Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evaluating Security of Low-Power Internet of Things Networks

Internet of Things (IoT) is one of the most prominent technologies on the Internet. Simple objects gain the ability to store, process and exchange information among themselves or with external entities, by observing and controlling the environment. Thanks to the rapid development of this innovation, IoT opens possibilities to a huge number of objects and applications that promise to improve our daily life. The main scenarios of the development of IoT are home automation/domestic and Industrial IoT. According to such scenarios, several applications could be implemented: from smart thermostats, light bulbs, refrigerators, ovens, door window sensors to volumetric, flow, heat and connected data processing devices. Since this is a new phenomenon, it has not yet been studied and analyzed for its entirety, also due to the lack of a definitive standard that can provide an overview of these devices. The objective of this paper is to implement different well-known attacks against IoT networks, by adopting the ZigBee communication protocol to analyze devices and network security. For our aim, we have considered different scenarios involving an attacker aiming to dismantle the IoT network (jamming, flooding DoS), retrieve sensitive information (sniffing, brute force password crack) and to actively communicate on the network to impersonate legitimate nodes (replay). Such exploitation provides us the ability to analyze the effects of attacks designed to target common wireless networks, when they are perpetrated against IoT environments. Obtained results prove that IoT devices and networks (often embedded in sensitive environments such as hospitals or critical infrastructures) are vulnerable to several attacks.
A retrospective descriptive study on deaths due to firearm injuries in Western Province, Sri Lanka

Introduction: The use of firearms is a well-recognized method of committing a homicide. In Sri Lanka, the use of firearms was prominent among terrorists and underworld criminals. The analysis of the injury pattern will help to find the trends related to firearm injuries. Deaths that deviate from the routine pattern of injuries will be highlighted.Objectives: The objective of the study was to identify injury patterns in firearm-related deaths and the methods used to identify the range.Methods: The data from 40 firearm-related autopsies conducted at Offices of the Judicial Medical Officer at Colombo North Teaching Hospital, Colombo South Teaching Hospital, and Office of the Judicial Medical Officer, Colombo from 2000 to 2019 were collected from the post-mortem reports using pre-formed questionnaires and entered into the SPSS statistical package for analysis.Results: The majority were between 21 and 40 years of age (75%) and male (97.5%). Head alone was involved in 25% of deaths and head in combination with other regions was involved in 45% of the deaths. Cause of death (COD) in 50% of cases was head injuries alone and in 12.5% of cases, COD was from head injuries in combination with other injuries. The commonest circumstance was homicide in 72.5% of cases. Rifled firearm was the most common weapon used (90%). Range or the distance of fire was in the distant range in 65% of cases followed by close range in 17.5% of cases. Distance of fire was decided by the history, if available, the appearance of the entry wound, and other observations.Conclusions: Scientific evaluation of deaths following firearm injuries demands proper assessment of the range or the distance of fire based on modern technology. This becomes more relevant if there is an incompatibility with the history and the appearance of the wound, especially when deciding the circumstance of death.
Titanium Dioxide Promotes the Growth and Aggregation of Calcium Phosphate and Monosodium Urate Mixed Crystals

The increased utilization of titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles (TNPs) in various industrial and consumer products has raised concerns regarding its harmful effect due to its accumulation within the different systems of the human body. Here, we focused on the influence of TNPs on the growth and aggregation of two crucial crystalline substances, calcium phosphate (CaP) and monosodium urate (MSU), particularly its implications in gout disease. In this study, we adopted microscopic techniques and generated kinetic models to examine the interactions between TNPs, CaP and MSU, and crystallization, under controlled laboratory conditions. Our findings reveal that TNPs not only facilitate the growth of these crystals but also promote their co-aggregations. Crystal dissolution kinetics also exhibit that an increase in TNPs concentration corresponds to a reduction in the dissolution rate of CaP and MSU crystals in presence of the dissoluting agent hydroxycitrate (Hcit). These observations suggest that TNPs can stabilize CaP+MSU mixed crystals, which underscores the significance of TNPs’ exposure in the pathogenesis of gout disease.
Estudo da adaptabilidade e estabilidade fenotípica de progênies de Eucalyptus grandis via metodologia AMMI.

Foram avaliadas a adaptabilidade e a estabilidade fenotipica de 200 progenies de Eucalyptus grandis procedentes de 10 localidades australianas, selecionadas pelo Programa Nacional de Pesquisa Florestal – coordenado pela Embrapa Florestas, e implantadas em sete testes de procedencia e progenies nas regioes sul e sudeste do Brasil. Os resultados indicaram comportamentos diferenciados dos materiais avaliados, sendo a interacao genotipo x ambiente significativa (p<0,01). O metodo AMMI (Additive Main Effects and Multiplicative Interaction Analysis) permitiu identificar as melhores combinacoes entre progenies e locais.
Bimanual Technique With Perfluoro-N-Octane for Human Amniotic Membrane Transplantation in Refractory Optic Disc Pit Maculopathy

Purpose: To describe a patient with optic disc pit (ODP) maculopathy who presented with poor vision and treatment outcomes. Methods: An amniotic membrane transplantation (AMT) was performed using a bimanual technique with perfluoro-N-octane endotamponade after failure of other techniques to yield resolution of subretinal fluid (SRF). Results: Successful adhesion of the human amniotic membrane graft to the host resulted in sustained resolution of the SRF and significant improvement in visual acuity within 2 weeks. Conclusions: AMT is a viable therapeutic option for patients with vision loss associated with submacular fluid from ODPs. The bimanual technique with perfluorocarbon assistance provides the vitreoretinal surgeon with an additional technical alternative for surgical treatment of ODP maculopathy.
Composition, distribution and movement of howler monkey troops (Alouatta palliata) in the agricultural landscape of Pital, San Carlos, Costa Rica

Some areas intensively used by humans provide suitable habitat for wildlife, and knowledge of basic population characteristics of wildlife in these areas can help prioritize appropriate actions for their protection. The objective of the present study was to determine the distribution, composition and movement of troops of howler monkeys in an agricultural landscape of 8,400 ha in Pital of San Carlos, Costa Rica. This area contains a total of 115 forest fragments larger than 0.5 ha, of which 103 were evaluated, and 39 were occupied by monkeys. A total of 561 individuals were counted, for an ecological density of 1.44 individuals/ha. On average, troops were composed of 24% adult males, 45% adult females, 24% juveniles, and 7% infants. Most of reported monkey movements (76%) between fragments and through deforested areas covered less than 300 m. There is a positive relationship between increase in size and vegetation quality of the forest fragments with the number of howler monkeys found in the fragments. The high number of individuals encountered in this study, compared to that in other areas, may be related to the vegetation quality in fragments inside the study area or their surroundings.
The association between domestic violence exposure and cyberbullying behavior among secondary school students

Introduction Cyberbullying could have a severe and long-term impact on the physical and mental health of secondary school students because of its characteristics of being hidden, repetitive, and exceeding the limitations of time and space, thus attracting widespread attention. Among the many environmental factors, family was the immediate environment where secondary school students live. Violent behaviors such as aggression displayed by other subjects in the family environment could trigger aggressive behaviors among secondary school students, and the indirectness of the online environment intensifies this tendency. Methods This study used the Cyberbullying Scale, the Domestic Violence Exposure Scale, the Depression Scale, and the Brief Self-Control Scale to conduct a questionnaire survey of 10,273 secondary school students in 12 secondary schools from Liaoning, Zhejiang, and Henan provinces in China to explore the relationship and internal mechanisms between domestic violence exposure and cyberbullying behavior among secondary school students. Results This study found that (1) domestic violence exposure has a significant positive associated with cyberbullying behavior among secondary school students; (2) the mediating effect of depression partially exists between domestic violence exposure and cyberbullying behavior among secondary school students; (3). self-control alleviated the effects of domestic violence exposure on cyberbullying among secondary school students but intensified the effects of depression on cyberbullying among secondary school students. Discussion The results suggest that while focusing on the association of domestic violence exposure with cyberbullying among secondary school students, it is also necessary to pay attention to the mediating effect of depression and the mitigating and intensifying mechanisms of self-control, resulting in a notable weakening effect on cyberbullying among secondary school students.
Updates on Aβ Processing by Hsp90, BRICHOS, and Newly Reported Distinctive Chaperones

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is an extremely devastating neurodegenerative disease, and there is no cure for it. AD is specified as the misfolding and aggregation of amyloid-β protein (Aβ) and abnormalities in hyperphosphorylated tau protein. Current approaches to treat Alzheimer’s disease have had some success in slowing down the disease’s progression. However, attempts to find a cure have been largely unsuccessful, most likely due to the complexity associated with AD pathogenesis. Hence, a shift in focus to better understand the molecular mechanism of Aβ processing and to consider alternative options such as chaperone proteins seems promising. Chaperone proteins act as molecular caretakers to facilitate cellular homeostasis under standard conditions. Chaperone proteins like heat shock proteins (Hsps) serve a pivotal role in correctly folding amyloid peptides, inhibiting mitochondrial dysfunction, and peptide aggregation. For instance, Hsp90 plays a significant role in maintaining cellular homeostasis through its protein folding mechanisms. In this review, we analyze the most recent studies from 2020 to 2023 and provide updates on Aβ regulation by Hsp90, BRICHOS domain chaperone, and distinctive newly reported chaperones.
Study of 1-Formyl-2-Pyrazolines as Anticancer Drug Candidates

The development of novel anticancer agents is essential in cancer prevention. One versatile group of compounds, known for their significant bioactivity and several of its derivatives that have been clinically approved, is the group of pyrazolines. This study aimed to synthesize 1-formyl-2-pyrazoline derivatives (pyrazolines 1-2) using chalcone 1-2, hydrazine hydrate, and formic acid via cyclo-condensation. The synthesized compounds were characterized using Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR), Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS), and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (1H- and 13C-NMR) spectrometers. Pyrazolines 1-2 were found to be drug-like compounds, satisfying Lipinski’s Rule of Five and possessing favourable absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion (ADME) properties, including good gastrointestinal absorption, blood-brain barrier permeability, and no interaction with P-glycoprotein. Furthermore, they were inactive against several toxicity endpoints in a normal body condition, such as immunotoxicity, mutagenicity, and cytotoxicity. In vitro cytotoxic evaluation of the pyrazolines 1-2 against HeLa and MCF7 cancer cell lines demonstrated moderate activity, with IC50 values of 25.01 µM and 82.87 µM, respectively. Pyrazolines 1-2 also showed good selectivity with selectivity index (SI) values of 8.92 and 14.45. The molecular docking study on epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase (EGFR-TK) (PDB ID: 4HJO) revealed that pyrazolines 1-2 had a binding affinity of -7.9 and -8.0 kcal/mol, respectively. The compounds interacted with Lys721 residue through hydrogen bonds and hydrophobic interactions due to the presence of the pyrazoline ring and the formyl group in their structures. These findings suggest that pyrazolines 1-2 scaffold has the potential to be further studied as a lead compound for anticancer drug candidates.
Effectiveness of Active Release Technique With Conventional Therapy in the Management of Lateral Epicondylitis: A Case Report

The condition known as tendonitis, tennis elbow, lateral epicondylalgia, or lateral epicondylitis affects the radiohumeral joint and causes persistent, severe discomfort in the elbow. It commonly affects those who work in professions that need repetitive forearm motions, like athletes who play on courts, computer operators, and woodworkers. It tends to originate from additional rapid, tiresome, recurring eccentric contractions and activities that grab gliding joints. It commonly affects the dominant hand. This case report describes the author’s seven years of experience living with lateral epicondylitis, including functional disability in day-to-day life, and then physiotherapy management was started. Mill’s and Cozen’s tests were performed, and lateral epicondylitis was confirmed. From 2023, the physiotherapy session, including active release technique and conventional therapy, was taken regularly for four weeks. The outcome measure score of the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) was 7/10 pre-treatment and 2/10 post-treatment, and for the Patient-Rated Tennis Elbow Evaluation (PRTEE) scale, it was 50/100 pre-treatment and 25/100 post-treatment. The results that are reported from this particular case study suggest that physiotherapy has a significant effect in improving muscle strength, increasing range of motion, improving activities of daily living, and enhancing the overall quality of life. The study concludes a physiotherapist is crucial in treating these overuse injuries and returning the patient to their daily activities.
Investigation of molecular markers to identify sources of nitrate contamination in groundwater

Molecular markers were investigated as potential tools for differentiating between the sources of elevated nitrate-N in the Hopington AB Aquifer. Residential use (septic systems) and agriculture (livestock) have been identified as key land use activities, which overlay the Hopington AB Aquifer, and thus possible contributors of nitrate-N to the groundwater. Harmful levels of nitrate-N concentrations above the drinking water limit of 10 mg/L have been detected in the well of a private resident (14 mg/L) and spring water (17 mg/L), which were located on the aquifer. DAS 1 (a diaminostilbene) and DSBP (a distyrylbiphenyl) are fluorescent whitening agents (FWAs), which in the Fraser Valley are present in 3 out of 4 popular laundry detergents, and have been detected in domestic wastewater at concentrations of 7.84 and 2.36 j.ig/L respectively; thus they are suitable markers for septic systems in Langley. Sulfamethazine, which is an antimicrobial approved solely for veterinary use in Canada, is widely used in the livestock industry. Good maximum recoveries for DAS 1 (60%), DSBP (125%) and sulfamethazine (125%), coupled with low method detection limits ranging from of 0.01 — 0.04 jig/L implied that solid phase extraction (SPE) and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with an ultra violet (UV) detector were adequate for the determination of the molecular markers. The detection of DAS 1 (3.14 jig/L) and DSBP (0.05 ig/L) in the final effluent at a BNR (biological nutrient removal) pilot plant suggested that the FWAs were not completely removed by wastewater treatment processes including primary clarification, biological (aerobic and anaerobic), and membrane filtration; thus, once released, these FWAs may persists in the environment. In this study, DAS 1 (0.01 — 0.13 jig/L) was detected in 4 wells belonging to private residences, which were located on the Hopington Aquifer. DAS 1 (0.05 jig/L) and DSBP (0.02 jig/L) were also detected in spring water, which were located down gradient of septic systems. These results suggested that septic tank systems have contributed to the overall nitrate in the aquifers. The non-detection of the FWAs at the two control sites (Hopington C and Abbottsford) confirmed the specificity of DAS 1 and DSBP in relation to source.
Clinico-Epidemiological Presentation and Treatment Outcome of Peripheral T-Cell Lymphoma– Not Otherwise Specified (PTCL-NOS): A Single Institutional Experience

Background: Peripheral T-Cell Lymphomas (PTCL) are aggressive malignant lymphoproliferative disorders that represent 10-15% of all non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas (NHL). PTCL- not otherwise specified (PTCL-NOS), comprises approximately 6% of all NHLs, which do not meet the criteria for other mature peripheral T-Cell lymphoma as defined in WHO classification. With limited long-term data evaluating the outcome of PTCL-NOS in the Indian population, we aimed to determine the clinico-epidemiological profile and treatment outcome of patients with PTCL-NOS in a cancer care center from North-East India. Material and Methods: A retrospective observational analysis was performed on the medical records of patients who were diagnosed with PTCL-NOS between January 2015 and December 2018 at Dr. B. Borooah Cancer Institute. Results: Our study evaluated fifty-three patients with PTCL-NOS with the mean age at presentation being 45.3 years (SD ± 16.3 years). The majority of the patients (77.3%) presented with advanced stage (III/IV) with bone marrow involvement in 35.8% of the patients. B-symptoms were present in 58.4% of the patients. Extra-nodal sites of involvement were seen in 64.1% of the patients. The anthracycline-based chemotherapy regimen was the most commonly used in the frontline setting in 71.6% of the patients. Radiation therapy (IFRT) was received by 26.4% of the patients. The overall response rate (ORR) to first-line chemotherapy was 94.3% with complete response (CR) achieved by 62.3% of patients. Twenty-nine (58%) patients had relapsed/ progressive disease. With a median follow-up duration of 38 months, the 3-year progression-free survival (PFS) rate and 3-year overall survival (OS) rate were 27.6% and 33.9% respectively. The median PFS was 22 ± 3.3 months and the median OS was 28 ± 7.1 months.Conclusion: PTCL-NOS is one of the aggressive subtypes of NHL with limited therapeutic options and poor outcomes. Proper treatment adherence and the availability of newer therapeutic options can further enhance the overall outcome.
Letters Double-Thyristor-Based Protection for Valve-Side Single-Phase-to-Ground Faults in HB-MMC-Based Bipolar HVDC Systems

—The valve-side single-phase-to-ground (SPG) faults in the half-bridge modular multilevel converter (HB-MMC)-based bipolar high-voltage direct-current (HVdc) systems induce some special fault consequences: overvoltage on the submodule (SM) capacitors in converter upper arms and nonzero-crossing currents in the grid-side ac circuit breaker (ACCB). In this letter, a protection strategy based on converter-embedded double-thyristors is proposed to address these issues. The double-thyristors are installed in parallel with each SM in the lower arms of the converter. By triggering the double-thyristors, the SPG fault is converted into a three-phase short-circuit that ensures current zero-crossings in the grid-side ACCB. Moreover, as the voltages of converter ac buses are clamped by the ground through the triggered double-thyristors, the upper arm overvoltage is mitigated. The effectiveness of the proposed protection strategy has been veriﬁed in a bipolar HB-MMC HVdc link built in PSCAD/EMTDC.
Source Provenance Of Obsidian Artifacts from Az Aa:12:884 And Az Aa:12:890, Tortolita Mountains, Tucson Basin, Arizona

www.escholarship. org/uc/item/7st1s0x5 ARCHAEOLOGICAL X-RAY FLUORESCENCE SPECTROMETRY LABORATORY 8100 WYOMING BLVD., SUITE M4-158 ALBUQUERQUE, NM 87113 USA SOURCE PROVENANCE OF OBSIDIAN ARTIFACTS FROM AZ AA:12:884 AND AZ AA:12:890, TORTOLITA MOUNTAINS, TUCSON BASIN, ARIZONA by M. Steven Shackley Ph.D., Director Geoarchaeological XRF Laboratory Report Prepared for Jane Sliva Desert Archaeology, Inc. Tucson, Arizona 1 October 2012
Improving Resource Allocations by Sharing in Pairs

Given an initial resource allocation, where some agents may envy others or where a different distribution of resources might lead to a higher social welfare, our goal is to improve the allocation without reassigning resources. We consider a sharing concept allowing resources being shared with social network neighbors of the resource owners. More precisely, our model allows agents to form pairs which then may share a limited number of resources. Sharing a resource can come at some costs or loss in utility. To this end, we introduce a formal model that allows a central authority to compute an optimal sharing between neighbors based on an initial allocation. Advocating this point of view, we focus on the most basic scenario where each agent can participate in a bounded number of sharings. We present algorithms for optimizing utilitarian and egalitarian social welfare of allocations and for reducing the number of envious agents. In particular, we examine the computational complexity with respect to several natural parameters. Furthermore, we study cases with restricted social network structures and, among others, devise polynomial-time algorithms in path- and tree-like (hierarchical) social networks.
Stress‐Drop Variations and Source‐Scaling Relations of Moderate Earthquakes of the Indian Tectonic Plate

We investigate the source characteristics of 53 earthquakes in and around the Indian subcontinent through a grid‐search technique applied to the P ‐ and S ‐wave displacement spectra of regional waveforms registered at 42 broadband seismic stations. In addition, we estimate the P ‐ and S ‐wave attenuation factors representative of the various tectonic regions that constitute the Indian shield. We discuss the sensitivity of the displacement spectrum to various parameters and demonstrate that for a Brune‐type source model, the seismic moment is the best estimated parameter compared to others, such as the corner frequency. Our estimates of moment magnitudes are within the range of 1014–1020 (N·m), with the crack radii being less than ∼12 km. The nonuniform distribution of the static stress drop along the Himalaya, Burmese arc, and the western Indian regions indicates that the central Himalayas are prone to frequent failures owing to the lesser stress drop, in contrast with the northwestern Himalaya and Burmese arc regions. Our results suggest that median stress drops are independent of the earthquake mechanism. Online Material: List of events and associated estimated parameters.