Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
On Emerging Family of Elliptic Curves to Secure Internet of Things: ECC Comes of Age

Lightweight Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC) is a critical component for constructing the security system of Internet of Things (IoT). In this paper, we define an emerging family of lightweight elliptic curves to meet the requirements on some resource-constrained devices. We present the design of a scalable, regular, and highly-optimized ECC library for both MICAz and Tmote Sky nodes, which supports both widely-used key exchange and signature schemes. Our parameterized implementation of elliptic curve group arithmetic supports pseudo-Mersenne prime fields at different security levels with two optimized-specific designs: the high-speed version (HS) and the memory-efficient (ME) version. The former design achieves record times for computation of cryptographic schemes at roughly <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$80\sim 128$</tex-math><alternatives><inline-graphic xlink:href="liu-ieq1-2577022.gif"/> </alternatives></inline-formula>-bit security levels, while the latter implementation only requires half of the code size of the current best implementation. We also describe our efforts to evaluate the energy consumption and harden our library against some basic side-channel attacks, e.g., timing attacks and simple power analysis (SPA) attacks.
Orienting Attention to Locations in Perceptual Versus Mental Representations

Extensive clinical and imaging research has characterized the neural networks mediating the adaptive distribution of spatial attention. In everyday behavior, the distribution of attention is guided not only by extrapersonal targets but also by mental representations of their spatial layout. We used eventrelated functional magnetic resonance imaging to identify the neural system involved in directing attention to locations in arrays held as mental representations, and to compare it with the system for directing spatial attention to locations in the external world. We found that these two crucial aspects of spatial cognition are subserved by extensively overlapping networks. However, we also found that a region of right parietal cortex selectively participated in orienting attention to the extrapersonal space, whereas several frontal lobe regions selectively participated in orienting attention within on-line mental representations.
Hydroconversion of Waste Cooking Oil into Green Biofuel over Hierarchical USY-Supported NiMo Catalyst: A Comparative Study of Desilication and Dealumination

The hydroconversion of waste cooking oil into hydrocarbon fuel was investigated over the hierarchical USY zeolite-supported NiMo catalysts which were prepared by dealumination ((NH4)2SiF6)/desilication (NaOH). The physical and acidity properties of the hierarchical catalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) infrared spectroscopy of adsorbed pyridine (Py-IR), ammonia temperature-programmed desorption (NH3-TPD), and H2 temperature-programmed reduction (H2-TPR). The Bronsted/Lewis (B/L) acid distribution was little affected by dealumination and the acid density decreased significantly. However, the highly-desilicated catalysts decreased the B/L ratio obviously. Therefore, many more Mo species in the NiMoO4− and MoO3 phases were produced in the AHFS-treated catalysts, while more high-valence-state Mo species in the NiMoO4− phase were formed in the NaOH-treated catalysts. The AHFS-treated catalysts showed higher catalytic activity and better DCO2 selectivity and selective cracking for jet fuel. The 42.3% selectivity of jet fuel and 13.5% selectivity of jet-range aromatics was achieved over the 8 wt % (NH4)2SiF6-treated catalyst with 67% DCO2 selectivity.
Guardians of Language: The Grammarian and Society in Late Antiquity

What did it mean to be a professional teacher in the prestigious "liberal schools" - the schools of grammar and rhetoric - in late antiquity? How can we account for the abiding prestige of these schools, which remained substantially unchanged in their methods and standing despite the political and religious changes that had taken place around them? The grammarian was a pivotal figure in the lives of the educated upper classes of late antiquity. Introducing his students to correct language and to the literature esteemed by long tradition, he began the education that confirmed his students' standing in a narrowly defined elite. His profession thus contributed to the social as well as cultural continuity of the Empire. The grammarian received honor - and criticism; the profession gave the grammarian a firm sense of cultural authority but also placed him in a position of genteel subordination within the elite.Robert A. Kaster provides the first thorough study of the place and function of these important but ambiguous figures. He also gives a detailed prosopography of the grammarians, and of the other "teachers of letters" below the level of rhetoric, from the middle of the third through the middle of the sixth century, which will provide a valuable research tool for other students of late-antique education.
A hookworm allergen which strongly resembles calreticulin

Immmoglobulin E‐rich plasma from patients from Papua New Guinea infected with Necator americanus has been used to probe an adult N. americanus cDNA library for the presence of hookworm allergens. Using this approach, one hookworm allergen has been identified as calreticulin, which was subsequently expressed in Escherichia coli. Little serological cross reactivity was seen between the recombinant calreticulins of this hookworm and its host. Prospective roles for hookworm calreticulin in the host‐parasite relationship are discussed in depth.
Emotional and Behavioral Impact of Exposure to Community Violence in Inner-City Adolescents

Used multiple methods and measures (i.e., youth report, psychiatric interviews, psychophysiological assessment) to investigate the emotional and behavioral impacts of exposure to community violence. Participants were 185 inner-city high school students (M age = 15.4 years; 42% female; 90% African American). Youth with high levels of community violence exposure reported more fears, anxiety, internalizing behavior, and negative life experiences than those with low exposure. No depression or externalizing behavior differences were observed. In a psychophysiological assessment in which adolescents watched a montage of media violence, youth exposed to high levels of community violence had lower baseline heart rates than those with low exposure. There were no between-group differences in physiologic reactivity. Regression analyses revealed that community violence exposure predicted posttraumatic stress and separation anxiety symptoms. The results suggest a significant link between community violence exposure and anxiety symptomatology. Clinical implications are discussed.
The prevalence and incidence of carpal tunnel syndrome in US working populations.

In the September issue of the Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment and Health , Dale et al (1) estimated the prevalence and incidence of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) by pooling the raw individual-level data of six diverse prospective studies in US working populations. Simply adding up the numbers of participants and events (CTS) from different studies is an inappropriate method to analyze individual participant data as it treats the data as if they were from one large study (2). The analysis should calculate a weighted average for each study and account for the clustering of participants within different studies (2, 3). There was significant between-study heterogeneity. I 2 statistic (4) was 93% [95% confidence interval (95% CI) 88–96%] for both prevalence and incidence. The six studies differed in regard to sample size, age, sex, education, occupation, race, ethnicity, employment duration, body mass index, presence of underlying diseases (such as diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, and thyroid disease), follow-up length, and method of CTS assessment. The authors neither analyzed the data using an individual participant data meta-analysis (5) nor reported the prevalence and incidence of CTS according to important background characteristics, such as sex, age group, race/ethnicity, education, and occupation. In addition, the prevalence estimates for studies “C” and “E” were miscalculated. Using a random-effects meta-analysis, the pooled prevalence of CTS is 7.09% (95% CI 4.58–10.99%) and the pooled incidence of CTS is 2.94% (95% CI 1.68–5.14%) (figure 1). The point estimates from the aggregated data meta-analyses do not show a major difference with those from simple pooling, but the confidence intervals are wide, indicating major uncertainty.
Hemin, a heme oxygenase substrate analog, inhibits the cell surface expression of CD11b and CD66b on human neutrophils

Background: Neutrophils are signaled to sites of infection and inflammation by different chemotactic stimuli. In order to reach the airways they have to adhere to, and then migrate through, the endothelium of pulmonary vessels. Carbon monoxide (CO) is a gaseous mediator, endogenously produced in the human airways. Increased CO production has been demonstrated during airway inflammation and CO as well as hemin, a substrate for CO producing enzymes, has been shown to affect neutrophil migration. Our objective was to investigate if the neutrophil cell surface expression of CD11b, CD66b and CD63 was changed during intermittent allergic rhinitis and to establish whether CO could affect the expression of these markers of cellular activation.
Cellulolysis by rumen micro-organisms.

SUMMARY: The optimal conditions for accurate and reproducible analysis of cellulose hydrolysis by micro-organisms, particularly from the rumen, were determined. Rumen micro-organisms were found to require approximately 50 mg. substrate (cellulose powder) in a 40 hr. incubation at 37° with 1 ml. of rumen liquor, and a total volume of 8 ml. , in static vessels. All types of cellulose or simpler substituted derivatives, from soluble carboxymethylcellulose through insoluble cellulose powder to cotton fibres, are nearly quantitatively hydrolysed by mixed rumen micro-organisms. The effect of the inorganic composition of the medium, of antibacterial agents (thymol, fluoride, toluene) and of concentration procedures on the cellulolytic activity of rumen micro-organisms was examined. Rumen protozoa appear to play a minor role in cellulose degradation; their effective activity is due mainly to closely associated, possibly ingested, bacteria. The validity of the results obtained by various methods of ‘cellulase’ assay is discussed.
Therapeutic Potential of Shark Anti-ICOSL VNAR Domains is Exemplified in a Murine Model of Autoimmune Non-Infectious Uveitis

Induced costimulatory ligand (ICOSL) plays an important role in the activation of T cells through its interaction with the inducible costimulator, ICOS. Suppression of full T cell activation can be achieved by blocking this interaction and has been shown to be an effective means of ameliorating disease in models of autoimmunity and inflammation. In this study, we demonstrated the ability of a novel class of anti-ICOSL antigen-binding single domains derived from sharks (VNARs) to effectively reduce inflammation in a murine model of non-infectious uveitis. In initial selections, specific VNARs that recognized human ICOSL were isolated from an immunized nurse shark phage display library and lead domains were identified following their performance in a series of antigen selectivity and in vitro bioassay screens. High potency in cell-based blocking assays suggested their potential as novel binders suitable for further therapeutic development. To test this hypothesis, surrogate anti-mouse ICOSL VNAR domains were isolated from the same phage display library and the lead VNAR clone selected via screening in binding and ICOS/ICOSL blocking experiments. The VNAR domain with the highest potency in cell-based blocking of ICOS/ICOSL interaction was fused to the Fc portion of human IgG1 and was tested in vivo in a mouse model of interphotoreceptor retinoid-binding protein-induced uveitis. The anti-mICOSL VNAR Fc, injected systemically, resulted in a marked reduction of inflammation in treated mice when compared with untreated control animals. This approach inhibited disease progression to an equivalent extent to that seen for the positive corticosteroid control, cyclosporin A, reducing both clinical and histopathological scores. These results represent the first demonstration of efficacy of a VNAR binding domain in a relevant clinical model of disease and highlight the potential of VNARs for the treatment of auto-inflammatory conditions.
Hematopoietic cell transplantation for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma: yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

YESTERDAY Twenty-five years ago (it seems like yesterday), we published a brief review of the use of hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) for the treatment of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL) summarizing early results using autologous, syngeneic, and allogeneic sources of marrow. 1 The first series of patients treated for recurrent NHL using high-dose chemotherapy with cryopreserved autologous marrow support was published in 1978 in a study showing that cryopreserved marrow did, indeed, hasten hematopoietic recovery and that this approach could cure otherwise incurable patients, at least in the setting of recurrent Burkitt’s lymphoma. 2 Several years later, we reported the result of syngeneic HCT for NHL, demonstrating cure of patients with recurrent NHL of more common histologic subtypes using high-dose chemoradiotherapy with syngeneic marrow support. 3 Our initial study of allogeneic HCT for recurrent NHL likewise reported longterm survival in a minority of patients, suggesting that allogeneic transplantation is an option for patients with known marrow involvement and further raising the question of a graft-versus-lymphoma effect, analogous to that reported for leukemia. 4
Nitric Oxide Down-regulates Caveolin-3 Levels through the Interaction with Myogenin, Its Transcription Factor*

Certain patients suffering from chronic diseases such as AIDS or cancer experience a constant cellular secretion of tumor necrosis factor α and other pro-inflammatory cytokines that results in a continuous release of nitric oxide (·NO) to the bloodstream. One immediate consequence of the deleterious action of ·NO is weight loss and the progressive destruction of muscular mass in a process known as cachexia. We have previously reported that caveolin-3, a specific marker of muscle cells, becomes down-regulated by the action of ·NO on muscular myotubes. We describe herein that the changes observed in caveolin-3 levels are due to the alteration of the DNA binding activity of the muscular transcription factor myogenin. In the presence of ·NO, the binding of transcription factors from cell nuclear extracts of muscular tissues to the E boxes present in the caveolin-3 promoter become substantially reduced. When we purified recombinant myogenin and treated it with ·NO donors, we could detect its S-nitrosylation by three independent methods, suggesting that very likely one of the cysteine residues of the molecule is being modified. Given the role of myogenin as a regulatory protein that determines the level of multiple muscle genes expressed during late myogenesis, our results might represent a novel mode of regulation of muscle development under conditions of nitric oxide-mediated toxicity.
The indirect effect of contextual factors on the emotional distress of infertile couples

Few studies were dedicated to study the role of contextual factors, such as the socioeconomic status and urban or rural residence in emotional distress of infertile couples. This study aimed to explore the impact of contextual factors on emotional distress, either directly or by affecting the importance of parenthood in one's life, which in turn affects emotional distress. In this cross-sectional study, 70 couples recruited during hormonal stimulation phase prior to in vitro fertilisation completed clinical and sociodemographic forms and self-report questionnaires assessing representations about the importance of parenthood and emotional distress. Path analysis using structural equation modelling was used to examine direct and indirect effects among variables. Results indicated that socioeconomic status and place of residence had an impact in emotional distress by affecting the representations about the importance of parenthood in one's life. Gender differences were found regarding model paths, suggesting that the social context may have a stronger influence on women's emotional distress than on their partners’ distress. When delineating psychological interventions, health care providers should consider that cultural values about children and parenthood contribute to shape the infertility experience.
A Human T-cell Leukemia Virus Tax Variant Incapable of Activating NF-κB Retains Its Immortalizing Potential for Primary T-lymphocytes*

The human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1) transactivator (Tax) has been shown to interfere with regulated cellular proliferation. Many studies have focused on the ability of Tax to transform rodent fibroblasts; however, none has defined the molecular requirements for Tax transformation of human lymphoid cells. We show here that tax induces permanent growth of human primary T-lymphocytes by using a transformation/immortalization defective rhadinovirus vector. The cells phenotypically resemble HTLV-immortalized lymphocytes and contain episomally persisting recombinant rhadinoviral sequences, which stably express functional Tax protein. As Tax can activate major cellular signal transducing pathways including NF-κB and cAMP-responsive element binding protein (CREB), we asked for the relevance of these routes in the immortalization of human lymphocytes. By using Tax mutants that either activate exclusively CREB/activating transcription factor or are defective in activating this signaling pathway, we delineated that Tax can induce immortalization of primary human T-lymphocytes through a mechanism independent of NF-κB activation.
Multiple Lyapunov Functions-Based Small-Gain Theorems for Switched Interconnected Nonlinear Systems

Multiple Lyapunov functions (MLFs)-based small-gain theorems are presented for switched interconnected nonlinear systems with unstable subsystems, which extend the small-gain technique from its original non-switched nonlinear version to a switched nonlinear version. Each low dimensional subsystem does not necessarily have the input-to-state stability (ISS) property in the whole state space, and it only has individual ISS property in some subregions of the state space. The novelty of this paper is that integral-type MLFs and small-gain techniques are utilized to establish some MLFs-based small-gain theorems for switched interconnected nonlinear systems, which derive various stability results under some novel switching laws designed and construct integral-type MLFs. The small-gain theorems proposed cover several recent results as special cases, which also permit removal of a common restriction in which all low dimensional subsystems in switched interconnected systems are ISS or only some are ISS and others are not. Finally, two illustrative examples are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the results provided.
A 14 - bit micro-watt power scalable automotive MEMS pressure sensor interface

A technique to improve power scaling efficiency of MEMS interfaces over previous approaches is presented. Power scaling with respect to amplitude is achieved by cascading gain stages through an input gain-select mux, and power scaling with respect to input bandwidth of the sensor is achieved through periodic power-down of the interface. A prototype of the interface was fabricated in 1.8V , 0.18 mum CMOS process. Its power consumption scales between 4 muW -5.33 mW, while maintaining an SFDR of approx. 80 dB, a THD of 78 dB, and an input referred noise of 170.0nV/radicHz.
Changes in the incidence of molar pregnancies. A population-based study in Chiba Prefecture and Japan between 1974 and 2000.

BACKGROUND The aim of this population-based retrospective study was to evaluate the trend in the incidence of molar pregnancy. METHODS Questionnaires about the occurrence of hydatidiform mole were mailed to all clinics and hospitals in Chiba Prefecture between 1974 and 2000. The diagnosis of hydatidiform mole was based on the post-operative morphological and/or pathological findings. Data of live births were collected from the annual reports of maternal and child health statistics. A total of 3778 women with hydatidiform mole and 1 661 579 women with live births were analysed. RESULTS The incidence of hydatidiform mole per 1000 live births was constant from 1974 to 1990, while it decreased significantly after 1991 (chi(2)-test for trend, P < 0.0001). The incidence of complete mole also decreased after 1991 (chi(2)-test for trend, P = 0.0001), though the incidence of partial mole remained unchanged. CONCLUSIONS The incidence of hydatidiform mole in Chiba Prefecture has become as low as that in Europe or the USA, and it is attributed to the decreasing incidence of complete mole. A number of environmental factors that prevent the ovulation of 'empty' oocytes might have contributed to the decreasing incidence of complete mole.
The use of fractals for modeling EM waves scattering from rough sea surface

A rough surface model based on fractal geometry is presented for the study of surface scattering. In particular, the Pierson-Moskowitz spectrum is incorporated into this model to represent a fully developed sea surface. The Kirchoff approximation is used to evaluate the scattered field from this rough surface. Some interconnection are found between the surface model developed and the statistical characteristics of the scattered field. These include: 1) the relationship between the surface correlation length and the surface fractal dimension; 2) the relationship between the shape parameter of the K-distribution and the surface fractal dimension; 3) the mean value of the scattered amplitude as a function of the surface fractal dimension; and 4) the effect of the incident angle on the scattered field.
A meta-analysis of working memory impairments in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

OBJECTIVE To determine the empirical evidence for deficits in working memory (WM) processes in children and adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). METHOD Exploratory meta-analytic procedures were used to investigate whether children with ADHD exhibit WM impairments. Twenty-six empirical research studies published from 1997 to December, 2003 (subsequent to a previous review) met our inclusion criteria. WM measures were categorized according to both modality (verbal, spatial) and type of processing required (storage versus storage/manipulation). RESULTS Children with ADHD exhibited deficits in multiple components of WM that were independent of comorbidity with language learning disorders and weaknesses in general intellectual ability. Overall effect sizes for spatial storage (effect size = 0.85, CI = 0.62 - 1.08) and spatial central executive WM (effect size = 1.06, confidence interval = 0.72-1.39) were greater than those obtained for verbal storage (effect size = 0.47, confidence interval = 0.36-0.59) and verbal central executive WM (effect size = 0.43, confidence interval = 0.24-0.62). CONCLUSION Evidence of WM impairments in children with ADHD supports recent theoretical models implicating WM processes in ADHD. Future research is needed to more clearly delineate the nature, severity, and specificity of the impairments to ADHD.