Robustness of Image-Based Malware Analysis

In previous work, “gist descriptor” features extracted from images have been used in malware classification problems and have shown promising results. In this research, we determine whether gist descriptors are robust with respect to malware obfuscation techniques, as compared to Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN) trained directly on malware images. Using the Python Image Library (PIL), we create images from malware executables and from malware that we obfuscate. We conduct experiments to compare classifying these images with a CNN as opposed to extracting the gist descriptor features from these images to use in classification. For the gist descriptors, we consider a variety of classification algorithms including k-nearest neighbors, random forest, support vector machine, and multi-layer perceptron. We find that gist descriptors are more robust than CNNs, with respect to the obfuscation techniques that we consider

Herschel PACS and SPIRE observations of blazar PKS 1510-089: a case for two blazar zones

We present the results of observations of blazar PKS 1510-089 with the Herschel Space Observatory PACS and SPIRE instruments, together with multiwavelength data from Fermi/LAT, Swift, SMARTS and SMA. The source was found in a quiet state, and its far-infrared spectrum is consistent with a power-law with a spectral index of alpha ~ 0.7. Our Herschel observations were preceded by two 'orphan' gamma-ray flares. The near-infrared data reveal the high-energy cut-off in the main synchrotron component, which cannot be associated with the main gamma-ray component in a one-zone leptonic model. This is because in such a model the luminosity ratio of the External-Compton and synchrotron components is tightly related to the frequency ratio of these components, and in this particular case an unrealistically high energy density of the external radiation would be implied. Therefore, we consider a well-constrained two-zone blazar model to interpret the entire dataset. In this framework, the observed infrared emission is associated with the synchrotron component produced in the hot-dust region at the supra-pc scale, while the gamma-ray emission is associated with the External-Compton component produced in the broad-line region at the sub-pc scale. In addition, the optical/UV emission is associated with the accretion disk thermal emission, with the accretion disk corona likely contributing to the X-ray emission.Comment: 13 pages, 8 figures, 7 tables; accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journa

Cancer Awareness in Alternative Settings: Lessons Learned and Evaluation of the Barbershop Men’s Health Project

Prostate and colorectal cancer are two of the leading causes of cancer deaths among African American men. This study describes lessons learned from the development, implementation and evaluation of a culturally appropriate, barbershop-based intervention to improve prostate and colorectal cancer screening awareness among African American men. Working with an Advisory Panel of shop owners, barbers, and cancer survivors, local barbers were recruited and trained as Community Health Advisors to educate, motivate, and assist their clients in becoming more knowledgeable about prostate and colorectal cancer. Survey results reveal increases in prostate and colorectal cancer knowledge and self-reported screening among participants. Lessons learned include the need for adequate project staffing and the appropriate role of the barber as a Community Health Advisor. Findings from this study suggest that barbershops are a promising setting for reaching African American men and could be used to target additional conditions that disproportionately impact this community

Forensic Evaluation of Historic Shell Structure: Development of In-Situ Geometry

When completed in 1961, the roof of St. Charles Church became the largest unbalanced hyperbolic paraboloid structure in the world and the only shell structure in Spokane, WA. Situated on an 8-acre site on the north side of the city, St. Charles is a modernist structure designed through partnership of Funk, Molander & Johnson and architect William C. James. This asymmetric structure is over 45.72m (150ft) and utilizes folded edge beams that taper from 1067mm (42in) at the base to a 76.2mm (3in) thickness at the topmost edge using regular strength reinforcing steel and concrete. The novelty of the shell structure serves both architectural and structural design criteria by delivering a large, uninterrupted interior sanctuary space in materially and economically efficient manner. Having previously completed an initial analysis of the structure, now, 60 years later, a complete structural forensic evaluation of the shell has been conducted using full point cloud laser scanning to generate a complete in-situ model. The in-situ geometry and historic loads are described and deflections as first steps in a full structural forensic study. Results of the current in-situ geometry are compared to the design geometry of original construction documents

Shifting selves and spaces : conceptualising school emergency remote teaching as a third space

The British Educational Research Association provided COVID-19 small research project fundingfor one of the research studies.The COVID-19 pandemic was the catalyst for unprecedented change within education systems around the world. Teaching and learning which had traditionally taken place in school classrooms suddenly moved online. Teachers’ responses to the emergency changed not just pedagogy but who was teaching as well as when and where teaching took place. Bhabha’s ‘third space’ (1994) provides a way of re-imagining the new spaces (both physical and virtual) which were created in response to the pandemic. We report on data from two research studies in Scotland conducted in the 2020-21 academic year covering two lockdown (stay at home) periods: one comprising interviews with nine educators in Scotland; the other study using two rounds of focus groups with eleven early career teachers. Our research thus enquires into the lockdown practices of a range of teachers and managers across different local authorities in Scotland, exploring how they engaged learners using digital technologies during two national lockdowns. Across both studies, digital technology played a key role in how this third space was mediated and the findings show participants’ emotional highs and lows of working within this new space. It also shows teachers’ changing perceptions of children and families and how power relations evolved over the lockdown periods. Technology facilitated the emergency response, but questions remain as to what the legacy of this forced shift will be. This paper points to the importance of two-way communication between home and school and how third spaces using digital technologies could bring home and school funds of knowledge closer together.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Analysis of the Effects of Dietary Pattern on the Oral Microbiome of Elite Endurance Athletes

Although the oral microbiota is known to play a crucial role in human health, there are few studies of diet x oral microbiota interactions, and none in elite athletes who may manipulate their intakes of macronutrients to achieve different metabolic adaptations in pursuit of optimal endurance performance. The aim of this study was to investigate the shifts in the oral microbiome of elite male endurance race walkers from Europe, Asia, the Americas and Australia, in response to one of three dietary patterns often used by athletes during a period of intensified training: a High Carbohydrate (HCHO; = 9; with 60% energy intake from carbohydrates; ~8.5 g kg day carbohydrate, ~2.1 g kg day protein, 1.2 g kg day fat) diet, a Periodised Carbohydrate (PCHO; = 10; same macronutrient composition as HCHO, but the intake of carbohydrates is different across the day and throughout the week to support training sessions with high or low carbohydrate availability) diet or a ketogenic Low Carbohydrate High Fat (LCHF; = 10; 0.5 g kg day carbohydrate; 78% energy as fat; 2.1 g kg day protein) diet. Saliva samples were collected both before (Baseline; BL) and after the three-week period (Post treatment; PT) and the oral microbiota profiles for each athlete were produced by 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing. Principal coordinates analysis of the oral microbiota profiles based on the weighted UniFrac distance measure did not reveal any specific clustering with respect to diet or athlete ethnic origin, either at baseline (BL) or following the diet-training period. However, discriminant analyses of the oral microbiota profiles by Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA) Effect Size (LEfSe) and sparse Partial Least Squares Discriminant Analysis (sPLS-DA) did reveal changes in the relative abundance of specific bacterial taxa, and, particularly, when comparing the microbiota profiles following consumption of the carbohydrate-based diets with the LCHF diet. These analyses showed that following consumption of the LCHF diet the relative abundances of and spp. were decreased, and the relative abundance of spp. was increased. Such findings suggest that diet, and, in particular, the LCHF diet can induce changes in the oral microbiota of elite endurance walkers

Integrable Electron Model with Correlated Hopping and Quantum Supersymmetry

We give the quantum analogue of a recently introduced electron model which generalizes the Hubbard model with additional correlated hopping terms and electron pair hopping. The model contains two independent parameters and is invariant with respect to the quantum superalgebra $U_q(gl(2|1))$. It is integrable in one dimension by means of the quantum inverse scattering method.Comment: 7 pages, AmsTex fil

Intestinal Dysbiosis and the Developing Lung: The Role of Toll-Like Receptor 4 in the Gut-Lung Axis.

BackgroundIn extremely premature infants, postnatal growth restriction (PNGR) is common and increases the risk of developing bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) and pulmonary hypertension (PH). Mechanisms by which poor nutrition impacts lung development are unknown, but alterations in the gut microbiota appear to play a role. In a rodent model, PNGR plus hyperoxia causes BPD and PH and increases intestinal Enterobacteriaceae, Gram-negative organisms that stimulate Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4). We hypothesized that intestinal dysbiosis activates intestinal TLR4 triggering systemic inflammation which impacts lung development.MethodsRat pups were assigned to litters of 17 (PNGR) or 10 (normal growth) at birth and exposed to room air or 75% oxygen for 14 days. Half of the pups were treated with the TLR4 inhibitor TAK-242 from birth or beginning at day 3. After 14 days, pulmonary arterial pressure was evaluated by echocardiography and hearts were examined for right ventricular hypertrophy (RVH). Lungs and serum samples were analyzed by western blotting and immunohistochemistry.ResultsPostnatal growth restriction + hyperoxia increased pulmonary arterial pressure and RVH with trends toward increased plasma IL1β and decreased IκBα, the inhibitor of NFκB, in lung tissue. Treatment with the TLR4 inhibitor attenuated PH and inflammation.ConclusionPostnatal growth restriction induces an increase in intestinal Enterobacteriaceae leading to PH. Activation of the TLR4 pathway is a promising mechanism by which intestinal dysbiosis impacts the developing lung

The interplay between transport and reaction rates as controls on nitrate attenuation in permeable, streambed sediments

Anthropogenic nitrogen fixation and subsequent use of this nitrogen as fertilizer has greatly disturbed the global nitrogen cycle. Rivers are recognized hotspots of nitrogen removal in the landscape as interaction between surface water and sediments creates heterogeneous redox environments conducive for nitrogen transformations. Our understanding of riverbed nitrogen dynamics to date comes mainly from shallow sediments or hyporheic exchange flow pathways with comparatively little attention paid to groundwater-fed, gaining reaches. We have used 15N techniques to quantify in situ rates of nitrate removal to 1m depth within a groundwater-fed riverbed where subsurface hydrology ranged from strong upwelling to predominantly horizontal water fluxes. We combine these rates with detailed hydrologic measurements to investigate the interplay between biogeochemical activity and water transport in controlling nitrogen attenuation along upwelling flow pathways. Nitrate attenuation occurred via denitrification rather than dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium or anammox (range = 12 to >17000 nmol 15N L-1 h-1). Overall, nitrate removal within the upwelling groundwater was controlled by water flux rather than reaction rate (i.e. Damköhler numbers 80% of nitrate removal occurs within sediments not exposed to hyporheic exchange flows under baseflow conditions, illustrating the importance of deep sediments as nitrate sinks in upwelling systems