perturbations

Systematic Approach for the Development of Remote Handling System Concepts for High Energy Physics Research Facilities

Equipment maintenance is one of the most important areas in the life-cycle management of High Energy Physics (HEP) facilities. In HEP facilities (such as CERN, ISOLDE, GSI/FAIR,GANIL, FRIB and ESS), beam intensities are increasing. Ionizing radiation is a significant hazard. The ionizing radiation directly affects the health of radiation workers and therefore it is desirable to reduce human intervention through robotic operations. The Facility of Antiproton and Ion Research (FAIR), a HEP facility under construction in Darmstadt, Germany, will house the world’s most powerful Super Fragment Separator(Super-FRS) facility, which will require remote maintenance. One section of the Super-FRS is termed the main tunnel. This is 160m long and has four focal planes. The Super-FRS beamline inserts will require remote maintenance and remote inspection. To carry out these Remote Handling (RH) tasks, a RH system for the Super-FRS main tunnel is essential.RH equipment for HEP facilities are complex systems. They must operate within an intricate environment with multiple interfaces. However, there is very limited literature on how to approach the development and evaluation of RH concepts at HEP facilities even though various facilities have developed RH systems tailored to their individual environments.This thesis proposes new systematic approach for developing and evaluation of RH concept designs targeted to help maintenance procedures at HEP facilities. The systematic approach is composed of Systems Engineering (SE) State of the Art practices molded to fit HEP facilities needs and requirements. The SE approach for HEP facilities focuses on finding optimum RH solution by exploiting HEP facilities limited resources available compared to nuclear power production industry. The systematic approach is tested to develop the RH maintenance solution for Super-FRS main tunnel scenario for FAIR facility. The practice carried out during this research work resulted in the best possible RH solution for Super-FRS and is currently under development for the Super-FRS facility.The research work to develop systematic approach for development of RH system was based on a very critical State of the Art study that has not been carried for HEP facilities till now. The State of the Art studies explores the HEP facilities in detail and results in: classification of HEP facilities RH environments, classification of RH equipment currently used at HEP facilities and present status of SE knowledge integration within HEP facilities. The systematic approach to develop RH system and knowledge attained during State of the Art studies are utilized to develop three RH system concept designs that fulfill the Super-FRS RH requirements. This research work focuses on collaborating between RH experts to conduct reliable and creditable trade-off analysis for RH system concepts evaluation. The aim of collaboration with RH experts is to develop diversify the systematic approach for RH system concept development. The collaboration and the State of the Art studies enable the model to formalize the procedures that will ensure the integration of RH needs into facility’s development by classifying (Commercial Off-the–Shelf (COTS)) RH equipment and by identifying key steps in the development of RH concepts.The developed RH concepts for Super-FRS are evaluated for requirements traceability, functional analysis, radiation dose analysis, possible system failure scenarios, including cost estimates, and task sequence optimization analysis. The result of trade-off analysis is delivered in the form of optimal RH system design that fulfills the RH requirements and will be developed to carry out RH tasks at Super-FRS facility.This thesis provides details concerning each concept design’s merits and demerits, along with suggestions for design changes needed to improve RH system’s flexibility and performance. The systematic approach used to develop the RH concepts was used to identify and address the critical issues with Super-FRS tunnel layout, beamline insert designs, storage / transport of activated parts, and remote maintenance integration at very early stage of HEP facility design.The research work in this thesis paves the way for the future systematic RH systems concepts design, and development practices; by moving beyond the classical approaches to develop concept designs at the HEP facilities. The conclusion will also present a summary design comparison, relevant technologies, advantages, limitations and future research work opportunities.<br/

Modern Machine Learning Tools for Monitoring and Control of Industrial Processes: A Survey

Over the last ten years, we have seen a significant increase in industrial data, tremendous improvement in computational power, and major theoretical advances in machine learning. This opens up an opportunity to use modern machine learning tools on large-scale nonlinear monitoring and control problems. This article provides a survey of recent results with applications in the process industry.Comment: IFAC World Congress 202

Actividad anti-ulcerosa del tallo de Sándalo (Santalum album L.) en extractos hidro-alcoholicos en tres modelos de ulceración gástrica de ratas Wistar

Sándalo (Santalum album L.) se utiliza en diversos sistemas de medicina tradicional, como el Ayurveda, Siddha y Unani para tratar una amplia gama de  dolencias. En la medicina Unani, Safed Sandal se usa para tratar úlceras gástricas, por lo tanto, el presente estudio se realizó para confirmar esta afirmación.  Una prueba de límite según las directrices de la OCDE se llevó a cabo a una dosis de 5000 mg/kg para determinar la dosis tóxica aguda del extracto  hidroalcohólico del tallo de S. álbum (SASE). Dos dosis de prueba de SASE (250 y 500 mg/kg) se sometieron al estudio de la actividad anti-úlcera por tres  modelos in vivo, a saber: la inmersión en agua – estrés de restricción, y la ulceración gástrica inducida por etanol e indometacina, en ratas Wistar albinas. Un  inhibidor de la bomba de protones, omeprazol 10 mg/kg y el antagonista de los receptores H2, ranitidina 50 mg/kg fueron empleados como fármacos estándar.  Los resultados revelaron un aumento de la protección gástrica como una disminución significativa (p &lt; 0.001) en el número promedio de úlceras, la gravedad  de las úlceras y el índice de úlcera acumulativo se observó en los grupos de prueba. Evidencias histopatológicas apoyaron las conclusiones anteriores. El  efecto anti úlcera observado por efecto de SASE a 500 mg/kg fue comparable a la de fármacos estándar utilizados en los experimentos que indican un  significativo potencial anti-úlcera, especialmente a mayores concentraciones

Structural insights and characterization of human Npas4 protein

Npas4 is an activity dependent transcription factor which is responsible for gearing the expression of target genes involved in neuro-transmission. Despite the importance of Npas4 in many neuronal diseases, the tertiary structure of Npas4 protein along with its physico-chemical properties is limited. In the current study, first we perfomed the phylogenetic analysis of Npas4 and determined the content of hydrophobic, flexible and order-disorder promoting amino acids. The protein binding regions, post-translational modifications and crystallization propensity of Npas4 were predicted through different in-silico methods. The three dimensional model of Npas4 was predicted through LOMET, SPARSKS-X, I-Tasser, RaptorX, MUSTER and Pyhre and the best model was selected on the basis of Ramachandran plot, PROSA, and Qmean scores. The best model was then subjected to further refinement though MODREFINER. Finally the interacting partners of Npas4 were identified through STRING database. The phylogenetic analysis showed the human Npas4 gene to be closely related to other primates such as chimpanzees, monkey, gibbon. The physiochemical properties of Npas4 showed that it is an intrinsically disordered protein with N-terminal ordered region. The post-translational modification analyses indicated absence of acetylation and mannosylation sites. Three potential phosphorylation sites (S108, T130 and T136) were found in PAS A domain whilst a single phosphorylation site (S273) was present in PAS B domain. The predicted tertiary structure of Npas4 showed that bHLH domain and PAS domain possess tertiary structures while the rest of the protein exhibited disorder property. Protein-protein interaction analysis revealed NPas4 interaction with various proteins which are mainly involved in nuclear trafficking of proteins to cytoplasm, activity regulated gene transcription and neurodevelopmental disorders. Moreover the analysis also highlighted the direct relation to proteins involved in promoting neuronal survival, plasticity and cAMP responsive element binding protein proteins. The current study helps in understanding the physicochemical properties and reveals the neuro-modulatory role of Npas4 in crucial pathways involved in neuronal survival and neural signalling hemostasis

Global economic burden of unmet surgical need for appendicitis

Background: There is a substantial gap in provision of adequate surgical care in many low-and middle-income countries. This study aimed to identify the economic burden of unmet surgical need for the common condition of appendicitis. Methods: Data on the incidence of appendicitis from 170 countries and two different approaches were used to estimate numbers of patients who do not receive surgery: as a fixed proportion of the total unmet surgical need per country (approach 1); and based on country income status (approach 2). Indirect costs with current levels of access and local quality, and those if quality were at the standards of high-income countries, were estimated. A human capital approach was applied, focusing on the economic burden resulting from premature death and absenteeism. Results: Excess mortality was 4185 per 100 000 cases of appendicitis using approach 1 and 3448 per 100 000 using approach 2. The economic burden of continuing current levels of access and local quality was US $92 492 million using approach 1 and$73 141 million using approach 2. The economic burden of not providing surgical care to the standards of high-income countries was $95 004 million using approach 1 and$75 666 million using approach 2. The largest share of these costs resulted from premature death (97.7 per cent) and lack of access (97.0 per cent) in contrast to lack of quality. Conclusion: For a comparatively non-complex emergency condition such as appendicitis, increasing access to care should be prioritized. Although improving quality of care should not be neglected, increasing provision of care at current standards could reduce societal costs substantially

Pooled analysis of WHO Surgical Safety Checklist use and mortality after emergency laparotomy

Background The World Health Organization (WHO) Surgical Safety Checklist has fostered safe practice for 10 years, yet its place in emergency surgery has not been assessed on a global scale. The aim of this study was to evaluate reported checklist use in emergency settings and examine the relationship with perioperative mortality in patients who had emergency laparotomy. Methods In two multinational cohort studies, adults undergoing emergency laparotomy were compared with those having elective gastrointestinal surgery. Relationships between reported checklist use and mortality were determined using multivariable logistic regression and bootstrapped simulation. Results Of 12 296 patients included from 76 countries, 4843 underwent emergency laparotomy. After adjusting for patient and disease factors, checklist use before emergency laparotomy was more common in countries with a high Human Development Index (HDI) (2455 of 2741, 89.6 per cent) compared with that in countries with a middle (753 of 1242, 60.6 per cent; odds ratio (OR) 0.17, 95 per cent c.i. 0.14 to 0.21, P <0001) or low (363 of 860, 422 per cent; OR 008, 007 to 010, P <0.001) HDI. Checklist use was less common in elective surgery than for emergency laparotomy in high-HDI countries (risk difference -94 (95 per cent c.i. -11.9 to -6.9) per cent; P <0001), but the relationship was reversed in low-HDI countries (+121 (+7.0 to +173) per cent; P <0001). In multivariable models, checklist use was associated with a lower 30-day perioperative mortality (OR 0.60, 0.50 to 073; P <0.001). The greatest absolute benefit was seen for emergency surgery in low- and middle-HDI countries. Conclusion Checklist use in emergency laparotomy was associated with a significantly lower perioperative mortality rate. Checklist use in low-HDI countries was half that in high-HDI countries.Peer reviewe

Global variation in anastomosis and end colostomy formation following left-sided colorectal resection

Background End colostomy rates following colorectal resection vary across institutions in high-income settings, being influenced by patient, disease, surgeon and system factors. This study aimed to assess global variation in end colostomy rates after left-sided colorectal resection. Methods This study comprised an analysis of GlobalSurg-1 and -2 international, prospective, observational cohort studies (2014, 2016), including consecutive adult patients undergoing elective or emergency left-sided colorectal resection within discrete 2-week windows. Countries were grouped into high-, middle- and low-income tertiles according to the United Nations Human Development Index (HDI). Factors associated with colostomy formation versus primary anastomosis were explored using a multilevel, multivariable logistic regression model. Results In total, 1635 patients from 242 hospitals in 57 countries undergoing left-sided colorectal resection were included: 113 (6·9 per cent) from low-HDI, 254 (15·5 per cent) from middle-HDI and 1268 (77·6 per cent) from high-HDI countries. There was a higher proportion of patients with perforated disease (57·5, 40·9 and 35·4 per cent; P < 0·001) and subsequent use of end colostomy (52·2, 24·8 and 18·9 per cent; P < 0·001) in low- compared with middle- and high-HDI settings. The association with colostomy use in low-HDI settings persisted (odds ratio (OR) 3·20, 95 per cent c.i. 1·35 to 7·57; P = 0·008) after risk adjustment for malignant disease (OR 2·34, 1·65 to 3·32; P < 0·001), emergency surgery (OR 4·08, 2·73 to 6·10; P < 0·001), time to operation at least 48 h (OR 1·99, 1·28 to 3·09; P = 0·002) and disease perforation (OR 4·00, 2·81 to 5·69; P < 0·001). Conclusion Global differences existed in the proportion of patients receiving end stomas after left-sided colorectal resection based on income, which went beyond case mix alone

Developing startup business plan for renewable power for Pakistan market

The power supply situation in homes in Pakistan is in a very poor state right now and population in the majority of cities and villages is facing a challenging situation. Pakistan is facing an exponential growth in population and power consumption in parallel. Due to the nature of development the carbon footprint Pakistan is massive and currently, a study ranked Pakistan seventh badly affected country due to climate change in the world. Electricity shortages, bad for years, have reached crisis proportions. Lights went out for at least 10 hours a day in major cities and up to 22 hours a day in rural areas. The aim of this study is to verify that the Pakistan is a suitable market for solar power production. The objective of this thesis is to develop a business plan for startup firm that will invest in the renewable system especially focused on solar power systems to bridge for power deprived market. This thesis study involves a comprehensive study of Pakistan solar market and its potential in technical terms as well as points out the philosophy behind establishing a company with lean principles. The theoretical background and research methodology for this thesis are based on knowledge from developing success business planning and counter checking of survey results for the market. The core of this thesis is formed by conducting resource analysis, comprehensive opportunity analysis by using PEST and Porter five force tools, customer needs and demands via comprehensive survey questionnaire from the potential customers, and market situation analysis based on analysis of online resources and interview with housing building firm. The analysis conducted during this thesis enables this research to develop a lean business plan that includes internal SWOT analysis, marketing analysis 4P to evaluate the market positioning, operation plan, and financial plan. The results from this thesis show that Pakistan has very good potential to be future market for solar power production businessThe thesis contains violations against the responsible conduct of research. There is plagiarism or unacknowledged borrowing. (President’s decision 810 A004, 2019)This thesis is a complete PDF fil

Organic manures: an efficient move towards maize grain biofortification

Abstract Purpose In a novel approach, certain organic wastes byproducts of agro industries were assessed for their ability to support maize growth and Zn bioavailability in maize grain. Methods In a field experiment, maize (Zea mays) was supplemented with farm yard manure (FYM), press mud (PM), fisheries manure (FM), and slaughter house waste (SHW) in combination with Zn soil application (ZnS) and Zn foliar spray (ZnF) with recommended doses of N:P:K (140:100:60 kg ha−1), respectively. Besides assessing the maize growth, grain, and straw yield, Zn bioavailability in maize grain was also studied. Results Organic materials combined with ZnS and ZnF significantly increased the maize yield and Zn bioavailability. PM + ZnS increased the grain yield by 69.71%, while FM + ZnF and FYM + ZnF increased the grain Zn concentration by 86.37 and 86.16%, respectively. Moreover, grain Zn content was greatly influenced by PM + ZnS and PM + ZnF resulted an average increase by 160%. Phytate concentration and phytae:Zn molar ratio in grain were decreased by 30.34 and 66.92%, respectively by FYM + ZnF. Estimated Zn bioavailability ranged from 0.92 to 2.04 mg Zn/300 g in maize grain, and was maximum by PM and FYM combined with ZnF. Conclusion Organic manures influence the nutrient uptake from soil, increase the product quality, and act as a good organic fertilizer. The current study revealed that organic manures can enhance crop growth and Zn uptake in grain in sustainable manner. It would be an eco-friendly approach by utilizing organic wastes annually generated by agro industries