Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A novel Website Fingerprinting attack against multi-tab browsing behavior

Website Fingerprinting (WF) attacks have posed a serious threat to users' privacy, which allow an adversary to infer the anonymous communication content by using traffic analysis. Recent studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of WF attacks through a large number of experiments. However, some researchers believe that the assumptions of WF attacks vastly simplify the problem and are critical in the practical scenarios. In this paper, we assess the threat model of WF and relax the assumptions about browsing behavior to improve the practical feasibility. To deal with the multi-tab browsing scenario, we propose a novel WF attack and identify webpages respectively. The main idea resides in the fact that the user visits the second page with a short delay after opening the first page due to the think time. We analyze the anonymous traffic transmitted in the delay and select fine-grained features to identify the first page. Furthermore, we exclude the first page's traffic and utilize coarse features to identify the second page. We deploy our attack in real word environment and the experiment lasts for two months. The Naive Bayes classifier is then applied on the collected datasets to classify the visited websites among 50 top ranked websites in Alexa. When the delay is set to 2 seconds, our attack can classify the first page with 75.9% accuracy, and the second page is 40.5%. The results show that the WF attack is still effective in the practical scenarios and we can't dismiss WF as a threat.
Underdevelopment of financial markets and excess consumption volatility in developing countries

A well documented but puzzling empirical pattern is that consumption growth volatility relative to output growth volatility is significantly higher in developing countries than in developed countries. Moreover, on average, the ratio of consumption growth volatility to GDP growth volatility is higher than one in developing countries, and lower than one in developed countries. Obviously, it is not sufficient to explain the gap away by using the mechanism of borrowing constraint alone. This paper aims to explain this empirical regularity by linking it to one important difference between these two groups of economies, the development of financial markets. This paper proposes a model, in which the difference in development levels translates into the difference in development of financial markets. And shocks with chain reactions arise endogenously from incomplete financial markets in developing economies. While both consumption and output volatilities are higher in developing countries, consumption is more responsive, reflecting the permanent effects those shocks in financial markets induced. The quantitative results from the model are broadly consistent with empirical evidence. The model shows that even though both types of economies are subject to exactly the same exogenous shock process, the difference in productivity can translate into the excess consumption volatility pattern, through endogenous financial markets. More interestingly, the model has the ability to mimic a model which assumes exogenous permanent shocks to productivity. In this sense, it provides at least a partial answer to why developing countries are subject to stronger permanent shocks.
A weighted least-squares approach for inferring phylogenies from incomplete distance matrices

MOTIVATION The problem of phylogenetic inference from datasets including incomplete or uncertain entries is among the most relevant issues in systematic biology. In this paper, we propose a new method for reconstructing phylogenetic trees from partial distance matrices. The new method combines the usage of the four-point condition and the ultrametric inequality with a weighted least-squares approximation to solve the problem of missing entries. It can be applied to infer phylogenies from evolutionary data including some missing or uncertain information, for instance, when observed nucleotide or protein sequences contain gaps or missing entries. RESULTS In a number of simulations involving incomplete datasets, the proposed method outperformed the well-known Ultrametric and Additive procedures. Generally, the new method also outperformed all the other competing approaches including Triangle and Fitch which is the most popular least-squares method for reconstructing phylogenies. We illustrate the usefulness of the introduced method by analyzing two well-known phylogenies derived from complete mammalian mtDNA sequences. Some interesting theoretical results concerning the NP-hardness of the ordinary and weighted least-squares fitting of a phylogenetic tree to a partial distance matrix are also established. AVAILABILITY The T-Rex package including this method is freely available for download at http://www.info.uqam.ca/~makarenv/trex.html
Inequalities by educational level in response to combination antiretroviral treatment and survival in HIV-positive men and women in Europe

Background: Socioeconomic inequality challenges population-level implementation of health interventions. We investigated differences by educational level in clinical, virological, and immunological responses to combined antiretroviral treatment (cART) in HIV-positive men and women in Collaboration of Observational HIV Epidemiological Research in Europe, a European collaboration. Methods: Data were pooled from 15 cohorts in eight countries of patients initiating cART in 1996–2013 with data on educational level categorized in UNESCO/ISCED classifications. Kaplan–Meier curves, Cox and piecewise linear mixed models were used. Results: Of 24 069 HIV-positive patients, 9% had not completed primary education, 32% had completed primary, 44% secondary, and 15% tertiary education. Overall, 21% were women, who were overrepresented in lower educational strata. During 132 507 person-years of follow-up, 1081 individuals died; cumulative mortality decreased with higher educational level (P < 0.001). Over 122 765 person-years, new AIDS events or death occurred in 2598 individuals; differences by education were more marked than for death alone (P < 0.001). Virological response was achieved by 67% of patients without completed basic education, 85% with completed primary education, 82% with secondary, and 87% with tertiary (P < 0.001). Patients with higher education had higher CD4+ cell count at cART initiation and at each time after cART but rate of CD4+ cell count recovery did not differ. Differences in mortality and clinical responses were similar for men and women and were not entirely explained by delayed HIV diagnosis and late cART initiation. Conclusion: HIV-positive patients with lower educational level had worse responses to cART and survival in European countries with universal healthcare. To maximize the population impact of cART, Europe needs to decrease the socioeconomic divide.
Genetic Predisposition to Weight Loss and Regain With Lifestyle Intervention: Analyses From the Diabetes Prevention Program and the Look AHEAD Randomized Controlled Trials

Clinically relevant weight loss is achievable through lifestyle modification, but unintentional weight regain is common. We investigated whether recently discovered genetic variants affect weight loss and/or weight regain during behavioral intervention. Participants at high-risk of type 2 diabetes (Diabetes Prevention Program [DPP]; N = 917/907 intervention/comparison) or with type 2 diabetes (Look AHEAD [Action for Health in Diabetes]; N = 2,014/1,892 intervention/comparison) were from two parallel arm (lifestyle vs. comparison) randomized controlled trials. The associations of 91 established obesity-predisposing loci with weight loss across 4 years and with weight regain across years 2–4 after a minimum of 3% weight loss were tested. Each copy of the minor G allele of MTIF3 rs1885988 was consistently associated with greater weight loss following lifestyle intervention over 4 years across the DPP and Look AHEAD. No such effect was observed across comparison arms, leading to a nominally significant single nucleotide polymorphism×treatment interaction (P = 4.3 × 10−3). However, this effect was not significant at a study-wise significance level (Bonferroni threshold P < 5.8 × 10−4). Most obesity-predisposing gene variants were not associated with weight loss or regain within the DPP and Look AHEAD trials, directly or via interactions with lifestyle.
The Organization and Use of Parallel Memories

As computer CPUs get faster, primary memories tend to be organized in parallel banks. The fastest machines now being developed can fetch of the order of 100 words in parallel. Unless memory and compiler designers are careful, serious memory conflicts and resulting performance degradation may result. Some of the important questions of design and use of such memories are discussed.
Glimepiride: Role of a New Sulfonylurea in the Treatment of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

OBJECTIVE: To review the clinical pharmacology data regarding the sulfonylurea glimepiride, and to summarize the clinical trials of glimepiride efficacy and safety alone and in combination with insulin for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus. DATA SOURCES: A MEDLINE database search (English language, January 1985–April 1997) was performed to identify relevant published articles, including reviews and abstracts; the manufacturer (Hoechst Marion Roussel, Kansas City, MO) provided unpublished data. STUDY SELECTION: Pharmacology information was taken from representative original research articles. Eight clinical studies were selected for analysis on the basis of large enrollment, appropriate study design, and publication of results. DATA EXTRACTION: All clinical trials, published and unpublished, were reviewed. DATA SYNTHESIS: Glimepiride is a sulfonylurea that is pharmacologically distinct from other sulfonylureas because of differences in receptor-binding properties and potentially selective effects on ATP-sensitive K+ channels. The pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic profile of glimepiride makes it suitable for once-daily dosing. The safety and efficacy of glimepiride have been confirmed in studies involving more than 5000 patients with type 2 diabetes. In one study, once-daily doses of 1–8 mg reduced fasting plasma glucose from baseline by 43–74 mg/dL more than did placebo (p < 0.001), and hemoglobin (Hb) A1C values decreased by 1.2–1.9% more than with placebo (p < 0.001). Two-thirds of patients achieved tight control (i.e., HbA1C ≤ 7.2%). Glimepiride was as effective as second-generation sulfonylureas. The most common adverse events were dizziness and headache, but no single adverse event occurred in more than 2% of patients. CONCLUSIONS: Glimepiride appears to be a useful option for patients with type 2 diabetes not controlled by diet and exercise and who want to achieve tight glucose control. Glimepiride can be used alone, in combination with other antihyperglycemic agents, or in patients with secondary sulfonylurea failure, as an adjunct to insulin therapy.
Impact of scaling and root planing on C-reactive protein levels in gingival crevicular fluid and serum in chronic periodontitis patients with or without diabetes mellitus

Purpose The present study was conducted to evaluate the impact of scaling and root planing (SRP) on the C-reactive protein (CRP) levels of gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) and serum in chronic periodontitis patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM-CP) or without type 2 diabetes mellitus (NDM-CP). Methods Forty-eight human participants were divided into two groups: an experimental (T2DM-CP) group (group I, n=24) comprising chronic periodontitis patients with random blood sugar ≥200 mg/dL and type 2 diabetes mellitus, and control (NDM-CP) group (group II, n=24) of those with chronic periodontitis and random blood sugar <200 without T2DM for the study. All subjects underwent nonsurgical periodontal therapy (NSPT) including complete SRP and subgingival debridement. Periodontal health parameters, plaque index (PI), gingival index (GI), probing pocket depth (PPD), clinical attachment level (CAL), GCF volume (GCF vol), GCF-CRP, random blood glucose (RBS), glycated hemoglobin, and systemic inflammatory markers, serum CRP, total leukocyte count (TLC), neutrophil count (Neutr) and lymphocyte count (Lymph), were evaluated at baseline, 1 month, and 3 months after SRP. Results NSPT resulted in statistically significant improvement in periodontal health parameters (PI, GI, PPD, CAL, GCF vol), CRP levels in serum as well as GCF of both groups I and II. The mean improvement in periodontal health parameters (PI, GI, PPD, CAL, GCF vol), CRP levels in serum and GCF was greater in group I than group II after NSPT. There was nonsignificant increase in GCF-CRP, TLC, Lymph, and RBS, and a significant increase in Neutr and Serum CRP in group II at 1 month. The Serum CRP level of 20 out of 24 group II patients had also increased at 1 month. Conclusions The CRP levels in both GCF and serum were higher in T2DM-CP patients than in NDM-CP patients. Although there was a significant improvement in both the groups, greater improvement was observed in both GCF and serum samples of T2DM-CP patients. Graphical Abstract
New Estimation and Model Selection Procedures for Semiparametric Modeling in Longitudinal Data Analysis

Semiparametric regression models are very useful for longitudinal data analysis. The complexity of semiparametric models and the structure of longitudinal data pose new challenges to parametric inferences and model selection that frequently arise from longitudinal data analysis. In this article, two new approaches are proposed for estimating the regression coefficients in a semiparametric model. The asymptotic normality of the resulting estimators is established. An innovative class of variable selection procedures is proposed to select significant variables in the semiparametric models. The proposed procedures are distinguished from others in that they simultaneously select significant variables and estimate unknown parameters. Rates of convergence of the resulting estimators are established. With a proper choice of regularization parameters and penalty functions, the proposed variable selection procedures are shown to perform as well as an oracle estimator. A robust standard error formula is derived using a sandwich formula and is empirically tested. Local polynomial regression techniques are used to estimate the baseline function in the semiparametric model.
Intravital imaging of phagocyte recruitment

Summary Extravasation of neutrophils and monocytes is a hallmark event in acute and chronic inflammation. Owing to recent improvements in optical imaging techniques, the classical leukocyte extravasation cascade has been refined with intermediate steps being added. Further studies have shown tissue specific leukocyte recruitment patterns, thus allowing for more selective targeting. Here we focus on recent advances in intravital imaging of leukocyte recruitment by means of optical imaging techniques and emphasise the translation thereof into tissue-specific recruitment to the lungs, the liver and large arteries.
Sparse Autoencoder-Based Feature Transfer Learning for Speech Emotion Recognition

In speech emotion recognition, training and test data used for system development usually tend to fit each other perfectly, but further 'similar' data may be available. Transfer learning helps to exploit such similar data for training despite the inherent dissimilarities in order to boost a recogniser's performance. In this context, this paper presents a sparse auto encoder method for feature transfer learning for speech emotion recognition. In our proposed method, a common emotion-specific mapping rule is learnt from a small set of labelled data in a target domain. Then, newly reconstructed data are obtained by applying this rule on the emotion-specific data in a different domain. The experimental results evaluated on six standard databases show that our approach significantly improves the performance relative to learning each source domain independently.
Chitosan biofilm properties as affected by the addition of oregano essential oil

In this work, effect of adding essential oil of oregano (OEO) into chitosan edible film was studied. Different amount of OEO, from 0.2 to 0.8%v/v was added to the film forming solution containing 0.4%w/v of chitosan. Control sample was produced without oil. Effect of growing oil content on film water sensibility was investigated. Pure chitosan film is hydrophilic and sensitive to water. It swells and partially dissolves in water. Addition of hydrophobic OEO lowered film water sensitivity, regarding film water content and swelling property. Film dissolution in water wasn't reduced, probably because OEO molecules diffused from chitosan film into water. Color change of chitosan film with addition of OEO was also investigated. Film greenness and lightness decreased until film yellowness and redness increased. Seen by naked eye, films became milky, opaque and whitish to yellowish.
Ecologically valid trials of elderly unobtrusive monitoring: analysis and first results

Intelligent health monitoring systems of elderly have been around for several years now. Evaluation of sensor measurements and intelligent processing algorithms has been performed mainly in lab settings, prohibiting the collection of datasets that reflect real behavior of seniors. As a result, when technology migrates to real-life settings, fails to achieve similar monitoring accuracy. Our approach tackles this problem, by piloting the USEFIL intelligent monitoring system, to elderly people both at lab and home settings. Fifteen (15) seniors were recruited to follow a number of predefined activities in a free-form manner for 2 weeks. Five (5) of them were also recruited for piloting the system in their own homes for a period of two months. Statistical analysis of sensor observations and clinical assessment tools revealed the monitoring added value of the sensors in an ecological valid environment. In addition, trend analysis based on lab findings, showed – by means of a single case studythe potential of the system to continuously assess health indicators and detect health deterioration signs.
Repolarization alternans detection using the KL transform and the beatquency spectrum

Electrical alternans at the repolarization phase of the cardiac cycle have been reported to be related with increased risk for ventricular arrhythmias (VA). Here, the authors present and study a method for detecting ST-T complex alternans based on the Karhunen-Loeve (KL) transform and a beatquency transform (Fourier transform of KL series with beat order as temporal reference). The ratio of the power in the band around 0.5 cycles/beat with respect to the total power is then used as indicator of the period 2 alternans presence. This is similarly done for period 4 alternans. To study the performance of this detection system the authors have generated a simulated alternating ECG with added noise (moving artifacts, EMG and baseline wander noise). The results for SNR around 15 dB for the ST-T complex (normal value for ECG signals) give a sensitivity and specificity for period 2 alternans detection of over 95%. This method applied to the entire European ST-T database gives 25 alternating episodes, 56% corresponding to ischemic episodes, showing that 5.3% of the ischemic episodes include alternans episodes.
Application of LSVT BIG Intervention to Address Gait, Balance, Bed Mobility, and Dexterity in People With Parkinson Disease: A Case Series

Background and Purpose Lee Silverman Voice Treatment Big (LSVT BIG) is characterized by intensive exercising of high-amplitude movements to overcome bradykinesia and hypokinesia in patients with Parkinson disease (PD). The aim of the present case series was to explore possible beneficial effects of LSVT BIG training on gait, balance, bed mobility, and dexterity. Case Description Three patients with mild to moderate PD (all male; aged 52, 54, and 70 years; Hoehn & Yahr stages I–III) completed a 4-week LSVT BIG training program (16 individual 1-hour sessions) and an intensive home training program in accordance with the LSVT BIG protocol. Two certified LSVT BIG physical therapists delivered the LSVT BIG training sessions. Outcomes The outcome measures for gait and balance included the Functional Gait Assessment (FGA), Functional Reach Test (FRT), Timed “Up & Go” Test (TUG), Freezing of Gait Questionnaire (FOGQ), and motor score on part III of the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS III). Bed mobility was addressed using the Lindop Parkinson's Disease Mobility Assessment (LPA). The Nine-Hole Peg Test (9HPT) was used to measure dexterity. The 3 patients performed better on balance and gait assessments, as indicated by increased scores on the FRT and FGA (all 3 patients) and decreased scores on the TUG, FOGQ, and UPDRS III, of which scores of the FRT and UPDRS III achieved the minimal detectable change. Furthermore, the patients were quicker in tasks related to bed mobility (LPA). The patients' dexterity skills did not improve for their dominant (right) hand (9HPT). Discussion This case series suggests that the LSVT BIG may be beneficial for gait, balance, and bed mobility. Future work is needed to ascertain the effectiveness by means of randomized controlled trials.
The role of thermal stratification on the population dynamics of Sagitta elegans Verrill in the western Irish Sea

Temperature and prey availability have a marked effect on the development and growth of Sagitta elegans.This study addresses the effects of thermal stratification on the growth and size of adult S.degans in the western Irish Sea. It shows that in stratified waters, bottom water temperature had a greater effect on the development of mature adults than surface water temperature. Whilst the length of mature individuals caught in 1992 and 1994 decreased with increasing temperature, they did not conform to the models of McLaren (1963) and Sameoto (1971), as the animals were larger than predicted. The long breeding period found in the stratified region, suggests that previous reports of one or two generations per year in the western Irish Sea do not account for the likely mix of generations that occur from February through to September.