Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Post-Quantum Zero-Knowledge and Signatures from Symmetric-Key Primitives

We propose a new class of post-quantum digital signature schemes that: (a) derive their security entirely from the security of symmetric-key primitives, believed to be quantum-secure, and (b) have extremely small keypairs, and, (c) are highly parameterizable. In our signature constructions, the public key is an image y=f(x) of a one-way function f and secret key x. A signature is a non-interactive zero-knowledge proof of x, that incorporates a message to be signed. For this proof, we leverage recent progress of Giacomelli et al. (USENIX'16) in constructing an efficient Σ-protocol for statements over general circuits. We improve this Σ-protocol to reduce proof sizes by a factor of two, at no additional computational cost. While this is of independent interest as it yields more compact proofs for any circuit, it also decreases our signature sizes. We consider two possibilities to make the proof non-interactive: the Fiat-Shamir transform and Unruh's transform (EUROCRYPT'12, '15,'16). The former has smaller signatures, while the latter has a security analysis in the quantum-accessible random oracle model. By customizing Unruh's transform to our application, the overhead is reduced to 1.6x when compared to the Fiat-Shamir transform, which does not have a rigorous post-quantum security analysis. We implement and benchmark both approaches and explore the possible choice of f, taking advantage of the recent trend to strive for practical symmetric ciphers with a particularly low number of multiplications and end up using Low MC (EUROCRYPT'15).
Start to Finish: The Effect of Sportswriter and Reader Gender on Perception of Female Athletes

Poor portrayal and perception of female athletes has a host of negative outcomes, such as objectification of women (Daniels, 2009; Daniels & Wartena, 2011) and negative reader judgment of female athletes (Knight & Giuliano, 2001). This study examines whether the gender of the sportswriter and reader affect the perception of female athletes (in terms of athleticism, respectability and interest in the sport). No significant interaction was found between sportswriter and reader gender, but a main effect was found for reader gender wherein women tend to think more highly of the athleticism and respectability of female athletes. Women were also more likely to view the sportswriter as credible; and higher credibility was positively correlated with perceptions of the athlete’s athleticism and respectability.
The primate superior colliculus and the shift of visual attention.

seem to be affected very dramatically and can subserve foveal vision as well. Have you any ideas on what this cortical input is doing as well as on the anatomy of the lower layers of the colliculus about which you haven't talked but which may clarify some things? LUND: That really is puzzling. I think it highly unlikely that there is a major direct optic projection to the rostral colliculus. It cannot be demonstrated by light or electron microscope degenerative methods, nor can it be shown by autoradiographic labeling methods. Assuming that your cortical lesions are complete and that your electrodes really are in the superior colliculus and not in adjacent . pretectal nuclei, one has to postulate that there may be indirect optic influences via possible pretectum-collicular or geniculate-collicular pathways. Alternatively, there could be a very small number of direct optic terminals to the region which are below the resolution of detection by the anatomical methods used but which, are sufficient to produce unit activity. Your comments regarding the relatively normal response patterns in the colliculus after cortical lesions suggest to me two possibilities—either your experimental situation does not exploit the normal activity parameters of the corticotectal pathway, or the widely assumed anatomical dogma that the size of a pathway bears a direct relation to its magnitude of influence is mistaken. With regard to the last, I think it would be very valuable to test the effects of cortical lesions in monkeys and rats (or ground squirrels) under absolutely identical experimental conditions. As is described here, these animals show marked differences in the relative sizes of the two pathways (retinotectal and corticotectal) and one might expect that this should be reflected in functional differences. The deep layers with the possible exception of part of the stratum griseum intermedium do not receive a projection from visual cortical areas. This does not, of course, mean that they do not respond to more indirect visual influences.
Experimental and Clinical Applications of Chamaecyparis obtusa Extracts in Dry Eye Disease

Purpose To investigate the effects of Chamaecyparis obtusa (CO) on human corneal epithelial (HCE) cells, a murine experimental dry eye (EDE) model, and the efficacy of antioxidant eye mask in dry eye disease (DED) patients. Methods 0.001%, 0.01%, and 0.1% CO extracts were used to treat HCE cells, cell viability, and production of antioxidative enzymes, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) were assessed. Afterwards, CO extracts or balanced salt solution (BSS) was applied in EDE. Clinical and experimental parameters were measured at 7 days after treatment. In addition, DED patients were randomly assigned to wear either an eye mask containing CO extracts or a placebo. Clinical parameters were evaluated. Results The viability of HCE cells and antioxidative enzyme expression significantly improved after treatment with 0.1% CO extracts. Mice treated with 0.1% CO extracts showed significant improvement in clinical parameters. During the trial, the clinical parameters significantly improved in the treatment group at 4 weeks after application. Conclusions 0.1% CO extracts could promote the expression of antioxidative proteins and ROS production. In addition, an eye mask containing CO extracts could improve DED clinical parameters. These suggest that CO extracts may be useful as an adjunctive option for the DED treatment.
Value of cytology as an adjunctive intraoperative diagnostic method. An audit of 2,250 consecutive cases.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the role of intraoperative cytology (IC) in the improvement of diagnostic accuracy obtained by frozen section (FS) alone. STUDY DESIGN Comparison of 2,250 intraoperative cytologies performed along with frozen sections, with the final diagnoses achieved on paraffin sections. RESULTS In 18 cases the diagnoses were deferred until the paraffin sections at the time of intraoperative consultation. The diagnostic accuracy in distinguishing benign from malignant lesions by combined intraoperative cytology and frozen section was 99.2%. The accuracy rate is significantly higher than that reported in large series based on frozen section preparations alone. Sensitivity and specificity were, respectively, 98.2% and 100%. The diagnostic accuracy of each technique alone was 94.9% for FS (sensitivity 89.9%, specificity 97.9%) and 96% for IC (sensitivity 94.9%, and specificity 96.8%). Although specific diagnoses were more frequently formulated on the bases of frozen section examination, FSs were not diagnostic in 113 case in which cytology allowed a specific diagnosis. CONCLUSION Our results emphasize the increasingly important diagnostic role of intraoperative cytology as an adjunct to frozen section. The approach does have limitations.
Hormone studies in females with androgenic hairloss.

Reports on hormone analysis in androgenic hairloss in the female show partly contradicting results. Elevated as well as normal-range androgen levels have been found. The present study aimed at the investigation of a possibly more differentiated hormonal constellation by hormone analysis and additional determination of the hypophyseal level by the thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) test. In 46 female patients with androgenic hairloss blood sampling for hormone analysis was performed. Determination of the androgens testosterone (T), androstenedione (A), dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS), 17-hydroxy-progesterone acetate (17-OHP) and free testosterone (FT), of sex-hormone-binding globulin (SHBG), estradiol (E2), cortisol (F) and the hypophyseal luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) was performed by standard radioimmunoassay methods. The TRH-test is based on feedback mechanisms between the hypothalamic TRH which stimulates hypophyseal TSH and PRL release. Thus, even mild forms of hypothyroidism or hyperprolactinaemia can be detected. The control group for the TRH test consisted of 45 volunteer females without hairloss or any other hormonal or menstrual disturbances. Statistical analysis was performed according to the Wilcoxon two-sample test. The results of the study show no significant elevation of androgens in females with androgenic hairloss, but a more complex condition with involvement of the glandula suprarenalis and the hypophyseal level. Significantly elevated TSH levels prior to and after TRH stimulation in the hairloss group indicate that hypothyroidism may be an important hormonal disturbance in androgenic hairloss. Interactions between hypothyroidism and androgen metabolism are possible at various links. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Spatialized audio rendering for immersive virtual environments

We present a spatialized audio rendering system for the use in immersive virtual environments. The system is optimized for rendering a sufficient number of dynamically moving sound sources in multi-speaker environments using off-the-shelf audio hardware. Based on simplified physics-based models, we achieve a good trade-off between audio quality, spatial precision, and performance. Convincing acoustic room simulation is accomplished by integrating standard hardware reverberation devices as used in the professional audio and broadcast community. We elaborate on important design principles for audio rendering as well as on practical implementation issues. Moreover, we describe the integration of the audio rendering pipeline into a scene graph-based virtual reality toolkit.
Variable aetiologies contributing to the anaemia of systolic heart failure are important to individual patient management.

The anaemia of chronic left ventricular systolic dysfunction (LVSD) or systolic heart failure is common, increases over time,1 and is linked with a bad clinical outcome. It is often considered an expression of the chronic vascular inflammation of endstage disease similar to that seen in conjunction with many other chronic disease states. Failure of haematinic function, particularly renal erythropoietin (Epo) synthesis and release, is also seen as a key mechanism and is cited as a major justification for considering exogenous Epo therapy in this disease. Westenbrink et al . 2 from Groningen contribute a simple but critical clinical paper highlighting that variable mechanisms contribute to this clinical setting. By defining these carefully, Westenbrink shows that notwithstanding the impact of altered Epo kinetics and dynamics, many of these patients might also have ‘simple’ dilutional anaemia related to poorly perceived and asymptomatic fluid imbalance. This simple finding has important implications for management. The anaemia of LVSD is readily identified by simple measurement; its haematological severity begets a poor outcome. Its prevalence is poorly defined due to the application of variable diagnostic cut-offs. Haematinic deficiencies secondary to poor nutrition, poor micronutrient absorption, and/or chronic gastrointestinal bleeding are common in LVSD and might contribute to a third of cases.3 In the absence of haematinic deficiency, reduced Epo production, (controlling proliferation and differentiation of erythroid cells) may also be involved. As the primary stimulus for Epo release is renal hypoxia, it is understandable that this might be implicated given that reduced renal perfusion is common in LVSD. Anaemia would result if Epo release was insufficient to meet the demands of normal erythropoiesis. Opasich et al . 4 have already reported that 76% of their sample of anaemic chronic heart failure patients showed impaired … *Corresponding author. Tel: +44 121 507 4476 5080; fax: +44 121 554 4854. E-mail address : robert.macfadyen{at}swbh.nhs. uk
Dexamethasone prevents relapse after emergency department treatment of acute migraine: a randomized clinical trial.

OBJECTIVE To determine whether the addition of intravenous dexamethasone to standard emergency department (ED) migraine therapy would decrease the incidence of severe recurrent headache 24 to 48 hours after initial treatment. METHODS Patients aged 19 to 65 years whose headache was severe enough to require parenteral therapy and who met International Headache Society migraine criteria were eligible for this randomized, double-blind trial. The study was conducted in the ED of 2 community hospitals, 1 of which was a tertiary referral centre. Exclusion criteria included pregnancy, focal findings, fever, meningismus, allergy to the study drug, active peptic ulcer disease and diabetes mellitus. Demographic and clinical data, including headache severity, were recorded. After abortive therapy (antiemetics, intravenous nonsteroidal agents, dihydroergotamine or opioids), blinded nurses administered dexamethasone (24 mg intravenously) or placebo. Patients recorded headache severity on a Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) at time T = 0, T = 30 minutes and T = 60 minutes and at discharge. They were contacted 48 to 72 hours later and asked whether they had suffered a recurrence of their headache, categorized as class A (severe, provoking another physician visit), class B (severe, interfering with daily activity but not provoking a physician visit), class C (mild, requiring self-medication but not limiting activity) or class D (mild, requiring no treatment). RESULTS Two of 100 patients were lost to follow-up, leaving 98 in the study sample. Placebo recipients were more likely to be female; other baseline characteristics were similar between groups. Median VAS pain score was 83 mm on ED arrival, 35 mm after initial treatment and 12 mm on discharge. At follow-up, 65 of 98 patients had suffered headache recurrence. In the placebo versus dexamethasone groups, respectively, the results were 11 versus 0 in class A, 11 versus 9 in class B, 7 versus 11 in class C and 4 versus 12 in class D. Regarding the primary outcome, 9 of 49 dexamethasone patients (18%) and 22 of 49 placebo patients (45%) had severe (classes A and B) recurrent headache (odds ratio 0.28; 95% CI, 0.11 to 0.69; p = 0 .005). CONCLUSIONS Migraine recurrence is common after "successful" ED treatment. Inflammation may be a critical factor in migraine genesis. Intravenous dexamethasone decreases the incidence of severe recurrent headache after ED treatment and should be offered to patients thought to be at risk of recurrent headache.
Hybrid Model of Erythropoiesis and Leukemia Treatment with Cytosine Arabinoside

A hybrid model of cell population dynamics, where cells are discrete elements whose dynamics depend on continuous intracellular and extracellular processes, is developed to simulate the evolution of immature red blood cells in the bone marrow. Cell differentiation, self-renewal or apoptosis are determined by an intracellular network, based on two proteins, Erk and Fas, and described by ordinary differential equations, and by local extracellular regulation performed by Fas- ligand, a protein produced by mature cells whose concentration evolution is represented by a partial differential equation. The model is used to study normal and leukemic red blood cell production (erythropoiesis), and treatment of leukemia. Normal cells are assumed to have a circadian rhythm that influences their cell cycle progression, whereas leukemic cells, are assumed to escape circadian rhythms. We consider a treatment based on periodic administration of Ara-C, an anti-cancer agent targeting cells in DNA synthesis. A detailed pharmacodynamic/pharmacokinetic model of Ara-C is proposed and used to simulate the treatment. Influence of the period of the treatment and the day delivery time on the outcome of the treatment is investigated and stress the relevance of considering chronotherapeutic treatments to treat leukemia.
Longitudinal changes in global and domain specific cognitive function in the very‐old: findings from the Newcastle 85+ Study

Ageing is associated with changes in cognition in some, but not all domains. In young–old adults, defined as persons aged 65–84 years, baseline cognitive function has been shown to impact on cognitive trajectories. Whether similar patterns occur in the very‐old, defined as persons aged 85 years and over, is not known.
Extreme heterogeneity of influenza virus infection in single cells

Viral infection can dramatically alter a cell’s transcriptome. However, these changes have mostly been studied by bulk measurements on many cells. Here we use single-cell mRNA sequencing to examine the transcriptional consequences of Influenza virus infection. We 1nd extremely wide cell-to-cell variation in production of viral gene transcripts – viral transcripts compose less than a percent of total mRNA in many infected cells, but a few cells derive over half their mRNA from virus. Some infected cells fail to express at least one viral gene, and this gene absence partially explains variation in viral transcriptional load. Despite variation in total viral load, the relative abundances of viral mRNAs are fairly consistent across infected cells. Activation of innate immune pathways is rare, but some cellular genes co-vary in abundance with the amount of viral mRNA. Overall, our results highlight the complexity of viral infection at the level of single cells.
Increasing Prevalence of Nontuberculous Mycobacteria in Respiratory Specimens from US-Affiliated Pacific Island Jurisdictions

Nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) respiratory infections represent a growing public health problem in many countries. However, there are limited published epidemiologic studies for the Western Pacific region. We reviewed respiratory specimens submitted to Diagnostic Laboratory Services in Hawaii, USA, for culture of Mycobacterium tuberculosis during August 2007–December 2011 to determine the NTM isolation rate. We observed a statistically significant increase in the rate of specimens with NTM isolated in respiratory culture (adjusted rate ratio per year 1.65, 95% CI 1.54–1.77; p<0.01). In contrast, the number of patients with respiratory cultures positive for M. tuberculosis showed no increase (adjusted rate ratio per year 0.98, 95% CI 0.94–1.01; p = 0.19). A 6-month subset of NTM isolates was identified by using a nucleic acid probe or 16S rRNA sequencing. M. avium complex and M. fortuitum were the most common NTM identified.
Measurement and Prediction of Thermal Conductivity for Hemp Fiber Reinforced Composites

The thermal conductivity of hemp fiber reinforced polymer composites were studied from the steady state temperature drop across samples exposed to a known heat flux. The transverse and in-plane thermal conductivities for oriented and randomly oriented composites for different volume fractions of fiber were investigated. Experimental results showed that the orientation of fibers has a significant effect on the thermal conductivity of composites. To validate the experimental results, the heating tests for the thermal conductivity measurements were simulated by a finite element model using the thermal conductivity values obtained from the experiments. Predicted temperatures show close agreement with measured temperatures. Moreover, the experimental results of thermal conductivities of composites at different directions were compared with two theoretical models and illustrated good agreement between the obtained results and models. POLYM. ENG. SCI. 47:977–983, 2007. © 2007 Society of Plastics Engineers
The Impact of Consanguinity on Risk of Schizophrenia

The cross-sectional study was based on the Primary Health Care Centers among Arab patients aged 18–55 years from January 2009 to December 2010. Of the sample size of 1,491 subjects, 1,184 patients agreed to participate in this study (79.4%). Institutional review board approval was obtained from the Hamad Medical Corporation for conducting this research. The subjects who did not agree to participate (20.6%) were demographically similar to those who had agreed to participate. A validated self-administered questionnaire was designed to collect the data based on face-to-face interviews by physicians and qualified nurses. Following completion of this questionnaire by the patient, the provisional diagnosis score was calculated from the responses, which was then confirmed by psychiatrists through a clinical questioning using DSM-IV criteria. The general diagnostic screening questionnaire was not designed to make a definitive diagnosis but rather to identify people at high risk. Content validity, face validity and reliability of the questionnaire were tested using 50 paSchizophrenia (Sz) occurs worldwide and is one of the severest mental disorders [1] . The World Health Organization documented that Sz has been recognized as a major public health problem in the fourth position among the global burden of diseases [2] . It has been generally accepted that Sz, like all other complex diseases, is caused by genetic and environmental factors. Bener et al. [3] reported that consanguinity (inbreeding) may be associated with an increased risk for a wide range of genetically complex disorders. Marriages between relatives are common worldwide and lead to human consanguinity. It was found that consanguineous marriages increase the risk for Sz in offspring [4] . Since consanguinity is widely practiced in the Eastern Mediterranean region, it was considered worthwhile to study this aspect in this population. Moreover, an elevated parental consanguinity rate of 52% was reported in the State of Qatar [3] . The aim of the study was to examine the impact of consanguinity on the risk for Sz disorders and investigate the inbreeding characteristics of the Sz patients. Received: May 25, 2011 Accepted after revision: April 8, 2012 Published online: August 7, 2012
On the interactions between dislocations and a near-Σ=3 grain boundary in a low stacking-fault energy metal

The interactions of dissociated lattice dislocations with a near-Σ = 3 grain boundary (GB) in copper have been investigated by transmission electron microscopy using the weak-beam technique combined with bright-field image matching. From our observations, Shockley partials are required to recombine when entering the GB to form an absorbed perfect lattice dislocation. Then, decomposition of the latter into two displacement shift complete (DSC) products occurs. Complex reactions between DSC dislocations yield further stress relaxation. The role of the stacking-fault energy in the dislocation–GB interactions is pointed out.
Environmental Protection and Sustainable Development of Golf

The construction of golf course is restricted by the natural environment, the illegal construction of golf course will also have a certain degree of environmental crisis. Golf has a strong dependence on the land resources, water resources, ecological environment, blind expansion of the golf course, the lack of effective supervision and management situations, will bring the problems of environment and resources. The rapid development of golf in China, on the one hand, has certain positive role on improve the city's investment environment, expand foreign exchanges, activate regional economy. on the other hand, produce many problems, such as the excessive consumption of water resources and a large number of land resources, the destruction of the ecological environment. Sustainable development of golf is inseparable from the protection of the environment, we must establish the concept of ecological civilization, protect the natural environment. The sustainable development of golf will be achieved by establishing and improving environmental protection system, increasing the awareness of managers on protecting environment, building an eco-golf course.