Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
CatchBackdoor: Backdoor Testing by Critical Trojan Neural Path Identification via Differential Fuzzing

The success of deep neural networks (DNNs) in real-world applications has benefited from abundant pre-trained models. However, the backdoored pre-trained models can pose a significant trojan threat to the deployment of downstream DNNs. Existing DNN testing methods are mainly designed to find incorrect corner case behaviors in adversarial settings but fail to discover the backdoors crafted by strong trojan attacks. Observing the trojan network behaviors shows that they are not just reflected by a single compromised neuron as proposed by previous work but attributed to the critical neural paths in the activation intensity and frequency of multiple neurons. This work formulates the DNN backdoor testing and proposes the CatchBackdoor framework. Via differential fuzzing of critical neurons from a small number of benign examples, we identify the trojan paths and particularly the critical ones, and generate backdoor testing examples by simulating the critical neurons in the identified paths. Extensive experiments demonstrate the superiority of CatchBackdoor, with higher detection performance than existing methods. CatchBackdoor works better on detecting backdoors by stealthy blending and adaptive attacks, which existing methods fail to detect. Moreover, our experiments show that CatchBackdoor may reveal the potential backdoors of models in Model Zoo.
Genetic and Molecular Organization of the Alkylbenzene Catabolism Operon in the Psychrotrophic Strain Pseudomonas putida 01G3

ABSTRACT The 11-kb sequence encompassing the alkylbenzene upper pathway inPseudomonas putida 01G3, a psychrotrophic strain able to degrade alkylbenzenes at low temperatures, was characterized. Together with a potential regulator (EbdR), six putative enzymes (EbdAaAbAcAdBC) were identified, and they exhibited highly significant similarities with enzymes implicated in the equivalent pathway in P. putida RE204. ebd genes appeared to be preferentially induced by ethylbenzene. Multiple-alignment data and growth rate measurements led us to classify 01G3 and closely related strains in two groups with distinct substrate specificities. Close to identified genes, remnants of IS5-like elements provided insight into the evolution of catabolic sequences through rearrangements from a less complex ancestral cluster.
Clodronate reduces plate osteopenia in the rabbit.

An osteosynthesis with a four-hole AO/ASIF-DCP plate was performed on the right tibia of 40 rabbits. Clodronate (50 mg/kg s.c.) was given once a week, resulting in a mean bone concentration of 509 micrograms/g in 2 hours. Plate fixation caused a decrease in mean net cross-sectional area of compact cortical bone of 17 percent at 9 weeks and 46 percent at 18 weeks. This resulted from bone resorption in bone under the plate, from pronounced cavitation in the plated bone (about 5 percent of cortical bone area at 9 weeks and 15 percent at 18 weeks), and from the fact that the medullary space was increased by 15 percent at 18 weeks. The total cross-sectional area of the diaphysis was increased by 31 percent at 9 weeks and by 17 percent at 18 weeks. Clodronate treatment reduced cortical porosity to about half of the mean values in the placebo group. Clodronate increased both the calcium content in the retained bone and the cross-sectional area of compact cortical bone, but induced only an insignificant increase in the area of periosteal new bone. Clodronate treatment seems not to be contraindicated in conjunction with rigid osteosynthesis, and may even slow down the osteopenic response occurring under the rigid plate.
Bypass surgery for complex middle cerebral artery aneurysms: impact of the exact location in the MCA tree.

OBJECT The object of this study was to describe the authors' institutional experience in the treatment of complex middle cerebral artery (MCA) aneurysms necessitating bypass and vessel sacrifice. METHODS Cases in which patients with MCA aneurysms were treated with a combination of bypass and parent artery sacrifice were reviewed retrospectively. RESULTS The authors identified 24 patients (mean age 46 years) who were treated with bypass and parent artery sacrifice. The aneurysms were located in the M1 segment in 7 patients, MCA bifurcation in 8, and more distally in 9. The mean aneurysm diameter was 30 mm (range 7-60 mm, median 26 mm). There were 8 saccular and 16 fusiform aneurysms. Twenty-one extracranial-intracranial and 4 intracranial-intracranial bypasses were performed. Partial or total trapping (only) of the parent artery was performed in 17 cases, trapping with resection of aneurysm in 3, and aneurysm clipping with sacrifice of an M2 branch in 4. The mean follow-up period was 27 months. The aneurysm obliteration rate was 100%. No recanalization of the aneurysms was detected during follow-up. There was 1 perioperative death (4% mortality rate) and 6 cerebrovascular accidents, causing permanent morbidity in 5 patients. The median modified Rankin Scale score of patients with an M1 aneurysm increased from 0 preoperatively to 2 at latest follow-up, while the score was unchanged in other patients. Most of the permanent deficits were associated with M1 aneurysms. Twenty-one patients (88%) had good outcome as defined by a Glasgow Outcome Scale score of 4 or 5. CONCLUSIONS Bypass in combination with parent vessel occlusion is a useful technique with acceptable frequencies of morbidity and mortality for complex MCA aneurysms when conventional surgical or endovascular techniques are not feasible. The location of the aneurysm should be considered when planning the type of bypass and the site of vessel occlusion. Flow alteration by partial trapping may be preferable to total trapping for the M1 aneurysms.
Assessing the assessment of programming ability

A recent study [7] has shown that many computing students are not able to develop straightforward programs after the introductory programming sequence. Normal student assessment should have highlighted this problem, it did not, therefore normal assessment of programming ability does not work.We examine why current assessment methods (written exams and programming assignments) are faulty. We investigate another method of assessment (the lab exam) and show that this form of assessment is more accurate.We explain why accurate assessment is essential in order to encourage students to develop programming ability.
Patterning in time and space: HoxB cluster gene expression in the developing chick embryo

The developing embryo is a paradigmatic model to study molecular mechanisms of time control in Biology. Hox genes are key players in the specification of tissue identity during embryo development and their expression is under strict temporal regulation. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying timely Hox activation in the early embryo remain unknown. This is hindered by the lack of a rigorous temporal framework of sequential Hox expression within a single cluster. Herein, a thorough characterization of HoxB cluster gene expression was performed over time and space in the early chick embryo. Clear temporal collinearity of HoxB cluster gene expression activation was observed. Spatial collinearity of HoxB expression was evidenced in different stages of development and in multiple tissues. Using embryo explant cultures we showed that HoxB2 is cyclically expressed in the rostral presomitic mesoderm with the same periodicity as somite formation, suggesting a link between timely tissue specification and somite formation. We foresee that the molecular framework herein provided will facilitate experimental approaches aimed at identifying the regulatory mechanisms underlying Hox expression in Time and Space.
Hierarchical decoding of grasping commands from EEG

Brain-Computer Interfaces may present an intuitive way for motor impaired end users to operate assistive devices of daily life. Recent studies showed that complex kinematics like grasping can be successfully decoded from low frequency electroencephalogram. In this work we present a hierarchical method to asynchronously discriminate two different grasps often used in daily life actions (palmar, pincer) from a combined set of motor execution and motor intention. We compared sensorimotor rhythms based features and time features from the low frequency spectrum for best discrimination results. Our results show not only the principle feasibility of the proposed method with detection of asynchronous motor intention at rates of 80% accuracy and subsequent grasping discrimination over 60%, but also that low frequency time domain features provide a more consistent detection pattern. Although the basis of this results is still an off-line analysis we are confident that these results can be transferred to on-line use.
Comparison of the Effects of Increased Myocardial Oxygen Consumption and Adenosine on the Coronary Microvascular Resistance

The purposes of this study were to determine if coronary dilation secondary to an increase in myocardial oxygen consumption (MVO2) affects the microcirculation in a homogeneous or heterogeneous manner and to determine if comparable degrees of coronary dilation produced by increasing MVO2 or exogenous (intravenous adenosine) or endogenous (intravenous dipyridamole) adenosine have similar effects In the coronary microcirculation. The epimyocardial coronary microcirculation was observed through an intravital microscope by stroboscopic epi-illumination in anesthetized open-chest dogs. Aortic pressure and heart rate were controlled by an aortic snare and atrioventricular sequential pacing, respectively, during experimental procedures. In group 1 (n = 15), coronary arterial microvessel diameters were measured under control condition and during rapid pacing at 300 beats/min, which doubled MVO2. Increases in MVO2 caused heterogeneous vasodilation in coronary arterial microvessels (40-380 μm). There was an inverse relation between control diameter and percent increase in diameter. In group 2 (n =15) or group 3 (n =10), adenosine or dipyridamole was infused intravenously to increase myocardial perfusion to the same level as that obtained with rapid pacing. Adenosine and dipyridamole did not change MVO2. Adenosine and dipyridamole also caused heterogeneous vasodilation, but the effects of adenosine and dipyridamole were restricted to arterial microvessels smaller than 150 μm. From these results, we conclude that increases in MVO2 produce widespread but heterogeneous vasodilation, that is, greater dilation in smaller arterial microvessels. Comparable increases in coronary flow produced by increasing MVO2 or endogenous and exogenous adenosine do not produce identical changes in the distribution of coronary microvascular resistance.
Model Checking of Symbolic Transition Systems with SMT Solvers

We investigate the feasibility of using SMT solvers for Model Checking. Specifically, we consider reachability properties for Symbolic Transition Systems (STSs). SMT solvers are a generalisation of SAT solvers that determine the logical satisfiability of formulas in more advanced theories than only propositional logic. STSs are transition systems providing a finite representation to model the state behaviour of systems with possibly infinite state spaces. We consider three di↵erent approaches to the Model Checking problem with a varying degree of SMT solver involvement: first, an explicit approach without using SMT solvers; second, an approach using only an SMT solver; and third, a hybrid approach employing an external algorithm which uses SMT solvers for part of the problem. As expected, the explicit approach is not powerful enough to handle infinite state spaces of STSs. Furthermore, we demonstrate that using only an SMT solver for Model Checking STSs stretches the theoretical and practical capabilities of SMT solvers. Finally, we show that the hybrid approach provides the highest degree of control over the search, yielding the best approach to handle the infinite state space of STSs. For the hybrid approach we present a prototype tool. Furthermore, we describe mathematically proven reductions in size of the generated constraints: once from quadratic to linear and once by a factor of two, compared to previous research. Our conclusion is that using SMT solvers in hybrid Model Checking approaches provides a powerful and promising approach to improve model verification of infinite state space systems.
Magnetic resonance imaging (1).

The requirements are periodically updated based upon a practice analysis which is a systematic process to delineate the job responsibilities typically required of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technologists. The result of this process is a task inventory which is used to develop the clinical competency requirements (see section 4 below) and the content specifications which serve as the foundation for the didactic competency requirements (see section 3 below) and the examination.
Exploring perceived tension as a response to psychosocial work stress.

UNLABELLED This study extends the concept of tension, in part by observing changes in tension during the workday, to identify episodes causing elevated tension and relate them to bodily responses. Methods Both questionnaires and qualitative interviews were used to describe the tension concept. Tension was scored on a visual analogue scale (VAS) every hour, and trapezius muscle activity and heart rate were recorded. Ninety-four female workers from four service occupations participated. RESULTS Tension was described as a musculoskeletal activation response involving the upper body regions, but also autonomic activation responses were described. The cause of elevated tension comprised a variety of situational demands; however, contact with other people causing negative emotions was a common factor. Averaged muscular activity and heart rate responses did not correlate with prolonged perceived tension, but the differential tension score between high- and low-tension periods correlated with the corresponding differential trapezius activity responses. The regression line indicated no effect of short-term variation in perceived tension on median muscle activity for differential VAS scores of < or = 2 cm. An increase of 2% of maximal electromyographic activity for a differential VAS score of 4-5 cm was indicated. CONCLUSIONS This study identifies work exposures that cause tension, and it demonstrates a physiological correlate with the subjective perception of tension in the short term. The low recorded muscle activationresponse does not represent a risk factor for pain by the traditional standards used for recording and evaluating muscle activity responses, but it may point to underlying pain-inducing mechanisms, such as low-threshold overexertion of motor units.
Annexin V FITC conjugated as a radiation toxicity indicator in lymphocytes following radiation overexposure in radiotherapy programs

Background: Following human radiation exposure in hospital or accidents, dose assessments are of prime importance in radiation accidents. These issues are of continuing importance with respect to socioeconomic policy relating to the industrial and medical uses of ionizing radiation, and also for risk assessment among people who are occupationally exposed to low and/or high linear energy transfer (LET) radiation, such as astronauts, pilots, stewardesses, nuclear power plant workers, and victims of radiation accidents. Materials and Methods: In this study, an assay for assessing radiation dose based on the induction of apoptosis in human T-lymphocytes was done to examine T-lymphocyte cells isolated from the fresh blood of 16volunteers, cultured and exposed to gamma rays. Radiation-induced apoptosis (RIA) was assessed by flow cytometric identification of cells displaying apoptosis-associated DNA condensation. Results: Dose-response experiments showed that at 2Gy dose level of radiotherapy programs, the RIA frequency was significantly above control. Apoptotic levels significantly depend on the dose of radiation rather than the donor. Conclusion: The results demonstrate the potential use of this assay as a biological indicator of radiation toxicity, optimizing patient dose in radiotherapy and biological dosimetry process.
Glucose-dependent Liver Gene Expression in Upstream Stimulatory Factor 2 −/− Mice*

Upstream stimulatory factors (USF) 1 and 2 belong to the Myc family of transcription factors characterized by a basic/helix loop helix/leucine zipper domain responsible for dimerization and DNA binding. These ubiquitous factors form homo- and heterodimers and recognize in vitro a CACGTG core sequence termed E box. Through binding to E boxes of target genes, USF factors have been demonstrated to activate gene transcription and to enhance expression of some genes in response to various stimuli. In particular, in the liver USF1 and USF2 have been shown to bind in vitroglucose/carbohydrate response elements of glycolytic and lipogenic genes and have been proposed, from ex vivo experiments, to be involved in their transcriptional activation by glucose. However, the direct involvement of these factors in gene expression and nutrient gene regulation in vivo has not yet been demonstrated. Therefore, to gain insight into the specific role of USF1 and USF2in vivo, and in particular to determine whether the USF products are required for the response of genes to glucose, we have created, by homologous recombination, USF2 −/− mice. In this paper, we provide the first evidence that USF2 proteins are required in vivo for a normal transcriptional response of L-type pyruvate kinase and Spot 14 genes to glucose in the liver.
When is FDI a Capital Flow?

In this paper we analyze the conditions under which a foreign direct investment (FDI) involves a net capital flow across countries. Frequently, foreign direct investment is financed in the host country without an international capital movement. We develop a model in which the optimal choice of financing an international investment trades off the relative costs and benefits associated with the allocation and effectiveness of control rights resulting from the financing decision. We find that the financing choice is driven by managerial incentive problems and that FDI involves an international capital flow when these problems are not too large. Our results are consistent with data from a survey on German and Austrian investments in Eastern Europe.
Alpha-Mini: Minichess Agent with Deep Reinforcement Learning

We train an agent to compete in the game of Gardner minichess, a downsized variation of chess played on a 5x5 board. We motivated and applied a SOTA actor-critic method Proximal Policy Optimization with Generalized Advantage Estimation. Our initial task centered around training the agent against a random agent. Once we obtained reasonable performance, we then adopted a version of iterative policy improvement adopted by AlphaGo to pit the agent against increasingly stronger versions of itself, and evaluate the resulting performance gain. The final agent achieves a near (.97) perfect win rate against a random agent. We also explore the effects of pretraining the network using a collection of positions obtained via self-play.
Isolation and screening of xylanolytic fungi from natural habitat in Khandesh region of Maharashtra , India

Xylanases are important class of hydrolytic enzyme involved in degradation of xylana back bone of hemicellulose. It has wide applications in biotechnological processes such as food, feed, baking, pulp and paper, bio fuel, fruit waste treatment. In the present investigation xylanase producing fungi were screened from the samples collected from various natural habitats such as forest, farm soil and compost pile. Plate assay technique with basal media containing 0.5 % [w/v] beech wood xylan was used for the primary screening. Thirty one fungal strains were obtained though this screening which has xylanase production ability. The fungal isolate MR 57 has showed highest potential in xylanase production with 4745.45 U/ml after 6 day of incubation using submerged fermentation. The isolate was further identified as Aspergillus heteromorphus using morphological as well as molecular approach and sequence was submitted to gene bank.
Thermal transport in defected armchair graphene nanoribbon: A molecular dynamics study

In this paper, we have performed equilibrium molecular dynamics simulation with the use of 2nd generation reactive empirical bond order (REBO) potential in order to characterize the thermal transport of defected armchair graphene nanoribbon (GNR) structures. Considering the fabrication perspective, we compute the thermal conductivity of defected armchair GNRs with several types of vacancies namely point vacancy, bi-vacancy and edge vacancy with varying defect concentration ranging from 0.5% to 3%. The estimated thermal conductivity for the defect structure is compared with that of pristine armchair GNR of similar size to analyze their possible correlations. At a defect concentration of 3%, thermal conductivity of defected armchair GNR experiences a reduction of ∼80% from the pristine structure. Furthermore, we compare the thermal conductivity values of defected armchair GNR with its zigzag counterpart. Defected armchair configured GNRs show 40-60% smaller thermal conductivity in comparison with similar sized zigzag GNRs with vacancies. The variation of thermal conductivity with respect to width for the armchair configured defected GNRs is also studied. Such study would further encourage efficient and optimized thermal management in nano-thermal devices based on GNRs.
Industrial application of criticality predictions in software development

Cost-effective software project management has the serious need to focus resources on areas where they have biggest impact. Criticality predictions are typically applied for finding out such high-impact areas in terms of most effective defect detection. The paper investigates two related questions in the context of real projects, namely the selection of the best classification technique and the use of its results in directing management decisions. Results from a current large-scale switching project are included to show practical benefits. Fuzzy classification yielded best results and is in a second study enhanced with genetic algorithms to improve overall prediction effectiveness.
The role of mitochondria in cellular iron–sulfur protein biogenesis: mechanisms, connected processes, and diseases.

Iron–sulfur (Fe/S) clusters belong to the most ancient protein cofactors in life, and fulfill functions in electron transport, enzyme catalysis, homeostatic regulation, and sulfur activation. The synthesis of Fe/S clusters and their insertion into apoproteins requires almost 30 proteins in the mitochondria and cytosol of eukaryotic cells. This review summarizes our current biochemical knowledge of mitochondrial Fe/S protein maturation. Because this pathway is essential for various extramitochondrial processes, we then explain how mitochondria contribute to the mechanism of cytosolic and nuclear Fe/S protein biogenesis, and to other connected processes including nuclear DNA replication and repair, telomere maintenance, and transcription.We next describe howthe efficiency of mitochondria to assemble Fe/S proteins is used to regulate cellular iron homeostasis. Finally, we briefly summarize a number of mitochondrial “Fe/S diseases” in which various biogenesis components are functionally impaired owing to genetic mutations. The thorough understanding of the diverse biochemical disease phenotypes helps with testing the current working model for the molecular mechanism of Fe/S protein biogenesis and its connected processes.