Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Replacing Oblivious Computation with Private Search for Context Sensitive Communications

Context aware applications provide users with an increasingly rich set of services. From services such as interactive maps to restaurant guides and social networking tools, the use of information including location, activity and time can greatly enhance the ways users interact with their surroundings. Unfortunately, the dissemination and use of such information also potentially exposes private information about the user themselves. In this paper, we present Themis, a framework for developing two-party applications capable of making decisions based on context sensitive information without revealing either participants’ inputs. Themis uses private stream searching to replace the memory and computationally intensive oblivious computation associated with related techniques. We compare the security guarantees and performance profile of our approach against Fairplay and show not only as much as a 96% improvement in execution time, but also the ability to efficiently run applications with complex inputs on both desktop computers and mobile phones. In so doing, we demonstrate the ability to create efficient context-sensitive applications based on private searching.
Proteins are secreted by both constitutive and regulated secretory pathways in lactating mouse mammary epithelial cells

Lactating mammary epithelial cells secrete high levels of caseins and other milk proteins. The extent to which protein secretion from these cells occurs in a regulated fashion was examined in experiments on secretory acini isolated from the mammary glands of lactating mice at 10 d postpartum. Protein synthesis and secretion were assayed by following the incorporation or release, respectively, of [35S]methionine-labeled TCA-precipitable protein. The isolated cells incorporated [35S]methionine into protein linearly for at least 5 h with no discernible lag period. In contrast, protein secretion was only detectable after a lag of approximately 1 h, consistent with exocytotic secretion of proteins immediately after passage through the secretory pathway and package into secretory vesicles. The extent of protein secretion was unaffected by the phorbol ester PMA, 8-bromo-cAMP, or 8- bromo-cGMP but was doubled by the Ca2+ ionophore ionomycin. In a pulse- label protocol in which proteins were prelabeled for 1 h before a chase period, constitutive secretion was unaffected by depletion of cytosolic Ca2+ but ionomycin was found to give a twofold stimulation of the secretion of presynthesized protein in a Ca(2+)-dependent manner. Ionomycin was still able to stimulate protein secretion after constitutive secretion had terminated. These results suggest that lactating mammary cells possess both a Ca(2+)-independent constitutive pathway and a Ca(2+)-activated regulatory pathway for protein secretion. The same proteins were secreted by both pathways. No ultrastructural evidence for apocrine secretion was seen in response to ionomycin and so it appears that regulated casein release involves exocytosis. Ionomycin was unlikely to be acting by disassembling the cortical actin network since cytochalasin D did not mimic its effects on secretion. The regulated pathway may be controlled by Ca2+ acting at a late step such as exocytotic membrane fusion.
Democratic Innovations: Designing Institutions for Citizen Participation - Theories of Institutional Design

Can we design institutions that increase and deepen citizen participation in the political decision making process? At a time when there is growing disillusionment with the institutions of advanced industrial democracies, there is also increasing interest in new ways of involving citizens in the political decisions that affect their lives. This book draws together evidence from a variety of democratic innovations from around the world, including participatory budgeting in Brazil, Citizens' Assemblies on Electoral Reform in Canada, direct legislation in California and Switzerland and emerging experiments in e-democracy. The book offers a rare systematic analysis of this diverse range of democratic innovations, drawing lessons for the future development of both democratic theory and practice.
Pyrethroid Insecticides and Sediment Toxicity in Urban Creeks from California and Tennessee

Pyrethroid pesticides have replaced organophosphates for many urban applications, including structural pest control, landscape maintenance, and residential home and garden use. This study was intended to determine if pyrethroids are detectable and widespread in diverse urban systems and if concentrations are high enough to cause associated aquatic toxicity. Urban creeks in California and Tennessee were tested on up to four occasions for pesticide residues in sediments, and aquatic toxicity was determined by acute toxicity tests using the amphipod, Hyalella azteca. In California, 12 of the 15 creeks tested were toxic on at least one sampling occasion, and sediment pyrethroid concentrations were sufficient to explain the observed toxicity in most cases. The pyrethroid bifenthrin, due to its high concentrations and relative toxicity as compared to other pyrethroids, was likely responsible for the majority of the toxicity at most sites. Cypermethrin, cyfluthrin, deltamethrin, and λ-cyhalothrin also contributed to toxicity at some locations. The source of cypermethrin and deltamethrin was probably almost entirely structural pest control by professional applicators. Bifenthrin, cyfluthrin, and λ-cyhalothrin may have originated either from professional structural pest control or from lawn and garden care by homeowners. None of the sediments collected from the 12 Tennessee creeks were toxic, and pyrethroids were rarely detectable. Regional differences between Tennessee and California are possibly attributable to climate, differences in types of residential development, and pesticide use practices.
Globalization: Capitalism and Its Alternatives

Capitalist globalization has been instrumental in globalizing civil and political rights all over the world as a condition of 'free' markets and trade, but capitalist globalizers have no answer to the rapidly accelerating demands for universal economics and social rights, expressed in the enormous growth of local, national, multinational and global NGOs and anti-globalization movements. In this book, based on his highly successful Sociology of the Global System, Leslie Sklair focuses on alternatives to global capitalism, arguing strongly that there are other alternative futures that retain and encourage the positive aspects of globalization whilst identifying what is wrong with capitalism. The negative aspects of capitalist globalization are explored in a new critique which argues that there are two main crises of capitalist globalization: the class polarization crisis and the crisis of ecological unsustainability. The book also presents a new analysis of a long-term alternative to global capitalism: the globalization of human rights.
Rac1 and Rac3 GTPases Control Synergistically the Development of Cortical and Hippocampal GABAergic Interneurons

The intracellular mechanisms driving postmitotic development of cortical γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA)ergic interneurons are poorly understood. We have addressed the function of Rac GTPases in cortical and hippocampal interneuron development. Developing neurons express both Rac1 and Rac3. Previous work has shown that Rac1 ablation does not affect the development of migrating cortical interneurons. Analysis of mice with double deletion of Rac1 and Rac3 shows that these GTPases are required during postmitotic interneuron development. The number of parvalbumin-positive cells was affected in the hippocampus and cortex of double knockout mice. Rac depletion also influences the maturation of interneurons that reach their destination, with reduction of inhibitory synapses in both hippocampal CA1 and cortical pyramidal cells. The decreased number of cortical migrating interneurons and their altered morphology indicate a role of Rac1 and Rac3 in regulating the motility of cortical interneurons, thus interfering with their final localization. While electrophysiological passive and active properties of pyramidal neurons including membrane capacity, resting potential, and spike amplitude and duration were normal, these cells showed reduced spontaneous inhibitory currents and increased excitability. Our results show that Rac1 and Rac3 contribute synergistically to postmitotic development of specific populations of GABAergic cells, suggesting that these proteins regulate their migration and differentiation.
Walking assistance apparatus able to select the control method according to the purpose of the user

A walking assistance apparatus which can promote gait training for motor palsy patients and outdoor walking for the elderly was developed. Our prototype uses a novel spatial parallel link mechanism and restraint free type of equipment. The apparatus supports complete leg alignment, including the soles of the feet from under the soles with flat steps, and assists walking behavior at the ankle, knee, and hip joints simultaneously without the use of Velcro tape. We proposed the control method according to the purpose of the user. For example, to promote gait training, this apparatus can select the impedance control method. User's legs are assisted along the trajectory with the ideal gait as well as walking. To promote outdoor walking for the elderly, this apparatus can select the torque control method. The apparatus calculates the necessary torques of each joint according to the posture and motion of the apparatus and user. In the case of the impedance control method, by adjusting the natural frequency of the ideal dynamic equation for the flat steps under the soles, the user felt it was easier to walk by frequency entrainment. On the other hand, to promote outdoor walking of the user, this apparatus has to be used not only on the flat ground but also on stairs or slopes with freedom behaviors, and it has to make the user feel comfortable. To address this problem, the torque control method proposed to use real-time acceleration data instead of using the template trajectory. By using this method, the subject could walk on the slope and stairs continuously. Finally, %MVC of the user's EMG while walking equipped with this apparatus was measured, and the influence of the difference using between the impedance and torque control method was confirmed by interviewing the subjects. From the result, the impedance control method assisted the motion of kicking the ground, and the torque control method assisted the motion of raising-up the leg. Therefore, the impedance control method is good for gait training, and the torque control method is good for walk promotion.
Helices at interfaces

Helically coiled filaments are a frequent motif in nature. In situations commonly encountered in experiments coiled helices are squeezed flat onto two-dimensional surfaces. Under such 2-d confinement helices form “squeelices”—peculiar squeezed conformations often resembling looped waves, spirals or circles. Using theory and Monte Carlo simulations we investigate the mechanics and the unusual statistical mechanics of confined helices and show that their fluctuations can be understood in terms of moving and interacting discrete particle-like entities —the “twist kinks”. We show that confined filaments can thermally switch between discrete topological twist quantized states, with some of the states exhibiting dramatically enhanced cyclisation probability while others displaying surprising hyperflexibility.
Reassessment of Acute Kidney Injury after Cardiac Surgery: A Retrospective Study

Objective To evaluate the incidence, risk, or protective factors of acute kidney injury (AKI) in patients after cardiac surgery based on the Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) criteria. Methods A retrospective analysis of 2,575 patients undergoing their first documented cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) was conducted. Perioperative variables were collected and analyzed. Univariate and multiple logistic regression models were used for determining the association between the development of AKI and risk factors. Multiple Cox-proportional hazards modeling was performed to evaluate the impact of AKI on the mortality in the intensive care unit and hospital length of stay. Results Of 2,575 patients, 931 (36%) developed AKI. A total of 30 (1.2%) patients required renal replacement therapy. In the multivariate analysis, mechanical ventilation duration (OR1.446, 95% CI 1.195-1.749, p<0.001), CPB duration of ≥110 min (OR 1.314, 95% CI 1.072-1.611, p=0.009), erythrocytes transfusion (OR 1.078, 95% CI 1.050-1.106, p<0.001), and postoperative body temperature greater than 38℃ within 3 days (OR 1.234, 95% CI 1.018-1.496, p=0.032) were independent risk factors for CSA-AKI, while ulinastatin use was associated with a reduced incidence of CSA-AKI (OR 0.694, 95% CI 0.557-0.881, p=0.006). CSA-AKI was significantly associated with in-hospital mortality (adjusted HR: 2.218, 95% CI 1.161-4.238, p=0.016), especially in patients needing renal replacement therapy (adjusted HR: 18.683, 95% CI 8.579-40.684, p<0.001). Conclusion Mechanical ventilation duration, erythrocytes transfusion, and postoperative body temperature above 38℃ within 3 days were considered independent risk factors for CSA-AKI. The use of ulinastatin was associated with a reduced incidence of CSA-AKI.
Relative Compressed Suffix Trees

Suffix trees are one of the most versatile data structures in stringology, with many applications in bioinformatics. Their main drawback is their size, which can be tens of times larger than the input sequence. Much effort has been put into reducing the space usage, leading ultimately to compressed suffix trees. These compressed data structures can efficiently simulate the suffix tree, while using space proportional to a compressed representation of the sequence. In this work, we take a new approach to compressed suffix trees for repetitive sequence collections, such as collections of individual genomes. We compress the suffix trees of individual sequences relative to the suffix tree of a reference sequence. These relative data structures provide competitive time/space trade-offs, being almost as small as the smallest compressed suffix trees for repetitive collections, and almost as fast as the largest and fastest compressed suffix trees. They also provide access to the suffix trees of individual sequences, instead of storing all sequences in the same tree.
Labour Law in Italy

Derived from the renowned multi-volume International Encyclopaedia of Laws, thismonograph on labour law in Italy not only describes and analyses the legal aspects oflabour relations, but also examines labour relations practices and developing trends. Itprovides a survey of the subject that is both usefully brief and sufficiently detailed toanswer most questions likely to arise in any pertinent legal setting.
Determinants of postnatal depression in Sudanese women at 3 months postpartum: a cross-sectional study

Objectives Maternal mental health is a neglected issue in Sudanese healthcare. The aim of this study was to explore the factors associated with postnatal depression (PND) at 3 months postpartum in a sample of Sudanese women in Khartoum state. Setting Recruitment was from two major public antenatal care (ANC) clinics in two maternity teaching hospitals in Khartoum state. The study participants were recruited during their pregnancy and were followed up and screened for PND at 3 months postpartum using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS). Participants A sample of 300 pregnant Sudanese women in their second or third trimester was included in the study. The inclusion criteria were Sudanese nationality, pregnancy in the second or third trimester and satisfactory contact information. Outcome measures PND was assessed using the EPDS at a cut-off score of ≥12. Maternal and sociodemographic factors of interest were illustrated in a directed acyclic graph (DAG) to identify which variables to adjust for in multivariate analyses and to show their type of effect on PND. A forward logistic regression model was built to assess the factors that are independently associated with PND. Results History of violence increased the odds of PND sevenfold, OR=7.4 (95% CI 1.9 to 27.6). Older age of mothers decreased the odds of PND by almost 20%, OR=0.82 (95% CI 0.73 to 0.92). Exclusive breast feeding and regular prenatal vitamins during pregnancy are associated with an 80% decrease in odds of PND, OR=0.2 (95% CI 0.06 to 0.70) and 0.17 (95% CI 0.06 to 0.5), respectively. Conclusions Factors associated with PND in this study are comparable to factors from other developing countries, although findings should be judged with caution owing to the high number of women who refused recruitment into the study.
CMOS analog amplifier circuit sizing using opposition based harmony search algorithm

An optimum design of analog CMOS differential amplifier (Diff-Amp) with current mirror load has been presented in this paper. An evolutionary optimization technique called Opposition based Harmony Search Algorithm (OHS) is employed to minimize the total MOSFET area of the designed circuit. The novel Harmony Search (HS) algorithm is selected as the parent and the opposition based approach is employed to it with an intention to exhibit accelerated near-global convergence profile. At the initialization stage, for choosing the randomly generated population/solutions, opposite solutions are also considered and the fitter one is selected as apriori guess. This causes faster convergence profile. Each solution in Harmony Memory (HM) is generated on the basis of memory consideration rule, a pitch adjustment rule and a re-initialization process which gives the optimum result corresponding to the least error fitness in multidimensional search space. Differential Evolution (DE), Harmony Search (HS), Artificial Bee Colony (ABC) and Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) have an inbuilt disadvantage of early convergence and stagnation problem. But in OHS optimization technique has overcome these shortcomings. The optimally designed differential amplifier circuit occupies the least total MOS area, and shows the best design conditions like gain, power dissipation etc., in comparison with the formerly reported literature.
Comparative Genetic Mapping Between Octoploid and Diploid Fragaria Species Reveals a High Level of Colinearity Between Their Genomes and the Essentially Disomic Behavior of the Cultivated Octoploid Strawberry

Macrosynteny and colinearity between Fragaria (strawberry) species showing extreme levels of ploidy have been studied through comparative genetic mapping between the octoploid cultivated strawberry (F. ×ananassa) and its diploid relatives. A comprehensive map of the octoploid strawberry, in which almost all linkage groups are ranged into the seven expected homoeologous groups was obtained, thus providing the first reference map for the octoploid Fragaria. High levels of conserved macrosynteny and colinearity were observed between homo(eo)logous linkage groups and between the octoploid homoeologous groups and their corresponding diploid linkage groups. These results reveal that the polyploidization events that took place along the evolution of the Fragaria genus and the more recent juxtaposition of two octoploid strawberry genomes in the cultivated strawberry did not trigger any major chromosomal rearrangements in genomes involved in F. ×ananassa. They further suggest the existence of a close relationship between the diploid Fragaria genomes. In addition, despite the possible existence of residual levels of polysomic segregation suggested by the observation of large linkage groups in coupling phase only, the prevalence of linkage groups in coupling/repulsion phase clearly demonstrates that the meiotic behavior is mainly disomic in the cultivated strawberry.
The Political Economy of Global Warming. From Data to Decisions

This article studies the process from data acquisition to policy decision in relation to an optimum policy on global warming. Policymakers must be reasonably skeptical before proposing remedies to curb warming, but policymakers cannot await the final proof of any proposal's merit. Balancing evidence with doubt requires an informed approach, in which information is converted to knowledge and used to illuminate and compare human welfare connected to different scenarios. This article suggests, normatively, three essential elements for data based policies: evidence, consequence, and strategy. The presented framework for data based policymaking combines results from decision theory, economics, and political theory.
GABAergic Excitation in the Basolateral Amygdala

GABA-containing interneurons are a diverse population of cells whose primary mode of action in the mature nervous system is inhibition of postsynaptic target neurons. Using paired recordings from parvalbumin-positive interneurons in the basolateral amygdala, we show that, in a subpopulation of interneurons, single action potentials in one interneuron evoke in the postsynaptic interneuron a monosynaptic inhibitory synaptic current, followed by a disynaptic excitatory glutamatergic synaptic current. Interneuron-evoked glutamatergic events were blocked by antagonists of either AMPA/kainate or GABAA receptors, and could be seen concurrently in both presynaptic and postsynaptic interneurons. These results show that single action potentials in a GABAergic interneuron can drive glutamatergic principal neurons to threshold, resulting in both feedforward and feedback excitation. In interneuron pairs that both receive glutamatergic inputs after an interneuron spike, electrical coupling and bidirectional GABAergic connections occur with a higher probability relative to other interneuron pairs. We propose that this form of GABAergic excitation provides a means for the reliable and specific recruitment of homogeneous interneuron networks in the basal amygdala.
Ethnic Conflict and Religion: Challenge to the Churches

While wars between nations have taken a staggering toll in human lives, even more people died in the 20th century from violence at the hand of their own governments. Much of this suffering and death has been sparked by tensions and hostilities arising out of ethnic differences. Today's social, economic and political realities, including the weakening of the nation state in a global economy and the disappearance of multi-ethnic nation states such as the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia, mean that ethnic conflict is likely to remain on the international agenda. For the churches, committed to reconciliation but often themselves identified with one party or another in ethnic conflicts, this raises critical questions regarding their mission in the world. The heart of this book is case studies of nine 20th-century ethnic conflicts, in which millions of people have perished. The author illustrates the complexity of these situations as they have evolved over the centuries and highlights the role which religious affiliations and convictions, including Christianity, have often played in worsening relations among ethnic communities. A final chapter suggests four lines of reflection and action for Christian churches confronted by ethnic conflicts in their own contexts and elsewhere. This book is intended to help concerned Christian individuals, congregations and study groups to recognize the complexity of issues of ethnicity and nationalism, reflect biblically and theologically on ethnic identity, and respond pastorally to such situations of tension and conflict.
Manifest Failure: The Gettier Problem Solved

This paper provides a principled and elegant solution to the Gettier problem. The key move is to draw a general metaphysical distinction and conscript it for epistemological purposes. Section 1 introduces the Gettier problem. Sections 2–5 discuss instructively wrong or incomplete previous proposals. Section 6 presents my solution and explains its virtues. Section 7 answers the most common objection.