Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Research Agenda: Dynamic Models to Defend Against Correlated Attacks

In this article I describe a research agenda for securing machine learning models against adversarial inputs at test time. This article does not present results but instead shares some of my thoughts about where I think that the field needs to go. Modern machine learning works very well on I.I. D. data: data for which each example is drawn {\em independently} and for which the distribution generating each example is {\em identical}. When these assumptions are relaxed, modern machine learning can perform very poorly. When machine learning is used in contexts where security is a concern, it is desirable to design models that perform well even when the input is designed by a malicious adversary. So far most research in this direction has focused on an adversary who violates the {\em identical} assumption, and imposes some kind of restricted worst-case distribution shift. I argue that machine learning security researchers should also address the problem of relaxing the {\em independence} assumption and that current strategies designed for robustness to distribution shift will not do so. I recommend {\em dynamic models} that change each time they are run as a potential solution path to this problem, and show an example of a simple attack using correlated data that can be mitigated by a simple dynamic defense. This is not intended as a real-world security measure, but as a recommendation to explore this research direction and develop more realistic defenses.
White Mirror: Leaking Sensitive Information from Interactive Netflix Movies using Encrypted Traffic Analysis

Privacy leaks from Netflix videos/movies are well researched. Current state-of-the-art works have been able to obtain coarse-grained information such as the genre and the title of videos by passive observation of encrypted traffic. However, leakage of fine-grained information from encrypted video traffic has not been studied so far. Such information can be used to build behavioral profiles of viewers. Recently, Netflix released the first mainstream interactive movie called 'Black Mirror: Bandersnatch'. In this work, we use this movie as a case-study to develop techniques for revealing information from encrypted interactive video traffic. We show for the first time that information such as the choices made by viewers can be revealed based on the characteristics of encrypted control traffic exchanged with Netflix. To evaluate our proposed technique, we built the first interactive video traffic dataset of 100 viewers; which we will be releasing. Our technique was able to reveal the choices 96% of the time in the case of 'Black Mirror: Bandersnatch' and they were also equally or more successful for all other interactive movies released by Netflix so far.
Learning Representations from Persian Handwriting for Offline Signature Verification, a Deep Transfer Learning Approach

Offline Signature Verification (OSV) is a challenging pattern recognition task, especially when it is expected to generalize well on the skilled forgeries that are not available during the training. Its challenges also include small training sample and large intra-class variations. Considering the limitations, we suggest a novel transfer learning approach from Persian handwriting domain to multi-language OSV domain. We train two Residual CNNs on the source domain separately based on two different tasks of word classification and writer identification. Since identifying a person's signature resembles identifying one's handwriting, it seems perfectly convenient to use handwriting for the feature learning phase. The learned representation on the more varied and plentiful handwriting dataset can compensate for the lack of training data in the original task, i.e. OSV, without sacrificing the generalizability. Our proposed OSV system includes two steps: learning representation and verification of the input signature. For the first step, the signature images are fed into the trained Residual CNNs. The output representations are then used to train SVMs for the verification. We test our OSV system on three different signature datasets, including MCYT (a Spanish signature dataset), UTSig (a Persian one) and GPDS-Synthetic (an artificial dataset). On UTSIG, we achieved 9.80% Equal Error Rate (EER) which showed substantial improvement over the best EER in the literature, 17.45%. Our proposed method surpassed state-of-the-arts by 6% on GPDS-Synthetic, achieving 6.81 %. On MCYT, EER of 3.98% was obtained which is comparable to the best previously reported results.
Bulow-Klemperer-Style Results for Welfare Maximization in Two-Sided Markets

We consider the problem of welfare maximization in two-sided markets using simple mechanisms that are prior-independent. The Myerson-Satterthwaite impossibility theorem shows that even for bilateral trade, there is no feasible (IR, truthful, budget balanced) mechanism that has welfare as high as the optimal-yet-infeasible VCG mechanism, which attains maximal welfare but runs a deficit. On the other hand, the optimal feasible mechanism needs to be carefully tailored to the Bayesian prior, and is extremely complex, eluding a precise description. We present Bulow-Klemperer-style results to circumvent these hurdles in double-auction markets. We suggest using the Buyer Trade Reduction (BTR) mechanism, a variant of McAfee's mechanism, which is feasible and simple (in particular, deterministic, truthful, prior-independent, anonymous). First, in the setting where buyers' and sellers' values are sampled i.i. d. from the same distribution, we show that for any such market of any size, BTR with one additional buyer whose value is sampled from the same distribution has expected welfare at least as high as the optimal in the original market. We then move to a more general setting where buyers' values are sampled from one distribution and sellers' from another, focusing on the case where the buyers' distribution first-order stochastically dominates the sellers'. We present bounds on the number of buyers that, when added, guarantees that BTR in the augmented market have welfare at least as high as the optimal in the original market. Our lower bounds extend to a large class of mechanisms, and all of our results extend to adding sellers instead of buyers. In addition, we present positive results about the usefulness of pricing at a sample for welfare maximization in two-sided markets under the above two settings, which to the best of our knowledge are the first sampling results in this context.
The role of intracellular interactions in the collective polarization of tissues and its interplay with cellular geometry

Planar cell polarity (PCP), the long-range in-plane polarization of epithelial tissues, provides directional information that guides a multitude of developmental processes at cellular and tissue levels. While it is manifest that cells utilize both intracellular and intercellular interactions, the coupling between the two modules, essential to the coordination of collective polarization, remains an active area of investigation. We propose a generalized reaction-diffusion model to study the role of intracellular interactions in the emergence of long-range polarization, and show that the nonlocality of cytoplasmic interactions, i.e. coupling of membrane proteins localized on different cell-cell junctions, is of vital importance to the faithful detection of weak directional signals, and becomes increasingly more crucial to the stability of polarization against the deleterious effects of large geometric irregularities. We demonstrate that nonlocal interactions are necessary for geometric information to become accessible to the PCP components. The prediction of the model regarding polarization in elongated tissues, is shown to be in agreement with experimental observations, where the polarity emerges perpendicular to the axis of elongation. Core PCP is adopted as a model pathway, in term of which we interpret the model parameters. To this end, we introduce three distinct classes of mutations, (I) in membrane proteins, (II) in cytoplasmic proteins, and (III) local enhancement of geometric disorder. Comparing the in silico and in vivo phenotypes, we show that our model successfully recapitulates the salient phenotypic features of these mutations. Exploring the parameter space helps us shed light on the role of cytoplasmic proteins in cell-cell communications, and make falsifiable predictions regarding the cooperation of cytoplasmic and membrane proteins in the establishment of long-range polarization.
Object Tracking in Video Signals using Compressive Sensing

Reducing the number of pixels in video signals while maintaining quality needed for recovering the trace of an object using Compressive Sensing is main subject of this work. Quality of frames, from video that contains moving object, are gradually reduced by keeping different number of pixels in each iteration, going from 45% all the way to 1%. Using algorithm for tracing object, results were satisfactory and showed mere changes in trajectory graphs, obtained from original and reconstructed videos.
Larvicidal, Histopathological, Antibacterial Activity of Indigenous Fungus Penicillium sp. Against Aedes aegypti L and Culex quinquefasciatus (Say) (Diptera: Culicidae) and Its Acetylcholinesterase Inhibition and Toxicity Assessment of Zebrafish (Danio rerio)

Fungal metabolites are considered to be most efficient tools to overcome the issues related to insecticide resistance and environmental pollution. The present study focus on the evaluation of the mosquito larvicidal efficacy of metabolites of seven indigenous fungal isolates (Penicillium sp. Aspergillus niger, A. flavus, A. parasiticus, Rhizopus sp. Mucor sp. and Aspergillus sp.) on the larvae of Aedes aegypti and Culex quinquefasciatus under the laboratory condition. The preliminary screening of the isolate, Penicillium sp. showed better larvicidal effect when compared to other fungi. The fungus was grown on Potato Dextrose Broth (PDB) in the laboratory (at 25°C) and maintained in the relative humidity (at 76 ± 4% for 15 days). Larvicidal potency of mycelial ethyl acetate extract (MEAE) of Penicillium sp. was performed against 1st to 4th instars larvae of Ae. aegypti and Cx. quinquefasciatus using four different concentrations (100, 200, 300, and 500 μg/ml) that showed better larval mortality values (μg/ml) of LC50 = 6.554, 5.487, 6.874, 6.892, and the LC90 = 11.486, 10.366, 12.879, 13.865 for Ae. aegypti and LC50 = 7.000, 13.943, 18.129, 25.212 and the LC90 = 12.541, 23.761, 30.923, 41.696 for Cx. quinquefasciatus. Exposure of metabolite to larvae resulted in behavior changes i.e., excitation, up and down with aggressive movement, anal papillae biting behavior. Further, the larvae treated with Penicillium sp. metabolite exhibited significant reduction in the levels of acetylcholinesterase. The 4th instar mosquito larvae treated with the 500 μg/ml mycelia extract showed severe histological damages. During the antibacterial analysis of Penicillium sp. - mycelium the maximum growth inhibition zone was recorded in Shigella dysenteriae (31.2 mm) and Klebsiella pneumoniae (31.1 mm) followed by others. In addition, to check the toxicity of Penicillium sp. MEAE against embryos of Zebrafish, a model system, using different concentrations of metabolites (1.0, 0.5, 0.125 mg/ml, 30, 3.0, and 0.5 μg/ml) and life-stage parameters were observed at 124 hpf. Furthermore, the Fourier Transformed Infrared and GCMS spectrum analysis of mycelium reflected several chemical compounds. The outcome of the study clearly shows that Penicillium sp. metabolites could serve as an ideal eco-friendly, single-step and inexpensive source for the control of Ae. aegypti and Cx. quinquefasciatus larvae.
Analysis of In Vitro Osteoblast Culture on Scaffolds for Future Bone Regeneration Purposes in Dentistry

One of the main focuses of tissue engineering is to search for tridimensional scaffold materials, complying with nature's properties for tissue regeneration. Determining material biocompatibility is a fundamental step in considering its use. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to analyze osteoblast cell adhesion and viability on different materials to determine which was more compatible for future bone regeneration. Tridimensional structures were fabricated with hydroxyapatite, collagen, and porous silica. The bovine bone was used as material control. Biocompatibility was determined by seeding primary osteoblasts on each tridimensional structure. Cellular morphology was assessed by SEM and viability through confocal microscopy. Osteoblast colonization was observed on all evaluated materials' surface, revealing they did not elicit osteoblast cytotoxicity. Analyses of four different materials studied with diverse compositions and characteristics showed that adhesiveness was best seen for HA and viability for collagen. In general, the results of this investigation suggest these materials can be used in combination, as scaffolds intended for bone regeneration in dental and medical fields.
Smartphone-Based Remote Self-Management of Chronic Low Back Pain: A Preliminary Study

Objective To assess the additional effect of self-management on physiotherapy via the use of APPS on management of chronic low back pain. Method A single-blinded randomized control trial was conducted. 8 participants (male: 4; female: 4) were recruited from the Rehabilitation Clinic of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Participants in the treatment group received self-management plus physiotherapy and the control group received physiotherapy only. Assessment was carried out pretreatment, midterm (week 2), and posttreatment (week 4), including Visual Analog Scale (VAS), Pain Self-Efficacy Questionnaire (PSEQ), Roland Morris Disability Questionnaire (RMDQ), and SF36. Results Compared with the physiotherapy group, the self-management plus physiotherapy group had significance in PSEQ (p=0.035), RMDQ (p=0.035), SF36-Bodily Pain (p=0.008), and SF36-Mental Health (p=0.013). VAS showed a positive trend although there was no significant difference. Conclusion This pilot study indicated that smartphone APPS-based self-management program appears to bring additional benefits to physiotherapy for patients with CLBP. Self-management is a potential approach for people with CLBP.
Evaluation of a Rapid Kit for Detection of IgM against Leptospira in Human

Introduction Leptospirosis is an acute febrile illness, known for its protean clinical manifestations and the challenge in differentiating from other infectious diseases. Standardized confirmatory test is antibody dependent and not accessible by the suburban community. This study measures efficiency of an immune-chromatographic assay, Leptocheck WB, in detecting acute leptospirosis. Methods A total of 142 sera were used for kit evaluation. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) were calculated by comparing rapid kit results with gold standard laboratory, microscopic agglutination test (MAT). Results We found this rapid kit to have a sensitivity and specificity of 66.6% and 78.9%, respectively, whereas the PPV and NPV of the kit appeared to be 73.3% and 73.2%, respectively. Discussion Test efficiency of this rapid kit is reasonable. It is specific in detecting leptospiral antibody and assures clinician of accurate diagnosis by having higher PPV and NPV. It is prompt and efficient in comparison with conventional methods in assisting differential diagnosis. High sensitivity and specificity leptospirosis rapid test is indeed a crucial measure to assist the diagnosis of acute undifferentiated febrile illnesses.
Premature MicroRNA-1 Expression Causes Hypoplasia of the Cardiac Ventricular Conduction System

Mammalian cardiac Purkinje fibers (PFs) are specified from ventricular trabecular myocardium during mid-gestation and undergo limited proliferation before assuming their final form. MicroRNA-1 (miR-1), a negative regulator of proliferation, is normally expressed in the heart at low levels during the period of PF specification and outgrowth, but expression rises steeply after birth, when myocardial proliferation slows and postnatal cardiac maturation and growth commence. Here, we test whether premature up-regulation and overexpression of miR-1 during the period of PF morphogenesis influences PF development and function. Using a mouse model in which miR-1 is expressed under the control of the Myh6 promoter, we demonstrate that premature miR-1 expression leads to PF hypoplasia that persists into adulthood, and miR-1 TG mice exhibit delayed conduction through the ventricular myocardium beginning at neonatal stages. In addition, miR-1 transgenic embryos showed reduced proliferation within the trabecular myocardium and embryonic ventricular conduction system (VCS), a source of progenitor cells for the PF. This repression of proliferation may be mediated by direct translational inhibition by miR-1 of the cyclin dependent kinase Cdk6, a key regulator of embryonic myocardial proliferation. Our results suggest that altering the timing of miR-1 expression can regulate PF development, findings which have implications for our understanding of conduction system development and disease in humans.
Text-Based Detection of the Risk of Depression

This study examines the relationship between language use and psychological characteristics of the communicator. The aim of the study was to find models predicting the depressivity of the writer based on the computational linguistic markers of his/her written text. Respondents’ linguistic fingerprints were traced in four texts of different genres. Depressivity was measured using the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21). The research sample (N = 172, 83 men, 89 women) was created by quota sampling an adult Czech population. Morphological variables of the texts showing differences (M-W test) between the non-depressive and depressive groups were incorporated into predictive models. Results: Across all participants, the data best fit predictive models of depressivity using morphological characteristics from the informal text “letter from holidays” (Nagelkerke r2 = 0.526 for men and 0.670 for women). For men, models for the formal texts “cover letter” and “complaint” showed moderate fit with the data (r2 = 0.479 and 0.435). The constructed models show weak to substantial recall (0.235 – 0.800) and moderate to substantial precision (0.571 – 0.889). Morphological variables appearing in the final models vary. There are no key morphological characteristics suitable for all models or for all genres. The resulting models’ properties demonstrate that they should be suitable for screening individuals at risk of depression and the most suitable genre is informal text (“letter from holidays”).
Lipid Phases and Cell Geometry During the Cell Cycle of Streptococcus pneumoniae

The coexistence of different lipid phases is well-known in vitro, but evidence for their presence and function in cellular membranes remains scarce. Using a combination of fluorescent lipid probes, we observe segregation of domains that suggests the coexistence of liquid and gel phases in the membrane of Streptococcus pneumoniae, where they are localized to minimize bending stress in the ellipsoid geometry defined by the cell wall. Gel phase lipids with high bending rigidity would be spontaneously organized at the equator where curvature is minimal, thus marking the future division site, while liquid phase membrane maps onto the oblong hemispheres. In addition, the membrane-bound cell wall precursor with its particular dynamic acyl chain localizes at the division site where the membrane is highly curved. We propose a complete “chicken-and-egg” model where cell geometry determines the localization of lipid phases that positions the cell division machinery, which in turn alters the localization of lamellar phases by assembling the cell wall with a specific geometry.
Test of a New Drug to Treat Brain Cancer

You may never have heard it, but there is a rare but aggressive brain cancer called “glioblastoma. ” Its name is as complicated as finding a drug to destroy it! Usually, when cells realize that they are getting sick, they are able to send distress messages and can self-destruct before they evolve into disease. Unfortunately, glioblastoma cancer cells are extremely intelligent; they send a lot of small molecules (“the BLOCKERS”) to intercept these messages. With this scheme, cancer cells become immortal; they can reproduce themselves and spread throughout the whole brain. So, researchers have been looking into this problem to try to find a new drug that can catch these BLOCKERS. We studied a potential therapeutic drug that catches these small molecules and locks them up, which allows the cancer cells to destroy themselves. Excitingly, we found that this drug is able to fight glioblastoma in mice!
Participation in Physical Activity and Physical Education in School Among Children With Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia After Intensive Chemotherapy

Background: Low physical activity (PA) level has been reported among survivors of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). The present study was performed to determine the level of participation in general PA and physical education in school (PES) among children with ALL who completed intensive chemotherapy and identify possible barriers that influence adherence to PA and PES. Methods: A cross-sectional, single-center study was conducted over 1 year in a tertiary pediatric hematology and oncology referral center in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. A total of 47 children with ALL aged 7–18 years old who were off-treatment and attended school on a regular basis were recruited. A modified structured questionnaire adapted from the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System, Division of Adolescent and School Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) was used to assess the children's level of PA and PES participation. Results: Among the 47 children will ALL included herein, 11 (23.4%) were physically active for at least 60 min a day for 5 days or more, following CDC recommendations. The median duration from completion of intensive chemotherapy was 4.95 years (25th, 3.29; 75th, 7.95). Younger age at study entry (median, 8.7 years old vs. 12.2 years old) and younger age at diagnosis (median, 2.9 years old vs. 4.3 years old) were significantly associated with higher PA level. Almost all children (45/47, 95.7%) participated in PES. Barriers to non-participation in PES mainly included exhaustion or fear of injury. Conclusions: Majority of the children with ALL included herein had low levels of daily PA after intensive chemotherapy. Nonetheless, their participation in PES was encouraging. PA should thus be promoted during and after cessation of ALL treatment to prevent long-term health risks and improve overall quality of life.