Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Catena : A Memory-Consuming Password-Scrambling Framework

It is a common wisdom that servers should store the one-way hash of their clients’ passwords, rather than storing the password in the clear. In this paper we introduce a set of functional properties a key-derivation function (password scrambler) should have. Unfortunately, none of the existing algorithms satisfies our requirements and therefore, we introduce a novel and provably secure password scrambling framework (PSF) called Catena. Furthermore, we introduce two instantiations of Catena based on a memory-consuming one-way functions. Thus, Catena excellently thwarts massively parallel attacks on cheap memory-constrained hardware, such as recent graphical processing units (GPUs). Additionally, we show that Catena is also a good key-derivation function, since – in the random oracle model – it is indistinguishable from a random function. Furthermore, the memory-access pattern of both instantiations is password-independent and therefore, Catena provides resistance against cache-timing attacks. Moreover, Catena is the first PSF which naturally supports (1) client-independent updates (the server can increase the security parameters and update the password hash without user interaction or knowing the password), (2) an optional server relief protocol (saving the server’s resources at the cost of the client), and (3) a variant Catena-KG for secure key derivation (to securely generate many cryptographic keys of arbitrary lengths such that compromising some keys does not help to break others). We denote a password scrambler as a PSF with a certain instantiation.
Chest Compression Alone Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Is Associated With Better Long-Term Survival Compared with Standard Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation

Background— Little is known about the long-term survival effects of type-specific bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in the community. We hypothesized that dispatcher instruction consisting of chest compression alone would be associated with better overall long-term prognosis in comparison with chest compression plus rescue breathing. Methods and Results— The investigation was a retrospective cohort study that combined 2 randomized trials comparing the short-term survival effects of dispatcher CPR instruction consisting either of chest compression alone or chest compression plus rescue breathing. Long-term vital status was ascertained by using the respective National and State death records through July 31, 2011. We performed Kaplan-Meier method and Cox regression to evaluate survival according to the type of CPR instruction. Of the 2496 subjects included in the current investigation, 1243 (50%) were randomly assigned to chest compression alone and 1253 (50%) were randomly assigned to chest compression plus rescue breathing. Baseline characteristics were similar between the 2 CPR groups. During the 1153.2 person-years of follow-up, there were 2260 deaths and 236 long-term survivors. Randomization to chest compression alone in comparison with chest compression plus rescue breathing was associated with a lower risk of death after adjustment for potential confounders (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.91; 95% confidence interval, 0.83–0.99; P=0.02). Conclusions— The findings provide strong support for long-term mortality benefit of dispatcher CPR instruction strategy consisting of chest compression alone rather than chest compression plus rescue breathing among adult patients with cardiac arrest requiring dispatcher assistance.
Convexity and optimal load distributions in work conserving */*/1 queues

In this paper we develop fundamental convexity properties of unfinished work and packet waiting time in a work conserving */*/1 queue. The queue input consists of an uncontrollable background process and a rate-controllable input stream. We show that any moment of unfinished work is a convex function of the controllable input rate. The convexity properties are then extended to address the problem of optimal routing of arbitrary input streams over a collection of N queues in parallel with different (possibly time-varying) linespeeds (/spl mu//sub 1/(t),. , /spl mu//sub N/(t)). Our convexity results hold for stream-based routing (where individual packet streams must be routed to the same queue) as well as for packet-based routing where each packet is routed to a queue using some pre-determined splitting method, such as probabilistic splitting. Our analysis of these general systems is carried out by introducing a new function of the superposition of two input streams that we call the blocking function. Using this function facilitates analysis and provides much insight into the sample path dynamics of */*/1 queues.
Identifying recommended dietary allowances for protein and amino acids: a critique of the 2007 WHO/FAO/UNU report

The WHO/FAO/UNU (2007) report examines dietary protein and amino acid requirements for all age groups, protein requirements during pregnancy, lactation and catch-up growth in children, the implications of these requirements for developing countries and protein quality evaluation. Requirements were defined as the minimum dietary intake which satisfies the metabolic demand and achieves nitrogen equilibrium and maintenance of the body protein mass, plus the needs for growth in children and pregnancy and lactation in healthy women. Insufficient evidence was identified to enable recommendations for specific health outcomes. A meta analysis of nitrogen balance studies identifies protein requirements for adults 10 % higher than previous values with no influence of gender or age, consistent with a subsequently published comprehensive study. A new factorial model for infants and children, validated on the basis of the adequacy of breast milk protein intakes and involving a lower maintenance requirement value, no provision for saltatory growth and new estimates of protein deposition identifies lower protein requirements than in previous reports. Higher values for adult amino acid requirements, derived from a re-evaluation of nitrogen balance studies and new stable isotope studies, identify some cereal-based diets as being inadequate for lysine. The main outstanding issues relate to the biological implausibility of the very low efficiencies of protein utilisation used in the factorial models for protein requirements for all population groups especially pregnancy when requirements may be overestimated. Also considerable uncertainty remains about the design and interpretation of most of the studies used to identify amino acid requirement values.
Combined use of fasting plasma glucose and HbA1c predicts the progression to diabetes in Chinese subjects.

OBJECTIVE We have previously suggested using the paired values of fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and HbA1c to identify potential diabetic subjects. In this article, we followed up on 208 nondiabetic subjects and examined their rates of progression to diabetes. We analyzed their likelihood of becoming diabetic according to their baseline FPG and HbA1c concentrations. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Between 1988 and 1995, 2,877 Chinese subjects with risk factors for diabetes underwent screening. Of these, 2,250 had FPG <7.8 mmol/l and 2-h plasma glucose (PG) <11.1 mmol/l. Of these 2,250 subjects, 265 were randomly recruited for an annual oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) until they progressed to develop diabetes. Of those 265 subjects, 57 had baseline FPG > or =7.0 mmol/l and were excluded from the present analysis. Hence, the progression of glucose tolerance in 208 subjects who were nondiabetic according to the new American Diabetes Association diagnostic criteria (FPG < 7.0 mmol/l and 2-h PG < 11.1 mmol/l) was examined RESULTS Of the 208 nondiabetic subjects, 26 (12.5%) were men and 182 (87.5%) were women. After a mean follow-up of 1.60 +/- 1.16 years (range 1-7, median 1), 44 (21.2%) progressed to develop diabetes and 164 (78.8%) remained nondiabetic. Those who were diabetic at the end of the study had a high likelihood ratio (LR) of 9.3 to have baseline FPG > or =6.1 mmol/l and baseline HbA1c > or =6.1%. This was compared with a low LR of 0.6-1.1 in diabetic subjects who had either FPG <6.1 mmol/l or HbA1c <6.1% or both at baseline. The crude rate of progression to diabetes was more than five times higher (44.1 vs. 8.1%) in those whose baseline FPG was > or =6.1 mmol/l and baseline HbA1c was > or =6.1% compared with those whose baseline FPG was <6.1 mmol/l and baseline HbA1c was <6.1%. CONCLUSIONS For Chinese subjects with risk factors for glucose intolerance, the use of paired FPG and HbA1c values helped to identify potential diabetic subjects. Those with an FPG > or =6.1 mmol/l and HbA1c > or =6.1% had a rate of progression to diabetes more than five times higher than those with an FPG <6.1 mmol/l and an HbA1c <6.1% after a mean follow-up of 1.6 years. Those with an FPG > or =6.1 but <7.0 mmol/l, especially if their HbA1c was > or =6.1%, should undergo an OGTT to confirm diabetes. Subjects with an FPG <6.1 mmol/l and/or an HbA1c <6.1% should have regular screening using the paired values of FPG and HbA1c.
Influence of perceived coach feedback on athletes' perceptions of the team's motivational climate

Team motivational climate has been identified as an important variable in the growth and development of youth sport athletes. Coaching behaviors such as determining the presence and extent of social comparison, rewarding and punishing players, and the quality of interpersonal relationships fostered within the team can create a predominantly taskor ego-oriented team climate. Research on motivation has clearly identified many of the positive outcomes associated with athletes’ perceptions of a task-oriented team climate. Since the motivational climate refers to the coach’s general behaviors in games and practices, it is traditionally assumed that players within a team perceive the same type of team climate. However, research has recently reported that athletes within the same team do not always share the same perceptions of the motivational climate. This has partly been attributed to players’ personal interactions with the coach. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the influence of athletes’ perceptions of the individual feedback they received from their head coach during practices on their perceptions of the team’s motivational climate. In addition, the present study examined the influence of the discrepancy between athletes’ preferred and perceived coach feedback patterns on athletes’ perceptions of the motivational climate. Participants (n = 70) were 13-14 year old elite male hockey players , who each completed the Perceived Motivational Climate for Sport Questionnaire-2 (PMCSQ-2; Newton, Duda, & Yin, 2000) and the Coaching Feedback Questionnaire (CFQ; Amorose & Horn, 2000). Hierarchical regression analysis revealed that perceptions of positive individual feedback from the coach (B=.44) led to perceptions of a task-oriented climate, whereas perceptions of negative individual feedback from the coach (B=.51) led to perceptions of an egooriented climate. Moreover, the discrepancy between athletes’ perceived and preferred coach feedback patterns (B=.23) was positively correlated with athletes’ perceptions of an ego-oriented team climate. In general, these findings highlighted the importance of individual coach feedback for creating an effective team atmosphere. In particular, when athletes perceived their coach’s behaviors as positive, informative, and supportive, they were more likely to perceive a task-oriented team climate. In addition, the current study identified antecedents (i.e., informative feedback, discrepancy between athletes’ preferred and perceived coach feedback patterns) of the motivational climate that were not previously reported. More specifically, this study revealed that a difference between the type of coach feedback that athletes preferred and the type of coach feedback that athletes perceived was likely to result in athletes’ perceptions of an ego-oriented team climate. Consequently, youth sport coaches should know their athletes’ preferred coach feedback patterns and try to provide them with individualized strategies in order to create an effective motivational climate for every athlete within the team.
EERP: energy-efficient routing protocol for wireless sensor networks

Networking unattended sensors is expected to have a significant impact on the efficiency of many military and civil applications. Sensors in such systems are typically disposable and expected to last until their energy drains. Therefore, energy is a very scarce resource for such sensor systems and has to be managed wisely in order to extend the life of the sensors for the duration of a particular mission. In this paper, we present a new protocol of routing for wireless sensor networks named EERP (Energy-Efficient Routing Protocol for wireless sensor networks) that maximizes the lifetime of the sensors. Its principle is as follows: each node sends the data captured on the way which minimizes the consumption of energy as well as the variance of energies consumed by the sensors nodes. Our experimental results show that our protocol increase the lifetime of the sensors network and conserve the energy of the nodes up to optimum level better than the Energy Aware Routing protocol (EAR).
Binding of Pasteurella haemolytica leukotoxin to bovine leukocytes

Pasteurella haemolytica is the principal bacterial pathogen in the bovine respiratory disease complex. This organism produces an exotoxin (referred to as leukotoxin) during logarithmic-phase growth that is a potent leukocyte-modulating agent. At low concentrations, it activates neutrophils and mononuclear phagocytes to release inflammatory mediators, while at the same time making these cells destined to undergo apoptotic cell death. At higher concentrations, the toxin causes rapid swelling and loss of cell viability. In this study, we demonstrated that toxin binding can be directly evaluated by flow cytometry with biologically active biotinylated leukotoxin. Leukotoxin binding was blocked by the addition of a neutralizing anti-leukotoxin monoclonal antibody and was not detected when bovine leukocytes were incubated with culture filtrates from a mutant strain of P. haemolytica that does not produce biologically active leukotoxin. In addition, treatment of bovine leukocytes with protease K eliminated subsequent binding of leukotoxin, suggesting that there is a protein on the leukocyte surface that is either a leukotoxin binding site or is required for stabilization of leukotoxin binding. We did not detect binding of biotinylated leukotoxin to porcine or human leukocytes, which have been reported previously to be resistant to the lytic effects of the leukotoxin. These findings suggest that there may be a specific binding site for P. haemolytica leukotoxin on bovine but not on porcine or human leukocytes and that it might be involved in the activation and lytic activities of the leukotoxin.
Long-Term Follow-Up of Chimpanzees Inoculated with the First Infectious Clone for Hepatitis C Virus

ABSTRACT Two chimpanzees (Ch1535 and Ch1536) became infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV) following intrahepatic inoculation with RNA transcribed from a full-length cDNA clone of the virus. Both animals were persistently infected and have been followed for 60 weeks. They showed similar responses to infection, with transient liver enzyme elevations and liver inflammatory responses, which peaked at weeks 17 (Ch1535) and 12 (Ch1536) postinoculation (p.i.). Antibody responses to structural and nonstructural proteins were first detected at weeks 13 (Ch1535) and 10 (Ch1536) p.i. Serum RNA titers increased steadily during the first 10 to 13 weeks but decreased sharply in both animals following antibody and inflammatory responses. Despite direct evidence of humoral immune responses to multiple viral antigens, including hypervariable region 1 (HVR1), both animals remained chronically infected. Detailed sequence analysis of serum HCV RNA revealed no change in the majority HVR1 sequence in Ch1535 and a single-amino-acid mutation in Ch1536, with very little clonal variation in either animal. Full-length genome analysis at week 60 revealed several amino acid substitutions localized to antigens E1, E2, p7, NS3, and NS5. Of these, 55.6 and 40% were present as the majority sequence in serum RNA isolated at week 26 p.i. (Ch1535) and week 22 p.i. (Ch1536), respectively, and could represent immune escape mutations. Mutations accumulated at a rate of 1.57 × 10−3 and 1.48 × 10−3nucleotide substitutions/site/year for Ch1535 and Ch1536, respectively. Taken together, these data indicate that establishment of a persistent HCV infection in these chimpanzees is not due to changes in HVR1; however, the possibility remains that mutations arising in other parts of the genome contributed to this persistence.
The Influence of Developmentally Appropriate Practice on Children's Cognitive Development: A Qualitative Metasynthesis

Background As policymakers and advocates across the United States look to early childhood educators to improve children's cognitive development so they enter elementary school ready to learn, debates have emerged over what types of practices these educators should be engaged in to achieve this goal. Historically, the field of early childhood education has advocated for teachers to employ developmentally appropriate practices to ready young children for school success. Yet, empirically, the quantitative studies that have examined the impact of these practices on children's cognitive development have produced mixed results. Absent from these debates are qualitative research studies exploring this topic. Purpose of Study To address this issue, this article presents findings from a qualitative metasynthesis that studied whether teachers and/or administrators were engaging in developmentally appropriate practices, and if so, how such practices might influence children's cognitive development. Research Design This qualitative metasynthesis used a template analysis to code 12 peer-reviewed qualitative studies that were based on original research, took place in the United States, and involved practicing teachers and administrators who worked in early childhood settings (birth through Grade 3). Findings The findings appear to demonstrate a positive influence of teachers’ developmentally appropriate practices on children's cognitive development and a negative influence from practices that contrast with this construct. These findings also reveal the need to continue to refine the conception of these practices as well as additional research that examines the influence of such practices on children's development. Conclusion It appears that developmentally appropriate practices can positively influence children's cognitive development. Still, it is uncertain as to what these benefits mean in terms of student outcomes, which has become a fundamental issue for publicly funded early education programs. This metasynthesis points to the need for further research that uses a range of measures to examine the influence of developmentally appropriate practices on children rather than teachers. Such work should pay attention to children's cognitive development as well as attend to children's cultural backgrounds. By doing so, it could help inform the fields of early and elementary school education about the impact of developmentally appropriate practices on children's development so that educators across both contexts can provide instructional practices that ready young children for school success.
An amplify-and-forward scheme for cognitive radios

In this paper, we propose an opportunistic amplify-and-forward relaying scheme for a cognitive radio network, which is aimed at allowing a secondary user (SU) to transmit over the same time-frequency slot of a primary user (PU). In our scheme, the SU amplifies and transmits the PU signal it receives, by using as relaying gain the information symbols that the SU wishes to transmit towards its own secondary receiver. The information theoretic limits of the proposed protocol are investigated by showing that, in some operative conditions of practical interest, the SU can embed its information symbols in the PU signal, without violating the cognitive radio principle of protecting the PU transmission and, at the same time, by attaining low transmission rates.
How Can Group Support Systems Influence Goal Congruence

This preliminary research paper proposes to test the hypothesis that the use of GSS tools can increase goal congruence and therefore productivity of groups working in teams. Specifically, the hypothesis posits that GSS can increase team member's perceived-effort-available, a construct of goal congruence under Briggs Focus Theory of Team Productivity
Visual Processing in Adolescents Born Extremely Low Birth Weight and/or Extremely Preterm

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Ocular growth and development differs between preterm and term-born infants and may cause long-term negative consequences for visual function, but contemporary data on long-term visual outcomes in representative samples of the highest risk extremely low birth weight (ELBW, <1000 g birth weight) or extremely preterm (EP, <28 weeks’ gestation) survivors are lacking. Our objective was to compare visual functioning between ELBW/EP and normal birth weight (NBW, >2499 g birth weight) control adolescents. METHODS: Geographically determined cohort study of 228 consecutive ELBW/EP survivors born in the state of Victoria in 1991 and 1992, and 166 randomly selected NBW controls assessed between 14 and 20 years of age. Visual acuity, stereopsis, convergence, color perception, and visual perception were assessed and contrasted between groups. RESULTS: ELBW/EP subjects had significantly worse visual acuity with habitual correction in both the left and right eyes, and for the best eye (P < .001). The ELBW/EP adolescents also exhibited poorer stereopsis, odds ratio (OR) 3.22 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.78 to 5.84), and convergence, OR 2.76 (CI 1.32 to 5.75) than controls, and more problems with visual perception, OR 3.09 (CI 1.67 to 5.71) after habitual correction. CONCLUSIONS: Despite advances in medical care improving the survival rate of high-risk ELBW/EP infants, visual morbidity is still relatively high compared with controls in late adolescence.
Income inequality and mortality in Italy.

BACKGROUND The relationship between income inequality and health remains controversial in terms of whether or not it exists and, if so, its extent and the mechanisms involved. This study examines the relationship between income inequality, as indicated by the Gini coefficient, and mortality in Italy. METHODS Cross-sectional ecological study on the 57,138,489 inhabitants living in the 95 provinces existing in Italy in 1994. Multivariate weighted regression analysis of total and age-specific mortality, income inequality, gender, and interaction between income inequality and median income or geographical area. RESULTS A positive association between income inequality and total mortality was observed for both genders in provinces with a low per capita income and in Southern and Central Italy. The effect was present for infants and for persons over 24 years of age; it was marked for the elderly, particularly women. A negative association with mortality was observed for males living in the North-west. Interactions between income inequality and median income, and between income inequality and geographical area were found. CONCLUSION In Italy, the relationship between income inequality and health is mixed and not universal, in so far as a positive association was observed only in provinces with lower absolute income. Elderly persons living in Southern Italy represent the population subgroup most vulnerable to unequal income distribution. Income inequality can, in part, explain the historically higher mortality among women in Southern Italy compared to women in the North. These results indicate that income inequality affects the health of population subgroups differentially.