Distribution of Unlinked Transpositions of a Ds Element from a T-DNA Locus on Tomato Chromosome 4

PubMed Central

Briza, J.; Carroll, B. J.; Klimyuk, V. I.; Thomas, C. M.; Jones, D. A.; Jones, JDG.

1995-01-01

In maize, receptor sites for unlinked transpositions of Activator (Ac) elements are not distributed randomly. To test whether the same is true in tomato, the receptor sites for a Dissociation (Ds) element derived from Ac, were mapped for 26 transpositions unlinked to a donor T-DNA locus on chromosome 4. Four independent transposed Dss mapped to sites on chromosome 4 genetically unlinked to the donor T-DNA, consistent with a preference for transposition to unlinked sites on the same chromosome as opposed to sites on other chromosomes. There was little preference among the nondonor chromosomes, except perhaps for chromosome 2, which carried seven transposed Dss, but these could not be proven to be independent. However, these data, when combined with those from other studies in tomato examining the distribution of transposed Acs or Dss among nondonor chromosomes, suggest there may be absolute preferences for transposition irrespective of the chromosomal location of the donor site. If true, transposition to nondonor chromosomes in tomato would differ from that in maize, where the preference seems to be determined by the spatial arrangement of chromosomes in the interphase nucleus. The tomato lines carrying Ds elements at known locations are available for targeted transposon tagging experiments. PMID:8536985

Effect of heterogeneity and assumed mode of inheritance on lod scores.

PubMed

Durner, M; Greenberg, D A

1992-02-01

Heterogeneity is a major factor in many common, complex diseases and can confound linkage analysis. Using computer-simulated heterogeneous data we tested what effect unlinked families have on a linkage analysis when heterogeneity is not taken into account. We created 60 data sets of 40 nuclear families each with different proportions of linked and unlinked families and with different modes of inheritance. The ascertainment probability was 0.05, the disease had a penetrance of 0.6, and the recombination fraction for the linked families was zero. For the analysis we used a variety of assumed modes of inheritance and penetrances. Under these conditions we looked at the effect of the unlinked families on the lod score, the evaluation of the mode of inheritance, and the estimate of penetrance and of the recombination fraction in the linked families. 1. When the analysis was done under the correct mode of inheritance for the linked families, we found that the mode of inheritance of the unlinked families had minimal influence on the highest maximum lod score (MMLS) (i.e., we maximized the maximum lod score with respect to penetrance). Adding sporadic families decreased the MMLS less than adding recessive or dominant unlinked families. 2. The mixtures of dominant linked families with unlinked families always led to a higher MMLS when analyzed under the correct (dominant) mode of inheritance than when analyzed under the incorrect mode of inheritance. In the mixtures with recessive linked families, assuming the correct mode of inheritance generally led to a higher MMLS, but we observed broad variation.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Can we use postal surveys with anonymous testing to monitor chlamydia prevalence in young women in England? Pilot study incorporating randomised controlled trial of recruitment methods.

PubMed

Woodhall, Sarah C; Nichols, Tom; Alexander, Sarah; da Silva, Filomeno Coelho; Mercer, Catherine H; Ison, Catherine; Gill, O Noel; Soldan, Kate

2015-09-01

Chlamydia prevalence in the general population is a potential outcome measure for the evaluation of chlamydia control programmes. We carried out a pilot study to determine the feasibility of using a postal survey for population-based chlamydia prevalence monitoring. Postal invitations were sent to a random sample of 2000 17-year-old to 18-year-old women registered with a general practitioner in two pilot areas in England. Recipients were randomised to receive either a self-sampling kit (n=1000), a self-sampling kit and offer of £5 voucher on return of sample (n=500) or a self-sampling kit on request (n=500). Participants returned a questionnaire and self-taken vulvovaginal swab sample for unlinked anonymous Chlamydia trachomatis testing. Non-responders were sent a reminder letter 3 weeks after initial invitation. We calculated the participation rate (number of samples returned/number of invitations sent) and cost per sample returned (including cost of consumables and postage) in each group. A total of 155/2000 (7.8%) samples were returned with consent for testing. Participation rates varied by invitation group: 7.8% in the group who were provided with a self-sampling kit, 14% in the group who were also offered a voucher and 1.0% in the group who were not sent a kit. The cost per sample received was lowest (£36) in the group who were offered both a kit and a voucher. The piloted survey methodology achieved low participation rates. This approach is not suitable for population-based monitoring of chlamydia prevalence among young women in England. (UKCRN ID 10913). Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

Linking of total elbow prosthesis during surgery; a biomechanical analysis.

PubMed

De Vos, Maarten J; Wagener, Marc L; Hendriks, Jan C M; Eygendaal, Denise; Verdonschot, Nico

2013-09-01

Presently, 2 types of elbow prostheses are used: unlinked and linked. The Latitude total elbow prosthesis allows the surgeon to decide during the implantation whether the prosthesis is placed unlinked or linked, and whether the native radial head is retained, resected, or replaced. The purpose of this study is to assess and to compare the varus and valgus laxity of the unlinked and linked version of the latitude total elbow prosthesis with: (1) the native radial head preserved, (2) the native radial head excised, and (3) the native radial head replaced by a radial head component. Biomechanical testing was performed on 14 fresh-frozen upper limb specimens. Linking the prosthesis predominantly influences the valgus laxity of the elbow. Linking the Latitude total elbow prosthesis results in increased valgus stability. In the linked version of the total elbow prosthesis, the radial head only plays a small part in both valgus and varus stability. An unlinked situation is not advised in absence of a native radial head or in case of inability to replace the radial head. Copyright © 2013 Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery Board of Trustees. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

A privacy-strengthened scheme for E-Healthcare monitoring system.

PubMed

Huang, Chanying; Lee, Hwaseong; Lee, Dong Hoon

2012-10-01

Recent Advances in Wireless Body Area Networks (WBANs) offer unprecedented opportunities and challenges to the development of pervasive electronic healthcare (E-Healthcare) monitoring system. In E-Healthcare system, the processed data are patients' sensitive health data that are directly related to individuals' privacy. For this reason, privacy concern is of great importance for E-Healthcare system. Current existing systems for E-Healthcare services, however, have not yet provided sufficient privacy protection for patients. In order to offer adequate security and privacy, in this paper, we propose a privacy-enhanced scheme for patients' physical condition monitoring, which achieves dual effects: (1) providing unlinkability of health records and individual identity, and (2) supporting anonymous authentication and authorized data access. We also conduct a simulation experiment to evaluate the performance of the proposed scheme. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed scheme achieves better performance in terms of computational complexity, communication overheads and querying efficiency compared with previous results.

Allelic-based gene-gene interaction associated with quantitative traits.

PubMed

Jung, Jeesun; Sun, Bin; Kwon, Deukwoo; Koller, Daniel L; Foroud, Tatiana M

2009-05-01

Recent studies have shown that quantitative phenotypes may be influenced not only by multiple single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within a gene but also by the interaction between SNPs at unlinked genes. We propose a new statistical approach that can detect gene-gene interactions at the allelic level which contribute to the phenotypic variation in a quantitative trait. By testing for the association of allelic combinations at multiple unlinked loci with a quantitative trait, we can detect the SNP allelic interaction whether or not it can be detected as a main effect. Our proposed method assigns a score to unrelated subjects according to their allelic combination inferred from observed genotypes at two or more unlinked SNPs, and then tests for the association of the allelic score with a quantitative trait. To investigate the statistical properties of the proposed method, we performed a simulation study to estimate type I error rates and power and demonstrated that this allelic approach achieves greater power than the more commonly used genotypic approach to test for gene-gene interaction. As an example, the proposed method was applied to data obtained as part of a candidate gene study of sodium retention by the kidney. We found that this method detects an interaction between the calcium-sensing receptor gene (CaSR), the chloride channel gene (CLCNKB) and the Na, K, 2Cl cotransporter gene (CLC12A1) that contributes to variation in diastolic blood pressure.

HIV seroprevalence among male prison inmates in the six countries of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean states in the Caribbean (OECS).

PubMed

Boisson, E V; Trotman, C

2009-03-01

To determine HIV prevalence among male prison inmates in the six OECS countries in the Caribbean. Six unlinked, anonymous point prevalence surveys of a total of 1288 male inmates were conducted during a one-year period, August 2004 - August 2005. An oral fluid sample was collected and an interviewer-administered questionnaire and consent form was completed for each survey participant. The overall HIV prevalence was 2.8% (range 2.0-4.1%). Only 39% of all inmates had previously been tested, compared to 67% of the HIV-positive inmates. Of all inmates who previously tested, 61% had their last test less than two years ago, 45% had done so while in prison and 39% had done so in a hospital. Most of those who had not previously been tested had no particular reason for not doing so (57%); 24% of them felt it was not necessary or they were not at risk. HIV prevalence among male prison inmates was three times higher than the estimated OECS population prevalence in 2003, slightly higher than the prevalence among incarcerated males in the United States of America and Canada, and lower than that in other Caribbean countries in earlier years. Health information on prison populations is important as this is a vulnerable group, with frequent movement in and out of the general population. Preventative services, voluntary counselling and testing, and appropriate care and treatment should be available to all inmates as this is an opportunity for many who may not otherwise access these services.

Shared Mycobacterium avium Genotypes Observed among Unlinked Clinical and Environmental Isolates

PubMed Central

Weigel, Kris M.; Yakrus, Mitchell A.; Becker, Annie L.; Chen, Hui-Ling; Fridley, Gina; Sikora, Arthur; Speake, Cate; Hilborn, Elizabeth D.; Pfaller, Stacy

2013-01-01

Our understanding of the sources of Mycobacterium avium infection is partially based on genotypic matching of pathogen isolates from cases and environmental sources. These approaches assume that genotypic identity is rare in isolates from unlinked cases or sources. To test this assumption, a high-resolution PCR-based genotyping approach, large-sequence polymorphism (LSP)-mycobacterial interspersed repetitive unit–variable-number tandem repeat (MIRU-VNTR), was selected and used to analyze clinical and environmental isolates of M. avium from geographically diverse sources. Among 127 clinical isolates from seven locations in North America, South America, and Europe, 42 genotypes were observed. Among 12 of these genotypes, matches were seen in isolates from apparently unlinked patients in two or more geographic locations. Six of the 12 were also observed in environmental isolates. A subset of these isolates was further analyzed by alternative strain genotyping methods, pulsed-field gel electrophoresis and MIRU-VNTR, which confirmed the existence of geographically dispersed strain genotypes. These results suggest that caution should be exercised in interpreting high-resolution genotypic matches as evidence for an acquisition event. PMID:23851084

Anonymous HIV testing: the impact of availability on demand in Arizona.

PubMed Central

Hirano, D; Gellert, G A; Fleming, K; Boyd, D; Englender, S J; Hawks, H

1994-01-01

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of anonymous testing availability on human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) test demand in Arizona. Testing patterns before and after the introduction of anonymous testing were compared. Client knowledge of new test policy and delay in testing until an anonymous option was available were assessed. Test numbers among men who have sex with men showed a statistically significant increase after introduction of an anonymous testing option. Arizona continues to maintain anonymous testing availability. Public health agencies should consider how test policy may influence people's HIV test decisions. PMID:7998649

Linked versus unlinked estimates of mortality and length of life by education and marital status: evidence from the first record linkage study in Lithuania.

PubMed

Shkolnikov, Vladimir M; Jasilionis, Domantas; Andreev, Evgeny M; Jdanov, Dmitri A; Stankuniene, Vladislava; Ambrozaitiene, Dalia

2007-04-01

Earlier studies have found large and increasing with time differences in mortality by education and marital status in post-Soviet countries. Their results are based on independent tabulations of population and deaths counts (unlinked data). The present study provides the first census-linked estimates of group-specific mortality and the first comparison between census-linked and unlinked mortality estimates for a post-Soviet country. The study is based on a data set linking 140,000 deaths occurring in 2001-2004 in Lithuania with the population census of 2001. The same socio-demographic information about the deceased is available from both the census and death records. Cross-tabulations and Poisson regressions are used to compare linked and unlinked data. Linked and unlinked estimates of life expectancies and mortality rate ratios are calculated with standard life table techniques and Poisson regressions. For the two socio-demographic variables under study, the values from the death records partly differ from those from the census records. The deviations are especially significant for education, with 72-73%, 66-67%, and 82-84% matching for higher education, secondary education, and lower education, respectively. For marital status, deviations are less frequent. For education and marital status, unlinked estimates tend to overstate mortality in disadvantaged groups and they understate mortality in advantaged groups. The differences in inter-group life expectancy and the mortality rate ratios thus are significantly overestimated in the unlinked data. Socio-demographic differences in mortality previously observed in Lithuania and possibly other post-Soviet countries are overestimated. The growth in inequalities over the 1990s is real but might be overstated. The results of this study confirm the existence of large and widening health inequalities but call for better data.

Statistical models for incorporating data from routine HIV testing of pregnant women at antenatal clinics into HIV/AIDS epidemic estimates.

PubMed

Sheng, Ben; Marsh, Kimberly; Slavkovic, Aleksandra B; Gregson, Simon; Eaton, Jeffrey W; Bao, Le

2017-04-01

HIV prevalence data collected from routine HIV testing of pregnant women at antenatal clinics (ANC-RT) are potentially available from all facilities that offer testing services to pregnant women and can be used to improve estimates of national and subnational HIV prevalence trends. We develop methods to incorporate these new data source into the Joint United Nations Programme on AIDS Estimation and Projection Package in Spectrum 2017. We develop a new statistical model for incorporating ANC-RT HIV prevalence data, aggregated either to the health facility level (site-level) or regionally (census-level), to estimate HIV prevalence alongside existing sources of HIV prevalence data from ANC unlinked anonymous testing (ANC-UAT) and household-based national population surveys. Synthetic data are generated to understand how the availability of ANC-RT data affects the accuracy of various parameter estimates. We estimate HIV prevalence and additional parameters using both ANC-RT and other existing data. Fitting HIV prevalence using synthetic data generally gives precise estimates of the underlying trend and other parameters. More years of ANC-RT data should improve prevalence estimates. More ANC-RT sites and continuation with existing ANC-UAT sites may improve the estimate of calibration between ANC-UAT and ANC-RT sites. We have proposed methods to incorporate ANC-RT data into Spectrum to obtain more precise estimates of prevalence and other measures of the epidemic. Many assumptions about the accuracy, consistency, and representativeness of ANC-RT prevalence underlie the use of these data for monitoring HIV epidemic trends and should be tested as more data become available from national ANC-RT programs.

Statistical Models for Incorporating Data from Routine HIV Testing of Pregnant Women at Antenatal Clinics into HIV/AIDS Epidemic Estimates

PubMed Central

Sheng, Ben; Marsh, Kimberly; Slavkovic, Aleksandra B.; Gregson, Simon; Eaton, Jeffrey W.; Bao, Le

2017-01-01

Objective HIV prevalence data collected from routine HIV testing of pregnant women at antenatal clinics (ANC-RT) are potentially available from all facilities that offer testing services to pregnant women, and can be used to improve estimates of national and sub-national HIV prevalence trends. We develop methods to incorporate this new data source into the UNAIDS Estimation and Projection Package (EPP) in Spectrum 2017. Methods We develop a new statistical model for incorporating ANC-RT HIV prevalence data, aggregated either to the health facility level (‘site-level’) or regionally (‘census-level’), to estimate HIV prevalence alongside existing sources of HIV prevalence data from ANC unlinked anonymous testing (ANC-UAT) and household-based national population surveys. Synthetic data are generated to understand how the availability of ANC-RT data affects the accuracy of various parameter estimates. Results We estimate HIV prevalence and additional parameters using both ANC-RT and other existing data. Fitting HIV prevalence using synthetic data generally gives precise estimates of the underlying trend and other parameters. More years of ANC-RT data should improve prevalence estimates. More ANC-RT sites and continuation with existing ANC-UAT sites may improve the estimate of calibration between ANC-UAT and ANC-RT sites. Conclusion We have proposed methods to incorporate ANC-RT data into Spectrum to obtain more precise estimates of prevalence and other measures of the epidemic. Many assumptions about the accuracy, consistency, and representativeness of ANC-RT prevalence underlie the use of these data for monitoring HIV epidemic trends, and should be tested as more data become available from national ANC-RT programs. PMID:28296804

Assessing Hepatitis C Burden and Treatment Effectiveness through the British Columbia Hepatitis Testers Cohort (BC-HTC): Design and Characteristics of Linked and Unlinked Participants

PubMed Central

Janjua, Naveed Zafar; Kuo, Margot; Chong, Mei; Yu, Amanda; Alvarez, Maria; Cook, Darrel; Armour, Rosemary; Aiken, Ciaran; Li, Karen; Mussavi Rizi, Seyed Ali; Woods, Ryan; Godfrey, David; Wong, Jason; Gilbert, Mark; Tyndall, Mark W.; Krajden, Mel

2016-01-01

Background The British Columbia (BC) Hepatitis Testers Cohort (BC-HTC) was established to assess and monitor hepatitis C (HCV) epidemiology, cost of illness and treatment effectiveness in BC, Canada. In this paper, we describe the cohort construction, data linkage process, linkage yields, and comparison of the characteristics of linked and unlinked individuals. Methods The BC-HTC includes all individuals tested for HCV and/or HIV or reported as a case of HCV, hepatitis B (HBV), HIV or active tuberculosis (TB) in BC linked with the provincial health insurance client roster, medical visits, hospitalizations, drug prescriptions, the cancer registry and mortality data using unique personal health numbers. The cohort includes data since inception (1990/1992) of each database until 2012/2013 with plans for annual updates. We computed linkage rates by year and compared the characteristics of linked and unlinked individuals. Results Of 2,656,323 unique individuals available in the laboratory and surveillance data, 1,427,917(54%) were included in the final linked cohort, including about 1.15 million tested for HCV and about 1.02 million tested for HIV. The linkage rate was 86% for HCV tests, 89% for HCV cases, 95% for active TB cases, 48% for HIV tests and 36% for HIV cases. Linkage rates increased from 40% for HCV negatives and 70% for HCV positives in 1992 to ~90% after 2005. Linkage rates were lower for males, younger age at testing, and those with unknown residence location. Linkage rates for HCV testers co-infected with HIV, HBV or TB were very high (90–100%). Conclusion Linkage rates increased over time related to improvements in completeness of identifiers in laboratory, surveillance, and registry databases. Linkage rates were higher for HCV than HIV testers, those testing positive, older individuals, and females. Data from the cohort provide essential information to support the development of prevention, care and treatment initiatives for those infected with HCV. PMID:26954020

Assessing Hepatitis C Burden and Treatment Effectiveness through the British Columbia Hepatitis Testers Cohort (BC-HTC): Design and Characteristics of Linked and Unlinked Participants.

PubMed

Janjua, Naveed Zafar; Kuo, Margot; Chong, Mei; Yu, Amanda; Alvarez, Maria; Cook, Darrel; Armour, Rosemary; Aiken, Ciaran; Li, Karen; Mussavi Rizi, Seyed Ali; Woods, Ryan; Godfrey, David; Wong, Jason; Gilbert, Mark; Tyndall, Mark W; Krajden, Mel

2016-01-01

The British Columbia (BC) Hepatitis Testers Cohort (BC-HTC) was established to assess and monitor hepatitis C (HCV) epidemiology, cost of illness and treatment effectiveness in BC, Canada. In this paper, we describe the cohort construction, data linkage process, linkage yields, and comparison of the characteristics of linked and unlinked individuals. The BC-HTC includes all individuals tested for HCV and/or HIV or reported as a case of HCV, hepatitis B (HBV), HIV or active tuberculosis (TB) in BC linked with the provincial health insurance client roster, medical visits, hospitalizations, drug prescriptions, the cancer registry and mortality data using unique personal health numbers. The cohort includes data since inception (1990/1992) of each database until 2012/2013 with plans for annual updates. We computed linkage rates by year and compared the characteristics of linked and unlinked individuals. Of 2,656,323 unique individuals available in the laboratory and surveillance data, 1,427,917(54%) were included in the final linked cohort, including about 1.15 million tested for HCV and about 1.02 million tested for HIV. The linkage rate was 86% for HCV tests, 89% for HCV cases, 95% for active TB cases, 48% for HIV tests and 36% for HIV cases. Linkage rates increased from 40% for HCV negatives and 70% for HCV positives in 1992 to ~90% after 2005. Linkage rates were lower for males, younger age at testing, and those with unknown residence location. Linkage rates for HCV testers co-infected with HIV, HBV or TB were very high (90-100%). Linkage rates increased over time related to improvements in completeness of identifiers in laboratory, surveillance, and registry databases. Linkage rates were higher for HCV than HIV testers, those testing positive, older individuals, and females. Data from the cohort provide essential information to support the development of prevention, care and treatment initiatives for those infected with HCV.

Comparison of DNA decatenation by Escherichia coli topoisomerase IV and topoisomerase III: implications for non-equilibrium topology simplification

PubMed Central

Seol, Yeonee; Hardin, Ashley H.; Strub, Marie-Paule; Charvin, Gilles; Neuman, Keir C.

2013-01-01

Type II topoisomerases are essential enzymes that regulate DNA topology through a strand-passage mechanism. Some type II topoisomerases relax supercoils, unknot and decatenate DNA to below thermodynamic equilibrium. Several models of this non-equilibrium topology simplification phenomenon have been proposed. The kinetic proofreading (KPR) model postulates that strand passage requires a DNA-bound topoisomerase to collide twice in rapid succession with a second DNA segment, implying a quadratic relationship between DNA collision frequency and relaxation rate. To test this model, we used a single-molecule assay to measure the unlinking rate as a function of DNA collision frequency for Escherichia coli topoisomerase IV (topo IV) that displays efficient non-equilibrium topology simplification activity, and for E. coli topoisomerase III (topo III), a type IA topoisomerase that unlinks and unknots DNA to equilibrium levels. Contrary to the predictions of the KPR model, topo IV and topo III unlinking rates were linearly related to the DNA collision frequency. Furthermore, topo III exhibited decatenation activity comparable with that of topo IV, supporting proposed roles for topo III in DNA segregation. This study enables us to rule out the KPR model for non-equilibrium topology simplification. More generally, we establish an experimental approach to systematically control DNA collision frequency. PMID:23460205

Exploring the effects of transfers and readmissions on trends in population counts of hospital admissions for coronary heart disease: a Western Australian data linkage study.

PubMed

Lopez, Derrick; Nedkoff, Lee; Knuiman, Matthew; Hobbs, Michael S T; Briffa, Thomas G; Preen, David B; Hung, Joseph; Beilby, John; Mathur, Sushma; Reynolds, Anna; Sanfilippo, Frank M

2017-11-17

To develop a method for categorising coronary heart disease (CHD) subtype in linked data accounting for different CHD diagnoses across records, and to compare hospital admission numbers and ratios of unlinked versus linked data for each CHD subtype over time, and across age groups and sex. Cohort study. Person-linked hospital administrative data covering all admissions for CHD in Western Australia from 1988 to 2013. Ratios of (1) unlinked admission counts to contiguous admission (CA) counts (accounting for transfers), and (2) 28-day episode counts (accounting for transfers and readmissions) to CA counts stratified by CHD subtype, sex and age group. In all CHD subtypes, the ratios changed in a linear or quadratic fashion over time and the coefficients of the trend term differed across CHD subtypes. Furthermore, for many CHD subtypes the ratios also differed by age group and sex. For example, in women aged 35-54 years, the ratio of unlinked to CA counts for non-ST elevation myocardial infarction admissions in 2000 was 1.10, and this increased in a linear fashion to 1.30 in 2013, representing an annual increase of 0.0148. The use of unlinked counts in epidemiological estimates of CHD hospitalisations overestimates CHD counts. The CA and 28-day episode counts are more aligned with epidemiological studies of CHD. The degree of overestimation of counts using only unlinked counts varies in a complex manner with CHD subtype, time, sex and age group, and it is not possible to apply a simple correction factor to counts obtained from unlinked data. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2017. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

Feasibility Study of HIV Sentinel Surveillance using PMTCT data in Cameroon: from Scientific Success to Programmatic Failure.

PubMed

Billong, Serge C; Dee, Jacob; Fokam, Joseph; Nguefack-Tsague, Georges; Ekali, Gabriel L; Fodjo, Raoul; Temgoua, Edith S; Billong, Edson-Joan; Sosso, Samuel M; Mosoko, Jembia J; Monebenimp, Francisca; Ndjolo, Alexis; Bissek, Anne-Cecile Z-K; Bolu, Omotayo; Elat, Jean-Bosco N

2017-01-03

In low-income countries (LICs), HIV sentinel surveillance surveys (HIV-SSS) are recommended in between two demographic and health surveys, due to low-cost than the latter. Using the classical unlinked anonymous testing (UAT), HIV-SSS among pregnant women raised certain ethical and financial challenges. We therefore aimed at evaluating how to use prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV (PMTCT) routine data as an alternative approach for HIV-SSS in LICs. A survey conducted through 2012 among first antenatal-care attendees (ANC1) in the ten regions of Cameroon. HIV testing was performed at PMTCT clinics as-per the national serial algorithm (rapid test), and PMTCT site laboratory (PMTCT-SL) performances were evaluated by comparison with results of the national reference laboratory (NRL), determined as the reference standard. Acceptance rate for HIV testing was 99%, for a total of 6521 ANC1 (49 · 3% aged 15-24) enrolled nationwide. Among 6103 eligible ANC1, sensitivity (using NRL testing as the reference standard) was 81 · 2%, ranging from 58 · 8% (South region) to 100% (West region); thus implying that 18 · 8% HIV-infected ANC1 declared HIV-negative at the PMTCT-SL were positive from NRL-results. Specificity was 99 · 3%, without significant disparity across sites. At population-level, this implies that every year in Cameroon, ~2,500 HIV-infected women are wrongly declared seronegative, while ~1,000 are wrongly declared seropositive. Only 44 · 4% (16/36) of evaluated laboratories reached the quality target of 80%. The study identified weaknesses in routine PMTCT HIV testing. As Cameroon transitions to using routine PMTCT data for HIV-SSS among pregnant women, there is need in optimizing quality system to ensure robust routine HIV testing for programmatic and surveillance purposes.

Digenic retinitis pigmentosa due to mutations at the unlinked peripherin/RDS and ROM1 loci

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kajiwara, K.; Berson, E.L.; Dryja, T.P.

1994-06-10

In spite of recent advances in identifying genes causing monogenic human disease, very little is known about the genes involved in polygenic disease. Three families were identified with mutations in the unlinked photoreceptor-specific genes ROM 1 and peripherin/RDS, in which only double heterozygotes develop retinitis pigmentosa (RP). These findings indicate that the allelic and nonallelic heterogeneity known to be a feature of monogenic RP is complicated further by interactions between unlinked mutations causing digenic RP. Recognition of the inheritance pattern exemplified by these three families might facilitate the identification of other examples of digenic inheritance in human disease.

A Survey of Authentication Schemes in Telecare Medicine Information Systems.

PubMed

Aslam, Muhammad Umair; Derhab, Abdelouahid; Saleem, Kashif; Abbas, Haider; Orgun, Mehmet; Iqbal, Waseem; Aslam, Baber

2017-01-01

E-Healthcare is an emerging field that provides mobility to its users. The protected health information of the users are stored at a remote server (Telecare Medical Information System) and can be accessed by the users at anytime. Many authentication protocols have been proposed to ensure the secure authenticated access to the Telecare Medical Information System. These protocols are designed to provide certain properties such as: anonymity, untraceability, unlinkability, privacy, confidentiality, availability and integrity. They also aim to build a key exchange mechanism, which provides security against some attacks such as: identity theft, password guessing, denial of service, impersonation and insider attacks. This paper reviews these proposed authentication protocols and discusses their strengths and weaknesses in terms of ensured security and privacy properties, and computation cost. The schemes are divided in three broad categories of one-factor, two-factor and three-factor authentication schemes. Inter-category and intra-category comparison has been performed for these schemes and based on the derived results we propose future directions and recommendations that can be very helpful to the researchers who work on the design and implementation of authentication protocols.

Monitoring anonymous HIV testing in Estonia from 2005 to 2015.

PubMed

Rüütel, K; Kallavus, K; Tomera, I

2018-02-01

In Estonia, a network of anonymous and free of charge HIV testing sites has been operating since 1988. Services are provided by health care organizations and financed by the National Institute for Health Development from the state budget. The objective of this analysis was to assess anonymous HIV testing in Estonia from 2005 to 2015. We used data collected from the National Institute for Health Development's annual reports, Health Board and Estonian Health Insurance Fund. In Estonia, more than 200 000 HIV-tests are performed annually, and of these approximately 5-6% are within anonymous HIV testing sites. The percentage tested with rapid tests in anonymous testing sites has increased from 15% in 2010 to 53% in 2015. Furthermore, up to 65% of all newly diagnosed HIV-cases have been detected in these sites. The proportion of HIV-positive tests has decreased from 3.8% to 0.5% in anonymous testing sites and from 0.3% to 0.1% in general health care. Simultaneously, the cost of detecting one new HIV case has increased almost six times. This analysis reveals that anonymous HIV testing services are well accepted by the general population as well as vulnerable populations. The positivity rate among those tested in anonymous testing sites remains higher than among all people tested, showing that the sites reach more of those who are at higher risk of HIV. In the light of decreasing positivity rate, more attention should be paid to people with higher HIV risk and increasing access to testing in community based settings. © 2018 British HIV Association.

Prevalence and characteristics of gastrointestinal infections in men who have sex with men diagnosed with rectal chlamydia infection in the UK: an 'unlinked anonymous' cross-sectional study.

PubMed

Hughes, Gwenda; Silalang, Panida; Were, John; Patel, Hemanti; Childs, Tristan; Alexander, Sarah; Duffell, Stephen; Saxon, Cara; Ison, Cathy; Mitchell, Holly; Field, Nigel; Jenkins, Claire

2017-03-30

Gastrointestinal infections (GII) can cause serious ill health and morbidity. Although primarily transmitted through faecal contamination of food or water, transmission through sexual activity is well described, especially among men who have sex with men (MSM). We investigated the prevalence of GIIs among a convenience sample of MSM who were consecutively diagnosed with rectal Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) at 12 UK genitourinary medicine clinics during 10 weeks in 2012. Residual rectal swabs were coded, anonymised and tested for Shigella , Campylobacter , Salmonella , shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli and enteroaggregative E. coli (EAEC) using a real-time PCR. Results were linked to respective coded and anonymised clinical and demographic data. Associations were investigated using Fisher's exact tests. Of 444 specimens tested, overall GII prevalence was 8.6% (95% CI 6.3% to 11.6%): 1.8% (0.9% to 3.6%) tested positive for Shigella , 1.8% (0.9% to 3.6%) for Campylobacter and 5.2% (3.5% to 7.7%) for EAEC. No specimens tested positive for Salmonella or other diarrhoeagenic E. coli pathotypes. Among those with any GII, 14/30 were asymptomatic (2/7 with Shigella, 3/6 with Campylobacter and 9/17 with EAEC). Shigella prevalence was higher in MSM who were HIV-positive (4.7% (2.1% to 10.2%) vs 0.5%(0.1% to 3.2%) in HIV-negative MSM; p=0.01). In this small feasibility study, MSM with rectal CT appeared to be at appreciable risk of GII. Asymptomatic carriage may play a role in sexual transmission of GII. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.

L’eggo My Ego: Reducing the Gender Gap in Math by Unlinking the Self from Performance

PubMed Central

Zhang, Shen; Schmader, Toni; Hall, William M.

2012-01-01

Stereotype threat can vary in source, with targets being threatened at the individual and/or group level. This study examines specifically the role of self-reputational threat in women’s underperformance in mathematics. A pilot study shows that women report concerns about experiencing self-reputational threat that are distinct from group threat in the domain of mathematics. In the main study, we manipulated whether performance was linked to the self by asking both men and women to complete a math test using either their real name or a fictitious name. Women who used a fictitious name, and thus had their self unlinked from the math test, showed significantly higher math performance and reported less self-threat and distraction, relative to those who used their real names. Men were unaffected by the manipulation. These findings suggest that women’s impaired math performance is often due to the threat of confirming a negative stereotype as being true of the self. The implications for understanding the different types of threats faced by stereotyped groups, particularly among women in math settings, are discussed. PMID:24223027

Mendel: a simple excel workbook to compare the observed and expected distributions of genotypes/phenotypes in transgenic and knockout mouse crosses involving up to three unlinked loci by means of a χ2 test.

PubMed

Montoliu, Lluís

2012-06-01

The analysis of transgenic and knockout mice always involves the establishment of matings with individuals carrying different loci, segregating independently, whose presence is expected among the progeny, according to a Mendelian distribution. The appearance of distorted inheritance ratios suggests the existence of unexpected lethal or sub-lethal phenotypes associated with some genotypes. These situations are common in a number of cases, including: testing transgenic founder mice for germ-line transmission of their transgenes; setting up heterozygous crosses to obtain homozygous individuals, both for transgenic and knockout mice; establishing matings between floxed mouse lines and suitable cre transgenic mouse lines, etc. The Pearson's χ(2) test can be used to assess the significance of the observed frequencies of genotypes/phenotypes in relation to the expected values, in order to determine whether the observed cases fit the expected distribution. Here, I describe a simple Excel workbook to compare the observed and expected distributions of genotypes/phenotypes in transgenic and knockout mouse crosses involving up to three unlinked loci by means of a χ(2) test. The file is freely available for download from my laboratory's web page at: http://www.cnb.csic.es/~montoliu/Mendel.xls .

Protecting Privacy Using k-Anonymity

PubMed Central

El Emam, Khaled; Dankar, Fida Kamal

2008-01-01

Objective There is increasing pressure to share health information and even make it publicly available. However, such disclosures of personal health information raise serious privacy concerns. To alleviate such concerns, it is possible to anonymize the data before disclosure. One popular anonymization approach is k-anonymity. There have been no evaluations of the actual re-identification probability of k-anonymized data sets. Design Through a simulation, we evaluated the re-identification risk of k-anonymization and three different improvements on three large data sets. Measurement Re-identification probability is measured under two different re-identification scenarios. Information loss is measured by the commonly used discernability metric. Results For one of the re-identification scenarios, k-Anonymity consistently over-anonymizes data sets, with this over-anonymization being most pronounced with small sampling fractions. Over-anonymization results in excessive distortions to the data (i.e., high information loss), making the data less useful for subsequent analysis. We found that a hypothesis testing approach provided the best control over re-identification risk and reduces the extent of information loss compared to baseline k-anonymity. Conclusion Guidelines are provided on when to use the hypothesis testing approach instead of baseline k-anonymity. PMID:18579830

Revisiting the Strange Stories: Revealing Mentalizing Impairments in Autism

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

White, Sarah; Hill, Elisabeth; Happe, Francesca; Frith, Uta

2009-01-01

A test of advanced theory of mind (ToM), first introduced by F. Happe (1994), was adapted for children (mental, human, animal, and nature stories plus unlinked sentences). These materials were closely matched for difficulty and were presented to forty-five 7- to 12-year-olds with autism and 27 control children. Children with autism who showed ToM…

Pathogenicity Island-Directed Transfer of Unlinked Chromosomal Virulence Genes

PubMed Central

Chen, John; Ram, Geeta; Penadés, José R.; Brown, Stuart; Novick, Richard P.

2014-01-01

Summary In recent decades, the notorious pathogen Staphylococcus aureus has become progressively more contagious, more virulent and more resistant to antibiotics. This implies a rather dynamic evolutionary capability, representing a remarkable level of genomic plasticity, most probably maintained by horizontal gene transfer. Here we report that the staphylococcal pathogenicity islands have a dual role in gene transfer: they not only mediate their own transfer, but they can independently direct the transfer of unlinked chromosomal segments containing virulence genes. While transfer of the island itself requires specific helper phages, transfer of unlinked chromosomal segments does not, so that potentially any pac-type phage will serve. These results reveal that SaPIs can increase the horizontal exchange of accessory genes associated with disease, and may shape pathogen genomes beyond the confines of their attachment sites. PMID:25498143

Privacy Preserved and Secured Reliable Routing Protocol for Wireless Mesh Networks.

PubMed

Meganathan, Navamani Thandava; Palanichamy, Yogesh

2015-01-01

Privacy preservation and security provision against internal attacks in wireless mesh networks (WMNs) are more demanding than in wired networks due to the open nature and mobility of certain nodes in the network. Several schemes have been proposed to preserve privacy and provide security in WMNs. To provide complete privacy protection in WMNs, the properties of unobservability, unlinkability, and anonymity are to be ensured during route discovery. These properties can be achieved by implementing group signature and ID-based encryption schemes during route discovery. Due to the characteristics of WMNs, it is more vulnerable to many network layer attacks. Hence, a strong protection is needed to avoid these attacks and this can be achieved by introducing a new Cross-Layer and Subject Logic based Dynamic Reputation (CLSL-DR) mechanism during route discovery. In this paper, we propose a new Privacy preserved and Secured Reliable Routing (PSRR) protocol for WMNs. This protocol incorporates group signature, ID-based encryption schemes, and CLSL-DR mechanism to ensure strong privacy, security, and reliability in WMNs. Simulation results prove this by showing better performance in terms of most of the chosen parameters than the existing protocols.

Infection control practices in health care: Teaching and learning requirements of medical undergraduates.

PubMed

Ayub, Afreen; Goyal, Ashish; Kotwal, Anupam; Kulkarni, Aniket; Kotwal, Atul; Mahen, Ajoy

2013-04-01

Compliance and implementation of infection control guidelines have been recognized as efficient means to prevent and control hospital acquired infections. To evaluate knowledge and practices about infection control guidelines amongst medical students and to explore their education needs as perceived by them and faculty. A total of 160 final year students and 100 faculty members of one of the top medical colleges in India were selected by simple random sampling in each group as per sample size of 143 students (alpha 0.05, error 7%, prevalence 60%) and 99 (error 7.5%) faculty. Data collected by pilot-tested, unlinked, anonymous questionnaire. Amongst students, knowledge (77.50%; 95% CI, 70.24-83.72) was mixed with misconceptions. Only 31.25% always followed hand hygiene procedure; 50% recapped needles; disposal of hazardous material into designated containers always was low (sharps 20%, contaminated items 25%). Despite experiencing needle stick injury (6.25%) and splashes (40%), less than 30% reported these as 44% were unaware of reporting procedure. The discord between the perceptions of faculty regarding students and students' own perceptions was clearly evident (all Kappa values less than 0.50). Students and faculty agreed on workshops (58.13% and 58%) and reinforcement by colleagues (51% and 54%) but not on on-job training (51% and 34%) and part of curriculum (48% and 40%) for teaching-learning infection control. Tackling disconnect between students and faculty perceptions and empowering students with knowledge and skills in infection control is important. Approach needs to be researched and formulated as current methods seem to be inadequate.

Estimating the Burden of Leptospirosis among Febrile Subjects Aged below 20 Years in Kampong Cham Communities, Cambodia, 2007-2009

PubMed Central

Hem, Sopheak; Ly, Sowath; Votsi, Irene; Vogt, Florian; Asgari, Nima; Buchy, Philippe; Heng, Seiha; Picardeau, Mathieu; Sok, Touch; Ly, Sovann; Huy, Rekol; Guillard, Bertrand; Cauchemez, Simon; Tarantola, Arnaud

2016-01-01

Background Leptospirosis is an emerging but neglected public health challenge in the Asia/Pacific Region with an annual incidence estimated at 10–100 per 100,000 population. No accurate data, however, are available for at-risk rural Cambodian communities. Method We conducted anonymous, unlinked testing for IgM antibodies to Leptospira spp. on paired sera of Cambodian patients <20 years of age between 2007–2009 collected through active, community-based surveillance for febrile illnesses in a convenience sample of 27 rural and semi-rural villages in four districts of Kampong Cham province, Cambodia. Leptospirosis testing was done on paired serological samples negative for Dengue, Japanese encephalitis and Chikungunya viruses after random selection. Convalescent samples found positive while initial samples were negative were considered as proof of acute infection. We then applied a mathematical model to estimate the risk of fever caused by leptospirosis, dengue or other causes in rural Cambodia. Results A total of 630 samples are coming from a randomly selected subset of 2358 samples. IgM positive were found on the convalescent serum sample, among which 100 (15.8%) samples were IgM negative on an earlier sample. Seventeen of these 100 seroconversions were confirmed using a Microagglutination Test. We estimated the probability of having a fever due to leptospirosis at 1. 03% (95% Credible Interval CI: 0. 95%–1. 22%) per semester. In comparison, this probability was 2. 61% (95% CI: 2. 55%, 2. 83%) for dengue and 17. 65% (95% CI: 17. 49%, 18. 08%) for other causes. Conclusion Our data from febrile cases aged below 20 years suggest that the burden of leptospirosis is high in rural Cambodian communities. This is especially true during the rainy season, even in the absence of identified epidemics. PMID:27043016

Application of EU tissue and cell directive screening protocols to anonymous oocyte donors in western Ukraine: data from an Irish IVF programme.

PubMed

Walsh, A P H; Omar, A B; Collins, G S; Murray, G U; Walsh, D J; Salma, U; Sills, E Scott

2010-01-01

Anonymous oocyte donation in the EU proceeds only after rigorous screening designed to ensure gamete safety. If anonymous donor gametes originating from outside EU territory are used by EU patients, donor testing must conform to the same standards as if gamete procurement had occurred in the EU. In Ireland, IVF recipients can be matched to anonymous donors in the Ukraine (a non-EU country). This investigation describes the evolution of anonymous oocyte donor screening methods during this period and associated results. Data were reviewed for all participants in an anonymous donor oocyte IVF programme from 2006 to 2009, when testing consistent with contemporary EU screening requirements was performed on all Ukrainian oocyte donors. HIV and hepatitis tests were aggregated from 314 anonymous oocyte donors and 265 recipients. The results included 5,524 Ukrainian women who were interviewed and 314 of these entered the programme (5.7% accession rate). Mean age of anonymous oocyte donors was 27.9 years; all had achieved at least one delivery. No case of hepatitis or HIV was detected at initial screening or at oocyte procurement. This is the first study of HIV and hepatitis incidence specifically among Ukrainian oocyte donors. We find anonymous oocyte donors to be a low-risk group, despite a high background HIV rate. Following full disclosure of the donation process, most Ukrainian women wishing to volunteer as anonymous oocyte donors do not participate. Current EU screening requirements appear adequate to maintain patient safety in the context of anonymous donor oocyte IVF.

Empirical Bayes Estimation of Coalescence Times from Nucleotide Sequence Data.

PubMed

King, Leandra; Wakeley, John

2016-09-01

We demonstrate the advantages of using information at many unlinked loci to better calibrate estimates of the time to the most recent common ancestor (TMRCA) at a given locus. To this end, we apply a simple empirical Bayes method to estimate the TMRCA. This method is both asymptotically optimal, in the sense that the estimator converges to the true value when the number of unlinked loci for which we have information is large, and has the advantage of not making any assumptions about demographic history. The algorithm works as follows: we first split the sample at each locus into inferred left and right clades to obtain many estimates of the TMRCA, which we can average to obtain an initial estimate of the TMRCA. We then use nucleotide sequence data from other unlinked loci to form an empirical distribution that we can use to improve this initial estimate. Copyright © 2016 by the Genetics Society of America.

Consumer preferences for the predictive genetic test for Alzheimer disease.

PubMed

Huang, Ming-Yi; Huston, Sally A; Perri, Matthew

2014-04-01

The purpose of this study was to assess consumer preferences for predictive genetic testing for Alzheimer disease in the United States. A rating conjoint analysis was conducted using an anonymous online survey distributed by Qualtrics to a general population panel in April 2011 in the United States. The study design included three attributes: Accuracy (40%, 80%, and 100%), Treatment Availability (Cure is available/Drug for symptom relief but no cure), and Anonymity (Anonymous/Not anonymous). A total of 12 scenarios were used to elicit people's preference, assessed by an 11-point scale. The respondents also indicated their highest willingness-to-pay (WTP) for each scenario through open-ended questions. A total of 295 responses were collected over 4 days. The most important attribute for the aggregate model was Accuracy, contributing 64.73% to the preference rating. Treatment Availability and Anonymity contributed 20.72% and 14.59%, respectively, to the preference rating. The median WTP for the highest-rating scenario (Accuracy 100%, a cure is available, test result is anonymous) was $100 (mean = $276). The median WTP for the lowest-rating scenario (40% accuracy, no cure but drugs for symptom relief, not anonymous) was zero (mean = $34). The results of this study highlight attributes people find important when making the hypothetical decision to obtain an AD genetic test. These results should be of interests to policy makers, genetic test developers and health care providers.

Anonymization of DICOM Electronic Medical Records for Radiation Therapy

PubMed Central

Newhauser, Wayne; Jones, Timothy; Swerdloff, Stuart; Newhauser, Warren; Cilia, Mark; Carver, Robert; Halloran, Andy; Zhang, Rui

2014-01-01

Electronic medical records (EMR) and treatment plans are used in research on patient outcomes and radiation effects. In many situations researchers must remove protected health information (PHI) from EMRs. The literature contains several studies describing the anonymization of generic Digital Imaging and Communication in Medicine (DICOM) files and DICOM image sets but no publications were found that discuss the anonymization of DICOM radiation therapy plans, a key component of an EMR in a cancer clinic. In addition to this we were unable to find a commercial software tool that met the minimum requirements for anonymization and preservation of data integrity for radiation therapy research. The purpose of this study was to develop a prototype software code to meet the requirements for the anonymization of radiation therapy treatment plans and to develop a way to validate that code and demonstrate that it properly anonymized treatment plans and preserved data integrity. We extended an open-source code to process all relevant PHI and to allow for the automatic anonymization of multiple EMRs. The prototype code successfully anonymized multiple treatment plans in less than 1 minute per patient. We also tested commercial optical character recognition (OCR) algorithms for the detection of burned-in text on the images, but they were unable to reliably recognize text. In addition, we developed and tested an image filtering algorithm that allowed us to isolate and redact alpha-numeric text from a test radiograph. Validation tests verified that PHI was anonymized and data integrity, such as the relationship between DICOM unique identifiers (UID) was preserved. PMID:25147130

Anonymization of DICOM electronic medical records for radiation therapy.

PubMed

Newhauser, Wayne; Jones, Timothy; Swerdloff, Stuart; Newhauser, Warren; Cilia, Mark; Carver, Robert; Halloran, Andy; Zhang, Rui

2014-10-01

Electronic medical records (EMR) and treatment plans are used in research on patient outcomes and radiation effects. In many situations researchers must remove protected health information (PHI) from EMRs. The literature contains several studies describing the anonymization of generic Digital Imaging and Communication in Medicine (DICOM) files and DICOM image sets but no publications were found that discuss the anonymization of DICOM radiation therapy plans, a key component of an EMR in a cancer clinic. In addition to this we were unable to find a commercial software tool that met the minimum requirements for anonymization and preservation of data integrity for radiation therapy research. The purpose of this study was to develop a prototype software code to meet the requirements for the anonymization of radiation therapy treatment plans and to develop a way to validate that code and demonstrate that it properly anonymized treatment plans and preserved data integrity. We extended an open-source code to process all relevant PHI and to allow for the automatic anonymization of multiple EMRs. The prototype code successfully anonymized multiple treatment plans in less than 1min/patient. We also tested commercial optical character recognition (OCR) algorithms for the detection of burned-in text on the images, but they were unable to reliably recognize text. In addition, we developed and tested an image filtering algorithm that allowed us to isolate and redact alpha-numeric text from a test radiograph. Validation tests verified that PHI was anonymized and data integrity, such as the relationship between DICOM unique identifiers (UID) was preserved. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Attitudes and practice of genetic counselors regarding anonymous testing for BRCA1/2.

PubMed

Ader, Tammy; Susswein, Lisa R; Callanan, Nancy P; Evans, James P

2009-12-01

Patients and clinicians alike view anonymous testing as a potential way to avoid perceived risks of genetic testing such as insurance and employment discrimination and the potential loss of privacy. To assess their experience with and attitudes towards anonymous testing for BRCA1/2, genetic counselors were invited to complete an internet-based survey via the NSGC Familial Cancer Risk Counseling Special Interest Group (FCRC-SIG) listerv. A majority of the 115 respondents (70%) had received requests from patients for anonymous BRCA1/2 testing at some point in their careers and 43% complied with this request. Most counselors, however, encountered such requests infrequently, 1-5 times per year. Although genetic counselors do not generally encourage anonymous testing and over a third of respondents feel it should never be offered, a substantial subset support its use under specific circumstances. In general, a strong consensus exists among counselors that anonymous testing should not be offered routinely. In light of the current legislative landscape, it is of note that a substantial proportion of respondents (42.7%) cited the threat of life insurance discrimination as a reason for pursuing AT, and fewer cited health insurance (30.0%) or employment discrimination (29.1%) as justifications. Since there exists no federal legislative protections against discrimination by life insurance companies, it makes sense that genetic counselors were more responsive to this issue as opposed to the threat of discrimination in health insurance and employment.

Single-molecule study of DNA unlinking by eukaryotic and prokaryotic type-II topoisomerases

PubMed Central

Charvin, G.; Bensimon, D.; Croquette, V.

2003-01-01

Type-II topoisomerases are responsible for untangling DNA during replication by removing supercoiled and interlinked DNA structures. Using a single-molecule micromanipulation setup, we follow the real-time decatenation of two mechanically braided DNA molecules by Drosophila melanogaster topoisomerase (Topo) II and Escherichia coli Topo IV. Although Topo II relaxes left-handed (L) and right-handed (R-) braids similarly at a rate of ≈2.9 s–1, Topo IV has a marked preference for L-braids, which it relaxes completely and processively at a rate of ≈2.4 s–1. However, Topo IV can unlink R-braids at about half that rate when they supercoil to form L-plectonemes. These results imply that the preferred substrate for unlinking by Topo IV has the symmetry of an L-crossing and shed new light on the decatenation of daughter strands during DNA replication, which are usually assumed to be linked in an R-braid. PMID:12902541

Recipient screening in IVF: first data from women undergoing anonymous oocyte donation in Dublin.

PubMed

Walsh, Anthony P H; Omar, Ahmed B; Marron, Kevin D; Walsh, David J; Salma, Umme; Sills, E Scott

2011-04-20

Guidelines for safe gamete donation have emphasised donor screening, although none exist specifically for testing oocyte recipients. Pre-treatment assessment of anonymous donor oocyte IVF treatment in Ireland must comply with the European Union Tissues and Cells Directive (Directive 2004/23/EC). To determine the effectiveness of this Directive when applied to anonymous oocyte recipients in IVF, we reviewed data derived from selected screening tests performed in this clinical setting. Data from tests conducted at baseline for all women enrolling as recipients (n = 225) in the anonymous oocyte donor IVF programme at an urban IVF referral centre during a 24-month period were analysed. Patient age at programme entry and clinical pregnancy rate were also tabulated. All recipients had at least one prior negative test for HIV, Hepatitis B/C, chlamydia, gonorrhoea and syphilis performed by her GP or other primary care provider before reproductive endocrinology consultation. Mean (±SD) age for donor egg IVF recipients was 40.7 ± 4.2 yrs. No baseline positive chlamydia, gonorrhoea or syphilis screening results were identified among recipients for anonymous oocyte donation IVF during the assessment interval. Mean pregnancy rate (per embryo transfer) in this group was 50.5%. When tests for HIV, Hepatitis B/C, chlamydia, gonorrhoea and syphilis already have been confirmed to be negative before starting the anonymous donor oocyte IVF sequence, additional (repeat) testing on the recipient contributes no new clinical information that would influence treatment in this setting. Patient safety does not appear to be enhanced by application of Directive 2004/23/EC to recipients of anonymous donor oocyte IVF treatment. Given the absence of evidence to quantify risk, this practice is difficult to justify when applied to this low-risk population.

A description of HIV prevalence trends in Nigeria from 2001 to 2010: what is the progress, where is the problem?

PubMed Central

Bashorun, Adebobola; Nguku, Patrick; Kawu, Issa; Ngige, Evelyn; Ogundiran, Adeniyi; Sabitu, Kabir; Nasidi, Abdulsalam; Nsubuga, Peter

2014-01-01

Introduction Nigeria's population of 160 million and estimated HIV prevalence of 3.34% (2011) makes Nigeria the second highest HIV burden worldwide, with 3.2 million people living with HIV (PLHIV). In 2010, US government spent about US$456.5 million on the Nigerian epidemic. Antenatal clinic (ANC) HIV sero-prevalence sentinel survey has been conducted biennially in Nigeria since 1991 to track the epidemic. This study looked at the trends of HIV in Nigeria over the last decade to identify progress and needs. Methods We conducted description of HIV sero-prevalence sentinel cross-sectional surveys conducted among pregnant women attending ANC from 2001 to 2010, which uses consecutive sampling and unlinked-anonymous HIV testing (UAT) in160 sentinel facilities. 36,000 blood samples were collected and tested. We used Epi-Info to determine national and state HIV prevalence and trends. The Estimation and Projection Package with Spectrum were used to estimate/project the burden of infection. Results National ANC HIV prevalence rose from 1.8% (1991) to 5.8% (2001) and dropped to 4.1% (2010). Since 2001, states in the center, and south of Nigeria had higher prevalence than the rest, with Benue and Cross Rivers notable. Benue was highest in 2001 (14%), 2005 (10%), and 2010 (12.7%). Overall, eight states (21.6%) showed increased HIV prevalence while six states (16.2%) had an absolute reduction of at least 2% from 2001 to 2010. In 2010, Nigeria was estimated to have 3.19 million PLHIV, with the general population prevalence projected to drop from 3.34% in 2011 to 3.27% in 2012. Conclusion Examining a decade of HIV ANC surveillance in Nigeria revealed important differences in the epidemic in states that need to be examined further to reveal key drivers that can be used to target future interventions. PMID:25328622

A description of HIV prevalence trends in Nigeria from 2001 to 2010: what is the progress, where is the problem?

PubMed

Bashorun, Adebobola; Nguku, Patrick; Kawu, Issa; Ngige, Evelyn; Ogundiran, Adeniyi; Sabitu, Kabir; Nasidi, Abdulsalam; Nsubuga, Peter

2014-01-01

Nigeria's population of 160 million and estimated HIV prevalence of 3.34% (2011) makes Nigeria the second highest HIV burden worldwide, with 3.2 million people living with HIV (PLHIV). In 2010, US government spent about US$456.5 million on the Nigerian epidemic. Antenatal clinic (ANC) HIV sero-prevalence sentinel survey has been conducted biennially in Nigeria since 1991 to track the epidemic. This study looked at the trends of HIV in Nigeria over the last decade to identify progress and needs. We conducted description of HIV sero-prevalence sentinel cross-sectional surveys conducted among pregnant women attending ANC from 2001 to 2010, which uses consecutive sampling and unlinked-anonymous HIV testing (UAT) in 160 sentinel facilities. 36,000 blood samples were collected and tested. We used Epi-Info to determine national and state HIV prevalence and trends. The Estimation and Projection Package with Spectrum were used to estimate/project the burden of infection. National ANC HIV prevalence rose from 1.8% (1991) to 5.8% (2001) and dropped to 4.1% (2010). Since 2001, states in the center, and south of Nigeria had higher prevalence than the rest, with Benue and Cross Rivers notable. Benue was highest in 2001 (14%), 2005 (10%), and 2010 (12.7%). Overall, eight states (21.6%) showed increased HIV prevalence while six states (16.2%) had an absolute reduction of at least 2% from 2001 to 2010. In 2010, Nigeria was estimated to have 3.19 million PLHIV, with the general population prevalence projected to drop from 3.34% in 2011 to 3.27% in 2012. Examining a decade of HIV ANC surveillance in Nigeria revealed important differences in the epidemic in states that need to be examined further to reveal key drivers that can be used to target future interventions.

Cloud-assisted mutual authentication and privacy preservation protocol for telecare medical information systems.

PubMed

Li, Chun-Ta; Shih, Dong-Her; Wang, Chun-Cheng

2018-04-01

 With the rapid development of wireless communication technologies and the growing prevalence of smart devices, telecare medical information system (TMIS) allows patients to receive medical treatments from the doctors via Internet technology without visiting hospitals in person. By adopting mobile device, cloud-assisted platform and wireless body area network, the patients can collect their physiological conditions and upload them to medical cloud via their mobile devices, enabling caregivers or doctors to provide patients with appropriate treatments at anytime and anywhere. In order to protect the medical privacy of the patient and guarantee reliability of the system, before accessing the TMIS, all system participants must be authenticated.  Mohit et al. recently suggested a lightweight authentication protocol for cloud-based health care system. They claimed their protocol ensures resilience of all well-known security attacks and has several important features such as mutual authentication and patient anonymity. In this paper, we demonstrate that Mohit et al.'s authentication protocol has various security flaws and we further introduce an enhanced version of their protocol for cloud-assisted TMIS, which can ensure patient anonymity and patient unlinkability and prevent the security threats of report revelation and report forgery attacks.  The security analysis proves that our enhanced protocol is secure against various known attacks as well as found in Mohit et al.'s protocol. Compared with existing related protocols, our enhanced protocol keeps the merits of all desirable security requirements and also maintains the efficiency in terms of computation costs for cloud-assisted TMIS.  We propose a more secure mutual authentication and privacy preservation protocol for cloud-assisted TMIS, which fixes the mentioned security weaknesses found in Mohit et al.'s protocol. According to our analysis, our authentication protocol satisfies most functionality features for privacy preservation and effectively cope with cloud-assisted TMIS with better efficiency. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Describing the linkages of the immigration, refugees and citizenship Canada permanent resident data and vital statistics death registry to Ontario's administrative health database.

PubMed

Chiu, Maria; Lebenbaum, Michael; Lam, Kelvin; Chong, Nelson; Azimaee, Mahmoud; Iron, Karey; Manuel, Doug; Guttmann, Astrid

2016-10-21

Ontario, the most populous province in Canada, has a universal healthcare system that routinely collects health administrative data on its 13 million legal residents that is used for health research. Record linkage has become a vital tool for this research by enriching this data with the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada Permanent Resident (IRCC-PR) database and the Office of the Registrar General's Vital Statistics-Death (ORG-VSD) registry. Our objectives were to estimate linkage rates and compare characteristics of individuals in the linked versus unlinked files. We used both deterministic and probabilistic linkage methods to link the IRCC-PR database (1985-2012) and ORG-VSD registry (1990-2012) to the Ontario's Registered Persons Database. Linkage rates were estimated and standardized differences were used to assess differences in socio-demographic and other characteristics between the linked and unlinked records. The overall linkage rates for the IRCC-PR database and ORG-VSD registry were 86.4 and 96.2 %, respectively. The majority (68.2 %) of the record linkages in IRCC-PR were achieved after three deterministic passes, 18.2 % were linked probabilistically, and 13.6 % were unlinked. Similarly the majority (79.8 %) of the record linkages in the ORG-VSD were linked using deterministic record linkage, 16.3 % were linked after probabilistic and manual review, and 3.9 % were unlinked. Unlinked and linked files were similar for most characteristics, such as age and marital status for IRCC-PR and sex and most causes of death for ORG-VSD. However, lower linkage rates were observed among people born in East Asia (78 %) in the IRCC-PR database and certain causes of death in the ORG-VSD registry, namely perinatal conditions (61.3 %) and congenital anomalies (81.3 %). The linkages of immigration and vital statistics data to existing population-based healthcare data in Ontario, Canada will enable many novel cross-sectional and longitudinal studies to be conducted. Analytic techniques to account for sub-optimal linkage rates may be required in studies of certain ethnic groups or certain causes of death among children and infants.

Genetic heterogeneity of Usher syndrome type II: localisation to chromosome 5q.

PubMed

Pieke-Dahl, S; Möller, C G; Kelley, P M; Astuto, L M; Cremers, C W; Gorin, M B; Kimberling, W J

2000-04-01

Usher syndrome is a group of autosomal recessive disorders that includes retinitis pigmentosa (RP) with hearing loss. Usher syndrome type II is defined as moderate to severe hearing loss with RP. The USH2A gene at 1q41 has been isolated and characterised. In 1993, a large Usher II family affected with a mild form of RP was found to be unlinked to 1q41 markers. Subsequent linkage studies of families in our Usher series identified several type II families unlinked to USH2A and USH3 on 3q25. After a second unlinked family with many affected members and a mild retinal phenotype was discovered, a genome search using these two large families showed another Usher II locus on 5q (two point lod = 3.1 at D5S484). To date, we have identified nine unrelated 5q linked families (maximum combined multipoint lod = 5.86) as well as three Usher II families that show no significant linkage to any known Usher loci. Haplotype analysis of 5q markers indicates that the new locus is flanked by D5S428 and D5S433. Review of ophthalmological data suggests that RP symptoms are milder in 5q linked families; the RP is often not diagnosed until patients near their third decade. Enamel hypoplasia and severe, very early onset RP were observed in two of the three unlinked families; dental anomalies have not been previously described as a feature of Usher type II.

Detecting introgressive hybridization between free-ranging domestic dogs and wild wolves (Canis lupus) by admixture linkage disequilibrium analysis.

PubMed

Verardi, A; Lucchini, V; Randi, E

2006-09-01

Occasional crossbreeding between free-ranging domestic dogs and wild wolves (Canis lupus) has been detected in some European countries by mitochondrial DNA sequencing and genotyping unlinked microsatellite loci. Maternal and unlinked genomic markers, however, might underestimate the extent of introgressive hybridization, and their impacts on the preservation of wild wolf gene pools. In this study, we genotyped 220 presumed Italian wolves, 85 dogs and 7 known hybrids at 16 microsatellites belonging to four different linkage groups (plus four unlinked microsatellites). Population clustering and individual assignments were performed using a Bayesian procedure implemented in structure 2.1, which models the gametic disequilibrium arising between linked loci during admixtures, aiming to trace hybridization events further back in time and infer the population of origin of chromosomal blocks. Results indicate that (i) linkage disequilibrium was higher in wolves than in dogs; (ii) 11 out of 220 wolves (5.0%) were likely admixed, a proportion that is significantly higher than one admixed genotype in 107 wolves found previously in a study using unlinked markers; (iii) posterior maximum-likelihood estimates of the recombination parameter r revealed that introgression in Italian wolves is not recent, but could have continued for the last 70 (+/- 20) generations, corresponding to approximately 140-210 years. Bayesian clustering showed that, despite some admixture, wolf and dog gene pools remain sharply distinct (the average proportions of membership to wolf and dog clusters were Q(w) = 0.95 and Q(d) = 0.98, respectively), suggesting that hybridization was not frequent, and that introgression in nature is counteracted by behavioural or selective constraints.

Anonymous or confidential HIV counseling and voluntary testing in federally funded testing sites--United States, 1995-1997.

PubMed

1999-06-25

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) counseling and voluntary testing (CT) programs have been an important part of national HIV prevention efforts since the first HIV antibody tests became available in 1985. In 1995, these programs accounted for approximately 15% of annual HIV antibody testing in the United States, excluding testing for blood donation. CT opportunities are offered to persons at risk for HIV infection at approximately 11,000 sites, including dedicated HIV CT sites, sexually transmitted disease (STD) clinics, drug-treatment centers, hospitals, and prisons. In 39 states, testing can be obtained anonymously, where persons do not have to give their name to get tested. All states provide confidential testing (by name) and have confidentiality laws and regulations to protect this information. This report compares patterns of anonymous and confidential testing in all federally funded CT programs from 1995 through 1997 and documents the importance of both types of testing opportunities.

Emergency medicine resident attitudes and perceptions of HIV testing before and after a focused training program and testing implementation.

PubMed

Hsieh, Yu-Hsiang; Jung, Julianna J; Shahan, Judy B; Moring-Parris, Daniel; Kelen, Gabor D; Rothman, Richard E

2009-11-01

The objectives were to determine attitudes and perceptions (A&P) of emergency medicine (EM) residents toward emergency department (ED) routine provider-driven rapid HIV testing services and the impact of both a focused training program (FTP) and implementation of HIV testing on A&P. A three-phase, consecutive, anonymous, identity-unlinked survey was conducted pre-FTP, post-FTP, and 6 months postimplementation. The survey was designed to assess residents' A&P using a five-point Likert scale. A preimplementation FTP provided both the rationale for the HIV testing program and the planned operational details of the intervention. The HIV testing program used only indigenous ED staff to deliver HIV testing as part of standard-of-care in an academic ED. The impact of the FTP and implementation on A&P were analyzed by multivariate regression analysis using generalized estimating equations to control for repeated measurements in the same individuals. A "favorable" A&P was operationally defined as a mean score of >3.5, "neutral" as mean score of 2.5 to 3.5, and "unfavorable" as mean score of <2.5. Thirty of 36 residents (83.3%) participated in all three phases. Areas of favorable A&P found in phase I and sustained through phases II and III included "ED serving as a testing venue" (score range = 3.7-4.1) and "emergency medicine physicians offering the test" (score range = 3.9-4.1). Areas of unfavorable and neutral A&P identified in phase I were all operational barriers and included required paperwork (score = 3.2), inadequate staff support (score = 2.2), counseling and referral requirements (score range = 2.2-3.1), and time requirements (score = 2.9). Following the FTP, significant increases in favorable A&P were observed with regard to impact of the intervention on modification of patient risk behaviors, decrease in rates of HIV transmission, availability of support staff, and self-confidence in counseling and referral (p < 0.05). At 6 months postimplementation, all A&P except for time requirements and lack of support staff scored favorably or neutral. During the study period, 388 patients were consented for and received HIV testing; six (1.5%) were newly confirmed HIV positive. Emergency medicine residents conceptually supported HIV testing services. Most A&P were favorably influenced by both the FTP and the implementation. All areas of negative A&P involved operational requirements, which may have influenced the low overall uptake of HIV testing during the study period. (c) 2009 by the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine.

New estradiol-linked nitrosoureas: can the pharmacokinetic properties help to explain the pharmacodynamic activities?

PubMed

Betsch, B; Berger, M R; Spiegelhalder, B; Eisenbrand, G; Schmähl, D

1989-01-01

The pharmacokinetics of 1-(2-chloroethyl)-1-nitrosocarbamoyl-L-alanine-estradiol-17-ester (CNC-alanine-estradiol-17-ester) a new estradiol-linked anticancer drug and the unlinked DNA-crosslinking agent 1-(2-chloroethyl)-1-nitrosocarbamoyl-L-alanine (CNC-alanine) have been studied in methylnitrosourea-induced female Sprague-Dawley rats after equimolar intravenous and oral administration. In comparison with the unlinked single agent, the CNC-alanine-estradiol-17-ester showed a 3-fold longer halflife in plasma and a three times larger volume of distribution. The distribution after intravenous administration was nearly three times faster. The absorption after peroral administration was likewise two times faster. The bioavailability of the estradiol-linked drug was determined to be 52%. After application of CNC-alanine-estradiol-17-ester the cytostatic metabolite CNC-alanine was found, indicating the cleavage of the ester bond. CNC-alanine generated from CNC-alanine-estradiol-17-ester showed a 50% longer halflife than when applied directly. The results indicate that linking 2-chloroethyl-nitrosoureas to estradiol can result in new anticancer agents with modified properties in comparison to the unlinked single agent. The higher antineoplastic activity of the hormone-linked drug can mainly be attributed to differences in the pharmacokinetic behaviour.

Toward a conditional approach to anonymity? An explorative multicenter longitudinal study among anonymous living kidney donors and recipients.

PubMed

Pronk, Mathilde C; Slaats, Dorthe; van der Pant, Karlijn A M I; Vervelde, Janneke; Dooper, Ine M; Dor, Frank J M F; Weimar, Willem; van de Wetering, Jacqueline; Zuidema, Willij C; Massey, Emma K

2017-12-01

Anonymity between living donors and recipients is a topic of discussion among transplant professionals. This longitudinal study explored living kidney donors' and patients' perspectives on anonymity. Prior to surgery (T0) and 3 months afterward (T1), participants in unspecified or specified indirect donation programs completed a questionnaire on their experiences with and attitudes toward anonymity as well as demographic and medical characteristics. Nonparametric tests were used to assess group differences and associations. Participants were content with anonymity at T0 and T1. Fourteen and 23% wanted to meet at T0 and T1, respectively. If the other party expressed the wish to meet, 50% (T0) and 55% (T1) would be willing to meet. Most participants agreed that meeting should be allowed if both parties agree. Attitude toward anonymity did not differ between donors/recipients, nor between T0/T1 and unspecified/specified indirect donation programs. This study showed that most donors and recipients who participated in anonymous donation schemes are in favor of a conditional approach to anonymity. Guidelines on how to revoke anonymity if both parties agree are needed and should include education about pros and cons of (non-) anonymity and a logistical plan on how, when, where, and by whom anonymity should be revoked. © 2017 Steunstichting ESOT.

RMS Cost Model User’s Manual

DTIC Science & Technology

1975-09-01

1TPLAX 00049650 PLAN ASSIGN 17,5 0004970U ENTER 1 00049750 ADVANCE MHIt6913) 0004983,) TABULATF 3 0G049850 TEST LF V139FN2,PLAL 000’.9900 PLAJ TEST NE P16...GATE LR V15,PLAM 00050300 TRANSFER ,FLTA 00050350 PLAN LEAVE 1 00050400 TRANSFER ,AAB 00050450 PLAK ASSIGN L99P11 00050500 REMOVE 28 00050550 ASSIGN...SFER RLAkA I’ , ,J PMCF L INK 27,FIFO I0 O - PMC6 ADVANCE MXl(IV32) 3006hO UNLINK 27,SMGQtltl4#Pl4 O~Of, c-71’n TRANSFER tPMCp 00066P’,) 84 PMCR SPLIT

Genetic heterogeneity of Usher syndrome type II.

PubMed Central

Pieke Dahl, S; Kimberling, W J; Gorin, M B; Weston, M D; Furman, J M; Pikus, A; Möller, C

1993-01-01

Usher syndrome is an autosomal recessive disorder characterised by retinitis pigmentosa and congenital sensorineural hearing loss. A gene for Usher syndrome type II (USH2) has been localised to chromosome 1q32-q41. DNA from a family with four of seven sibs affected with clinical characteristics of Usher syndrome type II was genotyped using markers spanning the 1q32-1q41 region. These included D1S70 and D1S81, which are believed to flank USH2. Genotypic results and subsequent linkage analysis indicated non-linkage of this family to these markers. The A test analysis for heterogeneity with this family and 32 other Usher type II families was statistically significant at p < 0.05. Further clinical evaluation of this family was done in light of the linkage results to determine if any phenotypic characteristics would allow for clinical identification of the unlinked type. No clear phenotypic differences were observed; however, this unlinked family may represent a previously unreported subtype of Usher type II characterised by a milder form of retinitis pigmentosa and mild vestibular abnormalities. Heterogeneity of Usher syndrome type II complicates efforts to isolate and clone Usher syndrome genes using linkage analysis and limits the use of DNA markers in early detection of Usher type II. Images PMID:7901420

Coordinated EV adoption: double-digit reductions in emissions and fuel use for $40/vehicle-year.

PubMed

Choi, Dong Gu; Kreikebaum, Frank; Thomas, Valerie M; Divan, Deepak

2013-09-17

Adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) would affect the costs and sources of electricity and the United States efficiency requirements for conventional vehicles (CVs). We model EV adoption scenarios in each of six regions of the Eastern Interconnection, containing 70% of the United States population. We develop electricity system optimization models at the multidecade, day-ahead, and hour-ahead time scales, incorporating spatial wind energy modeling, endogenous modeling of CV efficiencies, projections for EV efficiencies, and projected CV and EV costs. We find two means to reduce total consumer expenditure (TCE): (i) controlling charge timing and (ii) unlinking the fuel economy regulations for CVs from EVs. Although EVs provide minimal direct GHG reductions, controlled charging provides load flexibility, lowering the cost of renewable electricity. Without EVs, a 33% renewable electricity standard (RES) would cost $193/vehicle-year more than the reference case (10% RES). Combining a 33% RES, EVs with controlled charging and unlinking would reduce combined electric- and vehicle-sector CO2 emissions by 27% and reduce gasoline consumption by 59% for $40/vehicle-year more than the reference case. Coordinating EV adoption with adoption of controlled charging, unlinked fuel economy regulations, and renewable electricity standards would provide low-cost reductions in emissions and fuel usage.

Viral Linkage in HIV-1 Seroconverters and Their Partners in an HIV-1 Prevention Clinical Trial

PubMed Central

Campbell, Mary S.; Mullins, James I.; Hughes, James P.; Celum, Connie; Wong, Kim G.; Raugi, Dana N.; Sorensen, Stefanie; Stoddard, Julia N.; Zhao, Hong; Deng, Wenjie; Kahle, Erin; Panteleeff, Dana; Baeten, Jared M.; McCutchan, Francine E.; Albert, Jan; Leitner, Thomas; Wald, Anna; Corey, Lawrence; Lingappa, Jairam R.

2011-01-01

Background Characterization of viruses in HIV-1 transmission pairs will help identify biological determinants of infectiousness and evaluate candidate interventions to reduce transmission. Although HIV-1 sequencing is frequently used to substantiate linkage between newly HIV-1 infected individuals and their sexual partners in epidemiologic and forensic studies, viral sequencing is seldom applied in HIV-1 prevention trials. The Partners in Prevention HSV/HIV Transmission Study (ClinicalTrials.gov #NCT00194519) was a prospective randomized placebo-controlled trial that enrolled serodiscordant heterosexual couples to determine the efficacy of genital herpes suppression in reducing HIV-1 transmission; as part of the study analysis, HIV-1 sequences were examined for genetic linkage between seroconverters and their enrolled partners. Methodology/Principal Findings We obtained partial consensus HIV-1 env and gag sequences from blood plasma for 151 transmission pairs and performed deep sequencing of env in some cases. We analyzed sequences with phylogenetic techniques and developed a Bayesian algorithm to evaluate the probability of linkage. For linkage, we required monophyletic clustering between enrolled partners' sequences and a Bayesian posterior probability of ≥50%. Adjudicators classified each seroconversion, finding 108 (71.5%) linked, 40 (26.5%) unlinked, and 3 (2.0%) indeterminate transmissions, with linkage determined by consensus env sequencing in 91 (84%). Male seroconverters had a higher frequency of unlinked transmissions than female seroconverters. The likelihood of transmission from the enrolled partner was related to time on study, with increasing numbers of unlinked transmissions occurring after longer observation periods. Finally, baseline viral load was found to be significantly higher among linked transmitters. Conclusions/Significance In this first use of HIV-1 sequencing to establish endpoints in a large clinical trial, more than one-fourth of transmissions were unlinked to the enrolled partner, illustrating the relevance of these methods in the design of future HIV-1 prevention trials in serodiscordant couples. A hierarchy of sequencing techniques, analysis methods, and expert adjudication contributed to the linkage determination process. PMID:21399681

WindTalker: A P2P-Based Low-Latency Anonymous Communication Network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Jia; Duan, Haixin; Liu, Wu; Wu, Jianping

Compared with traditional static anonymous communication networks, the P2P architecture can provide higher anonymity in communication. However, the P2P architecture also leads to more challenges, such as route, stability, trust and so on. In this paper, we present WindTalker, a P2P-based low-latency anonymous communication network. It is a pure decentralized mix network and can provide low-latency services which help users hide their real identity in communication. In order to ensure stability and reliability, WindTalker imports “seed nodes” to help a peer join in the P2P network and the peer nodes can use gossip-based protocol to exchange active information. Moreover, WindTalker uses layer encryption to ensure the information of relayed messages cannot be leaked. In addition, malicious nodes in the network are the major threat to anonymity of P2P anonymous communication, so WindTalker imports a trust mechanism which can help the P2P network exclude malicious nodes and optimize the strategy of peer discovery, tunnel construction, and relaying etc. in anonymous communications. We deploy peer nodes of WindTalker in our campus network to test reliability and analyze anonymity in theory. The network measurement and simulation analysis shows that WindTalker can provide low-latency and reliable anonymous communication services.

Predictors of Bisexual Behaviour among MSM Attending Intervention Sites May Help in Prevention Interventions for This Bridge to the Heterosexual Epidemic in India: Data from HIV Sentinel Surveillance

PubMed Central

Godbole, Sheela; Sane, Suvarna; Kamble, Pranil; Raj, Yujwal; Dulhani, Nisha; Venkatesh, Srinivasan; Reddy, D. C. S.; Chavan, Laxmikant; Bhattacharya, Madhulekha; Bindoria, Suchitra; Kadam, Dilip; Thakur, Savita; Narwani, Prakash; Pereira, Elmira; Paranjape, Ramesh; Risbud, Arun

2014-01-01

Background Indian cultural tradition demanding marriage, many MSM howsoever they self-identify are likely to be married or have sex with women. To consolidate India's HIV prevention gains, it is important to understand and address the interaction between the MSM and heterosexual epidemics in India and create specific interventions for bisexual MSM. The challenge is to identify and intervene this hard to reach population. Data from HIV Sentinel Surveillance 2011 among MSM in four Indian states were analyzed to assess predictors and prevalence of bisexual behaviour in MSM. Methods Between March-May 2011, 4682 men (15–49 years) who had anal/oral sex with a male partner in the past month, attending intervention sites and consenting for an un-linked anonymous survey answered an 11- item questionnaire and provided blood for HIV test by finger stick at 19 designated surveillance sites. Results Of 4682 MSM tested overall, 5% were illiterate, 51% reported only receptive anal intercourse, 21% only penetrative and 28% both. 36% MSM had ever received money for sex. Overall 6.8% were HIV infected. 44% MSM were bisexual in the last six months. On multivariate analysis, ‘being bisexual’ was found to be independently associated with ‘older age’: 26–30 years [AOR = 3.1, 95% CI(2.7, 3.7)], >30 years [AOR = 6.5, 95% CI(5.5, 7.7)]; ‘reporting penetrative behaviour alone’ with other men [AOR = 5.8, 95% CI(4.8, 7.0), p<0.01] and ‘reporting both penetrative and receptive behaviour’ [AOR = 2.7, 95% CI(2.3, 3.1) p<0.01]. Those who both paid and received money for sex [AOR = 0.49, 95% CI (0.38, 0.62)] were significantly less likely to be bisexual. Conclusions A substantial proportion of men receiving services from Targeted Intervention programs are bisexual and the easy opportunity for intervention in this setting should be capitalised upon. Focusing on older MSM, as well as MSM who show penetrative behaviour with other men, could help in reaching this population. PMID:25211511

Predictors of bisexual behaviour among MSM attending intervention sites may help in prevention interventions for this bridge to the heterosexual epidemic in India: data from HIV sentinel surveillance.

PubMed

Godbole, Sheela; Sane, Suvarna; Kamble, Pranil; Raj, Yujwal; Dulhani, Nisha; Venkatesh, Srinivasan; Reddy, D C S; Chavan, Laxmikant; Bhattacharya, Madhulekha; Bindoria, Suchitra; Kadam, Dilip; Thakur, Savita; Narwani, Prakash; Pereira, Elmira; Paranjape, Ramesh; Risbud, Arun

2014-01-01

Indian cultural tradition demanding marriage, many MSM howsoever they self-identify are likely to be married or have sex with women. To consolidate India's HIV prevention gains, it is important to understand and address the interaction between the MSM and heterosexual epidemics in India and create specific interventions for bisexual MSM. The challenge is to identify and intervene this hard to reach population. Data from HIV Sentinel Surveillance 2011 among MSM in four Indian states were analyzed to assess predictors and prevalence of bisexual behaviour in MSM. Between March-May 2011, 4682 men (15-49 years) who had anal/oral sex with a male partner in the past month, attending intervention sites and consenting for an un-linked anonymous survey answered an 11- item questionnaire and provided blood for HIV test by finger stick at 19 designated surveillance sites. Of 4682 MSM tested overall, 5% were illiterate, 51% reported only receptive anal intercourse, 21% only penetrative and 28% both. 36% MSM had ever received money for sex. Overall 6.8% were HIV infected. 44% MSM were bisexual in the last six months. On multivariate analysis, 'being bisexual' was found to be independently associated with 'older age': 26-30 years [AOR = 3.1, 95% CI(2.7, 3.7)], >30 years [AOR = 6.5, 95% CI(5.5, 7.7)]; 'reporting penetrative behaviour alone' with other men [AOR = 5.8, 95% CI(4.8, 7.0), p<0.01] and 'reporting both penetrative and receptive behaviour' [AOR = 2.7, 95% CI(2.3, 3.1) p<0.01]. Those who both paid and received money for sex [AOR = 0.49, 95% CI (0.38, 0.62)] were significantly less likely to be bisexual. A substantial proportion of men receiving services from Targeted Intervention programs are bisexual and the easy opportunity for intervention in this setting should be capitalised upon. Focusing on older MSM, as well as MSM who show penetrative behaviour with other men, could help in reaching this population.

Induced change of formative processes in pepper (Capsicum annuum L. ). I. Effect of mutagenic treatment on the crossingover frequency of the linked and recombination of unlinked marker genes

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Samovol, A.P.

The effect of mutagenic treatment of the F/sub 1/ seeds of pepper on the crossingover frequency in the al/sub 2/-b segment, monohybrid and dihybrid segregation for the unlinked marker genes al/sub 2/ and pi was studied. It has been demonstrated that treatment leads to a significant reduction in the crossover frequency in the al/sub 2/-b zone. Highly significant differences between the control and individual treatment of the hybrid seeds indicated reduction in recombinations due to the mutagens used. A case of induced deviation in independent segregation of al/sub 2/ and pi, i.e., quasilinkage has been recorded.

Squarylium-triazine dyad as a highly sensitive photoradical generator for red light.

PubMed

Kawamura, Koichi; Schmitt, Julien; Barnet, Maxime; Salmi, Hanene; Ley, Christian; Allonas, Xavier

2013-09-16

New dyads, based on squarylium dye and substituted-triazine, were synthesized that exhibit an intramolecular photodissociative electron-transfer reaction. The compounds were used as a red-light photoradical generator. The photochemical activity of the dyad was compared to the corresponding unlinked systems (S+T) by determining the rate constant of electron transfer. The efficiency of the radical generation from the dyad compared to the unlinked system was demonstrated by measuring the maximum rate of free radical polymerization of acrylates in film. An excellent relationship between the rate of electron transfer and the rate of polymerization was found, evidencing the interest of this new approach to efficiently produce radicals under red light. Copyright © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Anonymous HIV testing: what does it mean in policy and practice? A case study in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.

PubMed

Hancock, Amanda; Gustafson, Diana L

2014-01-01

HIV infection is not a legally notifiable disease at the national level in Canada; however, provincial and territorial officials voluntarily undertake notification to the Public Health Agency of Canada. A case study involving four community-based sites in Newfoundland and Labrador found that the absence of clear legislation concerning HIV testing presented challenges for nurses who had to interpret and comply with provincial legislation and agency policy while meeting the needs of test-seekers. This ambiguous messaging is part of other conflicting information about the availability of anonymous HIV testing that, along with other factors, may contribute to under-testing and under-diagnosis in the province. From a social justice perspective, developing a national HIV strategy and amending legislation to facilitate anonymous HIV testing might provide clearer direction to nurses and agencies, and promote public health by improving service delivery and increasing testing in under-tested, higher-risk-taking populations. Copyright © 2014 Association of Nurses in AIDS Care. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

TopA, the Sulfolobus solfataricus topoisomerase III, is a decatenase

PubMed Central

Yang, Xi; Débat, Hélène; Fogg, Jonathan M; Zechiedrich, Lynn; Strick, Terence R; Garnier, Florence

2018-01-01

Abstract DNA topoisomerases are essential enzymes involved in all the DNA processes and among them, type IA topoisomerases emerged as a key actor in the maintenance of genome stability. The hyperthermophilic archaeon, Sulfolobus solfataricus, contains three topoisomerases IA including one classical named TopA. SsoTopA is very efficient at unlinking DNA catenanes, grouping SsoTopA into the topoisomerase III family. SsoTopA is active over a wide range of temperatures and at temperatures of up to 85°C it produces highly unwound DNA. At higher temperatures, SsoTopA unlinks the two DNA strands. Thus depending on the temperature, SsoTopA is able to either prevent or favor DNA melting. While canonical topoisomerases III require a single-stranded DNA region or a nick in one of the circles to decatenate them, we show for the first time that a type I topoisomerase, SsoTopA, is able to efficiently unlink covalently closed catenanes, with no additional partners. By using single molecule experiments we demonstrate that SsoTopA requires the presence of a short single-stranded DNA region to be efficient. The unexpected decatenation property of SsoTopA probably comes from its high ability to capture this unwound region. This points out a possible role of TopA in S. solfataricus as a decatenase in Sulfolobus. PMID:29253195

Anonymity and Electronics: Adapting Preparation for Radiology Resident Examination.

PubMed

Chapman, Teresa; Reid, Janet R; O'Conner, Erin E

2017-06-01

Diagnostic radiology resident assessment has evolved from a traditional oral examination to computerized testing. Teaching faculty struggle to reconcile the differences between traditional teaching methods and residents' new preferences for computerized testing models generated by new examination styles. We aim to summarize the collective experiences of senior residents at three different teaching hospitals who participated in case review sessions using a computer-based, interactive, anonymous teaching tool, rather than the Socratic method. Feedback was collected from radiology residents following participation in a senior resident case review session using Nearpod, which allows residents to anonymously respond to the teaching material. Subjective resident feedback was uniformly enthusiastic. Ninety percent of residents favor a case-based board review incorporating multiple-choice questions, and 94% favor an anonymous response system. Nearpod allows for inclusion of multiple-choice questions while also providing direct feedback to the teaching faculty, helping to direct the instruction and clarify residents' gaps in knowledge before the Core Examination. Copyright © 2017 The Association of University Radiologists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Is the introduction of anonymous delivery associated with a reduction of high neonaticide rates in Austria? A retrospective study

PubMed Central

Klier, Claudia M; Chryssa, Grylli; Amon, Sabine; Fiala, Christian; Weizmann-Henelius, Ghitta; Pruitt, Sandi L; Putkonen, Hanna

2013-01-01

Objectives To assess rates of neonaticide after the implementation of a preventative “anonymous delivery” law in mid-2001 in Austria. Women are allowed to access antenatal care and give birth in a hospital anonymously, without showing any ID and free of charge. Design Retrospective Study Setting A complete census of police-reported neonaticides was obtained from the police statistics of Austria, Sweden and Finland. Population All neonaticides reported to the police, 1991-2009. Main outcome measures Neonaticide rates pre- (1991-2001) and post- (2002-2009) anonymous delivery legislation per 100,000 births. Methods The Mann-Whitney U test for two independent samples was used to compare neonaticide rates during the pre-law period to the rates observed after the implementation of the new law for each country. Results On average the rate of police-reported neonaticides was 7.2 per 100.000 births (SD=3.5, median=7.1) in Austria prior to passage of the law and 3.1 per 100.000 births (SD= 2.1; median= 2.6) after passage of the law. A significant decrease in neonaticide was observed in Austria after the implementation of anonymous delivery (Mann-Whitney U test p=.017). Whereas the Finnish and Swedish rates were lower than the Austrian rates before and after the implementation of the Austrian law, they remained unchanged over the study period. Conclusion Our data demonstrate a significant decrease in the number of police-reported neonaticides in Austria after the implementation of anonymous delivery. Even though underlying factors associated with neonaticide are complex, the findings could indicate an effect of anonymous delivery in the prevention of this crime. PMID:23210536

Is the introduction of anonymous delivery associated with a reduction of high neonaticide rates in Austria? A retrospective study.

PubMed

Klier, C M; Grylli, C; Amon, S; Fiala, C; Weizmann-Henelius, G; Pruitt, S L; Putkonen, H

2013-03-01

To assess rates of neonaticide after the implementation of a preventative 'anonymous delivery' law in mid-2001 in Austria. Women are allowed to access antenatal care and give birth in a hospital anonymously, without showing any ID and free of charge. Retrospective study. A complete census of police-reported neonaticides was obtained from the police statistics of Austria, Sweden and Finland. All neonaticides reported to the police, 1991-2009. Neonaticide rates before (1991-2001) and after (2002-2009) the introduction of anonymous delivery legislation per 100 000 births. The Mann-Whitney U-test for two independent samples was used to compare neonaticide rates in the period before the new law was introduced with the rates observed after the implementation of the new law for each country. On average the rate of police-reported neonaticides was 7.2 per 100 000 births (SD 3.5, median 7.1) in Austria prior to the new law being passed, and 3.1 per 100 000 births (SD 2.1, median 2.6) after the law was passed. A significant decrease in neonaticide was observed in Austria after the implementation of anonymous delivery (Mann-Whitney U-test P = 0.017). Whereas the Finnish and Swedish rates were lower than the Austrian rates before and after the implementation of the Austrian law, they remained unchanged over the study period. Our data demonstrate a significant decrease in the number of police-reported neonaticides in Austria after the implementation of anonymous delivery. Even though underlying factors associated with neonaticide are complex, the findings could indicate an effect of anonymous delivery in the prevention of this crime. © 2012 The Authors BJOG An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology © 2012 RCOG.

New Frameworks for Detecting and Minimizing Information Leakage in Anonymized Network Data

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-10-01

researcher the exact extent to which a particular utility is affected by the anonymization. For instance, Karr et al.’s use of the Kullback - Leibler ...technical, legal, policy, and privacy issues limit the ability of operators to produce data sets for information security testing . In an effort to...technical, legal, policy, and privacy issues limit the ability of operators to produce datasets for information security testing . In an effort to help

The Efficacy of Non-Anonymous Measures of Bullying

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chan, John H. F.; Myron, Rowan; Crawshaw, Martin

2005-01-01

The Olweus checklist, along with most of the questionnaires commonly used in bullying research, is anonymous. The respondent is not required to put down his/her name. This has been accepted as the "best suited" method of assessing bullying. However, this assumption has not been adequately tested, and there is contrary evidence that this…

Factors associated with failure to return for HIV test results in a free and anonymous screening centre.

PubMed

Laanani, Moussa; Dozol, Adrien; Meyer, Laurence; David, Stéphane; Camara, Sékou; Segouin, Christophe; Troude, Pénélope

2015-07-01

Free and anonymous screening centres (CDAG: Centres de Depistage Anononyme et Gratuit) are public facilities set up for HIV infection diagnosis in France. Some people visiting CDAG fail to return for test results and are not informed of their serology. This study aimed to assess factors associated with failure to return for HIV test results. Patients visiting the Fernand-Widal CDAG (Paris) for an HIV test in January-February 2011 were eligible to take part in the study. Data were collected with an anonymous self-administered questionnaire. Factors associated with failure to return were assessed using logistic regression models. Of the 710 participants (participation rate 88%), 46 patients failed to return. Not specifying birthplace and not living in the region of Paris were associated with failure to return. Those who perceived no risk of HIV infection and those who felt they were more at risk than other people were both statistically associated with failure to return. Self-perceived risk seemed to be of chief concern for failure to return for HIV test results and should be considered during pre-test counselling. © The Author(s) 2014.

A novel on-line spatial-temporal k-anonymity method for location privacy protection from sequence rules-based inference attacks.

PubMed

Zhang, Haitao; Wu, Chenxue; Chen, Zewei; Liu, Zhao; Zhu, Yunhong

2017-01-01

Analyzing large-scale spatial-temporal k-anonymity datasets recorded in location-based service (LBS) application servers can benefit some LBS applications. However, such analyses can allow adversaries to make inference attacks that cannot be handled by spatial-temporal k-anonymity methods or other methods for protecting sensitive knowledge. In response to this challenge, first we defined a destination location prediction attack model based on privacy-sensitive sequence rules mined from large scale anonymity datasets. Then we proposed a novel on-line spatial-temporal k-anonymity method that can resist such inference attacks. Our anti-attack technique generates new anonymity datasets with awareness of privacy-sensitive sequence rules. The new datasets extend the original sequence database of anonymity datasets to hide the privacy-sensitive rules progressively. The process includes two phases: off-line analysis and on-line application. In the off-line phase, sequence rules are mined from an original sequence database of anonymity datasets, and privacy-sensitive sequence rules are developed by correlating privacy-sensitive spatial regions with spatial grid cells among the sequence rules. In the on-line phase, new anonymity datasets are generated upon LBS requests by adopting specific generalization and avoidance principles to hide the privacy-sensitive sequence rules progressively from the extended sequence anonymity datasets database. We conducted extensive experiments to test the performance of the proposed method, and to explore the influence of the parameter K value. The results demonstrated that our proposed approach is faster and more effective for hiding privacy-sensitive sequence rules in terms of hiding sensitive rules ratios to eliminate inference attacks. Our method also had fewer side effects in terms of generating new sensitive rules ratios than the traditional spatial-temporal k-anonymity method, and had basically the same side effects in terms of non-sensitive rules variation ratios with the traditional spatial-temporal k-anonymity method. Furthermore, we also found the performance variation tendency from the parameter K value, which can help achieve the goal of hiding the maximum number of original sensitive rules while generating a minimum of new sensitive rules and affecting a minimum number of non-sensitive rules.

A novel on-line spatial-temporal k-anonymity method for location privacy protection from sequence rules-based inference attacks

PubMed Central

Wu, Chenxue; Liu, Zhao; Zhu, Yunhong

2017-01-01

Analyzing large-scale spatial-temporal k-anonymity datasets recorded in location-based service (LBS) application servers can benefit some LBS applications. However, such analyses can allow adversaries to make inference attacks that cannot be handled by spatial-temporal k-anonymity methods or other methods for protecting sensitive knowledge. In response to this challenge, first we defined a destination location prediction attack model based on privacy-sensitive sequence rules mined from large scale anonymity datasets. Then we proposed a novel on-line spatial-temporal k-anonymity method that can resist such inference attacks. Our anti-attack technique generates new anonymity datasets with awareness of privacy-sensitive sequence rules. The new datasets extend the original sequence database of anonymity datasets to hide the privacy-sensitive rules progressively. The process includes two phases: off-line analysis and on-line application. In the off-line phase, sequence rules are mined from an original sequence database of anonymity datasets, and privacy-sensitive sequence rules are developed by correlating privacy-sensitive spatial regions with spatial grid cells among the sequence rules. In the on-line phase, new anonymity datasets are generated upon LBS requests by adopting specific generalization and avoidance principles to hide the privacy-sensitive sequence rules progressively from the extended sequence anonymity datasets database. We conducted extensive experiments to test the performance of the proposed method, and to explore the influence of the parameter K value. The results demonstrated that our proposed approach is faster and more effective for hiding privacy-sensitive sequence rules in terms of hiding sensitive rules ratios to eliminate inference attacks. Our method also had fewer side effects in terms of generating new sensitive rules ratios than the traditional spatial-temporal k-anonymity method, and had basically the same side effects in terms of non-sensitive rules variation ratios with the traditional spatial-temporal k-anonymity method. Furthermore, we also found the performance variation tendency from the parameter K value, which can help achieve the goal of hiding the maximum number of original sensitive rules while generating a minimum of new sensitive rules and affecting a minimum number of non-sensitive rules. PMID:28767687

The Impact of Anonymization for Automated Essay Scoring

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shermis, Mark D.; Lottridge, Sue; Mayfield, Elijah

2015-01-01

This study investigated the impact of anonymizing text on predicted scores made by two kinds of automated scoring engines: one that incorporates elements of natural language processing (NLP) and one that does not. Eight data sets (N = 22,029) were used to form both training and test sets in which the scoring engines had access to both text and…

Sperm donor anonymity and compensation: an experiment with American sperm donors

PubMed Central

Cohen, Glenn; Coan, Travis; Ottey, Michelle; Boyd, Christina

2016-01-01

Abstract Most sperm donation that occurs in the USA proceeds through anonymous donation. While some clinics make the identity of the sperm donor available to a donor-conceived child at age 18 as part of ‘open identification’ or ‘identity release programs,’ no US law requires clinics to do so, and the majority of individuals do not use these programs. By contrast, in many parts of the world, there have been significant legislative initiatives requiring that sperm donor identities be made available to children after a certain age (typically when the child turns 18). One major concern with prohibiting anonymous sperm donation has been that the number of willing sperm donors will decrease leading to shortages, as have been experienced in some of the countries that have prohibited sperm donor anonymity. One possible solution, suggested by prior work, would be to pay current anonymous sperm donors more per donation to continue to donate when their anonymity is removed. Using a unique sample of current anonymous and open identity sperm donors from a large sperm bank in the USA, we test that approach. As far as we know, this is the first attempt to examine what would happen if the USA adopted a prohibition on anonymous sperm donation that used the most ecologically valid population, current sperm donors. We find that 29% of current anonymous sperm donors in the sample would refuse to donate if the law changed such that they were required to put their names in a registry available to donor-conceived children at age 18. When we look at the remaining sperm donors who would be willing to participate, we find that they would demand an additional $60 per donation (using our preferred specification). We also discuss the ramifications for the industry. PMID:28852536

NPS Transit System Passenger Boardings Study: Converting Ticket Sales to Passenger Boardings.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2016-01-01

This report examines the reporting of passenger boardings (unlinked passenger trips) by NPS transit systems that use a ticket sales conversion methodology. By studying and validating the park units' passenger boarding methodology from converting tick...

Comments on “Anonymous reviews”

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Okal, Emille A.

I would like to add the triple perspective of a now-retired editor (GRL, 1993-19997), a reviewer and author to the ongoing debate in Eos about anonymous versus signed reviews.As an editor, I did not keep precise statistics, but my recollection would be that a little under (perhaps 40%) of the more than 3000 reviews I handled were signed. While some sort of "trend" expectedly existed between glowing reviews and signed ones, the correlation would probably not have passed a statistical test. By and large, my reviewers, whether or not they waived anonymity, were a professional and responsible pool, and the kind of personal and potentially unethical antagonisms described by Myrl Beck was the rare exception, rather than the rule, among anonymous reviews. The careful editor should be able to recognize this attitude in the tone and style of the review, and through comparison with other reviews of the same paper.

[Sexual behavior characteristics of clients attending the Israel AIDS Task Force anonymous clinic in Tel Aviv].

PubMed

Bar-On, Yaeli; Perry, Zvi H; Nof, Einav; Shiber, Asher; Risenberg, Klaris; Ben Zion, Itzhak

2014-09-01

Until now, research on sexual behavior and HIV in Israel has been carried out mainly on the general population, and focused primarily on defining populations at risk, without adequate consideration given to the reasons bringing these populations to be tested, and their specific sexual behaviors. In Israel, one can choose whether to take an HIV test in confidential centers (giving one's name under medical confidentiality) or in anonymous centers (Israel AIDS Task Force in Tel Aviv and Beer Sheva, Levinsky Clinic in Tel Aviv and Haparsim Clinic in Haifa]. At least 21% of the clients of the anonymous testing centers in Israel belong to a high risk population in contrast to 2.6% in confidential clinics, and so, in this study, we hypothesize that characterization of sexual behavior patterns in anonymous testing centers might enable us to better characterize sexual behavior patterns in high risk populations. In this cross-sectional study, we used questionnaires distributed in the clinics by the Israel AIDS Task Force in order to characterize their clinic's clients. The questionnaires were completed by the Israel AIDS Task Force consultants during the consultation period at which the anonymous test was performed. Data collected included: gender, age, testing history, specific sexual behaviors and reasons for applying for the current test. A total of 926 questionnaires were collected; 29.9% of them were of female patients. The average age was 29.47 years (1±8.66]; 21.3% of the clients were men who have sex with men [MSM]; only 2.3% of the clients belonged to other high risk populations. In all groups, the majority of the patients reported high risk sexual behavior (any sexual contact without a condom) and the average age for the first test was much higher than the average age of first sexual intercourse common in Israel. Women reported more participation in unprotected vaginal intercourse than heterosexual men, and a substantial part of MSM reported performing unprotected anal intercourse. More heterosexuals than MSM stated a new relationship as a reason for applying for the test, and more MSM than heterosexuals reported arriving for a routine check-up. There is a need for comprehensive programs encouraging testing for HIV in all age groups, focusing on Sthe ages 18-25 years, and encouraging the use of a condom as a preventive measure in all populations, especially women. We feel it is essential to emphasize the need for educational programs tailored for each sub-population's psychosocial characteristics and specific issues.

Protecting genomic sequence anonymity with generalization lattices.

PubMed

Malin, B A

2005-01-01

Current genomic privacy technologies assume the identity of genomic sequence data is protected if personal information, such as demographics, are obscured, removed, or encrypted. While demographic features can directly compromise an individual's identity, recent research demonstrates such protections are insufficient because sequence data itself is susceptible to re-identification. To counteract this problem, we introduce an algorithm for anonymizing a collection of person-specific DNA sequences. The technique is termed DNA lattice anonymization (DNALA), and is based upon the formal privacy protection schema of k -anonymity. Under this model, it is impossible to observe or learn features that distinguish one genetic sequence from k-1 other entries in a collection. To maximize information retained in protected sequences, we incorporate a concept generalization lattice to learn the distance between two residues in a single nucleotide region. The lattice provides the most similar generalized concept for two residues (e.g. adenine and guanine are both purines). The method is tested and evaluated with several publicly available human population datasets ranging in size from 30 to 400 sequences. Our findings imply the anonymization schema is feasible for the protection of sequences privacy. The DNALA method is the first computational disclosure control technique for general DNA sequences. Given the computational nature of the method, guarantees of anonymity can be formally proven. There is room for improvement and validation, though this research provides the groundwork from which future researchers can construct genomics anonymization schemas tailored to specific datasharing scenarios.

Statistical aspects of genetic association testing in small samples, based on selective DNA pooling data in the arctic fox.

PubMed

Szyda, Joanna; Liu, Zengting; Zatoń-Dobrowolska, Magdalena; Wierzbicki, Heliodor; Rzasa, Anna

2008-01-01

We analysed data from a selective DNA pooling experiment with 130 individuals of the arctic fox (Alopex lagopus), which originated from 2 different types regarding body size. The association between alleles of 6 selected unlinked molecular markers and body size was tested by using univariate and multinomial logistic regression models, applying odds ratio and test statistics from the power divergence family. Due to the small sample size and the resulting sparseness of the data table, in hypothesis testing we could not rely on the asymptotic distributions of the tests. Instead, we tried to account for data sparseness by (i) modifying confidence intervals of odds ratio; (ii) using a normal approximation of the asymptotic distribution of the power divergence tests with different approaches for calculating moments of the statistics; and (iii) assessing P values empirically, based on bootstrap samples. As a result, a significant association was observed for 3 markers. Furthermore, we used simulations to assess the validity of the normal approximation of the asymptotic distribution of the test statistics under the conditions of small and sparse samples.

Transitions in Sexuality: Recapitulation of an Ancestral Tri- and Tetrapolar Mating System in Cryptococcus neoformans▿ †

PubMed Central

Hsueh, Yen-Ping; Fraser, James A.; Heitman, Joseph

2008-01-01

Sex is orchestrated by the mating-type locus (MAT) in fungi and by sex chromosomes in plants and animals. In fungi, two patterns of sexuality occur: bipolar with a single, typically biallelic sex determinant that promotes inbreeding, and tetrapolar with two unlinked, often multiallelic sex determinants that restrict inbreeding. Multiallelism in either bipolar or tetrapolar mating systems promotes outcrossing. Cryptococcus neoformans is a pathogenic bipolar yeast with two unusually large MAT alleles (a/α) spanning >100 kb, ∼100-fold larger than many other fungal MAT loci. Based on comparative genomic analysis, this unusual MAT locus is hypothesized to have evolved from an ancestral tetrapolar system. In this model, the unlinked homeodomain (HD) transcription factor and pheromone/receptor tetrapolar loci acquired additional sex-related genes and then fused via chromosomal translocation, forming an intermediate transitional mating system (which we term tripolar), which then underwent recombination and gene conversion to fashion the extant bipolar MAT alleles. To experimentally validate this model, C. neoformans was engineered to have a tetrapolar mating system by relocating the MAT SXI1α and SXI2a HD genes to an unlinked genomic locale. Genetic and molecular analyses revealed that this modified organism could complete a tetrapolar sexual cycle. Analysis of progeny generated from bipolar, tripolar, and tetrapolar crosses provides direct experimental evidence that the tripolar state confers decreased fertility and therefore may represent an unstable evolutionary intermediate. These findings illustrate how transitions between outcrossing and inbreeding preference occur by involving sex determinant linkage and collapse from multiallelic to biallelic sex determination, providing insights into both fungal sex evolution and early steps in sex chromosome evolution. PMID:18723606

Timing the tides: Genetic control of diurnal and lunar emergence times is correlated in the marine midge Clunio marinus

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background The intertidal zone of seacoasts, being affected by the superimposed tidal, diurnal and lunar cycles, is temporally the most complex environment on earth. Many marine organisms exhibit lunar rhythms in reproductive behaviour and some show experimental evidence of endogenous control by a circalunar clock, the molecular and genetic basis of which is unexplored. We examined the genetic control of lunar and diurnal rhythmicity in the marine midge Clunio marinus (Chironomidae, Diptera), a species for which the correct timing of adult emergence is critical in natural populations. Results We crossed two strains of Clunio marinus that differ in the timing of the diurnal and lunar rhythms of emergence. The phenotype distribution of the segregating backcross progeny indicates polygenic control of the lunar emergence rhythm. Diurnal timing of emergence is also under genetic control, and is influenced by two unlinked genes with major effects. Furthermore, the lunar and diurnal timing of emergence is correlated in the backcross generation. We show that both the lunar emergence time and its correlation to the diurnal emergence time are adaptive for the species in its natural environment. Conclusions The correlation implies that the unlinked genes affecting lunar timing and the two unlinked genes affecting diurnal timing could be the same, providing an unexpectedly close interaction of the two clocks. Alternatively, the genes could be genetically linked in a two-by-two fashion, suggesting that evolution has shaped the genetic architecture to stabilize adaptive combinations of lunar and diurnal emergence times by tightening linkage. Our results, the first on genetic control of lunar rhythms, offer a new perspective to explore their molecular clockwork. PMID:21599938

Timing the tides: genetic control of diurnal and lunar emergence times is correlated in the marine midge Clunio marinus.

PubMed

Kaiser, Tobias S; Neumann, Dietrich; Heckel, David G

2011-05-20

The intertidal zone of seacoasts, being affected by the superimposed tidal, diurnal and lunar cycles, is temporally the most complex environment on earth. Many marine organisms exhibit lunar rhythms in reproductive behaviour and some show experimental evidence of endogenous control by a circalunar clock, the molecular and genetic basis of which is unexplored. We examined the genetic control of lunar and diurnal rhythmicity in the marine midge Clunio marinus (Chironomidae, Diptera), a species for which the correct timing of adult emergence is critical in natural populations. We crossed two strains of Clunio marinus that differ in the timing of the diurnal and lunar rhythms of emergence. The phenotype distribution of the segregating backcross progeny indicates polygenic control of the lunar emergence rhythm. Diurnal timing of emergence is also under genetic control, and is influenced by two unlinked genes with major effects. Furthermore, the lunar and diurnal timing of emergence is correlated in the backcross generation. We show that both the lunar emergence time and its correlation to the diurnal emergence time are adaptive for the species in its natural environment. The correlation implies that the unlinked genes affecting lunar timing and the two unlinked genes affecting diurnal timing could be the same, providing an unexpectedly close interaction of the two clocks. Alternatively, the genes could be genetically linked in a two-by-two fashion, suggesting that evolution has shaped the genetic architecture to stabilize adaptive combinations of lunar and diurnal emergence times by tightening linkage. Our results, the first on genetic control of lunar rhythms, offer a new perspective to explore their molecular clockwork.

Hybrid STTR intervention for heterosexuals using anonymous HIV testing and confidential linkage to care: a single arm exploratory trial using respondent-driven sampling.

PubMed

Gwadz, Marya; Cleland, Charles M; Leonard, Noelle R; Kutnick, Alexandra; Ritchie, Amanda S; Banfield, Angela; Hagan, Holly; Perlman, David C; McCright-Gill, Talaya; Sherpa, Dawa; Martinez, Belkis Y

2015-11-16

An estimated 14 % of the 1.2 million individuals living with HIV in the U.S. are unaware of their status. Yet this modest proportion of individuals with undiagnosed HIV is linked to 44-66 % of all new infections. Thus innovative intervention approaches are needed to seek out and test those with undiagnosed HIV, and link them to HIV treatment with high retention, an approach referred to as "Seek, Test, Treat, and Retain" (STTR). The present protocol describes a creative "hybrid" STTR approach that uses anonymous HIV testing followed by confidential care linkage, focused on heterosexuals at high risk (HHR) for HIV, who do not test as frequently as, and are diagnosed later, than other risk groups. This is a single-arm exploratory intervention efficacy trial. The study has two phases: one to seek out and test HHR, and another to link those found infected to HIV treatment in a timely fashion, with high retention. We will recruit African American/Black and Latino adult HHR who reside in urban locations with high poverty and HIV prevalence. Participants will be recruited with respondent-driven sampling, a peer recruitment method. The "Seek and Test" phase is comprised of a brief, convenient, single-session, anonymous HIV counseling and testing session. The "Treat and Retain" component will engage those newly diagnosed with HIV into a confidential research phase and use a set of procedures called care navigation to link them to HIV primary care. Participants will be followed for 6 months with objective assessment of outcomes (using medical records and biomarkers). Undiagnosed HIV infection is a major public health problem. While anonymous HIV testing is an important part of the HIV testing portfolio, it does not typically include linkage to care. The present study has potential to produce an innovative, brief, cost-effective, and replicable STTR intervention, and thereby reduce racial/ethnic disparities in HIV/AIDS. ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02421159 , Registered April 15, 2015.

A data recipient centered de-identification method to retain statistical attributes.

PubMed

Gal, Tamas S; Tucker, Thomas C; Gangopadhyay, Aryya; Chen, Zhiyuan

2014-08-01

Privacy has always been a great concern of patients and medical service providers. As a result of the recent advances in information technology and the government's push for the use of Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems, a large amount of medical data is collected and stored electronically. This data needs to be made available for analysis but at the same time patient privacy has to be protected through de-identification. Although biomedical researchers often describe their research plans when they request anonymized data, most existing anonymization methods do not use this information when de-identifying the data. As a result, the anonymized data may not be useful for the planned research project. This paper proposes a data recipient centered approach to tailor the de-identification method based on input from the recipient of the data. We demonstrate our approach through an anonymization project for biomedical researchers with specific goals to improve the utility of the anonymized data for statistical models used for their research project. The selected algorithm improves a privacy protection method called Condensation by Aggarwal et al. Our methods were tested and validated on real cancer surveillance data provided by the Kentucky Cancer Registry. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Antagonism between local dispersal and self-incompatibility systems in a continuous plant population.

PubMed

Cartwright, Reed A

2009-06-01

Many self-incompatible plant species exist in continuous populations in which individuals disperse locally. Local dispersal of pollen and seeds facilitates inbreeding because pollen pools are likely to contain relatives. Self-incompatibility promotes outbreeding because relatives are likely to carry incompatible alleles. Therefore, populations can experience an antagonism between these forces. In this study, a novel computational model is used to explore the effects of this antagonism on gene flow, allelic diversity, neighbourhood sizes, and identity by descent. I confirm that this antagonism is sensitive to dispersal levels and linkage. However, the results suggest that there is little to no difference between the effects of gametophytic and sporophytic self-incompatibility systems (GSI and SSI) on unlinked loci. More importantly, both GSI and SSI affect unlinked loci in a manner similar to obligate outcrossing without mating types. This suggests that the primary evolutionary impact of self-incompatibility systems may be to prevent selfing, and prevention of biparental inbreeding might be a beneficial side-effect.

Topological Vortex and Knotted Dissipative Optical 3D Solitons Generated by 2D Vortex Solitons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Veretenov, N. A.; Fedorov, S. V.; Rosanov, N. N.

2017-12-01

We predict a new class of three-dimensional (3D) topological dissipative optical one-component solitons in homogeneous laser media with fast saturable absorption. Their skeletons formed by vortex lines where the field vanishes are tangles, i.e., Nc knotted or unknotted, linked or unlinked closed lines and M unclosed lines that thread all the closed lines and end at the infinitely far soliton periphery. They are generated by embedding two-dimensional laser solitons or their complexes in 3D space after their rotation around an unclosed, infinite vortex line with topological charge M0 (Nc , M , and M0 are integers). With such structure propagation, the "hula-hoop" solitons form; their stability is confirmed numerically. For the solitons found, all vortex lines have unit topological charge: the number of closed lines Nc=1 and 2 (unknots, trefoils, and Solomon knots links); unclosed vortex lines are unknotted and unlinked, their number M =1 , 2, and 3.

Topological Vortex and Knotted Dissipative Optical 3D Solitons Generated by 2D Vortex Solitons.

PubMed

Veretenov, N A; Fedorov, S V; Rosanov, N N

2017-12-29

We predict a new class of three-dimensional (3D) topological dissipative optical one-component solitons in homogeneous laser media with fast saturable absorption. Their skeletons formed by vortex lines where the field vanishes are tangles, i.e., N_{c} knotted or unknotted, linked or unlinked closed lines and M unclosed lines that thread all the closed lines and end at the infinitely far soliton periphery. They are generated by embedding two-dimensional laser solitons or their complexes in 3D space after their rotation around an unclosed, infinite vortex line with topological charge M_{0} (N_{c}, M, and M_{0} are integers). With such structure propagation, the "hula-hoop" solitons form; their stability is confirmed numerically. For the solitons found, all vortex lines have unit topological charge: the number of closed lines N_{c}=1 and 2 (unknots, trefoils, and Solomon knots links); unclosed vortex lines are unknotted and unlinked, their number M=1, 2, and 3.

Laboratory and wild-derived mice with multiple loci for production of xenotropic murine leukemia virus.

PubMed

Kozak, C A; Hartley, J W; Morse, H C

1984-07-01

Mendelian segregation analysis was used to define genetic loci for the induction of infectious xenotropic murine leukemia virus in several laboratory and wild-derived mice. MA/My mice contain two loci for xenotropic virus inducibility, one of which, Bxv -1, is the only induction locus carried by five other inbred strains. The second, novel MA/My locus, designated Mxv -1, is unlinked to Bxv -1 and shows a lower efficiency of virus induction. The NZB mouse carries two induction loci; both are distinct from Bxv -1 since neither is linked to the Pep-3 locus on chromosome 1. Finally, one partially inbred strain derived from the wild Japanese mouse, Mus musculus molossinus, carries multiple (at least three) unlinked loci for induction of xenotropic virus. Although it is probable that inbred strains inherited xenotropic virus inducibility from Japanese mice, our data suggest that none of the induction loci carried by this particular M. m. molossinus strain are allelic with Bxv -1.

Laboratory and wild-derived mice with multiple loci for production of xenotropic murine leukemia virus.

PubMed Central

Kozak, C A; Hartley, J W; Morse, H C

1984-01-01

Mendelian segregation analysis was used to define genetic loci for the induction of infectious xenotropic murine leukemia virus in several laboratory and wild-derived mice. MA/My mice contain two loci for xenotropic virus inducibility, one of which, Bxv -1, is the only induction locus carried by five other inbred strains. The second, novel MA/My locus, designated Mxv -1, is unlinked to Bxv -1 and shows a lower efficiency of virus induction. The NZB mouse carries two induction loci; both are distinct from Bxv -1 since neither is linked to the Pep-3 locus on chromosome 1. Finally, one partially inbred strain derived from the wild Japanese mouse, Mus musculus molossinus, carries multiple (at least three) unlinked loci for induction of xenotropic virus. Although it is probable that inbred strains inherited xenotropic virus inducibility from Japanese mice, our data suggest that none of the induction loci carried by this particular M. m. molossinus strain are allelic with Bxv -1. PMID:6328046

The end of donor anonymity: how genetic testing is likely to drive anonymous gamete donation out of business.

PubMed

Harper, Joyce C; Kennett, Debbie; Reisel, Dan

2016-06-01

Thousands of people worldwide have been conceived using donor gametes, but not all parents tell their children of their origin. Several countries now allow donor-conceived offspring to potentially know their genetic parent if they are informed of their donor-conceived status. At the same time, personal genetic testing is a rapidly expanding field. Over 3 million people have already used direct-to-consumer genetic testing to find information about their ancestry, and many are participating in international genetic genealogy databases that will match them with relatives. The increased prevalence of these technologies poses numerous challenges to the current practice of gamete donation. (i) Whether they are donating in a country that practices anonymous donation or not, donors should be informed that their anonymity is not guaranteed, as they may be traced if their DNA, or that of a relative, is added to a database. (ii) Donor-conceived adults who have not been informed of their status may find out that they are donor-conceived. (iii) Parents using donor conception need to be fully informed that their children's DNA will identify that they are not the biological parents and they should be encouraged to disclose the use of donor gametes to their children. Together, these concerns make urgent a wide-ranging societal conversation about how to best safeguard and promote the interests of donor-conceived offspring and protect the rights of donors. Specifically, there is a need to ensure that new genetic information is communicated in a way that promotes both the safety and the privacy rights of offspring and donors alike. All parties concerned must be aware that, in 2016, donor anonymity does not exist. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Use of a Respondent-Generated Personal Code for Matching Anonymous Adolescent Surveys in Longitudinal Studies.

PubMed

Ripper, Lisa; Ciaravino, Samantha; Jones, Kelley; Jaime, Maria Catrina D; Miller, Elizabeth

2017-06-01

Research on sensitive and private topics relies heavily on self-reported responses. Social desirability bias may reduce the accuracy and reliability of self-reported responses. Anonymous surveys appear to improve the likelihood of honest responses. A challenge with prospective research is maintaining anonymity while linking individual surveys over time. We have tested a secret code method in which participants create their own code based on eight questions that are not expected to change. In an ongoing middle school trial, 95.7% of follow-up surveys are matched to a baseline survey after changing up to two-code variables. The percentage matched improves by allowing up to four changes (99.7%). The use of a secret code as an anonymous identifier for linking baseline and follow-up surveys is feasible for use with adolescents. While developed for violence prevention research, this method may be useful with other sensitive health behavior research. Copyright © 2017 Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

MOLECULAR DEMOGRAPHIC HISTORY OF THE ANNUAL SUNFLOWERS HELIANTHUS ANNUUS AND H. PETIOLARIS—LARGE EFFECTIVE POPULATION SIZES AND RATES OF LONG-TERM GENE FLOW

PubMed Central

Strasburg, Jared L.; Rieseberg, Loren H.

2008-01-01

Hybridization between distinct species may lead to introgression of genes across species boundaries, and this pattern can potentially persist for extended periods as long as selection at some loci or genomic regions prevents thorough mixing of gene pools. However, very few reliable estimates of long-term levels of effective migration are available between hybridizing species throughout their history. Accurate estimates of divergence dates and levels of gene flow require data from multiple unlinked loci as well as an analytical framework that can distinguish between lineage sorting and gene flow and incorporate the effects of demographic changes within each species. Here we use sequence data from 18 anonymous nuclear loci in two broadly sympatric sunflower species, Helianthus annuus and H. petiolaris, analyzed within an “isolation with migration” framework to make genome-wide estimates of the ages of these two species, long-term rates of gene flow between them, and effective population sizes and historical patterns of population growth. Our results indicate that H. annuus and H. petiolaris are approximately one million years old and have exchanged genes at a surprisingly high rate (long-term Nef m estimates of approximately 0.5 in each direction), with somewhat higher rates of introgression from H. annuus into H. petiolaris than vice versa. In addition, each species has undergone dramatic population expansion since divergence, and both species have among the highest levels of genetic diversity reported for flowering plants. Our results provide the most comprehensive estimate to date of long-term patterns of gene flow and historical demography in a nonmodel plant system, and they indicate that species integrity can be maintained even in the face of extensive gene flow over a prolonged period. PMID:18462213

Population prevalence of APOE, APOC3 and PPAR-alpha mutations associated to hypertriglyceridemia in French Canadians.

PubMed

Garenc, Christophe; Aubert, Samuel; Laroche, Jèrôme; Girouard, Joël; Vohl, Marie-Claude; Bergeron, Jean; Rousseau, François; Julien, Pierre

2004-01-01

Hypertriglyceridemia (HTG) is known as a common metabolic disorder associated with increased production, decrease catabolism and/or decreased hepatic uptake of triglyceride (TG)-rich particles. We assessed, in the Quebec City population, the allele frequency and haplotype distributions of mutations in genes related to HTG, such as the apolipoprotein E (APOE) (C112R and C158R), the apolipoprotein CIII (APOC3) (C-482T and C3238G) and the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPARalpha) (L162V) genes. A total of 938 anonymous unlinked newborns from the metropolitan Quebec City area have been genotyped. Allele frequencies observed in the Quebec City population differed from known frequencies determined in other Caucasian populations. The co-transmitted allele distribution between the two-marker genotypes APOE/APOC3(C3238G) and APOC3(C-482T)/PPARalpha(L162V) presented a weak deviation from the assumption of genetic independence. Also, we observed a non-independent distribution of the T-482/G3238 allele combinations within the APOC3 gene, suggesting strong linkage disequilibrium between the C-482T and C3238G polymorphisms. Moreover, comparisons of allele frequencies observed in the population of Québec City to those obtained in other Caucasian populations suggested that the population of Québec City may be at a lower risk of developing HTG due to APOE, APOC3 and PPARalpha genetic variants. However, the strong linkage disequilibrium and the two-marker genotype distributions observed in the APOC3 gene suggest that these two variants may functionally interact in the Québec City population.

Customized sampling plans : a guide to alternative sampling techniques for National Transit Database reporting

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2004-05-01

For estimating the system total unlinked passenger trips and passenger miles of a fixed-route bus system for the National Transit Database (NTD), the FTA approved sampling plans may either over-sample or do not yield FTAs required confidence and p...

Predicting cyberbullying perpetration in emerging adults: A theoretical test of the Barlett Gentile Cyberbullying Model.

PubMed

Barlett, Christopher; Chamberlin, Kristina; Witkower, Zachary

2017-04-01

The Barlett and Gentile Cyberbullying Model (BGCM) is a learning-based theory that posits the importance of positive cyberbullying attitudes predicting subsequent cyberbullying perpetration. Furthermore, the tenants of the BGCM state that cyberbullying attitude are likely to form when the online aggressor believes that the online environment allows individuals of all physical sizes to harm others and they are perceived as anonymous. Past work has tested parts of the BGCM; no study has used longitudinal methods to examine this model fully. The current study (N = 161) employed a three-wave longitudinal design to test the BGCM. Participants (age range: 18-24) completed measures of the belief that physical strength is irrelevant online and anonymity perceptions at Wave 1, cyberbullying attitudes at Wave 2, and cyberbullying perpetration at Wave 3. Results showed strong support for the BGCM: anonymity perceptions and the belief that physical attributes are irrelevant online at Wave 1 predicted Wave 2 cyberbullying attitudes, which predicted subsequent Wave 3 cyberbullying perpetration. These results support the BGCM and are the first to show empirical support for this model. Aggr. Behav. 43:147-154, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Protecting patient privacy by quantifiable control of disclosures in disseminated databases.

PubMed

Ohno-Machado, Lucila; Silveira, Paulo Sérgio Panse; Vinterbo, Staal

2004-08-01

One of the fundamental rights of patients is to have their privacy protected by health care organizations, so that information that can be used to identify a particular individual is not used to reveal sensitive patient data such as diagnoses, reasons for ordering tests, test results, etc. A common practice is to remove sensitive data from databases that are disseminated to the public, but this can make the disseminated database useless for important public health purposes. If the degree of anonymity of a disseminated data set could be measured, it would be possible to design algorithms that can assure that the desired level of confidentiality is achieved. Privacy protection in disseminated databases can be facilitated by the use of special ambiguation algorithms. Most of these algorithms are aimed at making one individual indistinguishable from one or more of his peers. However, even in databases considered "anonymous", it may still be possible to obtain sensitive information about some individuals or groups of individuals with the use of pattern recognition algorithms. In this article, we study the problem of determining the degree of ambiguation in disseminated databases and discuss its implications in the development and testing of "anonymization" algorithms.

Synthesising topological links

DOE PAGES

Baas, Nils A.; Seeman, Nadrian C.; Stacey, Andrew

2014-10-14

In this paper, we discuss the chemical synthesis of topological links, in particular higher order links which have the Brunnian property (namely that removal of any one component unlinks the entire system). Finally, we suggest how to obtain both two dimensional and three dimensional objects (surfaces and solids, respectively) which also have this Brunnian property.

Unlinking Negative Cognition and Symptoms of Depression: Evidence of a Specific Treatment Effect for Cognitive Therapy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Beevers, Christopher G.; Miller, Ivan W.

2005-01-01

In this study, the authors examined whether cognitive therapy alters the association between negative cognition and symptoms of depression. Participants were recruited during psychiatric hospitalization for depression. Following discharge, they were randomly assigned to 6 months of outpatient treatment. Treatment consisted of pharmacotherapy…

Utility-Based Link Recommendation in Social Networks

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Li, Zhepeng

2013-01-01

Link recommendation, which suggests links to connect currently unlinked users, is a key functionality offered by major online social networking platforms. Salient examples of link recommendation include "people you may know"' on Facebook and "who to follow" on Twitter. A social networking platform has two types of stakeholder:…

The Arabidopsis KH-Domain RNA-Binding Protein ESR1 Functions in Components of Jasmonate Signalling, Unlinking Growth Restraint and Resistance to Stress

PubMed Central

Thatcher, Louise F.; Kamphuis, Lars G.; Hane, James K.; Oñate-Sánchez, Luis; Singh, Karam B.

2015-01-01

Glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) play important roles in the protection of cells against toxins and oxidative damage where one Arabidopsis member, GSTF8, has become a commonly used marker gene for early stress and defense responses. A GSTF8 promoter fragment fused to the luciferase reporter gene was used in a forward genetic screen for Arabidopsis mutants with up-regulated GSTF8 promoter activity. This identified the esr1-1 (enhanced stress response 1) mutant which also conferred increased resistance to the fungal pathogen Fusarium oxysporum. Through positional cloning, the ESR1 gene was found to encode a KH-domain containing RNA-binding protein (At5g53060). Whole transcriptome sequencing of esr1-1 identified altered expression of genes involved in responses to biotic and abiotic stimuli, hormone signaling pathways and developmental processes. In particular was an overall significant enrichment for jasmonic acid (JA) mediated processes in the esr1-1 down-regulated dataset. A subset of these genes were tested for MeJA inducibility and we found the expression of some but not all were reduced in esr1-1. The esr1-1 mutant was not impaired in other aspects of JA-signalling such as JA- sensitivity or development, suggesting ESR1 functions in specific components of the JA-signaling pathway. Examination of salicylic acid (SA) regulated marker genes in esr1-1 showed no increase in basal or SA induced expression suggesting repression of JA-regulated genes is not due to antagonistic SA-JA crosstalk. These results define new roles for KH-domain containing proteins with ESR1 unlinking JA-mediated growth and defense responses. PMID:25985302

The Arabidopsis KH-Domain RNA-Binding Protein ESR1 Functions in Components of Jasmonate Signalling, Unlinking Growth Restraint and Resistance to Stress.

PubMed

Thatcher, Louise F; Kamphuis, Lars G; Hane, James K; Oñate-Sánchez, Luis; Singh, Karam B

2015-01-01

Glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) play important roles in the protection of cells against toxins and oxidative damage where one Arabidopsis member, GSTF8, has become a commonly used marker gene for early stress and defense responses. A GSTF8 promoter fragment fused to the luciferase reporter gene was used in a forward genetic screen for Arabidopsis mutants with up-regulated GSTF8 promoter activity. This identified the esr1-1 (enhanced stress response 1) mutant which also conferred increased resistance to the fungal pathogen Fusarium oxysporum. Through positional cloning, the ESR1 gene was found to encode a KH-domain containing RNA-binding protein (At5g53060). Whole transcriptome sequencing of esr1-1 identified altered expression of genes involved in responses to biotic and abiotic stimuli, hormone signaling pathways and developmental processes. In particular was an overall significant enrichment for jasmonic acid (JA) mediated processes in the esr1-1 down-regulated dataset. A subset of these genes were tested for MeJA inducibility and we found the expression of some but not all were reduced in esr1-1. The esr1-1 mutant was not impaired in other aspects of JA-signalling such as JA- sensitivity or development, suggesting ESR1 functions in specific components of the JA-signaling pathway. Examination of salicylic acid (SA) regulated marker genes in esr1-1 showed no increase in basal or SA induced expression suggesting repression of JA-regulated genes is not due to antagonistic SA-JA crosstalk. These results define new roles for KH-domain containing proteins with ESR1 unlinking JA-mediated growth and defense responses.

A gene for familial psoriasis susceptibility maps to the distal end of human chromosome 17q

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bowcock, A.; Tomfohrde, J.; Barnes, R.

1994-09-01

Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory dermatosis that affects approximately 2% of the population. A gene for psoriasis susceptibility was localized to the distal region of human chromosome 17q as a result of a genome wide linkage-analysis with polymorphic microsatellites and eight multiply affected psoriasis kindreds. With one large kindred a maximum two-point lod score with D17S784 was 5.70 at 15% recombination. Heterogeneity testing indicated that psoriasis susceptibility in 50% of the families was linked to distal 17q. Susceptibility to psoriasis has repeatedly been found to be associated with HLA-Cw6 and associated HLA alleles. We therefore genotyped the families for locimore » within and flanking HLA; these included PCR assays for susceptibility alleles. By lod score analysis no evidence of linkage of psoriasis susceptibility to HLA was detected. The distribution of HLA-Cw6 and HLA-Class II alleles showed that HLA-Cw6 was frequent among patients, particularly in 4 of the 5 unlinked families. All affected members of two of these unlinked families carried HLA-Cw6 (empirical P values of 0.027 and 0.004). In 2 other families 4 of 6 and 6 of 7 had HLA-Cw6. In some of these families, an inability to detect linkage to HLA may have been due to the occurrence of multiple haplotypes carrying the psoriasis associated allele, HLA-Cw6. Contrasting with these findings, we observed a lack of association between HLA-Cw6 and psoriasis in the 3 families in which 17q markers were linked to susceptibility. The ability to detect linkage to 17q confirms that some forms of familial psoriasis are due to molecular defects at a single major genetic locus other than HLA.« less

The population genetics of Quechuas, the largest native South American group: autosomal sequences, SNPs, and microsatellites evidence high level of diversity.

PubMed

Scliar, Marilia O; Soares-Souza, Giordano B; Chevitarese, Juliana; Lemos, Livia; Magalhães, Wagner C S; Fagundes, Nelson J; Bonatto, Sandro L; Yeager, Meredith; Chanock, Stephen J; Tarazona-Santos, Eduardo

2012-03-01

Elucidating the pattern of genetic diversity for non-European populations is necessary to make the benefits of human genetics research available to individuals from these groups. In the era of large human genomic initiatives, Native American populations have been neglected, in particular, the Quechua, the largest South Amerindian group settled along the Andes. We characterized the genetic diversity of a Quechua population in a global setting, using autosomal noncoding sequences (nine unlinked loci for a total of 16 kb), 351 unlinked SNPs and 678 microsatellites and tested predictions of the model of the evolution of Native Americans proposed by (Tarazona-Santos et al.: Am J Hum Genet 68 (2001) 1485-1496). European admixture is <5% and African ancestry is barely detectable in the studied population. The largest genetic distances were between African versus Quechua or Melanesian populations, which is concordant with the African origin of modern humans and the fact that South America was the last part of the world to be peopled. The diversity in the Quechua population is comparable with that of Eurasian populations, and the allele frequency spectrum based on resequencing data does not reflect a reduction in the proportion of rare alleles. Thus, the Quechua population is a large reservoir of common and rare genetic variants of South Amerindians. These results are consistent with and complement our evolutionary model of South Amerindians (Tarazona-Santos et al.: Am J Hum Genet 68 (2001) 1485-1496), proposed based on Y-chromosome data, which predicts high genomic diversity due to the high level of gene flow between Andean populations and their long-term effective population size. Copyright © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Helical axis stellarator with noninterlocking planar coils

DOEpatents

Reiman, A.; Boozer, A.H.

1984-03-06

The present invention generates stellarator fields having favorable properties (magnetic well and large rotational transform) by a simple coil system consisting only of unlinked planar non-circular coils. At large rotational transform toroidal effects on magnetic well and rotational transform are small and can be ignored. We do so herein, specializing in straight helical systems.

Teaching Inquiry with Linked Classes and Learning Communities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Piercey, Victor; Cullen, Roxanne

2017-01-01

In order to improve problem-solving dispositions, a section of an inquiry-based math sequence for first-year business students was linked with a section of our general education English sequence. We describe how the linked classes worked and compare some preliminary results from linked and unlinked sections of the math sequence.

Zika Virus Protease: An Antiviral Drug Target.

PubMed

Kang, CongBao; Keller, Thomas H; Luo, Dahai

2017-10-01

The recent outbreak of Zika virus (ZIKV) infection has caused global concern due to its link to severe damage to the brain development of foetuses and neuronal complications in adult patients. A worldwide research effort has been undertaken to identify effective and safe treatment and vaccination options. Among the proposed viral and host components, the viral NS2B-NS3 protease represents an attractive drug target due to its essential role in the virus life cycle. Here, we outline recent progress in studies on the Zika protease. Biochemical, biophysical, and structural studies on different protease constructs provide new insight into the structure and activity of the protease. The unlinked construct displays higher enzymatic activity and better mimics the native state of the enzyme and therefore is better suited for drug discovery. Furthermore, the structure of the free enzyme adopts a closed conformation and a preformed active site. The availability of a lead fragment hit and peptide inhibitors, as well as the attainability of soakable crystals, suggest that the unlinked construct is a promising tool for drug discovery. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Molecular investigation of mental retardation locus gene PRSS12 by linkage analysis

PubMed Central

Ali, Zafar; Babar, Masroor Ellahi; Ahmad, Jamil; Yousaf, Muhammad Zubair; Asif, Muhammad; Shah, Sajjad Ali

2011-01-01

The present study was carried out to determine the prevalence of families having mental retardation in Pakistani population. We enrolled seven mentally retarded (MR) families with two or more affected individuals. Family history was taken to minimize the chances of other abnormalities. Pedigrees were drawn using the Cyrillic software (version 2.1). The structure of pedigrees shows that all the marriages are consanguineous and the families have recessive mode of inheritance. All the families were studied by linkage analysis to mental retardation locus (MRT1)/gene PRSS12. Three STR markers (D4S191, D4S2392, and D4S3024) in vicinity of mental retardation (MR) locus (MRT1)/gene PRSS12 were amplified on all the sample of each family by PCR. The PCR products were then genotyped on non denaturing polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE). The Haplotype were constructed to determine the pattern of inheritance and also to determine that a family was linked or unlinked to gene PRSS12. One out of the seven families was potentially linked to gene PRSS12, while the other six families remain unlinked. PMID:22090715

Molecular investigation of mental retardation locus gene PRSS12 by linkage analysis.

PubMed

Ali, Zafar; Babar, Masroor Ellahi; Ahmad, Jamil; Yousaf, Muhammad Zubair; Asif, Muhammad; Shah, Sajjad Ali

2011-05-01

The present study was carried out to determine the prevalence of families having mental retardation in Pakistani population. We enrolled seven mentally retarded (MR) families with two or more affected individuals. Family history was taken to minimize the chances of other abnormalities. Pedigrees were drawn using the Cyrillic software (version 2.1). The structure of pedigrees shows that all the marriages are consanguineous and the families have recessive mode of inheritance. All the families were studied by linkage analysis to mental retardation locus (MRT1)/gene PRSS12. Three STR markers (D4S191, D4S2392, and D4S3024) in vicinity of mental retardation (MR) locus (MRT1)/gene PRSS12 were amplified on all the sample of each family by PCR. The PCR products were then genotyped on non denaturing polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE). The Haplotype were constructed to determine the pattern of inheritance and also to determine that a family was linked or unlinked to gene PRSS12. One out of the seven families was potentially linked to gene PRSS12, while the other six families remain unlinked.

HIV-1 transmission linkage in an HIV-1 prevention clinical trial

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Leitner, Thomas; Campbell, Mary S; Mullins, James I

2009-01-01

HIV-1 sequencing has been used extensively in epidemiologic and forensic studies to investigate patterns of HIV-1 transmission. However, the criteria for establishing genetic linkage between HIV-1 strains in HIV-1 prevention trials have not been formalized. The Partners in Prevention HSV/HIV Transmission Study (ClinicaITrials.gov NCT00194519) enrolled 3408 HIV-1 serodiscordant heterosexual African couples to determine the efficacy of genital herpes suppression with acyclovir in reducing HIV-1 transmission. The trial analysis required laboratory confirmation of HIV-1 linkage between enrolled partners in couples in which seroconversion occurred. Here we describe the process and results from HIV-1 sequencing studies used to perform transmission linkage determinationmore » in this clinical trial. Consensus Sanger sequencing of env (C2-V3-C3) and gag (p17-p24) genes was performed on plasma HIV-1 RNA from both partners within 3 months of seroconversion; env single molecule or pyrosequencing was also performed in some cases. For linkage, we required monophyletic clustering between HIV-1 sequences in the transmitting and seroconverting partners, and developed a Bayesian algorithm using genetic distances to evaluate the posterior probability of linkage of participants sequences. Adjudicators classified transmissions as linked, unlinked, or indeterminate. Among 151 seroconversion events, we found 108 (71.5%) linked, 40 (26.5%) unlinked, and 3 (2.0%) to have indeterminate transmissions. Nine (8.3%) were linked by consensus gag sequencing only and 8 (7.4%) required deep sequencing of env. In this first use of HIV-1 sequencing to establish endpoints in a large clinical trial, more than one-fourth of transmissions were unlinked to the enrolled partner, illustrating the relevance of these methods in the design of future HIV-1 prevention trials in serodiscordant couples. A hierarchy of sequencing techniques, analysis methods, and expert adjudication contributed to the linkage determination process.« less

Linking a Total Ankle Arthroplasty Registry to Medicare Inpatient Claims without Unique Identifiers.

PubMed

Raman, Sudha R; Hammill, Bradley G; Queen, Robin M; Adams, Samuel B; Curtis, Lesley H

2018-06-20

Linking clinical registries to administrative claims data enables researchers to capitalize on the specific strengths of each data source with respect to the depth, breadth, and completeness of information. The objectives of this study were to link a health-system-based orthopaedic surgery registry to U.S. Medicare claims data without the use of unique identifiers and to assess the representativeness of the linked records. The registry included clinical data for patients ≥65 years of age who underwent elective, inpatient total ankle arthroplasty (TAA) in a single health system during the period of 2007 through 2012. Registry participants were identified within the Medicare data by linking registry procedures to TAA procedures within the claims data using a combination of procedure date, patient date of birth, and patient sex. We assessed the representativeness of the linked records by comparing them to both unlinked registry records and unlinked Medicare records for TAA procedures. Additionally, we described the availability of postsurgical data for linked records. Of 360 TAA registry participants ≥65 years of age, 280 (77.8%) were matched to a Medicare record; 250 (89.3%) of those 280 participants were matched on the basis of a linking rule that required an exact match for procedure date, date of birth, and sex. The 280 linked records comprised 5.5% of all Medicare TAA procedures among beneficiaries ≥65 years of age enrolled in the fee-for-service Medicare program (n = 5,070). Compared with linked records, unlinked records were more likely to be for patients 65 to 69 years old, but the 2 groups were similar in terms of sex, body mass index, and availability of clinical measurements. Of the linked records, 214 (76.4%) had ≥3 years of postoperative follow-up claims data. Linkage without unique patient identifiers between an orthopaedic registry and Medicare claims data is feasible, allows for assessment of representativeness, and creates a unique resource of longitudinal data for research.

Estimating effective population size from linkage disequilibrium between unlinked loci: theory and application to fruit fly outbreak populations.

PubMed

Sved, John A; Cameron, Emilie C; Gilchrist, A Stuart

2013-01-01

There is a substantial literature on the use of linkage disequilibrium (LD) to estimate effective population size using unlinked loci. The Ne estimates are extremely sensitive to the sampling process, and there is currently no theory to cope with the possible biases. We derive formulae for the analysis of idealised populations mating at random with multi-allelic (microsatellite) loci. The 'Burrows composite index' is introduced in a novel way with a 'composite haplotype table'. We show that in a sample of diploid size S, the mean value of x2 or r2 from the composite haplotype table is biased by a factor of 1-1/(2S-1)2, rather than the usual factor 1+1/(2S-1) for a conventional haplotype table. But analysis of population data using these formulae leads to Ne estimates that are unrealistically low. We provide theory and simulation to show that this bias towards low Ne estimates is due to null alleles, and introduce a randomised permutation correction to compensate for the bias. We also consider the effect of introducing a within-locus disequilibrium factor to r2, and find that this factor leads to a bias in the Ne estimate. However this bias can be overcome using the same randomised permutation correction, to yield an altered r2 with lower variance than the original r2, and one that is also insensitive to null alleles. The resulting formulae are used to provide Ne estimates on 40 samples of the Queensland fruit fly, Bactrocera tryoni, from populations with widely divergent Ne expectations. Linkage relationships are known for most of the microsatellite loci in this species. We find that there is little difference in the estimated Ne values from using known unlinked loci as compared to using all loci, which is important for conservation studies where linkage relationships are unknown.

Correlates of HIV, HBV, HCV and syphilis infections among prison inmates and officers in Ghana: A national multicenter study

PubMed Central

Adjei, Andrew A; Armah, Henry B; Gbagbo, Foster; Ampofo, William K; Boamah, Isaac; Adu-Gyamfi, Clement; Asare, Isaac; Hesse, Ian FA; Mensah, George

2008-01-01

Background Prisons are known to be high-risk environments for the spread of bloodborne and sexually transmitted infections. Prison officers are considered to have an intermittent exposure potential to bloodborne infectious diseases on the job, however there has been no studies on the prevalence of these infections in prison officers in Ghana. Methods A national multicenter cross-sectional study was undertaken on correlates of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), and syphilis infections in sample of prison inmates and officers from eight of ten regional central prisons in Ghana. A total of 1366 inmates and 445 officers were enrolled between May 2004 and December 2005. Subjects completed personal risk-factor questionnaire and provided blood specimens for unlinked anonymous testing for presence of antibodies to HIV, HCV and Treponema pallidum; and surface antigen of HBV (HBsAg). These data were analyzed using both univariate and multivariate techniques. Results Almost 18% (1336) of 7652 eligible inmates and 21% (445) of 2139 eligible officers in eight study prisons took part. Median ages of inmates and officers were 36.5 years (range 16–84) and 38.1 years (range 25–59), respectively. Among inmates, HIV seroprevalence was 5.9%, syphilis seroprevalence was 16.5%, and 25.5% had HBsAg. Among officers tested, HIV seroprevalence was 4.9%, HCV seroprevalence was 18.7%, syphilis seroprevalence was 7.9%, and 11.7% had HBsAg. Independent determinants for HIV, HBV and syphilis infections among inmates were age between 17–46, being unmarried, being illiterate, female gender, being incarcerated for longer than median time served of 36 months, history of homosexuality, history of intravenous drug use, history of sharing syringes and drug paraphernalia, history of participation in paid sexual activity, and history of sexually transmitted diseases. Independent determinants for HIV, HBV, HCV and syphilis infections among officers were age between 25–46, fale gender, being unmarried, being employed in prison service for longer than median duration of employment of 10 years, and history of sexually transmitted diseases. Conclusion The comparably higher prevalence of HIV, HBV, HCV and syphilis in prison inmates and officers in Ghana suggests probable occupational related transmission. The implementation of infection control practices and risk reduction programs targeted at prison inmates and officers in Ghana is urgently required to address this substantial exposure risk. PMID:18328097

HIV and the epidemiologist.

PubMed

Gillett, G

1989-11-18

The need for reliable epidemiological data on HIV seropositivity rates in a general population appears to conflict with the ethical requirement that consent be obtained from persons whose blood is screened for HIV antibodies. Gillet contends that informed consent is not necessary for epidemiological screening since there is no reason to link blood samples and test results with identifiable individuals. He argues that it is ethical to test blood drawn from hospital patients who have given a very general and "non-informative sort of consent" that their blood can be used anonymously for research. Even this degree of consent may be unnecessary since it would be impossible to trace an HIV positive anonymous blood sample to its source. Gillet also argues that this method of obtaining samples relieves epidemiologists of the obligation to notify individuals whose blood tests positive for HIV.

Sensitizing Undergraduates to Potential Inaccuracies in Projective Test Interpretation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barret, Robert L.; Wachowiak, Dale G.

This paper describes a methodology developed to provide undergraduate students with direct experience in the process of impressionistic test interpretation. In the experiential exercise, students were shown Thematic Apperception Test cards and then read the responses given by an anonymous client. A discussion of the process by which the students…

A homokaryotic derivative of a Phanerochaete chrysosporium strain and its use in genomic analysis of repetitive elements

Treesearch

Philip Stewart; Jill Gaskell; Daniel Cullen

2000-01-01

Analysis of complex gene families in the lignin-degrading basidiomycete Phanerochaete chrysosporium has been hampered by the dikaryotic nuclear condition. To facilitate genetic investigations in P. chrysosporium strain BRM-F-1767, we isolated a homokaryon from regenerated protoplasts. The nuclear condition was established by PCR amplification of five unlinked genes...

Seroprevalence of human T cell leukaemia/lymphoma virus type I (HTLV-I) in pregnant women, patients attending venereological outpatient services and intravenous drug users from Slovenia.

PubMed

Poljak, M; Bednarik, J; Rednak, K; Seme, K; Kristancic, L; Celan-Lucu, B

1998-01-01

To establish current seroprevalence of human T cell leukaemia/lymphoma virus type I (HTLV-I) infection in some low- and high-risk populations from Slovenia, 10,369 and 869 serum samples collected during Slovenian 1994 unlinked surveys of human immunodeficiency viruses seroprevalence in pregnant women and patients attending venereological outpatient services, respectively, and 219 serum samples collected from Slovenian intravenous drug abusers during 1995 and 1996, were screened for the presence of anti-HTLV-I antibodies using commercial particle agglutination test Serodia HTLV-I (Fujirebio, Tokyo, Japan). Only one sample obtained from a pregnant woman was found repeatedly positive in the screening test. Presence of anti-HTLV-I antibodies in the reactive sample was undoubtedly confirmed with supplemental Western blot test. The prevalence of antibodies to HTLV-I in the Slovenian population might be somewhere between one in 10,000 (0.01%) and one in 15,000 (0.0066%), which is similar or even higher to prevalence rates in other European countries.

A Novel Multi-Receiver Signcryption Scheme with Complete Anonymity.

PubMed

Pang, Liaojun; Yan, Xuxia; Zhao, Huiyang; Hu, Yufei; Li, Huixian

2016-01-01

Anonymity, which is more and more important to multi-receiver schemes, has been taken into consideration by many researchers recently. To protect the receiver anonymity, in 2010, the first multi-receiver scheme based on the Lagrange interpolating polynomial was proposed. To ensure the sender's anonymity, the concept of the ring signature was proposed in 2005, but afterwards, this scheme was proven to has some weakness and at the same time, a completely anonymous multi-receiver signcryption scheme is proposed. In this completely anonymous scheme, the sender anonymity is achieved by improving the ring signature, and the receiver anonymity is achieved by also using the Lagrange interpolating polynomial. Unfortunately, the Lagrange interpolation method was proven a failure to protect the anonymity of receivers, because each authorized receiver could judge whether anyone else is authorized or not. Therefore, the completely anonymous multi-receiver signcryption mentioned above can only protect the sender anonymity. In this paper, we propose a new completely anonymous multi-receiver signcryption scheme with a new polynomial technology used to replace the Lagrange interpolating polynomial, which can mix the identity information of receivers to save it as a ciphertext element and prevent the authorized receivers from verifying others. With the receiver anonymity, the proposed scheme also owns the anonymity of the sender at the same time. Meanwhile, the decryption fairness and public verification are also provided.

Talk with Tiff: teen's inquiries to a sexual health website.

PubMed

Buzi, Ruth S; Smith, Peggy B; Barrera, Cristina

2015-01-01

Because of its availability, anonymity, and low cost of access, the Internet is an increasingly common way for adolescents to find information about sensitive issues. Sexual health website question portals are an important way for adolescents to seek personalized information tailored to their individualized needs. Few studies have examined the content within anonymous e-mails sent to these question portals. The purpose of this qualitative evaluation was to analyze thematic content of anonymous e-mails sent through a question portal on a comprehensive sexual health clinic website for an adolescent family planning clinic in a large city in the southwest United States. Between August 2009 and June 2012, the e-mail server received questions from 484 individuals who were seeking sexual health-related information. The authors used a content analysis to identify recurrent themes in the questions submitted. The most common questions regarded the cost of the clinic's services and testing for sexually transmitted diseases. The questions revealed that adolescents lack basic sexual health knowledge and hold many misconceptions. The findings support the usefulness of online question portals as effective venues for teenagers to quickly and anonymously obtain accurate information on sensitive issues.

Test Performance Vis a Vis Test-Taking Strategies in Reading Comprehension of English as a Second Language.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roizen, Merle A.

A study of students' self-expressed test-taking strategies for reading comprehension tests in English as a second language (ESL) had as subjects 86 Hebrew-speaking university students in Israel. The students were given a reading comprehension test, half with open-ended questions and half with multiple choice. Half the responses were anonymous and…

Insightful practice: a reliable measure for medical revalidation

PubMed Central

Guthrie, Bruce; Sullivan, Frank M; Mercer, Stewart W; Russell, Andrew; Bruce, David A

2012-01-01

Background Medical revalidation decisions need to be reliable if they are to reassure on the quality and safety of professional practice. This study tested an innovative method in which general practitioners (GPs) were assessed on their reflection and response to a set of externally specified feedback. Setting and participants 60 GPs and 12 GP appraisers in the Tayside region of Scotland, UK. Methods A feedback dataset was specified as (1) GP-specific data collected by GPs themselves (patient and colleague opinion; open book self-evaluated knowledge test; complaints) and (2) Externally collected practice-level data provided to GPs (clinical quality and prescribing safety). GPs' perceptions of whether the feedback covered UK General Medical Council specified attributes of a ‘good doctor’ were examined using a mapping exercise. GPs' professionalism was examined in terms of appraiser assessment of GPs' level of insightful practice, defined as: engagement with, insight into and appropriate action on feedback data. The reliability of assessment of insightful practice and subsequent recommendations on GPs' revalidation by face-to-face and anonymous assessors were investigated using Generalisability G-theory. Main outcome measures Coverage of General Medical Council attributes by specified feedback and reliability of assessor recommendations on doctors' suitability for revalidation. Results Face-to-face assessment proved unreliable. Anonymous global assessment by three appraisers of insightful practice was highly reliable (G=0.85), as were revalidation decisions using four anonymous assessors (G=0.83). Conclusions Unlike face-to-face appraisal, anonymous assessment of insightful practice offers a valid and reliable method to decide GP revalidation. Further validity studies are needed. PMID:22653078

Anonymity in Voting Revisited

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jonker, Hugo; Pieters, Wolter

According to international law, anonymity of the voter is a fundamental precondition for democratic elections. In electronic voting, several aspects of voter anonymity have been identified. In this paper, we re-examine anonymity with respect to voting, and generalise existing notions of anonymity in e-voting. First, we identify and categorise the types of attack that can be a threat to anonymity of the voter, including different types of vote buying and coercion. This analysis leads to a categorisation of anonymity in voting in terms of a) the strength of the anonymity achieved and b) the extent of interaction between voter and attacker. Some of the combinations, including weak and strong receipt-freeness, are formalised in epistemic logic.

Technology for Anonymity: Names By Other Nyms.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wayner, Peter

1999-01-01

Provides a summary of some of the technical solutions for producing anonymous communication on the Internet and presents an argument that anonymity is as much a part of crime prevention as requiring people to provide their names. Discusses identity theft; the three major techniques that make anonymous cash possible; and anonymizing Internet…

Utility-preserving anonymization for health data publishing.

PubMed

Lee, Hyukki; Kim, Soohyung; Kim, Jong Wook; Chung, Yon Dohn

2017-07-11

Publishing raw electronic health records (EHRs) may be considered as a breach of the privacy of individuals because they usually contain sensitive information. A common practice for the privacy-preserving data publishing is to anonymize the data before publishing, and thus satisfy privacy models such as k-anonymity. Among various anonymization techniques, generalization is the most commonly used in medical/health data processing. Generalization inevitably causes information loss, and thus, various methods have been proposed to reduce information loss. However, existing generalization-based data anonymization methods cannot avoid excessive information loss and preserve data utility. We propose a utility-preserving anonymization for privacy preserving data publishing (PPDP). To preserve data utility, the proposed method comprises three parts: (1) utility-preserving model, (2) counterfeit record insertion, (3) catalog of the counterfeit records. We also propose an anonymization algorithm using the proposed method. Our anonymization algorithm applies full-domain generalization algorithm. We evaluate our method in comparison with existence method on two aspects, information loss measured through various quality metrics and error rate of analysis result. With all different types of quality metrics, our proposed method show the lower information loss than the existing method. In the real-world EHRs analysis, analysis results show small portion of error between the anonymized data through the proposed method and original data. We propose a new utility-preserving anonymization method and an anonymization algorithm using the proposed method. Through experiments on various datasets, we show that the utility of EHRs anonymized by the proposed method is significantly better than those anonymized by previous approaches.

Mortality along the continuum of HIV care in Rwanda: a model-based analysis.

PubMed

Bendavid, Eran; Stauffer, David; Remera, Eric; Nsanzimana, Sabin; Kanters, Steve; Mills, Edward J

2016-12-01

HIV is the leading cause of death among adults in sub-Saharan Africa. However, mortality along the HIV care continuum is poorly described. We combine demographic, epidemiologic, and health services data to estimate where are people with HIV dying along Rwanda's care continuum. We calibrated an age-structured HIV disease and transmission stochastic simulation model to the epidemic in Rwanda. We estimate mortality among HIV-infected individuals in the following states: untested, tested without establishing care in an antiretroviral therapy (ART) program (unlinked), in care before initiating ART (pre-ART), lost to follow-up (LTFU) following ART initiation, and retained in active ART care. We estimated mortality among people living with HIV in Rwanda through 2025 under current conditions, and with improvements to the HIV care continuum. In 2014, the greatest portion of deaths occurred among those untested (35.4%), followed by those on ART (34.1%), reflecting the large increase in the population on ART. Deaths among those LTFU made up 11.8% of all deaths among HIV-infected individuals in 2014, and in the base case this portion increased to 18.8% in 2025, while the contribution to mortality declined among those untested, unlinked, and in pre-ART. In our model only combined improvements to multiple aspects of the HIV care continuum were projected to reduce the total number of deaths among those with HIV, estimated at 8177 in 2014, rising to 10,659 in the base case, and declining to 5,691 with combined improvements in 2025. Mortality among those untested for HIV contributes a declining portion of deaths among HIV-infected individuals in Rwanda, but the portion of deaths among those LTFU is expected to increase the most over the next decade. Combined improvements to the HIV care continuum might be needed to reduce the number of deaths among those with HIV.

Assessment and Quality Social Studies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Savage, Tom V.

2003-01-01

Those anonymous individuals who develop high-stakes tests by which educational quality is measured exercise great influence in defining educational quality. In this article, the author examines the impact of high-stakes testing on the welfare of the children and the quality of social studies instruction. He presents the benefits and drawbacks of…

Unlinked genetic loci control the reduced transcription of aminopeptidase N 1 and 3 in the European corn borer and determine tolerance to Bacillus thuringiensis Cry1Ab toxin

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Crystalline (Cry) toxins from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) control insect feeding damage on crop plants via foliar applications or by expression within transgenic plants, but continued Bt use is threatened by the buildup of insect resistance traits. Aminopeptidase N (apn) gene family members encode m...

Repeated reunions and splits feature the highly dynamic evolution of 5S and 35S ribosomal RNA genes (rDNA) in the Asteraceae family.

PubMed

Garcia, Sònia; Panero, José L; Siroky, Jiri; Kovarik, Ales

2010-08-16

In flowering plants and animals the most common ribosomal RNA genes (rDNA) organisation is that in which 35S (encoding 18S-5.8S-26S rRNA) and 5S genes are physically separated occupying different chromosomal loci. However, recent observations established that both genes have been unified to a single 35S-5S unit in the genus Artemisia (Asteraceae), a genomic arrangement typical of primitive eukaryotes such as yeast, among others. Here we aim to reveal the origin, distribution and mechanisms leading to the linked organisation of rDNA in the Asteraceae by analysing unit structure (PCR, Southern blot, sequencing), gene copy number (quantitative PCR) and chromosomal position (FISH) of 5S and 35S rRNA genes in approximately 200 species representing the family diversity and other closely related groups. Dominant linked rDNA genotype was found within three large groups in subfamily Asteroideae: tribe Anthemideae (93% of the studied cases), tribe Gnaphalieae (100%) and in the "Heliantheae alliance" (23%). The remaining five tribes of the Asteroideae displayed canonical non linked arrangement of rDNA, as did the other groups in the Asteraceae. Nevertheless, low copy linked genes were identified among several species that amplified unlinked units. The conserved position of functional 5S insertions downstream from the 26S gene suggests a unique, perhaps retrotransposon-mediated integration event at the base of subfamily Asteroideae. Further evolution likely involved divergence of 26S-5S intergenic spacers, amplification and homogenisation of units across the chromosomes and concomitant elimination of unlinked arrays. However, the opposite trend, from linked towards unlinked arrangement was also surmised in few species indicating possible reversibility of these processes. Our results indicate that nearly 25% of Asteraceae species may have evolved unusual linked arrangement of rRNA genes. Thus, in plants, fundamental changes in intrinsic structure of rDNA units, their copy number and chromosomal organisation may occur within relatively short evolutionary time. We hypothesize that the 5S gene integration within the 35S unit might have repeatedly occurred during plant evolution, and probably once in Asteraceae.

Repeated reunions and splits feature the highly dynamic evolution of 5S and 35S ribosomal RNA genes (rDNA) in the Asteraceae family

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Background In flowering plants and animals the most common ribosomal RNA genes (rDNA) organisation is that in which 35S (encoding 18S-5.8S-26S rRNA) and 5S genes are physically separated occupying different chromosomal loci. However, recent observations established that both genes have been unified to a single 35S-5S unit in the genus Artemisia (Asteraceae), a genomic arrangement typical of primitive eukaryotes such as yeast, among others. Here we aim to reveal the origin, distribution and mechanisms leading to the linked organisation of rDNA in the Asteraceae by analysing unit structure (PCR, Southern blot, sequencing), gene copy number (quantitative PCR) and chromosomal position (FISH) of 5S and 35S rRNA genes in ~200 species representing the family diversity and other closely related groups. Results Dominant linked rDNA genotype was found within three large groups in subfamily Asteroideae: tribe Anthemideae (93% of the studied cases), tribe Gnaphalieae (100%) and in the "Heliantheae alliance" (23%). The remaining five tribes of the Asteroideae displayed canonical non linked arrangement of rDNA, as did the other groups in the Asteraceae. Nevertheless, low copy linked genes were identified among several species that amplified unlinked units. The conserved position of functional 5S insertions downstream from the 26S gene suggests a unique, perhaps retrotransposon-mediated integration event at the base of subfamily Asteroideae. Further evolution likely involved divergence of 26S-5S intergenic spacers, amplification and homogenisation of units across the chromosomes and concomitant elimination of unlinked arrays. However, the opposite trend, from linked towards unlinked arrangement was also surmised in few species indicating possible reversibility of these processes. Conclusions Our results indicate that nearly 25% of Asteraceae species may have evolved unusual linked arrangement of rRNA genes. Thus, in plants, fundamental changes in intrinsic structure of rDNA units, their copy number and chromosomal organisation may occur within relatively short evolutionary time. We hypothesize that the 5S gene integration within the 35S unit might have repeatedly occurred during plant evolution, and probably once in Asteraceae. PMID:20712858

ARX - A Comprehensive Tool for Anonymizing Biomedical Data

PubMed Central

Prasser, Fabian; Kohlmayer, Florian; Lautenschläger, Ronald; Kuhn, Klaus A.

2014-01-01

Collaboration and data sharing have become core elements of biomedical research. Especially when sensitive data from distributed sources are linked, privacy threats have to be considered. Statistical disclosure control allows the protection of sensitive data by introducing fuzziness. Reduction of data quality, however, needs to be balanced against gains in protection. Therefore, tools are needed which provide a good overview of the anonymization process to those responsible for data sharing. These tools require graphical interfaces and the use of intuitive and replicable methods. In addition, extensive testing, documentation and openness to reviews by the community are important. Existing publicly available software is limited in functionality, and often active support is lacking. We present ARX, an anonymization tool that i) implements a wide variety of privacy methods in a highly efficient manner, ii) provides an intuitive cross-platform graphical interface, iii) offers a programming interface for integration into other software systems, and iv) is well documented and actively supported. PMID:25954407

Privacy Preserving Quantum Anonymous Transmission via Entanglement Relay

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Wei; Huang, Liusheng; Song, Fang

2016-06-01

Anonymous transmission is an interesting and crucial issue in computer communication area, which plays a supplementary role to data privacy. In this paper, we put forward a privacy preserving quantum anonymous transmission protocol based on entanglement relay, which constructs anonymous entanglement from EPR pairs instead of multi-particle entangled state, e.g. GHZ state. Our protocol achieves both sender anonymity and receiver anonymity against an active adversary and tolerates any number of corrupt participants. Meanwhile, our protocol obtains an improvement in efficiency compared to quantum schemes in previous literature.

Privacy Preserving Quantum Anonymous Transmission via Entanglement Relay.

PubMed

Yang, Wei; Huang, Liusheng; Song, Fang

2016-06-01

Anonymous transmission is an interesting and crucial issue in computer communication area, which plays a supplementary role to data privacy. In this paper, we put forward a privacy preserving quantum anonymous transmission protocol based on entanglement relay, which constructs anonymous entanglement from EPR pairs instead of multi-particle entangled state, e.g. GHZ state. Our protocol achieves both sender anonymity and receiver anonymity against an active adversary and tolerates any number of corrupt participants. Meanwhile, our protocol obtains an improvement in efficiency compared to quantum schemes in previous literature.

Privacy Preserving Quantum Anonymous Transmission via Entanglement Relay

PubMed Central

Yang, Wei; Huang, Liusheng; Song, Fang

2016-01-01

Anonymous transmission is an interesting and crucial issue in computer communication area, which plays a supplementary role to data privacy. In this paper, we put forward a privacy preserving quantum anonymous transmission protocol based on entanglement relay, which constructs anonymous entanglement from EPR pairs instead of multi-particle entangled state, e.g. GHZ state. Our protocol achieves both sender anonymity and receiver anonymity against an active adversary and tolerates any number of corrupt participants. Meanwhile, our protocol obtains an improvement in efficiency compared to quantum schemes in previous literature. PMID:27247078

Effects of Data Anonymization by Cell Suppression on Descriptive Statistics and Predictive Modeling Performance

PubMed Central

Ohno-Machado, Lucila; Vinterbo, Staal; Dreiseitl, Stephan

2002-01-01

Protecting individual data in disclosed databases is essential. Data anonymization strategies can produce table ambiguation by suppression of selected cells. Using table ambiguation, different degrees of anonymization can be achieved, depending on the number of individuals that a particular case must become indistinguishable from. This number defines the level of anonymization. Anonymization by cell suppression does not necessarily prevent inferences from being made from the disclosed data. Preventing inferences may be important to preserve confidentiality. We show that anonymized data sets can preserve descriptive characteristics of the data, but might also be used for making inferences on particular individuals, which is a feature that may not be desirable. The degradation of predictive performance is directly proportional to the degree of anonymity. As an example, we report the effect of anonymization on the predictive performance of a model constructed to estimate the probability of disease given clinical findings.

Effects of data anonymization by cell suppression on descriptive statistics and predictive modeling performance.

PubMed Central

Ohno-Machado, L.; Vinterbo, S. A.; Dreiseitl, S.

2001-01-01

Protecting individual data in disclosed databases is essential. Data anonymization strategies can produce table ambiguation by suppression of selected cells. Using table ambiguation, different degrees of anonymization can be achieved, depending on the number of individuals that a particular case must become indistinguishable from. This number defines the level of anonymization. Anonymization by cell suppression does not necessarily prevent inferences from being made from the disclosed data. Preventing inferences may be important to preserve confidentiality. We show that anonymized data sets can preserve descriptive characteristics of the data, but might also be used for making inferences on particular individuals, which is a feature that may not be desirable. The degradation of predictive performance is directly proportional to the degree of anonymity. As an example, we report the effect of anonymization on the predictive performance of a model constructed to estimate the probability of disease given clinical findings. PMID:11825239

Detection of maltose fermentation genes in the baking yeast strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

PubMed

Oda, Y; Tonomura, K

1996-10-01

The presence of any one of the five unlinked MAL loci (MAL1, MAL2, MAL3, MAL4 and MAL6) confers the ability to ferment maltose on the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Each locus is composed of three genes encoding maltose permease, alpha-glucosidase and MAL activator. Chromosomal DNA of seven representative baking strains has been separated by pulse-field gel electrophoresis and probed with three genes in MAL6 locus. The DNA bands to which all of the three MAL-derived probes simultaneously hybridized were chromosome VII carrying MAL1 in all of the strains tested, chromosome XI carrying MAL4 in six strains, chromosome III carrying MAL2 in three strains and chromosomes II and VIII carrying MAL3 and MAL6, respectively, in the one strain. The number of MAL loci in baking strains was comparable to those of brewing strains.

Study on Privacy Protection Algorithm Based on K-Anonymity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

FeiFei, Zhao; LiFeng, Dong; Kun, Wang; Yang, Li

Basing on the study of K-Anonymity algorithm in privacy protection issue, this paper proposed a "Degree Priority" method of visiting Lattice nodes on the generalization tree to improve the performance of K-Anonymity algorithm. This paper also proposed a "Two Times K-anonymity" methods to reduce the information loss in the process of K-Anonymity. Finally, we used experimental results to demonstrate the effectiveness of these methods.

Mutations Leading to Expression of the Cryptic HMR a Locus in the Yeast SACCHAROMYCES CEREVISIAE

PubMed Central

Kassir, Yona; Simchen, Giora

1985-01-01

Mutations leading to expression of the silent HMR a information in Saccharomyces cerevisiae result in sporulation proficiency in mata1/MATα diploids. An example of such a mutation is sir5-2, a recessive mutation in the gene SIR5. As expected, haploids carrying the sir5-2 mutation are nonmaters due to the simultaneous expression of HMRa and HMLα, resulting in the nonmating phenotype of an a/α diploid. However, sir5-2/sir5-2 mata1/MATα diploids mate as α yet are capable of sporulation. The sir5-2 mutation is unlinked to sir1-1, yet the two mutations do not complement each other: mata1/MATα sir5-2/SIR5 SIR1/sir1-1 diploids are capable of sporulation. In this case, recessive mutations in two unlinked genes form a mutant phenotype, in spite of the presence of the normal wild-type alleles.—The PAS1-1 mutation, Provider of a Sporulation function, is a dominant mutation tightly linked to HMRa. PAS1-1 does not affect the mating ability of a strain, yet it allows diploids lacking a functional MATa locus to sporulate. It is proposed that PAS1-1 leads to partial expression of the otherwise cryptic a1 information at HMRa. PMID:3884439

DNA sequence responsible for the amplification of adjacent genes.

PubMed

Pasion, S G; Hartigan, J A; Kumar, V; Biswas, D K

1987-10-01

A 10.3-kb DNA fragment in the 5'-flanking region of the rat prolactin (rPRL) gene was isolated from F1BGH(1)2C1, a strain of rat pituitary tumor cells (GH cells) that produces prolactin in response to 5-bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU). Following transfection and integration into genomic DNA of recipient mouse L cells, this DNA induced amplification of the adjacent thymidine kinase gene from Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV1TK). We confirmed the ability of this "Amplicon" sequence to induce amplification of other linked or unlinked genes in DNA-mediated gene transfer studies. When transferred into the mouse L cells with the 10.3-5'rPRL gene sequence of BrdU-responsive cells, both the human growth hormone and the HSV1TK genes are amplified in response to 5-bromodeoxyuridine. This observation is substantiated by BrdU-induced amplification of the cotransferred bacterial Neo gene. Cotransfection studies reveal that the BrdU-induced amplification capability is associated with a 4-kb DNA sequence in the 5'-flanking region of the rPRL gene of BrdU-responsive cells. These results demonstrate that genes of heterologous origin, linked or unlinked, and selected or unselected, can be coamplified when located within the amplification boundary of the Amplicon sequence.

Who Are the Anonymous? Involvement and Predictors of Gamblers Anonymous Attendance Among Disordered Gamblers Presenting for Treatment.

PubMed

McGrath, Daniel S; Kim, Hyoun S; Hodgins, David C; Novitsky, Christine; Tavares, Hermano

2018-04-24

Gamblers Anonymous is the most widely available form of support for disordered gambling. Although chapters exist worldwide, knowledge of how attendees interact with the program is limited. The present study aimed to investigate involvement in Gamblers Anonymous among attendees, motives for attendance, and overall satisfaction with the program. Furthermore, potential gambling-related predictors of attendance versus deciding not to attend Gamblers Anonymous were investigated. A treatment-seeking sample of disordered gamblers (N = 512) from São Paulo, Brazil completed a series of self-report measures including an author-compiled Gamblers Anonymous survey. From the sample, 141 gamblers reported attending Gamblers Anonymous over the previous 30 days. An examination of involvement, satisfaction, and motives for attending Gamblers Anonymous was conducted, followed by regression analyses to assess predictors of attendance and satisfaction with the program. The majority of attendees (80%) reported some satisfaction with the program. The most common motive for attending Gamblers Anonymous was related to relapse prevention. Regression analyses revealed that greater gambling severity and number of days gambled were associated with not attending Gamblers Anonymous while giving testimonials was strongly related (OR = 6.18) to satisfaction with the program. The findings of this study contribute to the literature on Gamblers Anonymous. In particular, that members derive great satisfaction from the program and see it as a way to strengthen their abstinence goals. However, despite high satisfaction, the results also suggest that most members were passively involved in the program. More research that assesses the effectiveness of Gamblers Anonymous as either a stand-alone or adjunct treatment is needed.

Traveling the Silk Road: A Measurement of a Large Anonymous Online Marketplace

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-11-28

Silk Road, an anonymous, international online marketplace that operates as a Tor hidden service and uses Bitcoin as its exchange currency. We gather...analysis of Silk Road, an anonymous, international on- line marketplace that operates as a Tor hidden service and uses Bitcoin as its exchange currency. We...anonymity, Silk Road needs to also preserve payment anonymity. To that effect, Silk Road only supports Bitcoin (BTC, [30]) as a trading currency

Stronger transferability but lower variability in transcriptomic- than in anonymous microsatellites: evidence from Hylid frogs.

PubMed

Dufresnes, Christophe; Brelsford, Alan; Béziers, Paul; Perrin, Nicolas

2014-07-01

A simple way to quickly optimize microsatellites in nonmodel organisms is to reuse loci available in closely related taxa; however, this approach can be limited by the stochastic and low cross-amplification success experienced in some groups (e.g. amphibians). An efficient alternative is to develop loci from transcriptome sequences. Transcriptomic microsatellites have been found to vary in their levels of cross-species amplification and variability, but this has to date never been tested in amphibians. Here, we compare the patterns of cross-amplification and levels of polymorphism of 18 published anonymous microsatellites isolated from genomic DNA vs. 17 loci derived from a transcriptome, across nine species of tree frogs (Hyla arborea and Hyla cinerea group). We established a clear negative relationship between divergence time and amplification success, which was much steeper for anonymous than transcriptomic markers, with half-lives (time at which 50% of the markers still amplify) of 1.1 and 37 My, respectively. Transcriptomic markers are significantly less polymorphic than anonymous loci, but remain variable across diverged taxa. We conclude that the exploitation of amphibian transcriptomes for developing microsatellites seems an optimal approach for multispecies surveys (e.g. analyses of hybrid zones, comparative linkage mapping), whereas anonymous microsatellites may be more informative for fine-scale analyses of intraspecific variation. Moreover, our results confirm the pattern that microsatellite cross-amplification is greatly variable among amphibians and should be assessed independently within target lineages. Finally, we provide a bank of microsatellites for Palaearctic tree frogs (so far only available for H. arborea), which will be useful for conservation and evolutionary studies in this radiation. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

AIB-OR: improving onion routing circuit construction using anonymous identity-based cryptosystems.

PubMed

Wang, Changji; Shi, Dongyuan; Xu, Xilei

2015-01-01

The rapid growth of Internet applications has made communication anonymity an increasingly important or even indispensable security requirement. Onion routing has been employed as an infrastructure for anonymous communication over a public network, which provides anonymous connections that are strongly resistant to both eavesdropping and traffic analysis. However, existing onion routing protocols usually exhibit poor performance due to repeated encryption operations. In this paper, we first present an improved anonymous multi-receiver identity-based encryption (AMRIBE) scheme, and an improved identity-based one-way anonymous key agreement (IBOWAKE) protocol. We then propose an efficient onion routing protocol named AIB-OR that provides provable security and strong anonymity. Our main approach is to use our improved AMRIBE scheme and improved IBOWAKE protocol in onion routing circuit construction. Compared with other onion routing protocols, AIB-OR provides high efficiency, scalability, strong anonymity and fault tolerance. Performance measurements from a prototype implementation show that our proposed AIB-OR can achieve high bandwidths and low latencies when deployed over the Internet.

AIB-OR: Improving Onion Routing Circuit Construction Using Anonymous Identity-Based Cryptosystems

PubMed Central

Wang, Changji; Shi, Dongyuan; Xu, Xilei

2015-01-01

The rapid growth of Internet applications has made communication anonymity an increasingly important or even indispensable security requirement. Onion routing has been employed as an infrastructure for anonymous communication over a public network, which provides anonymous connections that are strongly resistant to both eavesdropping and traffic analysis. However, existing onion routing protocols usually exhibit poor performance due to repeated encryption operations. In this paper, we first present an improved anonymous multi-receiver identity-based encryption (AMRIBE) scheme, and an improved identity-based one-way anonymous key agreement (IBOWAKE) protocol. We then propose an efficient onion routing protocol named AIB-OR that provides provable security and strong anonymity. Our main approach is to use our improved AMRIBE scheme and improved IBOWAKE protocol in onion routing circuit construction. Compared with other onion routing protocols, AIB-OR provides high efficiency, scalability, strong anonymity and fault tolerance. Performance measurements from a prototype implementation show that our proposed AIB-OR can achieve high bandwidths and low latencies when deployed over the Internet. PMID:25815879

Quantum anonymous ranking

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Wei; Wen, Qiao-Yan; Liu, Bin; Su, Qi; Qin, Su-Juan; Gao, Fei

2014-03-01

Anonymous ranking is a kind of privacy-preserving ranking whereby each of the involved participants can correctly and anonymously get the rankings of his data. It can be utilized to solve many practical problems, such as anonymously ranking the students' exam scores. We investigate the issue of how quantum mechanics can be of use in maintaining the anonymity of the participants in multiparty ranking and present a series of quantum anonymous multiparty, multidata ranking protocols. In each of these protocols, a participant can get the correct rankings of his data and nobody else can match the identity to his data. Furthermore, the security of these protocols with respect to different kinds of attacks is proved.

HIV-Related Risk Behaviors, Perceptions of Risk, HIV Testing, and Exposure to Prevention Messages and Methods among Urban American Indians and Alaska Natives

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lapidus, Jodi A.; Bertolli, Jeanne; McGowan, Karen; Sullivan, Patrick

2006-01-01

The goal of this study was to describe HIV risk behaviors, perceptions, testing, and prevention exposure among urban American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/AN). Interviewers administered a questionnaire to participants recruited through anonymous peer-referral sampling. Chi-square tests and multiple logistic regression were used to compare HIV…

Reexamination of the Association between Anonymity and Self-Interested Unethical Behavior in Adults

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nogami, Tatsuya

2009-01-01

The well-established notion that the frequency of self-interested unethical behavior increases among anonymous people was reexamined employing a more strict definition of anonymity, voluntary unethical behavior, and adult individuals. Anonymity was defined as nonassociability of the participant's traits with respect to unethical behavior. The…

Comparing Acceptance and Commitment Group Therapy and 12-Steps Narcotics Anonymous in Addict's Rehabilitation Process: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

PubMed

Azkhosh, Manoochehr; Farhoudianm, Ali; Saadati, Hemn; Shoaee, Fateme; Lashani, Leila

2016-10-01

Objective: Substance abuse is a socio-psychological disorder. The aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness of acceptance and commitment therapy with 12-steps Narcotics Anonymous on psychological well-being of opiate dependent individuals in addiction treatment centers in Shiraz, Iran. Method: This was a randomized controlled trial. Data were collected at entry into the study and at post-test and follow-up visits. The participants were selected from opiate addicted individuals who referred to addiction treatment centers in Shiraz. Sixty individuals were evaluated according to inclusion/ exclusion criteria and were divided into three equal groups randomly (20 participants per group). One group received acceptance and commitment group therapy (Twelve 90-minute sessions) and the other group was provided with the 12-steps Narcotics Anonymous program and the control group received the usual methadone maintenance treatment. During the treatment process, seven participants dropped out. Data were collected using the psychological well-being questionnaire and AAQ questionnaire in the three groups at pre-test, post-test and follow-up visits. Data were analyzed using repeated measure analysis of variance. Results: Repeated measure analysis of variance revealed that the mean difference between the three groups was significant (P<0.05) and that acceptance and commitment therapy group showed improvement relative to the NA and control groups on psychological well-being and psychological flexibility. Conclusion : The results of this study revealed that acceptance and commitment therapy can be helpful in enhancing positive emotions and increasing psychological well-being of addicts who seek treatment.

Screening for Drug Abuse Among College Students: Modification of the Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cannell, M. Barry; Favazza, Armando R.

1978-01-01

Modified version of the Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test was anonymously given to 245 college students on two Midwestern university campuses. Cutoff score for suspected drug abuse was set at five points. The percent of students scoring five or more points was 25 and 22 from campuses A and B respectively. (Author)

Anonymous HIV workplace surveys as an advocacy tool for affordable private health insurance in Namibia

PubMed Central

2009-01-01

Background With an estimated adult HIV prevalence of 15%, Namibia is in need of innovative health financing strategies that can alleviate the burden on the public sector. Affordable and private health insurances were recently developed in Namibia, and they include coverage for HIV/AIDS. This article reports on the efficacy of HIV workplace surveys as a tool to increase uptake of these insurances by employees in the Namibian formal business sector. In addition, the burden of HIV among this population was examined by sector. Methods Cross-sectional anonymous HIV prevalence surveys were conducted in 24 private companies in Namibia between November 2006 and December 2007. Non-invasive oral fluid-based HIV antibody rapid tests were used. Anonymous test results were provided to the companies in a confidential report and through presentations to their management, during which the advantages of affordable private health insurance and the available insurance products were discussed. Impact assessment was conducted in October 2008, when new health insurance uptake by these companies was evaluated. Results Of 8500 targeted employees, 6521 were screened for HIV; mean participation rate was 78.6%. Overall 15.0% (95% CI 14.2-15.9%) of employees tested HIV positive (range 3.0-23.9% across companies). The mining sector had the highest percentage of HIV-positive employees (21.0%); the information technology (IT) sector had the lowest percentage (4.0%). Out of 6205 previously uninsured employees, 61% had enrolled in private health insurance by October 2008. The majority of these new insurances (78%) covered HIV/AIDS only. Conclusion The proportion of HIV-positive formal sector employees in Namibia is in line with national prevalence estimates and varies widely by employment sector. Following the surveys, there was a considerable increase in private health insurance uptake. This suggests that anonymous HIV workplace surveys can serve as a tool to motivate private companies to provide health insurance to their workforce. Health insurance taken up by those who are able to pay the fees will alleviate the burden on the public sector.

Traffic data collection and anonymous vehicle detection using wireless sensor networks.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2012-05-01

New traffic sensing devices based on wireless sensing technologies were designed and tested. Such devices encompass a cost-effective, battery-free, and energy self-sustained architecture for real-time traffic measurement over distributed points in a ...

Securing the anonymity of content providers in the World Wide Web

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Demuth, Thomas; Rieke, Andreas

1999-04-01

Nowadays the World Wide Web (WWW) is an established service used by people all over the world. Most of them do not recognize the fact that they reveal plenty of information about themselves or their affiliation and computer equipment to the providers of web pages they connect to. As a result, a lot of services offer users to access web pages unrecognized or without risk of being backtracked, respectively. This kind of anonymity is called user or client anonymity. But on the other hand, an equivalent protection for content providers does not exist, although this feature is desirable for many situations in which the identity of a publisher or content provider shall be hidden. We call this property server anonymity. We will introduce the first system with the primary target to offer anonymity for providers of information in the WWW. Beside this property, it provides also client anonymity. Based on David Chaum's idea of mixes and in relation to the context of the WWW, we explain the term 'server anonymity' motivating the system JANUS which offers both client and server anonymity.

Comments on ``Anonymous Reviews'' An Editor's View of Anonymous Reviews

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goff, John A.

I have read with great interest the recent Forum commentaries in Eos by Myrl Beck, Charles Robinove, Robert Criss, and Anne Hofmeister regarding anonymous reviews. I heartily support their position that anonymous reviews should be avoided. I have not written an anonymous review in ages (and regret the few that I did), and have always appreciated and respected greatly anyone who signs a critical review of one of my own papers. However, I would like to add some perspective from the editorial standpoint. I have served as JGR associate editor for 3 years (never anonymously!), and as Eos editor for seismology and tectonophysics for 4. Over the years, I have rejected a fair number of papers, most of those based on anonymous reviews (fortunately, none of the above commentators was one of them). The vast majority of anonymous reviews I received were well considered. While I would wish that all reviews were signed, I don't think we can summarily dismiss the fear that many would have of enmity and reprisal over a critical review. Some of these fears are likely justified. On more than one occasion, have I witnessed overly aggressive responses on the part of authors to anonymous reviews that I considered to be entirely fair and constructive in their criticisms. I do think we need to do all we can to discourage anonymous reviews, but it will be difficult to completely remove that choice from the process.

A randomized study of the effect of anonymity, quasi-anonymity, and Certificates of Confidentiality on postpartum women's disclosure of sensitive information.

PubMed

Beatty, Jessica R; Chase, Sara K; Ondersma, Steven J

2014-01-01

Under-reporting of substance use and other sensitive information is a substantial threat to internal study validity, particularly during the perinatal period. Anonymous approaches are associated with greater disclosure but are incompatible with longitudinal follow-up. Alternative approaches include use of a U.S. Federal Certificate of Confidentiality (CoC) and quasi-anonymous methods, in which there is no link between name and data. However, the relative effect of these procedures on disclosure is unknown. This randomized study was designed to evaluate the effects of consent condition (anonymous, quasi-anonymous, CoC, and traditional confidentiality) on disclosure of sensitive information among postpartum women. Participants were 200 postpartum, primarily African-American women who were randomly assigned to one of the four consent conditions and completed a brief computer-delivered assessment of alcohol and drug use, sexual risk, intimate partner violence, and emotional distress. Participants in the anonymous and quasi-anonymous conditions disclosed significantly more sensitive information than those in the traditional consent condition. In contrast, no advantage in overall disclosure was observed for the CoC condition. This result was largely consistent across specific content areas with the exception of emotional distress, disclosure of which was unrelated to consent condition. Although use of a CoC has limited impact on disclosure, the quasi-anonymous method may increase disclosure to a similar extent as full anonymity. Quasi-anonymous approaches should be considered when under-reporting is likely, a context in which the disadvantages of this approach must be balanced against its advantages. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Privacy preserving data publishing of categorical data through k-anonymity and feature selection.

PubMed

Aristodimou, Aristos; Antoniades, Athos; Pattichis, Constantinos S

2016-03-01

In healthcare, there is a vast amount of patients' data, which can lead to important discoveries if combined. Due to legal and ethical issues, such data cannot be shared and hence such information is underused. A new area of research has emerged, called privacy preserving data publishing (PPDP), which aims in sharing data in a way that privacy is preserved while the information lost is kept at a minimum. In this Letter, a new anonymisation algorithm for PPDP is proposed, which is based on k-anonymity through pattern-based multidimensional suppression (kPB-MS). The algorithm uses feature selection for reducing the data dimensionality and then combines attribute and record suppression for obtaining k-anonymity. Five datasets from different areas of life sciences [RETINOPATHY, Single Proton Emission Computed Tomography imaging, gene sequencing and drug discovery (two datasets)], were anonymised with kPB-MS. The produced anonymised datasets were evaluated using four different classifiers and in 74% of the test cases, they produced similar or better accuracies than using the full datasets.

College Students' Experiences with Anonymous Social Media: Implications for Campus Racial Climate

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Armstrong, Amanda; Thomas, Jaymi; Smith, Madeline

2017-01-01

The purpose of this exploratory case study was to gather undergraduate students' perceptions of anonymous racist messages found on Yik Yak and to better understand the implications of anonymous platforms on campus racial climate. Given the limited research surrounding students' use of anonymous social media platforms, as well as the predominant…

Social Media and Higher Education: The Problem of Anonymous Electronic Threats to the Campus Community

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reynolds, Cristin Lee; Platt, R. Eric; Malone Schaffer, Lenore; Foster, Holly

2017-01-01

This case is for use in graduate courses pertaining to student affairs and higher education administration. It presents challenges higher education professionals face concerning anonymous social media, and specifically how threats made through anonymous social media platforms such as Yik Yak affect the entire university community. The anonymity of…

Marijuana, other drugs, and alcohol use by drivers in Washington state : appendices.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2016-07-01

In Washington State legal sales of marijuana began July 8, 2014. A voluntary, anonymous roadside study was conducted to assess the prevalence of drivers testing positive for alcohol and other drugs, including marijuana, on Washingtons roads. Data ...

Marijuana, other drugs, and alcohol use by drivers in Washington State.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2016-07-01

In Washington State legal sales of marijuana began July 8, 2014. A voluntary, anonymous roadside study was conducted to assess the prevalence of drivers testing positive for alcohol and other drugs, including marijuana, on Washingtons roads. Data ...

Acceptability and intention to seek medical care after hypothetical receipt of patient-delivered partner therapy or electronic partner notification postcards among men who have sex with men: the partner's perspective.

PubMed

Kerani, Roxanne Pieper; Fleming, Mark; Golden, Matthew Robert

2013-02-01

Little is known about how men who have sex with men (MSM) exposed to a sexually transmitted infection respond to receiving patient-delivered partner therapy (PDPT) or electronic partner notification postcards (e-cards). We anonymously surveyed MSM in a sexually transmitted disease (STD) clinic and a private medical practice. Three scenarios were presented in which participants had oral or anal sex with a new partner and were subsequently notified of a chlamydia or gonorrhea exposure and offered PDPT by the partner. A fourth scenario described partner notification via an anonymous inSPOT e-card. We asked participants if they would see a doctor, test for HIV/STD, and/or notify other partners in each situation. Among 198 MSM, the percentage indicating that they would seek a medical evaluation was higher when scenarios described proctitis (97%-98%) versus pharyngitis (84%) or no symptoms (84%-89%). In the absence of symptoms, men indicated that they would be less likely to seek care (62% vs. 84%-88%, P < 0.0001) and notify partners (85% vs. 69%, P < 0.0001) if notified via an anonymous e-card than if notified directly by a partner. Approximately half reported that they would use PDPT provided by a partner. In the absence of symptoms, men who indicated that they would use PDPT reported that they would seek medical care less frequently than men who indicated that they would not take PDPT (74% vs. 92% [P = 0.0007 for oral sex exposure] 82% vs. 94%-94% [P = 0.01 or unprotected anal sex exposure]). Although many MSM express interest in using PDPT and anonymous e-cards, these methods may result in missed opportunities to test for HIV and other STDs.

Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices of Voluntary HIV Counseling and Testing among Rural Migrants in Shanghai, China

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

He, Na; Zhang, Jinling; Yao, Jinjian; Tian, Xiuhong; Zhao, Genming; Jiang, Qingwu; Detels, Roger

2009-01-01

A study of knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) of voluntary HIV counseling and testing (VCT) among rural migrants was conducted in Shanghai, China. An anonymous questionnaire was administered face-to-face. Among 2,690 participants, 78% reported having had lifetime sexual intercourse with 41.3% of singles reporting sexual intercourse, 9.2%…

Anonymity as an Instructional Scaffold in Peer Assessment: Its Effects on Peer Feedback Quality and Evolution in Students' Perceptions about Peer Assessment Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rotsaert, Tijs; Panadero, Ernesto; Schellens, Tammy

2018-01-01

Although previous research has indicated that providing anonymity is an effective way to create a safe peer assessment setting, continuously ensuring anonymity prevents students from experiencing genuine two-way interactive feedback dialogues. The present study investigated how installing a transitional approach from an anonymous to a…

Security Analysis of Accountable Anonymous Group Communication in Dissent

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-01-31

instance, group discussion forums or instant messaging. Misbehaving users may abuse this anonymity to disrupt communication, however, and existing...Abstract Users often wish to communicate anonymously on the Internet using, for instance, group discussion forums or instant messaging. Misbehaving users may...personal reprisal (Stein 2003). Yet anonymity makes it difficult to trace or exclude misbehaving participants (Davenport 2002). Online proto- cols

A New Heuristic Anonymization Technique for Privacy Preserved Datasets Publication on Cloud Computing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aldeen Yousra, S.; Mazleena, Salleh

2018-05-01

Recent advancement in Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) demanded much of cloud services to sharing users’ private data. Data from various organizations are the vital information source for analysis and research. Generally, this sensitive or private data information involves medical, census, voter registration, social network, and customer services. Primary concern of cloud service providers in data publishing is to hide the sensitive information of individuals. One of the cloud services that fulfill the confidentiality concerns is Privacy Preserving Data Mining (PPDM). The PPDM service in Cloud Computing (CC) enables data publishing with minimized distortion and absolute privacy. In this method, datasets are anonymized via generalization to accomplish the privacy requirements. However, the well-known privacy preserving data mining technique called K-anonymity suffers from several limitations. To surmount those shortcomings, I propose a new heuristic anonymization framework for preserving the privacy of sensitive datasets when publishing on cloud. The advantages of K-anonymity, L-diversity and (α, k)-anonymity methods for efficient information utilization and privacy protection are emphasized. Experimental results revealed the superiority and outperformance of the developed technique than K-anonymity, L-diversity, and (α, k)-anonymity measure.

A flexible approach to distributed data anonymization.

PubMed

Kohlmayer, Florian; Prasser, Fabian; Eckert, Claudia; Kuhn, Klaus A

2014-08-01

Sensitive biomedical data is often collected from distributed sources, involving different information systems and different organizational units. Local autonomy and legal reasons lead to the need of privacy preserving integration concepts. In this article, we focus on anonymization, which plays an important role for the re-use of clinical data and for the sharing of research data. We present a flexible solution for anonymizing distributed data in the semi-honest model. Prior to the anonymization procedure, an encrypted global view of the dataset is constructed by means of a secure multi-party computing (SMC) protocol. This global representation can then be anonymized. Our approach is not limited to specific anonymization algorithms but provides pre- and postprocessing for a broad spectrum of algorithms and many privacy criteria. We present an extensive analytical and experimental evaluation and discuss which types of methods and criteria are supported. Our prototype demonstrates the approach by implementing k-anonymity, ℓ-diversity, t-closeness and δ-presence with a globally optimal de-identification method in horizontally and vertically distributed setups. The experiments show that our method provides highly competitive performance and offers a practical and flexible solution for anonymizing distributed biomedical datasets. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Effectiveness of Anonymization Methods in Preserving Patients' Privacy: A Systematic Literature Review.

PubMed

Langarizadeh, Mostafa; Orooji, Azam; Sheikhtaheri, Abbas

2018-01-01

An ever growing for application of electronic health records (EHRs) has improved healthcare providers' communications, access to data for secondary use and promoted the quality of services. Patient's privacy has been changed to a great issue today since there are large loads of critical information in EHRs. Therefore, many privacy preservation techniques have been proposed and anonymization is a common one. This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of anonymization in preserving patients' privacy. The articles published in the 2005-2016 were included. Pubmed, Cochrane, IEEE and ScienceDirect were searched with a variety of related keywords. Finally, 18 articles were included. In the present study, the relevant anonymization issues were investigated in four categories: secondary use of anonymized data, re-identification risk, anonymization effect on information extraction and inadequacy of current methods for different document types. The results revealed that though anonymization cannot reduce the risk of re-identification to zero, if implemented correctly, can manage to help preserve patient's privacy.

Unlinkable Serial Transactions: Protocols and Applications

DTIC Science & Technology

1999-11-01

4) intends for the blind signature to be secure from “one-more” forgery attacks [Pointcheval and Stern 1996]. Such forgery enables the originator to...protocols we describe. The signature indicated by S in message 2 uses the vendor’s signature key for service S and is only used to sign blinded hashes. We...make use of blind signatures ; although, not surprisingly, their sys- tems are rather different from the ones given here [Fujioka et al. 1993; Cranor 1996

Joint effect of unlinked genotypes: application to type 2 diabetes in the EPIC-Potsdam case-cohort study.

PubMed

Knüppel, Sven; Meidtner, Karina; Arregui, Maria; Holzhütter, Hermann-Georg; Boeing, Heiner

2015-07-01

Analyzing multiple single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) is a promising approach to finding genetic effects beyond single-locus associations. We proposed the use of multilocus stepwise regression (MSR) to screen for allele combinations as a method to model joint effects, and compared the results with the often used genetic risk score (GRS), conventional stepwise selection, and the shrinkage method LASSO. In contrast to MSR, the GRS, conventional stepwise selection, and LASSO model each genotype by the risk allele doses. We reanalyzed 20 unlinked SNPs related to type 2 diabetes (T2D) in the EPIC-Potsdam case-cohort study (760 cases, 2193 noncases). No SNP-SNP interactions and no nonlinear effects were found. Two SNP combinations selected by MSR (Nagelkerke's R² = 0.050 and 0.048) included eight SNPs with mean allele combination frequency of 2%. GRS and stepwise selection selected nearly the same SNP combinations consisting of 12 and 13 SNPs (Nagelkerke's R² ranged from 0.020 to 0.029). LASSO showed similar results. The MSR method showed the best model fit measured by Nagelkerke's R² suggesting that further improvement may render this method a useful tool in genetic research. However, our comparison suggests that the GRS is a simple way to model genetic effects since it does not consider linkage, SNP-SNP interactions, and no non-linear effects. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd/University College London.

Variable number of tandem repeats and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis cluster analysis of enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli serovar O157 strains.

PubMed

Yokoyama, Eiji; Uchimura, Masako

2007-11-01

Ninety-five enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli serovar O157 strains, including 30 strains isolated from 13 intrafamily outbreaks and 14 strains isolated from 3 mass outbreaks, were studied by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and variable number of tandem repeats (VNTR) typing, and the resulting data were subjected to cluster analysis. Cluster analysis of the VNTR typing data revealed that 57 (60.0%) of 95 strains, including all epidemiologically linked strains, formed clusters with at least 95% similarity. Cluster analysis of the PFGE patterns revealed that 67 (70.5%) of 95 strains, including all but 1 of the epidemiologically linked strains, formed clusters with 90% similarity. The number of epidemiologically unlinked strains forming clusters was significantly less by VNTR cluster analysis than by PFGE cluster analysis. The congruence value between PFGE and VNTR cluster analysis was low and did not show an obvious correlation. With two-step cluster analysis, the number of clustered epidemiologically unlinked strains by PFGE cluster analysis that were divided by subsequent VNTR cluster analysis was significantly higher than the number by VNTR cluster analysis that were divided by subsequent PFGE cluster analysis. These results indicate that VNTR cluster analysis is more efficient than PFGE cluster analysis as an epidemiological tool to trace the transmission of enterohemorrhagic E. coli O157.

Anonymous Partnerships among MSM and Transgender Women (TW) Recently Diagnosed with HIV and other STIs in Lima, Peru: An individual and dyad-level analysis

PubMed Central

Perez-Brumer, Amaya G.; Oldenburg, Catherine E.; Segura, Eddy R.; Sanchez, Jorge; Lama, Javier R.; Clark, Jesse L.

2016-01-01

Objectives Partner notification (PN) following STI diagnosis is a key strategy for controlling HIV/STI transmission. Anonymous partnerships are an important barrier to PN and often associated with high-risk sexual behaviour. Limited research has examined the profile of MSM and TW who engage in anonymous sex. To better understand anonymous partnership practices in Lima, Peru, we assessed participant- and partnership-level characteristics associated with anonymous sex among a sample of MSM and TW recently diagnosed with HIV/STI. Methods MSM and TW diagnosed with HIV/STI within the past month completed a cross-sectional survey regarding anticipated PN practices. Participants reported sexual partnership types and characteristics of up to 3 of their most recent partners. Using a Poisson generalised estimating equation (GEE) model we assessed participant- and partnership-level characteristics associated with anonymous partnerships. Results Among 395 MSM and TW with HIV/STI, 36.0% reported at least one anonymous sexual partner in the past three months (mean of 8.6 anonymous partners per participant; SD 17.0). Of the 971 partnerships reported, 118 (12.2%) were anonymous and the majority (84.8%) were with male partners, followed by 11.0% with female partners, and 4.2% with transgender/travesti partners. Partner-level characteristics associated with increased likelihood of having an anonymous partner included female (aPR 2.28, 95% CI 1.05 to 4.95, P=0.04) or transgender/travesti (aPR 4.03, 95% CI 1.51 to 10.78, P=0.006) partner gender. Conclusions By assessing both individual- and dyadic-level factors, these results represent an important step in understanding the complexity of partnership interactions and developing alternative partner notification strategies for Latin America. PMID:26912910

Anonymous birth law saves babies--optimization, sustainability and public awareness.

PubMed

Grylli, Chryssa; Brockington, Ian; Fiala, Christian; Huscsava, Mercedes; Waldhoer, Thomas; Klier, Claudia M

2016-04-01

The aims of this study are to assess the impact of Austria's anonymous birth law from the time relevant statistical records are available and to evaluate the use of hatches versus anonymous hospital delivery. This study is a complete census of police-reported neonaticides (1975-2012) as well as anonymous births including baby hatches in Austria during 2002-2012. The time trends of neonaticide rates, anonymous births and baby hatches were analysed by means of Poisson and logistic regression model. Predicted and observed rates were derived and compared using a Bayesian Poisson regression model. Predicted numbers of neonaticides for the period of the active awareness campaign, 2002-2004, were more than three times larger than the observed number (p = 0.0067). Of the 365 women who benefitted from this legislation, only 11.5% chose to put their babies in a baby hatch. Since the law was introduced, a significant decreasing tendency of numbers of anonymous births (p = 047) was observed, while there was significant increase of neonaticide rates (p = 0.0001). The implementation of the anonymous delivery law is associated with a decrease in the number of police-reported neonaticides. The subsequent significantly decreasing numbers of anonymous births with an accompanying increase of neonaticides represents additional evidence for the effectiveness of the measure.

Predicting adolescent's cyberbullying behavior: A longitudinal risk analysis.

PubMed

Barlett, Christopher P

2015-06-01

The current study used the risk factor approach to test the unique and combined influence of several possible risk factors for cyberbullying attitudes and behavior using a four-wave longitudinal design with an adolescent US sample. Participants (N = 96; average age = 15.50 years) completed measures of cyberbullying attitudes, perceptions of anonymity, cyberbullying behavior, and demographics four times throughout the academic school year. Several logistic regression equations were used to test the contribution of these possible risk factors. Results showed that (a) cyberbullying attitudes and previous cyberbullying behavior were important unique risk factors for later cyberbullying behavior, (b) anonymity and previous cyberbullying behavior were valid risk factors for later cyberbullying attitudes, and (c) the likelihood of engaging in later cyberbullying behavior increased with the addition of risk factors. Overall, results show the unique and combined influence of such risk factors for predicting later cyberbullying behavior. Results are discussed in terms of theory. Copyright © 2015 The Foundation for Professionals in Services for Adolescents. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Networks, Trees, and Treeshrews: Assessing Support and Identifying Conflict with Multiple Loci and a Problematic Root

PubMed Central

Roberts, Trina E.; Sargis, Eric J.; Olson, Link E.

2009-01-01

Multiple unlinked genetic loci often provide a more comprehensive picture of evolutionary history than any single gene can, but analyzing multigene data presents particular challenges. Differing rates and patterns of nucleotide substitution, combined with the limited information available in any data set, can make it difficult to specify a model of evolution. In addition, conflict among loci can be the result of real differences in evolutionary process or of stochastic variance and errors in reconstruction. We used 6 presumably unlinked nuclear loci to investigate relationships within the mammalian family Tupaiidae (Scandentia), containing all but one of the extant tupaiid genera. We used a phylogenetic mixture model to analyze the concatenated data and compared this with results using partitioned models. We found that more complex models were not necessarily preferred under tests using Bayes factors and that model complexity affected both tree length and parameter variance. We also compared the results of single-gene and multigene analyses and used splits networks to analyze the source and degree of conflict among genes. Networks can show specific relationships that are inconsistent with each other; these conflicting and minority relationships, which are implicitly ignored or collapsed by traditional consensus methods, can be useful in identifying the underlying causes of topological uncertainty. In our data, conflict is concentrated around particular relationships, not widespread throughout the tree. This pattern is further clarified by considering conflict surrounding the root separately from conflict within the ingroup. Uncertainty in rooting may be because of the apparent evolutionary distance separating these genera and our outgroup, the tupaiid genus Dendrogale. Unlike a previous mitochondrial study, these nuclear data strongly suggest that the genus Tupaia is not monophyletic with respect to the monotypic Urogale, even when uncertainty about rooting is taken into account. These data concur with mitochondrial DNA on other relationships, including the close affinity of Tupaia tana with the enigmatic Tupaia splendidula and of Tupaia belangeri with Tupaia glis. We also discuss the taxonomic and biogeographic implications of these results. PMID:20525582

ZEA-TDMA: design and system level implementation of a TDMA protocol for anonymous wireless networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Banerjee, Debasmit; Dong, Bo; Biswas, Subir

2013-05-01

Wireless sensor network used in military applications may be deployed in hostile environments, where privacy and security is of primary concern. This can lead to the formation of a trust-based sub-network among mutually-trusting nodes. However, designing a TDMA MAC protocol is very challenging in situations where such multiple sub-networks coexist, since TDMA protocols require node identity information for slot assignments. This paper introduces a novel distributed TDMA MAC protocol, ZEA-TDMA (Zero Exposure Anonymous TDMA), for anonymous wireless networks. ZEA-TDMA achieves slot allocation with strict anonymity constraints, i.e. without nodes having to exchange any identity revealing information. By using just the relative time of arrival of packets and a novel technique of wireless collision-detection and resolution for fixed packetsizes, ZEA-TDMA is able to achieve MAC slot-allocation which is described as follows. Initially, a newly joined node listens to its one-hop neighborhood channel usage and creates a slot allocation table based on its own relative time, and finally, selects a slot that is collision free within its one-hop neighborhood. The selected slot can however cause hidden collisions with a two-hop neighbor of the node. These collisions are resolved by a common neighbor of the colliding nodes, which first detects the collision, and then resolve them using an interrupt packet. ZEA-TDMA provides the following features: a) it is a TDMA protocol ideally suited for highly secure or strictly anonymous environments b) it can be used in heterogeneous environments where devices use different packet structures c) it does not require network time-synchronization, and d) it is insensitive to channel errors. We have implemented ZEA-TDMA on the MICA2 hardware platform running TinyOS and evaluated the protocol functionality and performance on a MICA2 test-bed.

Culture or anonymity? Differences in proposer behaviour in Korea and Germany.

PubMed

Horak, Sven

2015-10-01

This study explores the proposer behaviour in an ultimatum game (UG) frame under anonymous and non-anonymous conditions among a Korean and German subject pool (n = 590) in comparison. Whereas the anonymous condition is represented by the standard UG, the non-anonymous condition integrates an aggregate of the Korean cultural context variables university affiliation, regional origin and seniority. The latter, a classic Confucian context variable, is measured by age differentials. The former two are impactful components of so-called Yongo networks, a unique Korean informal institution identical to Chinese Guanxi ties. Yongo networks, yet underrepresented in research, are said to be a central context variable to explain Korean social ties and decision-making behaviour. We observe significant differences between the offer behaviours of Korean and German subjects when exposing selected cultural variables. We argue that the behavioural differences observed are in fact due to culture not anonymity. © 2015 International Union of Psychological Science.

Good lamps are the best police: darkness increases dishonesty and self-interested behavior.

PubMed

Zhong, Chen-Bo; Bohns, Vanessa K; Gino, Francesca

2010-03-01

Darkness can conceal identity and encourage moral transgressions; it may also induce a psychological feeling of illusory anonymity that disinhibits dishonest and self-interested behavior regardless of actual anonymity. Three experiments provided empirical evidence supporting this prediction. In Experiment 1, participants in a room with slightly dimmed lighting cheated more and thus earned more undeserved money than those in a well-lit room. In Experiment 2, participants wearing sunglasses behaved more selfishly than those wearing clear glasses. Finally, in Experiment 3, an illusory sense of anonymity mediated the relationship between darkness and self-interested behaviors. Across all three experiments, darkness had no bearing on actual anonymity, yet it still increased morally questionable behaviors. We suggest that the experience of darkness, even when subtle, may induce a sense of anonymity that is not proportionate to actual anonymity in a given situation.

Attribute Utility Motivated k-anonymization of Datasets to Support the Heterogeneous Needs of Biomedical Researchers

PubMed Central

Ye, Huimin; Chen, Elizabeth S.

2011-01-01

In order to support the increasing need to share electronic health data for research purposes, various methods have been proposed for privacy preservation including k-anonymity. Many k-anonymity models provide the same level of anoymization regardless of practical need, which may decrease the utility of the dataset for a particular research study. In this study, we explore extensions to the k-anonymity algorithm that aim to satisfy the heterogeneous needs of different researchers while preserving privacy as well as utility of the dataset. The proposed algorithm, Attribute Utility Motivated k-anonymization (AUM), involves analyzing the characteristics of attributes and utilizing them to minimize information loss during the anonymization process. Through comparison with two existing algorithms, Mondrian and Incognito, preliminary results indicate that AUM may preserve more information from original datasets thus providing higher quality results with lower distortion. PMID:22195223

Clinical and genetic heterogeneity of hypochondroplasia.

PubMed Central

Rousseau, F; Bonaventure, J; Legeai-Mallet, L; Schmidt, H; Weissenbach, J; Maroteaux, P; Munnich, A; Le Merrer, M

1996-01-01

Hypochondroplasia (HCH) is an autosomal dominant condition characterised by short stature, micromelia, and lumbar lordosis. In a series of 29 HCH probands (13 sporadic cases, 16 familial cases), we tested their DNA for the N540K recurrent mutation previously described in the proximal tyrosine kinase domain of the FGFR3 gene on chromosome 4p16.3, and we detected this mutation in 21/29 HCH patients. Interestingly, three familial cases were clearly unlinked to chromosome 4p16.3. Reviewing the clinical and radiological manifestations of the disease a posteriori, we observed that the N540K mutation was associated with relative macrocrania with a high and large forehead and short hands. By contrast, in the three pedigrees inconsistent with linkage to chromosome 4p16.3, the clinical phenotype was milder, macrocephaly and shortening of the long bones was less obvious, the hands were normal, and no metaphyseal flaring was noted. This study supports the view that HCH is a clinically and genetically heterogeneous condition. Images PMID:8880574

A Bayesian adaptive design for biomarker trials with linked treatments.

PubMed

Wason, James M S; Abraham, Jean E; Baird, Richard D; Gournaris, Ioannis; Vallier, Anne-Laure; Brenton, James D; Earl, Helena M; Mander, Adrian P

2015-09-01

Response to treatments is highly heterogeneous in cancer. Increased availability of biomarkers and targeted treatments has led to the need for trial designs that efficiently test new treatments in biomarker-stratified patient subgroups. We propose a novel Bayesian adaptive randomisation (BAR) design for use in multi-arm phase II trials where biomarkers exist that are potentially predictive of a linked treatment's effect. The design is motivated in part by two phase II trials that are currently in development. The design starts by randomising patients to the control treatment or to experimental treatments that the biomarker profile suggests should be active. At interim analyses, data from treated patients are used to update the allocation probabilities. If the linked treatments are effective, the allocation remains high; if ineffective, the allocation changes over the course of the trial to unlinked treatments that are more effective. Our proposed design has high power to detect treatment effects if the pairings of treatment with biomarker are correct, but also performs well when alternative pairings are true. The design is consistently more powerful than parallel-groups stratified trials. This BAR design is a powerful approach to use when there are pairings of biomarkers with treatments available for testing simultaneously.

21 CFR 1271.85 - What donor testing is required for different types of cells and tissues?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... gonorrhea. (d) Retesting anonymous semen donors. Except as provided under § 1271.90 and except for directed reproductive donors as defined in § 1271.3(l), at least 6 months after the date of donation of semen from...

High-Efficiency Ligation and Recombination of DNA Fragments by Vertebrate Cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miller, Cynthia K.; Temin, Howard M.

1983-05-01

DNA-mediated gene transfer (transfection) is used to introduce specific genes into vertebrate cells. Events soon after transfection were quantitatively analyzed by determining the infectivity of the DNA from an avian retrovirus and of mixtures of subgenomic fragments of this DNA. The limiting step of transfection with two DNA molecules is the uptake by a single cell of both DNA's in a biologically active state. Transfected cells mediate ligation and recombination of physically unlinked DNA's at nearly 100 percent efficiency.

Fly-around view of the ISS

NASA Image and Video Library

2001-03-19

STS102-E-5315 (18 March 2001) --- The International Space Station (ISS) backdropped against a mass of clouds over Earth was photographed with a digital still camera from the Space Shuttle Discovery on March 18, 2001. It is a standard operation for the shuttle to make a final fly-around of the outpost following unlinking from it. A new crew comprised of cosmonaut Yury V. Usachev and astronauts James S. Voss and Susan J. Helms will spend several months aboard the station.

A cross-sectional survey of attitudes to HIV risk and rapid HIV testing among clients of sex workers in Switzerland.

PubMed

Darling, Katharine E A; Diserens, Esther-Amélie; N'garambe, Chantal; Ansermet-Pagot, Anne; Masserey, Eric; Cavassini, Matthias; Bodenmann, Patrick

2012-10-01

To assess attitudes to HIV risk and acceptability of rapid HIV testing among clients of street-based female sex workers (FSW) in Lausanne, Switzerland, where HIV prevalence in the general population is 0.4%. The authors conducted a cross-sectional study in the red light district of Lausanne for five nights in September of 2008, 2009 and 2010. Clients of FSW were invited to complete a questionnaire in the street assessing demographic characteristics, attitudes to HIV risk and HIV testing history. All clients interviewed were then offered anonymous finger stick rapid HIV testing in a van parked on-site. The authors interviewed 112, 127 and 79 clients in 2008, 2009 and 2010, respectively. All were men, average age 32-37 years old; 40-60% were in a stable relationship. History of unprotected sex was higher with non-commercial partners (33-50%) than with FSW (6-11%); 29-46% of clients had never undergone an HIV test. Anonymous rapid HIV testing was accepted by 45-50% of clients. Out of 109 HIV tests conducted during the three study periods, none was reactive. On-site HIV counselling and testing is acceptable among clients of FSW in this urban setting. These individuals represent an unquantified population, a proportion of which has an incomplete understanding of HIV risk in the face of high-risk behaviour, with implications for potential onward transmission to non-commercial sexual partners.

Anonymous broadcasting of classical information with a continuous-variable topological quantum code

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Menicucci, Nicolas C.; Baragiola, Ben Q.; Demarie, Tommaso F.; Brennen, Gavin K.

2018-03-01

Broadcasting information anonymously becomes more difficult as surveillance technology improves, but remarkably, quantum protocols exist that enable provably traceless broadcasting. The difficulty is making scalable entangled resource states that are robust to errors. We propose an anonymous broadcasting protocol that uses a continuous-variable surface-code state that can be produced using current technology. High squeezing enables large transmission bandwidth and strong anonymity, and the topological nature of the state enables local error mitigation.

(a,k)-Anonymous Scheme for Privacy-Preserving Data Collection in IoT-based Healthcare Services Systems.

PubMed

Li, Hongtao; Guo, Feng; Zhang, Wenyin; Wang, Jie; Xing, Jinsheng

2018-02-14

The widely use of IoT technologies in healthcare services has pushed forward medical intelligence level of services. However, it also brings potential privacy threat to the data collection. In healthcare services system, health and medical data that contains privacy information are often transmitted among networks, and such privacy information should be protected. Therefore, there is a need for privacy-preserving data collection (PPDC) scheme to protect clients (patients) data. We adopt (a,k)-anonymity model as privacy pretection scheme for data collection, and propose a novel anonymity-based PPDC method for healthcare services in this paper. The threat model is analyzed in the client-server-to-user (CS2U) model. On client-side, we utilize (a,k)-anonymity notion to generate anonymous tuples which can resist possible attack, and adopt a bottom-up clustering method to create clusters that satisfy a base privacy level of (a 1 ,k 1 )-anonymity. On server-side, we reduce the communication cost through generalization technology, and compress (a 1 ,k 1 )-anonymous data through an UPGMA-based cluster combination method to make the data meet the deeper level of privacy (a 2 ,k 2 )-anonymity (a 1  ≥ a 2 , k 2  ≥ k 1 ). Theoretical analysis and experimental results prove that our scheme is effective in privacy-preserving and data quality.

Size matters: How population size influences genotype–phenotype association studies in anonymized data

PubMed Central

Denny, Joshua C.; Haines, Jonathan L.; Roden, Dan M.; Malin, Bradley A.

2014-01-01

Objective Electronic medical records (EMRs) data is increasingly incorporated into genome-phenome association studies. Investigators hope to share data, but there are concerns it may be “re-identified” through the exploitation of various features, such as combinations of standardized clinical codes. Formal anonymization algorithms (e.g., k-anonymization) can prevent such violations, but prior studies suggest that the size of the population available for anonymization may influence the utility of the resulting data. We systematically investigate this issue using a large-scale biorepository and EMR system through which we evaluate the ability of researchers to learn from anonymized data for genome- phenome association studies under various conditions. Methods We use a k-anonymization strategy to simulate a data protection process (on data sets containing clinical codes) for resources of similar size to those found at nine academic medical institutions within the United States. Following the protection process, we replicate an existing genome-phenome association study and compare the discoveries using the protected data and the original data through the correlation (r2) of the p-values of association significance. Results Our investigation shows that anonymizing an entire dataset with respect to the population from which it is derived yields significantly more utility than small study-specific datasets anonymized unto themselves. When evaluated using the correlation of genome-phenome association strengths on anonymized data versus original data, all nine simulated sites, results from largest-scale anonymizations (population ∼ 100;000) retained better utility to those on smaller sizes (population ∼ 6000—75;000). We observed a general trend of increasing r2 for larger data set sizes: r2 = 0.9481 for small-sized datasets, r2 = 0.9493 for moderately-sized datasets, r2 = 0.9934 for large-sized datasets. Conclusions This research implies that regardless of the overall size of an institution's data, there may be significant benefits to anonymization of the entire EMR, even if the institution is planning on releasing only data about a specific cohort of patients. PMID:25038554

Care workers' abusive behavior to residents in care homes: a qualitative study of types of abuse, barriers, and facilitators to good care and development of an instrument for reporting of abuse anonymously.

PubMed

Cooper, Claudia; Dow, Briony; Hay, Susan; Livingston, Deborah; Livingston, Gill

2013-05-01

Elder abuse in care homes is probably common but inherently difficult to detect. We developed the first questionnaire to ask care home workers to report abuse anonymously. We held qualitative focus groups with 36 care workers from four London care homes, asking about abuse they had witnessed or perpetrated. The participants reported that situations with potentially abusive consequences were a common occurrence, but deliberate abuse was rare. Residents waited too long for personal care, or were denied care they needed to ensure they had enough to eat, were moved safely, or were not emotionally neglected. Some care workers acted in potentially abusive ways because they did not know of a better strategy or understand the resident's illness; care workers made threats to coerce residents to accept care, or restrained them; a resident at high risk of falls was required to walk as care workers thought otherwise he would forget the skill. Most care workers said that they would be willing to report abuse anonymously. Care workers were sent the newly developed Care Home Conflict Scale to comment on but not to complete and to report whether it was acceptable and relevant to them. Several completed it and reported abusive behavior. Lack of resources, especially care worker time and knowledge about managing challenging behavior and dementia were judged to underlie much of the abuse described. We describe the first instrument designed to measure abuse by care home workers anonymously; field-testing is the logical next step.

[Anonymous birth and neonaticide in Tyrol].

PubMed

Danner, C; Pacher, M; Ambach, E; Brezinka, C

2005-10-01

In 2001 the Austrian government provided the legal means that formally enabled "anonymous birth": a woman can now give birth in any hospital in Austria without giving her name or insurance number, the baby is taken into care by social services and placed with adoptive parents. The cost of the hospital stay is covered from public funds. These measures were put into effect after some highly publicized cases of infant abandonment and neonaticide in Austria. In the mostly rural and small-town province of Tyrol province in western Austria (687,000 inhabitants, 7000 births per year) four cases of neonaticide were discovered in the years from 1996 to 2004. One child was abandoned inside a hospital. Since 2001 two women have made use of the "anonymous birth" option. Neither had had any pregnancy controls, both showed up at or near term with contractions. They delivered healthy infants that were then taken into care by local adoption services. Both women were extensively counselled by psychologists, social workers, medical and midwifery staff and both insisted on their original decision to remain anonymous. A few weeks later one of the women found herself at the centre of a criminal investigation for infanticide after anonymous letters were sent to family members insinuating she had done away with the child. Police stopped that investigation when hospital staff confirmed that the woman had had an "anonymous" delivery. Despite the option of legal "anonymous" birth free of charge in modern hospitals there are still cases of infant abandonment and neonaticide in Austria. It is proposed that the women who opt for anonymous birth may not be the women who would otherwise kill their babies. Instead, it appears that the women opted for anonymity to escape the probably well-intentioned but overbearing attention of their families and of social services. It is doubtful that the option of anonymous birth will lead to a complete disappearance of infanticide and infant abandonment in Austria.

An Enhanced Lightweight Anonymous Authentication Scheme for a Scalable Localization Roaming Service in Wireless Sensor Networks.

PubMed

Chung, Youngseok; Choi, Seokjin; Lee, Youngsook; Park, Namje; Won, Dongho

2016-10-07

More security concerns and complicated requirements arise in wireless sensor networks than in wired networks, due to the vulnerability caused by their openness. To address this vulnerability, anonymous authentication is an essential security mechanism for preserving privacy and providing security. Over recent years, various anonymous authentication schemes have been proposed. Most of them reveal both strengths and weaknesses in terms of security and efficiency. Recently, Farash et al. proposed a lightweight anonymous authentication scheme in ubiquitous networks, which remedies the security faults of previous schemes. However, their scheme still suffers from certain weaknesses. In this paper, we prove that Farash et al.'s scheme fails to provide anonymity, authentication, or password replacement. In addition, we propose an enhanced scheme that provides efficiency, as well as anonymity and security. Considering the limited capability of sensor nodes, we utilize only low-cost functions, such as one-way hash functions and bit-wise exclusive-OR operations. The security and lightness of the proposed scheme mean that it can be applied to roaming service in localized domains of wireless sensor networks, to provide anonymous authentication of sensor nodes.

An Enhanced Lightweight Anonymous Authentication Scheme for a Scalable Localization Roaming Service in Wireless Sensor Networks

PubMed Central

Chung, Youngseok; Choi, Seokjin; Lee, Youngsook; Park, Namje; Won, Dongho

2016-01-01

More security concerns and complicated requirements arise in wireless sensor networks than in wired networks, due to the vulnerability caused by their openness. To address this vulnerability, anonymous authentication is an essential security mechanism for preserving privacy and providing security. Over recent years, various anonymous authentication schemes have been proposed. Most of them reveal both strengths and weaknesses in terms of security and efficiency. Recently, Farash et al. proposed a lightweight anonymous authentication scheme in ubiquitous networks, which remedies the security faults of previous schemes. However, their scheme still suffers from certain weaknesses. In this paper, we prove that Farash et al.’s scheme fails to provide anonymity, authentication, or password replacement. In addition, we propose an enhanced scheme that provides efficiency, as well as anonymity and security. Considering the limited capability of sensor nodes, we utilize only low-cost functions, such as one-way hash functions and bit-wise exclusive-OR operations. The security and lightness of the proposed scheme mean that it can be applied to roaming service in localized domains of wireless sensor networks, to provide anonymous authentication of sensor nodes. PMID:27739417

Effects of Cultural Orientation on Attitude Toward Anonymity in E-Collaboration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhong, Yingqin; Liu, Na; Lim, John

The important role of attitude in the acceptance and diffusion of technology has been widely acknowledged. Greater research efforts have been called for examining the relationships between cultural variables and attitude toward technology. In this regard, this study investigates the impact of cultural orientation (focusing on an individual's degree of collectivism) on attitude toward e-collaboration technology. A theoretical model is proposed and subsequently tested using a questionnaire survey involving 236 data points. Self-reliance, competitive success, and group work orientation are found as significant indicators reflecting an individual's degree of collectivism, which in turn influences willingness to participate, evaluation of collaborative effort, and preference for anonymity feature. Subsequently, the three variables are found to affect perceptions about decision quality, enjoyment, uncertainty, and pressure in e-collaboration.

76 FR 44535 - Testing of Bisphenol A

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-07-26

... Web site is an ``anonymous access'' system, which means EPA will not know your identity or contact... INFORMATION: I. General Information A. Does this action apply to me? You may be potentially affected by this.... Paper recyclers (NAICS codes 322110, 322121, 3222), e.g., pulp mills, paper (except newsprint) mills...

The anonymity paradox in patient engagement: reputation, risk and web-based public feedback.

PubMed

Speed, Ewen; Davison, Charlie; Gunnell, Caroline

2016-06-01

The UK National Health Service (NHS) has long espoused patient and public engagement. Recent years have seen increasing use of internet-based methods of collecting feedback about patient experience and public and staff views about NHS services and priorities. Often hailed as a means of facilitating participative democratic patient engagement, these processes raise a number of complex issues. A key aspect of it is the opportunity for comment to be made anonymously. Our research reveals an anonymity paradox whereby patients clearly demonstrate a perception that anonymity is a prerequisite for effective use of these feedback processes, whereas professionals demonstrate a perception that patient anonymity is a barrier to effective use. The risks of anonymity are constructed very differently by patients and professionals. Patient concerns around anonymity were not motivated by a general concern about a loss of privacy, but more that a positive identification might compromise future care. For professionals, concerns were voiced more around risks of reputational damage for specific practitioners or practices (in that anyone could say anything) and also that this anonymous feedback was available publicly and that it might go against the medical opinion of the professional. These concerns pointed to important differences in perceptions of patient and professional vulnerability. In the qualitative analysis that follows the key finding was that while anonymity makes service users feel less vulnerable, it can have the opposite effect on managers and clinical staff. This raises important implications for the use and utility of internet-based methods of collecting patient feedback. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/

Is cyberbullying worse than traditional bullying? Examining the differential roles of medium, publicity, and anonymity for the perceived severity of bullying.

PubMed

Sticca, Fabio; Perren, Sonja

2013-05-01

Cyberbullying, a modern form of bullying performed using electronic forms of contact (e.g., SMS, MMS, Facebook, YouTube), has been considered as being worse than traditional bullying in its consequences for the victim. This difference was mainly attributed to some specific aspect that are believed to distinguish cyberbullying from traditional bullying: an increased potential for a large audience, an increased potential for anonymous bullying, lower levels of direct feedback, decreased time and space limits, and lower levels of supervision. The present studies investigated the relative importance of medium (traditional vs. cyber), publicity (public vs. private), and bully's anonymity (anonymous vs. not anonymous) for the perceived severity of hypothetical bullying scenarios among a sample of Swiss seventh- and eight-graders (study 1: 49% female, mean age = 13.7; study 2: 49% female, mean age = 14.2). Participants ranked a set of hypothetical bullying scenarios from the most severe one to the least severe one. The scenarios were experimentally manipulated based on the aspect of medium and publicity (study 1), and medium and anonymity (study 2). Results showed that public scenarios were perceived as worse than private ones, and that anonymous scenarios were perceived as worse than not anonymous ones. Cyber scenarios generally were perceived as worse than traditional ones, although effect sizes were found to be small. These results suggest that the role of medium is secondary to the role of publicity and anonymity when it comes to evaluating bullying severity. Therefore, cyberbullying is not a priori perceived as worse than traditional bullying. Implications of the results for cyberbullying prevention and intervention are discussed.

Barriers to Bacterial Sexually Transmitted Infection Testing of HIV-Infected Men Who Have Sex With Men Engaged in HIV Primary Care.

PubMed

Barbee, Lindley A; Dhanireddy, Shireesha; Tat, Susana A; Marrazzo, Jeanne M

2015-10-01

Approximately 15% of HIV-infected men who have sex with men (MSM) engaged in HIV primary care have been diagnosed as having a sexually transmitted infection (STI) in the past year, yet STI testing frequency remains low. We sought to quantify STI testing frequencies at a large, urban HIV care clinic, and to identify patient- and provider-related barriers to increased STI testing. We extracted laboratory data in aggregate from the electronic medical record to calculate STI testing frequencies (defined as the number of HIV-infected MSM engaged in care who were tested at least once over an 18-month period divided by the number of MSM engaged in care). We created anonymous surveys of patients and providers to elicit barriers. Extragenital gonorrhea and chlamydia testing was low (29%-32%), but the frequency of syphilis testing was higher (72%). Patients frequently reported high-risk behaviors, including drug use (16.4%) and recent bacterial STI (25.5%), as well as substantial rates of recent testing (>60% in prior 6 months). Most (72%) reported testing for STI in HIV primary care, but one-third went elsewhere for "easier" (42%), anonymous (21%), or more frequent (16%) testing. HIV primary care providers lacked testing and treatment knowledge (25%-32%) and cited lack of time (68%), discomfort with sexual history taking and genital examination (21%), and patient reluctance (39%) as barriers to increased STI testing. Sexually transmitted infection testing in HIV care remains unacceptably low. Enhanced education of providers, along with strategies to decrease provider time and increase patient ease and frequency of STI testing, is needed.

Legal Issues in Anonymity and Pseudonymity.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Froomkin, A. Michael

1999-01-01

Regulation of anonymous and pseudonymous communications is an important and contentious Internetrelated issues of the 21st century. Resolution of this controversy will effect freedom of speech, nature of electronic commerce, and capabilities of law enforcement. The legal constraints on anonymous communication, and the constitutional constraints on…

A framework to preserve the privacy of electronic health data streams.

PubMed

Kim, Soohyung; Sung, Min Kyoung; Chung, Yon Dohn

2014-08-01

The anonymization of health data streams is important to protect these data against potential privacy breaches. A large number of research studies aiming at offering privacy in the context of data streams has been recently conducted. However, the techniques that have been proposed in these studies generate a significant delay during the anonymization process, since they concentrate on applying existing privacy models (e.g., k-anonymity and l-diversity) to batches of data extracted from data streams in a period of time. In this paper, we present delay-free anonymization, a framework for preserving the privacy of electronic health data streams. Unlike existing works, our method does not generate an accumulation delay, since input streams are anonymized immediately with counterfeit values. We further devise late validation for increasing the data utility of the anonymization results and managing the counterfeit values. Through experiments, we show the efficiency and effectiveness of the proposed method for the real-time release of data streams. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Experimental comparisons of face-to-face and anonymous real-time team competition in a networked gaming learning environment.

PubMed

Yu, Fu-Yun; Han, Chialing; Chan, Tak-Wai

2008-08-01

This study investigates the impact of anonymous, computerized, synchronized team competition on students' motivation, satisfaction, and interpersonal relationships. Sixty-eight fourth-graders participated in this study. A synchronous gaming learning system was developed to have dyads compete against each other in answering multiple-choice questions set in accordance with the school curriculum in two conditions (face-to-face and anonymous). The results showed that students who were exposed to the anonymous team competition condition responded significantly more positively than those in the face-to-face condition in terms of motivation and satisfaction at the 0.050 and 0.056 levels respectively. Although further studies regarding the effects of anonymous interaction in a networked gaming learning environment are imperative, the positive effects detected in this preliminary study indicate that anonymity is a viable feature for mitigating the negative effects that competition may inflict on motivation and satisfaction as reported in traditional face-to-face environments.

Efficient and anonymous two-factor user authentication in wireless sensor networks: achieving user anonymity with lightweight sensor computation.

PubMed

Nam, Junghyun; Choo, Kim-Kwang Raymond; Han, Sangchul; Kim, Moonseong; Paik, Juryon; Won, Dongho

2015-01-01

A smart-card-based user authentication scheme for wireless sensor networks (hereafter referred to as a SCA-WSN scheme) is designed to ensure that only users who possess both a smart card and the corresponding password are allowed to gain access to sensor data and their transmissions. Despite many research efforts in recent years, it remains a challenging task to design an efficient SCA-WSN scheme that achieves user anonymity. The majority of published SCA-WSN schemes use only lightweight cryptographic techniques (rather than public-key cryptographic techniques) for the sake of efficiency, and have been demonstrated to suffer from the inability to provide user anonymity. Some schemes employ elliptic curve cryptography for better security but require sensors with strict resource constraints to perform computationally expensive scalar-point multiplications; despite the increased computational requirements, these schemes do not provide user anonymity. In this paper, we present a new SCA-WSN scheme that not only achieves user anonymity but also is efficient in terms of the computation loads for sensors. Our scheme employs elliptic curve cryptography but restricts its use only to anonymous user-to-gateway authentication, thereby allowing sensors to perform only lightweight cryptographic operations. Our scheme also enjoys provable security in a formal model extended from the widely accepted Bellare-Pointcheval-Rogaway (2000) model to capture the user anonymity property and various SCA-WSN specific attacks (e.g., stolen smart card attacks, node capture attacks, privileged insider attacks, and stolen verifier attacks).

Efficient and Anonymous Two-Factor User Authentication in Wireless Sensor Networks: Achieving User Anonymity with Lightweight Sensor Computation

PubMed Central

Nam, Junghyun; Choo, Kim-Kwang Raymond; Han, Sangchul; Kim, Moonseong; Paik, Juryon; Won, Dongho

2015-01-01

A smart-card-based user authentication scheme for wireless sensor networks (hereafter referred to as a SCA-WSN scheme) is designed to ensure that only users who possess both a smart card and the corresponding password are allowed to gain access to sensor data and their transmissions. Despite many research efforts in recent years, it remains a challenging task to design an efficient SCA-WSN scheme that achieves user anonymity. The majority of published SCA-WSN schemes use only lightweight cryptographic techniques (rather than public-key cryptographic techniques) for the sake of efficiency, and have been demonstrated to suffer from the inability to provide user anonymity. Some schemes employ elliptic curve cryptography for better security but require sensors with strict resource constraints to perform computationally expensive scalar-point multiplications; despite the increased computational requirements, these schemes do not provide user anonymity. In this paper, we present a new SCA-WSN scheme that not only achieves user anonymity but also is efficient in terms of the computation loads for sensors. Our scheme employs elliptic curve cryptography but restricts its use only to anonymous user-to-gateway authentication, thereby allowing sensors to perform only lightweight cryptographic operations. Our scheme also enjoys provable security in a formal model extended from the widely accepted Bellare-Pointcheval-Rogaway (2000) model to capture the user anonymity property and various SCA-WSN specific attacks (e.g., stolen smart card attacks, node capture attacks, privileged insider attacks, and stolen verifier attacks). PMID:25849359

Concept analysis: lack of anonymity.

PubMed

Swan, Marilyn A; Hobbs, Barbara B

2017-05-01

To re-examine and expand understanding of the concept 'lack of anonymity' as a component of rural nursing theory. Early healthcare literature reports lack of anonymity as part of social and working environments, particularly rural nursing. Rural nursing theory included the first published concept analysis on lack of anonymity but lacked empirical referents. Workforce, societal and rural healthcare changes support an updated analysis. To further understand lack of anonymity, its present day use and applicability to diverse environments, research from multiple disciplines was reviewed. Concept analysis. A literature search using eight terms in eleven databases was conducted of literature published between 2008-2013. Walker and Avant's concept analysis methodology guided the analysis. The previous concept analysis is supported in part by current literature. The defining attributes, 'identifiable', 'establishing boundaries for public and private self and interconnectedness' in a community were updated. Updated antecedents include: (i) environmental context; (ii) opportunities to become visible; (iii) developing relationships and (iv) unconscious or limited awareness of public or personal privacy. Consequences are: (i) familiarity; (ii) visibility; (iii) awareness of privacy and (iv) manage or balance of lack of anonymity. Cases were constructed and empirical referents identified. The concept of lack of anonymity was updated; portions of the original definition remain unchanged. Empirical referents reveal the defining attributes in daily life and may guide future research on the effect of lack of anonymity on nursing practice. This analysis advances the conceptual understanding of rural nursing theory. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Novel single nucleotide polymorphism associations with colorectal cancer on chromosome 8q24 in African and European Americans

PubMed Central

Kupfer, Sonia S.; Torres, Jada Benn; Hooker, Stanley; Anderson, Jeffrey R.; Skol, Andrew D.; Ellis, Nathan A.; Kittles, Rick A.

2009-01-01

Regions on chromosome 8q24 harbor susceptibility alleles for multiple cancers including colorectal (region 3) and prostate cancer (regions 1–4). The objectives of the present study were (i) to test whether single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in region 4 are associated with colorectal cancer (CRC) in European or African Americans; (ii) to test whether 8q24 SNPs previously shown to be associated with colorectal and prostate cancer also show association in our multiethnic series and (iii) to test for association between 100 ancestry informative markers (AIMs) and CRC in both the African American and European American cohorts. In total, we genotyped nine markers on 8q24 and 100 unlinked AIMs in 569 CRC cases and 439 controls (490 European Americans and 518 African Americans) obtained retrospectively from a hospital-based sample. We found rs7008482 in 8q24 region 4 to be significantly associated with CRC in European Americans (P = 0.03). Also in region 4, we found that a second SNP, rs16900305, trended toward association with CRC in African Americans. The rs6983267 in region 3, previously implicated in CRC risk, trended toward association with disease in European Americans but not in African Americans. Finally, none of the 100 AIMs tested for association reached statistical significance after correction for multiple hypothesis testing. In summary, these results are evidence that 8q24 region 4 contains novel CRC-associated alleles in European and African Americans. PMID:19520795

A trait stacking system via intra-genomic homologous recombination.

PubMed

Kumar, Sandeep; Worden, Andrew; Novak, Stephen; Lee, Ryan; Petolino, Joseph F

2016-11-01

A gene targeting method has been developed, which allows the conversion of 'breeding stacks', containing unlinked transgenes into a 'molecular stack' and thereby circumventing the breeding challenges associated with transgene segregation. A gene targeting method has been developed for converting two unlinked trait loci into a single locus transgene stack. The method utilizes intra-genomic homologous recombination (IGHR) between stably integrated target and donor loci which share sequence homology and nuclease cleavage sites whereby the donor contains a promoterless herbicide resistance transgene. Upon crossing with a zinc finger nuclease (ZFN)-expressing plant, double-strand breaks (DSB) are created in both the stably integrated target and donor loci. DSBs flanking the donor locus result in intra-genomic mobilization of a promoterless selectable marker-containing donor sequence, which can be utilized as a template for homology-directed repair of a concomitant DSB at the target locus resulting in a functional selectable marker via nuclease-mediated cassette exchange (NMCE). The method was successfully demonstrated in maize using a glyphosate tolerance gene as a donor whereby up to 3.3 % of the resulting progeny embryos cultured on selection medium regenerated plants with the donor sequence integrated into the target locus. The process could be extended to multiple cycles of trait stacking by virtue of a unique intron sequence homology for NMCE between the target and the donor loci. This is the first report that describes NMCE via IGHR, thereby enabling trait stacking using conventional crossing.

Mendelian and non-mendelian mutations affecting surface antigen expression in Paramecium tetraurelia.

PubMed Central

Epstein, L M; Forney, J D

1984-01-01

A screening procedure was devised for the isolation of X-ray-induced mutations affecting the expression of the A immobilization antigen (i-antigen) in Paramecium tetraurelia. Two of the mutations isolated by this procedure proved to be in modifier genes. The two genes are unlinked to each other and unlinked to the structural A i-antigen gene. These are the first modifier genes identified in a Paramecium sp. that affect surface antigen expression. Another mutation was found to be a deletion of sequences just downstream from the A i-antigen gene. In cells carrying this mutation, the A i-antigen gene lies in close proximity to the end of a macronuclear chromosome. The expression of the A i-antigen is not affected in these cells, demonstrating that downstream sequences are not important for the regulation and expression of the A i-antigen gene. A stable cell line was also recovered which shows non-Mendelian inheritance of a macronuclear deletion of the A i-antigen gene. This mutant does not contain the gene in its macronucleus, but contains a complete copy of the gene in its micronucleus. In the cytoplasm of wild-type animals, the micronuclear gene is included in the developing macronucleus; in the cytoplasm of the mutant, the incorporation of the A i-antigen gene into the macronucleus is inhibited. This is the first evidence that a mechanism is available in ciliates to control the expression of a gene by regulating its incorporation into developing macronuclei. Images PMID:6092921

Wing patterning gene redefines the mimetic history of Heliconius butterflies.

PubMed

Hines, Heather M; Counterman, Brian A; Papa, Riccardo; Albuquerque de Moura, Priscila; Cardoso, Marcio Z; Linares, Mauricio; Mallet, James; Reed, Robert D; Jiggins, Chris D; Kronforst, Marcus R; McMillan, W Owen

2011-12-06

The mimetic butterflies Heliconius erato and Heliconius melpomene have undergone parallel radiations to form a near-identical patchwork of over 20 different wing-pattern races across the Neotropics. Previous molecular phylogenetic work on these radiations has suggested that similar but geographically disjunct color patterns arose multiple times independently in each species. The neutral markers used in these studies, however, can move freely across color pattern boundaries, and therefore might not represent the history of the adaptive traits as accurately as markers linked to color pattern genes. To assess the evolutionary histories across different loci, we compared relationships among races within H. erato and within H. melpomene using a series of unlinked genes, genes linked to color pattern loci, and optix, a gene recently shown to control red color-pattern variation. We found that although unlinked genes partition populations by geographic region, optix had a different history, structuring lineages by red color patterns and supporting a single origin of red-rayed patterns within each species. Genes closely linked (80-250 kb) to optix exhibited only weak associations with color pattern. This study empirically demonstrates the necessity of examining phenotype-determining genomic regions to understand the history of adaptive change in rapidly radiating lineages. With these refined relationships, we resolve a long-standing debate about the origins of the races within each species, supporting the hypothesis that the red-rayed Amazonian pattern evolved recently and expanded, causing disjunctions of more ancestral patterns.

The Role of Anonymity in Peer Assessment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Li, Lan

2017-01-01

This quasi-experimental study aimed to examine the impact of anonymity and training (an alternative strategy when anonymity was unattainable) on students' performance and perceptions in formative peer assessment. The training in this study focused on educating students to understand and appreciate formative peer assessment. A sample of 77 students…

What Do Adolescents Exposed to Alcoholic Anonymous Think about 12-Step Groups?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kelly, John F.; Myers, Mark G.; Rodolico, John

2008-01-01

Objectives: Referral to Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and Narcotics Anonymous (NA) is a common continuing care recommendation. Evidence suggests some youth benefit, yet, despite referrals, youth participation is low. Little is known about adolescents' experiences of AA/NA. Greater knowledge would inform and help tailor aftercare recommendations.…

Anonymous Transactions in Computer Networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dolev, Shlomi; Kopeetsky, Marina

We present schemes for providing anonymous transactions while privacy and anonymity are preserved, providing user anonymous authentication in distributed networks such as the Internet. We first present a practical scheme for anonymous transactions while the transaction resolution is assisted by a Trusted Authority. This practical scheme is extended to a theoretical scheme where a Trusted Authority is not involved in the transaction resolution. Given an authority that generates for each player hard to produce evidence EVID (e. g., problem instance with or without a solution) to each player, the identity of a user U is defined by the ability to prove possession of said evidence. We use Zero-Knowledge proof techniques to repeatedly identify U by providing a proof that U has evidence EVID, without revealing EVID, therefore avoiding identity theft.

Anonymity and live-donor transplantation: an ELPAT view.

PubMed

Mamode, Nizam; Lennerling, Annette; Citterio, Franco; Massey, Emma; Van Assche, Kristof; Sterckx, Sigrid; Frunza, Mihaela; Jung, Harald; Pascalev, Assya; Zuidema, Willij; Johnson, Rachel; Loven, Charlotte; Weimar, Willem; Dor, Frank J M F; Dor, Frank

2013-02-27

Anonymity of donors or recipients in living-donor transplantation is a complex issue and practice varies widely. There are compelling arguments for maintaining anonymity of both parties before unspecified donor transplantation and specified indirect transplantation. After transplantation, there are still good reasons to avoid disclosure of identities. Although anonymity could be lifted if both parties explicitly request it, there are significant, potentially negative consequences of such an approach. Both donor and recipient should be counseled regarding these, and transplant teams should consider the considerable financial and psychosocial costs if problems are encountered as a result of contact. Given the recent rise in the number of unspecified living-donor transplants and through paired exchange schemes, it is vital that data are collected regarding the effects of maintaining or revoking anonymity after transplantation.

Preliminary data suggest rates of male military sexual trauma may be higher than previously reported.

PubMed

Sheppard, Sean C; Hickling, Edward J; Earleywine, Mitch; Hoyt, Tim; Russo, Amanda R; Donati, Matthew R; Kip, Kevin E

2015-11-01

Stigma associated with disclosing military sexual trauma (MST) makes estimating an accurate base rate difficult. Anonymous assessment may help alleviate stigma. Although anonymous research has found higher rates of male MST, no study has evaluated whether providing anonymity sufficiently mitigates the impact of stigma on accurate reporting. This study used the unmatched count technique (UCT), a form of randomized response techniques, to gain information about the accuracy of base rate estimates of male MST derived via anonymous assessment of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF)/Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) combat veterans. A cross-sectional convenience sample of 180 OEF/OIF male combat veterans, recruited via online websites for military populations, provided data about history of MST via traditional anonymous self-report and the UCT. The UCT revealed a rate of male MST more than 15 times higher than the rate derived via traditional anonymous assessment (1.1% vs. 17.2%). These data suggest that anonymity does not adequately mitigate the impact of stigma on disclosure of male MST. Results, though preliminary, suggest that published rates of male MST may substantially underestimate the true rate of this problem. The UCT has significant potential to improve base rate estimation of sensitive behaviors in the military. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

Anonymous partnerships among MSM and transgender women (TW) recently diagnosed with HIV and other STIs in Lima, Peru: an individual-level and dyad-level analysis.

PubMed

Perez-Brumer, Amaya G; Oldenburg, Catherine E; Segura, Eddy R; Sanchez, Jorge; Lama, Javier R; Clark, Jesse L

2016-02-24

Partner notification (PN) following sexually transmitted disease (STI) diagnosis is a key strategy for controlling HIV/STI transmission. Anonymous partnerships are an important barrier to PN and often associated with high-risk sexual behaviour. Limited research has examined the profile of men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender women (TW) who engage in anonymous sex. To better understand anonymous partnership practices in Lima, Peru, we assessed participant-level and partnership-level characteristics associated with anonymous sex among a sample of MSM and TW recently diagnosed with HIV/STI. MSM and TW diagnosed with HIV/STI within the past month completed a cross-sectional survey regarding anticipated PN practices. Participants reported sexual partnership types and characteristics of up to three of their most recent partners. Using a Poisson generalised estimating equation model, we assessed participant-level and partnership-level characteristics associated with anonymous partnerships. Among 395 MSM and TW with HIV/STI, 36.0% reported at least one anonymous sexual partner in the past 3 months (mean of 8.6 anonymous partners per participant; SD 17.0). Of the 971 partnerships reported, 118 (12.2%) were anonymous and the majority (84.8%) were with male partners, followed by 11.0% with female partners and 4.2% with transgender/travesti partners. Partner-level characteristics associated with increased likelihood of having an anonymous partner included female (adjusted prevalence ratio (aPR) 2.28, 95% CI 1.05 to 4.95, p=0.04) or transgender/travesti (aPR 4.03, 95% CI 1.51 to 10.78, p=0.006) partner gender. By assessing both individual-level and dyadic-level factors, these results represent an important step in understanding the complexity of partnership interactions and developing alternative PN strategies for Latin America. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/

Characteristics of Adolescents at Risk for Compulsive Overeating on a Brief Screening Test.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marston, Albert R.; And Others

1988-01-01

Surveyed addictive behavior, finding 26% of male and 57% of female high school students scored above cutoff point on the Overeaters Anonymous scale for assessing compulsive overeating. At-risk students perceived their life quality and relationship with person closest to them as significantly less positive, indicated overeating's defensive…

Strongyloides stercoralis seroprevalence in Vietnam.

PubMed

Diep, Nguyen Thi Ngoc; Thai, Pham Quang; Trang, Nghiem Nguyen Minh; Jäger, Julia; Fox, Annette; Horby, Peter; Phuong, Hoang Vu Mai; Anh, Dang Duc; Mai, LE Thi Quynh; VAN Doorn, H Rogier; Nadjm, Behzad

2017-11-01

Strongyloidiasis is a neglected tropical disease caused by the roundworm Strongyloides stercoralis affecting 30-100 million people worldwide. Many Southeast-Asian countries report a high prevalence of S. stercoralis infection, but there are little data from Vietnam. Here, we evaluated the seroprevalence of S. stercoralis related to geography, sex and age in Vietnam through serological testing of anonymized sera. Sera (n = 1710, 1340 adults and 270 children) from an anonymized age-stratified serum bank from four regions in Vietnam between 2012 and 2013 were tested using a commercial Strongyloides ratti immunoglobulin G ELISA. Seroreactivity was found in 29·1% (390/1340) of adults and 5·5% (15/270) of children. Male adults were more frequently seroreactive than females (33·3% vs. 24·9%, P = 0·001). The rural central highlands had the highest seroprevalence (42·4% of adults). Seroreactivity in the other regions was 29·9% (Hue) and 26·0% and 18·2% in the large urban centres of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, respectively. We conclude that seroprevalence of S. stercoralis was high in the Vietnamese adult population, especially in rural areas.

Anonymity in Classroom Voting and Debating

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ainsworth, Shaaron; Gelmini-Hornsby, Giulia; Threapleton, Kate; Crook, Charles; O'Malley, Claire; Buda, Marie

2011-01-01

The advent of networked environments into the classroom is changing classroom debates in many ways. This article addresses one key attribute of these environments, namely anonymity, to explore its consequences for co-present adolescents anonymous, by virtue of the computer system, to peers not to teachers. Three studies with 16-17 year-olds used a…

Persona: Network Layer Anonymity and Accountability for Next Generation Internet

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mallios, Yannis; Modi, Sudeep; Agarwala, Aditya; Johns, Christina

Individual privacy has become a major concern, due to the intrusive nature of the services and websites that collect increasing amounts of private information. One of the notions that can lead towards privacy protection is that of anonymity. Unfortunately, anonymity can also be maliciously exploited by attackers to hide their actions and identity. Thus some sort of accountability is also required. The current Internet has failed to provide both properties, as anonymity techniques are difficult to fully deploy and thus are easily attacked, while the Internet provides limited level of accountability. The Next Generation Internet (NGI) provides us with the opportunity to examine how these conflicting properties could be efficiently applied and thus protect users’ privacy while holding malicious users accountable. In this paper we present the design of a scheme, called Persona that can provide anonymity and accountability in the network layer of NGI. More specifically, our design requirements are to combine these two conflicting desires in a stateless manner within routers. Persona allows users to choose different levels of anonymity, while it allows the discovery of malicious nodes.

[Comment on “Anonymous reviews: Self-serving, counterproductive, and unacceptable”] from D. J. Wesolowski: Preserving anonymity in the review process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wesolowski, David J.

To those scientists who haven't served as editors or associate editors of scientific journals, I can assure you that it's already too hard to find enough qualified reviewers willing to do the job without threatening them with exposure as well! So, if you want your papers to be published within a reasonable timeframe, you'll pretty much have to put up with anonymous reviews.I've been an associate editor of Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta for 11 years and an Editorial Board member of Chemical Geology for 4. I think anonymous reviews are perfectly acceptable, but that the editor evaluating the reviews should always be identified, both to the authors and in the published manuscript. Reviewers should be permitted to request anonymity, but authors should always be instructed to specifically acknowledge in their manuscripts the contributions of those reviewers who do not request anonymity. This, in fact, might encourage more reviewers to identify themselves. I don't know about you, but it tickles me pink when I see my name in print!

Spectral Anonymization of Data

PubMed Central

Lasko, Thomas A.; Vinterbo, Staal A.

2011-01-01

The goal of data anonymization is to allow the release of scientifically useful data in a form that protects the privacy of its subjects. This requires more than simply removing personal identifiers from the data, because an attacker can still use auxiliary information to infer sensitive individual information. Additional perturbation is necessary to prevent these inferences, and the challenge is to perturb the data in a way that preserves its analytic utility. No existing anonymization algorithm provides both perfect privacy protection and perfect analytic utility. We make the new observation that anonymization algorithms are not required to operate in the original vector-space basis of the data, and many algorithms can be improved by operating in a judiciously chosen alternate basis. A spectral basis derived from the data’s eigenvectors is one that can provide substantial improvement. We introduce the term spectral anonymization to refer to an algorithm that uses a spectral basis for anonymization, and we give two illustrative examples. We also propose new measures of privacy protection that are more general and more informative than existing measures, and a principled reference standard with which to define adequate privacy protection. PMID:21373375

Interspecific reciprocity explains mobbing behaviour of the breeding chaffinches, Fringilla coelebs.

PubMed

Krams, Indrikis; Krama, Tatjana

2002-11-22

When prey animals discover a predator close by, they mob it while uttering characteristic sounds that attract other prey individuals to the vicinity. Mobbing causes a predator to vacate its immediate foraging area, which gives an opportunity for prey individuals to continue their interrupted daily activity. Besides the increased benefits, mobbing behaviour also has its costs owing to injuries or death. The initiator of mobbing may be at increased risk of predation by attracting the predator's attention, especially if not joined by other neighbouring prey individuals. Communities of breeding birds have always been considered as temporal aggregations. Since an altruist could not prevent cheaters from exploiting its altruism in an anonymous community, this excluded any possibility of explaining mobbing behaviour in terms of reciprocal altruism. However, sedentary birds may have become acquainted since the previous non-breeding season. Migrant birds, forming anonymous communities at the beginning of the breeding season, may also develop closer social ties during the course of the breeding season. We tested whether a male chaffinch, a migrant bird, would initiate active harassment of a predator both at the beginning of the breeding season and a week later when it has become a member of a non-anonymous multi-species aggregation of sedentary birds. We expected that male chaffinches would be less likely to initiate a mob at the beginning of the breeding season when part of an anonymous multi-species aggregation of migratory birds. However, their mobbing activity should increase as the breeding season advances. Our results support these predictions. Cooperation among individuals belonging to different species in driving the predator away may be explained as interspecific reciprocity based on interspecific recognition and temporal stability of the breeding communities.

Interspecific reciprocity explains mobbing behaviour of the breeding chaffinches, Fringilla coelebs.

PubMed Central

Krams, Indrikis; Krama, Tatjana

2002-01-01

When prey animals discover a predator close by, they mob it while uttering characteristic sounds that attract other prey individuals to the vicinity. Mobbing causes a predator to vacate its immediate foraging area, which gives an opportunity for prey individuals to continue their interrupted daily activity. Besides the increased benefits, mobbing behaviour also has its costs owing to injuries or death. The initiator of mobbing may be at increased risk of predation by attracting the predator's attention, especially if not joined by other neighbouring prey individuals. Communities of breeding birds have always been considered as temporal aggregations. Since an altruist could not prevent cheaters from exploiting its altruism in an anonymous community, this excluded any possibility of explaining mobbing behaviour in terms of reciprocal altruism. However, sedentary birds may have become acquainted since the previous non-breeding season. Migrant birds, forming anonymous communities at the beginning of the breeding season, may also develop closer social ties during the course of the breeding season. We tested whether a male chaffinch, a migrant bird, would initiate active harassment of a predator both at the beginning of the breeding season and a week later when it has become a member of a non-anonymous multi-species aggregation of sedentary birds. We expected that male chaffinches would be less likely to initiate a mob at the beginning of the breeding season when part of an anonymous multi-species aggregation of migratory birds. However, their mobbing activity should increase as the breeding season advances. Our results support these predictions. Cooperation among individuals belonging to different species in driving the predator away may be explained as interspecific reciprocity based on interspecific recognition and temporal stability of the breeding communities. PMID:12495502

Do Drug-Dependent Patients Attending Alcoholics Anonymous Rather than Narcotics Anonymous Do As Well? A Prospective, Lagged, Matching Analysis.

PubMed

Kelly, John F; Greene, M Claire; Bergman, Brandon G

2014-11-01

Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is the most prevalent 12-step mutual-help organization (MHO), yet debate has persisted clinically regarding whether patients whose primary substance is not alcohol should be referred to AA. Narcotics Anonymous (NA) was created as a more specific fit to enhance recovery from drug addiction; however, compared with AA, NA meetings are not as ubiquitous. Little is known about the effects of a mismatch between individuals' primary substance and MHOs, and whether any incongruence might result in a lower likelihood of continuation and benefit. More research would inform clinical recommendations. Young adults (N = 279, M age 20.4, SD 1.6, 27% female; 95% White) in a treatment effectiveness study completed assessments at intake, and 3, 6, and 12 months post-treatment. A matching variable was created for 'primary drug' patients (i.e. those reporting cannabis, opiates or stimulants as primary substance; n = 198/279), reflecting the proportion of total 12-step meetings attended that were AA. Hierarchical linear models (HLMs) tested this variable's effects on future 12-step participation and percent days abstinent (PDA). The majority of meetings attended by both alcohol and drug patients was AA. Drug patients attending proportionately more AA than NA meetings (i.e. mismatched) were no different than those who were better matched to NA with respect to future 12-step participation or PDA. Drug patients may be at no greater risk of discontinuation or diminished recovery benefit from participation in AA relative to NA. Findings may boost clinical confidence in making AA referrals for drug patients when NA is less available. © The Author 2014. Medical Council on Alcohol and Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.

Do Drug-Dependent Patients Attending Alcoholics Anonymous Rather than Narcotics Anonymous Do As Well? A Prospective, Lagged, Matching Analysis

PubMed Central

Kelly, John F.; Greene, M. Claire; Bergman, Brandon G.

2014-01-01

Aims: Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is the most prevalent 12-step mutual-help organization (MHO), yet debate has persisted clinically regarding whether patients whose primary substance is not alcohol should be referred to AA. Narcotics Anonymous (NA) was created as a more specific fit to enhance recovery from drug addiction; however, compared with AA, NA meetings are not as ubiquitous. Little is known about the effects of a mismatch between individuals' primary substance and MHOs, and whether any incongruence might result in a lower likelihood of continuation and benefit. More research would inform clinical recommendations. Method: Young adults (N = 279, M age 20.4, SD 1.6, 27% female; 95% White) in a treatment effectiveness study completed assessments at intake, and 3, 6, and 12 months post-treatment. A matching variable was created for ‘primary drug’ patients (i.e. those reporting cannabis, opiates or stimulants as primary substance; n = 198/279), reflecting the proportion of total 12-step meetings attended that were AA. Hierarchical linear models (HLMs) tested this variable's effects on future 12-step participation and percent days abstinent (PDA). Results: The majority of meetings attended by both alcohol and drug patients was AA. Drug patients attending proportionately more AA than NA meetings (i.e. mismatched) were no different than those who were better matched to NA with respect to future 12-step participation or PDA. Conclusion: Drug patients may be at no greater risk of discontinuation or diminished recovery benefit from participation in AA relative to NA. Findings may boost clinical confidence in making AA referrals for drug patients when NA is less available. PMID:25294352

Predictors of Membership in Alcoholics Anonymous in a Sample of Successfully Remitted Alcoholics

PubMed Central

Krentzman, Amy R.; Robinson, Elizabeth A. R.; Perron, Brian E.; Cranford, James A.

2012-01-01

This study identifies factors associated with Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) membership in a sample of 81 persons who have achieved at least one year of total abstinence from drugs and alcohol. Forty-four were AA members, 37 were not. Logistic regression was used to test the cross-sectional associations of baseline demographic, substance-related, spiritual and religious, and personality variables with AA membership. Significant variables from the bivariate analyses were included in a multivariate model controlling for previous AA involvement. Having more positive views of God and more negative consequences of drinking were significantly associated with AA membership. This information can be used by clinicians to identify clients for whom AA might be a good fit, and can help others overcome obstacles to AA or explore alternative forms of abstinence support. PMID:21615004

Security Analysis and Improvement of an Anonymous Authentication Scheme for Roaming Services

PubMed Central

Lee, Youngsook; Paik, Juryon

2014-01-01

An anonymous authentication scheme for roaming services in global mobility networks allows a mobile user visiting a foreign network to achieve mutual authentication and session key establishment with the foreign-network operator in an anonymous manner. In this work, we revisit He et al.'s anonymous authentication scheme for roaming services and present previously unpublished security weaknesses in the scheme: (1) it fails to provide user anonymity against any third party as well as the foreign agent, (2) it cannot protect the passwords of mobile users due to its vulnerability to an offline dictionary attack, and (3) it does not achieve session-key security against a man-in-the-middle attack. We also show how the security weaknesses of He et al.'s scheme can be addressed without degrading the efficiency of the scheme. PMID:25302330

Security analysis and improvement of an anonymous authentication scheme for roaming services.

PubMed

Lee, Youngsook; Paik, Juryon

2014-01-01

An anonymous authentication scheme for roaming services in global mobility networks allows a mobile user visiting a foreign network to achieve mutual authentication and session key establishment with the foreign-network operator in an anonymous manner. In this work, we revisit He et al.'s anonymous authentication scheme for roaming services and present previously unpublished security weaknesses in the scheme: (1) it fails to provide user anonymity against any third party as well as the foreign agent, (2) it cannot protect the passwords of mobile users due to its vulnerability to an offline dictionary attack, and (3) it does not achieve session-key security against a man-in-the-middle attack. We also show how the security weaknesses of He et al.'s scheme can be addressed without degrading the efficiency of the scheme.

Chaotic maps and biometrics-based anonymous three-party authenticated key exchange protocol without using passwords

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xie, Qi; Hu, Bin; Chen, Ke-Fei; Liu, Wen-Hao; Tan, Xiao

2015-11-01

In three-party password authenticated key exchange (AKE) protocol, since two users use their passwords to establish a secure session key over an insecure communication channel with the help of the trusted server, such a protocol may suffer the password guessing attacks and the server has to maintain the password table. To eliminate the shortages of password-based AKE protocol, very recently, according to chaotic maps, Lee et al. [2015 Nonlinear Dyn. 79 2485] proposed a first three-party-authenticated key exchange scheme without using passwords, and claimed its security by providing a well-organized BAN logic test. Unfortunately, their protocol cannot resist impersonation attack, which is demonstrated in the present paper. To overcome their security weakness, by using chaotic maps, we propose a biometrics-based anonymous three-party AKE protocol with the same advantages. Further, we use the pi calculus-based formal verification tool ProVerif to show that our AKE protocol achieves authentication, security and anonymity, and an acceptable efficiency. Project supported by the Natural Science Foundation of Zhejiang Province, China (Grant No. LZ12F02005), the Major State Basic Research Development Program of China (Grant No. 2013CB834205), and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 61070153).

A positive effect of flowers rather than eye images in a large-scale, cross-cultural dictator game.

PubMed

Raihani, Nichola J; Bshary, Redouan

2012-09-07

People often consider how their behaviour will be viewed by others, and may cooperate to avoid gaining a bad reputation. Sensitivity to reputation may be elicited by subtle social cues of being watched: previous studies have shown that people behave more cooperatively when they see images of eyes rather than control images. Here, we tested whether eye images enhance cooperation in a dictator game, using the online labour market Amazon Mechanical Turk (AMT). In contrast to our predictions and the results of most previous studies, dictators gave away more money when they saw images of flowers rather than eye images. Donations in response to eye images were not significantly different to donations under control treatments. Dictator donations varied significantly across cultures but there was no systematic variation in responses to different image types across cultures. Unlike most previous studies, players interacting via AMT may feel truly anonymous when making decisions and, as such, may not respond to subtle social cues of being watched. Nevertheless, dictators gave away similar amounts as in previous studies, so anonymity did not erase helpfulness. We suggest that eye images might only promote cooperative behaviour in relatively public settings and that people may ignore these cues when they know their behaviour is truly anonymous.

A Neural-Network Clustering-Based Algorithm for Privacy Preserving Data Mining

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tsiafoulis, S.; Zorkadis, V. C.; Karras, D. A.

The increasing use of fast and efficient data mining algorithms in huge collections of personal data, facilitated through the exponential growth of technology, in particular in the field of electronic data storage media and processing power, has raised serious ethical, philosophical and legal issues related to privacy protection. To cope with these concerns, several privacy preserving methodologies have been proposed, classified in two categories, methodologies that aim at protecting the sensitive data and those that aim at protecting the mining results. In our work, we focus on sensitive data protection and compare existing techniques according to their anonymity degree achieved, the information loss suffered and their performance characteristics. The ℓ-diversity principle is combined with k-anonymity concepts, so that background information can not be exploited to successfully attack the privacy of data subjects data refer to. Based on Kohonen Self Organizing Feature Maps (SOMs), we firstly organize data sets in subspaces according to their information theoretical distance to each other, then create the most relevant classes paying special attention to rare sensitive attribute values, and finally generalize attribute values to the minimum extend required so that both the data disclosure probability and the information loss are possibly kept negligible. Furthermore, we propose information theoretical measures for assessing the anonymity degree achieved and empirical tests to demonstrate it.

Privacy Breach Analysis in Social Networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nagle, Frank

This chapter addresses various aspects of analyzing privacy breaches in social networks. We first review literature that defines three types of privacy breaches in social networks: interactive, active, and passive. We then survey the various network anonymization schemes that have been constructed to address these privacy breaches. After exploring these breaches and anonymization schemes, we evaluate a measure for determining the level of anonymity inherent in a network graph based on its topological structure. Finally, we close by emphasizing the difficulty of anonymizing social network data while maintaining usability for research purposes and offering areas for future work.

Growth and sporulation of a pyrimidine spore color mutant of Sordaria fimicola.

PubMed

el-Ani, A S

1967-04-07

A nonautonomous spore color mutant of Sordaria fimicola is a pyrimidine auxotroph that produces hyaline nonviable ascospores. Uracil, uridine, and cytidine are more effective growth factors than cytosine and thymine and, in high concentrations, render the mutant self-fertile by inducing the ascospores to resume development and maturation. Crosses with the unlinked arginine non-autonomus spore color mutant st-59 yielded the double mutant st-59 pyr that requires both arginine and a pyrimidine for growth, which indicates a lack of suppression of the pyrimidine requirement by the arginine locus.

"I'd Be So Much More Comfortable Posting Anonymously": Identified versus Anonymous Participation in Student Discussion Boards

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roberts, Lynne D.; Rajah-Kanagasabai, Camilla J.

2013-01-01

Academic staff members encourage university students to use online student discussion boards within learning management systems to ask and answer questions, share information and engage in discussion. We explore the impact of anonymity on student posting behaviour. An online survey was completed by 131 second year undergraduate psychology students…

Preference for Anonymous Classroom Participation: Linking Student Characteristics and Reactions to Electronic Response Systems

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Latham, Alyson; Hill, N. Sharon

2014-01-01

Electronic response systems (ERS) are a means to foster class participation by students who are reluctant to participate in class. In this study, we identify individual characteristics that relate to students' preference for anonymous classroom participation, and we also examine the extent to which preference for anonymity is related to their…

The Risk of a Halo Bias as a Reason to Keep Students Anonymous during Grading

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Malouff, John M.; Emmerton, Ashley J.; Schutte, Nicola S.

2013-01-01

Experts have advocated anonymous grading as a means of eliminating actual or perceived evaluator bias in subjective student assessment. The utility of anonymity in assessment rests on whether information derived from student identity can unduly influence evaluation. The halo effect provides a conceptual background for why a bias might occur. In…

The long path to pregnancy: early experience with dual anonymous gamete donation in a European in vitro fertilisation referral centre

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Background This investigation describes features of patients undergoing in vitro fertilisation (IVF) and embryo transfer (ET) where both gametes were obtained from anonymous donors. Methods Gamete unsuitability or loss was confirmed in both members of seven otherwise healthy couples presenting for reproductive endocrinology consultation over a 12-month interval in Ireland. IVF was undertaken with fresh oocytes provided by anonymous donors in Ukraine; frozen sperm (anonymous donor) was obtained from a licensed tissue establishment. For recipients, saline-enhanced sonography was used to assess intrauterine contour with endometrial preparation via transdermal estrogen. Results Among commissioning couples, mean±SD female and male age was 41.9 ± 3.7 and 44.6 ± 3.5 yrs, respectively. During this period, female age for non dual anonymous gamete donation IVF patients was 37.9 ± 3 yrs (p < 0.001). Infertility duration was ≥3 yrs for couples enrolling in dual gamete donation, and each had ≥2 prior failed fertility treatments using native oocytes. All seven recipient couples proceeded to embryo transfer, although one patient had two transfers. Clinical pregnancy was achieved for 5/7 (71.4%) patients. Non-transferred cryopreserved embryos were available for all seven couples. Conclusions Mean age of females undergoing dual anonymous donor gamete donation with IVF is significantly higher than the background IVF patient population. Even when neither partner is able to contribute any gametes for IVF, the clinical pregnancy rate per transfer can be satisfactory if both anonymous egg and sperm donation are used concurrently. Our report emphasises the role of pre-treatment counselling in dual anonymous gamete donation, and presents a coordinated screening and treatment approach in IVF where this option may be contemplated. PMID:20701806

The long path to pregnancy: early experience with dual anonymous gamete donation in a European in vitro fertilisation referral centre.

PubMed

Sills, Eric Scott; Mykhaylyshyn, Lyubov O; Dorofeyeva, Ulyana S; Walsh, David J; Salma, Umme; Omar, Ahmed B; Coull, Graham D; David, Ileana A; Brickell, Kathy M; Tsar, Olga M; Walsh, Anthony Ph

2010-08-11

This investigation describes features of patients undergoing in vitro fertilisation (IVF) and embryo transfer (ET) where both gametes were obtained from anonymous donors. Gamete unsuitability or loss was confirmed in both members of seven otherwise healthy couples presenting for reproductive endocrinology consultation over a 12-month interval in Ireland. IVF was undertaken with fresh oocytes provided by anonymous donors in Ukraine; frozen sperm (anonymous donor) was obtained from a licensed tissue establishment. For recipients, saline-enhanced sonography was used to assess intrauterine contour with endometrial preparation via transdermal estrogen. Among commissioning couples, mean+/-SD female and male age was 41.9 +/- 3.7 and 44.6 +/- 3.5 yrs, respectively. During this period, female age for non dual anonymous gamete donation IVF patients was 37.9 +/- 3 yrs (p < 0.001). Infertility duration was >/=3 yrs for couples enrolling in dual gamete donation, and each had >/=2 prior failed fertility treatments using native oocytes. All seven recipient couples proceeded to embryo transfer, although one patient had two transfers. Clinical pregnancy was achieved for 5/7 (71.4%) patients. Non-transferred cryopreserved embryos were available for all seven couples. Mean age of females undergoing dual anonymous donor gamete donation with IVF is significantly higher than the background IVF patient population. Even when neither partner is able to contribute any gametes for IVF, the clinical pregnancy rate per transfer can be satisfactory if both anonymous egg and sperm donation are used concurrently. Our report emphasises the role of pre-treatment counselling in dual anonymous gamete donation, and presents a coordinated screening and treatment approach in IVF where this option may be contemplated.

Profiles of men-who-have-sex-with-men seeking anonymous voluntary HIV counseling and testing at a community-based centre in Malaysia.

PubMed

Koh, K C; Kamarulzaman, A

2011-12-01

Community-based HIV voluntary counseling and testing (VCT) services is an effective alternative for mapping the local demographics of at-risk populations for HIV as well as provide an acceptable and reliable means of early detection of HIV. We describe the profiles of men-who-have-sex-with-men (MSM) who sought VCT services in a community based centre in Kuala Lumpur.

Internet-based recruitment system for HIV and STI screening for men who have sex with men in Estonia, 2013: analysis of preliminary outcomes.

PubMed

Ruutel, K; Lohmus, L; Janes, J

2015-04-16

The aim of the current project was to develop an Internet-based recruitment system for HIV and sexually transmitted infection (STI) screening for men who have sex with men (MSM) in Estonia in order to collect biological samples during behavioural studies. In 2013, an Internet-based HIV risk-behaviour survey was conducted among MSM living in Estonia. After completing the questionnaire, all participants were offered anonymous and free-of-charge STI testing. They could either order a urine sample kit by post to screen for chlamydia infections (including lymphogranuloma venereum (LGV)), trichomoniasis, gonorrhoea and Mycoplasma genitalium infections, or visit a laboratory for HIV, hepatitis A virus, hepatitis B virus,hepatitis C virus and syphilis screening. Of 301 participants who completed the questionnaire, 265 (88%),reported that they were MSM. Of these 265 MSM,68 (26%) underwent various types of testing. In the multiple regression analysis, Russian as the first language,previous HIV testing and living in a city or town increased the odds of testing during the study. Linking Internet-based behavioural data collection with biological sample collection is a promising approach. As there are no specific STI services for MSM in Estonia,this system could also be used as an additional option for anonymous and free-of-charge STI screening.

An Extensive Study on Data Anonymization Algorithms Based on K-Anonymity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Simi, Ms. M. S.; Sankara Nayaki, Mrs. K.; Sudheep Elayidom, M., Dr.

2017-08-01

For business and research oriented works engaging Data Analysis and Cloud services needing qualitative data, many organizations release huge microdata. It excludes an individual’s explicit identity marks like name, address and comprises of specific information like DOB, Pin-code, sex, marital status, which can be combined with other public data to recognize a person. This implication attack can be manipulated to acquire any sensitive information from social network platform, thereby putting the privacy of a person in grave danger. To prevent such attacks by modifying microdata, K-anonymization is used. With potentially increasing data, the effective method to anonymize it stands challenging. After series of trails and systematic comparison, in this paper, we propose three best algorithms along with its efficiency and effectiveness. Studies help researchers to identify the relationship between the values of k, degree of anonymization, choosing a quasi-identifier and focus on execution time.

Sanduleak's Star (LMC Anonymous) - Its similarity in the far-ultraviolet with the luminous object Eta Carinae and SN 1987A

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Michalitsianos, A. G.; Kafatos, M.; Shore, S. N.

1989-01-01

Low-resolution IUE SWP spectra of the peculiar object LMC Anonymous (Sanduleak's Star) indicates strong evidence for CNO-processed nebula in the vicinity of the star. The far-UV spectrum of LMC Anonymous closely resembles that of the S Condensation of Eta Carinae. The similarity between LMC Anonymous and the S Condensation is apparent from the absolute intensity of the N V, semiforbidden N IV, and semiforbidden N III emission lines compared with the reduced strength of C IV or semiforbidden C III emission. IUE spectra of the S Condensation and SN 1987A may provide important clues concerning the nature of LMC Anonymous, which indicates departures from normal cosmic abundances of nitrogen relative to carbon that are extreme. This may suggest that carbon envelope burning and dredge-up occurred simultaneously during the helium-burning stage.

Full-sibling embryos created by anonymous gamete donation in unrelated recipients.

PubMed

Dicken, Cary L; Zapantis, Athena; Illions, Edward; Pollack, Staci; Lieman, Harry J; Bevilacqua, Kris; Jindal, Sangita K

2011-09-01

To report the rare occurrence of full-sibling embryos in unrelated women using independently chosen donor sperm and donor oocytes in two different cycles unintentionally created at our IVF program, and to discuss the concept of disclosure to the patients. Case report. Academic IVF program. Two women independently undergoing donor recipient cycles with anonymous donor oocytes and donor sperm. Both women received oocytes from the same donor several months apart and then by coincidence selected the same anonymous sperm donor to create anonymous full-sibling embryos. Clinical pregnancy after donor-recipient IVF cycle. Both women conceived using the same donor sperm and donor oocytes in independent cycles, resulting in simultaneous pregnancy of full siblings. As providers with the knowledge that anonymous full sibling embryos have been created, we may have an obligation to disclose this information to the patients. Copyright © 2011 American Society for Reproductive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Anonymous quantum nonlocality.

PubMed

Liang, Yeong-Cherng; Curchod, Florian John; Bowles, Joseph; Gisin, Nicolas

2014-09-26

We investigate the phenomenon of anonymous quantum nonlocality, which refers to the existence of multipartite quantum correlations that are not local in the sense of being Bell-inequality-violating but where the nonlocality is--due to its biseparability with respect to all bipartitions--seemingly nowhere to be found. Such correlations can be produced by the nonlocal collaboration involving definite subset(s) of parties but to an outsider, the identity of these nonlocally correlated parties is completely anonymous. For all n≥3, we present an example of an n-partite quantum correlation exhibiting anonymous nonlocality derived from the n-partite Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger state. An explicit biseparable decomposition of these correlations is provided for any partitioning of the n parties into two groups. Two applications of these anonymous Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger correlations in the device-independent setting are discussed: multipartite secret sharing between any two groups of parties and bipartite quantum key distribution that is robust against nearly arbitrary leakage of information.

The relationship between young adults' beliefs about anonymity and subsequent cyber aggression.

PubMed

Wright, Michelle F

2013-12-01

Anonymity is considered a key motivator for cyber aggression, but few investigations have focused on the connection between anonymity and the subsequent engagement in aggression through the cyber context. The present longitudinal study utilized structural equation modeling to reveal indirect associations between two types of anonymity (i.e., punishment by authority figures and retaliation from the target) and later cyber aggression among 130 young adults. These relationships were examined through the influence of beliefs about not getting caught and not believing in the permanency of online content. Findings indicated that both forms of anonymity were related to cyber aggression 6 months later through two explanatory mechanisms (i.e., confidence with not getting caught and believing online content is not permanent), after controlling for gender and cyber aggression at Time 1. The implications of these findings are discussed, and an appeal for additional research investigating cyber aggression among young adults is given.

Sanduleak's Star (LMC Anonymous) - Its similarity in the far-ultraviolet with the luminous object Eta Carinae and SN 1987A

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Michalitsianos, A.G.; Kafatos, M.; Shore, S.N.

1989-06-01

Low-resolution IUE SWP spectra of the peculiar object LMC Anonymous (Sanduleak's Star) indicates strong evidence for CNO-processed nebula in the vicinity of the star. The far-UV spectrum of LMC Anonymous closely resembles that of the S Condensation of Eta Carinae. The similarity between LMC Anonymous and the S Condensation is apparent from the absolute intensity of the N V, semiforbidden N IV, and semiforbidden N III emission lines compared with the reduced strength of C IV or semiforbidden C III emission. IUE spectra of the S Condensation and SN 1987A may provide important clues concerning the nature of LMC Anonymous,more » which indicates departures from normal cosmic abundances of nitrogen relative to carbon that are extreme. This may suggest that carbon envelope burning and dredge-up occurred simultaneously during the helium-burning stage. 25 refs.« less

Anonymity and Historical-Anonymity in Location-Based Services

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bettini, Claudio; Mascetti, Sergio; Wang, X. Sean; Freni, Dario; Jajodia, Sushil

The problem of protecting user’s privacy in Location-Based Services (LBS) has been extensively studied recently and several defense techniques have been proposed. In this contribution, we first present a categorization of privacy attacks and related defenses. Then, we consider the class of defense techniques that aim at providing privacy through anonymity and in particular algorithms achieving “historical k- anonymity” in the case of the adversary obtaining a trace of requests recognized as being issued by the same (anonymous) user. Finally, we investigate the issues involved in the experimental evaluation of anonymity based defense techniques; we show that user movement simulations based on mostly random movements can lead to overestimate the privacy protection in some cases and to overprotective techniques in other cases. The above results are obtained by comparison to a more realistic simulation with an agent-based simulator, considering a specific deployment scenario.

Determining the relative importance of the mechanisms of behavior change within Alcoholics Anonymous: a multiple mediator analysis.

PubMed

Kelly, John F; Hoeppner, Bettina; Stout, Robert L; Pagano, Maria

2012-02-01

Evidence indicates that Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) participation reduces relapse risk but less is known about the mechanisms through which AA confers this benefit. Initial studies indicate self-efficacy, negative affect, adaptive social networks and spiritual practices are mediators of this effect, but because these have been tested in isolation, their relative importance remains elusive. This study tested multiple mediators simultaneously to help determine the most influential pathways. Prospective, statistically controlled, naturalistic investigation examined the extent to which these previously identified mechanisms mediated AA attendance effects on alcohol outcomes controlling for baseline outcome values, mediators, treatment, and other confounders. Nine clinical sites within the United States. Adults (n = 1726) suffering from alcohol use disorder (AUD) initially enrolled in a randomized study with two arms: aftercare (n = 774); and out-patient (n = 952) comparing three out-patient treatments (Project MATCH). AA attendance during treatment; mediators at 9 months; and outcomes [percentage of days abstinent (PDA) and drinks per drinking day (DDD)] at 15 months. Among out-patients the effect of AA attendance on alcohol outcomes was explained primarily by adaptive social network changes and increases in social abstinence self-efficacy. Among more impaired aftercare patients, in addition to mediation through adaptive network changes and increases in social self-efficacy, AA lead to better outcomes through increasing spirituality/religiosity and by reducing negative affect. The degree to which mediators explained the relationship between AA and outcomes ranged from 43% to 67%. While Alcoholics Anonymous facilitates recovery by mobilizing several processes simultaneously, it is changes in social factors which appear to be of primary importance. © 2011 The Authors, Addiction © 2011 Society for the Study of Addiction.

Oral History Research Ethics: Should Anonymity and Confidentially Issues Be Dealt with on Their Own Merit?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Le Roux, C.

2015-01-01

A primary principle of ethical codes in research involving people is that of informed consent which ensures participants' right to privacy, confidentiality and anonymity. A blanket application of the principle of anonymity to Oral History (OH) research could well be counterproductive to the purported aims of OH research. The research comprised a…

Adolescent Substance Abuse in Mexico, Puerto Rico and The United States: Effect of Anonymous versus Confidential Survey Formats

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Latimer, William W.; O'Brien, Megan S.; Vasquez, Marco A.; Medina-Mora, Maria Elena; Rios-Bedoya, Carlos F.; Floyd, Leah J.

2006-01-01

Anonymous surveys have been widely used worldwide to describe adolescent substance use yet cannot elucidate causal drug abuse predictors. Studies in the U.S. have generally found that anonymous and confidential surveys yield comparable levels of self-reported substance use, yet the effect of survey format on youth self-report has not been…

Use of WhatsApp in Higher Education: What's Up with Assessing Peers Anonymously?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Güler, Çetin

2017-01-01

The aim of this study is to investigate the use of WhatsApp application in anonymous peer assessment in higher education. The mobile phone application WhatsApp was used as both an anonymous and nonanonymous peer assessment tool in a classroom environment. The participants of the study were the students of two classes (sophomores and juniors), half…

Scrambling for anonymous visual communications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dufaux, Frederic; Ebrahimi, Touradj

2005-08-01

In this paper, we present a system for anonymous visual communications. Target application is an anonymous video chat. The system is identifying faces in the video sequence by means of face detection or skin detection. The corresponding regions are subsequently scrambled. We investigate several approaches for scrambling, either in the image-domain or in the transform-domain. Experiment results show the effectiveness of the proposed system.

Trust in Anonymity Networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sassone, Vladimiro; Hamadou, Sardaouna; Yang, Mu

Anonymity is a security property of paramount importance, as we move steadily towards a wired, online community. Its import touches upon subjects as different as eGovernance, eBusiness and eLeisure, as well as personal freedom of speech in authoritarian societies. Trust metrics are used in anonymity networks to support and enhance reliability in the absence of verifiable identities, and a variety of security attacks currently focus on degrading a user's trustworthiness in the eyes of the other users. In this paper, we analyse the privacy guarantees of the Crowds anonymity protocol, with and without onion forwarding, for standard and adaptive attacks against the trust level of honest users.

A Mechanism for Anonymous Credit Card Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tamura, Shinsuke; Yanase, Tatsuro

This paper proposes a mechanism for anonymous credit card systems, in which each credit card holder can conceal individual transactions from the credit card company, while enabling the credit card company to calculate the total expenditures of transactions of individual card holders during specified periods, and to identify card holders who executed dishonest transactions. Based on three existing mechanisms, i.e. anonymous authentication, blind signature and secure statistical data gathering, together with implicit transaction links proposed here, the proposed mechanism enables development of anonymous credit card systems without assuming any absolutely trustworthy entity like tamper resistant devices or organizations faithful both to the credit card company and card holders.

Performance evaluation of various K- anonymity techniques

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maheshwarkar, Nidhi; Pathak, Kshitij; Chourey, Vivekanand

2011-12-01

Today's advanced scenario where each information is available in one click, data security is the main aspect. Individual information which sometimes needs to be hiding is easily available using some tricks. Medical information, income details are needed to be kept away from adversaries and so, are stored in private tables. Some publicly released information contains zip code, sex, birth date. When this released information is linked with the private table, adversary can detect the whole confidential information of individuals or respondents, i.e. name, medical status. So to protect respondents identity, a new concept k-anonymity is used which means each released record has at least (k-1) other records in the release whose values are distinct over those fields that appear in the external data. K-anonymity can be achieved easily in case of single sensitive attributes i.e. name, salary, medical status, but it is quiet difficult when multiple sensitive attributes are present. Generalization and Suppression are used to achieve k-anonymity. This paper provides a formal introduction of k-anonymity and some techniques used with it l-diversity, t-closeness. This paper covers k-anonymity model and the comparative study of these concepts along with a new proposed concept for multiple sensitive attributes.

The cost of quality: Implementing generalization and suppression for anonymizing biomedical data with minimal information loss.

PubMed

Kohlmayer, Florian; Prasser, Fabian; Kuhn, Klaus A

2015-12-01

With the ARX data anonymization tool structured biomedical data can be de-identified using syntactic privacy models, such as k-anonymity. Data is transformed with two methods: (a) generalization of attribute values, followed by (b) suppression of data records. The former method results in data that is well suited for analyses by epidemiologists, while the latter method significantly reduces loss of information. Our tool uses an optimal anonymization algorithm that maximizes output utility according to a given measure. To achieve scalability, existing optimal anonymization algorithms exclude parts of the search space by predicting the outcome of data transformations regarding privacy and utility without explicitly applying them to the input dataset. These optimizations cannot be used if data is transformed with generalization and suppression. As optimal data utility and scalability are important for anonymizing biomedical data, we had to develop a novel method. In this article, we first confirm experimentally that combining generalization with suppression significantly increases data utility. Next, we proof that, within this coding model, the outcome of data transformations regarding privacy and utility cannot be predicted. As a consequence, existing algorithms fail to deliver optimal data utility. We confirm this finding experimentally. The limitation of previous work can be overcome at the cost of increased computational complexity. However, scalability is important for anonymizing data with user feedback. Consequently, we identify properties of datasets that may be predicted in our context and propose a novel and efficient algorithm. Finally, we evaluate our solution with multiple datasets and privacy models. This work presents the first thorough investigation of which properties of datasets can be predicted when data is anonymized with generalization and suppression. Our novel approach adopts existing optimization strategies to our context and combines different search methods. The experiments show that our method is able to efficiently solve a broad spectrum of anonymization problems. Our work shows that implementing syntactic privacy models is challenging and that existing algorithms are not well suited for anonymizing data with transformation models which are more complex than generalization alone. As such models have been recommended for use in the biomedical domain, our results are of general relevance for de-identifying structured biomedical data. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Privacy-preserving data cube for electronic medical records: An experimental evaluation.

PubMed

Kim, Soohyung; Lee, Hyukki; Chung, Yon Dohn

2017-01-01

The aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of privacy-preserving data cubes of electronic medical records (EMRs). An EMR data cube is a complex of EMR statistics that are summarized or aggregated by all possible combinations of attributes. Data cubes are widely utilized for efficient big data analysis and also have great potential for EMR analysis. For safe data analysis without privacy breaches, we must consider the privacy preservation characteristics of the EMR data cube. In this paper, we introduce a design for a privacy-preserving EMR data cube and the anonymization methods needed to achieve data privacy. We further focus on changes in efficiency and effectiveness that are caused by the anonymization process for privacy preservation. Thus, we experimentally evaluate various types of privacy-preserving EMR data cubes using several practical metrics and discuss the applicability of each anonymization method with consideration for the EMR analysis environment. We construct privacy-preserving EMR data cubes from anonymized EMR datasets. A real EMR dataset and demographic dataset are used for the evaluation. There are a large number of anonymization methods to preserve EMR privacy, and the methods are classified into three categories (i.e., global generalization, local generalization, and bucketization) by anonymization rules. According to this classification, three types of privacy-preserving EMR data cubes were constructed for the evaluation. We perform a comparative analysis by measuring the data size, cell overlap, and information loss of the EMR data cubes. Global generalization considerably reduced the size of the EMR data cube and did not cause the data cube cells to overlap, but incurred a large amount of information loss. Local generalization maintained the data size and generated only moderate information loss, but there were cell overlaps that could decrease the search performance. Bucketization did not cause cells to overlap and generated little information loss; however, the method considerably inflated the size of the EMR data cubes. The utility of anonymized EMR data cubes varies widely according to the anonymization method, and the applicability of the anonymization method depends on the features of the EMR analysis environment. The findings help to adopt the optimal anonymization method considering the EMR analysis environment and goal of the EMR analysis. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Anonymous sex and HIV risk practices among men using the Internet specifically to find male partners for unprotected sex.

PubMed

Klein, H

2012-06-01

To examine the popularity of anonymous sex practices among men using the Internet to find male partners for unprotected sex, and how anonymous sex relates to involvement in other HIV-related risk behaviours, and to investigate the factors associated with engaging in anonymous sex. Structured telephone interviews were conducted with men who used the Internet specifically to find male partners for unprotected sex. Random sampling from 16 websites was used to obtain a national sample. The data reported in this paper were based on quantitative interviews collected with a cross-sectional study design. Between January 2008 and May 2009, confidential telephone interviews lasting approximately 1-2 h were completed with 332 men. Participants were paid $35 for their participation. Most of the men (67.4%) liked anonymous sex, and slightly more than half (51.2%) had engaged in the behaviour during the month prior to interview. Involvement in anonymous sex was associated with greater involvement in a variety of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-related risk practices, such as illegal drug use, number of sex partners, and amount of unprotected sex. Four factors were associated with having vs not having anonymous sex: (1) being HIV positive; (2) answering all of the HIV-related knowledge questions correctly; (3) deriving greater enjoyment from having sex in public places, such as parks, public toilets, or adult book shops; and (4) greater impulsivity. Seven factors were associated with greater vs lesser involvement in anonymous sex among those practising the behaviour: (1) being involved in a relationship with a long-term partner; (2) liking to have sex in public places; (3) using bareback-oriented websites to identify sex partners; (4) greater impulsivity; (5) low level of condom use self-efficacy; (6) greater knowledge about HIV/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome; and either (7a) severe childhood maltreatment or (7b) Caucasian race. Men in this population often sought anonymous sex, and this practice was related to involvement in a variety of risky behaviours, such as illegal drug use and the number of recent sex partners (among others). Interventionists should address anonymous sex practices among Internet-using, risk-seeking men in order to reduce the overall levels of HIV risk involvement. Copyright © 2012 The Royal Society for Public Health. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Cheating, Student Authentication and Proctoring in Online Programs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Berkey, Dennis; Halfond, Jay

2015-01-01

This article begins with the following pitch:"Without having to miss out on fun, just outsource your test to us, an expert will take it and you will get the awesome grade that you deserve. All at prices you will not believe. How does that sound?" For years, students have been reporting anonymously having cheated and plagiarized--more…

75 FR 58023 - Guidelines Establishing Test Procedures for the Analysis of Pollutants Under the Clean Water Act...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-09-23

... http://www.regulations.gov or e-mail. The http://www.regulations.gov Web site is an ``anonymous access... preceding FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section. B. What should I consider as I prepare my comments for... VCSB: Voluntary Consensus Standards Body WET: Whole Effluent Toxicity Table of Contents I. Statutory...

The Relationship of Religious Involvement to a Variety of Indicators of Cognitive Ability and Achievement in College Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zern, David S.

1987-01-01

Undergraduates reported anonymously their degree of religiousness, their Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) scores, and their grade point averages (GPAs). Found religiousness negatively related to ability, and not related to achievement. The students' capacity to maximize their potential, measured by the standard score difference between GPA and SAT,…

The Two Cultures of Electricity: Between Entertainment and Edification in Victorian Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Morus, Iwan Rhys

2007-01-01

Reviewing Fleeming Jenkin's Electricity and Magnetism in Nature in 1873 an anonymous reviewer (probably James Clerk Maxwell) remarked that "at the present time there are two sciences of electricity--one that of the lecture-room and the popular treatise; the other that of the testing-office and the engineer's specifications." In…

A Bayesian adaptive design for biomarker trials with linked treatments

PubMed Central

Wason, James M S; Abraham, Jean E; Baird, Richard D; Gournaris, Ioannis; Vallier, Anne-Laure; Brenton, James D; Earl, Helena M; Mander, Adrian P

2015-01-01

Background: Response to treatments is highly heterogeneous in cancer. Increased availability of biomarkers and targeted treatments has led to the need for trial designs that efficiently test new treatments in biomarker-stratified patient subgroups. Methods: We propose a novel Bayesian adaptive randomisation (BAR) design for use in multi-arm phase II trials where biomarkers exist that are potentially predictive of a linked treatment's effect. The design is motivated in part by two phase II trials that are currently in development. The design starts by randomising patients to the control treatment or to experimental treatments that the biomarker profile suggests should be active. At interim analyses, data from treated patients are used to update the allocation probabilities. If the linked treatments are effective, the allocation remains high; if ineffective, the allocation changes over the course of the trial to unlinked treatments that are more effective. Results: Our proposed design has high power to detect treatment effects if the pairings of treatment with biomarker are correct, but also performs well when alternative pairings are true. The design is consistently more powerful than parallel-groups stratified trials. Conclusions: This BAR design is a powerful approach to use when there are pairings of biomarkers with treatments available for testing simultaneously. PMID:26263479

Patient privacy protection using anonymous access control techniques.

PubMed

Weerasinghe, D; Rajarajan, M; Elmufti, K; Rakocevic, V

2008-01-01

The objective of this study is to develop a solution to preserve security and privacy in a healthcare environment where health-sensitive information will be accessed by many parties and stored in various distributed databases. The solution should maintain anonymous medical records and it should be able to link anonymous medical information in distributed databases into a single patient medical record with the patient identity. In this paper we present a protocol that can be used to authenticate and authorize patients to healthcare services without providing the patient identification. Healthcare service can identify the patient using separate temporary identities in each identification session and medical records are linked to these temporary identities. Temporary identities can be used to enable record linkage and reverse track real patient identity in critical medical situations. The proposed protocol provides main security and privacy services such as user anonymity, message privacy, message confidentiality, user authentication, user authorization and message replay attacks. The medical environment validates the patient at the healthcare service as a real and registered patient for the medical services. Using the proposed protocol, the patient anonymous medical records at different healthcare services can be linked into one single report and it is possible to securely reverse track anonymous patient into the real identity. The protocol protects the patient privacy with a secure anonymous authentication to healthcare services and medical record registries according to the European and the UK legislations, where the patient real identity is not disclosed with the distributed patient medical records.

[Comment on “Anonymous reviews: Self-serving, counterproductive, and unacceptable”] from R.E. Criss and A.M. Hofmeister

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Criss, Robert E.; Hofmeister, Anne M.

We share many of the experiences and most of the sentiments relayed by Myrl Beck in his 1 July contribution to the Eos Forum, as well as those of a similar nature expressed by Alexander McBirney in his March 2003 commentary in GSA Today. We are in fact delighted that senior scientists are speaking up about the unsatisfactory nature of anonymous reviews. However, we believe they understate the problems, partly because the situation is worsening with time. Moreover, the brunt of such problems is disproportionately felt not by emeritus professors but by young scientists, women, and minorities, and this is the crux of the issue.This year, we have, like Beck, received rejections based on comments by two anonymous reviewers and an anonymous associate editor. We have also received rejections from anonymous associate editors based on a single constructive review requesting minor revision, along with an anonymous hostile “review” that could have been written about any manuscript on any topic by any author. More common than these are rejections from identified associate editors based on one or two anonymous reviews, which more often than not err on most of the points made, and in two cases dispute work that resulted in Nobel Prizes. We have examples this year of each type where the senior authors are recent Ph.D.s, whose vulnerabilities underscore the reprehensible nature of this “process.”

A multi-institution evaluation of clinical profile anonymization

PubMed Central

Heatherly, Raymond; Rasmussen, Luke V; Peissig, Peggy L; Pacheco, Jennifer A; Harris, Paul; Denny, Joshua C

2016-01-01

Background and objective: There is an increasing desire to share de-identified electronic health records (EHRs) for secondary uses, but there are concerns that clinical terms can be exploited to compromise patient identities. Anonymization algorithms mitigate such threats while enabling novel discoveries, but their evaluation has been limited to single institutions. Here, we study how an existing clinical profile anonymization fares at multiple medical centers. Methods: We apply a state-of-the-art k-anonymization algorithm, with k set to the standard value 5, to the International Classification of Disease, ninth edition codes for patients in a hypothyroidism association study at three medical centers: Marshfield Clinic, Northwestern University, and Vanderbilt University. We assess utility when anonymizing at three population levels: all patients in 1) the EHR system; 2) the biorepository; and 3) a hypothyroidism study. We evaluate utility using 1) changes to the number included in the dataset, 2) number of codes included, and 3) regions generalization and suppression were required. Results: Our findings yield several notable results. First, we show that anonymizing in the context of the entire EHR yields a significantly greater quantity of data by reducing the amount of generalized regions from ∼15% to ∼0.5%. Second, ∼70% of codes that needed generalization only generalized two or three codes in the largest anonymization. Conclusions: Sharing large volumes of clinical data in support of phenome-wide association studies is possible while safeguarding privacy to the underlying individuals. PMID:26567325

Possible linkage of non-syndromic cleft lip and palate to the MSX1 homebox gene on chromosome 4p

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wang, S.; Walczak, C.; Erickson, R.P.

1994-09-01

The MSX1 (HOX7) gene has been shown recently to cause cleft palate in a mouse model deficient for its product. Several features of this mouse model make the human homolog of this gene an excellent candidate for non-syndromic cleft palate. We tested this hypothesis by linkage studies in two large multiplex human families using a microsatellite marker in the human MSX1 gene. A LOD score of 1.7 was obtained maximizing at a recombination fraction of 0.09. Computer simulation power calculations using the program SIMLINK indicated that a LOD score this large is expected to occur only about 1/200 times bymore » chance alone for a marker locus with comparable informativeness if unlinked to the disease gene. This suggestive finding is being followed up by attempts to recruit and study additional families and by DNA sequence analyses of the MSX1 gene in these families and other cleft lip and/or cleft palate subjects and these further results will also be reported.« less

Identification of recent hybridization between gray wolves and domesticated dogs by SNP genotyping.

PubMed

vonHoldt, Bridgett M; Pollinger, John P; Earl, Dent A; Parker, Heidi G; Ostrander, Elaine A; Wayne, Robert K

2013-02-01

The ability to detect recent hybridization between dogs and wolves is important for conservation and legal actions, which often require accurate and rapid resolution of ancestry. The availability of a genetic test for dog-wolf hybrids would greatly support federal and legal enforcement efforts, particularly when the individual in question lacks prior ancestry information. We have developed a panel of 100 unlinked ancestry-informative SNP markers that can detect mixed ancestry within up to four generations of dog-wolf hybridization based on simulations of seven genealogical classes constructed following the rules of Mendelian inheritance. We establish 95 % confidence regions around the spatial clustering of each genealogical class using a tertiary plot of allele dosage and heterozygosity. The first- and second-backcrossed-generation hybrids were the most distinct from parental populations, with >90 % correctly assigned to genealogical class. In this article we provide a tool kit with population-level statistical quantification that can detect recent dog-wolf hybridization using a panel of dog-wolf ancestry-informative SNPs with divergent allele frequency distributions.

Flight software development for the isothermal dendritic growth experiment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Levinson, Laurie H.; Winsa, Edward A.; Glicksman, M. E.

1990-01-01

The Isothermal Dendritic Growth Experiment (IDGE) is a microgravity materials science experiment scheduled to fly in the cargo bay of the shuttle on the United States Microgravity Payload (USMP) carrier. The experiment will be operated by real-time control software which will not only monitor and control onboard experiment hardware, but will also communicate, via downlink data and unlink commands, with the Payload Operations Control Center (POCC) at NASA George C. Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). The software development approach being used to implement this system began with software functional requirements specification. This was accomplished using the Yourdon/DeMarco methodology as supplemented by the Ward/Mellor real-time extensions. The requirements specification in combination with software prototyping was then used to generate a detailed design consisting of structure charts, module prologues, and Program Design Language (PDL) specifications. This detailed design will next be used to code the software, followed finally by testing against the functional requirements. The result will be a modular real-time control software system with traceability through every phase of the development process.

Genomic variation and DNA repair associated with soybean transgenesis: a comparison to cultivars and mutagenized plants.

PubMed

Anderson, Justin E; Michno, Jean-Michel; Kono, Thomas J Y; Stec, Adrian O; Campbell, Benjamin W; Curtin, Shaun J; Stupar, Robert M

2016-05-12

The safety of mutagenized and genetically transformed plants remains a subject of scrutiny. Data gathered and communicated on the phenotypic and molecular variation induced by gene transfer technologies will provide a scientific-based means to rationally address such concerns. In this study, genomic structural variation (e.g. large deletions and duplications) and single nucleotide polymorphism rates were assessed among a sample of soybean cultivars, fast neutron-derived mutants, and five genetically transformed plants developed through Agrobacterium based transformation methods. On average, the number of genes affected by structural variations in transgenic plants was one order of magnitude less than that of fast neutron mutants and two orders of magnitude less than the rates observed between cultivars. Structural variants in transgenic plants, while rare, occurred adjacent to the transgenes, and at unlinked loci on different chromosomes. DNA repair junctions at both transgenic and unlinked sites were consistent with sequence microhomology across breakpoints. The single nucleotide substitution rates were modest in both fast neutron and transformed plants, exhibiting fewer than 100 substitutions genome-wide, while inter-cultivar comparisons identified over one-million single nucleotide polymorphisms. Overall, these patterns provide a fresh perspective on the genomic variation associated with high-energy induced mutagenesis and genetically transformed plants. The genetic transformation process infrequently results in novel genetic variation and these rare events are analogous to genetic variants occurring spontaneously, already present in the existing germplasm, or induced through other types of mutagenesis. It remains unclear how broadly these results can be applied to other crops or transformation methods.

Conservation of an Intact vif Gene of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 during Maternal-Fetal Transmission

PubMed Central

Yedavalli, Venkat R. K.; Chappey, Colombe; Matala, Erik; Ahmad, Nafees

1998-01-01

The human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) vif gene is conserved among most lentiviruses, suggesting that vif is important for natural infection. To determine whether an intact vif gene is positively selected during mother-to-infant transmission, we analyzed vif sequences from five infected mother-infant pairs following perinatal transmission. The coding potential of the vif open reading frame directly derived from uncultured peripheral blood mononuclear cell DNA was maintained in most of the 78,912 bp sequenced. We found that 123 of the 137 clones analyzed showed an 89.8% frequency of intact vif open reading frames. There was a low degree of heterogeneity of vif genes within mothers, within infants, and between epidemiologically linked mother-infant pairs. The distances between vif sequences were greater in epidemiologically unlinked individuals than in epidemiologically linked mother-infant pairs. Furthermore, the epidemiologically linked mother-infant pair vif sequences displayed similar patterns that were not seen in vif sequences from epidemiologically unlinked individuals. The functional domains, including the two cysteines at positions 114 and 133, a serine phosphorylation site at position 144, and the C-terminal basic amino acids essential for vif protein function, were highly conserved in most of the sequences. Phylogenetic analyses of 137 mother-infant pair vif sequences and 187 other available vif sequences from HIV-1 databases revealed distinct clusters for vif sequences from each mother-infant pair and for other vif sequences. Taken together, these findings suggest that vif plays an important role in HIV-1 infection and replication in mothers and their perinatally infected infants. PMID:9445004

A study comparing precision of the maximum multipoint heterogeneity LOD statistic to three model-free multipoint linkage methods.

PubMed

Finch, S J; Chen, C H; Gordon, D; Mendell, N R

2001-12-01

This study compared the performance of the maximum lod (MLOD), maximum heterogeneity lod (MHLOD), maximum non-parametric linkage score (MNPL), maximum Kong and Cox linear extension (MKC(lin)) of NPL, and maximum Kong and Cox exponential extension (MKC(exp)) of NPL as calculated in Genehunter 1.2 and Genehunter-Plus. Our performance measure was the distance between the marker with maximum value for each linkage statistic and the trait locus. We performed a simulation study considering: 1) four modes of transmission, 2) 100 replicates for each model, 3) 58 pedigrees (with 592 subjects) per replicate, 4) three linked marker loci each having three equally frequent alleles, and 5) either 0% unlinked families (linkage homogeneity) or 50% unlinked families (linkage heterogeneity). For each replicate, we obtained the Haldane map position of the location at which each of the five statistics is maximized. The MLOD and MHLOD were obtained by maximizing over penetrances, phenocopy rate, and risk-allele frequencies. For the models simulated, MHLOD appeared to be the best statistic both in terms of identifying a marker locus having the smallest mean distance from the trait locus and in terms of the strongest negative correlation between maximum linkage statistic and distance of the identified position and the trait locus. The marker loci with maximum value of the Kong and Cox extensions of the NPL statistic also were closer to the trait locus than the marker locus with maximum value of the NPL statistic. Copyright 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Division of the intermediate compartment at the onset of mitosis provides a mechanism for Golgi inheritance.

PubMed

Marie, Michaël; Dale, Hege A; Kouprina, Nina; Saraste, Jaakko

2012-11-15

As mammalian cells prepare for mitosis, the Golgi ribbon is first unlinked into its constituent stacks and then transformed into spindle-associated, pleiomorphic membrane clusters in a process that remains enigmatic. Also, it remains unclear whether Golgi inheritance involves the incorporation of Golgi enzymes into a pool of coat protein I (COPI) vesicles, or their COPI-independent transfer to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). Based on the observation that the intermediate compartment (IC) at the ER-Golgi boundary is connected to the centrosome, we examined its mitotic fate and possible role in Golgi breakdown. The use of multiple imaging techniques and markers revealed that the IC elements persist during the M phase, maintain their compositional and structural properties and remain associated with the mitotic spindle, forming circular arrays at the spindle poles. At G2/M transition, the movement of the pericentrosomal domain of the IC (pcIC) to the cell centre and its expansion coincide with the unlinking of the Golgi ribbon. At prophase, coupled to centrosome separation, the pcIC divides together with recycling endosomes, providing novel landmarks for mitotic entry. We provide evidence that the permanent IC elements function as way stations during the COPI-dependent dispersal of Golgi components at prometa- and metaphase, indicating that they correspond to the previously described Golgi clusters. In addition, they continue to communicate with the vesicular 'Golgi haze' and thus are likely to provide templates for Golgi reassembly. These results implicate the IC in mitotic Golgi inheritance, resulting in a model that integrates key features of the two previously proposed pathways.

Neural correlates of behavioral preference for culturally familiar drinks.

PubMed

McClure, Samuel M; Li, Jian; Tomlin, Damon; Cypert, Kim S; Montague, Latané M; Montague, P Read

2004-10-14

Coca-Cola (Coke) and Pepsi are nearly identical in chemical composition, yet humans routinely display strong subjective preferences for one or the other. This simple observation raises the important question of how cultural messages combine with content to shape our perceptions; even to the point of modifying behavioral preferences for a primary reward like a sugared drink. We delivered Coke and Pepsi to human subjects in behavioral taste tests and also in passive experiments carried out during functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Two conditions were examined: (1) anonymous delivery of Coke and Pepsi and (2) brand-cued delivery of Coke and Pepsi. For the anonymous task, we report a consistent neural response in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex that correlated with subjects' behavioral preferences for these beverages. In the brand-cued experiment, brand knowledge for one of the drinks had a dramatic influence on expressed behavioral preferences and on the measured brain responses.

Our Anonymous Online Research Participants Are Not Always Anonymous: Is This a Problem?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dawson, Phillip

2014-01-01

When educational research is conducted online, we sometimes promise our participants that they will be anonymous--but do we deliver on this promise? We have been warned since 1996 to be careful when using direct quotes in Internet research, as full-text web search engines make it easy to find chunks of text online. This paper details an empirical…

Onion Routing for Anonymous and Private Internet Connections

DTIC Science & Technology

1999-01-28

Onion Routing for Anonymous and Private Internet Connections David Goldschlag Michael Reedy Paul Syversony January 28, 1999 1 Introduction...Onion Routing operates by dynamically building anonymous connections within a network of real-time Chaum Mixes [3]. A Mix is a store and forward device...Commerce Workshop , August 1998. [3] D. Chaum . \\Untraceable Electronic Mail, Return Addresses, and Digital Pseudonyms", Communications of the ACM , v. 24

Does anonymous sperm donation increase the risk for unions between relatives and the incidence of autosomal recessive diseases due to consanguinity?

PubMed

Serre, Jean-Louis; Leutenegger, Anne-Louise; Bernheim, Alain; Fellous, Marc; Rouen, Alexandre; Siffroi, Jean-Pierre

2014-03-01

In France gamete donation and notably sperm donation are anonymous. It has been claimed that anonymous artificial insemination by donor (AID) could highly contribute to an increase in the level of consanguinity and the incidence of autosomal recessive diseases, due to the unions between offspring of anonymous donors, unaware of their biological kinship, with the special case of unions between half-siblings. The actual incidence of consanguinity due to AID was compared with that resulting from the two other main sources of consanguinity and recessive diseases, i.e. voluntary unions between related individuals or inadvertent unions between the offspring of a common unknown male ancestor (false paternity). From these data, we estimated that expected unions in France between half sibs per year are 0.12 between offspring of sperm donors (1.2 every 10 years) and 0.5 between offspring of common male ancestors through false paternity (5 every 10 years). More generally, the inadvertent unions between false paternity offspring are roughly four times more frequent than those resulting from anonymous AID. We estimated that in the future, when AID has been in practice for several generations, out the 820 000 annual births in France, respectively, 6 and 25 births will be consanguineous through an unknown common ancestor related to anonymous AID and to a false paternity, both of which are negligible when compared with the 1256 children born from first-degree cousins. About 672 children per year are born with a recessive genetic disease due to the panmictic risk and additional affected cases due to consanguinity would be 34.54 for first-cousin offspring, 0.33 for offspring of individuals related due to false paternity and 0.079 for offspring of individuals related due to anonymous AID. Anonymous AID would therefore be responsible for 0.46% of consanguineous births and for 0.01% of recessive diseases. Therefore, the effect of anonymous AID on half-sibling unions, consanguinity and recessive disease incidence can be regarded as marginal.

Security enhanced anonymous multiserver authenticated key agreement scheme using smart cards and biometrics.

PubMed

Choi, Younsung; Nam, Junghyun; Lee, Donghoon; Kim, Jiye; Jung, Jaewook; Won, Dongho

2014-01-01

An anonymous user authentication scheme allows a user, who wants to access a remote application server, to achieve mutual authentication and session key establishment with the server in an anonymous manner. To enhance the security of such authentication schemes, recent researches combined user's biometrics with a password. However, these authentication schemes are designed for single server environment. So when a user wants to access different application servers, the user has to register many times. To solve this problem, Chuang and Chen proposed an anonymous multiserver authenticated key agreement scheme using smart cards together with passwords and biometrics. Chuang and Chen claimed that their scheme not only supports multiple servers but also achieves various security requirements. However, we show that this scheme is vulnerable to a masquerade attack, a smart card attack, a user impersonation attack, and a DoS attack and does not achieve perfect forward secrecy. We also propose a security enhanced anonymous multiserver authenticated key agreement scheme which addresses all the weaknesses identified in Chuang and Chen's scheme.

K-Anonymous Multi-party Secret Handshakes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Shouhuai; Yung, Moti

Anonymity-protection techniques are crucial for various commercial and financial transactions, where participants are worried about their privacy. On the other hand, authentication methods are also crucial for such interactions. Secret handshake is a relatively recent mechanism that facilitates privacy-preserving mutual authentication between communicating peers. In recent years, researchers have proposed a set of secret handshake schemes based on different assumptions about the credentials used: from one-time credentials to the more general PKI-like credentials. In this paper, we concentrate on k-anonymous secret handshake schemes based on PKI-like infrastructures. More specifically, we deal with the k-anonymous m-party (m > 2) secret handshake problem, which is significantly more involved than its two-party counterpart due to the following: When an honest user hand-shakes with m - 1 parties, it must be assured that these parties are distinct; otherwise, under the mask of anonymity a dishonest participant may clone itself in a single handshake session (i.e., assuming multiple personalities).

Emergence of Informal Educative Space out of an Anonymous Online Bulletin Board in Korea during the Global Economic Crisis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kang, Dae Joong; Choi, Seon Joo; Lee, SeungHyeop

2013-01-01

This study aimed to understand how people learn and teach informally in an anonymous online bulletin board, the primary purpose of which is not learning and teaching. We conducted a qualitative analysis of comments and replies tagged to the most popular postings of an anonymous online bulletin board, during the global economic crisis in 2008-2009.…

PRIVACYGRID: Supporting Anonymous Location Queries in Mobile Environments

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-01-01

continued price reduction of location tracking de- vices, location - based services (LBSs) are widely recognized as an important feature of the future computing... location - based services can operate completely anonymously, such as “when I pass a gas station, alert me with the unit price of the gas”. Others can...Anonymous Usage of Location - Based Services Through Spatial and Tempo- ral Cloaking. In Proceedings of the International Con- ference on Mobile

Taxonomy for and Analysis of Anonymous Communications Networks

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-03-01

Privacy QI Quasi-Identifier QoS Quality -of- Service RA Receiver Anonymity RFC Request For Comments RREQ Route Request RREP Route Reply...particular message as a measure. This amounts to the sender specifying a Quality -of- Service (QoS) threshold for anonymity services depending on...Location-Based Services Through Spatial and Temporal Cloaking," Proceedings of the Proceedings of MobiSys 2003: The 1st International Conference on

A Lightweight Anonymous Authentication Protocol with Perfect Forward Secrecy for Wireless Sensor Networks.

PubMed

Xiong, Ling; Peng, Daiyuan; Peng, Tu; Liang, Hongbin; Liu, Zhicai

2017-11-21

Due to their frequent use in unattended and hostile deployment environments, the security in wireless sensor networks (WSNs) has attracted much interest in the past two decades. However, it remains a challenge to design a lightweight authentication protocol for WSNs because the designers are confronted with a series of desirable security requirements, e.g., user anonymity, perfect forward secrecy, resistance to de-synchronization attack. Recently, the authors presented two authentication schemes that attempt to provide user anonymity and to resist various known attacks. Unfortunately, in this work we shall show that user anonymity of the two schemes is achieved at the price of an impractical search operation-the gateway node may search for every possible value. Besides this defect, they are also prone to smart card loss attacks and have no provision for perfect forward secrecy. As our main contribution, a lightweight anonymous authentication scheme with perfect forward secrecy is designed, and what we believe the most interesting feature is that user anonymity, perfect forward secrecy, and resistance to de-synchronization attack can be achieved at the same time. As far as we know, it is extremely difficult to meet these security features simultaneously only using the lightweight operations, such as symmetric encryption/decryption and hash functions.

A Lightweight Anonymous Authentication Protocol with Perfect Forward Secrecy for Wireless Sensor Networks

PubMed Central

Peng, Daiyuan; Peng, Tu; Liang, Hongbin; Liu, Zhicai

2017-01-01

Due to their frequent use in unattended and hostile deployment environments, the security in wireless sensor networks (WSNs) has attracted much interest in the past two decades. However, it remains a challenge to design a lightweight authentication protocol for WSNs because the designers are confronted with a series of desirable security requirements, e.g., user anonymity, perfect forward secrecy, resistance to de-synchronization attack. Recently, the authors presented two authentication schemes that attempt to provide user anonymity and to resist various known attacks. Unfortunately, in this work we shall show that user anonymity of the two schemes is achieved at the price of an impractical search operation—the gateway node may search for every possible value. Besides this defect, they are also prone to smart card loss attacks and have no provision for perfect forward secrecy. As our main contribution, a lightweight anonymous authentication scheme with perfect forward secrecy is designed, and what we believe the most interesting feature is that user anonymity, perfect forward secrecy, and resistance to de-synchronization attack can be achieved at the same time. As far as we know, it is extremely difficult to meet these security features simultaneously only using the lightweight operations, such as symmetric encryption/decryption and hash functions. PMID:29160861

Predictors of anonymous cyber aggression: the role of adolescents' beliefs about anonymity, aggression, and the permanency of digital content.

PubMed

Wright, Michelle F

2014-07-01

Little attention has been given to whether adolescents' beliefs about anonymity and their normative beliefs about cyber aggression jointly increase their perpetration of cyber aggression. To this end, the present longitudinal study examined the moderating influence of these variables on the relationships among adolescents' attitudes toward the permanency of digital content, confidence with not getting caught, and anonymous cyber aggression (ACA) assessed 1 year later (Time 2). These associations were examined among 274 7th and 8th graders and through five technologies, including social networking sites (SNS), e-mail, instant messenger (IM), mobile phones, and chatrooms. Findings indicated that increases in Time 2 ACA and attitudes toward the permanency of digital content were more strongly related when adolescents reported greater confidence with not getting caught and higher normative beliefs concerning cyber aggression through SNS and mobile phones. In addition, higher levels of attitudes toward the permanency of digital content, confidence with not getting caught, beliefs about anonymity, and normative beliefs regarding cyber aggression were related to greater Time 2 ACA through e-mail, IM, and chatrooms. All findings are discussed in the context of adolescents' positive attitudes toward ACA, and an appeal for additional research is made to understand more about anonymity in cyberspace.

De-identification of health records using Anonym: effectiveness and robustness across datasets.

PubMed

Zuccon, Guido; Kotzur, Daniel; Nguyen, Anthony; Bergheim, Anton

2014-07-01

Evaluate the effectiveness and robustness of Anonym, a tool for de-identifying free-text health records based on conditional random fields classifiers informed by linguistic and lexical features, as well as features extracted by pattern matching techniques. De-identification of personal health information in electronic health records is essential for the sharing and secondary usage of clinical data. De-identification tools that adapt to different sources of clinical data are attractive as they would require minimal intervention to guarantee high effectiveness. The effectiveness and robustness of Anonym are evaluated across multiple datasets, including the widely adopted Integrating Biology and the Bedside (i2b2) dataset, used for evaluation in a de-identification challenge. The datasets used here vary in type of health records, source of data, and their quality, with one of the datasets containing optical character recognition errors. Anonym identifies and removes up to 96.6% of personal health identifiers (recall) with a precision of up to 98.2% on the i2b2 dataset, outperforming the best system proposed in the i2b2 challenge. The effectiveness of Anonym across datasets is found to depend on the amount of information available for training. Findings show that Anonym compares to the best approach from the 2006 i2b2 shared task. It is easy to retrain Anonym with new datasets; if retrained, the system is robust to variations of training size, data type and quality in presence of sufficient training data. Crown Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A multi-institution evaluation of clinical profile anonymization.

PubMed

Heatherly, Raymond; Rasmussen, Luke V; Peissig, Peggy L; Pacheco, Jennifer A; Harris, Paul; Denny, Joshua C; Malin, Bradley A

2016-04-01

There is an increasing desire to share de-identified electronic health records (EHRs) for secondary uses, but there are concerns that clinical terms can be exploited to compromise patient identities. Anonymization algorithms mitigate such threats while enabling novel discoveries, but their evaluation has been limited to single institutions. Here, we study how an existing clinical profile anonymization fares at multiple medical centers. We apply a state-of-the-artk-anonymization algorithm, withkset to the standard value 5, to the International Classification of Disease, ninth edition codes for patients in a hypothyroidism association study at three medical centers: Marshfield Clinic, Northwestern University, and Vanderbilt University. We assess utility when anonymizing at three population levels: all patients in 1) the EHR system; 2) the biorepository; and 3) a hypothyroidism study. We evaluate utility using 1) changes to the number included in the dataset, 2) number of codes included, and 3) regions generalization and suppression were required. Our findings yield several notable results. First, we show that anonymizing in the context of the entire EHR yields a significantly greater quantity of data by reducing the amount of generalized regions from ∼15% to ∼0.5%. Second, ∼70% of codes that needed generalization only generalized two or three codes in the largest anonymization. Sharing large volumes of clinical data in support of phenome-wide association studies is possible while safeguarding privacy to the underlying individuals. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Medical Informatics Association. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Evaluation of Formative Computer-Based Assessment by Cell Biology Students with Differing Entry Qualifications and Ethnicity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bax, Christopher; Baggott, Glenn; Howey, Ellen; Pellet-Many, Carolyn; Rayne, Richard; Neonaki, Maria; Bax, Bridget E.; White, Christopher Branford

2006-01-01

This study was carried out to examine students' responses to the use of on-line assessments that included feedback. First year BSc students taking a Cell Biology module undertook such an assessment and were then asked to evaluate the test by completing an anonymous questionnaire. Answers were analysed in light of the respondents' ethnicity and…

Experimental Tests of Normative Group Influence and Representation Effects in Computer-Mediated Communication: When Interacting Via Computers Differs from Interacting With Computers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Eun-Ju; Nass, Clifford

2002-01-01

Presents two experiments to address the questions of if and how normative social influence operates in anonymous computer-mediated communication and human-computer interaction. Finds that the perception of interaction partner (human vs. computer) moderated the group conformity effect such that the undergraduate student subjects expressed greater…

The Influence of a "Gap Year" on Medical Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Paterson-Brown, Lucy; Paterson-Brown, Flora; Simon, Elizabeth; Loudon, Joanna; Henderson-Howat, Susanna; Robertson, Josephine; Paterson-Brown, Simon

2015-01-01

This study reports the views of second year medical students from 6 Universities on the value or not of deferring entry to medical school in order to take a "Gap Year" obtained from an anonymous questionnaire. Data were analysed using Fisher's exact test to produce a two tailed P value, with significance defined as p <0.05. A total of…

Personality Patterns in Narcotics Anonymous Members versus Individuals with Addiction Receiving Methadone Maintenance Therapy.

PubMed

Akhondzadeh, Shahin; Shabrang, Moslem; Rezaei, Omid; Rezaei, Farzin

2014-07-01

Therapeutic interventions can be classified into two distinct approaches: abstinent and maintenance method. Currently, there are no clear criteria for referring addicted patients to one of these modalities. We aimed to compare the personality characteristics of individuals with addiction who attended narcotics anonymous sessions with those who received methadone maintenance therapy. This was a cross- sectional study. The participants were NA members and patients who were undergoing methadone maintenance treatment in outpatient clinics. Using the randomized cluster sampling method, 200 individuals with opioid dependence were selected (each group 100 persons). Data were collected through a demographic questionnaire and the five-factor personality inventory (NEO-FFI). Comparison of the mean scores of NEO-PPI in the two groups was performed by independent t test, and qualitative variables were compared using the Chi-square test. We found a significant difference between the MMT and NA groups with respect to neuroticism, extroversion, and agreeableness. No significant difference was found in the subscales of conscientious and openness. People who regularly attended the NA sessions had lower neuroticism and higher agreeableness than patients who were under the maintenance modality. Whether this is the cause or effect of attending NA sessions requires future large-scale cohort studies.

Is the Web as good as the lab? Comparable performance from Web and lab in cognitive/perceptual experiments.

PubMed

Germine, Laura; Nakayama, Ken; Duchaine, Bradley C; Chabris, Christopher F; Chatterjee, Garga; Wilmer, Jeremy B

2012-10-01

With the increasing sophistication and ubiquity of the Internet, behavioral research is on the cusp of a revolution that will do for population sampling what the computer did for stimulus control and measurement. It remains a common assumption, however, that data from self-selected Web samples must involve a trade-off between participant numbers and data quality. Concerns about data quality are heightened for performance-based cognitive and perceptual measures, particularly those that are timed or that involve complex stimuli. In experiments run with uncompensated, anonymous participants whose motivation for participation is unknown, reduced conscientiousness or lack of focus could produce results that would be difficult to interpret due to decreased overall performance, increased variability of performance, or increased measurement noise. Here, we addressed the question of data quality across a range of cognitive and perceptual tests. For three key performance metrics-mean performance, performance variance, and internal reliability-the results from self-selected Web samples did not differ systematically from those obtained from traditionally recruited and/or lab-tested samples. These findings demonstrate that collecting data from uncompensated, anonymous, unsupervised, self-selected participants need not reduce data quality, even for demanding cognitive and perceptual experiments.

Identification of genes in anonymous DNA sequences. Annual performance report, February 1, 1991--January 31, 1992

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fields, C.A.

1996-06-01

The objective of this project is the development of practical software to automate the identification of genes in anonymous DNA sequences from the human, and other higher eukaryotic genomes. A software system for automated sequence analysis, gm (gene modeler) has been designed, implemented, tested, and distributed to several dozen laboratories worldwide. A significantly faster, more robust, and more flexible version of this software, gm 2.0 has now been completed, and is being tested by operational use to analyze human cosmid sequence data. A range of efforts to further understand the features of eukaryoyic gene sequences are also underway. This progressmore » report also contains papers coming out of the project including the following: gm: a Tool for Exploratory Analysis of DNA Sequence Data; The Human THE-LTR(O) and MstII Interspersed Repeats are subfamilies of a single widely distruted highly variable repeat family; Information contents and dinucleotide compostions of plant intron sequences vary with evolutionary origin; Splicing signals in Drosophila: intron size, information content, and consensus sequences; Integration of automated sequence analysis into mapping and sequencing projects; Software for the C. elegans genome project.« less

Genetic Map of Bacteriophage α

PubMed Central

Kejzlarovà, J.; Donini, P.; Eremenko-Volpe, T.; Graziosi, F.

1970-01-01

Temperature-sensitive mutants of phage α were obtained by means of various mutagens and assigned to 25 complementation groups. Temperature-sensitive mutants belonging to 21 complementation groups and a mutant giving turbid plaques were used to perform two- and three-factor crosses. Seventeen of the cistrons and the turbid mutant were shown to belong to the same linear linkage group, which showed no signs of circularity. The remaining four unlinked cistrons showed peculiarities in their recombination properties. Genes which are known to be expressed earlier apear to be grouped together in a terminal segment of the linkage group. PMID:4990532

Efficiency and security problems of anonymous key agreement protocol based on chaotic maps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yoon, Eun-Jun

2012-07-01

In 2011, Niu-Wang proposed an anonymous key agreement protocol based on chaotic maps in [Niu Y, Wang X. An anonymous key agreement protocol based on chaotic maps. Commun Nonlinear Sci Simulat 2011;16(4):1986-92]. Niu-Wang's protocol not only achieves session key agreement between a server and a user, but also allows the user to anonymously interact with the server. Nevertheless, this paper points out that Niu-Wang's protocol has the following efficiency and security problems: (1) The protocol has computational efficiency problem when a trusted third party decrypts the user sending message. (2) The protocol is vulnerable to Denial of Service (DoS) attack based on illegal message modification by an attacker.

Using anonymized reflection to teach ethics: a pilot study.

PubMed

Kyle, Gaye

2008-01-01

Anonymized reflection was employed as an innovative way of teaching ethics in order to enhance students' ability in ethical decision making during a Care of the Dying Patient and Family' module. Both qualitative and quantitative data were collected from the first two student cohorts who experienced anonymized reflection ( n = 24). The themes identified were the richness and relevance of scenarios, small-group work and a team approach to teaching. Students indicated that they preferred this style of teaching. This finding was verified by a postal questionnaire conducted four months later. The conclusions drawn from this study suggest that using anonymized reflection is an effective method for teaching ethics to nurses and indicates that learning about ethical issues in this way reduces uncertainties.

Privacy-Preserving Location-Based Query Using Location Indexes and Parallel Searching in Distributed Networks

PubMed Central

Liu, Lei; Zhao, Jing

2014-01-01

An efficient location-based query algorithm of protecting the privacy of the user in the distributed networks is given. This algorithm utilizes the location indexes of the users and multiple parallel threads to search and select quickly all the candidate anonymous sets with more users and their location information with more uniform distribution to accelerate the execution of the temporal-spatial anonymous operations, and it allows the users to configure their custom-made privacy-preserving location query requests. The simulated experiment results show that the proposed algorithm can offer simultaneously the location query services for more users and improve the performance of the anonymous server and satisfy the anonymous location requests of the users. PMID:24790579

Privacy-preserving location-based query using location indexes and parallel searching in distributed networks.

PubMed

Zhong, Cheng; Liu, Lei; Zhao, Jing

2014-01-01

An efficient location-based query algorithm of protecting the privacy of the user in the distributed networks is given. This algorithm utilizes the location indexes of the users and multiple parallel threads to search and select quickly all the candidate anonymous sets with more users and their location information with more uniform distribution to accelerate the execution of the temporal-spatial anonymous operations, and it allows the users to configure their custom-made privacy-preserving location query requests. The simulated experiment results show that the proposed algorithm can offer simultaneously the location query services for more users and improve the performance of the anonymous server and satisfy the anonymous location requests of the users.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Shue, Craig A; Gupta, Prof. Minaxi

Users are being tracked on the Internet more than ever before as Web sites and search engines gather pieces of information sufficient to identify and study their behavior. While many existing schemes provide strong anonymity, they are inappropriate when high bandwidth and low latency are required. In this work, we explore an anonymity scheme for end hosts whose performance makes it possible to have it always on. The scheme leverages the natural grouping of hosts in the same subnet and the universally available broadcast primitive to provide anonymity at line speeds. Our scheme is strongly resistant against all active ormore » passive adversaries as long as they are outside the subnet. Even within the subnet, our scheme provides reasonable resistance against adversaries, providing anonymity that is suitable for common Internet applications.« less

HIV Risk, Prevalence, and Access to Care Among Men Who Have Sex with Men in Lebanon.

PubMed

Heimer, Robert; Barbour, Russell; Khouri, Danielle; Crawford, Forrest W; Shebl, Fatma; Aaraj, Elie; Khoshnood, Kaveh

2017-11-01

Little is known about HIV prevalence and risk among men who have sex with men (MSM) in much of the Middle East, including Lebanon. Recent national-level surveillance has suggested an increase in HIV prevalence concentrated among men in Lebanon. We undertook a biobehavioral study to provide direct evidence for the spread of HIV. MSM were recruited by respondent-driven sampling, interviewed, and offered HIV testing anonymously at sites located in Beirut, Lebanon, from October 2014 through February 2015. The interview questionnaire was designed to obtain information on participants' sociodemographic situation, sexual behaviors, alcohol and drug use, health, HIV testing and care, and experiences of stigma and discrimination. Individuals not reporting an HIV diagnosis were offered optional, anonymous HIV testing. Among the 292 MSM recruited, we identified 36 cases of HIV (12.3%). A quarter of the MSM were born in Syria and recently arrived in Lebanon. Condom use was uncommon; 65% reported condomless sex with other men. Group sex encounters were reported by 22% of participants. Among the 32 individuals already aware of their infection, 30 were in treatment and receiving antiretroviral therapy. HIV prevalence was substantially increased over past estimates. Efforts to control future increases will have to focus on reducing specific risk behaviors and experience of stigma and abuse, especially among Syrian refugees.

Searching for Information Online: Using Big Data to Identify the Concerns of Potential Army Recruits

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-01-01

software. For instance, such Internet search engines as Google or Yahoo! often gather anonymized data regarding the topics that people search for, as...suggesting that these and other information needs may be fur- ther reflected in usage of online search engines . Google makes aggregated and anonymized...Internet search engines such as Google or Yahoo! often gather anonymized data regarding the topics that people search for, as well as the date and

A Quantitative Study on Anonymity and Professionalism within an Online Free Open Access Medical Education Community

PubMed Central

Gubert, Andrea; Miller, Amanda B; Thoma, Brent; Chan, Teresa

2016-01-01

The increasing use of social media to share knowledge in medical education has led to concerns about the professionalism of online medical learners and physicians. However, there is a lack of research on the behavior of professionals within open online discussions. In 2013, the Academic Life in Emergency Medicine website (ALiEM.com) launched a series of moderated online case discussions that provided an opportunity to explore the relationship between anonymity and professionalism. Comments from 12 case discussions conducted over a one-year period were analyzed using modified scales of anonymity and professionalism derived by Kilner and Hoadley. Descriptive statistics and Spearman calculations were conducted for the professionalism score, anonymity score, and level of participation. No correlation was found between professionalism and anonymity scores (rho = -0.004, p = 0.97). However, the number of comments (rho = 0.35, p < 0.01) and number of cases contributed to (rho = 0.26, p < 0.05) correlated positively with clear identification. Our results differed from previous literature, the majority of which found anonymity associated with unprofessionalism. We believe that this may be a result of the fostering of a professional environment through the use of a website with a positive reputation, the modelling of respectful behaviour by the moderators, the norms of the broader online community, and the pre-specified objectives for each discussion.  PMID:28638746

A Quantitative Study on Anonymity and Professionalism within an Online Free Open Access Medical Education Community.

PubMed

Dimitri, Daneilla; Gubert, Andrea; Miller, Amanda B; Thoma, Brent; Chan, Teresa

2016-09-18

The increasing use of social media to share knowledge in medical education has led to concerns about the professionalism of online medical learners and physicians. However, there is a lack of research on the behavior of professionals within open online discussions. In 2013, the Academic Life in Emergency Medicine website (ALiEM.com) launched a series of moderated online case discussions that provided an opportunity to explore the relationship between anonymity and professionalism. Comments from 12 case discussions conducted over a one-year period were analyzed using modified scales of anonymity and professionalism derived by Kilner and Hoadley. Descriptive statistics and Spearman calculations were conducted for the professionalism score, anonymity score, and level of participation. No correlation was found between professionalism and anonymity scores (rho = -0.004, p = 0.97). However, the number of comments (rho = 0.35, p < 0.01) and number of cases contributed to (rho = 0.26, p < 0.05) correlated positively with clear identification. Our results differed from previous literature, the majority of which found anonymity associated with unprofessionalism. We believe that this may be a result of the fostering of a professional environment through the use of a website with a positive reputation, the modelling of respectful behaviour by the moderators, the norms of the broader online community, and the pre-specified objectives for each discussion.

A globally optimal k-anonymity method for the de-identification of health data.

PubMed

El Emam, Khaled; Dankar, Fida Kamal; Issa, Romeo; Jonker, Elizabeth; Amyot, Daniel; Cogo, Elise; Corriveau, Jean-Pierre; Walker, Mark; Chowdhury, Sadrul; Vaillancourt, Regis; Roffey, Tyson; Bottomley, Jim

2009-01-01

Explicit patient consent requirements in privacy laws can have a negative impact on health research, leading to selection bias and reduced recruitment. Often legislative requirements to obtain consent are waived if the information collected or disclosed is de-identified. The authors developed and empirically evaluated a new globally optimal de-identification algorithm that satisfies the k-anonymity criterion and that is suitable for health datasets. Authors compared OLA (Optimal Lattice Anonymization) empirically to three existing k-anonymity algorithms, Datafly, Samarati, and Incognito, on six public, hospital, and registry datasets for different values of k and suppression limits. Measurement Three information loss metrics were used for the comparison: precision, discernability metric, and non-uniform entropy. Each algorithm's performance speed was also evaluated. The Datafly and Samarati algorithms had higher information loss than OLA and Incognito; OLA was consistently faster than Incognito in finding the globally optimal de-identification solution. For the de-identification of health datasets, OLA is an improvement on existing k-anonymity algorithms in terms of information loss and performance.

Bayesian modeling of consumer behavior in the presence of anonymous visits

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Novak, Julie Esther

Tailoring content to consumers has become a hallmark of marketing and digital media, particularly as it has become easier to identify customers across usage or purchase occasions. However, across a wide variety of contexts, companies find that customers do not consistently identify themselves, leaving a substantial fraction of anonymous visits. We develop a Bayesian hierarchical model that allows us to probabilistically assign anonymous sessions to users. These probabilistic assignments take into account a customer's demographic information, frequency of visitation, activities taken when visiting, and times of arrival. We present two studies, one with synthetic and one with real data, where we demonstrate improved performance over two popular practices (nearest-neighbor matching and deleting the anonymous visits) due to increased efficiency and reduced bias driven by the non-ignorability of which types of events are more likely to be anonymous. Using our proposed model, we avoid potential bias in understanding the effect of a firm's marketing on its customers, improve inference about the total number of customers in the dataset, and provide more precise targeted marketing to both previously observed and unobserved customers.

Security Enhanced Anonymous Multiserver Authenticated Key Agreement Scheme Using Smart Cards and Biometrics

PubMed Central

Choi, Younsung; Nam, Junghyun; Lee, Donghoon; Kim, Jiye; Jung, Jaewook; Won, Dongho

2014-01-01

An anonymous user authentication scheme allows a user, who wants to access a remote application server, to achieve mutual authentication and session key establishment with the server in an anonymous manner. To enhance the security of such authentication schemes, recent researches combined user's biometrics with a password. However, these authentication schemes are designed for single server environment. So when a user wants to access different application servers, the user has to register many times. To solve this problem, Chuang and Chen proposed an anonymous multiserver authenticated key agreement scheme using smart cards together with passwords and biometrics. Chuang and Chen claimed that their scheme not only supports multiple servers but also achieves various security requirements. However, we show that this scheme is vulnerable to a masquerade attack, a smart card attack, a user impersonation attack, and a DoS attack and does not achieve perfect forward secrecy. We also propose a security enhanced anonymous multiserver authenticated key agreement scheme which addresses all the weaknesses identified in Chuang and Chen's scheme. PMID:25276847

Between control and hacker activism: the political actions of Anonymous Brasil.

PubMed

Machado, Murilo Bansi

2015-12-01

This paper addresses the political actions of Anonymous, the principal expression of current hacker activism, arguing that hacktivism is a form of political resistance in control societies. To this end, it focuses on studying the Brazilian, hacktivist facet of the collective. In order to stress its political character, it scrutinizes the principal expressions of hacking in the literature. It describes motivations, methods and the ethics of its political actions, based on a comparative analysis of two operations carried out by Brazilian Anonymous adherents in 2012: #OpWeeksPayment and #OpGlobo. And it finishes by identifying four of its main forms of political engagement: promotion of anonymity; "evangelization;" the formation of distributed networks; and the fact that the collective carries out and facilitates several types of political actions.

Giving a Little Help to Girls? Evidence on Grade Discrimination and Its Effect on Students' Achievement. CEP Discussion Paper No. 1341

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Terrier, Camille

2015-01-01

This paper tests if gender-discrimination in grading affects pupils' achievements and course choices. I use a unique dataset containing grades given by teachers, scores obtained anonymously by pupils at different ages, and their course choice during high school. Based on double-differences, the identification of the gender bias in grades suggests…

Digital Voting Systems and Communication in Classroom Lectures--An Empirical Study Based around Physics Teaching at Bachelor Level at Two Danish Universities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mathiasen, Helle

2015-01-01

Studies on the use of digital voting systems in large group teaching situations have often focused on the "non-anonymity" and control and testing functions that the technology provides. There has also been some interest in how students might use their votes tactically to gain "credits". By focusing on an empirical study of…

A gp41-based heteroduplex mobility assay provides rapid and accurate assessment of intrasubtype epidemiological linkage in HIV type 1 heterosexual transmission Pairs.

PubMed

Manigart, Olivier; Boeras, Debrah I; Karita, Etienne; Hawkins, Paulina A; Vwalika, Cheswa; Makombe, Nathan; Mulenga, Joseph; Derdeyn, Cynthia A; Allen, Susan; Hunter, Eric

2012-12-01

A critical step in HIV-1 transmission studies is the rapid and accurate identification of epidemiologically linked transmission pairs. To date, this has been accomplished by comparison of polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-amplified nucleotide sequences from potential transmission pairs, which can be cost-prohibitive for use in resource-limited settings. Here we describe a rapid, cost-effective approach to determine transmission linkage based on the heteroduplex mobility assay (HMA), and validate this approach by comparison to nucleotide sequencing. A total of 102 HIV-1-infected Zambian and Rwandan couples, with known linkage, were analyzed by gp41-HMA. A 400-base pair fragment within the envelope gp41 region of the HIV proviral genome was PCR amplified and HMA was applied to both partners' amplicons separately (autologous) and as a mixture (heterologous). If the diversity between gp41 sequences was low (<5%), a homoduplex was observed upon gel electrophoresis and the transmission was characterized as having occurred between partners (linked). If a new heteroduplex formed, within the heterologous migration, the transmission was determined to be unlinked. Initial blind validation of gp-41 HMA demonstrated 90% concordance between HMA and sequencing with 100% concordance in the case of linked transmissions. Following validation, 25 newly infected partners in Kigali and 12 in Lusaka were evaluated prospectively using both HMA and nucleotide sequences. Concordant results were obtained in all but one case (97.3%). The gp41-HMA technique is a reliable and feasible tool to detect linked transmissions in the field. All identified unlinked results should be confirmed by sequence analyses.

Research impact of systems-level long-term care research: a multiple case study.

PubMed

Kothari, Anita; Peter, Nedra; Donskov, Melissa; Luciani, Tracy

2017-03-21

Traditional reporting of research outcomes and impacts, which tends to focus on research product publications and grant success, does not capture the value, some contributions, or the complexity of research projects. The purpose of this study was to understand the contributions of five systems-level research projects as they were unfolding at the Bruyère Centre for Learning, Research and Innovation (CLRI) in long-term care (LTC) in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The research questions were, (1) How are partnerships with research end-users (policymakers, administrators and other public/private organisations) characterised? (2) How have interactions with the CLRI Management Committee and Steering Committee influenced the development of research products? (3) In what way have other activities, processes, unlinked actors or organisations been influenced by the research project activities? The study was guided by Kok and Schuit's concept of research impacts, using a multiple case study design. Data were collected through focus groups and interviews with research teams, a management and a steering committee, research user partners, and unlinked actors. Documents were collected and analysed for contextual background. Cross-case analysis revealed four major themes: (1) Benefits and Perceived Tensions: Working with Partners; (2) Speaking with the LTC Community: Interactions with the CLRI Steering Committee; (3) The Knowledge Broker: Interactions with the Management Committee; and (4) All Forms of Research Contributions. Most contributions were focused on interactions with networks and stimulating important conversations in the province about LTC issues. These contributions were well-supported by the Steering and Management Committees' research-to-action platform, which can be seen as a type of knowledge brokering model. It was also clear that researcher-user partnerships were beneficial and important.

Antigenic Fingerprinting following Primary RSV Infection in Young Children Identifies Novel Antigenic Sites and Reveals Unlinked Evolution of Human Antibody Repertoires to Fusion and Attachment Glycoproteins

PubMed Central

Fuentes, Sandra; Coyle, Elizabeth M.; Beeler, Judy; Golding, Hana; Khurana, Surender

2016-01-01

Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) is the major cause of pneumonia among infants. Here we elucidated the antibody repertoire following primary RSV infection and traced its evolution through adolescence and adulthood. Whole genome-fragment phage display libraries (GFPDL) expressing linear and conformational epitopes in the RSV fusion protein (F) and attachment protein (G) were used for unbiased epitope profiling of infant sera prior to and following RSV infection. F-GFPDL analyses demonstrated modest changes in the anti-F epitope repertoires post-RSV infection, while G-GFPDL analyses revealed 100-fold increase in number of bound phages. The G-reactive epitopes spanned the N- and C-terminus of the G ectodomain, along with increased reactivity to the central conserved domain (CCD). Panels of F and G antigenic sites were synthesized to evaluate sera from young children (<2 yr), adolescents (14–18 yr) and adults (30–45 yr) in SPR real-time kinetics assays. A steady increase in RSV-F epitope repertoires from young children to adults was observed using peptides and F proteins. Importantly, several novel epitopes were identified in pre-fusion F and an immunodominant epitope in the F-p27. In all age groups, antibody binding to pre-fusion F was 2–3 folds higher than to post-fusion form. For RSV-G, antibody responses were high following early RSV infection in children, but declined significantly in adults, using either G proteins or peptides. This study identified unlinked evolution of anti-F and anti G responses and supportive evidence for immune pressure driven evolution of RSV-G. These findings could help development of effective countermeasures including vaccines. PMID:27100289

Physical mapping of a pollen modifier locus controlling self-incompatibility in apricot and synteny analysis within the Rosaceae.

PubMed

Zuriaga, Elena; Molina, Laura; Badenes, María Luisa; Romero, Carlos

2012-06-01

S-locus products (S-RNase and F-box proteins) are essential for the gametophytic self-incompatibility (GSI) specific recognition in Prunus. However, accumulated genetic evidence suggests that other S-locus unlinked factors are also required for GSI. For instance, GSI breakdown was associated with a pollen-part mutation unlinked to the S-locus in the apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.) cv. 'Canino'. Fine-mapping of this mutated modifier gene (M-locus) and the synteny analysis of the M-locus within the Rosaceae are here reported. A segregation distortion loci mapping strategy, based on a selectively genotyped population, was used to map the M-locus. In addition, a bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) contig was constructed for this region using overlapping oligonucleotides probes, and BAC-end sequences (BES) were blasted against Rosaceae genomes to perform micro-synteny analysis. The M-locus was mapped to the distal part of chr.3 flanked by two SSR markers within an interval of 1.8 cM corresponding to ~364 Kb in the peach (Prunus persica L. Batsch) genome. In the integrated genetic-physical map of this region, BES were mapped against the peach scaffold_3 and BACs were anchored to the apricot map. Micro-syntenic blocks were detected in apple (Malus × domestica Borkh.) LG17/9 and strawberry (Fragaria vesca L.) FG6 chromosomes. The M-locus fine-scale mapping provides a solid basis for self-compatibility marker-assisted selection and for positional cloning of the underlying gene, a necessary goal to elucidate the pollen rejection mechanism in Prunus. In a wider context, the syntenic regions identified in peach, apple and strawberry might be useful to interpret GSI evolution in Rosaceae.

Divergence with gene flow across a speciation continuum of Heliconius butterflies.

PubMed

Supple, Megan A; Papa, Riccardo; Hines, Heather M; McMillan, W Owen; Counterman, Brian A

2015-09-24

A key to understanding the origins of species is determining the evolutionary processes that drive the patterns of genomic divergence during speciation. New genomic technologies enable the study of high-resolution genomic patterns of divergence across natural speciation continua, where taxa pairs with different levels of reproductive isolation can be used as proxies for different stages of speciation. Empirical studies of these speciation continua can provide valuable insights into how genomes diverge during speciation. We examine variation across a handful of genomic regions in parapatric and allopatric populations of Heliconius butterflies with varying levels of reproductive isolation. Genome sequences were mapped to 2.2-Mb of the H. erato genome, including 1-Mb across the red color pattern locus and multiple regions unlinked to color pattern variation. Phylogenetic analyses reveal a speciation continuum of pairs of hybridizing races and incipient species in the Heliconius erato clade. Comparisons of hybridizing pairs of divergently colored races and incipient species reveal that genomic divergence increases with ecological and reproductive isolation, not only across the locus responsible for adaptive variation in red wing coloration, but also at genomic regions unlinked to color pattern. We observe high levels of divergence between the incipient species H. erato and H. himera, suggesting that divergence may accumulate early in the speciation process. Comparisons of genomic divergence between the incipient species and allopatric races suggest that limited gene flow cannot account for the observed high levels of divergence between the incipient species. Our results provide a reconstruction of the speciation continuum across the H. erato clade and provide insights into the processes that drive genomic divergence during speciation, establishing the H. erato clade as a powerful framework for the study of speciation.

Rheology modification with ring polymers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vlassopoulos, Dimitris

It is now established that experimental unconcatenated ring polymers can be purified effectively by means of fractionation at the critical condition. For molecular weights well above the entanglement threshold, purified rings relax stress via power-law (with an exponent of about -0.4), sharply departing from their linear counterparts. Experimental results are in harmony with modeling predictions and simulations. Here, we present results from recent interdisciplinary efforts and discuss two challenges: (i) the nonlinear shear rheology of purified ring melts is also very different from that of unlinked chains. Whereas the latter exhibit features that can be explained, to a first approach, in the framework in the tube model, the former behave akin to unentangled chains with finite extensibility and exhibit much small deformation at steady state. (ii) blends of rings and linear polymers exhibit unique features in different regimes: The addition of minute amounts of linear chains drastically affects ring dynamics. This relates to ring purity and the ability of unlinked linear chains to thread rings. With the help of simulations, it is possible to rationalize the observed surprisingly slow viscoelastic relaxation, which is attributed to ring-linear and ring-ring penetrations. On the other hand, adding small amounts of rings to linear polymers of different molecular weights influences their linear and nonlinear rheology in an unprecedented way. The blend viscosity exceeds that of the slower component (linear) in this non-interacting mixture, and its dependencies on composition and molecular weight ratio are examined, whereas the role of molecular architecture is also addressed. Consequently, closing the ends of a linear chain can serve as a powerful means for molecular manipulation of its rheology. This presentation reflects collaborative efforts with S. Costanzo, Z-C. Yan, R. Pasquino, M. Kaliva, S. Kamble, Y. Jeong, P. Lutz, J. Allgaier, T. Chang, D. Talikis, V. Mavrantzas and M. Rubinstein.

Analysis of 40 sporadic or familial neonatal and pediatric cases with severe unexplained respiratory distress: relationship to SFTPB.

PubMed

Tredano, Mohammed; Griese, Matthias; de Blic, Jacques; Lorant, Tifenn; Houdayer, Claude; Schumacher, Silja; Cartault, François; Capron, Frédérique; Boccon-Gibod, Liliane; Lacaze-Masmonteil, Thierry; Renolleau, Sylvain; Delaisi, Bertrand; Elion, Jacques; Couderc, Rémy; Bahuau, Michel

2003-06-15

We have analyzed surfactant protein B (SP-B) and its encoding gene (SFTPB, MIM 178640) in 40 unrelated pediatric patients with unexplained respiratory distress (URD). There was high consanguinity (eight kindreds) and an underlying autosomal recessive trait could be inferred in most cases, with overall high sex ratio (32/17) suggesting proband's gender to impact on penetrance. The clinical/biological presentations fitted into three major nosologic frameworks. I: SP-B deficiency (nine probands), complete or incomplete, with homozygous/compoundly heterozygous mutations identified (six probands), including one from the population isolate of Réunion Island (496delG). In addition, there was a consanguineous kindred in which incomplete deficiency was unambiguously unlinked to SFTPB. II: pulmonary alveolar proteinosis (PAP, 19 probands), with typical storage of PAS-positive material within the alveoli with foamy macrophages and variable interstitial reaction, which was diagnosed in most patients from Réunion Island. In contrast to previously published findings, mutation and/or segregation analyses excluded SFTPB as a disease locus, although slight metabolic derangement related to SP-B and/or mild SFTPB changes could somehow contribute to disease. III: URD without evidence for SP-B deficiency or PAP (12 probands), equally unlinked to SFTPB, although a single patient had a possibly causal, maternally-derived, heterozygous genetic change (G4521A). The population frequency of five known and four novel SNPs was studied, providing as many potential markers for pulmonary disease related to SFTPB. Overall, URD was found to be heterogeneous, both phenotypically and genetically, even in population isolates where a founder effect might have been expected. When disease loci are identified, patient genotyping will be crucial as a diagnostic aid, for devising proper treatment, and as a basis for genetic counseling. Copyright 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Response to Comment on "Unique in the shopping mall: On the reidentifiability of credit card metadata".

PubMed

de Montjoye, Yves-Alexandre; Pentland, Alex Sandy

2016-03-18

Sánchez et al.'s textbook k-anonymization example does not prove, or even suggest, that location and other big-data data sets can be anonymized and of general use. The synthetic data set that they "successfully anonymize" bears no resemblance to modern high-dimensional data sets on which their methods fail. Moving forward, deidentification should not be considered a useful basis for policy. Copyright © 2016, American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Stationary Anonymous Sequential Games with Undiscounted Rewards.

PubMed

Więcek, Piotr; Altman, Eitan

Stationary anonymous sequential games with undiscounted rewards are a special class of games that combine features from both population games (infinitely many players) with stochastic games. We extend the theory for these games to the cases of total expected reward as well as to the expected average reward. We show that in the anonymous sequential game equilibria correspond to the limits of those of related finite population games as the number of players grows to infinity. We provide examples to illustrate our results.

Ideology Has No Borders: Why We Need a Containment-Plus Strategy for the Islamic State

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-04-01

Deft Command of Varied Media 50 Brooking, The U.S. Government Should Pay Anonymous in Bitcoin to Fight ISIS 51 Francis, Why Don Draper Would Be...Government Should Pay Anonymous in Bitcoin to Fight ISIS. Foreign Policy, 3 March 2015. http://foreignpolicy.com/2015/03/03/the-u-s-government-should...pay-anonymous-in- bitcoin -to-fight-isis/ (accessed 7 March 2015). Churchill, Winston. The Sinews of Peace (Iron Curtain Speech). Westminster College

46 CFR 10.211 - Criminal record review.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... years. Assault (simple) 1 year 5 years. Sexual Assault (rape, child molestation) 5 years 10 years... membership in a rehabilitation or counseling group, such as Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous; (3...

Live Well

MedlinePlus

... talkHIV Act Against AIDS Get Email Updates on AAA Anonymous Feedback HIV/AIDS Media Infographics Syndicated Content ... talkHIV Act Against AIDS Get Email Updates on AAA Anonymous Feedback HIV/AIDS Media Infographics Syndicated Content ...

46 CFR 10.211 - Criminal record review.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

...) 1 year 5 years. Sexual Assault (rape, child molestation) 5 years 10 years. Robbery 5 years 10 years... rehabilitation or counseling group, such as Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous; (3) Character references...

46 CFR 10.211 - Criminal record review.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

...) 1 year 5 years. Sexual Assault (rape, child molestation) 5 years 10 years. Robbery 5 years 10 years... rehabilitation or counseling group, such as Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous; (3) Character references...

46 CFR 10.211 - Criminal record review.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

...) 1 year 5 years. Sexual Assault (rape, child molestation) 5 years 10 years. Robbery 5 years 10 years... rehabilitation or counseling group, such as Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous; (3) Character references...

46 CFR 10.211 - Criminal record review.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

...) 1 year 5 years. Sexual Assault (rape, child molestation) 5 years 10 years. Robbery 5 years 10 years... rehabilitation or counseling group, such as Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous; (3) Character references...

HIV/AIDS Basics

MedlinePlus

... talkHIV Act Against AIDS Get Email Updates on AAA Anonymous Feedback HIV/AIDS Media Infographics Syndicated Content ... talkHIV Act Against AIDS Get Email Updates on AAA Anonymous Feedback HIV/AIDS Media Infographics Syndicated Content ...

Caught you: threats to confidentiality due to the public release of large-scale genetic data sets

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Background Large-scale genetic data sets are frequently shared with other research groups and even released on the Internet to allow for secondary analysis. Study participants are usually not informed about such data sharing because data sets are assumed to be anonymous after stripping off personal identifiers. Discussion The assumption of anonymity of genetic data sets, however, is tenuous because genetic data are intrinsically self-identifying. Two types of re-identification are possible: the "Netflix" type and the "profiling" type. The "Netflix" type needs another small genetic data set, usually with less than 100 SNPs but including a personal identifier. This second data set might originate from another clinical examination, a study of leftover samples or forensic testing. When merged to the primary, unidentified set it will re-identify all samples of that individual. Even with no second data set at hand, a "profiling" strategy can be developed to extract as much information as possible from a sample collection. Starting with the identification of ethnic subgroups along with predictions of body characteristics and diseases, the asthma kids case as a real-life example is used to illustrate that approach. Summary Depending on the degree of supplemental information, there is a good chance that at least a few individuals can be identified from an anonymized data set. Any re-identification, however, may potentially harm study participants because it will release individual genetic disease risks to the public. PMID:21190545

Caught you: threats to confidentiality due to the public release of large-scale genetic data sets.

PubMed

Wjst, Matthias

2010-12-29

Large-scale genetic data sets are frequently shared with other research groups and even released on the Internet to allow for secondary analysis. Study participants are usually not informed about such data sharing because data sets are assumed to be anonymous after stripping off personal identifiers. The assumption of anonymity of genetic data sets, however, is tenuous because genetic data are intrinsically self-identifying. Two types of re-identification are possible: the "Netflix" type and the "profiling" type. The "Netflix" type needs another small genetic data set, usually with less than 100 SNPs but including a personal identifier. This second data set might originate from another clinical examination, a study of leftover samples or forensic testing. When merged to the primary, unidentified set it will re-identify all samples of that individual. Even with no second data set at hand, a "profiling" strategy can be developed to extract as much information as possible from a sample collection. Starting with the identification of ethnic subgroups along with predictions of body characteristics and diseases, the asthma kids case as a real-life example is used to illustrate that approach. Depending on the degree of supplemental information, there is a good chance that at least a few individuals can be identified from an anonymized data set. Any re-identification, however, may potentially harm study participants because it will release individual genetic disease risks to the public.

A Pilot Study of a Novel Method of Measuring Stigma about Depression Developed for Latinos in the Faith-Based Setting.

PubMed

Caplan, Susan

2016-08-01

In order to understand the effects of interventions designed to reduce stigma about mental illness, we need valid measures. However, the validity of commonly used measures is compromised by social desirability bias. The purpose of this pilot study was to test an anonymous method of measuring stigma in the community setting. The method of data collection, Preguntas con Cartas (Questions with Cards) used numbered playing cards to conduct anonymous group polling about stigmatizing beliefs during a mental health literacy intervention. An analysis of the difference between Preguntas con Cartas stigma votes and corresponding face-to-face individual survey results for the same seven stigma questions indicated that there was a statistically significant differences in the distributions between the two methods of data collection (χ(2) = 8.27, p = 0.016). This exploratory study has shown the potential effectiveness of Preguntas con Cartas as a novel method of measuring stigma in the community-based setting.

How (not) to protect genomic data privacy in a distributed network: using trail re-identification to evaluate and design anonymity protection systems.

PubMed

Malin, Bradley; Sweeney, Latanya

2004-06-01

The increasing integration of patient-specific genomic data into clinical practice and research raises serious privacy concerns. Various systems have been proposed that protect privacy by removing or encrypting explicitly identifying information, such as name or social security number, into pseudonyms. Though these systems claim to protect identity from being disclosed, they lack formal proofs. In this paper, we study the erosion of privacy when genomic data, either pseudonymous or data believed to be anonymous, are released into a distributed healthcare environment. Several algorithms are introduced, collectively called RE-Identification of Data In Trails (REIDIT), which link genomic data to named individuals in publicly available records by leveraging unique features in patient-location visit patterns. Algorithmic proofs of re-identification are developed and we demonstrate, with experiments on real-world data, that susceptibility to re-identification is neither trivial nor the result of bizarre isolated occurrences. We propose that such techniques can be applied as system tests of privacy protection capabilities.

iDASH: integrating data for analysis, anonymization, and sharing

PubMed Central

Bafna, Vineet; Boxwala, Aziz A; Chapman, Brian E; Chapman, Wendy W; Chaudhuri, Kamalika; Day, Michele E; Farcas, Claudiu; Heintzman, Nathaniel D; Jiang, Xiaoqian; Kim, Hyeoneui; Kim, Jihoon; Matheny, Michael E; Resnic, Frederic S; Vinterbo, Staal A

2011-01-01

iDASH (integrating data for analysis, anonymization, and sharing) is the newest National Center for Biomedical Computing funded by the NIH. It focuses on algorithms and tools for sharing data in a privacy-preserving manner. Foundational privacy technology research performed within iDASH is coupled with innovative engineering for collaborative tool development and data-sharing capabilities in a private Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)-certified cloud. Driving Biological Projects, which span different biological levels (from molecules to individuals to populations) and focus on various health conditions, help guide research and development within this Center. Furthermore, training and dissemination efforts connect the Center with its stakeholders and educate data owners and data consumers on how to share and use clinical and biological data. Through these various mechanisms, iDASH implements its goal of providing biomedical and behavioral researchers with access to data, software, and a high-performance computing environment, thus enabling them to generate and test new hypotheses. PMID:22081224

iDASH: integrating data for analysis, anonymization, and sharing.

PubMed

Ohno-Machado, Lucila; Bafna, Vineet; Boxwala, Aziz A; Chapman, Brian E; Chapman, Wendy W; Chaudhuri, Kamalika; Day, Michele E; Farcas, Claudiu; Heintzman, Nathaniel D; Jiang, Xiaoqian; Kim, Hyeoneui; Kim, Jihoon; Matheny, Michael E; Resnic, Frederic S; Vinterbo, Staal A

2012-01-01

iDASH (integrating data for analysis, anonymization, and sharing) is the newest National Center for Biomedical Computing funded by the NIH. It focuses on algorithms and tools for sharing data in a privacy-preserving manner. Foundational privacy technology research performed within iDASH is coupled with innovative engineering for collaborative tool development and data-sharing capabilities in a private Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)-certified cloud. Driving Biological Projects, which span different biological levels (from molecules to individuals to populations) and focus on various health conditions, help guide research and development within this Center. Furthermore, training and dissemination efforts connect the Center with its stakeholders and educate data owners and data consumers on how to share and use clinical and biological data. Through these various mechanisms, iDASH implements its goal of providing biomedical and behavioral researchers with access to data, software, and a high-performance computing environment, thus enabling them to generate and test new hypotheses.

Prevalence and risk factors of HIV-1 and HIV-2 infection in urban and rural areas in Tamil Nadu, India.

PubMed

Solomon, S; Kumarasamy, N; Ganesh, A K; Amalraj, R E

1998-02-01

We aim to study the factors associated with the prevalence of HIV-1 and HIV-2 infection in the urban and rural areas of Tamil Nadu, India. The population of Tamil Nadu is approximately 60 million. Between April 94 and March 95, 992 samples from 5 representative urban centres and 1071 samples from 5 representative rural centres were collected and studied. A questionnaire was administered privately and it preceded collection of each sample. Samples were screened using ELISA and antibodies to HIV-1 and HIV-2 were confirmed using Western blot. The study was anonymous and unlinked. The prevalence of HIV infection in urban and rural areas was 7.2% (95% CI=6.1 to 8.31%); HIV-1 antibodies were found in 7.4% (95% CI=5.8 to 9.2%) of urban and 7.0% (95% CI=5.6 to 8.7%) of rural population; HIV-2 antibodies were found in 0.8% of urban and 0.3% of rural population. Heterosexual transmission, more so among those with multiple partner sex, was the main mode; higher prevalence of HIV infection among divorced/single individuals both in urban (21.1%) and rural (26.1%) was found. HIV infection among housewives stood at 4.1% (urban) and 3.8% (rural). The strength of association between STDs and HIV was observed to be greater in rural subjects (OR=8.89; 95% CI=5.11 to 15.57) than in urban subjects (OR=1.9; 95% CI=1.14 to 3.18). The prevalence of condom use was found to be less than 2% in the study subjects. HIV-2 is not as widely prevalent in Tamil Nadu as HIV-1. In our study the most common risk factors for HIV infection that emerged were (a) having multiple sexual partners, and (b) history of STDs or Venereal Disease Research Laboratory (VDRL) reactivity. Mobility of individuals between urban and rural areas has furthered the dissemination of HIV infection. Low condom usage among study subjects questions the effectiveness of the existing AIDS awareness and education programme. The study indicates the importance of placing equal emphasis on HIV prevention in rural India. HIV infection among housewives in urban and rural areas is indicative of gender inequalities and the importance of empowering women to prevent infection from spouse.

Comments on “Anonymous reviewers” [“Anonymous reviews: Self-serving, counterproductive, and unacceptable”

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Robinove, Charles J.

Mryl Beck's Forum article denouncing anonymous reviews (Eos, 1 July 2003) is right on the money. Perhaps he read my letter in Applied Physics in 1990 also denouncing anonymous reviews.Some years ago, I received an anonymous review of a paper I had submitted for journal publication. The reviewer raised such interesting questions that I wanted to discuss them with him. I phoned the editor of the journal and asked if he would tell me the name of the reviewer. He politely declined, but when I told him I thought I recognized the handwriting of the reviewer and named him, he relented and said I was correct! I called the reviewer and he was generous enough to spend a wonderful hour on the phone with me discussing the paper. The paper was published with great consideration given to his ideas, much to its betterment. Now that's a reviewer whose interest is in improving the paper and helping the author, not just showing how smart he is or slapping down a junior colleague. The AGU motto,“unselfish cooperation in research,” can be well exemplified by those who wish to help rather than to tear down.

28 CFR 5.2 - Inquiries concerning application of the Act.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... coverage or exempted from registration and disclosure under any provision of the Act. (b) Anonymous... disclosed, as opposed to anonymous, agents and principals. Review requests must be submitted by a party to...

28 CFR 5.2 - Inquiries concerning application of the Act.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... coverage or exempted from registration and disclosure under any provision of the Act. (b) Anonymous... disclosed, as opposed to anonymous, agents and principals. Review requests must be submitted by a party to...

28 CFR 5.2 - Inquiries concerning application of the Act.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... coverage or exempted from registration and disclosure under any provision of the Act. (b) Anonymous... disclosed, as opposed to anonymous, agents and principals. Review requests must be submitted by a party to...

28 CFR 5.2 - Inquiries concerning application of the Act.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... coverage or exempted from registration and disclosure under any provision of the Act. (b) Anonymous... disclosed, as opposed to anonymous, agents and principals. Review requests must be submitted by a party to...

28 CFR 5.2 - Inquiries concerning application of the Act.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... coverage or exempted from registration and disclosure under any provision of the Act. (b) Anonymous... disclosed, as opposed to anonymous, agents and principals. Review requests must be submitted by a party to...

International Space Station (ISS)

NASA Image and Video Library

2006-09-17

This view of the International Space Station, back dropped against the blackness of space and Earth, was taken shortly after the Space Shuttle Atlantis undocked from the orbital outpost at 7:50 a.m. CDT during the STS-115 mission. The unlinking completed after six days, two hours and two minutes of joint operations of the installation of the P3/P4 truss. The new 17 ton truss included batteries, electronics, a giant rotating joint, and sported a second pair of 240-foot solar wings. The new solar arrays will eventually double the onboard power of the Station when their electrical systems are brought online during the next shuttle flight, STS-116.

International Space Station (ISS)

NASA Image and Video Library

2006-09-17

This view of the International Space Station, back dropped against the blackness of space, was taken shortly after the Space Shuttle Atlantis undocked from the orbital outpost at 7:50 a.m. CDT during the STS-115 mission. The unlinking completed after six days, two hours and two minutes of joint operations of the installation of the P3/P4 truss. The new 17 ton truss included batteries, electronics, a giant rotating joint, and sported a second pair of 240-foot solar wings. The new solar arrays will eventually double the onboard power of the Station when their electrical systems are brought online during the next shuttle flight, STS-116.

Msx homeobox gene family and craniofacial development.

PubMed

Alappat, Sylvia; Zhang, Zun Yi; Chen, Yi Ping

2003-12-01

Vertebrate Msx genes are unlinked, homeobox-containing genes that bear homology to the Drosophila muscle segment homeobox gene. These genes are expressed at multiple sites of tissue-tissue interactions during vertebrate embryonic development. Inductive interactions mediated by the Msx genes are essential for normal craniofacial, limb and ectodermal organ morphogenesis, and are also essential to survival in mice, as manifested by the phenotypic abnormalities shown in knockout mice and in humans. This review summarizes studies on the expression, regulation, and functional analysis of Msx genes that bear relevance to craniofacial development in humans and mice. Key words: Msx genes, craniofacial, tooth, cleft palate, suture, development, transcription factor, signaling molecule.

Detection of DNA "fingerprints" of cultivated rice by hybridization with a human minisatellite DNA probe.

PubMed

Dallas, J F

1988-09-01

A human minisatellite DNA probe detects several restriction fragment length polymorphisms in cultivars of Asian and African rice. Certain fragments appear to be inherited in a Mendelian fashion and may represent unlinked loci. The hybridization patterns appear to be cultivar-specific and largely unchanged after the regeneration of plants from tissue culture. The results suggest that these regions of the rice genome may be used to generate cultivar-specific DNA fingerprints. The demonstration of similarity between a human minisatellite sequence and polymorphic regions in the rice genome suggests that such regions also occur in the genomes of many other plant species.

A Comparison of National Policies on Research Involving Human Subjects to Facilitate Review and Approval of Collaborative Research

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-11-26

Exemptions: 1. Routine educational testing 2. Quality assurance studies 3. Strict performance reviews 4. Occupational training 5. Anonymous data...following categories are exempt from this policy: (1) Research conducted in established or commonly accepted educational settings, involving normal... educational practices, such as (i) research on regular and special education instructional strategies, or (ii) research on the effectiveness of or the

Multiple dimensions of spirituality in recovery: a lagged mediational analysis of Alcoholics Anonymous' principal theoretical mechanism of behavior change.

PubMed

Krentzman, Amy R; Cranford, James A; Robinson, Elizabeth A R

2013-01-01

Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) states that recovery is possible through spiritual experiences and spiritual awakenings. Research examining spirituality as a mediator of AA's effect on drinking has been mixed. It is unknown whether such findings are due to variations in the operationalization of key constructs, such as AA and spirituality. To answer these questions, the authors used a longitudinal model to test 2 dimensions of AA as focal predictors and 6 dimensions of spirituality as possible mediators of AA's association with drinking. Data from the first 18 months of a 3-year longitudinal study of 364 alcohol-dependent individuals were analyzed. Structural equation modeling was used to replicate the analyses of Kelly et al. (Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 2011;35:454-463) and to compare AA attendance and AA involvement as focal predictors. Multiple regression analyses were used to determine which spirituality dimensions changed as the result of AA participation. A trimmed, data-driven model was employed to test multiple mediation paths simultaneously. The findings of the Kelly et al. study were replicated. AA involvement was a stronger predictor of drinking outcomes than AA attendance. AA involvement predicted increases in private religious practices, daily spiritual experiences, and forgiveness of others. However, only private religious practices mediated the relationship between AA and drinking.

Identification of genes in anonymous DNA sequences. Final report: Report period, 15 April 1993--15 April 1994

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fields, C.A.

1994-09-01

This Report concludes the DOE Human Genome Program project, ``Identification of Genes in Anonymous DNA Sequence.`` The central goals of this project have been (1) understanding the problem of identifying genes in anonymous sequences, and (2) development of tools, primarily the automated identification system gm, for identifying genes. The activities supported under the previous award are summarized here to provide a single complete report on the activities supported as part of the project from its inception to its completion.

Privacy preserving data anonymization of spontaneous ADE reporting system dataset.

PubMed

Lin, Wen-Yang; Yang, Duen-Chuan; Wang, Jie-Teng

2016-07-18

To facilitate long-term safety surveillance of marketing drugs, many spontaneously reporting systems (SRSs) of ADR events have been established world-wide. Since the data collected by SRSs contain sensitive personal health information that should be protected to prevent the identification of individuals, it procures the issue of privacy preserving data publishing (PPDP), that is, how to sanitize (anonymize) raw data before publishing. Although much work has been done on PPDP, very few studies have focused on protecting privacy of SRS data and none of the anonymization methods is favorable for SRS datasets, due to which contain some characteristics such as rare events, multiple individual records, and multi-valued sensitive attributes. We propose a new privacy model called MS(k, θ (*) )-bounding for protecting published spontaneous ADE reporting data from privacy attacks. Our model has the flexibility of varying privacy thresholds, i.e., θ (*) , for different sensitive values and takes the characteristics of SRS data into consideration. We also propose an anonymization algorithm for sanitizing the raw data to meet the requirements specified through the proposed model. Our algorithm adopts a greedy-based clustering strategy to group the records into clusters, conforming to an innovative anonymization metric aiming to minimize the privacy risk as well as maintain the data utility for ADR detection. Empirical study was conducted using FAERS dataset from 2004Q1 to 2011Q4. We compared our model with four prevailing methods, including k-anonymity, (X, Y)-anonymity, Multi-sensitive l-diversity, and (α, k)-anonymity, evaluated via two measures, Danger Ratio (DR) and Information Loss (IL), and considered three different scenarios of threshold setting for θ (*) , including uniform setting, level-wise setting and frequency-based setting. We also conducted experiments to inspect the impact of anonymized data on the strengths of discovered ADR signals. With all three different threshold settings for sensitive value, our method can successively prevent the disclosure of sensitive values (nearly all observed DRs are zeros) without sacrificing too much of data utility. With non-uniform threshold setting, level-wise or frequency-based, our MS(k, θ (*))-bounding exhibits the best data utility and the least privacy risk among all the models. The experiments conducted on selected ADR signals from MedWatch show that only very small difference on signal strength (PRR or ROR) were observed. The results show that our method can effectively prevent the disclosure of patient sensitive information without sacrificing data utility for ADR signal detection. We propose a new privacy model for protecting SRS data that possess some characteristics overlooked by contemporary models and an anonymization algorithm to sanitize SRS data in accordance with the proposed model. Empirical evaluation on the real SRS dataset, i.e., FAERS, shows that our method can effectively solve the privacy problem in SRS data without influencing the ADR signal strength.

Isoform-specific tethering links the Golgi ribbon to maintain compartmentalization

PubMed Central

Jarvela, Timothy; Linstedt, Adam D.

2014-01-01

Homotypic membrane tethering by the Golgi reassembly and stacking proteins (GRASPs) is required for the lateral linkage of mammalian Golgi ministacks into a ribbon-like membrane network. Although GRASP65 and GRASP55 are specifically localized to cis and medial/trans cisternae, respectively, it is unknown whether each GRASP mediates cisternae-specific tethering and whether such specificity is necessary for Golgi compartmentalization. Here each GRASP was tagged with KillerRed (KR), expressed in HeLa cells, and inhibited by 1-min exposure to light. Significantly, inactivation of either GRASP unlinked the Golgi ribbon, and the immediate effect of GRASP65-KR inactivation was a loss of cis- rather than trans-Golgi integrity, whereas inactivation of GRASP55-KR first affected the trans- and not the cis-Golgi. Thus each GRASP appears to play a direct and cisternae-specific role in linking ministacks into a continuous membrane network. To test the consequence of loss of cisternae-specific tethering, we generated Golgi membranes with a single GRASP on all cisternae. Remarkably, the membranes exhibited the full connectivity of wild-type Golgi ribbons but were decompartmentalized and defective in glycan processing. Thus the GRASP isoforms specifically link analogous cisternae to ensure Golgi compartmentalization and proper processing. PMID:24227884

Fungal lectin MpL enables entry of protein drugs into cancer cells and their subcellular targeting.

PubMed

Å Urga, Simon; Nanut, Milica Perišić; Kos, Janko; Sabotič, Jerica

2017-04-18

Lectins have been recognized as promising carrier molecules for targeted drug delivery. They specifically bind carbohydrate moieties on cell membranes and trigger cell internalization. Fungal lectin MpL (Macrolepiota procera lectin) does not provoke cancer cell cytotoxicity but is able to bind aminopeptidase N (CD13) and integrin α3β1, two glycoproteins that are overexpressed on the membrane of tumor cells. Upon binding, MpL is endocytosed in a clathrin-dependent manner and accumulates initially in the Golgi apparatus and, finally, in the lysosomes. For effective binding and internalization a functional binding site on the α-repeat is needed. To test the potential of MpL as a carrier for delivering protein drugs to cancer cells we constructed fusion proteins consisting of MpL and the cysteine peptidase inhibitors cystatin C and clitocypin. The fused proteins followed the same endocytic route as the unlinked MpL. Peptidase inhibitor-MpL fusions impaired both the intracellular degradation of extracellular matrix and the invasiveness of cancer cells. MpL is thus shown in vitro to be a lectin that can enable protein drugs to enter cancer cells, enhance their internalization and sort them to lysosomes and the Golgi apparatus.

The genetic basis of developmental abnormalities in interpopulation hybrids of the moss Ceratodon purpureus.

PubMed

McDaniel, Stuart F; Willis, John H; Shaw, A Jonathan

2008-07-01

Divergent populations are intrinsically reproductively isolated when hybrids between them either fail to develop properly or do not produce viable offspring. Intrinsic isolation may result from Dobzhansky-Muller (DM) incompatibilities, in which deleterious interactions among genes or gene products lead to developmental problems or underdominant chromosome structure differences between the parents. These mechanisms can be tested by studying marker segregation patterns in a hybrid mapping population. Here we examine the genetic basis of abnormal development in hybrids between two geographically distant populations of the moss Ceratodon purpureus. Approximately half of the hybrid progeny exhibited a severely reduced growth rate in early gametophyte development. We identified four unlinked quantitative trait loci (QTL) that interacted asymmetrically to cause the abnormal development phenotype. This pattern is consistent with DM interactions. We also found an excess of recombination between three marker pairs in the abnormally developing progeny, relative to that estimated in the normal progeny. This suggests that structural differences in these regions contribute to hybrid breakdown. Two QTL coincided with inferred structural differences, consistent with recent theory suggesting that rearrangements may harbor population divergence alleles. These observations suggest that multiple complex genetic factors contribute to divergence among populations of C. purpureus.

77 FR 2655 - Magnuson-Stevens Act Provisions; Fisheries Off West Coast States; Pacific Coast Groundfish...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-01-19

... or protected information. NMFS will accept anonymous comments (if submitting comments via the Federal Rulemaking portal, enter ``N/A'' in the relevant required fields if you wish to remain anonymous...

Self-organized Anonymous Authentication in Mobile Ad Hoc Networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Freudiger, Julien; Raya, Maxim; Hubaux, Jean-Pierre

Pervasive communications bring along new privacy challenges, fueled by the capability of mobile devices to communicate with, and thus “sniff on”, each other directly. We design a new mechanism that aims at achieving location privacy in these forthcoming mobile networks, whereby mobile nodes collect the pseudonyms of the nodes they encounter to generate their own privacy cloaks. Thus, privacy emerges from the mobile network and users gain control over the disclosure of their locations. We call this new paradigm self-organized location privacy. In this work, we focus on the problem of self-organized anonymous authentication that is a necessary prerequisite for location privacy. We investigate, using graph theory, the optimality of different cloak constructions and evaluate with simulations the achievable anonymity in various network topologies. We show that peer-to-peer wireless communications and mobility help in the establishment of self-organized anonymous authentication in mobile networks.

Self-report measures among transplant candidates: the impact of evaluative situations.

PubMed

Putzke, J D; Boll, T J; Williams, M A; Benza, R C; Kirklin, J K; McGiffin, D C

2001-03-01

Experiment 1 was a between-subjects design comparing transplant candidates completing self-report measures under an evaluative versus an anonymous research condition. A cardiac disease group and a healthy community group served as controls. Transplant candidates in the anonymous research condition reported significantly more depression, anxiety, and negative affectivity as compared with transplant candidates in the evaluative condition and community controls. In contrast, the evaluative transplant group (a) did not differ from the community controls on any of the self-report measures, and (b) reported significantly less depression than cardiac disease controls. Experiment 2 was a within-subjects design with transplant candidates completing self-report measures under both an evaluative and an anonymous research condition. Significantly greater anxiety was reported under the anonymous research condition. Social desirability was significantly related to change in self-reported anxiety and depression across conditions, but was unrelated to change in endorsement of personality characteristics.

Connection anonymity analysis in coded-WDM PONs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sue, Chuan-Ching

2008-04-01

A coded wavelength division multiplexing passive optical network (WDM PON) is presented for fiber to the home (FTTH) systems to protect against eavesdropping. The proposed scheme applies spectral amplitude coding (SAC) with a unipolar maximal-length sequence (M-sequence) code matrix to generate a specific signature address (coding) and to retrieve its matching address codeword (decoding) by exploiting the cyclic properties inherent in array waveguide grating (AWG) routers. In addition to ensuring the confidentiality of user data, the proposed coded-WDM scheme is also a suitable candidate for the physical layer with connection anonymity. Under the assumption that the eavesdropper applies a photo-detection strategy, it is shown that the coded WDM PON outperforms the conventional TDM PON and WDM PON schemes in terms of a higher degree of connection anonymity. Additionally, the proposed scheme allows the system operator to partition the optical network units (ONUs) into appropriate groups so as to achieve a better degree of anonymity.

Anonymous pastoral care for problems pertaining to sexuality.

PubMed

van Drie, A; Ganzevoort, R R; Spiering, M

2014-12-01

Anonymous pastoral care is one of the options for help in problems pertaining to sexuality. This paper explores the topics they seek help for, the religious aspects involved, and the relation between the normativity of their church tradition on the one hand and sexual and spiritual health criteria on the other. We analyzed helpseeking questions of two protestant Christian organizations in the Netherlands providing anonymous pastoral care: Refoweb and EO-Nazorg. Sexual themes were addressed in 19 and 2.3 % of the submitted questions, respectively. Of the helpseekers, 56 % is female, 15 % male, and 29 % unknown. Questions and problems for which people seek anonymous pastoral care focus primarily on premarital abstinence, gender roles, contraception, sexual orientation and masturbation. The authority of the Bible seems to be important for questioners, especially when dealing with ethical questions. Different relations between the normativity of the church tradition and sexual and spiritual health are discussed.

Enabling Genomic-Phenomic Association Discovery without Sacrificing Anonymity

PubMed Central

Heatherly, Raymond D.; Loukides, Grigorios; Denny, Joshua C.; Haines, Jonathan L.; Roden, Dan M.; Malin, Bradley A.

2013-01-01

Health information technologies facilitate the collection of massive quantities of patient-level data. A growing body of research demonstrates that such information can support novel, large-scale biomedical investigations at a fraction of the cost of traditional prospective studies. While healthcare organizations are being encouraged to share these data in a de-identified form, there is hesitation over concerns that it will allow corresponding patients to be re-identified. Currently proposed technologies to anonymize clinical data may make unrealistic assumptions with respect to the capabilities of a recipient to ascertain a patients identity. We show that more pragmatic assumptions enable the design of anonymization algorithms that permit the dissemination of detailed clinical profiles with provable guarantees of protection. We demonstrate this strategy with a dataset of over one million medical records and show that 192 genotype-phenotype associations can be discovered with fidelity equivalent to non-anonymized clinical data. PMID:23405076

77 FR 39459 - Fisheries of the United States; National Standard 1 Guidelines; Extension of Public Comment Period

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-07-03

... business information or otherwise sensitive or protected information. NMFS will accept anonymous comments (enter ``N/A'' in the required fields if you wish to remain anonymous). Attachments to electronic...

Fatal ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome in an anonymous egg donor.

PubMed

Pooniya, Shashank; Behera, C; Mridha, A R; Bhardwaj, D N; Millo, Tabin

2016-12-01

Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome is a rare, but potentially life-threatening iatrogenic disorder arising from ovulation induction or ovarian hyperstimulation for assisted reproduction techniques. We report a case of a 26-year-old multiparous woman, an anonymous egg donor, who died a few hours after undergoing a procedure to donate eggs at an in vitro fertilization clinic. Her husband alleged that medical negligence had led to her death. The autopsy confirmed death due to ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome. We know of no previous descriptions of fatal ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome in an anonymous egg donor in medico-legal literature. © The Author(s) 2016.

Data Retention and Anonymity Services

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Berthold, Stefan; Böhme, Rainer; Köpsell, Stefan

The recently introduced legislation on data retention to aid prosecuting cyber-related crime in Europe also affects the achievable security of systems for anonymous communication on the Internet. We argue that data retention requires a review of existing security evaluations against a new class of realistic adversary models. In particular, we present theoretical results and first empirical evidence for intersection attacks by law enforcement authorities. The reference architecture for our study is the anonymity service AN.ON, from which we also collect empirical data. Our adversary model reflects an interpretation of the current implementation of the EC Directive on Data Retention in Germany.

[Current trends in gamete donation - psychosocial and ethical issues].

PubMed

Rumpíková, T; Oborná, I; Konečná, H

2017-01-01

To overview contemporary knowledge of legal and psychosocial rules in gamete donation. Previously, anonymous donation was preferred and recommended by experts but currently, with respect to the right to know the genetic origin of individuals, the relation to donor anonymity was reconsidered in many countries. There is a growing tendency to introduce the open identity system in gamete donation. Such system may guarantee that the child born after gamete donation may have receive the identification data of the donor of gametes. A review. Clinic of Reproductive Medicine and Gynecology Zlin. An overview of recent literature evaluating the influence of donor anonymity vs. open identity on psychosocial development of children born after gamete donation as well as on the quality of the relationship between parents and children in such families. New medical technologies usually overtake the developmental speed of ethics and psychology, and their impact on human society. Current trend to open identity is strong but there is no clear evidence that the open identity is of real importance for the healthy psychosocial development of a child born after gamete donation. Furthermore, there is no evidence that anonymity and secrecy of the gamete donation is harmful. In case of the consideration of the change in legal regulation in anonymity/open identity in gamete donation we would suggest the thorough consideration of all consequences.

Data collection framework for energy efficient privacy preservation in wireless sensor networks having many-to-many structures.

PubMed

Bahşi, Hayretdin; Levi, Albert

2010-01-01

Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) generally have a many-to-one structure so that event information flows from sensors to a unique sink. In recent WSN applications, many-to-many structures evolved due to the need for conveying collected event information to multiple sinks. Privacy preserved data collection models in the literature do not solve the problems of WSN applications in which network has multiple un-trusted sinks with different level of privacy requirements. This study proposes a data collection framework bases on k-anonymity for preventing record disclosure of collected event information in WSNs. Proposed method takes the anonymity requirements of multiple sinks into consideration by providing different levels of privacy for each destination sink. Attributes, which may identify an event owner, are generalized or encrypted in order to meet the different anonymity requirements of sinks at the same anonymized output. If the same output is formed, it can be multicasted to all sinks. The other trivial solution is to produce different anonymized outputs for each sink and send them to related sinks. Multicasting is an energy efficient data sending alternative for some sensor nodes. Since minimization of energy consumption is an important design criteria for WSNs, multicasting the same event information to multiple sinks reduces the energy consumption of overall network.

Anonymity-preserving Reputation Management System for health sector

PubMed Central

Hamid, Zara; Abdul, Wadood; Ghouzali, Sanaa; Khan, Abid; Malik, Saif Ur Rehman; Shaukat Khan, Mansoor; Nawaz, Sarfraz

2018-01-01

In health sector, trust is considered important because it indirectly influences the quality of health care through patient satisfaction, adherence and the continuity of its relationship with health care professionals and the promotion of accurate and timely diagnoses. One of the important requirements of TRSs in the health sector is rating secrecy, which mandates that the identification information about the service consumer should be kept secret to prevent any privacy violation. Anonymity and trust are two imperative objectives, and no significant explicit efforts have been made to achieve both of them at the same time. In this paper, we present a framework for solving the problem of reconciling trust with anonymity in the health sector. Our solution comprises Anonymous Reputation Management (ARM) protocol and Context-aware Trustworthiness Assessment (CTA) protocol. ARM protocol ensures that only those service consumers who received a service from a specific service provider provide a recommendation score anonymously with in the specified time limit. The CTA protocol computes the reputation of a user as a service provider and as a recommender. To determine the correctness of the proposed ARM protocol, formal modelling and verification are performed using High Level Petri Nets (HLPN) and Z3 Solver. Our simulation results verify the accuracy of the proposed context-aware trust assessment scheme. PMID:29649267

Risk, Politics, and Money: The Need for a Value-Based Model for Financing Public Health Preparedness and Response

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-12-01

determine the proper investment in public health preparedness to assure value for money spent? A. PROBLEM STATEMENT Our federal, state, and local...in the survey. It assured the respondent that their identity would be protected and their responses remain anonymous and confidential. Questions two...preparedness level. D. DATA ANALYSIS The Pearson Chi-square test was used to examine the significance of the association (contingency) between

Intertemporal bargaining predicts moral behavior, even in anonymous, one-shot economic games.

PubMed

Ainslie, George

2013-02-01

To the extent that acting fairly is in an individual’s long-term interest, short-term impulses to cheat present a self-control problem. The only effective solution is to interpret the problem as a variant of repeated prisoner’s dilemma, with each choice as a test case predicting future choices. Moral choice appears to be the product of a contract because it comes from self-enforcing intertemporal cooperation.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Negres, Raluca A.; Stolz, Christopher J.; Thomas, Michael D.

Here, this competition aimed to survey state-of-the-art UV high reflectors. The requirements of the coatings are a minimum reflection of 99.5% at 45 degrees incidence angle for P-polarized light at 355-nm. The choice of coating materials, design, and deposition method were left to the participants. Laser damage testing was performed at a single testing facility using the raster scan method with a 5-ns pulse length laser system operating at 10 Hz in a single longitudinal mode. A double blind test assured sample and submitter anonymity. Finally, in addition to the laser damage resistance results, details of the deposition processes, cleaningmore » method, coating materials and layer count are also shared.« less

355-nm, nanosecond laser mirror thin film damage competition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Negres, Raluca A.; Stolz, Christopher J.; Thomas, Michael D.; Caputo, Mark

2017-11-01

This competition aimed to survey state-of-the-art UV high reflectors. The requirements of the coatings are a minimum reflection of 99.5% at 45 degrees incidence angle for P-polarized light at 355-nm. The choice of coating materials, design, and deposition method were left to the participants. Laser damage testing was performed at a single testing facility using the raster scan method with a 5-ns pulse length laser system operating at 10 Hz in a single longitudinal mode. A double blind test assured sample and submitter anonymity. In addition to the laser damage resistance results, details of the deposition processes, cleaning method, coating materials and layer count are also shared.

76 FR 39792 - Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Northern Rockfish in the Bering Sea and...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-07-07

.... NMFS will accept anonymous comments. Enter ``N/A'' in the required fields, if you wish to remain anonymous. Attachments to electronic comments will be accepted in Microsoft Word, Excel, WordPerfect, or...

76 FR 467 - Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Inseason Adjustment to the 2011 Bering Sea...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-01-05

... otherwise sensitive or protected information. NMFS will accept anonymous comments (enter N/A in the required fields, if you wish to remain anonymous). You may submit attachments to electronic comments in Microsoft...

Using Meditation in Addiction Counseling

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Young, Mark E.; DeLorenzi, Leigh de Armas; Cunningham, Laura

2011-01-01

Meditation has been studied as a way of reducing stress in counseling clients since the 1960s. Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, and new wave behavior therapies incorporate meditation techniques in their programs. This article identifies meditation's curative factors and limitations when using meditation in addiction settings.

Duke Surgery Patient Safety: an open-source application for anonymous reporting of adverse and near-miss surgical events

PubMed Central

Pietrobon, Ricardo; Lima, Raquel; Shah, Anand; Jacobs, Danny O; Harker, Matthew; McCready, Mariana; Martins, Henrique; Richardson, William

2007-01-01

Background Studies have shown that 4% of hospitalized patients suffer from an adverse event caused by the medical treatment administered. Some institutions have created systems to encourage medical workers to report these adverse events. However, these systems often prove to be inadequate and/or ineffective for reviewing the data collected and improving the outcomes in patient safety. Objective To describe the Web-application Duke Surgery Patient Safety, designed for the anonymous reporting of adverse and near-miss events as well as scheduled reporting to surgeons and hospital administration. Software architecture DSPS was developed primarily using Java language running on a Tomcat server and with MySQL database as its backend. Results Formal and field usability tests were used to aid in development of DSPS. Extensive experience with DSPS at our institution indicate that DSPS is easy to learn and use, has good speed, provides needed functionality, and is well received by both adverse-event reporters and administrators. Discussion This is the first description of an open-source application for reporting patient safety, which allows the distribution of the application to other institutions in addition for its ability to adapt to the needs of different departments. DSPS provides a mechanism for anonymous reporting of adverse events and helps to administer Patient Safety initiatives. Conclusion The modifiable framework of DSPS allows adherence to evolving national data standards. The open-source design of DSPS permits surgical departments with existing reporting mechanisms to integrate them with DSPS. The DSPS application is distributed under the GNU General Public License. PMID:17472749

Duke Surgery Patient Safety: an open-source application for anonymous reporting of adverse and near-miss surgical events.

PubMed

Pietrobon, Ricardo; Lima, Raquel; Shah, Anand; Jacobs, Danny O; Harker, Matthew; McCready, Mariana; Martins, Henrique; Richardson, William

2007-05-01

Studies have shown that 4% of hospitalized patients suffer from an adverse event caused by the medical treatment administered. Some institutions have created systems to encourage medical workers to report these adverse events. However, these systems often prove to be inadequate and/or ineffective for reviewing the data collected and improving the outcomes in patient safety. To describe the Web-application Duke Surgery Patient Safety, designed for the anonymous reporting of adverse and near-miss events as well as scheduled reporting to surgeons and hospital administration. SOFTWARE ARCHITECTURE: DSPS was developed primarily using Java language running on a Tomcat server and with MySQL database as its backend. Formal and field usability tests were used to aid in development of DSPS. Extensive experience with DSPS at our institution indicate that DSPS is easy to learn and use, has good speed, provides needed functionality, and is well received by both adverse-event reporters and administrators. This is the first description of an open-source application for reporting patient safety, which allows the distribution of the application to other institutions in addition for its ability to adapt to the needs of different departments. DSPS provides a mechanism for anonymous reporting of adverse events and helps to administer Patient Safety initiatives. The modifiable framework of DSPS allows adherence to evolving national data standards. The open-source design of DSPS permits surgical departments with existing reporting mechanisms to integrate them with DSPS. The DSPS application is distributed under the GNU General Public License.

Lifetime Alcoholics Anonymous Attendance as a Predictor of Spiritual Gains in the Relapse Replication and Extension Project (RREP)

PubMed Central

Tonigan, J. Scott; McCallion, Elizabeth A.; Frohe, Tessa; Pearson, Matthew R.

2016-01-01

This study investigated the association between extent of lifetime attendance in Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and spiritual gains among treatment seeking adults for alcohol use disorder (AUD). Participants included 246 individuals from two of the three sites in the Relapse Replication and Extension Project (Lowman, Allen, Stout, 1996). Baseline characteristics included 63% male, 39.9% single, and the average age was 34 years (SD=8.2). The Alcoholics Anonymous Involvement questionnaire (AAI; Tonigan, Connors, & Miller, 1996) was used to assess lifetime AA attendance. The Religious Beliefs & Behaviors Questionnaire (Connors, Tonigan, & Miller, 1996b) was used to assess spirituality. Percent days abstinent (PDA) and drinks per drinking day (DPDD) were measured using the Form 90. At baseline, adults with more extensive AA histories were more severely alcohol impaired although they were no older relative to adults with less past AA exposure. Clear patterns of AA engagement were found between the high-low AA history groups over follow-up, with adults with less AA experience reporting less AA participation across a swath of AA-specific measures. Gains in spiritual practices significantly mediated AA-related benefit as measured by PDA and DPDD. Tests for moderated-mediation indicated that the magnitude of the mediational effect of spiritual gains did not differ between high-low AA history groups. Having an extensive AA history did not advantage (or disadvantage) adults in mobilizing future spiritual practices that are prescribed in AA. Clinical assessment of client AA history is important, however, because it predicts both the nature and extent that clients may participate in AA. PMID:28080094

The Effect of Viral Suppression on Cross Sectional Incidence Testing in the Johns Hopkins Hospital Emergency Department

PubMed Central

Laeyendecker, Oliver; Rothman, Richard E.; Henson, Charlamaine; Jo Horne, Bobbi; Ketlogetswe, Kerunne S.; Kraus, Chadd K.; Shahan, Judy; Kelen, Gabor. D.; Quinn, Thomas C.

2009-01-01

Objective(s) To determine the effect of viral suppression on cross sectional incidence testing. Methods In 2001 and 2003, patients entering the Johns Hopkins Hospital Emergency Department (JHHED) were enrolled into an interview based, identity unlinked serosurvey. All HIV positive samples were tested by the Vironostika-less sensitive (LS) EIA and an avidity assay to determine recent HIV infection. Additionally 16 samples from 8 previously characterized elite suppressors (ES) were tested by cross sectional incidence assays. Results HIV prevalence was 12% for the 2001 survey and 11% for the 2003 survey. Of the HIV infected subjects 18% did not know they were infected. Vironostika-LS EIA determined that 6% (11/183) and 7% (17/243) of HIV+ individuals in 2001and 2003, respectively, were recently infected. Avidity testing confirmed 6 of 11 in 2001, and 5 of 17 in 2003 were newly infected, leaving 17 discrepant samples. All 17 discrepant samples were western blot positive, viral load undetectable and 7/17 had antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) in their serum. Ten individuals were virally suppressed without ARVs, appeared incident by Vironostika-LS EIA but chronic by avidity. These 10 subjects had similar testing profiles to the known 16 ES samples, as 9 of 16 were incident by Vironostika-LS EIA, and 0/16 were incident by avidity. Conclusions By removing the viral load negative individuals and by confirming the initial Vironostika-LS EIA results by avidity, the incidence estimate was lowered from 1.73 to 0.94 percent/year in 2001 and from 1.90 to 0.56 percent/year in 2003. Viral suppression affects the performance of the cross sectional incidence tests which rely on antibody titer. In additional 2% (10/426) of all HIV infected individuals who use the JHHED for medical care appear to suppress HIV to undetectable levels without ARVs. PMID:18520680

"Pee-in-a-Pot": acceptability and uptake of on-site chlamydia screening in a student population in the Republic of Ireland

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Background The aim of the study was to explore the acceptability and uptake of on-campus screening using a youth friendly approach in two Third Level higher education institutions (HEIs). This study is part of wider research exploring the optimal setting for chlamydia screening in Ireland. Methods Male and female students were given the opportunity to take a free anonymous test for chlamydia during a one week programme of "pee-in-a-pot" days at two HEI campuses in the West of Ireland. The study was set up after extensive consultation with the two HEIs and advertised on the two campuses using a variety of media in the two weeks preceding the screening days. Screening involved the provision and distribution of testing packs at communal areas and in toilet facilities. In Ireland, chlamydia notifications are highest amongst 20-29 year olds and hence the screening criterion was aimed at 18-29 year olds. Urine samples were tested using a nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT). Following the screening days, qualitative in-depth interviews were conducted with participants about their experiences of the event. Results Out of 1,249 test kits distributed in two HEIs, 592 specimens were collected giving a return rate of 47.5%. Tests excluded (54) were due to labelling errors or ineligibility of participants' age. Two thirds of those tested were females and the mean age was 21 years. Overall,3.9% (21/538) of participants tested positive, 5% (17/336) among females and 2% (4/191) among males. Participant interviews identified factors which enhanced student participation such as anonymity, convenience, accessibility of testing, and the informal and non-medical approach to testing. Conclusions Screening for chlamydia using on-campus "pee-in-a-pot" days is an acceptable strategy in this population. This model can detect and treat asymptomatic cases of chlamydia and avoid many of the barriers associated with testing for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in clinical settings. PMID:21070646

Strategies for de-identification and anonymization of electronic health record data for use in multicenter research studies.

PubMed

Kushida, Clete A; Nichols, Deborah A; Jadrnicek, Rik; Miller, Ric; Walsh, James K; Griffin, Kara

2012-07-01

De-identification and anonymization are strategies that are used to remove patient identifiers in electronic health record data. The use of these strategies in multicenter research studies is paramount in importance, given the need to share electronic health record data across multiple environments and institutions while safeguarding patient privacy. Systematic literature search using keywords of de-identify, deidentify, de-identification, deidentification, anonymize, anonymization, data scrubbing, and text scrubbing. Search was conducted up to June 30, 2011 and involved 6 different common literature databases. A total of 1798 prospective citations were identified, and 94 full-text articles met the criteria for review and the corresponding articles were obtained. Search results were supplemented by review of 26 additional full-text articles; a total of 120 full-text articles were reviewed. A final sample of 45 articles met inclusion criteria for review and discussion. Articles were grouped into text, images, and biological sample categories. For text-based strategies, the approaches were segregated into heuristic, lexical, and pattern-based systems versus statistical learning-based systems. For images, approaches that de-identified photographic facial images and magnetic resonance image data were described. For biological samples, approaches that managed the identifiers linked with these samples were discussed, particularly with respect to meeting the anonymization requirements needed for Institutional Review Board exemption under the Common Rule. Current de-identification strategies have their limitations, and statistical learning-based systems have distinct advantages over other approaches for the de-identification of free text. True anonymization is challenging, and further work is needed in the areas of de-identification of datasets and protection of genetic information.

Bystander's willingness to report theft, physical assault, and sexual assault: the impact of gender, anonymity, and relationship with the offender.

PubMed

Nicksa, Sarah C

2014-01-01

This research examines bystander willingness to report three different crimes to the police or campus authorities among a college student sample (n = 295). Twelve original vignettes varied anonymity when reporting, bystander's relationship with the offender (friend or stranger), and crime type. A factorial analysis of variance showed that main effects were found for crime type, bystander's gender, and bystander's relationship with the offender; anonymity was not significant. The physical assault was the most likely to be reported (4.47), followed by theft (3.26), and sexual assault (2.36). Women were more likely than men to report each crime type, and bystanders who were good friends of the offender were less likely to report than strangers. No two- or three-way interactions were significant, but a significant four-way interaction indicated that anonymity, relationship with the offender, and bystander's gender predicted willingness to report for the sexual assault scenario.

A review of Alcoholics Anonymous/ Narcotics Anonymous programs for teens.

PubMed

Sussman, Steve

2010-03-01

The investigation of the applicability of Alcoholics Anonymous/Narcotics Anonymous (AA/NA) for teens has only been a subject of empirical research investigation since the early 1990s. In the present review, the author describes teen involvement in AA/NA programming, provides an exhaustive review of the outcomes of 19 studies that used an AA/NA model as part of their formal teen substance abuse treatment programs, and provides data on the effects of AA/NA attendance on abstinence at follow-up, on which youth tend to become involved in AA/NA, and on mediation of the benefits of AA/NA participation. In addition, the author suggests the reasons for somewhat limited participation by teens in more informal, community-based 12-step meetings, and makes suggestions for maximizing participation at meetings in the community. The author concludes that AA/ NA participation is a valuable modality of substance abuse treatment for teens and that much can be done to increase teen participation, though more research is needed.

Spirituality-based recovery from drug addiction in the twelve-step fellowship of narcotics anonymous.

PubMed

Galanter, Marc; Dermatis, Helen; Post, Stephen; Sampson, Cristal

2013-01-01

Narcotics Anonymous is a worldwide fellowship that employs the Twelve-Step model for members dependent on drugs of abuse. The spiritual orientation of its program of abstinence has not been subjected to empirical study. Responses of 527 American Narcotics Anonymous meeting attendees to a structured questionnaire were evaluated for the roles of cognitive and psychosocial aspects of spirituality in their recovery. Respondents had last used drugs or alcohol on average 6.1 years previously. They were found to be more oriented toward a spiritual than a formally religious orientation than probability samples of the general population. Aspects of membership such as affiliation toward other members and the experience of spiritual awakening were associated with lower rates of drug or alcohol craving, whereas scores on depression were associated with higher craving scores. Spiritual renewal combined with an abstinence-oriented regimen in Narcotics Anonymous social context can play a role in long-term recovery from drug addiction.

Database Design to Ensure Anonymous Study of Medical Errors: A Report from the ASIPS collaborative

PubMed Central

Pace, Wilson D.; Staton, Elizabeth W.; Higgins, Gregory S.; Main, Deborah S.; West, David R.; Harris, Daniel M.

2003-01-01

Medical error reporting systems are important information sources for designing strategies to improve the safety of health care. Applied Strategies for Improving Patient Safety (ASIPS) is a multi-institutional, practice-based research project that collects and analyzes data on primary care medical errors and develops interventions to reduce error. The voluntary ASIPS Patient Safety Reporting System captures anonymous and confidential reports of medical errors. Confidential reports, which are quickly de-identified, provide better detail than do anonymous reports; however, concerns exist about the confidentiality of those reports should the database be subject to legal discovery or other security breaches. Standard database elements, for example, serial ID numbers, date/time stamps, and backups, could enable an outsider to link an ASIPS report to a specific medical error. The authors present the design and implementation of a database and administrative system that reduce this risk, facilitate research, and maintain near anonymity of the events, practices, and clinicians. PMID:12925548

Development and chromosome mechanics in nematodes: Results from IML-1

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nelson, G. A.; Schubert, W. W.; Kazarians, G. A.; Richards, G. F.

1994-08-01

A subset of the Caenorhabditis elegans nematodes flown aboard Biorack on IML-1 was analyzed for the fidelity of development and the mechanics of chromosomes at meiosis. To assess meiosis, mutant worms marked at two linked or unlinked loci were inoculated as heterozygous hermaphrodites and allowed to self fertilize. Mendelian segregation ratios and recombination frequency were measured for offspring produced at 1XG or in microgravity. To assess development, worms and embryos were fixed and stained with the DNA dye, DAPI, or antibodies specific for antigens expressed in germ cells, pharyngeal and body wall muscles, and gut cells. The distribution of cytoplasmic determinants, cell nuclei counts and positions were scored to assess symmetry relations and anatomical features.

Genetic conflict and sex chromosome evolution

PubMed Central

Meiklejohn, Colin D; Tao, Yun

2009-01-01

Chromosomal sex determination systems create the opportunity for the evolution of selfish genetic elements that increase the transmission of one sex chromosome at the expense of its homolog. Because such selfish elements on sex chromosomes can reduce fertility and distort the sex ratio of progeny, unlinked suppressors are expected to evolve, bringing different regions of the genome into conflict over the meiotic transmission of the sex chromosomes. Here we argue that recurrent genetic conflict over sex chromosome transmission is an important evolutionary force that has shaped a wide range of seemingly disparate phenomena including the epigenetic regulation of genes expressed in the germline, the distribution of genes in the genome, and the evolution of hybrid sterility between species. PMID:19931208

APOD Data Release of Social Network Footprint for 2015

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nemiroff, Robert J.; Russell, David; Allen, Alice; Connelly, Paul; Lowe, Stuart R.; Petz, Sydney; Haring, Ralf; Bonnell, Jerry T.; APOD Team

2017-01-01

APOD data for 2015 are being made freely available for download and analysis. The data includes page view statistics for the main NASA APOD website at https://apod.nasa.gov, as well as for APOD's social media sites on Facebook, Instagram, Google Plus, and Twitter. General APOD-specific demographic information for each site is included. Popularity statistics that have been archived including Page Views, Likes, Shares, Hearts, and Retweets. The downloadable Excel-type spreadsheet also includes the APOD title and (unlinked) explanation. This data is released not to highlight APOD's popularity but to encourage analyses, with potential examples involving which astronomy topics trend the best and whether popularity is social group dependent.

Community engagement research and dual diagnosis anonymous.

PubMed

Roush, Sean; Monica, Corbett; Pavlovich, Danny; Drake, Robert E

2015-01-01

Community engagement research is widely discussed but rarely implemented. This article describes the implementation of a community engagement research project on Dual Diagnosis Anonymous, a rapidly spreading peer support program in Oregon for people with co-occurring mental illness and substance use disorders. After three years of discussions, overcoming barriers, and involving several institutions, this grassroots research project has been implemented and is expanding. Active participants in Dual Diagnosis Anonymous inspired and instructed policy makers, professionals, and students. Community engagement research requires frontline participants, community members, and professional collaborators to overcome multiple barriers with persistence and steadfastness. Building trust, collaboration, and structures for community engagement research takes time and a community effort.

In Defence of Anonymity: Rejoining the Criticism

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kelly, Anthony

2009-01-01

This article is a response to the growing criticisms of the British Educational Research Association (BERA) and Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) ethical guidelines on anonymity and pseudonymity as default positions for participants in qualitative educational research. It discusses and responds to those criticisms under four…

18. Historic American Buildings Survey. Portion of an anonymous watercolor ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

18. Historic American Buildings Survey. Portion of an anonymous watercolor painting of Fort McHenry bombardment of 1814. Peale Museum, Baltimore. View of southeast bastion and sally port. - Fort McHenry National Monument & Historic Shrine, East Fort Avenue at Whetstone Point, Baltimore, Independent City, MD

An Analysis of College Students' Anonymous Questions about Human Sexuality.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Valois, Robert F.; Waring, Kathryn A.

1991-01-01

Study analyzed the frequency and type of questions about sexuality submitted anonymously by college students in health education courses over five semesters. The most common categories were sexual arousal/response; general anatomy/physiology; contraception; dating/relationships; pregnancy/fertility; and sexually transmitted diseases. The appendix…

A large-scale examination of the effectiveness of anonymous marking in reducing group performance differences in higher education assessment.

PubMed

Hinton, Daniel P; Higson, Helen

2017-01-01

The present research aims to more fully explore the issues of performance differences in higher education assessment, particularly in the context of a common measure taken to address them. The rationale for the study is that, while performance differences in written examinations are relatively well researched, few studies have examined the efficacy of anonymous marking in reducing these performance differences, particularly in modern student populations. By examining a large archive (N = 30674) of assessment data spanning a twelve-year period, the relationship between assessment marks and factors such as ethnic group, gender and socio-environmental background was investigated. In particular, analysis focused on the impact that the implementation of anonymous marking for assessment of written examinations and coursework has had on the magnitude of mean score differences between demographic groups of students. While group differences were found to be pervasive in higher education assessment, these differences were observed to be relatively small in practical terms. Further, it appears that the introduction of anonymous marking has had a negligible effect in reducing them. The implications of these results are discussed, focusing on two issues, firstly a defence of examinations as a fair and legitimate form of assessment in Higher Education, and, secondly, a call for the re-examination of the efficacy of anonymous marking in reducing group performance differences.

Vulnerability- and Diversity-Aware Anonymization of Personally Identifiable Information for Improving User Privacy and Utility of Publishing Data.

PubMed

Majeed, Abdul; Ullah, Farman; Lee, Sungchang

2017-05-08

Personally identifiable information (PII) affects individual privacy because PII combinations may yield unique identifications in published data. User PII such as age, race, gender, and zip code contain private information that may assist an adversary in determining the user to whom such information relates. Each item of user PII reveals identity differently, and some types of PII are highly identity vulnerable. More vulnerable types of PII enable unique identification more easily, and their presence in published data increases privacy risks. Existing privacy models treat all types of PII equally from an identity revelation point of view, and they mainly focus on hiding user PII in a crowd of other users. Ignoring the identity vulnerability of each type of PII during anonymization is not an effective method of protecting user privacy in a fine-grained manner. This paper proposes a new anonymization scheme that considers the identity vulnerability of PII to effectively protect user privacy. Data generalization is performed adaptively based on the identity vulnerability of PII as well as diversity to anonymize data. This adaptive generalization effectively enables anonymous data, which protects user identity and private information disclosures while maximizing the utility of data for performing analyses and building classification models. Additionally, the proposed scheme has low computational overheads. The simulation results show the effectiveness of the scheme and verify the aforementioned claims.

Vulnerability- and Diversity-Aware Anonymization of Personally Identifiable Information for Improving User Privacy and Utility of Publishing Data

PubMed Central

Majeed, Abdul; Ullah, Farman; Lee, Sungchang

2017-01-01

Personally identifiable information (PII) affects individual privacy because PII combinations may yield unique identifications in published data. User PII such as age, race, gender, and zip code contain private information that may assist an adversary in determining the user to whom such information relates. Each item of user PII reveals identity differently, and some types of PII are highly identity vulnerable. More vulnerable types of PII enable unique identification more easily, and their presence in published data increases privacy risks. Existing privacy models treat all types of PII equally from an identity revelation point of view, and they mainly focus on hiding user PII in a crowd of other users. Ignoring the identity vulnerability of each type of PII during anonymization is not an effective method of protecting user privacy in a fine-grained manner. This paper proposes a new anonymization scheme that considers the identity vulnerability of PII to effectively protect user privacy. Data generalization is performed adaptively based on the identity vulnerability of PII as well as diversity to anonymize data. This adaptive generalization effectively enables anonymous data, which protects user identity and private information disclosures while maximizing the utility of data for performing analyses and building classification models. Additionally, the proposed scheme has low computational overheads. The simulation results show the effectiveness of the scheme and verify the aforementioned claims. PMID:28481298

A large-scale examination of the effectiveness of anonymous marking in reducing group performance differences in higher education assessment

PubMed Central

Higson, Helen

2017-01-01

The present research aims to more fully explore the issues of performance differences in higher education assessment, particularly in the context of a common measure taken to address them. The rationale for the study is that, while performance differences in written examinations are relatively well researched, few studies have examined the efficacy of anonymous marking in reducing these performance differences, particularly in modern student populations. By examining a large archive (N = 30674) of assessment data spanning a twelve-year period, the relationship between assessment marks and factors such as ethnic group, gender and socio-environmental background was investigated. In particular, analysis focused on the impact that the implementation of anonymous marking for assessment of written examinations and coursework has had on the magnitude of mean score differences between demographic groups of students. While group differences were found to be pervasive in higher education assessment, these differences were observed to be relatively small in practical terms. Further, it appears that the introduction of anonymous marking has had a negligible effect in reducing them. The implications of these results are discussed, focusing on two issues, firstly a defence of examinations as a fair and legitimate form of assessment in Higher Education, and, secondly, a call for the re-examination of the efficacy of anonymous marking in reducing group performance differences. PMID:28813457

How anonymous is 'anonymous'? Some suggestions towards a coherent universal coding system for genetic samples.

PubMed

Schmidt, Harald; Callier, Shawneequa

2012-05-01

So-called 'anonymous' tissue samples are widely used in research. Because they lack externally identifying information, they are viewed as useful in reconciling conflicts between the control, privacy and confidentiality interests of those from whom the samples originated and the public (or commercial) interest in carrying out research, as reflected in 'consent or anonymise' policies. High level guidance documents suggest that withdrawal of consent and samples and the provision of feedback are impossible in the case of anonymous samples. In view of recent developments in science and consumer-driven genomics the authors argue that such statements are misleading and only muddle complex ethical questions about possible entitlements to control over samples. The authors therefore propose that terms such as 'anonymised', 'anonymous' or 'non-identifiable' be removed entirely from documents describing research samples, especially from those aimed at the public. This is necessary as a matter of conceptual clarity and because failure to do so may jeopardise public trust in the governance of large scale databases. As there is wide variation in the taxonomy for tissue samples and no uniform national or international standards, the authors propose that a numeral-based universal coding system be implemented that focuses on specifying incremental levels of identifiability, rather than use terms that imply that the reidentification of research samples and associated actions are categorically impossible.

A De-Identification Pipeline for Ultrasound Medical Images in DICOM Format.

PubMed

Monteiro, Eriksson; Costa, Carlos; Oliveira, José Luís

2017-05-01

Clinical data sharing between healthcare institutions, and between practitioners is often hindered by privacy protection requirements. This problem is critical in collaborative scenarios where data sharing is fundamental for establishing a workflow among parties. The anonymization of patient information burned in DICOM images requires elaborate processes somewhat more complex than simple de-identification of textual information. Usually, before sharing, there is a need for manual removal of specific areas containing sensitive information in the images. In this paper, we present a pipeline for ultrasound medical image de-identification, provided as a free anonymization REST service for medical image applications, and a Software-as-a-Service to streamline automatic de-identification of medical images, which is freely available for end-users. The proposed approach applies image processing functions and machine-learning models to bring about an automatic system to anonymize medical images. To perform character recognition, we evaluated several machine-learning models, being Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN) selected as the best approach. For accessing the system quality, 500 processed images were manually inspected showing an anonymization rate of 89.2%. The tool can be accessed at https://bioinformatics.ua.pt/dicom/anonymizer and it is available with the most recent version of Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox and Safari. A Docker image containing the proposed service is also publicly available for the community.

Impact of social pressure on stereotypes about obese people.

PubMed

Harper, Jessica; Carels, Robert A

2014-01-01

This study was designed to test the effects of different types of influence on the expression of stereotypes towards people who are obese. It was hypothesized that public social pressure would more significantly impact the expression of stereotypes towards obese people than other types of influence. One-hundred fifty-eight undergraduate students were randomly assigned to one of three conditions or a control condition. Participants completed measures of stereotypes towards obese people prior to and after receiving manipulated feedback depicting purported stereotypes possessed by others (anonymously or publically) or scientific information about the base rates of these stereotypical traits in the obese population (i.e., trait prevalence). Participants also completed a measure of weight bias unrelated to the manipulated feedback. Explicit beliefs were influenced more when people perceived that others' views were inconsistent with their own in a public setting than an anonymous setting or when they received trait prevalence feedback. However, levels of weight bias on a separate measure were unchanged. Strong, public manipulations of social feedback have great potential to impact, at least, the short-term expression of stereotypes towards obese people.

Assessing the quality of pharmacist answers to telephone drug information questions.

PubMed

Woodward, C T; Stevenson, J G; Poremba, A

1990-04-01

A quality assurance (QA) program is described in which frontline pharmacists were asked test drug information questions via anonymous telephone calls. The program was instituted at a university hospital that began providing decentralized pharmaceutical services in 1985. Questions were developed on the basis of a pilot study conducted to determine the types and complexity of drug information questions received by frontline pharmacists at the hospital. Data on departmental clinical productivity were used to determine the number of questions that would be posed during each shift in the various service areas. The questions were posed during a 10-day period; the pharmacists were aware of the program, but the callers did not identify their affiliation with it. In response to 105 questions asked, 86 were judged to have been answered correctly, 13 answers were deemed incomplete, and 6 were judged incorrect. Pharmacists were more likely to respond incorrectly to complex questions and questions posed during the night shift. As a result of the audit, staff members with advanced clinical knowledge were asked to help less experienced pharmacists, the position of assistant director for drug information and staff development was created, and educational programs were instituted. The QA audit has been repeated twice. Posing test drug information questions via anonymous telephone calls is effective in assessing the quality of drug information provided by pharmacists in patient-care areas.

Genetic heterogeneity of familial hemiplegic migraine

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Joutel, A.; Ducros, A.; Vahedi, K.

1994-09-01

Familial hemiplegic migraine (FHM) is an autosomal dominant subtype of migraine with aura, characterized by the occurrence of a transient hemiplegia during the aura. We previously mapped the affected gene to the short arm of chromosome 19, within a 30 cM interval bracketed by D19S216 and D19S215. Linkage analysis conducted on 2 large FHM pedigrees did not show evidence of heterogeneity, despite their clinical differences due to the presence in one family of a cerebellar ataxia and a nystagmus. Herein we report linkage data on 9 additional FHM families including 2 other ones with cerebellar ataxia. Analysis was conducted withmore » a set of 7 markers spanning the D19S216-D19S215 interval. Two point and multipoint lodscores analysis as well as HOMOG testing provided significant evidence for genetic heterogenity. Strong evidence of linkage was obtained in 3 families and absence of linkage in 6 families. Thus within the 11 families so far tested, 5 were linked, including those with an associated cerebellar ataxia. We could not find any clinical difference between the {open_quotes}pure{close_quotes} FHM families whether or not they were linked. This study also allowed us to establish that the most likely location of the gene is a 12 cM interval bracketed by D19S413 and D19S226. One of the unlinked family was large enough to conduct genetic mapping of the affected gene. Data will be presented at the meeting.« less

An Investigation of Respondent Confidentiality Concerns in Army Surveys: Data from Ten Focus Groups

DTIC Science & Technology

1993-10-01

Swan, J.E. (1977). Anonymity and responses by salespeople to a mail questionnaire. Journal of Marketing Research , 14, 611-616. Hamel, L., & Reif...Jefferson, R.W. (1975). On the personalization- anonymity relationship in mail surveys--reply. Journal of Marketing Research , 1_3, 112-113. Jones

Romantic Relationship Advice from Anonymous Online Helpers: The Peer Support Adolescents Exchange

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kim, Jung-Eun; Weinstein, Emily C.; Selman, Robert L.

2017-01-01

This empirical study investigates adolescents' responses to peers' personal accounts of romantic relationship difficulties posted to an online forum. We analyze 440 anonymous responses to personal accounts of four romantic relationship issues: controlling partners, break-ups, trust issues, and partner cruelty. Responses were categorized, in order…

The Rationality of Alcoholics Anonymous and the Spirituality of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Velten, Emmett

1996-01-01

Argues that Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) share important rational objectives and numerous cognitive-behavioral methods. Both emphasize a philosophical shift as a principal ingredient for change. Provides definitions of rationality and spirituality and explains how REBT and smart recovery are spiritual…

Personal Construct Theory and the Transformation of Identity in Alcoholics Anonymous

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Young, Lance Brendan

2011-01-01

The dominant theoretical approach to alcoholism research presumes linear, causal relationships between individual cognitions and behavioral outcomes. This approach has largely failed to account for the recovery some alcoholics achieve in Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) because AA emphasizes the transformation of identity, framed in terms of…

Depressive symptoms among Mexican medical students: high prevalence and the effect of a group psychoeducation intervention.

PubMed

Melo-Carrillo, Agustin; Van Oudenhove, Lukas; Lopez-Avila, Alberto

2012-02-01

Several studies have demonstrated a higher prevalence of depression among medical students as compared to the general population. On the other hand, psychoeducational interventions have proven its efficacy on diminishing depressive symptoms. The aim of this study is to determine the prevalence of depressive symptoms among medical students in La Salle University and the effect that psychoeducation has on it. Students between the first and the eighth semester voluntarily answered the Beck Depression Inventory test in an anonymous way from 2006 to 2007. After determining the prevalence of depressive symptoms the psychoeducational program was established and prevalence of depressive symptoms was measured for two more years (2008-2009). A total of 1958 students answered the test during the four years. In the first two years (2006-2007) the 36.29% of the students scored for positive depressive symptoms. The next two years (2008-2009), after the psychoeducation program, the prevalence of depressive symptoms diminishes in a significant manner, only 25.51% of the students have depressive symptoms (p<.0001). Because the test were answered anonymously, there is no way we can give neither specific attention nor follow-up to the students with depression. Also we can't determine the effect of the mental health group treatment among the medical students. Even though the medical students have risks factors for developing depression, we prove that a psychoeducation program can be an effective alternative therapy for decreasing the prevalence of depressive symptoms among medical students. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Pregnant Women's Knowledge of and Attitudes to HIV Testing at Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Kumasi.

PubMed

Addo, Vn

2005-06-01

SummaryA questionnaire survey on the knowledge about human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) and attitudes to voluntary counselling and testing (VCT) in pregnancy of 334 antenatal attendants at Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) was conducted. The survey showed that HIV/AIDS is recognized as a life-threatening condition and is mainly acquired through unprotected sexual intercourse with an infected partner, use of unsterile sharp instruments and blood transfusion. Knowledge about mother to child transmission (MTCT) was lacking.The majority of women who had done the test did so as a pre-requisite for church blessing of their marriage.VCT would be acceptable especially when anonymity is ensured and drug treatment is available for mother and child should the pregnant woman test positive for HIV.

Anonymizing patient genomic data for public sharing association studies.

PubMed

Fernandez-Lozano, Carlos; Lopez-Campos, Guillermo; Seoane, Jose A; Lopez-Alonso, Victoria; Dorado, Julian; Martín-Sanchez, Fernando; Pazos, Alejandro

2013-01-01

The development of personalized medicine is tightly linked with the correct exploitation of molecular data, especially those associated with the genome sequence along with these use of genomic data there is an increasing demand to share these data for research purposes. Transition of clinical data to research is based in the anonymization of these data so the patient cannot be identified, the use of genomic data poses a great challenge because its nature of identifying data. In this work we have analyzed current methods for genome anonymization and propose a one way encryption method that may enable the process of genomic data sharing accessing only to certain regions of genomes for research purposes.

Academic freedom, public reactions, and anonymity.

PubMed

Häyry, Matti

2014-05-01

Academic freedom can be defined as immunity against adverse reactions from the general public, designed to keep scholars unintimidated and productive even after they have published controversial ideas. Francesca Minerva claims that this notion of strict instrumental academic freedom is supported by Ronald Dworkin, and that anonymity would effectively defend the sphere of immunity implied by it. Against this, I argue that the idea defended by Minerva finds no support in the work by Dworkin referred to; that anonymity would not in most cases effectively protect the kind of immunity sought after; and that in some cases it would not even be desirable to protect scholars from public reactions to their controversial claims. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Gamete donation in France: the future of the anonymity doctrine.

PubMed

Brunet, Laurence; Kunstmann, Jean-Marie

2013-02-01

In France, since the approval of the first bioethics laws in 1994, the principle of the anonymity of sperm donors has prevailed. This choice is regularly challenged, namely by children who have been conceived under these conditions and have now reached adulthood. In this paper, we will briefly describe the reasons that led practitioners of assisted reproduction to endorse the anonymity principle in 1994. Secondly, we will elaborate on the reasons why this principle is becoming so controversial today. Finally, we shall examine two possible outcomes of the debate, highlighting their respective legitimacy as well as their consequences, as far as the rights of children, the notion of the family, and medical practice are concerned.

Three-factor anonymous authentication and key agreement scheme for Telecare Medicine Information Systems.

PubMed

Arshad, Hamed; Nikooghadam, Morteza

2014-12-01

Nowadays, with comprehensive employment of the internet, healthcare delivery services is provided remotely by telecare medicine information systems (TMISs). A secure mechanism for authentication and key agreement is one of the most important security requirements for TMISs. Recently, Tan proposed a user anonymity preserving three-factor authentication scheme for TMIS. The present paper shows that Tan's scheme is vulnerable to replay attacks and Denial-of-Service attacks. In order to overcome these security flaws, a new and efficient three-factor anonymous authentication and key agreement scheme for TMIS is proposed. Security and performance analysis shows superiority of the proposed scheme in comparison with previously proposed schemes that are related to security of TMISs.

Darknet and bitcoin, the obscure and anonymous side of the internet in healthcare.

PubMed

Masoni, Marco; Guelfi, Maria Renza; Gensini, Gian Franco

2016-11-14

Illegal activities prosecutable by law in the real life can be committed on the internet alike. In the healthcare domain, we refer mainly to selling of illegal and counterfeit drugs, exchange of pedo-pornographic material and marketing of stolen medical records. These illegal activities are made easier by recent developments of the Internet that medical community must be aware of: darknet and bitcoin. The first allows anonymous surfing and the last anonymous financial transactions. After discussing which healthcare areas are affected by these technological developments of the Internet and the deriving consequences, then the Authors express their opinion on what actions can be taken to protect internet community.

355-nm, nanosecond laser mirror thin film damage competition

DOE PAGES

Negres, Raluca A.; Stolz, Christopher J.; Thomas, Michael D.; ...

2017-11-23

Here, this competition aimed to survey state-of-the-art UV high reflectors. The requirements of the coatings are a minimum reflection of 99.5% at 45 degrees incidence angle for P-polarized light at 355-nm. The choice of coating materials, design, and deposition method were left to the participants. Laser damage testing was performed at a single testing facility using the raster scan method with a 5-ns pulse length laser system operating at 10 Hz in a single longitudinal mode. A double blind test assured sample and submitter anonymity. Finally, in addition to the laser damage resistance results, details of the deposition processes, cleaningmore » method, coating materials and layer count are also shared.« less

Thin film femtosecond laser damage competition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stolz, Christopher J.; Ristau, Detlev; Turowski, Marcus; Blaschke, Holger

2009-10-01

In order to determine the current status of thin film laser resistance within the private, academic, and government sectors, a damage competition was started at the 2008 Boulder Damage Symposium. This damage competition allows a direct comparison of the current state of the art of high laser resistance coatings since they are tested using the same damage test setup and the same protocol. In 2009 a high reflector coating was selected at a wavelength of 786 nm at normal incidence at a pulse length of 180 femtoseconds. A double blind test assured sample and submitter anonymity so only a summary of the results are presented here. In addition to the laser resistance results, details of deposition processes, coating materials and layer count, and spectral results will also be shared.

BDS thin film damage competition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stolz, Christopher J.; Thomas, Michael D.; Griffin, Andrew J.

2008-10-01

A laser damage competition was held at the 2008 Boulder Damage Symposium in order to determine the current status of thin film laser resistance within the private, academic, and government sectors. This damage competition allows a direct comparison of the current state-of-the-art of high laser resistance coatings since they are all tested using the same damage test setup and the same protocol. A normal incidence high reflector multilayer coating was selected at a wavelength of 1064 nm. The substrates were provided by the submitters. A double blind test assured sample and submitter anonymity so only a summary of the results are presented here. In addition to the laser resistance results, details of deposition processes, coating materials, and layer count will also be shared.

Phenotypic and genotypic expression of self-incompatibility haplotypes in Arabidopsis lyrata suggests unique origin of alleles in different dominance classes.

PubMed

Prigoda, Nadia L; Nassuth, Annette; Mable, Barbara K

2005-07-01

The highly divergent alleles of the SRK gene in outcrossing Arabidopsis lyrata have provided important insights into the evolutionary history of self-incompatibility (SI) alleles and serve as an ideal model for studies of the evolutionary and molecular interactions between alleles in cell-cell recognition systems in general. One tantalizing question is how new specificities arise in systems that require coordination between male and female components. Allelic recruitment via gene conversion has been proposed as one possibility, based on the division of DNA sequences at the SRK locus into two distinctive groups: (1) sequences whose relationships are not well resolved and display the long branch lengths expected for a gene under balancing selection (Class A); and (2) sequences falling into a well-supported group with shorter branch lengths (Class B) that are closely related to an unlinked paralogous locus. The purpose of this study was to determine if differences in phenotype (site of expression assayed using allele-specific reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction) or function (dominance relationships assayed through controlled pollinations) accompany the sequence-based classification. Expression of Class A alleles was restricted to floral tissues, as predicted for genes involved in the SI response. In contrast, Class B alleles, despite being tightly linked to the SI phenotype, were unexpectedly expressed in both leaves and floral tissues; the same pattern found for a related unlinked paralogous sequence. Whereas Class A included haplotypes in three different dominance classes, all Class B haplotypes were found to be recessive to all except one Class A haplotype. In addition, mapping of expression and dominance patterns onto an S-domain-based genealogy suggested that allelic dominance may be determined more by evolutionary history than by frequency-dependent selection for lowered dominance as some theories suggest. The possibility that interlocus gene conversion might have contributed to allelic diversity is discussed.

Genetic Dissection of Sexual Reproduction in a Primary Homothallic Basidiomycete

PubMed Central

Sampaio, José Paulo; Gonçalves, Paula

2016-01-01

In fungi belonging to the phylum Basidiomycota, sexual compatibility is usually determined by two genetically unlinked MAT loci, one of which encodes one or more pheromone receptors (P/R) and pheromone precursors, and the other comprehends at least one pair of divergently transcribed genes encoding homeodomain (HD) transcription factors. Most species are heterothallic, meaning that sexual reproduction requires mating between two sexually compatible individuals harboring different alleles at both MAT loci. However, some species are known to be homothallic, one individual being capable of completing the sexual cycle without mating with a genetically distinct partner. While the molecular underpinnings of the heterothallic life cycles of several basidiomycete model species have been dissected in great detail, much less is known concerning the molecular basis for homothallism. Following the discovery in available draft genomes of the homothallic basidiomycetous yeast Phaffia rhodozyma of P/R and HD genes, we employed available genetic tools to determine their role in sexual development. Two P/R clusters, each harboring one pheromone receptor and one pheromone precursor gene were found in close vicinity of each other and were shown to form two redundant P/R pairs, each receptor being activated by the pheromone encoded by the most distal pheromone precursor gene. The HD locus is apparently genetically unlinked to the P/R locus and encodes a single pair of divergently transcribed HD1 and HD2 transcription factors, both required for normal completion of the sexual cycle. Given the genetic makeup of P. rhodozyma MAT loci, we postulate that it is a primarily homothallic organism and we propose a model for the interplay of molecular interactions required for sexual development in this species. Phaffia rhodozyma is considered one of the most promising microbial source of the carotenoid astaxanthin. Further development of this yeast as an industrial organism will benefit from new insights regarding its sexual reproduction system. PMID:27327578

Co-operation between Polymerases and Nucleotide Synthetases in the RNA World.

PubMed

Kim, Ye Eun; Higgs, Paul G

2016-11-01

It is believed that life passed through an RNA World stage in which replication was sustained by catalytic RNAs (ribozymes). The two most obvious types of ribozymes are a polymerase, which uses a neighbouring strand as a template to make a complementary sequence to the template, and a nucleotide synthetase, which synthesizes monomers for use by the polymerase. When a chemical source of monomers is available, the polymerase can survive on its own. When the chemical supply of monomers is too low, nucleotide production by the synthetase is essential and the two ribozymes can only survive when they are together. Here we consider a computational model to investigate conditions under which coexistence and cooperation of these two types of ribozymes is possible. The model considers six types of strands: the two functional sequences, the complementary strands to these sequences (which are required as templates), and non-functional mutants of the two sequences (which act as parasites). Strands are distributed on a two-dimensional lattice. Polymerases replicate strands on neighbouring sites and synthetases produce monomers that diffuse in the local neighbourhood. We show that coexistence of unlinked polymerases and synthetases is possible in this spatial model under conditions in which neither sequence could survive alone; hence, there is a selective force for increasing complexity. Coexistence is dependent on the relative lengths of the two functional strands, the strand diffusion rate, the monomer diffusion rate, and the rate of deleterious mutations. The sensitivity of this two-ribozyme system suggests that evolution of a system of many types of ribozymes would be difficult in a purely spatial model with unlinked genes. We therefore speculate that linkage of genes onto mini-chromosomes and encapsulation of strands in protocells would have been important fairly early in the history of life as a means of enabling more complex systems to evolve.

Clinical pharmacogenomics: patient perspectives of pharmacogenomic testing and the incidence of actionable test results in a chronic disease cohort.

PubMed

Mukherjee, Chandrama; Sweet, Kevin M; Luzum, Jasmine A; Abdel-Rasoul, Mahmoud; Christman, Michael F; Kitzmiller, Joseph P

2017-09-01

This study aimed to examine pharmacogenomic test results and patient perspectives at an academic cardiovascular medicine clinic. Test results for three common cardiovascular drug-gene tests (warfarin- CYP2C9-VKORC1 , clopidogrel- CYP2C19 and simvastatin- SLCO1B1 ) of 208 patients in the Ohio State University-Coriell Personalized Medicine Collaborative were examined to determine the incidence of potentially actionable test results. A post-hoc, anonymous, patient survey was also conducted. Potentially actionable test results for at least one of the three drug-gene tests were determined in 170 (82%) patients. Survey responses (n = 134) suggested that patients generally considered their test results to be important (median of 7.5 on a 10-point scale of importance) and were interested (median of 7.3 on a 10-point scale of interest) in a Clinical Pharmacogenomic Service. Attitudes toward pharmacogenomic testing were generally favorable, and potentially actionable test results were not uncommon in this cardiovascular medicine cohort.

Privacy in Social Networks: A Survey

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zheleva, Elena; Getoor, Lise

In this chapter, we survey the literature on privacy in social networks. We focus both on online social networks and online affiliation networks. We formally define the possible privacy breaches and describe the privacy attacks that have been studied. We present definitions of privacy in the context of anonymization together with existing anonymization techniques.

Anonymously Productive and Socially Engaged While Learning at Work

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Magni, Luca

2016-01-01

Many concurrent variables appear to influence people when they interact anonymously, either face-to-face (F2F) or in computer-mediated communications (CMC).This paper presents the results of a small exploratory research, conducted in a medical company in Italy, to investigate how the use of pseudonyms influences CMC behaviours. The study involved…

Objectivity in Grading: The Promise of Bar Codes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jae, Haeran; Cowling, John

2009-01-01

This article proposes the use of a new technology to assure student anonymity and reduce bias hazards: identifying students by using bar codes. The limited finding suggests that the use of bar codes for assuring student anonymity could potentially cause students to perceive that grades are assigned more fairly and reassure teachers that they are…

Sexuality Information Needs of Latino and African American Ninth Graders: A Content Analysis of Anonymous Questions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Angulo-Olaiz, Francisca; Goldfarb, Eva S.; Constantine, Norman A.

2014-01-01

This study used qualitative content analysis to examine anonymous questions about sex and sexuality submitted by Latino and African American adolescents in Los Angeles, California, classrooms. The majority of questions asked about sexuality and sexual behavior, or anatomy and physiology, with fewer questions about pregnancy and pregnancy…

Anonymity versus Perceived Patron Identity in Virtual Reference Transcripts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roper, Kristin Grabarek; Sobel, Karen

2012-01-01

Librarians who provide virtual reference services often perceive that their patrons self-identify to some degree, even when transactions are anonymous. They also develop a sense of patrons' greatest research-related needs over time. In this article, two librarians analyze two years' worth of virtual reference transcripts to determine what patrons…

Pursuing the Anonymous User: Privacy Rights and Mandatory Registration of Prepaid Mobile Phones

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gow, Gordon A.; Parisi, Jennifer

2008-01-01

In recent years there has been concern among law enforcement and national security organizations about the use of "anonymous" prepaid mobile phone service and its purported role in supporting criminal and terrorist activities. As a result, a number of countries have implemented registration requirements for such service. Privacy rights advocates…

Fieldale-Collinsville Middle School: Banishing Anonymity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Principal Leadership, 2010

2010-01-01

It is no accident that the staff at Fieldale-Collinsville Middle School adopted a central tenet of "Breaking Ranks in the Middle"--to banish anonymity by creating a personalized learning environment for all of its students. The school was created six years ago when the four middle schools in Henry County, VA, were consolidated into two…

Anonymity and Motivation in Asynchronous Discussions and L2 Vocabulary Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Polat, Nihat; Mancilla, Rae; Mahalingappa, Laura

2013-01-01

This study investigates L2 attainment in asynchronous online environments, specifically possible relationships among anonymity, L2 motivation, participation in discussions, quality of L2 production, and success in L2 vocabulary learning. It examines, in asynchronous discussions, (a) if participation and (b) motivation contribute to L2 vocabulary…

Anonymity in Blended Learning: Who Would You like to Be?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miyazoe, Terumi; Anderson, Terry

2011-01-01

This paper examines the learning outcomes associated with implementing discussion forums and blog writings using pseudonyms in blended learning. Although anonymity or masking one's identity has been used as a teaching strategy designed to induce higher writing production and lowering anxiety in face-to-face writing instruction, little research has…

Understanding the Role of Storytelling in the Transformation of Female Cocaine Addicts in Narcotics Anonymous

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ventresca, Melissa Weida

2012-01-01

The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand the role of storytelling in the transformation of female cocaine addicts in Narcotics Anonymous. For this research the primary investigator utilized a theoretical orientation of transformative learning theory and storytelling. The rationale for employing transformative learning theory is that…

Assessment--Service--Training: The Many Faces of a University Peer Hotline.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Curran, Jack

In this study, a peer-operated university-based anonymous hotline is a data source for the assessment of student concerns and needs, providing empirical information for prevention-oriented psycho-educational campus programming. This paper covers the collection and assessment of data from the anonymous hotline service of the Middle Earth Peer…

Against anonymity.

PubMed

Baker, Robert

2014-05-01

In 'New Threats to Academic Freedom' Francesca Minerva argues that anonymity for the authors of controversial articles is a prerequisite for academic freedom in the Internet age. This argument draws its intellectual and emotional power from the author's account of the reaction to the on-line publication of ' After-birth abortion: why should the baby live?'--an article that provoked cascades of hostile postings and e-mails. Reflecting on these events, Minerva proposes that publishers should offer the authors of controversial articles the option of publishing their articles anonymously. This response reviews the history of anonymous publication and concludes that its reintroduction in the Internet era would recreate problems similar to those that led print journals to abandon the practice: corruption of scholarly discourse by invective and hate speech, masked conflicts of interest, and a diminution of editorial accountability. It also contends that Minerva misreads the intent of the hostile e-mails provoked by 'After-birth abortion,' and that ethicists who publish controversial articles should take responsibility by dialoguing with their critics--even those whose critiques are emotionally charged and hostile. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

kACTUS 2: Privacy Preserving in Classification Tasks Using k-Anonymity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kisilevich, Slava; Elovici, Yuval; Shapira, Bracha; Rokach, Lior

k-anonymity is the method used for masking sensitive data which successfully solves the problem of re-linking of data with an external source and makes it difficult to re-identify the individual. Thus k-anonymity works on a set of quasi-identifiers (public sensitive attributes), whose possible availability and linking is anticipated from external dataset, and demands that the released dataset will contain at least k records for every possible quasi-identifier value. Another aspect of k is its capability of maintaining the truthfulness of the released data (unlike other existing methods). This is achieved by generalization, a primary technique in k-anonymity. Generalization consists of generalizing attribute values and substituting them with semantically consistent but less precise values. When the substituted value doesn’t preserve semantic validity the technique is called suppression which is a private case of generalization. We present a hybrid approach called compensation which is based on suppression and swapping for achieving privacy. Since swapping decreases the truthfulness of attribute values there is a tradeoff between level of swapping (information truthfulness) and suppression (information loss) incorporated in our algorithm.

Identity, Physical Space, and Stigma Among African American Men Living with HIV in Chicago and Seattle.

PubMed

Singleton, Judith L; Raunig, Manuela; Brunsteter, Halley; Desmond, Michelle; Rao, Deepa

2015-12-01

African American men have the highest rates of HIV in the USA, and research has shown that stigma, mistrust of health care, and other psychosocial factors interfere with optimal engagement in care with this population. In order to further understand reducing stigma and other psychosocial issues among African American men, we conducted qualitative interviews and focus groups with African American men in two metropolitan areas in the USA: Chicago and Seattle. We examined transcripts for relationships across variables of stigma, anonymity, self-identity, and space within the context of HIV. Our analysis pointed to similarities between experiences of stigma across the two cities and illustrated the relationships between space, isolation, and preferred anonymity related to living with HIV. The men in our study often preferred that their HIV-linked identities remain invisible and anonymous, associated with perceived and created isolation from physical community spaces. This article suggests that our health care and housing institutions may influence preferences for anonymity. We make recommendations in key areas to create safer spaces for African American men living with HIV and reduce feelings of stigma and isolation.

Quantifying the costs and benefits of privacy-preserving health data publishing.

PubMed

Khokhar, Rashid Hussain; Chen, Rui; Fung, Benjamin C M; Lui, Siu Man

2014-08-01

Cost-benefit analysis is a prerequisite for making good business decisions. In the business environment, companies intend to make profit from maximizing information utility of published data while having an obligation to protect individual privacy. In this paper, we quantify the trade-off between privacy and data utility in health data publishing in terms of monetary value. We propose an analytical cost model that can help health information custodians (HICs) make better decisions about sharing person-specific health data with other parties. We examine relevant cost factors associated with the value of anonymized data and the possible damage cost due to potential privacy breaches. Our model guides an HIC to find the optimal value of publishing health data and could be utilized for both perturbative and non-perturbative anonymization techniques. We show that our approach can identify the optimal value for different privacy models, including K-anonymity, LKC-privacy, and ∊-differential privacy, under various anonymization algorithms and privacy parameters through extensive experiments on real-life data. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

How safe are adolescents at Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous meetings? A prospective investigation with outpatient youth.

PubMed

Kelly, John F; Dow, Sarah J; Yeterian, Julie D; Myers, Mark

2011-06-01

Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and Narcotics Anonymous (NA) have proven to be cost-effective recovery resources for adults and also appear helpful for youth. However, anecdotal concerns about adolescents' safety at meetings have dampened enthusiasm regarding youth participation. Unfortunately, little information exists to evaluate such concerns. Outpatients (N = 127; 24% female) were assessed at intake and at 3, 6, and 12 months regarding perceived safety at AA/NA, experience of negative incidents, and reasons for nonattendance/discontinuation. By 12-month follow-up, 57.5% reported some AA/NA attendance with a combined lifetime exposure of 5,340 meetings. Of these, 21.9% reported at least one negative experience, which was more common among NA than AA attendees. Overall, youth reported feeling very safe at meetings, and ratings did not differ by age or gender. Reasons for discontinuation or nonattendance were unrelated to safety or negative incidents. Weighing risks against documented benefits, these preliminary findings suggest that referral to AA/NA should not be discouraged, but, similar to adults, youth experiences at meetings should be monitored. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Influence of religiosity on 12-step participation and treatment response among substance-dependent adolescents.

PubMed

Kelly, John F; Pagano, Maria E; Stout, Robert L; Johnson, Shannon M

2011-11-01

Religious practices among adults are associated with more 12-step participation which, in turn, is linked to better treatment outcomes. Despite recommendations for adolescents to participate in mutual-help groups, little is known about how religious practices influence youth 12-step engagement and outcomes. This study examined the relationships among lifetime religiosity, during-treatment 12-step participation, and outcomes among adolescents, and tested whether any observed beneficial relation between higher religiosity and outcome could be explained by increased 12-step participation. Adolescents (n = 195; 52% female, ages 14-18) court-referred to a 2-month residential treatment were assessed at intake and discharge. Lifetime religiosity was assessed with the Religious Background and Behaviors Questionnaire; 12-step assessments measured meeting attendance, step work (General Alcoholics Anonymous Tools of Recovery), and Alcoholics Anonymous (AA)/Narcotics Anonymous (NA)-related helping. Substance-related outcomes and psychosocial outcomes were assessed with toxicology screens, the Adolescent-Obsessive Compulsive Drinking Scale, the Children's Global Assessment Scale, and the Narcissistic Personality Inventory. Greater lifetime formal religious practices at intake were associated with increased step work and AA/NA-related helping during treatment, which in turn were linked to improved substance outcomes, global functioning, and reduced narcissistic entitlement. Increased step work mediated the effect of religious practices on increased abstinence, whereas AA/NA-related helping mediated the effect of religiosity on reduced craving and entitlement. Findings extend the evidence for the protective effects of lifetime religious behaviors to an improved treatment response among adolescents and provide preliminary support for the 12-step proposition that helping others in recovery may lead to better outcomes. Youth with low or no lifetime religious practices may assimilate less well into 12-step-oriented treatment and may need additional 12-step facilitation, or a different approach, to enhance treatment response.

Lifetime Alcoholics Anonymous attendance as a predictor of spiritual gains in the Relapse Replication and Extension Project (RREP).

PubMed

Tonigan, J Scott; McCallion, Elizabeth A; Frohe, Tessa; Pearson, Matthew R

2017-02-01

This study investigated the association between extent of lifetime attendance in Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and spiritual gains among treatment seeking adults for alcohol use disorder. Participants included 246 individuals from 2 of the 3 sites in the Relapse Replication and Extension Project (Lowman, Allen, Stout, & The Relapse Research Group, 1996). Baseline characteristics included 63% male, 39.9% single, and the average age was 34 years (SD = 8.2). The Alcoholics Anonymous Involvement questionnaire (Tonigan, Connors, & Miller, 1996) was used to assess lifetime AA attendance. The Religious Beliefs & Behaviors Questionnaire (Connors, Tonigan, & Miller, 1996) was used to assess spirituality. Percent days abstinent (PDA) and drinks per drinking day (DPDD) were measured using the Form 90. At baseline, adults with more extensive AA histories were more severely alcohol impaired although they were no older relative to adults with less past AA exposure. Clear patterns of AA engagement were found between the high-low AA history groups over follow-up, with adults with less AA experience reporting less AA participation across a swath of AA-specific measures. Gains in spiritual practices significantly mediated AA-related benefit as measured by PDA and DPDD. Tests for moderated-mediation indicated that the magnitude of the mediational effect of spiritual gains did not differ between high-low AA history groups. Having an extensive AA history did not advantage (or disadvantage) adults in mobilizing future spiritual practices that are prescribed in AA. Clinical assessment of client AA history is important, however, because it predicts both the nature and extent that clients may participate in AA. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

AN-Type Fittings in the International Space System (ISS) Node 2 Ammonia System Technical Assessment Report

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cragg, Clinton H.; Dibbern, Andreas W.; Beil, Robert J.; Terrone, Mark; Rotter, Henry A.; Ernest, Steve; Frankenfield, Bruce; Solano, Paul

2009-01-01

Based on an anonymous request, an NESC Assessment Team was formed to investigate potential leakage problems from the ISS Program's Node 2 Anhydrous Ammonia System AN fittings. The Team's charter was to provide the ISS Program with a path to follow, which could include testing, to ensure the ISS Program felt confident that the AN fittings' leakage would not exceed specified limits in orbit. The findings from that assessment are contained in this document.

The Risky Shift Toward Online Activism: Do Hacktivists Pose an Increased Threat to the Homeland?

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-09-01

Cow and was intended to refer to the use of technology to foster human rights and the open exchange of information.11 The term has since evolved to...Orbit Ion Cannon (LOIC) has become a favorite of the hacktivist group Anonymous. The tool, originally created to perform witting stress tests of...that were generating the enormous heat , the enormous pressure, the enormous growth, and really shaping the political.”249 This failed approach to align

Privacy and confidentiality measures in genetic testing and counselling: arguing on genetic exceptionalism again?

PubMed

Witt, Magdalena M; Witt, Michał P

2016-11-01

Medical confidentiality in clinical genetics poses an important question about its scope, which would be in line with professional ethics and simple honesty. It is already known that the maintenance of absolute anonymity, bearing in mind the current progress of genetic techniques, is virtually impossible. On the other hand, our insight into the information contained in the human genome is increasing. This mini-review presents the authors' standpoint regarding this complex and difficult issue.

Conducting Anonymous, Incentivized, Online Surveys With Sexual and Gender Minority Adolescents: Lessons Learned From a National Polyvictimization Study.

PubMed

Sterzing, Paul R; Gartner, Rachel E; McGeough, Briana L

2018-03-01

Sexual and gender minority adolescents represent an understudied and hard-to-reach population who experience higher rates of mental and behavioral health problems in comparison to their cisgender, heterosexual peers. Online surveys and the proliferation of Internet-connected devices among adolescents offer an exciting opportunity for researchers to begin addressing research gaps and past methodological limitations with these hard-to-reach populations. The purpose of this article is to provide guidance to researchers who are designing and implementing anonymous, incentivized, online surveys by examining the following critical domains-(a) recruitment and engagement: means of leveraging social media and videos to recruit and engage a more nationally representative sample; (b) safety and protection: strategies for administering informed consent and protecting participant anonymity and well-being; and (c) data integrity: mechanisms to detect dishonest and repeat responders. To facilitate discussion of these aims, concrete examples are used from SpeakOut-a 3-year, national study funded by the National Institute of Justice that utilized an anonymous, incentivized, online survey with a large sample of sexual and gender minority adolescents ( N = 1,177) to identify the prevalence, incidence, and correlates of polyvictimization. The article concludes with lessons learned from this national study and recommendations for technological innovations and future research that will strengthen the utility of anonymous, incentivized, online surveys to study sexual and gender minority adolescents and other hard-to-reach populations.

A Context-sensitive Approach to Anonymizing Spatial Surveillance Data: Impact on Outbreak Detection

PubMed Central

Cassa, Christopher A.; Grannis, Shaun J.; Overhage, J. Marc; Mandl, Kenneth D.

2006-01-01

Objective: The use of spatially based methods and algorithms in epidemiology and surveillance presents privacy challenges for researchers and public health agencies. We describe a novel method for anonymizing individuals in public health data sets by transposing their spatial locations through a process informed by the underlying population density. Further, we measure the impact of the skew on detection of spatial clustering as measured by a spatial scanning statistic. Design: Cases were emergency department (ED) visits for respiratory illness. Baseline ED visit data were injected with artificially created clusters ranging in magnitude, shape, and location. The geocoded locations were then transformed using a de-identification algorithm that accounts for the local underlying population density. Measurements: A total of 12,600 separate weeks of case data with artificially created clusters were combined with control data and the impact on detection of spatial clustering identified by a spatial scan statistic was measured. Results: The anonymization algorithm produced an expected skew of cases that resulted in high values of data set k-anonymity. De-identification that moves points an average distance of 0.25 km lowers the spatial cluster detection sensitivity by less than 4% and lowers the detection specificity less than 1%. Conclusion: A population-density–based Gaussian spatial blurring markedly decreases the ability to identify individuals in a data set while only slightly decreasing the performance of a standardly used outbreak detection tool. These findings suggest new approaches to anonymizing data for spatial epidemiology and surveillance. PMID:16357353

Location Prediction Based on Transition Probability Matrices Constructing from Sequential Rules for Spatial-Temporal K-Anonymity Dataset

PubMed Central

Liu, Zhao; Zhu, Yunhong; Wu, Chenxue

2016-01-01

Spatial-temporal k-anonymity has become a mainstream approach among techniques for protection of users’ privacy in location-based services (LBS) applications, and has been applied to several variants such as LBS snapshot queries and continuous queries. Analyzing large-scale spatial-temporal anonymity sets may benefit several LBS applications. In this paper, we propose two location prediction methods based on transition probability matrices constructing from sequential rules for spatial-temporal k-anonymity dataset. First, we define single-step sequential rules mined from sequential spatial-temporal k-anonymity datasets generated from continuous LBS queries for multiple users. We then construct transition probability matrices from mined single-step sequential rules, and normalize the transition probabilities in the transition matrices. Next, we regard a mobility model for an LBS requester as a stationary stochastic process and compute the n-step transition probability matrices by raising the normalized transition probability matrices to the power n. Furthermore, we propose two location prediction methods: rough prediction and accurate prediction. The former achieves the probabilities of arriving at target locations along simple paths those include only current locations, target locations and transition steps. By iteratively combining the probabilities for simple paths with n steps and the probabilities for detailed paths with n-1 steps, the latter method calculates transition probabilities for detailed paths with n steps from current locations to target locations. Finally, we conduct extensive experiments, and correctness and flexibility of our proposed algorithm have been verified. PMID:27508502

The effects of anonymity on student ratings of teaching and course quality in a bachelor degree programme.

PubMed

Scherer, Theresa; Straub, Jan; Schnyder, Daniel; Schaffner, Noemi

2013-01-01

Are there any clear differences between the outcomes of anonymous and personalised student evaluations of teaching quality? During a two-year period students were randomly divided into two separate groups, "anonymous" and "personalised", for end-of-module evaluations. The quality of the module was assessed using a standardised questionnaire. Additionally, students were given the option to add "further comments" if they wanted to highlight specifics. These optional comments were independently assessed by three people, using a five-dimensional rating instrument: positive/negative; differentiated/absolute; naming a person/general; containing an order/neutral; visually accentuated/blank. The database consisted of 615 evaluation forms, of which 306 were completed anonymously. In order to identify whether there were any differences between the anonymous and personalised data, a multivariate variance analysis was performed. Based on the scale, the answers to the questions and the quality of the comments were evaluated. Furthermore, an assessment was made to determine if there were any differences in the number of optional comments between the two groups. No significant differences were identified in the informative quality of data between the anonymous and personalised student evaluations. However, students in the personalised group had a tendency to include more details in their written answers. Personalised evaluations do not generate more biased results in terms of social desirability, as long as the evaluation concept is characterised by a closed-circle process and is transparent. In other words, it is imperative that the outcomes of the evaluation are reported back to the students. Moreover, there has to be an opportunity for students to discuss any further suggestions and/or future desires in an open environment. In this way the students respect and understand that their feedback is being taken seriously; consequently, they feel able to provide a constructive and honest evaluation.

Confidentiality, anonymity and amnesty for midwives in distress seeking online support - Ethical?

PubMed

Pezaro, Sally; Clyne, Wendy; Gerada, Clare

2018-06-01

Midwife health is intrinsically linked to the quality of safe patient care. To ensure safe patient care, there is a need to deliver emotional support to midwives. One option that midwives may turn to may be a confidential online intervention, instead of localised, face-to-face support. Following the Realist And MEta-narrative Evidence Syntheses: Evolving Standards publication standards, this realist synthesis approach explores the ethical considerations in permitting confidentiality, anonymity and amnesty in online interventions to support midwives in work-related psychological distress. An iterative search methodology was used to select nine papers for review. To assimilate information, papers were examined for ideas relating to ethical dimensions of online interventions to support midwives in work-related psychological distress. This review takes a narrative approach. Online interventions can support the development of insight, help seeking and open discussion. Additionally, Internet support groups can become morally persuasive in nature. Anonymity and confidentiality are both effective and therapeutic features of online interventions when used in collaboration with effective online moderation. Yet, ethical dilemmas remain where users cannot be identified. Confidentiality and anonymity remain key components of successful online interventions. However, sanctioning the corollary component of amnesty may provoke moral discomfort for those seeking immediate accountability. For others, amnesty is seen as essential for open disclosure and help seeking. Ultimately, the needs of midwives must be balanced with the requirement to protect the public and the professional reputation of midwifery. In supporting midwives online, the principles of anonymity, confidentiality and amnesty may evoke some resistance on ethical grounds. However, without offering identity protection, it may not be possible to create effective online support services for midwives. The authors of this article argue that the principles of confidentiality, anonymity and amnesty should be upheld in the pursuit of the greatest benefit for the greatest number of people.

Two-locus maximum lod score analysis of a multifactorial trait: joint consideration of IDDM2 and IDDM4 with IDDM1 in type 1 diabetes.

PubMed

Cordell, H J; Todd, J A; Bennett, S T; Kawaguchi, Y; Farrall, M

1995-10-01

To investigate the genetic component of multifactorial diseases such as type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetes mellitus (IDDM), models involving the joint action of several disease loci are important. These models can give increased power to detect an effect and a greater understanding of etiological mechanisms. Here, we present an extension of the maximum lod score method of N. Risch, which allows the simultaneous detection and modeling of two unlinked disease loci. Genetic constraints on the identical-by-descent sharing probabilities, analogous to the "triangle" restrictions in the single-locus method, are derived, and the size and power of the test statistics are investigated. The method is applied to affected-sib-pair data, and the joint effects of IDDM1 (HLA) and IDDM2 (the INS VNTR) and of IDDM1 and IDDM4 (FGF3-linked) are assessed with relation to the development of IDDM. In the presence of genetic heterogeneity, there is seen to be a significant advantage in analyzing more than one locus simultaneously. Analysis of these families indicates that the effects at IDDM1 and IDDM2 are well described by a multiplicative genetic model, while those at IDDM1 and IDDM4 follow a heterogeneity model.

Two-locus maximum lod score analysis of a multifactorial trait: joint consideration of IDDM2 and IDDM4 with IDDM1 in type 1 diabetes.

PubMed Central

Cordell, H J; Todd, J A; Bennett, S T; Kawaguchi, Y; Farrall, M

1995-01-01

To investigate the genetic component of multifactorial diseases such as type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetes mellitus (IDDM), models involving the joint action of several disease loci are important. These models can give increased power to detect an effect and a greater understanding of etiological mechanisms. Here, we present an extension of the maximum lod score method of N. Risch, which allows the simultaneous detection and modeling of two unlinked disease loci. Genetic constraints on the identical-by-descent sharing probabilities, analogous to the "triangle" restrictions in the single-locus method, are derived, and the size and power of the test statistics are investigated. The method is applied to affected-sib-pair data, and the joint effects of IDDM1 (HLA) and IDDM2 (the INS VNTR) and of IDDM1 and IDDM4 (FGF3-linked) are assessed with relation to the development of IDDM. In the presence of genetic heterogeneity, there is seen to be a significant advantage in analyzing more than one locus simultaneously. Analysis of these families indicates that the effects at IDDM1 and IDDM2 are well described by a multiplicative genetic model, while those at IDDM1 and IDDM4 follow a heterogeneity model. PMID:7573054

Unlinked Mendelian inheritance of red and black pigmentation in snakes: Implications for Batesian mimicry.

PubMed

Davis Rabosky, Alison R; Cox, Christian L; Rabosky, Daniel L

2016-04-01

Identifying the genetic basis of mimetic signals is critical to understanding both the origin and dynamics of mimicry over time. For species not amenable to large laboratory breeding studies, widespread color polymorphism across natural populations offers a powerful way to assess the relative likelihood of different genetic systems given observed phenotypic frequencies. We classified color phenotype for 2175 ground snakes (Sonora semiannulata) across the continental United States to analyze morph ratios and test among competing hypotheses about the genetic architecture underlying red and black coloration in coral snake mimics. We found strong support for a two-locus model under simple Mendelian inheritance, with red and black pigmentation being controlled by separate loci. We found no evidence of either linkage disequilibrium between loci or sex linkage. In contrast to Batesian mimicry systems such as butterflies in which all color signal components are linked into a single "supergene," our results suggest that the mimetic signal in colubrid snakes can be disrupted through simple recombination and that color evolution is likely to involve discrete gains and losses of each signal component. Both outcomes are likely to contribute to the exponential increase in rates of color evolution seen in snake mimicry systems over insect systems. © 2016 The Author(s). Evolution © 2016 The Society for the Study of Evolution.

Fungal lectin MpL enables entry of protein drugs into cancer cells and their subcellular targeting

PubMed Central

Kos, Janko; Sabotič, Jerica

2017-01-01

Lectins have been recognized as promising carrier molecules for targeted drug delivery. They specifically bind carbohydrate moieties on cell membranes and trigger cell internalization. Fungal lectin MpL (Macrolepiota procera lectin) does not provoke cancer cell cytotoxicity but is able to bind aminopeptidase N (CD13) and integrin α3β1, two glycoproteins that are overexpressed on the membrane of tumor cells. Upon binding, MpL is endocytosed in a clathrin-dependent manner and accumulates initially in the Golgi apparatus and, finally, in the lysosomes. For effective binding and internalization a functional binding site on the α-repeat is needed. To test the potential of MpL as a carrier for delivering protein drugs to cancer cells we constructed fusion proteins consisting of MpL and the cysteine peptidase inhibitors cystatin C and clitocypin. The fused proteins followed the same endocytic route as the unlinked MpL. Peptidase inhibitor-MpL fusions impaired both the intracellular degradation of extracellular matrix and the invasiveness of cancer cells. MpL is thus shown in vitro to be a lectin that can enable protein drugs to enter cancer cells, enhance their internalization and sort them to lysosomes and the Golgi apparatus. PMID:28460472

Evolution of dominance in sporophytic self-incompatibility systems: I. Genetic load and coevolution of levels of dominance in pollen and pistil.

PubMed

Llaurens, Violaine; Billiard, Sylvain; Castric, Vincent; Vekemans, Xavier

2009-09-01

Recent theoretical advances have suggested that various forms of balancing selection may promote the evolution of dominance through an increase of the proportion of heterozygote genotypes. We test whether dominance can evolve in the sporophytic self-incompatibility (SSI) system in plants. SSI prevents mating between individuals expressing identical SI phenotypes by recognition of pollen by pistils, which avoids selfing and inbreeding depression. SI phenotypes depend on a complex network of dominance relationships between alleles at the self-incompatibility locus (S-locus). Empirical studies suggest that these relationships are not random, but the exact evolutionary processes shaping these relationships remain unclear. We investigate the expected patterns of dominance under the hypothesis that dominance is a direct target of natural selection. We follow the fate of a mutant allele at the S-locus whose dominance relationships are changed but whose specificity remains unaltered. We show that strict codominance is not evolutionarily stable in SSI, and that inbreeding depression due to deleterious mutations linked or unlinked to the S-locus exerts strong constraints on changes in relative levels of dominance in pollen and pistil. Our results provide a general adaptive explanation for most patterns of dominance relationships empirically observed in natural plant populations.

Harm reduction measures and injecting inside prison versus mandatory drugs testing: results of a cross sectional anonymous questionnaire survey. The European Commission Network on HIV Infection and Hepatitis in Prison.

PubMed Central

Bird, A. G.; Gore, S. M.; Hutchinson, S. J.; Lewis, S. C.; Cameron, S.; Burns, S.

1997-01-01

OBJECTIVES: (a) To determine both the frequency of injecting inside prison and use of sterilising tablets to clean needles in the previous four weeks; (b) to assess the efficiency of random mandatory drugs testing at detecting prisoners who inject heroin inside prison; (c) to determine the percentage of prisoners who had been offered vaccination against hepatitis B. DESIGN: Cross sectional willing anonymous salivary HIV surveillance linked to a self completion risk factor questionnaire. SETTING: Lowmoss prison, Glasgow, and Aberdeen prison on 11 and 30 October 1996. SUBJECTS: 293 (94%) of all 312 inmates at Lowmoss and 146 (93%) of all 157 at Aberdeen, resulting in 286 and 143 valid questionnaires. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Frequency of injecting inside prison in the previous four weeks by injector inmates who had been in prison for at least four weeks. RESULTS: 116 (41%) Lowmoss and 53 (37%) Aberdeen prisoners had a history of injecting drug use but only 4% of inmates (17/395; 95% confidence interval 2% to 6%) had ever been offered vaccination against hepatitis B. 42 Lowmoss prisoners (estimated 207 injections and 258 uses of sterilising tablets) and 31 Aberdeen prisoners (229 injections, 221 uses) had injected inside prison in the previous four weeks. The prisons together held 112 injector inmates who had been in prison for more than four weeks, of whom 57 (51%; 42% to 60%) had injected in prison in the past four weeks; their estimated mean number of injections was 6.0 (SD 5.7). Prisoners injecting heroin six times in four weeks will test positive in random mandatory drugs testing on at most 18 days out of 28. CONCLUSIONS: Sterilising tablets and hepatitis B vaccination should be offered to all prisoners. Random mandatory drugs testing seriously underestimates injector inmates' harm reduction needs. PMID:9233321

Attachment Styles and Changes among Women Members of Overeaters Anonymous Who Have Recovered from Binge-Eating Disorder

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hertz, Pnina; Addad, Moshe; Ronel, Natti

2012-01-01

In Overeaters Anonymous (OA), the 12-step self-help program for compulsive overeaters, binge eating is regarded as a physical, spiritual, and emotional disorder. Consequently, the program proposes recovery through the adoption of a lifestyle that leads to physical, spiritual, and emotional well-being. A qualitative phenomenological study that…

Father-Daughter Incest: Data from an Anonymous Computerized Survey

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stroebel, Sandra S.; O'Keefe, Stephen L.; Beard, Keith W.; Kuo, Shih-Ya; Swindell, Samuel V. S.; Kommor, Martin J.

2012-01-01

Retrospective data were entered anonymously by 1,521 adult women using computer-assisted self-interview. Nineteen were classified as victims of father-daughter incest, and 241 were classified as victims of sexual abuse by an adult other than their father before reaching 18 years of age. The remaining 1,261 served as controls. Incest victims were…

Brother-Sister Incest: Data from Anonymous Computer-Assisted Self Interviews

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stroebel, Sandra S.; O'Keefe, Stephen L.; Beard, Keith W.; Kuo, Shih-Ya; Swindell, Samuel; Stroupe, Walter

2013-01-01

Retrospective data were entered anonymously by 1,521 adult women using computer-assisted self interview. Forty were classified as victims of brother-sister incest, 19 were classified as victims of father-daughter incest, and 232 were classified as victims of sexual abuse by an adult other than their father before reaching 18 years of age. The…

Strategic Embodiment in Virtual Spaces: Exploring an On-Line Discussion about Sexualities Equality in Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Depalma, Renee; Atkinson, Elizabeth

2007-01-01

This paper analyses patterns of participation on a voluntary anonymous Web-based discussion forum, open to students and faculty in one UK university, concerning sexualities equality in schools. Analysis revealed that participants often rejected the security of anonymity and strategically embodied themselves and others (as gay, straight, parents,…

An Anonymous Survey of Psychosomatic Medicine Fellowship Directors regarding Breaches of Contracts and a Proposal for Prevention

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Levenson, James L.; Bialer, Philip

2010-01-01

Objective: The authors studied how often applicants accept positions at more than one program, or programs offer positions to applicants who have already signed contracts with other programs. Methods: An anonymous survey was distributed to all psychosomatic medicine fellowship program directors. Results: It is fairly common for applicants to sign…

"Not the Romantic, All Happy, Coochy Coo Experience": A Qualitative Analysis of Interactions on an Irish Parenting Web Site

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brady, Ellen; Guerin, Suzanne

2010-01-01

Support groups in online communities provide an anonymous place to exchange information and advice. Previous research has suggested that these groups offer a safe, nonjudgmental forum for new parents to share experiences and interact anonymously. This study investigated how participants in online parenting groups experience support via the…

Policy-Aware Sender Anonymity in Location-Based Services

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vyas, Avinash

2011-01-01

Sender anonymity in Location-based services (LBS) refers to hiding the identity of a mobile device user who sends requests to the LBS provider for services in her proximity (e.g. "find the nearest gas station etc."). The goal is to keep the requester's interest private even from attackers who (via hacking or subpoenas) gain access to the LBS…

Sex Differences in Attitudes towards Online Privacy and Anonymity among Israeli Students with Different Technical Backgrounds

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Weinberger, Maor; Zhitomirsky-Geffet, Maayan; Bouhnik, Dan

2017-01-01

Introduction: In this exploratory study, we proposed an experimental framework to investigate and model male/female differences in attitudes towards online privacy and anonymity among Israeli students. Our aim was to comparatively model men and women's online privacy attitudes, and to assess the online privacy gender gap. Method: Various factors…

Open and Anonymous Peer Review in a Digital Online Environment Compared in Academic Writing Context

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Razi, Salim

2016-01-01

This study compares the impact of "open" and "anonymous" peer feedback as an adjunct to teacher-mediated feedback in a digital online environment utilising data gathered on an academic writing course at a Turkish university. Students were divided into two groups with similar writing proficiencies. Students peer reviewed papers…

Tempest in a Therapeutic Community: Implementation and Evaluation Issues for Faith-Based Programming

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scott, Diane L.; Crow, Matthew S.; Thompson, Carla J.

2010-01-01

The therapeutic community (TC) is an increasingly utilized intervention model in corrections settings. Rarely do these TCs include faith-based curriculum other than that included in Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous programs as does the faith-based TC that serves as the basis for this article. Borrowing from the successful TC model, the…

Personal Development and Empowerment of Adolescents at Risk by Way of Prosocial Altruistic and Anonymous Activity: A Qualitative Perspective.

PubMed

Einat, Tomer; Michaeli, Neli

2018-01-01

Sahi is a unique program in Israel for adolescents at risk, based on the premise that altruistic and anonymous activities help and strengthen people who carry them out. The current research examines the factors leading juveniles at risk to be involved in the program and analyzes the impact of such activities on their behavior and perception of future. The findings are as follows: (a) Altruistic and anonymous activity is perceived as self-satisfying and as initiating feelings of behavioral independency, and (b) such activity is related to the development of self-confidence, empathy, and positive perception of the future. Implications of these results and limitations of the study are discussed.

Development and chromosome mechanics in nematodes: Results from IML-1

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nelson, G. A.; Schubert, W. W.; Kazarians, G. A.; Richards, G. F.

1994-01-01

A subset of the Caenorhabditis elegans nematodes flown aboard Biorack on IML-1 was analyzed for the fidelity of development and the mechanics of chromosomes at meiosis. To assess meiosis, mutant worms marked at two linked or unlinked loci were inoculated as heterozygous hermaphrodites and allowed to self fertilize. Mendelian segregation ratios and recombination frequency were measured for offspring produced at 1XG or in microgravity. To assess development, worms and embryos were fixed and stained with the DNA dye, Diamidinophenolindole (DAPI), or antibodies specific for antigens expressed in germ cells, pharyngeal and body wall muscles, and gut cells. The distribution of cytoplasmic determinants, cell nuclei counts and positions were scored to assess symmetry relations and anatomical features.

Impact of global warming on viral diseases: what is the evidence?

PubMed

Zell, Roland; Krumbholz, Andi; Wutzler, Peter

2008-12-01

Global warming is believed to induce a gradual climate change. Hence, it was predicted that tropical insects might expand their habitats thereby transmitting pathogens to humans. Although this concept is a conclusive presumption, clear evidence is still lacking--at least for viral diseases. Epidemiological data indicate that seasonality of many diseases is further influenced by strong single weather events, interannual climate phenomena, and anthropogenic factors. So far, emergence of new diseases was unlinked to global warming. Re-emergence and dispersion of diseases was correlated with translocation of pathogen-infected vectors or hosts. Coupled ocean/atmosphere circulations and 'global change' that also includes shifting of demographic, social, and economical conditions are important drivers of viral disease variability whereas global warming at best contributes.

Overall exterior view of the ISS during undocking and Flyaround Operations for STS-115 Space Shuttle Atlantis

NASA Image and Video Library

2006-09-19

S115-E-06732 (17 Sept. 2006) --- This view of the International Space Station, backdropped against the blackness of space, was taken shortly after the Space Shuttle Atlantis undocked from the orbital outpost at 7:50 a.m. CDT. The unlinking completed six days, two hours and two minutes of joint operations with the station crew. Atlantis left the station with a new, second pair of 240-foot solar wings, attached to a new 17.5-ton section of truss with batteries, electronics and a giant rotating joint. The new solar arrays eventually will double the station's onboard power when their electrical systems are brought online during the next shuttle flight, planned for launch in December.

Overall exterior view of the ISS during undocking and Flyaround Operations for STS-115 Space Shuttle Atlantis

NASA Image and Video Library

2006-09-19

S115-E-06715 (17 Sept. 2006) --- This view of the International Space Station, backdropped against the blackness of space, was taken shortly after the Space Shuttle Atlantis undocked from the orbital outpost at 7:50 a.m. CDT. The unlinking completed six days, two hours and two minutes of joint operations with the station crew. Atlantis left the station with a new, second pair of 240-foot solar wings, attached to a new 17.5-ton section of truss with batteries, electronics and a giant rotating joint. The new solar arrays eventually will double the station's onboard power when their electrical systems are brought online during the next shuttle flight, planned for launch in December.

Overall exterior view of the ISS during undocking and Flyaround Operations for STS-115 Space Shuttle Atlantis

NASA Image and Video Library

2006-09-19

S115-E-06765 (17 Sept. 2006) --- This view of the International Space Station, backdropped against a blue and white Earth, was taken shortly after the Space Shuttle Atlantis undocked from the orbital outpost at 7:50 a.m. CDT. The unlinking completed six days, two hours and two minutes of joint operations with the station crew. Atlantis left the station with a new, second pair of 240-foot solar wings, attached to a new 17.5-ton section of truss with batteries, electronics and a giant rotating joint. The new solar arrays eventually will double the station's onboard power when their electrical systems are brought online during the next shuttle flight, planned for launch in December.

Overall exterior view of the ISS during undocking and Flyaround Operations for STS-115 Space Shuttle Atlantis

NASA Image and Video Library

2006-09-19

S115-E-06764 (17 Sept. 2006) --- This view of the International Space Station, backdropped against a blue and white Earth, was photographed shortly after the Space Shuttle Atlantis undocked from the orbital outpost at 7:50 a.m. (CDT). The unlinking completed six days, two hours and two minutes of joint operations with the station crew. Atlantis left the station with a new, second pair of 240-foot solar wings, attached to a new 17.5-ton section of truss with batteries, electronics and a giant rotating joint. The new solar arrays eventually will double the station's onboard power when their electrical systems are brought online during the next shuttle flight, planned for launch in December.

Overall exterior view of the ISS during undocking and Flyaround Operations for STS-115 Space Shuttle Atlantis

NASA Image and Video Library

2006-09-19

S115-E-06624 (17 Sept. 2006) --- This view of the International Space Station, backdropped against a cloud-covered Earth, was taken shortly after the Space Shuttle Atlantis undocked from the orbital outpost at 7:50 a.m. (CDT). The unlinking completed six days, two hours and two minutes of joint operations with the station crew. Atlantis left the station with a new, second pair of 240-foot solar wings, attached to a new 17.5-ton section of truss with batteries, electronics and a giant rotating joint. The new solar arrays eventually will double the station's onboard power when their electrical systems are brought online during the next shuttle flight, planned for launch in December.

Overall exterior view of the ISS during undocking and Flyaround Operations for STS-115 Space Shuttle Atlantis

NASA Image and Video Library

2006-09-19

S115-E-06741 (17 Sept. 2006) --- This view of the International Space Station, backdropped against the blackness of space, was taken shortly after the Space Shuttle Atlantis undocked from the orbital outpost at 7:50 a.m. CDT. The unlinking completed six days, two hours and two minutes of joint operations with the station crew. Atlantis left the station with a new, second pair of 240-foot solar wings, attached to a new 17.5-ton section of truss with batteries, electronics and a giant rotating joint. The new solar arrays eventually will double the station's onboard power when their electrical systems are brought online during the next shuttle flight, planned for launch in December.

Overall exterior view of the ISS during undocking and Flyaround Operations for STS-115 Space Shuttle Atlantis

NASA Image and Video Library

2006-09-19

S115-E-06723 (17 Sept. 2006) --- This view of the International Space Station, backdropped against the blackness of space, was taken shortly after the Space Shuttle Atlantis undocked from the orbital outpost at 7:50 a.m. CDT. The unlinking completed six days, two hours and two minutes of joint operations with the station crew. Atlantis left the station with a new, second pair of 240-foot solar wings, attached to a new 17.5-ton section of truss with batteries, electronics and a giant rotating joint. The new solar arrays eventually will double the station's onboard power when their electrical systems are brought online during the next shuttle flight, planned for launch in December.

Overall exterior view of the ISS during undocking and Flyaround Operations for STS-115 Space Shuttle Atlantis

NASA Image and Video Library

2006-09-19

S115-E-06750 (17 Sept. 2006) --- This view of the International Space Station, backdropped against the blackness of space, was taken shortly after the Space Shuttle Atlantis undocked from the orbital outpost at 7:50 a.m. (CDT). The unlinking completed six days, two hours and two minutes of joint operations with the station crew. Atlantis left the station with a new, second pair of 240-foot solar wings, attached to a new 17.5-ton section of truss with batteries, electronics and a giant rotating joint. The new solar arrays eventually will double the station's onboard power when their electrical systems are brought online during the next shuttle flight, planned for launch in December.

Overall exterior view of the ISS during undocking and Flyaround Operations for STS-115 Space Shuttle Atlantis

NASA Image and Video Library

2006-09-19

S115-E-06767 (17 Sept. 2006) --- This view of the International Space Station, backdropped against a blue and white Earth, was taken shortly after the Space Shuttle Atlantis undocked from the orbital outpost at 7:50 a.m. (CDT). The unlinking completed six days, two hours and two minutes of joint operations with the station crew. Atlantis left the station with a new, second pair of 240-foot solar wings, attached to a new 17.5-ton section of truss with batteries, electronics and a giant rotating joint. The new solar arrays eventually will double the station's onboard power when their electrical systems are brought online during the next shuttle flight, planned for launch in December.

Overall exterior view of the ISS during undocking and Flyaround Operations for STS-115 Space Shuttle Atlantis

NASA Image and Video Library

2006-09-19

S115-E-06759 (17 Sept. 2006) --- This view of the International Space Station over a blue and white Earth was taken shortly after the Space Shuttle Atlantis undocked from the orbital outpost at 7:50 a.m. CDT. The unlinking completed six days, two hours and two minutes of joint operations with the station crew. Atlantis left the station with a new, second pair of 240-foot solar wings, attached to a new 17.5-ton section of truss with batteries, electronics and a giant rotating joint. The new solar arrays eventually will double the station's onboard power when their electrical systems are brought online during the next shuttle flight, planned for launch in December.

Overall exterior view of the ISS during undocking and Flyaround Operations for STS-115 Space Shuttle Atlantis

NASA Image and Video Library

2006-09-19

S115-E-06707 (17 Sept. 2006) --- This view of the International Space Station, backdropped against the blackness of space, was taken shortly after the Space Shuttle Atlantis undocked from the orbital outpost at 7:50 a.m. CDT. The unlinking completed six days, two hours and two minutes of joint operations with the station crew. Atlantis left the station with a new, second pair of 240-foot solar wings, attached to a new 17.5-ton section of truss with batteries, electronics and a giant rotating joint. The new solar arrays eventually will double the station's onboard power when their electrical systems are brought online during the next shuttle flight, planned for launch in December.

The function and evolution of Msx genes: pointers and paradoxes.

PubMed

Davidson, D

1995-10-01

The Msx genes of vertebrates comprise a small family of chromosomally unlinked homeobox-containing genes related to the Drosophila gene muscle-segment homeobox (msh). Despite their ancient pedigree, the Msx genes are expressed in a range of vertebrate-specific tissues, including neural crest, cranial sensory placodes, bone and teeth. They are active in numerous systems, which have been used as models to study pattern formation and tissue interaction, and are, therefore, attracting a growing interest among developmental biologists. But beyond their presumed role as transcription factors, we do not know what their functions are in the cell or the embryo. Here, I review recent evidence that is beginning to address this problem and might eventually increase our understanding of how the vertebrate embryo has evolved.

Cloud-assisted mobile-access of health data with privacy and auditability.

PubMed

Tong, Yue; Sun, Jinyuan; Chow, Sherman S M; Li, Pan

2014-03-01

Motivated by the privacy issues, curbing the adoption of electronic healthcare systems and the wild success of cloud service models, we propose to build privacy into mobile healthcare systems with the help of the private cloud. Our system offers salient features including efficient key management, privacy-preserving data storage, and retrieval, especially for retrieval at emergencies, and auditability for misusing health data. Specifically, we propose to integrate key management from pseudorandom number generator for unlinkability, a secure indexing method for privacy-preserving keyword search which hides both search and access patterns based on redundancy, and integrate the concept of attribute-based encryption with threshold signing for providing role-based access control with auditability to prevent potential misbehavior, in both normal and emergency cases.

Utilisation of co-testing 
(human papillomavirus DNA testing and cervical cytology) after treatment of CIN: - a survey of GPs' awareness and knowledge.

PubMed

Munro, Aime; Codde, Jim; Semmens, James; Leung, Yee; Spilsbury, Katrina; Williams, Vincent; Steel, Nerida; Cohen, Paul; Pavicic, Heidi; Westoby, Vicki; O'Leary, Peter

2015-01-01

Patients have an increased risk of persistent/recurrent cervical disease if they received treatment for a high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (HSIL). Consequently, understanding whether co-testing (human papillomavirus [HPV] DNA testing and cervical cytology) is fully utilised by general practitioners (GPs) is paramount. After consultation with key stakeholders, an anonymous, self-completion questionnaire was developed and disseminated to GPs who had provided cervical cytology. Responses were received from 745 GPs (30.9% response rate). A significant number (34.3%) of GPs were unaware of the use of co-testing (HPV DNA testing and cervical cytology) for the management of patients after HSIL treatment. Additionally, the majority of GPs reported they did not 'always' receive a clear follow-up plan for patients after treatment of an HSIL. GPs require further support and education to ensure successful adoption of co-testing (HPV DNA testing and cervical cytology), specifically, for patients treated for an HSIL.

Developing and Testing Twelve-Step Facilitation for Adolescents with Substance Use Disorder: Manual Development and Preliminary Outcomes

PubMed Central

Kelly, John F.; Yeterian, Julie D.; Cristello, Julie V.; Kaminer, Yifrah; Kahler, Christopher W.; Timko, Christine

2016-01-01

Adolescent substance use disorder treatment programs are often based on the 12-step philosophy of Alcoholics Anonymous and/or link adolescents to these free resources. Despite this, no studies have developed and rigorously tested a twelve-step facilitation (TSF) intervention for young people, leaving a significant evidence gap. This study describes the first systematic development of an outpatient adolescent TSF treatment. An integrated twelve-step facilitation (iTSF) treatment incorporated TSF, motivational enhancement therapy, and cognitive behavioral therapy elements and was developed in an iterative manner with weekly feedback provided by 36 adolescents (M age 17 years [SD = 1.4]; 52.8% white) with DSM-IV substance use disorder recruited from the community. Assessments were conducted at baseline and at three and six months. Participants completed 6 of 10 sessions on average (8 participants completed all 10). Notable treatment developments were the inclusion of “in-services” led by Marijuana Anonymous members, including parents in a portion of individual sessions to provide a rationale for TSF, and use of a Socratic therapeutic interaction style. Acceptability and feasibility of the treatment were excellent (treatment satisfaction was 4.29 [SD = 0.59] out of 5). In keeping with TSF theory, the intervention substantially increased 12-step participation, and greater participation related to greater abstinence. iTSF is a replicable manualized treatment that can be implemented and tested in outpatient settings. Given the widespread compatibility of iTSF with the current adolescent treatment, if found efficacious, iTSF could be relatively easily adopted, implemented, and sustained and could provide an evidence-based option that could undergird current practice. PMID:27429548

[Public free anonymous HIV testing centers: cost analysis and financing options].

PubMed

Dozol, Adrien; Tribout, Martin; Labalette, Céline; Moreau, Anne-Christine; Duteil, Christelle; Bertrand, Dominique; Segouin, Christophe

2011-01-01

The services of general interest provided by hospitals, such as free HIV clinics, have been funded since 2005 by a lump sum covering all costs. The allocation of the budget was initially determined based on historical and declarative data. However, the French Ministry of Health (MoH) recently outlined new rules for determining the allocation of financial resources and contracting hospitals for each type of services of general interest provided. The aim of this study was to estimate the annual cost of a public free anonymous HIV-testing center and to assess the budgetary implications of new financing systems. Three financing options were compared: the historic block grant; a mixed system recommended by the MoH associating a lump sum covering the recurring costs of an average center and a variable part based on the type and volume of services provided; and a fee-for-services system. For the purposes of this retrospective study, the costs and activity data of the HIV testing clinic of a public hospital located in the North of Paris were obtained for 2007. The costs were analyzed from the perspective of the hospital. The total cost was estimated at 555,698 euros. Personnel costs accounted for 31% of the total costs, while laboratory expenses accounted for 36% of the total costs. While the estimated deficit was 292,553 euros under the historic system, the financial balance of the clinic was found to be positive under a fee-for-services system. The budget allocated to the HIV clinic under the system recommended by the MoH covers most of the current expenses of the HIV clinic while meeting the requirements of free confidential care.

Nursing lives in the blogosphere: A thematic analysis of anonymous online nursing narratives.

PubMed

Castro, Aimee; Andrews, Gavin

2018-02-01

The aim of this study was to explore the work-life narratives of nurses through a thematic analysis of the nursing accounts they post in their publicly accessible, anonymous blogs. Many nurses participate on social media. Blogs have been advocated as a self-reflective tool in nursing practice, yet as far as the authors are aware, no previous studies have explored nurses' individual blogs for their potential to reveal nurses' perceptions of nursing work. The research design was qualitative description. Between May-August 2015, Internet search engines were used to discover lists of nursing blogs recommended by organizations representing nurses' interests. Recommended blogs were purposively sampled. Four anonymous blogs written by nurses from different nursing specialties met the sampling criteria. All 520 of their entries from 2014 were read and copied into NVivo 10, where an inductive coding process was followed. Three major themes arose in these nurses' online discussions of their work lives: they truly care about and value their nursing work, but they are feeling stressed and burnt out and they are using their anonymous blogs to share factors that frustrate them in their nursing work. Three main areas of frustration were revealed: teamwork problems, challenging patients and families, and management issues. Anonymous nursing blogs offer valuable, longitudinal insights into nurses' perceptions of their work lives. Nursing blogs should be further explored for ongoing insights into nurses' experiences of nursing work, as well as nurses' recommendations for addressing issues causing them to feel frustrated in their work environments. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

[Examination of the Young maladaptive schemes in a group of Gamblers Anonymous].

PubMed

Katona, Zsuzsa; Körmendi, Attila

2012-01-01

Literature of gambling addiction has become widespread in last years. Many studies were written about the vulnerability factors helping the development of addiction, theoretical models, comorbid problems and therapy possibilities. Currently there is no integrated theoretical model that could explain sufficiently the development and maintenance of pathological gambling. The treatment issue is also unresolved. Cognitive psychology is a dynamically developing field of psychology and good results are achieved in gambling treatment with applying cognitive techniques. Jeffrey Young's schema-focused therapy is a recent theoretical and therapeutic direction within cognitive psychology which emphasizes the necessity of emotional changes beside rational ones in the interest of efficiency. The purpose of our research is to examine and analyse active maladaptive schemas among gamblers who are members of Gamblers Anonymous self-help group. 23 control persons and 23 gamblers associated with support group of Gamblers Anonymous took part in our research. The severity of gambling behaviour was measured by Gamblers Anonymous Twenty Questions. For exploring maladaptive schemas we used the shorter 114-item version of the Young Schema Questionnaire (YSQ-S3). All the examined gamblers were considered as problem gamblers based on Gamblers Anonymous Twenty Questions. In the control group there where no active schemas while in the group of gamblers several schemas (Emotional deprivation, Self-sacrifice, Recognition seeking, Emotional inhibition, Unrelenting standards, Self-punitiveness, Insufficient self-control) showed activity. Active schemas show similarity in their matter with main establishments of researches about gamblers and support the role of impulsivity, narcissistic traits, self-medicalization and emotional deprivation in the development and maintenance of pathological gambling.

Increasing Anonymity in Peer Assessment by Using Classroom Response Technology within Face-to-Face Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Raes, Annelies; Vanderhoven, Ellen; Schellens, Tammy

2015-01-01

Peer assessment is becoming more popular in higher education, however it often goes together with undesirable social effects like peer pressure and favoritism, especially when students need to evaluate peers in a face-to-face setting. The present study was set up to investigate increased anonymity in peer assessment to counter these undesirable…

Comment on "Unique in the shopping mall: On the reidentifiability of credit card metadata".

PubMed

Sánchez, David; Martínez, Sergio; Domingo-Ferrer, Josep

2016-03-18

De Montjoye et al. (Reports, 30 January 2015, p. 536) claimed that most individuals can be reidentified from a deidentified transaction database and that anonymization mechanisms are not effective against reidentification. We demonstrate that anonymization can be performed by techniques well established in the literature. Copyright © 2016, American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Peer Feedback in Anonymous Peer Review in an EFL Writing Class in Spain

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Coté, Robert A.

2014-01-01

The present study reports the results of a process of peer feedback through anonymous peer review in an EFL writing class. Numerous studies have reported on the benefits of peer review (PR) in the ESL/EFL writing classroom. However, the literature also identifies social issues that can negatively affect the outcome of face-to-face PR. In this…

Advanced Analysis Cognition: Improving the Cognition of Intelligence Analysis

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-09-01

NSC-17. Reorganization of the Intelligence Community , 1977. (RW 423) Anonymous. Presidential Review Memorandum NSC- 11 . Intelligence Structure and...Tubes [Powerpoint Presentation]" Global Intelligence Forum 2010, Dungarvan, Ireland, July 11 -13, 2010 (RW 4233) Anonymous. Sinclair Community ...Israel’s Intelligence Community ," International Journal of Intelligence and Counterintelligence, Vol. 11 , No. 2, 1998, pp. 154-174. (RW 723) 72

The Impact of Anonymous and Assigned Use of Student Response Systems on Student Achievement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Poole, Dawn

2012-01-01

This study examined the impact of two approaches to use of student response systems (SRSs) on achievement in a study designed to better understand effective use of the devices. One condition was anonymous use of SRSs, in which graduate students selected a random clicker when entering the classroom. The second condition assigned devices to students…

A Variation on the Use of Interactive Anonymous Quizzes in the Chemistry Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wagner, Brian D.

2009-01-01

This article describes an interesting variation on the use of interactive anonymous quizzes (IAQs) in the chemistry classroom. In this variation, IAQs are used to introduce new material or topics in a course, as opposed to their traditional use for reviewing previously covered material. Two examples of IAQs used to introduce new topics in a…

Who Goes There? Staying Anonymous on the Internet

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Descy, Don E.

2009-01-01

Privacy is a thing of the past. Monitoring is everywhere. If one is looking at this online, the author is sure that lots of information has been stored and linked to anyone about that action. Nevertheless, at least people can try to play with "their" minds and surf the web anonymously. In this article, the author discusses ways to try to hide…

Utility-preserving transaction data anonymization with low information loss.

PubMed

Loukides, Grigorios; Gkoulalas-Divanis, Aris

2012-08-01

Transaction data record various information about individuals, including their purchases and diagnoses, and are increasingly published to support large-scale and low-cost studies in domains such as marketing and medicine. However, the dissemination of transaction data may lead to privacy breaches, as it allows an attacker to link an individual's record to their identity. Approaches that anonymize data by eliminating certain values in an individual's record or by replacing them with more general values have been proposed recently, but they often produce data of limited usefulness. This is because these approaches adopt value transformation strategies that do not guarantee data utility in intended applications and objective measures that may lead to excessive data distortion. In this paper, we propose a novel approach for anonymizing data in a way that satisfies data publishers' utility requirements and incurs low information loss. To achieve this, we introduce an accurate information loss measure and an effective anonymization algorithm that explores a large part of the problem space. An extensive experimental study, using click-stream and medical data, demonstrates that our approach permits many times more accurate query answering than the state-of-the-art methods, while it is comparable to them in terms of efficiency.

Utility-preserving transaction data anonymization with low information loss

PubMed Central

Loukides, Grigorios; Gkoulalas-Divanis, Aris

2012-01-01

Transaction data record various information about individuals, including their purchases and diagnoses, and are increasingly published to support large-scale and low-cost studies in domains such as marketing and medicine. However, the dissemination of transaction data may lead to privacy breaches, as it allows an attacker to link an individual’s record to their identity. Approaches that anonymize data by eliminating certain values in an individual’s record or by replacing them with more general values have been proposed recently, but they often produce data of limited usefulness. This is because these approaches adopt value transformation strategies that do not guarantee data utility in intended applications and objective measures that may lead to excessive data distortion. In this paper, we propose a novel approach for anonymizing data in a way that satisfies data publishers’ utility requirements and incurs low information loss. To achieve this, we introduce an accurate information loss measure and an effective anonymization algorithm that explores a large part of the problem space. An extensive experimental study, using click-stream and medical data, demonstrates that our approach permits many times more accurate query answering than the state-of-the-art methods, while it is comparable to them in terms of efficiency. PMID:22563145

Fortified Anonymous Communication Protocol for Location Privacy in WSN: A Modular Approach

PubMed Central

Abuzneid, Abdel-Shakour; Sobh, Tarek; Faezipour, Miad; Mahmood, Ausif; James, John

2015-01-01

Wireless sensor network (WSN) consists of many hosts called sensors. These sensors can sense a phenomenon (motion, temperature, humidity, average, max, min, etc.) and represent what they sense in a form of data. There are many applications for WSNs including object tracking and monitoring where in most of the cases these objects need protection. In these applications, data privacy itself might not be as important as the privacy of source location. In addition to the source location privacy, sink location privacy should also be provided. Providing an efficient end-to-end privacy solution would be a challenging task to achieve due to the open nature of the WSN. The key schemes needed for end-to-end location privacy are anonymity, observability, capture likelihood, and safety period. We extend this work to allow for countermeasures against multi-local and global adversaries. We present a network model protected against a sophisticated threat model: passive /active and local/multi-local/global attacks. This work provides a solution for end-to-end anonymity and location privacy as well. We will introduce a framework called fortified anonymous communication (FAC) protocol for WSN. PMID:25763649

Identity, Physical Space, and Stigma Among African American Men Living with HIV in Chicago and Seattle

PubMed Central

Singleton, Judith L.; Raunig, Manuela; Brunsteter, Halley; Desmond, Michelle; Rao, Deepa

2015-01-01

African American men have the highest rates of HIV in the United States, and research has shown that stigma, mistrust of healthcare, and other psychosocial factors interfere with optimal engagement in care with this population. In order to further understand reducing stigma and other psychosocial issues among African American men, we conducted qualitative interviews and focus groups with African American men in two metropolitan areas in the United States: Chicago and Seattle. We examined transcripts for relationships across variables of stigma, anonymity, self-identity, and space within the context of HIV. Our analysis pointed to similarities between experiences of stigma across the two cities, and illustrated the relationships between space, isolation and preferred anonymity related to living with HIV. The men in our study often preferred their HIV-linked identities remain invisible and anonymous, associated with perceived and created isolation from physical community spaces. This article suggests that our healthcare and housing institutions may influence preferences for anonymity. We make recommendations in key areas to create safer spaces for African American men living with HIV and reduce feelings of stigma and isolation. PMID:26863561

Efficient and Anonymous Authentication Scheme for Wireless Body Area Networks.

PubMed

Wu, Libing; Zhang, Yubo; Li, Li; Shen, Jian

2016-06-01

As a significant part of the Internet of Things (IoT), Wireless Body Area Network (WBAN) has attract much attention in this years. In WBANs, sensors placed in or around the human body collect the sensitive data of the body and transmit it through an open wireless channel in which the messages may be intercepted, modified, etc. Recently, Wang et al. presented a new anonymous authentication scheme for WBANs and claimed that their scheme can solve the security problems in the previous schemes. Unfortunately, we demonstrate that their scheme cannot withstand impersonation attack. Either an adversary or a malicious legal client could impersonate another legal client to the application provider. In this paper, we give the detailed weakness analysis of Wang et al.'s scheme at first. Then we present a novel anonymous authentication scheme for WBANs and prove that it's secure under a random oracle model. At last, we demonstrate that our presented anonymous authentication scheme for WBANs is more suitable for practical application than Wang et al.'s scheme due to better security and performance. Compared with Wang et al.'s scheme, the computation cost of our scheme in WBANs has reduced by about 31.58%.

Emerging evidence in infection control: effecting change regarding use of disposable laryngoscope blades.

PubMed

Machan, Melissa D; Monaghan, W Patrick; McDonough, John; Hogan, Gerard

2013-04-01

The purpose of this evidence-based project was to determine the perceptions of anesthesia providers regarding the use of disposable laryngoscope blades. Frequency of use, ease of use, and complications encountered when using the disposable blade were evaluated before and after an in-service program designed to increase the use of disposable blades. Participants completed an anonymous questionnaire about their knowledge and practice regarding disposable laryngoscope blades. Then they received an investigator-developed article to read about the best and most recent practices regarding disposable laryngoscope blades. The same anonymous questionnaire was completed 3 months later. Inventory of the disposable laryngoscope blades was collected before the project and 1 and 3 months later. After the intervention, 25% of anesthesia providers described performance as their reason for not using the disposable laryngoscope blade, which was down from 60% at the project's start. Inventory showed a 23% increase in use of disposable laryngoscope blades after the intervention, which a single-proportion Z test showed was statistically significant (Z = 2.046, P = .041). This evidence-based project shows that a change in practice was evident after dissemination of the best and most recent clinical evidence regarding laryngoscope blades, which should translate to improved patient outcomes.

Evaluating Amazon's Mechanical Turk as a Tool for Experimental Behavioral Research

PubMed Central

Crump, Matthew J. C.; McDonnell, John V.; Gureckis, Todd M.

2013-01-01

Amazon Mechanical Turk (AMT) is an online crowdsourcing service where anonymous online workers complete web-based tasks for small sums of money. The service has attracted attention from experimental psychologists interested in gathering human subject data more efficiently. However, relative to traditional laboratory studies, many aspects of the testing environment are not under the experimenter's control. In this paper, we attempt to empirically evaluate the fidelity of the AMT system for use in cognitive behavioral experiments. These types of experiment differ from simple surveys in that they require multiple trials, sustained attention from participants, comprehension of complex instructions, and millisecond accuracy for response recording and stimulus presentation. We replicate a diverse body of tasks from experimental psychology including the Stroop, Switching, Flanker, Simon, Posner Cuing, attentional blink, subliminal priming, and category learning tasks using participants recruited using AMT. While most of replications were qualitatively successful and validated the approach of collecting data anonymously online using a web-browser, others revealed disparity between laboratory results and online results. A number of important lessons were encountered in the process of conducting these replications that should be of value to other researchers. PMID:23516406

Deindividuation and Internet software piracy.

PubMed

Hinduja, Sameer

2008-08-01

Computer crime has increased exponentially in recent years as hardware, software, and network resources become more affordable and available to individuals from all walks of life. Software piracy is one prevalent type of cybercrime and has detrimentally affected the economic health of the software industry. Moreover, piracy arguably represents a rend in the moral fabric associated with the respect of intellectual property and reduces the financial incentive of product creation and innovation. Deindividuation theory, originating from the field of social psychology, argues that individuals are extricated from responsibility for their actions simply because they no longer have an acute awareness of the identity of self and of others. That is, external and internal constraints that would typically regulate questionable behavior are rendered less effective via certain anonymizing and disinhibiting conditions of the social and environmental context. This exploratory piece seeks to establish the role of deindividuation in liberating individuals to commit software piracy by testing the hypothesis that persons who prefer the anonymity and pseudonymity associated with interaction on the Internet are more likely to pirate software. Through this research, it is hoped that the empirical identification of such a social psychological determinant will help further illuminate the phenomenon.