Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Longitudinal and Retrospective Study on How Developers Misuse Cryptography in Online Communities

Software developers participating in online communities benefit from quick solutions to technology specific issues and, eventually, get better in troubleshooting technology malfunctioning. In this work, we investigate whether developers who are part of online communities for cryptography programming are getting better in using cryptography with time. This is a crucial issue nowadays, when "real-world crypto" is becoming a topic of serious investigation, not only academically but in security management as a whole: cryptographic programming handled by non-specialists is an important and often invisible source of vulnerabilities [RWC ]. We performed a retrospective and longitudinal study, tracking developers' answers about cryptography programming in two online communities. We found that cryptography misuse is not only common in online communities, but also recurrent in developer's discussions, suggesting that developers can learn how to use crypto APIs without actually learning cryptography. In fact, we could not identify significant improvements in cryptography learning in many daily tasks such as avoiding obsolete cryptography. We conclude that the most active users of online communities for cryptography APIs are not learning the tricky details of applied cryptography, a quite worrisome state of affairs.
Computational Intelligence-Based Melanoma Detection and Classification Using Dermoscopic Images

Melanoma is a kind of skin cancer caused by the irregular development of pigment-producing cells. Since melanoma detection efficiency is limited to different factors such as poor contrast among lesions and nearby skin regions, and visual resemblance among melanoma and non-melanoma lesions, intelligent computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) models are essential. Recently, computational intelligence (CI) and deep learning (DL) techniques are utilized for effective decision-making in the biomedical field. In addition, the fast-growing advancements in computer-aided surgeries and recent progress in molecular, cellular, and tissue engineering research have made CI an inevitable part of biomedical applications. In this view, the research work here develops a novel computational intelligence-based melanoma detection and classification technique using dermoscopic images (CIMDC-DIs). The proposed CIMDC-DI model encompasses different subprocesses. Primarily, bilateral filtering with fuzzy k-means (FKM) clustering-based image segmentation is applied as a preprocessing step. Besides, NasNet-based feature extractor with stochastic gradient descent is applied for feature extraction. Finally, the manta ray foraging optimization (MRFO) algorithm with a cascaded neural network (CNN) is exploited for the classification process. To ensure the potential efficiency of the CIMDC-DI technique, we conducted a wide-ranging simulation analysis, and the results reported its effectiveness over the existing recent algorithms with the maximum accuracy of 97.50%.
Power integrated circuit implementation of optimal adaptive voltage positioning scheme using progressive waveform shaping algorithm

Adaptive voltage positioning (AVP) scheme is widely adopted in the high-load voltage regulation modules (VRMs) because it helps VRMs reducing almost half the number of output capacitors for the same design without using AVP. The AVP scheme is claimed to be optimal if its voltage transient behaviour is linear by tuning the current sensing parameter (Ri ) to match the value of the output capacitor equivalent series resistor (ESR). In this study, a progressive waveform-shaping method is proposed to automatically achieve optimal AVP for the VRMs without manually setting the optimal Ri . Hence, as long as a proper ESR of the output capacitor is determined, VRM designers can use the least output capacitor numbers to obtain the optimal AVP waveform. The proposed method is especially appealing for the power integrated circuit application. The overall controller design was implemented by the Taiwan semiconductor manufacturing company (TSMC) 0.18 μm manufacturing process. In the real implementation, an AVP-based buck converter was devised to perform 5 μs linear transient in response to the 10 A/5 μs load current step at 1.2 V output voltage. Test of the circuit shows that the AVP performance is comparable to those state of the art.
A Threat Model for a Cloud Infrastructure with no Hypervisor

Cloud architectures capitalise on the many benefits of virtualisation. The central component of virtualisation is the hypervisor, which plays a fundamental role in the virtualised environment. Thus, a hypervisor is typically a complex and large piece of software. The NoHype architecture is a new approach to the security problems related to hypervisors and proposes simply to eliminate the hypervisor. However, as with any new approach to security, it can also introduce new threats. In this paper we conduct an investigation of the NoHype architecture, considering the new data flows, processes, entities, data stores and boundaries introduced by it. We point out that this new architecture does not mitigate all threats that a hypervisor is prone to in cloud architecture, and may even introduce new threats.
Panorama geral da hanseníase no Brasil: uma análise epidemiológica

Objetivo: Expor o panorama geral e perfil epidemiológico da hanseníase no território brasileiro. Métodos: Trata-se de estudo através do levantamento de dados epidemiológicos. Informações foram obtidas no Departamento de Informática do Sistema Único de Saúde (DATASUS), nas subseções Sistema de Informação de Agravos de Notificação (SINAN) e Sistema de Informações sobre Mortalidade (SIM). Resultados: Entre 2011 e 2021, foram encontrados 375.942 casos de hanseníase no Brasil. A região Nordeste destaca-se pelo número (42%). Percebeu-se preponderância em 15 anos ou mais. Houve prevalência em indivíduos do sexo masculino, constituindo 56,91%. Entre 2011 e 2019, foram registrados 1490 óbitos. O país continua sendo o segundo líder de novos casos. Isso se deve, principalmente, à demora do paciente, maioria homens, para começar a tratar. Na região Nordeste, populações encontram dificuldade para ter acesso aos serviços de saúde. O Ministério da Saúde recomenda aumentar o reconhecimento da doença em seu estágio inicial com campanhas e atividades educativas. Conclusão: Houve considerável redução de casos no Brasil. Contudo, permanece como um dos líderes da incidência dessa doença. Torna-se essencial a manutenção das políticas públicas, a fim de ser efetivada a erradicação da hanseníase.
Cyber Diversity Index for Sustainable Self-Control of Machines

Abstract Advanced and autonomous defence systems are needed to detect and mitigate new cyber attacks that target emerging technologies. This research defines cybersecurity preliminaries and stimulates questions to expose the complexities of automation and autonomous cybersecurity. A concept of autonomous anomaly management is introduced, where anomalies are defined not just as anomalous human readable strings, but as “unknown changes” and the need to better manage changes that can not be easily explained. Cybernetic principles are explored, and experiments are undertaken for quantitative analysis. Biodiversity Indices that compare relationships between species and communities in ecology are applied to cybernetic environments, to compare dynamic relationships between business applications. The proposed Cyber Diversity Index applies to all software-driven systems and environments. Changes of application's system calls are measured in real-time and monitored for unknown diversity changes, or “the anomaly,” when the system is placed under a zero-day attack. Experimental data is collected from continuous sampling of applications' activity states, which contributes to both the behavioral change profiles and the dynamic normal baselines for the autonomous anomaly management. The findings in this research show that it is possible to define unique system entropic behaviors from applications' activity that is triggered from internal or external stimulus.
Denigrating Women, Venerating “Chad”: Ingroup and Outgroup Evaluations among Male Supremacists on Reddit

Can negative evaluations of a broad outgroup paired with positive evaluations of a broad ingroup, sustain willing affiliation with even intensely self-derogating online communities? Synthesizing concepts from masculinities scholarship, social identity theory, and self-verification theory, this study compares language from two distinctive misogynist communities active on Reddit.com—Men Going Their Own Way, male separatists who positively frame members as superior to other men and men as superior to women, and Involuntary Celibates (incels), who openly derogate incel community members—to understand what sustains misogynist incels’ willing affiliation with the self-derogating incel community. Using thematic qualitative analysis, I find that while male separatists favor both their own narrower online community and the broader ingroup of men, misogynist incels engage in a patriarchal bargain, using relatively benevolent depictions of some men alongside negative depictions of all women to perpetuate broader gender inequality.
Urban form and scale shaped the agroecology of early ‘cities’ in northern Mesopotamia, the Aegean and Central Europe

Abstract Agricultural extensification refers to an expansive, low‐input production strategy that is land rather than labour limited. Here, we present a robust method, using the archaeological proxies of cereal grain nitrogen isotope values and settlement size, to investigate the relationship between agricultural intensity and population size at Neolithic to Bronze/Iron Age settlement sites in northern Mesopotamia, the Aegean and south‐west Germany. We conclude that urban form—in particular, density of occupation—as well as scale shaped the agroecological trajectories of early cities. Whereas high‐density urbanism in northern Mesopotamia and the Aegean entailed radical agricultural extensification, lower density urbanism in south‐west Germany afforded more intensive management of arable land. We relate these differing agricultural trajectories to long‐term urban growth/collapse cycles in northern Mesopotamia and the Aegean, on the one hand, and to the volatility of early Iron Age elite power structures and urban centralization in south‐west Germany, on the other.
Attention-Setting and Human Mental Function

This article provides an introduction to experimental research on top-down human attention in complex scenes, written for cognitive scientists in general. We emphasize the major effects of goals and intention on mental function, measured with behavioral experiments. We describe top-down attention as an open category of mental actions that initiates particular task sets, which are assembled from a wide range of mental processes. We call this attention-setting. Experiments on visual search, task switching, and temporal attention are described and extended to the important human time scale of seconds.
A Priori Dietary Patterns, Physical Activity Level, and Body Composition in Postmenopausal Women: A Cross-Sectional Study

Midlife weight gain and fat distribution changes increase the risk of age-related pathologies. We aimed to explore, in a series of 388 healthy postmenopausal women living in Tuscany, Central Italy, the relationship between three a priori dietary patterns, the level of physical activity (PA), and four body composition measures: body mass index (BMI), percent fat mass (%FM), percent muscle mass (%MM), and waist circumference (WC). Detailed information on lifestyle, including the amount of recreational and household PA, sitting time, and dietary habits were collected through detailed questionnaires, and adherence scores to Greek Modified Mediterranean Diet, Italian Mediterranean Diet (IMD), and Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension diet were calculated. The %FM and %MM were estimated via TANITA MC-780MA analyzer. WC and BMI were measured according to standard international protocols. Cross-sectional adjusted regression models showed that increasing adherence to IMD was inversely associated with BMI, %FM, and WC, and directly associated with %MM. Higher levels of recreational PA were associated with lower %FM, BMI, and WC and with higher %MM values. Higher levels of sitting time were associated with higher %FM, BMI, and WC, and lower %MM. Dietary habits and moderate PA confirm their central role in maintaining good health even in menopausal women.
Cloud Computing: Transforming Medium and High Tech Industries in Kenya

Cloud Computing provides novel perspectives in internetworking technologies and has the potential to dramatically change business models. This study aimed at establishing Cloud Computing adoption in Medium and High Tech Industries in Kenya, with an ultimate intention of recommending an appropriate model for its adoption. Using questionnaires, data was collected from 126 Medium and High Tech Industries within Nairobi and interviews were conducted with 25 Cloud Computing providers. Data analysis was done using SPSS and qualitative content analysis. Approximately 70% of cloud users and providers had recognized Cloud Computing as a force that is reshaping ICT and powering innovation. The major factors influencing the adoption of Cloud Computing were identified as cost, performance and reliability of The Cloud application. After analysis of four existing models for technology adoption, the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) model is recommended for adoption of Cloud Computing.
A critical realist approach to thematic analysis: producing causal explanations

ABSTRACT Thematic analysis (TA) is one of the most popular methods in social science. There are several different approaches to TA that hold different ontological commitments, ranging from positivistic coding reliability TA to constructivist reflexive TA. However, there has been less focus on developing an approach that is informed by critical realism, with the notable exception of Wiltshire and Ronkainen. The first part of this paper proposes a five-step critical realist approach to TA. This approach aims to produce nuanced causal explanations of events, countering the mistaken assumption that qualitative research cannot produce causal knowledge. The second part of the paper brings this critical realist approach to TA into conversation with three alternatives: coding reliability, reflexive, and Wiltshire and Ronkainen’s approach. The approach to TA in this paper builds on the strengths of these alternatives, offering an accessible way to adopt a critical realist philosophical grounding when doing TA.
Isolation and Characterization of Chicken Serum Albumin (Hen Egg Alpha-Livetin, Gal d 5)

Chicken serum albumin, i.e., hen egg alpha-livetin, is a recognized food allergen in chicken meat and hen eggs. Currently, there is no immunoassay available for its detection from food matrices. The characterization of chicken serum albumin-specific antibodies and the extraction of the target protein are essential for immunoassay development. One monoclonal antibody (mAb), 3H4, was used in this study due to its selectivity to a linear epitope on avian serum albumin. To study the extraction of chicken serum albumin, phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) with two additives, i.e., sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and dithiothreitol (DTT), was used for its extraction from chicken blood plasma and hen egg yolk. SDS and DTT improved the chicken serum albumin’s recovery and enhanced chicken serum albumin’s immunodetection. In addition, chicken serum albumin retained the best solubility and immunoreactivity after heat treatment in a neutral condition. It experienced degradation and aggregation in acidic and alkaline conditions, respectively. Overall, PBS containing 0.1% SDS and 1 mM DTT (pH 7.2) was a better extraction buffer for chicken serum albumin. However, the complexity of the food matrix and elevated temperature could reduce its solubility and immunoreactivity.
Synthetic Circuits for Feedback and Detection in Bacteria

Synthetic biology, by co-opting molecular machinery from existing organisms, can be used as a tool for building new genetic systems from scratch, for understanding natural networks through perturbation, or for hybrid circuits that piggy-back on existing cellular infrastructure. Although the toolbox for genetic circuits has greatly expanded in recent years, it is still difficult to separate the circuit function from its specific molecular implementation. In this thesis, we discuss the function-driven design of two synthetic circuit modules, and use mathematical models to understand the fundamental limits of circuit topology versus operating regimes as determined by the specific molecular implementation. First, we describe a protein concentration tracker circuit that sets the concentration of an output protein relative to the concentration of a reference protein. The functionality of this circuit relies on a single negative feedback loop that is implemented via small programmable protein scaffold domains. We build a mass-action model to understand the relevant timescales of the tracking behavior and how the input/output ratios and circuit gain might be tuned with circuit components. Second, we design an event detector circuit with permanent genetic memory that can record order and timing between two chemical events. This circuit was implemented using bacteriophage integrases that recombine specific segments of DNA in response to chemical inputs. We simulate expected population-level outcomes using a stochastic Markov-chain model, and investigate how inferences on past events can be made from differences between single-cell and population-level responses. Additionally, we present some preliminary investigations on spatial patterning using the event detector circuit as well as the design of stationary phase promoters for growth-phase dependent activation. These results advance our understanding of synthetic gene circuits, and contribute towards the use of circuit modules as building blocks for larger and more complex synthetic networks.
Theoretical Investigations of Electronic and Optical Properties of Vanadium Doped Wurtzite Zinc Oxide from First Principle Calculation Method

In this study lattice parameters, band structure, and optical characteristics of pure and V-doped ZnO are examined by employing (USP) and (GGA) with the assistance of First-principles calculation (FPC) derived from (DFT). The measurements are performed in the supercell geometry that were optimized. GGA+U, the geometrical structures of all models, are utilized to compute the amount of energy after optimizing all parameters in the models. The volume of the doped system grows as the content of the dopant V is increased. Pure and V-doped ZnO are investigated for band structure and energy bandgaps using the Monkhorst–Pack scheme's k-point sampling techniques in the Brillouin zone (G-A-H-K-G-M-L-H). In the presence of high V content, the bandgap energy decreases from 3.331 to 2.043 eV as seen by the band diagram. PDOS diagram was utilized to get the insight of the electronic structure of the atoms and the amount to which all energy bands contribute to a particular orbit of the atoms. As the V content grew, so did the PDOS for all of the states. The manipulation of bandgaps was carried out in a way that narrowing the bandgaps occurs, resulting in a redshift of the absorption spectrum in the IR region. At lower photon energies, the imaginary and real parts dielectric functions have increased. The effectiveness of V atoms on transmissivity especially in the low energy region of the V-doped ZnO perovskite has been verified compared to the other theoretical results.
Structure of darkness: The Dark Triad, the ‘Dark’ Empathy and the ‘Dark’ Narcissism

While it is universally agreed that empathy deficit is a necessary condition for the dark roster membership, the literature provides no consensus regarding differential associations between individual Dark Triad traits with cognitive and affective empathy. With this in mind, we have investigated topology of the network consisting of Affective and Cognitive Measure of Empathy, Narcissistic Admiration and Rivalry Questionnaire, and Short Dark Triad traits (SD3). The network analysis disclosed cohesive configuration of multiply connected study variables, thus confirming their aversive coaction. Two main axes of study variables were identified: the ‘dark’ affective dissonance-rivalry-psychopathy axis, and the ‘brighter’ admiration-SD3 narcissism axis; each characterized by its specific manifestation of empathic deficit. Affective dissonance was the most central while affective resonance was the most redundant node of the network. Rivalry — a node connecting the two axes — had the greatest strength in the network and was closer to affective dissonance than to psychopathy. Involvement of affective dissonance uncovered the dual nature of Machiavellianism by shifting it away from psychopathy and closer to narcissism. Overall, by use of structural information not accessible by other means, this study substantiates the proposition about the essential role of distinct empathic deficits in the constellation of antagonistic traits.
Cormohipparion quinni (Mammalia, Equidae, Hipparionini) del Mioceno Medio (Barstoviano Tardío) del Norte de Costa Rica

Por primera vez se registra la especie Cormohipparion quinni Woodburne 1996 para el Barstoviano Tardío de América Central y Costa Rica. Este hallazgo aporta una nueva pista al patrón de distribución paleobiogeográfico de los mammíferos de América del Norte y su incursión en el Neotropico del sur de América Central durante el Mioceno Medio. El presente ejemplar representa el registro más austral de dicho taxón en el Mioceno Medio tardío en el Hemisferio Norte.
Language Nests as an Emergent Global Phenomenon: Diverse Approaches to Program Development and Delivery

Language nests are early language learning programs where young children, from infancy to five years of age, are fully immersed in an Indigenous language. This article presents a literature review of Indigenous language nests that are focused on the renewal of endangered languages from different communities across the world. These programs are intended for young children who have been raised not speaking their Indigenous language as their first or mother tongue language. To demonstrate the diversity of approaches to language nest development and delivery, this review includes well- and lesser-known programs. By contributing to Indigenous global networks of sharing, this article is intended to provide the encouragement and information that is greatly needed during the early years of language nest development and delivery.