Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Simulating a Blockchain Network with SimBlock Ryohei Banno

Blockchain techniques are attracting growing interest due to their capability of immutable and anonymous recording without any centralized authority. One of the difficulties blockchain researchers are facing is a lack of ways to verify behaviors of large scale blockchain networks. In this demonstration, we present SimBlock, a blockchain network simulator. It simulates the peer-to-peer network of a public blockchain, e.g., Bitcoin, which consists of thousands of nodes, as well as parameters related to a blockchain and its network are flexibly configurable. SimBlock can also visualize nodes’ behavior and block propagation. By giving some example studies, such as exploring better neighbor selection strategies and assessing the influence of relay networks, we show that SimBlock can facilitate blockchain network research.
Fixing file descriptor leaks

We design, implement and test a tool for eliminating file descriptor (FD) leaks in programs at run-time. Our tool monitors FD allocation and use. When the allocation of a new FD would fail because a process's entire pool of FDs is already in use, our tool "recycles" (forcibly closes) an FD. The FD to be recycled is chosen according to three simple rules: 1) do not recycle FDs used within the last second, 2) do not recycle "persistent" FDs (FDs allocated at sites that allocate few FDs) and 3) recycle the FD that was least recently used. We tested our tool with nine applications (HTTP/FTP servers, proxies and clients) that make extensive use of FDs. We first simulated massive leaks by disabling all calls to close. Without recycling (and in the presence of leaks), all applications malfunctioned. With FD recycling, applications continued to execute normally despite massive FD leakage. Throughout our tests, our tool has never attempted to close an FD that was still in use. Thesis Supervisor: Dorothy Curtis Title: Research Scientist, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
KONVOLUCIJSKE NEURONSKE MREŽE –PRIMENA U PRECIZNOJ POLJOPRIVREDI

: A promising concept of artificial intelligence that records intense developments in the field of digital imaging is Deep Learning (DL). More intensive research within this field has been recorded over the past two decades, and has been applied in the agricultural industry as well. This paper will describe the DL technology which represents a part of Machine Learning (ML), based on Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN). It takes a special application in a machine vision where it allows machines to learn from experience, adapt to new technologies, and perform human tasks. Input data can be from a variety of sources: from classic digital camera shots to
Wage Polarization and Contract Employment

Contract employment is a predominant form of employment in developing countries. Conventional argument goes that wage polarization between regular and contract workers incentivizes the contracting out of select tasks. But what drives the wage polarization that persists despite the popularity of contract work? This paper formulates a unified model wherein the general equilibrium implications of heterogeneous tasks assignment under imperfect monitoring, polarized wages determined by efficiency considerations, and the coexistence of regular-, contractand involuntary un-employment can be understood together. We classify the forces that drive co-movements of contract and regular wages and discuss their implications on the relative supply of high wage (regular) and low wage (contract) jobs. Using a comprehensive data set with detail records on contract and regular work at the establishment level in India, we find that contract wages do catch up, but do so inelastically in response to increases in the regular wage. These observation allow us to draw very nuanced conclusions concerning the mechanics of high wage job generation in the labor market. JEL Classification: J31, J41, O43
Forward Mortality Rates in Discrete Time I: Calibration and Securities Pricing

Many users of mortality models are interested in using them to place values on longevity-linked liabilities and securities. Modern regulatory regimes require that the values of liabilities and reserves are consistent with market prices (if available), though the gradual emergence of a traded market in longevity risk needs methods for pricing new types of longevity-linked securities quickly and efficiently. In this study, we develop a new forward mortality framework to enable the efficient pricing of longevity-linked liabilities and securities in a market-consistent fashion. This approach starts from the historical data of the observed mortality rates, i.e., the force of mortality. Building on the dynamics of age/period/cohort models of the observed force of mortality, we develop models of forward mortality rates and then use a change of measure to incorporate whatever market information is available. The resulting forward mortality rates are then used to value a number of different longevity-linked securities, such as q-forwards, s-forwards, and longevity swaps.
Site-specific chemical modification of mitochondrial NADH–ubiquinone oxidoreductase (complex I) through ligand-directed tosylate chemistry

conformational changes by linking discontinuous TM helices between the antiporters. Here, we introduced alanine-substitution mutation into eight residues; MrpA-D77, MrpA-R262, MrpA-G311, MrpA-F357, MrpDD75, MrpD-D258, MrpD-G309, MrpD-F341 residues conserved in all MrpA, MrpD, NuoLMN to probe their roles in function and structure impact of MrpA andMrpD. Onlymutations inMrpD, in residues it shares with MrpA, showed effects in function or complex formation, while no significant phenotypes were detectable in the mutants at corresponding residues in MrpA. We previously reported that MrpD is essential for expression of other Mrp subunits in the cytoplasmic membrane [1]. These data suggest thatMrpDoccupies primary position inMrp complex.
Replacing Distribution Transformers A Hidden Opportunity for Energy Savings

Electrical power distribution transformers are behind-the-scenes equipment in virtually every government and commercial building. They are energized around the clock, providing power to the building’s electrical equipment and consuming energy whether or not this equipment is operating. The Department of Energy (DOE) has replaced the aging transformers in its Germantown, Maryland, facility with high-efficiency transformers which minimize these operational losses. This paper discusses why DOE chose energy-efficient replacement transformers and also provided incremental funding for them – even though it is a tenant in this GSA-owned building. We also estimate dollar and energy savings and atmospheric carbon emissions reductions that should be realized, compared with standard efficiency transformers. To estimate these savings we evaluated transformer loading in the building. The paper describes the load measurements and compares our results with those of other measurements in commercial and governmental buildings. These measurements reveal that distribution transformers are often much more lightly loaded than expected, creating energy savings opportunities for units with low “no-load” losses. The Germantown measurements are extrapolated to estimate savings which could be realized throughout the federal government, other levels of government, and commercial buildings nationwide through replacement with energy-efficient distribution transformers. The paper also provides a perspective on the DOE Federal Energy Management Program initiative to promote purchases of energy-efficient products throughout the federal government and the complementary Energy Star program to promote their use throughout the private sector, as well.
Provably Secure and Password-Authenticated Quantum Key Agreement Protocol with Dynamic Basis

This paper presents password-authenticated quantum key agreement protocols (PAQKAPs) to guard security for internet era, which can combine classical cryptography and quantum cryptography in a universal way for the most common environment nowadays: Password. And PAQKAPs will guide in new directions for biometric-based with quantum cryptography, smart card-based with quantum cryptography and so on. Compared with the former research AQKDPs (authenticated quantum key distribution protocols), PAQKAPs have four merits: (1) the basis is dynamic against the long shared key revealed, (2) key agreement replaces key distribution for eliminating the server get the session key of the two users, (3) the server need not store the shared key with all the users, and the server only need keep its long secret key secret for saving storage space and avoiding veriﬁcation table leakage, (4) any user need not store the shared key with the server, and s/he only keep the password in her/his brain. Compared with the related literatures recently, our proposed scheme can not only own high eﬃciency and unique functionality, but is also robust to various attacks and achieves perfect forward secrecy. Finally, we give the security proof and the comparison with the related works.
BIOCHEMICAL CHANGES OF SILKWORM ( BOMBYX MORI . L . ) INFECTED WITH ASPERGILLUS FUMIGATUS

In the present study, we have investigated biochemical characters of haemolymph of silkworm (Bombyx mori L.) larvae infected with Aspergillus fumigatus. In these experiments, larvae at three different stages were used i.e. 3rd, 4th and 5th instars. Each stage instar larvae were divided into two groups, first group considered as a control and second group infected orally with A. fumigatus. Haemolymph was collected from group 1 and 2 silkworm after infection with A. fumigatus. The total protein concentration in hemolymph was determined with Folin Ciocalteau’s reagent. Protein content in haemolymph was found to be markedly reduced following appearance of disease symptoms in comparison to healthy larvae. Lipid peroxidation was determined by assaying malondialdehyde (MDA) formation method, which indicated that there was a gradual increase in lipid peroxidation activity in all three instars larvae of A. fumigatus infected when compared to control instars. The enzymatic activity of catalase was measured by using spectrophotometer and the catalase activity was decreased significantly in post inoculation compared to control. The present study was undertaken as a result of fungal infection in silkworm and to speculate on their possible biochemical significance.
Nucleosome free region dominates histone acetylation in targeting SWR 1 to yeast promoters for H 2 A . Z replacement

The histone variant H2A.Z is a genome-wide signature of nucleosomes proximal to eukaryotic regulatory DNA. While the multi-subunit chromatin remodeler SWR1 is known to catalyze ATPdependent deposition of H2A.Z, the mechanism of SWR1 recruitment to S. cerevisiae promoters has been unclear. A sensitive assay for competitive binding of di-nucleosome substrates revealed that SWR1 preferentially binds long nucleosome-free DNA and the adjoining nucleosome core particle, allowing discrimination of gene promoters over gene bodies. Analysis of mutants indicates that the conserved Swc2/YL1 subunit and the ATPase domain of Swr1 are mainly responsible for binding to substrate. SWR1 binding is enhanced on nucleosomes acetylated by the NuA4 histone acetyltransferase, but recognition of nucleosome-free and nucleosomal DNA is dominant over interaction with acetylated histones. Such hierarchical cooperation between DNA and histone signals expands the dynamic range of genetic switches, unifying classical gene regulation by DNA-binding factors with ATP-dependent nucleosome remodeling and posttranslational histone modifications.
An Energy-Efficient Abstraction for Simultaneous Breadth-First Searches

Optimized GPU kernels are sufficiently complicated to write that they often are specialized to specific input data, target architectures, or applications. This paper presents a multisearch abstraction for computing multiple breadth-first searches in parallel and demonstrates a high-performance, general implementation. Our abstraction removes the burden of orchestrating graph traversal from the user while providing high performance and low energy usage, an often overlooked component of algorithm design. Energy consumption has become a first-class hardware design constraint for both massive and embedded computing platforms. Our abstraction can be applied to such problems as the allpairs shortest-path problem, community detection, reachability querying, and others. To map graph traversal efficiently to NVIDIA GPUs, our hybrid implementation chooses between processing active vertices with a single thread or an entire warp based on vertex outdegree. For a set of twelve varied graphs, the implementation of our abstraction saves 42% time and 62% energy on average compared to representative implementations of specific applications from existing literature.
Proceedings of the Third ACM Symposium on Cloud Computing

Welcome to the Third ACM Symposium of Cloud Computing (SoCC'12). This annual symposium is co-sponsored by the ACM Special Interest Group on Management of Data (SIGMOD) and the ACM Special Interest Group on Operating Systems (SIGOPS). Both these communities share a common interest in the rapidly developing field of Cloud Computing, i.e., large scale distributed systems that can manage massive volumes of data and yet deliver reliable and efficient service. As a result, they co-sponsor this symposium with active participation and shared responsibilities from both the communities. In its first year, SoCC was held in conjunction with ACM SIGMOD, the flagship conference of the database community. In the second year, SoCC was held in conjunction with ACM SOSP, the premier conference for operating systems. The goal for co-location was to facilitate effective networking across the two communities, and the symposium was successfully born. This year's edition is being held, for the first time, as an independent event. This year SoCC is being hosted in San Jose, California, a.k. a. Silicon Valley, due to the high level of industrial activity there in the Cloud Computing arena.
VELOCITY FIELD AT THE PIRATA SITES: MODEL OUTPUTS VS. OBSERVATIONSFig. 1)

In the tropical Atlantic Ocean there is a complex surface current system related to the inter-hemispheric heat and salt budget. This current system affects the sea surface temperature (SST) by carrying North and South Atlantic waters and by generating convergence and divergence regions. The Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) seasonal displacement associated with the trade winds modulates the currents and the SST. The SST in the tropical Atlantic is highly related to the climate in Brazil, where droughts and floods in the Nordeste region can be generated by SST anomalies of only 0.5°C (Nobre and Shukla, 1996). Seasonal rainfall forecast over the region is limited to the ability to predict the SST spatial distribution over the tropical Atlantic. Therefore, a better understanding about the mechanisms and processes that affect the SST anomalies is of greater relevance and have been subject of recent works (Foltz et al., 2003; Foltz et al., 2004; Foltz and McPhaden, 2004; Foltz and McPhaden, 2005). A good methodology to investigate the oceanatmosphere dynamics is the combination of direct velocity measurements and model outputs. In this work, we briefly describe the novel velocity data at the western PIRATA sites. Also, a comparison of these observations to hi-resolution Ocean General Circulation Model (OGCM) outputs has been carried out as an evaluation of the model performance. Additionally, results from the CPTEC Coupled GCM are used for April 2001. Besides the qualitative analysis, root mean square error (rms) differences between the velocity maps are estimated.
The use of meteorological satellites for the improvement of human health

"Close all shutters and doors until no light enters the camera except through the lens, and opposite hold a piece of paper, which you move forward and backward until the scene appears in the sharpest detail. There on the paper you will see the whole view as it really is, with its distances, its colors and shadows and motion, the clouds, the water twinkling, the birds flying. By holding the paper steady you can trace the whole perspective with a pen, shade it and delicately color it from nature. " Daniel Barbaro, Venetian, 16-century.
Empirical Study of Evaluation on the Soft Power of Science and Technology Industrial Park Based on Improved AHP

University Science and Technology Industrial Park is a kind of special incubator of technological enterprises. It is constructed on one or several research-based universities, equipped with abundant knowledge, talents, information and scientific products. It is significant to upgrading industrial structure, promoting economic growth and encouraging innovation. People have paid wide attention to Science and Technology Industrial Park since the first of its kind was established. However, soft power is far from emphasized. Therefore, it is necessary to address both the hard power and the soft power to improve the strength of Science and Technology Industrial Park. This paper discusses ways of improvement from macro and micro perspectives by literature review method, interview, questionnaire and AHP. It constructs an evaluation index system for analysis and conducts the empirical study by Belize Jiangsu Science and Technology Industrial Park of Jiangsu Maritime Institute.
Asymmetric Effects of Monetary Policy Shocks on Stock Markets : An Empirical Test for China

It is well known that monetary policy shocks have negative impacts on stock markets. Most world scholars (Thorbecke (1997), Rigobon and Sack (2003), Basistha and Kurov (2008)) follow the wisdom of Bernanke and Blinder (1992) and have adopted interest rate (federal funds rate in the U.S.) changes as the primary monetary policy tool when conducting assessments of how monetary policy shocks impact the stock market. Bernanke and Kuttner (2005) found that a hypothetical, unanticipated 100-basispoint cut in the federal funds rate target would cause a 4% increase in the U.S. stock market. Honda and Kuroki (2006) conducted an analysis in a Japanese context that also suggested a significant negative relationship between interest rate shocks and stock market performance. However, Chen (2007) innovatively demonstrates that monetary policy shocks do not always produce linear impacts on the U.S. stock market. Instead, shocks cause asymmetric effects on the stock market, with larger effects on stock returns in a bear market than in a bull market. In addition, Henry (2009) and Kurov (2010) reveal further results that prove the asymmetric effects of monetary policy shocks on stock markets in both the U.K. and the U.S. This new evidence is opposed with classical financial economics such as Fama (1965) who promulgates that the monetary policy produces asymmetric effects on the stock market. Unfortunately, no systematic empirical analysis addressing China’s stock market currently exists. In addition, much literature indicates that developed countries’experiences are not always applicable to the case of China1, and thus, the effects of monetary policy on stock returns in China may differ greatly from the traditional responses observed in developed countries. Therefore, two questions arise regarding the relationship between monetary policy and stock market returns in China. One of these questions is whether monetary policy could negatively affect the Chinese stock market, and the other is whether monetary policy has similar asymmetric impacts on the 【論文】
A Secure Method to Hide Confidential Data Using Cryptography and Steganography

The rate at which encrypted messages are being sent over the internet and other electronic means will easily capture the attention of hackers and possibly make them try to disrupt or even hack those messages so as view the original message. Steganography is designed to hide the presence of a message by hiding the secret message inside an innocent file. For effective security, steganography is sometimes combined with cryptography. In this paper, steganography and cryptography are combined to provide a robust system capable of encrypting a secret message using RSA algorithm. To hide the message, advanced LSB method is used. The original message is encrypted at the initial stage and then separated into two portions P1 and P2. An XOR operation is applied to the first portion (P1) using the odd location and to the second portion (P2) using the even position of the LSB+1.The Position of the LSB is then used to hide the XORed encrypted message. Keywords-cryptography; RSA algorithm; steganography; Least Significant Bit
Landscape changes of the Environmental Protection Area of Iguaçu in Curitiba , Paraná , Brazil

Background: Natural landscape patches are in risk of deleterious effects due to population growth and rapid urbanization process. To minimize those environments degradation, legal instruments were instituted, such as protected areas, which are defined as spaces physically bounded that are mainly designated to conservation and preservation of their natural and cultural resources. This paper studies the Environmental Protection Area (Área de Proteção Ambiental, APA) of Iguaçu, located on the shore of THE namesake river in Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil. Objective: Given this context, the research aims to assess landscape interferences in physic, biotic and anthropic aspects, both inside and in the surrounding of the searched region, by classifying them based on their coherence with guidelines present on plans, programs and projects directed to this conservation unit. Methods: Preliminarily, there was a bibliographic review so that it was possible to comprehend the concepts associated to the subject. Subsequently, studies were performed on the land uses regarding the years 2000 and 2017, by satellite images interpretation, as well as photographic registers and carrying out on surveys. After that, pertinent plans, programs and projects were analysed. Results: By the assessed data, it is possible to conclude that changes of uses inside the APA were less expressive when compared to the surroundings. It is also verified that irregular occupations were not appropriately controlled, as well as that there are other socioenvironmental inadequacies in the region. Nevertheless, the municipality has been creating several guidelines for these issues resolution, although disconnected to each other. Examples of such initiatives include the creation of parks and the land regularization. Conclusion: Consequently, it is concluded that the establishment of a protected natural area is not sufficient on its own for the adequate management of such spaces, being necessary implementation of specific management plan, integrated to intervention projects for the appropriated APA administration.
Output Feedback H Infinity Optimal Control of Macro-Micro-Flexible Link Manipulators

In this paper, H∞ optimal control of a 3-link macro-micro manipulator whose the first link is flexible is studied. It is supposed that the robot is subject to measurement noises and unknown coulomb and viscous frictions. The main contribution of the paper is to consider the flexible modes of the robot as sources of uncertainties while only the positions of the joints are measurable. Hence, by minimizetion of the effects of these sources of uncertainties on a regulated output, achieving a desired H∞ performance is guaranteed for the robot. Simulation results for a 3-link macro-micro flexible link manipulator confirm the efficiency of the proposed approach.