Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Securing Multi-Layer Communications: A Signal Processing Approach

Title of Dissertation: SECURING MULTI-LAYER COMMUNICATIONS: A SIGNAL PROCESSING APPROACH Yinian Mao, Doctor of Philosophy, 2006 Dissertation directed by: Professor Min Wu Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering Security is becoming a major concern in this information era. The development in wireless communications, networking technology, personal computing devices, and software engineering has led to numerous emerging applications whose security requirements are beyond the framework of conventional cryptography. The primary motivation of this dissertation research is to develop new approaches to the security problems in secure communication systems, without unduly increasing the complexity and cost of the entire system. Signal processing techniques have been widely applied in communication systems. In this dissertation, we investigate the potential, the mechanism, and the performance of incorporating signal processing techniques into various layers along the chain of secure information processing. For example, for application-layer data confidentiality, we have proposed atomic encryption operations for multimedia data that can preserve standard compliance and are friendly to communications and delegate processing. For multimedia authentication, we have discovered the potential key disclosure problem for popular image hashing schemes, and proposed mitigation solutions. In physical-layer wireless communications, we have discovered the threat of signal garbling attack from compromised relay nodes in the emerging cooperative communication paradigm, and proposed a countermeasure to trace and pinpoint the adversarial relay. For the design and deployment of secure sensor communications, we have proposed two sensor location adjustment algorithms for mobility-assisted sensor deployment that can jointly optimize sensing coverage and secure communication connectivity. Furthermore, for general scenarios of group key management, we have proposed a time-efficient key management scheme that can improve the scalability of contributory key management from O(log n) to O(log(log n)) using scheduling and optimization techniques. This dissertation demonstrates that signal processing techniques, along with optimization, scheduling, and beneficial techniques from other related fields of study, can be successfully integrated into security solutions in practical communication systems. The fusion of different technical disciplines can take place at every layer of a secure communication system to strengthen communication security and improve performance-security tradeoff. SECURING MULTI-LAYER COMMUNICATIONS: A SIGNAL PROCESSING APPROACH
Time Multiplexing Control for Power Converters

Controlling two outputs with a single controlling switch in the power converter presents difficulties when two contrasting actions are required: to raise one output and decrease the other. This paper studies the application of time-multiplexing control (TMC) technique on power converters, with particular interest on single-switch multiple-output converters. Each output has its own feedback control circuit but these discrete feedback control loops are intermittently switched to regulate the duration of the 'on period' and 'off period' of the power switches. The inclusion of multiplexing logic to incorporate multiple controllers will improve the regulation of the auxiliary outputs and the main output within the tolerances required for electronic equipment. The output errors can be distributed between the outputs according to the time sharing factor of the time multiplexing logic controller. Simulation and experimental results on a single-switch dual-output flyback converter with and without TMC are reported to verify the error sharing capability of the proposed method. This control approach suggests a possible solution in improving the overall performance of the power supply in terms of output voltage regulation.
Pioglitazone treatment decreases follicular fluid levels of tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukin-6 in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome

Objective To investigate the effects of pioglitazone on controlled ovarian stimulation (COS), IVF outcomes, and follicular fluid (FF) cytokine concentrations in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Methods Eighty-six infertile patients with PCOS resistant to clomiphene citrate were randomized to receive pioglitazone (30 mg/day) or placebo on the starting day of oral contraceptive (OC) pretreatment, followed by an IVF protocol using a GnRH antagonist. Pioglitazone or placebo was administered once daily from the starting day of OC to the day of hCG injection. Results Total dose and days of recombinant follicle-stimulating hormone administered, and the numbers of retrieved and mature oocytes, were significantly lower in the pioglitazone group than in the control group. FF tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) concentrations at oocyte retrieval were also significantly lower in the pioglitazone group. The clinical pregnancy rate was higher and the incidence of severe ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome was lower in the pioglitazone group, but the differences were not statistically significant. Conclusion Pioglitazone reduces FF TNF-α and IL-6 levels, and may improve ovarian response to COS in patients with PCOS.
Thiazolidenediones induce tumour‐cell apoptosis through the Akt‐GSK3β pathway

What is known and Objective: Prostate cancer is a major health threat for men. Thiazolidenediones (TZDs) are synthetic ligands of the peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor γ (PPARγ), and previous studies have shown that TZDs induce apoptosis of prostate cancer cells independently of PPARγ activation. However, the exact mechanism of these effects remains unknown. Our objective was to investigate the effects of TZDs on apoptosis and on the serine/threonine kinase pathway, Akt, and glycogen synthase kinase 3β (GSK3β).
Development of an efficient parameter estimation method for the inference of Vohradský's neural network models of genetic networks

Vohradský has proposed a neural network model to describe biochemical networks. Based on this model, several researchers have proposed genetic network inference methods. When trying to analyze large-scale genetic networks, however, these methods must solve high-dimensional function optimization problems. In order to resolve the high-dimensionality in the estimation of the parameters of the Vohradský's neural network model, this study proposes a new method. The proposed method estimates the parameters of the neural network model by solving two-dimensional function optimization problems. Although these two-dimensional problems are non-linear, their low-dimensionality would make the estimation of the model parameters easier. Finally, we confirm the effectiveness of the proposed method through numerical experiments.
Supplementary Methods: Integrated model of de novo and inherited genetic variants yields greater power to identify risk genes

1 Probabilistic model of de novo mutations and inherited variations in family data 2 2 The impact of mutation rates on the Multiplicity Test 3 3 Bayesian inference of risk genes 3 4 Estimation of the prior parameters by the Hierarchical Bayes method 5 5 TADA for multiple types of mutations 5 6 Method of moment estimation of the number of ASD genes and their relative risks 6 7 Comparison with an earlier estimate of the number of ASD genes 7 8 Parameterization in the analysis of ASD data 8 9 Controlling FDR in simulations 9 10 Genomic control for TADA 10 11 Variant Calling 10
The Stable Abducible Argumentation Semantics

We look at a general way of inducing semantics in argumentation theory by means of a mapping defined on the family of 2-valued models of a normal program, which is constructed in terms of the argumentation framework. In this way we define a new argumentation semantics called stable abducible which lies in between the stable and the preferred semantics. The relevance of this new semantics is that it is nonempty for any argumentation framework, and coincides with the stable argumentation semantics whenever this is non-empty. We study some of the properties of this semant.
From St Jerome to Hypertext: Translation in Theory and Practice

From St. Jerome to Hypertext: Contents Foreword Introduction Chapter I: The Science of Translation and Translation Studies A. Translation theory in a historical light B. Light touches on modern translation theory C. Translation studies enlightened by theories of science D. Translation practice Chapter II: The Author and the Translator A. The author's creativity and that of the translator The voice in the reader's ear Modest or manipulative? Authorial voice or authorial vision? Sex change and polygamy B. The translator's role and that of the author The translation is an original. The original is a translation Translating oneself The author as translator Courting an audience C. The writing between the lines and other extralinguistic phenomena The semiotic context Bold speech and slanted writing D. The author as a reference work Chapter III: Word Play and Language Games A. Procrustes as a translator The author stretches the translator bends Structural obstacles Lexical material Translationese Idioms and metaphors B. The translator as Munchhausen Illusion and contradiction or the art of the impossible Munchhausen's feat Strategy or the way it happens? Ambiguities, obscurities and irritants Games and their limits Chapter IV: Syntax A Chapter All of Its Own A. Syntax and thought B. Parataxis, hypotaxis and syntactic gaps C. Dreams, thoughts, quanta and morphic fields D. Sound-image-sign-writing Chapter V: Hot Tin Roofs, Squeaking Snow and Other Cultural Biotopes A. Concepts Metaphor and thought Linguistic determinism conceptual differences B. Biblical concepts and translatorial intervention C. Cultural correlates and co-ordinates National character, the disposition of the populus, and tone All culture is borrowed Climate, food and clothing The fool on the hill and other institutions What's in a name? Diachronic perspective Chapter VI: What It's All About A. Understanding and Meaning Meaning and significance Interpretation The hermeneutic circle and spiral B. Equivalence a meaningless concept? Chapter VII: The Process of Translation Mysterium Conjuntionis A. Hunting for the black box B. Can the process be conceptualised? C. Headaches and gut feelings D. Introspection and thinking aloud E. From eraser to spell checker F. From hand-writing to hypertext Non-Fiction Bibliography Fiction Bibliography Name Index Subject Index
Anti-Essentialism and the Work/Family Dilemma

When I began to think about my memories of BWLJ in preparation for writing this piece, one small, but significant, event came to mind. During my tenure on the Journal, a clipping from the New York Times appeared on the office bulletin board. It described a talking Barbie doll manufactured by Mattel that said, among other things, "Math class is tough. "1 The toll-free number for the Mattel corporation was hand written across the bottom of the article. No further instructions were necessary. Although this example has little to do with the law, this newspaper clipping on the BWLJ bulletin board signifies much of what I found attractive about the Journal as a community. The Journal was a group of law students (both women and men) deeply interested in how seemingly ordinary, everyday aspects of society helped construct the meaning of gender, often in ways that we found problematic. In addition, the Journal's members were collectively committed to social change to challenging those everyday assumptions about gender that recreated stereotypes and classified women as inferior. We also shared a baseline awareness of how seemingly neutral institutions, including sometimes law school itself, rested on implicitly gendered structures that were rarely acknowledged, let alone questioned. For these reasons, the tiny BWLJ office was more than just a location for mobilizing opposition to the "I-hate-math Barbie. " It was also a supportive community of like-minded students that shaped our experience, and our understanding, of our law school experience. Beyond Barbie, for me at least, BWLJ also provided an alternative intellectual space in which to explore emerging feminist legal scholarship, and to
Socioeconomic disadvantage and primary non-adherence with medication in Sweden.

OBJECTIVE Lack of adherence with pharmacological therapy is a public health concern that compels tremendous costs for the health care system and the community. To analyse the association between socioeconomic disadvantage and primary non-adherence with medication, and to explore possible mediating effects of trust in health care and lifestyle profile. DESIGN Cross-sectional population-based study based on data from the Swedish national public health surveys 2004-2005. PARTICIPANTS The study comprised 13603 men and 18292 women aged 21-84 years who had any contact with a physician at a hospital or primary care centre. Measures Primary non-adherence with medication based on whether respondents reported that they refrained from purchasing at the pharmacy prescribed medication. Socioeconomic Disadvantage Index was based on four different indicators of economic deprivation. RESULTS Socioeconomic disadvantage was associated with primary non-adherence with medication independent of long-term illness, risky lifestyle, low education, living alone and low trust for health care. This association increased with older age, particularly among women. Among individuals aged 21-34 years, severe compared with no socioeconomic disadvantage, was associated with two-fold increased odds for non-adherence with medication. The corresponding odds among individuals aged 65-84 years were three-fold increase among elderly men (OR=3.3, 95% CI: 1.4-7.8) and six-fold increase among elderly women (OR=6.2, 95% CI: 2.5-15.3). Yet every seventh elderly woman aged 65-84 years suffered from long-term illness. CONCLUSIONS Results indicate that health policies for 'care on equal terms' in Sweden have been less successful in relation to equitable access to prescribed medication, especially among the elderly.
Why It Matters What People Think: Colonization, Legal Origins and the Deep Roots of Trust

This paper deals with the direction of causality between culture and formal institutions. It does so by analysing the causal relationship between legal origins (institutions) and trust (culture). It empirically investigates the deep historical roots of trust by constructing a proxy for the persistent component of trust. By making use of these persistent trust scores, and drawing on information about the exogenous or endogenous introduction of legal origins, it assesses whether trust is endogenous or exogenous to institutions or whether there is a two-way causality between both variables as it is suggested by recent theoretical studies. Here, it provides evidence that: (i) countries for which legal origins are endogenous developed different legal institutions depending on their persistent (ex-ante) trust values; and (ii) that the effects of an exogenous introduction of legal origins (through e.g. colonization) vary depending on persistent trust levels. In consequence, it concludes that there is a complex two-way causality between trust and legal origins. This result has important policy consequences, since it means that institutional change can be successful in the long-run only if it takes into account the already existing culture in the affected countries.
Differential Genetic and Epigenetic Regulation of catechol-O-methyltransferase is Associated with Impaired Fear Inhibition in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

The catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) enzyme is critical for the catabolic regulation of synaptic dopamine, resulting in altered cortical functioning. The COMT Val158Met polymorphism has been implicated in human mental illness, with Met/Met homozygotes associated with increased susceptibility to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Our primary objective was to examine the intermediate phenotype of fear inhibition in PTSD stratified by COMT genotype (Met/Met, Val/Met, and Val/Val) and differential gene regulation via methylation status at CpG sites in the COMT promoter region. More specifically, we examined the potential interaction of COMT genotype and PTSD diagnosis on fear-potentiated startle during fear conditioning and extinction and COMT DNA methylation levels (as determined using genomic DNA isolated from whole blood). Participants were recruited from medical and gynecological clinics of an urban hospital in Atlanta, GA, USA. We found that individuals with the Met/Met genotype demonstrated higher fear-potentiated startle to the CS− (safety signal) and during extinction of the CS+ (danger signal) compared to Val/Met and Val/Val genotypes. The PTSD+ Met/Met genotype group had the greatest impairment in fear inhibition to the CS− (p = 0.006), compared to Val carriers. In addition, the Met/Met genotype was associated with DNA methylation at four CpG sites, two of which were associated with impaired fear inhibition to the safety signal. These results suggest that multiple differential mechanisms for regulating COMT function – at the level of protein structure via the Val158Met genotype and at the level of gene regulation via differential methylation – are associated with impaired fear inhibition in PTSD.
BEDEN EĞİTİMİ ÖĞRETMENLERİ İLE DİĞER BRANŞ ÖĞRETMENLERİNİN PROBLEM ÇÖZME BECERİSİ AÇISINDAN KARŞILAŞTIRILMASI

Bu arastirmanin genel amaci; beden egitimi ogretmenleri ile diger brans ogretmenlerinin problem cozme becerisindeki algilama duzeyleri arasindaki farki analiz etmektir. Arastirmanin orneklem grubunu; 194 beden egitimi ogretmeni ile 118 diger brans ogretmeni (sosyal bilgiler, fen bilgisi, felsefe ve yabanci dil grubu) olmak uzere toplam 312 ogretmen olusturmaktadir. Veriler, 1982 yilinda P.P Heppner ve C. H. Petersen tarafindan gelistirilen ve ozgun adi “Problem Solving Inventory, Form-A (PSI-A) olarak adlandirilan ve alti alt olcekten olusan olcek yardimiyla toplanmistir. Verilerin analizinde t testi ve F testi kullanilmistir. Olcekten alinan toplam puanlar bakimindan brans ve cinsiyet degiskeni acisindan gruplar arasindaki faklilik onemli bulunmamistir (p>0.05). Medeni durum degiskeni acisindan puanlar arasindaki farklilik onemli bulunmustur (p<0.05). Alt olceklerden “aceleci yaklasim” ve “kacingan yaklasim” acisindan gruplar arasindaki farklilik onemli bulunmustur (p<0.05). Problem cozme becerisini algilama yonunden toplam puan bakimindan beden egitimi ogretmenleri ile diger brans ogretmenleri arasinda onemli bir farklilik bulunmamasina ragmen, beden egitimi ogretmenlerinin ortalamalari diger gruba gore dusuk bulunmustur. Beden egitimi ogretmenlerinin bu konuya yonelik egitimlerine daha fazla onem verilmesi gerekmektedir
Differential interaction of anaesthetics and antiepileptic drugs with neuronal Na+ channels, Ca2+ channels, and GABA(A) receptors.

BACKGROUND Current theories favour multiple agent-specific neuronal actions for both general anaesthetics and antiepileptic drugs, but the pharmacological properties that distinguish them are poorly understood. We compared the interactions of representative agents from each class on their putative targets using well-characterized radioligand binding assays. METHODS Synaptosomes or membranes prepared from rat cerebral cortex were used to analyse drug effects on [(35)S]t-butyl bicyclophosphorothionate ([(35)S]TBPS) binding to the picrotoxinin site of GABA(A) receptors, [(3)H]batrachotoxinin A 20-alpha benzoate ([(3)H]BTX-B) binding to site 2 of voltage-gated Na(+) channels, (+)-[methyl-(3)H]isopropyl 4-(2,1,3-benzoxadiazol-4-yl)-1,4-dihydro-5-methoxycarboxyl-2,6-dimethyl-3-pyridinecarboxylate ([(3)H]PN200-110; isradipine) binding to L-type Ca(2+) channels, and [cyclohexyl-2,3-(3)H](N)glibenclamide ([(3)H]GB) binding to K(ATP) channels. RESULTS I.V. anaesthetics other than ketamine preferentially inhibited [(35)S]TBPS binding (etomidate approximately equal alphaxalone > propofol > thiopental > pentobarbital). Volatile anaesthetics inhibited both [(35)S]TBPS and [(3)H]BTX-B binding with comparable potencies (halothane approximately equal isoflurane approximately equal enflurane). Antiepileptic drugs preferentially antagonized either [(35)S]TBPS (diazepam > phenobarbital) or [(3)H]BTX-B (phenytoin > carbamazepine) binding. Local anaesthetics (lidocaine, tertracaine) selectively antagonized [(3)H]BTX-B binding. None of the drugs tested were potent antagonists of [(3)H]PN200-110 or [(3)H]GB binding. CONCLUSIONS Comparative radioligand binding assays identified distinct classes of general anaesthetic and antiepileptic drugs based on their relative specificities for a defined target set. I.V. anaesthetics interacted preferentially with GABA(A) receptors, while volatile anaesthetics were essentially equipotent at Na(+) channels and GABA(A) receptors. Antiepileptic drugs could be classified by preferential actions at either Na(+) channels or GABA(A) receptors. Anaesthetics and antiepileptic drugs have agent-specific effects on radioligand binding. Both general anaesthetics and antiepileptic drugs interact with Na(+) channels and GABA(A) receptors at therapeutic concentrations, in most cases with little selectivity.
Exploring history: a mobile inclusive virtual tourist guide

In the present paper we report on the design decisions and the field test results of an inclusive mobile tourist guide app, the Time Machine. The historical information is conveyed by sound and the navigation information by haptics, while the app can be controlled eyes-free by a combination of on-screen and free-form gestures. To emphasize the eyes-free use, 9 of 11 test users recruited had severe visual impairment or blindness. The field test results show that users find that the Time Machine is fun, stimulating and usable, but also provide valuable information for future designers of inclusive apps/location based services. We argue that the Time Machine provides an exemplar of how one can design inclusively in a way that benefits both users who are sighted and users who have a visual impairment.
UMBC at TREC 12

We present the results of UMBC’s participation in the Web and Nov- elty tracks. We explored various heuristics-based link analysis approaches to the Topic Distillation task. For the novelty task we tried several methods for exploit- ing semantic information of sentences based on the SVD technique. We used SVD to expand the query and to filter redundant sentences. We also used a clus- tering algorithm that is also based on SVD.