XFL: Naming Functions in Binaries with Extreme Multi-label Learning

Reverse engineers benefit from the presence of identifiers such as function names in a binary, but usually these are removed for release. Training a machine learning model to predict function names automatically is promising but fundamentally hard: unlike words in natural language, most function names occur only once. In this paper, we address this problem by introducing eXtreme Function Labeling (XFL), an extreme multi-label learning approach to selecting appropriate labels for binary functions. XFL splits function names into tokens, treating each as an informative label akin to the problem of tagging texts in natural language. We relate the semantics of binary code to labels through DEXTER, a novel function embedding that combines static analysis-based features with local context from the call graph and global context from the entire binary. We demonstrate that XFL/DEXTER outperforms the state of the art in function labeling on a dataset of 10,047 binaries from the Debian project, achieving a precision of 83.5%. We also study combinations of XFL with alternative binary embeddings from the literature and show that DEXTER consistently performs best for this task. As a result, we demonstrate that binary function labeling can be effectively phrased in terms of multi-label learning, and that binary function embeddings benefit from including explicit semantic features

Macrofaunal diversity of infralittoral cobble beds in the Maltese Islands

This research work was partially funded through the European Social Fund under a STEPS scheme grant awarded to JE.The Mediterranean “biocoenosis of infralittoral pebbles ” has been poorly studied, but is generally considered to be impoverished. Systematic sampling of cobble beds at 17 sites around the Maltese Islands yielded a total of 35,687 individuals belonging to 310 different taxa. Very shallow sites (<2 m depth) had a slightly poorer faunal assemblage than deeper ones (2 -12 m depth), but still included 152 taxa. These results suggest that infralittoral cobbles beds may not be as impoverished as previously thought, probably due to the high structural complexity of these habitats.peer-reviewe

trans-Carbonyl­chloridobis(tri-p-tolyl­phosphine)rhodium(I) acetone solvate

The title compound, [RhCl(C21H21P)2(CO)]·C3H6O, was precipitated in trace yield from a reaction of RhCl(cod)(THP) with P(p-tol)3 in a 1:1 acetone-d 6/CD3OD solution under a hydrogen atmosphere [p-tol = p-tolyl, THP = tris­(hydroxy­meth­yl)phosphine, P(CH2OH)3, and cod = 1,5-cyclo­octa­diene]. The complex displays a square-planar geometry around the RhI atom. The complex mol­ecules and the acetone mol­ecules are linked into a chain along the a axis by inter­molecular C—H⋯Cl and C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds

Branched fatty acids in dairy and beef products markedly enhance alpha-methylacyl-CoA racemase expression in prostate cancer cells in vitro

An enzyme previously identified as alpha-methylacyl-CoA racemase (AMACR) is overexpressed in high-grade prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia and in a majority (60-100%) of prostate cancers (CaPs) as compared with normal and benign hyperplastic lesions of the prostate, where it is minimally expressed. This enzyme is required for the beta-oxidation of branched-chain fatty acids, which include phytanic acid and its alpha-oxidation product, pristanic acid. Interestingly, there is an established correlation between CaP risk and the consumption of dairy and beef products, which also contain marked quantities of these two phytols. In this context, it has also been reported that sex steroids influence lipogenesis through the induction of fatty acid synthase in CaP-derived cell lines and CaP tissues. These findings indicate a potential role for AMACR and the possible influence of sex steroids in both the early development and subsequent progression of CaP. Despite the recent interest in AMACR as a histological marker for CaP, little is known about the regulation of this enzyme and its role in CaP development. To identify potential AMACR-regulating factors, we treated LNCaP cells (an androgen-responsive CaP-derived cell line) and NPrEC cells (a normal prostate basal epithelial cell line) with increasing concentrations of pristanic acid, phytanic acid, 5alpha-dihydrotestosterone, and 17beta-estradiol. Neither the biologically potent androgen 5alpha-dihydrotestosterone nor 17beta-estradiol had any apparent effect on AMACR expression at the protein or transcriptional levels in either cell line. Conversely, pristanic acid and, to a much lesser extent, phytanic acid markedly increased AMACR protein levels selectively in the LNCaP cell line, but not the NPrEC cell line. However, no change was measured at the transcriptional level in either cell line. AMACR is therefore significantly increased at the protein level in CaP cells, through what appears to be the stabilizing effect of the same fatty acids that are present at appreciable concentrations in beef and dairy products, which have been associated with CaP risk. Our findings therefore provide a link between the consumption of dietary fatty acids and the enhanced expression of AMACR, an enzyme that may play an important role in genesis and progression of CaP

18F-FDG Uptake on PET/CT in Symptomatic versus Asymptomatic Carotid Disease: a Meta-Analysis.

INTRODUCTION: The role of positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT) in the determination of inflammation in arterial disease is not well defined. This can provide information about arterial wall inflammation in atherosclerotic disease, and may give insight into plaque stability. The aim of this review was to perform a meta-analysis of PET/CT with 18F-FDG (fluorodeoxyglucose) uptake in symptomatic and asymptomatic carotid artery disease. METHODS: This was a systematic review, following PRISMA guidelines, which interrogated the MEDLINE database from January 2001 to May 2017. The search combined the terms, "inflammation", "FDG", and "stroke". The search criteria included all types of studies, with a primary outcome of the degree of arterial vascular inflammation determined by 18F-FDG uptake. Analysis involved an inverse weighted variance estimate of pooled data, using a random effects model. RESULTS: A total of 14 articles (539 patients) were included in the meta-analysis. Comparing carotid artery 18F-FDG uptake in symptomatic versus asymptomatic disease yielded a standard mean difference of 0.94 (95% CI 0.58-1.130; p < .0001; I2 = 65%). CONCLUSIONS: PET/CT using 18F-FDG can demonstrate carotid plaque inflammation, and is a marker of symptomatic disease. Further studies are required to understand the clinical implication of PET/CT as a risk prediction tool

Thermodynamics of the N=2^* strongly coupled plasma

Gauge/string duality is a potentially important framework for addressing the properties of the strongly coupled quark gluon plasma produced at RHIC. However, constructing an actual string theory dual to QCD has so far proven elusive. In this paper, we take a partial step towards exploring the QCD plasma by investigating the thermodynamics of a non-conformal system, namely the N=2^* theory, which is obtained as a mass deformation of the conformal N=4 gauge theory. We find that at temperatures of order the mass scale, the thermodynamics of the mass deformed plasma is surprisingly close to that of the conformal gauge theory plasma. This suggests that many properties of the quark gluon plasma at RHIC may in fact be well described by even relatively simple models such as that of the conformal N=4 plasma.Comment: 41 pages, 22 figure

Concentration of anti-Müllerian hormone in dairy heifers is positively associated with productive herd life

Reliable biomarkers predictive of productive herd life (time in herd after birth of first calf) have heretofore not been discovered in dairy cattle. However, circulating concentrations of anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) are positively associated with number of follicles or antral follicle count (AFC), ovarian function, and fertility, and approximately 25% of cows have a relatively low AFC and low AMH concentrations. The present study tested the hypothesis that heifers with the lowest AMH concentrations have suboptimal fertility and are removed from a herd for poor reproductive performance at a greater rate, and therefore have a shorter productive herd life compared with age-matched herdmates with higher AMH. To test this hypothesis, 11- to 15-mo-old Holstein heifers (n=281) were subjected to a single measurement of AMH. All heifers not removed from the herd had the opportunity to complete 2 lactations and start their third lactation after calving. During this time, performance and health parameters for each individual were recorded daily by herd managers. Results showed that the quartile of heifers with the lowest AMH concentration also had, on average, a shorter productive herd life (by 196 d), a reduced survival rate after birth of the first calf, the lowest level of milk production (first lactation), the lowest total percentage of cows pregnant (across all lactations), the highest culling rates (first and second lactations and overall), and the highest culling rate for poor reproduction (first lactation) compared with age-matched herdmates with higher AMH. We concluded that a single determination of AMH concentration in young adult dairy heifers may be a simple diagnostic method to predict herd longevity, and AMH may be a useful phenotypic marker to improve longevity of dairy cows