Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Toward Black-Box Detection of Logic Flaws in Web Applications

Web applications play a very important role in many critical areas, including online banking, health care, and personal communication. This, combined with the limited security training of many web developers, makes web applications one of the most common targets for attackers. In the past, researchers have proposed a large number of white- and black-box techniques to test web applications for the presence of several classes of vulnerabilities. However, traditional approaches focus mostly on the detection of input validation flaws, such as SQL injection and cross-site scripting. Unfortunately, logic vulnerabilities specific to particular applications remain outside the scope of most of the existing tools and still need to be discovered by manual inspection. In this paper we propose a novel black-box technique to detect logic vulnerabilities in web applications. Our approach is based on the automatic identification of a number of behavioral patterns starting from few network traces in which users interact with a certain application. Based on the extracted model, we then generate targeted test cases following a number of common attack scenarios.
Risk-neutral Modeling with Affine and Nonaffine Models

Option prices provide a great deal of information regarding the market's expectations of future asset price dynamics. But, the implied dynamics are under the risk-neutral measure rather than the physical measure under which the price of the underlying asset itself evolves. This article demonstrates new techniques for joint analysis of the physical and risk-neutral models using data from both the underlying asset and options. While much of the prior work in this area has focused on affine and affine-jump models because of their analytical tractability, the techniques used in this article are straightforward to apply to a broad class of models of potential interest. The techniques are based on evaluating various integrals of interest using Monte Carlo sums over simulated volatility paths. In an application using S&P 500 index data, we find that log volatility models perform dramatically better than affine models, but that some evidence of misspecification remains. Copyright The Author, 2013. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com, Oxford University Press.
The QR Algorithm Revisited

The $QR$ algorithm is still one of the most important methods for computing eigenvalues and eigenvectors of matrices. Most discussions of the $QR$ algorithm begin with a very basic version and move by steps toward the versions of the algorithm that are actually used. This paper outlines a pedagogical path that leads directly to the implicit multishift $QR$ algorithms that are used in practice, bypassing the basic $QR$ algorithm completely.
Simulation analysis of the electro-thermal performance of SOI FinFETs

The GSS `atomistic' simulator GARAND has been enhanced with a thermal simulation module to investigate the impact of self-heating on FinFET DC operation. This thermal simulation module is based on the solution of the coupled Heat Flow, Poisson, and Current Continuity Equations, which is developed for the benefit of computational efficiency. A new formula for the calculation of the thermal conductivity in the fin region is employed considering both fin shape and temperature dependencies. The heat dissipation through the gate is treated by nonhomogeneous Neumann boundary conditions. The electro-thermal simulation results for an SOI FinFET example, designed to meet the specifications for the 14/16nm CMOS technology generation, are presented. The lattice temperature profiles under different external thermal resistances connected to the gate and the corresponding Id-Vg characteristics are investigated and analysed.
Near Optimal Hierarchical Path-Finding

The problem of path-finding in commercial computer games has to be solved in real time, often under constraints of limited memory and CPU resources. The computational effort required to find a path, using a search algorithm such as A*, increases with size of the search space. Hence, pathfinding on large maps can result in serious performance bottlenecks. This paper presents HPA* (Hierarchical Path-Finding A*), a hierarchical approach for reducing problem complexity in path-finding on grid-based maps. This technique abstracts a map into linked local clusters. At the local level, the optimal distances for crossing each cluster are pre-computed and cached. At the global level, clusters are traversed in a single big step. A hierarchy can be extended to more than two levels. Small clusters are grouped together to form larger clusters. Computing crossing distances for a large cluster uses distances computed for the smaller contained clusters. Our method is automatic and does not depend on a specific topology. Both random and real-game maps are successfully handled using no domainspecific knowledge. Our problem decomposition approach works very well in domains with a dynamically changing environment. The technique also has the advantage of simplicity and is easy to implement. If desired, more sophisticated, domain-specific algorithms can be plugged in for increased
Semi-automatic image annotation using sparse coding

Automatically assigning keywords to images is of great interest as it allows one to index, retrieve, and understand large collections of image data. It has become a new research focus and many techniques have been proposed to solve this problem. In this paper, a novel semi-auto image annotation technique is proposed. The new developed method uses a label transfer mechanism to automatically recommend promising tags to each image by assigning each image a category label first. Since image representation is one of the key problems in image annotation, we utilize a sparse coding based spatial pyramid matching as an effective way to model and interpret image features. Experimental results demoustrate that the proposed method outperforms the current state-of-the-art methods on two benchmark image datasets.
CMSC 858 F : Algorithmic Lower Bounds Fall 2014 Introduction to Algorithmic Game Theory

structure. A directed graph is defined over the vertices of the polytope where all strategies are easily recognizable and represented. Each one of these vertices has in-degree at most 1 and out-degree at most 1. Hence the graph is a collection of paths and cycles. By necessity, there is one vertex with no in-coming edge and one out-going edge such a vertex is called the standard source. By the basic properties of directed graphs we conclude that there must be a vertex with out-degree 0. This sink vertex is our Nash equilibrium. The above argument suggests a simple algorithm to find a solution start from the source and follow the path until you find a sink. Unfortunately, this is not an efficient algorithm because the number of vertices in the graph could be exponentially large. We note that even in this case the following three problems are efficiently solvable: • Is v a vertex of the graph? • Is u a neighbor of v in the graph? • Which vertex is the predecessor and which vertex is the successor of a given vertex? Apart from NASH there are a host of problems which are PPAD-complete like the Sperner’s lemma on an exponentially large set of vertices, finding Brouwer’s fixed point etc. It is unknown whether PPAD belongs to P or not. Similar to the class NP, which has NP-complete class as a set of problems which are interreducible in polynomial time (i.e., if one of these problems is solved in polynomial time, so are the rest), the class PPAD has the class of PPAD-complete class. Problems like NASH, Sperner, Brouwer, Arrow-Debreu equilibrium etc., are PPAD-complete. PPAD-completeness is weaker than NPcompleteness because even if PPAD = P it is not clear that NP = P.
Finger and hand detection for multi-touch interfaces based on maximally stable extremal regions

We propose a new approach for touch detection on optical multi-touch devices that exploits the fact that the camera images reveal not only the actual touch points, but also objects above the screen such as the hand or arm of a user. Our touch processing relies on the Maximally Stable Extremal Regions algorithm for finding the users' fingertips in the camera image. The hierarchical structure of the generated extremal regions serves as a starting point for agglomerative clustering of the fingertips into hands. Furthermore, we suggest a heuristic supporting the identification of individual fingers as well as the distinction between left hands and right hands if all five fingers of a hand are in contact with the touch surface. Our evaluation confirmed that the system is robust against detection errors resulting from non-uniform illumination and reliably assigns touch points to individual hands based on the implicitly tracked context information. The efficient multithreaded implementation handles two-handed input from multiple users in real-time.
Review on Physically Flexible Nonvolatile Memory for Internet of Everything Electronics

Solid-state memory is an essential component of the digital age. With advancements in healthcare technology and the Internet of Things (IoT), the demand for ultra-dense, ultra-low-power memory is increasing. In this review, we present a comprehensive perspective on the most notable approaches to the fabrication of physically flexible memory devices. With the future goal of replacing traditional mechanical hard disks with solid-state storage devices, a fully flexible electronic system will need two basic devices: transistors and nonvolatile memory. Transistors are used for logic operations and gating memory arrays, while nonvolatile memory (NVM) devices are required for storing information in the main memory and cache storage. Since the highest density of transistors and storage structures is manifested in memories, the focus of this review is flexible NVM. Flexible NVM components are discussed in terms of their functionality, performance metrics, and reliability aspects, all of which are critical components for NVM technology to be part of mainstream consumer electronics, IoT, and advanced healthcare devices. Finally, flexible NVMs are benchmarked and future prospects are provided.
Interaction Model for Incremental Information Presentation

In this paper we present an interaction model for incremental information presentation for situated human-agent assistive systems, which support a user in daily activities such as packing a bag or fetching ingredients for a cake or a menu. In a smart home interaction scenario, we provide a first realization as a proof of concept for our approach.
Competing Abelian and non-Abelian topological orders in ν = 1/3+1/3 quantum Hall bilayers

Bilayer quantum Hall systems, realized either in two separated wells or in the lowest two subbands of a wide quantum well, provide an experimentally realizable way to tune between competing quantum orders at the same filling fraction. Using newly developed density matrix renormalization group techniques combined with exact diagonalization, we return to the problem of quantum Hall bilayers at filling ν=1/3+1/3. We first consider the Coulomb interaction at bilayer separation d, bilayer tunneling energy Δ_(SAS), and individual layer width w, where we find a phase diagram which includes three competing Abelian phases: a bilayer Laughlin phase (two nearly decoupled ν=1/3 layers), a bilayer spin-singlet phase, and a bilayer symmetric phase. We also study the order of the transitions between these phases. A variety of non-Abelian phases has also been proposed for these systems. While absent in the simplest phase diagram, by slightly modifying the interlayer repulsion we find a robust non-Abelian phase which we identify as the “interlayer-Pfaffian” phase. In addition to non-Abelian statistics similar to the Moore-Read state, it exhibits a novel form of bilayer-spin charge separation. Our results suggest that ν=1/3+1/3 systems merit further experimental study.
Impact of Nutrient Imbalance on Wine Alcoholic Fermentations: Nitrogen Excess Enhances Yeast Cell Death in Lipid-Limited Must

We evaluated the consequences of nutritional imbalances, particularly lipid/nitrogen imbalances, on wine yeast survival during alcoholic fermentation. We report that lipid limitation (ergosterol limitation in our model) led to a rapid loss of viability during the stationary phase of fermentation and that the cell death rate is strongly modulated by nitrogen availability and nature. Yeast survival was reduced in the presence of excess nitrogen in lipid-limited fermentations. The rapidly dying yeast cells in fermentations in high nitrogen and lipid-limited conditions displayed a lower storage of the carbohydrates trehalose and glycogen than observed in nitrogen-limited cells. We studied the cell stress response using HSP12 promoter-driven GFP expression as a marker, and found that lipid limitation triggered a weaker stress response than nitrogen limitation. We used a SCH9-deleted strain to assess the involvement of nitrogen signalling pathways in the triggering of cell death. Deletion of SCH9 increased yeast viability in the presence of excess nitrogen, indicating that a signalling pathway acting through Sch9p is involved in this nitrogen-triggered cell death. We also show that various nitrogen sources, but not histidine or proline, provoked cell death. Our various findings indicate that lipid limitation does not elicit a transcriptional programme that leads to a stress response protecting yeast cells and that nitrogen excess triggers cell death by modulating this stress response, but not through HSP12. These results reveal a possibly negative role of nitrogen in fermentation, with reported effects referring to ergosterol limitation conditions. These effects should be taken into account in the management of alcoholic fermentations.
Constraint Exploration and Envelope of Simulation Trajectories

The implicit theory that a simulation represents is precisely not in the individual choices but rather in the 'envelope' of possible trajectories - what is important is the shape of the whole envelope. Typically a huge amount of computation is required when experimenting with factors bearing on the dynamics of a simulation to tease out what affects the shape of this envelope. In this paper we present a methodology aimed at systematically exploring this envelope. We propose a method for searching for tendencies and proving their necessity relative to a range of parameterisations of the model and agents' choices, and to the logic of the simulation language. The exploration consists of a forward chaining generation of the trajectories associated to and constrained by such a range of parameterisations and choices. Additionally, we propose a computational procedure that helps implement this exploration by translating a Multi Agent System simulation into a constraint-based search over possible trajectories by 'compiling' the simulation rules into a more specific form, namely by partitioning the simulation rules using appropriate modularity in the simulation. An example of this procedure is exhibited. Keywords: Constraint Search, Constraint Logic Programming, Proof, Emergence, Tendencies
Metabolic Interplay between the Asian Citrus Psyllid and Its Profftella Symbiont: An Achilles’ Heel of the Citrus Greening Insect Vector

‘Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus’ (CLas), the bacterial pathogen associated with citrus greening disease, is transmitted by Diaphorina citri, the Asian citrus psyllid. Interactions among D. citri and its microbial endosymbionts, including ‘Candidatus Profftella armatura’, are likely to impact transmission of CLas. We used quantitative mass spectrometry to compare the proteomes of CLas(+) and CLas(-) populations of D. citri, and found that proteins involved in polyketide biosynthesis by the endosymbiont Profftella were up-regulated in CLas(+) insects. Mass spectrometry analysis of the Profftella polyketide diaphorin in D. citri metabolite extracts revealed the presence of a novel diaphorin-related polyketide and the ratio of these two polyketides was changed in CLas(+) insects. Insect proteins differentially expressed between CLas(+) and CLas(-) D. citri included defense and immunity proteins, proteins involved in energy storage and utilization, and proteins involved in endocytosis, cellular adhesion, and cytoskeletal remodeling which are associated with microbial invasion of host cells. Insight into the metabolic interdependence between the insect vector, its endosymbionts, and the citrus greening pathogen reveals novel opportunities for control of this disease, which is currently having a devastating impact on citrus production worldwide.
Satellite Chlorophyll Fluorescence and Soil Moisture Observations Lead to Advances in the Predictive Understanding of Global Terrestrial Coupled Carbon‐Water Cycles

The terrestrial carbon and water cycles are coupled through a multitude of connected processes among soil, roots, leaves, and the atmosphere. The strength and sensitivity of these couplings are not yet well known at the global scale, which contributes to uncertainty in predicting the terrestrial water and carbon budgets. We now have synchronous, global‐scale satellite observations of critical terrestrial carbon and water cycle components: solar‐induced chlorophyll fluorescence (SIF) and soil moisture. We used these observations within the framework of a global terrestrial biosphere model (Simplified Simple Biosphere Model version 2.0, SSiB2) to investigate carbon‐water coupling processes. We updated SSiB2 to include a mechanistic representation of SIF and tested the sensitivity of model parameters to improve the simulation of both SIF and soil moisture with the ultimate objective of improving the first‐order terrestrial carbon component, gross primary production. Although several vegetation parameters, such as leaf area index and the green leaf fraction, improved the simulated SIF, and several soil parameters, such as hydraulic conductivity, improved simulated soil moisture, their effects were mainly limited to their respective cycles. One root‐mean‐square error parameter emerged as the key coupler between the carbon and water cycles: the wilting point. Updates to the wilting point significantly improved the simulations for SIF and gross primary production although substantial mismatches with the satellite data still existed. This study demonstrates the value of synchronous global measurements of the terrestrial carbon and water cycles in improving the understanding of coupled carbon‐water cycles.
The effect of size and density on mean retention time of particles in the gastrointestinal tract of sheep

The selective retention of particles in the reticulo-rumen and in the gastrointestinal tract distal to the reticulo-rumen was studied in fistulated sheep maintained on a roughage diet. Polyethylene glycol and plastic particles of different lengths (1 and 10 mm) and densities (092, 1.03, 1.22 and 1.44 g/ml) were either fed or were introduced into the omasum. The mean retention time in the reticulo-rumen (MRTRR) of 1 mm long particles with a density of approximately 1.0 g/ml was about 67 h, that is eight times longer than the MRTRR of fluid; the heavier particles were retained only three times longer than fluid. Particles with a length of 10 mm were retained in the reticulo-rumen 19–28 h longer than 1 mm long particles of the same density. Particles with a length of 10 mm were reduced to smaller particles (0.5–4 mm) due to rumination. Multiple regression analysis indicated that particle density and particle size accounted for 59 and 28% of the total variation of MRTRR respectively. The mean retention time distal to the reticulo- rumen (MRTGut) of 1 and 10 mm long particles with a density near 1.0 g/ml was 18–19 h, similar to that of fluid (16 h). The heavier particles were retained about 3–8 h longer.
Inadmissible Class of Boolean Functions under Stuck-at Faults

Several underlying structural and functional factors that determine the fault behavior of a network are not yet well understood. In this paper, we show that there exists a large class of Boolean functions, called root functions, which can never appear as faulty response in an irredundant two-level circuit even when any arbitrary multiple stuck-at faults are injected. Conversely, we show that any other Boolean function can appear as a faulty response in an irredundant realization of some root function under certain stuck-at faults. We characterize this new class of functions and show that for n variables, their number is exactly equal to the number of independent dominating sets (Harary and Livingston, Appl. Math. Lett., 1993) in a Boolean n-cube. Similar properties are observed for multiple-valued logic functions as well. Finally, we discuss its application to logic design and point out some open problems.
Towards Multi-level Provenance Reconstruction of Information Diffusion on Social Media

In order to assess the trustworthiness of information on social media, a consumer needs to understand where this information comes from, and which processes were involved in its creation. The entities, agents and activities involved in the creation of a piece of information are referred to as its provenance, which was standardized by W3C PROV. However, current social media APIs cannot always capture the full lineage of every message, leaving the consumer with incomplete or missing provenance, which is crucial for judging the trust it carries. Therefore in this paper, we propose an approach to reconstruct the provenance of messages on social media on multiple levels. To obtain a fine-grained level of provenance, we use an approach from prior work to reconstruct information cascades with high certainty, and map them to PROV using the PROV-SAID extension for social media. To obtain a coarse-grained level of provenance, we adapt our similarity-based, fuzzy provenance reconstruction approach -- previously applied on news. We illustrate the power of the combination by providing the reconstructed provenance of a limited social media dataset gathered during the 2012 Olympics, for which we were able to reconstruct a significant amount of previously unidentified connections.
Trunk Muscle Activity Is Modified in Osteoporotic Vertebral Fracture and Thoracic Kyphosis with Potential Consequences for Vertebral Health

This study explored inter-relationships between vertebral fracture, thoracic kyphosis and trunk muscle control in elderly people with osteoporosis. Osteoporotic vertebral fractures are associated with increased risk of further vertebral fractures; but underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Several factors may explain this association, including changes in postural alignment (thoracic kyphosis) and altered trunk muscle contraction patterns. Both factors may increase risk of further fracture because of increased vertebral loading and impaired balance, which may increase falls risk. This study compared postural adjustments in 24 individuals with osteoporosis with and without vertebral fracture and with varying degrees of thoracic kyphosis. Trunk muscle electromyographic activity (EMG) associated with voluntary arm movements was recorded and compared between individuals with and without vertebral fracture, and between those with low and high thoracic kyphosis. Overall, elderly participants in the study demonstrated co-contraction of the trunk flexor and extensor muscles during forwards arm movements, but those with vertebral fractures demonstrated a more pronounced co-contraction than those without fracture. Individuals with high thoracic kyphosis demonstrated more pronounced alternating flexor and extensor EMG bursts than those with less kyphosis. Co-contraction of trunk flexor and extensor muscles in older individuals contrasts the alternating bursts of antagonist muscle activity in previous studies of young individuals. This may have several consequences, including altered balance efficacy and the potential for increased compressive loads through the spine. Both of these outcomes may have consequences in a population with fragile vertebrae who are susceptible to fracture.