Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Automated forensic extraction of encryption keys using behavioral analysis

In this paper we describe a technique for automatic algorithm identification and information extraction from unknown binaries. We emulate the binary using PyEmu forcing complete code coverage whilst simultaneously examining its behavior. Our behavior matcher then identifies specific algorithmic behavior and extracts information. We demonstrate the use of this technique for automated extraction of encryption keys from an unseen program with no prior knowledge about its implementation. Our technique can also be used for automatic categorization and suggestion of function purpose to analysts.
Modeling and optimizing content-based publish/subscribe systems

Publish/subscribe systems are used increasingly often as a communication mechanism in loosely-coupled distributed systems. Their field of application is widespread ranging from communication platforms for real-time enterprises to Internet scale information dissemination systems. The performance of publish/subscribe systems plays an essential role for their acceptance. Especially, in mission-critical and financial areas, the system should guarantee certain predefined performance metrics such as throughput and latency. On the other hand, operators want to run publish/subscribe systems as efficiently as possible to reduce their operating costs. These requirements lead to the necessity to develop strategies for planning and managing publish/subscribe systems. In my PhD project I will introduce such strategies which target the complete life cycle of publish/subscribe systems including the design, the operation and the redesign phase. I will show how an optimized infrastructure meeting predefined requirements can be determined before the system is deployed and how this approach can be used for a redesign. This allows designers to decide about the required size and capabilities of the infrastructure they have to set up. Furthermore, I will investigate how the publish/subscribe system can continuously be optimized at runtime using a new kind of adaptive routing scheme. This way, the system will autonomously provide the best quality of service possible in dynamically changing environments and reduces management costs.
Utilizing User-input Contextual Terms for Query Disambiguation

Precision-oriented search results such as those typically returned by the major search engines are vulnerable to issues of polysemy. When the same term refers to different things, the dominant sense is preferred in the rankings of search results. In this paper, we propose a novel technique in the context of web search that utilizes contextual terms provided by users for query disambiguation, making it possible to prefer other senses without altering the original query.
DVB-T2 simulation model for OPNET

DVB-T2 is offering a new way for broadcasting value-added services to end users, such as High Denition (HD) TV and 3D TV. Thanks to the advances made in digital signal processing, and specically in channel coding, DVB- T2 brings an increased transfer capacity of 50% and a new exibility in services' broadcasting in contrast with the rst generation DVB-T standard. As DVB-T2 is still in deployment's test, simulation model could be an interesting way to evaluate the performance of this network in supporting new value-added services. In this paper, we describe the new features and enhancements we have integrated within the DVB-T2 module in OPNET, and in particular: (i) a realistic physical model;(ii) an MPEG-TS layer with an IP encapsulator;(iii) hierarchical application layer ables to use pcap traces to simulate real video traces. Also, we include an extensive simulation campaign in order to well understand the performance of DVB-T2 networks.
Investigating the Roles of the C-Terminal Domain of Plasmodium falciparum GyrA

Malaria remains as one of the most deadly diseases in developing countries. The Plasmodium causative agents of human malaria such as Plasmodium falciparum possess an organelle, the apicoplast, which is the result of secondary endosymbiosis and retains its own circular DNA. A type II topoisomerase, DNA gyrase, is present in the apicoplast. In prokaryotes this enzyme is a proven, effective target for antibacterial agents, and its discovery in P. falciparum opens up the prospect of exploiting it as a drug target. Basic characterisation of P. falciparum gyrase is important because there are significant sequence differences between it and the prokaryotic enzyme. However, it has proved difficult to obtain soluble protein. Here we have predicted a new domain boundary in P. falciparum GyrA that corresponds to the C-terminal domain of prokaryotic GyrA and successfully purified it in a soluble form. Biochemical analyses revealed many similarities between the C-terminal domains of GyrA from E. coli and P. falciparum, suggesting that despite its considerably larger size, the malarial protein carries out a similar DNA wrapping function. Removal of a unique Asn-rich region in the P. falciparum protein did not result in a significant change, suggesting it is dispensable for DNA wrapping.
Industry-wise Analysis of Security Breaches in Data Loss Incidents

Cloud computing offers many conveniences at reduced costs, which has motivated many organizations to migrate their data and services to cloud platforms. Security breaches that plague these cloud transactions, however, can threaten widespread migration to the cloud. In this paper, we study data loss incidents over the last decade to discover the vulnerabilities that organizations face when moving their data and computations to the cloud. These data loss incidents are collected and documented in the DataLoss project led by the Open Source Foundation. Our industry-wise analysis focuses on understanding the types of breaches and data loss modes encountered by organizations in the business, educational, government, and medical sectors. For each industrial sector, we also measure the impact of these breaches in terms of the number of lost records and the estimated costs. We summarize the findings of our analysis into a set of recommendations for the four sectors. We expect that these recommendations will guide organizations in developing policies and practices that can prevent security breaches and stem the resulting losses.
Depression and anxiety related subtypes in Parkinson's disease

Background Depression and anxiety are common in Parkinson's disease (PD) and although clinically important remain poorly understood and managed. To date, research has tended to treat depression and anxiety as distinct phenomena. There is growing evidence for heterogeneity in PD in the motor and cognitive domains, with implications for pathophysiology and outcome. Similar heterogeneity may exist in the domain of depression and anxiety. Objective To identify the main anxiety and depression related subtype(s) in PD and their associated demographic and clinical features. Methods A sample of 513 patients with PD received a detailed assessment of depression and anxiety related symptomatology. Latent Class Analysis (LCA) was used to identify putative depression and anxiety related subtypes. Results LCA identified four classes, two interpretable as ‘anxiety related’: one anxiety alone (22.0%) and the other anxiety coexisting with prominent depressive symptoms (8.6%). A third subtype (9%) showed a prominent depressive profile only without significant anxiety. The final class (60.4%) showed a low probability of prominent affective symptoms. The validity of the four classes was supported by distinct patterns of association with important demographic and clinical variables. Conclusion Depression in PD may manifest in two clinical phenotypes, one ‘anxious–depressed’ and the other ‘depressed’. However, a further large proportion of patients can have relatively isolated anxiety. Further study of these putative phenotypes may identify important differences in pathophysiology and other aetiologically important factors and focus research on developing more targeted and effective treatment.
Existence Value and the Contingent Valuation Method

People express concern about the possible extinction of animal species which they will never see, about damage to wilderness areas they will never visit, and so on. Such concerns are often interpreted by economists in terms of ‘existence’ or ‘passive use’ values. Three views have been proposed regarding the appropriate way of dealing with existence values in benefit-cost analysis. First, the existence values and concerns about environmental preservation that are not related to use may be disregarded. Second, concerns about environmental preservation may be taken into account, but not interpreted as existence values or evaluated in monetary terms. Third, the benefit-cost analysis may be modified to incorporate monetary estimates of existence values. Advocates of the third approach have developed a range of techniques for eliciting existence values, collectively referred to as the contingent valuation method. In this paper, the concept of existence value and the techniques of contingent valuation are surveyed, with the aim or providing a basis for comparisons of the three approaches described above.
Various Routing Techniques for non-GEO Satellite Constellations

Two different routing algorithm categories are studied in this paper for a typical LEO satellite constellation. Shortest path algorithms and optimal routing. Their performance is investigated through extended real time simulations. In the context of satellite constellations the basic parameters for a typical network such as delay, throughput, link utilization must be supplemented by new factors imposed by the nature of satellite operation, like the handover procedures, the non-uniformity of load distribution in the space segment and the continuous topology variation. The pros and cons of the techniques are illustrated and helpful conclusions for the network design are provided.
Sensitivity of between-study heterogeneity in meta-analysis: proposed metrics and empirical evaluation.

BACKGROUND Several approaches are available for evaluating heterogeneity in meta-analysis. Sensitivity analyses are often used, but these are often implemented in various non-standardized ways. METHODS We developed and implemented sequential and combinatorial algorithms that evaluate the change in between-study heterogeneity as one or more studies are excluded from the calculations. The algorithms exclude studies aiming to achieve either the maximum or the minimum final I(2) below a desired pre-set threshold. We applied these algorithms in databases of meta-analyses of binary outcome and >/=4 studies from Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (Issue 4, 2005, n = 1011) and meta-analyses of genetic associations (n = 50). Two I(2) thresholds were used (50% and 25%). RESULTS Both algorithms have succeeded in achieving the pre-specified final I(2) thresholds. Differences in the number of excluded studies varied from 0% to 6% depending on the database and the heterogeneity threshold, while it was common to exclude different specific studies. Among meta-analyses with initial I(2) > 50%, in the large majority [19 (90.5%) and 208 (85.9%) in genetic and Cochrane meta-analyses, respectively] exclusion of one or two studies sufficed to decrease I(2) < 50%. Similarly, among meta-analyses with initial I(2) > 25%, in most cases [16 (57.1%) and 382 (81.3%), respectively) exclusion of one or two studies sufficed to decrease heterogeneity even <25%. The number of excluded studies correlated modestly with initial estimated I(2) (correlation coefficients 0.52-0.68 depending on algorithm used). CONCLUSIONS The proposed algorithms can be routinely applied in meta-analyses as standardized sensitivity analyses for heterogeneity. Caution is needed evaluating post hoc which specific studies are responsible for the heterogeneity.
A comparative study of DASH representation sets using real user characteristics

Adaptive streaming strategies over HTTP allow to serve heterogeneous video users with varying demands. By providing different encoded versions (representations) of each video sequence on the server, clients have the freedom to select a representation that best fits their needs. While the topic of selecting a representation based on a pre-defined set is covered very well in the literature, the problem of how to properly select the representation set stored at the main server is usually an overlooked challenge. In this work, we provide an analysis on how the choice of representations on the server impacts the clients' quality. This is achieved by conducting NS-3 based simulations with a total of 10k users and up to 300 concurrent DASH clients for several recommended sets (e.g., Netflix, YouTube, and Apple), and measuring the experienced quality over a timespan of 24 hours. The results show that under heavy load (at peak hours) there is still room for improvement.
Better Prediction of Protein Cellular Localization Sites with the it k Nearest Neighbors Classifier

We have compared four classifiers on the problem of predicting the cellular localization sites of proteins in yeast and E. coli. A set of sequence derived features, such as regions of high hydrophobicity, were used for each classifier. The methods compared were a structured probabilistic model specifically designed for the localization problem, the k nearest neighbors classifier, the binary decision tree classifier, and the naïve Bayes classifier. The result of tests using stratified cross validation shows the k nearest neighbors classifier to perform better than the other methods. In the case of yeast this difference was statistically significant using a cross-validated paired t test. The result is an accuracy of approximately 60% for 10 yeast classes and 86% for 8 E. coli classes. The best previously reported accuracies for these datasets were 55% and 81% respectively.
WhiteSteg: a new scheme in information hiding using text steganography

Sending encrypted messages frequently will draw the attention of third parties, i.e. crackers and hackers, perhaps causing attempts to break and reveal the original messages. In this digital world, steganography is introduced to hide the existence of the communication by concealing a secret message inside another unsuspicious message. The hidden message maybe plaintext, or any data that can be represented as a stream of bits. Steganography is often being used together with cryptography and offers an acceptable amount of privacy and security over the communication channel. This paper presents an overview of text steganography and a brief history of steganography along with various existing techniques of text steganography. Highlighted are some of the problems inherent in text steganography as well as issues with existing solutions. A new approach, named WhiteSteg is proposed in information hiding using interword spacing and inter-paragraph spacing as a hybrid method to reduce the visible detection of the embedded messages. WhiteSteg offers dynamic generated cover-text with six options of maximum capacity according to the length of the secret message. Besides, the advantage of exploiting whitespaces in information hiding is discussed. This paper also analyzes the significant drawbacks of each existing method and how WhiteSteg could be recommended as a solution.
Civil society in civil war : peace work and identity politics in Sri Lanka

What possibilities do civil society actors have in contributing to peace in violent conflicts fought along identity lines? What are the problems involved in civil society peace work? This thesis takes on these questions, applying a critical, interpretative and constructivist approach. It draws the attention to actors who are often not visible in war and peace processes, given that a focus on outside intervention has dominated peace and conflict research. The case of Sri Lanka is used to scrutinise the underlying assumptions and possible contributions of civil society peace work, and to highlight and analyse how identification processes form part of peace work in violent conflicts in ethnically divided societies. The thesis makes its point of departure in the lack of problematisation in current literature about civil society peace work in identity conflict. It argues that civil society and NGOs have often been treated as unitary actors, and that the conflicting struggles in the civil society sphere and the inner dynamics of peace movements have been overlooked. Moreover, the issue of peace work impact, and link between small-scale work and the ending of wars, have often been ignored or treated in vague terms. Additionally, while recognising the importance of identity in contemporary civil wars, peace researchers commonly have a simplistic understanding of the processes of creating a "self" in relation to an "other" at work in ethnic conflict, as well as in the mobilisation of protest and in peace work. This study explores these issues through a theoretical discussion and an in-depth case study of civil society peace work in Sri Lanka. The study builds primarily on qualitative interviews conducted from 1999-2002 with peace movement leaders, participants in peace work and key actors outside the peace movement. The thesis points to the contradictory forces and struggles in the civil society sphere, and the varied peace definitions and experiences present in the peace movement. The thesis concludes that civil society peace work mainly contributes indirectly to ending wars, by placing pressure on or lending support to key actors, providing small-scale examples of dialogue and pointing to the possibilities of structural change. The role of peace movements endorsing alternative discourses and challenging the normalisation of war and ethnic divides was emphasised. Although actors for peace often claim to promote inclusive identities and defy ethnic polarisation, boundary-making between "self" and "other" are also at play within peace movements and organisations. The ethnic, party political, urban-rural and class divides in Sri Lankan society were echoed in the peace movement. However, peace actors were simultaneously engaged in attempts to rise above and to deconstruct the logic of ethnic polarisation.
Need for a revision of the normal limits of resting heart rate.

The current definition of sinus tachycardia is a heart rate >100 beats per minute (bpm). 1 This limit was set arbitrarily when heart rate was not yet regarded as a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, probably with the main purpose of distinguishing between a disease state (fever, thyrotoxicosis, anemia, congestive heart failure, etc) and a normal condition. In recent years, interest has been aroused by the awareness that fast heart rate is a potent precursor of hypertension, atherosclerosis, and their sequelae.2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 In addition, many leading epidemiological studies have shown that tachycardia is associated with an increased risk of death from cardiovascular and noncardiovascular causes. This relationship has been found in general populations,3 4 5 6 7 in elderly individuals,9 and in hypertensive cohorts.10 In all of these studies, the heart rate value above that in which a significant increase in risk was observed was below the 100 bpm threshold (Table 1⇓). Only in the study by Levy et al3 was tachycardia defined as a heart rate >99 bpm, but in that study the cutoff between normal and high heart rate was chosen arbitrarily, and the highest heart rate value measured during the examination was taken to define the subject’s heart rate. In all the other studies, the threshold level between normal and fast heart rate was between 79 and 90 bpm. View this table: Table 1. Heart Rate Values Above Which a Significant Increase in Risk Was Found: Data From 9 Epidemiological Studies The normalcy limits of a clinical variable can be established according to different criteria. For many parameters, such as most biochemical indexes, the 95% confidence interval is calculated to identify the upper normal limit of the variable. This statistical approach does not appear suitable for those clinical variables …
Mobile user location prediction: Genetic algorithm-based approach

Context histories, especially when recorded over a long term, offer a wide range of possibilities to enhance the services provided by ubiquitous computing system application. These possibilities include inferring of current and past user location, and selection of devices. However, the prediction of future context based on the recorded past locations is often conceived as the ultimate challenge in exploiting the whole of context histories. This paper presents a prediction of user location using genetic algorithm and based location history in finding a number of solutions of possible location when applied to recorded context histories, framework is presented and the result are discussed.
A biomechanical model describing tangential tissue deformations during contact micro-probe scanning

This paper presents a biomechanical model for tissue deformations in the case of tangential micro-probe scanning for image acquisition. The tissue is modelled as a rigid body and its deformations - considered as elastic - as springs between this body and a fixed reference body. The contact between the probe and the tissue is then considered as a Hertzian sphere-plane contact with a Coulomb friction force. Given those hypotheses, an analytical model of the tissue deformations for 2D tangential movements along the locally planar tissue surface can be established. Similarly to the work of Erden et al. [1], the model has a unique parameter: the loading distance of the tissue. For given scan conditions, this parameter can be calibrated with a simple back-and-forth movement and image measurements. It is of particular interest in minimally invasive surgery where measurements of the friction forces or of the mechanical parameters of the tissue are complex to carry out. Simulations are in accordance with experiments and show that this model allows for accurate estimation of the probe/tissue trajectory in one dimension scans. Moreover, unlike previous studies, the model allows the estimation of the probe/tissue trajectory also for 2D scans. Both coupling behaviour and stick/slip transitions when scanning direction changes are taken into account. However experiments show that anisotropy is an important parameter when studying 2D coupling behaviour. Therefore, an extension of the model that takes anisotropic behaviour of the tissue into account is proposed. Experiments carried out on ex vivo bovine liver and chicken muscle tissues show that the probe/tissue trajectory is accurately predicted by the model. However, this increases the number of parameters to five. As a consequence, unlike in the isotropic case, the parameters can not be simply calibrated using a back-and-forth movement. Further work will be carried out towards finding an easy and effective calibration procedure that applies both to the isotropic and anisotropic cases.