Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Practical Multi-Source Multi-Client Searchable Encryption With Forward Privacy: Refined Security Notion and New Constructions

Multi-source multi-client (M/M) searchable encryption has drawn increasing attention as data sharing becomes prevalent in the digital economics era. It allows data from multiple sources to be securely outsourced to third parties and queried by authorized clients. In response to these demands, various schemes sprung up in the last few years. However, empirical results show that they suffer from performance limitations. Specifically, they either require per-interaction in per-query between data sources and clients or time-consuming public-key encryption. To address these issues, we propose a searchable encryption scheme that allows authorized clients to efficiently search encrypted data from multiple sources. Compared to previous schemes, our design reduces the interaction overhead of authorization and query with the aid of a set-constrained pseudo-random function. Given practical considerations in the M/M setting, we further refine the forward privacy (FP) as “FP with client” and “FP with server” for data addition. To achieve these new security notions, we construct a new M/M scheme only with efficient symmetric cryptographic tools. We perform a formal security analysis of the proposed schemes and implement them to compare with prior arts. The theoretical and experimental results confirm that our designs are practical with lower communication and computation overhead.
Numerical study of diffraction and slope-diffraction at anisotropic impedance wedges by the method of parabolic equation: space waves

The method of parabolic equation (PE) has been successfully applied to the numerical determination of diffraction, slope-diffraction, and multiple-diffraction coefficients of scalar impedance wedges illuminated by a line source. As a continuation, this paper studies-for the first time to the authors' knowledge-another important canonical problem for the uniform geometrical theory of diffraction (UTD), namely, diffraction and slope-diffraction of an incident cylindrical wave at wedges with anisotropic impedance surfaces, by using the same method. For the diffracted fields, the exact Helmholtz equation is asymptotically approximated by the corresponding parabolic one. It is proved that the sufficient conditions for the unique solution of the Helmholtz equation also guarantee the uniqueness of the solution of the parabolic one. The latter is then efficiently solved by using Crank-Nicholson finite-difference (FD) scheme. Due to the lack of exact solutions, the PE results were compared to uniform asymptotic theory of diffraction (UAT) ones for weak anisotropy and, in this case, very good agreement has been achieved. The diffraction and slope-diffraction behavior dependent upon the measure of the weakness of the anisotropy has been demonstrated by several examples.
Coaxial electromagnetic launcher calculations using FE-BE method and hybrid potentials

A hybrid method combining finite and boundary elements (the FE-BE method) is presented to analyze the transient electromagnetic/mechanical behavior of coaxial induction launchers (i.e., the coilgun). The corresponding initial/boundary value problem is formulated in terms of the hybrid potentials, which mixes the vector and scalar magnetic potential functions. The problem is assumed to be axisymmetric and the forcing currents are circumferential. The thermal effect due to ohmic losses is considered during the launching processes. Simulations of a single-stage induction launcher and of a five-stage launcher are presented. >
Performance of a large, CW, preexcited CO supersonic laser

The performance of a CO laser having electrical excitation by a continuously operating, self-sustained glow discharge in a high-pressure gas mixture followed by a supersonic expansion to the cavity region has been studied. A threshold for lasing was found which corresponded to 0.035 eV of input energy per CO molecule. Beyond this, nearly 15 percent of the additional energy was extracted by the resonator. The total power reached 940 W with a maximum electrooptical efficiency of 13.7 percent and a specific power of 17 kJ/lb. The vibrational population distribution of the CO in the cavity, with and without lasing, was determined from the overtone emission spectrum. The data indicated a significant loss of vibrational energy during expansion.
Controversial Impact of Vitamin D Supplementation on Reducing Insulin Resistance and Prevention of Type 2 Diabetes in Patients with Prediabetes: A Systematic Review

Background: Prediabetes has become a worldwide health problem. Multiple clinical trials have been conducted to determine the potential benefits of vitamin D supplementation in preventing the conversion to diabetes, but the results are inconsistent. The aims of this study were to evaluate the current knowledge and to suggest recommendations for researchers on designing future trials regarding that matter. Methods: Four databases were searched for randomized control trials from the last 10 years about vitamin D and insulin resistance. The systematic electronic literature search identified 2645 studies, of which thirty-eight qualified for full-text reading and discussion. Finally, eight trials were included. Results: Final results of seven trials reported that supplementation of vitamin D does not reduce insulin resistance nor reduces the risk of diabetes mellitus type 2 development in prediabetes. Only one trial showed improvements in fasting glucose and HOMA-IR. Conclusions: Due to the great variation and biases in study designs, an unambiguous interpretation of the results is not possible. To eliminate those vulnerabilities in the future, we made certain suggestions for study design. Long-term and well-designed studies are still required.
Local fluid and heat flow near contact lines

Journal of Fluid Mechanics, vol. 268 (1994), pp. 231–265 It has recently come to our attention that our paper, which describes Marangoni-driven flow near a contact line, overlooks solutions involving a general thermal boundary condition on the free surface (private communication, S. J. Tavener 1997). These new solutions are applicable for non-isothermal flows in a corner region where one boundary is a rigid plane (and either perfectly insulating or perfectly conducting) and the other is a free surface upon which a general thermal boundary condition is applied. We describe these additional solutions below.
Enthalpy Measurement in Inductively Heated Plasma Generator Flow by Laser Absorption Spectroscopy

Laser absorption spectroscopy was applied for diagnostics of inductively heated plasma generator flows. Temporal variation of translational temperature was deduced from measured absorption line broadening because the flow properties fluctuated at 300 Hz in synchronization with the induction current. The specific total enthalpy and mole fraction of oxygen were estimated from the deduced temperature assuming thermochemical equilibrium. Consequently, the averaged degree of dissociation of oxygen is 0.92. The specific total enthalpy was estimated at 33.7 ± 2.9 MJ/kg; 39% of it was in the form of chemical potential. The results show good agreement with intrusive measurements.
The Effect of Cumulus Friction on the Simulation of the January Hadley Circulation by the GLAS Model of the General Circulation

Abstract A simple scheme to parameterize the vertical mixing of horizontal momentum by cumulus convection has been added to the GLAS model of the general circulation. This cumulus friction term had little effect on the simulation of the general circulation, however, until deep, “hot tower” clouds were added to the model's cumulus cloud spectrum. Therefore, two January simulations have been run with the new, extended cumulus spectrum: an experiment with cumulus friction and a control without cumulus friction. Cumulus friction has strengthened the winter Hadley circulation in the experiment by 14% and has smoothed the mean meridional wind field. The zonally averaged, mean westerly shear of the tropics has decreased, and the tropical “bulge” of the jet stream has diminished. Contrary to the results of previous simulations by the GLAS model, which have included a significant amount of vertical momentum mixing, eddy kinetic energy has actually increased slightly in the present experiment. The results of this e.
Synthetic Cells Extract Semantic Information From Their Environment

Based on a recently reported operative definition of semantic information, due to Kolchinsky and Wolpert (2018), here we present a research program based on the intersection between synthetic biology, molecular communication, and information theory. In particular, we first describe and emphasize the role of “synthetic cells” as new (bio)technological platform for theoretical and applied investigations; next we simulate a smart drug delivery scenario whereby synthetic cells extract semantic information from their environment (made of cancerous cells, which provide a signal molecule that triggers the production of a cytotoxic drug by the synthetic cell).
A Multidimensional Visible Evaluation Model for Stroke Rehabilitation: A Pilot Study

Efficient rehabilitation state evaluation is important to the design of rehabilitation strategies after stroke. However, most traditional evaluations have depended on subjective clinical scales, which do not entail quantitative evaluation of the motor function. Functional corticomuscular coupling (FCMC) can be used to quantitatively describe the rehabilitation state. However, how to apply FCMC to clinical evaluation still needs to be studied. In this study, we propose a visible evaluation model which can combine the FCMC indicators with a Ueda score to comprehensively evaluate the motor function. In this model, we first calculated the FCMC indicators based on our previous study, including transfer spectral entropy (TSE), wavelet package transfer entropy (WPTE) and multiscale transfer entropy (MSTE). We then apply Pearson correlation analysis to determine which FCMC indicators are significantly correlated with the Ueda score. Then, we simultaneously introduced a radar map to present the selected FCMC indicators and the Ueda score, and described the relation between them. Finally, we calculated the comprehensive evaluation function (CEF) of the radar map and applied it as a comprehensive score of the rehabilitation state. To verify the model’s effectiveness, we synchronously collected the electroencephalogram (EEG) and electrocardiogram (EMG) data from stroke patients under the steady-state force task and evaluated the state by the model. This model visualized the evaluation results by constructing a radar map and presented the physiological electrical signal features and the clinical scales at the same time. The CEF indicator calculated from this model was significantly correlated with the Ueda score (P= $0.001< 0.01$ ). This research provides a new approach to evaluation and rehabilitation training after stroke, and explicates possible pathomechanisms.
Research on Impact of IoT on Warehouse Management

Automation and digitisation are the driving force of the Industrial Revolution 4.0. Industrial revolutions led to the mass production of goods, which increased the need for modern warehouses. Every year, the operation of warehouses becomes increasingly more complicated due to the increasing abundance of goods, thus the usual warehouse management strategies are no longer suitable. In order to cope with huge product flows, modern innovations should be used more extensively to manage these processes. Successful management will help provide quality service to rapidly changing business sectors. The Internet of Things (IoT) is a technology designed to process large amounts of data with maximum efficiency in real time. This technology can facilitate the implementation of smart identification, tracking, tracing, and management using radio frequency identification (RFID), infrared sensors, global positioning systems (GPS), laser scanners, and other detection tools. Such innovations as IoT have made a significant impact on warehousing operations. The aim of IoT is to perform administrative work, i.e., to efficiently manage warehouse data. IoT can be used to monitor and track goods, forecast demand trends, manage inventory, and perform other warehouse operations in real time. The key elements of a warehouse are sales and customer satisfaction. Implementing IoT improves financial performance, work productivity, and customer satisfaction. However, innovation requires additional investment in, for instance, implementation and maintenance. It is necessary to investigate how warehouse elements such as inventory accuracy or order processing time are affected by the internet of things in companies of different sizes. Research on the impact of IoT on warehouse management focuses on IoT advantages, disadvantages, mitigation risks, and the use of IoT in warehouses. The aim of this work is to research the impact of IoT on warehouse management in companies of different sizes and to determine whether the costs and benefits of IoT differ in the same scenario. As a result, the conceptual model for the adoption of IoT measures in warehouse companies was created, and its suitability was assessed by experts.
Distant side-walls cause slow amplitude modulation of cellular convection

The effect of vertical boundaries on convection in a shallow layer of fluid heated from below is considered. By means of a multiple-scale perturbation analysis, results for horizontally unbounded layers are modified so that they ‘fit in’ to a rectangular region. The critical Rayleigh number and critical wave-number are determined. Motion is predicted to have the form of finite ‘rolls’ whose axes are parallel to the shorter sides of the dish. Aspects of the non-linear development and stability of this motion are studied. The general question of convective pattern selection in a bounded layer is discussed in the light of available theoretical and experimental results.
Testing for a unit root in a stationary ESTAR process

This article develops a statistic for testing the null of a linear unit root process against the alternative of a stationary exponential smooth transition autoregressive model. The asymptotic distribution of the test is shown to be nonstandard but nuisance parameter-free and hence critical values are obtained by simulations. Simulations show that the proposed statistic has considerable power under various data generating scenarios. Applications to real exchange rates also illustrate the ability of our test to reject null of unit root when some of the alternative tests do not.
A Bagged-Tree Machine Learning Model for High and Low Wind Speed Ocean Wind Retrieval From CYGNSS Measurements

This article presents two empirical models, the low wind bagged trees (LWBT) and high wind bagged trees (HWBT) ensemble models to estimate ocean surface wind speed using spaceborne Global Navigation Satellite System Reflectometry (GNSS-R) data. The models are empirically trained using NASA’s Cyclone GNSS (CYGNSS) mission level 1 data (version 2.1). The truth label for the LWBT model is the wind speed product derived from European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) ERA-5 and Global Data Assimilation System (GDAS), while the label for the HWBT model is wind speed measurements from stepped frequency microwave radiometer (SFMR). Testing results show that the LWBT and HWBT models achieved global wind speed retrieval root-mean-square-error (RMSE) of $\sim $ 1.5 and $\sim $ 1.4 m/s, respectively, corresponding to an improvement of 29% and 65% with respect to the CYGNSS Level 2 standard wind speed product. The maximum bias is reduced by 65% and 60% for LWBT and HWBT over the Level 2 wind speeds, respectively. Two typhoon case studies are presented to corroborate the model performances and their retrieved wind speeds are consistent with reports from World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and with the measurement provided by the Huangmao Zhou (HMZ) weather station.
Modification of the current profile in DIII-D by off-axis electron cyclotron current drive

Localized non-inductive currents due to electron cyclotron wave absorption have been measured on the DIII-D tokamak. Clear evidence of non-inductive currents is seen on the internal magnetic field measurements by motional Stark effect spectroscopy. The magnitude and location of the non-inductive current is evaluated by comparing the total and ohmic current profiles of discharges with and without electron cyclotron wave power. The measured current agrees with Fokker-Planck calculations near the magnetic axis, but exceeds the predicted value as the location of the current drive is moved to the half-radius.
Development of YBCO Patterned Multi-Filamentary Film Using Photolithography Method

High-temperature superconducting (HTS)-coated conductors (CCs) can be applied to magnets under low temperature and high magnetic field conditions, as well as in electric power equipment. Reducing the screening current and AC loss is an important topic for practical applications. In this study, we propose a multifilamentary YBCO thin film, fabricated by depositing YBCO on a substrate with elevated Zr stripes patterned by using photolithography techniques. While the thin film exhibited superconductivity, the crystal grain orientation was disturbed above the stripe, which locally inhibited the superconducting current flow. The results of this study indicate that a continuous YBCO film can be dividing into separate superconducting filaments by locally suppressing the good grain alignment required for a high intergrain Jc with Zr stripes between the STO substrate and the YBCO film.
Associations between the implementation of telework strategies and job performance: Moderating influences of boundary management preferences and telework experience

Boosted by the COVID-19 pandemic, more than ever, an organization’s success depends on its teleworkers’ performance. However, little attention has been paid to the individual strategies implemented by teleworkers to achieve goals such as drawing boundaries between work- and private-life, working task-oriented and productively, and keeping social contact. We collected quantitative survey data of 548 teleworkers indicating their implementation of 85 telework strategies derived from scientific literature and popular media (e.g., working in a separate room, wearing work clothes at home), self-reported job performance, boundary management preferences, and telework experience. We identified (a) the implementation of telework strategies, (b) associations with job performance, (c) divergences between the implementation and the performance association, and (d) moderating influences of boundary management preferences and telework experience. The results suggest that the most implemented telework strategies tend to be the ones most positively associated with job performance. These telework strategies serve goals related to working task-oriented and productively by adopting a conducive work attitude as well as keeping social contact by using modern communication technology rather than goals related to drawing boundaries between work- and private-life. The findings underscore the benefits of expanding a narrow focus on telework strategies stemming from boundary theory to unravel telework strategies’ puzzling impacts on (tele-) work outcomes. Also, taking a person-environment fit perspective appeared to be a promising approach to tailor evidence-based best practice telework strategies to teleworkers’ individual preferences and needs (boundary management preferences and telework experience).
Impact of Inulin Extracted, Purified from (Chicory and Globe Artichoke) Roots and the Combination with Maltodextrin as Prebiotic Dietary Fiber on the Functional Properties of Stirred Bio-Yogurt

Inulin is a prebiotic dietary fiber that plays an integral role in producing functional dairy products with improved health benefits. Therefore, the objectives of this study are as follows: extract and purify inulin from chicory roots and globe artichoke roots; evaluate the physicochemical, functional properties and functional groups of the purified inulin; determine the functional properties of chicory roots inulin-maltodextrin and globe artichoke roots inulin-maltodextrin and compare it with that of the commercial inulin; examine the impact of various inulin on physiochemical, microstructural, textural, sensory characteristics and as prebiotic dietary fiber on probiotic bacteria’s viability of stirred bio-yogurt. The characteristics of the microstructure were investigated by scanning electron microscopy and, Fourier transforms infrared spectroscopy to detect the functional group. The resulting inulin exhibited a high yield and purity along with enhanced functional properties. Stirred bio-yogurt fortiﬁed with chicory roots inulin or globe artichoke roots inulin showed enhanced physicochemical, microstructural, microbiological, and overall sensorial acceptability followed by chicory roots inulin-maltodextrin or globe artichoke roots inulin-maltodextrin and the commercial inulin as compared to the con-trol. Stirred bio-yogurt samples can offer various health benefits and wide applications as supplement of prebiotic dietary fiber in dairy industry.
Synergy or too big to fail: Empirical analysis of mergers and acquisitions in SAARC and ASEAN regions

Abstract The purpose of the study is to examine the impact of agency issues such as free cash flow, empire-building, managerial risk aversion, and private benefit of control on post-merger financial performance in the context of emerging markets of SAARC and ASEAN regions. The sampling period for the study is from 2000 to 2017, limited to M&A deals where at least three years of pre- and post-merger data is available. A total of 184 M&A deals were analyzed from SAARC and ASEAN regions. Financial performance is measured through operating profit returns and cash returns, while the explanatory variables are free cash flow, firms’ size, industry relatedness, and block holding. Two-sample t-test is used for univariate analysis, and OLS regression is used for multivariate analysis. Results reveal that post-mergers and acquisition (M&A) financial performance declined as compared to pre-M&A financial performance over three (−3, +3) years window. Opposite to the free cash flow hypothesis, this study found that free cash flows are beneficial for acquirers in the context of emerging markets. Furthermore, acquirers’ size has either no impact or a significantly positive impact in robustness check on post-M&A performance, which rejects the empire-building motive. Unrelated mergers cause a decline in post-M&A performance, and large block holding enhances post-M&A performance. The findings of the study are helpful for managers, shareholders, and the board’s members to ensure that the free cash flow before the M&A transaction is positive and consistent also conscious of the nature of the target and avoid unrelated M&A deals.