Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Proof of Replication

We introduce Proof-of-Replication (PoRep), a new kind of Proof-of-Storage, that can be used to prove that some data D has been replicated to its own uniquely dedicated physical storage. Enforcing unique physical copies enables a verifier to check that a prover is not deduplicating multiple copies of D into the same storage space. This construction is particularly useful in Cloud Computing and Decentralized Storage Networks, which must be transparently verifiable, resistant to Sybil attacks, and unfriendly to outsourcing. This work (a) reviews Proofs-of-Storage and motivates use cases; (b) defines the novel Proofs-of-Replication, which can be publicly verifiable, transparent, authenticated, and time-bounded ; (c) shows how to chain Proofs-of-Replication to establish useful Proofs-of-Spacetime. Work in Progress. This is a work in progress Technical Report from Protocol Labs. Active research is under way, and new versions of this paper will appear. For comments and suggestions, contact us at research@filecoin.io 1 Motivation and Background on Proofs-of-Storage This section provides backgrounds and classifications of different Proofs-of-Storage and related proofs, and motivates the need for Proofs-of-Replication. Throughout this section, we explain the distinction between different proofs using a prover, P, that is attempting to convince a verifier, V, that P is storing some data, D. V issues a challenge, c, to P who answers it with a corresponding proof π, according to the scheme in question. Proof schemes vary in their properties, their utility, and in whether D is useful outside the protocol or is a random string with no external utility. 1.1 Common Properties We use the following properties, common to various proving schemes: • (Privately Verifiable) A scheme is privately verifiable if V is a user with a secret verifying key generated during setup, or any other party that shares such secret key with the user. These schemes are useful in Cloud Computing settings, where users wish to outsource storage of data to servers and perhaps outsource verifying to a trusted verifier. As of this work, most Proof-of-Storage (PoS) schemes are privately verifiable. • (Publicly Verifiable) A scheme is publicly verifiable if V can be any party with access to public data (e.g. a verifying key), but no access to the original data, or secret information generated during scheme setup. Publicly verifiable schemes are very useful in Decentralized Storage Network settings, where a verifier may be new participants who have access only to public data as context of previous proof scheme setups. • (Transparent) A scheme is transparent if there is no extra information, sk, that enables any P to generate a valid proof without having data, D. This means that there is no sk with which a malicious prover can generate proof π∗ = ForgeProof(c, sk) such that 1 = Verify(c, π∗) for a P-chosen c. Transparent schemes
OFDM pilot based channel estimation

Wireless communication is a promising technology for a wide range of applications from TV remote control to satellite based TV systems. As the need for high data rate is increasing day by day the need for multicarrier communication has come in to picture. Orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) is a multicarrier transmission technique used for high data rate wireless transmission. In OFDM the transmitter modulates the message bit sequence in to symbols, performs IFFT, converts in to time domain signal and transmits through a wireless channel. The information usually get distorted due to characteristics of the channel So it is required to estimate the channel characteristics and compensate at the receiver to recover the information sent. In this paper we explore two estimation techniques Least Square (LS) and Minimum Mean Square Error (MMSE) using International Telecommunication Union (ITU) vehicular A channel model, further symbol error rate is calculated for different Doppler frequencies.
Antioxidant System Response and cDNA-SCoT Marker Profiling in Phoenix dactylifera L. Plant under Salinity Stress

Many Phoenix dactylifera (date palm) cultivars are grown in the arid and semiarid regions of the world, including Saudi Arabia. P. dactylifera is highly tolerant to salinity stress. To investigate the response of Khalas cultivar of P. dactylifera, two-month-old plants were treated with sodium chloride (50, 100, and 150 mM NaCl) for three months. Our result showed that proline content was higher in all treated plants compared to control plants. Thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) were increased at 100 and 150 mM NaCl treatments; however, the result was found nonsignificant between control and plants treated at 50 mM NaCl. Similarly, enzyme activities of catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) were 0.805 and 0.722 U/mg protein/min, respectively, and were greater at 100 and 150 mM NaCl treatments compared to the control plants. Total chlorophyll content and fresh weight of shoots and roots decreased substantially with the increase of salinity. A cDNA start codon-targeted (cDNA-SCoT) marker showed a variation in different gene expressions profiling between treated and untreated plants under various NaCl concentrations.
Transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1) is sufficient to induce fibrosis of rabbit corpus cavernosum in vivo.

PURPOSE The pleotropic cytokine TGF-beta1 which induces connective tissue synthesis, and inhibits the growth of smooth muscle cells, has been implicated in corpus cavernosum fibrosis. The objective of this study was to determine the dose and time dependence of TGF-beta1 as an active agent in penile corporal fibrosis in an animal model. MATERIALS AND METHODS A time release method of delivery was developed using sodium alginate microspheres containing recombinant human (rh) TGF-beta1. New Zealand White rabbits were injected intracorporally with a single alginate microsphere either with or without rh-TGF-beta1. Dosage was varied from 325 to 1500 ng. /bead. Animals were sacrificed at either three or five days post injection and the penises removed en bloc, examined, and processed for quantitative histomorphometric analysis, staining the sections with Masson's trichrome. RESULTS Alginate microspheres containing [125I]-rh-TGF-beta1 showed slow-release kinetics (t1/2 = 10.5 hours). Histomorphometric analysis of 60 sets of high powered fields/treatment/ animal showed dose dependent decreases in percentage of corporal smooth muscle with TGF-beta1 treatment (750 to 1500 ng./bead). Placebo (alginate microspheres alone) had trabecular smooth muscle content comparable to values previously reported for untreated rabbit corpus cavernosum. CONCLUSIONS This study confirms that TGF-beta1 induces fibrosis in situ by altering connective tissue synthesis and hence the structure of the corpus cavernosum. Injection of rh-TGF-beta1 impregnated alginate microspheres into the corpus cavernosum resulted in dose-dependent decreases in percentage of corporal smooth muscle.
Human Lymphocytes Interact Directly with CD47 through a Novel Member of the Signal Regulatory Protein (SIRP) Family1

Two closely related proteins, signal regulatory protein α (SIRPα; SHPS-1/CD172) and SIRPβ, have been described in humans. The existence of a third SIRP protein has been suggested by cDNA sequence only. We show that this third SIRP is a separate gene that is expressed as a protein with unique characteristics from both α and β genes and suggest that this gene should be termed SIRPγ. We have expressed the extracellular region of SIRPγ as a soluble protein and have shown that, like SIRPα, it binds CD47, but with a lower affinity (Kd, ∼23 μM) compared with SIRPα (Kd, ∼2 μM). mAbs specific to SIRPγ show that it was not expressed on myeloid cells, in contrast to SIRPα and -β, being expressed instead on the majority of T cells and a proportion of B cells. The short cytoplasmic tail of SIRPγ does not contain any known signaling motifs, nor does it contain a characteristic lysine, as with SIRPβ, that is required for DAP12 interaction. DAP12 coexpression is a requirement for SIRPβ surface expression, whereas SIRPγ is expressed in its absence. The SIRPγ-CD47 interaction may therefore not be capable of bidirectional signaling as with the SIRPα-CD47, but, instead, use unidirectional signaling via CD47 only.
Finite-length MIMO decision feedback equalization for space-time block-coded signals over multipath-fading channels

A finite-length optimized-delay multi-input-multi-output (MIMO) mean-square-error decision-feedback equalizer for space-time block-coded transmissions over multipath-fading channels is presented. Alamouti's (see IEEE J. Select. Areas Commun., p.1451-58, 1998) space-time block code with two transmit and two receive antennas on a typical urban EDGE channel is taken as a case study. We propose a combined equalization and decoding scheme under the constraint of linear processing complexity (no trellis search) at the receiver. Performance comparisons are made with the single-transmit/single-receive antenna case and the case of MIMO feedforward linear equalization only with no decision feedback.
Effects of Aging on Visuospatial Performance and Cerebral Activation and Lateralization: An FMRI Study

This study examines the differences between visuospatial performance of subjects in their 20s and 40s, including the number of activated voxels and cerebral lateralization using functional magnetic resonance imaging during visuospatial tasks. Eight college students in their 20s (21.5 ± 2.3 years old) and six adults in their 40s (45.7 ± 2.6 years old) participated in the experiment. Functional brain images were taken from 3T magnetic resonance imaging using the single-shot echo planar imaging method. Compared to subjects in their 20s, those in their 40s showed lower visuospatial performance, longer reaction time, and a smaller number of activated voxels. There was no difference in cerebral lateralization between the two age groups.
Microsphere-based gradient implants for osteochondral regeneration: a long-term study in sheep.

BACKGROUND The microfracture technique for cartilage repair has limited ability to regenerate hyaline cartilage. AIM The current study made a direct comparison between microfracture and an osteochondral approach with microsphere-based gradient plugs. MATERIALS & METHODS The PLGA-based scaffolds had opposing gradients of chondroitin sulfate and β-tricalcium phosphate. A 1-year repair study in sheep was conducted. RESULTS The repair tissues in the microfracture were mostly fibrous and had scattered fissures with degenerative changes. Cartilage regenerated with the gradient plugs had equal or superior mechanical properties; had lacunated cells and stable matrix as in hyaline cartilage. CONCLUSION This first report of gradient scaffolds in a long-term, large animal, osteochondral defect demonstrated potential for equal or better cartilage repair than microfracture.
Physical activity, body mass index, and risk of type 2 diabetes in patients with normal or impaired glucose regulation.

BACKGROUND Sedentary lifestyle, obesity, and impaired glucose regulation are associated with the risk of type 2 diabetes. However, the joint associations of these risk factors are not known. METHODS We prospectively followed up 2017 Finnish men and 2352 Finnish women aged between 45 and 64 years without a history of known or newly diagnosed diabetes at baseline. Single and joint associations of physical activity, body mass index (BMI), and blood glucose levels with risk of type 2 diabetes were examined using Cox proportional hazards models. RESULTS During a mean follow-up of 9.4 years, there were 120 incident cases of type 2 diabetes. After adjustment for confounding factors (age, study year, sex, systolic blood pressure, smoking, and education), physical activity was found to be inversely associated with the risk of type 2 diabetes. This association was persistent in subjects with (1) both obesity and impaired glucose regulation, (2) either obesity or impaired glucose regulation, and (3) a normal BMI and glucose regulation. Similarly, the multivariate-adjusted positive association between BMI and risk of type 2 diabetes was consistently observed. Obesity in subjects who reported being inactive and had normal glucose levels was associated with an increased risk of diabetes compared with a normal BMI in subjects who reported being active and had impaired glucose regulation. CONCLUSIONS Increasing physical activity can reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes. The protective effect of physical activity was observed in subjects with an excessive BMI and elevated glucose levels. Physical activity and weight control are critical factors in diabetes prevention in subjects with both normal and impaired blood glucose regulation.
Dynamical instabilities of Bose-Einstein condensates at the band edge in one-dimensional optical lattices

We present a joint theoretical and experimental study of the dynamical instability of a Bose—Einstein condensate at the band edge of a one-dimensional optical lattice. The instability manifests as rapid depletion of the condensate and conversion to a thermal cloud. We consider the collisional processes that can occur in such a system, and undertake a thorough theoretical study of the dynamical instability in systems of different dimensionality. We find spontaneous scattering is an important part of this process, and thus the Gross-Pitaevskii equation is unable to accurately predict the dynamics in this system. Our beyond mean-field approach, known as the truncated Wigner method, allows us to make quantitative predictions for the processes of parametric growth and heating that are observed in the laboratory, and we find good agreement with the experimental results.
A new micro/nano-lithography based on contact transfer of thin film and mask embedded lithography

This paper presents a new nanoimprint method based on the Contact Transfer and Mask Embedded Lithography (CMEL) technique. In CMEL process, a thin metal film is deposited on the silicon mold treated with an anti-adhesion layer. The mold contacts with a liquid phase of PMMA layer on the silicon substrate by applying a uniform pressure on the both sides of the mold and the substrate. After removing the mold, the thin film is embedded onto the PMMA resist as an etching mask for the sub-sequential etching process. In the results of experiments, CMEL has demonstrated the linear grating and dot-array with the feature size around 200 to 500 nm successfully. Compared with other nanoimpint methods, CMEL is a "Green" nanoimprint technique because its process is simple and consumes no energy to assist the mold to form the nanostructures.
Trends in Agriculture-Industry Interlinkages in India: Pre and Post-Reform Scenario

Over the years the Indian economy has undergone a structural change in its sectoral composition: from a primary agro-based economy during 1970s, the economy has emerged as predominant in the service sector since the 1990s. This structural change and uneven pattern of growth of agriculture, industry and services sector in the post reforms period is likely to appear substantial changes in the production and demand linkages among various sectors, and in turn, could have significant implication for the growth and development process of the economy. This has triggered a renewed interest in studying the inter-relationship between agriculture and industry. The present paper is intended to examine the trends of interlinkages between the two sectors from a three sectoral perspectives for the pre- and post-reforms periods in India. The study observed that ‘agriculture-industry’ linkage has been deteriorating over the years and there has been directional change in the inter-linkages between the two sectors. Both the production and demand linkages were primarily from the industry to agriculture sector in the pre-reform period, which changed to from agriculture to industry in the post-reform period. Further, while the linkage was primarily through the production channel in the 1960s through 1980s, it translates primarily through the demand channel since 1990s.
THE ROLE OF LEAD IN A SYNDROME OF CLENCHED CLAW PARALYSIS AND LEG PARESIS IN SWAMP HARRIERS (CIRCUS APPROXIMANS)

We investigated the hypothesis that lead poisoning was the cause of the clinical syndrome of clenched feet paralysis and leg paresis in wild raptors. Swamp Harriers (Circus approximans) are one of three extant native raptor species in New Zealand. Harriers with the syndrome were found to have statistically significantly higher blood lead concentrations than those without clenched feet (t-test; t=–4.06, df=5, P=0.01). However, elevated blood lead concentrations were also present in 60% of wild harriers without the clinical syndrome of clenched feet paralysis and leg paresis. There were features of the response to chelation treatment, electroneurodiagnostics, and pathology that were inconsistent with lead poisoning as reported in other birds of prey. We conclude that lead may be a factor in the expression of this clinical syndrome of clenched claw paralysis but that other factors not identified in our study play a role in the expression of the disease.
Evaluating Mental State of Final Year Students Based on POMS Questionnaire and HRV Signal

Final year students are normally encountering high pressing in their study. In view of this fact, this research focuses on determining mental states condition of college student in final year based on the psycho-physiological information. The experiments were conducted in two times, i.e., prior- and post- graduation seminar examination. The early results indicated that the student profile of mood states (POMS) in prior final graduation seminar showed higher scores than students in post final graduation seminar. Thus, in this research, relation between biosignal representing by heart rate variability (HRV) and questionnaire responses were evaluated by hidden Markov model (HMM) and neural networks (NN).
Further characterization of a 13C-dextromethorphan breath test for CYP2D6 phenotyping in breast cancer patients on tamoxifen therapy

In a previous study, we found that the CYP2D6 phenotype determined by 13C-dextromethorphan breath test (DM-BT) might be used to predict tamoxifen treatment outcome in breast cancer patients in the adjuvant setting. However, large variation in the delta-over-baseline (DOB) values was observed in the extensive metabolizer predicted phenotype group based on single point measures. In the present work we aimed to analyze the variability of phenotype results and determine reproducibility to further characterize the clinical utility of DM-BT by introducing multiple breath sampling instead of single breath sampling and by administration of a fixed dose of 13C-DM.
Healthy Eating Index-2010 and food groups consumed by US adults who meet or exceed fiber intake recommendations NHANES 2001–2010

Background The proportion of the US adult population who meet fiber intake recommendations is very low. Information about food groups consumed and diet quality for the adults who consume recommended amounts of fiber are scarce. Objective To examine food groups consumed and Healthy Eating Index (HEI-2010) scores for US adults meeting the fiber adequate intake (AI) based on National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data 2001–2010. Design A secondary analysis of NHANES data from 2001 to 2010. Participants included adults aged 19 and older (n=24,807) with complete day 1 dietary records. Variables measured were food group sources of fiber and HEI-2010 scores. Sample-weighted data were used to calculate least square means (LSM)±standard error of the mean (SEM) by fiber intake quartile along with HEI-2010 scores. Significance was set at P<0.05. Results Major fiber food sources for US adults meeting the AI were grain products, vegetables, legumes, and fruits. The top grain products consumed were grain mixtures, ready-to-eat (RTE) cereals, and breads/rolls. The mean HEI-2010 score for adults meeting the AI for fiber was significantly (P<0.001) higher compared with all adult participants. The mean HEI-2010 score increased with increasing fiber intake in both groups. Conclusions Adults who meet the AI for fiber have a higher quality diet. Fiber may be an important dietary component that predicts diet quality.
Locating human interactions with discriminatively trained deformable pose+motion parts

We model dyadic (two-person) interactions by discriminatively training a spatio-temporal deformable part model of fine-grained human interactions. All interactions involve at most two persons. Our models are capable of localizing human interactions in unsegmented videos, marking the interactions of interest in space and time. Our contributions are as follows: First, we create a model that localizes human interactions in space and time. Second, our models use multiple pose and motion features per part. Third, we experiment with different ways of training our models discriminatively. When testing on the target class our models achieve a mean average precision score of 0.86. Cross dataset tests show that our models generalize well to different environments.
Parameterised Model Checking for Alternating-Time Temporal Logic

We investigate the parameterised model checking problem for specifications expressed in alternating-time temporal logic. We introduce parameterised concurrent game structures representing infinitely many games with different number of agents. We introduce a parametric variant of ATL to express properties of the system irrespectively of the number of agents present in the system. While the parameterised model checking problem is undecidable, we define a special class of systems on which we develop a sound and complete counter abstraction technique. We illustrate the methodology here devised on the prioritised version of the train-gate-controller.
Impaired Neutrophil Function in 24p3 Null Mice Contributes to Enhanced Susceptibility to Bacterial Infections

Lipocalin 24p3 (24p3) is a neutrophil secondary granule protein. 24p3 is also a siderocalin, which binds several bacterial siderophores. It was therefore proposed that synthesis and secretion of 24p3 by stimulated macrophages or release of 24p3 upon neutrophil degranulation sequesters iron-laden siderophores to attenuate bacterial growth. Accordingly, 24p3-deficient mice are susceptible to bacterial pathogens for which siderophores would normally be chelated by 24p3. Specific granule deficiency (SGD) is a rare congenital disorder characterized by complete absence of proteins in secondary granules. Neutrophils from SGD patients, who are prone to bacterial infections, lack normal functions, but the potential role of 24p3 in neutrophil dysfunction in SGD is not known. In this study, we show that neutrophils from mice genetically deficient for lipocalin 24p3 (24p3−/−) are defective in many neutrophil functions. Specifically, neutrophils in 24p3−/− mice do not extravasate to sites of infection and are defective for chemotaxis. A transcriptome analysis revealed that genes that control cytoskeletal reorganization are selectively suppressed in 24p3−/− neutrophils. Additionally, small regulatory RNAs (microRNAs) that control upstream regulators of cytoskeletal proteins are also increased in 24p3−/− neutrophils. Further, 24p3−/− neutrophils failed to phagocytose bacteria, which may account for the enhanced sensitivity of 24p3−/− mice to both intracellular (Listeria monocytogenes) and extracellular (Candida albicans and Staphylococcus aureus) pathogens. Listeria does not secrete siderophores, and additionally, the siderophore secreted by Candida is not sequestered by 24p3. Therefore, the heightened sensitivity of 24p3−/− mice to these pathogens is not due to sequestration of siderophores limiting iron availability, but is a consequence of impaired neutrophil function.