Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Privacy Preserving Stream Analytics: The Marriage of Randomized Response and Approximate Computing

How to preserve users' privacy while supporting high-utility analytics for low-latency stream processing? To answer this question: we describe the design, implementation, and evaluation of PRIVAPPROX, a data analytics system for privacy-preserving stream processing. PRIVAPPROX provides three properties: (i) Privacy: zero-knowledge privacy guarantees for users, a privacy bound tighter than the state-of-the-art differential privacy; (ii) Utility: an interface for data analysts to systematically explore the trade-offs between the output accuracy (with error-estimation) and query execution budget; (iii) Latency: near real-time stream processing based on a scalable "synchronization-free" distributed architecture. The key idea behind our approach is to marry two existing techniques together: namely, sampling (used in the context of approximate computing) and randomized response (used in the context of privacy-preserving analytics). The resulting marriage is complementary - it achieves stronger privacy guarantees and also improves performance, a necessary ingredient for achieving low-latency stream analytics.
Evaluating the Developmental Impact of E‐governance Initiatives: An Exploratory Framework

India is faced with a large number of challenges that are typical of developing countries. The Indian government has for the past 3 decades widely acknowledged that expanded use of ICT in the public sector can offer important benefits such as improved planning and monitoring mechanisms, cost savings through rationalisation, and more effective administration and delivery of certain public services. Today, wide ranges of e‐governance projects are being implemented in different parts of the country including projects aimed at reaching areas and people that had traditionally not been connected to the outside world.
Efficient Estimation of Stochastic Volatility Using Noisy Observations: A Multi-Scale Approach

With the availability of high frequency financial data, nonparametric estimation of volatility of an asset return process becomes feasible. A major problem is how to estimate the volatility consistently and efficiently, when the observed asset returns contain error or noise, for example, in the form of microstructure noise. The former (consistency) has been addressed heavily in the recent literature, however, the resulting estimator is not quite efficient. In Zhang, Mykland, Ait-Sahalia (2003), the best estimator converges to the true volatility only at the rate of n wedge{-1/6}. In this paper, we propose an estimator, the Multi-scale Realized Volatility (MSRV), which converges to the true volatility at the rate of n wedge{-1/4}, which is the best attainable. We have shown a central limit theorem for the MSRV estimator, which permits setting intervals for the true integrated volatility on the basis of MSRV.
An improved fair subcarrier allocation algorithm for multiuser OFDM system

An improved subcarrier allocation algorithm for multiuser OFDM system was performed, In order to improve the proportional fairness of channel resource allocation. A parameter a was introduced into the new algorithm. The subcarrier allocation algorithm was divided into two steps: aN subcarrier allocation algorithm and residual subcarrier allocation. By simulation experiment with the proposed algorithm, Dn algorithm and Shen algorithm, the proposed algorithm has a good performance in the spectral efficiency, normalized capacity, sum capacity and fairness.
Evaluation of MAX-DOAS aerosol retrievals by coincident observations using CRDS, lidar, and sky radiometer inTsukuba, Japan

Abstract. Coincident aerosol observations of multi-axis differential optical absorption spectroscopy (MAX-DOAS), cavity ring-down spectroscopy (CRDS), lidar, and sky radiometer were conducted in Tsukuba, Japan, on 5–18 October 2010. MAX-DOAS aerosol retrieval (for aerosol extinction coefficient and aerosol optical depth at 476 nm) was evaluated from the viewpoint of the need for a correction factor for oxygen collision complexes (O4 or O2–O2) absorption. The present study strongly supports this need, as systematic residuals at relatively high elevation angles (20 and 30°) were evident in MAX-DOAS profile retrievals conducted without the correction. However, adopting a single number for the correction factor (fO4 = 1.25) for all of the elevation angles led to systematic overestimation of near-surface aerosol extinction coefficients, as reported in the literature. To achieve agreement with all three observations, we limited the set of elevation angles to ≤10° and adopted an elevation-angle-dependent correction factor for practical profile retrievals with scattered light observations by a ground-based MAX-DOAS. With these modifications, we expect to minimize the possible effects of temperature-dependent O4 absorption cross section and uncertainty in DOAS fit on an aerosol profile retrieval, although more efforts are encouraged to quantitatively identify a physical explanation for the need of a correction factor.
Experimental glaucoma and optic nerve transection induce simultaneous upregulation of proapoptotic and prosurvival genes.

PURPOSE To investigate changes in gene expression induced by elevated intraocular pressure (IOP) and complete optic nerve transsection (ONT) over time. METHODS A gene array of 18 signal transduction pathways was used to examine the changes in RNA profiles of retinas post-ONT in rats. Among the seven genes that were determined to be upregulated, four were confirmed to have higher expression by semiquantitative RT-PCR analysis: Ei24 and Gadd45a (both associated with apoptosis induced via the p53 pathway), IAP-1 (inhibitor of apoptosis protein 1), and Cdk2 (cell cycle regulation and apoptosis). Their mRNA levels were then studied by quantitative RT-PCR in experimental glaucoma and ONT over time. Levels of the corresponding proteins were evaluated by Western blot analysis and immunohistochemistry. RESULTS Proapoptotic genes from the p-53 pathway (Ei24 and Gadd45a), Cdk2 and the prosurvival gene IAP-1 (a caspase inhibitor) were simultaneously and significantly upregulated early after ONT, returning to baseline at 2 weeks. In experimental glaucoma, Gadd45a was significantly upregulated 1 week after induction of increased IOP and stayed upregulated for 2 months and long after IOP returned to baseline. The prosurvival gene IAP-1 was simultaneously upregulated but returned to baseline earlier than the proapoptotic gene. Ei24 and Cdk2 were only slightly upregulated in glaucoma. Western blot analysis demonstrated upregulation of Gadd45a and IAP-1 proteins. Immunohistochemistry localized these changes to the retinal ganglion cell layer. CONCLUSIONS Members of the p-53 signal transduction pathway are significantly involved in glaucoma and ONT. The endogenous caspase inhibitor IAP-1 is upregulated simultaneously, possibly as part of an intrinsic neuroprotective mechanism. Changes in glaucoma are gradual and last long after IOP returns to normal.
Circadian control of innate immunity in macrophages by miR-155 targeting Bmal1

Significance The circadian clock allows an organism to anticipate daily changes imposed by the environment. The response to LPS is altered depending on time of day; however, the molecular mechanisms underlying this are unclear. We find that the clock in myeloid cells plays a role in LPS-induced sepsis by altering NF-κB activity and the induction of the microRNA miR-155. LPS causes the repression of BMAL1 via the targeting of miR-155 to two seed sequences in the 3′-untranslated region of Bmal1. Lack of miR-155 has profound effects on circadian function and circadian induction of cytokines by LPS. Thus, the molecular clock is using miR-155 as an important regulatory component to control inflammation variably across the circadian day in myeloid cells. The response to an innate immune challenge is conditioned by the time of day, but the molecular basis for this remains unclear. In myeloid cells, there is a temporal regulation to induction by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) of the proinflammatory microRNA miR-155 that correlates inversely with levels of BMAL1. BMAL1 in the myeloid lineage inhibits activation of NF-κB and miR-155 induction and protects mice from LPS-induced sepsis. Bmal1 has two miR-155–binding sites in its 3′-UTR, and, in response to LPS, miR-155 binds to these two target sites, leading to suppression of Bmal1 mRNA and protein in mice and humans. miR-155 deletion perturbs circadian function, gives rise to a shorter circadian day, and ablates the circadian effect on cytokine responses to LPS. Thus, the molecular clock controls miR-155 induction that can repress BMAL1 directly. This leads to an innate immune response that is variably responsive to challenges across the circadian day.
Counting Targets: Building and Managing Aggregates in Wireless Sensor Networks

Constructing and maintaining aggregates of sensors are key to many collaborative processing tasks for sensor networks such as tracking and localization. This paper defines a sensor aggregate as those nodes in a network that satisfy a grouping predicate. The parameters of the predicate depend on task and resource requirements. The paper develops a distributed protocol for constructing sensor aggregates in the context of counting distinct targets in a sensor field. Minimal assumptions about node onboard processing and communication capabilities are made so as to allow possible implementations on resource constrained hardware such as Berkeley wireless sensors (motes). Factors affecting protocol performance are discussed. The paper then presents simulation results showing how the protocol performance varies as key network and task parameters change, and provides an analytical analysis of the network behaviors consistent with the simulation results.
Learning PP attachment for filtering prosodic phrasing

We explore learning prepositional-phrase attachment in Dutch, to use it as a filter in prosodic phrasing. From a syntactic treebank of spoken Dutch we extract instances of the attachment of prepositional phrases to either a governing verb or noun. Using cross-validated parameter and feature selection, we train two learning algorithms, IB 1 and RIPPER, on making this distinction, based on unigram and bigram lexical features and a cooccurrence feature derived from WWW counts. We optimize the learning on noun attachment, since in a second stage we use the attachment decision for blocking the incorrect placement of phrase boundaries before prepositional phrases attached to the preceding noun. On noun attachment, IB 1 attains an F-score of 82; RIPPER an F-score of 78. When used as a filter for prosodic phrasing, using attachment decisions from IB 1 yields the best improvement on precision (by six points to 71) on phrase boundary placement.
Organic composition of single and submicron particles in different regions of western North America and the eastern Pacific during INTEX-B 2006

Abstract. Single particles were collected from an aircraft platform as part of the Intercontinental Chemical Transport Experiment – Phase B (INTEX-B) conducted over the eastern Pacific and western North America. Single particle spectra were obtained using scanning transmission X-ray microscopy-near edge X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy (STXM-NEXAFS). Bulk submicron particles were also collected and organic functional group and elemental concentrations were quantified with Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and X-ray fluorescence (XRF). Single particle spectra were classified into metaclasses associated with different sources and atmospheric processing. Particles with spectra indicative of secondary organic aerosol production and combustion sources were found at several locations and a range of altitudes. At lower altitudes, particles with spectra resembling soil dust and biomass burning fingerprints were commonly observed. The types of particle spectra most commonly observed aloft were similar to those observed during a previous study over the northwestern Pacific, indicating that long-range transport may have been an important particle source. Single particle spectra provided evidence that condensation and surface-limited oxidation contributed to particle growth. Organic mass (OM) concentrations ranged from 1 to 7 μg m−3 and averaged 2.4–4.1 μg m−3. Alkane functional groups were the largest fraction of OM, averaging 1.9–2.1 μg m−3 or 50–76% of OM, followed by alcohol functional groups (0.35–0.39 μg m−3, 9–14%). Organic and elemental concentrations are compared within and among geographical air mass regions: "Pacific" free troposphere, "Continental" free troposphere, "Seattle" metropolitan region, and the California "Central Valley". OM concentrations were highest and most variable in the Central Valley (3.5±2 μg m−3). Oxygen-to-carbon ratios were relatively constant in the Central Valley but variable for the Continental air masses. Overall, the OM concentrations showed greater variability within air mass categories as compared to averages among them, suggesting sampled air mass regions included a variety of sources and processing of organic aerosol.
The relative influence of weather, vegetation and terrain on the severity of the 2003 fires in Kosciusko National Park

Fire severity is a measure of the effects of fire on the environment, and for the purposes of this study, was defined as a measure of the immediate impact of fire on the extant vegetation, specifically canopy scorch or consumption. Weather, vegetation and topography each exert considerable influence on fire behaviour and thus fire severity. These factors vary spatially and temporally across the landscape, resulting in complex patterns of fire severity. Following the extensive fires of January-February 2003 in south-eastern Australia, this study investigated the relative influence of selected weather, vegetation and terrain variables on fire severity within Kosciuszko National Park. A spatial classification of the severity of these fires, derived from preand post-fire satellite imagery using the Normalised Bum Ratio (NBR) method, was obtained from the NSW Department of Environment and Climate Change (NSW DECC). The relationship between fire severity and the Forest Fire Danger Index (FFDI), slope, aspect and vegetation type and height was then quantified using Generalised Linear Models. It was found that increases in the 3 pm FFDI increase the probability of higher fire severity to a greater degree than vegetation or terrain characteristics, suggesting that fuel moisture and wind speed were the main factors determining variations in fire severity during the January-February 2003 fires in Kosciuszko National Park. Vegetation type and height were the only other variables found to be significant, with woodland and open-forest exhibiting greater fire severity than tall forest types. No terrain variables were found to be significant, even under less severe weather conditions.
Managing uncertainty in design flood magnitude: Flexible protection strategies versus safety factors

When planning flood protection, agencies are confronted with uncertainty in the design flood magnitude. In particular, the required capacity may increase in the future and render the protection insufficient. This problem can be adressed by applying a safety factor to the design capacity. We propose a Bayesian quantitative sequential decision model that identifies a cost‐optimal safety factor in the face of uncertainty. It takes into account the flexibility of the protection system, that is, how costly it is to adjust. We focus on the description of the decision model and on the concept of flexibility, investigating only the effect of uncertainty from the historic flood record. Extension to other types of uncertainty is possible. The model is implemented for a catchment in Germany. Various degrees of uncertainty are investigated by using different lengths of historic records. The optimal safety factor decreases with decreasing uncertainty and with increasing system flexibility.
Paying to Be Nice: Consistency and Costly Prosocial Behavior

Building on previous research in economics and psychology, we propose that the costliness of initial prosocial behavior positively influences whether that behavior leads to consistent future behaviors. We suggest that costly prosocial behaviors serve as a signal of prosocial identity and that people subsequently behave in line with that self-perception. In contrast, costless prosocial acts do not signal much about one's prosocial identity, so subsequent behavior is less likely to be consistent and may even show the reductions in prosocial behavior associated with licensing. The results of a laboratory experiment and a large field experiment converge to support our account. This paper was accepted by Brad Barber, Teck Ho, and Terrance Odean, special issue editors.
Duffy blood group genotyping in French Basques using polymerase chain reaction with allele‐specific primers (PCR‐ASP)

Blood group antigens such as Duffy represent interesting models for population genetics studies. The distribution of the Duffy blood group was determined using PCR in a sample of Basque (n = 126) and non‐Basque (n = 110) patients from the general hospital of the French Basque Country. The frequency of FY*A allele was significantly lower among autochthonous French Basques (P < 0.001). This result, obtained for the first time by PCR analysis in this population, was within the range of previous historical studies in various Basque subpopulations using traditional hemagglutination methods. When compared with European data, our Basque sample demonstrated the lowest FY*A/FY*B ratio, this fact confirming hemotypology data published before the molecular biology era. Our results with FY*X were quite similar to those reported in European populations. Am. J. Hum. Biol. 16:78–81, 2004. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
A Maximum Principle for Periodic Solutions of the Telegraph Equation

Let L s L u be a linear differential operator acting on functions u: V a R that are defined on a fixed manifold V. These functions will belong to a Ž . certain family B ; F V, R , and the definition of B may include some boundary conditions or other requirements that must be satisfied by any function u g B. It is said that L satisfies the maximum principle if the differential inequality L u G 0, u g B implies u G 0 in V . w x The book 18 is devoted to the study of the maximum principle for second w x w x w x w x w x order operators. Other related results can be found in 17 , 5 , 12 , 8 , 2 , w x 14 . In this paper we study the maximum principle for periodic solutions of the telegraph equation. The operator is
An elective detection of an Amyand's hernia with an adhesive caecum to the sac: Report of a rare case

Context: Existence of non-inflamed or inflamed vermiform appendix in an inguinal hernia is named Amyand's hernia in honor to the surgeon Claudius Amyand who successfully performed first perforated appendicitis. Case Report: A 69-year-old Turkish male patient with a slight right groin pain and swelling was presented to our clinic, and found to have a slightly tender and reducible right inguinal hernia. He underwent surgery under general anesthesia, and a adhesive caecum and an inflamed appendix were explored within the hernia sac. Adhesions were divided by sharp dissection and appendectomy was performed. After carrying out a Lichtenstein hernioplasty, a broad-spectrum antibiotic was postoperatively admitted for 3 days. He recovered uneventfully, and neither complication nor recurrence was detected during 52 months of follow-up. Conclusions: Although occurrence of an appendicitis in an inguinal hernia is rare, a surgeon should be vigilant for facing with it even in elective cases. Treatment can be provided only surgically, but surgical treatment is not standard except from appendectomy. In our opinion, application of mesh hernia repair should depend on the degree of inflammation of appendix and the presence of incarceration of hernia sac with a suitable antibiotic admission for 3-5 days postoperatively.
Effect of sublingual misoprostol on severe postpartum haemorrhage in a primary health centre in Guinea-Bissau: randomised double blind clinical trial

Abstract Objective To evaluate whether routine administration of sublingual misoprostol 600 μg after delivery reduces postpartum haemorrhage. Design Randomised double blind placebo controlled trial. Setting Primary health centre in Bissau, Guinea-Bissau, West Africa. Participants 661 women undergoing vaginal delivery. Intervention Misoprostol 600 μg or placebo administered sublingually immediately after delivery. Main outcome measures Postpartum haemorrhage, defined as a loss of ≥ 500 ml and decrease in haemoglobin concentration after delivery. Results The incidence of postpartum haemorrhage was not significantly different between the two groups, the relative risk being 0.89 (95% confidence interval 0.76 to 1.04) in the misoprostol group compared with the placebo group. Mean blood loss was 10.5% (−0.5% to 20.4%) lower in the misoprostol group than in the control group. Severe postpartum haemorrhage of ≥ 1000 ml or ≥1500 ml occurred in 17% (56) and 8% (25) in the placebo group and 11% (37) and 2% (7) in the misoprostol group. Significantly fewer women in the misoprostol group experienced a loss of ≥1000 ml (0.66, 0.45 to 0.98) or ≥ 1500 ml (0.28, 0.12 to 0.64). The decrease in haemoglobin concentration tended to be less in the misoprostol group, the mean difference between the two groups being 0.16 mmol/l (−0.01 mmol/l to 0.32 mmol/l). Conclusion Sublingual misoprostol reduces the frequency of severe postpartum haemorrhage.
The effect of polyploidy and hybridization on the evolution of floral colour in Nicotiana (Solanaceae)

Background and Aims Speciation in angiosperms can be accompanied by changes in floral colour that may influence pollinator preference and reproductive isolation. This study investigates whether changes in floral colour can accompany polyploid and homoploid hybridization, important processes in angiosperm evolution. Methods Spectral reflectance of corolla tissue was examined for 60 Nicotiana (Solanaceae) accessions (41 taxa) based on spectral shape (corresponding to pigmentation) as well as bee and hummingbird colour perception in order to assess patterns of floral colour evolution. Polyploid and homoploid hybrid spectra were compared with those of their progenitors to evaluate whether hybridization has resulted in floral colour shifts. Key Results Floral colour categories in Nicotiana seem to have arisen multiple times independently during the evolution of the genus. Most younger polyploids displayed an unexpected floral colour, considering those of their progenitors, in the colour perception of at least one pollinator type, whereas older polyploids tended to resemble one or both of their progenitors. Conclusions Floral colour evolution in Nicotiana is weakly constrained by phylogeny, and colour shifts do occur in association with both polyploid and homoploid hybrid divergence. Transgressive floral colour in N. tabacum has arisen by inheritance of anthocyanin pigmentation from its paternal progenitor while having a plastid phenotype like its maternal progenitor. Potentially, floral colour evolution has been driven by, or resulted in, pollinator shifts. However, those polyploids that are not sympatric (on a regional scale) with their progenitor lineages are typically not divergent in floral colour from them, perhaps because of a lack of competition for pollinators.
Fine-Tuning Reception in the Bone: PPARγ and Company

PPARγ plays a central role in the formation of fat. Regulation of PPARγ activity depends on numerous factors ranging from dietary ligands to nuclear hormone coactivators and corepressors to oxygen-sensing mechanisms. In addition, the interplay of PPARγ with other nuclear hormone receptors has implications for the balance between adipogenesis and osteogenesis in mesenchymal stem cells of the bone marrow stroma. This review will explore a range of factors influencing PPARγ activity and how these interactions may affect osteogenesis.