Smart Meter Privacy: A Utility-Privacy Framework

End-user privacy in smart meter measurements is a well-known challenge in the smart grid. The solutions offered thus far have been tied to specific technologies such as batteries or assumptions on data usage. Existing solutions have also not quantified the loss of benefit (utility) that results from any such privacy-preserving approach. Using tools from information theory, a new framework is presented that abstracts both the privacy and the utility requirements of smart meter data. This leads to a novel privacy-utility tradeoff problem with minimal assumptions that is tractable. Specifically for a stationary Gaussian Markov model of the electricity load, it is shown that the optimal utility-and-privacy preserving solution requires filtering out frequency components that are low in power, and this approach appears to encompass most of the proposed privacy approaches.Comment: Accepted for publication and presentation at the IEEE SmartGridComm. 201

Microrheology using Low Coherence Dynamic Light Scattering

Methods and systems for using dynamic light scattering, for investigating local rheological responses of complex fluids over a frequency range larger than that provided by standard instrumentation. A low-coherence radiation source is used with fiber optics to allow measurements of small volume spacing of up to approximately 1/10 of a picoliter. The methods and systems are based on dynamic light scattering, for investigating the local rheological response of a complex fluid over a frequency range larger than that provided by standard mechanical instrumentation. The low-coherence radiation used in a fiber optics configuration allows the measurements to be confined to a small volume around a tenth of a picoliter. The ability of the method to accurately measure both loss and storage moduli has been tested using both simple Newtonian liquids and viscoelastic, complex fluids. Monitoring liquid-gel transitions in polymer solutions has also been demonstrated. The unique capability of the tech

Rational-operator-based depth-from-defocus approach to scene reconstruction

This paper presents a rational-operator-based approach to depth from defocus (DfD) for the reconstruction of three-dimensional scenes from two-dimensional images, which enables fast DfD computation that is independent of scene textures. Two variants of the approach, one using the Gaussian rational operators (ROs) that are based on the Gaussian point spread function (PSF) and the second based on the generalized Gaussian PSF, are considered. A novel DfD correction method is also presented to further improve the performance of the approach. Experimental results are considered for real scenes and show that both approaches outperform existing RO-based methods

Photo-Attachment of Biomolecules for Miniaturization on Wicking Si-Nanowire Platform

We demonstrated the surface functionalization of a highly three-dimensional, superhydrophilic wicking substrate using light to immobilize functional biomolecules for sensor or microarray applications. We showed here that the three-dimensional substrate was compatible with photo-attachment and the performance of functionalization was greatly improved due to both increased surface capacity and reduced substrate reflectivity. In addition, photo-attachment circumvents the problems induced by wicking effect that was typically encountered on superhydrophilic three-dimensional substrates, thus reducing the difficulty of producing miniaturized sites on such substrate. We have investigated various aspects of photo-attachment process on the nanowire substrate, including the role of different buffers, the effect of wavelength as well as how changing probe structure may affect the functionalization process. We demonstrated that substrate fabrication and functionalization can be achieved with processes compatible with microelectronics processes, hence reducing the cost of array fabrication. Such functionalization method coupled with the high capacity surface makes the substrate an ideal candidate for sensor or microarray for sensitive detection of target analytes.National University of Singapore (Graduate School for Integrative Sciences and Engineering scholarship)GLOBALFOUNDRIES Singapore Pte. Ltd.Singapore-MIT Allianc

Understanding how the crowded interior of cells stabilizes DNA/DNA and DNA/RNA hybrids–in silico predictions and in vitro evidence

Amplification of DNA in vivo occurs in intracellular environments characterized by macromolecular crowding (MMC). In vitro Polymerase-chain-reaction (PCR), however, is non-crowded, requires thermal cycling for melting of DNA strands, primer-template hybridization and enzymatic primer-extension. The temperature-optima for primer-annealing and extension are strikingly disparate which predicts primers to dissociate from template during extension thereby compromising PCR efficiency. We hypothesized that MMC is not only important for the extension phase in vivo but also during PCR by stabilizing nucleotide hybrids. Novel atomistic Molecular Dynamics simulations elucidated that MMC stabilizes hydrogen-bonding between complementary nucleotides. Real-time PCR under MMC confirmed that melting-temperatures of complementary DNA–DNA and DNA–RNA hybrids increased by up to 8°C with high specificity and high duplex-preservation after extension (71% versus 37% non-crowded). MMC enhanced DNA hybrid-helicity, and drove specificity of duplex formation preferring matching versus mismatched sequences, including hair-pin-forming DNA- single-strands

Allosteric Modulators of Steroid Hormone Receptors : Structural Dynamics and Gene Regulation

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Multiple novel prostate cancer susceptibility signals identified by fine-mapping of known risk loci among Europeans

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified numerous common prostate cancer (PrCa) susceptibility loci. We have fine-mapped 64 GWAS regions known at the conclusion of the iCOGS study using large-scale genotyping and imputation in 25 723 PrCa cases and 26 274 controls of European ancestry. We detected evidence for multiple independent signals at 16 regions, 12 of which contained additional newly identified significant associations. A single signal comprising a spectrum of correlated variation was observed at 39 regions; 35 of which are now described by a novel more significantly associated lead SNP, while the originally reported variant remained as the lead SNP only in 4 regions. We also confirmed two association signals in Europeans that had been previously reported only in East-Asian GWAS. Based on statistical evidence and linkage disequilibrium (LD) structure, we have curated and narrowed down the list of the most likely candidate causal variants for each region. Functional annotation using data from ENCODE filtered for PrCa cell lines and eQTL analysis demonstrated significant enrichment for overlap with bio-features within this set. By incorporating the novel risk variants identified here alongside the refined data for existing association signals, we estimate that these loci now explain ∼38.9% of the familial relative risk of PrCa, an 8.9% improvement over the previously reported GWAS tag SNPs. This suggests that a significant fraction of the heritability of PrCa may have been hidden during the discovery phase of GWAS, in particular due to the presence of multiple independent signals within the same regio

Genetics ignite focus on microglial inflammation in Alzheimer’s disease

In the past five years, a series of large-scale genetic studies have revealed novel risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Analyses of these risk factors have focused attention upon the role of immune processes in AD, specifically microglial function. In this review, we discuss interpretation of genetic studies.  We then focus upon six genes implicated by AD genetics that impact microglial function: TREM2, CD33, CR1, ABCA7, SHIP1, and APOE. We review the literature regarding the biological functions of these six proteins and their putative role in AD pathogenesis. We then present a model for how these factors may interact to modulate microglial function in AD