Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Individual Sensitivity Preprocessing for Data Privacy

The sensitivity metric in differential privacy, which is informally defined as the largest marginal change in output between neighboring databases, is of substantial significance in determining the accuracy of private data analyses. Techniques for improving accuracy when the average sensitivity is much smaller than the worst-case sensitivity have been developed within the differential privacy literature, including tools such as smooth sensitivity, Sample-and-Aggregate, Propose-Test-Release, and Lipschitz extensions. In this work, we provide a new Sensitivity-Preprocessing framework for this problem that overcomes some of the limitations of the previous techniques and works in a highly generalized setting. Similar to Lipschitz extensions, our framework also approximates a function over databases with another function of smaller sensitivity. However, we exploit the specific metric space structure of neighboring databases to give a more localized exponential-time general construction, compared to Lipschitz extensions which can often be uncomputable. We constructively define a Sensitivity-Preprocessing Function in our framework for which we give approximate optimality and NP-hardness results, and further complement it with the following: (1) For important statistical metrics such as mean, $\alpha$-trimmed mean, median, maximum, minimum, and variance, we show that our Sensitivity-Preprocessing Function can be implemented in $O(n^2)$ time. (2) We introduce a new notion of individual sensitivity and show that it is an important metric in the variant definition of personalized differential privacy. We show that our algorithm can extend to this context and serve as a useful tool for this variant definition and its applications in markets for privacy. (3) We consider extending our framework to functions mapping to higher dimensions and give both positive and negative results.
Quality of Life of Peri and Postmenopausal Women attending Outpatient Department of Obstretics and Gynecology of A Tertiary Care Hospital.

BACKGROUND Many women experience menopausal symptoms during menopausal transition and postmenopausal years. This natural phenomenon often results in various psychological, somatic and urinary symptoms which impair the overall quality of life of women. This study aimed to access the quality of life of women during perimenopausal and early postmenopausal years attending outpatient department of OBGYN at Kathmandu Medical College Teaching Hospital. METHODS A descriptive cross-sectional study of 240 perimenopausal women of aged 45-60 years attending gynaecological outpatient clinic was carried out between 15th January to 13th April 2017. Data were collected using Women Health Questionnaire, containing 37 questions by interview technique and analyzed using chi-square test to assess the association between sociodemographic information and the quality of life. RESULTS The median age of onset of menopause was 50 years and 50.8% of respondents were having good quality of life. Sociodemographic variables such as age of women, marital status, educational level, last menstrual period and regular menstrual period were statistically significant with the quality of life of peri and postmenopausal women. CONCLUSIONS Menopausal symptoms are common but due to lack of awareness, they do not seek medical advice. Hence priority lies on generating awareness among women about menopause and menopausal symptoms and establishment of dedicated elderly clinic to help these women live a healthy and comfortable life.
A Rare but Fascinating Disorder: Case Collection of Patients with Schnitzler Syndrome

Background Schnitzler syndrome is a rare disorder characterized by a chronic urticarial rash and monoclonal gammopathy (IgM in more than 90% of the cases). It is difficult to distinguish from other neutrophilic urticarial dermatoses, and diagnosis is based on the Strasbourg criteria. Interleukin-1 is considered the key mediator, and interleukin-1 inhibitors are considered first line treatment. Here, we present two cases of Schnitzler syndrome, both successfully treated with anakinra. Objectives To increase awareness regarding clinical presentation, diagnosis, and treatment of this rare disorder. Cases We describe the clinical features and disease course of two patients with Schnitzler syndrome, diagnosed using the Strasbourg criteria. Both were treated with anakinra with remarkable response to therapy. Conclusion Schnitzler syndrome is a rare and underdiagnosed disorder. High suspicion should be maintained in patients with chronic urticaria-like dermatoses, intermittent fevers, and arthralgias. A serum protein electrophoresis and immunofixation should be performed in these patients. The diagnosis is important to recognize as Schnitzler syndrome is associated with malignancy. A lymphoproliferative disorder develops in about 20% of patients at an average of 7.6 years after onset of symptoms. Thus, patients warrant long-term follow-up. IL-1 inhibitors are extremely effective in relieving symptoms and are considered first line therapy.
Prognostic and clinicopathological significance of platelet to lymphocyte ratio in esophageal cancer: a meta-analysis.

Background The prognostic and clinicopathological significance of the platelet to lymphocyte ratio (PLR) has been studied in various cancers. However, studies examining the role of PLR in esophageal cancer have not yielded consistent results. The purpose of this meta-analysis was to study the prognostic and clinicopathological significance of PLR in esophageal cancer patients. Methods We performed a literature search in three major databases: PubMed, Web of Science and Embase (up until May 1, 2017). The clinicopathologic significance of PLR and its prognostic significance were analyzed. Results Our meta-analysis consisted of 13 studies with 4,621 patients. The pooled hazard ratios (HRs) showed that a high PLR was associated with poor survival of esophageal cancer [HR =1.283; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.173-1.404; P<0.001]. Subgroup analysis revealed that elevated PLR was associated with poor survival in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (HR =1.281; 95% CI: 1.098-1.493; P=0.002). The pooled odds ratio (OR) indicated that high PLR was also associated with the depth of tumor invasion (OR =1.543, 95% CI: 1.269-1.876, P<0.001), lymph node metastasis (OR =1.427, 95% CI: 1.195-1.705, P<0.001), tumor length (OR =1.81, 95% CI: 1.331-2.461, P<0.001), and Tumor stage (OR =1.459, 95% CI: 1.235-1.724, P<0.001). Conclusions Our results demonstrate that elevated PLR was significantly associated with poor prognosis of esophageal cancer. Furthermore, the high PLR might predict worse clinicopathological features of esophageal cancer patients.
Early radiological response as predictor of overall survival in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients with epidermal growth factor receptor mutations.

Background Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) are the standard treatment of advanced, EGFR-mutant non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Usually, radiographic assessment of response to chemotherapy is performed after the patient completes the second course of treatment. The optimal timing of response evaluation for patients receiving EGFR-TKIs is, however, not well-defined. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the association of an early radiological response (ERR) to TKIs by computed tomography (CT) with progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) in advanced NSCLC patients with EGFR mutations. Methods EGFR mutation status was analyzed retrospectively in a cohort of 360 NSCLC patients' between January 2009 and November 2014. Forty of them received treatment with TKI and therefore were included in the study. Response to TKI therapy was defined according to Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) v1.1. ERR was defined as complete response (CR) or partial response (PR) at the first radiographic evaluation performed within 6-8 weeks after the beginning of the treatment. Results Activating mutations in the tyrosine kinase domain of the EGFR gene were mainly exon 19 deletions. Thirty patients (75%) had ERR, 4 of those patients (10%) showed a PR on early CT achieving a CR in the long-term monitoring. Median PFS was longer in patients experiencing an ERR (10.9 vs. 2.4 months; HR: 0.42; 95% CI: 0.19-0.93; P=0.033) than those that did not [stable disease (SD) or progressive disease (PD)]. Median overall survival OS was also significantly increased in patients experiencing ERR (23.2 vs. 11.9 months; HR: 0.3; 95% CI: 0.15-0.85; P=0.021). Conclusions ERR in patients treated with EGFR TKI therapy is associated with statistically significant PFS and OS, and could be a surrogate marker of efficacy in these patients. Moreover, ERR provides an early identification of patients not benefitting from TKI, despite the presence of activating EGFR mutations in which further efforts are needed to improve their prognosis.
Baseline patient characteristics associated with response to biologic therapy in patients with psoriatic arthritis enrolled in the Corrona Psoriatic Arthritis/Spondyloarthritis Registry

Objectives To compare baseline characteristics between patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) who achieved and did not achieve minimal disease activity (MDA) with biologic therapy in the US-based Corrona Psoriatic Arthritis/Spondyloarthritis Registry. Methods Patients with PsA aged ≥18 years enrolled between March 2013 and March 2016 who were receiving biologics at enrolment (baseline), not in MDA and had ≥2 follow-up visits were included. Patients were classified as those who remained on their index biologic and achieved MDA at the second follow-up visit (MDA achievers (MDA-A)) and those who did not (MDA non-achievers (MDA-NA)). Demographics, clinical characteristics, patient-reported outcomes and medication history were compared between groups. Results Of 148 patients with PsA who met the inclusion criteria, 34 (23.0%) and 114 (77.0%) were classified as MDA-A and MDA-NA, respectively. At baseline, most patients (96.6%) were receiving tumour necrosis factor inhibitors, and both groups were similar in age, sex, race, medication history, enthesitis and dactylitis counts, disease duration and comorbidities. Compared with MDA-A, MDA-NA had significantly worse mean tender joint count (7.2 vs 3.4), patient-reported pain (51.2 vs 35.7), patient-reported fatigue (54.1 vs 42.4), physical function (Health Assessment Questionnaire, 1.0 vs 0.6), Bath Ankylosing Disease Activity Index (5.0 vs 3.4) and Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Functional Index (4.0 vs 2.0) scores (all p<0.05). Conclusions Approximately one in four patients achieved MDA with their index biologic at the time of the second follow-up visit. Both groups were similar in several baseline demographic and clinical features; however, patients who did not achieve MDA generally had worse tender joint counts and patient-reported outcomes.
Epidemiology and clinical profile of pathogens responsible for the hospitalization of children in Sousse area, Tunisia

This study aimed to identify a broad spectrum of respiratory pathogens from hospitalized and not-preselected children with acute respiratory tract infections in the Farhat Hached University-hospital of Sousse, Tunisia. Between September 2013 and December 2014, samples from 372 children aged between 1 month and 5 years were collected, and tested using multiplex real-time RT-PCR by a commercial assay for 21 respiratory pathogens. In addition, samples were screened for the presence of Streptococcus pneumoniae 16S rDNA using real-time PCR. The viral distribution and its association with clinical symptoms were statistically analyzed. Viral pathogens were detected in 342 (91.93%) of the samples of which 28.76% were single positive and 63.17% had multiple infections. The most frequent detected viruses were rhinovirus (55.64%), respiratory syncytial virus A/B (33.06%), adenovirus (25.00%), coronavirus NL63, HKU1, OC43, and 229E (21.50%), and metapneumovirus A/B (16.12%). Children in the youngest age group (1–3 months) exhibited the highest frequencies of infection. Related to their frequency of detection, RSV A/B was the most associated pathogen with patient’s demographic situation and clinical manifestations (p<0.05). Parainfluenza virus 1–4 and parechovirus were found to increase the risk of death (p<0.05). Adenovirus was statistically associated to the manifestation of gastroenteritis (p = 0.004). Rhinovirus infection increases the duration of oxygen support (p = 0.042). Coronavirus group was statistically associated with the manifestation of bronchiolitis (p = 0.009) and laryngitis (p = 0.017). Streptococcus pneumoniae DNA was detected in 143 (38.44%) of tested samples. However, only 53 samples had a concentration of C-reactive protein from equal to higher than 20 milligrams per liter, and 6 of them were single positive for Streptocuccus pneumoniae. This study confirms the high incidence of respiratory viruses in children hospitalized for acute respiratory tract infections in the Sousse area, Tunisia.
Vehicle Color Recognition using Convolutional Neural Network

Vehicle color information is one of the important elements in ITS (Intelligent Traffic System). In this paper, we present a vehicle color recognition method using convolutional neural network (CNN). Naturally, CNN is designed to learn classification method based on shape information, but we proved that CNN can also learn classification based on color distribution. In our method, we convert the input image to two different color spaces, HSV and CIE Lab, and run it to some CNN architecture. The training process follow procedure introduce by Krizhevsky, that learning rate is decreasing by factor of 10 after some iterations. To test our method, we use publicly vehicle color recognition dataset provided by Chen. The results, our model outperform the original system provide by Chen with 2% higher overall accuracy.
Comparative Effect of Beclomethasone Dipropionate and Cetirizine on Acoustic Rhinometry Parameters in Children With Perennial Allergic Rhinitis: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES The effect of intranasal corticosteroids and oral antihistamines on acoustic rhinometry parameters has not been directly compared. The primary objective was to compare the effect of a 21-day course of treatment with nasal beclomethasone dipropionate (nBDP) with that of cetirizine (CTZ) on nasal patency measured using acoustic rhinometry in children with perennial allergic rhinitis (PAR). The secondary objective was to compare the effect of both drugs on nasal cytology, symptom severity, sleep quality, and quality of life. METHODS In this 21-day, open-label, randomized controlled study, 34 children with PAR (age 6-14 years) with a Total 5-Symptom Score (T5SS) ≥5 received nBDP 100 μg per nostril twice daily or CTZ 10 mg tablets once daily. The measures of effect were the least square mean change (LSmc) in nasal volume, minimal cross-sectional area (MCA), and nasal cytology, as well as the scores on the T5SS, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and Paediatric Rhinoconjunctivitis Quality of Life Questionnaire (PRQLQ). RESULTS After 21 days, nBDP improved nasal volume and MCA more than CTZ (LSmc, 2.21 cm3 vs 0.20 cm3 [P=.013]; and LSmc 0.63 cm2 vs 0.13 cm2 [P=.002], respectively). Compared with the CTZ group, a more marked improvement was found in the nBDP group with respect to eosinophil classes (LSmc, -1.10 vs -0.40; P=.031) and neutrophil classes (LSmc, -0.97 vs -0.17; P=.010), T5SS (LSmc, -5.63 vs -3.54; P=.008), PSQI (LSmc, -1.30 vs -0.19; P=.025), and PRQLQ total scores (LSmc, -1.15 vs -0.69; P=.031). CONCLUSIONS In children with PAR, nBDP is more effective than CTZ in improving nasal patency measured by acoustic rhinometry, with associated beneficial effects on nasal cytology, symptoms, sleep quality, and quality of life.
An Evaluation of Classification and Outlier Detection Algorithms

This paper evaluates algorithms for classification and outlier detection accuracies in temporal data. We focus on algorithms that train and classify rapidly and can be used for systems that need to incorporate new data regularly. Hence, we compare the accuracy of six fast algorithms using a range of well-known time-series datasets. The analyses demonstrate that the choice of algorithm is task and data specific but that we can derive heuristics for choosing. Gradient Boosting Machines are generally best for classification but there is no single winner for outlier detection though Gradient Boosting Machines (again) and Random Forest are better. Hence, we recommend running evaluations of a number of algorithms using our heuristics.
Population: Delusion and Reality

Both Robert Malthus and Condorcet offer an analysis of the population problem. Malthusian overpopulation notions suggest a link with the modern "override" approach of shifting aid from development to family planning with legal and economic restrictions to ease the pressure of a high birth rate. Condorcets notions are more compatible with the modern "collaborative" approach of rational decision making by men and women with knowledge and a sense of personal security. The collaborative approach finds a solution to the population problem in joint government and citizen actions to produce economic and social conditions favorable to slower population growth. Gerard Piel has most recently written on this approach. Prominent calamity authors are Paul Ehrlich ("The Population Bomb") and Garrett Hardins "Living Within Limits. " There are many fears and concerns that drive the calamity scenario. There is fear of an increase in immigration pressure and of relatively well-off people being surrounded by a fast growing and increasingly poor population from developing countries. When fear predominates thinking coercion becomes a more acceptable strategy. A population projection of 78.5% of Asians and Africans by 2050 would approximate the population distribution in the 1650s and 1750s. Social and economic development as a collaborative approach is found to lower fertility. Concentration on Africas population growth rates obscures the influence of economic conditions war and political unrest. There is not a clear sense of direction from present food supply and distribution analysis that demand will not be met in the future. Economic conditions can deteriorate for some while others are receiving the benefits of economic growth. Food prices have declined and are likely to continue to decline and the regions of highest grain productivity are regions with large populations. Other factors besides population size explain the crowded slums in large urban areas. Birth rates appear to decline in countries that have more female education lowered mortality increased economic means and security and greater public discussion about life styles. Despite the population problem being serious the greater concern should be on the long-term effects of population on the environment and the adverse effects on quality of life particularly for women.
Antibacterial activity of Lactobacillus delbreukii subspecies bulgaricus isolated from Zabady

Lactic acid bacteria are used recently as probiotics and as protective cultures in fermented food products. This is due to their ability to produce proteinacous antimicrobial agents, lactic acid and diacetyle. The prime objective of this work was to select a probiotic bacterium which could be used as protective culture. Characterization of bacteriocin by physicochemical techniques and inhibition of food-borne pathogens were carried out. Molecular methods were used for identification of bacterial strains used. Out of 100 lactic acid bacterial strains, the most inhibitory strain (Z55 strain) isolated from Arabian yoghurt (Zabady) inhibited other lactic and bacteria and some food-borne pathogens. This Z55 strain was identified as Lactobacillus delbreukii subspecies bulgaricus and designated Lb. bulgaricus Z55. The inhibitory activity of cell free supernatant (CFS) of Lb. bulgaricus Z55 was lost by proteolytic enzymes, heat resistant. Consequently it was characterized as a bacteriocin. This bacteriocin was shown to consists of protein but has no lipidic or glucidic moieties in its active molecule. Its activity was stable in the pH range 2.0 to 7.0. Maximum bacteriocin production was obtained in MRS broth adjusted initially at pH 6.5 and incubated for 18 h at 35C when the producer organism was in the late logarithmic and early stationary phase of growth. A bacteriocin producer strain (Lb. bulgaricus Z55) inhibited many food-borne pathogens. The antimicrobial agent was showed to be protein and characterized as a bacteriocin [Seham Abdel-Shafi, Abdul-Raouf Al-Mohammadi, Sally Negm and Gamal Enan. Antibacterial activity of Lactobacillus delbreukii subspecies bulgaricus isolated from Zabady. Life Sci J 2014;11(8):264-270]. (ISSN:1097-8135). http://www.lifesciencesite. com. 36
Contrasting patterns of Andean diversification among three diverse clades of Neotropical clearwing butterflies

Abstract The Neotropical region is the most biodiverse on Earth, in a large part due to the highly diverse tropical Andean biota. The Andes are a potentially important driver of diversification within the mountains and for neighboring regions. We compared the role of the Andes in diversification among three subtribes of Ithomiini butterflies endemic to the Neotropics, Dircennina, Oleriina, and Godyridina. The diversification patterns of Godyridina have been studied previously. Here, we generate the first time‐calibrated phylogeny for the largest ithomiine subtribe, Dircennina, and we reanalyze a published phylogeny of Oleriina to test different biogeographic scenarios involving the Andes within an identical framework. We found common diversification patterns across the three subtribes, as well as major differences. In Dircennina and Oleriina, our results reveal a congruent pattern of diversification related to the Andes with an Andean origin, which contrasts with the Amazonian origin and multiple Andean colonizations of Godyridina. In each of the three subtribes, a clade diversified in the Northern Andes at a faster rate. Diversification within Amazonia occurred in Oleriina and Godyridina, while virtually no speciation occurred in Dircennina in this region. Dircennina was therefore characterized by higher diversification rates within the Andes compared to non‐Andean regions, while in Oleriina and Godyridina, we found no difference between these regions. Our results and discussion highlight the importance of comparative approaches in biogeographic studies.
Deep Learning for Predicting Asset Returns

Deep learning searches for nonlinear factors for predicting asset returns. Predictability is achieved via multiple layers of composite factors as opposed to additive ones. Viewed in this way, asset pricing studies can be revisited using multi-layer deep learners, such as rectified linear units (ReLU) or long-short-term-memory (LSTM) for time-series effects. State-of-the-art algorithms including stochastic gradient descent (SGD), TensorFlow and dropout design provide imple- mentation and efficient factor exploration. To illustrate our methodology, we revisit the equity market risk premium dataset of Welch and Goyal (2008). We find the existence of nonlinear factors which explain predictability of returns, in particular at the extremes of the characteristic space. Finally, we conclude with directions for future research.
Part-of-Speech Tagging for Code-Mixed English-Hindi Twitter and Facebook Chat Messages

The paper reports work on collecting and annotating code-mixed English-Hindi social media text (Twitter and Facebook messages), and experiments on automatic tagging of these corpora, using both a coarse-grained and a fine-grained part-ofspeech tag set. We compare the performance of a combination of language specific taggers to that of applying four machine learning algorithms to the task (Conditional Random Fields, Sequential Minimal Optimization, Naive Bayes and Random Forests), using a range of different features based on word context and wordinternal information.