Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Lock-in-Pop: Securing Privileged Operating System Kernels by Keeping on the Beaten Path

Virtual machines (VMs) that try to isolate untrusted code are widely used in practice. However, it is often possible to trigger zero-day flaws in the host Operating System (OS) from inside of such virtualized systems. In this paper, we propose a new security metric showing strong correlation between “popular paths” and kernel vulnerabilities. We verify that the OS kernel paths accessed by popular applications in everyday use contain significantly fewer security bugs than less-used paths. We then demonstrate that this observation is useful in practice by building a prototype system which locks an application into using only popular OS kernel paths. By doing so, we demonstrate that we can prevent the triggering of zero-day kernel bugs significantly better than three other competing approaches, and argue that this is a practical approach to secure system design.
Switching Control Technique of Phase-Shift-Controlled Full-Bridge Converter to Improve Efficiency Under Light-Load and Standby Conditions Without Additional Auxiliary Components

The main theme of this paper is to propose a switching method to reduce the loss of phase-shift-controlled full-bridge converter under light-load and standby conditions. It will be shown that the efficiency can be improved using the proposed switching control technique. The presented switching control technique controls the full-bridge converter by pulsewidth-modulated (PWM) switching mode under light-load condition and PWM switching with burst mode under standby condition. The transition point between phase-shift switching method and the proposed method is investigated and confirmed by experimental results. A field-programmable-gate-array-based digital-controlled experimental system has been set up. The specifications of the converter include: input voltage = 400 V, output voltage = 12 V, and output power = 400 W. Experimental results show that the efficiency improvement can be up to 26% under light-load condition and the standby power is less than 1 W. These results confirm the effectiveness of the proposed switching control technique.
Are Morphological or Functional Changes in the Carotid Artery Wall Associated With Chlamydia pneumoniae, Helicobacter pylori, Cytomegalovirus, or Herpes Simplex Virus Infection?

Background and Purpose Chronic infection with Chlamydia pneumoniae, Helicobacter pylori, cytomegalovirus (CMV), and herpes simplex virus (HSV) has been implicated in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. The carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) can be taken to indicate early atherosclerosis, the presence of a carotid stenosis is a marker of a manifest carotid atherosclerosis, and an increase in arterial stiffness is used as marker of structural and functional changes in an atherosclerotic vessel wall. Methods In 504 patients (75% men; mean age 62.9 [SD 10] years), we measured the IMT and the elastic pressure modulus (EP; n=445) of the common carotid artery and the prevalence of a internal or external carotid artery stenosis. Blood samples were taken, and antibodies against C pneumoniae, H pylori, CMV, and HSV types 1 and 2 were evaluated. Statistical evaluation was performed with regression procedures and multivariate logistic regression analyses. Results Seropositivity for C pneumoniae was an independent predictor for a combined end point of highest category of IMT and carotid artery stenosis (OR 1.8, 95% CI 1.1 to 3.1; adjusted) for IgG titers. Independently, CMV increased the risk for the combined end point (OR 1.7, 95% CI 1.1 to 2.8; adjusted) for IgG titers and for IgA titers (OR 2.3, 95% CI 1.1 to 4.9; adjusted). We found a significant correlation between IgG antibodies against CMV and EP; HSV type 2 IgG titers were associated with IMT and carotid stenosis, but the latter results were no longer significant after adjustment. There was no association with H pylori or HSV type 1. Conclusions We found a significant association of IgG antibodies against C pneumoniae and CMV with early and advanced carotid atherosclerosis. CMV was also correlated to functional changes of the carotid artery, but this could not be confirmed after adjustment.
Biotechnologies in rubber tree (Hevea brasiliensis)

Rubber tree breeding and the dissemination of planting material for plantations are closely linked to propagation methods. Since the progress made by switching from multiplication by seed to propagation by budding, the development of new techniques, such as micropropagation, has been awaited. An analysis of genetic diversity sets out to identify the agronomic traits to be incorporated into the best clones. More widely, genetic modification is a tool that will enable the in troduction of new agronomic traits that are not available in the genetic diversity being assessed, and also to optimize the metabolism of the best cultivated clones in a targeted manner. In the next twenty years, a whole raft of innovations is set to contribute to better quality planting material through more efficient rubber tree breeding and propagation proc esses. Among those innovations, the establishment of a new generation of so-called juvenile budwood gardens is a possibility within the next five years. That transfer will be decisive for assessing the degree to which new technologies are taken on board in modern rubber growing. The involvement of growers and agro-industrialists upstream of the innovation process is decisive for the success of such an undertaking, as for the progress made last century. In vitro culture research has led to three types of micro
Protocol Veri cation with Heuristic Search

We present an approach to reconcile explicit state model checking and heuristic directed search. We provide experimental evidence that the model checking problem for concurrent systems, such as communications protocols, can be solved more e ciently, since nding a state violating a property can be understood as a directed search problem. In our work we combine the expressive power and implementation e ciency of the SPIN model checker with the HSF heuristic search workbench, yielding the HSF-SPIN tool that we have implemented. We start o from the A* algorithm and some of its derivatives and de ne heuristics for various system properties that guide the search so that it nds error states faster. In this paper we focus on safety properties and provide heuristics for invariant and assertion violation and deadlock detection. We provide experimental results for applying HSF-SPIN to two toy protocols and one real world protocol, the CORBA GIOP protocol.
UNILATERAL COUPLING BETWEEN TWO MFHN ELECTRONIC NEURONS

A nonlinear electrical circuit is proposed as a basic cell for modeling FitzHugh-Nagumo neurons with a modified excitability. Depending on initial conditions and parameters experiments show various dynamics including stability with excitation, bistability and oscillations. Moreover, we present an electrical circuit which will be used to realize a unidirectional coupling between two cells, mimicking chemical synaptic coupling. Finally, we characterize the frequency-doubling and the chaotic dynamics depending on the coupling strength in a master-slave configuration. In all experiments, we stress the influence of the coupling strength on the control of the slave neuron. INTRODUCTION Research on neural communication is based on a strong synergy between neuroscience discipline and engineering science [1, 2]. As a consequence, electrical circuits are developed including features observed in real neural systems in order to have a flexible, very fast processing and experimental medium mimicking neural activity. Famous illustrations and starting-points of electrical realizations are the Nagumo's lattice [3] and Neuristor device [1], modeling he FitzHugh-Nagumo (FHN) equation . In this case, oscillations rise from AndronovHopf bifurcations: Pulses can propagate with well-defined non zero minimum frequency, as observed for most axons. However, numerous nervous fibers, such as pyramidal cells in cortex or barnacle muscle fibers, are governed by a different mechanism leading to saddle homoclinic loop bifurcations [4] so that the minimum frequency of traveling waves can be close to zero [2,5]. In this paper, in the first part, we propose a nonlinear electrical circuit based on the FitzHugh-Nagumo equation with a modified excitability leading to complex dynamics of traveling waves [6, 7] emerging from saddle homoclinic loop bifurcations. Then, experimental conditions for stability with excitation threshold, bistability and oscillations are discussed. In the second part, we use this circuit as a basic cell to realize a master-slave configuration. Two cells are coupled in a unidirectional manner, which would correspond to two neurons coupled synaptically. We present the electronic circuit giving this coupling. Then, we discuss the experimental conditions for which the master dynamics controls the excitability of the slave neuron leading to a shift of bifurcation curves, a variation of an eigen interspike frequency or a chaotic behaviour. EXPERIMENTAL DESCRIPTION OF ONE CELL
A Look Inside HIV Resistance through Retroviral Protease Interaction Maps

Retroviruses affect a large number of species, from fish and birds to mammals and humans, with global socioeconomic negative impacts. Here the authors report and experimentally validate a novel approach for the analysis of the molecular networks that are involved in the recognition of substrates by retroviral proteases. Using multivariate analysis of the sequence-based physiochemical descriptions of 61 retroviral proteases comprising wild-type proteases, natural mutants, and drug-resistant forms of proteases from nine different viral species in relation to their ability to cleave 299 substrates, the authors mapped the physicochemical properties and cross-dependencies of the amino acids of the proteases and their substrates, which revealed a complex molecular interaction network of substrate recognition and cleavage. The approach allowed a detailed analysis of the molecular–chemical mechanisms involved in substrate cleavage by retroviral proteases.
Irrationality: The Enemy Within

New, 21st anniversary edition, with a new foreword by Ben Goldacre, author of Bad Science and Bad Pharma, and an afterword by James Ball, covering developments in our understanding of irrationality over the last two decades. Why do doctors, army generals, high-ranking government officials and other people in positions of power make bad decisions that cause harm to others? Why do prizes serve no useful function? Why are punishments so ineffective? Why is interviewing such an unsatisfactory method of selection? Irrationality is a challenging and thought-provoking book that draws on statistical concepts, probability theory and a mass of intriguing research to expose the failings of human reasoning, judgement and intuition. The author explores the inconsistencies of human behaviour, and discovers why even the experts find it so hard to make rational and unbiased decisions. Written with clarity and occasional flashes of wry humour, this classic volume is just as relevant today as when it was first written twenty-one years ago.
Does the use of MIMO Technology used by 802.11n Reduce or Increase the Impact of Denial of Service Attacks

This paper presents the results of a simulated wireless DoS attack against a 802.11g connection that uses Single Input Single Output (SISO), and an 802.11n device that utilizes MIMO. The aim of the experiment was to determine whether the impact of a denial of service attack against MIMO architecture is greater than SISO, since it is capable of receiving more(multiple) attack frames/packets within a given time frame. It was found that both devices were negatively impacted by such attacks, and that throughout was similarly affected. It was also observed that increasing the packet flood rate resulted in a corresponding and linear reduction in throughput for both 802.11n and 802.11g devices. Additionally, the 802.11g device appeared to reach a saturation point at 1000pps, with minimal reduction in throughout at 2000ps. Further observations were that although the overall throughput reduction in terms of percentage was greater for 802.11n than for 802.11g, the 802.11n device still achieved a higher throughput, despite a flooding rate of 2000 packets per second. Implications for network forensics are considered, given that wireless network devices are inherently difficult to identify. It was concluded that such an attack would be very difficult to tie to a particular attacking device, and to do so would require discovery of the attacker’s computer by other means.
Freud-And the Analysis of Poetry

There is an important margin of overlap in the aesthetic and the neurotic, in that the act of both the poet and the neurotic are symbolic acts. In so far as this margin prevails, co-ordinates developed for the charting of the one field may be taken over for the charting of the other. There are also important divergencies between the two fields. And in so far as the aesthetic and neurotic fields diverge, there must be a corresponding difference in co-ordinates. Freud's perspective, developed primarily for the charting of neurosis, is better suited to the margin of overlap than to the area of divergency. As regards the margin of overlap, two modifications of Freudian co-ordinates are offered: (1) A poem's structure should be discussed as a recipe or synthesis of several motives rather than in terms of one essential motive with all others treated as derivatives from it; (2) Freud's overly patriarchal emphasis obscures the matriarchal factors operating in literary works that symbolize a change of lineage or identity. As regards the area of divergency, Freud's co-ordinates, in stressing the poem as dream, understress the poem as a communicative structure and as a realistic gauging of human situations. Communication, rather than wish fulfilment, is the key term for literary analysis.
Video Completion via Spatio-temporally Consistent Motion Inpainting

: Given an image sequence with corrupted pixels, usually big holes that span over several frames, we propose to complete the missing parts using an iterative optimization approach which minimizes an optical ﬂow functional and propagates the color information simultaneously. Inside one iteration of the optical ﬂow estimation, we use the solved motion ﬁeld to propagate the color and then use the newly inpainted color back to the brightness constraint of the optical ﬂow functional. We then introduce a spatially dependent blending factor, called the mask function, to control the e ﬀ ect of the newly propagated color. We also add a trajectory constraint by solving the forward and backward ﬂow simultaneously using three frames. Finally, we minimize the functional by using alternating direction method of multipliers.
Deficit in Complex Sequence Processing after a Virtual Lesion of Left BA45

Although the contribution of Broca's area to motor cognition is generally accepted, its exact role remains controversial. A previous functional imaging study has suggested that Broca's area implements hierarchically organised motor behaviours and, in particular, that its anterior (Brodmann area 45, BA45) and posterior (BA44) parts process, respectively, higher and lower-level hierarchical elements. This function of Broca's area could generalize to other cognitive functions, including language. However, because of the correlative nature of functional imaging data, the causal relationship between Broca's region activation and its behavioural significance cannot be ascertained. To circumvent this limitation, we used on-line repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation to disrupt neuronal processing in left BA45, left BA44 or left dorsal premotor cortex, three areas that have been shown to exhibit a phasic activation when participants performed hierarchically organised motor behaviours. The experiment was conducted in healthy volunteers performing the same two key-press sequences as those used in a previous imaging study, and which differed in terms of hierarchical organisation. The performance of the lower-order hierarchical task (Experiment #1) was unaffected by magnetic stimulation. In contrast, in the higher-order hierarchical task (Experiment #2, “superordinate” task), we found that a virtual lesion of the anterior part of Broca's area (left BA45) delayed the processing of the cue initiating the sequence in an effector-independent way. Interestingly, in this task, the initiation cue only informed the subjects about the rules to be applied to produce the appropriate response but did not allow them to anticipate the entire motor sequence. A second important finding was a RT decrease following left PMd virtual lesions in the superordinate task, a result compatible with the view that PMd plays a critical role in impulse control. The present study therefore demonstrates the role of left BA45 in planning the higher-order hierarchical levels of motor sequences.
Cost-Effectiveness of MODY Genetic Testing: Translating Genomic Advances Into Practical Health Applications

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the cost-effectiveness of a genetic testing policy for HNF1A-, HNF4A-, and GCK-MODY in a hypothetical cohort of type 2 diabetic patients 25–40 years old with a MODY prevalence of 2%. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS We used a simulation model of type 2 diabetes complications based on UK Prospective Diabetes Study data, modified to account for the natural history of disease by genetic subtype to compare a policy of genetic testing at diabetes diagnosis versus a policy of no testing. Under the screening policy, successful sulfonylurea treatment of HNF1A-MODY and HNF4A-MODY was modeled to produce a glycosylated hemoglobin reduction of −1.5% compared with usual care. GCK-MODY received no therapy. Main outcome measures were costs and quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) based on lifetime risk of complications and treatments, expressed as the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) (USD/QALY). RESULTS The testing policy yielded an average gain of 0.012 QALYs and resulted in an ICER of 205,000 USD. Sensitivity analysis showed that if the MODY prevalence was 6%, the ICER would be ∼50,000 USD. If MODY prevalence was >30%, the testing policy was cost saving. Reducing genetic testing costs to 700 USD also resulted in an ICER of ∼50,000 USD. CONCLUSIONS Our simulated model suggests that a policy of testing for MODY in selected populations is cost-effective for the U.S. based on contemporary ICER thresholds. Higher prevalence of MODY in the tested population or decreased testing costs would enhance cost-effectiveness. Our results make a compelling argument for routine coverage of genetic testing in patients with high clinical suspicion of MODY.
Speech Intelligibility and Recall of Spoken Material Heard at Different Signal‐to‐noise Ratios and the Role Played by Working Memory Capacity

Summary We studied speech intelligibility and memory performance for speech material heard under different signal-to-noise (S/N) ratios. Pre-experimental measures of working memory capacity (WMC) were taken to explore individual susceptibility to the disruptive effects of noise. Thirty-five participants first completed a WMC-operation span task in quiet and later listened to spoken word lists containing 11 one-syllable phonetically balanced words presented at four different S/N ratios (+12, +9, +6, and +3). Participants repeated each word aloud immediately after its presentation, to establish speech intelligibility and later on performed a free recall task for those words. The speech intelligibility function decreased linearly with increasing S/N levels for both the high-WMC and low-WMC groups. However, only the low-WMC group had decreasing memory performance with increasing S/N levels. The memory of the high-WMC individuals was not affected by increased S/N levels. Our results suggest that individual differences in WMC counteract some of the negative effects of speech noise. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Shining a Torch on Metaphor in HRD

The problem and the solution. Metaphors are found in the language of HRD and applied in HRD research,practice,and education. Despite having been analyzed in associated disciplines (such as HRM and psychology), relatively little attention has been paid to their use,role,and impact in HRD.This chapter acts as a foundation for the journal by describing metaphors, how they work, and why they are important. It also offers a frame-work of questions for exploring metaphors and their application.
Genetics and Beyond – The Transcriptome of Human Monocytes and Disease Susceptibility

Background Variability of gene expression in human may link gene sequence variability and phenotypes; however, non-genetic variations, alone or in combination with genetics, may also influence expression traits and have a critical role in physiological and disease processes. Methodology/Principal Findings To get better insight into the overall variability of gene expression, we assessed the transcriptome of circulating monocytes, a key cell involved in immunity-related diseases and atherosclerosis, in 1,490 unrelated individuals and investigated its association with >675,000 SNPs and 10 common cardiovascular risk factors. Out of 12,808 expressed genes, 2,745 expression quantitative trait loci were detected (P<5.78×10−12), most of them (90%) being cis-modulated. Extensive analyses showed that associations identified by genome-wide association studies of lipids, body mass index or blood pressure were rarely compatible with a mediation by monocyte expression level at the locus. At a study-wide level (P<3.9×10−7), 1,662 expression traits (13.0%) were significantly associated with at least one risk factor. Genome-wide interaction analyses suggested that genetic variability and risk factors mostly acted additively on gene expression. Because of the structure of correlation among expression traits, the variability of risk factors could be characterized by a limited set of independent gene expressions which may have biological and clinical relevance. For example expression traits associated with cigarette smoking were more strongly associated with carotid atherosclerosis than smoking itself. Conclusions/Significance This study demonstrates that the monocyte transcriptome is a potent integrator of genetic and non-genetic influences of relevance for disease pathophysiology and risk assessment.
Factors affecting children's enjoyment of a frightening film sequence

An experiment examined the factors that contribute to children's enjoyment of frightening mass media, in an effort to extend recent research with adults. The study focused on suspense (indexed by worry and fear) and character liking as mediators of enjoyment. Children at two age levels viewed a scary program that concluded with either a successful resolution of a threat or no resolution. Forewarning of the threat and information about the happy outcome were varied. Predictions were derived from excitation transfer theory and disposition theory, as well as from theory and research on relevant developmental changes. Prior knowledge of the happy outcome reduced liking for the program, but this effect was not mediated by worry or fear. For both age groups, negative affect during the program was associated with marginally greater enjoyment of the resolved ending, but less enjoyment of the unresolved ending. In contrast, negative affect was associated with greater enjoyment of both versions of the program overa.