Differentially private model selection with penalized and constrained likelihood

Summary: In statistical disclosure control, the goal of data analysis is twofold: the information released must provide accurate and useful statistics about the underlying population of interest, while minimizing the potential for an individual record to be identified. In recent years, the notion of differential privacy has received much attention in theoretical computer science, machine learning and statistics. It provides a rigorous and strong notion of protection for individuals’ sensitive information. A fundamental question is how to incorporate differential privacy in traditional statistical inference procedures. We study model selection in multivariate linear regression under the constraint of differential privacy. We show that model selection procedures based on penalized least squares or likelihood can be made differentially private by a combination of regularization and randomization, and we propose two algorithms to do so. We show that our privacy procedures are consistent under essentially the same conditions as the corresponding non‐privacy procedures. We also find that, under differential privacy, the procedure becomes more sensitive to the tuning parameters. We illustrate and evaluate our method by using simulation studies and two real data examples.Accepted manuscrip

Unlearning the Narrative: How We Can Better Educate Maine’s Newest Generations on New England’s Role in the Slave Trade, Segregation, and Colonization

We’ve all grown up learning the same narrative–the North and South had opposing views on slavery, segregation, and discrimination with the North being the “good guys” and the northern half of the United States being a place where fugitive slaves and all black Americans could go to find the freedom they deserved. Once in the North slaves would be completely freed and the hatred and discrimination of African Americans had a clear cut line between the North and the South. New England fell on the “good half” of that line, so it was only natural to grow up in New England believing the North had never been involved in slavery or exhibited hatred at any time in the course of history. That’s the mindset that’s been taught in public schools across the country for years, especially in New England, where its clean, Puritain history had held up for years. All across the public school system, from grades four to twelve, public schools have been actively teaching this narrative to their students for hundreds of years. After being fed this information my entire life, imagine my surprise as when a 21 year-old college student I learned that the entire narrative about the place I call home was wrong. There were so many injustices I was just now hearing of and, being an Education major, it occurred to me that I would soon be able to teach this new material to a younger generation that could learn from it. Only by accepting the true history of New England and Maine alike would students and educators be as knowledgeable as they could be and hopefully strive to make improvements in the curriculum to include these important stories of Maine’s history. This is Unlearning the Narrative: How We Can Better Educate Maine’s Newest Generations on New England’s Role in the Slave Trade, Segregation, and Colonization. In this podcast, we’ll discuss the different tools and topics Maine educators can use to teach their students valuable information about their own public history that was right under their noses all their lives as well as advocate why it is important for students of all ages begin learning this valuable information in their curriculums.https://digitalcommons.usm.maine.edu/eng445-slavery-and-public-history-podcasts/1002/thumbnail.jp

Genres littéraires et peinture. Sous la direction de Nelson Charest et Anne-Sophie Gomez

International audienc

Association entre les sports organisés d’équipe et individuels et les problèmes intériorisés : état des connaissances et recommandations pratiques

Parmi les stratégies d’intervention visant à promouvoir la santé mentale des enfants et des adolescents, les sports organisés sont parfois au coeur des programmes psychoéducatifs (Rioux et al., 2017). Toutefois, les sports organisés n’ont pas tous les mêmes effets sur la santé mentale des jeunes. Certains processus sociaux pourraient expliquer ces liens différenciés. Les objectifs du présent article sont de faire l’état des connaissances en ce qui concerne la distinction entre les sports d’équipe et les sports individuels et leurs liens avec les problèmes intériorisés, et de proposer des processus sociaux qui pourraient être en jeu dans ces expériences sportives. Une connaissance accrue des retombées psychosociales des différents sports organisés chez les jeunes est essentielle pour bonifier l’approche psychoéducative basée sur le sport. Des recommandations pour les psychoéducateurs seront formulées sur la base des résultats des récentes études scientifiques afin d’amener des pistes de solutions pour répondre à des défis bien présents dans leur pratique lorsqu’ils utilisent le sport comme moyen d’intervention.Among the intervention strategies aimed at promoting the mental health of children and adolescents, organized sports are often central to intervention programs (Rioux et al., 2017). However, organized sports do not all have the same associations with youth mental health. Several social processes could explain these differentiated links. The aim of this article is to review the current literature regarding the distinction between team and individual sports and their links with internalizing problems, and to suggest social processes that might be at play in these sporting experiences. Increased knowledge of the psychosocial impact of different organized sports on children and adolescent is necessary to improve the sport-based intervention approach. Recommendations for practitioners are formulated on the basis of the results of recent scientific studies with the goal of providing possible solutions to challenges present in their practice when using sport as an intervention tool

Two-years persistence of anal high-risk HPV infections in women living with HIV, results from the EVVA study

Background: Women living with HIV are at increased risk of anal high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (HSIL) and anal cancer because of higher persistence of high-risk HPV (HR-HPV) infection. This study describes the persistence of type-specific anal HR-HPV over two years. Methods: EVVA (Evaluation of HPV, HIV, and AIN in women) is a cohort study of 151 adult women living with HIV in Montreal (Canada), with biannual cervical/anal HPV testing and cytology for 2 years and at two systematic high-resolution anoscopies for all participants. Only participants who completed 2 study visits were included in this analysis (n=135). Results: Persistent anal infection by at least one HR-HPV was observed in 40.7% of participants (55/135, 95% confidence interval (CI) 32.4–49.5), persisting for 2 years in majority. Persistent HPV-16 was observed in 10.4% (14/135, 95%CI 5.8–16.8), detected for 2 years in 13 women. HPV-18 persisted in 6.7% (95%CI 3.1–12.3), HPV-45 in 11.1% (95%CI 6.4–17.7), HPV-51 in 11.9% (95%CI 6.9–18.5), HPV-52 in 8.9% (95%CI 4.7–15.0) and HPV-58 in 7.4% (95%CI 3.6–13.2). Anal histological HSIL was detected in 50.9% (28/55, 95%CI 37.1–64.6) of women with persistent HR-HPV infection by at least one type, and in 15.0% (12/80, 95%CI 8.0–24.7) of women who never had. Conclusions: Our study confirms that persistence of anal HR-HPV is common in women living with HIV, most of the persistent infections being identified for at least 2 years. Anal HSIL is detected more frequently in women with persistent anal HR-HPV

Identifying risk factors for prevalent anal human papillomavirus type 16 infection in women living with HIV.

BackgroundWomen living with HIV (WLHIV) have a high risk of anal cancer. Identifying risk factors for anal HPV 16 infection, the most significant risk factor for anal cancer, is essential for prevention and screening strategies.MethodsIn the EVVA Cohort study, 151 WLHIV had cervical and anal HPV testing with genotyping every 6 months for 2 years, while demographic and clinical data were collected via questionnaires and chart reviews. Here, we present results of baseline data analyzed using multivariable logistic regression.ResultsAmong 150 women with adequate HPV test results at baseline, HPV 16 DNA was detected anally in 23 (15.3%; 95%CI:10.4-22.1) and cervically in 5 (3.3%; 95%CI:1.4-7.8). In multivariable analysis, current smoking (OR = 6.0; 95%CI: 1.5-23.9), nadir CD4 count ≤ 200 cells/μL (OR = 8.4; 95%CI: 2.0-34.3), prevalent cervical HPV 16 (OR = 14.7; 95%CI: 1.0-222.5) and anogenital herpes in previous 6 months (OR = 9.8, 95%CI: 1.7-56.8) were associated with prevalent anal HPV 16.ConclusionsKnowledge of risk factors can help identify WLHIV at greatest risk of anal HPV 16 infection and, potentially, developing subsequent anal cancer. Identification of the subgroup of these women in whom HPV 16 persists could be an early step in the algorithm of anal cancer screening