Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Memory-Size-Assisted Buffer Overflow Detection

Since the first buffer overflow problem occurred, many detection techniques have been presented. These techniques are effective in detecting most attacks, but some attacks still remain undetected. In order to be more effective, a memory-size-assisted buffer overflow detection(MBOD) is presented. The key feature of buffer overflow is that the size of the source memory is bigger than the size of the destination memory when memory copying operation occurs. By capturing memory copying operation and comparing memory size at run time, MBOD detects buffer overflow. MBOD collects the information of memory size in both dynamic way and static way. An implementation shows that the technique is feasible.
Innovation by Entrants and Incumbents

We extend the basic Schumpeterian endogenous growth model by allowing incumbents to undertake innovations to improve their products, while entrants engage in more "radical" innovations to replace incumbents. Our model provides a tractable framework for the analysis of growth driven by both entry of new firms and productivity improvements by continuing firms. Unlike in the basic Schumpeterian models, subsidies to potential entrants might decrease economic growth because they discourage productivity improvements by incumbents in response to reduced entry, which may outweigh the positive effect of greater creative destruction. As the model features entry of new firms and expansion and exit of existing firms, it also generates a non-degenerate equilibrium firm size distribution. We show that, when there is also costly imitation preventing any sector from falling too far below the average, the stationary firm size distribution is Pareto with an exponent approximately equal to one (the so-called "Zipf distribution").
Polysaccharide hemostatic system for hemostasis management in colorectal endoscopic mucosal resection

A new polysaccharide hemostatic system (EndoClotTM) was recently developed for bleeding control in gastrointestinal tract endoscopy; however, its efficacy and safety is not yet well established in colorectal endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR). The aim of the present study was to observe the bleeding control effect after EMR in the colorectum.
Characterization of compression behaviors of Acupoint Catgut-embedding monofilaments for the human body: A test method of monofilaments by the three-point bending model

Acupoint Catgut-embedding therapy (ACET) is considered an advanced method for the treatment of juvenile pseudomyopia. However, the existing test methods of ACE monofilaments cannot meet the desire for accurate measurement and convenient operation. This paper presents a study of the compression behaviors of ACE monofilaments developed for the human body. To investigate a convenient and accurate test method for monofilaments, different materials, including polypropylene (PP), polylactic acid (PLA) and polyglycolide acid (PGA), were designed to a curved rod shape based on the three-point bending model used in this work. Variables, including the number of winding laps, the diameter of the compression platens and the compression rate of specimens, were discussed by the platform compression method. Properties such as radial force, the compression modulus and recovery ratio were also tested and analyzed. The results revealed that the winding lap of 25r was selected as the most suitable number according to the principles of stability and accuracy. The diameter of the compression platen should be larger than the outer diameter of the specimens, due to which the diameter of 5 mm was less than expected in this work. Meanwhile, the average value of the maximum radial force (F) was PP (98.35 cN) > PLA-1 (84.67 cN) > PGA (63.68 cN) > PLA-2 (39.24 cN) > PLA-3 (20.15 cN). The compression rate of 50% should be selected as the optimum parameter. In conclusion, this test method of monofilaments was successfully developed and has a potential application for the characterization of compression behaviors of ACE monofilaments for the human body.
Comparing Prosody Across Many

An empirical metric is developed to measure similarity or distance between the prosodic systems of diverse languages. Two physical variables which carry prosodic information, F0 and amplitude envelope modulation, are used as inputs in a pairwise language discrimination task. A novel neural network model is trained to discriminate among pairs of languages drawn from a set of ten languages in a telephone speech database. Network performance is used to obtain a distance metric for each pair, allowing overall similarity relationships within the 10 language set to be identi ed. Results are presented for F0 alone, in which Mandarin and Japanese are found to be clearly distinguished from all other languages in the database, and French is found to be clearly distinguishable, even from related Indo-European languages. Using amplitude envelope modulation alone, a cluster of languages usually described as syllable-timed is identi ed. Vietnamese and Farsi are found to be rhythmically distinct from languages conventionally described as stress-, syllableor mora-timed. When both variables are provided to the networks, the results provide an empirical measure of prosodic distance among the languages. PACS numbers: 43.70. Kv 43.72. Bs
cAMP-Specific Phosphodiesterases 8A and 8B, Essential Regulators of Leydig Cell Steroidogenesis

Phosphodiesterase (PDE) 8A and PDE8B are high-affinity, cAMP-specific phosphodiesterases that are highly expressed in Leydig cells. PDE8A is largely associated with mitochondria, whereas PDE8B is broadly distributed in the cytosol. We used a new, PDE8-selective inhibitor, PF-04957325, and genetically ablated PDE8A(−/−), PDE8B(−/−) and PDE8A(−/−)/B(−/−) mice to determine roles for these PDEs in the regulation of testosterone production. PF-04957325 treatment of WT Leydig cells or MA10 cells increased steroid production but had no effect in PDE8A (−/−)/B(−/−) double-knockout cells, confirming the selectivity of the drug. Moreover, under basal conditions, cotreatment with PF-04957325 plus rolipram, a PDE4-selective inhibitor, synergistically potentiated steroid production. These results suggest that the pool(s) of cAMP regulating androgen production are controlled by PDE8s working in conjunction with PDE4. Likewise, PDE8A (−/−)/B(−/−) cells had higher testosterone production than cells from either PDE8A(−/−) or PDE8B(−/−) mice, suggesting that both PDE8s work in concert to regulate steroid production. We further demonstrate that combined inhibition of PDE8s and PDE4 greatly increased PKA activity including phosphorylation of cholesterol-ester hydrolase (CEH)/hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL). CEH/HSL phosphorylation also was increased in PDE8A(−/−)/B(−/−) cells compared with WT cells. Finally, combined inhibition of PDE8s and PDE4 increased the expression of steroidogenic acute regulatory (StAR) protein. Together these findings suggest that both PDE8A and PDE8B play essential roles to maintain low cAMP levels, thereby suppressing resting steroidogenesis by keeping CEH/HSL inactive and StAR protein expression low. They also suggest that in order for PDE inhibitor therapy to be an effective stimulator of steroidogenesis, both PDE8 isozymes and PDE4 need to be simultaneously targeted.
Diet of feral Xenopus laevis (Daudin) in South Wales, U.K.

African clawed frogs (Xenopus laevis) in a South Wales pond ate a wide variety and size range of prey. Zoobenthos and zooplankton made the greatest contribution to diets, both numerically and by weight. Terrestrial invertebrates made up a small proportion of the diet numerically but a large proportion of the diet mass during the spring and summer. Nektonic prey were present throughout the year but made up a very small proportion of diet. Cannibalism was important when eggs and larvae were present in the pond. Electivity values were consistently positive for chironomids (larvae and pupae) and daphnids but were consistently negative for tubificids. In addition, electivity increased for larger sizes and pupae of Chironomus plumosus, but was low for the largest size class (> 12 mm). Electivity of other taxa showed an increase when densities of chironomids and daphnids were reduced. Mean sizes of daphnids and cyclopods were consistently larger in frog stomach contents than in the water column, indicating that predation on zooplankton by Xenopus laevis is size-selective.
Long-duration solar-powered wireless sensor networks

This paper discusses hardware design principles for long-term solar-powered wireless sensor networks. We argue that the assumptions and principles appropriate for long-term operation from primary cells are quite different from the solar power case with its abundant energy and regular charging cycles. We present data from a long-term deployment that illustrates the use of solar energy and rechargeable batteries to achieve 24x7 operation for over two years, since March 2005.
A Tool for Multi-Word Expression Extraction in Modern Greek Using Syntactic Parsing

This paper presents a tool for extracting multi-word expressions from corpora in Modern Greek, which is used together with a parallel concordancer to augment the lexicon of a rule-based machine-translation system. The tool is part of a larger extraction system that relies, in turn, on a multilingual parser developed over the past decade in our laboratory. The paper reviews the various NLP modules and resources which enable the retrieval of Greek multi-word expressions and their translations: the Greek parser, its lexical database, the extraction and concordancing system.
ADVANCES IN HYBRID SVM / HMM SPEECH RECOGNITION 1

In this paper, we describe our continuing work on th development of a hybrid SVM/HMM speech recognitio system. The original hybrid system was evaluated on t OGI Alphadigits corpus and performed at 11.0% WER compared to 11.9% for a triphone mixture-Gaussian HM system. In a new set of experiments reported here, the hyb system performs at 10.6% WER on the Alphadigits tas using a simple score combination mechanism. On a larg vocabulary task, SWITCHBOARD, the hybrid system improves the performance over the baseline HMM-bas system from 41.6% to 40.6% WER. This is the first tim SVMs have been applied to a complex large-vocabulary ta Several oracle experiments are discussed which demonst the potential benefit of this approach over traditional HMM systems.
Regional Ecological Risk Assessment of a Near Shore Marine Environment: Cherry Point, WA

ABSTRACT We conducted a regional ecological risk assessment for a near shore marine environment in northwestern Washington State using the Relative Risk Model. The objectives of this study were threefold: (1) to analyze cumulative impacts from multiple sources of chemical and non-chemical stressors in the near shore region and upland watersheds of Cherry Point (2) to determine the utility of Monte Carlo type uncertainty analysis in a rank-based regional risk assessment and (3) to investigate the effects of model habitat characterization on risk estimates. We used geographic information systems to compile and compare spatial data to determine ranks for sub-regions within the study area. By quantitatively combining ranks with exposure and effects filters, we estimated total relative risk between sub-regions and relative contributions of stressors. Finally, we used Monte Carlo analysis and an alternative ranking scheme to evaluate the effects of model and parameter uncertainty on risk predictions. The regional risk assessment results suggest the major contributors of risk are vessel traffic, upland urban and agricultural land use and shoreline recreational activities. This assessment demonstrated the applicability of regional risk assessment to marine near shore regions and the benefit of Monte Carlo analysis in describing uncertainty in a Relative Risk Model regional risk assessment.
Catalytic Reactions on Model Gold Surfaces: Effect of Surface Steps and of Surface Doping

The adsorption energies and the activation energy barriers for a series of reactions catalyzed by gold surfaces and obtained theoretically through density functional theory (DFT) based calculations were considered to clarify the role of the low coordinated gold atoms and the role of doping in the catalytic activity of gold. The effect of the surface steps was introduced by comparison of the activation energy barriers and of the adsorption energies on flat gold surfaces such as the Au(111) surface with those on stepped surfaces such as the Au(321) or the Au(110) surfaces. It is concluded that the presence of low coordinated atoms on the latter surfaces increases the adsorption energies of the reactants and decreases the activation energy barriers. Furthermore, the increasing of the adsorption energy of the reaction products can lead to lower overall reaction rates in the presence of low gold coordinated atoms due to desorption limitations. On the other hand, the effect of doping gold surfaces with other transition metal atoms was analyzed using the dissociation reaction of molecular oxygen as a test case. The calculations showed that increasing the silver content in some gold surfaces was related to a considerable increment of the reactivity of bimetallic systems toward the oxygen dissociation. Importantly, that increment in the reactivity was enhanced by the presence of low coordinated atoms in the catalytic surface models considered.
On variation of diversity of soil oribatids ( Acari , Oribatida ) in three differently used soil habitats-a waste disposal site , a natural forest and a tea garden in the northern plains of Bengal , India

Soil samples were collected from three different habitats at monthly intervals. Order Oribatida was the highest numerically abundant group of acrarines followed by order Mesostigmata. ANOVA indicated significant difference (p<0.05) in population density of oribatid mites among the sites. Five, eight and ten species of oribatid mites were recorded from the waste disposal site at Panga, Denguajhar tea estate and Bodaganj forest respectively. Tectocepheus velatus, Lamellobates palustris and the species of genus Scheloribates were dominant in all the sites. Species abundance distribution at waste disposal site fitted well to geometric series while log normal model appeared applicable at tea estate and forest site. Population density as well as Shannon’s index of diversity (H’) was highest at forest site. Right tailed sum diversity ordering showed following orderforest floor > tea estate > waste disposal site. Richness and evenness indices were also highest at Bodaganj forest for the higher number of species and population density. Dominance index was highest at the waste disposal site. Greater similarity was recorded between tea estate and waste disposal site. Beta diversity was a moderately high in the sampling region.
Making sense of healthcare benefits

A key piece of information in healthcare is a patient's benefit plan. It details which treatments and procedures are covered by the health insurer (or payer), and at which conditions. While the most accurate and complete implementation of the plan resides in the payers claims adjudication systems, the inherent complexity of these systems forces payers to maintain multiple repositories of benefit information for other service and regulatory needs. In this paper we present a technology that deals with this complexity. We show how a large US health payer benefited from using the visualization, search, summarization and other capabilities of the technology. We argue that this technology can be used to improve productivity and reduce error rate in the benefits administration workflow, leading to lower administrative overhead and cost for health payers, which benefits both payers and patients.
Optimized processing of multiple aggregate continuous queries

Data Streams Management Systems are designed to support monitoring applications, which require the processing of hundreds of Aggregate Continuous Queries (ACQs). These ACQs typically have different time granularities, with possibly different selection predicates and group-by attributes. In order to achieve scalability in the presence of heavy workloads, in this paper, we introduce the concept of 'Weaveability' as an indicator of the potential gains of sharing the processing of ACQs. We then propose Weave Share, a cost-based optimizer that exploits weaveability to optimize the shared processing of ACQs. Our experimental analysis shows that Weave Share outperforms the alternative sharing schemes generating up to four orders of magnitude better quality plans. Finally, we describe a practical implementation of the Weave Share optimizer.
Structure of Pleiotrophin- and Hepatocyte Growth Factor-binding Sulfated Hexasaccharide Determined by Biochemical and Computational Approaches*

Endogenous pleiotrophin and hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) mediate the neurite outgrowth-promoting activity of chondroitin sulfate (CS)/dermatan sulfate (DS) hybrid chains isolated from embryonic pig brain. CS/DS hybrid chains isolated from shark skin have a different disaccharide composition, but also display these activities. In this study, pleiotrophin- and HGF-binding domains in shark skin CS/DS were investigated. A high affinity CS/DS fraction was isolated using a pleiotrophin-immobilized column. It showed marked neurite outgrowth- promoting activity and strong inhibitory activity against the binding of pleiotrophin to immobilized CS/DS chains from embryonic pig brain. The inhibitory activity was abolished by chondroitinase ABC or B, and partially reduced by chondroitinase AC-I. A pentasulfated hexasaccharide with a novel structure was isolated from the chondroitinase AC-I digest using pleiotrophin affinity and anion exchange chromatographies. It displayed a potent inhibitory effect on the binding of HGF to immobilized shark skin CS/DS chains, suggesting that the pleiotrophin- and HGF-binding domains at least partially overlap in the CS/DS chains involved in the neuritogenic activity. Computational chemistry using molecular modeling and calculations of the electrostatic potential of the hexasaccharide and two pleiotrophin-binding octasaccharides previously isolated from CS/DS hybrid chains of embryonic pig brain identified an electronegative zone potentially involved in the molecular recognition of the oligosaccharides by pleiotrophin. Homology modeling of pleiotrophin based on a related midkine protein structure predicted the binding pocket of pleiotrophin for the oligosaccharides and provided new insights into the molecular mechanism of the interactions between the oligosaccharides and pleiotrophin.
A Transaction and QoS-Aware Service Selection Approach Based on Genetic Algorithm

As there are various risks of failure in its execution, a composite web service (CWS) requires a transactional mechanism to guarantee its reliable execution. Though the existing service selection methods have considered that its transactional properties may affect its quality of service (QoS) such as its execution time, some of these methods can just give the locally optimal transactional CWS while others can give globally optimal CWS only under a given fixed transactional workflow. This paper addresses the issue of selecting and composing web services via a genetic algorithm (GA) and gives a transaction and QoS-aware selection approach. First, it introduces transactional properties of a single web service and CWS and the transactional rules used to compose them. Next, it conducts the performance analysis of basic workflow patterns such as sequential, parallel, selectable, and loop patterns and develops an algorithm to compute the execution time of a complex CWS. Then, it presents a GA-based approach, which takes into account the execution time, price, transactional property, stability, and penalty-factor, to achieve globally optimal service selection. Finally, this paper reports experimental results that compare the proposed approach with the exhaustive search algorithm, transactional-QoS-driven selection algorithm, and transactional service selection algorithm. The experimental results show that the proposed algorithm is efficient and effective and can give a globally optimal transactional CWS.
The Impact of Child-parent Attachment, Attachment to God and Religious Orientation on Psychological Adjustment

The impact of religion and spirituality on psychological adjustment is a continuing area of concern. This preliminary study attempted to examine the effects of religious orientation, retrospective accounts of child-parent attachment and current accounts of attachment to God on trait anxiety and existential well being, based on questionnaire responses of a sample of 116 adults from Sydney, Australia. Small, significant effects of attachment to God on the prediction of adjustment were found above the effects of child-parent attachments. Intrinsic religious orientation mediated the relationship between attachment to God and adjustment. In addition, groups were formed according to correspondence and compensation routes to secure religious attachment. Results gave preliminary support to a differentiation, rather than a surrogacy, model of compensation. Further work to examine the process whereby attachment to God does or does not compensate for insecure child-parent attachment is needed.
Polyimide, polybenzimidazole-in situ-polyaniline nanoparticle and carbon nano-onion-based nanocomposite designed for corrosion protection

ABSTRACT This effort reports on novel polyimide (PI) and polybenzimidazole (PBI)-based system for corrosion protection. Polyaniline nanoparticle was generated in situ in polybenzimidazole (PBI-in-PANI). Carbon nano-onion (CNO) was opted as nanofiller. Ultimately, hybrid system of polyimide/polybenzimidazole-in situ-polyaniline nanoparticle/carbon nano-onion (PI/PBI-in-PANI/CNO) was developed. Temperature dependency of molecular weight of PBI was checked using gel permeation chromatography. Field emission scanning electron microscopy revealed fine network like morphology for PI/PBI-in-PANI/CNO nanocomposite. Transmission electron microscopy depicted small spherical PBI-in-PANI nanoparticle and CNO in matrix. At 180°C, conductivity of PI/PBI-in-PANI and PI/PBI-in-PANI/CNO series was enhanced in range of 1.6–2.8 and 3.0–3.3 S cm−1. About 5% PI/PBI-in-PANI/CNO nanocomposite coating enhanced corrosion protection effect up to 70%.
A High-Throughput Screen of the GTPase Activity of Escherichia coli EngA to Find an Inhibitor of Bacterial Ribosome Biogenesis

The synthesis of ribosomes is an essential process, which is aided by a variety of trans-acting factors in bacteria. Among these is a group of GTPases essential for bacterial viability and emerging as promising targets for new antibacterial agents. Herein, we describe a robust high-throughput screening process for inhibitors of one such GTPase, the Escherichia coli EngA protein. The primary screen employed an assay of phosphate production in a 384-well density. Reaction conditions were chosen to maximize sensitivity for the discovery of competitive inhibitors while maintaining a strong signal amplitude and low noise. In a pilot screen of 31,800 chemical compounds, 44 active compounds were identified. Furthermore, we describe the elimination of nonspecific inhibitors that were detergent sensitive or reactive as well as those that interfered with the high-throughput phosphate assay. Four inhibitors survived these common counterscreens for nonspecificity, but these chemicals were also inhibitors of the unrelated enzyme dihydrofolate reductase, suggesting that they too were promiscuously active. The high-throughput screen of the EngA protein described here provides a meticulous pilot study in the search for specific inhibitors of GTPases involved in ribosome biogenesis.