Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Concise Derivation of Scattering Function from Channel Entropy Maximization

In order to provide a concise time-varying SISO channel model, the principle of maximum entropy is applied to scattering function derivation. The resulting model is driven by few parameters that are expressed as moments such as the channel average power or the Doppler spread. Physical interpretations of the model outputs are discussed. In particular, it is shown that common Doppler spectra such as the flat or the Jakes spectrum fit well into the maximum entropy framework. The Matlab code corresponding to the proposed model is available at http://perso.telecom-bretagne.eu/fxsocheleau/software.
Influence of solder thickness on interfacial structures and fatigue properties of Cu/Sn/Cu joints

AbstractCopper plates were soldered with tin foil of different thicknesses to examine the influence of the solder thickness on formation of secondary phases at the interface and fatigue properties. In the case of an initial solder thickness of 60 μm, the thickness of the η (Cu6 Sn5) phase and the ɛ (Cu3 Sn) phase linearly increased with the square root of the bonding time. The fatigue strength was 3 MPa and the fatigue life decreased with increasing stress amplitude and had a low scatter. In the fatigue process, fine cracks appeared in the η phase and propagated in the solder layer. This process was different from the case of static shear fracture. In the case of a 5 μm solder thickness, the solder was replaced by secondary phases in a short time, and only the ɛ phase remained at the interface after a bonding time of more than 300 min. The fatigue strength was 13 MPa and was independent of the interfacial structure, but the fatigue life showed a large scatter. In the fatigue test, unstable fracture occurr.
Electromagnetic Analysis for Conductive Media Based on Volume Integral Equations

Accurate electromagnetic (EM) analysis for conductive media requires to consider the finite conductivity of the media. Although the problems can be formulated by surface integral equations (SIEs) with an approximate surface impedance, we treat the conductive media as penetrable objects and use volume integral equations (VIEs) to exactly describe their EM features. The VIEs are solved by a point-matching scheme which does not rely on any basis and testing functions and allows the use of nonconforming meshes. Since the VIEs are well-conditioned in general and the integral kernels are free of material parameters, the scheme is flexible to accommodate a wide range of skin depth. Moreover, when the skin depth is small, we can only discretize the skin domain with a current distribution to reduce the cost. For large conductive media, we also incorporate the scheme with the multilevel fast multipole algorithm (MLFMA) to accelerate the solution. Typical numerical examples are presented to illustrate the scheme and its effectiveness has been validated.
Protein Structure Alignment through a Contact Topology Profile using SABERTOOTH

The contact vector (CV) of a protein structure is one of the simplest and most condensed descriptions of protein structure available. It lists the number of contacts each amino acid has with the surrounding structure and has frequently been used e.g. to derive approximative folding energies in protein folding analysis. The CV, however, is a lossy structure representation, as it does not contain sufficient information to allow for the reconstruction of the full protein structure it was derived from. The loss of information leads to a degeneracy in the sense that a single contact vector is compatible with many different contact matrices, but it has been shown that this degeneracy is nearly fully compensated by the physical constraints protein structure is subject to. We recently developed the alignment framework ‘SABERTOOTH’ that is able to generically align connectivity related vectorial structure profiles to compute protein alignments. Here we show that also the CV allows for state-of-the-art alignment quality, just like the elaborated ‘Effective Connectivity’ profile (EC) that SABERTOOTH currently uses. This simplification leeds to a very simple and elegant approach to structure alignment, which accelerates and generalizes the algorithm we previously proposed. Furthermore, we conclude from our work that the CV in itself is a useful structure description if its collective properties are called for.
Multiplicative valued difference fields

Abstract The theory of valued difference fields (K, σ, υ,) depends on how the valuation υ interacts with the automorphism σ. Two special cases have already been worked out - the isometric case, where υ(σ(x)) = υ(x) for all x Є K, has been worked out by Luc Belair, Angus Macintyre and Thomas Scanlon; and the contractive case, where υ(σ(x)) > n υ(x) for all x Є K × with υ(x) > 0 and n Є ℕ, has been worked out by Salih Azgin. In this paper we deal with a more general version, the multiplicative case, where υ(σ(x)) = ρ · υ(x), where ρ (> 0) is interpreted as an element of a real-closed field. We give an axiomatization and prove a relative quantifier elimination theorem for this theory.
Rapid spread of Neisseria gonorrhoeae ciprofloxacin resistance due to a newly introduced resistant strain in Nuuk, Greenland, 2012–2015: a community-based prospective cohort study

Objectives To determine the antimicrobial susceptibility and genotype distribution of Neisseria gonorrhoeae strains isolated from a cohort of patients in Nuuk, Greenland in order to assess the risk of rapid spread in the event of introduction of new strains. Methods Gonococcal isolates (n=102) obtained from a prospective cohort study of ciprofloxacin resistance were collected between March 2012 and February 2013. Etest minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) were determined for ciprofloxacin, azithromycin, ceftriaxone, penicillin, tetracycline, spectinomycin and gentamicin. All isolates were subjected to molecular typing using N. gonorrhoeae multiantigen sequence typing (NG-MAST). After the introduction of a ciprofloxacin-resistant strain in early 2014, an additional 18 isolates were characterised. Results During the study period, all 102 isolates were fully susceptible to ciprofloxacin (≤0.03 mg/L), azithromycin, spectinomycin, gentamicin and ceftriaxone. 10 different NG-MAST types circulated in Nuuk but 7 were found as single isolates, and 3 of the 7 belonged to 1 of the 3 major genogroups (G210, G9816 and G9817) together comprising 96% of the 102 isolates. ST210 accounted for 55% of the 102 strains. The newly introduced ciprofloxacin resistant strain belonged to ST2400 and dominated the population with 59% resistant strains within 6 months after its introduction. All G2400 strains had MICs≥2 mg/L. Conclusions Introduction of a ciprofloxacin-resistant strain into a very homogeneous N. gonorrhoeae population led to an explosive spread of the resistant clone, probably as a result of large sexual networks suggested by the strain homogeneity. Careful surveillance of antimicrobial susceptibility is essential to avoid widespread treatment failure in closed populations.
Differences in Exhaled Nitric Oxide in Non- and Mono- or Polysensitised Allergic Children with Asthma Bronchiale

Rationale: Exhaled nitric oxide (eNO) is reported to be increased in the airways of patients with asthma bron- chiale. Objectives: To investigate eNO concentration and lung function in non-, mono- and polysensitised children with mild asthma bronchiale before and after exercise challenge. Findings: Investigation of a total of 59 children (49 mono- or polysensitised, 10 nonsensitised). No significant differences regarding age, gender, height and asthma medication. Significant difference between the groups regarding weight and subsequently BMI. ENO levels were only elevated in allergic asthmatic children (mean 37.0 ppb) compared to the non al- lergic children (mean 10.0 ppb, p < 0.0001). A correlation between eNO concentrations and the residual volume was es- tablished. ENO levels after exercise challenge were only slightly lower than before exercise. Conclusion: Elevated levels of eNO were only found in the group of asthmatic children with an allergic background. Therefore eNO can be used as a marker to differentiate between allergic and non allergic asthma. Asthmatic severity or therapy did not have a significant influence on the eNO levels. In patients with allergic asthma bronchiale eNO may be used as a helpful indicator in the adapting anti-inflammatory treatment. Although statistically significant in allergic chil- dren, the influence of exercise challenge on eNO levels is minimal.
Trends of mortality in Greece 1980-2007: a focus on avoidable mortality.

BACKGROUND Avoidable mortality (AM) refers to deaths from certain conditions considered avoidable given timely and effective health care. AM rates in Greece between 1980 and 2007 were examined in order to investigate the extent to which health care has contributed to the decline in mortality rates in Greece over recent decades and detect possible shortcomings in the Greek healthcare system. METHODS Mortality data from the General Secretariat of the National Statistic Service were used. The list of avoidable conditions was the basis of the analysis in which avoidable deaths were classified into conditions amenable to medical care (treatable avoidable mortality) and conditions responsive to health policy (preventable avoidable mortality). Ischaemic heart disease (IHD) was examined separately following relevant studies. Age standardized mortality rates were calculated according to the European Community standard population. RESULTS A steady decline of the percentage of AM over all-cause mortality was documented (1980-1984:27%; 2000- 2007:22.9%). AM rate fell by 30.5% (1980-1984:217.4/100,000 population; 2000-2007: 151.1/100,000). Treatable mortality rate fell by 48.1%, marking the largest contribution to the decline in AM (1980-1984:110.9/100,000; 2000- 2007:57.5/100,000). Ischaemic heart disease death rate fell by 13.1% (1980-1984:52.7/100,000; 2000-2007:45.8/100,000). Preventable mortality rates fell by 11%, marking a modest contribution to the decline in AM (1980-1984: 53.7/100,000; 2000-2007: 47.8/100,000). CONCLUSIONS Trends in AM in Greece between 1980-2007 were similar to those of other European countries, with Greece performing particularly well with respect to treatable mortality. Although the decline in AM may also reflect changes in factors that influence mortality, such as disease occurrence, environment and socioeconomic conditions, they are suggestive of the health care system being an important determinant of health improvements in Greece during the recent decades. Further studies are needed in order to access the quality of care and to examine the structure and adequacy of health care in Greece.
Chemical modification of hemp, sisal, jute, and kapok fibers by alkalization

Plant fibers are rich in cellulose and they are a cheap, easily renewable source of fibers with the potential for polymer reinforcement. The presence of surface impurities and the large amount of hydroxyl groups make plant fibers less attractive for reinforcement of polymeric materials. Hemp, sisal, jute, and kapok fibers were subjected to alkalization by using sodium hydroxide. The thermal characteristics, crystallinity index, reactivity, and surface morphology of untreated and chemically modified fibers have been studied using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), X-ray diffraction (WAXRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), respectively. Following alkalization the DSC showed a rapid degradation of the cellulose between 0.8 and 8% NaOH, beyond which degradation was found to be marginal. There was a marginal drop in the crystallinity index of hemp fiber while sisal, jute, and kapok fibers showed a slight increase in crystallinity at caustic soda concentration of 0.8–30%. FTIR showed that kapok fiber was found to be the most reactive followed by jute, sisal, and then hemp fiber. SEM showed a relatively smooth surface for all the untreated fibers; however, after alkalization, all the fibers showed uneven surfaces. These results show that alkalization modifies plant fibers promoting the development of fiber–resin adhesion, which then will result in increased interfacial energy and, hence, improvement in the mechanical and thermal stability of the composites. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 84: 2222–2234, 2002
Prostaglandin E1 is more effective, when incorporated in lipid microspheres, for treatment of peripheral vascular diseases in man

Prostaglandin El (PGE,) is a potent vasodilator as well as an inhibitor of platelet aggregation. Because of these properties, PGE, has been used clinically for the treatment of several vascular disorders such as Raynaud's and Buerger's diseases (Clifford et a1 1980; Martin et a1 1981). Since PGE, is rapidly inactivated in the lungs, PGE, must be administered into the obstructed artery or a large amount of it has to be given intravenously. The distribution of PGE, in-vivo induces the systemic effects of diarrhoea and hypotension. PGE, also causes irritation in blood vessels near the site of injection. To avoid these problems of PGE,, we have incorporated PGE, in lipid microspheres (small lipid particles) with an average particle size of 0.2 ym, suspensions of which are in widespread use for parenteral nutrition in man, and we have compared the vasodilator property of the preparation in man with that of commercially available PGE,. PGE, was purchased from Fuji Chemical Co., Ltd, Toyama, Japan. PGEI-CD (cyclodextrin clathrated PGE,, Prostandin) was kindly supplied by Ono Pharm. Co., Ltd, Osaka, Japan. The method of preparing a suspension of lipid microspheres containing PGE, (lipo-PGE,) and the content were those of Mizushima et a1 (1982, 1983). Briefly, PGE, was dissolved in soybean oil containing yolk phospholipids (10: 1.2). The mixture was emulsified in water (1:9) with a MantonGaulin homogenizer. The resultant emulsion was put in 1 ml glass ampoules and sterilized at 121 "C for 10 min. The final concentration of PGE, in the lipo-PGE, preparation was approximately 3 pg ml-1. The concentration was measured according to Terragno et a1 (1981). Nine patients with peripheral vascular diseases, 5 with scleroderma (1 male and 4 female) and 4 with diabetes (2 male and 2 female) were treated with PGE,. The age of patients with scleroderma was 19-68 years, average 50 years and that of diabetic patients was 41-75 years, average 62 years. All patients with scleroderma
Hippocampal volume in adolescent-onset alcohol use disorders.

OBJECTIVE Alcohol use disorders (defined as DSM-IV alcohol dependence or abuse) are prevalent and serious problems among adolescents. As adolescence is marked by progressive hippocampal development, this brain region may be particularly susceptible to the adverse effects of adolescent alcohol use disorders. This study compared the hippocampal volumes of adolescents and young adults with adolescent-onset alcohol use disorders to those of healthy matched comparison subjects. METHOD Magnetic resonance imaging was used to measure the hippocampal volumes and volumes of comparison brain regions in 12 subjects with alcohol use disorders and 24 comparison subjects matched on age, sex, and handedness. RESULTS Both left and right hippocampal volumes were significantly smaller in subjects with alcohol use disorders than in comparison subjects. Total hippocampal volume correlated positively with the age at onset and negatively with the duration of the alcohol use disorder. Intracranial, cerebral, and cortical gray and white matter volumes and measures of the mid-sagittal area of the corpus callosum did not differ between groups. CONCLUSIONS In the mature brain, chronic alcohol use disorders are associated with graded global brain dysmorphology. Although the etiology, neuropsychological consequences, and permanence of these hippocampal findings need to be further examined, these findings suggest that, during adolescence, the hippocampus may be particularly susceptible to the adverse effects of alcohol.
Program Metamorphosis 1 Motivation 2 from Refactorings to Program Metamorphosis 2.1 How Refactorings Work

Modern agile software engineering practices encourage programmers to refactor their code frequently. Consequently, modern integrated development environments incorporate machine support for refactoring; such machine support takes the form of automatic program transformations that atomically preserve program behaviour. This approach to refactoring is useful, but limits the approach in two ways: first, existing refactoring tools enforce that each individual step preserves behaviour– which can be too restrictive. Secondly, such tools cannot permit behaviour-enhancing changes, even though such changes are both desirable and automable. We present an extension to refactoring that addresses both of the above limitations, by (1) relaxing behaviour-preservation checks to occur only after sequences of transformations rather than before each individual transformation, and by (2) permitting users to accept rather than to correct some of the behavioural changes that accumulate during such transformation sequences. We evaluate our approach, which we call “program metamorphosis”, by applying it to the task of structural and nominal transformations of Standard ML programs. We find that our approach (1) can effectively assist programmers in the refactoring process whilst eliminating the aforementioned shortcomings of traditional refactoring systems, (2) can be implemented efficiently, and (3) fully subsumes traditional refactoring. ∗Supported by NSF Career Grant CCR-0133457
The Technique of Gas Disaster Information Feature Extraction based on Rough Set Theory

Gas accident has become the main contradiction which constrains the safety production of coal mine. It is one of the import issues in the field of coal mine safety to identify and analyze the dangerous factors that lead gas accidents, and establish an effective early-warming support system of gas in coal mine at present. In view of the characteristics of coal mine gas disaster, a high efficient gas disaster feature extraction algorithm based on rough set is proposed, which includes two phases: The algorithm refine the gas disaster information matrix using dimensionality reduction, then uses the entropy and maximum entropy to establish data mining model of gas disaster prediction. The effectiveness and practicality of rough set theory in the prediction of gas disaster and feature extraction was confirmed through practical application.
An Enhanced Code Encryption Approach with HNT Transformations for Software Security

threats such as viruses, worms, trojans and spyware affects the security and authentication of software codes, forcing software developers to build security schemes for better software protection. These software threats exploit the authenticated data of the software and confidentiality, integrity and accessibility is greatly affected by these software threats. A number of code security techniques like tamper resistant packaging, code obfuscation, register encoding etc have been developed which mainly concentrates on providing solutions for a particular type of threats and are vulnerable to code tampering and code injection by complicated attackers. Hence, code encryption technique has become an active area of research. This paper proposes a novel software protection code encryption scheme based on the index table. This approach uses a novel and efficient encryption technique called quasigroup encryption for encryption the indexed table. It provides least resemblance of the original data when encrypted. But, quasi group encryption is not efficient in diffusing the statistics of the plain text. This drawback can be overcome by using transforms. Hence, this approach uses chained Hadamard transforms and Number Theoretic Transforms to introduce diffusion along with the quasigroup transformation. The proposed approach is compared with the other encryption approaches and is observed to provide better results.
WatchIT: Who Watches Your IT Guy?

System administrators have unlimited access to system resources. As the Snowden case highlighted, these permissions can be exploited to steal valuable personal, classified, or commercial data. This problem is exacerbated when a third party administers the system. For example, a bank outsourcing its IT would not want to allow administrators access to the actual data. We propose WatchIT: a strategy that constrains IT personnel's view of the system and monitors their actions. To this end, we introduce the abstraction of perforated containers -- while regular Linux containers are too restrictive to be used by system administrators, by "punching holes" in them, we strike a balance between information security and required administrative needs. Following the principle of least privilege, our system predicts which system resources should be accessible for handling each IT issue, creates a perforated container with the corresponding isolation, and deploys it as needed for fixing the problem. Under this approach, the system administrator retains superuser privileges, however only within the perforated container limits. We further provide means for the administrator to bypass the isolation, but such operations are monitored and logged for later analysis and anomaly detection. We provide a proof-of-concept implementation of our strategy, which includes software for deploying perforated containers, monitoring mechanisms, and changes to the Linux kernel. Finally, we present a case study conducted on the IT database of IBM Research in Israel, showing that our approach is feasible.
The Relative Importance of Predation Risk and Water Temperature in Maintaining Bergmann’s Rule in a Marine Ectotherm

Bergmann’s rule—an increase in body size with latitude—correlates with latitudinal declines in ambient temperature and predation risk, but relatively few studies simultaneously explore the relative importance of these factors. Along temperate Atlantic shorelines, the isopod Idotea balthica from high latitudes are 53% longer on average than isopods from low latitudes. When reared at 6°–24°C, juveniles increased growth and development rates with temperature. Because the increase in growth rate with temperature outstripped increases in development rate, female size at maturity increased with temperature. This thermal sensitivity of growth cannot account for the latitudinal pattern in body size. Within temperature treatments, females from low latitudes reached sexual maturity at younger ages and at a smaller size than did females from higher latitudes. This shift in life-history strategy is predicted by latitudinal declines in predation pressure, which we tested using field-tethering experiments. Overall, isopods at low latitudes had a 44% greater mortality risk from daytime predators relative to isopods at higher latitudes. We conclude that a latitudinal gradient in predation risk, not temperature, is principally responsible for Bergmann’s rule in I. balthica. Increases in body size during future warming of oceans may be constrained by local patterns of predation risk.