Tracing System Research Articles

Cyberattack Tracing System Operational Architecture

APT cyber attacks have been a problem for over a past decade, but still remain a challenge today as attackers use more sophisticated techniques and the number of objects to be protected increases. ‘Cyberattack Tracing System’ allows analysts to find undetected attack codes that penetrated and hid in enterprises, and to investigate their lateral movement propagation activities. The enterprise is characterized by multiple networks and mass hosts (PCs/servers). This paper presents a data processing procedure that collects event data, generates a temporally and spatially extended provenance graph and cyberattack tracing paths. In each data process procedure phases, system design considerations are suggested. With reflecting the data processing procedure and the characteristics of enterprise environment, an operational architecture for CyberAttack Tracing System is presented. The operational architecture will be lead to the detailed design of the system.

Abstract 6051: Dissecting unique metabolic vulnerabilities in triple-negative breast cancer metastasis

Abstract Introduction. Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) exhibits the worst outcome due to an aggressive clinical course, high rates of metastasis, and therapeutic resistance. Lack of effective FDA approved anti-metastatic targeted therapies has generated an unmet medical need for developing effective novel treatments. Targeting metastatic seeding and colonization remains a therapeutic challenge. Only recently, attention has been drawn to the idea that cancer cells selectively and dynamically adapt their metabolism along the changing microenvironments of the metastatic cascade. However, the precise nature of the metabolic reprograming in vivo is poorly understood and constitutes a major barrier in formulating a rationally designed therapeutic approach. Using a genetic lineage tracing approach, we identified a discrete subpopulation of highly metastatic SOX2/OCT4+ cells within primary tumors that exhibit enhanced invasion and metastasis, increased self-renewal, higher chromosomal instability, and marked resistance to chemotherapy. We posited that this lineage tracing system may allow assessment of precise metabolic alterations as a function of tumor progression directly in vivo. Methods and data. Transcriptomic analysis of sorted cellular fractions from progressing primary TNBC tumor identified metabolic heterogeneities between metastatic SOX2/OCT4+ and the SOX2/OCT4- counterparts. SOX2/OCT4+ metastatic cells exhibited elevated levels of mitochondrial respiration (OXPHOS) and fatty acid (FA) metabolism; a finding supported by proteomic analysis. Using a combination of CRISPR knockout of key pathway genes, seahorse metabolic flux analysis, metabolomics, and stable isotope tracing, we provide evidence for increased dependence of the metastatic SOX2/OCT4+ population on these unique metabolic adaptions. Importantly, we have identified upstream regulators of these pathways and demonstrate impact of both genetic and pharmacological inhibition of the metabolic regulatory networks on metastasis in vivo. Conclusion. By identifying metabolic adaptations unique to the metastatic compartment of the primary tumor, we provide evidence for using clinical grade pharmacological inhibitors including metformin, tetrathiomolybdate and FA pathway inhibitors like TVB-2640 and BMS-303141, as an anti-metastatic approach in TNBC. This knowledge of metabolic remodeling could therefore be employed as a next-generation therapeutic approach for high-risk TNBC patients. Citation Format: Divya Ramchandani, Liron Yoffe, Arshdeep Singh, Linda Vahdat, Vivek Mittal. Dissecting unique metabolic vulnerabilities in triple-negative breast cancer metastasis [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2023; Part 1 (Regular and Invited Abstracts); 2023 Apr 14-19; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2023;83(7_Suppl):Abstract nr 6051.

Utility of RT-PCR versus electronic track and trace system for pre-procedural COVID-19 screening- a retrospective cohort study

Background and aimsCOVID-19 has disrupted the patient workflow in all healthcare settings. Procedures such as bronchoscopy and spirometry require additional pre-procedure screening for SARS-CoV-2. However, there is uncertainty regarding the utility of this universal pre-procedure screening. The State of Qatar has a robust contact tracing system in place in the form of the mobile application ‘Ehteraz.’ This study assesses the utility of various pre-procedural screening measures in asymptomatic patients and generate recommendations for any potential improvement in the workflow. MethodsThis is a cross-sectional study of asymptomatic patients who had SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR screening performed before bronchoscopy or lung function testing scheduled on an elective basis. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize and determine the sample characteristics. The rate of the positive PCR test result was subsequently calculated. ResultsTwo patients (0.34%) tested positive for COVID-19 on their pre-procedural screen. Four patients (0.68%) had an inconclusive result. ConclusionThe positivity rate of SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR is extremely low in asymptomatic individuals screened before bronchoscopy and spirometry. The authors recommend pre-procedural symptom and electronic application-based contact screening instead of universal pre-procedural SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR for screening asymptomatic individuals.

Grace: Low-cost time-synchronized GPIO tracing for IoT testbeds

Testbeds have become a vital tool for evaluating and benchmarking applications and algorithms in the Internet of Things (IoT). IoT testbeds commonly consist of low-power IoT devices augmented with observer nodes providing control, debugging, logging, and often also power-profiling capabilities. Today, the research community operates numerous testbeds, sometimes with hundreds of IoT nodes, to allow for detailed and large-scale evaluation. Most testbeds, however, lack opportunities for tracing distributed program execution with high accuracy in time, for example, via minimally invasive, distributed GPIO tracing. And the ones that do, like Flocklab, are built from custom hardware, which is often too complex, inflexible, or expensive to use for other research groups.This paper closes this gap and introduces Grace, a low-cost, retrofittable, distributed, and time-synchronized GPIO tracing system built from off-the-shelf components, costing less than €20 per node. Grace extends observer nodes in a testbed with (1) time-synchronization via wireless sub-GHz transceivers and (2) logic analyzers for GPIO tracing and logging, enabling time-synchronized GPIO tracing at a frequency of up to 8 MHz. We deploy Grace in a testbed and evaluate it, showing that it achieves an average time synchronization error between nodes of 1.53 μs using a single time source, and 15.3 μs between nodes using different time sources, sufficient for most IoT applications.

Evaluation Of CPSU-Track System Quality and Process: An Electronic Contact Tracing System

This study was conducted to evaluate the implementation of CPSU-Track in terms of its system quality and process as an e-contact tracing system of Central Philippines State University-Hinigaran Campus. It sought to determine the level of CPSU-Track system’s quality in terms of functionality, usability, efficiency, reliability, maintainability and portability, and processing in terms of record and time keeping, contact tracing, and processing time as assessed by staff, head of office and students. This study made use of a descriptive type of research design using the total enumeration process for staff and head of office respondents, while purposive quota sampling was used to identify student-respondents of Central Philippines State University-Hinigaran Campus. The results revealed that the staff and head of office’s assessment of the system’s quality exceeded the expectations of the end-users and obtained excellent interpretation in terms of the factors and criteria set on the standardized questionnaire of ISO/ IEC 9126, Meanwhile, the staff, head of office and students found the system’s process excellent in terms of record and time keeping, contact tracing, and processing time. Results and findings also concluded that the system much likely had the standards and characteristics to be an effective digital tool for contact tracing especially in managing the spread of the COVID-19 disease.

Confidentiality of health data in contact tracing systems during the Covid-19 pandemic in France

SARS-CoV-2 emerged in late 2019 and had become, within a few months, the focus of global attention due to its high transmissibility and its ability to cause acute respiratory failure, especially in the elderly and in people with comorbidities.1 Most governments, faced with a pandemic of a magnitude unprecedented in the 21st century,2 adopted emergency measures to reduce or stop the spread of the virus. Contact tracing is a well-established practice that consists of identifying people who have come into contact with infected people. During the Covid-19 pandemic, contact tracing was carried out using new methods. Manual contact tracing (MCT), in which the key stage consists of interviewing infected subjects in order to identify their contacts,3 has involved the collection and recording of data in electronic databases.4 In parallel, digital contact tracing (DCT), in which notification of infection risk uses a smartphone application, was implemented for the first time in a pandemic although the principle had already been described.5

Abstract P6-12-04: An Inducible Lineage Tracing System for the Identification of Tumor-Initiating Cells

Abstract Background: Metastasis and therapeutic resistance are a major clinical challenge, responsible for the vast majority of cancer deaths. A subpopulation of tumor cells known to have intrinsic resistance to standard therapies and contribute to metastasis function as “cancer stem”, or tumor-initiating, cells (TICs). Enriched populations of TICs are typically identified by markers such as aldehyde dehydrogenase activity, the cell surface marker combination of CD44+/CD24-, or fluorescent reporters for signaling pathways that regulate TIC function such as STAT3. Despite their utility, TIC markers and reporters have limitations. Marker expression can be unstable and there is no established method to lineage trace long-lived TICs or to follow them as they undergo cell state changes. Methods: To augment existing TIC reporters, we developed a two component TAM-inducible, Cre recombinase-dependent, STAT3 signaling-specific lentiviral LT system. The first component is a vector that labels cells with active STAT3 signaling (EGFP+), followed by a self-cleaving peptide and TAM-inducible Cre-recombinase (4M67-EGFP-P2A-CreERT2). The second component is a constitutively expressed dual-color switching Cre-dependent reporter vector (EFS-loxPdsRedloxP-mNeptune2). Addition of TAM drives color switching from dsRed to mNeptune2 via CreERT2 recombination in STAT3 signaling cells. Both lentiviral vectors were constructed using Gateway® Cloning. Sum159 cells were transduced with the LT system and reporter activity was validated both in vitro and in vivo using confocal microscopy and flow cytometry. Four LT cell populations (EGFP+/mNeptune2+, EGFP+/dsRed+, EGFP-/mNeptune2+, and EGFP-/dsRed+) were enriched using fluorescence activated cell sorting, then analyzed by single cell RNA sequencing (scRNA seq). Results: Our results confirm the STAT3 LT reporter identifies STAT3 signaling cells (EGFP+), which can be labelled (mNeptune2+) upon addition of TAM. We conducted a TAM dose response curve to identify the optimal TAM dose for complete and partial labeling of STAT3 signaling cells. scRNA seq uncovered gene expression patterns within the TIC compartment and revealed similarities and differences in gene expression between the TIC compartment and the remaining LT reporter populations. Conclusion: These data demonstrate our LT system is a powerful tool that can be applied to uncover the role of TICs in metastasis and therapeutic resistance, as well as identify genetic vulnerabilities to specifically target TICs. Citation Format: Eric P. Souto, Michael T. Lewis. An Inducible Lineage Tracing System for the Identification of Tumor-Initiating Cells [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2022 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2022 Dec 6-10; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2023;83(5 Suppl):Abstract nr P6-12-04.

Privacy and Integrity Threats in Contact Tracing Systems and Their Mitigations

Several countries adopted the Google and Apple exposure notification system (GAEN) to slow the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus down. GAEN promised to guarantee security and privacy through a decentralized approach. In this article, we report several relevant privacy and integrity threats in GAEN, including new attacks. GAEN’s security issues are not inherent risks of contact tracing systems. Indeed, we also propose a system named Pronto-B2, which enjoys a much better resilience with respect to mass surveillance and replay attacks.

Cre-loxP-mediated genetic lineage tracing: Unraveling cell fate and origin in the developing heart.

The Cre-loxP-mediated genetic lineage tracing system is essential for constructing the fate mapping of single-cell progeny or cell populations. Understanding the structural hierarchy of cardiac progenitor cells facilitates unraveling cell fate and origin issues in cardiac development. Several prospective Cre-loxP-based lineage-tracing systems have been used to analyze precisely the fate determination and developmental characteristics of endocardial cells (ECs), epicardial cells, and cardiomyocytes. Therefore, emerging lineage-tracing techniques advance the study of cardiovascular-related cellular plasticity. In this review, we illustrate the principles and methods of the emerging Cre-loxP-based genetic lineage tracing technology for trajectory monitoring of distinct cell lineages in the heart. The comprehensive demonstration of the differentiation process of single-cell progeny using genetic lineage tracing technology has made outstanding contributions to cardiac development and homeostasis, providing new therapeutic strategies for tissue regeneration in congenital and cardiovascular diseases (CVDs).

Community pharmacists' knowledge of substandard and falsified medicines in clinical practice: a cross-sectional survey in Saudi Arabia.

The main objective of this study was to explore community pharmacists' knowledge of substandard and falsified medicines (SFs). A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted with community pharmacists in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia using a pre-validated electronic survey. Ninety-two community pharmacists participated in this study. Many of the respondents (68.5%) had no experience with identifying SFs. We identified a concerning trend of under-reporting SFs (P < 0.003). Respondents reported that SFs constitutes 1-5% of medicines, with weight loss medicines being the most targeted for falsification. Most of the respondents had a low level of awareness about the newly implemented anti-counterfeit system in Saudi Arabia called the 'Drug Track and Trace System' (28.3% not really, 23.1% not at all). Respondents showed low levels of knowledge about technologies available to detect SFs (P < 0.01). Community pharmacists' self-reported awareness and knowledge of SFs in Saudi Arabia was inadequate; this deficiency may affect their ability to protect their patients from potential harm by combating SFs. As a regulatory body responsible for issues related to SFs, the Saudi Food and Drug Authority should develop an action plan to equip community pharmacists with training in SFs to enhance their ability to respond to SFs.

Impact of Online Food Delivery on Customers Buying Experience

With the amelioration in technology, easily availability of internet has created a new trajectory for marketing and selling product through mobile based applications. India is rising at a fast pace where people of the country are using new generation of technology and innovations. The spread of internet based e-commerce industries in India has witnessed a high level of growth and opportunity especially food delivery market is expected to expanding at a CAGR of 28.9% during 2022-2027. CAGR of 30.11 Growth of the technology not only technology but technological innovation has made online food ordering services more suitable specially for the people who wanted to get food delivered at their door step. It overcomes the disadvantages of the historic method of food ordering. This new system is a medium to order online food in a hassle free manner. During the COVID-19 restaurant has witnessed growth in online food delivery to facilitated consumer to order meals and enabled food aggregators to keep operating. From a social perspective, online food delivery act the relationship between consumers and their food, as well as influencing public health outcomes and trace systems. Also we can’t ignore contribution of Gig economy’s working in the success of online food delivery industry. These freelancers’ workers do not receive any benefits of the permanent employees. The aspiration of the study is to know the components that are influencing to customers in going online, their perceptions, positioning of various attributes in their mind and overall satisfaction towards online food delivery services. This research paper is going to be descriptive in nature. Also this paper presents the overall background of food delivery applications and procedure of ordering of food through food delivery applications

Region-wise analysis of beef cow movements in Japan.

Animal movement is an important factor in the transmission of animal infectious diseases. A better understanding of movement patterns is therefore necessary for developing effective control measures against disease spread. In Japan, a cattle tracing system was established in 2003, following a bovine spongiform encephalopathy epidemic, and the information on all cattle movements has been stored in a national database maintained by the National Livestock Breeding Center. Using these data, we previously analyzed the movement of dairy cows, concluding that heterogeneities in cattle movement are associated with regional and seasonal factors. In the present study, we aimed to identify specific factors affecting the regional and seasonal movement patterns of beef cows in Japan. From April 2012 to March 2017, 797,553 farm-to-farm movement events were recorded. We analyzed movements by month and by cattle age and looked at the frequency of movement within and between seven regions spanning the national territory. Our results show that calf movement peaked at 9-10 months old; these movements were considered to be via the market and were frequent within and between regions. For inter-regional movements, Kyushu region was the top producer of calves for calf trading markets throughout Japan. With regard to intra-regional movements, round-trip movements for summer grazing were observed in May and October for cattle of various ages in the northern regions, especially Hokkaido and Tohoku. Moreover, the movements of Japanese Shorthorn breeds in Tohoku region exhibited consistent annual peaks in May and October/November, in accordance with their seasonal breeding practice. In the areas with high relative densities of dairy cows, such as Hokkaido, the shipping of newborn beef calves produced via embryo transfer to dairy cows was also observed. Overall, understanding the patterns of beef cow movement will help develop effective disease surveillance measures, such as pre-movement inspections focused on specific regions and types of movement.

SG-APSIC1132: BHQ isolation cart management at a Bangkok Hospital

Objectives: We aimed to provide sufficient equipment to effectively and efficiently track all equipment. Advanced management procedures are available for the treatment of any patients with infections or immunodeficiency as well as those who need special treatment or isolation from others. This management plan can be beneficial for the hospital by promoting process improvement and achieving cost effectiveness. Methods: The instruments used were surveyed in all departments of Bangkok Hospital and these data were analyzed. We used a plan–do–check–act (PDCA) strategy to improve the management by moving from a manual system to a collaborative innovation project that used 4 technological systems: (1) storage identification and identification codes for equipment; (2) request, return, and delivery using the Nsmart system; (3) transportation, receiving, and delivery; and (4) an HIS system for tracing and NSterile version 4.0 software for reporting. Results: The BHQ isolation cart management system helped the hospital control inventory and prevent infection and helped standardize patient services to improve quality at the hospital. Conclusions: This report confirms earlier findings that sufficient equipment can be made available to patients with no extra cost to management. Our findings can contribute to efforts to prevent the virus from spreading within the hospital.

A mid-infrared spectroscopy-random forest system for the origin tracing of Chinese geographical indication Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata

Reliable origin certification methods are essential for the protection of high-value genuine medicinal material with designated origins and geographical indication (GI) products. Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata (Fuzi), one well-known traditional Chinese medicine and geographical indication products have remarkable efficacy and wide clinical application, with high demand in domestic and international markets. The efficacy and price of Fuzi from different origins vary, and it is difficult for the general public to accurately identify them through traditional experience. The mass spectrometry detection technology based on the plant metabolomics is tedious and lengthy in test sample preparation, complicated in operation, long in detection time, and low in reproducibility. As a sophisticated, green, fast, and low-loss detection technique, infrared spectroscopy is integrated by machine learning to bring new ways for quality regulation and control of traditional Chinese medicines. An analytical method based on mid-infrared spectroscopy combined with a random forest algorithm was developed to verify the geographical origin of authentic herbs and/or GI products. The method successfully predicted and classified three varieties of Chinese GI Fuzi and four varieties of non-GI Fuzi. In this study, an environment-friendly traceability strategy with fast analysis, low sample loss and high precision was used to provide a new strategy for identifying the origin of Fuzi.

Subthalamic neurons interact with nigral dopaminergic neurons to regulate movement in mice.

This study aims to address the role of the interaction between subthalamic (STN) neurons and substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc) dopaminergic (DA) neurons in movement control. Fiber photometry and optogenetic/chemogenetic techniques were utilized to monitor and manipulate neuronal activity, respectively. Locomotion in mice was recorded in an open field arena and on a head-fixed apparatus. A hemiparkinsonian mouse model was established by unilateral injection of 6-OHDA in the medial forebrain bundle. Whole-cell patch-clamp techniques were applied to record electrophysiological signals in STN neurons and SNc DA neurons. c-Fos-immunostaining was used to label activated neurons. A rabies virus-based retrograde tracing system was used to visualize STN neurons projecting to SNc DA neurons. The activity of STN neurons was enhanced upon locomotion in an open field arena and on a head-fixed apparatus, and the enhancement was significantly attenuated in parkinsonian mice. Optogenetic stimulation of STN neurons enhanced locomotion, increased activity of SNc DA neurons, meanwhile, reduced latency to movement initiation. Combining optogenetics with patch-clamp recordings, we confirmed that STN neurons innervated SNc DA neurons through glutamatergic monosynaptic connections. Moreover, STN neurons projecting to SNc DA neurons were evenly distributed in the STN. Either 6-OHDA-lesion or chemogenetic inhibition of SNc DA neurons attenuated the enhancement of locomotion by STN stimulation. SNc DA neurons not only affect the response of STN neurons to movement, but also contribute to the enhancement of movement by STN stimulation. This study demonstrates the role of STN-SNc interaction in movement control.

Monosynaptic restriction of the anterograde herpes simplex virus strain H129 for neural circuit tracing.

Identification of synaptic partners is a fundamental task for systems neuroscience. To date, few reliable techniques exist for whole brain labeling of downstream synaptic partners in a cell-type-dependent and monosynaptic manner. Herein, we describe a novel monosynaptic anterograde tracing system based on the deletion of the gene UL6 from the genome of a cre-dependent version of the anterograde Herpes Simplex Virus 1 strain H129. Given that this knockout blocks viral genome packaging and thus viral spread, we reasoned that co-infection of a HSV H129 ΔUL6 virus with a recombinant adeno-associated virus expressing UL6 in a cre-dependent manner would result in monosynaptic spread from target cre-expressing neuronal populations. Application of this system to five nonreciprocal neural circuits resulted in labeling of neurons in expected projection areas. While some caveats may preclude certain applications, this system provides a reliable method to label postsynaptic partners in a brain-wide fashion.

Evaluation method based on a tracing mechanism for adaptive user interfaces: application in intelligent transport systems

Nowadays, adaptive user interfaces (AUI) are more and more present everywhere in our daily life activities (at home, at work, in public places, etc.). Moreover, they can have different adaptation capabilities; can be disseminated in the environment of the users and take into account different user profiles. Many academic and industrial studies are conducted about user modelling, design methods and tools for user interface (UI) generation. However, the evaluation of such user interfaces is difficult. In fact, there exist relatively few works in the literature about such AUI evaluation. To fill up this lack, it is necessary to envisage new evaluation methods focused on adaptation quality of UI. In this research work, we propose an evaluation method called METhod based on a TRAcing system (MetTra). This method has been validated by evaluating AUIs in the transportation field.

‘I’ve left enough data’: Relations between people and data and the production of surveillance

Exploring emergent relations between data-producing individuals and their data products, this study aims to contribute to the ongoing scholarly discussion on agencies in data practices. It focuses on shifts in surveillance structure in the era of Big Data, in which the individual becomes both a subject and an object in the production of data surveillance. Drawing on the concept of the ‘dividual’, the study analyses data practices for a tracing system invented by the South Korean government during the COVID-19 pandemic, with findings from field research conducted with 11 research participants in various urban sites in Seoul. Highlighting how the tracing system positioned surveillance ‘in the hands of citizens’, the study exposes the complexities of the relations that the participants formed with the data they produced, and how they reflexively reappropriated their practices through alterations and deflections on the basis of their tacit knowledge and imaginaries concerning digital data and their constituent positions in the knowledge production system. The resultant expression of surveillance was directly shaped by the evolving relationship between the producers (participants) and products (digital data). The study proposes that an intersectional focus on surveillance and critical data studies, with close attention to ordinary people's relations with data, has the capacity to inquire into the politics of data more fully.

A Framework for Infectious Disease Monitoring With Automated Contact Tracing—A Case Study of COVID-19

Throughout human history, deadly infectious diseases emerged occasionally. Even with the present-day advanced healthcare systems, the COVID-19 has caused more than six million deaths worldwide (as of 27 July 2022). Currently, researchers are working to develop tools for better and effective management of the pandemic. “Contact tracing” is one such tool to monitor and control the spread of the disease. However, manual contact tracing is labor-intensive and time-consuming. Therefore, manually tracking all potentially infected individuals is a great challenge, especially for an infectious disease like COVID-19. To date, many digital contact tracing applications were developed and used globally to restrain the spread of COVID-19. In this work, we perform a detailed review of the current digital contact tracing technologies. We mention some of their key limitations and propose a fully integrated system for contact tracing of infectious diseases using COVID-19 as a case study. Our system has four main modules—1) case maps; 2) exposure detection; 3) screening; and 4) health indicators that take multiple inputs like users’ self-reported information, measurement of physiological parameters, and information of the confirmed cases from the public health, and keeps a record of contact histories using Bluetooth technology. The system can potentially evaluate the users’ risk of getting infected and generate notifications to alert them about the exposure events, risk of infection, or abnormal health indicators. The system further integrates the Web-based information on confirmed COVID-19 cases and screening tools, which potentially increases the adoption rate of the system.

Leveraging Inference: A Regression-Based Learner Performance Prediction System for Knowledge Tracing

Leveraging Inference: A Regression-Based Learner Performance Prediction System for Knowledge Tracing