Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A RISC-V Post Quantum Cryptography Instruction Set Extension for Number Theoretic Transform to Speed-Up CRYSTALS Algorithms

In recent years, public-key cryptography has become a fundamental component of digital infrastructures. Such a scenario has to face a new and increasing threat, represented by quantum computers. It is well known that quantum computers in the next years will be able to run algorithms capable of breaking the security of currently widespread cryptographic schemes used for public-key cryptography. Post-quantum cryptography aims to define and execute algorithms on classical computer architectures, able to withstand attacks from quantum computers. The National Institute of Standards and Technology is currently running a selection process to define one or more quantum-resistant public-key algorithms and lattice-based cryptographic constructions are considered one of the leading candidates. However, such algorithms require non-negligible computational resources to be executed. One viable solution is to accelerate them totally or partially in hardware, to alleviate the workload of the main processing unit. In this paper, we investigate a solution trading-off performance and complexity to execute the lattice-based algorithms CRYSTALS-Kyber and -Dilithium: we introduce a dedicated Post-Quantum Arithmetic Logic Unit, embedded directly in the pipeline of a RISC-V processor. This results in an almost negligible area overhead with a large impact on the algorithms speed-up and a consistent reduction in the energy required per single operation.
When Two are Better Than One: Synthesizing Heavily Unbalanced Data

Nowadays, data is king and if treated and used properly it promises to give organizations a competitive edge over rivals by enabling them to develop and design Intelligent Systems to improve their services. However, they need to fully comply with not only ethical but also regulatory obligations, where, e.g., privacy (strictly) needs to be respected when using or sharing data, thus protecting both the interests of users and organizations. Fraud Detection systems are examples of such systems where Machine Learning algorithms leverage information to classify financial transactions as legitimate or illicit. The data used to create these solutions is usually highly structured and contains categorical and continuous features characterised by complex distributions. One of the main challenges of fraud detection is concerned with the scarcity of fraudulent instances which results in highly unbalanced datasets. Additionally, privacy is crucial, and it is usually forbidden, or not possible, to share the data of organizations and individuals for creating or improving models.In this paper we propose a framework for private data sharing based on synthetic data generation using Generative Adversarial Networks (GAN) that learns the specificities of financial transactions data and generates fictitious data that keeps the utility of the original datasets. Our proposal, called Duo-GAN, uses two GAN generators to handle the data imbalance problem, one generator for fraudulent instances and the other for legitimate instances. With this approach, we observed, at most, a 5% disparity in F1 scores between classifiers trained and tested with actual data and the ones trained with synthetic data and tested with actual data.
University admission test and students’ careers: an analysis through a regression chain graph with a hurdle model for the credits

In the academic year 2008/2009, the School of Economics of the Uni-versity of Florence introduced a compulsory test to evaluate the background of thestudents wishing to enrol in a degree program. In this paper, we assess the predictivepower of the test score in terms of number of gained credits, making comparisonswith the predictive power of variables recorded in administrative data, such as thetype of high school and the high school final grade. To disentangle direct and indi-rect effects, the result of the admission test is treated as an intermediate variable ina regression chain graph. About 20% of the enrolled student did not gain any creditat the end of the first year, thus we consider a two-part (hurdle) model, in order todeal correctly with excess zeros.
Hippocampal Contribution to Probabilistic Feedback Learning: Modeling Observation- and Reinforcement-based Processes

Abstract Simple probabilistic reinforcement learning is recognized as a striatum-based learning system, but in recent years, has also been associated with hippocampal involvement. This study examined whether such involvement may be attributed to observation-based learning (OL) processes, running in parallel to striatum-based reinforcement learning. A computational model of OL, mirroring classic models of reinforcement-based learning (RL), was constructed and applied to the neuroimaging data set of Palombo, Hayes, Reid, and Verfaellie [2019. Hippocampal contributions to value-based learning: Converging evidence from fMRI and amnesia. Cognitive, Affective & Behavioral Neuroscience, 19(3), 523–536]. Results suggested that OL processes may indeed take place concomitantly to reinforcement learning and involve activation of the hippocampus and central orbitofrontal cortex. However, rather than independent mechanisms running in parallel, the brain correlates of the OL and RL prediction errors indicated collaboration between systems, with direct implication of the hippocampus in computations of the discrepancy between the expected and actual reinforcing values of actions. These findings are consistent with previous accounts of a role for the hippocampus in encoding the strength of observed stimulus–outcome associations, with updating of such associations through striatal reinforcement-based computations. In addition, enhanced negative RL prediction error signaling was found in the anterior insula with greater use of OL over RL processes. This result may suggest an additional mode of collaboration between the OL and RL systems, implicating the error monitoring network.
Two-dimensional cushioning characteristics of sports surfaces

To evaluate sports surfaces, organizations often adopt vertical force attenuation or deformation and horizontal friction tests. Impact attenuation of sports surfaces is especially important for injury prevention. Although the mechanical tests are reproducible and the criteria for these tests are very strict, they have an issue of ‘particularity’: that is, the material behaviour may change when the mechanical properties of the drop mass spring systems are changed. To avoid this, we proposed an evaluation method using a mathematical surface model and computer simulation in previous studies that examines vertical properties only, while a two-dimensional impact test device for examining the two-dimensional cushioning characteristics of sport surfaces using a parallelogram linkage was proposed in previous studies. In this study, the data acquired from the two-dimensional device was confirmed by high-speed video. We then conducted two-dimensional impact tests – 69 trials, including 5 slip trials – using a variety of impact intensities and impact angles. The conclusions are as follows: 1) The impact force and the displacement acquired from the device were reliable even in slip trials; 2) When comparing the impulse of non-slip trials and slip trials, horizontal cushioning was observed in the slip trials, especially in the higher drop height group; 3) Even in non-slip trials, two-dimensional cushioning of impulse was observed; and 4) The impact friction test used in this experiment is significantly different from the popular friction tests and can provide new knowledge about the cushioning and friction characteristics of sports surfaces.
The bitter end: T2R bitter receptor agonists elevate nuclear calcium and induce apoptosis in non-ciliated airway epithelial cells

Bitter taste receptors (T2Rs) localize to airway motile cilia and initiate innate immune responses in retaliation to bacterial quorum sensing molecules (acyl-homoserine lactones and quinolones). Activation of T2Rs leads to calcium-driven NO production that increases cilia beating and directly kills bacteria. Several airway diseases, including chronic rhinosinusitis, COPD, and cystic fibrosis, are characterized by epithelial remodeling, including loss of motile cilia and/or squamous metaplasia. To understand the function of T2Rs within the altered landscape of airway disease, we studied T2Rs in non-ciliated airway cell lines and primary cells de-differentiated to a squamous phenotype. In differentiated cells, T2Rs localize to cilia, however in de-differentiated, non-ciliated cells they localize to the nucleus. Cilia and nuclear import utilize many shared proteins, thus in the absence of motile cilia some T2Rs may target to the nucleus. T2R agonists selectively elevated both nuclear and mitochondrial calcium through a G-protein-coupled receptor, phospholipase C, and InsP3 receptor-dependent mechanism. Additionally, T2R agonists decreased nuclear cAMP, increased nitric oxide, and increased cGMP, consistent with T2R signaling. Furthermore, exposure to T2R agonists led to nuclear calcium-induced mitochondrial depolarization and caspase activation. T2R agonists induced apoptosis in primary bronchial and nasal cells differentiated at air-liquid interface but then induced to a squamous phenotype by apical submersion. Air-exposed well-differentiated cells did not die. This T2R-induced apoptosis may be a last-resort defense against infection, possibly when bacteria have breached the epithelial barrier and reach non-ciliated cells below. However, it may also increase susceptibility of de-differentiated or remodeled epithelia to damage by bacterial metabolites. Moreover, the T2R-activated apoptosis pathway occurs in airway cancer cells. T2Rs may thus contribute to microbiome-tumor cell crosstalk in airway cancers. T2R agonists may also be useful topical therapeutics (e.g., delivered by nasal rinse or nebulizer) for activating airway cancer cell apoptosis without killing surrounding differentiated tissue.
Relax! inherent feedback during product interaction to reduce stress

For this research different experiments were conducted that indicate that people make rocking and rolling movements with a pen when they feel stressed; that when nervous movements are counteracted this results in more control over a situation; and that people prefer objects with moving parts when they are stressed. Embedding sensors in a pen could offer unobtrusive means to detect stress and appropriate feedback could support users in dealing with stress. Given these findings a pen was developed that enables the previously described behaviors. The pen registers the movements to detect whether the user feels stressed. With infrequent movements, parts of the pen are loose and with increased movements these parts are gradually fixed resulting in less freedom of movement for these parts. This type of feedback is considered as inherent because the reaction of the product is directly coupled to the actions of the user and therefore requires less cognitive burden. The pen was evaluated in an experiment and results indicate that users who received inherent feedback on their behavior had a lower heart rate than users that did not receive feedback. Furthermore, it appeared that the first group was not aware of the feedback. This could mean that when products are designed to reduce short-term stress they should provide feedback that directly affects behavior instead of addressing the cognitive skills of the user. Thereby products can reduce stress in a subconscious and unobtrusive way.
Avoiding management of resistances during IT pre-implementation phase: A longitudinal research in a high tech corporation

In the past decades many e-government initiatives have been introduced. Currently, attention is shifting towards enhancing the effectiveness of these initiatives by improving service delivery through organizational transformation. This is called Transformational Government and is often regarded as the next step in the development of electronic government, in which unique cross-organizational processes for customer service request are created. However, the creation of such service processes is cumbersome and even those organizations that have realized successful online service delivery are often hindered in their efforts to achieve transformational aspects such as service orientation and a networked organizational structure. As there is little insight in the barriers that organizations encounter on their path to Transformational Government, this research investigates those barriers by looking at two case studies that have made efforts to transform. The barriers we found include a lack of knowledge about necessary changes, a lack of change in the organization structure and the absence of a transformational mindset.
Assessing the risk of infectious Cryptosporidium in drinking water

Treated drinking water from 14 surface water treatment plants serving a combined population of approximately 9 million people was monitored for infectious Cryptosporidium oocysts using immunofluorescence microscopy to detect infections in cell culture. No infectious oocysts were detected in 370 samples with a total filtered volume of 349,053 L. The calculated risk of waterborne Cryptosporidium infection for the communities served by the 14 sampled plants was < 1 in 10,000. However, more accurate risk assessments of the threat to public health posed by Cryptosporidium in drinking water are still needed. This study demonstrated that routine infectivity monitoring of large volumes of treated drinking water is feasible. Consequently, testing finished water for infectious Cryptosporidium should be considered during periods of regulatory monitoring such as the second round of the Long Term 2 Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule.
An Association between Diet and MC4R Genetic Polymorphism, in Relation to Obesity and Metabolic Parameters—A Cross Sectional Population-Based Study

The melanocortin-4 receptor (MC4R) gene harbours one of the strongest susceptibility loci for obesity and obesity-related metabolic consequences. We analysed whether dietary factors may attenuate the associations between MC4R genotypes and obesity and metabolic parameters. In 819 participants genotyped for common MC4R polymorphisms (rs17782313, rs12970134, rs633265, and rs135034), the anthropometric measurements, body fat content and distribution (visceral and subcutaneous adipose tissue, VAT and SAT, respectively), and blood glucose, insulin, total-, LDL-, HDL-cholesterol, triglycerides concentrations, and daily macronutrient intake were assessed. ANOVA or Kruskal–Wallis tests were used, and multivariate linear regression models were developed. We observed that the CC genotype carriers (rs17782313) presented higher VAT, VAT/SAT ratio, fasting blood glucose and triglyceride concentrations when they were stratified to the upper quantiles of protein intake. An increase in energy derived from proteins was associated with higher BMI (Est. 5.74, R2 = 0.12), body fat content (Est. 8.44, R2 = 0.82), VAT (Est. 32.59, R2 = 0.06), and VAT/SAT ratio (Est. 0.96, R2 = 0.05). The AA genotype carriers (rs12970134) presented higher BMI, body fat, SAT and VAT, fasting blood glucose, triglycerides and total cholesterol concentrations. An increase in energy derived from proteins by AA carriers was associated with higher VAT (Est.19.95, R2 = 0.06) and VAT/SAT ratio (Est. 0.64, R2 = 0.05). Our findings suggest that associations of the common MC4R SNPs with obesity and its metabolic complications may be dependent on the daily dietary intake, which may open new areas for developing personalised diets for preventing and treating obesity and obesity-related comorbidities.
ISAAC Advanced Composites Research Testbed

The NASA Langley Research Center is acquiring a state-of-art composites fabrication capability to support the Center's advanced research and technology mission. The system introduced in this paper is named ISAAC (Integrated Structural Assembly of Advanced Composites). The initial operational capability of ISAAC is automated fiber placement, built around a commercial system from Electroimpact, Inc. that consists of a multi-degree of freedom robot platform, a tool changer mechanism, and a purpose-built fiber placement end effector. Examples are presented of the advanced materials, structures, structural concepts, fabrication processes and technology development that may be enabled using the ISAAC system. The fiber placement end effector may be used directly or with appropriate modifications for these studies, or other end effectors with different capabilities may either be bought or developed with NASA's partners in industry and academia.
EURL ECVAM strategy to avoid and reduce animal use in genotoxicity testing

The assessment of genotoxicity represents an important component of the safety assessment of all types of substances. Although several in vitro tests are available at different stages of development and acceptance, they cannot at present be considered to fully replace animal tests needed to evaluate the safety of substances. Based on an analysis of regulatory requirements for this endpoint within different pieces of EU legislation, EURL ECVAM proposes a pragmatic approach to improve the traditional genotoxicity testing paradigm that offers solutions in both the shortand medium-term and that draws on the considerable experience of 40 years of regulatory toxicology testing in this area. EURL ECVAM considers that efforts should be directed towards the overall improvement of the current testing strategy for better hazard and risk assessment approaches, which either avoids or minimises the use of animals, whilst satisfying regulatory information requirements, irrespective of regulatory context. Several opportunities for the improvement of the testing strategy have been identified which aim to i) enhance the performance of the in vitro testing battery so that fewer in vivo follow-up tests are necessary and ii) guide more intelligent in vivo follow-up testing to reduce unnecessary use of animals. The implementation of this strategic plan will rely on the cooperation of EURL ECVAM with other existing initiatives and the coordinated contribution from various stakeholders. As the Commission’s in-house science service, the Joint Research Centre’s mission is to provide EU policies with independent, evidence-based scientific and technical support throughout the whole policy cycle. Working in close cooperation with policy Directorates-General, the JRC addresses key societal challenges while stimulating innovation through developing new standards, methods and tools, and sharing and transferring its know-how to the Member States and international community. Key policy areas include: environment and climate change; energy and transport; agriculture and food security; health and consumer protection; information society and digital agenda; safety and security including nuclear; all supported through a cross- cutting and multi-disciplinary approach. L B -N A -2 6 3 7 5 -E N -N
Rare Diseases That Impersonate One Another: X‐Linked Hypophosphatemia and Tumor‐Induced Osteomalacia, a Retrospective Analysis of Discriminating Features

Tumor‐induced osteomalacia (TIO) is a rare paraneoplastic disease characterized by frequent fractures, bone pain, muscle weakness, and affected gait. The rarity of TIO and similar presentation to other phosphate‐wasting disorders contribute to a high misdiagnosis rate and long time to correct diagnosis. TIO is curable by tumor resection, so accurate diagnosis has significant impact on patients' emotional and economic burden. Current diagnostics for TIO rely on decades‐old literature with poor phenotypic validation. Here, we identify salient clinical differences between rigorously validated cohorts of patients with TIO (n = 9) and X‐linked hypophosphatemia (XLH; n = 43), a frequent misdiagnosis for patients with TIO. The TIO cohort had significantly elevated FGF23 (365 versus 95 RU/mL, p < 0.001) and alkaline phosphatase (282.8 versus 118.5 IU/L, p < 0.01) but significantly reduced phosphorus (1.4 versus 2.2 mg/dL, p < 0.05) and 1,25(OH)2 D (16.6 versus 59.8 pg/mL, p < 0.01). By contrast, total vitamin D was similar between the two groups. Dual‐energy X‐ray absorptiometry (DXA) scans reveal lower Z‐scores in the hip (−1.6 versus 0.050, p < 0.01) and spine (0.80 versus 2.35, p < 0.05). TIO patients were more likely to have prior clinical diagnosis of osteoporosis (67% versus 0%), use assistive devices in daily living (100% versus 14%), and have received a knee arthroplasty (33% versus 7%). TIO patients lost an average of 1.5 cm over their disease course and had sustained an average of 8 fractures each, whereas fractures were rare in XLH. The XLH cohort had higher incidence of osteotomy (19% versus 0%), spinal stenosis (12% versus 0%), secondary dental abnormalities (95% versus 44%, p < 0.001), and depression and anxiety (46.5% versus 11%). These results deepen our understanding of the subtle differences present between diseases of phosphate wasting. They suggest several biochemical, clinical, and historical features that effectively distinguish TIO from XLH. © 2022 The Authors. JBMR Plus published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.
Radiocarbon dating of historic mudflat sediments at Airth in the inner Forth estuary and the impact on the estuary of nineteenth century agricultural improvements

ABSTRACT The results of sediment-stratigraphic, diatom and pollen analyses, and AMS 14C dating of salt marsh sediments at Higgin’s Neuk, Airth in the inner Forth estuary in central Scotland are reported. Engineering borehole records of abundant peat within mudflat sediments encouraged work to establish rates of mudflat accretion over the last several centuries. However, six 14C assays on peat closely associated with buried archaeological structures of likely eighteenth century age record later prehistoric and early historic age-estimates. The assays are thought to be correct. The peat is not in situ. It probably originated from the well-documented, extensive late eighteenth and early nineteenth century clearance of raised mosses in the River Forth for agriculture. The sediment-stratigraphic evidence is important because it confirms the scale of the impacts of peat clearance on the inner estuary derived from contemporary documents. The peat may act as a marker horizon in mudflat and salt marsh sediments from which rates of post-eighteenth century mudflat accretion can be derived. At Higgin’s Neuk these were probably very high, given uncertainties in dating controls, around 0.8 cm/yr (1.2 yrs/cm) for the last ca. 150 years, a finding which accords with other studies around the North Sea.