Bio-inspired Hybrid Feature Selection Model for Intrusion Detection

Intrusion detection is a serious and complex problem. Undoubtedly due to a large number of attacks around the world, the concept of intrusion detection has become very important. This research proposes a multilayer bio-inspired feature selection model for intrusion detection using an optimized genetic algorithm. Furthermore, the proposed multilayer model consists of two layers (layers 1 and 2). At layer 1, three algorithms are used for the feature selection. The algorithms used are Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO), Grey Wolf Optimization (GWO), and Firefly Optimization Algorithm (FFA). At the end of layer 1, a priority value will be assigned for each feature set. At layer 2 of the proposed model, the Optimized Genetic Algorithm (GA) is used to select one feature set based on the priority value. Modifications are done on standard GA to perform optimization and to fit the proposed model. The Optimized GA is used in the training phase to assign a priority value for each feature set. Also, the priority values are categorized into three categories: high, medium, and low. Besides, the Optimized GA is used in the testing phase to select a feature set based on its priority. The feature set with a high priority will be given a high priority to be selected. At the end of phase 2, an update for feature set priority may occur based on the selected features priority and the calculated F-Measures. The proposed model can learn and modify feature sets priority, which will be reflected in selecting features. For evaluation purposes, two well-known datasets are used in these experiments. The first dataset is UNSW-NB15, the other dataset is the NSL-KDD. Several evaluation criteria are used, such as precision, recall, and F-Measure. The experiments in this research suggest that the proposed model has a powerful and promising mechanism for the intrusion detection system.     

Malaysian red palm oil in a surfactant association structure

The interlayer spacings of a lamellar liquid-crystalline structure, before and after incorporation of red palm oil, were determined by means of small-angle X-ray diffraction. The results agreed with earlier investigations on refined, bleached, and deodorized palm olein for the anionic host. The cationic host, after addition of red palm oil, showed two features of interest. First, the results showed a drastic decrease of its extrapolated interlayer spacing, and, second, the slope exhibited a value twice that of the host value.     

Impact of delignification on mechanical,morphological, and thermal properties of wood sawdust reinforced unsaturated polyester composites

Mechanical, morphological, and thermal properties of the raw and delignified wood sawdust (DWS) reinforced unsaturated polyester (UP) composites were evaluated. Composites were prepared using Resin Transfer molding technique by changing filler loading (5, 10, 15, and 20 wt%) for both raw and DWS reinforced UP. Mechanical (tensile and flexural), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), morphological (scanning electron microscopy [SEM]) and thermal (thermogravimetric analysis [TGA]) properties were successively characterized. FTIR confirmed the removal of lignin from wood sawdust during the delignification process. The tensile strength, Young's modulus, and flexural strength values increased only up to 15% filler loading then decreased with increasing the filler. DWS reinforced composites had better mechanical properties compared to raw composites. SEM micrographs reveal that DWS reinforced composites have good compatibility with UP resin. According to TGA results, DWS reinforced composites showed enhanced thermal stability at the final decomposition stage above 400°C. J. VINYL ADDIT. TECHNOL., 24:185–191, 2018. © 2016 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Quinoline yellow dye stimulates whey protein fibrillation via electrostatic and hydrophobic interaction: A biophysical study

Amyloid fibril formation of proteins is associated with a number of neurodegenerative diseases. Several small molecules can accelerate the amyloid fibril formation in vitro and in vivo. However, the molecular mechanism of amyloid fibrillation is still unclear. In this study, we investigated how the food dye quinoline yellow (QY) induces amyloid fibrillation in α-lactalbumin (α-LA), a major whey protein, at pH 2.0. We used several spectroscopy techniques and a microscopy technique to explore how QY provokes amyloid fibrillation in α-LA. From turbidity and Rayleigh light scattering experiments, we found that QY promotes α-LA aggregation in a concentration-dependent manner; the optimal concentration for α-LA aggregation was 0.15 to 10.00 mM. Below 0.1 mM, no aggregation occurred. Quinoline yellow–induced aggregation was a rapid process that escaped the lag phase, but it depended on the concentrations of both α-LA and QY. We also demonstrated that aggregation switched the secondary structure of α-LA from α-helices to cross-β-sheets. We then confirmed the amyloid-like structure of aggregated α-LA by transmission electron microscopy measurements. Molecular docking and simulation confirmed the stability of the α-LA-QY complex due to the formation of 1 hydrogen bond with Lys99 and 2 electrostatic interactions with Arg70 and Lys99, along with hydrophobic interactions with Leu59 and Tyr103. This study will aid in our understanding of how small molecules induce aggregation of proteins inside the stomach (low pH) and affect the digestive process.     

Preparation of nano- and microstructured gold surfaces by application of a square wave potential regime

Gold nanometallic structures have been prepared by application of square wave potential regime to a platinum electrode in a 1.0 × 10^?3 M HAuCl₄ + 0.5 M H₂SO₄ solution. Formation of gold particles onto the platinum surface has been followed by cyclic voltammetry, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. The results indicate that the size, shape, uniformity of distribution of the particles are affected by the selected parameters of the applied square wave potential regime. Parameters of the square wave include the frequency, the lower and the upper limits of the square wave and the time of application of the square wave potential regime. The concentration of HAuCl₄ in the solution is another important factor. The results of the present work indicated that the 100 Hz frequency is the optimal frequency for obtaining gold nanoparticles on platinum surface. Deposition time has been also found to play a critical role in affecting the size, shape and homogeneity of gold nanostructures at the surface. The surface coverage with nanoparticles as calculated from the decrease in the charge of hydrogen adsorption/desorption peaks is found to be directly proportional to the time of application of the square wave. Testing the nanostructured gold/Pt electrode for oxidation of formic acid shows its higher catalytic activity than that of platinum and gold plain electrodes.     

Thermogravimetric analysis and dynamic Young's modulus measurement of N,N‐dimethylacetamide‐impregnated wood polymer composites

Mercerized wood species were impregnated with N,N‐dimethylacetamide. Their Fourier transform infrared spectra then showed enhanced absorption at 1419 cm^?1 (? C? /CH3), and the 1267‐cm^?1 (? N? /CH3) stretching band confirmed the occurrence of a modification reaction. Thermogravimetric investigation of the resultant wood polymer composites (WPCs) indicated a better thermal stability in comparison with that of the raw wood. The dynamic Young's modulus of the WPCs was significantly increased compared with that of raw wood. After modification, analysis by scanning electron microscopy showed porous cells of raw wood filled with the polymer, which led to the better stability of WPCs. Analysis by XRD indicated that the crystallinity of WPCs increased because of an increase in the stiffness and the thermal stability of the composites. J. VINYL ADDIT. TECHNOL., 2011. © 2011 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Microstructural changes in alkali activated fly ash/slag geopolymers with sulfate exposure

Sulfate attack is recognized as a significant threat to many concrete structures, and often takes place in soil or marine environments. However, the understanding of the behavior of alkali-activated and geopolymer materials in sulfate-rich environments is limited. Therefore, the aim of this study is to investigate the performance of alkali silicate-activated fly ash/slag geopolymer binders subjected to different forms of sulfate exposure, specifically, immersion in 5 wt% magnesium sulfate or 5 wt% sodium sulfate solutions, for 3 months. Extensive physical deterioration of the pastes is observed during immersion in MgSO₄ solution, but not in Na₂SO₄ solution. Calcium sulfate dihydrate (gypsum) forms in pastes immersed in MgSO₄, and its expansive effects are identified as being particularly damaging to the material, but it is not observed in Na₂SO₄ environments. A lower water/binder (w/b) ratio leads to a greatly enhanced resistance to degradation by sulfate attack. Infrared spectroscopy shows some significant changes in the silicate gel bonding environment of geopolymers immersed in MgSO₄, attributed mostly to decalcification processes, but less changes upon exposure to sodium sulfate. It appears that the process of ‘sulfate attack’ on geopolymer binders is strongly dependent on the cation accompanying the sulfate, and it is suggested that a distinction should be drawn between ‘magnesium sulfate attack’ (where both Mg²⁺ and SO₄ ^2? are capable of inducing damage in the structure), and general processes related to the presence of sulfate accompanied by other, non-damaging cations. The alkali-activated fly ash/slag binders tested here are susceptible to the first of these modes of attack, but not the second.     

On a Characterization by Conditional Expectations

In a recent paper, Shanbhag [3] gave characterizations for the exponential and geometric distributions in terms of conditional expectations. The present note gives a general theorem on characterization by conditional expectations. A special form of the theorem characterizes the Weibull distribution (and hence Shanbhag's result for the exponential distribution). Another interesting special form of the theorem leads to a characterization of the uniform distribution. Applications of these characterizations are also indicated.     

Effect of Extraction Techniques on Phenolic Content, Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Activity of Bauhinia purpurea: HPTLC Determination of Antioxidants

Bauhinia purpurea leaf was extracted by Soxhlet, ultrasonication and maceration extraction methods using ethanol (99.5%, v/v) to obtain Soxhlet (SBE), ultrasonicated (UBE) and macerated (MBE) B. purpurea leaf extract. The effects of different extracting methods on the polyphenolic content and antioxidant activities using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), 2,2-azinobis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) diammonium salt (ABTS), ferric-reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) were investigated. Disc diffusion and broth dilution methods were also carried out to find the antibacterial activity of these extracts. Findings of this study showed that UBE possessed significant (P < 0.05) polyphenolic constituents followed by MBE and SBE. All the extracts exhibited good DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging as well as potential reducing ability in TAC and FRAP methods. UBE possessed significant (P < 0.05) radical scavenging activity and reducing ability followed by MBE and SBE. Even the results of antibacterial activity were similar to antioxidant activity, with UBE inhibiting most of the bacteria followed by MBE and SBE. All the extracts were subjected to thin layer chromatography (TLC) bioautography followed by high-performance TLC densitometric determination, and the results show that extraction using ultrasonication method yields the highest amount of antioxidant compounds among the three methods mentioned earlier. This study confirms ultrasonic extraction to be an ideal, simple and rapid method to obtain antioxidant- as well as antibacterial-enriched B. purpurea leaf extract. The HPTLC fingerprint profile can be used as a reference data for the standardisation of B. purpurea leaf.     

Investigations on AlN/sapphire piezoelectric bilayer structure for high-temperature SAW applications

This paper explores the possibility of using AlN/sapphire piezoelectric bilayer structures for high-temperature SAW applications. To determine the temperature stability of AlN, homemade AlN/sapphire samples are annealed in air atmosphere for 2 to 20 h at temperatures from 700 to 1000°C. Ex situ X-ray diffraction measurements reveal that the microstructure of the thin film is not affected by temperatures below 1000°C. Ellipsometry and secondary ion mass spectroscopy investigations attest that AlN/sapphire is reliable up to 700°C. Beyond this temperature, both methods indicate ongoing surface oxidation of AlN. Additionally, Pt/Ta and Al interdigital transducers are patterned on the surface of the AlN film. The resulting SAW devices are characterized up to 500°C and 300°C, respectively, showing reliable frequency response and a large, quasi-constant temperature sensitivity, with a first-order temperature coefficient of frequency around -75 ppm/°C. Between room temperature and 300°C, both electromechanical coupling coefficient K(2) and propagation losses increase, so the evolution of delay lines' insertion losses with temperature strongly depends on the length of the propagation path.