Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Granger Causality between Macroeconomic Variables and Stock Market Prices at Nairobi Securities Exchange, Kenya

The concept of co integration as have been since the time of Adam Smith and is the central theme in his work, An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations, as it shows that one of the crucial application of economic theory is to give explanations to the link that exist between different causal relation among economic variables and the most critical question posed is how do economist relate the existence of causal relationship with a given number of observations. To answer this question, it is necessary to understand the concept of causality and its application in economics. This paper tried to find the bidirectional relationship of selected microeconomic variable and stock market prices. Before estimating Granger causality, variables were tested for stationarity using Philip Perron test in which variables were integrated upon first difference. The results showed that stock market prices granger caused exchange rate, inflation granger caused interest rate. There was also significant granger causality between nominal GDP and exchange rate and on the relationship between interest rate and nominal GDP. All these effects were unidirectional effects.
Influence of cognitive variables in a Brain-Computer Interface driven application

*Via Ognissanti 72, IT-35129, Padova, Italy E-mails: davide.derosasaccone@email.it luca.tonin@dei.unipd. it Introduction: Sensorimotor rhythms Brain-Computer Interfaces (SMR-BCIs) allow users to actively control a device with cortical, muscle independent, activity. This characteristic has drawn attention to possible uses within environments richer and more interactive than laboratories, in particular for unpaired people. Nevertheless rates of success in using BCI vary widely and, although it has been demonstrated that several cognitive variables might affect BCI performances [1], such a relationship has not been fully investigated in interactive BCI driven applications.
How to do depends on where it settles: Mediastinal parathyroid adenomas.

Background In this study, we aimed to evaluate demographic characteristics, preoperative adenoma localization, surgical techniques selected according to the size and localization of adenoma, and clinical results of patients undergoing mediastinal parathyroid adenoma excision. Methods Medical records of a total of 11 patients (4 males, 7 females; mean age 52.6 years; range, 25 to 65 years) who underwent excision of mediastinal parathyroid adenoma in our clinic between January 2011 and June 2019 were retrospectively reviewed. Data including demographic characteristics, complaints, preoperative serum calcium, phosphorus, and parathyroid hormone levels, preoperative imaging methods, surgical method, localization and size of adenoma, length of hospital stay, and duration and amount of drainage were recorded. Results Adenoma was localized in anterior mediastinum in seven patients and in the middle mediastinum in four patients. The mean diameter calculated by taking into account the longest diameter of parathyroid adenoma was 21.1 mm. The mean drainage duration was 3.5 days in two patients undergoing median sternotomy, five days in one patient undergoing thoracotomy, 1.2 days in three patients undergoing video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery, and 0.6 days in five patients undergoing robotic surgery. Conclusion Minimally invasive approaches such as videoassisted thoracoscopic surgery and robotic-assisted surgery are safe and effective approaches for excision of mediastinal parathyroid adenoma.
A Complex Radiation in Tropical Soils

African mole-rats are obligatory subterranean hystricognath rodents endemic to the Afrotropical region. The family contains solitary, social and two evolutionary divergent eusocial taxa, the naked mole-rat (Heterocephalus glaber) and theDamaralandmole-rat (Fukomysdamarensis; Jarvis 1981; Jarvis and Bennett 1993; Bennett and Faulkes 2000) (but see Burda et al. 2000 who consider also other species of the genus Fukomys to be eusocial). This social diversity has lead to a great deal of recent research interest in the group, although many holotypes had been described by the late nineteenth century (reviewed by Ellerman et al. 1940, 1953). In this chapter it is our intention to review what is known about the phylogenetic relationships in Bathyergidae, with particular emphasis on the central African clade (Cryptomys/Fukomys) and present the evidence that shows how taxonomic differentiation has been influenced by past climatic and geomorphological factors. We realise that factors other than the historical geographic setting affect evolution in these subterranean rodents, including evolutionary constraints set by population demography on reproductive isolating mechanisms and enhancement of divergence through hybridisation (Golding and Strobeck 1983; Harrison 1993; Ruedi et al. 1997; Grant and Grant 1997; Steinberg and Patton 2000). At this stage, however, demographic studies and the role of hybridisation as an evolutionary mechanism have not received explicit attention in bathyergids. Data on chromosomal diversification in Fukomys, however, suggest that this genus at least may bear the stamp of reticulation events (Van Daele et al. 2004).
Quarterly Accounting Data: Time-Series Properties and Predictive-Ability Results

The time-series behavior of the quarterly earnings, sales and expense series of 69 firms over the 1946-74 period is examined. A Box-Jenkins time-series methodology is adopted. Based on inspection of the cross-sectional autocorrelation function, it is concluded that each series has (a) an adjacent quarter-to-quarter component and (b) a seasonal component. One-step-ahead forecasting results reveal that these two components can be successfully modelled at the individual firm level. The use of various quarterly forecasting models in security price analysis is also examined. The results are consistent with the market adjusting for seasonality in quarterly earnings in interpreting each quarter's earnings change. INCREASING attention is being given to the time-series properties of quarterly accounting data. This attention is related to both (1) the importance of research on quarterly accounting issues and (2) the importance of time-series research in accounting and finance. This paper provides evidence on the timeseries behavior (via the Box-Jenkins (B-J) methodology) of the quarterly earnings, sales and expense series. It also examines the "predictive ability" of BoxJenkins forecasting models vis-a-vis the forecasting models used in previous studies on the information content of quarterly data. Predictive ability will be examined in two contexts: (1) first, the ability to forecast future values of the same series and (2) second, the ability to approximate the capital market's expectation model when examining the market's reaction to accounting data. This time-series and predictive-ability analysis has relevance to the interim accounting issues currently being considered by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB). TIME-SERIES RESEARCH Time-series evidence is important to both general research issues in accounting and finance and specific research issues in interim reporting. Time-Series Research in Accounting
Boosting fuzzer efficiency: an information theoretic perspective

In this paper, we take the fundamental perspective of fuzzing as a learning process. Suppose before fuzzing, we know nothing about the behaviors of a program P: What does it do? Executing the first test input, we learn how P behaves for this input. Executing the next input, we either observe the same or discover a new behavior. As such, each execution reveals ”some amount” of information about P’s behaviors. A classic measure of information is Shannon’s entropy. Measuring entropy allows us to quantify how much is learned from each generated test input about the behaviors of the program. Within a probabilistic model of fuzzing, we show how entropy also measures fuzzer efficiency. Specifically, it measures the general rate at which the fuzzer discovers new behaviors. Intuitively, efficient fuzzers maximize information. From this information theoretic perspective, we develop Entropic, an entropy-based power schedule for greybox fuzzing which assigns more energy to seeds that maximize information. We implemented Entropic into the popular greybox fuzzer LibFuzzer. Our experiments with more than 250 open-source programs (60 million LoC) demonstrate a substantially improved efficiency and confirm our hypothesis that an efficient fuzzer maximizes information. Entropic has been independently evaluated and invited for integration into main-line LibFuzzer. Entropic now runs on more than 25,000 machines fuzzing hundreds of security-critical software systems simultaneously and continuously.
USBFuzz: A Framework for Fuzzing USB Drivers by Device Emulation

The Universal Serial Bus (USB) connects external devices to a host. This interface exposes the OS kernels and device drivers to attacks by malicious devices. Unfortunately, kernels and drivers were developed under a security model that implicitly trusts connected devices. Drivers expect faulty hardware but not malicious attacks. Similarly, security testing drivers is challenging as input must cross the hardware/software barrier. Fuzzing, the most widely used bug finding technique, relies on providing random data to programs. However, fuzzing device drivers is challenging due to the difficulty in crossing the hardware/software barrier and providing random device data to the driver under test. We present USBFuzz, a portable, flexible, and modular framework for fuzz testing USB drivers. At its core, USBFuzz uses a software-emulated USB device to provide random device data to drivers (when they perform IO operations). As the emulated USB device works at the device level, porting it to other platforms is straight-forward. Using the USBFuzz framework, we apply (i) coverage-guided fuzzing to a broad range of USB drivers in the Linux kernel; (ii) dumb fuzzing in FreeBSD, MacOS, and Windows through cross-pollination seeded by the Linux inputs; and (iii) focused fuzzing of a USB webcam driver. USBFuzz discovered a total of 26 new bugs, including 16 memory bugs of high security impact in various Linux subsystems (USB core, USB sound, and network), one bug in FreeBSD, three in MacOS (two resulting in an unplanned reboot and one freezing the system), and four in Windows 8 and Windows 10 (resulting in Blue Screens of Death), and one bug in the Linux USB host controller driver and another one in a USB camera driver. From the Linux bugs, we have fixed and upstreamed 11 bugs and received 10 CVEs.
COGNITIONS, PRACTICAL SKILLS AND EMOTIONS INVOLVED IN BUILDING OF PERSONAL EFFICIENCY FOR TEACHING CAREER

Building personal efficiency for any career, in general, and for teaching in particular, is a process that is structured over time.It is based initially on the projection of some cognitive, emotional and behavioral capacities that have been tested until the option for training in this profession, is influenced by the attitudes and skills that have been proven until then and by the attribution tendencies that the subjects have. This paper aims to analyze the important criteria underlying the construction of self-efficacy for the didactic profession of students. The results obtained on a group of 139 students indicate that a relatively high level of perceived efficiency is based predominantly on emotional and attitudinal factors, and less on their cognitive abilities, or on their skills. Also, the high perception of this perception is achieved through the tendency of externalizing the perceived vulnerabilities and internalizing the credits for success.
The performance of ELISA test kit (Biochek®) on different PRRS-status farms

PRRSv causes many impacts in swine industry worldwide including reproductive problems and severe respiratory problems [1]. Sows show clinical signs increased abortions, stillborn, mummified fetuses, and number of weak piglets. The percentage of mortality in nursery and fattening pigs also increases. Many cases of PRRS show co-infection with other diseases such as Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae, Pasteurella multocida, Sreptococcus suis, Haemophillus parasuis or Actinobacillus pleuroneumoniae [2-3]. To prevent and control of the disease, PRRS-status of a farm needs to be known beforehand. Serological profile using ELISA method is the useful tool to confirm the stage of PRRS infection in herd level. Several commercial ELISA test-kits are used to monitor PRRS-status in a farm. However, little information on the performance of these test-kits in farms is provided. This study was performed to determine the use of two commercial ELISA test-kits, “Biochek®” and IDEXX PRRS X3 Ab test, in negative, PRRS-stable and PRRS-active herds.
Effect of Dry Cow Feeding Strategy on Rumen pH, Concentration of Volatile Fatty Acids and Rumen Epithelium Development

(1999). Effect of Dry Cow Feeding Strategy on Rumen pH, Concentration of Volatile Fatty Acids and Rumen Epithelium Development. Acta Agriculturae Scandinavica, Section A — Animal Science: Vol. 49, No. 3, pp. 149-155.
Nano Chemotherapeutics in Bone Metastasis and Targeting

Kanser hastalığının son yıllarda artan insidansı nedeniyle güncel çalışmalar bu hastalığın tanı, teşhis ve tedavisi üzerine yoğunlaşmıştır. Normal hücrelere zarar vermeden hastalığın tedavisi oldukça güçtür. Bu nedenle sadece kanserli hücreye hedeflendirilmiş nano sistemler ile yapılan çalışmalar dikkat çekmektedir. Yaygın olan meme ve prostat kanserleri gibi hastalıkların metastazının sıklıkla kemik dokusunda meydana gelmesi hastanın yaşam kalitesini azaltmasından öte bu kanser türlerinin ölüm riskini artırmaktadır. Bu amaçla sağlıklı yumuşak dokuya zarar vermeden anti-neoplastik ajanların doğrudan metastaz meydana gelmiş kemik dokusuna hedeflendirilmesi ile metastazın önlenmesi veya tedavisi çoğu araştırıcının üzerinde çalıştığı konular arasına girmiştir. Osteoklastik veya osteoblastik şekilde oluşan kemik metastazları için bifosfonatların tedavi edici özelliklerine ek olarak kemik dokusunun ana minerali olan hidroksiapatite olan afinitesi nedeni ile kemik hastalıkları için hedefleme ajanı olarak da oldukça yaygın şekilde çalışma konusu olmuştur. Bifosfanatların nanopartiküler sistemlere konjugasyonu ile de etkin madde yüklü nanopartiküller sadece hasta kemik dokusuna iletilmekte, nano yapı sayesinde de sistemin tümörlü dokuda lokalize olup kemoterapötik ajanı kontrollü olarak salması sağlanmaktadır. Bu derleme ile kemik metastazlarına hedeflemedeki güncel olan yaklaşımlar, özellikle nano yapılı ilaç taşıyıcı sistemler ile yapılan çalışmalar tartışılarak değerlendirilmiştir. Anahtar kelimeler: Nano kemoterapotikler, Kemik metastazı, Bifosfonatlar, Nanopartiküller, İlaç hedefleme Due to the increase of cancer incidence in recent years, contemporary studies have focused on the identification, diagnosis and treatment of this disease. It is rather difficult to treat cancer without harming normal cells. Thus, studies exploring nano systems that are targeted to the cancerous cells are drawing attention. The frequent formation of metastasis in the bone tissue of certain cancers, such as the breast and prostate, has increased the mortality risk from these cancers. For this reason, preventing metastasis by targeting metastatic bone tissue with anti-neoplastic agents without damaging healthy soft tissue has become a subject of interest for many researchers. In addition to the therapeutic properties of bisphosphonates for bone metastases that form osteoclastic and osteoblastic, its affinity to hydroxyapatite, the main mineral of bone tissue, has been extensively studied as a targeting agent for bone diseases. With the conjugation of bisphosphonates to the nanoparticulate systems, nanoparticles loaded with the active ingredient are transmitted solely to the diseased bone tissue. Then, with the help of a nanostructured system, the bisphosphonates are localized only in the tumor containing diseased bone tissue, and the chemotherapeutic agent is released in a controlled manner. In this review, current approaches targeting bone metastases, and especially studies conducted with nanostructured drug carrier systems, are assessed.
Hiding Cryptographic Keys of Embedded Systems

One of the worries still present in the development of embedded systems is about the confidentiality of its sensitive data. Since those systems could be arranged in unprotected areas, an attacker, with physical access to their devices, may disclosure its sensitive data, e.g. cryptographic keys, by reverse engineering means. Although there are solutions to protect such cryptographic keys, they are usually costly. Therefore, this paper proposes different methods to protect cryptographic keys of embedded systems based on software protection techniques taking into account the attacker’s reverse engineering perspective. We conducted a case study that shows the difficulty to disclosure cryptographic keys hidden by the proposed methods. Key-Words: Security, Embedded Systems, Data Hiding
Aberystwyth University Improving Adherence to Web-Based and Mobile Technologies for People with Psychosis

Background: Despite the boom in new technologically based interventions for people with psychosis, recent studies suggest medium to low rates of adherence to these types of interventions. The benefits will be limited if only a minority of service users adhere and engage; if specific predictors of adherence can be identified then technologies can be adapted to increase the service user benefits. Objective: The study aimed to present a systematic review of rates of adherence, dropout, and approaches to analyzing adherence to newly developed mobile and Web-based interventions for people with psychosis. Specific predictors of adherence were also explored. Methods: Using keywords (Internet or online or Web-based or website or mobile) AND (bipolar disorder or manic depression or manic depressive illness or manic-depressive psychosis or psychosis or schizophr* or psychotic), the following databases were searched: OVID including MedLine, EMBASE and PsychInfo, Pubmed and Web of Science. The objectives and inclusion criteria for suitable studies were defined following PICOS (population: people with psychosis; intervention: mobile or Internet-based technology; comparison group: no comparison group specified; outcomes: measures of adherence; study of the study may be an important predictor of adherence. Future studies should consider reporting a universal measure of adherence and aim to conduct complex analyses on predictors of adherence such as level of social presence and service user involvement. (JMIR Mhealth 2017;5(7):e94) doi:10.2196/mhealth.7088
Crystal structure of Ag-exchanged levyne intergrown with erionite: Single-crystal X-ray diffraction and Molecular Dynamics simulations

Abstract The modification of natural zeolites via ion exchange is an efficient technique used to improve their performances and tune their properties for specific applications. In this study, a natural levyne-Ca intergrown with erionite was fully exchanged by Ag+ and its structure [with idealized chemical composition Ag6(Si,Al)18O36·18H2O] was investigated by combining a theoretical and experimental approach. Single-crystal X-ray difraction data demonstrated that Ag-levyne maintained the R3m space group, characteristic of the natural levyne. Ag ions distribute over partially occupied sites along the threefold axis and, differently from the pristine material, at the wall of the 8-membered ring window of the lev cavity. The lack of ~30% of Ag ions that could not be located by the structural refinement is ascribed to the strong disorder of the extraframework occupants. The structural results obtained by Molecular Dynamics simulations are in overall agreement with the experimental data and showed that, on average, Ag+ is surrounded by ~2 H2O and 1 framework oxygen at distances between 2.43 and 2.6 Å. Molecular Dynamics trajectories indicate that the occurrence of silver inside the D6R cage depends on the water content: silver occupancy of D6R cages is estimated to be 83, 30, and 0% when the structure contains 3, 2.5, and 2 H2O per Ag ion, respectively. The cation-exchange process, as demonstrated by scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS) spectrometry, affects the intergrown erionite as well. A structural characterization of the Ag-erionite phase (with dimension <100 μm) was possible by means of a CuKα micro-focus source: structure solution pointed to P63/mmc space group, indicating no change with respect to natural erionite. In agreement with previous studies, K ions in the cancrinite cage could not be exchanged, whereas Ag+ is found in the eri cavity.
Preparation and polypeptide composition of chlorophyll‐free plasma membranes from leaves of light‐grown spinach and barley

Chlorophyf l-free preparations of plasma membranes from leaves of barley (Hordeum vulgare L. cv. Kristina) and spinach (Spinada oleracea L. cv. Viking II) were obtained by partition in an aqueous dextran-polyethylene glycol two-phase system. CJlu-can synthetase II (EC 2.4,1.34), a marker for the plasma membrane, was highly enriched in both preparations. Silicotungstic acid, a specific stain for the plasma membrane, indicated a purity close to 100% for the barley preparation. Both plasma membrane preparations contained a light-reducible b-cytochrome, as shown by low temperature spectroscopy. The plasma membranes had a tow protein content compared to the bulk of intracellular membranes. The polypeptide composition of the barley and spinach plasma membranes showed striking similarities, with.the most prominent polypeptides in the 49-58 kdalton region, and some further prominent bands in the 30 kcialton region. Some high molecular weight polypeptides in the 73-110 kdalton region were also typical for the plasma membranes compared to the microsomal fractions.
MUCILAGE TUBE MORPHOLOGY OF THREE TUBE‐DWELLING DIATOMS AND ITS DIAGNOSTIC VALUE 1

Colonies of Berkeleya rutilans (Trent.) Grun. , Navicula pseudocomoides Hendey and N. ramosissima (C. A. Ag.) Cleve were examined using light and electron microscopy to elucidate the structure of their mucilage tubes. Each species was found to have a characteristic tube construction which could be used for identification. A summary of features on which these species can be recognized was compiled.