Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Improvements to data transportation security in wireless sensor networks

Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) are computer networks consisting of miniaturised electronic devices that aim to gather and report information about their environment. The devices are limited in computational, data storage and communication ability. Furthermore, the devices communicate via a wireless, unregulated medium and usually operate on finite power sources. Security in Wireless Sensor Networks is the research area that seeks to provide adequate and energy-efficient security mechanisms for WSNs. Such provision is required in order to increase their range of possible applications and allow them to be deployed in critical and valuable environments. Existing security mechanisms for larger computer networks are inappropriate since they were not designed for the resourceconstrained environment of WSNs. There are some purpose-built solutions but this research has found potential security or efficiency problems with each of them. This thesis contributes SecRose, a security mechanism for the data-transportation layer of Wireless Sensor Networks. The solution attempts to provide higher level of security than currently provided, without introduction of significant energy overheads and by retaining backwards compatibility. SecRose achieves its security objectives by introducing a number of innovations and improvements. SecRose innovates in the provision of freshness and semantic security by altering the secret cryptographic keys. The process is managed at the transportation level by the basic key management mechanism. The integrity and safety of the key-changing operation is achieved by authenticating all packets and their acknowledgements. This behaviour contrasts with other proposals, which are based on openly transmitted Initialisation Vectors, and allows SecRose to provide better security than most of them, including TinySec, the accepted standard. In addition, measurements show that SecRose provides better energy-efficiency than other proposals. In particular, the solution requires less energy than TinySec in all cases and it can even be more efficient than the base Operating System, the TinyOS, which does not provide any security at all.
Combination of Peri- and Intratumoral Radiomic Features on Baseline CT Scans Predicts Response to Chemotherapy in Lung Adenocarcinoma.

Purpose To identify the role of radiomics texture features both within and outside the nodule in predicting (a) time to progression (TTP) and overall survival (OS) as well as (b) response to chemotherapy in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Materials and Methods Data in a total of 125 patients who had been treated with pemetrexed-based platinum doublet chemotherapy at Cleveland Clinic were retrospectively analyzed. The patients were divided randomly into two sets with the constraint that there were an equal number of responders and nonresponders in the training set. The training set comprised 53 patients with NSCLC, and the validation set comprised 72 patients. A machine learning classifier trained with radiomic texture features extracted from intra- and peritumoral regions of non-contrast-enhanced CT images was used to predict response to chemotherapy. The radiomic risk-score signature was generated by using least absolute shrinkage and selection operator with the Cox regression model; association of the radiomic signature with TTP and OS was also evaluated. Results A combination of radiomic features in conjunction with a quadratic discriminant analysis classifier yielded a mean maximum area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of 0.82 ± 0.09 (standard deviation) in the training set and a corresponding AUC of 0.77 in the independent testing set. The radiomics signature was also significantly associated with TTP (hazard ratio [HR], 2.8; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.95, 4.00; P < .0001) and OS (HR, 2.35; 95% CI: 1.41, 3.94; P = .0011). Additionally, decision curve analysis demonstrated that in terms of clinical usefulness, the radiomics signature had a higher overall net benefit in prediction of high-risk patients to receive treatment than the clinicopathologic measurements. Conclusion This study suggests that radiomic texture features extracted from within and around the nodule on baseline CT scans are (a) predictive of response to chemotherapy and (b) associated with TTP and OS for patients with NSCLC. © RSNA, 2019Supplemental material is available for this article.
CALIBRATION OF FORCE REDUCTION FACTORS OF RC BUILDINGS

A comprehensive study is undertaken to assess and calibrate the force reduction factors (R) adopted in modern seismic codes. Refined expressions are employed to calculate the R factors “supply” for 12 buildings of various characteristics represent a wide range of medium-rise RC buildings. The “supply” values are then compared with the “design” and “demand” recommended in the literature. A comprehensive range of response criteria at the member and storey levels, including shear as a failure criterion, alongside a detailed modelling approach and an extensively verified analytical tool are utilised. A rigorous technique is employed to evaluate R factors, including inelastic pushover and incremental dynamic collapse analyses employing eight natural and artificial records. In the light of the information obtained from more than 1500 inelastic analyses, it is concluded that including shear and vertical motion in assessment and calculations of R factors is necessary. Force reduction factors adopted by the design code (Eurocode 8) are over-conservative and can be safely increased, particularly for regular frame structures designed to lower PGA and higher ductility levels.
Clinical burden of illness among patients with severe eosinophilic COPD

Background: There are currently limited real-world data on the clinical burden of illness in patients with COPD who continue to exacerbate despite receiving triple therapy. The aim of this study was to compare the burden of COPD in patients with and without a phenotype characterized by a high blood eosinophil count and high risk of exacerbations while receiving triple therapy. Methods: This retrospective cohort study (GSK ID: 207323/PRJ2647) used UK Clinical Practice Research Datalink records linked with Hospital Episode Statistics. Eligible patients had a COPD medical diagnosis code recorded between January 1, 2004 and December 31, 2014, and a blood eosinophil count recorded on/after that date. Patients were followed from index date (first qualifying blood eosinophil count) until December 31, 2015. The study phenotype was defined as ≥2 moderate/≥1 severe acute exacerbation of COPD (AECOPD) in the year prior to the index date, current use of multiple-inhaler triple therapy (MITT), and blood eosinophil count ≥150 cells/µL on the index date. Outcomes measured during follow-up included moderate/severe AECOPDs, severe AECOPDs, all-cause mortality, primary care (GP) clinical consultations, and non-AECOPD-related unscheduled hospitalizations. Results: Of 46,814 patients eligible for inclusion, 2512 (5.4%) met the definition of the study phenotype. Adjusted rate ratios (95% CI) of moderate/severe AECOPDs and all-cause mortality in patients with the study phenotype versus those without were 2.32 (2.22, 2.43) and 1.26 (1.16, 1.37), respectively. For GP visits and non-AECOPD-related unscheduled hospitalizations, adjusted rate ratios (95% CI), in patients with the study phenotype versus those without, were 1.09 (1.05, 1.12) and 1.31 (1.18, 1.46), respectively. Conclusion: Patients with COPD and raised blood eosinophil counts who continue to exacerbate despite MITT represent a distinct subgroup who experience substantial clinical burden and account for high healthcare expenditure. There is a need for more effective management and therapeutic options for these patients.
High efficiency axial diffraction output schemes for the A6 relativistic magnetron

Office of Naval Research Grant N00014-13-1-0565, Air Force Office of Scientific Research Grant FA9550-11-1-0200, Air Force Office of Scientific Research DURIP Grant AF2386-12-13027, Raytheon University Research Project #2012-UNI-00022
Laboratory investigation of fatigue endurance limits in asphalt concrete

It is believed that Hot Mix Asphalt (HMA) mixtures used in long-lasting pavements contain a threshold of strain value below which no fatigue damage occurs. This concept is known as the fatigue endurance limit (FEL). Although previous studies have shown that an endurance limit does exist for HMA mixtures, an established value is yet to be determined, with values varying from 70-400 microstrain (με) based on mixture variability. Traditional FEL vii identification is based on the phenomenological approach, which relates the number of loading cycles to fatigue failure with applied tensile strain and initial stiffness of material. This study determined the FEL of two HMA mixtures, SP-II (coarse mix) and SP-III (fine mix), using the phenomenological approach as well as a fundamental energy based approach, the dissipated energy concept. Results show that the dissipated energy approach estimates higher FEL values for both mix types than those estimated using the phenomenological approach. The FEL values for the SP-II and SP-III mixtures are estimated to be approximately 200 and 300 με respectively. Furthermore, laboratory fatigue failure criterion is defined as the number of loading cycles at which the stiffness of a material reduces by 50%. This study evaluated stiffness-based failure criteria for laboratory fatigue testing using the viscoelastic continuum damage mechanics (VCDM) approach. Results show that fatigue failure criterion of the VCDM approach correlates well with the stiffnessbased fatigue failure criterion. In addition, the effect of polymer-modified binder on the FEL of HMA materials is investigated. The addition of modified binder to the SP-II mixture reduced the estimated FEL by 27%. On the other hand, the addition of modified binder to the SP-III mixture improved its estimated FEL value by 30%.
Clinicoradiological Spectrum of L-2-Hydroxy Glutaric Aciduria: Typical and Atypical Findings in an Indian Cohort

Context: Neurometabolic disorders form an important group of potentially treatable diseases. It is important to recognize the clinical phenotype and characteristic imaging patterns to make an early diagnosis and initiate appropriate treatment. L-2-hydroxy glutaric aciduria (L2HGA) is a rare organic aciduria with a consistent and highly characteristic imaging pattern, which clinches the diagnosis in most cases. Aims: The study aims to describe the clinical profile, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) patterns, and outcome in a cohort of children with L2HGA and to assess the clinicoradiological correlation. Materials and Methods: This is a retrospective descriptive study done at the Department of Radiodiagnosis and Neurological Sciences of our institution. Clinical and radiological findings of children diagnosed with L2HGA over an 8-year period (2010–2017) were collected and analyzed. Descriptive statistical analysis of clinical and imaging data was performed. Results: There were six girls and four boys. A total of 14 MRI brain studies in 10 patients with the diagnosis were analyzed. MRI of all patients showed a similar pattern with extensive confluent subcortical white-matter signal changes with symmetrical involvement of dentate nuclei and basal ganglia. In two children who presented with acute decompensation, there was asymmetric cortical involvement and restricted diffusion, which are previously unreported. There was no significant correlation between the radiological pattern with the disease duration, clinical features, or course of the disease. Conclusion: MRI findings in L2HGA are highly consistent and diagnostic, which helps in early diagnosis, particularly in resource-constraint settings, where detailed metabolic workup is not possible. The article also describes novel clinical radiological profile of acute encephalopathic clinical presentation.
Diversity with AntiVirus products: Additional empirical studies

In this paper we describe the design of a new set of empirical studies we will run to test the gains in detection capabilities from using diverse AntiVirus products. This new work builds on previous work on this topic reported in [1, 2, 3]. We describe the motivation for this work, how it extends the previous work and what studies we will conduct.
SEMI-EMPIRICAL METHOD FOR DESIGNING EXCAVATION SUPPORT SYSTEMS BASED ON DEFORMATION CONTROL

OF THESIS SEMI-EMPIRICAL METHOD FOR DESIGNING EXCAVATION SUPPORT SYSTEMS BASED ON DEFORMATION CONTROL Due to space limitations in urban areas, underground construction has become a common practice worldwide. When using deep excavations, excessive lateral movements are a major concern because they can lead to significant displacements and rotations in adjacent structures. Therefore, accurate predictions of lateral wall deflections and surface settlements are important design criteria in the analysis and design of excavation support systems. This research shows that the current design methods, based on plane strain analyses, are not accurate for designing excavation support systems and that fully three-dimensional (3D) analyses including wall installation effects are needed. A complete 3D finite element simulation of the wall installation at the Chicago and State Street excavation case history is carried out to show the effects of modeling: (i) the installation sequence of the supporting wall, (ii) the excavation method for the wall, and (iii) existing adjacent infrastructure. This model is the starting point of a series of parametric analyses that show the effects of the system stiffness on the resulting excavation-related ground movements. Furthermore, a deformation-based methodology for the analysis and design of excavation support systems is proposed in order to guide the engineer in the different stages of the design. The methodology is condensed in comprehensive flow charts that allow the designer to size the wall and supports, given the allowable soil distortion of adjacent structures or predict ground movements, given data about the soil and support system.
Evaluation of Effectiveness, Benefit Harm and Cost Effectiveness of Colonoscopy and Occult Blood Tests for an Organized Population-based Colorectal Cancer Screening in Austria

Background: Clear evidence on the benefit-harm balance and cost effectiveness of population-based screening for colorectal cancer (CRC) is missing. We aim to systematically evaluate the long-term effectiveness, harms and cost effectiveness of different organized CRC screening strategies in Austria. Methods: A decision-analytic Markov cohort model for colorectal adenoma and cancer with a lifelong time horizon was developed, calibrated to the Austrian epidemiological setting and validated. We compared four strategies: 1) No Screening, 2) FIT: annual immunochemical fecal occult blood test age 40-75 years, 3) gFOBT: annual guaiac-based fecal occult blood test age 40-75 years, and 4) COL: 10-yearly colonoscopy age 50-70 years. Predicted outcomes included: benefits as life-years gained [LYG], CRC-related deaths avoided and CRC cases avoided; harms as additional complications due to colonoscopy (physical harm) and positive test results (psychological harm); and lifetime costs. Tradeoffs were expressed as incremental harm-benefit ratios (IHBR, incremental positive test results per LYG) and incremental cost-effectiveness ratios [ICER]. The perspective of the Austrian public health care system was adopted. Comprehensive sensitivity analyses were performed to assess uncertainty. Results: The most effective strategies were FIT and COL. The IHBR to move from COL to FIT has an expected incremental unintended psychological harm of 16 additional positive test results to gain one life-year. COL was cost saving compared to No Screening. gFOBT was dominated by FIT. Moving from COL to FIT has an ICER of 15000 EUR/LYG. Conclusions: Organized CRC-screening with annual FIT or 10-yearly colonoscopy is most effective. The choice between these two options depends on the individual preferences and benefit-harm tradeoffs of screening candidates.
"From hell to healed" - A qualitative study on women's experience of recovery, relationships and sexuality after severe obstetric perineal injury.

OBJECTIVE Few studies have investigated women's experiences of daily life after childbirth complicated by obstetric anal sphincter injury (OASI). The aim of the present study was to explore experiences related to recovery, sexual function, relationships and coping strategies among women affected by OASI. METHODS In-depth interviews were conducted using a purposive sample of 11 women affected by OASI. Women were interviewed 1-2 years after their first childbirth. Inductive qualitative content analysis was applied. RESULTS The theme "From hell to healed" illustrates women's experiences of recovery, relationships and sexual function after OASI. Three categories addressing women's perceptions emerged: "Challenged to the core", "At the mercy of the care provider" and "For better or for worse". Support from partners and family and comprehensive care were important elements for the experiences of coping and healing from OASI. Elements that negatively influenced women's experiences were the pain and physical symptoms of pelvic floor dysfunction, normalization of symptoms by heath care providers, and unrealistic expectations about how this period in life should be experienced. CONCLUSION OASI greatly affects women's experiences of their first years with their newborn child, relationships, social context and sexuality. For some women, OASI negatively affects everyday life for a long period after childbirth. However, others heal and cope quite quickly. Health care professionals need to identify and pay attention to women with persisting problems after OASI so that they can be directed to the right level of care.
Verification of a six-degree of freedom simulation model for the REMUS autonomous underwater vehicle

Improving the performance of modular, low-cost autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) in such applications as long-range oceanographic survey, autonomous docking, and shallow-water mine countermeasures requires improving the vehicles' maneuvering precision and battery life. These goals can be achieved through the improvement of the vehicle control system. A vehicle dynamics model based on a combination of theory and empirical data would provide an efficient platform for vehicle control system development, and an alternative to the typical trial-and-error method of vehicle control system field tuning. As there exists no standard procedure for vehicle modeling in industry, the simulation of each vehicle system represents a new challenge. Developed by von Alt and associates at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, the REMUS AUV is a small, low-cost platform serving in a range of oceanographic applications. This thesis describes the development and verification of a six degree of freedom, non-linear simulation model for the REMUS vehicle, the first such model for this platform. In this model, the external forces and moments resulting from hydrostatics, hydrodynamic lift and drag, added mass, and the control inputs of the vehicle propeller and fins are all defined in terms of vehicle coefficients. This thesis describes the derivation of these coefficients in detail. The equations determining the coefficients, as well as those describing the vehicle rigid-body dynamics, are left in non-linear form to better simulate the inherently non-linear behavior of the vehicle. Simulation of the vehicle motion is achieved through numeric integration of the equations of motion. The simulator output is then checked against vehicle dynamics data collected in experiments performed at sea. The simulator is shown to accurately model the motion of the vehicle. Thesis Supervisor: Jerome Milgram Title: Professor of Ocean Engineering, MIT Thesis Supervisor: Kamal Youcef-Toumi Title: Professor of Mechanical Engineering, MIT Thesis Supervisor: Christopher von Alt Title: Principal Engineer, WHOI Candide had been wounded by some splinters of stone; he was stretched out in the street and covered with debris. He said to Pangloss: "Alas, get me a little wine and oil, I am dying. " "This earthquake is not a new thing," replied Pangloss. "The town of Lima suffered the same shocks in America last year; same causes, same effects; there is certainly a vein of sulfur underground from Lima to Lisbon. " "Nothing is more probable," said Candide, "but for the love of God, a little oil and wine. " "What do you mean, probable? " replied the philosopher. "I maintain that the matter is proved. " Candide lost consciousness.
Hub exchange operations in intermodal hub-and spoke networks: A performance comparison of rail-rail exchange facilities

The implementation of hub-and-spoke networks in intermodal transport is suggested as one of the potential solutions for helping to increase the intermodal market share. Traditionally, trains are shunted at hubs; this is a time-consuming process. Since the early 1990s a new type of intermodal terminal, specifically designed for fast tran-shipment at nodes in hub-and-spoke networks, has been introduced in Europe. These hub terminals could replace this time-consuming shunting. Studies on the new hub terminals suggest that they may perform more efficiently than shunting yards. However, a systematic comparison to reveal the operational and costs differences be-tween shunting and these new hub-terminals for a broad range of situations still lacks. The main objective of the study was to develop a model to identify favourable opera-tional conditions for new hub terminals to be implemented and to quantify their op-erational performances in relation to alternative hub exchange facilities. Simulation models were developed to study rail-rail exchange operations at new hub-terminals, hump and flat shuntings yard and road-rail terminals.
An Analysis of Productivity Performance in Spain Before and During the Crisis: Exploring the Role of Institutions

The Spanish economy experienced significantly weaker labour productivity growth than other OECD economies and failed to catch up with the most advanced economies in the period 1996-2007. In recent years labour productivity growth has accelerated, but this recovery is likely to be due to cyclical and temporary factors. The aim of this paper is to identify what factors weigh on weak trend productivity growth. The relatively weak performance largely reflects the low growth of total factor productivity within a wide range of sectors, with very limited impact of composition effects, while the capital stock and educational attainment of the workforce have grown relatively strongly. The paper investigates the role of some institutions in deterring innovation, competition and the growth of successful firms. It argues that Spain needs to have a more flexible labour market and collective bargaining system to improve productivity performance. Productivity performance would also benefit from a more flexible business environment in such a way that both entry and exit of firms in the economy are less costly, including a reform of bankruptcy legislation, steps to make civil judicial procedures more efficient and a greater reduction of barriers to entry into the retail trade sector.