Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Hardware Module Design for Ensuring Trust

Trust in security demanding software platforms is a very important characteristic. For this reason, Trusted computing group has specified a TPM hardware module that can enforce and guaranty a high trust level to all the platform's involved entities. However, the TPM's features can not be fully exploited in systems under extreme physical conditions. To solve this problem, the use of a special purpose hardware module, physically connected to a host security system's device acting as a local trusted third party, has been proposed. In this paper, we propose a hardware structure of such a hardware module, called Autonomous Attestation Token (AAT) and discuss hardware resource constrains and security bottlenecks that can stem from improper design of its various components. From this analysis it can be concluded that the efficiency of the AAT system is closely related to the efficiency of its public key encryption-decryption unit (RSA encryption-decryption module). Thus, we propose a design methodology toward a low hardware resources (small chip covered area) and side channel attack resistant RSA hardware architecture. This architecture is based on a Fault and Simple power attack resistant version of CRT RSA algorithm that is optimized for the AAT core functionality and hardware structure. To achieve that, Montgomery modular multiplication is used with numbers in carry save format and a Fault and simple power attack resistant modular exponentiation algorithm (FSME) is developed based on this multiplication approach. The hardware structure, realizing the FSME algorithm, is the most complex and resource demanding part of the CRT RSA architecture and its behavior is discussed after implementing it in FPGA technology. The proposed architecture's implementation provides very optimistic results of very low chip covered area and high computation speed thus verifying the efficiency of the proposed algorithms and architecture design approach.
GC NAATs: is the time right?

The laboratory diagnosis of gonorrhoea has historically been achieved by the isolation and identification of the causative agent, Neisseria gonorrhoeae . Currently it remains the gold standard because it demonstrates a high sensitivity and specificity and provides an organism for susceptibility testing to inform therapy. The obvious disadvantages of culture are that it requires good transport and isolation procedures and an invasive sample. The increasing interest in the use of nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs) for the detection of N gonorrhoeae has, in part, resulted from the widespread use of NAATs for the detection of Chlamydia trachomatis , both for testing genitourinary medicine patients and for screening as part of the National Chlamydia Screening Programme (NCSP). Non-invasive specimens are tested by the NCSP, and are also attractive for genitourinary medicine clinics, with the continued pressure on clinic time and resources. All of the NAATs for C trachomatis can detect N gonorrhoeae either simultaneously or using the same sample for little or no extra cost, which has …
Effects of Bunch Rot (Botrytis cinerea) and Powdery Mildew (Erysiphe necator) Fungal Diseases on Wine Aroma

This study aimed to characterize the effects of bunch rot and powdery mildew on the primary quality parameter of wine, the aroma. The influence of these fungal diseases was studied by comparative Aroma Extract Dilution Analyses (AEDA) and sensory tests. The effect of bunch rot was investigated on three grape varieties, namely White Riesling, Red Riesling and Gewürztraminer and that of powdery mildew on the hybrid Gm 8622-3; thereby, samples were selected that showed pronounced cases of infection to elaborate potential currently unknown effects. Both infections revealed aromatic differences induced by these fungi. The sensory changes were not associated with one specific compound only, but were due to quantitative variations of diverse substances. Bunch rot predominantly induced an increase in the intensities of peach-like/fruity, floral and liquor-like/toasty aroma notes. These effects were found to be related to variations in aroma substance composition as monitored via AEDA, mainly an increase in the FD factors of lactones and a general moderate increase of esters and alcohols. On the other hand, powdery mildew decreased the vanilla-like character of the wine while the remaining sensory attributes were rather unaffected. Correspondingly, FD factors of the main aroma constituents were either the same or only slightly modified by this disease. Moreover, bunch rot influenced the aroma profiles of the three varieties studied to a different degree. In hedonic evaluation, bunch rot-affected samples were rated as being more pleasant in comparison to their healthy controls in all three varieties while the powdery mildew-affected sample was rated as being less pleasant than its healthy control.
Costationarity of locally stationary time series 1

Loosely speaking, a stationary time series is one whose stat istic l properties remain constant over time, whereas the statistical properties of l cally stationary (LS) time series change slowly over time. As a consequence, LS series can appear stationary when examined close up, but appear nonstationary when examined on a larger scale. Priestley (1983 ) and Nason and von Sachs (1999) review locally stationary (LS) time series. Recently, Dahlhaus and Polonik (2006) introduced a general infinite order time-varying moving average (MA) representation for LS processes:
Identification of proteoglycans as the APRIL-specific binding partners

B cell activating factor of the tumor necrosis factor (TNF) family (BAFF) and a proliferation-inducing ligand (APRIL) are closely related ligands within the TNF superfamily that play important roles in B lymphocyte biology. Both ligands share two receptors—transmembrane activator and calcium signal–modulating cyclophilin ligand interactor (TACI) and B cell maturation antigen (BCMA)—that are predominantly expressed on B cells. In addition, BAFF specifically binds BAFF receptor, whereas the nature of a postulated APRIL-specific receptor remains elusive. We show that the TNF homology domain of APRIL binds BCMA and TACI, whereas a basic amino acid sequence (QKQKKQ) close to the NH2 terminus of the mature protein is required for binding to the APRIL-specific “receptor. ” This interactor was identified as negatively charged sulfated glycosaminoglycan side chains of proteoglycans. Although T cell lines bound little APRIL, the ectopic expression of glycosaminoglycan-rich syndecans or glypicans conferred on these cells a high binding capacity that was completely dependent on APRIL's basic sequence. Moreover, syndecan-1–positive plasma cells and proteoglycan-rich nonhematopoietic cells displayed high specific, heparin-sensitive binding to APRIL. Inhibition of BAFF and APRIL, but not BAFF alone, prevented the survival and/or the migration of newly formed plasma cells to the bone marrow. In addition, costimulation of B cell proliferation by APRIL was only effective upon APRIL oligomerization. Therefore, we propose a model whereby APRIL binding to the extracellular matrix or to proteoglycan-positive cells induces APRIL oligomerization, which is the prerequisite for the triggering of TACI- and/or BCMA-mediated activation, migration, or survival signals.
Transgenic zebrafish model to study translational control mediated by upstream open reading frame of human chop gene

Upstream open reading frame (uORF)-mediated translational inhibition is important in controlling key regulatory genes expression. However, understanding the underlying molecular mechanism of such uORF-mediated control system in vivo is challenging in the absence of an animal model. Therefore, we generated a zebrafish transgenic line, termed huORFZ, harboring a construct in which the uORF sequence from human CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein homologous protein gene (huORFchop) is added to the leader of GFP and is driven by a cytomegalovirus promoter. The translation of transgenic huORFchop-gfp mRNA was absolutely inhibited by the huORFchop cassette in huORFZ embryos during normal conditions, but the downstream GFP was only apparent when the huORFZ embryos were treated with endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stresses. Interestingly, the number and location of GFP-responsive embryonic cells were dependent on the developmental stage and type of ER stresses encountered. These results indicate that the translation of the huORFchop-tag downstream reporter gene is controlled in the huORFZ line. Moreover, using cell sorting and microarray analysis of huORFZ embryos, we identified such putative factors as Nrg/ErbB, PI3K and hsp90, which are involved in huORFchop-mediated translational control under heat-shock stress. Therefore, using the huORFZ embryos allows us to study the regulatory network involved in human uORFchop-mediated translational inhibition.
Segmentation of Lip Images by Modified Fuzzy C-means Clustering Algorithm

In this paper, we describe the application of a modified fuzzy C-means clustering algorithm to the lip segmentation problem. The modified fuzzy C-means algorithm is able to take the initial membership function from the spatially connected neighboring pixels. Successful segmentation of lip images is possible with the proposed one. Comparative study of this proposed modified fuzzy C-means is done with the traditional fuzzy C-means algorithm by using Pratt’s Figure of Merit. Experimental results using proposed method demonstrate encouraging performance.
Postprandial effects on plasma lipids and satiety hormones from intake of liposomes made from fractionated oat oil: two randomized crossover studies

Background The composition and surface structure of dietary lipids influence their intestinal degradation. Intake of liposomes made of fractionated oat oil (LOO) is suggested to affect the digestion process and postprandial lipemia and also induce satiety. Objective In the present study, the metabolic effects on plasma lipids and gut hormones related to satiety were investigated in healthy individuals after intake of LOO, with dairy lipids as placebo. Design Two blinded randomized studies with crossover design were performed. In the first study, 19 subjects consumed 35 g lipids from LOO or yoghurt in a breakfast meal. In a follow-up study, 15 women consumed 14 or 1.8 g lipids from LOO mixed in yoghurt. Blood samples were analyzed for plasma lipids, insulin, glucose, and intestinal hormones CCK, PYY, GLP-1, and GLP-2 before and four times after the meal. Subjective analysis of satiety was measured using a visual analog scale questionnaire. Participants recorded their food intake during the rest of the day. Results Intake of 35 and 14 g lipids from LOO significantly increased plasma concentrations of CCK, GLP-1, GLP-2, and PYY postprandially. This coincided with a prolonged elevation of triglycerides and large cholesterol-containing particles. Non-esterified fatty acids decreased after intake of 14 and 1.8 g lipids from LOO. The subjective sensation of satiety in women was increased 7 h after intake of 35 g lipids from LOO without any difference in food intake. Our results indicate that intake of 14 g lipids from LOO at breakfast substantially reduced energy intake during the rest of the day. Conclusions This study suggests that intake of LOO prolong lipid digestion, affect postprandial plasma lipids and have an effect on satiety. The effect of LOO on GLP-2 indicates that intake of LOO also improve gut health.
Temozolomide treatment in glioma Experiences in two university hospitals in finland

Thirty-two patients with relapsing glioma were treated with temozolomide in two university hospitals in Finland. One patient (3%) had complete response and 9 (28%) partial response, with 8 patients (25%) showing stable disease. Median progression-free survival for these 18 patients (56%) was 7 months (range 2–11+). The remaining either had progressive disease (25%) or only clinical evaluation (19%). Karnofsky score improved in 34% of patients and decreased in 3%. Symptoms were alleviated in 44% and deteriorated in 9%. Grade 3–4 toxicity was detected in 9% of the patients. Only 4% of the days in treatment were spent in hospital. An average 1.8 neuroradiological investigations, 6.9 laboratory visits, and 5.3 visits to the oncologist were made. This study confirms that temozolomide has positive effects on the outcome of often heavily pretreated glioma patients. High drug costs are compensated by prolonged home care and even the possibility to maintain working capacity.
Pleasure is your birthright: digitally enabled designer sex toys as a case of third-wave HCI

In the past decade, HCI has become increasingly preoccupied with the deeply subjective qualities of interaction: experience, embodiment, pleasure, intimacy, and so on, an agenda sometimes grouped under the heading of "third-wave HCI". "Analytically understanding and designing for such qualities has been an ongoing challenge to the field, in part because its established theories and methodologies are comparatively weak at understanding and being responsive to human subjectivity. In this paper, we present a case study of a group of designers who have, in the past few years, revolutionized their domain - sex toys - by combining embodied pleasure, intimate experience, health and wellness, emerging technologies, high-quality design processes, and social activism. We consider the implications this case could have for researchers innovating on especially third-wave HCI design theories, methodologies, and processes.
Position estimation using principal components of range data

Describes an approach to mobile robot position estimation based on principal component analysis of laser range data. An eigenspace is constructed from the principal components of a large number of range data sets. The structure of an environment, as seen by a range sensor, is represented as a family of surfaces in this space. Subsequent range data sets from the environment project as a point in this space. Associating this point to the family of surfaces gives a set of candidate positions and orientations (poses) for the sensor. These candidate poses correspond to positions and orientations in the environment which have similar range profiles. A Kalman filter can used to select the most likely candidate pose based on coherence with small movements. The first part of this paper describes how a relatively small number of depth profiles of an environment can be used to generate a complete eigenspace. This space is used to build a representation of the range scan profiles obtained from a regular grid of positions and orientations (poses). This representation has the form of a family of surfaces (a manifold). This representation converts the problem of associating a range profile to possible positions and orientations into a table lookup. As a side benefit, the method provides a simple means to detect obstacles in a range profile. The final section of the paper reviews the use of estimation theory to determine the correct pose hypothesis by tracking.
Epidemiology and antimicrobial resistance of staphylococci isolated from different infectious diseases

A total of 187 isolates from 470 clinical specimens were collected from three hospitals in El-Minia governorate and identified as 132 Staphylococcus aureus strains and 55 coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS) strains. Susceptibility of isolates to antimicrobial agents was tested by the agar dilution method. The isolated S. aureus strains showed low resistance to vancomycin (1.5%), amikacin (2.3%) and gatifloxacin (3.8%). Vancomycin was the most effective antibiotic against CoNS. The ampicillin-resistant isolates were tested for β-lactamase production where, 61.7% of S. aureus and 42.9% of CoNS were positive for β-lactamase enzyme. Beta-lactamase producing strains were screened for their plasmid profile using alkaline lysis method. Some of these strains carried at least one plasmid suggesting plasmid-mediated antibiotic resistance. When cells of these strains were exposed to curing agent ethidium bromide, the production of the β-lactamase was lost. Resistance by efflux was studied by a modified fluorometric assay. Addition of uncoupler carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone (CCCP) increased norfloxacin accumulation in quinolone resistant S. aureus strains, suggesting endogenous energy-dependent efflux. Combinations of ciprofloxacin with four antimicrobial agents against methicillin resistant S.aureus (MRSA) strains were investigated using decimal assay for additivity (DAA) technique. Synergistic interaction was observed between ciprofloxacin and oxacillin. ciprofloxacin plus cefepime and gentamicin appeared to be additive, while ciprofloxacin plus erythromycin was antagonistic.
Differential Contributions of Dorso-Ventral and Rostro-Caudal Prefrontal White Matter Tracts to Cognitive Control in Healthy Older Adults

Prefrontal cortex mediates cognitive control by means of circuitry organized along dorso-ventral and rostro-caudal axes. Along the dorso-ventral axis, ventrolateral PFC controls semantic information, whereas dorsolateral PFC encodes task rules. Along the rostro-caudal axis, anterior prefrontal cortex encodes complex rules and relationships between stimuli, whereas posterior prefrontal cortex encodes simple relationships between stimuli and behavior. Evidence of these gradients of prefrontal cortex organization has been well documented in fMRI studies, but their functional correlates have not been examined with regard to integrity of underlying white matter tracts. We hypothesized that (a) the integrity of specific white matter tracts is related to cognitive functioning in a manner consistent with the dorso-ventral and rostro-caudal organization of the prefrontal cortex, and (b) this would be particularly evident in healthy older adults. We assessed three cognitive processes that recruit the prefrontal cortex and can distinguish white matter tracts along the dorso-ventral and rostro-caudal dimensions –episodic memory, working memory, and reasoning. Correlations between cognition and fractional anisotropy as well as fiber tractography revealed: (a) Episodic memory was related to ventral prefrontal cortex-thalamo-hippocampal fiber integrity; (b) Working memory was related to integrity of corpus callosum body fibers subserving dorsolateral prefrontal cortex; and (c) Reasoning was related to integrity of corpus callosum body fibers subserving rostral and caudal dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. These findings confirm the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex's role in semantic control and the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex's role in rule-based processing, in accordance with the dorso-ventral prefrontal cortex gradient. Reasoning-related rostral and caudal superior frontal white matter may facilitate different levels of task rule complexity. This study is the first to demonstrate dorso-ventral and rostro-caudal prefrontal cortex processing gradients in white matter integrity.
Wrinkled flames and cellular patterns

We model flames and fire using the Navier-Stokes equations combined with the level set method and jump conditions to model the reaction front. Previous works modeled the flame using a combination of propagation in the normal direction and a curvature term which leads to a level set equation that is parabolic in nature and thus overly dissipative and smooth. Asymptotic theory shows that one can obtain more interesting velocities and fully hyperbolic (as opposed to parabolic) equations for the level set evolution. In particular, researchers in the field of detonation shock dynamics (DSD) have derived a set of equations which exhibit characteristic cellular patterns. We show how to make use of the DSD framework in the context of computer graphics simulations of flames and fire to obtain interesting features such as flame wrinkling and cellular patterns.
Spatiotemporal Pattern of Neuroinflammation After Impact-Acceleration Closed Head Injury in the Rat

Inflammatory processes have been implicated in the pathogenesis of traumatic brain damage. We analyzed the spatiotemporal expression pattern of the proinflammatory key molecules: interleukin-1β, interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factor-α, and inducible nitric oxide synthase in a rat closed head injury (CHI) paradigm. 51 rats were used for RT-PCR analysis after CHI, and 18 for immunocytochemistry. We found an early upregulation of IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α mRNA between 1 h and 7 h after injury; the expression of iNOS mRNA only revealed a significant increase at 4 h. After 24 h, the expression decreased towards baseline levels, and remained low until 7 d after injury. Immunocytochemically, IL-1β induction was localized to ramified microglia in areas surrounding the primary impact place as well as deeper brain structures. Our study shows rapid induction of inflammatory gene expression that exceeds by far the primary impact site and might therefore contribute to tissue damage at remote sites.
The Roles of Social Support and Job Meaningfulness in the Disturbing Media Exposure-Job Strain Relationship

The Roles of Social Support and Job Meaningfulness in the Disturbing Media ExposureJob Strain Relationship Hoang, Hung T. M.A. in Industrial/Organizational Psychology. Minnesota State University, Mankato, 2014 This study examined the relationship between exposure to disturbing media and a number of strain outcomes. Past research suggests that individuals exposed to disturbing media report symptoms of secondary traumatic stress and burnout (Perez, Jones, Englert, & Sachau, 2010). This relationship was further explored in the current study. Additionally, the current study explored the roles of social support and job meaningfulness in the work place, as past research suggests that support and meaningfulness may help to mitigate the negative outcomes typically found among workers exposed to traumatic stressors (Britt, Adler, & Barton, 2001; Halbesleben, 2006; Morales, 2012; Stephens & Long, 2000). The job demands-resources model (Bakker, Demerouti, & Euwema, 2005) served as the theoretical framework for the current study. Participants were recruited through email and completed an online survey. The results of the study showed that exposure was not related to secondary traumatic stress or emotional exhaustion. Also, coworker support and job meaningfulness did not serve as a significant moderator in any of the analyses. However, exploratory analyses revealed that the relationship between exposure and professional efficacy was mediated by job meaningfulness, suggesting that organizations can decrease the risk of burnout symptoms (specifically, a decrease in professional efficacy) by promoting awareness of the meaningful nature of working with DM. Additional implications of the study’s findings were discussed. TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter 1: Introduction 1 Exposure to DM and its Negative Outcomes 3 Social Support 5 DM, Job Satisfaction, and the role of Job Meaningfulness 7 Theoretical Framework: The Job Demands-Resources Model 9 The Present Study 10 Chapter 2: Method 14 Participants 14 Procedure 14 Measures 14 Chapter 3: Results 18 Removals 18 Preliminary Analysis 18 Descriptive Statistics 19 Tests of Hypotheses 19 Exploratory Analysis 22 Chapter 4: Discussion 36 Summary of Findings 36 Limitations 41 Future Research 42 Conclusion 44 References 45 APPENDIX Measures 49 Exposure to Disturbing Media 49 Secondary Traumatic Stress 49 O’Driscoll’s Measure of Social Support 51 Emotional Support 51 Meaningful Work 52 Job Satisfaction 53 Workload 53
A Case for Usage of Case Usage in Case-Based Reasoning

Some of the issues in case retrieval and maintenance of case-bases are discussed. Conventionally, nearest neighbor algorithm is applied for retrieval of similar cases. Uniqueness of feature-values is not rewarded in such similarity matching functions. In order to refine the retrieval process, a metric based on successful case usage in the past is incorporated. This metric is shown to be useful in case-base maintenance. Applications in Homoeopathy remedy and personal tour selection are presented with comparative results.