FraudDroid: Automated Ad Fraud Detection for Android Apps

Although mobile ad frauds have been widespread, state-of-the-art approaches in the literature have mainly focused on detecting the so-called static placement frauds, where only a single UI state is involved and can be identified based on static information such as the size or location of ad views. Other types of fraud exist that involve multiple UI states and are performed dynamically while users interact with the app. Such dynamic interaction frauds, although now widely spread in apps, have not yet been explored nor addressed in the literature. In this work, we investigate a wide range of mobile ad frauds to provide a comprehensive taxonomy to the research community. We then propose, FraudDroid, a novel hybrid approach to detect ad frauds in mobile Android apps. FraudDroid analyses apps dynamically to build UI state transition graphs and collects their associated runtime network traffics, which are then leveraged to check against a set of heuristic-based rules for identifying ad fraudulent behaviours. We show empirically that FraudDroid detects ad frauds with a high precision (93%) and recall (92%). Experimental results further show that FraudDroid is capable of detecting ad frauds across the spectrum of fraud types. By analysing 12,000 ad-supported Android apps, FraudDroid identified 335 cases of fraud associated with 20 ad networks that are further confirmed to be true positive results and are shared with our fellow researchers to promote advanced ad fraud detectionComment: 12 pages, 10 figure

Combining NLP, speech recognition, and indexing. An AI-based learning assistant for higher education

This paper presents the ongoing development of HAnS (Hochschul-Assistenz-System), an Intelligent Tutoring System (ITS) designed to support self-directed digital learning in higher education. Initiated by twelve collaborating German universities and research institutes, HAnS is developed 2021–2025 with the goal of utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) and Big Data in academic settings to enhance technology-based learning. The system employs AI for speech recognition and the indexing of existing learning resources, enabling users to search and compile these materials based on various parameters. Here, we provide an overview of the project, showcasing how iterative design and development processes contribute to innovative educational research in the evolving field of AI-based ITS in higher education. Notwithstanding the potential of HAnS, we also deliberate upon the challenges associated with ensuring a suitable dataset for training the AI, refining complex algorithms for personalization, and maintaining data privacy. (DIPF/Orig.)In diesem Beitrag wird die laufende Entwicklung von HAnS (Hochschul-Assistenz-System) vorgestellt, einem Intelligenten Tutoring-System (ITS), das selbstgesteuertes digitales Lernen in der Hochschulbildung unterstützen soll. HAnS wurde von zwölf deutschen Hochschulen und Forschungsinstituten initiiert und wird 2021-2025 mit dem Ziel entwickelt, künstliche Intelligenz (KI) und Big Data im akademischen Umfeld zu nutzen, um technologiebasiertes Lernen zu verbessern. Das System nutzt KI für die Spracherkennung und die Indizierung vorhandener Lernressourcen und ermöglicht es den Nutzern, diese Materialien auf der Grundlage verschiedener Parameter zu suchen und zusammenzustellen. Hier geben wir einen Überblick über das Projekt und zeigen, wie iterative Design- und Entwicklungsprozesse zu innovativer Bildungsforschung auf dem sich entwickelnden Gebiet der KI-basierten ITS in der Hochschulbildung beitragen. Ungeachtet des Potenzials von HAnS gehen wir auch auf die Herausforderungen ein, die mit der Sicherstellung eines geeigneten Datensatzes für das Training der KI, der Verfeinerung komplexer Algorithmen für die Personalisierung und der Wahrung des Datenschutzes verbunden sind. (Autor

HLA-E and Its Soluble Form as Indicators of a Sex-Specific Immune Response in Patients with Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma

The human leukocyte antigene E (HLA-E) is associated with tumorigenesis in various cancers. Immunoncology along with sex-specific aspects in cancer therapy are now in scientific focus. Therefore, immunohistochemical HLA-E expression was retrospectively analysed in a cohort of oral squamous cell carcinomas (OSCC) after surgical therapy. Then, serum concentration of HLA-E (sHLA-E) was quantified in a prospective cohort by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. High HLA-E expression was associated with advanced UICC stage (Spearman’s correlation: p = 0.002) and worse survival (Cox-regression: progression-free survival: hazard ratio (HR) 3.129, confidence range (CI) 1.443–6.787, p = 0.004; overall survival: HR 2.328, CI 1.071–5.060, p = 0.033). The sHLA-E concentration was significantly higher in the control group than in tumor group (Mann–Whitney U-test (MW-U): p = 0.021). Within the tumor group, women showed significantly higher sHLA-E levels than men (MW-U: p = 0.049). A closer look at the tumor group and the control group showed that gender-specific differences exist: while no differences in sHLA-E concentration were detectable between female subjects of tumor group and control group (MW-U: p = 0.916), male subjects of tumor group had a significantly lower sHLA-E concentration compared to those of control group (MW-U: p = 0.001). In summary, our results provide evidence for sex-specific differences in immune responses in OSCC. This fact should be considered regarding future immunotherapy regimens

Ein Fall für zwei Hochschulen: Entwicklung eines modularen Manuals zur Gestaltung von Fallstudienseminaren im virtuellen Raum

Das Projekt „Ein Fall für zwei Hochschulen“ wird vom Sächsischen Staatsministerium für Wissenschaft, Kultur und Tourismus (SMWK) gefördert. Ziel des laufenden Projektes ist es ein bereits erprobtes didaktisch-methodisches Framework weiterzuentwickeln und in einem Manual aufzuarbeiten. Dieses Manual soll Lehrende unterschiedlicher Hochschultypen und Fachdisziplinen unterstützen, effizient Lehrmaterialien und Inhalte, sowie die organisatorische Struktur für eine fallstudienbasierte, hochschultypübergreifende und virtuelle Lehrveranstaltung zu erarbeiten und gewinnbringend in ihrer Lehre einzusetzen

Manual Virtuelle Lehrkooperationen

Das Projekt „Ein Fall für zwei Hochschulen“ wurde vom Sächsischen Staatsministerium für Wissenschaft, Kultur und Tourismus (SMWK), im Rahmen der Initiative „Bildungsportal Sachsen“, in der Laufzeit von Mai 2019 bis Dezember 2020 gefördert. Projektbeteiligte waren Prof. Anne-Katrin Haubold - Professur für Human Resources Management und Prof. Ronny Baierl - Professur für Schlüsselqualifikationen der HTW Dresden, sowie Prof. Dr. Eric Schoop - Professur für Wirtschaftsinformatik, insbes. Informationsmanagement (WIIM) der TU Dresden. Ziel des Projektes war es, ein bereits erprobtes didaktisch-methodisches Framework weiterzuentwickeln und in einem Manual aufzuarbeiten. Dieses Manual soll Lehrende unterschiedlicher Hochschultypen und Fachdisziplinen unterstützen, Lehrmaterialien und Inhalte, sowie die organisatorische Struktur für eine fallstudienbasierte, hochschultypübergreifende und virtuelle Lehrveranstaltung zu erarbeiten und gewinnbringend einzusetzen. Das Manual beschreibt die an der Professur WIIM entwickelte virtuelle Fallstudiendidaktik des Virtual Collaborative Learning (VCL) in einer hochschultypübergreifenden Variante. VCL ist ein Best-Practice-Framework für innovative online Lern/Lehrformate, die sich gut in übergeordnete Blended Learning Arrangements integrieren lassen. Es basiert auf jahrelanger intensiver wissenschaftlicher Forschung im Rahmen mehrerer Dissertationen und Projekte. Blended Learning bezeichnet die didaktisch sinnvolle Kombination von traditionellem Präsenzlernen und Online-Lernen auf der Basis neuer Informations- und Kommunikationstechnologien. VCL wird seit 2001 kontinuierlich in der formalen Lehre eingesetzt. Ziel ist es, das Lernen in studentischen Kleingruppen in den virtuellen Raum zu übertragen. Die Studierenden arbeiten über einen festgelegten Zeitraum an authentischen Business Cases mit klarem Praxisbezug. Sie werden in ihrer Zusammenarbeit von qualifizierten E-Tutoren unterstützt. Das VCL-Framework ist inhaltsunabhängig und bietet vielseitige Möglichkeiten für universitätsübergreifende Zusammenarbeit

TREM2 Is Associated with Advanced Stages and Inferior Prognosis in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 2 (TREM2) is suggested to hamper antitumor immune response in multiple cancers. However, the role of TREM2 in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) and its expression in tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) are unknown. In this study, TREM2 expression was analyzed in the primary tumors and corresponding lymph-node metastases of OSCC patients via immunohistochemistry on tissue microarrays. Human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and single-cell suspensions of tumor and healthy adjacent tissues were analyzed for the presence of TREM2+ macrophages and TAMs using flow cytometry. The serum levels of soluble TREM2 (sTREM2) were quantified using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. High TREM2 expression was associated with advanced UICC stages (Spearman’s rank correlation (SRC), p = 0.04) and significantly reduced survival rates in primary tumors (multivariate Cox regression, progression-free survival: hazard ratio (HR) of 2.548, 95% confidence interval (CI) of 1.089–5.964, p = 0.028; overall survival: HR of 2.17, 95% CI of 1.021–4.613, p = 0.044). TREM2 expression was significantly increased in the PBMCs of OSCC patients in UICC stage IV compared with healthy controls (ANOVA, p < 0.05). The serum levels of sTREM2 were higher in advanced UICC stages, but they narrowly missed significance (SRC, p = 0.059). We demonstrated that TREM2 was multi-factorially associated with advanced stages and inferior prognosis in OSCC patients and that it could serve as a prognostic biomarker in OSCC patients. Targeting TREM2 has the potential to reshape the local and systemic immune landscape for the potential enhancement of patients’ prognosis

IDO1 is highly expressed in macrophages of patients in advanced tumour stages of oral squamous cell carcinoma

Purpose Strategies for Indolamine-2,3-dioxygenase 1 (IDO1) inhibition in cancer immunotherapy once produced encouraging results, but failed in clinical trials. Recent evidence indicates that immune cells in the tumour microenvironment, especially macrophages, contribute to immune dysregulation and therefore might play a critical role in drug resistance. Methods In this study, we investigated the signifcance of IDO1 expressing immune cells in primary tumours and corresponding lymph node metastases (LNMs) in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) by immunohistochemistry. The link between IDO1 and macrophages was investigated by fow cytometry in tumour tissue, healthy adjacent tissue and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). IDO1 activity (measured as Kynurenine/Tryptophan ratio) was assessed by ELISAs. Results High IDO1 expression in tumour-infltrating immune cells was signifcantly correlated with advanced stages [Spearman’s rank correlation (SRC), p=0.027] and reduced progression-free survival (multivariate Cox regression, p=0.034). IDO1 was signifcantly higher expressed in PBMCs of patients in advanced stages than in healthy controls (ANOVA, p<0.05) and IDO1+ macrophages were more abundant in intratumoural areas than peritumoural (t test, p<0.001). IDO1 expression in PBMCs was signifcantly correlated with IDO1 activity in serum (SRC, p<0.05). IDO1 activity was signifcantly higher in patients with LNMs (t test, p<0.01). Conclusion All in all, IDO1 expressing immune cells, especially macrophages, are more abundant in advanced stages of OSCC and are associated with reduced progression-free survival. Further investigations are needed to explore their role in local and systemic immune response. The IDO1 activity might be a suitable biomarker of metastasis in OSCC patients

SWITCH : A randomised, sequential, open-label study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of Sorafenib-sunitinib versus Sunitinib-sorafenib in the treatment of metastatic renal cell cancer

Background Understanding how to sequence targeted therapies for metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) is important for maximisation of clinical benefit. Objectives To prospectively evaluate sequential use of the multikinase inhibitors sorafenib followed by sunitinib (So-Su) versus sunitinib followed by sorafenib (Su-So) in patients with mRCC. Design, setting, and participants The multicentre, randomised, open-label, phase 3 SWITCH study assessed So-Su versus Su-So in patients with mRCC without prior systemic therapy, and stratified by Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center risk score (favourable or intermediate). Intervention Patients were randomised to sorafenib 400 mg twice daily followed, on progression or intolerable toxicity, by sunitinib 50 mg once daily (4 wk on, 2 wk off) (So-Su), or vice versa (Su-So). Outcome measurements and statistical analysis The primary endpoint was improvement in progression-free survival (PFS) with So-Su versus Su-So, assessed from randomisation to progression or death during second-line therapy. Secondary endpoints included overall survival (OS) and safety. Results and limitations In total, 365 patients were randomised (So-Su, n = 182; Su-So, n = 183). There was no significant difference in total PFS between So-Su and Su-So (median 12.5 vs 14.9 mo; hazard ratio [HR] 1.01; 90% confidence interval [CI] 0.81–1.27; p = 0.5 for superiority). OS was similar for So-Su and Su-So (median 31.5 and 30.2 mo; HR 1.00, 90% CI 0.77–1.30; p = 0.5 for superiority). More So-Su patients than Su-So patients reached protocol-defined second-line therapy (57% vs 42%). Overall, adverse event rates were generally similar between the treatment arms. The most frequent any-grade treatment-emergent first-line adverse events were diarrhoea (54%) and hand-foot skin reaction (39%) for sorafenib; and diarrhoea (40%) and fatigue (40%) for sunitinib. Conclusions Total PFS was not superior with So-Su versus Su-So. These results demonstrate that sorafenib followed by sunitinib and vice versa provide similar clinical benefit in mRCC

Comparing the consistency of electrocardiogram interval measurements by resting ECG versus 12-lead Holter

Abstract In clinical trials, traditionally only a limited number of 12‐lead resting electrocardiograms (ECGs) can be recorded and, thus, long intervals may elapse between assessment timepoints and valuable information may be missed during times when patients' cardiac electrical activity is not being monitored. These limitations have led to the increasing use of Holter recorders which provide continuous data registrations while reducing the burden on patients and freeing up time for clinical trial staff to perform other tasks. However, there is a shortage of data comparing the two approaches. In this study, data from a randomized, double‐blind, four‐period, crossover thorough QT study in 40 healthy subjects were used to compare continuous 12‐lead Holter recordings to standard 12‐lead resting ECGs which were recorded in parallel. Heart rate and QT interval data were estimated by averaging three consecutive heartbeats. Values exceeding the sample average by more than 5% were tagged as outliers and excluded from the analysis. Visual comparisons of the ECG waveforms of the Holter signal showed a good correlation with resting ECGs at matching timepoints. Resting ECG data revealed sex differences that Holter data did not show. Specifically, women were found to have a longer QTcF of 20 ms, while men had a lower heart rate. We found that continuous recordings provided a more accurate reflection of changes in cardiac electrical activity over 24 hr. However, manual adjudication is still required to ensure the quality and accuracy of ECG data, and that only artifacts are removed thereby avoiding loss of true signals

Comparing the consistency of electrocardiogram interval measurements by resting ECG versus 12‐lead Holter

Abstract In clinical trials, traditionally only a limited number of 12‐lead resting electrocardiograms (ECGs) can be recorded and, thus, long intervals may elapse between assessment timepoints and valuable information may be missed during times when patients' cardiac electrical activity is not being monitored. These limitations have led to the increasing use of Holter recorders which provide continuous data registrations while reducing the burden on patients and freeing up time for clinical trial staff to perform other tasks. However, there is a shortage of data comparing the two approaches. In this study, data from a randomized, double‐blind, four‐period, crossover thorough QT study in 40 healthy subjects were used to compare continuous 12‐lead Holter recordings to standard 12‐lead resting ECGs which were recorded in parallel. Heart rate and QT interval data were estimated by averaging three consecutive heartbeats. Values exceeding the sample average by more than 5% were tagged as outliers and excluded from the analysis. Visual comparisons of the ECG waveforms of the Holter signal showed a good correlation with resting ECGs at matching timepoints. Resting ECG data revealed sex differences that Holter data did not show. Specifically, women were found to have a longer QTcF of 20 ms, while men had a lower heart rate. We found that continuous recordings provided a more accurate reflection of changes in cardiac electrical activity over 24 hr. However, manual adjudication is still required to ensure the quality and accuracy of ECG data, and that only artifacts are removed thereby avoiding loss of true signals