Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Bitcoin and Blockchain Security

There is a lot of buzz about Bitcoin and Blockchain lately, our expert authors will help to answer some imperative questions about the security involved in this new digital asset and ledger. This comprehensive new resource presents a thorough overview and analysis of the security and privacy provisions of Bitcoin and its underlying blockchain clients. This book goes beyond the analysis of reported vulnerabilities of Bitcoin, evaluating a number of countermeasures to deter threats on the system. Readers are given concrete solutions and recommendations on the best practices to use when relying on Bitcoin as a payment method. This resource provides a clear explanation of assumptions governing the security of Bitcoin, including the scalability measures adopted in Bitcoin, privacy for clients, and the proper means of securing Bitcoin wallets. Readers learn how the security and privacy provisions of other blockchain technologies compare to Bitcoin and the security lessons learned after extensive research of Bitcoin since the inception of the currency.
Renal receptors for calcitonin. Binding and degradation of hormone.

Abstract Salmon calcitonin (synthetic) was iodinated with the chloramine-T method and purified by gel filtration. The product was virtually free of uniodinated molecules as determined by enzymatic digestion and amino acid analysis. Greater than 80% of the incorporated iodine was in the form of monoiodotyrosine. The iodinated hormone bound specifically to renal and skeletal receptors and was indistinguishable from the uniodinated species by bioassays based on either the renal or skeletal action of calcitonin. The degradation of salmon 125I-calcitonin by renal plasma membranes was inhibited by agents that did not block the high affinity binding to receptors. Hormone bound to receptors remained biologically intact; after elution from receptors the hormone bound specifically to fresh membranes. High affinity, low capacity sites similar to those identified in renal plasma membranes were also found in membranes prepared from skeletal tissue; the apparent affinity constants were in the range of 1011 m-1 for each tissue. High affinity receptors for calcitonin were found in renal membrane preparations containing brush borders as well as preparations, presumably antiluminal in origin, that did not contain brush borders.
L'impatto dell'Information Technology sul cambiamento organizzativo: il caso dell'azienda Gamma

In un contesto caratterizzato da instabilità ambientale e parzialità delle informazioni il cambiamento organizzativo si presenta sempre più come una condizione fisiologica per tutte le organizzazioni. In tal contesto il Change Management diviene una competenza indispensabile per il governo di qualsiasi impresa o forma organizzativa. Il presente lavoro intende evidenziare come il cambiamento tecnologico e quello organizzativo si sviluppano congiuntamente neo processi di Change Management. Più in particolare, analizzando anche il caso di una piccola media azienda che opera nel settore del mobile/arredo, si è cercato di valutare come l’introduzione di un sistema Enterprise Resource Planning si inteconnette con il processo di cambiamento organizzativo intrapreso come risposta ad una strategia di internazionalizzazione produttiva.
Muscular fatigue in Duchenne muscular dystrophy

Article abstract—We used a Cminute sustained maximum voluntary contraction to investigate fatigability of the anterior tibial muscle in eight healthy boys and 11 boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) (ages 5 to 10 years). Before exercise, the force generation of dystrophic muscle and the compound muscle action potential amplitude were lower and half-relaxation time of the tetanus was longer in patients than in controls. During exercise, the decline in tetanic force and potentiation in twitch tension were similar in both groups. However, during exercise, there was less decline in maximum voluntary contraction and less added force in DMD patients, suggesting that there was less central fatigue in patients than in controls. Thus, patients with DMD and controls have similar intramuscular fatigability and excitation-contraction coupling, and central activation in patients is functioning as well as or better than in healthy controls.
Social sustainability in supply chains: A framework and a Latin America illustrative case

Social issues are under-represented in sustainability, considering historical predominance of economic and environmental issues. This also applies to Sustainable Supply Chain Management. Even with its definition clarified regarding Triple Bottom Line, research still advances disproportionately in environmental and economic dimensions, facing the social dimension. This research aims to analyze how social sustainability is addressed in focal firms and managed into its supply chain. The study explores the concepts of social issues and governance mechanisms, presenting elements discussed in the literature. A framework for managing social sustainability in supply chains is presented, followed by a case to illustrate the discussed concepts in a Latin American context.
The effect of nifedipine and captopril on platelet activation and prostanoid production in essential hypertension

Sixteen patients with mild to moderate essential hypertension were randomly allocated to 6 weeks of treatment with nifedipine and captopril in a crossover trial. Nifedipine and captopril lowered blood pressure significantly both 2 and 12 h after the last dose. Apart from an increased heart rate 2 h after the last dose of nifedipine, the heart rate did not change. Platelet factor 4, thromboxane B2, 6-keto prostaglandin F1α (6-keto PGF1α) and cyclic (c)AMP did not change during either therapy. There was no correlation between the plasma concentration of nifedipine measured 2 and 12 h after the last dose and the platelet variables described above. The findings show that nifedipine and captopril in therapeutic doses do not affect platelet activity in patients with mild to moderate essential hypertension.
Intercistronic as well as terminal sequences are required for efficient amplification of brome mosaic virus RNA3

The genome of brome mosaic virus (BMV) is divided among messenger polarity RNA1, RNA2, and RNA3 (3.2, 2.9, and 2.1 kilobases, respectively). cis-Acting sequences required for BMV RNA amplification were investigated with RNA3. By using expressible cDNA clones, deletions were constructed throughout RNA3 and tested in barley protoplasts coinoculated with RNA1 and RNA2. In contrast to requirements for 5'- and 3'-terminal noncoding sequences, either of the two RNA3 coding regions can be deleted individually and both can be simultaneously inactivated by N-terminal frameshift mutations without significantly interfering with amplification of RNA3 or production of its subgenomic mRNA. However, simultaneous major deletions in both coding regions greatly attenuate RNA3 accumulation. RNA3 levels can be largely restored by insertion of a heterologous, nonviral sequence in such mutants, suggesting that RNA3 requires physical separation of its terminal domains or a minimum overall size for normal replication or stability. Unexpectedly, deletions in a 150-base segment of the intercistronic noncoding region drastically reduce RNA3 accumulation. This segment contains a sequence element homologous to sequences found near the 5' ends of BMV RNA1 and RNA2 and in analogous positions in the three genomic RNAs of the related cucumber mosaic virus, suggesting a possible role in plus-strand synthesis.
Automated Encounter Detection for Animal-Borne Sensor Nodes

Tracking animals is mandatory for a better understanding of their social interactions. Social behavior of bats is of particular interest, since it can be used for improved epidemic avoidance and forecasts. Animal-borne sensor nodes are enabling the monitoring and analyzing the social contacts. Attached to bats, these nodes can only be equipped with small batteries, dictating tight requirements regarding the energy demand of the soft- and hardware infrastructure. In this paper, we present our software architecture of a wireless sensor network that allows a fully-automated tracking of the social behavior of free ranging animals. This software was extensively tested during a two month lasting field test in the tropical rain forest of Panama, thereby monitoring 38 free-ranging bats. We documented more than 300,000 biologically relevant events, generated by animal-borne sensor nodes running up to 15 days. Furthermore, we support runtime reconfiguration, allowing to adapt the system during campaigns without disturbing the animals. Showcasing that our system and especially the software works under realistic conditions, we give an in-depth insight of our experience during the field test.
QUANTUM EXPONENTIAL FUNCTION

A special function playing an essential role in the construction of quantum "ax+b"-group is introduced and investigated. The function is denoted by Fℏ(r,ϱ), where ℏ is a constant such that the deformation parameter q2=e-iℏ. The first variable r runs over non-zero real numbers; the range of the second one depends on the sign of r: ϱ=0 for r>0 and ϱ=±1 for r<0. After the holomorphic continuation the function satisfies the functional equation The name "exponential function" is justified by the formula: where R, S are selfadjoint operators satisfying certain commutation relations and [R+S] is a selfadjoint extension of the sum R+S determined by operators ρ and σ appearing in the formula. This formula will be used in a forthcoming paper to construct a unitary operator W satisfying the pentagonal equation of Baaj and Skandalis.
Effects of 3,3',4,4'-tetrachlorobiphenyl on foetal germ cells in two mouse strains after repeated treatment of the dams during and after pregnancy.

Female mice from the C57/B1- and CBA/S-strain, respectively, were administered 3,3'4,4'-tetrachlorobiphenyl once a week for two weeks prior to mating, during mating, gestation and lactation, altogether at seven weekly occasions. The orally administered amounts were 9 or 15 mg/kg b.wt. per occasion. Male and female offspring (F1), exposed in utero were collected for histological analysis of the testes and ovaries. Other C57/B1-females (F1) were tested for their reproductive capacity. In the C57/B1-males tetrachlorobiphenyl only had a temporary effect on germ cell numbers, and spermatogenesis was normal again at 56 days after birth. In the ovaries 28 days after birth, an increased number of oocytes and follicles were observed, the effect being more pronounced in the C57/B1-strain. The reproductive capacity expressed as mean litter size seemed not to be affected by the histologically observed changes. Concerning the number of litters per female there were indications of an enhanced productivity in tetrachlorobiphenyl-exposed F1-females. Malformations of any kind were not observed.
An Empirical Study of Cloud Maturity across Industries

The cloud adoption can be regarded as a paragon shift of business transaction, which will accompany with business process reengineering. How do cloud systems be implemented to enhance the business processes across industries? By conducting a empirical survey, this study focuses on the comparison of the cloud adoption across industries in Taiwan. This research project was conducted by two research institutes (i.e. IDC and III). A cloud maturity matrix is composed of four dimensions (i.e., familiarity, process, change management, and performance). Through investigating the cloud maturity of seven industries, including finance, public/education, retail, manufacturing, ICT, healthcare, and transportation, the contributions of this work are: (1) to compare the status quo of cloud adoption across industries, (2) to understand the possible factors of difference toward industrial cloud adoption, and (3) to discuss the strategy foci for industries. A cluster-random sampling method was utilized to chosen 724 qualified firms from the IDC survey database. One hundred and seventy one valid response were received. The findings reveal that the significant different across industries in cloud maturity. Both public/education and healthcare reveal highest cloud maturity. The public/education industry is more mature in familiarity, process, and change management. The ICT industry performs better in change management, while the healthcare industry shows higher performance. The findings provide valuable insights for managers and policy makers to develop effective cloud development policies and procedures.
Varying tracheal cross‐sectional area during respiration in infants and children with suspected upper airway obstruction by computed cinetomography scanning

An ultrafast cinetomography computed tomographic scanner (cine‐CT) was used to evaluate infants and children (n = 15) with suspected obstruction of the larynx or trachea. One scan sequence provided a single image at each of eight cross‐sectional levels (volume‐mode study). Each study, lasting 224 ms, covered the distance between the supraglottic area and the carina. Each patient also underwent a “dynamic” study at a specific level of interest determined from the volume‐mode study. Forty images within 2.3 s covered at least one respiratory cycle. The images were displayed as a closed‐loop movie and dynamic changes in laryngeal and tracheal caliber with respiration were monitored and quantitated. Tracheal boundaries were outlined either by a trackball‐guided cursor (freehand) or semi‐automated computer edge detection, and cross‐sectional areas and diameters were determined. Reproducibility was tested among three investigators' freehand drawings and two automated computer drawings, at the same and at varying image intensities. The coefficient of variation for the computer‐assisted records (0.2%) was smaller than for the best freehand drawing (1.5%). Tracheal diameters were reproducible, but with greater intra‐individual investigator variability. Four normal tracheas had close to published measurements with conventional CT scanners. Cine‐CT gives objective tracheal dimensions and their variation during respiration; it provides good anatomical detail above the carina, and also of the extra‐ and intra‐thoracic vessels if injected with contrast medium. Pediatr Pulmonal 1990; 9:224–232.
Performance of Brandstars in Global Markets: Measuring Unmeasurables

This paper examines a value creation of brand intangible on stock prices under existing (Carhart's Four-Factor Model) and a new asset pricing methodologies. The study produces several outcomes. First, a new model, which accounts the risks that are attributable to intangible assets, adds a significant explanatory power to the existing model. Second, an equal-weighted portfolio of “Top 100 Global Brands” list generates positive and significant abnormal returns over the benchmark. Third, the paper documents superiority of newcomers' portfolio and a failure of dropped firms' portfolio. Fourth, the analysis finds that the list ranking does not matter in terms of higher abnormal returns, which, in turn, implies only remarkable appreciations and depreciations in brand equity create a value on stocks. Fifth, the industrial analysis finds that a value creation of brand intangibles cannot be labelled to a specific industry, but it mostly occurs in sin, automotive, luxury and apparel, and technology industries. Whereas the regional analysis reveals a lesser efficiency of American stock market vis-a-vis European and Asian ones.
Use of information and communication technology to support comprehensive disaster management in the Caribbean countries

ABSTRACT This article describes the use of information and communication technology (ICT) to support comprehensive disaster management (CDM) in the Caribbean Community region. An integrative model of ICT business value was used to investigate the relationship between ICT resources and contributions to CDM. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with managers of national disaster organizations (NDO) in 17 participating countries of the Caribbean region. Organizational documents were also reviewed. Conclusions include: (a) only a few NDOs articulated strategies for developing their ICT capabilities; (b) only a few countries engaged in a systematic planning for the effective use of ICT for CDM; and (c) several NDOs conceded that they were not fully utilizing the available ICT resources.
The Structure and Role of the Underwriting Syndicate

This chapter presents research findings on the structure and role of underwriter syndicates in the initial public offering (IPO) process, thereby extending the list of participants beyond the lead underwriter. The authors rely on recent studies to offer a more comprehensive picture of syndicate structure and size in Europe and the United States. Research questions being addressed include the following: How are underpricing and reputation linked to syndicates? How many banks should be included in the syndicate? What responsibilities can be shared? Finally, the chapter concludes with a discussion of avenues for future research on IPO syndicate structure.
A new utility-emphasized analysis for stock trading rules

Utility based data mining has been emerging as a significant learning tool for formulating business practices from the economic perspective. The recent economic growth in financial world could be greatly accredited to the Stock markets. Many researchers have made valiant attempts in data mining to devise an efficient system for stock market movement analysis. Still, there have not been many systems that could formulate association rules for stock markets based on economic importance i.e. utility. So, when utility based data mining is employed in stock market prediction, it would devise association rules that would lead to high return on investments. Hereby, we propose a new analysis which deploys the Utility Based Data mining to generate utility emphasized trading rules. The proposed utility based analysis is composed of a pre-analysis and a core analysis. The pre-analysis utilizes four powerful technical indicators to interpret the raw historical data and Association Rule Mining to generate frequency-based trading rules. In the core analysis, the utility based preliminary rules are generated by using Genetic Algorithm and then a weightage based analysis is performed for extracting better utility-emphasized rules. Unlike the conventional utility based data mining, the obtained trading rules are optimal and utility efficient because of the introduction of weightage based analysis. The proficiency of the obtained rules are compared against the conventional utility-emphasized and frequency-based non-utility emphasized trading rules using frequency, utility and weightage values in diverse stock market datasets.
Customer Satisfaction on Supply Chain Management Practices: A Study of Toyota and Tata Motors in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Automobile industry has been a major driver growth of a nation’s economy and is a significant contributor to the global economy. The Automobile has been described as both a form and function based product involving high level of engineering as well as being positioned as a fashion product. Supply chain management is typically viewed to lie between fully vertically integrated firms where the entire material flow is owned by a single firm, and those where each channel members operates independently. For the automobile industry the crucial element in the supply chain management is its ability to forecast demand accurately. The objective of the current study was to find out the level of customer satisfaction on supply chain management practices of Toyota and Tata motors in KSA. A total of 250 randomly drawn respondents were taken for the survey using questionnaire method. It was found that the customer having Toyota are more satisfied on the dimension of time taken for delivery, promised time delivery, accessories and spare parts, after sales services, grievances handling and supply chain management as compare to Tata motors. It was also found that young generations are more satisfied with Toyota while old customer are more satisfied with Tata motors. Majority of the customers of both the companies are also showing satisfaction with Dealership network. Keywords: Customer Satsifaction, Supply Chain Management, Promised Time Delivery, Grievance Handling Mechanism
A notion of generalized graph Laplacian and its application to distributed consensus algorithm

In order to describe the interconnection among agents with multi-dimensional states, we generalize the notion of graph Laplacian by extending the adjacency weights from positive scalars to positive definite matrices. We prove that the generalized graph Laplacian inherits the spectral properties of the graph Laplacian. As an application example, we use the generalized graph Laplacian to establish a distributed consensus algorithm for agents described by multi-dimensional integrators.
Nucleotide sequence and genome organization of canine parvovirus

The genome of a canine parvovirus isolate strain (CPV-N) was cloned, and the DNA sequence was determined. The entire genome, including ends, was 5,323 nucleotides in length. The terminal repeat at the 3' end of the genome shared similar structural characteristics but limited homology with the rodent parvoviruses. The 5' terminal repeat was not detected in any of the clones. Instead, a region of DNA starting near the capsid gene stop codon and extending 248 base pairs into the coding region had been duplicated and inserted 75 base pairs downstream from the poly(A) addition site. Consensus sequences for the 5' donor and 3' acceptor sites as well as promotors and poly(A) addition sites were identified and compared with the available information on related parvoviruses. The genomic organization of CPV-N is similar to that of feline parvovirus (FPV) in that there are two major open reading frames (668 and 722 amino acids) in the plus strand (mRNA polarity). Both coding domains are in the same frame, and no significant open reading frames were apparent in any of the other frames of both minus and plus DNA strands. The nucleotide and amino acid homologies of the capsid genes between CPV-N and FPV were 98 and 99%, respectively. In contrast, the nucleotide and amino acid homologies of the capsid genes for CPV-N and CPV-b (S. Rhode III, J. Virol. 54:630-633, 1985) were 95 and 98%, respectively. These results indicate that very few nucleotide or amino acid changes differentiate the antigenic and host range specificity of FPV and CPV.
An engineering approximation for the mean waiting time in the M/H2b/s queue

Although the exact solution for the mean waiting time in the M/H2/s queue exists, it requires advanced programming skills and processing capacity. In most engineering problems the offered traffic and its features are known with a certain degree of uncertainty (e.g. traffic is predicted, traffic is not clearly Poisson, etc). In such environments where perfect accuracy is not required, approximations are often used to estimate the performance. For engineering applications, the easiness to compute the estimate is a key factor. The contribution of this paper is a new closed formula to estimate the mean waiting time in the M/H2 b/s queue. The formula is easy to compute and accurate. In contrast with the already existing approximations, the one presented here keeps its validity for mediumhigh coefficients of variation.
A vibration control strategy for a boom-mounted manipulator system for high-speed positioning

We present a control scheme for high-speed vibration-free positioning of a system consisting of a rigid manipulator mounted on a flexible base. The objective is to move the end-point of this macro-micro manipulator system rapidly by proper motion of the micro-manipulator and without inducing structural vibrations when the joints of the flexible macro-manipulator are locked. It is shown by an example that the system is in general non-minimum phase. A control strategy is developed for rapid positioning of the end-effector of the micro-manipulator that will achieve the above goal. Simulation results are presented for a two-link manipulator mounted on a flexible boom.