Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Detection Method for Classifying Malicious Firmware

A malicious firmware update may prove devastating to the embedded devices both that make up the Internet of Things (IoT) and that typically lack the same security verifications now applied to full operating systems. This work converts the binary headers of 40,000 firmware examples from bytes into 1024-pixel thumbnail images to train a deep neural network. The aim is to distinguish benign and malicious variants using modern deep learning methods without needing detailed functional or forensic analysis tools. One outcome of this image conversion enables contact with the vast machine learning literature already applied to handle digit recognition (MNIST). Another result indicates that greater than 90% accurate classifications prove possible using image-based convolutional neural networks (CNN) when combined with transfer learning methods. The envisioned CNN application would intercept firmware updates before their distribution to IoT networks and score their likelihood of containing malicious variants. To explain how the model makes classification decisions, the research applies traditional statistical methods such as both single and ensembles of decision trees with identifiable pixel or byte values that contribute the malicious or benign determination.
POTENTIAL OF ETHIOPIAN BARLEY (Hordeum vulgare (L.)) LANDRACES as gene source for MALTING QUALITY TRAITS

Eighteen landraces of barley (Hordeum vulgare (L)) and one standard & one local check were evaluated in four replications using RCBD at Bekoji (7 0 32’N and 39 0 15’E at an altitude of 2,810 masl) with the objectives of studying the genetic variability in yield and yield-related traits and identify landrace lines with high malt quality traits for the breeding program. The ANOVA showed a very highly significant difference between the genotypes in all the agronomic traits studied which indicated the existence of genetic variability which can be exploited in the breeding program. A wide range of variability was observed in morpho-agronomic traits of the studied barley genotypes. Biological yield varied between 5.5 and 12.17 t/ha, grain yield between 2.31 & 5.28 t/ha, number of seeds per spike between 26.38-68.83, and harvest index 35.13-63.6%. Two landraces Netchgebs (5.13) and Mixed Bati (5.28) out-yielded the standard check, EH1847 (5.11 t/ha) indicating the possibility of identifying superior genotypes to be released as varieties or to be used as a parent in the crossing program. The phenotypic coefficient of variation (PCV) and genotypic coefficient of variation (GCV) ranged from 0.53-28.08 and 0.44-27.63, respectively. The lowest PCV and GCV (0.53 and 0.44) were obtained for germination capacity while the highest PCV and GVC (28.08 and 27.63) values were obtained for the number of seeds per spike. High broad-sense heritability (>85%) was observed for most of the morpho-agronomic and quality traits such as awn length, spike length, protein content, harvest index, extract content, biological and grain yield indicating that these traits are governed mainly by a genetic factor and direct selection can give rapid progress. Biological yield, days to maturity, harvest index, plant height, and flag leaf length had a positive correlation with grain yield both at the genotypic and phenotypic levels. Similarly, hectoliter weight, thousand kernel weight, sieve test, friability, malt moisture content, germination energy, and capacity had a positive correlation with malt extract content both at the genotypic and phenotypic levels. This study showed the potential of the Ethiopian barley landraces to develop high quality malt barley.
Expansion of Magelianic Moorland during the Late Pleistocene: Palynological Evidence from Northern lsla de Chilok, Chile

The late Quaternary vegetation of northern Isla de Chilok is inferred from paIynologica1 analysis of a section in the RIO Negro drainage (42’03’S, 73YO’W). At ca. 30,500 yr B.P., maxima of Astelia and Donatia occurred, suggesting wetland development. From that time until ca. 27,000 yr B.P., steppe indicators such as Compositae/Gramineae dominated, suggesting drier conditions. After 27,000 yr B.P., the moorland shrub Dacrydium gradually increased, reaching a maximum by 18,000 yr B.P. At this time Astelia increased again, suggesting development of cushion bog during cold and wet conditions. The glacial-postglacial transition is characterized by a marked change from peaty sediments to clays, a decrease in the cushion bog flora, and the prevalence of Gramineae/ Compositae and swamp taxa. This vegetation prevailed until ca. 7000 yr B.P. when forest taxa became dominant. The floristic pattern inferred from the pollen spectra of the Rio Negro section suggests that the late Pleistocene vegetation of Chilok resembled modem Magellanic Moorland vegetation (52O-56’lat S). Based on climatic conditions presently associated with MageIlanic Moorland, its occurrence in Chilok at low elevations during the late Pleistocene implies a decrease in average temperature of at least 4°C and an increase in annual precipitation of at least 1500 mm.
What is the Optimal Minimum Wage?

The extensive literature on minimum wages has found evidence for the compression of relative wages and mixed results for employment. This literature has been plagued by a number of problems. First, the median-minimum wage ratio is used as the independent variable, where the median is endogenous. Second, it is difficult to disentangle compression of relative wages and truncation due to employment effects. Third, all effects are likely to depend on the initial level of the minimum. Fourth, employment effects are likely to differ between worker types. Fifth, minimum wage policies are likely to be endogenous. We offer solutions for these problems, by using instruments for the median, by using data on personal characteristics, and by using a flexible specification. We apply our method to US data starting from 1979, allowing for a wide variation in minimum wages. We find strong compression and positive employment effects for the lower half of the distribution, persisting for quite high levels of the minimum. *Yujiang Chen, University of Cambridge, yc349@cam.ac. uk; Coen Teulings, Utrecht University, c.n. teulings@outlook.com.
Bringing Things Back to Life: Creative Entanglements in a World of Materials

The creation of things, according to Aristotle, involves a bringing together of form (morphe) and matter (hyle). In the subsequent history of western thought, the hylomorphic model of creation has become ever more deeply embedded. Contemporary discussions in fields ranging from anthropology and archaeology to art history and material culture studies continue to reproduce its underlying assumptions. The aim of this paper is both to expose these assumptions and to replace the model with an ontology that assigns primacy to processes of formation as against their final products, and to the flows and transmutations of materials as against states of matter. The argument has five components. First, the inhabited world consists not of objects, considered as bounded, self-contained entities, but of things, each a particular gathering of the threads of life. Secondly, life has to be understood not as an interior animating force but as the generative capacity of that encompassing field of forces and materials wherein forms arise and are held in place. This notion of ‘life’ should not be confused with the concept of ‘agency’, which is a product of the same reduction that reduces things to objects. Thirdly, a focus on life-processes required us to attend not to materiality as such, but to the fluxes and flows of materials. We have to follow these flows, tracing the paths of form-generation. Fourthly, to understand how these paths are creative, we must read creativity ‘forwards’, as an improvisatory joining in with formative processes, rather than ‘backwards’ as an abduction from a finished object to an idea in the mind of an agent. Finally, the pathways along which improvisatory practice unfolds are not connections between one thing and another but lines along which they continually come into being. Thus the entanglement of things has to be understood literally and precisely, not as a network of connections but as a meshwork of interwoven lines of growth and movement.
Pharmacological evaluation of Rhazya stricta root extract

The present study aimed to screen the Rhazya stricta Decne root for its antihyperglycemic and antioxidants potential through invitro assays along with phytochemical and elemental analyses. The crude extract was prepared through maceration and fractionated using solvent-solvent extraction technique. The spectroscopic studies indicated the presence of various phytochemical classes in the extract and its fractions. The antioxidant assays showed notable results along with a good concentration of phenolic and flavonoid contents. Enzyme inhibition assays demonstrated glucose-lowering effects by inhibiting the enzyme activity which could reduce post-prandial blood glucose level. The Dipeptidyl peptidase-IV (DPP-IV) inhibition assay results showed the novel DPP-IV inhibition activity of the plant extract and all fractions showed noteworthy enzyme inhibition and antihyperglycemic activity. Conclusively, the Rhazya stricta root extract displayed its antioxidant and antihyperglycemic potential due to the presence of various classes of phytochemicals and micro-nutrients.
Large-eddy simulation of axially-rotating, turbulent pipe and particle-laden swirling jet flows

LARGE-EDDY SIMULATION OF AXIALLY-ROTATING, TURBULENT PIPE AND PARTICLE-LADEN SWIRLING JET FLOWS Nicolas D. Castro Old Dominion University, 2012 Director: Dr. Ayodeji Demuren The flows of folly-developed turbulent rotating pipe and particle-laden swirling jet emitted from the pipe into open quiescent atmosphere are investigated numerically using Large-Eddy Simulation (LES). Simulations are performed at various rotation rates and Reynolds numbers, based on bulk velocity and pipe diameter, of 5.3xl03, 12xl03, and 24x103, respectively. Time-averaged LES results are compared with experimental and simulation data from previous studies. Pipe flow results confirm observations in previous studies, such as the deformation of the turbulent mean axial velocity profile towards the laminar Poiseuille-profile, with increased rotation. The Reynolds stress anisotropy tensor shows a redistribution due to pipe rotation. The axial component near the wall is suppressed, whereas the tangential component is amplified, as rotation is increased. The anisotropy invariant map also shows a movement away from the onecomponent limit in the viscous sublayer, with increased rotation. Exit conditions for the pipe flow simulation are utilized as inlet conditions for the jet flow simulation. Jet flow without swirl and at a swirl rate of S=0.5 is investigated. Swirl is observed to change the characteristics of the jet flow field, leading to an increase in jet spread and velocity decay and a corresponding decrease in the jet potential core. Lagrangian tracking with one way coupling is used to analyze particle dispersion in the jet flow. Three particle diameter sizes are investigated: 10,100, and 500(j,m, which correspond to Stokes numbers of 0.06, 6, and 150, respectively. Particles are injected with an initial velocity set equal to the instantaneous fluid phase flow velocities at the jet inlet. The results show that, in the absence of swirl, particle dispersion is inversely proportional to particle size. With the addition of swirl, particle evolution is much more complicated. Largely unaffected by turbulent structures, the largest particles maintain their initial radial trajectory and disperse radially outward significantly more with the addition of swirl. The smaller particles, much more susceptible to turbulent structures, are shown to quickly diffuse within the jet, and their dispersion is unaffected by swirl. With the addition of swirl, dispersion of the midsize particles is shown to increase initially from the jet inlet up to a distance of approximately three diameter lengths downstream. Particle tracking and particle concentration analysis shows that the increase in particle dispersion of the midsize particles upstream is due to an initial outward migration of particles that are injected near the edge of the jet inlet.
Comparative study of thermal treatments on stability of Moringa oil by using physicochemical analyses and FTIR spectroscopy

Comparative oxidative stability of Moringa oil was analysed by giving three different treatments of time, temperature, and mode of heating (microwave, oven, and deep fat frying) to check the stability and acceptability of Moringa oil with various physicochemical and sensory parameters. The results showed that FFA, AV, TOTOX, CD, CT, viscosity, density, RI, and specific gravity increased while iodine value, the content of polyphenols, phytosterols, and tocopherols decreased as three heat treatments progressed. It has, thus, been concluded that Moringa oil had shown good oxidative stability after 8 h of continuous frying, 20 min of microwave heating at P-100 as well as after 20 min of conventional oven heating at 200°C, and remained acceptable. The physicochemical and sensory evaluation showed that values obtained after 8 h of continuous Moringa oil frying were comparable with microwave heated samples at P-100 for 20 min, whereas, the oven heated samples at 200°C for 20 min were similar to microwave heated samples at P-80 for 20 min and 6 h of deep fat frying.
Evaluation of Pedestrian Countdown Signals in Montgomery County, Maryland

Pedestrian countdown signals installed at five intersections in Montgomery County, Maryland, were evaluated with a before-and-after study. The effect of the countdown signals on pedestrian and motorist behavior was determined by observing the signal indication when pedestrians entered the intersection, the number of pedestrians remaining in the intersection at the release of conflicting traffic, conflicts between pedestrians and motor vehicles, and vehicle approach speeds to the intersections. On the basis of the observational study, the pedestrian countdown signals did not have a negative effect on pedestrian behavior. The vehicle speed observations found that pedestrian countdown signals had no effect on vehicle approach speeds during the pedestrian clearance interval (i.e., flashing "Don't Walk" indication). Pedestrian behavior observations found that although 2 of the 20 crosswalks experienced a statistically significant decrease in the number of pedestrians who entered on "Walk," 6 crosswalks experienced a significant increase. Additionally, none of the intersections had a significant increase in the number of phases with pedestrians remaining in the intersection at the release of conflicting traffic. The observational study of conflicts found a significant decrease in pedestrian-motor vehicle conflicts after the installation of the pedestrian countdown signals at four of the intersections at which conflicts were observed. A survey of pedestrians was also conducted. Results of the survey indicated that, generally, pedestrians are aware of the countdown signal and understand the countdown indication.
Enhancement of power conversion efficiency for an L-band EDFA with a secondary pumping effect in the unpumped EDF section

A novel structure, which utilizes detrimental backward amplified spontaneous emission as a secondary pump source is suggested for a silica-based fiber amplifier, operating at a wavelength range from 1570 to 1610 nm. By using the secondary pumping effect from the strong, wasted 1550-nm band amplified spontaneous emission power in the unpumped section of the erbium-doped fiber, it was possible to achieve a considerable improvement in power conversion efficiency, increasing small-signal gain by more than 4 dB. The suggested pump structure was also shown to be useful in overall conversion efficiency improvement for L-band EDFA's, regardless of pump wavelength choice.
Evaluation of potential drug-drug interactions in medical wards of a refer- ral university hospital in southern part of Iran: a retrospective observational study

Drug-drug interactions impose several financial and medical burden on medical system and can lead to various health problems. The aim of this study was to investigate the incidence of Potential Drug-Drug Interactions (PDDIs) and its related factors in patients admitted to a large university hospital in southern part of Iran. A retrospective observational study was conducted in neurology, infectious and endocrinology wards of a tertiary care teaching hospital, Shiraz, Iran. PDDIs were identified using Lexi-InteractTM Online database. The relationship betweenpatient’s age, gender, comorbidity, number of medications,administration of high risk drugs, physician's university rank and scientific level, type of hospital wardand PDDIs has been studied using logistic regression analysis. Totally 600 patients were evaluated in our study. A total number of 5051 interactions were identified. 89.5% of patients experienced at least one interaction regardless of the severity. The most frequent interaction was reported to be class C (84.63%) interaction. According to our results, number of medications, administration of high risk drugs, and type of hospital ward were reported as significant risk factors for the incidence of PDDIs. This study suggest that the prevalence of PDDIs is still high even in a large university hospital.Using modern medical systems), regular monitoring of patients' medications,and paying special attention to patients who are elderly or have certain diseases could help to minimize drug interactions. Moreover, the role of pharmacist should not be ignored whom are the best professionals for preventing, monitoring and managing drug interactions.
Capsicum baccatum (Andean Chilli)-assisted phytosynthesis of silver nanoparticles and their H2O2 sensing ability

Abstract In the present study, we report a simple and ecofriendly phytosynthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) using fruits of Capsicum baccatum L. (Andean chili). During the reaction, the phytoconstituents of C. baccatum act as a reducing and stabilizing agent. Phyotsynthesized AgNPs were characterized through various spectroscopy and microscopic techniques. The produced AgNPs showed a plasmon band at λ max = 458 nm and stable for 10 days, confirmed by UV-vis spectroscopy. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) explained that the produced AgNPs were quasi-spherical in shape with an average size of 10–30 nm and small aggregation. The X-ray diffraction analysis confirmed the crystalline nature of the AgNPs. Aggregation of AgNPs was indicated in the dynamic light scattering (DLS) and TEM analysis. AgNPs also exhibited quenching/sensing activity of H2O2 (>50%) at room temperature. The results demonstrate that as-synthesized AgNPs are inexpensive, sustainable and could be an alternative as optical chemical sensors.
TLM and FEM methods applied in the analysis of electromagnetic coupling

This paper presents the application of two numerical methods in the analysis of the coupling of an incident wave with a conducting wire inside a metallic cavity having a small aperture. The Finite Element Method (FEM) in the frequency domain and the Transmission-line Modeling Method (TLM) are the numerical methods used in the analysis. Earlier published experimental results are used in order to evaluate the obtained numerical results.
Cytological Effects of Serum Isolated from Polytraumatized Patients on Human Bone Marrow-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells

Due to their immunomodulatory and regenerative capacity, human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hBMSCs) are promising in the treatment of patients suffering from polytrauma. However, few studies look at the effects of sera from polytraumatized patients on hBMSCs. The aim of this study was to explore changes in hBMSC properties in response to serum from polytrauma patients taken at different time points after the trauma incident. For this, sera from 84 patients with polytrauma (collected between 2010 and 2020 in our department) were used. In order to test the differential influence on hBMSC, sera from the 1st (D1), 5th (D5), and 10th day (D10) after polytrauma were pooled, respectively. As a control, sera from three healthy donors (HS), matched with respect to age and gender to the polytrauma group, were collected. Furthermore, hBMSCs from four healthy donors were used in the experiments. The pooled sera of HS, D1, D5, and D10 were analyzed by multicytokine array for pro-/anti-inflammatory cytokines. Furthermore, the influence of the different sera on hBMSCs with respect to cell proliferation, colony forming unit-fibroblast (CFU-F) assay, cell viability, cytotoxicity, cell migration, and osteogenic and chondrogenic differentiation was analyzed. The results showed that D5 serum significantly reduced hBMSC cell proliferation capacity compared with HS and increased the proportion of dead cells compared with D1. However, the frequency of CFU-F was not reduced in polytrauma groups compared with HS, as well as the other parameters. The serological effect of polytrauma on hBMSCs was related to the time after trauma. It is disadvantageous to use BMSCs in polytraumatized patients at least until the fifth day after polytrauma as obvious cytological changes could be found at that time point. However, it is promising to use hBMSCs to treat polytrauma after five days, combined with the concept of “Damage Control Orthopedics” (DCO).
Impact of Social Distancing on COVID-19 and Other Related Infectious Disease Transmission: A Systematic Review

Background Similar to other coronaviruses, COVID-19 is transmitted mainly by droplets and is highly transmissible through close proximity or physical contact with an infected person. Countries across the globe have implemented public health control measures to prevent onwards transmission and reduce burden on health care settings. Social or physical distancing was found to be one of appropriate measure based on previous experience with epidemic and pandemic contagious diseases. This study aims to review the latest evidence of the impact of social or physical distancing implemented during COVID-19 pandemic towards COVID-19 and other related infectious disease transmission. Methodology The study uses PRISMA review protocol and formulation of research question was based on PICO. The selected databases include Ovid MEDLINE and Scopus. Thorough identification, screening and eligibility process were done, revealed selected 8 articles. The articles then ranked in quality through MMAT. Results A total of eight papers included in this analysis. Five studies (USA, Canada, South Korea and the United Kingdom) showed physical distancing had resulted in a reduction in Covid-19 transmission. In comparison, three other studies (Australia, South Korea and Finland) showed a similar decline on other infectious diseases (Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), other sexually transmitted infections (STI), Influenza, Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) and Vaccine-Preventive Disease (VPD). The degree of the distancing policy implemented differ between strict and lenient, with both result in effectiveness in reducing transmission of infectious disease. Conclusion Physical or social distancing may come in the form of extreme or lenient measure in effectively containing contagious disease like COVID-19, however the stricter the measure will give more proportionate impact towards the economy, education, mental health issues, morbidity and mortality of non-COVID-19 diseases. Since we need this measure to ensure the reduction of infectious diseases transmission in order to help flattening the curve which allow much needed time for healthcare system to prepare adequately to response, ‘Precision physical distancing” can be implemented which will have more benefit towards the survival of the community as a whole.