Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning in Cybersecurity: Applications, Challenges, and Opportunities for MIS Academics

The availability of massive amounts of data, fast computers, and superior machine learning (ML) algorithms has spurred interest in artificial intelligence (AI). It is no surprise, then, that we observe an increase in the application of AI in cybersecurity. Our survey of AI applications in cybersecurity shows most of the present applications are in the areas of malware identification and classification, intrusion detection, and cybercrime prevention. We should, however, be aware that AI-enabled cybersecurity is not without its drawbacks. Challenges to AI solutions include a shortage of good quality data to train machine learning models, the potential for exploits via adversarial AI/ML, and limited human expertise in AI. However, the rewards in terms of increased accuracy of cyberattack predictions, faster response to cyberattacks, and improved cybersecurity make it worthwhile to overcome these challenges. We present a summary of the current research on the application of AI and ML to improve cybersecurity, challenges that need to be overcome, and research opportunities for academics in management information systems

Tuning Pre-trained Model via Moment Probing

Recently, efficient fine-tuning of large-scale pre-trained models has attracted increasing research interests, where linear probing (LP) as a fundamental module is involved in exploiting the final representations for task-dependent classification. However, most of the existing methods focus on how to effectively introduce a few of learnable parameters, and little work pays attention to the commonly used LP module. In this paper, we propose a novel Moment Probing (MP) method to further explore the potential of LP. Distinguished from LP which builds a linear classification head based on the mean of final features (e.g., word tokens for ViT) or classification tokens, our MP performs a linear classifier on feature distribution, which provides the stronger representation ability by exploiting richer statistical information inherent in features. Specifically, we represent feature distribution by its characteristic function, which is efficiently approximated by using first- and second-order moments of features. Furthermore, we propose a multi-head convolutional cross-covariance (MHC$^3$) to compute second-order moments in an efficient and effective manner. By considering that MP could affect feature learning, we introduce a partially shared module to learn two recalibrating parameters (PSRP) for backbones based on MP, namely MP$_{+}$. Extensive experiments on ten benchmarks using various models show that our MP significantly outperforms LP and is competitive with counterparts at less training cost, while our MP$_{+}$ achieves state-of-the-art performance.Comment: Accepted to ICCV 2023; Project Page: https://github.com/mingzeG/Moment-Probin

Activation of AMP-Activated Protein Kinase Is Required for Berberine-Induced Reduction of Atherosclerosis in Mice: The Role of Uncoupling Protein 2

Berberine, a botanical alkaloid purified from Coptidis rhizoma, is reported to activate the AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK). Whether AMPK is required for the protective effects of berberine in cardiovascular diseases remains unknown. This study was designed to determine whether AMPK is required for berberine-induced reduction of oxidative stress and atherosclerosis in vivo.ApoE (ApoE⁻/⁻) mice and ApoE⁻/⁻/AMPK alpha 2⁻/⁻ mice that were fed Western diets were treated with berberine for 8 weeks. Atherosclerotic aortic lesions, expression of uncoupling protein 2 (UCP2), and markers of oxidative stress were evaluated in isolated aortas.In ApoE⁻/⁻ mice, chronic administration of berberine significantly reduced aortic lesions, markedly reduced oxidative stress and expression of adhesion molecules in aorta, and significantly increased UCP2 levels. In contrast, in ApoE⁻/⁻/AMPK alpha 2⁻/⁻ mice, berberine had little effect on those endpoints. In cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs), berberine significantly increased UCP2 mRNA and protein expression in an AMPK-dependent manner. Transfection of HUVECs with nuclear respiratory factor 1 (NRF1)-specific siRNA attenuated berberine-induced expression of UCP2, whereas transfection with control siRNA did not. Finally, berberine promoted mitochondrial biogenesis that contributed to up-regulation of UCP2 expression.We conclude that berberine reduces oxidative stress and vascular inflammation, and suppresses atherogenesis via a mechanism that includes stimulation of AMPK-dependent UCP2 expression

7-Ketocholesterol Induces Autophagy in Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells through Nox4 and Atg4B

Oxidized lipoproteins stimulate autophagy in advanced atherosclerotic plaques. However, the mechanisms underlying autophagy induction and the role of autophagy in atherogenesis remain to be determined. This study was designed to investigate the mechanisms by which 7-ketocholesterol (7-KC), a major component of oxidized lipoproteins, induces autophagy. This study was also designed to determine the effect of autophagy induction on apoptosis, a central event in the development of atherosclerosis. Exposure of human aortic smooth muscle cells to 7-KC increased autophagic flux. Autophagy induction was suppressed by treating the cells with either a reactive oxygen species scavenger or an antioxidant. Administration of 7-KC concomitantly up-regulated Nox4 expression, increased intracellular hydrogen peroxide levels, and inhibited autophagy-related gene 4B activity. Catalase overexpression to remove hydrogen peroxide or Nox4 knockdown with siRNA reduced intracellular hydrogen peroxide levels, restored autophagy-related gene 4B activity, and consequently attenuated 7-KC–induced autophagy. Moreover, inhibition of autophagy aggravated both endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and cell death in response to 7-KC. In contrast, up-regulation of autophagic activity by rapamycin had opposite effects. Finally, activation of autophagy by chronic rapamycin treatment attenuated ER stress, apoptosis, and atherosclerosis in apolipoprotein E knockout (ApoE−/−) mouse aortas. In conclusion, we demonstrate that up-regulation of autophagy is a cellular protective response that attenuates 7-KC–induced cell death in human aortic smooth muscle cells

Water Vapor Near-UV Absorption: Laboratory Spectrum, Field Evidence, and Atmospheric Impacts

Absorption of solar radiation by water vapor in the near-UV region is a poorly-understood but important issue in atmospheric science. To better understand water vapor near-UV absorption, we constructed a cavity ring-down spectrometer with bandwidth of 5 cm-1 (~0.05 nm) and obtained water vapor absorption cross-sections at 1 nm increments in the 290-350 nm region. Water vapor displays structured absorption over this range with maximum and minimum cross-sections of 8.4×10-25 and 1.6×10-25 cm2/molecule. Major water vapor absorption bands were observed at 293-295, 307-313, 319, 321-322, and 325 nm, with cross-section values higher than 4.0×10-25 cm2/molecule. To obtain further insight into major water vapor absorption bands, we measured water vapor absorption cross-sections at 0.05 nm intervals in the 292-296, 306-314, and 317-326 nm region. Field UV residual spectra not only exhibited increased attenuation at higher atmospheric water vapor loadings but also showed structures suggested by the laboratory water vapor absorption spectrum. Spaceborne UV radiance spectra have spectral structures resembling the differential cross-section spectrum constructed from the laboratory wavelength-dependent water vapor absorption cross-sections presented here. Incorporating water vapor absorption cross-section data into a radiative transfer model yielded an estimated energy budget of 0.26 W/m2 for the standard U.S. atmosphere and 0.76 W/m2 for the tropics. This shows that water vapor near-UV absorption is an important contributor for climate simulation and ozone retrievals

Reaction of Hexagonal Boron Nitride Nano-crystals under Mild Hydrothermal Conditions

The reaction between hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) nano-crystals and water at low temperature and low pressure has been investigated. The results reveal that this reaction can be greatly promoted by increasing the hot-pressing temperature. However, when the temperature is above 280 • C, the reaction is too fast to be controlled by varying the hot-pressing pressure and time. On the other hand, stress and defects are induced in hBN nano-crystals by the hydrothermal hot-pressing process, resulting in a shift of the IR absorption bands and a deterioration of crystalline perfection. These results may be useful for synthesizing cBN by the hydrothermal method and converting hBN nanocrystals into cBN under moderate conditions

Antioxidant properties of novel dimers derived from natural β‑elemene through inhibiting H2O2‑induced apoptosis

A series of novel β-elemene dimer derivatives were synthesized and evaluated for their antioxidant activities. The results indicated that most of the target compounds showed more potent cytoprotective effects than positive control vitamin E. In particular, dimer D5 exhibited the strongest antioxidant activity, which was significantly superior to the active compound D1 obtained in our previous study. Besides, D5 did not produce obvious cytotoxicity in normal human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and increased the viability of HUVECs injured by H2O2 in a concentration-dependent manner. Further studies suggested that the cytoprotective action of D5 might be mediated, at least in part, by increasing the intracellular superoxide dismutase activity and nitric oxide secretion as well as decreasing the intracellular malonyldialdehyde content and lactate dehydrogenase release. Furthermore, D5 observably inhibited ROS generation and prevented H2O2-induced apoptosis in HUVECs possibly via inhibiting the activation of the MAPK signaling pathway

Redox Regulation of the AMP-Activated Protein Kinase

Redox state is a critical determinant of cell function, and any major imbalances can cause severe damage or death