Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
To do or not to do: the dilemma of disclosing anonymized data

Decision makers of companies often face the dilemma of whether to release data for knowledge discovery, vis a vis the risk of disclosing proprietary or sensitive information. While there are various "sanitization" methods, in this paper we focus on anonymization, given its widespread use in practice. We give due diligence to the question of "just how safe the anonymized data is", in terms of protecting the true identities of the data objects. We consider both the scenarios when the hacker has no information, and more realistically, when the hacker may have partial information about items in the domain. We conduct our analyses in the context of frequent set mining. We propose to capture the prior knowledge of the hacker by means of a belief function, where an educated guess of the frequency of each item is assumed. For various classes of belief functions, which correspond to different degrees of prior knowledge, we derive formulas for computing the expected number of "cracks". While obtaining the exact values for the more general situations is computationally hard, we propose a heuristic called the O-estimate. It is easy to compute, and is shown to be accurate empirically with real benchmark datasets. Finally, based on the O-estimates, we propose a recipe for the decision makers to resolve their dilemma.
Using LV process to design high voltage DDDMOSFET and LDMOSFET with 3-D profile structure

In this work, layout skills using three dimensional (3D) fish bone, slot, and island patterns to enhance the breakdown voltage of PW/NW junction of lateral MOSFETs is developed. Novel lateral double diffused MOSFETs (LDMOSFET) and Double Diffused Drain MOSFETs (DDDMOSFET) without any high voltage (HV) layer are achieved in a standard 5V low voltage (LV) CMOS technology. From the experiment results, the developed DDDMOSFETs and LDMOSFETs can be used for 10V and 60V application respectively.
Previously Published Works Uc Irvine

A University of California author or department has made this article openly available. Thanks to the Academic Senate's Open Access Policy, a great many UC-authored scholarly publications will now be freely available on this site. Let us know how this access is important for you. We want to hear your story! Title: A microdrive for use with glass or metal microelectrodes in recording from freely-moving rats. Abstract: A new subminiature microdrive assembly is described for electrophysiological recording from behaving rats. This very small, lightweight system allows excellent precision in electrode placement and can maintain stable recordings over extended periods. Since the electrode is nonrotating, tissue damage is minimized. Either metal or glass microelectrodes may be used with the system, offering the possibility of iontophoresis for cell marking or neuropharmacological manipulations.
Narrative Medicine: Suggestions for Clinicians to Help Their Clients Construct a New Identity Following Acquired Brain Injury

Survivors of brain injury from trauma and stroke often lose their sense of identity and face a series of lifelong obstacles that challenge their ability to integrate back into their communities and live meaningful and productive lives. Their stories provide powerful accounts of these challenges, which can inform clinical decision-making. Arguably, the act of telling their stories is, in and of itself, a means for creating a new identity and fostering recovery. This article examines how clinicians can utilize the subjective techniques of narrative medicine to facilitate the rehabilitation process and provide their clients with a holistic approach to meet their needs. Narrative accounts from survivors of acquired brain injury support the relevance of this process as a therapeutic modality.
A case study of intuition and design: Building a tool for parents of premature babies and the nursing staff who care for them

The paper presents a research-based study project conveyed by Media Lab Helsinki in 2007–2008. During the process, the design team constructed a unique audiovisual tool that provides emotional support in coping with the challenges of a premature birth. The purpose of the two-hour DVD, with its three separate parts, is to help family, intensive care staff, and other associated health care personnel to better connect with each other and the tiny babies. As the first audiovisual material, which aims to explain premature babies’ communication and interaction, the end product has proven to be of significant value to Finnish neonatal care and other associated fields. The project was realized in cooperation with the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit in Children’s Hospital, HUCH (Helsinki University Central Hospital), and the design team worked in a network of shared expertise. In the case study the authors used co-design and self-reflection methods to monitor graduate students working with a society-level challenge. The focus was upon the utilisation of intuition in innovations, problem solving, and project management. During the design process, the authors observed the working theory: intuition is the basis of successful decision-making, which leads to innovative solutions. Throughout the design process, the team collected systematically feedback, which was later utilised as a corner stone in the case study. The authors believe that relying on intuition, the design team ended up addressing many hidden issues of the clinic and parenthood of premature babies’. This paper tries to unfold the evolutionary working approach used during the design process, presents highlights of the case study research as well as illuminates the intuitive way of working from designers’ point of view. Keywords: Design; Intuition; Case Study; Shared Expertise; Innovations; Digital Media; Evolutionary Process
Radial basis function neural network to shape reconstruction of conducting objects

In this work, we propose a microwave imaging technique for the localization and the shape reconstruction of physically inaccessible cylindrical conducting objects from the knowledge of the scattered electric field. The problem is treated with the Method of Moment (MoM) and the radial basis function neural network (RBF-NN) is applied. This linear RBF-NN has both good localization approximation and linear computation complexity with the number of dimension and number of inputs. The shape of the cylinder is represented by a Fourier series while applying MoM, a matrix equation is obtained whose elements are expressed numerically by using discrete points. Based on the boundary condition and the measured scattered field, a set of nonlinear integral equations is derived and the imaging problem is reformulated in to an optimization problem. The use of RBF-NN to solve the inverse scattering problem requires the determination of its architecture parameters. The scattered field data and Fourier coefficients of the cylinder are used for training the RBF-NN as inputs and outputs respectively. To show the performance of the method we finally present and discuss the results obtained by applying the proposed technique on simulated data via numerical examples.
Sub-Tenon's anaesthesia versus topical anaesthesia for cataract surgery.

BACKGROUND Local anaesthesia for cataract surgery can be provided by sub-Tenon's or topical anaesthesia. Both techniques offer possible advantages. This review, which originally was published in 2007 and was updated in 2014, was undertaken to compare these two anaesthetic techniques. OBJECTIVES Our objectives were to compare the effectiveness of topical anaesthesia (with or without intracameral local anaesthetic) versus sub-Tenon's anaesthesia in providing pain relief during cataract surgery. We reviewed pain during administration of anaesthesia, postoperative pain, surgical satisfaction with operating conditions and patient satisfaction with pain relief provided, and we looked at associated complications. SEARCH METHODS We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, MEDLINE and EMBASE (last search in November 2014) and the reference lists of published articles. We looked for conferences abstracts and trials in progress and placed no constraints on language or publication status. SELECTION CRITERIA We included all randomized studies that compared sub-Tenon's anaesthesia versus topical anaesthesia for cataract surgery. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS We assessed trial quality and extracted data in the format allowing maximal data inclusion. MAIN RESULTS We included eight studies in this updated review but could retain in the analysis only seven studies on 742 operated eyes of 617 participants. Two cross-over trials included 125 participants, and five parallel trials included 492 participants. These studies were published between 1997 and 2005. The mean age of participants varied from 71.5 years to 83.5 years. The female proportion of participants varied from 54% to 76%. Compared with sub-Tenon's anaesthesia, topical anaesthesia (with or without intracameral injection) for cataract surgery increases intraoperative pain but decreases postoperative pain at 24 hours. The amplitude of the effect (equivalent to 1.1 on a score from 0 to 10 for intraoperative pain, and to 0.2 on the same scale for postoperative pain at 24 hours), although statistically significant, was probably too small to be of clinical relevance. The quality of the evidence was rated as high for intraoperative pain and moderate for pain at 24 hours. We did find differences in pain during administration of local anaesthetic (low level of evidence), and indications that surgeon satisfaction (low level of evidence) and participant satisfaction (moderate level of evidence) were less with topical anaesthesia. There was not enough evidence to say that one technique would result in a higher or lower incidence of intraoperative complications compared with the other. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS Both topical anaesthesia and sub-Tenon's anaesthesia are accepted and safe methods of providing anaesthesia for cataract surgery. An acceptable degree of intraoperative discomfort has to be expected with either of these techniques. Randomized controlled trials on the effects of various strategies to prevent intraoperative pain during cataract surgery could prove useful.
Comparative Genomics of esx Genes from Clinical Isolates of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Provides Evidence for Gene Conversion and Epitope Variation

ABSTRACT The 23-membered Esx protein family is involved in the host-pathogen interactions of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. These secreted proteins are among the most immunodominant antigens recognized by the human immune system and have thus been used to develop vaccines and immunodiagnostic tests for tuberculosis (TB). Gene pairs for 10 Esx proteins are contained in the ESX-1 to ESX-5 loci, encoding type VII secretion systems. A subset of Esx proteins can be further classified into the Mtb9.9, QILSS, and TB10.4 subfamilies. To survey genetic diversity in the Esx family and its potential for antigenic variation, we sequenced all esx genes from 108 clinical isolates of M. tuberculosis from different clades by using a targeted approach. A total of 109 unique single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were observed, and 59 of these were nonsynonymous. Some of the resultant amino acid substitutions affect known Esx epitopes, including two in the EsxB (CFP-10) and EsxH (TB10.4) antigens. Assessment of the SNP distribution across the Esx proteins revealed high genetic variability, especially in the Mtb9.9 and QILSS subfamilies, and more conservation in the ESX-1 to ESX-4 loci. Comparison of the DNA sequences of variable esx genes provided clear evidence for recombination events between different genes in the same strain, some of which are predicted to truncate the corresponding protein. Many of these polymorphisms escape detection by ultrahigh-throughput sequencing using short sequence reads, as such approaches cannot distinguish between closely related genes. The esx gene family is dynamic, and sequence changes likely lead to immune variation.
The influence of contact with mental health services on carers’ help-seeking attitudes: contribution of stigma and affective state

Abstract Background Carers who experience stigma and aversion to help-seeking could have a detrimental impact on consumers of mental health services (MHS). Aim This study aimed to investigate the relationship between carers’ experiences with MHS, stigma, affective state and help-seeking attitudes. Methods Fifty-seven carers of people with a mental illness completed an online survey including demographics about the carer and consumer, carers’ experience with MHS, Days’ mental illness stigma scale, the inventory of attitudes towards seeking mental health services and the depression–happiness scale. Results Carer responses evenly reflected positive and negative experiences with MHS. There were significant correlations between experiences of MHS and stigma, attitudes towards help-seeking, and affective state. Carers who reported negative experiences of MHS demonstrated reduced help-seeking attitudes. Both stigma and affective state independently reduced the association between positive experiences of MHS and more positive help-seeking attitudes. When all three variables were included in the regression model, stigma was the only significant predictor of reduced help-seeking attitudes. Conclusions MHS must establish positive engagement with carers, as this is associated with positive help-seeking attitudes. Negative experiences of MHS exacerbate carer stigma. Positive interactions between MHS and carers likely facilitate better access to care for consumers and improve clinical outcomes.
Dynamic Requests Scheduling Model in Multi-core Web Server

A popular web site is expected to deal with a large number of requests simultaneously in the reasonable mean response time. The performance of the web sites mainly relies on hardware performance and the processing strategy of requests. In order to improve the hardware performance, more and more web servers are adopting multi-core CPUs. Moreover, the scheduling algorithm of requests on basis of first-come-first-served (FCFS) is still utilized. Although FCFS is a reasonable and fair strategy for requests sequence, it doesn’t take the distribution of the dynamic requests service time and the characteristic of multi-core CPUs into account. In this paper, in order to solve the above problems, a new dynamic requests scheduling model is presented. The new scheduling model, according to the distribution of the dynamic request service time, schedule the dynamic request based on weight-fair-queueing (WFQ), and exploit the performance of multi-core CPUs by means of hard affinity in O/S. Simulation Experiments has been done to evaluate the new scheduling approach, and the results show that the new scheduling model can reduce the mean response time efficiently.
Acute ethanol decreases NPY mRNA but not POMC mRNA in the arcuate nucleus

The acute effects of ethanol and acetaldehyde on neuropeptide mRNA expression in the arcuate nucleus (ARC) was assessed. Acetaldehyde was increased in blood following ethanol with cyanamide (a potent inhibitor of aldehyde dehydrogenase) administration. Acetaldehyde is a toxin which can cause a variety of adverse effects following ethanol ingestion in some Oriental people with a genetic lower activity of aldehyde dehydrogenase. Neuropeptide Y (NPY) mRNA levels in ARC were significantly decreased in response to ethanol in the presence or absence of cyanamide compared to control. In contrast, proopiomelanocortin mRNA in ARC was not changed. These novel findings suggest that ethanol suppresses NPY gene expression in ARC and may play a role in ethanol-induced changes in neuronal function.
When concepts act concretely: Exploring the notion of conceptual concreteness in a novel mathematical domain

shift to include the thinking novices more generally, including adult novices (see McNeil & Uttal, 2009). Counter to this current, some researchers have argued that concrete symbols may be ill suited to serve as teaching aids when compared to abstract symbols in certain contexts. Though details of the arguments questioning the value of 1 Please see page 3 for the definitions of ‘abstract’ and ‘concrete’ used in the current work.
Luminescent nanocrystal stress gauge

Microscale mechanical forces can determine important outcomes ranging from the site of material fracture to stem cell fate. However, local stresses in a vast majority of systems cannot be measured due to the limitations of current techniques. In this work, we present the design and implementation of the CdSe-CdS core-shell tetrapod nanocrystal, a local stress sensor with bright luminescence readout. We calibrate the tetrapod luminescence response to stress and use the luminescence signal to report the spatial distribution of local stresses in single polyester fibers under uniaxial strain. The bright stress-dependent emission of the tetrapod, its nanoscale size, and its colloidal nature provide a unique tool that may be incorporated into a variety of micromechanical systems including materials and biological samples to quantify local stresses with high spatial resolution.
Expansion of CD4 T cells expressing a highly restricted TCR structure specific for a single parasite epitope correlates with high pathology in murine schistosomiasis

The hepatic immunopathology in schistosomiasis mansoni is mediated by CD4 T cells specific for egg antigens and varies considerably among mouse strains. Previous studies in high pathology C3H mice suggested that a strong T cell response was due to the recognition of an immunodominant epitope within the major egg antigen Sm‐p40 (Sm‐p40234–246). Using a panel of T cell hybridomas, we have now examined the egg antigen‐specific TCR repertoire in two high pathology strains, C3H and CBA. We found that nearly half of the hybridomas responded to the Sm‐p40234–246 epitope and, of these, nearly all expressed Vα11. 3 associated with Vβ8. Furthermore, in response to egg antigen stimulation, transcript levels of Vα11. 3J36 (the most prevalent rearrangement expressed by Sm‐p40234–246‐specific hybridomas), increased in high pathology (CBA) but not in low pathology (BALB/c) strains. Our findings suggest that exacerbated schistosome egg‐induced immunopathology can be driven by T cells expressing a highly restricted TCR structure specific for a single parasite epitope.
Interleukin‐15‐transferred cytokine‐induced killer cells elevated anti‐tumor activity in a gastric tumor‐bearing nude mice model

Gastric cancer is the second leading cause of cancer‐related mortality worldwide. Adoptive cell therapy (ACT) for gastric cancer is a novel therapy modality. However, the therapeutic effectiveness in vivo is still limited. The objective of this study was to assess the value of interleukin‐15 (IL‐15)‐transferred cytokine‐induced killer (CIK) cells in ACT for gastric cancer. IL‐15‐IRES‐TK retroviral vector was constructed and transferred into the CIK cells. A gastric tumor‐bearing nude mice model was constructed by subcutaneously injecting gastric cancer cells, BGC‐823. Gastric tumor‐bearing nude mice were randomly divided into three groups (five mice each group) and injected with physiological saline, CIK cells, and IL‐15‐IRES‐TK‐transfected CIK cells for 2 weeks, respectively. IL‐15‐IRES‐TK‐transferred CIK cells were prepared successfully and flow cytometry (FCM) analysis indicated that the transfection rate reached 85.7% after 5 days culture. In vivo experiment, we found that CIK cells retarded tumor growth by reducing tumor volume and tumor weight, as well as increasing tumor inhibition rate. Furthermore, IL‐15‐IRES‐TK‐transferred CIK cells showed a much stronger inhibition on tumor growth than CIK cells alone. Tumor morphology observation and growth indexes also showed that IL‐15‐transfected CIK cells had stronger cytotoxicity to tumor tissue than CIK cells. IL‐15‐IRES‐TK transfection could elevate the effects of CIK cells to gastric carcinoma. The engineered CIK cells carrying IL‐15‐IRES‐TK may be used in the ACT for gastric carcinoma, but prudent clinical trial is still indispensable.
Update on Diagnosis, Management, and Prevention of Hepatitis B Virus Infection

SUMMARY Acute and chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a leading cause of liver disease worldwide. It is estimated that approximately 350 million people worldwide have chronic HBV infection and that 1 million persons die each year from HBV-related chronic liver disease. In the past decade, significant progress in the understanding of the molecular virology and pathogenesis of HBV infection has been made. In addition, effective treatment modalities have been developed for persons with chronic infection. Worldwide, prevention of HBV transmission has become a high priority. In 1992, the Global Advisory Group to the World Health Organization recommended that all countries integrate hepatitis B vaccine into national immunization programs by 1997. Currently, 80 countries have done so and several others are planning to. Many countries have reported dramatic reductions in the prevalence of chronic HBV infection among children born since the hepatitis B vaccine was introduced into infant immunization schedules. Recent reports from Taiwan indicate a reduction in the incidence of liver cancer among children as a result of widespread hepatitis B vaccination programs.
The Prospective Secretary in the Modern Business World: A Case Study of Administrative Secretaries in Koforidua Polytechnic

This study aimed to access the prospective secretary in the modern business world using Koforidua polytechnic the New Juabeng Municipal Assembly as a case study. This study aimed at filling the gap by gathering relevant data on the roles the prospective secretaries’ plays in today’s modern world. Primary data were obtained through the administering of questionnaires to 55 respondents working in Koforidua polytechnic. Data collected were coded and analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) analytical tool and subject to both descriptive and inferential statistics. Multiple regression analysis was carried out to see if any, relationship existed between the dependent variables, modern business world (MBW) and the independent variables; Administrative Assistant (AA), Administrative Secretary (AS), Executive Secretary (ES), Secretary (S), and Secretary-Receptionist (SR). The findings of the study showed that some of the respondents who took part in the survey were not actual secretaries but their daily activities involved secretarial and clerical duties. It is worthy to note, that 70% of workload by superiors are shifted to the secretaries to perform. This means that a modern secretary has to be well equipped in all fields in the discharge of its duties. Keywords: Modern Business World, Administrative Assistant, Administrative Secretary, Executive Secretary, Secretary, and Secretary-Receptionist.
Designing the Screen-Based Interface : A 3 D to 2 D Migration

Concurrent to the rapid emergence of new products, design education is going through a transformation. The profession is largely focused on teaching a process toward the creation of form, with an understanding that form has the power to evoke interaction. The growing complexity and increased use of 3-dimensional products like DVD players and PDAs, as well as screen-based products such as web sites, CD-ROMs, and touch screen kiosks, has caused designers to shift their focus from design as a form-giving process, to design as a process of facilitating interaction.