Abstract
The increasing proliferation of cyber-attacks threatening the security of computer networks has driven the development of more effective methods for identifying malicious network flows. The inclusion of statistical laws, such as Benford's Law, and distance functions, applied to the first digits of network flow metadata, such as IP addresses or packet sizes, facilitates the detection of abnormal patterns in the digits. These techniques also allow for quantifying discrepancies between expected and suspicious flows, significantly enhancing the accuracy and speed of threat detection. This paper introduces a novel method for identifying and analyzing anomalies within computer networks. It integrates Benford's Law into the analysis process and incorporates a range of distance functions, namely the Mean Absolute Deviation (MAD), the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test (KS), and the Kullback-Leibler divergence (KL), which serve as dispersion measures for quantifying the extent of anomalies detected in network flows. Benford's Law is recognized for its effectiveness in identifying anomalous patterns, especially in detecting irregularities in the first digit of the data. In addition, Bayes' Theorem was implemented in conjunction with the distance functions to enhance the detection of malicious traffic flows. Bayes' Theorem provides a probabilistic perspective on whether a traffic flow is malicious or benign. This approach is characterized by its flexibility in incorporating new evidence, allowing the model to adapt to emerging malicious behavior patterns as they arise. Meanwhile, the distance functions offer a quantitative assessment, measuring specific differences between traffic flows, such as frequency, packet size, time between packets, and other relevant metadata. Integrating these techniques has increased the model's sensitivity in detecting malicious flows, reducing the number of false positives and negatives, and enhancing the resolution and effectiveness of traffic analysis. Furthermore, these techniques expedite decisions regarding the nature of traffic flows based on a solid statistical foundation and provide a better understanding of the characteristics that define these flows, contributing to the comprehension of attack vectors and aiding in preventing future intrusions. The effectiveness and applicability of this joint method have been demonstrated through experiments with the CICIDS2017 public dataset, which was explicitly designed to simulate real scenarios and provide valuable information to security professionals when analyzing computer networks. The proposed methodology opens up new perspectives in investigating and detecting anomalies and intrusions in computer networks, which are often attributed to cyber-attacks. This development culminates in creating a promising model that stands out for its effectiveness and speed, accurately identifying possible intrusions with an F1 of nearly 80%, a recall of 99.42%, and an accuracy of 65.84%.

Abstract
Extensive computational research has been dedicated to detecting keys and modes in tonal Western music within the major and minor modes. Little research has been dedicated to other modes and musical expressions, such as folk or non-Western music. This paper tackles this limitation by comparing traditional template-based with unsupervised machine-learning methods for diatonic mode detection within folk music. Template-based methods are grounded in music theory and cognition and use predefined profiles from which we compare a musical piece. Unsupervised machine learning autonomously discovers patterns embedded in the data. As a case study, the authors apply the methods to a dataset of Irish folk music called The Session on four diatonic modes: Ionian, Dorian, Mixolydian, and Aeolian. Our evaluation assesses the performance of template-based and unsupervised methods, reaching an average accuracy of about 80%. We discuss the applicability of the methods, namely the potential of unsupervised learning to process unknown musical sources beyond modes with predefined templates.

Abstract
The increasing complexity of integrated energy systems with the electric power grid requires innovative control solutions for efficient management of smart buildings and distributed energy resources. Accurately predicting weather conditions and electricity demand is crucial to make such informed decisions. Machine learning has emerged as a powerful solution to enhance prediction accuracy by harnessing advanced algorithms, but often requires complex parameterizations and ongoing model updates. The Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory's Autonomous Forecast Framework (AFF) was developed to greatly simplify this process, providing reliable and accurate forecasts with minimal user interaction, by automatically selecting the best model out of a library of candidate models. This work expands on the AFF by not only selecting the best model, but assembling a blend of multiple models into a hybrid forecast model. The validation within this work has shown that this combination of models outperformed the selected best model of the AFF 31%, while providing greater resilience to individual model's forecast error. © 2024 IEEE.

Abstract
We introduce a novel perspective on set-class analysis combining the DFT magnitudes with the music visualisation technique of wavescapes. With such a combination, we create a visual representation of a piece's multidimensional qualia, where different colours indicate saliency in chromaticity, diadicity, triadicity, octatonicity, diatonicity, and whole-tone quality. At the centre of our methods are: 1) the formal definition of the Fourier Qualia Space (FQS), 2) its particular ordering of DFT coefficients that delineate regions linked to different musical aesthetics, and 3) the mapping of such regions into a coloured wavescape. Furthermore, we demonstrate the intrinsic capability of the FQS to express qualia ambiguity and map it into a synopsis wavescape. Finally, we showcase the application of our methods by presenting a few analytical remarks on Bach's Three-part Invention BWV 795, Debussy's Reflets dans l'eau, andWebern's Four Pieces for Violin and Piano, Op. 7, No. 1, unveiling increasingly ambiguous wavescapes.

Abstract
The number of electric vehicles is increasing progressively for various reasons, including economic and environmental factors. There has also been a technological development regarding both the operation and charging of these vehicles. Therefore, it is very important to reinforce the charging infrastructure, which can be optimised through the application of computational tools. There are several approaches that should be considered when trying to find the best location for electric vehicles charging stations. In the literature, different methods are described that can be applied to address this specific issue, including optimisation methods and decision-making techniques such as multicriteria analysis. One of the possible limitations of these methods is that they may not consider all perspectives of the various entities involved, potentially resulting in solutions that do not fully represent the optimal outcome; nevertheless, they provide invaluable information that can be applied in the development of integrative models and potentially more comprehensive ones. This article presents a research and discussion on the most commonly used decision models for this issue, considering optimisation models and multi-criteria decision-making strategies for the adequate planning of EV charging station installation, taking into account the different perspectives of the involved entities. © 2024 IEEE.

Abstract
In our previous work, we explored a new invisible ECG biometrics approach that uses signals collected at the thighs using polymeric dry electrodes and sensors integrated into a toilet seat. However, the performance of the biometric templates remains unexplored. In this paper we evaluate how the ECG templates evolve, and the impact that potential changes may have on performance, using one case-study subject monitored over 31 days. This work is organized into two main parts. The first explores the morphological and physical traits of the subject throughout the 31 days based on data collected daily, three times per day at 6-hour intervals; in more than 80% of the sessions, all the signals were successfully acquired without showing noise nor movement artefacts. The second part is focused on evaluating the performance of Support Vector Machine (SVM) and Binary Convolutional Neural Network (BCNN) classifiers in the identification of the case study subject within a population of 10 individuals, covering an age range of (24 to 35 years); the top performer was the BCNN, achieving a perfect accuracy rate of 100% when tested on a group of two individuals. © 2024 IEEE.