Friday, August 30, 2024

HQ thanks the USA NSF award 1663105, 1761839 and 2200138, 2234910, a catalyst award from the USA National Academy of Medicine, AI Tennessee Initiative, and the support at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.

For covid19

HQ thanks the support of USA NSF PIPP #2200138, BD Spoke #1761839, SFS #1663105, REU #1852042 and #2149956, and an internal CEACSE award and support from the Office of the Vice Chancellor of Research at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.

For REU:

We thank the support of NSF REU #1852042 and #2149956, and the support from the Department of Computer Science and Engineering and the Office of Vice Chancellor of Research at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.

For Machine Learning

We thank the support of NSF and #1720215, BD Spoke #1761839, and internal support of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.

Dr. Qin thanks SFS Award 1663105 and 2234910

cs361 public key github

CS361 public key for github

https://www.cs.odu.edu/~zeil/FAQs/Public/faq361/index.html#git-tells-me-permission-denied-publickey-

Tuesday, August 27, 2024

K12 generative AI and cybersecurity

Generative Security Applications labs
https://codelabs.cs.pdx.edu

Codelabs containing all of the exercises for teaching students how to apply Generative AI to solve problems in cybersecurity.

Generative Security Applications source code
https://github.com/wu4f/cs410g-src

Source code associated with Generative Security Applications course

Generative Security Applications videos
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdCTMpWhMq8KuRHaXHuf2U53hM1NkuiCe&si=S5dXzkslHPX5N13w

YouTube playlist for Generative Security Applications course (Spring 2024)

CyberPDX Crypto
https://crypto.cyberpdx.org

CyberPDX summer camp cryptography thread. Contains Generative AI module content and exercises. (A RAG application for translating Navajo Code to English and back.)

Monday, August 26, 2024

climate change, allergies, and mental health:

Based on the search results, I'll emphasize the connections between climate change, allergies, and mental health:

## Climate Change and Allergies

Climate change is significantly impacting allergies in several ways:

- Warmer temperatures are leading to longer pollen seasons, with plants producing pollen earlier in spring and later into fall[4][5].

- Increased CO2 levels are boosting pollen production, especially in grasses and ragweed. Some projections suggest up to a 200% increase in pollen production by the end of this century[5].

- Changes in temperature and precipitation patterns are altering the geographic distribution of allergenic plants[1].

These changes are resulting in more severe and prolonged allergy seasons, affecting millions of people worldwide[4].

## Mental Health Impacts

While the search results don't explicitly discuss mental health, we can infer some connections:

- Prolonged and intensified allergy seasons can lead to increased stress and anxiety for allergy sufferers[1].

- Children with allergies may experience reduced quality of life, affecting their mood and sleep patterns[5].

- The chronic nature of worsening allergies could contribute to feelings of helplessness or depression, especially for those with severe symptoms.

## Vulnerable Populations

Certain groups are particularly vulnerable to the combined effects of climate change and allergies:

- Children: About 19% of children in the U.S. suffer from seasonal allergies, and 6.5% have asthma, which can be triggered by pollen[5].

- Elderly: Older adults may be more susceptible to the health impacts of climate change and allergies[1].

- Low-income communities: These groups often have less access to healthcare and may be disproportionately affected by worsening allergy seasons[5].

## Future Projections

As climate change continues, the situation is expected to worsen:

- Pollen seasons are projected to start earlier, last longer, and become more intense[4][5].

- A 2°C increase in global temperature could result in a 17% annual increase in asthma-related emergency room visits among children due to pollen exposure[5].

- The compounding effects of climate change, allergies, and potential mental health impacts may create new public health challenges that require proactive planning and intervention strategies.

To address these interconnected issues, a holistic approach considering climate mitigation, allergy management, and mental health support will be crucial for public health in the coming years.

Citations:

[1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11000425/

[2] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9606573/

[3] https://www.aaaai.org/tools-for-the-public/conditions-library/allergies/does-climate-change-impact-allergic-disease

[4] https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/hsph-in-the-news/allergies-are-getting-worse-with-climate-change/

[5] https://www.climatecentral.org/climate-matters/warming-climate-more-pollen-worse-allergies

[6] https://www.aamc.org/news/do-seasonal-allergies-seem-be-getting-worse-blame-climate-change

[7] https://www.epa.gov/climate-research/human-health-and-climate-change-research

[8] https://www.niehs.nih.gov/research/programs/climatechange

PDF-based malware:

PDF-based malware is a significant cybersecurity threat due to the widespread use and flexibility of the PDF format. Here are some common techniques used in PDF-based malware:

## JavaScript Execution

PDFs can contain embedded JavaScript code that executes when the file is opened. Malicious actors exploit this feature to:

- Download and execute additional payloads

- Exploit vulnerabilities in PDF readers

- Steal sensitive information from the system

JavaScript in PDFs can be obfuscated to evade detection[1].

## Embedded Objects

Attackers can hide malicious objects within the PDF structure:

- Executable files

- Malicious scripts

- Other harmful content

These objects may be compressed or encoded to avoid detection by security software[2].

## Exploitation of Vulnerabilities

Some attacks target vulnerabilities in PDF reader software:

- Buffer overflows

- Use-after-free bugs

- Other memory corruption issues

Successful exploitation can lead to arbitrary code execution on the victim's system[3].

## Phishing and Social Engineering

PDFs are often used in phishing campaigns:

- Malicious links disguised as legitimate content

- Fake forms to capture credentials

- Convincing documents that lure users into taking harmful actions

## Stream Manipulation

PDF streams can contain compressed and encoded data, allowing attackers to:

- Hide malicious code

- Evade signature-based detection

- Deliver payloads in seemingly innocuous files[3]

## Protection Measures

To defend against PDF-based malware:

- Keep PDF readers and systems updated

- Use security software with PDF scanning capabilities

- Be cautious when opening PDFs from unknown sources

- Disable JavaScript in PDF readers when possible

- Use sandboxed environments to open suspicious files[4]

By understanding these techniques, security professionals can better detect and mitigate threats posed by malicious PDF files.

Citations:

[1] https://github.com/filipi86/MalwareAnalysis-in-PDF

[2] https://www.adobe.com/acrobat/resources/can-pdfs-contain-viruses.html

[3] https://intezer.com/blog/incident-response/analyze-malicious-pdf-files/

[4] https://www.reddit.com/r/hacking/comments/108sp8f/how_to_know_if_a_pdf_contains_malware/

[5] https://www.sentinelone.com/blog/malicious-pdfs-revealing-techniques-behind-attacks/

[6] https://threatresearch.ext.hp.com/pdf-malware-is-not-yet-dead/

generative AI security youtube

Wu-Chang Feng

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdCTMpWhMq8KuRHaXHuf2U53hM1NkuiCe&si=gtTVXMZcMoy6kVh7

Friday, August 23, 2024

TopMed funded projects

most funded R01 are two years

https://topmed.nhlbi.nih.gov/project-studies/funded-programs

budget per year can be in $500K range

Friday, August 16, 2024

ODU LEO pre-requisite override

Log into Leo Online: https://www.leoonline.odu.edu/homepage_securenews.htm Click Enter Secure Area. Log in with your Midas ID.
(You use Leo for a lot of course admin tasks, including finding your rosters and entering your final grades.)
Click Faculty & Advisors
Click Student Menu
Click ID selection
Selecft the fall 2024 semester. Then enter the student’s Univ ID number or name and Submit.
Confirm that you have selected the correct student (Submit)
Click Registration Overrides
For the Override, select “PreRequisite Course Required”. For the course, select your section of CS361. Submit.

Approve the summary and submit again.

Email the student to say they can register for the course.

Wednesday, August 7, 2024

ODU School of Data Science

Hampton Roads Biomedical Research Consortium

https://hrbrc.org/

ODU APC

As an ODU faculty in the role of corresponding author, I can publish open access paper at PLos and Springer Nature for free or a very discounted rate

See https://guides.lib.odu.edu/openaccess/apc

PLoS

Beginning January 1, 2024, VIVA has started a two-year institutional partnership with PLOS in their Flat Fee Agreement, which allows corresponding authors at participating institutions to publish open access articles in seven PLOS journals at no cost. Those journals are: PLOS journals: PLOS Complex Systems, PLOS Computational Biology, PLOS Digital Health, PLOS Genetics, PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases, PLOS ONE, and PLOS Pathogens. More information on the VIVA Site, or watch this 11-minute video here.

Springer Nature Hybrid Journals

Beginning January 1, 2024, VIVA started a two-year agreement allowing ODU/VIVA corresponding authors to publish open access articles in Springer Hybrid journals with no APC. View the list of participating (publishing) journals on the VIVA site -- Nature, BioMed Central (BMC), and fully open access journals are not covered by this agreement. See also the Springer site and VIVA site for more information. (Available to EVMS as well.)

Tuesday, August 6, 2024

SSDeep

SSDEEP

https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/blog/security-operations/playbook-of-the-week-uncovering-unknown-malware-using-ssdeep/

YARA malware

https://virustotal.github.io/yara/

EasyChair extended abstract review

Score: Choose a score from the given scale.

3: Strong Accept
2: Accept
1: Weak Accept
0: Borderline Paper
-1: Weak Reject
-2: Reject
-3: Strong Reject

Justification: Provide a detailed review including justifications for the score given. Consider the following aspects in your review:

Relevance to Conference Themes: Evaluate how well the abstract aligns with the conference themes.
Originality and Innovation: Assess the novelty and innovative aspects of the research.
Scientific Rigor and Methodology: Examine the robustness of the research methods and analysis.
Clarity and Quality of Writing: Consider how clearly the abstract is written and the quality of the presentation.
Significance and Impact: Evaluate the potential impact of the research on the field.
Results and Evidence: Brief but clear, and appropriate for the type of submission
References and Citations: Check the adequacy and relevance of the literature cited.

Reviewer's Confidence

Select your confidence level in reviewing this abstract:

5: Expert
4: High
3: Medium
2: Low
1: None

Confidential Remarks for the Program Committee

Optional Field: Provide any additional remarks intended only for the program committee members. These remarks will not be shared with the authors.

Include any concerns or comments that could help the program committee in making their decision.
Highlight any specific strengths or weaknesses that are critical for the

Monday, August 5, 2024

LLM predict protein binders

Article
Open access
Published: 24 October 2023

SaLT&PepPr is an interface-predicting language model for designing peptide-guided protein degraders

academic data science alliance

https://academicdatascience.org/

Sunday, August 4, 2024

ODU HPC request form

Please direct all students who want to use HPC to fill this form: https://forms.odu.edu/view.php?id=93440 .

Thursday, August 1, 2024

cyberbully and mental health

Several datasets exist that explore the relationship between mental health and cyberbullying. These datasets are often collected through surveys and studies conducted by academic institutions, government agencies, and non-profit organizations. Below are some notable datasets that might be useful:

1. Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS)

The YRBSS, conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), monitors health-related behaviors in youth, including experiences with cyberbullying and its impact on mental health.

Link: CDC YRBSS

2. Health Behavior in School-Aged Children (HBSC)

The HBSC study, a cross-national research study conducted in collaboration with the World Health Organization, collects data on adolescents' health and well-being, including experiences with cyberbullying and mental health outcomes.

Link: HBSC

3. The National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health)

Add Health is a nationally representative study that explores the health behaviors of adolescents and young adults in the U.S. It includes data on cyberbullying and mental health.

Link: Add Health

4. European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs (ESPAD)

ESPAD collects data on substance use and other health-related behaviors among European adolescents, including questions related to cyberbullying and mental health.

Link: ESPAD

5. National Crime Victimization Survey: School Crime Supplement (NCVS-SCS)

The NCVS-SCS, conducted by the Bureau of Justice Statistics, collects data on school-related victimization, including experiences with cyberbullying and its impact on students' mental health.

Link: NCVS-SCS

6. Global Kids Online

Global Kids Online is an international research project that provides data on children's online activities, risks, and opportunities, including cyberbullying and its effects on mental health.

Link: Global Kids Online

Home

7. The Youth Internet Safety Survey (YISS)

YISS, conducted by the Crimes Against Children Research Center, explores online experiences of youth, including cyberbullying and its psychological impact.

Link: YISS

Accessing and Utilizing Datasets

These datasets are valuable for researchers interested in studying the relationship between cyberbullying and mental health. To access these datasets, researchers typically need to follow specific protocols, which may include applying for access, providing a research proposal, and agreeing to terms of use.

Exploring these datasets can provide insights into the prevalence and effects of cyberbullying across different populations, helping to inform prevention and intervention strategies aimed at mitigating its impact on mental health.