Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A robust and redundant key management for Mobile Ad hoc Networks

Due to the inherent nature of Mobile Ad hoc Networks (MANETs), they are vulnerable to several types of attack such as passive and active attacks. In order to countermeasure the attack and to enable mobile nodes to communicate securely with each other, a key management process is always required. While central authorities perform the key management process in traditional wired networks, it is better to distribute the burden of key management process in MANET placed on a single authority among multiple nodes. In this paper, we propose a robust and redundant key management scheme for MANETs. In the proposed scheme, there are two approaches for key management. The first approach uses threshold cryptography to establish the distributed certificate authority among mobile nodes. The second approach is the key management through a web of trust. A mobile node can use one of the two approaches independently and can also use the two approaches together in order to obtain the authenticated public keys of other nodes in the network. The proposed scheme has been evaluated using the network simulator ns-2 and simulation results show the effectiveness of the proposed scheme.
A design of learning assistant using smartphone for R-Learning

In this paper, we present a control system allowing users to control R-Learning robot using Android smart phone. The presented control system consists of an application for Android smartphone and an application embedded in R-Learning robot. Two important roles of this system are assuring safety and working as an assistant. Therefore, if smartphone is used with R-Leaning, we can provide more functions to teachers and students and it will be helpful to the learning. Technically, when robot using smartphone, the program embedded in robot will receive related information and control values from smart phone and move robot to desired position. Also, the smartphone displays the related information to the teacher different from that of robot.
Work in Progress: An Investigation of a College of Engineering Underrepresented Minority Students’ Perceptions of Inclusive Co-curricular Spaces and Student Support Programs Beyond the First Year.

Undergraduate programs attempting to increase retention of underrepresented minorities (URM) often focus on the students’ experiences within the first year. At large institutions, students may also have access to additional services and programs to help them succeed beyond their first year. However, some students are either unaware of these resources or unwilling to participate. This can be an issue for URM, especially if they are the only one from their small niche in a particular major or class. At Texas A&M University, Black and Hispanic students make up a small demographic within the Colleges of Agriculture and Life Sciences (COALS) and Engineering (COE), approximately 3% and 23% respectively. Lack of peer interactions, compounded by other challenges that URM students face, can lead to feelings of isolation and eventually departure decisions. To overcome this perceived isolation, colleges must develop ways to connect students with student support programs (SSP), as well as encourage utilization of co-curricular spaces (CS) already available, yet under utilized. This work explores factors that promote or deter upper-level URM students from engaging in support programs and other student success opportunities in the COALS and COE. The primary goal was to evaluate (1) the feelings of upper-level students concerning inclusion and (2) the utilization of CS & SSP on this University’s campus. This research problem will be addressed through a mixed methods approach including knowledge mapping, surveys and focus groups, by exploring the following identifiers: 1) marginalization and 2) isolation. This is a work in progress, this report documents the step-by-step approach used up until data collection.
Mutations in dynamin‐related protein result in gross changes in mitochondrial morphology and affect synaptic vesicle recycling at the Drosophila neuromuscular junction

Mitochondria are the primary source of ATP needed for the steps of the synaptic vesicle cycle. Dynamin‐related protein (DRP) is involved in the fission of mitochondria and peroxisomes. To assess the role of mitochondria in synaptic function, we characterized a Drosophila DRP mutant combination that shows an acute temperature‐sensitive paralysis. Sequencing of the mutant reveals a single amino acid change in the guanosine triphosphate hydrolysing domain (GTPase domain) of DRP. The synaptic mitochondria in these mutants are remarkably elongated, suggesting a role for DRP in mitochondrial fission in Drosophila. There is a loss of neuronal transmission at restrictive temperatures in electroretinogram (ERG) recordings. Like stress‐sensitive B (sesB), a mitochondrial adenosine triphosphate (ATP) translocase mutant we studied earlier for its effects on synaptic vesicle recycling, an allele‐specific reduction in the temperature of paralysis of Drosophila synaptic vesicle recycling mutant shibire was seen in the DRP mutant background. These data, in addition to depletion of vesicles observed in electron microscopic sections of photoreceptor synapses at restrictive temperatures, suggest a block in synaptic vesicle recycling due to reduced mitochondrial function.
Nonrandom AP site distribution in highly proliferative cells

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the oxidative DNA damage they produce [e.g., 8‐oxo‐guanine and apurinic/apyrimidinic (AP) sites] have been linked to the pathogenesis of several age‐related and chronic diseases. The basal number of AP sites measured in DNA by immuno‐slot‐blot analysis ranges from 70,000 to 100,000 per genome. We used electron microscopy to determine how AP sites were distributed in isolated DNA fibers from fresh calf thymus and HeLa cell cultures. We observed that AP sites were not equally distributed throughout all the fibers. A small percentage of the analyzed DNA fibers contained a disproportionate amount of the total AP sites in nonrandom groups of 10 to >30 closely spaced in a small region (e.g., 20 AP sites in a 6 kb length of DNA). This fisuggests that genomic sites may differ in their vulnerability to ROS damage, perhaps because of local chromatin structure. Nonrandom AP site formation also suggests that the detrimental effects of ROS in the development of disease may be related not simply to the total number of AP sites present but to how AP sites are distributed along a DNA fibers and, perhaps, to the genomic sites affected. —Chastain, II, P. D. , Nakamura, J., Swenberg, J., Kaufman, D. Nonrandom AP site distribution in highly proliferative cells. FASEB J. 20, E2127–E2132 (2006)
Transurethral Electrovaporization of the Prostate vs. Transurethral Resection

Aim of the Study: To evaluate clinical, urodynamic efficacy and safety of TURP and TVP in patients with symptoms due to obstructive benign prostatic hypertrophy with a prospective multicentric randomized study. Materials and Methods: 150 patients with BPH, urodynamically obstructed, were randomized to receive TURP or TVP. At the end of the recruitment phase, 80 patients underwent TURP and 70 patients underwent TVP. Patients were clinically evaluated by the I-PSS score at months 0, 1, 3, 6 and 12. Preoperative evaluation included complete blood routine examination, PSA, transrectal ultrasound and pressure/flow studies. Pressure/flow studies were also performed after 3 months. Results: There was no statistical difference between groups in any of the preoperative parameters. All patients were considered urodynamically obstructed at preoperative pressure studies. As for catheter days and hospitalization days, statistical differences between TVP and TURP were found; catheter days were 2.71 days (SE 0.12) in the TURP group vs. 1.9 (SE 0.24) in the TVP group (p < 0.000). Hospitalization was 4.7 days (SE 0.22) after TURP and 3.9 days (SE 0.24) after TVP (p < 0.000). Mean preoperative I-PSS score was 18.84 and 18.19 in the TVP and TURP groups, respectively. At 3, 6 and 12 months, IPSS was 5.52 and 5.50, 3.77 and 4.94, 3.52 and 4.04 for TURP and TVP, respectively. Mean preoperative peak flow rate (PFR) was 8.78 and 7.26 ml/s for TURP and TVP, respectively; after 3, 6 and 12 months, PFR was 19.21 and 18.8, 20.77 and 20.13, 20.30 and 20.31 ml/s, respectively. After 3 months, 6 patients in the TURP group (7.5%) and 7 patients in the TVP group (10%) were borderline obstructed. 1 patient in the TVP group (1.4%) was still obstructed and underwent TURP. As for complications, 4 patients (5.7%) in the TVP group had stress urinary incontinence after 12 months vs. 1 (1.25%) in the TURP group. Discussion: The present study clearly demonstrates that TVP is as effective as TURP in relieving urinary obstruction due to BPH, it offers some advantages in terms of catheterization and hospital stay, but at the price of a higher incidence of postoperative urine incontinence. Technical improvements might solve this problem in the future, perhaps combining TVP with TURP of the apical tissue.
INTERTEMPORAL ENDOGENEITY IN BOARD COMPOSITION AND FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE

The impact of board composition on overall financial performance is not at all clear. One problem with measuring their relation may be that board of director composition and financial performance are endogenously determined. A second problem may be that due to fixed board terms and periodic financial reporting, the relation may be intertemporal. We develop a theory of intertemporal endogeneity of board composition and financial performance. Using causality tests in panel regressions with three years of data for 130 closed-end mutual funds, we find only minimal evidence of intertemporal endogeneity. The evidence that board composition influences financial performance is not very strong and depends on the definitions of financial performance and board composition as well as the type of statistical model employed. We do find somewhat stronger evidence that prior financial performance impacts board composition, but the relation depends on how we define board composition.
Risk factors, inpatient care, and outcomes of pneumonia after ischemic stroke

Objectives: Pneumonia is the most common medical complication after stroke. Although several risk factors have been reported, the role of common comorbidities in the development of pneumonia is not well established. Moreover, there is discrepancy in the literature regarding the impact of pneumonia on stroke outcomes. Methods: This is a multicenter retrospective cohort study including consecutive patients with ischemic stroke admitted to Regional Stroke Centers participating in the Registry of Canadian Stroke Network in July 2003–March 2007. Pneumonia was defined as a complication that occurred within the first 30 days of the stroke and was confirmed radiographically. The main outcome measure was adjusted 30-day mortality. Secondary outcomes were adjusted 7- and 365-day mortality, institutionalization, length of stay, and modified Rankin score on discharge. We also assessed the impact of organized stroke care on pneumonia development and mortality. Results: Overall, 8,251 patients were included in the study. Stroke-associated pneumonia was observed in 587 patients (7.1*). Pneumonia increased 30-day (odds ratio [OR] 2.2 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.8–2.7]) and 1-year mortality (OR 3.0 [95% CI 2.5–3.7]), but not 7-day mortality. Pneumonia was associated with poor functional outcome. Higher access to organized inpatient care resulted in a reduction of 30-day mortality (OR 0.50 [95% CI 0.41–0.61]). Older age, male sex, stroke severity, dysphagia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, coronary artery disease, nonlacunar ischemic stroke, and preadmission dependency were independent predictors of pneumonia. Conclusions: Development of pneumonia after stroke was associated with mortality at 30 days and 1 year, longer length of stay, and dependency at discharge. Patients who received more inpatient stroke services had reduced mortality after pneumonia.
Golden Parachutes, Rubber Checks, and Strategic Retirements from the 102d House

Political scientists have long been interested in the occupational decisions of politicians. Two events prior to the 1992 congressional elections brought journalists and the broader public into emotion-rich but data-poor discussions of how and why to achieve greater turnover in Congress. The House banking scandal gave rise to standard arguments that voters should "throw the bums out. " An initially obscure provision in the Federal Election Campaign Act, which allowed certain grandfathered members personally to pocket their campaign war chests, gave rise to somewhat more sophisticated assertions about "buying the bums out. " Using preelection data on incumbents' decisions to retire or seek reelection, we estimate the effects of these special features of the 1992 election while improving upon prior estimates of strategic retirements more generally. By embedding an explicit occupational choice model into a maximum-likelihood equation, we find strong evidence of strategic retirements, and we quantify precisely the turnover that can be attributed to rubber checks and golden parachutes.
Relating Alternate Modifications to Defect Density in Software Development

A software developer tends to spend more effort to understand source code written by other developers than code written by herself. Existing research studying the impact of changes made by multiple developers on bug proneness did not consider quantitatively the influence of the order of the changes made by different developers. We found that a significant proportion of source files in many open source software systems had been modified alternately by different developers. We developed a metric, namely alternate modification index (AMI), to indicate the extent to which a source file is modified alternately by multiple developers. Our preliminary case study results show that AMI of source files has a strong positive correlation with their defect density.
A Simple and Useful Layout Scheme to Achieve Uniform Current Distribution for Multi-Finger Silicided Grounded-Gate NMOS

The influence of the contact-to-contact space on the ESD performance of multi-finger silicided ground-gate NMOS (GGNMOS) is investigated. We find that the conventional contact layout, which has short contact-to-contact space, induces current localization, and degrade the device ESD performance. Here we discuss how to design a ballast resistor for silicided multi-finger GGNMOS and show that lengthening the contact spacing can significantly improve device ESD performance (It2, HBM and MM). This improvement eliminates the short channel induced degradation of thin oxide device ESD
The Principles and Practice of Protecting the Environment Privately

There is no question that the environment is important to human society: so much so that without the environment, the human race could not exist. As a species, humanity is dependent on the environment, at the most basic of levels, for its sustenance and its shelter as well as providing a liveable ‘habitat’. Humanity also enjoys the environment as a source of cultural identity and as a venue for recreation. Yet there are frequently expressed concerns that the condition of the environment is in decline and that future generations of humanity will face a situation where the ability of the environment to meet the needs of society is compromised to the point where well-being will deteriorate. This is broadly expressed as a risk to the ‘sustainability’ of society…
Vector-sensor array direction-of-arrival estimation exploiting spatial time-frequency structure based on joint approximate diagonalization

By making use of the extra particle velocity information, an array of vector sensors can achieve better Direction-of-arrival (DOA) estimation performance than a conventional array of pressure sensors. However, it is noted that most of the previous work on DOA estimation with vectorsensor array uses only the time-space statistical information available on the array signals and does not exploit the difference in the time-frequency signatures of the sources. In this paper, we develop a new approach which exploits the inherent time-frequency-space characteristics of the underlying vectorsensor array signal to achieve better DOA estimation performance even in a noisy and coherent environment with few snapshots. It turns out that our approach is based on the spatial time-frequency distributions (STFD) information and can efficiently combine all of the relevant STFD points by the joint approximate diagonalization approach, such as Jacobi rotation, to reduce the effect of noise and achieve the desired angular resolution. Computer simulations with several frequently encountered scenarios, such as multiple closely spaced coherent sources, indicate the superior DOA estimation resolution of our proposed approach as compared with existing techniques. In addition, from a statistical point of view, the performance of our proposed approach is investigated more closely by considering the root mean square error (RMSE) respectively versus SNRs, snapshots, or number of sensors and its excellent performance for higher DOA estimation accuracy is demonstrated.
Same currency, different strategies? The (asymmetric) role of the exchange rate in shaping European agri-food exports

Abstract This article uses a nonlinear autoregressive distributed lag (NADRL) model introduced by Shin, Yu, and Greenwood-Nimmo (2014) to assess the role that the exchange rate plays in shaping European agri-food exports after the introduction of the Euro. Although the 10 countries of this study share the same currency (and thus a single nominal exchange rate with the US), cross-country discrepancies of exports’ reactions to exchange rate changes are evident. Moreover, I find that exchange rate changes influence exports asymmetrically in the long run. Euro appreciations are harmful to a lesser extent than Euro depreciations are beneficial for European agri-food exports. The magnitude of this effect is country-specific and varies considerably between individual exporting countries. Exported quantities are less affected by exchange rate fluctuations than export values, which is in line with local currency price stabilization strategies of the exporters. This finding is interpreted as a sign of an incomplete exchange rate pass-through due to strategic (asymmetric) markup adjustments by firms with heterogeneous productivity. Besides that, the outcomes suggest that nonprice competition might be in play in some cases.
A scalable load forecasting system for low voltage grids

A recent research trend is driven to increase the monitoring and control capabilities of low voltage networks. This paper describes a probabilistic forecasting methodology based on kernel density estimation and that makes use of distributed computing techniques to create a highly scalable forecasting system for LV networks. The results show that the proposed algorithm outperforms three benchmark models (one for point forecast and two for probabilistic forecasts) and demonstrate the applicability of the distributed in-memory computing solution for a practical operational scenario. The ultimate goal is to integrate information about net-load forecasts in power flow optimization frameworks for low voltage networks in order to solve technical constraints with the available home energy management system flexibility.
The relation between funding by the National Institutes of Health and the burden of disease.

BACKGROUND The Institute of Medicine has proposed that the amount of disease-specific research funding provided by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) be systematically and consistently compared with the burden of disease for society. METHODS We performed a cross-sectional study comparing estimates of disease-specific funding in 1996 with data on six measures of the burden of disease. The measures were total mortality, years of life lost, and number of hospital days in 1994 and incidence, prevalence, and disability-adjusted life-years (one disability-adjusted life-year is defined as the loss of one year of healthy life to disease) in 1990. With the use of these measures as explanatory variables in a regression analysis, predicted funding was calculated and compared with actual funding. RESULTS There was no relation between the amount of NIH funding and the incidence, prevalence, or number of hospital days attributed to each condition or disease (P=0.82, P=0.23, and P=0.21, respectively). The numbers of deaths (r=0.40, P=0.03) and years of life lost (r=0.42, P=0.02) were weakly associated with funding, whereas the number of disability-adjusted life-years was strongly predictive of funding (r=0.62, P<0.001). When the latter three measures were used to predict expected funding, the conclusions about the appropriateness of funding for some diseases varied according to the measure used. However, the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, breast cancer, diabetes mellitus, and dementia all received relatively generous funding, regardless of which measure was used as the basis for calculating support. Research on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, perinatal conditions, and peptic ulcer was relatively underfunded. CONCLUSIONS The amount of NIH funding for research on a disease is associated with the burden of the disease; however, different measures of the burden of disease may yield different conclusions about the appropriateness of disease-specific funding levels.
Variações no padrão de consumo de alimentos na economia brasileira: uma análise do período 1987-2003

The present study aimed to verify how the patterns of food consumption, in relation to the per capita home purchase and in different household income ranges, changed in profile in the Brazilian economy in the period from 1987 to 2003, examining the main transformations and their economic implications. To that end, data from the Research of Family Budgets (POF), conducted by IBGE for the years of 1987/1988, 1995/1996 and 2002/2003, were utilized. The analysis of changes in food consumption of different classes of income allowed verifying the reduction in the total food purchase, except for families with incomes up to twice the minimum wage. There was reduction in per capita annual consumption of products that require more time for preparation, and increase in the acquisition of more practical and easy-to-prepare food. The search for practicality, due to the new life style adopted by families, has demonstrated the appearance of a new consumer market for ready and easy-to-prepare meals at the expense of consumption of more traditional foods.