Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Code-reuse attacks: new frontiers and defenses

Code-reuse attacks are software exploits in which an attacker directs control flow through existing code with a malicious result. For example, return-oriented programming is an effective code-reuse attack in which short code sequences ending in a ret instruction are found within existing binaries and executed in arbitrary order by taking control of the stack. This allows for Turing-complete behavior in the target program without the need for injecting attack code, thus significantly negating current code injection defense efforts (e.g., W⊕X). On the other hand, its inherent characteristics, such as the reliance on the stack and the consecutive execution of return-oriented gadgets, have prompted a variety of defenses to detect or prevent it from happening. This document introduces two novel code-reuse attacks. The first, jump-oriented programming, eliminates the reliance on the stack and ret instructions seen in return-oriented programming without sacrificing expressive power. This attack still builds and chains normal functional gadgets, each performing certain primitive operations, except these gadgets end in an indirect branch rather than ret. Without the convenience of using ret to unify them, the attack relies on a dispatcher gadget to dispatch and execute the functional gadgets. We have successfully identified the availability of these jump-oriented gadgets in the GNU libc library and demonstrated the technique on both the x86 and MIPS architectures. Our experience with an example shellcode attack demonstrates the practicality and effectiveness of this technique. The second attack presented, Turing-complete return-into-libc , demonstrates that it is possible to attain arbitrary computation even when only chaining entire functions as opposed to short gadgets. This has negative implications for certain defenses, and more importantly corrects the record on the capabilities of the existing return-into-libc technique. To mitigate the threats presented by the above exploits, this document proposes a novel defense technique called control flow locking, which ensures that the control flow graph of an application is deviated from at most once, and that this deviation cannot be used to craft a malicious system call. This defense thwarts the existing code-reuse attacks, and the implementation presented shows performance overhead competitive with existing techniques, achieving significant gains in several benchmarks. Control flow locking represents a general solution to the problem of code-reuse attacks with a performance penalty small enough to justify deployment in real-world situations.
Genetic Structure of the Ryukyu Wild Boar Population on Tokunoshima Island (Japan) Based on Modern and Ancient DNA Analyses: Evidence of Recent Gene Flow from Pigs to Wild Boars

Abstract. We investigated the genetic structure among populations of the Ryukyu wild boar (Sus scrofa riukiuanus) on Tokunoshima Island by analyzing DNA from modern and archaeological samples. Four and two mtDNA haplotypes were found in the modern and archaeological samples, respectively. One haplotype was shared between the modern and archaeological samples. Of the seven haplotypes, four were only found on Tokunoshima. These haplotypes were genetically close to each other and classified as those from the Ryukyu wild boars. This genetic similarity between modern and archaeological samples suggests that these four haplotypes originated from Tokunoshima. The chronology of the archaeological samples suggests that the genetic structure of the wild boar population on Tokunoshima has been maintained for over 1000 years. The representative glucosephosphate isomerase-processed pseudogene (GPIP) allele for the modern population on Tokunoshima was GPIP*3a and was found in a Ryukyu wild boar in a previous study. We detected three modern individuals that were genetically distinct from the Ryukyu wild boars based on mtDNA and GPIP analyses. They all had a different combination of the mtDNA haplotype and GPIP allele from each other. Our results indicate that gene flow events from pigs to wild boars have occurred on Tokunoshima.
Nontarget site resistance in Palmer amaranth [Amaranthus palmeri (S.) Wats.] confers cross-resistance to protoporphyrinogen oxidase-inhibiting herbicides

Abstract Palmer amaranth is one of the most problematic weeds in cropping systems of North America, especially in midsouthern United States, because of its competitive ability and propensity to evolve resistance to several herbicide sites of action. Previously, we confirmed and characterized the first case of nontarget site resistance (NTSR) to fomesafen in a Palmer amaranth accession from Randolph County, AR (RCA). The primary basis of the present study was to evaluate the cross- and multiple-resistance profile of the RCA accession. The fomesafen dose-response assay in the presence of malathion revealed a lower level of RCA resistance when compared with fomesafen alone. The resistance index of the RCA accession, based on 50% biomass reduction, ranged from 63-fold (fomesafen alone) to 22-fold (malathion plus fomesafen), when compared with a 2007 susceptible, and 476-fold and 167-fold, respectively, relative to a 1986 susceptible check. The RCA accession was resistant to other protoporphyrinogen oxidase (PPO) inhibitors (i.e., flumioxazin, acifluorfen, saflufenacil) as well as the 4-hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase (HPPD) inhibitor tembotrione and acetolactate synthase (ALS) inhibitor pyrithiobac sodium. Sequencing of the ALS gene revealed no point mutations, indicating that a target-site mechanism is not involved in conferring ALS-inhibitor resistance in the RCA accession. Of the three PPO-inhibiting herbicides tested in combination with the malathion, saflufenacil resulted in the greatest biomass reduction (80%; P < 0.05) and lowest survival rate (23%; P < 0.05) relative to nontreated plants. The application of cytochrome P450 or glutathione S-transferase inhibitors with fomesafen did not lead to any adverse effects on soybean, suggesting a possible role for these compounds for management of NTSR under field conditions. These results shed light on the relative unpredictability of NTSR in conferring herbicide cross- and multiple resistance in Palmer amaranth. Nomenclature: Acifluorfen; flumioxazin; fomesafen; malathion; pyrithiobac sodium; saflufenacil; tembotrione; Palmer amaranth, Amaranthus palmeri (S.) Wats. ; soybean, Glycine max (L.) Merr.
EFFECT OF INTEREST RATE VOLATILITY ON MORTGAGE UPTAKE AMONG SELECTED COMMERCIAL BANKS IN KENYA

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of interest rate volatility on mortgage uptake among the selected commercial banks in Kenya. The objectives of the study was to determine the effects of inflation ,credit risk, loan demand and gross domestic product on interest rate and relationship with mortgage uptake. The study found that GDP growth and mortgage uptake in Kenya had a positive and significant relationship. The study also found that inflation and mortgage uptake in commercial banks in Kenya had a negative and significant relationship. The study further found that credit risks had insignificant influence on the mortgage uptake in commercial banks in Kenya. Also the study revealed that loan demand had positive and significant influence on the mortgage uptake in commercial banks in Kenya. The study concluded that inflation rate has a substantial influence on the mortgage uptake of commercial banks in Kenya. Inflation reduces the value of money and hence does not favour the mortgage uptake. Concisely, the findings showed that 68.8 % of the mortgage uptake is explained by the four variables and the remaining 31.2% can be accounted by the standard error and other factors. Key Words: Inflation, Credit Risk, Loan Demand, GDP, Mortgage Uptake CITATION: Kipyegon, C. N. , & Wephukulu, J. M. (2019). Effect of interest rate volatility on mortgage uptake among selected commercial banks in Kenya. The Strategic Journal of Business & Change Management, 6 (2), 1887 –1901.
Nitrogen Doses and Humic Substances in Custard Apple Nutrition

Custard apple production (Annona squamosa L.) in the Brazilian Northeast occurs throughout the year. Its management involves pruning, irrigation, and proper nutrition. The objective of the present work was to verify the influence of different doses of nitrogen and the use of humic substances on soil chemical attributes and tree custard apple nutrition. The experiment was conducted in a commercial orchard in the municipality of Anagé, Southwest region of the state of Bahia, in a randomized block design in a 4 x 2 factorial scheme, four nitrogen doses (0, 284, 568 and 852 g per plant, urea) with and without the application of humic substances (Ks100), with 4 replicates. Soil chemical characteristics, macro and micronutrient contents were evaluated in the leaves of the custard apple tree. Nitrogen rates reduced soil pH and the availability of calcium, magnesium and boron. The application of humic substances increased the content of potassium in leaves. Under the conditions studied, high nitrogen doses influence soil fertility and the application of humic substances does not improve the absorption of most of the nutrients, except potassium, and it did not influence the chemical attributes of the soil.
Ordered Mesoporous Carbons for Adsorption of Paracetamol and Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs: Ibuprofen and Naproxen from Aqueous Solutions

The adsorption of paracetamol and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (ibuprofen and naproxen) on ordered mesoporous carbons (OMC) and, for comparison, on commercial activated carbon, were investigated in this work. OMC adsorbents were obtained by the soft-templating method and were characterized by low-temperature nitrogen adsorption and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The effects of contact time and initial concentration of organic adsorbates on the adsorption were studied. The contact time to reach equilibrium for maximum adsorption was 360 min for all the studied adsorbates. The adsorption mechanism was found to fit pseudo-second-order and intra particle-diffusion models. Freundlich, Langmuir and Langmuir-Freundlich isotherm models were used to analyze equilibrium adsorption data. Based on the obtained experimental data, the adsorption isotherm in the applied concentration range for all the studied adsorbates was well represented by the Freundlich-Langmuir model. The adsorption ability of ordered mesoporous carbon materials was much higher for paracetamol and naproxen in comparison to commercial activated carbon. The removal efficiency for ibuprofen was significantly lower than for other studied pharmaceuticals and comparable for all adsorbents. Theoretical calculations made it possible to obtain optimized chemical structures of (S)-naproxen, ibuprofen, and paracetamol molecules. Knowledge of charge distributions of these adsorbate molecules can be helpful to explain why paracetamol and naproxen can react more strongly with the surface of adsorbents with a large numbers of acidic groups compared to ibuprofen facilitating more efficient adsorption of these pharmaceuticals on ordered mesoporous carbons.
Converting hotels website visitors into buyers

Purpose Despite the increasing utilization of webpages for the purposes of information seeking, customers’ concerns have become a crucial impediment for online shopping. The purpose of this paper is to examine the influence of the effectiveness of web assurance seals services (WASS) and customers’ concerns on customer’s willingness to book hotels through perceived website trust and perceived value. Design/methodology/approach A questionnaire was administrated to measure the study variables. Using partial least squares–structural equation modeling approach to analyze the data collected from 860 users of online hotel websites. Findings The results indicate that WASS influence positively on perceived website trust and negatively on consumers’ concerns. As well as, perceived value and trust play a mediating role in the link between WASS and consumers’ concerns and their intentions. Finally, perceived website trust and perceived value have greater effect on intention to book hotel for low-habit consumers. Research limitations/implications This study ignored the cross-culture issue as it concentrates on the customers from developing countries, so further research may need to compare between two or more than two samples from different societies that could give a significant insights. Second, this study stresses on the WASS to predict customers booking intentions that indicates significant results, so further research may need to examine the role of online reviews as a predictor of customers purchase decision as well. Originality/value To the authors’ best knowledge, this is the first empirical research that investigates and examines the influence of the effectiveness of WASS and consumers’ concerns on consumers’ intentions through perceived value and trust. This research also investigates the moderating role of habit in the link between perceived website, perceived value and consumers’ intentions.
Phenolic Profile and Antioxidant Activity of Propolis Extracts From Poland

Propolis is a natural material collected by honeybees, containing bioactive compounds that exhibit biological activity. The aim of this study was to assess the chemical composition of Polish propolis extracted with two different concentrations of ethanol, namely 70% and 96%, and to evaluate their antioxidant activity depending on extraction conditions. Samples of Polish propolis were extracted with 70% and 96% ethanol in order to obtain the ethanolic propolis extracts EEP70 and EEP96, respectively. Concentrations of 10 flavonoids and 6 phenolic acids were determined using the UPLC-PDA-TQD system. The antioxidant properties were determined based on the DPPH· free radical scavenging activity, Fe3+ reducing power assay, and ferrous ions (Fe2+) chelating activity assays. Moreover, the effects of the propolis extracts on human red blood cell morphology , the selective permeability of their membrane, as well as on free radicals-induced hemolysis were also assessed. Qualitative and quantitative analyses of both propolis extracts indicated that 70% ethanolic extract contained higher amounts of phenolic compounds than 96% ethanolic extract. The levels of antioxidant activity indicated that both Polish propolis extracts exhibited a high and comparable antioxidant power. The concentration of ethanol used for extraction had no effect on the antioxidant potential of propolis. The presented results indicate that the extracts of Polish propolis are rich in phenolic compounds and are very effective as antioxidant agents. Therefore, they may be applied as a constituent of products used in phytotherapy regardless of the concentration of ethanol used in propolis extraction.
AC4: Algebraic Computation Checker for Circuit Constraints in ZKPs

ZKP systems have surged attention and held a fundamental role in contemporary cryptography. Zk-SNARK protocols dominate the ZKP usage, often implemented through arithmetic circuit programming paradigm. However, underconstrained or overconstrained circuits may lead to bugs. Underconstrained circuits refer to circuits that lack the necessary constraints, resulting in unexpected solutions in the circuit and causing the verifier to accept a bogus witness. Overconstrained circuits refer to circuits that are constrained excessively, resulting in the circuit lacking necessary solutions and causing the verifier to accept no witness, rendering the circuit meaningless. This paper introduces a novel approach for pinpointing two distinct types of bugs in ZKP circuits. The method involves encoding the arithmetic circuit constraints to polynomial equation systems and solving polynomial equation systems over a finite field by algebraic computation. The classification of verification results is refined, greatly enhancing the expressive power of the system. We proposed a tool, AC4, to represent the implementation of this method. Experiments demonstrate that AC4 represents a substantial 29% increase in the checked ratio compared to prior work. Within a solvable range, the checking time of AC4 has also exhibited noticeable improvement, demonstrating a magnitude increase compared to previous efforts.
Inhomogeneous resistivity and its effect on CdZnTe-based radiation detectors operating at high radiation fluxes

Cadmium telluride (CdTe) and its compounds are the materials of choice for producing industrial quality hard x-ray and gamma ray detectors with high spectral resolution and signal-to-noise ratio. However, optimization of the growth process still proves challenging as the yield is small due to inhomogeneities in the material parameters. Here we investigated the influence of inhomogeneous resistivity on charge collection efficiency of CdZnTe radiation detectors operating at high photon fluxes of incoming radiation. We applied a complex of experimental methods—contactless resistivity and photoconductivity mapping, photoluminescence and laser-induced transient current technique. We observed that the charge collection efficiency at low fluxes is nearly independent of resistivity, while at high fluxes the performance of high resistivity part substantially decreases when compared to the lower resistivity part. This behavior is explained by characteristic evolution of defect structure attaining shallow defect self-compensation during the cooling of the solidified crystal. Instabilities at impurity segregation and temperature gradients at the crystal growth cause different concentration of defects that manifest themselves as deep energy levels within the material bandgap. The defect self-compensation is successfully simulated by theoretical model considering defect reactions in tellurium-saturated CdZnTe.
ESTRATÉGIAS PARA O ENSINO DO AUTOCUIDADO DE PACIENTES CIRÚRGICOS: UMA REVISÃO INTEGRATIVA DA LITERATURA

O ensino do autocuidado se destaca como importante estratégia para o enfrentamento das dificuldades que permeiam o processo de reabilitação pós-operatória, possibilitando que as pessoas cuidem de si mesmas subsidiadas por informações e recomendações elaboradas criteriosamente. Assim, este artigo teve como objetivo identificar e avaliar as evidências encontradas na literatura cientifica nacional e internacional, sobre estratégias educacionais para o autocuidado em domicilio de pacientes cirúrgicos, de modo a nortear a assistência perioperatória. Revisão integrativa da literatura, realizada na base de dados LILACS e nas bibliotecas eletrônicas PubMed, DEDALUS e SciELO, com artigos científicos publicados em português, inglês e espanhol entre 2005 e 2016.Foram selecionados quatro artigos científicos que evidenciaram estratégias educacionais para o ensino do autocuidado perioperatório, como computação móvel com módulos educacionais multimídia; acompanhamento telefônico; educação interativa por meio de internet, CD-ROM ou DVD, aulas presenciais, aplicação da Teoria do Autocuidado de Orem, reuniões semanais em grupos, folhetos explicativos e educação permanente dos profissionais de saúde. Estas diferentes estratégias promovem o atendimento das necessidades individuais do paciente, favorecendo o aprendizado sobre procedimento cirúrgico e suas consequências, além do desenvolvimento de habilidades para o autocuidado.
What Is Known About the Impact of Impairments on Information Seeking and Searching?

Information seeking and access are essential for users in all walks of life, from addressing personal needs such as finding flights to locating information needed to complete work tasks. Over the past decade or so, the general needs of people with impairments have increasingly been recognized as something to be addressed, an issue embedded both in international treaties and in state legislation. The same tendency can be found in research, where a growing number of user studies including people with impairments have been conducted. The purpose of these studies is typically to uncover potential barriers for access to information, especially in the context of inaccessible search user interfaces. This literature review provides an overview of research on the information seeking and searching of users with impairments. The aim is to provide an overview to both researchers and practitioners who work with any of the user groups identified. Some diagnoses are relatively well represented in the literature (for instance, visual impairment), but there is very little work in other areas (for instance, autism) and in some cases no work at all (for instance, aphasia). Gaps are identified in the research, and suggestions are made regarding areas where further research is needed.
Co-registration of eye movements and neuroimaging for studying contextual predictions in natural reading

ABSTRACT Sixteen years ago, Sereno and Rayner (2003. Measuring word recognition in reading: eye movements and event-related potentials. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 7(11), 489–493) illustrated how “by means of review and comparison” eye movement (EM) and event-related potential (ERP) studies may advance our understanding of visual word recognition. Attempts to simultaneously record EMs and ERPs soon followed. Recently, this co-registration approach has also been transferred to fMRI and oscillatory EEG. With experimental settings close to natural reading, co-registration enables us to directly integrate insights from EM and neuroimaging studies. This should extend current experimental paradigms by moving the field towards studying sentence-level processing including effects of context and parafoveal preview. This article will introduce the basic principles and applications of co-registration and selectively review how this approach may shed light on one of the most controversially discussed issues in reading research, contextual predictions in online language processing.
Coordination of Recloser and Fuse in a Distribution System With the integration of Distributed Generation and Superconducting Fault Current Limiter

Distributed Generation (DG) has increased largely from the past two decades due to its advantages. In the distribution network, the superconducting fault current limiters(SFCL) are placed to reduce the amount of fault current by the effect of impedance. In this paper, we studied the fuse recloser coordination when DGs and SFCL are placed into the distribution system. Normally fuses are placed near the distribution side and the reclosers are placed near the substation. Whenever apermanent fault occurs in the distribution network, the fuse is set to operate before the delayed operation of the recloser to overcomemiscoordination problem. By the integration of DG, the fault current seen by the recloser is less than the fault current seen by the fuse thereby causing the miscoordination. By placing the SFCL into the distribution system, the fuse may not melt during the delay operation of the recloser because of insufficient heat due to the decrease in the fault currents. This paper presents a control strategy with which the coordination is maintained and the load is shared according to the ratings of DGs.