Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Impact of Occupational Risks of Medical Staff on Willingness to Occupational Mobility in COVID-19 Pandemic

Purpose Medical staff are a crucial resource in the battle against the COVID-19 pandemic but are vulnerable to both SARS-CoV-2 infection and negative psychological outcomes. This study evaluated medical staff’s occupational risks, professional identity, and occupational mobility intention during the pandemic. Patients and Methods The questionnaire was anonymous. All respondents were Chinese medical personnel. Results Our findings suggest that the professional risks faced by medical professionals can enhance their professional mobility willingness and weaken their professional identity. They cannot only directly enhance their professional mobility willingness but also indirectly strengthen their professional mobility willingness through professional identity. The objective support and subjective support obtained by medical professionals cannot only alleviate the negative impact of occupational risk on professional identity alone but also jointly, and in the process of their joint mitigation, the former has been internalized and absorbed, while the latter has a stronger mitigation effect. The objective support and subjective support obtained by medical professionals can neither alone nor jointly alleviate the direct and positive impact of occupational risk on the willingness of occupational mobility. Conclusion The occupational risks faced by medical personnel can improve their willingness to move professionally and weaken their occupational identity. Early screening of high-risk groups for turnover intention among health care workers and more psychosocial health care and physical protection are needed during the COVID-19 pandemic in China.
Chosen-Instruction Attack Against Commercial Code Virtualization Obfuscators

—Code virtualization is a well-known sophisticated obfuscation technique that uses custom virtual machines (VM) to emulate the semantics of original native instructions. Commercial VM-based obfuscators (e.g., Themida and VMProtect) are often abused by malware developers to conceal malicious behaviors. Since the internal mechanism of commercial obfuscators is a black box, it is a daunting challenge for the analyst to understand the behavior of virtualized programs. To figure out the code virtualization mechanism and design deobfuscation techniques, the analyst has to perform reverse-engineering on large-scale highly obfuscated programs. This knowledge learning process suffers from painful cost and imprecision. In this project, we study how to automatically extract knowledge from the commercial VM-based obfuscator via a novel chosen-instruction attack (CIA) technique. Our idea is inspired by chosen-plaintext attack, which is a cryptanalysis attack model to gain information that reduces the security of the encryption scheme. Given a commercial VM-based obfuscator, we carefully construct input programs, proactively interact with the obfuscator, and extract knowledge from virtualized output programs. We propose using the anchor instruction and the guided simplification technique to efficiently locate and extract knowledge-related instructions from output programs, respectively. Our experimental results demonstrate that the modern commercial VM-based obfuscators are under the threat of CIA. We have discovered 760 anchor instructions and extracted 1,915 verified instruction mapping rules from the four most widely used commercial obfuscators. The extracted knowledge enables security analysts to understand virtualized malware and improve deobfuscation techniques. Besides, we also contributed the first fine-grained benchmark suite for systematically evaluating the deobfuscation techniques. The evaluation result shows that three state-of-the-art deobfuscation techniques are insufficient to defeat modern commercial VM-based obfuscators and can be improved by our extracted knowledge
miR-195-5p Regulates Tight Junctions Expression via Claudin-2 Downregulation in Ulcerative Colitis

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is characterized by chronic intestinal inflammation associated with an increased intestinal permeability. Several studies have shown that microRNAs (miRNAs) are involved in the IBD pathogenesis. Here, we aimed to functionally characterize the role of miRNAs in the regulation of intestinal permeability and barrier function. We identified 18 dysregulated miRNAs in intestinal epithelial cells (IECs) from the ulcerative colitis (UC) mice model and control mice. Among them, down-regulated miR-195-5p targeted claudin-2 (CLDN2) and was involved in impaired barrier function. CLDN2 expression levels were increased in UC mice models and negatively correlated with miR-195-5p expression. We demonstrated that gain-of-function of miR-195-5p in colonic epithelial cell lines decreased the CLDN2 levels. This modulation, in turn, downregulated claudin-1 (CLDN1) expression at protein level but not that of occludin. Our data support a previously unreported role of miR-195-5p in intestinal tight junctions’ regulation and suggest a potential pharmacological target for new therapeutic approaches in IBD.
Electronics and data acquisition for kilopixels kinetic inductance camera

A digital frequency multiplexing electronics building block has been developed for the NIKA (New IRAM KID Arrays) experience. It allows the real time monitoring of microwave kinetic inductance detectors (MKIDs) arrays used for mm-wave astronomy. This electronics can monitor simultaneously 400 pixels over a 500MHz bandwidth and requires only two coaxial cables for instrumenting such a large array. The chosen solution and the performance achieved are presented in this paper.
The Role of Surface Acting in the Relationship between Job Stressors, General Health and Need for Recovery Based on the Frequency of Interactions at Work

The aim of the study was to verify whether the frequency of face-to-face interactions with the public at work can reveal differences in how people react to emotional regulation demands. In particular, we investigated the mediating role of surface acting (a strategy of dealing with emotional dissonance) in the relationship between two typical job stressors (workload and mental load) and two outcomes closely related to work-related well-being: employees’ general health and the need for recovery. Prior studies investigating the detrimental effects of emotional dissonance mostly focused on service workers. However, in light of a survey conducted by the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (2016) highlighting the growing psycho-social risk constituted by intense human interactions in the workplaces, even in unexpected categories of workers, we hypothesize that emotional demands may also be a concern for those who do not specifically interface with clients as part of their job duties. The results of the multi-group analysis of front-office (N = 734) and back-office (N = 436) Italian workers showed that surface acting fully mediates the relationship between workload and general health among back-office workers, while it only partially mediates this relationship among front-office workers. Furthermore, surface acting is positively associated with the need for recovery and negatively with general health, with higher values for back-office workers. The findings support the hypothesis that the emotional demands are not only a service worker issue and highlight the need to address emotional regulation strategies to enhance the quality of life in and outside the workplace for all employees.
Probing the Outliers: Predictors of Research Productivity at DLSU

De La Salle University (DLSU) has through much of its history been a teaching university, but it has in the last twenty years changed its vision to that of a research university. Structures and mechanisms that worked well towards achieving excellence in teaching-learning may not be optimal for achieving a research university status. This study looks at some factors that are generally thought to have impact on research productivity, with the goal of drawing lessons that could help the university accomplish its vision sooner, without sacrificing its other core functions. Effects on research productivity of factors like academic inbreeding, obtaining doctorate from foreign universities, age at which doctorate was earned are thus far mainly conjectural or hypothetical. This study surveys the status of full-time faculty members in these aspects, and correlations with research productivity are determined. Research productivity in this study is measured through the number of Scopus-listed output, including journal publications, conference papers, books and monographs, authored by each faculty member with DLSU as their affiliation. This study also takes a close look at the top performers, investigating in particular their attributes, and their research collaborations.
Uncertainty analysis of ship powering prediction methods using Monte Carlo simulation

Model towing tank testing is used to predict the powering required for full-scale vessels. The International Towing Tank Conference of 1978 developed a method that has been in use in its original or modified form in many institutions internationally. Originally the method was solved graphically, utilizing the experience of the analyst, however the use of computers and the automation of the method has impacted the reliability of this approach. Uncertainty analysis has up to this point focused on potential errors in the model data from the tests required to produce the data that is subsequently extrapolated using prediction methods. The overall sensitivity of predicted power from this and other prediction methods to variations in inputs from the model tests and from elements such as the frictional resistance coefficient, form factor or correlation allowance needs to be determined in order to properly interpret the results of an automated analysis. Rather than setting up a series of data reduction equations, a Monte Carlo simulation was used and the entire method was used as the data reduction equation in the uncertainty analysis. The levels of uncertainty in ship powering were obtained for assumed values of uncertainty in the experimental values from tests and for estimated uncertainty in the friction coefficients, wake fraction and wake scaling, thrust deduction fraction, form factor and correlation allowance. Several different extrapolation methods were studied to assess variation in powering prediction methods resulting from variation in input data and from the variation of the details of the extrapolation. These consisted of the ITTC 1978 method, variation that included extrapolation with and without a form factor, different friction lines and correlation allowances, different wake scale and thrust deduction fraction values, and a method that extrapolated from self-propulsion test data only analysed using the same procedure. Uncertainties in the predicted powering results of both methods were compared. Methods of reducing the uncertainty in the predicted power from the ITTC 1978 method were proposed.
The Effect of Incubation near an Inversely Oriented Square Pyramidal Structure on Adsorption Properties of Horseradish Peroxidase

The incubation of a solution of horseradish peroxidase (HRP) enzyme either below the apex or near the base of an inversely oriented square pyramid (inverted square pyramid; ISP) has been found to influence the enzyme’s aggregation and adsorption properties. The HRP enzyme is used herein as a model object due to its importance in analytical chemistry applications. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) is employed to investigate the HRP’s adsorption on mica substrates at the single-molecule level. Conventional spectrophotometry is used in parallel as a reference method for the determination of the HRP’s enzymatic activity. Using AFM, we reveal a significant change in the adsorption properties of HRP on mica substrates after the incubation of the HRP solutions either above the base or below the apex of the ISP in comparison with the control HRP solution. The same situation is observed after the incubation of the enzyme solution above the center of the ISP’s base. Here, the enzymatic activity of HRP remained unaffected in both cases. Since pyramidal structures of positive and inverted orientation are employed in biosensor devices, it is important to take into account the results obtained herein in the development of highly sensitive biosensor systems, in which pyramidal structures are employed as sensor (such as AFM probes) or construction elements.
Knowledge of Animal Welfare and Consumers’ Behavioral Intentions in China: A Moderated Mediation Model of Product Cognition and Empathy

Simple Summary In this study, consumer perceptions of animal welfare have been assessed. The results can strongly support the development of policies and legislation regarding animal-friendly production. In China, the demand for animal-friendly products is increasing, but so far, the research on the relationship between the knowledge of animal welfare and animal-friendly consuming intentions is limited. The objective of this study was to examine the impact of the knowledge of animal welfare on consumers’ behavioral intentions and its mechanism. The survey covered 1499 food consumers in Guangdong province, China. Our empirical results suggest that increasing knowledge of animal welfare is significantly positive for the intention of animal-friendly products consumption. Furthermore, empathy moderates the indirect effect between animal-friendly product cognition and the behavioral intention both to purchase and recommend. Abstract As purchase power and consumption knowledge increase, consumers gradually demand safer and healthier products. Animal welfare is expected to be an important attribute of high-end food in the future and a major concern for the high-quality development of the livestock industry. The objective was to shed new light on our understanding of consumers’ perceptions and behavioral intentions toward animal-friendly food. Using sample data of 1499 food consumers in Guangdong province, China, this study explored the role of product cognition and empathy in the relationship between consumers’ knowledge and behavioral intentions. Results indicate that knowledge of animal welfare significantly influences consumers’ behavioral intentions, and there is a mediating effect on cognition. Meanwhile, empathy moderates the relationship between product cognition and consumers’ intentions to purchase or recommend animal-friendly products. Improving consumers’ knowledge of animal welfare and cognitive levels of animal-friendly products may contribute to promoting animal-friendly product consumption and sustainable development of the livestock industry.
Synthesis and Effect of Conformationally Locked Carbocyclic Guanine Nucleotides on Dynamin

Guanine nucleotides can flip between a North and South conformation in the ribose moiety. To test the enzymatic activity of GTPases bound to nucleotides in the two conformations, we generated methanocarba guanine nucleotides in the North or South envelope conformations, i.e., (N)-GTP and (S)-GTP, respectively. With dynamin as a model system, we examined the effects of (N)-GTP and (S)-GTP on dynamin-mediated membrane constriction, an activity essential for endocytosis. Dynamin membrane constriction and fission activity are dependent on GTP binding and hydrolysis, but the effect of the conformational state of the GTP nucleotide on dynamin activity is not known. After reconstituting dynamin-mediated lipid tubulation and membrane constriction in vitro, we observed via cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) that (N)-GTP, but not (S)-GTP, enables the constriction of dynamin-decorated lipid tubules. These findings suggest that the activity of dynamin is dependent on the conformational state of the GTP nucleotide. However, a survey of nucleotide ribose conformations associated with dynamin structures in nature shows almost exclusively the (S)-conformation. The explanation for this mismatch of (N) vs. (S) required for GTP analogues in a dynamin-mediated process will be addressed in future studies.
CFInsight: A Comprehensive Metric for CFI Policies

—Software vulnerabilities are one of the major threats to computer security and have caused substantial damage over the past decades. Consequently, numerous techniques have been proposed to mitigate the risk of exploitation of vulnerable programs. One of the most relevant defense mechanisms is Control-Flow Integrity (CFI): multiple variants have been introduced and extensively discussed in academia as well as deployed in the industry. However, it is hard to compare the security guarantees of these implementations as existing metrics (such as AIR) do not consider the different usefulness to the attacker of different basic blocks, which are the fundamental components that constitute the code of any application. This paper introduces B LOCK I NSULATION and CFGI NSU - LATION , novel metrics designed to overcome this limitation by modeling the usefulness of basic blocks for an attacker trying to traverse the program’s control-flow graph. Moreover, we propose a new CFI policy generator, named NumCFI, which is orthogonal to existing policy generators and prevents the attacker from taking shortcuts from vulnerable code to a system call instruction. We evaluate NumCFI, as well as a number of other CFI policy generators, using B LOCK I NSULATION , CFGI NSULATION , and existing metrics. Lastly, we describe L + T CFI, our implementation that combines NumCFI and an existing label-based policy, with a performance overhead of just 1.27%.
Bioprospecting of an Endolichenic Fungus Phanerochaete sordida Isolated from Mangrove-Associated Lichen Bactrospora myriadea

Bioassay-guided fractionation of the ethyl acetate extract of Phanerochaete sordida, an endolichenic fungus (ELF) isolated from the host lichen Bactrospora myriadea, collected from Negombo lagoon, Sri Lanka, led to the isolation of a bioactive compound. Following the identification of the fungus using morphological and DNA barcoding techniques, the pure compound was isolated using column chromatography, preparative TLC, and semipreparative HPLC. The structure elucidation was carried out using IR, HR-ESI-MS and 1H, 13C & 2D NMR spectroscopic methods. The in vitro bioassays conducted revealed that compound 1 has a high antioxidant activity with ABTS•+ (IC50 58.91 ± 1.35 μ M ), moderate anti-inflammatory activity (IC50 254.79 ± 1.41 μ M ), comparable antibacterial activity against the oral-bacterial strain Streptococcus mutans (MIC 898.79 μM and MLC 1797.58 μM), moderate tyrosinase inhibition (IC50 1713.69 ± 8.65 μ M ), and moderate cytotoxicity against oral cancer (IC50 13.65 ± 0.02 μ M ), in comparison with respective positive controls. The in silico experiments conducted for tyrosinase inhibition and cytotoxicity using Schrödinger revealed results in line with the in vitro results, thus confirming the bioactivities. The molecule also satisfies the key features of drug likeliness according to pharmacokinetic studies.
Relationship between Measured Aerobic Capacity and Total Energy Expenditure Obtained by the Doubly Labeled Water Method in Community-Dwelling, Healthy Adults Aged 81–94 Years

The doubly labeled water method is a gold-standard method for the measurement of total energy expenditure in daily life. We aimed to identify the relationship between measured aerobic capacity and total energy expenditure, activity energy expenditure, or physical activity level using the doubly labeled water method in adults of advanced old age. A total of 12 physically independent older adults (10 men and 2 women), aged 81–94 years, participated in this study. The aerobic capacity was evaluated according to the lactate threshold. Total energy expenditure under free-living conditions was assessed using the doubly labeled water method, and self-reported physical activity was obtained using the Japanese version of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire. The lactate threshold was significantly positively correlated with total energy expenditure, activity energy expenditure, and physical activity level after adjusting for age and sex. We found that the aerobic capacity of the lactate threshold was positively and independently correlated with total energy expenditure, activity energy expenditure, or physical activity level. The present results suggest that maintaining aerobic capacity is an important factor in preventing frailty, although further research is required.
Demystifying Local Business Search Poisoning for Illicit Drug Promotion

—A new type of underground illicit drug promotion, illicit drug business listings on local search services (e.g., local knowledge panel, map search, voice search), is increasingly being utilized by miscreants to advertise and sell controlled substances on the Internet. Miscreants exploit the problematic upstream local data brokers featuring loose control on data quality to post listings that promote illicit drug business. Such a promotion, in turn, pollutes the major downstream search providers’ knowledge bases and further reaches a large audience through web, map, and voice searches. To the best of our knowledge, little has been done so far to understand this new illicit promotion in terms of its scope, impact, and techniques, not to mention any effort to identify such illicit drug business listings on a large scale. In this paper, we report the first measurement study of the illicit drug business listings on local search services. Our findings have brought to light the vulnerable and less regulated local business listing ecosystem and the pervasiveness of such illicit activities, as well as the impact on local search audience.
Comparison and Determination of Optimal Machine Learning Model for Predicting Generation of Coal Fly Ash

The rapid development of industry keeps increasing the demand for energy. Coal, as the main energy source, has a huge level of consumption, resulting in the continuous generation of its combustion byproduct coal fly ash (CFA). The accumulated CFA will occupy a large amount of land, but also cause serious environmental pollution and personal injury, which makes the resource utilization of CFA gradually to be attached importance. However, given the variability of the amount of CFA generation, predicting it in advance is the basis to ensure effective disposal and rational utilization. In this study, CFA generation was taken as the target variable, three machine learning (ML) algorithms were used to construct the model, and four evaluation indices were used to evaluate its performance. The results showed that the DNN model with the R = 0.89, R2 = 0.77 on the testing set performed better than the traditional multiple linear regression equation and other ML algorithms, and the feasibility of DNN as the optimal model framework was demonstrated. Applying this model framework to the engineering field enables managers to identify the next step of the disposal method in advance, so as to rationally allocate ways of recycling and utilization to maximize the use and sales benefits of CFA while minimizing its disposal costs. In addition, sensitivity analysis further explains ML’s internal decisions and verifies that coal consumption is more important than installed capacity, which provides a certain reference for ensuring the rational utilization of CFA.