Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Gone in Six Characters: Short URLs Considered Harmful for Cloud Services

Modern cloud services are designed to encourage and support collaboration. To help users share links to online documents, maps, etc., several services, including cloud storage providers such as Microsoft OneDrive and mapping services such as Google Maps, directly integrate URL shorteners that convert long, unwieldy URLs into short URLs, consisting of a domain such as this http URL or this http URL and a short token. In this paper, we demonstrate that the space of 5- and 6-character tokens included in short URLs is so small that it can be scanned using brute-force search. Therefore, all online resources that were intended to be shared with a few trusted friends or collaborators are effectively public and can be accessed by anyone. This leads to serious security and privacy vulnerabilities. In the case of cloud storage, we focus on Microsoft OneDrive. We show how to use short-URL enumeration to discover and read shared content stored in the OneDrive cloud, including even files for which the user did not generate a short URL. 7% of the OneDrive accounts exposed in this fashion allow anyone to write into them. Since cloud-stored files are automatically copied into users' personal computers and devices, this is a vector for large-scale, automated malware injection. In the case of online maps, we show how short-URL enumeration reveals the directions that users shared with each other. For many individual users, this enables inference of their residential addresses, true identities, and extremely sensitive locations they visited that, if publicly revealed, would violate medical and financial privacy.
Willingness to Pay for Water Quality Improvements in the United States and Canada: Considering Possibilities for International Meta-Analysis and Benefit Transfer

This paper presents a multinational meta-analysis estimated to identify systematic components of willingness to pay for surface water quality improvements, developed to support benefit transfer for Canadian policy development. Metadata are drawn from stated preference studies that estimate WTP for water quality changes affecting aquatic life habitats—a type of study with few Canadian examples. The goals of this paper are to assess the properties of a multinational (United States/Canada) meta-analysis compared to a single-country (U.S.) analog; illustrate the potential information that may be derived as well as the analytical challenges; and assess the performance of resulting meta-functions for benefit transfer.
A Sensitivity Analysis of Timing and Costs of Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reductions under Learning Effects and Technology Competition Sustainable Technologies for the 21st Century

This paper runs an extensive sensitivity analysis for the optimal timing and macroeconomic costs of carbon emission reductions that mitigate the global average atmospheric temperature increase. We use a macroeconomic model in which there are two competing energy sources, fossil-fuelled and non-fossil-fuelled that are good but imperfect substitutes. Technological change is represented endogenously through learning curves. Under these conditions, early abatement is found to be an optimal strategy and the costs of this strategy prove to be low under most parameter values. Uncertainties in the learning rate and the elasticity of substitution between the two different energy sources most significantly affect the robustness of our findings.
Design of bandwidth-efficient unequal error protection LDPC codes

This paper presents a strategy for the design of bandwidth-efficient LDPC codes with unequal error protection. Bandwidth efficiency is obtained by appropriately designing the codes for higher order constellations, assuming an AWGN channel. The irregularities of the LDPC code are designed, using the Gaussian approximation of the density evolution, to enhance the unequal error protection property of the code as well as account for the different bit error probabilities given by the higher order constellation. The proposed code design algorithm is flexible in terms of the number and proportions of protection classes. It also allows arbitrary modulation schemes. Our method combines the design of unequal error protection LDPC codes for the binary input AWGN channel with the code design for higher order constellations by dividing the variable node degree distribution into sub-degree distributions for each protection class and each level of protection from the modulation. The results show that appropriate code design for higher order constellations reduces the overall bit-error rate significantly. Furthermore, the unequal error protection capability of the code is increased, especially for high SNR.
A summary of current trends and probable future trends in climate and climate-driven processes in the Stanislaus National Forest and the neighboring Sierra Nevada

using regression equations. Directions and magnitudes of shifts only shown for cases where rates of change are statistically greater or less than zero ( P <0.05). Statistical significance indicated as follows: ‘ns’ not significant; ‘ * ’ P <0.05; ‘ ** ’ P <0.01; ‘ *** ’ P <0.001. Near significant trends are noted in parenthesis. Results for precipitation are organized by water-year, while those for temperature are organized by calendar-year. Data gaps of more than 3 consecutive years are noted. in a possibly pronounced loss of suitable habitat. Their results suggested that
The steering of the higher education system in Kazakhstan: the perspectives of au- tonomy in universities

The marketization and neoliberal trends have called Kazakhstan to pay greater attention to the issue of university autonomy. Thus, the topic of university autonomy has been studied rather intensively. However, most of the studies mainly concentrated on the future perspectives of autonomy and formal tensions between the state and HEIs, whereas the actual dynamics and content of changes remain narrowly defined. Paper revisits the issue of university autonomy using agency theory and Olsen’s four steering model. First utilizing the Olsen’s four steering model, paper addresses the question of why and how government is advancing institutional autonomy in Kazakhstan. Second, agency theory assists in analyzing the information flow and goal conflicts between state representatives and universities. Therefore, semi-structured interviews were held with the Ministry of Education official, member of Information Analytical Center, university top management and deans. The empirical focus has been placed on public and private universities, and comparison has been made to understand differences in the autonomy related dimensions that affect university functions. It concludes by observing that there are information mismatches in the financing mechanism, academic matters and in the reorganization of universities due to the hybridized approach of the state and path dependency nature of implementation process.
Effect of Parenteral Antioxidant Supplementation During the Dry Period on Postpartum Glucose Tolerance in Dairy Cows

Background Exacerbated postparturient insulin resistance (IR) has been associated with several pathologic conditions in dairy cattle. Oxidative stress (OS) plays a causative role in IR in humans, and an association, but not direct relationship, between OS and IR recently has been reported in transition dairy cattle. Hypothesis Supplementation with antioxidants shortly before calving improves glucose tolerance after parturition in dairy cattle. Animals Ten late‐pregnant Holstein cows entering their 2nd to 5th lactation. Methods Randomized placebo‐controlled trial: 15 ± 2 days before expected calving, the treatment group received an injection of DL‐alpha‐tocopheryl acetate at a dosage of 6 mg/kg body weight (BW) and 0.06 mg/kg BW of sodium selenite, and the control group was injected with isotonic saline. During the first week after calving, both groups underwent glucose tolerance testing (0.25 g glucose/kg BW). Commercial assays were used to quantify the concentrations of glucose, insulin, nonesterified fatty acids (NEFA), beta‐hydroxybutyrate, and markers of redox status in blood. Data were analyzed using the Mann–Whitney U‐test (α = 0.05). Results Supplemented cows showed a lower risk for OS, as reflected by a lower OS index (P = .036), different areas under the curve for the concentrations of glucose (P < .01), insulin (P = .043), and NEFA (P = .041), more rapid elimination rates (P = .080, <.01 and .047 respectively), and shorter half‐lives (P = .040, <.01 and .032) of these metabolites. Conclusions and Clinical Importance Supplementation with antioxidants before calving resulted in greater insulin sensitivity after calving, thereby suggesting the role of OS in the development of IR in cattle and the potential benefits of antioxidant supplementation in minimizing the consequences of negative energy balance.
Micro-Continuum Modeling of Pore-Scale Geochemical Processes 219 system conditions

The recent profusion of microscopic characterization methods applicable to Earth Science materials, many of which are described in this volume (Anovitz and Cole 2015, this volume; Noiriel 2015, this volume), suggests that we now have an unprecedented new ability to consider geochemical processes at the pore scale. These new capabilities offer the potential for a paradigm shift in the Earth Sciences that will allow us to understand and ultimately quantify such enigmas as the apparent discrepancy between laboratory and fi eld rates (White and Brantley 2003) and the impact of geochemical reactions on the transport properties of subsurface materials (Steefel and Lasaga 1990, 1994; Steefel and Lichtner 1994; Xie et al. 2015). It has only gradually become apparent that many geochemical investigations of Earth materials have suffered (perhaps inadvertently) from the assumption of bulk or continuum behavior, leading to volume averaging of properties and processes that really need to be considered at the individual grain or pore scale. For example, a relationship between reactioninduced porosity and permeability change can perhaps be developed based on bulk samples, but ultimately a mechanistic understanding and robust predictive capability of the associated geochemical and physical processes will require a pore-scale view.
A ug 2 00 9 Anisotropic dark energy stars

A model of compact object coupled to inhomogeneous anisotropic dark energy is studied. It is assumed a variable dark energy that suffers a phase transition at a critical density. The anisotropic Λ−Tolman-Oppenheimer-Volkoff equations are integrated over all the star and the structure of these objects is calculated. The anisotropy is concentrated on a thin shell where the phase transition takes place, while the rest of the star remains isotropic. The family of solutions obtained depends on the coupling parameter between the dark energy and the fermionic matter. The solutions share several features in commmon with the gravastar model. There is a critical coupling parameter that gives non-singular black hole solutions. The massradius relations are studied as well as the internal structure of the compact objects. The hydrodynamic stability of the models is analyzed using an standard test from the mass-radius relation. For each permisible value of the coupling parameter there is a maximum mass, so the existence of black holes is unavoidable within this model. PACS numbers: 04.40. Dg, 04.70. Dy, 97.60. Jd
Structure-aware version control A generic approach using Agda

Modern version control systems are largely based on the UNIX diff3 program for merging line-based edits on a given ﬁle. Unfortunately, this bias towards line-based edits does not work well for all ﬁle formats, which may lead to unnecessary conﬂicts. This paper describes a data type generic approach to version control that exploits a ﬁle’s structure to create more precise diff and merge algorithms. We prototype and prove properties of these algorithms using the dependently typed language Agda; Our ideas can be, nevertheless, be transcribed to Haskell yielding a more scalable implementation. Categories and Subject Descriptors D.1. 1 [ Programming Techniques ]: Applicative (Functional) Programming; D.2. 7 [ Distribution, Maintenance, and Enhancement ]: Version control; D.3. 3 [ Language Constructs and Features ]: Data types and structures
UvA-DARE ( Digital Academic Repository ) Water interacting with interfaces , ions and itself

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Heteromeric Kv7.2/7.3 Channels Differentially Regulate Action Potential Initiation and Conduction in Neocortical Myelinated Axons

Rapid energy-efficient signaling along vertebrate axons is achieved through intricate subcellular arrangements of voltage-gated ion channels and myelination. One recently appreciated example is the tight colocalization of Kv7 potassium channels and voltage-gated sodium (Nav) channels in the axonal initial segment and nodes of Ranvier. The local biophysical properties of these Kv7 channels and the functional impact of colocalization with Nav channels remain poorly understood. Here, we quantitatively examined Kv7 channels in myelinated axons of rat neocortical pyramidal neurons using high-resolution confocal imaging and patch-clamp recording. Kv7.2 and 7.3 immunoreactivity steeply increased within the distal two-thirds of the axon initial segment and was mirrored by the conductance density estimates, which increased from ∼12 (proximal) to 150 pS μm−2 (distal). The axonal initial segment and nodal M-currents were similar in voltage dependence and kinetics, carried by Kv7.2/7.3 heterotetramers, 4% activated at the resting membrane potential and rapidly activated with single-exponential time constants (∼15 ms at 28 mV). Experiments and computational modeling showed that while somatodendritic Kv7 channels are strongly activated by the backpropagating action potential to attenuate the afterdepolarization and repetitive firing, axonal Kv7 channels are minimally recruited by the forward-propagating action potential. Instead, in nodal domains Kv7.2/7.3 channels were found to increase Nav channel availability and action potential amplitude by stabilizing the resting membrane potential. Thus, Kv7 clustering near axonal Nav channels serves specific and context-dependent roles, both restraining initiation and enhancing conduction of the action potential.
Demand for Value Added and Value-Added Exchange Rates

We examine the role of cross-border input linkages in governing how international relative price changes influence demand for domestic value added. We define a novel value-added real effective exchange rate (REER), which aggregates bilateral value-added price changes, and link this REER to demand for value added. Input linkages enable countries to gain competitiveness following depreciations by supply chain partners, and hence counterbalance beggar-thy-neighbor effects. Cross-country differences in input linkages also imply that the elasticity of demand for value added is country specific. Using global input-output data, we demonstrate these conceptual insights are quantitatively important and compute historical value-added REERs.
Software Techniques for Avoiding Hardware Virtualization Exits

On modern processors, hardware-assisted virtualization outperforms binary translation for most workloads. But hardware virtualization has a potential problem: virtualization exits are expensive. While hardware virtualization executes guest instructions at native speed, guest/VMM transitions can sap performance. Hardware designers attacked this problem both by reducing guest/VMM transition costs and by adding architectural extensions such as nested paging support to avoid exits. This paper proposes complementary software techniques for reducing the exit frequency. In the simplest form, our VMM inspects guest code dynamically to detect back-to-back pairs of instructions that both exit. By handling a pair of instructions when the first one exits, we save 50% of the transition costs. Then, we generalize from pairs to clusters of instructions that may include loops and other control flow. We use a binary translator to generate, and cache, custom translations for handling exits. The analysis cost is paid once, when the translation is generated, but amortized over all future executions. Our techniques have been fully implemented and validated in recent versions of VMware products. We show that clusters consistently reduce the number of exits for all examined workloads. When execution is dominated by exit costs, this translates into measurable runtime improvements. Most importantly, clusters enable substantial gains for nested virtual machines, delivering speedups as high as 1.52×. Intuitively, this result stems from the fact that transitions between the inner guest and VMM are extremely costly, as they are implemented in software by the outer VMM.
Characterization of risk factor management in infrastructure projects

Resumo: Este estudo tem por objetivo compreender como se caracteriza a gestão dos fatores de risco no desempenho de projetos de infraestrutura. Para tal, utilizou-se o referencial teórico associado tanto à literatura voltada para o gerenciamento de riscos quanto sobre complexidade e desempenho de projetos. A estratégia de pesquisa utilizada baseou-se no método de estudo de casos múltiplos, compreendendo a análise de cinco empreendimentos em dois segmentos econômicos distintos. As evidências empíricas sugerem que o impacto dos fatores de risco no desempenho dos projetos depende da intensidade da gestão dos riscos e das habilidades dos gerentes de risco, mas não varia com a complexidade dos projetos. O estudo também indica que a intensidade do desempenho nas dimensões analisadas varia de acordo com a influência dos fatores considerados. Palavras-chave: Projeto de infraestrutura; Desempenho; Gerenciamento de risco; Fator de risco; Complexidade. Abstract: This study aims to understand how risk factor management is characterized in the performance of infrastructure projects. The multiple-case study methodology was used, including the analysis of five projects in two different economic sectors. Empirical evidence suggests that the impact of risk factors in the performance of projects depends on risk management intensity and on the skills of risk managers, but it does not vary with project complexity. Furthermore, the intensity of the analyzed performance dimensions may vary according to the influence of the factors considered.
Online Causal Structure Learning

Causal structure learning algorithms have focused on learning in ”batch-mode”: i.e., when a full dataset is presented. In many domains, however, it is important to learn in an online fashion from sequential or ordered data, whether because of memory storage constraints or because of potential changes in the underlying causal structure over the course of learning. In this paper, we present TDSL, a novel causal structure learning algorithm that processes data sequentially. This algorithm can track changes in the generating causal structure or parameters, and requires significantly less memory in realistic settings. We show by simulation that the algorithm performs comparably to batch-mode learning when the causal structure is stationary, and significantly better in non-stationary environments.
TweetGeo - A Tool for Collecting, Processing and Analysing Geo-encoded Linguistic Data

In this paper we present a newly developed tool that enables researchers interested in spatial variation of language to define a geographic perimeter of interest, collect data from the Twitter streaming API published in that perimeter, filter the obtained data by language and country, define and extract variables of interest and analyse the extracted variables by one spatial statistic and two spatial visualisations. We showcase the tool on the area and a selection of languages spoken in former Yugoslavia. By defining the perimeter, languages and a series of linguistic variables of interest we demonstrate the data collection, processing and analysis capabilities of the tool.
The effect of ventilation system design on air contamination with halothane in operating theatres.

By measuring the halothane concentrations in samples of air from three different operating theatres during routine operating lists the pattern of spread of the waste anaesthetic gases has been demonstrated. The results show that in all the theatres there was a spread of halothane from its point of escape from the anaesthetic circuit to all parts of the theatre air. A turbulent flow ventilation system produced an uneven spread with the greates concentrations in the zone of air breathed by standing personnel. A downward displacement system produced a more even spread throughout the theatre but with a much reduced general level of pollution.
On Modeling Voluntary Contributions to Public Goods

This article addresses four “stylized facts” that summarize data from experimental studies of voluntary contributions to the provision of public goods. Theoretical propositions and testable hypotheses for voluntary contributions are derived from two models of social preferences, the inequity aversion model and the egocentric other-regarding preferences model. The authors find that the egocentric other-regarding preferences model with classical regularity properties can better account for the stylized facts than the inequity aversion model with nonclassical properties.
Bayesian estimation of Two-Sided Gamma random vectors in speckle noise

In this paper, we present a novel speckle removal algorithm within the framework of Bayesian estimation and wavelet analysis. The proposed method to apply a logarithmic transformation to convert speckel, multiplicative, noise model into an additive noise model. The subband decomposition of logarithmically transformed image are the best described by a family of heavy-tailed densities such as Two-Sided Gamma. Then, we propose a maximum a posterior (MAP) estimator assuming Two-Sided Gamma random vectors for each parent-child wavelet coefficients of noise-free log-transformed data and log-normal density for speckle noise. The experimental results show that the proposed method yields good denoising results.
Transmission and Resource Management Techniques for New Satellite Services : a COST 272 Perspective

Satellite communications are experiencing a radical transformation due to technological trends, service demand and economical aspects. The choices operated at service and application levels have a significant impact on the technologies adopted at lower layers. The COST 272 action represents a privileged viewpoint on the European satellite research as far as services and technology are concerned. The paper provides an overview of the research activity shared by the COST 272 framework among the participating institutions, in particular the activities related to Access and Resource Management issues covered by the working group 1.