Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Enhanced digital rights management authentication scheme based on smart card

As a result of the explosive growth in development for computer networks and information technologies in recent years, various activities take place on the Internet, such as the multimedia services. Today, the distribution of large scale digital content (such as audio, video and images) has become easier and more efficient than ever before. However, the intellectual property violation of copyright-protected content has emerged as a major concern. Therefore digital contents are generally encrypted to prevent unauthorised access. A technology of digital rights management (DRM) refers to any of several encryption technologies used to protect digital contents against unauthorised copying, and to control the distribution of the content. Recently, Zhang et al. proposed a DRM authentication scheme based on smart card to realise session key exchange and mutual authentication among all the parties in DRM environment. The proposed scheme is efficient at server side and compact in smart card design. However, the authors will show their proposed scheme cannot resist insider attack and stolen smart card attack, then the authors will propose an improved scheme to preclude above weaknesses.
Performance of Gd‐EOB‐DTPA and superparamagnetic iron oxide particles in the detection of primary liver cancer: A comparative study by alternative free‐response receiver operating characteristic analysis

The performance of gadolinium‐ethoxybenzyl‐dieth‐ylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (Gd‐EOB‐DTPA) and superparamagnetic iron oxide (SPIO) particles in detecting liver cancer was compared using alternative free‐response receiver operating characteristic (AFROC) analysis, which allowed observers to indicate both the confidence level and the locations of all perceived abnormalities. Axial T1‐weighted MR images (1.5 T) pre/post Gd‐EOB‐DTPA (25 μmol/kg) injection were obtained for 12 rats with chemically induced liver tumors (64 tumors). T2‐weighted images (T2WI) were obtained pre/post SPIO (10 μmol/kg) injection for the same animal. Liver signal‐to‐noise ratio (SNR), tumor‐liver contrast‐to‐noise ratio (CNR), and histopathologic sections corresponding to MR images were obtained. In AFROC, the location and the confidence level for each tumor were indicated independently on MR images by four radiologists. By plotting true‐positive fraction and probability of false‐positive per image, the area under the AFROC curve (A1) was estimated and statistically analyzed between each sequence. Either drug significantly improved tumor‐liver CNR (P < .001) and tumor detection (diameter ≤ 6 mm; P < .05). Gd‐EOB‐DTPA significantly (P < .05) improved the A1 in T1WI. There was no A1 difference between T2WI + SPIO and T1WI + Gd‐EOB‐DTPA. Gd‐EOB‐DTPA‐enhanced T1WI showed the same performance as SPIO‐enhanced T2WI in detecting liver tumors.
Technical Efficiency Among Cassava Farmers im Ikenne Local Government Area of Ogun State, Nigeria

Cassava has played and continues to play a remarkable role on the agricultural stage of Nigeria. The inability of the country meeting existing demand has been traced to resource use efficiency of the farmers. The study evaluates the technical efficiency among cassava farmers in Ikenne Local Government Area of Ogun State, Nigeria. Primary data employed in the study were obtained from 155 cassava farmers selected through a 2-Stage sampling technique. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and stochastic frontier model. Results showed that the return to scale was 1.814. Cassava stem cuttings (0.484), quantity of fertilizer used (0.614) and the farm size (0.427) significantly (p ≤ 0.05) affected cassava production. Age and farming experience contributed to technical inefficiency while cassava stem cuttings, quantity of fertilizer used and the farm size enhanced technical efficiency. Efficiency of cassava growers ranged between 35.1 and 97.0 with a mean of 68.5. It was concluded that cassava production was highly profitable and farmers operated with maximum efficiency given the current technology. The study recommends increased area under cultivation and improved cassava varieties coupled with other inputs to boost to productivity of farmers. Key Words: Technical efficiency, Cassava farmers, Demand, Farm size, Profitable
Pregnancy-induced maternal regulatory T cells, bona fide memory or maintenance by antigenic reminder from fetal cell microchimerism?

Long-term maintenance of immune components with defined specificity, without antigen is the hallmark feature of immunological memory. However, there are fundamental differences in how memory CD8+ compared with CD4+ T cells are maintained. After complete antigen elimination, CD8+ T cells can persist as a self-renewing numerically stable cell population, and therefore satisfy the most stringent definition of “memory. ” Comparatively, CD4+ T cell maintenance is considerably less stable, often requiring low-level antigen persistence or antigenic reminders. Recent studies show these basic memory features, classically ascribed to effector CD8+ and CD4+ T cells, extend to immune suppressive Foxp3+ regulatory CD4+ T cells (Tregs). In particular, gestational expansion and postpartum retention of maternal Tregs with fetal specificity may explain the protective benefits of primary pregnancy on complications in subsequent pregnancy. Herein, the possibility of ongoing antigenic reminders from fetal cell microchimerism in postpartum maintenance of maternal Tregs with fetal specificity is considered.
Plasmids in Frankia sp

A method to achieve cell lysis and isolate Frankia sp. plasmid DNA was developed. A screening of Frankia sp. strains belonging to different host compatibility groups (Alnus sp., Elaeagnus sp., Ceanothus sp.) showed that, of 39 strains tested, 4 (strains Cp11, ARgN22d, ArI3, and EUN1f) possessed plasmids ranging in size from 7.1 to 32.2 kilobase pairs as estimated from agarose gel electrophoresis and electron microscopy. A total of 11 plasmids were detected.
Health Belief Scales Developed Specifically for People with Tablet‐treated Type 2 Diabetes

The design and development of scales to measure diabetes‐specific health beliefs of patients treated with oral hypoglycaemic agents and diet are described. The scales, which were developed from the responses of 187 tablet‐treated patients, measure perceived Benefits of, and Barriers to Treatment, and perceived Severity of, and Vulnerability to Complications of diabetes and other disorders unrelated to diabetes. Cronbach's alpha indicated that each scale was internally reliable (alpha = 0.67 to 0.89) and construct validity was indicated by expected correlations between the scales and other variables including measures of blood glucose control, body weight, and psychological well‐being. Thus, patients who were overweight and/or had higher glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA1) levels perceived their treatment to be less ‘Cost‐effective’ (Benefits less Barriers), rated Complications as being more severe, and reported greater Vulnerability for themselves and the ‘average person’ with diabetes to these Complications (p < 0.05 to p < 0.01). Furthermore, respondents with higher Depression and Anxiety scores and lower Positive Well‐being and Treatment Satisfaction scores reported greater Vulnerability to Complications for themselves and the ‘average person’, and also felt that their treatment was less ‘Cost‐effective’ (p < 0.01 to p < 0.001). The measures are likely to be particularly useful in studies which assess the efficacy of interventions in modifying health beliefs with a view to achieving desired behaviours. They may also be useful as an instrument of audit if indicators about the suitability of possible interventions are sought.
Comparison of four methods for deriving hospital standardised mortality ratios from a single hierarchical logistic regression model

There is interest in deriving case-mix adjusted standardised mortality ratios so that comparisons between healthcare providers, such as hospitals, can be undertaken in the controversial belief that variability in standardised mortality ratios reflects quality of care. Typically standardised mortality ratios are derived using a fixed effects logistic regression model, without a hospital term in the model. This fails to account for the hierarchical structure of the data – patients nested within hospitals – and so a hierarchical logistic regression model is more appropriate. However, four methods have been advocated for deriving standardised mortality ratios from a hierarchical logistic regression model, but their agreement is not known and neither do we know which is to be preferred. We found significant differences between the four types of standardised mortality ratios because they reflect a range of underlying conceptual issues. The most subtle issue is the distinction between asking how an average patient fares in different hospitals versus how patients at a given hospital fare at an average hospital. Since the answers to these questions are not the same and since the choice between these two approaches is not obvious, the extent to which profiling hospitals on mortality can be undertaken safely and reliably, without resolving these methodological issues, remains questionable.
Competition Policy and Regulation in Ports and Shipping

The Philippines is an archipelago of approximately 7,107 islands. It has a long coastline extending to 235,973 square kilometers which is longer than that of the United States (UNESCAP 2002b). The countrys archipelagic configuration requires an efficient maritime transport infrastructure composed of ports and shipping for growth and socioeconomic integration. The integration of peripheral islands to the urban economic nodes such as Metro Manila, Cebu, Davao and General Santos and the diffusion of investments and economic activities fundamentally count on an efficient road and maritime transport network. This paper examines competition policy and the regulatory framework of the port and shipping sectors. It assesses the policies and programs of the government in promoting competition in these sectors and recommends areas for policy and regulatory reform. After a brief description of the analytical underpinnings of competition policy and regulation the paper reviews the present state of competition and regulation in Philippine ports and interisland shipping to identify emerging issues that call for policy action. It provides specific recommendations for policy and regulatory reform.
Recent progress of high power GaN-HEMT for wireless application

In this paper, we describe the recent progress of high power GaN high electron mobility transistors (GaN HEMTs) for wireless base station application. First we introduce device technology and RF power performance of GaN HEMTs. Next, we discuss their reliability and cost issues which are great important for practical applications. As an example, GaN HEMTs on a low-cost conductive 3-inch SiC substrate are discussed. In addition, next generation wireless base station system will require extremely high efficiency power amplifiers when GaN HEMTs will be used at near saturation region. To suppress a forward gate leakage current at the saturation region, we developed a metal-insulator-semiconductor (MIS) gate GaN HEMT with an output power of over 100 W.
Gaining perspective: The effects of message frame on viewer attention to and recall of osteoporosis prevention print advertisements

This study examined how framed messages affect viewer attention to and cognitive processing of osteoporosis prevention print ads. Attention was measured with eye tracking technology. Cognitive processing was assessed through masked recall. A total of 60 college-aged women viewed 12 gain-framed, 12 loss-framed, and 12 neutral-framed ads. Number of fixations, dwell time, and recall of gain-framed osteoporosis prevention ads were higher than loss-framed or neutral-framed ads, p < . 01. Message recall was positively correlated with the number of fixations and dwell time for the gain-framed and neutral-framed messages, p < . 01. These findings provide preliminary insight into potential mechanisms underlying message framing effects.
A quality metric for object detection and focus for low-cost UAVs

With the flooding of low-cost UAVs to the consumer market, there is a rejuvenated interest to develop applications using consumer UAVs to enhance the quality of day to day lives of us humans. However, the limited capacity with respect to memory and processing power makes adopting a consumer UAV to advanced tasks such as object detection and tracking challenging. The modern day object tracking quadcopters available in the market place is not concerned about maintaining the quality focus on the detected object. This in turn affects aspects that are dependent on the quality of the focus of the object detected such as in video streaming and tracking applications. This would result in less than sufficient experience for users of this technology. As a first step in solving the aforementioned issue, in this paper we propose a quality metric to measure the focus of the detected object in order to evaluate the quality of detections. This paves the way for advanced object tracking in quadcopters that are capable of preserving the quality of the object focus while tracking it.
Off-Line Cursive Script Word Recognition

Cursive script word recognition is the problem of transforming a word from the iconic form of cursive writing to its symbolic form. Several component processes of a recognition system for isolated offline cursive script words are described. A word image is transformed through a hierarchy of representation levels: points, contours, features, letters, and words. A unique feature representation is generated bottom-up from the image using statistical dependences between letters and features. Ratings for partially formed words are computed using a stack algorithm and a lexicon represented as a trie. Several novel techniques for low- and intermediate-level processing for cursive script are described, including heuristics for reference line finding, letter segmentation based on detecting local minima along the lower contour and areas with low vertical profiles, simultaneous encoding of contours and their topological relationships, extracting features, and finding shape-oriented events. Experiments demonstrating the performance of the system are also described. >
A Survey of German Corporate Governance

This survey provides a broad investigation of a major part of the German corporate governance structure, though not in its entirety. It is selective in its choice of the U.S. perspective of corporate governance, causing it to concentrate on the core agency relation between management and external owners. But this selected subject is treated encompassingly in the study's analysis of the core relation and the numerous other parties and mechanisms affecting it: supervisory board; management board; ownership structure, voting rights structure, and control structure; significance of share market and market for corporate control; auditing, accounting, and disclosure in view of corporate governance; employees; and lenders, with a summary of German banks. It is less an analytical study than a structured, very extensive guide through available evidence, and, as such, is intended to complement the parallel articles by Kanda and Wymeersch. The key feature of German corporate governance is the almost complete absence of open markets -- with the exception of competitive product markets -- as forces in corporate governance. This is even true for the small group of quoted companies: control is often stable and large shareholdings are mainly long-term; there is a strong capital (hinting at the special feature of Konzerne) and personal linkage among companies; funding is often internal, and in cases of external funding, open markets play a minor role. In general, it is a non-open-market or insider system, and abrupt breaches -- at least obvious ones -- are the great exception.
The effects of product digitalization and price dispersion on search intentions in offline versus online settings: the mediating effects of perceived risks

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine how a product‐related variable like digitalization and a market‐related variable like price dispersion might differentially influence consumer search intentions across offline versus online shopping interfaces, and how this relationship might be mediated by consumers' perceived risks. Prior research findings are extended and examines how the perceived risk – search intention relationship might be different in online contexts. The distinction is drawn between perceived performance risk versus perceived transaction risk and examines how each of these risks would differentially influence search intentions across the two shopping interfaces (offline versus online). Design/methodology/approach – Two experimental studies are conducted.Findings – Study 1 shows that under conditions when perceived performance risks are enhanced, such as for non‐digitalized (versus digitalized) products, consumers' search intentions are enhanced, with the effects getting magnified i.
Albumin and hemoglobin adducts of benzo[a]pyrene in humans—Analytical methods, exposure assessment, and recommendations for future directions

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are ubiquitous in our environment and can cause cancer. Exposure to PAHs can be assessed by protein adduct dosimetry using benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P) as a model compound. We present an overview of analytical methods to detect B[a]P- derived protein adducts in humans, their uses in exposure assessment, and recommendations for future research. Two major methodologies, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and chemical-specific assays, could be traced in the literature but there remains limitations with both assays. ELISA is nonspecific due to cross-reactivity of the antibody with other PAHs and results are better interpreted in terms of PAH exposure. ELISA is unable to distinguish between exposed and nonexposed persons in the majority of studies. Adduct concentrations are higher by several orders of magnitude compared to those determined by chemical-specific methods. The latter methods mostly analyzed protein adducts derived by (+)-anti-B[a]P-diol epoxide. For this purpose, gas or liquid chromatography in combination with mass spectrometry or fluorescence detection were used. However, the prevalence of positive samples remained low when chemical- specific assays were used mainly due to the lack of sensitivity. Overall, data on B[a]P-derived protein adducts in humans remain inconclusive. Future research should focus on the development and standardization of a sensitive and specific method for B[a]P-derived protein adducts prior to its use in field studies. Finally, exposures of B[a]P at the workplace and via diet, a major route of exposure of the general population, can be studied. The results will contribute to the understanding of B[a]P-induced cancer and will allow for health preventive measures.
PERSPECTIVE: Establishing an NPD Best Practices Framework

Achieving NPD best practices is a top-of-mind issue for many new product development (NPD) managers and is often an overarching implicit, if not explicit, goal. The question is what does one mean when talking about NPD best practices? And how does a manager move toward achieving these? This article proposes a best practices framework as a starting point for much-needed discussion on this topic. Originally presented during the 2004 Product Development Management Association (PDMA) Research Conference in Chicago, the article and the authors' presentation spurred a significant, expansive discussion that included all conference attendees. Given the interest generated, the decision was made to move forward on a series of rejoinders on the topic of NPD best practice, using the Kahn, Barczak, and Moss framework as a focal launching point for these rejoinders. A total of five rejoinders were received and accompany the best practices framework in this issue of JPIM. Each rejoinder brings out a distinct issue because each of the five authors has a unique perspective. The first rejoinder is written by Dr. Marjorie Adams-Bigelow, director of the PDMA's Comparative Performance Assessment Study (CPAS), PDMA Foundation. Based on her findings during the CPAS study, Adams comments on the proposed framework, suggesting limitations in scope. She particularly points out discrepancies between the proposed framework and the framework offered by PDMA's emerging body of knowledge. Dr. Elko Kleinschmidt, professor of marketing and international business at McMaster University, wrote the second rejoinder. Based on his extensive research with Robert G. Cooper on NPD practices, he points out that best practices really raise more questions than answers. Thomas Kuczmarski, president of Kuczmarski and Associates, is the author of the third rejoinder. Kuczmarski highlights that company mindset and metrics are critical elements needing keen attention. Where do these fit—or should they—in the proposed framework? The fourth rejoinder is written by Richard Notargiacomo, consultant for the integrated product delivery process at Eastman Kodak Company. Notargiacomo compares the proposed framework to a best practices framework Kodak has used for new product commercialization and management since 1998. The distinction of the Kodak framework is the inclusion of a product maturity model component. Dr. Lois Peters, associate professor at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), is the author of the fifth rejoinder. She brings out issues of radical innovation, a natural focal issue of RPI's radical innovation project (RRIP). It is highlighted that radical innovation may require unique, distinctive process characteristics a single framework cannot illustrate. Multiple layers of frameworks may be more appropriate, each corresponding to a level of innovation desired. The overall hope is that the discourse on best practices in this issue of JPIM generates more discussion and debate. Ultimately, the hope is that such discourse will lead to subsequent continued study to help discern what NPD best practice means for our discipline.
Duration of obesity and incident hypertension in adults from the Framingham Heart Study

Background: Previous studies exploring the association between obesity and hypertension generally used a single baseline measurement of obesity. The effect of accumulating excess adiposity over time on the risk of hypertension is uncertain. This study aimed to examine the relationship between duration of obesity and incident hypertension using the Framingham Heart Study. Methods: Two thousand, nine hundred and fifty-three participants aged 30–62 years without baseline hypertension were included. Blood pressure, height and weight were measured biennially. Duration of obesity was calculated. Time to incident hypertension was analysed using time-varying Cox proportional hazards regression with age as the time scale and censoring at time of death or end of follow-up. Results: Eighty percent of participants developed hypertension (median follow-up 15.9 years). A positive association between obesity duration and incident hypertension was observed in women. There was no longer an association when time-varying BMI was adjusted for (hazard ratio 0.95; (95% confidence interval 0.85–1.05)). Conclusion: These findings suggest that the mechanism by which excess adiposity may increase blood pressure is primarily immediate and that long-term exposure to obesity does not further increase the risk of developing hypertension beyond the level of BMI attained.