Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An empirical study on ARM disassembly tools

With the increasing popularity of embedded devices, ARM is becoming the dominant architecture for them. In the meanwhile, there is a pressing need to perform security assessments for these devices. Due to different types of peripherals, it is challenging to dynamically run the firmware of these devices in an emulated environment. Therefore, the static analysis is still commonly used. Existing work usually leverages off-the-shelf tools to disassemble stripped ARM binaries and (implicitly) assume that reliable disassembling binaries and function recognition are solved problems. However, whether this assumption really holds is unknown. In this paper, we conduct the first comprehensive study on ARM disassembly tools. Specifically, we build 1,896 ARM binaries (including 248 obfuscated ones) with different compilers, compiling options, and obfuscation methods. We then evaluate them using eight state-of-the-art ARM disassembly tools (including both commercial and noncommercial ones) on their capabilities to locate instructions and function boundaries. These two are fundamental ones, which are leveraged to build other primitives. Our work reveals some observations that have not been systematically summarized and/or confirmed. For instance, we find that the existence of both ARM and Thumb instruction sets, and the reuse of the BL instruction for both function calls and branches bring serious challenges to disassembly tools. Our evaluation sheds light on the limitations of state-of-the-art disassembly tools and points out potential directions for improvement. To engage the community, we release the data set, and the related scripts at https://github.com/valour01/arm_disasssembler_study.
A Structural Equation Modeling on Factors Related to Foreign Tourists’ Destination Satisfaction and Destination Loyalty: The Case of Lanna Cultural Tourism in Thailand

Little is understood about factors associated with destination satisfaction and destination loyalty among foreign tourists in Thailand’s cultural tourism in the Lanna or northern region. Systematic knowledge is needed to help further guide the development of a nuanced tourism strategy. Using structural equation modeling, this study determines the relationships of destination image, Thailand’s brand equity, and 8Ps tourism marketing, with destination satisfaction and destination loyalty. Results suggest that each of the three model variables has a statistically significant positive relationship with destination satisfaction and destination loyalty. Destination satisfaction is influenced more strongly by destination image and by Thailand’s brand equity than by 8Ps tourism marketing, while destination loyalty is influenced more markedly by 8Ps tourism marketing than by destination image and by Thailand’s brand equity. While destination satisfaction influences destination loyalty, the extent of influence is only partial, suggesting that destination loyalty is dependent on other unexplored variables.
Treatment of stable ischaemic heart disease: the old and the new

Abstract Stable ischaemic heart disease is a frequent and very heterogeneous condition. Drug therapy is important, in these patients, for improving their prognosis and controlling their symptoms. The typical clinical manifestation of obstructive coronary disease is angina pectoris. This symptom can be improved by various classes of compounds, namely beta-blockers (BBs), calcium antagonist, and nitrates. More recently, ranolazine and ivabradine have been introduced. All these drugs have been proven to reduce significantly angina. On the other hand, there are no evidences supporting improvement in prognosis, besides for the use of BBs, in patients with previous myocardial infarction (MI) or systolic dysfunction. Besides drugs for symptoms control, these patients also receive antiplatelet drugs, specifically aspirin, and lipid lowering compounds such as statins. Furthermore, recent evidences supported the use of low doses direct anticoagulant, or a second antiplatelet agent in patients with previous MI. Similarly, a very low LDL cholesterol level, such as obtained with PCKS9 inhibitors, seems very beneficial in these patients. It is possible that in the near future a specific role for neo-angiogenesis factors and cellular therapies, could be proven, albeit, presently these treatments are not supported by solid evidences.
Critical factors required by the nematode Steinernema feltiae for the control of the leafminers Liriomyza huidobrensis, Liriomyza bryoniae and Chromatomyia syngenesiae

Summary The critical factors required by entomopathogenic nematodes for the control of dipteran leafminers were investigated and compared. The foliar application of Steinernema feltiae and Heterorhabditis sp. (strain UK 211) caused a significant reduction in the numbers of dipteran leafminer larvae. There was no significant difference in efficacy between these nematode species against Liriomyza huidobrensis at 20°C and 85–90% r.h. Application of S. feltiae to all three larval instars of L. huidobrensis significantly reduced larval survival, with application to the second instar being the most effective at 20 ± 2°C and 80 ± 10% r.h. Humidities of >90% significantly enhanced the efficacy of S. feltiae. When S. feltiae was applied to second instar larvae, it was equally effective throughout the temperature range 10–30°C. At 20°C and >90% r.h. , sufficient nematodes were able to enter the leaf tissues within the first 12 h after application to reduce larval survival to c. 15%. A comparison between L. huidobrensis, L. bryoniue and Chromatomyia syngenesiue indicated that the efficacy of S. feltiae was affected by the same critical factors for all three species.
Subclinical atrial fibrillation: when to give NAO?

Abstract Atrial fibrillation is defined as subclinical (SAF) when occurs without symptoms and is discovered only during the interrogation of permanent or temporary cardiac implantable devices. The significant interest in this condition derives from the fact that could easily be otherwise undiagnosed, portending to a potential serious neurological and cardiovascular consequences. The diagnosis of SAF is important for both the primary form and for patients after a stroke, and an appropriate management of antithrombotic treatment becomes a central instrument of prevention. Atrial fibrillation carries a five times increase in the thromboembolic risk. The subclinical asymptomatic forms of atrial tachyarrhythmias and fibrillation, diagnosed by interrogation of implantable cardiac devices, foretell a non-irrelevant risk of stroke, significantly higher than the one for patients without rhythm disturbances. Regardless the cause, the long-lasting asymptomatic arrhythmias, in patients with a significant risk profile, predict more important consequences and can justify anticoagulant treatment, also in primary prevention settings.
Influence of aging on the circadian patterns of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances and antioxidants in Wistar rats

Advanced aging is characterized by modification of circadian rhythms of physiological, biochemical and endocrine variables. Oxidative stress has been implicated to play a major role in aging and age-related diseases. In the present study, 24 h rhythms of lipid peroxidation products (thiobarbituric acid reactive substances, TBARS) and antioxidants such as reduced glutathione (GSH), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) were investigated in young, middle aged and old rats. Aging processes were found to advance TBARS and to delay GSH, catalase, SOD and Gpx acrophases. Amplitude, ‘r’ and mesor values of these rhythms (increased mesor of TBARS associated with decreased antioxidant activities) were found during aging processes. Furthermore, this study indicates the necessity to perform more research to reveal the temporal interplay between the central biological clock (SCN), biochemical changes and aging processes.
Comparing traditional aortic valve surgery and transapical approach to transcatheter aortic valve implant

Abstract During the last 15 years, transcatheter aortic valve implant (TAVI) has become a valid alternative to surgical aortic valve replacement in symptomatic patients with severe aortic stenosis, and high or intermediate operative risk. Transcatheter aortic valve implant could be approached through various access sites, among which the transapical has long been one of the most popular. Through the years, this procedure has shown results similar to the standard surgical approach, but not as good as the same procedure via the transfemoral approach. For this reason, along with continuous technological advances, the transfemoral approach is used, presently, in 90% of the patient, while the transapical route has been limited, progressively, to a minority of patients. Currently the Heart Team should decide, in every single patient, between conventional surgery and TAVI. In clinical practice, TAVI is favoured in high-risk patients, and in the elderly at intermediate surgical risk with favourable anatomical features. In patients in whom TAVI is preferable to surgery, but have ‘non-usable’ femoral approach, alternative routes, such as transaxillary or transapical, could be considered.
The Survival of Wild Brown Rats on a Maryland Farm

The length of life of a wild animal is obviously of fundamental importance to the studies of ecology and management of the species. This paper describes investigations designed to determine how long Brown Rats (Rattus norvegicus) live under natural conditions. Although for rats the length of life in captivity is known, it is of little use in ecological work. These studies of survival of rats were conducted near Baltimore, Maryland at a farm on which the chief activity was breeding and boarding race horses. The farm had about 50-60 horses, 10-12 cows, 1020 pigs, about 100 chickens and ducks, and
Evaluation of Pigeonpea Genotypes for Growth and Yield Characters

Pigeonpea [Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp] is an important grain legume that has primarily originated in the Indian sub-continent. It is now grown in many parts of the world including southern Africa particularly the region encompassing Kenya, Mozambique, Malawi and Southern Tanzania (Hoghjensen et al., 2007). This region is considered as a secondary centre of diversity for pigeonpea. It is an often-cross pollinated crop (20-70%) with diploid (2n = 2x) chromosome number of 22 with genome size of 833.1 Mega base pairs (Varshney et al., 2012).
Water relations and mineral nutrition of Triodia grasses on desert dunes and interdunes

Desert dunes and interdunes provide habitat heterogeneity and profoundly influence the spatial and temporal distribution of water and nutrients throughout the landscape. These underlying physical processes shape the plant species composition and their ecophysiology. Spinifex grasses dominate the vegetation throughout much of Australia and are categorised into two groups; ‘soft’ species occur mostly in northern, subtropical to semiarid regions, whereas ‘hard’ species occur mostly throughout the dry centre and southern interior. This study examined the water and nutrient relations and leaf anatomy of dominant ‘soft’ and ‘hard’ spinifex in the Great Sandy Desert, where their distributions overlap. The ‘soft’ species, Triodia schinzii (Henrard) Lazarides, occurs only on sand dunes, whereas the ‘hard’ species, T. basedowii E.Pritz. , is restricted to the flat interdunes. We proposed two hypotheses: 1) that the dune species, T. schinzii would display more favourable water status and 2) the interdune species, T. basedowii would display higher leaf nutrient concentrations. Triodia schinzii displayed significantly less negative leaf water potentials at predawn and at midday (–0.4 and –2.0 MPa, respectively) than T. basedowii (–0.9 and –3.0 MPa, respectively) throughout the middle of the dry season. Photosynthesis rates were also significantly higher in T. schinzii than T. basedowii in the wet season (140 v. 84 nmol g–1 s–1), but there were no significant differences between species in leaf conductance. Leaf δ13C composition confirmed anatomical observations that both species were C4 and supported the finding that T. schinzii displayed significantly greater photosynthetic water-use efficiency during the wet season than T. basedowii. In general, foliar nutrient concentrations were not significantly different between species; however, both species exhibited especially low leaf P and to a lesser extent N. We conclude that water is more readily available in the dune than the interdune as a result of greater soil depth and associated water storage capacity. These properties are considered the main factors influencing plant species distribution. Given the climatic and geographic distribution of these two Triodia species, it is suggested that sand dunes provide a mesic corridor for T. schinzii to extend its range from higher rainfall areas into the arid interior.
Mate Selection and Mating Behaviour in Spider Crabs

Female spider crabs can only mate after the terminal moult, which means that they must either mate whilst soft-shelled after moulting, or subsequently when hard-shelled. There is evidence that some, at least, do both, whereas the majority of crabs mate in only one or other of these states. The mating behaviour, and the means of detecting receptive females, have been studied in a spider crab,Inachus dorsettensis. In this species, mating is predominantly hard-shelled, and receptive females are recognized by their emission of chemical pheromones. The implications of the behaviour patterns for male mating efficiency, sperm competition and female reproductive success are discussed. Mate selection and mating behaviour in other spider crabs are compared withI. dorsettensis. Reasons for similarities and differences are reviewed.
Resonance Raman scattering by bacterial spores

Abstract The laser Raman spectra of lyophilized spores of 5 species (6 strains) of Bacillus were examined. Under the experimental conditions employed, only Bacillus megaterium species showed 3 intense Raman bands at 1515, 1157 and 1007 cm −1 . Spores of other species, despite their high content of dipicolinic acid, did not show distinct Raman signals. The strong, scattering bands at 1515 and 1157 cm −1 in the spectra of spores of B. megaterium may be attributable to conjugated double-bond systems, probably of membrane-associated carotenoids. Their high intensities are due to resonance enhancement.
COVID‐19: a brief history and treatments in development

Coronavirus disease (COVID‐19) is now dominating the lives of everyone, and its history is constantly being rewritten. This article gives a brief account of the story so far: where SARS‐CoV‐2 might have originated, how it compares with other viruses that cause major respiratory disease, and some of the treatments and vaccines currently being investigated to combat it.
Leaching losses of N under grazed irrigated and non-irrigated pastures

High spatial and temporal variability of nitrogen application via livestock urine on grazed pasture make meaningful measurement of leaching of nitrate very difficult. The present study was aimed at estimating the mean annual nitrogen loadings and concentrations leached to an underlying aquifer beneath unfertilized irrigated and non-irrigated paddocks of a dairy farm at OB Flat 10 km south of the city of Mount Gambier (37°50′S, 140°40′E), South Australia. Urine was collected in the milking shed and applied to 1 m deep monolith lysimeters in three separate seasons in 1992. Some lysimeters received two applications. Drainage and N fluxes and concentrations were recorded 1 year before urine application and for 3 years following urine applications. A negative binomial function was used to specify the appropriate proportions of pasture subject to 0, 1 or 2 loadings in a year, and the lysimeter drainage measurements were then scaled across seasons and paddock area to estimate mean annual leaching under the whole of each paddock. It was found that the timing of urine application had a profound effect on the leaching of nitrogen. Results indicated that the nitrate flux leaching from the root zone in the irrigated paddock was 26–33 kg N/ha/year at 13–17 mg N/litre and in the non-irrigated paddock, 10–13 kg N/ha/year at 9–11 mg N/litre. These estimates are not inconsistent with nitrate concentrations measured in groundwater but cannot be independently verified. The current transition from non-irrigated to irrigated pastures is likely to double nitrogen loads to the aquifer and cause nitrate concentrations in groundwater to exceed drinking water guidelines, unless alternative pasture management strategies are developed.
UAV‐based imaging platform for monitoring maize growth throughout development

Plant height (PH) data collected at high temporal resolutions can give insight into important growth parameters useful for identifying elite material in plant breeding programs and developing management guidelines in production settings. However, in order to increase the temporal resolution of PH data collection, more robust, rapid and low-cost methods are needed to evaluate field plots than those currently available. Due to their low cost and high functionality, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) can be an efficient means for collecting height at various stages throughout development. We have developed a procedure for utilizing structure from motion algorithms to collect PH from RGB drone imagery and have used this platform to characterize a yield trial consisting of 24 maize hybrids planted in replicate under two dates and three planting densities in St Paul, MN in the summer of 2018. The field was imaged weekly after planting using a DJI Phantom 4 Advanced drone to extract PH and hand measurements were collected following aerial imaging of the field. In this work, we test the error in UAV PH measurements and compare it to the error obtained within manually acquired PH measurements. We also propose a method for improving the correspondence of manual and UAV measured height and evaluate the utility of using UAV obtained PH data for assessing growth of maize genotypes and for estimating end-season height.
The revolution of the anti-diabetic drugs in cardiology

Abstract Beginning in December 2008, under the auspices of Food and Drug Administration, numerous controlled clinical trial were planned, and in part completed, concerning the cardiovascular (CV) effects of hypoglycaemic drug in patients with Type 2 diabetes mellitus. At least 9 studies have been concluded, 13 are still open, and 4 have been initiated and closed ahead of time. Of the nine completed studies, three concerned inhibitor of the dipeptidyl peptidase 4 (inhibitors of DPP-4), four the glucagon-like peptide 1 agonist (GLP-1 agonist), and two the inhibitor of sodium-glucose co-transporter-2 (inhibitors of SGLT-2). Only four studies demonstrated the superiority, and not the mere ‘non-inferiority’, of the anti-diabetic drugs compared to placebo, in addition to standard treatment, in terms of reduction of the primary endpoint (CV death, non-fatal myocardial infarction, and non-fatal stroke). Two of the four studies regarded GLP-1 analogues (liraglutide and semaglutide), and two inhibitors of SGLT-2 (empaglifozin and canaglifozin). As a whole, these studies provided solid data supporting major beneficial CV effects of anti-diabetic drugs. During the next 3–4 years, an equal number of studies will be completed and published, so we will soon have the ‘final word’ on this issue. In the meantime, the clinical cardiologist should become familiar with these drugs, selecting the patients able to gain the best clinical advantage from this treatment, also by establishing a close relationship with the diabetologist.
Response of Leaf Photosynthesis to Vapor Pressure Difference in Rice (Oryza sativa L) Varieties in Relation to Stomatal and Leaf Internal Conductance

Abstract In the afternoon when air humidity decreases, leaf photosynthetic rate (Pn) often declines in rice grown under irrigated conditions. To clarify the genotypic difference of Pn in response to humidity, we measured Pn and stomatal conductance (gs) for nine rice varieties with diverse genetic backgrounds, at various vapor pressure differences (VPD) and developmental stages. Pn and gs of all the varieties decreased with VPD increase from 1.0 to 2.3 kPa of VPD. The variety with high gs at low VPD exhibited a greater decline of gs with VPD increase than the variety with low gs, but cv. Takanari showed the highest gs under altered VPD conditions. Significant logarithmic relations were found between the decreased Pn and gs at the respective developmental stages, suggesting that gs is the dominant factor determining Pn and its response to VPD change. To explicate the effect of decreased gs on Pn, we analyzed the relations by using the model that accurately estimated the genotypic difference in Pn at a low VPD with gs and leaf nitrogen content per unit leaf area in the previous study. The model assuming that leaf internal conductance (gw) remains unchanged well explained the decreased Pn at high VPDs by gs change alone. The analysis also suggested the constancy of gw and carboxylation capacity at high VPD. It is concluded that the genotypic difference in the decrease of Pn at a high VPD is brought mainly by that in decreased gs, and the varieties with a high gs always exhibit a high Pn owing to their relatively high gs at either high or low VPD environments.
Vegetation and environmental factors during primary succession on glacier forelands: Some outlines from the Italian Alps

ABSTRACT Relationships between plant communities and the physical environment during primary succession on recently deglaciated glacier forelands were studied in 3 areas of the Italian Alps. The aim of the research was to relate traditional phytosociological data with environmental variables. Twenty-eight phytosociological relevés were performed, each associated with twenty-six environmental variables; quantitative parameters of richness and diversity were also calculated. Species/relevés, environmental variables/relevés and species/environmental variables matrices were analyzed by cluster analysis, PCA and Spearman correlation coefficient. Three main stages of succession were identified by floristic composition and confirmed by environmental parameter evaluation. A complex of environmental variables seems to be closely correlated with terrain age and richness/diversity parameters, even though diversity decreases in late successional stages. The phytosociological significance of species is in accordance with their position in the context of succession.
Performance of laying hens as affected by the supplementation of a barley-based diet with a crude enzyme preparation from Trichoderma viride

Two experiments were conducted to compare the performance of Leghorn hens fed a barley-based diet (68.93%) containing three levels of a Trichoderma viride enzyme supplement (0, 100 and 200 mg kg−1 as treatments T2, T3 and T4, respectively) with those obtained when fed a corn-based diet (Treatment T1). In exp. 1, 80 hens were used to determine performance during four 28-d periods, between 21 and 37 wk of age. Egg production, feed consumption, feed efficiency and egg weight of the hens were not affected by enzyme supplement and were similar to those of hens fed the corn diet (P > 0.05). There were also no significant effects on feed consumption per gram of egg or per bird per day (P > 0.05). There was a significant interaction for egg weight between enzyme addition and periods (P < 0.034), indicating that enzyme supplementation improved egg size in the early periods. In exp. 2, 20 hens were fed the same diets to measure water consumption and the ratio of water to feed consumption. Water consumption was not .