Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Strategies for time-based multi-path secure information disseminations in MANETs

Sending messages securely to protect confidentiality in mobile ad hoc networks is a challenging issue due to the open wireless media, the spacial constraints and the difficulty in establishing strict security mechanisms. To tackle the problem, we have presented a scheme where a source node sends shares of a message at different times. Due to node mobility, the shares will be routed through different intermediate nodes. It is highly unlikely that a particular intermediate node (an eavesdropper) is able to be on (or around) many of these routes and collect enough shares to reconstruct the original message. The scheme is particular suitable for applications that can tolerate long message delays, as those studied in delay tolerant networks. The paper focuses on analyzing the strategies that a node can use in determining the intervals between two shares, and in tuning to applicationspsila requirements on delay bounds. The results provide a guideline for the configuration and the security of the scheme. We further investigate the influence from various mobility models on the security property. The results show big differences among the models and the practical aspect of the scheme. In all, our proposed scheme provides a valuable alternative for delay tolerant applications to enhance message confidentiality.
Design and Implementation of Three-Level Space Vector PWM IP Core for FPGAs

This paper presents a novel circuit realization of the three-level space-vector pulse-width modulation (SVPWM) strategy. A simplified algorithm for the three-level SVPWM is proposed. Due to the geometrical symmetry of six sectors, there exist the close relationships in on time calculations and on time arrangement for switches between them. So it can complete the computation of the three-level SVPWM in one sector. Consequently, compared with the conventional algorithm, the proposed algorithm is more suitable to hardware implementation by greatly reducing computation amount. Based on the simplified algorithm, a three-level SVPWM intellectual property (IP) core has been developed using hardware description language (HDL). The designed IP core can serve as a coprocessor to relieve the DSP or MCU from the intensive computation task of the three-level SVPWM. Simulation and experimental results are given to verify the IP core in a field programmable gate array (FPGA).
Gender Effects on Submaximal Energy Expenditure in Children

Previous studies have suggested that submaximal energy expenditure relative to body mass during weight-bearing exercise may be greater in boys compared to girls. This two-part study examined a) gender-related five-year longitudinal changes in submaximal walking economy and b) gross, net, and delta muscle work efficiency during submaximal cycle exercise in a cross-sectional analysis of boys and girls. In the longitudinal study, the influence of pre-exercise metabolic expenditure, stride frequency, and substrate utilization (by RER) on changes in economy were examined. During the five years, mean VO2 per kg during submaximal treadmill walking (measured at 8% slope, 3.25 mph) decreased 16% in girls and 13% in boys (p > 0.05 for gender). Likewise, no significant gender differences were observed in decline of stride frequency over time. RER values were similar between sexes except in the final two years when girls had significantly greater values than the boys. No gender-related differences were observed in any measure of muscle work efficiency. This study failed to reveal significant gender differences in utilization of energy during submaximal exercise in children.
IL‐27 enhances LPS‐induced IL‐1β in human monocytes and murine macrophages

IL‐27 bridges innate and adaptive immunity by modulating cytokine production from myeloid cells and regulating Th cell differentiation. During bacterial infection, TLR4 triggering by LPS induces IL‐27 production by monocytes and macrophages. We have previously shown that IL‐27 can prime monocytes for LPS responsiveness by enhancing TLR4 expression and intracellular signaling. If unregulated, this could result in damaging inflammation, whereas on the other hand, this may also provide greater responses by inflammatory processes induced in response to bacterial pathogens. A key process in fine‐tuning inflammatory responses is activation of the inflammasome, which ultimately results in IL‐1β production. Herein, we investigated the molecular mechanisms by which IL‐27 modulates LPS‐induced IL‐1β secretion in monocytes and macrophages. We found that when delivered simultaneously with LPS, IL‐27 augments activation of caspase‐1 and subsequent release of IL‐1β. Furthermore, we determined that IL‐27 primes cells for enhanced IL‐1β production by up‐regulating surface expression of TLR4 and P2X purinoceptor 7 (P2X7) for enhanced LPS and ATP signaling, respectively. These findings provide new evidence that IL‐27 plays an important role in the proinflammatory capacity of monocytes and macrophages via enhancing IL‐1β secretion levels triggered by dual LPS–ATP stimulation.
The cookie recipe: Untangling the use of cookies in the wild

Users online are commonly tracked using HTTP cookies when browsing on the web. To protect their privacy, users tend to use simple tools to block the activity of HTTP cookies. However, the “block all” design of tools breaks critical web services or severely limits the online advertising ecosystem. Therefore, to ease this tension, a more nuanced strategy that discerns better the intended functionality of the HTTP cookies users encounter is required. We present the first large-scale study of the use of HTTP cookies in the wild using network traces containing more than 5.6 billion HTTP requests from real users for a period of two and a half months. We first present a statistical analysis of how cookies are used. We then analyze the structure of cookies and observe that; HTTP cookies are significantly more sophisticated than the name=value defined by the standard and assumed by researchers and developers. Based on our findings we present an algorithm that is able to extract the information included in 86% of the cookies in our dataset with an accuracy of 91.7%. Finally, we discuss the implications of our findings and provide solutions that can be used to improve the most promising privacy preserving tools.
Low-leakage and low-power implementation of high-speed 65nm logic gates

In this paper, we propose novel transmission-gate-based (TG-based) AND gates, TG-based OR gates, and pass-transistor logic gates that have new structures and have lower transistor counts than those proposed by other authors. All our proposed gates operate in full swing and have less leakage currents, less dynamic power consumption, and shorter delays than conventional CMOS gates. Compared with the conventional 65 nm CMOS gates, our proposed 65 nm gates can improve leakage currents, dynamic power consumption, and propagation delays by averages of 29.5%, 15.3%, and 30.3%, respectively. Logic synthesizers can use our proposed gates to facilitate power reduction. The experimental results show that Power Compiler can further reduce the leakage current and dynamic power up to 35.0% and 20.0%, respectively, when the standard cell library used by Power Compiler contains our proposed gates.
Postnatal proliferation of DRG non‐neuronal cells in vitamin E‐deficient rats

Changes in the number of satellite cells in neuron body sheaths in dorsal root ganglia (DRGs) were studied from 1 to 5 months of age in control and in vitamin E‐deficient rats; furthermore, the satellite cell proliferation rate was detected in the same groups of animals with immunohistochemistry for 5‐bromo‐2′‐deoxyuridine (BrdU).
In vivo immunogenicity of purified allogeneic hepatocytes in a murine hepatocyte transplant model.

BACKGROUND It has been reported previously that liver grafts and liver cells seem to be tolerogenic, based on the high frequency of spontaneous tolerance after orthotopic liver transplantation in rodents and on the phenomenon of portal venous tolerance in other models. The purpose of the current study was to characterize in vivo immune responses to allogeneic hepatocytes transplanted into the portal circulation. METHODS In this functional model of hepatocyte transplantation, "donor" hepatocytes from mice transgenic for human alpha1-antitrypsin (hA1AT) were transplanted by intrasplenic injection into host mice and the secreted hA1AT protein measured in host serum to determine hepatocellular graft survival. Host immune responses were assessed by measurement of donor-specific alloantibodies and delayed-type hypersensitivity responses. In some experiments, liver nonparenchymal cells (NPCs) were co-transplanted with the allogeneic hepatocyte transplant. RESULTS Allogeneic hepatocyte transplant into immunocompetent hosts resulted in loss of host serum hA1AT by days 7-10 after transplant, whereas syngeneic hosts maintained long-term hepatocellular graft survival as reflected by persistence of serum hA1AT for > 20 weeks. Allogeneic hepatocyte transplantation resulted in the development of donor-specific alloantibody and delayed-type hypersensitivity responses, as well as a "second set" response of accelerated hepatocellular graft rejection after a second transplant. Pretransplantation or co-transplantation of donor-matched liver NPCs at the time of allogeneic hepatocyte transplantation did not prolong hepatocellular allograft survival. CONCLUSIONS Allogeneic hepatocytes introduced into the portal circulation via intrasplenic injection are immunogenic not tolerogenic and stimulate a weak humoral and strong cell mediated host immune response in vivo. Co-transplantation or pretransplantation of allogeneic liver NPCs did not protect allogeneic hepatocytes from immunologic rejection.
Using the Technology Acceptance Model to Examine Seniors’ Attitudes toward Facebook

— Using the technology acceptance model (TAM), this study examined the external variables of technological complexity (TC) to acquire a better understanding of the factors that influence the acceptance of computer application courses by learners at Active Aging Universities. After the learners in this study had completed a 27-hour Facebook course, 44 learners responded to a modified TAM survey. Data were collected to examine the path relationships among the variables that influence the acceptance of Facebook-mediated community learning. The partial least squares (PLS) method was used to test the measurement and the structural model. The study results demonstrated that attitudes toward Facebook use directly influence behavioral intentions (BI) with respect to Facebook use, evincing a high prediction rate of 58.3%. In addition to the perceived usefulness (PU) and perceived ease of use (PEOU) measures that are proposed in the TAM, other external variables, such as TC, also indirectly influence BI. These four variables can explain 88% of the variance in BI and demonstrate a high level of predictive ability. Finally, limitations of this investigation and implications for further research are discussed.
A Tale of Two Depressions: What do the New Data Tell Us?

Global industrial production continues to recover – something for which policy deserves considerable credit (as we have argued on this site, see Almunia et al 2009 and O’Rourke and Eichengreen 2009). But before indulging in selfcongratulation, policymakers should note that the level of industrial production is still 6% below its previous peak (figure 1). (At the trough it was 13% below its previous peak.) It follows that considerable excess capacity remains in a number of important economies. Exiting now from policies of stimulus in those countries would therefore be premature.
Optimal Design of ICPT Systems Applied to Electric Vehicle Battery Charge

Although the use of inductively coupled power transfer (ICPT) systems for electric vehicle battery charge presents numerous advantages, a detailed design method cannot be found in the literature. This paper shows the steps to follow in the optimized design of an ICPT system and the results obtained in their application to the four most common compensation topologies, pointing out the best one in terms of minimum copper mass and proper stability conditions. A new design factor K D is proposed to select the optimum configuration for each topology. Finally, the theoretical results are validated on a 2-kW prototype with a 15-cm air gap between coils.
Active photonic antenna for wireless communications at 2.4 GHz

Active photonic antenna (APhA) designed for 2.4 GHz communication in downlink side is proposed. The APhA consists of photodiode, RF amplifier and band pass filter (BPF) in small package, integrated with RF antenna. The APhA design is simulated using optical communication simulation software at varied fiber length and free space loss (FSL). Performance improvement over passive photonic antenna (PPhA) in term of signal power, SNR, constellation diagram, and BER is achieved, especially at PPhA service boundary.
Variable admittance controller for physical human robot interaction

This paper presents a new variable admittance control scheme for improving physical human-robot interaction. For achieving effective assistance, an intuitive cooperation must be achieved by the human operator, in which the detection of the human inference is required. The proposed controller employs a new algorithm for inferring human intention, i.e., acceleration or deceleration, by monitoring the difference of the magnitude of the measured force during each sampling period. Then, the virtual damping is adjusted to high value for fine positioning or low value for fast motion. The proposed algorithm is validated experimentally by using a single degree of freedom device. It is compared to conventional constant-damping admittance control approach and evaluated in terms of overshoots and precise motion. It was also shown that the proposed algorithm is practically applicable to both position-based and velocity-based admittance controllers. The experimental data demonstrate that the proposed approach outperforms the conventional approach.
Thymine DNA glycosylase modulates DNA damage response and gene expression by base excision repair‐dependent and independent mechanisms

Thymine DNA glycosylase (TDG) is a base excision repair (BER) enzyme, which is implicated in correction of deamination‐induced DNA mismatches, the DNA demethylation process and regulation of gene expression. Because of these pivotal roles associated, it is crucial to elucidate how the TDG functions are appropriately regulated in vivo. Here, we present evidence that the TDG protein undergoes degradation upon various types of DNA damage, including ultraviolet light (UV). The UV‐induced degradation of TDG was dependent on proficiency in nucleotide excision repair and on CRL4CDT2‐mediated ubiquitination that requires a physical interaction between TDG and DNA polymerase clamp PCNA. Using the Tdg‐deficient mouse embryonic fibroblasts, we found that ectopic expression of TDG compromised cellular survival after UV irradiation and repair of UV‐induced DNA lesions. These negative effects on cellular UV responses were alleviated by introducing mutations in TDG that impaired its BER function. The expression of TDG induced a large‐scale alteration in the gene expression profile independently of its DNA glycosylase activity, whereas a subset of genes was affected by the catalytic activity of TDG. Our results indicate the presence of BER‐dependent and BER‐independent functions of TDG, which are involved in regulation of cellular DNA damage responses and gene expression patterns.
Structural optimization of calcium carbonate cores as templates for protein encapsulation

Abstract The calcium carbonate (CaCO3) cores being templates for model proteins encapsulation were obtained for developing oral drug delivery systems. The influence of the characteristics of the core formation (the time, the temperature, the stirring intensity, the ultrasound treatment and drying conditions) on the size and morphology of the carbonate cores was studied. The core size was shown to decrease with increasing the stirring time and stirring intensity. Statistical analysis of the scanning electron microscopy images of the carbonate cores allowed finding a correlation between their mean diameter and the parameters of the core formation. The regularities of proteins loading into porous CaCO3 cores were determined, and different loading methods were compared quantitatively. The co-precipitation method gives cores with the proteins load about five times as much as the adsorption method. The influence of protein properties and the ionic environment of protein molecules on the loading parameters were shown.
Effectiveness of the immunochemical fecal test (FIT) for detection of advanced adenomas in colorectal carcinoma screening in an asymptomatic population.

AIM The aim of the study was to evaluate the benefit of the immunochemical fecal blood test (FIT) for detection of advanced adenomas. MATERIAL AND METHODS We have conducted a screening study on a average-risk cohort of subjects, aged 50 -74 years. We used a rapid quantitative FIT to perform the screening. Colonoscopy was recommended in all participants with positive FIT. We assessed the participation rate and analyzed advanced adenomas detected in the screening examinations. RESULTS Our study enrolled 1111 asymptomatic participants. Immunochemical test results were positive in 72 subjects (6.5%). Colonoscopy was performed by 50/72 (69.4%) subjects. The detection rate for advanced adenomas was 2.2%. A total number of 28 advanced adenomas were detected in 24 subjects, meaning 1.2 advanced adenoma/subject. Analyzing the 3 characteristics of advanced adenomas, we observed in our study that 25/28 adenomas (89.3%) had sizes > or = 10 mm, 11/28 adenomas (39.3%) were tubulovillous/villous and 19/28 adenomas (67.9%) had high dysplasia. The majority of advanced adenomas were found in the left colon as compared to the right colon: 71.4% vs. 28.6%. p = 0.0008. CONCLUSIONS In our study was obtained a 2.2% detection rate for advanced adenomas, most of them (71.4%) being located in the left colon. The dominant feature of advanced adenomas detected was the size > or = 10 mm (89.3% of cases).
Measuring the Comparability of Company Accounts Conditionally: A Research Note

Comparability indices summarize the level of comparability between companies at a national and international level, an issue of importance to investors, regulators, and standard setters. Comparability indices can identify areas where comparability is low and where comparability is deteriorating. Furthermore, they can be used to quantify the extent to which initiatives such as International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) are successful in raising comparability between company accounts. Despite past literature emphasizing how factors other than country influence accounting methods used by companies, current comparability indices ignore these other factors. This paper introduces new national and international indices within the T index framework to fill this gap in the literature. Formula for the new national and international indices, and their standard errors, are provided. An example using European data is used to demonstrate the calculations and illustrate the importance of controlling for these firm specific factors.
Midbrain-Hindbrain Boundary Morphogenesis: At the Intersection of Wnt and Fgf Signaling

A constriction in the neural tube at the junction of the midbrain and hindbrain is a conserved feature of vertebrate embryos. The constriction is a defining feature of the midbrain-hindbrain boundary (MHB), a signaling center that patterns the adjacent midbrain and rostral hindbrain and forms at the junction of two gene expression domains in the early neural plate: an anterior otx2/wnt1 positive domain and a posterior gbx/fgf8 positive domain. otx2 and gbx genes encode mutually repressive transcription factors that create a lineage restriction boundary at their expression interface. Wnt and Fgf genes form a mutually dependent feedback system that maintains their expression domains on the otx2 or gbx side of the boundary, respectively. Constriction morphogenesis occurs after these conserved gene expression domains are established and while their mutual interactions maintain their expression pattern; consequently, mutant studies in zebrafish have led to the suggestion that constriction morphogenesis should be considered a unique phase of MHB development. We analyzed MHB morphogenesis in fgf8 loss of function zebrafish embryos using a reporter driven by the conserved wnt1 enhancer to visualize anterior boundary cells. We found that fgf8 loss of function results in a re-activation of wnt1 reporter expression posterior to the boundary simultaneous with an inactivation of the wnt1 reporter in the anterior boundary cells, and that these events correlate with relaxation of the boundary constriction. In consideration of other results that correlate the boundary constriction with Wnt and Fgf expression, we propose that the maintenance of an active Wnt-Fgf feedback loop is a key factor in driving the morphogenesis of the MHB constriction.
A real-time image denoising chip

In this paper, we present a real-time image denoising chip. For each pixel of the image under processing, our design uses a mask on it to determine whether it is likely being corrupted by impulse noise or not. After the noise detection, we reconstruct the noisy pixel by considering the possible edges existed in the mask. Particularly, our design removes the noise from corrupted images efficiently and requires no previous training. Extensive simulations demonstrate that the proposed method achieves excellent performance in quantitative evaluation and visual quality. Furthermore, the computational complexity of the proposed method is low and its memory requirement is small. An efficient VLSI architecture for this scheme is developed and it yields a processing rate of about 150 MHz by using TSMC 0.18mum technology.
Domain movements during CCA-addition: A new function for motif C in the catalytic core of the human tRNA nucleotidyltransferases

CCA-adding enzymes are highly specific RNA polymerases that synthesize and maintain the sequence CCA at the tRNA 3′-end. This nucleotide triplet is a prerequisite for tRNAs to be aminoacylated and to participate in protein biosynthesis. During CCA-addition, a set of highly conserved motifs in the catalytic core of these enzymes is responsible for accurate sequential nucleotide incorporation. In the nucleotide binding pocket, three amino acid residues form Watson-Crick-like base pairs to the incoming CTP and ATP. A reorientation of these templating amino acids switches the enzyme's specificity from CTP to ATP recognition. However, the mechanism underlying this essential structural rearrangement is not understood. Here, we show that motif C, whose actual function has not been identified yet, contributes to the switch in nucleotide specificity during polymerization. Biochemical characterization as well as EPR spectroscopy measurements of the human enzyme reveal that mutating the highly conserved amino acid position D139 in this motif interferes with AMP incorporation and affects interdomain movements in the enzyme. We propose a model of action, where motif C forms a flexible spring element modulating the relative orientation of the enzyme's head and body domains to accommodate the growing 3′-end of the tRNA. Furthermore, these conformational transitions initiate the rearranging of the templating amino acids to switch the specificity of the nucleotide binding pocket from CTP to ATP during CCA-synthesis.