Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Enhancing communication privacy using trustworthy remote entities

Communication privacy is the property of a communication system that enables two or more distrusting participants to exchange information without compromising their privacy, with respect to internal and external adversaries. It encompasses aspects of anonymous communication as well as data privacy. A real-world example of the need for communication privacy is the smart energy grid, in which networked smart meters frequently measure energy consumption and communicate with grid operators. Privacy concerns arise from the possible inference of sensitive information from these measurements. Using smart grid communication privacy as a case study, this thesis introduces the concept of the Trustworthy Remote Entity (TRE). The TRE is an intermediary between distrusting participants that performs privacy-enhancing computations on the exchanged information. Unlike cryptographic secure multiparty computation protocols, this approach does not increase participants’ computational or communication complexity. In contrast to a trusted third party, this trustworthy entity uses trusted computing and remote attestation to establish attestation-based trust relationships. As a single-function system, the TRE requires only a minimal software Trusted Computing Base, thus minimizing its attack surface and making it an ideal candidate for security audits. Two research hypotheses are investigated: firstly that the TRE can be realized and used to enhance consumers’ privacy in the smart grid, and secondly that the TRE concept can be formalized and used in other application domains. This thesis confirms both hypotheses and, in doing so, presents five main contributions. Firstly, it proposes a new methodology for modelling and analysing communication privacy terms of unlinkability and undetectability, which is implemented in the CSP process algebra and used to enhance the Casper/FDR analysis tool. Secondly, it presents and analyses a new TRE-based smart grid communication architecture. Thirdly, it compares different TRE system architectures and evaluates a fully functional TRE prototype. Fourthly, it defines a new highly-scalable remote attestation protocol for establishing the TRE’s trustworthiness. Finally, it formalizes the fundamental characteristics of the TRE concept and demonstrates how the TRE can be used to enhance communication privacy in location-based services and wireless network roaming. ad maiorem Dei gloriam
Predictors of high intakes of protein-rich foods by older adults: Liking, perceived convenience and perceived value for money

Protein-specific under-nutrition is considered to affect 10–20 % of UK older adults, with potential detriments to health and wellbeing. This under-nutrition is considered to result, at least in part, from low protein intakes, or low intakes of protein-rich foods. Older adults can provide various reasons for both the high and low consumption of protein-rich foods; reasons related to the foods themselves, to the individual, and to their living situation. The relative importance of each these reasons, however, remains unknown. This work investigated the importance of reasons for the consumption of four categories of protein-rich foods in relation to protein intakes, in a sample of UK older adults. Questionnaires assessed: usual frequency of consumption of meat (red meat, white meat, processed meat), fish (white fish, oily fish, seafood), eggs, and dairy products (milk, yoghurts/ custards, hard cheeses, soft cheeses); agreement or disagreement with 30 statements assessing 15 previously identified reasons for protein consumption/non-consumption in this population; and various demographic and lifestyle characteristics of relevance to food intake. One thousand questionnaires were administered by post, with three repeat postings to non-responders. A total of 348 returned questionnaires were suitable for analysis. Respondents (149 male, 199 female, aged 65–94 years from across the UK), were representative of the UK older population at the 2011 census, in terms of gender and age. Meat was consumed 0–3 times/day (mean = 0·6). Higher intakes were associated with higher liking (β= 0·15, p = 0·03), greater perceptions of meat as convenient (β= 0·13, p = 0·03), and greater perceived ability to afford meat ((β= 0·12, p = 0·04). Fish was consumed from 0-twice/day (mean = 0·3). Higher intakes were associated with higher liking (β= 0·17, p = 0·02), a greater importance of freshness (β= 0·16, p = 0·03), and a lower perception of the effort required to prepare and cook fish (β=−0·13, p = 0·05). Eggs were consumed from 0-once/day (mean = 0·3). Higher intakes were associated with greater liking (β= 0·17, p = 0·03), perceptions of eggs as convenient (β= 0·19, p < 0·01), and lower perceptions of likely spoilage and waste (β=−0·20, p < 0·01). Dairy products were consumed from 0–3·6 times/day (mean = 1·7). Higher intakes were associated with higher liking (β= 0·26, p < 0·01). These findings demonstrate the importance of liking for the consumption of all protein-rich foods investigated, but also suggest high importance for convenience or effort required, and affordability or value for money. Meat, fish and eggs were more frequently consumed by those who perceived them as convenient or of little effort to prepare and cook, and meat and eggs were more frequently consumed by those who felt able to afford them or that they would likely not be wasted. Strategies to increase intakes of protein-rich foods that focus on these particular reasons, thus may demonstrate increased success. Other reasons investigated were not important.
The New Method for Credit Customer Selecting by Integration of A2 and Data Envelopment Analysis (A2_DEA)

This paper develops a decision support tool using an A2 method and data envelopment analysis (DEA) approach (A2-DEA). This new method is applied for the bank credit customer selection problem and credit scoring as a pilot survey at Export Development Bank of Iran. The proposed method has led to fewer calculations, faster and more accurate decision making, less complexity, and ability to analyze many scenarios with only one or a few judgments of decision makers while the effect of the subjective opinion of one single decision maker will be avoided. This proposed method is compared with adaptive analytical hierarchy process approach, which is suggested by Lin et al., in 2008, and it is named A3. An illustrative example demonstrates the implementation of the proposed approach. This example demonstrates how this approach can avoid the main drawback of the current method, and more importantly, can deal with the credit customer selection more convincingly and persuasively. The implementation results show that this method is significantly valid for ranking credit customers. Comparison of methods shows that although A3 have benefits, it also suffers from limitations, which can be avoided by the A2-DEA model, also improves the time and cost needed for implementing in comparison.
The Effects of Failure Recovery Strategies on Customer Behaviours Via Complainants' Perceptions of Justice Dimensions in Banks

The primary objective of this study is to investigate the effects of service recovery strategies on customer satisfaction. Specifically, it examines the perception of justice in service recovery and how it affects the level of satisfaction and behavioral outcomes. A total of 408 customers that choosen with random sampling method, from four major Turkish banks were surveyed, and structural equations models were used to verify the reliability and validity of the scale of perceived value. Our results indicate that service failure recovery strategies in banks affect justice perceptions directly. On the other hand, perceptions of justice influence satisfaction with recovery, overall firm satisfaction, loyalty to the employee, loyalty to the organization.
Analysis on Reputation, Competence and Experience as Requirements in Contractor Selection

In a construction project, an owner generally involving a contractor to execute its project dua to unavailability of adequate internal resources. The involvement of external party in the project, on the other side, raising a risk to the project. This research aims to analyze and understand in depth the factor determining the success of construction project involving contractor. The research was conducted at PT Vale Indonesia in Sorowako, Indonesia, by taking samples of employees involved in construction projects. Data collection is done through documentation and questionnaire. Data analysis was done by factor analysis using computer software SPSS. The results show that there are three factors affecting project performance with a total cumulative variance of 61,708%. Factor I consists of conscientiousness, reputation, and cooperative relationship with eigenvalue of 3,693 and total variance of 39,930%. Factor II consists of job knowledge, job proficiency, initiative, and social skill with eigenvalue of 1,357 and total variance of 13,574%. Factor III consists of job experience, controllability, and commitment with eigenvalue of 1,120 and total variance of 11,204%. The findings of this study can be used by project owners as reference in selecting contractors.
The management of the occasional trigger finger.

Patients will frequently see their family physician with an “occasional trigger finger,” or a finger or thumb that gets intermittently stuck in a flexed position. By attempting to extend the digit, it will often suddenly pop out to length. In some cases, the trigger finger is painful. Trigger finger usually occurs in the third or fourth digits, but it can occur in the thumb. Excessive gripping, as with a power tool or musical instrument, can increase the risk. Usual age of onset is in the 50s and 60s. Women are at higher risk, as are those with conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA), diabetes, hypothyroidism and gout. It is believed that recurrent tenosynovitis will lead to narrowing of the synovial sheath below the A1 pulley, as noted in Figure 1. In some cases, the tendon enlarges and forms a nodule distal to the pulley. As the finger is flexed, the thickened section of tendon becomes trapped proximal to the narrowing at the level of the pulley. With persistence or manual extension, using the other hand, the nodule pops through the stenotic section of tendon sheath. In severe cases, however, the finger can become stuck in the flexed position, resulting in a flexion contracture. On examination there is often tenderness to palpation in the area of the A1 pulley just proximal to the metacarpal–phalangeal (MCP) joint. There may also be a palpable nodule distal to this area, and this nodule will generally move with finger flexion and extension. The differential diagnosis of trigger finger includes other conditions such as dupuytrens contracture, a thickening of the palmar fascia, which over time pulls the finger into flexion but does not cause triggering. Additionally, abnormalities of the MCP joint such as osteophytes, loose bodies or chronic subluxation can lead to triggering.
Permanent magnet flux switching machines — Topologies, analysis and optimization

Permanent magnet flux switching machines have been attracting revived research interests for various applications over the last decades. Those machines not only inherit most merits from the conventional permanent magnet synchronous machines but also possess a simple passive and hence robust rotor. In this paper, a comprehensive overview on the evolution of new topologies for the permanent magnet flux switching (PMFS) rotary and linear machines is presented, and performance analysis and optimization of such machines are reviewed. Particular emphasis has been placed on practical techniques of torque/force pulsation analysis and reduction. The pros and cons of those PMFS machines are appraised so as to highlight the prospective applications.
Tubular injury in multiple myeloma

Epidemiology According to the literature, multiple myeloma (MM) may be attributed almost 1% of all cases with neoplasia and about 10% of hematologic malignancies in the USA (1, 2). The annual incidence rate in the USA is approximately 4-5 per 100.000 individuals. A similar incidence rate has been reported in the UK and in Europe (3-5). The incidence is equal in all races and geographic locations, and varies by ethnicity; in African Americans and Blacks from Africa this is increased 2 to 3 fold as compared to that one in Caucasians (6, 7). By contrast, the incidence is lower in Asians from Japan and in Mexicans (7, 8). Moreover, multiple myeloma occurs more frequently in men than it does in women (approximately 1.4:1) (7). The risk of developing MM is approximately 3.7-fold higher for persons with a firstde gree relative suffering from the disease; also, it has been reported in identical twins, and in four members spanning three generations in one family (9). Clinical findings Upon diagnosis, the vast majority of patients with MM present with symptoms related to the infiltration of plasma cells into the bone or other organs, or to kidney injury resulting from ex cess light chains. In a retrospective study conducted on 1027 consecutive patients diagnosed with MM in a single hospital, the authors found the following symptoms on admission (6): • Anemia of unexplained cause 73%; • Bone pain 58%; • Elevated serum creatinine 48%; • Fatigue 32%; • Hypercalcemia 28%; • Weight loss 24%. Anemia. Normocytic, normochromic anemia (Hb ≤12 g/dL) is found in 73% of patients upon diagnosis, and in 97% of individuals at a certain point in the course of the disease (6).
UAV Team Formation for Emitter Geolocation

In this paper we study a scenario in which uninhabited aerial vehicles (UAVs) are tasked with locating a group of active emitters. The time difference of arrival (TDOA) technique is used by the UAVs to geolocate the active emitters. As TDOA requires at least three UAVs to perform geolocation, an algorithm to team three or more UAVs and task this team to geolocate an emitter is required. We discuss two approaches for teaming the UAVs, which we have developed and tested via simulation. The first approach is a simple heuristic that assigns the closest three UAVs to the highest priority emitter. This approach was simple and efficient to run, but improvements in performance could be made. Because TDOA works best when the UAVs are angularly separated evenly around the emitter, the next teaming algorithm developed takes into account the geometry between all UAVs and emitters. It assigns a cost for each UAV team and emitter combination based on the current angular separation of the UAVs around an emitter, and by how much each UAV team can perfect its geometry in a given time period. Two search techniques are explored, which search the solution space for efficient solutions. Results from simulation tests of the two approaches indicate that the second algorithm on average geolocates the emitters in the simulation faster than the heuristic approach, and provides an efficient solution to this UAV teaming and allocation problem.
Ethanol-Induced Expression of ET-1 and ET-BR in Liver Sinusoidal Endothelial Cells and Human Endothelial Cells Involves Hypoxia-Inducible Factor-1α and MicroRNA-1991

Chronic alcohol consumption leads to inflammation and cirrhosis of the liver. In this study, we observed that liver sinusoidal endothelial cells (LSEC) derived from ethanol-fed rats showed several fold increases in the mRNA expression of endothelin-1 (ET-1), hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α), and inflammatory cytochemokines compared with control rat LSEC. We also observed the same results in acute ethanol-treated LSEC from control rats and human dermal microvascular endothelial cells. Ethanol-mediated ET-1 expression involved NADPH oxidase and HIF-1α activation. Furthermore, ethanol increased the expression of the ET-1 cognate receptor ET-BR in Kupffer cells and THP-1 monocytic cells, which also involved HIF-1α activation. Promoter analysis and chromatin immunoprecipitation showed that hypoxia response element sites in the proximal promoter of ET-1 and ET-BR were required for the binding of HIF-1α to up-regulate their expression. We showed that microRNAs, miR-199 among several microRNAs, attenuated HIF-1α and ET-1 expression, while anti-miR-199 reversed the effects, suggesting that ethanol-induced miR-199 down-regulation may contribute to augmented HIF-1α and ET-1 expression. Our studies, for the first time to our knowledge, show that ethanol-mediated ET-1 and ET-BR expression involve HIF-1α, independent of hypoxia. Additionally, ethanol-induced ET-1 expression in rat LSEC is regulated by miR-199, while in human endothelial cells, ET-1 expression is regulated by miR-199 and miR-155, indicating that these microRNAs may function as novel negative regulators to control ET-1 transcription and, thus, homeostatic levels of ET-1 to maintain microcirculatory tone.
Antisense Transcription in the Mammalian Transcriptome

Antisense transcription (transcription from the opposite strand to a protein-coding or sense strand) has been ascribed roles in gene regulation involving degradation of the corresponding sense transcripts (RNA interference), as well as gene silencing at the chromatin level. Global transcriptome analysis provides evidence that a large proportion of the genome can produce transcripts from both strands, and that antisense transcripts commonly link neighboring “genes” in complex loci into chains of linked transcriptional units. Expression profiling reveals frequent concordant regulation of sense/antisense pairs. We present experimental evidence that perturbation of an antisense RNA can alter the expression of sense messenger RNAs, suggesting that antisense transcription contributes to control of transcriptional outputs in mammals.
Big Five predictors of behavior and perceptions in initial dyadic interactions: personality similarity helps extraverts and introverts, but hurts "disagreeables".

The authors used the unstructured dyadic interaction paradigm to examine the effects of gender and the Big Five personality traits on dyad members' behaviors and perceptions in 87 initial, unstructured interactions. Most of the significant Big Five effects (84%) were associated with the traits of Extraversion and Agreeableness. There were several significant actor and partner effects for both of these traits. However, the most interesting and novel effects took the form of significant Actor x Partner interactions. Personality similarity resulted in relatively good initial interactions for dyads composed of 2 extraverts or 2 introverts, when compared with dissimilar (extravert-introvert) pairs. However, personality similarity resulted in uniquely poor initial interactions for dyads composed of 2 "disagreeables. " In summary, the Big Five traits predict behavior and perceptions in initial dyadic interactions, not just in the form of actor and partner "main effects" but also in the form of Actor x Partner interactions.
FROM MASS CUSTOMIZATION TO PRODUCT PERSONALIZATION IN AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY: POTENTIALS OF INDUSTRY 4.0

Purpose- Industry 4.0 involves a paradigm shift in marketing management as well as operations management. The recent literature identifies a transformation from mass customization to mass personalization. The purpose of this study is to explore the transformation addressing the Industry 4.0 concepts and recent progress in the automotive industry. Methodology- This study is an exploratory research utilizing case study method. Interviews were carried out with one of the leading automotive brands. Data were analyzed through descriptive analysis. Findings- The case study identifies the product decisions with a focus on customization and personalization themes. Customers’ involvement in design process is emphasized as well as customer data for a more customer-oriented strategy. The findings suggest that disruptive technologies provide a basis for mass-personalization strategy. Conclusion- Our case study demonstrates that automotive industry is one of the leading industries that prioritize customer preferences. The customization is achieved through numerous options supported by generic architectures. Nevertheless, personalization represents a higher degree of one-to-one marketing vision. Industry 4.0 contributes to such vision with emerging technologies that facilitate collection and analysis of customer and provide more personalized experience.
Transposable elements and microevolutionary changes in natural populations

Transposable elements (TEs) usually represent the most abundant and dynamic fraction of genomes in almost all living organisms. The overall capacity of such ‘junk DNA’ to induce mutations and foster the reorganization of functional genomes suggests that TE may be of central evolutionary significance. However, to what extent TE dynamics drive and is driven by the evolutionary trajectory of host taxa remains poorly known. Further work addressing the fate of TE insertions in natural populations is necessary to shed light on their impact on microevolutionary processes. Here, we highlight methodological approaches (i.e. transposon displays and high‐throughput sequencing), tracking TE insertions across large numbers of individuals and discuss their pitfalls and benefits for molecular ecology surveys.
ON LIKELIHOOD ESTIMATION FOR DISCRETELY OBSERVED MARKOV JUMP PROCESSES

The parameter estimation problem for a Markov jump process sampled at equidistant time points is considered here. Unlike the diffusion case where a closed form of the likelihood function is usually unavailable, here an explicit expansion of the likelihood function of the sampled chain is provided. Under suitable ergodicity conditions on the jump process, the consistency and the asymptotic normality of the likelihood estimator are established as the observation period tends to infinity. Simulation experiments are conducted to demonstrate the computational facility of the method.
Methods for Expansion of Human Embryonic Stem Cells

The manipulation of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) requires refined skills. Here we introduce both mechanical and enzymatic transfer methods for hESCs depending on experimental purpose. We use the mechanical transfer method for maintenance of hESC lines. Although the method is laborious and time‐consuming, the technique permits efficient transfer of undifferentiated hESCs and results in similar clump sizes. We implement the enzymatic transfer method when we need the bulk production of cells for various experiments. The enzyme‐treated expansion rapidly produces greater amounts of hESCs within a limited time frame. However, the cell clumps vary in size, and there is a probability that both the differentiated and undifferentiated cells will be transferred. In cases in which there are differentiated colonies, the combination of two methods allows mass production of hESCs by excluding differentiated colonies from passage by manual selection before enzyme treatment.
Cerebellum plus locus coeruleus in tissue culture II: Development and metabolism of catecholamines

In contrast to locus coeruleus neurons in vivo, dopamine was the predominant catecholamine synthesized, stored, and released by neonatal mouse locus coeruleus cultures which included target cerebellar tissue, and norepinephrine was present in these cultures only at very low levels. Developmentally, norepinephrine increased slightly in the explants during the first 4 days in vitro and declined thereafter to barely detectable levels, whereas dopamine began to rise after 4 days and reached maximal levels by 7 days. Dopamine β‐hydroxylase was present in these cultures throughout maturation. These results suggest that the high ratio of dopamine to norepinephrine in locus coeruleus cultures cannot be attributed to the absence of appropriate target tissue or to a lack of the enzyme, dopamine β‐hydroxylase.