ORT Israel

Dark web posts are often cryptic and lengthy, presenting a significant challenge for identifying fintech cybersecurity threats, as threat actors use these forums to discuss attacks and sell illicit goods. To address this, we developed DarkWatchAI, an unsupervised machine learning framework for identifying and categorizing fintech threats in dark web content. Our novel methodology employs a transformed pointwise mutual information (T-PMI) model to cluster posts and identify correlations between fintech-related terms. These results are then fed via prompt engineering to a fine-tuned Generative AI (GenAI) LLM for threat actor categorization. This approach effectively extracts insights from complex dark web posts, identifying potential fintech security threats. Experiments show a 75% classification success rate in identifying cybersecurity threats. This work offers practical insights for dark web analysis, enabling financial institutions to proactively prevent fraud and protect customers against emerging threats.

The noninvasive measurement and sensing of vital bio signs, such as respiration and cardiopulmonary parameters, has become an essential part of the evaluation of a patient’s physiological condition. The demand for new technologies that facilitate remote and noninvasive techniques for such measurements continues to grow. While previous research has made strides in the continuous monitoring of vital bio signs using lasers, this paper introduces a novel technique for remote noncontact measurements based on radio frequencies. Unlike laser-based methods, this innovative approach offers the advantage of penetrating through walls and tissues, enabling the measurement of respiration and heart rate. Our method, diverging from traditional radar systems, introduces a unique sensing concept that enables the detection of micro-movements in all directions, including those parallel to the antenna surface. The main goal of this work is to present a novel, simple, and cost-effective measurement tool capable of indicating changes in a subject’s condition. By leveraging the unique properties of radio frequencies, this technique allows for the noninvasive monitoring of vital bio signs without the need for physical contact or invasive procedures. Moreover, the ability to penetrate barriers such as walls and tissues opens new possibilities for remote monitoring in various settings, including home healthcare, hospital environments, and even search and rescue operations. In order to validate the effectiveness of this technique, a series of experiments were conducted using a prototype device. The results demonstrated the feasibility of accurately measuring respiration patterns and heart rate remotely, showcasing the potential for real-time monitoring of a patient’s physiological parameters. Furthermore, the simplicity and low-cost nature of the proposed measurement tool make it accessible to a wide range of users, including healthcare professionals, caregivers, and individuals seeking to monitor their own health.

This study aims to explore how school leaders applied resilience in order to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic. This qualitative study used semistructured interviews with 26 school leaders. Results yielded three main manners of applying resilience: (a) be proactive, pragmatic, and creative; (b) find meaning and set goals; (c) lead the emotional climate. The study can contribute to the scholarly understanding of leaders’ resilience in crisis times as well as to professional development programs for nurturing resilience among school leaders.

Abstract The arginine‐glycine‐glutamic acid (RGD) sequence, an αvβ3 integrin recognition site, is overexpressed in malignancies and neovasculature, making it a potential therapeutic target. Herein, efficacy/safety of tumor‐targeted RGD‐based proteinoid nanocapsules (NCs) entrapping a synergistic combination of two drugs—palbociclib (Pal), a CDK4/6 inhibitor, and alpelisib (Alp), a P13K inhibitor, as a cancer treatment, is assessed. P(RGD) proteinoid polymers are produced by thermal step‐growth polymerization of R, G, and D under an inert atmosphere. P(RGD) NCs, hollow and encapsulating 25 w% each of Pal and Alp, are formed by self‐assembly of the proteinoid polymer. The encapsulation yields of Pal and Alp are 72% and 95%, respectively. Long‐term stability, controlled release, cellular uptake,synergistic cytotoxicity, and induced cell death are evident from in vitro experiments. Findings from in vivo breast, colon and gastric patient‐derived xenograft (PDX) mice experiments are consistent with the in vitro studies showing that the response to treatment with drug‐loaded NCs is similar to that elicited by free drugs, with reduced side effects. The study demonstrates the potential clinical utility of P(RGD) NCs for cancer treatment.

This study is embedded within a distinct pro-migration incentivized ‘Law of Return’ migration policy in Israel, as it considers the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on migrant women, their agency, and proculturation. It features stories of migrant women during the COVID-19 pandemic, exploring their agency within the Individual-Socio-Ecological frame of reference of I-positions in the dialogical self theory. This qualitative study on English-speaking women in Israel (N = 39) is empirically grounded in lived experiences of meaning making, mothering, family dynamics, work, and access to healthcare under conditions of lockdown. The analysis of participants’ stories resulted in identifying six overarching themes relevant to migrant women: familial roles, mental labor, voicing resistance, mindfulness, intergenerational solidarity, and transnationalism. This study provides a construct clarification of agency, introducing three levels of agency: inward, social, and societal. In particular older migrant women may appeared to be losing agency during the COVID-19 pandemic in Israel, if the focus was solely on decision making and taking action. However, this study suggests that inward I-positions, in particular as related to mental labor, seemed to flourish during the COVID-19 pandemic, when many participants could engage in a more limited way on social and societal levels.

Objective To examine perceived stress in migrants guided by Bornstein’s Specificity Principle in Acculturation Science (BSPAS) theoretical framework. Design Using a cross-sectional study, we recruited English-language migrants (n = 411) living in Israel to respond to an online questionnaire during the COVID-19 pandemic, from 3 April to 16 May 2020. Main Outcome Measures The dependent variable comprised the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) scores, which attained an internal consistency of 0.91 in this sample. Results PSS scores were related to lower age (p < 0.0001), being single (p = 0.0095), not possessing high (p = 0.0069) or medium resilience (p = 0.0002), reporting below average SES (p = 0.0196), being “extremely” worried about getting COVID-19 (p < 0.0001), and having high health literacy (p = 0.0007). Additionally, the interaction between health literacy and resilience (p < 0.0001) showed that migrants with high resilience and high health literacy had the lowest perceived stress; and migrants with low resilience and high health literacy had the highest perceived stress. Conclusions Interventions are needed to assist migrants during the COVID-19 pandemic. The optimal intervention will aim to address the psychological distress while increasing both health literacy and resilience.

Bumble bees exhibit exceptional diversity in their segmental body coloration largely as a result of mimicry. In this study we sought to discover genes involved in this variation through studying a lab-generated mutant in bumble bee Bombus terrestris, in which the typical black coloration of the pleuron, scutellum, and first metasomal tergite is replaced by yellow, a color variant also found in sister lineages to B. terrestris. Utilizing a combination of RAD-Seq and whole-genome re-sequencing, we localized the color-generating variant to a single SNP in the protein-coding sequence of transcription factor cut. This mutation generates an amino acid change that modifies the conformation of a coiled-coil structure outside DNA-binding domains. We found that all sequenced Hymenoptera, including sister lineages, possess the non-mutant allele, indicating different mechanisms are involved in the same color transition in nature. Cut is important for multiple facets of development, yet this mutation generated no noticeable external phenotypic effects outside of setal characteristics. Reproductive capacity was reduced, however, as queens were less likely to mate and produce female offspring, exhibiting behavior similar to that of workers. Our research implicates a novel developmental player in pigmentation, and potentially caste, thus contributing to a better understanding of the evolution of diversity in both of these processes.