Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Misleading Metrics : On Evaluating ML for Malware with Confidence

Malware poses a serious and challenging threat and due to the sheer scale the need for automated learning-based approaches to deal with it has become rapidly clear. Swift analysis and prompt detection of these threats present one of the most pressing and important issues that plague the security of the Internet and its users. With more than 550,000 unique malware samples per day reported in Q4 20151, it is clear that manual analysis does not scale and therefore the shift is towards automatic and adaptive techniques that can identify unknown and previously-unseen threats. To this end, machine learning, with a particular emphasis on clustering and classification, has long been acknowledged as a promising technique to address such a fundamental need in a number of security-related domains, including botnet [4, 10], mobile [1], and traditional malware [2, 3, 8, 9, 11]. The advances in the area would seem to suggest that the problem is almost solved. However, assessing the actual results of a given algorithm is problematic. With few exceptions, e.g., [1, 10, 13], the lack of publicly-available datasets hinders the ability to reproduce and compare results. Furthermore, the usage of traditional metrics (e.g., accuracy, precision, recall) to assess the performance of a machine learning algorithm might produce misleading results: such metrics report statistics on correct and incorrect decisions, but do not capture their quality and are hence ill-suited to evaluate a given task. The problem is further exacerbated when machine learning algorithms are deployed in real-world settings, especially in a context which often sees new labels (malware families) and changes in the underlying data distribution (malware variants, new behaviors). Li et al. consider this problem [6], empirically showing that traditional metrics with high accuracy do not necessarily imply that the underlying machine learning is good. They show how the dataset is often chosen to support the claim of the author. Their work focuses primarily on methods specifically built on the available datasets that suffered from data over-fitting issues. Conversely, in our work, we aim at tackling the problem on a broader scope, providing a way to assess the quality of a given algorithm in a scientific and rigorous manner. Our work aims to provide quality metrics that can help in the development of machine learning algorithms that provide an insight into the process and furthermore help predict the performance of a deployed algorithm.
Antagonistic Activity, Antimicrobial Susceptibility and Potential Virulence Factors of Enterococcus faecalis

Enterococcus faecalis isolates (87) were phenotypically and genotypically identified and subsequently subjected to the antagonism test and antimicrobial susceptibility. The lipolitic, hemolytic and DNAse activities were identified along with the genes gelE, cylL, cylS, ccf, cpd and cob that, encode virulence determinants. Thirty seven percent of isolates inhibited Listeria monocytogenes (CERELA), Listeria innocuous (CERELA), Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC25932), Lactococcus lactis (IL1403), Micrococcus luteus (ATCC10240) and Enterococcus faecalis (ATCC29212). All strains were sensitive to the ampicillin antibiotic, but 47% were resistant to at least one antimicrobial agent and 6% of isolates presented multidrug resistance. Ninety seven percent of isolates contained the gelE gene, but 77% of these isolates showed gelatinase activity. Presence of cylL and cylS genes was observed in 25% of the isolates, but only 5% presented hemolytic activity. None isolates showed lipase and DNAse activities. Eight percent of isolates contained the ccf gene and 2% showed the presence of the cpd and cob genes. The ability to inhibit pathogenic bacteria, low resistance to antibiotics and absence of virulence factors make some of Enterococcus faecalis strains characterized in the present study promising for exploitation in other applications such as probiotics in aquaculture.
Inducible nitric oxide synthase in intestinal inflammation

BackgrBackgrBackgrBackgrBackground:ound:ound:ound:ound: Inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) expression and nitric oxide (NO) synthesis are increased in epithelial cells and in tissue macrophages of the inflamed mucosa from patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). ObjectivObjectivObjectivObjectivObjective:e:e:e:e: Since tissue macrophages are derived from circulating monocytes, we studied iNOS expression in circulating monocytes and we related this expression with disease activity. In view of the possible role of NO in monocyte function we also studied iNOS expression in relation to markers of monocyte activation. Methods:Methods:Methods:Methods:Methods: The expression of iNOS in circulating monocytes from 15 patients with active IBD, 6 patients who went into remission, and 18 healthy controls was quantified by flowcytometry and correlated with surface markers (CD63, CD11b, HLA-DR) for monocyte activation. In addition, iNOS expression in circulating monocytes was assessed by Western blotting, immunocytochemistry, and measurement of the NO metabolites nitrite and nitrate in plasma. Results:Results:Results:Results:Results: The expression of iNOS in circulating monocytes and the percentage of iNOS-positive monocytes was increased in patients with active IBD compared to healthy controls (fluorescence index: 1.3 (0.1-6.3) vs 0.8 (0.0-1.8), p < 0.05; percentage of iNOS positive monocytes: 37.3 (1.0-77.0) % vs 5.3 (0.0-43.3), p < 0.01). The 6 patients who went into remission all had a marked reduction of iNOS expression. iNOS expression was confirmed by Western blotting and immunocytochemistry. Plasma nitrite and nitrate levels were elevated in 3 patients with active IBD. The surface markers for monocyte activation, CD63 and CD11b, were not elevated. expression was decreased on circulating monocytes from patients with active ulcerative colitis. Conclusions:Conclusions:Conclusions:Conclusions:Conclusions: iNOS is increased in circulating monocytes from patients with active IBD and this increased expression correlates with disease activity. Considering the decreased HLA-DR expression and absence of monocyte activation markers, NO produced by iNOS, may have a function in suppressing systemic monocyte activation.
Simulation of a high voltage system in a hybrid electrical vehicle

In modern hybrid electrical vehicles (HEV) the electrical system includes different voltage levels. Visualization of the electric quantities such as currents and voltages of a high voltage system under load conditions is presented in this paper. Different strategies of electric component modeling such as machines or power electronics are used for an intensive analysis of the electrical system. Evaluation of the DC-link with respect to transients and feedbacks resulting from operational performance or fault operation is done.
An Automatic Design Flow for Data Parallel and Pipelined Signal Processing Applications on Embedded Multiprocessor with NoC: Application to Cryptography

Embedded system design is increasingly based on single chip multiprocessors because of the high performance and flexibility requirements. Embedded multiprocessors on FPGA provide the additional flexibility by allowing customization through addition of hardware accelerators on FPGA when parallel software implementation does not provide the expected performance. And the overall multiprocessor architecture is still kept for additional applications. This provides a transition to software only parallel implementation while avoiding pure hardware implementation. An automatic design flow is proposed well suited for data flow signal processing exhibiting both pipelining and data parallel mode of execution. Fork-Join model-based software parallelization is explored to find out the best parallelization configuration. C-based synthesis coprocessor is added to improve performance with more hardware resource usage. The Triple Data Encryption Standard (TDES) cryptographic algorithm on a 48-PE single-chip distributed memory multiprocessor is selected as an application example of the flow.
MGSA/GRO transcription is differentially regulated in normal retinal pigment epithelial and melanoma cells

We have characterized constitutive and cytokine-regulated MGSA/GRO alpha, -beta, and -gamma gene expression in normal retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells and a malignant melanoma cell line (Hs294T) to discern the mechanism for MGSA/GRO constitutive expression in melanoma. In RPE cells, constitutive MGSA/GRO alpha, -beta, and -gamma mRNAs are not detected by Northern (RNA) blot analysis although nuclear runoff experiments show that all three genes are transcribed. In Hs294T cells, constitutive MGSA/GRO alpha expression is detectable by Northern blot analysis, and the level of basal MGSA/GRO alpha transcription is 8- to 30-fold higher than in RPE cells. In contrast, in Hs294T cells, basal MGSA/GRO beta and -gamma transcription is only twofold higher than in RPE cells and no beta or gamma mRNA is detected by Northern blot. These data suggest that the constitutive MGSA/GRO alpha mRNA in Hs294T cells is due to increased basal MGSA/GRO alpha gene transcription. The cytokines interleukin-1 (IL-1) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF alpha) significantly increase the mRNA levels for all three MGSA/GRO isoforms in Hs294T and RPE cells, and both transcriptional and posttranscriptional mechanisms are operational. Nuclear runoff assays indicate that in RPE cells, a 1-h IL-1 treatment induces a 10- to 20-fold increase in transcription of MGSA/GRO alpha, -beta and -gamma but only a 2-fold increase in Hs294T cells. Similarly, chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) reporter gene analysis using the MGSA/GRO alpha, -beta, and -gamma promoter regions demonstrates that IL-1 treatment induces an 8- to 14-fold increase in CAT activity in RPE cells but only a 2-fold increase in Hs294T cells. The effect of deletion or mutation of the MGSA/GRO alpha NF-kappa B element, combined with data from gel mobility shift analyses, indicates that the NF-kappa B p50/p65 heterodimer in RPE cells plays an important role in IL-1- and TNF alpha-enhanced gene transcription. In Hs294T cells, gel shift analyses indicate that IL-1 and TNF alpha induce NF-kappa B complex formation; however, transactivation does not occur, suggesting that subtle differences in the NF-kappa B complexes may result in the inability of the cytokines IL-1 and TNF alpha to activate transcription of the MGSA/GRO genes. IL-1 and TNF alpha posttranscriptionally regulate MGSA/GRO mRNA levels in both cell types. In Hs294T cells, IL-1 increases the half-life of MGSA/GRO alpha from 15 min to 6 h (a 24-fold increase in half-life). These data indicate that IL-1 and TNF alpha transcriptionally and posttranscriptionally regulate MGSA/GRO alpha, -beta, and -gamma mRNA levels in RPE cells, while in Hs294T cells, the major effect of IL-1 and TNF alpha is on mRNA stability.
Missed Myocardial Infarction in the Emergency Room

Sixty-four cases of missed myocardial infarction in the emergency room were identified from the records of a major insurance company. The records were reviewed by three health care professionals using established standards of care for myocardial infarc tion. The diagnosis of myocardial infarction was missed in many cases due to the lack of diagnostic test ordering, poor interpretation of diagnostic tests, and the young age of the patients. Most patients were presented with symptoms compatible with myocar dial ischemia. There was an 83% mortality rate in the 64 cases. The cost of settlement and litigation far exceeded the cost of safe, effective, medical care in the cases studied.
The Effects of Perceptual Grouping on Text Entry Performance

One of the primary challenges confronting designers of mobile computing devices is the issue of efficient text entry. One potential solution is to group multiple letters onto single keys, similar to the T9 keyboard currently used on telephones. However, grouping multiple letters onto single keys may make the visual search for individual letters within the grouped-key more difficult analogous to Navon's (1977) “can't see the trees for the forest” effect. Two experiments examined the effects of perceptual grouping on soft keyboard transcription rates. Results from Experiment 1 showed significantly slower transcription rates for QWERTY keyboards with grouped keys (ρ = .001). Results from Experiment 2 showed various levels of perceptual interference due to the different Gestalt grouping effects (ρ = .003). These results indicate that perceptual grouping can negatively affect text entry performance, and placing multiple letters onto single keys reduces the speed at which users can transcribe words.
A proteomics approach to study synergistic and antagonistic interactions of the fungal–bacterial consortium Fusarium oxysporum wild‐type MSA 35

Fusarium oxysporum is an important plant pathogen that causes severe damage of many economically important crop species. Various microorganisms have been shown to inhibit this soil‐borne plant pathogen, including non‐pathogenic F. oxysporum strains. In this study, F. oxysporum wild‐type (WT) MSA 35, a biocontrol multispecies consortium that consists of a fungus and numerous rhizobacteria mainly belonging to γ‐proteobacteria, was analyzed by two complementary metaproteomic approaches (2‐DE combined with MALDI‐Tof/Tof MS and 1‐D PAGE combined with LC‐ESI‐MS/MS) to identify fungal or bacterial factors potentially involved in antagonistic or synergistic interactions between the consortium members. Moreover, the proteome profiles of F. oxysporum WT MSA 35 and its cured counter‐part CU MSA 35 (WT treated with antibiotics) were compared with unravel the bacterial impact on consortium functioning. Our study presents the first proteome mapping of an antagonistic F. oxysporum strain and proposes candidate proteins that might play an important role for the biocontrol activity and the close interrelationship between the fungus and its bacterial partners.
Trends in antibiotic prescribing in primary care for clinical syndromes subject to national recommendations to reduce antibiotic resistance, UK 1995-2011: analysis of a large database of primary care consultations.

OBJECTIVES To measure trends in antibiotic prescribing in UK primary care in relation to nationally recommended best practice. PATIENTS AND METHODS A descriptive study linking individual patient data on diagnosis and prescription in a large primary care database, covering 537 UK general practices during 1995-2011. RESULTS The proportion of cough/cold episodes for which antibiotics were prescribed decreased from 47% in 1995 to 36% in 1999, before increasing to 51% in 2011. There was marked variation by primary care practice in 2011 [10th-90th percentile range (TNPR) 32%-65%]. Antibiotic prescribing for sore throats fell from 77% in 1995 to 62% in 1999 and then stayed broadly stable (TNPR 45%-78%). Where antibiotics were prescribed for sore throat, recommended antibiotics were used in 69% of cases in 2011 (64% in 1995). The use of recommended short-course trimethoprim for urinary tract infection (UTI) in women aged 16-74 years increased from 8% in 1995 to 50% in 2011; however, a quarter of practices prescribed short courses in ≤16% of episodes in 2011. For otitis media, 85% of prescriptions were for recommended antibiotics in 2011, increasing from 77% in 1995. All these changes in annual prescribing were highly statistically significant (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS The implementation of national guidelines in UK primary care has had mixed success, with prescribing for coughs/colds, both in total and as a proportion of consultations, now being greater than before recommendations were made to reduce it. Extensive variation by practice suggests that there is significant scope to improve prescribing, particularly for coughs/colds and for UTIs.
Efficient generation of recombinant adenovirus vectors by homologous recombination in Escherichia coli

Despite recent technical improvements, the construction of recombinant adenovirus vectors remains a time-consuming procedure which requires extensive manipulations of the viral genome in both Escherichia coli and eukaryotic cells. This report describes a novel system based on the cloning and manipulation of the full-length adenovirus genome as a stable plasmid in E. coli, by using the bacterial homologous recombination machinery. The efficiency and flexibility of the method are illustrated by the cloning of the wild-type adenovirus type 5 genome, the insertion of a constitutive promoter upstream from the E3 region, the replacement of the E1 region by an exogenous expression cassette, and the deletion of the E1 region. All recombinant viral DNAS were shown to be fully infectious in permissive cells, and the modified E3 region or the inserted foreign gene was correctly expressed in the infected cells.
Anticaries efficacy of a sodium monofluorophosphate dentifrice containing xylitol in a dicalcium phosphate dihydrate base. A 30-month caries clinical study in Costa Rica.

PURPOSE To compare the long-term caries increment associated with the use of two dentifrices: (1) a test dentifrice containing 0.836% sodium monofluorophosphate (1100 ppm F) in a dicalcium phosphate dihydrate base plus 10% xylitol; and (2) a positive control dentifrice containing 0.836% sodium monofluorophosphate (1100 ppm F) in a dicalcium phosphate dihydrate base. MATERIALS AND METHODS Three thousand three hundred ninety four (3,394) school children aged 7-12 years were selected to participate in this double blind clinical caries study at 28 public schools in the central plateau of Costa Rica. Children accepted for participation were stratified into two balanced groups within the participating schools on the basis of age and sex, and assigned to one of the two dentifrices. The study was conducted in harmony with the guidelines for caries clinical studies published in 1988 by the Council on Dental Therapeutics of the American Dental Association, and employed clinical diagnostic criteria provided in 1991 guidelines published by the National Institute of Dental Research (NIH/NIDR). Dental radiographs were not employed. RESULTS Of those subjects who met the initial inclusion/exclusion criteria for this study, 2,539 were available for the 30-month exam. DFS increments over the 30-month period of this clinical study were 1.30 for the test dentifrice containing 10% xylitol, and 1.51 for the positive control dentifrice without xylitol; for DFT, the corresponding increments were 0.69 for the test dentifrice containing 10% xylitol, and 0.81 for that which did not contain xylitol. For both DFS and DFT, the increments associated with the test dentifrice containing 10% xylitol were statistically significantly lower than those associated with the positive dentifrice without xylitol (P < 0.05), with the observed reductions in caries increment exceeding 10% in for both parameters.
How much of brand equity is explained by trust

Brand equity, key to the evaluation of marketing performance, exists in the hearts and minds of consumers, and other marketplace players, but is largely assessed on the basis of observed behaviours. Such measures are typically relative (to other brands) ‐ e.g. market share and relative price ‐ whereas direct measures of brand equity ‐ e.g. awareness and attitudes ‐ are conventionally expressed in absolute terms. The correlation between the two sets has been poor. Expressing brand equity in relational terms opens a new line of research which may provide better performance prediction and assessment. Trust is the most popular measure for relationship assessment and may similarly prove to be the leading indicator for brand equity. Makes some research proposals.
Multirate modeling of AR/MA stochastic signals and its application to the combined estimation-interpolation problem

The use of the Kalman filter is investigated in this work for interpolating and estimating values of an AR or MA stochastic signal when only a noisy, down-sampled version of the signal can be measured. A multirate modeling theory of the AR/MA stochastic signals is first derived from a block state-space viewpoint. The missing samples are embedded in the state vector so that missing signal reconstruction problem becomes a state estimation scheme. Next, Kalman state estimation theory is introduced to treat the combined estimation-interpolation problem. Some extensions are also discussed for variations of the original basic problem. The proposed Kalman reconstruction filter can be also applied toward recovering missing speech packets in a packet switching network with packet interleaving configuration. By analysis of state estimation theory, the proposed Kalman reconstruction filters produce minimum-variance estimates of the original signals. Simulation results indicate that the multirate Kalman reconstruction filters possess better estimation/interpolation performances than a Wiener reconstruction filter under adequate numerical complexity. >
Microfluidic Systems for Diagnostic Applications

Because of intensive developments in recent years, the microfluidic system has become a powerful tool for biological analysis. Entire analytic protocols including sample pretreatment, sample/reagent manipulation, separation, reaction, and detection can be integrated into a single chip platform. A lot of demonstrations on the diagnostic applications related to genes, proteins, and cells have been reported because of their advantages associated with miniaturization, automation, sensitivity, and specificity. The aim of this article is to review recent developments in microfluidic systems for diagnostic applications. Based on the categories of various fluid-manipulating mechanisms and biological detection approaches, in-depth discussion of the microfluidic-based diagnostic systems is provided. Moreover, a brief discussion on materials and manufacturing techniques will be included. The current excellent integration of microfluidic systems and diagnostic applications suggests a solid foundation for the development of practical point-of-care devices.
Enhanced interface perpendicular magnetic anisotropy in electrodeposited Co/Au(111) layers

This work investigates the structure and interface perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA) of electrodeposited Cu/Co/Au(111) sandwiches with variable Co thickness [2-20 monolayers (ML's)]. In optimum deposition conditions, polar magneto-optical Kerr effect measurements show that the axis of easy magnetization is perpendicular to the layers for thicknesses below ca. 7.2 ML's. This value is among the best ever reported for the Cu/Co/Au(111) structure. While extended x-ray-absorption fine structure indicates that layers are hcp, in situ STM imaging suggests that magnetoelastic effects contribute significantly to PMA. The correlation observed between the strength of PMA and film structure is discussed in details.
High‐resolution scanning electron microscopy of immunogold‐labelled cells by the use of thin plasma coating of osmium

The feasibility of plasma coating of a thin osmium layer for high‐resolution immuno‐scanning electron microscopy of cell surfaces was tested, using Drosophila embryonic motor neurones as a model system. The neuro‐muscular preparations were fixed with formaldehyde and labelled with a neurone‐specific antibody and 10 or 5 nm colloidal gold‐conjugated secondary antibodies. The specimens were post‐fixed with osmium tetroxide and freeze‐dried. Then they were coated with a 1–2 nm thick layer of osmium using a hollow cathode plasma coater. The thin and continuous coating of amorphous osmium gave good signals of gold particles and fine surface structures of neurites in backscattered electron images simultaneously. This method makes it possible to visualize the antigen distribution and the three‐dimensionally complex surface structures of cellular processes with a resolution of several nanometres.