Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
De-anonymizing private data by matching statistics

Recent research has illustrated privacy breaches that can be effected on an anonymized dataset by an attacker who has access to auxiliary information about the users. Most of these attack strategies rely on the uniqueness of specific aspects of the users' data - e.g., observing a mobile user at just a few points on the time-location space are sufficient to uniquely identify him/her from an anonymized set of users. In this work, we consider de-anonymization attacks on anonymized summary statistics in the form of histograms. Such summary statistics are useful for many applications that do not need knowledge about exact user behavior. We consider an attacker who has access to an anonymized set of histograms of K users' data and an independent set of data belonging to the same users. Modeling the users' data as i.i. d. , we study the composite hypothesis testing problem of identifying the correct matching between the anonymized histograms from the first set and the user data from the second. We propose a Generalized Likelihood Ratio Test as a solution to this problem and show that the solution can be identified using a minimum weight matching algorithm on an K × K complete bipartite weighted graph. We show that a variant of this solution is asymptotically optimal as the data lengths are increased.We apply the algorithm on mobility traces of over 1000 users on EPFL campus collected during two weeks and show that up to 70% of the users can be correctly matched. These results show that anonymized summary statistics of mobility traces themselves contain a significant amount of information that can be used to uniquely identify users by an attacker who has access to auxiliary information about the statistics.
Effects of soybean supplementation on blood glucose, plasma lipid levels, and erythrocyte antioxidant enzyme activity in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of soybean on blood glucose and lipid concentrations, and antioxidant enzyme activity in type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) patients. We divided patients into two groups and fed them, respectively, a basal diet (control group) and a basal diet with 69 g/d of soybean (soybean group) for 4 weeks. Pills with roasted soybean powder were provided to the soybean supplementation group three times a day. Macronutrients intake except dietary fiber was similar between the two groups. No significant differences were observed in dietary intakes or body weight before and after the supplementation. Energy composition ratio of C:F:P was 65:19:16 in the control group, 64:20:16 in the soybean group. The blood parameters of subjects before supplementation, such as fasting blood glucose, postprandial glucose level, total cholesterol, triglyceride, LDL-cholesterol and HbA1C were not different between the two groups. After supplementation, fasting blood glucose (p<0.001), postprandial glucose level (p<0.001) and serum triglyceride level (p<0.05) were significantly reduced in the soybean group in comparison with the control group. The total cholesterol level was not significantly different between the control and the supplemented group after 4 weeks of treatment. TBARS levels of the soybean group were not significantly different from those of the control group. The activities of catalase (p<0.01) and glutathione peroxidase (p<0.05) were significantly higher in the soybean group compared to the control group. The results of this study suggest that soybean supplementation would be helpful to control blood glucose and serum lipid in diabetic patients. Also, soybean showed an antioxidant activity that may contribute to enhance the effect of antioxidant defense. This activity contributes to protection against oxidative damage in type 2 DM patients. Soybean may have potential use in the disease management of patients with DM.
Non-commutative matrix integrals and representation varieties of surface groups in a finite group

A graphical expansion formula for non-commutative matrix integrals with values in a finite-dimensional real or complex von Neumann algebra is obtained in terms of ribbon graphs and their non-orientable counterpart called Moebius graphs. The contribution of each graph is an invariant of the topological type of the surface on which the graph is drawn. As an example, we calculate the integral on the group algebra of a finite group. We show that the integral is a generating function of the number of homomorphisms from the fundamental group of an arbitrary closed surface into the finite group. The graphical expansion formula yields a new proof of the classical theorems of Frobenius, Schur and Mednykh on these numbers.
Observing parent-child purchase related interactions in US-based retail environments: replication and extension

Abstract This study replicates and extends work by Buijzen and Valkenburg. We observed and coded purchase-related interactions of parent-child dyads in stores in the US, collected questionnaire data from them and collected questionnaire data from parents visiting stores without their children in order to assess external validity. The current study found key differences between families who bring their child to the store and those who do not. Observation and coding, which examined parent-child dyads with children between the ages of 2–12, also revealed that younger children exhibited more coercive behaviors than older children by begging, crying, and negative tone use; parent television viewing was related to child requests; and parent communication and control orientation as measured by the Buijzen Consumer Communication scale were linked to child consumer behavior.
A Genome-Wide Study of Modern-Day Tuscans: Revisiting Herodotus's Theory on the Origin of the Etruscans

Background The origin of the Etruscan civilization (Etruria, Central Italy) is a long-standing subject of debate among scholars from different disciplines. The bulk of the information has been reconstructed from ancient texts and archaeological findings and, in the last few years, through the analysis of uniparental genetic markers. Methods By meta-analyzing genome-wide data from The 1000 Genomes Project and the literature, we were able to compare the genomic patterns (>540,000 SNPs) of present day Tuscans (N = 98) with other population groups from the main hypothetical source populations, namely, Europe and the Middle East. Results Admixture analysis indicates the presence of 25–34% of Middle Eastern component in modern Tuscans. Different analyses have been carried out using identity-by-state (IBS) values and genetic distances point to Eastern Anatolia/Southern Caucasus as the most likely geographic origin of the main Middle Eastern genetic component observed in the genome of modern Tuscans. Conclusions The data indicate that the admixture event between local Tuscans and Middle Easterners could have occurred in Central Italy about 2,600–3,100 years ago (y.a.). On the whole, the results validate the theory of the ancient historian Herodotus on the origin of Etruscans.
Post-combiner For interference cancellation algorithm

This paper presents a post-combining technique applied to the output-data of an interference cancellation algorithm [1]. Proposed in an OFDM context, it is shown that this approach improves performances of the receiver. The proposed interference cancellation algorithm uses several replica of the same data-flow. Each data-flow is obtained applying through different algorithm derivations in order to achieve a channel equalization. The combiner follows the philosophy of the well-known maximum ratio combining for an AWGN channel. The weights applied to each replica are obtained a posteriori by evaluating the output noise of each replica. Using this technique, for an equal performance in the sense of BER, an enhancement of the performance is obtained. The combiner requires around 2dB less with respect to EbN0 than the interference cancellation algorithm [1] for both typical-urban and hilly-terrain propagation channels.
Boon and bane of remission induction with rituximab in ANCA-associated vasculitis: lessons learned from the RAVE-ITN follow-up study

Implication for health policy/practice/research/medical educationRituximab has emerged as an alternative in the induction of remission in ANCA-associated vasculitis. Recent studies revealed a non-inferiority of a single dose rituximab in addition to a six month course of steroids compared to standard therapy after a follow-up period of 18 months. The results of the RAVE-ITN trial are encouraging and a special cohort of patients might benefit from this protocol.
Genetic Diversity and Population Structure of Miscanthus sinensis Germplasm in China

Miscanthus is a perennial rhizomatous C4 grass native to East Asia. Endowed with great biomass yield, high ligno-cellulose composition, efficient use of radiation, nutrient and water, as well as tolerance to stress, Miscanthus has great potential as an excellent bioenergy crop. Despite of the high potential for biomass production of the allotriploid hybrid M. ×giganteus, derived from M. sacchariflorus and M. sinensis, other options need to be explored to improve the narrow genetic base of M. ×giganteus, and also to exploit other Miscanthus species, including M. sinensis (2n = 2x = 38), as bioenergy crops. In the present study, a large number of 459 M. sinensis accessions, collected from the wide geographical distribution regions in China, were genotyped using 23 SSR markers transferable from Brachypodium distachyon. Genetic diversity and population structure were assessed. High genetic diversity and differentiation of the germplasm were observed, with 115 alleles in total, a polymorphic rate of 0.77, Nei’s genetic diversity index (He) of 0.32 and polymorphism information content (PIC) of 0.26. Clustering of germplasm accessions was primarily in agreement with the natural geographic distribution. AMOVA and genetic distance analyses confirmed the genetic differentiation in the M. sinensis germplasm and it was grouped into five clusters or subpopulations. Significant genetic variation among subpopulations indicated obvious genetic differentiation in the collections, but within-subpopulation variation (83%) was substantially greater than the between-subpopulation variation (17%). Considerable phenotypic variation was observed for multiple traits among 300 M. sinensis accessions. Nine SSR markers were found to be associated with heading date and biomass yield. The diverse Chinese M. sinensis germplasm and newly identified SSR markers were proved to be valuable for breeding Miscanthus varieties with desired bioenergy traits.
Scaling Personalization: Exploring the Implementation of an Academic and Social-Emotional Innovation in High Schools

Scaling in educational settings has tended to focus on replication of external programs with less focus on the nature of adaptation. In this article, we explore the scaling of Personalization for Academic and Social-emotional Learning (PASL), a systemic high school reform effort that was intentionally identified, developed, and implemented with adaption in mind for both the innovation and the scaling process itself. Drawing on focus group and individual interviews with administrators, guidance counselors, and teachers in eight urban high schools in Florida, we explore five elements of scale: depth, sustainability, spread, shift in reform ownership, and evolution of PASL. We find that implementers demonstrated a depth of belief, sustainability, and spread related to the idea of personalization. They did not show the same levels of sustainability and spread regarding the organizational routines related to PASL, although this differed widely by school. The reform approach using continuous improvement helped with shift in reform ownership and gave implementers control over the evolution of the reform. Despite this active involvement, administrators and teachers responded to PASL much like they would have an external reform, identifying the lack of time and school norms as impeding the implementation of routines and practices.
Transfusion practice in the critically ill

BackgroundAnemia in the critically ill patient population is common. This anemia of critical illness is a distinct clinical entity characterized by blunted erythropoietin production and abnormalities in iron metabolism identical to what is commonly referred to as the anemia of chronic disease. FindingsAs a result of this anemia, critically ill patients receive an extraordinarily large number of blood transfusions. Between 40% and 50% of all patients admitted to intensive care units receive at least one red blood cell unit, and the average is close to five red blood cell units during their intensive care unit stay. There is little evidence that “routine” transfusion of stored allogeneic red blood cells is beneficial for critically ill patients. Most critically ill patients can tolerate hemoglobin levels as low as 7 mg/dL, so a more conservative approach to red blood cell transfusion is warranted. ConclusionPractice strategies should be directed toward a reduction of blood loss (phlebotomy) and a decrease in the transfusion threshold in critically ill patients.
Pain-related stress during the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit stay and SLC6A4 methylation in very preterm infants

Very preterm (VPT) infants need long-lasting hospitalization in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) during which they are daily exposed to pain-related stress. Alterations of DNA methylation at the promoter region of the SLC6A4 have been associated with early adverse experiences in infants. The main aim of the present work was to investigate the association between level of exposure to pain-related stress during hospitalization and changes in SLC6A4 DNA methylation at NICU discharge in VPT infants. In order to exclude the potential effect of birth status (i.e., preterm vs. full-term birth) on SLC6A4 methylation, we preliminarily assessed SLC6A4 epigenetic differences between VPT and full-term (FT) infants at birth. Fifty-six VPT and thirty-two FT infants participated in the study. The level of exposure to pain-related stress was quantified on the basis of the amount of skin-breaking procedures to which they were exposed. VPT infants were divided in two sub-groups: low-pain exposure (LPE, N = 25) and high-pain exposure (HPE, N = 31). DNA methylation was evaluated at birth for both VPT and FT infants, assessing 20 CpG sites within the SLC6A4 promoter region. The same CpG sites were re-evaluated for variations in DNA methylation at NICU discharge in LPE and HPE VPT infants. No differences in SLC6A4 CpG sites' methylation emerged between FT and VPT infants at birth. Methylation at CpG sites 5 and 6 significantly increased from birth to NICU discharge only for HPE VPT infants. Findings show that preterm birth per se is not associated with epigenetic alterations of the SLC6A4, whereas higher levels of pain-related stress exposure during NICU stay might alter the transcriptional functionality of the serotonin transporter gene.
Predictors, Neuroimaging Characteristics and Long-Term Outcome of Severe European Tick-Borne Encephalitis: A Prospective Cohort Study

Background and Objectives Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) still represents a considerable medical and health economic problem in Europe and entails a potential threat to travellers. The aim of this study was to characterise the conditions of severe TBE by precisely recording its clinical variants, the related neuroimaging features, and the variant-specific long-term outcome and by identifying predictors for severe courses. Methods A cohort of 111 TBE patients (median age 51, range 17–75 years; 42% females) was analysed prospectively. Data were acquired from the department of neurology, University Hospital Heidelberg, and the infectious diseases registry of the Robert-Koch institute Berlin. Neurological status was ascertained by protocol at admission and discharge and the degree of disability was scored using the modified RANKIN Scale (mRS; clinical score addressing neurological disability, range from 0, healthy to 6, dead) at admission and at follow-up. Follow-up examination was conducted by means of a telephone interview. To identify independent predictors for severe TBE and functional outcome, modelled logistic regression was performed. MRI changes were correlated with infection variants. To assess alpha-motor neuron injury patterns, we used high-resolution magnetic resonance neurography (hrMRN). Analyses were performed at the Department of Neurology, University Hospital, University of Heidelberg from April 2004 through September 2014 Results Acute course: 3.6% of patients died during the acute infection. All patients with a lethal course suffered from meningoencephaloradiculitis (MER, 14.4% of the cohort), which is associated with a significantly higher risk of requiring intensive care (p = 0.004) and mechanical ventilation (p<0.001) than menigoencephalitis (ME, 27.9% of the cohort). At admission, both MER and ME groups were severely affected, with the MER group having a statistically higher mRS score (median of 5 in the MER groups versus 4 in the ME group; p<0.001). Long-term outcome: outcome for MER was considerably worse (median mRS = 4) than for ME (mRS = 1, p<0.0001) and meningitis (mRS = 0, 57.7% of the cohort). Risk factors: advanced age (p<0.001) and male gender (p = 0.043) are independent risk factors for a severe infection course. Furthermore, we identified pre-existing diabetes mellitus (p = 0.024) as an independent risk factor for MER. In MER, alpha-motor neuron injury accounts for the poor prognosis confirmed by hrMRN. Conclusion and Relevance These data provide critical information for neurologists and other health professionals to use in evaluating TBEV patients who live in or travel to endemic areas. This information can be used to classify clinical presentation and estimate infection-associated complications and individual prognosis. Furthermore, the risk for severe, disabling infections in older patients should prompt general practitioners to recommend and encourage vaccination to those patients living in or travelling to endemic areas.
TAHAP PERKEMBANGAN KOGNITIF MATEMATIKA SISWA SMP KELAS VII BERDASARKAN TEORI PIAGET DITINJAU DARI PERBEDAAN JENIS KELAMIN

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menelaah kesesuaian tahap perkembangan kognitif Piaget terhadap siswa SMP kelas VII di Kabupaten Karawang, apakah telah sampai pada tahap operasi formal, sebagaimana yang dijelaskan dalam teori Piaget. Subjek dari penelitian ini adalah siswa sebanyak 32 orang dengan usia antara 12 sampai 16 tahun. Penelitian ini menggunakan instrumen Test of Logical Operations (TLO) dalam matematika. TLO terdiri dari 14 soal dan siswa diberi waktu menjawab semua soal selama 45 menit. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan 41,18% siswa laki-laki pada tahap operasi formal awal, 47,06% pada tahap operasi konkrit akhir dan 11,76% pada tahap operasi konkrit awal. Sedangkan 53,33% siswa perempuan pada tahap operasi formal awal, 40% pada tahap operasi konkrit akhir dan 6,67% pada tahap operasi konkrit awal. Skor rata-rata TOL Piaget siswa laki-laki yakni 27,13 dan siswa perempuan yakni 25,47 yang artinya rata-rata siswa cenderung pada tahap konkrit akhir. Pemahaman matematika siswa berdasarkan 7 operasi logis menunjukkan bahwa pada tipe proposisi, seriasi dan perkalian logis rata-rata siswa laki-laki berpemahaman cukup sedangkan tipe klasifikasi, kompensasi, probabilitas, dan korelasi berpemahaman belum cukup. Rata-rata siswa perempuan pada tipe proposisi, seriasi, kompensasi, dan perkalian logis berpemahaman cukup, sedangkan tipe klasifikasi, probabilitas dan korelasi berpemahaman belum cukup. Kata kunci: Tahap Perkembangan Kognitif, Teori Piaget, Jenis Kelamin.
Inequalities in US Life Expectancy by Area Unemployment Level, 1990–2010

This study examined the association between unemployment and life expectancy in the United States during 1990–2010. Census-based unemployment rates were linked to US county-level mortality data. Life expectancies were calculated by age, sex, race, and unemployment level during 1990–2010. Differences in life expectancy were decomposed by age and cause of death. Life expectancy was consistently lower in areas with higher unemployment rates. In 2006–2010, those in areas with high unemployment rates (≥9%) had a life expectancy of 76.9 years, compared with 80.7 years for those in areas with low unemployment rates (<3%). The association between unemployment and life expectancy was stronger for men than for women. Life expectancy ranged from 69.9 years among black men in high unemployment areas to 90.0 years among Asian/Pacific Islander women in low unemployment areas. Disparities persisted over time. In 1990–1992, life expectancy was 4.7 years shorter in high unemployment than in low unemployment areas. In 2006–2010, the life expectancy difference between the lowest and highest unemployment areas decreased to 3.8 years. Heart disease, cancer, homicide, unintentional injuries, diabetes, HIV/AIDS, and liver cirrhosis contributed most to the lower life expectancy in high unemployment areas. High unemployment areas recorded larger gains in life expectancy than low unemployment areas, contributing to the narrowing gap during 1990–2010.
Mechanism and Control of Knee Power Augmenting Device with Backdrivable Electro-Hydrostatic Actuator

Wearable robots that assist human mobility are actuated according to human intention. The estima- tion of the intention is difficult that the direct measurement is not possible. Especially the force control of the robot require quick response and highly non-repeatable. Biolog- ical signals such as electromyography are often used but they lack stability. Sensitivity function gain maximization is yet another approach, but high backdrivability is neces- sary to realize comfort, which was difficult in conventional gear driven actuators. In this paper, we apply backdrivable electro-hydrostatic actuator to realize intrinsic backdriv- ability, which is then enhanced with low-impedance con- troller consisting of inertia scaling and disturbance ob- server based friction compensation. Power augmenting controller was realized with sensitivity function gain maxi- mization. Numeric analysis and evaluation tests on actual prototype were carried out.
Dynamic Scene Recognition with Complementary Spatiotemporal Features

This paper presents Dynamically Pooled Complementary Features (DPCF), a unified approach to dynamic scene recognition that analyzes a short video clip in terms of its spatial, temporal and color properties. The complementarity of these properties is preserved through all main steps of processing, including primitive feature extraction, coding and pooling. In the feature extraction step, spatial orientations capture static appearance, spatiotemporal oriented energies capture image dynamics and color statistics capture chromatic information. Subsequently, primitive features are encoded into a mid-level representation that has been learned for the task of dynamic scene recognition. Finally, a novel dynamic spacetime pyramid is introduced. This dynamic pooling approach can handle both global as well as local motion by adapting to the temporal structure, as guided by pooling energies. The resulting system provides online recognition of dynamic scenes that is thoroughly evaluated on the two current benchmark datasets and yields best results to date on both datasets. In-depth analysis reveals the benefits of explicitly modeling feature complementarity in combination with the dynamic spacetime pyramid, indicating that this unified approach should be well-suited to many areas of video analysis.