Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
On Perfect Privacy and Maximal Correlation

The problem of private data disclosure is studied from an information theoretic perspective. Considering a pair of correlated random variables $(X,Y)$, where $Y$ denotes the observed data while $X$ denotes the private latent variables, the following problem is addressed: What is the maximum information that can be revealed about $Y$, while disclosing no information about $X$? Assuming that a Markov kernel maps $Y$ to the revealed information $U$, it is shown that the maximum mutual information between $Y$ and $U$, i.e., $I(Y;U)$, can be obtained as the solution of a standard linear program, when $X$ and $U$ are required to be independent, called \textit{perfect privacy}. This solution is shown to be greater than or equal to the \textit{non-private information about $X$ carried by $Y$. } Maximal information disclosure under perfect privacy is is shown to be the solution of a linear program also when the utility is measured by the reduction in the mean square error, $\mathbb{E}[(Y-U)^2]$, or the probability of error, $\mbox{Pr}\{Y\neq U\}$. For jointly Gaussian $(X,Y)$, it is shown that perfect privacy is not possible if the kernel is applied to only $Y$; whereas perfect privacy can be achieved if the mapping is from both $X$ and $Y$; that is, if the private latent variables can also be observed at the encoder. Next, measuring the utility and privacy by $I(Y;U)$ and $I(X;U)$, respectively, the slope of the optimal utility-privacy trade-off curve is studied when $I(X;U)=0$. Finally, through a similar but independent analysis, an alternative characterization of the maximal correlation between two random variables is provided.
Clinical and molecular characterisation of 300 patients with congenital hyperinsulinism

Background Congenital hyperinsulinism (CHI) is a clinically heterogeneous condition. Mutations in eight genes (ABCC8, KCNJ11, GLUD1, GCK, HADH, SLC16A1, HNF4A and HNF1A) are known to cause CHI. Aim To characterise the clinical and molecular aspects of a large cohort of patients with CHI. Methodology Three hundred patients were recruited and clinical information was collected before genotyping. ABCC8 and KCNJ11 genes were analysed in all patients. Mutations in GLUD1, HADH, GCK and HNF4A genes were sought in patients with diazoxide-responsive CHI with hyperammonaemia (GLUD1), raised 3-hydroxybutyrylcarnitine and/or consanguinity (HADH), positive family history (GCK) or when CHI was diagnosed within the first week of life (HNF4A). Results Mutations were identified in 136/300 patients (45.3%). Mutations in ABCC8/KCNJ11 were the commonest genetic cause identified (n=109, 36.3%). Among diazoxide-unresponsive patients (n=105), mutations in ABCC8/KCNJ11 were identified in 92 (87.6%) patients, of whom 63 patients had recessively inherited mutations while four patients had dominantly inherited mutations. A paternal mutation in the ABCC8/KCNJ11 genes was identified in 23 diazoxide-unresponsive patients, of whom six had diffuse disease. Among the diazoxide-responsive patients (n=183), mutations were identified in 41 patients (22.4%). These include mutations in ABCC8/KCNJ11 (n=15), HNF4A (n=7), GLUD1 (n=16) and HADH (n=3). Conclusions A genetic diagnosis was made for 45.3% of patients in this large series. Mutations in the ABCC8 gene were the commonest identifiable cause. The vast majority of patients with diazoxide-responsive CHI (77.6%) had no identifiable mutations, suggesting other genetic and/or environmental mechanisms.
MemC3: Compact and Concurrent MemCache with Dumber Caching and Smarter Hashing

This paper presents a set of architecturally and workload-inspired algorithmic and engineering improvements to the popular Memcached system that substantially improve both its memory efficiency and throughput. These techniques--optimistic cuckoo hashing, a compact LRU-approximating eviction algorithm based upon CLOCK, and comprehensive implementation of optimistic locking--enable the resulting system to use 30% less memory for small key-value pairs, and serve up to 3x as many queries per second over the network. We have implemented these modifications in a system we call MemC3--Memcached with CLOCK and Concurrent Cuckoo hashing--but believe that they also apply more generally to many of today's read-intensive, highly concurrent networked storage and caching systems.
Impact of ASCOT on hypertension treatment and guidelines in older adults.

15. Millard P. A case for the development of departments of gero-comy in all district hospitals: a discussion paper. Hypertension remains the most prevalent and preventable cause of cardiovascular (CHD) and cerebrovascular (CVD) disease, and there is good evidence that antihypertensive drugs are effective [1]. Interest in the condition remains high, with a number of recent large studies and published guidelines by both the BHS (British Hypertension Society) and the National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE) [2, 3]. The main questions at present are: 1. Does it matter which drug is used? 2. Are the benefits of antihypertensive agents purely related to their blood pressure (BP)-lowering effects or do some agents have additional beneficial effects whilst others have adverse metabolic effects? 3. Are newer agents more effective than the widely used thiazides and β-blockers in prevention of CHD and CVD? More than 2 million people in the UK are still prescribed β-blockers (mainly for hypertension) [4]. The recently published ASCOT (Anglo-Scandinavian Cardiac Outcomes Trial-Blood Pressure Lowering Arm ASCOT-BPLA) [5] trial provides important data that partly answer these questions and are likely to change clinical practice further. We have restricted discussion to the BP-lowering arm of the study although there was also a lipid-lowering arm [6], which showed significant benefits with atorvastatin over placebo in CHD and CVD outcomes. The ASCOT trial [5] is a large British and Scandinavian randomised control trial (RCT) involving >19,000 patients and comparing two different drug regimes—either a calcium channel blocker (amlodipine) adding in an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor (ACE-I) (perindopril) as needed, or a β-blocker (atenolol) adding in a thiazide diu-retic (bendroflumethiazide) as needed. Patients were moderate risk untreated (>160/100 mmHg) or treated hypertensives who had failed to reach target (>140/90 mmHg), and who had at least three of a number of cardio-vascular risk factors (including left ventricular hypertrophy, type 2 diabetes, peripheral vascular disease, microalbuminu-ria, prior stroke or transient ischaemic attack and a number of other factors). The majority were white (95%) and male (77%), mean age was 63 years (range 40–79), and 81% were already on at least one antihypertensive agent. Patients were followed-up regularly for >5 years and drugs titrated on an open design aiming for target <140/90 mmHg or <130/80 mmHg for diabetics. The results showed a mean difference in BP-lowering effect (2.7/1.9 mmHg) between the groups in favour of the calcium channel blocker±ACE-I group that is both statistically and clinically meaningful. …
Preconditioning Linear Least-Squares Problems by Identifying a Basis Matrix

We study the solution of the linear least-squares problem $\min_x \| b - A x \|^2_2$ where the matrix $A \in {\Bbb R}^{m \times n}$ ($ m \ge n$) has rank $n$ and is large and sparse. We assume that $A$ is available as a matrix, not an operator. The preconditioning of this problem is difficult because the matrix $A$ does not have the properties of differential problems that make standard preconditioners effective. Incomplete Cholesky techniques applied to the normal equations do not produce a well-conditioned problem. We attempt to bypass the ill-conditioning by finding an $n \times n$ nonsingular submatrix $B$ of $A$ that reduces the Euclidean norm of $AB^{-1}$. We use $B$ to precondition a symmetric quasi-definite linear system whose condition number is then independent of the condition number of $A$ and has the same solution as the original least-squares problem. We illustrate the performance of our approach on some standard test problems and show it is competitive with other approaches.
Mechanical properties of duplex stainless steel laser joints

The authors would like to express their gratitude to the Asociacion de Investigacion de Optica de la Comunidad Valenciana [Community of Valencia Optics Research Association] for the application of the laser welds and to the Spanish Ministry of Science and Technology for its support through Project MAT2001-1123-C03-02.
Linked Data in Neuroscience: Applications, Benefits, and Challenges

The fundamental goal of neuroscience is to understand the nervous system at all levels of description, from molecular components to behavior. The complexity of achieving this goal in neuroscience, and biomedicine in general, poses many technical and sociological challenges. Among these are the need to organize neuroscientific data, information, and knowledge to facilitate new scientific endeavors, provide credibility and visibility of research findings, and increase the efficiency of data reuse. Linked Data is a set of principles based on Web technology that can aid this process as it organizes data as an interconnected network of information. This review examines the history, practical impact, potential, and challenges of applying Linked Data principles to neuroscience.
Rab41 Is a Novel Regulator of Golgi Apparatus Organization That Is Needed for ER-To-Golgi Trafficking and Cell Growth

Background The 60+ members of the mammalian Rab protein family group into subfamilies postulated to share common functionality. The Rab VI subfamily contains 5 Rab proteins, Rab6a/a’, Rab6b, Rab6c and Rab41. High-level knockdown of Rab6a/a’ has little effect on the tightly organized Golgi ribbon in HeLa cells as seen by fluorescence microscopy. In striking contrast, we found Rab41 was strongly required for normal Golgi ribbon organization. Methods/Results Treatment of HeLa cells with Rab41 siRNAs scattered the Golgi ribbon into clustered, punctate Golgi elements. Overexpression of GDP-locked Rab41, but not wild type or GTP-locked Rab41, produced a similar Golgi phenotype. By electron microscopy, Rab41 depletion produced short, isolated Golgi stacks. Golgi-associated vesicles accumulated. At low expression levels, wild type and GTP-locked Rab41 showed little concentration in the Golgi region, but puncta were observed and most were in ruffled regions at the cell periphery. There was 25% co-localization of GTP-locked Rab41 with the ER marker, Sec61p. GDP-locked Rab41, as expected, displayed an entirely diffuse cytoplasmic distribution. Depletion of Rab41 or overexpression of GDP-locked Rab41 partially inhibited ER-to-Golgi transport of VSV-G protein. However, Rab41 knockdown had little, if any, effect on endosome-to-Golgi transport of SLTB. Additionally, after a 2-day delay, treatment with Rab41 siRNA inhibited cell growth, while overexpression of GDP-locked Rab41, but not wild type or GTP-locked Rab41, produced a rapid, progressive cell loss. In double knockdown experiments with Rab6, the Golgi ribbon was fragmented, a result consistent with Rab41 and Rab6 acting in parallel. Conclusion We provide the first evidence for distinctive Rab41 effects on Golgi organization, ER-to-Golgi trafficking and cell growth. When combined with the evidence that Rab6a/a’ and Rab6b have diverse roles in Golgi function, while Rab6c regulates mitotic function, our data indicate that Rab VI subfamily members, although related by homology and structure, share limited functional conservation.
Gut Microbiomes of Indian Children of Varying Nutritional Status

Background Malnutrition is a global health problem affecting more than 300 million pre-school children worldwide. It is one of the major health concerns in India since around 50% of children below the age of two suffer from various forms of malnutrition. The gut microbiome plays an important role in nutrient pre-processing, assimilation and energy harvest from food. Consequently, dysbiosis of the gut microbiota has been implicated in malnutrition. Methodology/Principal Findings Metagenomics approach was adopted to investigate the gut microbiome sampled from 20 rural Indian children with varying nutritional status. The changes in the abundances of various taxonomic and functional groups were investigated across these gut microbiomes. A core set of 23 genera were observed across samples, with some showing differential abundances with varying nutritional status. One of the findings of the current study is the positive/negative associations of specific taxonomic and functional groups with the nutritional status of the children. Notable alterations in the architecture of the inter-microbial co-occurrence networks were also observed with changes in nutritional status. A key example is the clustering of potentially pathogenic groups into a distinct hub in severely malnourished gut. Our data does not demonstrate causality with the microbiome patterns that we observed, rather a description of some interesting patterns, whose underlying mechanism remains to be uncovered. Conclusions The present study envisioned interrelationships between the pattern of gut microbiome and the nutritional status of children. The cause of this pattern needs to be explored. However, insights obtained from the present study form the basis for further metagenomic investigations on larger population of children. Results of such studies will be useful in identifying the key microbial groups that can be utilized for targeted therapeutic interventions for managing severe acute malnutrition.
Microbiological analysis of acute infections of the nail fold on the basis of bait thread test

Introduction An acute infection of the nail fold, called paronychia, is a common clinical problem. The basis for the implementation of the treatment is the result of microbiological examination. Due to the rapid and painful course of infection, usually an empirical antimicrobial treatment prior to obtaining microbiological test results is introduced. Aim The microbial analysis of acute infections of the nail fold. Material and methods The study included 32 tests conducted on 31 patients of the Department of Dermatology. Microbiological analysis was performed with the use of the so-called bait thread test. Results In 73% of analyzed cases microbiological examination revealed mixed microbiological flora. Most cultured microorganisms were: Enterococcus faecalis (14%), Staphylococcus aureus (12%), Candida albicans (9%), Enterobacter cloacae (8%), and Klebsiella pneumoniae (7%). Most cultured bacteria belonged to the families or genera of Enterobacteriaceae (36%), other cultured bacteria were staphylococci (26%), enterococci (16%), Candida species (14%), and Gram-negative non-fermenting bacilli (8%). Conclusions The acute infection of the nail fold in the vast majority of cases is caused by mixed bacterial flora. A profile of isolated microorganisms suggests that the cause of the infection can be associated with neglect of hygiene. Fluoroquinolone and fusidic acid are recommended as the empirical therapy. Microbiological examination is the basis for the appropriate final treatment.
Testing for Serial Correlation: Generalized Andrews–Ploberger Tests

This paper considers testing the null hypothesis that a times series is uncorrelated when the time series is uncorrelated but statistically dependent. This case is of interest in economic and finance applications. The GARCH(1, 1) model is a leading example of a model that generates serially uncorrelated but statistically dependent data. The tests of serial correlation introduced by Andrews and Ploberger (1996, hereafter AP) are generalized for the purpose of testing the null. The rationale for generalizing the AP tests is that they have attractive properties for cases for which they were originally designed: they are consistent against all nonwhite-noise alternatives and have good all-round power against nonseasonal alternatives compared to several widely used tests in the literature. These properties are inherited by the generalized AP tests.
The Effects of VR-based Wii Fit Yoga on Physical Function in Middle-aged Female LBP Patients

[Purpose] The purpose of this research was to determine the effects of a virtual reality-based yoga program on middle-aged female low back pain patients. [Subjects and Methods] Thirty middle-aged female patients who suffered from low back pain were assigned to either a physical therapy program or a virtual reality-based yoga program for a period of four weeks. Participants could check their posture and weight bearing on a monitor as they shifted their weight or changed their postures on a Wii balance board. There were a total of seven exercise programs. A 30-minute, three times per week, virtual reality-based Wii Fit yoga program or trunk stabilizing exercise was performed, respectively. [Results] Repeated-measures analysis of covariance revealed significant differences in between pre- and post-training VAS, algometer, Oswestry low-back pain disability index (ODI), Roland Morris disability questionnaire (RMDQ), and fear avoidance beliefs questionnaire (FBQ) scores. The VAS, algometer, ODI, RMDQ, and FBQ scores showed significant differences in groups. Regarding the effect of time-by-group interaction, there were significant differences in VAS, ODI, ODI, and FBQ scores. [Conclusion] In conclusion, for middle-aged female patients who have low back pain, a virtual reality-based yoga program was shown to have positive effects on physical improvements, and this program can be employed as a therapeutic medium for prevention and cure of low back pain.
Bitumen, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and vehicle exhaust: exposure levels and controls among Norwegian asphalt workers.

OBJECTIVES To characterize exposures of asphalt workers in Norway and to evaluate exposure control measures. METHODS Representative asphalt paving and mixing operations were monitored in Norway in 1991-92 for exposures to bitumen fume, organic vapor, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and vehicle exhaust (NO2, CO). Linear regression was used to evaluate introduced control measures. RESULTS A total of 320 samples of airborne organic matter were gathered (279 from paving). Median personal bitumen fume measurements ranged from 0.03 to 0.15 mg/m3 and were similar in paving and asphalt mixing. According to principal component analysis, there were three independent sets of PAHs: (i) PAHs lighter than 228 g/mol; (ii) 4- to 6-ring PAHs non-detectable in 80-90% of samples; and (iii) naphthalene. Some NO2 (1/49) and CO (12/58) concentrations near paving equipment exceeded 15 min exposure limits, 2 and 25 p.p.m. , respectively. Changing sampling methods midway through the study had a significant impact on the measured bitumen fume and organic vapor levels. For pavers, lower application temperatures reduced organic vapor, but not bitumen fume, exposures. Retrofitting a paving machine produced at least a 5-fold reduction in exposure to airborne organic matter. Work in tunnels increased PAH exposures, but general ventilation partially counteracted this effect. CONCLUSIONS The observed exposure levels indicate that some potentially hazardous exposures may have occurred during paving in Norway. Bitumen fume, organic vapor and PAH exposures can be reduced using appropriate engineering control measures.
Synchronization of Networks with Variable Local Properties

We study the synchronization transition of Kuramoto oscillators in scale-free networks that are characterized by tunable local properties. Specifically, we perform a detailed finite size scaling analysis and inspect how the critical properties of the dynamics change when the clustering coefficient and the average shortest path length are varied. The results show that the onset of synchronization does depend on these properties, though the dependence is smooth. On the contrary, the appearance of complete synchronization is radically affected by the structure of the networks. Our study highlights the need of exploring the whole phase diagram and not only the stability of the fully synchronized state, where most studies have been done up to now.
The effect of axial and abaxial release on meniscal displacement in the dog

Summary The meniscal release (MR) is used to minimize meniscal pathology after Tibial Plateau Leveling Osteotomy (TPLO) surgery. The purposes of this study were: i) to describe meniscal orientation in a unaltered cadaveric canine stifle, a cruciate deficient stifle, TPLO repaired stifle with and without the MR using magnetic resonance imaging; ii) to determine if the abaxial release is equivalent to the axial release in its ability to affect caudal pole displacement in a TPLO repaired stifle and iii) to evaluate with MRI the effect of MR on the femorotibial articular cartilage contact area in a TPLO repaired stifle. Briefly, cadaver limbs were placed into a jig designed to mimic a weight-bearing stance at 140° and 90° at the stifle. The limbs were sequentially evaluated from the unaltered state; after cranial cruciate ligament transection; after TPLO stabilization; and finally after a meniscal release. No significant difference was found between the intrameniscal area (IMA) of the abaxial and axial meniscal releases although there was an increase in the IMA after the meniscal release compared to the IMA in the normal, cranial cruciate ligament deficient stifle, and TPLO stabilized stifle. In the abaxial release, a meniscal remnant remained in situ and provided a space effect between the femur and the tibial plateau. This is in contrast to the axial meniscal release, where the entire caudal pole of the medial meniscus relocated caudolaterally and consequently permitted more direct femorotibial contact. Overall, however, there was evidence of caudal pole compression of the medial meniscus throughout the MRI series which was ameliorated by either of the MR procedures.
HLA association is different in children and adults with severe acquired aplastic anemia

Severe aplastic anemia (SAA) is defined as pancytopenia caused by bone marrow failure. The pathogenesis of SAA is thought to involve autoimmune processes. Increased susceptibility to autoimmunity has been shown to be associated with several different HLA alleles. In SAA, few large studies based on data mainly from adults describe a positive HLA correlation with HLA‐DR2 (DRB1*15) and HLA‐B14.
Estimation of Required Slack for Conductors Connecting Substation Equipment Subjected to Earthquake

Typical electrical substation equipment items are usually connected to each other through flexible conductors. If the connections are not flexible enough, they may cause intense dynamic interaction between the equipment during an earthquake. This research is to analytically study the performance of different flexible conductor configurations used mostly in the interconnected substation items, as well as the effects of parameters. A set of three synthetic ground motions, which are matched with IEEE Standard 693 design spectrum, was created as the design input motions and two sample cases of interconnected equipment were considered to put the proposed method into practice. In order to evaluate the reliability of the proposed approach, two sets of real ground motions recorded on stiff soil were used to assess designed conductor configurations. The capability of the OpenSees model in simulating static and dynamic behavior of conductors is studied as well.