Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Discussion of Covert Channels and Steganography

For those whose task it is to assure security, electronic communication without scrutiny that can continue between parties trying to circumvent a security policy poses a risk. This is true whether the "parties" are individuals with malicious intent or processes with different security levels passing data while running on a shared CPU. Covert communication channels have been present throughout history and continue to be developed, used and sometimes exploited by those intent on keeping their communications not only secret, but also hidden. Awareness has increased in the application of covert channels, fueled by increased demand for development in the field of digital watermarking and fingerprinting for copyright protection and infringement prosecution, and reports of increased use for illegal purposes on the Internet. The technology itself is a doubleedged sword. Although the current threat of steganographic technology appears to lag its usefulness, the diligent information systems person needs to be mindful of the security ramifications that a covert channel in their enterprise carries. Myriad techniques for secreting information flow exist; eliminating them is an impossible task. In order to protect ourselves, we must apply the dynamics that serve so well in other unpredictable information security risk venues: assess the risk, find ways to quickly detect the exploit’s use, determine an appropriate response and use whatever means available to impede the perpetrator allowing time for detection and reaction mechanisms to work. And learn from the other guys. 00000000011011110000000000000000
Frequency Estimation of Single-Tone Sinusoids Under Additive and Phase Noise

We investigate the performance of main frequency estimation methods for a single-component complex sinusoid under complex additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) as well as phase noise (PN). Two methods are under test: Maximum Likelihood (ML) method using Fast Fourier Transform (FFT), and the autocorrelation method (Corr). Simulation results showed that FFT-method has superior performance as compared to the Corr-method in the presence of additive white Gaussian noise (affecting the amplitude) and phase noise, with almost 20dB difference. ‎
Indirect effects of lightning on wind turbines using EMTP-RV

This paper is concerned with the protection of wind turbines against the indirect effects of lightning. Lightning damages involving wind turbines have come to be regarded with increasing concern. The wind power generation is rapidly growing in Portugal, but still there are few studies regarding the lightning protection of wind turbines using models of the Electro-Magnetic Transients Program (EMTP). Hence, a case study is presented in this paper, based on a wind turbine with an interconnecting transformer, considering that lightning strikes the soil near the tower. Computer simulations are provided by using the recently restructured version of EMTP, EMTP-RV, highlighting the need for adequate protection measures.
HMS 300 : Visual Object Recognition

BEWARE: These are preliminary notes. In the future, they will become part of a textbook on " Visual Object Recognition ". In the meantime, please interpret with caution. Feedback is welcome at gabriel. Chapter 10: First steps towards in silico vision We have been traveling through the wonderful territory of visual cortex, examining the properties of different brain areas and neuronal circuits, how neurons respond to visual stimuli and their transformations and how neurons communicate with each other. It is now time to try to put all this biological knowledge into a theory of visual recognition and instantiate this theory through a computational model that aims to perform visual recognition. En route towards this goal, here we take initial steps to describe how scientists describe neuronal circuits in computational models 1. 10.1. Why bother with computational models? I have to start by admitting that I am quite biased here. I think that Theoretical Neuroscience and Computational Neuroscience are essential to rigorously understand how neuronal circuits work. The language of Science is Mathematics. Any description that is not rigorously substantiated by mathematical thinking is weak and prone to failure. In the course of doing science, designing experiments and interpreting the results, we implicitly assume the validity of several hypotheses and make multiple assumptions. Quantitative models force us to think about and formalize these hypotheses and assumptions. This process of explicitly stating the assumptions can help design better experiments, discover logical flaws in our thinking and further understand the results. It is often the case that the same questions or related questions are posed and attacked from different angles, using different experimental systems or the same systems in different laboratories. It is not always trivial to compare the results across different reports 2. Quantitative models can integrate and summarize observations across experiments, resolutions and laboratories. Sometimes seemingly unrelated observations can be linked together and interpreted using a common powerful framework. Sometimes a quantitative 1 This is by no means intended to be an exhaustive sample or presentation of work in Theoretical and Computational Neuroscience. We would like to illustrate some of the ideas, questions, tools, methodologies and results in Computational Neuroscience. There are several books that I would recommend for those who are interested in learning more Dayan, P. 2 Consider the following simple question. What is multi-unit activity? Wildly different definitions permeate through the literature.
IL-25 and type 2 innate lymphoid cells induce pulmonary fibrosis

Significance Abnormal damage and scarring of tissue (fibrosis) in the lungs can lead to pulmonary fibrosis. Patients that develop the various forms of pulmonary fibrosis are difficult to treat and have a high level of mortality. In this study we have used mouse models to address the role of the cytokine interleukin (IL)-25 and type 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2) in pulmonary fibrosis. In animal models we show a role for IL-25 and ILC2 in the generation of pulmonary fibrosis. Furthermore, we have identified elevated levels of IL-25 and ILC2s in the lungs of patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. This study provides insights on the factors and cells that may initiate pulmonary fibrosis in humans and have therapeutic potential. Disease conditions associated with pulmonary fibrosis are progressive and have a poor long-term prognosis with irreversible changes in airway architecture leading to marked morbidity and mortalities. Using murine models we demonstrate a role for interleukin (IL)-25 in the generation of pulmonary fibrosis. Mechanistically, we identify IL-13 release from type 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2) as sufficient to drive collagen deposition in the lungs of challenged mice and suggest this as a potential mechanism through which IL-25 is acting. Additionally, we demonstrate that in human idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis there is increased pulmonary expression of IL-25 and also observe a population ILC2 in the lungs of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis patients. Collectively, we present an innate mechanism for the generation of pulmonary fibrosis, via IL-25 and ILC2, that occurs independently of T-cell–mediated antigen-specific immune responses. These results suggest the potential of therapeutically targeting IL-25 and ILC2 for the treatment of human fibrotic diseases.
Increased Antiretroviral Potency by the Addition of Enfuvirtide to a Four-Drug Regimen in Antiretroviral-Naive, HIV-Infected Patients

Objective To assess if enfuvirtide (ENF) increases antiviral activity of a highly active four-drug antiretroviral (ARV) regimen containing lopinavir/ritonavir, efavirenz, lamivudine and tenofovir in ARV-naive, HIV-infected patients. Methods Pilot study in ARV-naive, HIV-infected patients with viral load (VL) >10,000 copies/ml and no documented resistance to any of the study drugs. Patients were randomized to receive ENF (ENF Group) or not (Control Group) in combination with lopinavir/ritonavir, efavirenz, lamivudine and tenofovir as a backbone. The primary endpoint was to assess differences in the HIV-1 RNA decay rate during the first phase of viral decay. VL and treatment adherence were measured at baseline, every 6 h during the first 3 days, and once daily from day 3 to 6. Individual HIV-1 RNA decay rates were obtained using a non-linear least squares regression model. Results Eight subjects were included in each study group. Mean (sd) baseline VL was 4.98 (0.38) log10 copies/ml in the ENF Group and 5.10 (0.49) log10 copies/ml in the Control Group (P=0.607). Baseline CD4+ cell count was 463 (306) and 362 (225) cells/mm3 in the ENF and the Control Group, respectively (P=0.484). First phase HIV-1 RNA decay rate was 0.802 (0.127) d-1 in the ENF Group and 0.624 (0.182) d-1 in the Control Group (P=0.045). By day 6, VL was 3.55 (0.40) and 3.92 (0.36) log10 copies/ml in the ENF and the Control Group, respectively (P=0.079). Conclusion The addition of ENF increased the antiviral potency of a highly active four-drug ARV regimen by 28.5% in ARV-naive, HIV-infected patients. The clinical impact of this finding should be assessed.
Control of lens development by Lhx2-regulated neuroretinal FGFs

Fibroblast growth factor (FGF) signaling is an essential regulator of lens epithelial cell proliferation and survival, as well as lens fiber cell differentiation. However, the identities of these FGF factors, their source tissue and the genes that regulate their synthesis are unknown. We have found that Chx10-Cre;Lhx2lox/lox mice, which selectively lack Lhx2 expression in neuroretina from E10.5, showed an early arrest in lens fiber development along with severe microphthalmia. These mutant animals showed reduced expression of multiple neuroretina-expressed FGFs and canonical FGF-regulated genes in neuroretina. When FGF expression was genetically restored in Lhx2-deficient neuroretina of Chx10-Cre;Lhx2lox/lox mice, we observed a partial but nonetheless substantial rescue of the defects in lens cell proliferation, survival and fiber differentiation. These data demonstrate that neuroretinal expression of Lhx2 and neuroretina-derived FGF factors are crucial for lens fiber development in vivo. Summary: The LIM homeodomain transcription factor Lhx2 regulates FGF3, FGF9 and FGF15 and is essential for lens cell proliferation, survival and differentiation in mice.
Diversity and Transmission of Gut Bacteria in Atta and Acromyrmex Leaf-Cutting Ants during Development

The social Hymenoptera have distinct larval and adult stages separated by metamorphosis, which implies striking remodeling of external and internal body structures during the pupal stage. This imposes challenges to gut symbionts as existing cultures are lost and may or may not need to be replaced. To elucidate the extent to which metamorphosis interrupts associations between bacteria and hosts, we analyzed changes in gut microbiota during development and traced the transmission routes of dominant symbionts from the egg to adult stage in the leaf-cutting ants Acromyrmex echinatior and Atta cephalotes, which are both important functional herbivores in the New World tropics. Bacterial density remained similar across the developmental stages of Acromyrmex, but Atta brood had very low bacterial prevalences suggesting that bacterial gut symbionts are not actively maintained. We found that Wolbachia was the absolute dominant bacterial species across developmental stages in Acromyrmex and we confirmed that Atta lacks Wolbachia also in the immature stages, and had mostly Mollicutes bacteria in the adult worker guts. Wolbachia in Acromyrmex appeared to be transovarially transmitted similar to transmission in solitary insects. In contrast, Mollicutes were socially transmitted from old workers to newly emerged callows. We found that larval and pupal guts of both ant species contained Pseudomonas and Enterobacter bacteria that are also found in fungus gardens, but hardly or not in adult workers, suggesting they are beneficial only for larval growth and development. Our results reveal that transmission pathways for bacterial symbionts may be very different both between developmental stages and between sister genera and that identifying the mechanisms of bacterial acquisition and loss will be important to clarify their putative mutualistic functions.
Identification of Drought Prone Areas and Trend Analysis of Rainfall Phenomenon in Dhasan Basin

The present study has been focussed to recognize and quantify the drought condition in Dhasan basin which falls in drought prone region of Bundelkhand (Madhya Pradesh). The area is under frequent occurrence of droughts since decades due to irregularity in arrival of rainfall. The high variability of the annual rainfall is one of the primary causes of the drought prevailing in the Dhasan basin on a regular basis. The decreasing trend of rainfall may further aid to drought severity. The rainfall departure analysis indicated that, the study area is under the grip of regular and continuous droughts with the drought frequency varying between once in 2 years to once in 3 years, which is rather very high. Sagar and Banda areas were identified to be most drought prone followed by Khurai.
Comparison of colostrum TGF-β2 levels between lactating women in Japan and Nepal.

BACKGROUND Maternal milk-borne transforming growth factor (TGF-β plays a potential role in the development of the mucosal immune system in infants. However, it remains unclear what factors determine TGF-β levels in breast milk. We hypothesized that microbial pressures during pregnancy might affect the expression levels of TGF-β in colostrum. OBJECTIVE This study compared TGF-β2 levels in colostrum of lactating women living in Japan and Nepal with contrasting hygiene statuses. Additionally, we identified environmental and intrinsic factors influencing TGF-β levels in colostrum. METHODS Breast milk samples and structured questionnaires were collected from 80 women living in Japan and 208 women living in Nepal. A robust regression model was used to identify factors associated with colostral TGF-β levels. RESULTS Analysis using the Mann-Whitney U test showed that TGF-β levels were significantly higher in Japanese women than in Nepalese women. Japanese women who consumed animal milk daily during pregnancy and had atopic dermatitis expressed lower levels of TGF-β in colostrum, as compared to Japanese women who did not. Among Nepalese women, large family size and higher birth order were associated with lower TGF-β levels and women who gave birth to infants with low birth weight had higher expression of TGF-β levels in milk than women who gave birth to infants with normal birth weight. CONCLUSION The results suggest that induction of TGF-β levels in colostrum depends on differences in the ethnicity of lactating women. Consumption of animal protein and parturition characteristics may affect TGF-β levels in breast milk, and may explain differences in these levels in breast milk between countries.
Wiretapped signal leakage minimization for secure multiuser MIMO systems via interference alignment

In this paper, interference alignment (IA) is designed for secure multiuser multiple-input multiple-output systems in the presence of an eavesdropper. The proposed IA technique designs the transmit precoding and receiving subspace matrices to minimize both the total inter-main-link interference and the wiretapped signals. With perfect channel state information is known at the transmitters (Txs), the cost function of the optimization problem is alternatively minimized over the precoding matrices at the Txs and the receiving subspace matrices at the receivers (Rxs) and the eavesdropper. The feasible condition, the proof of convergence of the proposed IA approach are provided. Numerical results reveal a significant improvement in terms of average secrecy sum rate of our IA algorithm as compared to the conventional IA design.
Overlapping and Asymmetric Functions of TCR Signaling during Thymic Selection of CD4 and CD8 Lineages

TCR signaling plays a central role in directing developmental fates of thymocytes. Current models suggest TCR signal duration directs CD4 versus CD8 lineage development. To investigate the role of TCR signaling during positive selection directly, we switched signaling off in a cohort of selecting thymocytes and followed, in time, their subsequent fate. We did this using an inducible Zap70 transgenic mouse model that allowed Zap70-dependent signaling to be turned on and then off again. Surprisingly, loss of TCR signaling in CD4+CD8lo thymocytes did not prevent their development into committed CD4 single positives (SPs), nor their continued maturation to HSAlo SPs. However, numbers of CD4 SPs underwent a substantial decline following loss of Zap70 expression, suggesting an essential survival role for the kinase. Termination of TCR signaling is considered an essential step in CD8 lineage development. Loss of Zap70 expression, however, resulted in the rapid death of CD8 lineage precursor thymocytes and a failure to generate CD8 SPs. Significantly, extending the window of Zap70 expression was sufficient for generation and export of both CD4 and CD8 T cells. These data reveal a parallel requirement for TCR-mediated survival signaling, but an asymmetric requirement for TCR-mediated maturation signals.
Non-Immunogenicity of Overlapping Gag Peptides Pulsed on Autologous Cells after Vaccination of HIV Infected Individuals

Background HIV Gag-specific CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell responses are important for HIV immune control. Pulsing overlapping Gag peptides on autologous lymphocytes (OPAL) has proven immunogenic and effective in reducing viral loads in multiple pigtail macaque studies, warranting clinical evaluation. Methodology We performed a phase I, single centre, placebo-controlled, double-blinded and dose-escalating study to evaluate the safety and preliminary immunogenicity of a novel therapeutic vaccine approach ‘OPAL-HIV-Gag(c)’. This vaccine is comprised of 120 15mer peptides, overlapping by 11 amino acids, spanning the HIV Gag C clade sequence proteome, pulsed on white blood cells enriched from whole blood using a closed system, followed by intravenous reinfusion. Patients with undetectable HIV viral loads (<50 copies/ml plasma) on HAART received four administrations at week 0, 4, 8 and 12, and were followed up for 12 weeks post-treatment. Twenty-three people were enrolled in four groups: 12 mg (n = 6), 24 mg (n = 7), 48 mg (n = 2) or matching placebo (n = 8) with 18 immunologically evaluable. T-cell immunogenicity was assessed by IFNγ ELIspot and intracellular cytokine staining (ICS). Results The OPAL-HIV-Gag(c) peptides were antigenic in vitro in 17/17 subjects. After vaccination with OPAL-HIV-Gag(c), 1/6 subjects at 12 mg and 1/6 subjects at 24 mg dose groups had a 2- and 3-fold increase in ELIspot magnitudes from baseline, respectively, of Gag-specific CD8+ T-cells at week 14, compared to 0/6 subjects in the placebo group. No Gag-specific CD4+ T-cell responses or overall change in Rev, Nef, Tat and CMV specific responses were detected. Marked, transient and self-limiting lymphopenia was observed immediately post-vaccination (4 hours) in OPAL-HIV-Gag(c) but not in placebo recipients, with median fall from 1.72 to 0.67 million lymphocytes/mL for active groups (P<0.001), compared to post-placebo from 1.70 to 1.56 lymphocytes/ml (P = 0.16). Conclusion/Significance Despite strong immunogenicity observed in several Macaca nemestrina studies using this approach, OPAL-HIV-Gag(c) was not significantly immunogenic in humans and improved methods of generating high-frequency Gag-specific T-cell responses are required. Name of Registry ClinicalTrials.gov, Registry number: NCT01123915, URL trial registry database: http://www.clinicaltrials. gov/ct2/results? term=OPAL-HIV-1001&Search=Search
GPS precise point positioning for UAV photogrammetry

The use of Global Positioning System (GPS) precise point positioning (PPP) on a fixed‐wing unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is demonstrated for photogrammetric mapping at accuracies of centimetres in planimetry and about a decimetre in height, from flights of 25 to 30 minutes in duration. The GPS PPP estimated camera station positions are used to constrain estimates of image positions in the photogrammetric bundle block adjustment, as with relative GPS positioning. GPS PPP alleviates all spatial operating constraints associated with the installation and the use of ground control points, a local ground GPS reference station or the need to operate within the bounds of a permanent GPS reference station network. This simplifies operational logistics and enables large‐scale photogrammetric mapping from UAVs in even the most remote and challenging geographic locations.
Robotic versus Laparoscopic Approach in Colonic Resections for Cancer and Benign Diseases: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Objectives The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to compare robotic colectomy (RC) with laparoscopic colectomy (LC) in terms of intraoperative and postoperative outcomes. Materials and Methods A systematic literature search was performed to retrieve comparative studies of robotic and laparoscopic colectomy. The databases searched were PubMed, Embase and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials from January 2000 to October 2014. The Odds ratio, Risk difference and Mean difference were used as the summary statistics. Results A total of 12 studies, which included a total of 4,148 patients who had undergone robotic or laparoscopic colectomy, were included and analyzed. RC demonstrated a longer operative time (MD 41.52, P<0.00001) and higher cost (MD 2.42, P<0.00001) than did LC. The time to first flatus passage (MD -0.51, P = 0.003) and the length of hospital stay (MD -0.68, P = 0.01) were significantly shorter after RC. Additionally, the intraoperative blood loss (MD -16.82, P<0.00001) was significantly less in RC. There was also a significantly lower incidence of overall postoperative complications (OR 0.74, P = 0.02) and wound infections (RD -0.02, P = 0.03) after RC. No differences in the postoperative ileus, in the anastomotic leak, or in the conversion to open surgery rate and in the number of harvested lymph nodes outcomes were found between the approaches. Conclusions The present meta-analysis, mainly based on observational studies, suggests that RC is more time-consuming and expensive than laparoscopy but that it results in faster recovery of bowel function, a shorter hospital stay, less blood loss and lower rates of both overall postoperative complications and wound infections.