Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Protecting location privacy using location semantics

As the use of mobile devices increases, a location-based service (LBS) becomes increasingly popular because it provides more convenient context-aware services. However, LBS introduces problematic issues for location privacy due to the nature of the service. Location privacy protection methods based on k-anonymity and l-diversity have been proposed to provide anonymized use of LBS. However, the k-anonymity and l-diversity methods still can endanger the user's privacy because location semantic information could easily be breached while using LBS. This paper presents a novel location privacy protection technique, which protects the location semantics from an adversary. In our scheme, location semantics are first learned from location data. Then, the trusted-anonymization server performs the anonymization using the location semantic information by cloaking with semantically heterogeneous locations. Thus, the location semantic information is kept secure as the cloaking is done with semantically heterogeneous locations and the true location information is not delivered to the LBS applications. This paper proposes algorithms for learning location semantics and achieving semantically secure cloaking.
branes in 2 D Lorentzian Black Hole

We study D-branes in the Lorentzian signature 2D black hole in string theory. We use the technique of gauged WZW models to construct the associated boundary conformal field theories. The main focus of this work is to discuss the (semi-classical) world-volume geometries of the D-branes. We discuss comparison of our work with results in related gauged WZW models.
The Development and Testing of a Tool for Analysis of Computer-Mediated Conferencing Transcripts

Background Interaction by means of computer-mediated communications (CMC) is widely discussed in the distance education literature (Abrami & Bures, 1996; Anand & Haughey, 1997; Bates, 1995; Dede, 1996; Jonassen, 1998; Maier, Barnett, Warner & Brunner, 1996; Nixon & Salmon, 1996). However, much of the literature is more arbitrarily prescriptive or merely anecdotal than empirical (Gunawardena, Lowe, & Anderson, 1997). It appeared that, despite several possible candidates, a notable barrier to more rigorous research was the lack of a recognized C M C analysis tool.
The HILDA Survey; What’s in it for Economists?

In 2001 the first wave of the HILDA Survey, Australia’s first ever large-scale household panel survey, was conducted. This article presents an introduction to this survey. It provides a summary of the design and the process by which the sample was selected, the type of information being collected, and the procedures employed for data collection during wave 1. The article concludes with a discussion of some of the issues of interest to economists, and especially labour economists, that could be examined with these data.
Modeling the basal ganglia in the control of arm movements

How does the brain control coordinated movements? It is known that many brain regions (i.e., motor cortex, supplementary motor area, cerebellum, and basal ganglia) are active during movement, but it is not completely understood how these regions interact, what the precise functional responsibility is for each region, and why certain regions are active only for certain tasks. In patients afflicted with a motor disease or injured by stroke, simple tasks such as reaching for a mug of coffee to take a sip become difficult, often requiring intense concentration by the patient. The basal ganglia are a collection of subcortical structures which form part of a motor loop. Cortical input is processed by the basal ganglia and forwarded back to the cortex via the thalamus. Parkinson's disease, characterized by the substantive reduction in dopamine within the basal ganglia's substantia nigra pars compacta and the degeneration of the nigrostriatal pathway, produces such physical disabilities as akinesia, difficulty in initiating movement, slowness of movement execution, and a rhythmical tremor at rest. Parkinson's disease patients may also have difficulties in performing a sequence of movements, and may exhibit pauses between the movements. Based upon clinical data from kinematic studies, cellular recordings, and positron emission tomography (PET), we hypothesize the basal ganglia have two main functions: the inhibition of movement and the provision of next sensory state information to cortex. Further, we suggest that the indirect pathway of the basal ganglia is responsible for movement inhibition, while the direct pathway is involved with next sensory state information. To support our hypothesis, we present three models of basal ganglia function during arm movement which illustrate how the basal ganglia contribute to motor control, and how disabling the region via the loss of dopamine disturbs normal motor function.
MIXD-TCP: Completely decoupled end to end congestion control algorithm

Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) is most widely used protocol in the Internet. In order to overcome inefficiency of TCP's Additive Increase and Multiplicative Decrease (AIMD) policy, several end-to-end algorithms have been proposed. However, these algorithms need considerably large time for converging to efficiency and fairness. In this paper, we propose Multiplicative Increase and Exponential Decrease transmission control protocol (MIXD-TCP). MIXD-TCP is a distributed and end-to-end protocol, i.e. each user updates its own transmission rate based on one bit feedback from the receiver indicating packet drops. MIXD-TCP decouples efficiency and fairness while at the same time converges to ‘efficient and fair resource allocation’ in the network. We prove that this optimal allocation is globally asymptotically stable under MIXD-TCP. Using ns-2 simulations, we demonstrate that MIXD-TCP performs better than existing end-to-end algorithms.
A low-cost classroom response system

Classroom Response Systems (CRS), also known as “clickers”, facilitate peer instruction (which leads to improved student learning) and allow instructors to evaluate responses of all students to questions in near real-time. Most proposed CRS are unsuitable for large-scale adoption in developing countries either because they require expensive supporting infrastructure (e.g., Wi-Fi), or because they only support certain question types (e.g., Multiple Choice Questions). In this paper, we describe a system that addresses these two challenges simultaneously. We assume that the instructor and every student has their own low-cost Android smartphone with Bluetooth connectivity. Further, if the instructor's device can be connected to a digital projector and student devices have cameras, our system can deliver questions to students in a randomized order. This feature can be useful for conducting in-class quizzes.
Different resistance patterns of reference and field strains of Brucella abortus

The aim of this study was to evaluate the growth of the B. abortus reference strains and field isolates on media containing different inhibitor agents. Reference strains were seeded on tryptose agar containing: i-erythritol (1.0 mg/mL), fuchsin (20 μg/mL and 80 μg/mL), thionin (2.5 μg/mL and 10 μg/mL), rifampicin (200 μg/mL) and safranin O (200 μg/mL). Field isolates were tested only on media containing i-erythritol, rifampicin and thionin. Furthermore, each suspension was also inoculated on tryptose agar incubated in air, to test its ability to grow without CO 2 . Sensitivity to fuchsin was similar among reference strains evaluated. Growth of S19, 544 and 2308 but not RB51 were inhibited on media containing rifampicin. Medium with safranin O showed no inhibition for RB51, 544 and 2308, but it partially inhibited the S19 growth as well as medium containing i-erythritol. Treatment/control growth ratio for 2308 on tryptose agar containing thionin (2.5 μg/mL) was approximatelly 1.0, whereas S19 and RB51 showed 0.85 and 0.89 ratios, respectively. Growth of 544, S19 and RB51 but not 2308 was completely inhibited on medium with thionin (10 μg/mL). All field strains grew on medium containing i-erythritol, but were completelly inhibited by rifampicin. With exception of A1 ( B. abortus biovar 3) all field isolates grew on medium with thionin, although some strains showed a treatment/control growth ratio of 0.75–0.80 (10 μg/mL). These results showed that tryptose agar with thionin, i-erythritol or rifampicin could be useful for differentiating vaccine, challenge and field strains of B. abortus.
Simultaneous Optical Mapping of Intracellular Free Calcium and Action Potentials from Langendorff Perfused Hearts

The cardiac action potential (AP) controls the rise and fall of intracellular free Ca2+ (Cai), and thus the amplitude and kinetics of force generation. Besides excitation‐contraction coupling, the reverse process where Cai influences the AP through Cai‐dependent ionic currents has been implicated as the mechanism underlying QT alternans and cardiac arrhythmias in heart failure, ischemia/reperfusion, cardiac myopathy, myocardial infarction, congenital and drug‐induced long QT syndrome, and ventricular fibrillation. The development of dual optical mapping at high spatial and temporal resolution provides a powerful tool to investigate the role of Cai anomalies in eliciting cardiac arrhythmias. This unit describes experimental protocols to map APs and Cai transients from perfused hearts by labeling the heart with two fluorescent dyes, one to measure transmembrane potential (Vm), the other Cai transients. High spatial and temporal resolution is achieved by selecting Vm and Cai probes with the same excitation but different emission wavelengths, to avoid cross‐talk and mechanical components. Curr. Protoc. Cytom. 49:12.17. 1‐12.17. 32. © 2009 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
A D 3 plug-in for automatic label placement using simulated annealing

Abstract—Although labeling graphical features can help viewers quickly grasp complex nuances of the data, it is a very timeconsuming process. For the majority of point-feature label placement problems, the rules are relatively straightforward. Therefore, this is a problem very much suited for automated labeling algorithms. Automatic label placement is widely used by map generators, but surprisingly, there is little evidence that individuals use it. One reason might be that for many advanced plotting tools favored by scientists and engineers, there is often no sophisticated built-in labeling function. A possible solution is to create a plug-in (also called extension or add-on) for an existing program that performs label placement. Such plug-ins do exist for some plotting programs, with varying sophistication and ease of use. In this work, I plan to write build an automatic labeling plug-in for the popular JavaScript visualization library D3 that implements simulated annealing and easily incorporates into existing D3 code, with syntax mirroring other D3 layouts.
Auris System: Providing Vibrotactile Feedback for Hearing Impaired Population

Deafness, an issue that affects millions of people around the globe, is manifested in different intensities and related to many causes. This impairment negatively affects different aspects of the social life of the deaf people, and music-centered situations (concerts, religious events, etc.) are obviously not inviting for them. The Auris System was conceived to provide the musical experimentation for people who have some type of hearing loss. This system is able to extract musical information from audio and create a representation for music pieces using different stimuli, a new media format to be interpreted by other senses than the hearing. In addition, the system defines a testing methodology based on a noninvasive brain activity recording using an electroencephalographic (EEG) device. The results of the tests are being used to better understand the human musical cognition, in order to improve the accuracy of the Auris musical representation.
Postoligomerization folding of human cytomegalovirus glycoprotein B: identification of folding intermediates and importance of disulfide bonding

Human cytomegalovirus glycoprotein B (gB or UL55) has been demonstrated to be a disulfide-linked homodimer within the envelope of mature virions. Previously, it has been shown that gB undergoes a rapid dimerization nearly coincident with its synthesis. Following dimerization, the molecule slowly folds into a form which can be transported from the endoplasmic reticulum. In this study we have examined the prolonged folding of gB by using a set of defined gB-reactive murine monoclonal antibodies and gB expressed as a recombinant protein in the absence of other human cytomegalovirus proteins. Our results have documented a folding pathway consistent with the relatively rapid dimerization of the translation product followed by delayed conversion into a fully folded molecule. Assembly of the dominant antigenic domain of gB, AD-1, preceded dimerization and folding of the molecule. The fully folded dimer was heat stable, but its conformation was altered by treatment with 2% sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), whereas an oligomeric folding intermediate was both heat and SDS stable. Postoligomerization disulfide bond formation could be demonstrated during folding of gB, suggesting that the formation of these covalent bonds could contribute to the prolonged folding of this glycoprotein.
Development and Testing of a Magnetically Actuated Capsule Endoscopy for Obesity Treatment

Intra-gastric balloons (IGB) have become an efficient and less invasive method for obesity treatment. The use of traditional IGBs require complex insertion tools and flexible endoscopes to place and remove the balloon inside the patient’s stomach, which may cause discomfort and complications to the patient. This paper introduces a new ingestible weight-loss capsule with a magnetically remote-controlled inflatable and deflatable balloon. To inflate the balloon, biocompatible effervescent chemicals are used. As the source of the actuation is provided via external magnetic fields, the magnetic capsule size can be significantly reduced compared to current weight-loss capsules in the literature. In addition, there are no limitations on the power supply. To lose weight, the obese subject needs only to swallow the magnetic capsule with a glass of water. Once the magnetic capsule has reached the patient’s stomach, the balloon will be wirelessly inflated to occupy gastric space and give the feeling of satiety. The balloon can be wirelessly deflated at any time to allow the magnetic capsule to travel down the intestine and exit the body via normal peristalsis. The optimal ratio between the acid and base to provide the desired gas volume is experimentally evaluated and presented. A prototype capsule (9.6mm x 27mm) is developed and experimentally validated in ex-vivo experiments. The unique ease of delivery and expulsion of the proposed magnetic capsule is slated to make this development a good treatment option for people seeking to lose excess weight.
Evaluation Methodology for Descriptors in Neuroimaging Studies

Automatic identification and location of brain structures is one of the main stages to process neuroimaging studies. The proposed approach consists of identifying landmarks over an image. These landmarks must have values of location and intensity variation to obtain a direct relation between detected landmarks and brain structures. Descriptors are algorithms whose function is to select and store points featuring these two types of information. There are many algorithms used to obtain descriptors. Therefore, it is necessary to select the most adequate to the type of images and context of application. It is advisable to design and develop an evaluation methodology to objectively identify appropriate algorithms. This paper proposes a new evaluation methodology for descriptors used on neuroimaging studies.
Ritual Machines I & II: Making Technology at Home

Changing patterns of both work-related mobility and do-mestic arrangements mean that 'mobile workers' face chal-lenges to support and engage in family life whilst travelling for work. Phatic devices offer some potential to provide connection at a distance alongside existing communications infrastructure. Through a bespoke design process, incorpo-rating phases of design ethnography, critical technical prac-tice and provotyping we have developed Ritual Machines I and II as material explorations of mobile workers' lives and practices. In doing this we sought to reflect upon the prac-tices through which families accomplish mobile living, the values they place in technology for doing 'family' at a distance and to draw insights in to the potential roles of digital technology in supporting them. We frame the design of our phatic devices in discussion of processes of bespoke design, offer advice on supporting mobile workers when travelling and articulate the values of making a technology at home when designing for domestic and mobile settings.
Intelligent Control : An Overview of Techniques ∗

Intelligent control achieves automation via the emulation of biological intelligence. It either seeks to replace a human who performs a control task (e.g., a chemical process operator) or it borrows ideas from how biological systems solve problems and applies them to the solution of control problems (e.g., the use of neural networks for control). In this chapter we will provide an overview of several techniques used for intelligent control and discuss challenging industrial application domains where these methods may provide particularly useful solutions. This chapter should be viewed as a resource for those in the early stages of considering the development and implementation of intelligent controllers for industrial applications. It is impossible to provide the full details of a field as large and diverse as intelligent control in a single chapter. Hence, here the focus is on giving the main ideas that have been found most useful in industry. Examples of how these methods have been used are given, and references for further study are provided. The chapter will begin with a brief overview of the main (popular) areas in intelligent control which are fuzzy control, neural networks, expert and planning systems, and genetic algorithms. In addition, complex intelligent control systems, where the goal is to achieve autonomous behavior, will be summarized. In each case, applications will be used to motivate the need for the technique. Moreover, we will explain in broad terms how to go about applying the methods to challenging problems. We will summarize the advantages and disadvantages of the approaches and discuss comparative analysis with conventional control methods. ∗Chapter in: T. Samad, Ed., “Perspectives in Control: New Concepts and Applications,” IEEE Press, NJ, 2001.
Migration, remittances, and health care utilization in Ecuador.

OBJECTIVE To examine the relationship between migration and migrant remittances and health care utilization in Ecuador, and to identify any potential equalizing effects. METHODS Using data from the 2004 National Demographic and Maternal & Child Health Survey (ENDEMAIN), a multilevel multivariate analysis was conducted to assess the relationship of two migrant predictors (households with an international migrant; use of migrant remittances) with use of preventive care, number of curative visits, hospitalization, and use of antiparasitic medicines. Relevant predisposing, enabling, and need factors were included following Andersen's Model of Health Care Utilization Behavior. Interaction terms were included to assess the potential equalizing effects of migration and remittances by ethnicity, area of residence, and economic status. RESULTS Migrant predictors were strongly associated with use of antiparasitic medicines, and to a lesser extent, with curative visits, even after adjusting for various predisposing, enabling, and need factors. Interaction models showed that having an international migrant increased use of these services among low-income Ecuadorians (quintiles 1 and 2). No significant relationship was found between migrant predictors and use of preventive services. CONCLUSIONS Migration and remittances seem to have an equalizing effect on access to antiparasitic medicines, and to a lesser extent, curative health care services. Health care reform efforts should take into account the scope of this effect when developing public policy.
High Gain Soft-Switching Bidirectional DC–DC Converter for Eco-Friendly Vehicles

This paper proposes a nonisolated soft-switching bidirectional dc-dc converter suitable for high step-up and step-down applications. The proposed converter can achieve zero voltage switching turn on of all switches and zero-current-switching turn off of some switches in continuous conduction mode in both forward and reverse modes. An optimized switching strategy is presented to minimize switch current rating and achieve soft switching in wider range. An intermediate switching pattern is introduced to carry out seamless mode change. Experimental results from a 5-kW prototype are provided to validate the proposed concept.
Two‐dimensional map of basic proteins of Haemophilus influenzae

Haemophilus influenzae is a bacterium of medical interest of which the entire genome has been sequenced. The proteome of the microorganism has been analyzed by two‐dimensional gel electrophoresis, during which immobilized pH 3–10 gradient strips were used and approximately 300 proteins were identified. In order to detect additional, basic proteins, we analyzed the soluble protein fraction of H. influenzae and the proteins of fractions collected from affinity chromatography on heparin, by two‐dimensional gel electrophoresis, using for the first‐dimensional separation immobilized pH gradient strips comprising the pH region of 6–11. The protein spots were analyzed by matrix‐assisted laser desorption ionization‐mass spectrometry. One hundred and two proteins were identified, of which 58 were identified for the first time. A large percentage of the basic proteins represent nucleic acid binding and, in particular, ribosomal proteins. The locations of the identified basic proteins of H. influenzae are indicated in a two‐dimensional map.
Adaptive Parallelization for Constraint Satisfaction Search

This paper introduces two adaptive paradigms that parallelize search for solutions to constraint satisfaction problems. Both are intended for any sequential solver that uses contention-oriented variable-ordering heuristics and restart strategies. Empirical results demonstrate that both paradigms improve the search performance of an underlying sequential solver, and also solve challenging problems left open after recent solver competitions.