A malware instruction set for behavior-based analysis

We introduce a new representation for monitored behavior of malicious software called Malware Instruction Set (MIST). The representation is optimized for effective and efficient analysis of behavior using data mining and machine learning techniques. It can be obtained automatically during analysis of malware with a behavior monitoring tool or by converting existing behavior reports. The representation is not restricted to a particular monitoring tool and thus can also be used as a meta language to unify behavior reports of different sources

Application of the Procedure for Institutional Compatibility Assessment (PICA) to the implementation of the EU Nitrate Directive in Midi-Pyrenees. Evaluation and suggestions for further improvement and integration into the final version of SEAMLESS-IF

Agricultural and Food Policy, Environmental Economics and Policy, Farm Management, Land Economics/Use,

Personality traits in labor economics

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Control of compliant robotic systems with muscle-like actuators and saturated feedback

This paper is devoted to the problem in controlling a compliant robotic system by means of actuators with musclelike properties, which underlie prescribed bounds due to the natural muscle behavior. A typical example to demonstrate the effectiveness of developed control schemes is the choice of a (inverted) pendulum with higher degree of freedom. Due to the force restriction of the driving muscle forces, we have to sought (saturated) feedback strategies to control the system behavior (e.g. tracking of paths) which have to be limited a-priori. A suitable control variable can be generated by adaptive controllers, e.g., a PID-λ-stabilization. But, the classical torque control variable has to be converted to the muscle force at the joints, and the joint angle velocity has to be converted to the contraction velocity. The effective force at every joint is the difference of the antagonistic muscles pairs with the muscle characteristic curve of HILL (force-velocity-relation). The aim is now, to hold the control variable inside the area restricted by the muscle pairs. Several simulations show the effectiveness of the designed controllers

Ist eine europäische Wirtschaftsregierung eine sinnvolle Option?

Rainer Brüderle, Bundesminister für Wirtschaft und Technologie, sieht für eine weitergehende Zentralisierung der Wirtschaftspolitik keinen Grund. Die für die jeweilige Situation eines Mitgliedstaats bestmögliche Ausgestaltung von Strukturreformen gelinge am ehesten in nationaler Verantwortung und entsprechend den nationalen Gegebenheiten. Georg Fahrenschon, Bayerischer Staatsminister der Finanzen, warnt vor einer europäischen Wirtschaftsregierung einschließlich nivellierender Steuerungsfunktion. Ihre Befürworter seien bislang den Beweis schuldig geblieben, dass der Ansatz Europas Wettbewerbsfähigkeit stärken und nicht schwächen wird. Auch Carsten Hefeker, Universität Siegen, spricht sich gegen eine gemeinsame Wirtschaftsregierung aus. Man müsse sich die Frage stellen, wo Externalitäten bestehen und Mechanismen zum Eindämmen dieser Externalitäten nötig seien. Und man müsse sich auf die konsequente Durchsetzung von beschlossenen Regeln einigen. Rainer Schweickert, Universität Siegen, argumentiert in seinem Beitrag, dass man Regierungsversagen nicht mit mehr Kompetenzen für die Regierungen bekämpfen sollte. Eine europäische Wirtschaftsregierung könne nicht dazu beitragen, die gegenwärtige Krise besser zu bewältigen bzw. zukünftige Krisen zu vermeiden. Es gelte, die Spielregeln zu verbessern und damit sowohl Markt- als auch Regierungsversagen zu verhindern. Für Konrad Lammers, Europa-Kolleg Hamburg, stellt eine europäische Wirtschaftsregierung keine brauchbare Alternative dar. Aus seiner Sicht fehlen in der Währungsunion Anreiz- und Sanktionsmechanismen, die die wirtschaftspolitischen Akteure zu einem verantwortungsvollen Verhalten sowohl auf der nationalen wie auch auf der europäischen Ebene anhalten.Europäische Wirtschafts- und Währungsunion, Wirtschaftskrise, Finanzmarktkrise, Internationale Wirtschaftsbeziehungen, Zentralstaat, Europa

Frequent Pet Contact as Risk Factor for Allergic Bronchopulmonary Aspergillosis in Cystic Fibrosis

Aspergillus fumigatus (Af) frequently colonizes the respiratory tract of patients with cystic fibrosis (CF). Af is associated with loss of pulmonary function and allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA), a hypersensitivity fungal lung disease. Environmental factors have impact on CF patients' lung function variation. The aim of this nationwide questionnaire survey was to investigate the amount of CF patients with frequent pet contact including pet species and to examine the potential impact of frequent pet contact on the occurrence of Af colonization and ABPA diagnosis in these patients. The survey was carried out in 31 German CF centers in 2018. A total of 1232 who completed the surveys were included, and statistical analysis was performed by chi-squared test. Within the study cohort 49.8% of subjects (n = 614; CF patients < 18years: 49.4%, n = 234; ≥ 18years: 50.1%, n = 380) reported frequent contact to pets, of which 60.7% reported frequent contact to dogs, 42.3% to cats and other animals. Of those with frequent pet contact, 71.8% (n = 441) had contact to one pet or more pets from the same family. Af colonization was not significantly associated with frequent pet contact. ABPA diagnosis was documented in 16.7% (n = 206) of all included CF patients and was significantly associated with frequent pet contact (18.9%, n = 116, p = 0.042), confirming previous single center examinations. Particularly, patients with frequent contact to dogs showed an increased ABPA prevalence of 21.3%. Frequent pet contact might be a risk factor for ABPA. CF patients who are sensitized to Af should be informed about the increased risk to develop an ABPA by frequent pet contact. Patients with recurrent onset of ABPA should be evaluated in terms of frequent pet contact

Urban Life as Risk Factor for Aspergillosis

Aspergillus fumigatus (Af) frequently colonizes the airways of patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) and can cause severe diseases, such as allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis, Af bronchitis or even Af pneumonia. However, risk factors, including environmental factors, for acquiring Af in the respiratory tract of patients with CF are rarely studied and described. The aim of this study was to investigate whether urban or rural life could affect colonization with Af in the respiratory tract of patients with CF. Due to privacy policy, registry data are usually not linked to patients ' home addresses. It is therefore very difficult to analyze the influence of the patient ' s residential environment. This prospective questionnaire survey was carried out in 31 German CF centers in 2018. Only completed surveys, including a clearly assigned type of residential area were included. Statistical analysis was performed by chi-squared test and logistic regression models. A total of 1016 questionnaires were analyzed (Patients` age: 23 ± 13; 0-88 years; female gender: n=492; 48%). The majority of patients with CF live in large cities (n =314; 30.9%) or urban districts (n=461; 45.4%). Prevalence of 30.2% was found for Af, within the 12 months of investigation period. Af colonization was significantly associated with urban life (p=0.004). Urban live should be considered as possible new risk factor for colonization with Af in the respiratory tract of patients with CF. These new results may raise the awareness of the influence of environmental factors on patient outcomes and should be included in patient guidance and preventive measures

Human Fear Conditioning and Extinction in Neuroimaging: A Systematic Review

Fear conditioning and extinction are basic forms of associative learning that have gained considerable clinical relevance in enhancing our understanding of anxiety disorders and facilitating their treatment. Modern neuroimaging techniques have significantly aided the identification of anatomical structures and networks involved in fear conditioning. On closer inspection, there is considerable variation in methodology and results between studies. This systematic review provides an overview of the current neuroimaging literature on fear conditioning and extinction on healthy subjects, taking into account methodological issues such as the conditioning paradigm. A Pubmed search, as of December 2008, was performed and supplemented by manual searches of bibliographies of key articles. Two independent reviewers made the final study selection and data extraction. A total of 46 studies on cued fear conditioning and/or extinction on healthy volunteers using positron emission tomography or functional magnetic resonance imaging were reviewed. The influence of specific experimental factors, such as contingency and timing parameters, assessment of conditioned responses, and characteristics of conditioned and unconditioned stimuli, on cerebral activation patterns was examined. Results were summarized descriptively. A network consisting of fear-related brain areas, such as amygdala, insula, and anterior cingulate cortex, is activated independently of design parameters. However, some neuroimaging studies do not report these findings in the presence of methodological heterogeneities. Furthermore, other brain areas are differentially activated, depending o