Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evaluating physically unclonable functions on a large set of FPGAs

Detailed knowledge of the impact of environmental factors on Physically Unclonable Functions (PUFs) is required for designing secure and reliable chips and extract uniqueness from them. This knowledge can be obtained only by analyzing the behavior of PUF designs over a large number of devices while varying temperature and supply voltage. Such analysis is still missing in the open literature, since the majority of the works report evaluations carried out either on a limited number of devices or in too few environmental conditions. In this work, we present an exhaustive characterization of two PUFs constructions suitable for FPGAs: a ring oscillator PUF and a timing path violation PUF. Both constructions were tested on 52 FPGAs produced by Xilinx, at temperatures ranging from 10°C to 70°C and applying voltages ranging from 0.95 to 1.05 V. Our experiments quantify the uniqueness of each construction, demonstrate their limited sensitivity to temperature variations, and show the linear impact that voltage variations have on both PUFs. Our results are a crucial step towards the design of reliable PUFs for reconfigurable devices and their widespread use as secure building blocks.
Antagonism of Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor Signaling by 6,2′,4′-Trimethoxyflavone

The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) is regarded as an important homeostatic transcriptional regulator within physiological and pathophysiological processes, including xenobiotic metabolism, endocrine function, immunity, and cancer. Agonist activation of the AHR is considered deleterious based on toxicological evidence obtained with environmental pollutants, which mediate toxic effects through AHR. However, a multitude of plant-derived constituents, e.g., polyphenols that exhibit beneficial properties, have also been described as ligands for the AHR. It is conceivable that some of the positive aspects of such compounds can be attributed to suppression of AHR activity through antagonism. Therefore, we conducted a dioxin response element reporter-based screen to assess the AHR activity associated with a range of flavonoid compounds. Our screen identified two flavonoids (5-methoxyflavone and 7,4′-dimethoxyisoflavone) with previously unidentified AHR agonist potential. In addition, we have identified and characterized 6,2′,4′-trimethoxyflavone (TMF) as an AHR ligand that possesses the characteristics of an antagonist having the capacity to compete with agonists, such as 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin and benzo[a]pyrene, thus effectively inhibiting AHR-mediated transactivation of a heterologous reporter and endogenous targets, e.g., CYP1A1, independent of cell lineage or species. Furthermore, TMF displays superior action by virtue of having no partial agonist activity, in contrast to other documented antagonists, e.g., α-napthoflavone, which are partial weak agonists. TMF also exhibits no species or promoter dependence with regard to AHR antagonism. TMF therefore represents an improved tool allowing for more precise dissection of AHR function in the absence of any conflicting agonist activity.
New applications of image classification in character recognition

Image recognition is a feature extraction and pattern matching technique to classify various objectives in computer science. In theory, it mainly relies on the images with distinguishable features as a good starting point. Each image has its own unique characteristics, and image features can be categorized into color features, texture features, and shape features etc. Therefore, using modern recognition techniques, we extract the image features through various algorithms to search for images with high similarities. There are many image recognition algorithms, and some of them are with high recognition rate while others are robust. But not all algorithms can be unconditionally implemented without adjusting to the real situation. In this paper, we introduce the classification algorithm based on Support Vector Machine (SVM) and the feature extraction method based on Principal Components Analysis (PCA). We employ the feature extraction algorithm to characterize facial features and recognize faces by comparing them to those stored in the training data set. Finally, we show the applications of feature extraction and classification algorithms in character recognition. The real characters printed on a cord are preprocessed by PCA, and then classified and identified by SVM with a good recognition rate if properly processed.
DUANG: Fast and lightweight page migration in asymmetric memory systems

Main memory systems have gone through dramatic increases in bandwidth and capacity. At the same time, their random access latency has remained relatively constant. For given memory technology, optimizing the latency typically requires sacrificing the density (i.e., cost per bit), which is one of the most critical concerns for memory industry. Recent studies have proposed memory architectures comprised of asymmetric (fast/low-density and slow/high-density) regions to optimize between overall latency and negative impact on density. Such memory architectures attempt to cost-effectively offer both high capacity and high performance. Yet they present a unique challenge, requiring direct placements of hot memory pages1 in the fast region and/or expensive runtime page migrations. In this paper, we propose a novel resistive memory architecture sharing a set of row buffers between a pair of neighboring banks. It enables two attractive techniques: (1) migrating memory pages between slow and fast banks with little performance overhead and (2) adaptively allocating more row buffers to busier banks based on memory access patterns. For an asymmetric memory architecture with both slow/high-density and fast/low-density banks, our shared row-buffer architecture can capture 87-93% of the performance of a memory architecture with only fast banks.
Psychosocial Profiles of Criminal Justice- and Noncriminal Justice-Referred Substance Abusers in Treatment

This study compared the psychosocial profiles of 136 criminal justice-referred substance abuse outpatients with 40 noncriminal justice-referred outpatients at the same facility. Profiles were based on the Texas Christian University Self-Rating Form, consisting of 11 scales: Self-Esteem, Depression, Anxiety, Decision Making, Childhood Problems, Hostility, Risk Taking, Socialization, Assessment of Drug Use Problems, Desire for Help, and Readiness for Treatment. Except for the last three scales, which correspond to Prochaska and DiClemente's stages of change, the profiles of both groups were virtually identical. The criminal justice-referred participants, however, scored significantly lower in their Assessment of Drug Problems, Desire for Help, and Readiness for Treatment. The need for enhancing such clients' motivation early in treatment id discussed.
DISSOCIATION AND INTERNAL MODELS OF PROTECTION: PSYCHOTHERAPY WITH CHILD ABUSE SURVIVORS

This article presents strategies for treating child abuse survivors based on a theory of interpersonal protection that integrates research in attachment, developmental psychopathology, trauma, dissociation, and experiential psychotherapy. The theory proposes that abused children do not form internal working models of an effective protector, with the result that they have difficulty defending themselves against interpersonal aggression and internal self-criticism; thus, a core psychotherapy task is to help survivors develop adequate representations of protection. The article provides case examples and describes interventions targeting the client–therapist relationship, other client relationships, client self-criticism, and traumatic memories. The author discusses dissociation as an intervention marker; client verbal and nonverbal feedback to therapist interventions; subselves and internal roles; the “inner critic”; guided imagery, role-plays, and dramatic enactment methods; and directions for future research.
Rate, accuracy and consistency: diadochokinetic performance of young, normally developing children

This paper describes the performance of 30 normally developing children in the age range of 3-5 years on silent and spoken diadochokinetic (DDK) tasks. Issues of task design and scoring are explored and the findings are interpreted from a developmental and psycholinguistic perspective. Rate, accuracy and consistency measures of the children's performance are used to make comparisons both with the adult model presented and with each child's own speech sound system. The results show that, in general, accuracy and consistency of response are more sensitive DDK assessment measures for pre-school children than the more traditionally used rate of production. However, in each age group, different profiles of performance emerged which can be used for comparison with children with speech difficulties. It is argued that this normative data is essential for understanding the nature of children's speech difficulties, interpreting DDK assessment results, and for planning appropriate intervention.
Perception of synthesized singing voices with fine fluctuations in their fundamental frequency contours

This paper demonstrates the importance of fine fluctuations quantitatively by measuring the detection thresholds of fine fluctuations in singing-voice F0s, in which voice quality is particularly important. We analyzed the fine fluctuations left by subtracting the melody and vibrato components from estimated F0s, focusing on the modulation frequency (MF) and modulation amplitude (MA). To test a hypothesis that the fine fluctuations in the F0 of singing voices affect the perception of quality and that the magnitude of this effect depends on the MF and MA, we performed four psychoacoustic experiments using synthesized stimuli. The experimental results indicate that our hypothesis was correct, and suggest that, to produce high-quality synthesized speech, one should extract F0s containing fine fluctuations with an MF of over 7 Hz in the analysis and add not only melody and vibrato but also fine fluctuation components to the F0 contours in the synthesis.
Getting More Work for Nothing? Symbolic Awards and Worker Performance

We study the impact of status and social recognition on worker performance in a field experiment. In collaboration with an international non-governmental organization we hired students to work on a database project. Students in the award treatment were offered a congratulatory card from the organization honoring the best performance. The award was purely symbolic in order to ensure that any behavioral effect is driven by non-material benefits. Our results show that students in the award treatment outperform students in the control treatment by about 12 percent on average. Our results provide strong evidence for the motivating power of status and social recognition in labor relations with major implications for theory and applications.
Do theory and pedagogy have an impact on provisions for outdoor learning? A comparison of approaches in Australia and Norway

In this paper, we contrast the early childhood education and care aims and curriculum in Norway and Australia and the theoretical underpinnings of Norwegian and Australian pedagogy in an attempt to partially explain the different approaches to (risky) outdoor play in these two countries. We argue that Norwegian pedagogical approaches may allow teachers to theorize more about, and place greater emphasis on, physical and motor development than teachers in countries such as Australia. Evidence includes reference to theories typically used in Norwegian and Australian writing. Additionally, we examine interview data from teachers, which reveals that both groups of teachers share similar understandings of the importance of risk-taking in play, but there is more consistency between belief and practice for Norwegian than Australian teachers. We argue that the differences in alignment of belief and practice in the two countries are partly attributable to the differing theoretical bases of teachers' pedagogical approaches in each country. These findings have implications for theorizing about outdoor play and learning. In particular, we argue that early childhood teacher training programmes should include approaches based on Gibsonian and Dynamic Systems theories.
Examining the Impact of Servant Leadership on Salesperson’s Turnover Intention

Sales force retention is frequently deemed a critical organizational objective. Responses from 501 full-time salespeople from a variety of industries were used to test a model that examines the impact of servant leadership on salesperson’s turnover intention. This study shows that servant leadership affects turnover intention through a complex moderated and mediated chain-of-effects that involves ethical level, person–organization fit, and organization commitment. This study also shows that servant leadership gains importance when the organization is perceived by the salesperson as unethical. Managerial implications and directions for future research are also provided.
Thirty Years Of Graph Matching In Pattern Recognition

A recent paper posed the question: "Graph Matching: What are we really talking about? ". Far from providing a definite answer to that question, in this paper we will try to characterize the role that graphs play within the Pattern Recognition field. To this aim two taxonomies are presented and discussed. The first includes almost all the graph matching algorithms proposed from the late seventies, and describes the different classes of algorithms. The second taxonomy considers the types of common applications of graph-based techniques in the Pattern Recognition and Machine Vision field.
Hyperlinked Dutch-Iranian Cyberspace

Studies of the Dutch-Iranian diaspora are rare, but all indicate features that set it apart from other migrant communities in the Netherlands. It appears from these surveys that Dutch-Iranians have low levels of communal organization and sparsely knit networks. This article maintains that the pattern also holds for online Dutch-Iranian community structures, and builds its case on an examination of hyperlinks between websites of Iranians in the Netherlands. Second, the article examines sectors and their mutual relations in online Dutch-Iranian networks. It is argued, against what may be deduced from established theory and observations of Iranian diasporas, that networks organized around cultural content are the most inclusive and central and those which centre upon politics, the most exclusive and isolated. Linking patterns as well as website content serve to lay bare this structure of hyperlinked Dutch-Iranian cyberspace.
Evaluating the quality of games designed for learning programming by students with different educational background: An empirical study

Programming competences have become an important aspect in many different professions. Considering that games give enjoyment to their players and stimulate their curiosity, they represent a convenient tool for gaining programming skills. With an aim to examine the quality of games designed for learning programming from both pragmatic and hedonic perspective, an empirical study was carried out. Study participants were students enrolled in different programmes at two Croatian higher education institutions. Data was collected with subjective measuring instruments. The reported findings uncovered pros and cons of evaluated games meant for leaning programming concepts.
Enhanced Carrier Escape in MSQW Solar Cell and Its Impact on Photovoltaics Performance

A multiple stepped quantum wells (MSQWs) solar cell, in which GaAs stepped-potential layers are sandwiched between strain-balanced InGaAs wells and GaAsP barriers, has been proposed, and improvements in short-circuit current and fill factor have been demonstrated. We have studied carrier recombination dynamics and carrier escape kinetics from the wells, comparing the MSQW with the normal multiple quantum well (MQW). Carrier recombination rate was examined by time-resolved photoluminescence (PL) and a longer carrier lifetime was observed for MSQWs than for MQWs. Carrier escape from the wells was also investigated in terms of temperature-dependent PL. Smaller thermal activation energy was observed for MSQWs than for MQWs. Carrier radiative recombination loss was investigated by bias-dependent PL, and it was found to be smaller for the MSQW than for the normal MQW. Such advantages of the MSQW allowed us to stack a sufficient number of quantum wells to increase short-circuit current without degrading fill factor. For normal MQW solar cells, degradation in fill factor is unavoidable.
Turbulence suppression in channel flows by means of a streamwise traveling wave

We assess the effectiveness of using a zero-net-mass-flux blowing and suction in the form of an upstream traveling wave for transition control in channel flows. Our study is motivated by a recent paper by Min et al. (2006), where it was shown that this type of surface actuation yields a sustained sublaminar drag in a fully developed channel flow. We develop models that govern the dynamics of velocity fluctuations in the presence of stochastic outside disturbances (such as free-stream turbulence and acoustic waves) and show how changes in control parameters affect the fluctuations’ kinetic energy density. Effectively, we establish that properly designed streamwise traveling waves can be used to weaken intensity of both the streamwise streaks and the Tollmien-Schlichting waves in transitional channel flows.
An Efficient Clustering-Based Method for Data Gathering and Compressing in Sensor Networks

The dissemination of data costs much energy in wireless sensor network. In this paper, we incorporate a data gathering method which groups sensor nodes into clusters and gathers data efficiently. Considering characteristics of data in sensor networks and the good properties of wavelets, we further propose to compress sensor data at cluster head using wavelet transform and a novel threshold technique with bounded error. The analysis and experiment results show that our methods can compress data and gather compact data with efficiency. Besides, they exhibit significant conservation of energy cost at both node and network- level as a result of reduced data transmission overhead.
Effects of food processing on the thermodynamic and nutritive value of foods: literature and database survey.

One of the goals of our society is to provide adequate nourishment for the general population of humans. In the strictness sense, the foodstuffs which we ingest are bundles of thermodynamic energy. In our post-industrial society, food producers provide society with the bioenergetic content of foods, while stabilizing the food in a non-perishable form that enables the consumer to access foods that are convenient and nutritious. As our modern society developed, the processing of foodstuffs increased to allow consumers flexibility in their choice in which foods to eat (based on nutritional content and amount of post-harvest processing). The thermodynamic energy content of foodstuffs is well documented in the literature by the use of bomb calorimetry measurements. Here, we determine the effects of processing (in most cases by the application of heat) on the thermodynamic energy content of foods in order to investigate the role of processing in daily nutritional needs. We also examine which processing procedures affect the nutritive quality (vitamin and mineral content) and critically assess the rational, advantages and disadvantages of additives to food. Finally, we discuss the role of endogenous enzymes in foods not only on the nutritive quality of the food but also on the freshness and flavor of the food. Our results show that a significant decrease in thermodynamic energy content occurs in fruits, vegetables, and meat products upon processing that is independent of water content. No significant change in energy content was observed in cereals, sugars, grains, fats and oils, and nuts. The vitamin content of most foods was most dramatically decreased by canning while smaller effects were observed upon blanching and freezing. We found that most food additives had very little effect on thermodynamic energy content due to their presence in minute quantities and that most were added to preserve the foodstuff or supplement its vitamin content. The endogenous food enzymes while aiding in digestibility of some foods (yogurt or grains) also helped some foods have a more palatable taste. Our conclusions are there is some scientific merit to the idea that enzymes in food can act synergistically with those in the human body to facilitate maximum nutritive value of foods.
Evaluation of three unchannelled videolaryngoscopes and the Macintosh laryngoscope in patients with a simulated difficult airway: a randomised, controlled trial

This prospective randomised, controlled trial compares the performance of three unchannelled videolaryngoscopes (KingVision™, Airtraq™, A.P. Advance™ MAC) and the standard Macintosh laryngoscope. With ethics committee approval and written informed consent, 480 patients were included. A difficult airway was created with a cervical collar, limiting mouth opening and neck movement. Primary outcome was first‐attempt orotracheal intubation success. Overall success, laryngeal view, intubation difficulty scale, handling, intubation times and side‐effects were secondary outcomes. First‐attempt success rates were: KingVision 90% (95% CI 83–94%), Airtraq 82% (74–88%), A.P. Advance MAC 49% (40–58%), Macintosh 44% (35–53%; p < 0.001). The 95% confidence interval of first‐attempt success rate was thus below 90% for all devices, but the KingVision and the Airtraq performed better than the A.P. Advance MAC and the Macintosh laryngoscope. Also, performance was better with the KingVision and the Airtraq in terms of overall success, laryngeal view, intubation difficulty scale and quality of view. Problems with tube advancement were a frequent cause of intubation failure. In summary, the KingVision and the Airtraq performed better than the A.P. Advance MAC and the Macintosh laryngoscope. Success rates of the unchannelled KingVision and Airtraq were similar to those of their channelled versions reported previously, indicating that performance largely depends on blade design rather than the presence of a channel for tube advancement.
An interferon-related gene signature for DNA damage resistance is a predictive marker for chemotherapy and radiation for breast cancer

Individualization of cancer management requires prognostic markers and therapy-predictive markers. Prognostic markers assess risk of disease progression independent of therapy, whereas therapy-predictive markers identify patients whose disease is sensitive or resistant to treatment. We show that an experimentally derived IFN-related DNA damage resistance signature (IRDS) is associated with resistance to chemotherapy and/or radiation across different cancer cell lines. The IRDS genes STAT1, ISG15, and IFIT1 all mediate experimental resistance. Clinical analyses reveal that IRDS(+) and IRDS(−) states exist among common human cancers. In breast cancer, a seven–gene-pair classifier predicts for efficacy of adjuvant chemotherapy and for local-regional control after radiation. By providing information on treatment sensitivity or resistance, the IRDS improves outcome prediction when combined with standard markers, risk groups, or other genomic classifiers.