Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Robust network-based attack attribution through probabilistic watermarking of packet flows

Network based intruders often stage their attacks through intermediate ”stepping stones” to conceal their identity and origin. To identify attackers behind stepping stones, it is necessary to be able to correlate encrypted connections through stepping stones, even if those connections are perturbed in timing by the intruder to prevent traceability. The active watermarking based correlation approach [20] has show advantages over some passive timing based correlation in the presence of active timing perturbation by the attacker. However, the watermarking scheme presented there, based on timing quantization, does not guarantee even adjustment of time over multiple selected packets at real-time. To make the watermark embedding less noticeable to the attacker, it is desirable to adjust the timing evenly over the selected packets. In this paper, we propose a novel probabilistic watermarking correlation scheme that has guaranteed even timing adjustment over multiple selected packets at real-time. This method has all of the theoretical strength of the provable upper bounds and accurate approximation of the previous quantization based watermarking method [20]. The probabilistic watermarking method essentially trades the watermark embedding success rate for the even time adjustment. Analytical results show that the impact of probabilistic watermarking on watermark detection is equivalent to an additional random delay by the attacker on an otherwise 100% successful watermark embedding scheme. We also identify the provable bounds and accurate tradeoffs between the achievable correlation effectiveness and the defining characteristics of the random timing perturbation. Unlike most previous correlation approaches, our probabilistic watermarking correlation makes no assumptions about the distribution of original inter-packet timing or adversary’s random timing perturbation and it applies to arbitrarily distributed timing perturbation over packet flows with arbitrarily distributed inter-packet timing. Our analytical bounds and tradeoff model hold as long as the random timing perturbation by adversary is bounded. Analytical and experimental results show that the probabilistic watermarking is substantially more robust against random timing perturbations than previous quantization based watermarking, while having virtually the same correlation true positive rate under small timing perturbation.
The effects of short-term and long-term oriented managerial behavior on medium-term financial performance: longitudinal evidence from Europe

Short-term orientation aimed at maximizing quarterly results at the expense of long-term corporate performance and survival has become severely criticized. In the face of continuously decreasing chief executive officer (CEO) tenure, CEOs, however, seem to have few incentives to embrace long-term oriented behaviour. Instead, the question of foremost importance to self-interested CEOs is whether short-term orientation already harms financial performance in the three to four years of their own tenure, and whether CEOs stand a chance of benefiting from long-term orientation while still in office. CEOs thus face an intriguing ethical dilemma between optimizing their financial pay-off within their own tenure and securing the longer-term well-being of the corporation, its employees, and other major stakeholders. Consequently, our longitudinal study focuses on the medium-term performance implications of short-term and long-term orientation in Europe's largest publicly listed companies. Results indicate that short-term orientation negatively impacts on medium term performance while long-term oriented behavior is positively associated with corporate performance in the medium term. Our findings advance managerial myopia theory, and provide insights into one of the most central ethical dilemmas faced by corporate executives today.
Day‐to‐day variability and solar preconditioning of thermospheric temperature over Millstone Hill

We use a continuous 30 day incoherent scatter radar experiment at Millstone Hill in October 2002 to examine day‐to‐day thermospheric variability in exospheric temperature Tex. Solar flux and magnetic activity influences as the main driving factors for day‐to‐day variability are investigated quantitatively. Solar ultraviolet flux levels are based on the TIMED/SEE space weather product, allowing for analysis of ultraviolet flux‐Tex correlation. Tex is most sensitive to solar EUV flux with approximately a 2 day delay at wavelengths of 27–34 nm (including 30.4 nm). In particularly, a 20–60 h time delay occurs in Tex response to EUV flux at 27–34 nm band, with shorter delays in the morning and longer delays in the afternoon and at night. The 1 ∼ 2 day delayed Tex response to solar ultraviolet flux and associated thermospheric solar preconditioning (“memory”) are most significant in the daily mean for the 27–34 nm band, in the diurnal and semidiurnal amplitudes for the soft X‐ray flux at 0.1–7 nm, and in the diurnal amplitude for longer wavelengths. An empirical model driven only by EUV flux at 27–34 nm from 2 days in advance reproduces 90% of the observed variability in the Tex daily mean. With a 2 day time delay, solar X‐ray flux at 0.1–7 nm is correlated positively with Tex diurnal amplitude and negatively with Tex semidiurnal amplitude. Finally, magnetic activity control, as represented by the Dst index, is weaker during the day and stronger at night and is important for the semidiurnal amplitude but not important for the daily mean.
The determinants of apprenticeship training with particular reference to business expectations

"Whilst in applied empirical research, training in general human capital is mainly explained by structural characteristics of firms, this paper introduces business expectations as an additional explanatory factor. Business expectations are strictly time-variate and firm-specific and reflect both a firm's development in competitive markets and in the business cycle. We assume that a firm's business expectations strongly modify the cost-utility concept for firms' decisions as regards providing apprenticeship places. When controlling for firms' structural characteristics, static econometric models support our assumption that a change in business expectations leads to an asymmetric adjustment process of firms' qualitative decisions regarding apprenticeship training. Concerning the quantitative decision as to how many apprenticeship places a firm provides we found a significant but not asymmetric response to a change in business expectations. A dynamic approach confirms the results obtained in the static models of a symmetric quantitative adjustment process in a short-term perspective. In a longer perspective the dynamic model supports the assumption of an asymmetric quantitative adjustment process. Further on an application shows that an increasing uncertainty regarding business expectations tends to reduce the apprenticeship training at firm level. " (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en)) Additional Information Kurzfassung (deutsch) Executive summary (English)
Different Dynamics of Sensory-Motor Development and Behavior During the Transitional Period in Puppies: Preliminary Results

Abstract Many studies have analyzed the behavior of puppies during their socialization period, while little attention has been paid to the transitional period, when vision and hearing develop. Here, we compared the average age of sensory and motor development, and the behavior among a total of 25 puppies. Each litter was videotaped during 1-hour daily sessions on postnatal days 10-21 and coded for the following mutually exclusive behavioral categories: sleeping, suckling and moving. The moving category included side-to-side head swinging, exploring, rolling and allogrooming. The opening of the eyelids, appearance of the startle response and ability to stand up with either the front or hind legs were identified. The duration and frequency of puppy behaviors varied significantly with breed and season of birth. Breed and gender differences in gross motor and sensory development were also observed. These findings may turn out to be crucial to enhance the welfare, standards of rearing, and behavioral interventions aimed at improving adaptability to novel stimuli in pet dogs.
HYDROLOGICAL ASPECTS OF THE LAGOONS OF ATASTA AND POM, MEXICO

The Lagoons of Pom and Atasta are part of a natural protected area of flora and fauna lagoon of Terminos in the region of Campeche, Mexico. This is an important ecological area since it is a habitat of many native and migratory species. These lagoons have been affected by industrial activities and sewage water discharge. Monitoring of nitrogen, phosphorus and faecal coliform in surface waters were carried out along the length of both lagoons during the dry, rainy and north winds seasons during one year. The highest temperatures in the summer (31°C) and minimum in the north winds (25°C) were associated with values of dissolved oxygen (5.1 and 6.3 mg l-1, respectively) indicating also a probably relation of the phytoplankton activity. The pH (8.0-8.2) and the salinity (0.32 – 3.48 SPU) did not show any significant variation amongst the three climatic seasons. The level of ammonium did not surpass the suggested value to the eutrophication control (0.1 mg l-1), while the levels of phosphorus were of higher concentrations (2.0-3.5 mg l-1) to those considered safe (0.01-0.125 mg l-1) to the environmental. The highest concentration of N and P near the inhabitant areas suggest an important contribution of nutrients stemming from the sewage waters, associated with the decomposition of organic materials. The concentration of faecal coliform during the rains and the north wind season (8.0–26.0 MPN 100 ml-1) was greater than during the dry period (1.3–3.5 MPN 100 ml-1) suggesting an important access for the infiltration of rain water and sewage waters not treated coming from the nearest inhabited areas. The deforestation of the mangroves and uncontrolled agricultural activity would affect the quality of the water in both lagoons in the future.
A soundscape analysis for selected parks in Bydgoszcz

Areas that are considered human-friendly are green spaces. The existing urban parks are designed to fulfill the role of relaxation, recreation, and entertainment. However, in many cases, these are historic places, which at the time didn't have much of an impact on external factors. Sustainable development issues are related to the quality of life and the usage of the environment and its resources by present and future generations. Noise and noise protection is an issue that is part of sustainable development. The inadequate implementation of the principles of sustainable development and non-inclusion of noise can noticeably lead to negative effects now and in the future. The aim of the paper is to analyze the soundscapes of two Bydgoszcz parks located in the city center. The values of the equivalent sound level for these areas were obtained from the existing Bydgoszcz acoustic plan. Subsequently, the resulting distribution of noise was compared with the results of subjective perception of sounds by visitors. On this basis, conclusions can be drawn regarding the ways of shaping such areas while taking into account the perception of visitors.
Effect of Pragmatic Awareness on Comprehension and Production of Conventional Expressions

Mastery of target language conventional expressions seems to require awareness of the differences between native language and target language pragmatic features. To test the effect of awareness of target language pragmatic features on comprehension and production of target language conventional expressions, the current study was conducted over 60 learners of English in an intensive English program in Universiti Sains Malaysia. Pragmatic awareness, comprehension, and production were respectively assessed through a contextualized pragmatic judgment task, a multiple choice pragmatic listening comprehension test, and an oral discourse completion task. The results of the Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient revealed that awareness of target language pragmatic features is a predictor of appropriate comprehension and production of target language conventional expressions. The pedagogical implications of the findings suggested the development of awareness of target language pragmatic features in English as Foreign Language learners.
Experiment investigation on fretting wear and wear debris performance for the stem-cement interface

After the interface debonding, the body protein fluid is subsequently pumped into stem-cement fretting wear interface, serving as the lubricant. On the stem surface, whether there is the influence of protein absorption on fretting wear or not is considered in this study. The biotribological properties at the stem-cement interface were investigated by SEM. The result of hysteresis loops shows that elasticity and plasticity performance of the frictional interface materials can be damaged by fretting fatigue and material energy dissipation will increase periodically. The wear quantity of cement is mainly influenced by load and displacement. The maximum wear loss of bone cement could reach 1.997 mg. Bone cement and titanium alloy wear debris, whose size distributions are widely spread from 1 to 110 µm and 5 to 150 µm, respectively, are shaped like tuber, tear, sheet, strip, and sphere, which will induce the osteocyte damage.
Approximation of operator semigroups in a Banach space

{U(t); t >0} of linear operators defined on a linear manifold D(•1⁄4X) such that for each x • ̧ D the function u(t) = U(t)x is a solution of the problem. To find the solution operators of our problem, we proceed as follows. Let {An} be a sequence of closed linear operators in X which are "regular" in comparison with A and approximate A in an appropriate sense , and let us consider a sequence of approximatingequations
Fault-Tolerant Tasking and Guidance of an Airborne Location Sensor Network

This paper is concerned with tasking and guidance of networked airborne sensors to achieve fault-tolerant sensing. The sensors are coordinated to locate hostile transmitters by intercepting and processing their signals. Faults occur when some sensor-carrying vehicles engaged in target location missions are lost. Faults effectively change the network architecture and therefore degrade the network performance. The first objective of the paper is to optimally allocate a finite number of sensors to targets to maximize the network life and availability. To that end allocation policies are solved from relevant Markov decision problems. The sensors allocated to a target must continue to adjust their trajectories until the estimate of the target location reaches a prescribed accuracy. The second objective of the paper is to establish a criterion for vehicle guidance for which fault-tolerant sensing is achieved by incorporating the knowledge of vehicle loss probability, and by allowing network reconfiguration in the event of loss of vehicles. Superior sensing performance in terms of location accuracy is demonstrated under the established criterion.
On Skew Polynomials over p.q.-Baer and p.p.-Modules

Let MR be a module and σ an endomorphism of R. Let m ∈ M and a ∈ R, we say that MR satisfies the condition C1 (respectively, C2), if ma = 0 implies mσ(a) = 0 (respectively, mσ(a) = 0 implies ma = 0). We show that if MR is p.q. -Baer then so is M[x; σ]R[x;σ] whenever MR satisfies the condition C2, and the converse holds when MR satisfies the condition C1. Also, if MR satisfies C2 and σ-skew Armendariz, then MR is a p.p.-module if and only if M[x; σ]R[x;σ] is a p.p.-module if and only if M[x, x −1 ; σ] R[x,x�1;σ] (σ ∈ Aut(R)) is a p.p.-module. Many generalizations are obtained and more results are found when MR is a semicommutative module. Mathematics Subject Classification: 16S36, 16D80, 16W80
Ozone production efficiencies of acetone and peroxides in the upper troposphere

HOx concentrations in the upper tropical troposphere can be enhanced by the presence of acetone and the convective injection of peroxides. These enhancements in HOx might be expected to increase ozone production by increasing the rate of the HO2+NO reaction. We show however that the convective enhancements of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and methyl hydroperoxide (CH3OOH) above steady state during the PEM West B campaign were largely restricted to air parcels of marine boundary layer origin in which the mean NO concentration was 8 pptv. The ozone production efficiencies of the two peroxides at such low NO concentrations are very small. Their impact on the ozone budget of the upper tropical troposphere during PEM West B was therefore probably modest. Unlike the peroxides, acetone in the upper tropical troposphere during PEM West B exhibited a positive correlation with NO. It also has a much larger ozone production efficiency than either H2O2 or CH3OOH. It therefore has a much greater potential for significantly increasing ozone production rates in the upper tropical troposphere.
Property rights and benefit sharing: a case study of the Barotse floodplain of Zambia

The study sought to expose the underlying complexity of benefit sharing of ecosystem goods and services among multiple actors, using the Barotse Floodplains located in Zambia as a case study. This was based on the premise that an appreciation of theories on property rights has not been adequately used to understand and implement benefit sharing arrangements for natural resources governance. The study involved developing a conceptual framework as an analytic tool to better examine the complexity of benefit sharing from the perspective of bundles of property rights. Benefit sharing was conceptualized as the creation and regulation of relationships between decision making and benefit distribution processes. This framework highlighted the role of rights at the operational and collective levels in enforcing allocation of ecosystem goods and services as well decision making processes among actors. The design of the study was descriptive, longitudinal and qualitative. The temporal dimension of the study was between 1936 and 2012 categorized according to eras that were defined by existing benefit sharing authority – traditional, state and collaborative. Data collection techniques used in the study included in-depth interviews and documentary sources. Thematic analysis using QSR NVIVO software was used for coding and data analysis. The study revealed an overwhelming variation of benefit sharing outcomes between eras as a result of varying configuration of bundles of property rights. The variation in eras illustrates a critical relationship between the establishment and enforcement of bundles of property rights and benefit sharing outcomes. This consequently provides insights into the consequences of failing to recognize, establish and enforce bundles of rights in benefit sharing arrangements. In this way, the case study illustrates how property rights offer a theoretical perspective through which to better understand benefit sharing arrangements involving socio-ecological systems. This is especially the case in contexts in which utilization of a shared ecosystem services is susceptible to externalities that make governance difficult and complex.
The determinants of issuers’ long term credit ratings : American S&P500 index

In this paper, we examine the impact that various financial and business profile variables have on credit ratings issued for the S&P500 firms by Moody’s. Our ordered probit model indicates that firms’ financial policy, size, liquidity, interest and debt coverage have the most pronounced effect on credit ratings. Our results show that different coefficients are associated to the increments of interest and debt coverage ratios. Business profile variables are not significant. Liquidity variable is also a significant determinant of the issuer long-term credit rating and not just the short term one.
HYPERHOMOCYSTINEMIA IN EPILEPTIC PATIENTS: THE ROLE OF THFR POLYMORPHISM AND ANTIEPILEPTIC DRUGS.

Nesma A.M. Ghonimi 1 , Mohammed E. Mahdy 1 , Tamer S. Elserafy 1 , Nora S. Abdelrahman 2 and Bothina M. Ramadan 1 . 1. Neurology department, Faculty of medicine, zagazig university, Egypt. 2. Clinical pathology department, Faculty of medicine, zagazig university, Egypt. Manuscript Info Abstract . Manuscript History
A predictive model for the effects of temperature on the germination period of flax seeds (Linum usitatissimum L.)

Temperature is the most important factor in regulating the germination of nondormant seeds at the beginning of the growth season. The present study was conducted to produce simple regression models to predict how temperature affects the time it takes for 50% of a selection of flax seeds to germinate. R-square (r2) values of regression coefficients of the equations established for flax cultivars varied from 0.899 (Antares) to 0.886 (Bionda). The optimum temperature for the time to germination for both cultivars was calculated using the coefficients obtained from the regression models. The optimum temperatures were found to be between 22.10 and 22.05 °C for Antares and Bionda, respectively.
Effect of ABA on colour of berries, anthocyanin accumulation and total phenolic compounds of ‘Rubi’ table grape (Vitis vinifera)

The color of the berry grapes is due to existence of anthocyanins and their accumulation seems to be regulated, at least in part, by abscisic acid. Therefore, exogenous applications of this regulator may increase the anthocyanins concentration in the grapes skin. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of abscisic acid on the color of berries and in the anthocyanin accumulation and total phenolic compounds of ‘Rubi’ grapes. The ‘Rubi’ grape (Vitis vinifera) variety was studied in the sixth year of production. The experimental design was randomized blocks, with 4 treatments and 6 replications. The treatments consisted of isomer concentrations of (S)-cis-abscisic acid (S-ABA), as follow: Control (0 mg L ); 400 mg L de SABA at the beginning of the maturation (BM); 400 mg L at BM + 200 mg L at 25 DAFA (25 days after the first application) and 400 mg L in BM + 400 mg L at 25 DAFA. The berry bunches were sprayed in the morning, using costal sprayer providing full and uniform coverage. The colorimetric characteristics were determined with colorimeter obtaining the following variables: luminosity, saturation, hue angle and color index. The fresh mass, length and width of bunch (berries and stems), number of berries per bunch, soluble solids, titratable acidity, soluble solids/acidity ratio, pH, reducing sugars, anthocyanins, and phenolic compounds were evaluated. The abscisic acid (S-ABA) promoted the physical characteristics of the bunch and berries slightly with no effect on the stems. However, it triggered significant increase in soluble solids content and in the soluble solids/acidity ratio. It also increased the anthocyanin and total phenolic compounds, especially when applied twice, regardless of the concentration, in addition to improve color attributes. It is recommended the application of 400 mg L at BM + 200 mg L at 25 DAFA can be useful to increase anthocyanin and total phenolic and to improve color attributes.