Learning agent-based security schema mitigating man-in-the-middle attacks in fog computing

The fast emerging of internet of things (IoTs) has introduced fog computing as an intermediate layer between end-users and the cloud datacenters. Fog computing layer characterized by its closeness to end users for service provisioning than the cloud. However, security challenges are still a big concern in fog and cloud computing paradigms as well. In fog computing, one of the most destructive attacks is man-in-the-middle (MitM). Moreover, MitM attacks are hard to be detected since they performed passively on the network level. This paper proposes a MitM mitigation scheme in fog computing architecture. The proposal mapped the fog layer on software-defined network (SDN) architecture. The proposal integrated multi-path transmission control protocol (MPTCP), moving target defense (MTD) technique, and reinforcement learning agent (RL) in one framework that contributed significantly to improving the fog layer resources utilization and security. The proposed schema hardens the network reconnaissance and discovery, thus improved the network security against MitM attack. The evaluation framework was tested using a simulation environment on mininet, with the utilization of MPTCP kernel and Ryu SDN controller. The experimental results shows that the proposed schema maintained the network resiliency, improves resource utilization without adding significant overheads compared to the traditional transmission control protocol (TCP)

Influence of the Flexible Liposomes on the Skin Deposition of a Hydrophilic Model Drug, Carboxyfluorescein: Dependency on Their Composition

This study focuses on the effect of different flexible liposomes containing sodium cholate, Tween 80, or cineol on skin deposition of carboxyfluorescein (CF). Size distribution, morphology, zeta potential, and stability of the prepared vesicles were evaluated. The influence of these systems on the skin deposition of CF utilizing rat skin as membrane model was investigated. Results showed that all of the investigated liposomes had almost spherical shapes with low polydispersity (PDI < 0.3) and particles size range from 83 to 175 nm. All liposomal formulations exhibited negative zeta potential, good drug entrapment efficiency, and stability. In vitro skin deposition data showed that flexible liposomes gave significant deposition of CF on the skin compared to conventional liposomes and drug solutions. This study revealed that flexible liposomes, containing cineole, were able to deliver higher amount of CF suggesting that the hydrophilic drugs delivery to the skin was strictly correlated to the vesicle composition

A hybrid approach based on personality traits for hate speech detection in Arabic social media

In recent years, as social media has grown in popularity, people have gained the ability to freely share their views. However, this may lead to users' conflict and hostility, resulting in unattractive online environments. Hate speech relates to using expressions or phrases that are violent, offensive, or insulting to a minority of people. The number of Arab social media users is quickly rising, and this is being followed by an increase in the frequency of cyber hate speech in the area. Therefore, the automated detection of Arabic hate speech has become a major concern for many stakeholders. The intersection of personality learning and hate speech detection is a relatively less studied niche. We suggest a novel approach that is focused on extracting personality trait features and using these features to detect Arabic hate speech. The experimental results show that the proposed approach is superior in terms of the macro-F1 score by achieving 82.3% compared to previous work reported in the literature

Remote Sensing Satellites Planning System

A Remote Sensing Satellites Planning system (RSSP) for satellite constellations is responsible for managing these satellites by assigning the imaging tasks to each satellite in the constellation such that the loads are balanced and the resources are well used. The proposed system can be used with heterogeneous constellations that consist of satellites whose different specifications, different orbits' types and/or different payload types. This problem is a combinatorial optimization NP-hard problem modeled in this paper as a Constraint Satisfaction Problem using the Constraint Programming Technique. The output plan is obtained using one of three objective functions (gain maximization, area maximization, and image quality maximization) using four search algorithms (simulated annealing, hill climbing, tabu search and late acceptance) and different planning horizons (one track, one day and one month)

Assessment of oral hygiene trends among dental patients in relation to chronic medical conditions by dental students. A cross-sectional study

There is a lack of information about knowledge, attitude and behavior regarding oral hygiene and dietary habits of adult patients attending dental clinical settings. Hypertension, diabetes, obesity and caries are increasing among different populations, resulting in the deterioration of the quality of life related to oral and general health. Objectives: To involve second year dental students in assessing oral health knowledge, attitude, behavior, dietary habits and general health of dental patients, and screening for blood pressure, blood glucose level and obesity.Participants and methods: A convenient sample of 652 adult subjects participated in the study. They were screened, and involved in an interviewer- led questionnaire, led by the students  over the period of two successive academic years (2013- 2014) and  (2014- 2015).Results:  Subjects with high blood pressure and /or blood glucose levels were more likely to disagree regarding the presence of a relation between general health and dental health  [(r = -0.159, P-value &lt;0.001) (r = -0.257, P-value &lt;0.001) respectively]. Subjects with high BMI were less aware of the importance of using the tooth brush in prevention of gingival inflammation. The overall students’ satisfaction score was 71.5%. The practical part of the research had the highest satisfaction score (83.7%).Conclusions: There is scarcity of data regarding dental healthcare knowledge and attitudes in dental clinical settings. Additional clinical training for dental students would increase their willingness to play a preventive and educational role in the oral care of patients

Effects of hospital facilities on patient outcomes after cancer surgery: an international, prospective, observational study

Background Early death after cancer surgery is higher in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) compared with in high-income countries, yet the impact of facility characteristics on early postoperative outcomes is unknown. The aim of this study was to examine the association between hospital infrastructure, resource availability, and processes on early outcomes after cancer surgery worldwide.Methods A multimethods analysis was performed as part of the GlobalSurg 3 study-a multicentre, international, prospective cohort study of patients who had surgery for breast, colorectal, or gastric cancer. The primary outcomes were 30-day mortality and 30-day major complication rates. Potentially beneficial hospital facilities were identified by variable selection to select those associated with 30-day mortality. Adjusted outcomes were determined using generalised estimating equations to account for patient characteristics and country-income group, with population stratification by hospital.Findings Between April 1, 2018, and April 23, 2019, facility-level data were collected for 9685 patients across 238 hospitals in 66 countries (91 hospitals in 20 high-income countries; 57 hospitals in 19 upper-middle-income countries; and 90 hospitals in 27 low-income to lower-middle-income countries). The availability of five hospital facilities was inversely associated with mortality: ultrasound, CT scanner, critical care unit, opioid analgesia, and oncologist. After adjustment for case-mix and country income group, hospitals with three or fewer of these facilities (62 hospitals, 1294 patients) had higher mortality compared with those with four or five (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 3.85 [95% CI 2.58-5.75]; p&lt;0.0001), with excess mortality predominantly explained by a limited capacity to rescue following the development of major complications (63.0% vs 82.7%; OR 0.35 [0.23-0.53]; p&lt;0.0001). Across LMICs, improvements in hospital facilities would prevent one to three deaths for every 100 patients undergoing surgery for cancer.Interpretation Hospitals with higher levels of infrastructure and resources have better outcomes after cancer surgery, independent of country income. Without urgent strengthening of hospital infrastructure and resources, the reductions in cancer-associated mortality associated with improved access will not be realised

Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

Abstract Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries

Multi-objective genetic programming with an application to intrusion detection in computer networks

The widespread connectivity of computers all over the world has encouraged intruders to threaten the security of computing systems by targeting the confidentiality and integrity of information, and the availability of systems. Traditional techniques such as user authentication, data encryption and firewalls have been implemented to defend computer security but still have problems and weak points. Therefore the development of intrusion detection systems (EDS) has aroused much research interest with the aim of preventing both internal and external attacks. In misuse-based, network-based IDS, huge history files of computer network usage are analysed hi order to extract useful information, and rules are extracted to judge future network usage as legal or illegal. This process is considered as data mining for intrusion detection in computer networks.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

An unusual air gun injury to the ethmoid sinus

Badran K, Sudhoff H, Gray R. An unusual air gun injury to the ethmoid sinus. European Archives of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology. 2007;264(10):1253-1256