Semantics-aware Obfuscation for Location Privacy

Damiani, Maria Luisa,Silvestri, Claudio,Bertino, Elisa Korean Institute of Information Scientists and Eng 2008 Journal of Computing Science and Engineering Vol.2 No.2

The increasing availability of personal location data pushed by the widespread use of location-sensing technologies raises concerns with respect to the safeguard of location privacy. To address such concerns location privacy-preserving techniques are being investigated. An important area of application for such techniques is represented by Location Based Services (LBS). Many privacy-preserving techniques designed for LBS are based on the idea of forwarding to the LBS provider obfuscated locations, namely position information at low spatial resolution, in place of actual users' positions. Obfuscation techniques are generally based on the use of geometric methods. In this paper, we argue that such methods can lead to the disclosure of sensitive location information and thus to privacy leaks. We thus propose a novel method which takes into account the semantic context in which users are located. The original contribution of the paper is the introduction of a comprehensive framework consisting of a semantic-aware obfuscation model, a novel algorithm for the generation of obfuscated spaces for which we report results from an experimental evaluation and reference architecture.

Semantics-aware Obfuscation for Location Privacy

Maria Luisa Damiani,Claudio Silvestri,Elisa Bertino 한국정보과학회 2008 Journal of Computing Science and Engineering Vol.2 No.2

The increasing availability of personal location data pushed by the widespread use of location-sensing technologies raises concerns with respect to the safeguard of location privacy. To address such concerns location privacy-preserving techniques are being investigated. An important area of application for such techniques is represented by Location Based Services (LBS). Many privacy-preserving techniques designed for LBS are based on the idea of forwarding to the LBS provider obfuscated locations, namely position information at low spatial resolution, in place of actual users' positions. Obfuscation techniques are generally based on the use of geometric methods. In this paper, we argue that such methods can lead to the disclosure of sensitive location information and thus to privacy leaks. We thus propose a novel method which takes into account the semantic context in which users are located. The original contribution of the paper is the introduction of a comprehensive framework consisting of a semantic-aware obfuscation model, a novel algorithm for the generation of obfuscated spaces for which we report results from an experimental evaluation and a reference architecture.

Quetiapine Treatment for Post-traumatic Stress Disorder: A Systematic Review of the Literature

Calogero Crapanzano(Calogero Crapanzano ),Stefano Damiani(Stefano Damiani ),Ilaria Casolaro(Ilaria Casolaro ),Chiara Amendola(Chiara Amendola ) 대한정신약물학회 2023 CLINICAL PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY AND NEUROSCIENCE Vol.21 No.1

Paroxetine and Sertraline are the only medications approved in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, about 60% of traumatized patients fail to show an adequate clinical response. Second generation antipsychotics are recommended as second-line monotherapy or third-line augmentation strategies and quetiapine appears as one of the most used and promising agents. Up to date, no reviews assessed the efficacy of quetiapine in the treatment of PTSD. We aimed to assess the effectiveness and general safety of quetiapine on PTSD. A systematic review was conducted following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) and Cochrane guidelines, selecting studies that evaluated the efficacy of quetiapine on global or specific PTSD symptomatology. Ten studies (n = 894) were considered eligible for qualitative synthesis: one case report, one case series, one prospective cohort study, 3 open-label trials, 3 retrospective studies, one randomized controlled trial. Quetiapine was effective on global PTSD symptomatology assessed in 6 studies as well as on re-experiencing (4/4 studies), avoidance (4/3 studies) and hyperarousal (4/4 studies), flashbacks (2/2 studies), depressive (4/4 studies), anxiety (1/1 studies), psychotic (3/3 studies), insomnia (4/5 studies), nightmares (3/3 studies) specific symptoms and PTSD domains. Sedation was among the most frequently observed adverse effects and the main cause of drug discontinuation. Preliminary findings support the efficacy of quetiapine in ameliorating symptoms relative to PTSD and its overall safety. However, quetiapine use in PTSD cannot be recommended yet as studies mainly rely on open-label, retrospective studies or case series.

Efficacy of Olanzapine in Anxiety Dimension of Schizophrenia: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials

Calogero Crapanzano(Calogero Crapanzano ),Ilaria Casolaro(Ilaria Casolaro ),Stefano Damiani(Stefano Damiani ),Chiara Amendola(Chiara Amendola ) 대한정신약물학회 2022 CLINICAL PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY AND NEUROSCIENCE Vol.20 No.4

Anxiety symptoms and anxiety disorders are frequent in patients with schizophrenia and are associated with greater severity of both positive and negative symptoms, cognitive impairment, poorer functioning and quality of life. Accumulating evidence suggests that atypical antipsychotics may have a role in treating comorbid anxiety symptoms. A systematic review was conducted following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) and Cochrane guidelines, selecting randomized control trials (RCTs) that evaluated efficacy of olanzapine on anxiety symptoms in patients diagnosed with schizophrenia and included anxiety evaluation scales. We searched PubMed and Web of Science databases for articles in English language available until September 2021. We selected 7 studies (3 with primary data analysis, 4 with secondary data analysis) regarding the use of olanzapine in patients with schizophrenia. In fours studies olanzapine was superior to haloperidol in improving anxiety symptoms. Four studies compared olanzapine versus risperidone: in two of them risperidone was superior to olanzapine, although one study was limited by a relatively small sample size. In the other two there were no significant differences between olanzapine and risperidone-treated patients. One study found that olanzapine and clozapine were comparable in terms of efficacy. Although olanzapine was superior to haloperidol in treating anxiety, this symptom was a secondary outcome measure in most of the considered studies. Future RCTs comparing different antipsychotics and larger sample sizes may allow to develop more solid treatment strategies.

EXPERIMENTAL ANALYSIS OF THE WATER TABLE OF A BEACH EQUIPPED WITH A DRAINAGE SYSTEM

CHIAIA GIANCARLO,DAMIANI LEONARDO 한국수자원학회 2005 한국수자원학회 학술대회 Vol.2005 No.1

The Role of Intranasal Oxytocin in Anxiety and Depressive Disorders: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials

Francesca De Cagna,Laura Fusar-Poli,Stefano Damiani,Matteo Rocchetti,Gianluca Giovanna,Alessia Mori,Pierluigi Politi,Natascia Brondino 대한정신약물학회 2019 CLINICAL PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY AND NEUROSCIENCE Vol.17 No.1

Several studies have demonstrated the neuromodulating function of oxytocin (OT) in response to anxiogenic stimuli as well as its potential role in the pathogenesis of depression. Consequently, intranasal OT (IN-OT) has been proposed as a potential treatment of anxiety and depressive disorders. The present systematic review aimed to summarize the randomized controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating the effect of IN-OT on anxiety and depressive symptoms. Overall, 15 studies were included, involving patients with social anxiety disorders (7 studies), arachnophobia (1), major depression (3) or post-natal depression (4), and mainly evaluating single-dose administrations of IN-OT. Results showed no significant effects on core symptomatology. Five crossover studies included functional magnetic resonance imaging investigation: one trial showed reduced amygdala hyper-reactivity after IN-OT in subjects with anxiety, while another one showed enhanced connectivity between amygdala and bilateral insula and middle cingulate gyrus after IN-OT in patients but not in healthy controls. More studies are needed to confirm these results. In conclusion, up to date, evidence regarding the potential utility of IN-OT in treating anxiety and depression is still inconclusive. Further RCTs with larger samples and long-term administration of IN-OT are needed to better elucidate its potential efficacy alone or in association with standard care.

New Distributed SDN Framework for Mitigating DDoS Attacks

Alshehhi, Ahmed,Yeun, Chan Yeob,Damiani, Ernesto The Korean Institute of Electrical Engineers 2017 전기학회논문지 Vol.66 No.12

Software Defined Networking creates totally new concept of networking and its applications which is based on separating the application and control layer from the networking infrastructure as a result it yields new opportunities in improving the network security and making it more automated in robust way, one of these applications is Denial of Service attack mitigation but due to the dynamic nature of Denial of Service attack it would require dynamic response which can mitigate the attack with the minimum false positive. In this paper we will propose a new mitigation Framework for DDoS attacks using Software Defined Networking technology to protect online services e.g. websites, DNS and email services against DoS and DDoS attacks.

Designing of a type-2 fuzzy logic filter for improving edge-preserving restoration of interlaced-to-progressive conversion

Jeon, Gwanggil,Anisetti, Marco,Bellandi, Valerio,Damiani, Ernesto,Jeong, Jechang Elsevier 2009 Information sciences Vol.179 No.13

<P><B>Abstract</B></P><P>This paper focuses on recently advanced fuzzy models and the application of type-2 fuzzy sets in video deinterlacing. The final goal of the proposed deinterlacing algorithm is to exactly determine an unknown pixel value while preserving the edges and details of the image. To begin, we will discuss some artefacts of spatial, temporal, and spatio-temporal domain deinterlacing methods. In order to address the aforementioned issues, we adopted type-2 fuzzy sets concepts to design a weight evaluating approach. In the proposed method, the upper and lower fuzzy membership functions of the type-2 fuzzy logic filters are derived from the type-1 (or primary) fuzzy membership function. The weights from upper and lower membership functions are considered to be multiplied with the candidate deinterlaced pixels. Experimental results proved that the performance of the proposed method was superior, both objectively and subjectively to other different conventional deinterlacing methods. Moreover, the proposed method preserved the smoothness of the original image edges and produced a high-quality progressive image.</P>

Lithium and Valproate in Bipolar Disorder: From International Evidence-based Guidelines to Clinical Predictors

Calogero Crapanzano,Ilaria Casolaro,Chiara Amendola,Stefano Damiani 대한정신약물학회 2022 CLINICAL PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY AND NEUROSCIENCE Vol.20 No.3

Since decades, lithium and valproate remain the pharmacological cornerstone to treat bipolar disorder. Different response patterns occur according to the phases of illness. At same time, individual pretreatment variables may concur to determine a specific drug-response. Our narrative review focuses on these two key clinical aspects to summarize the state of art. Information from i) clinical trials and ii) the most relevant international guidelines is collected to assess the clinical and preclinical factors that may guide the use of lithium rather than valproate. Lithium may be effective in treating acute mania, and lithium efficacy is maximized when used to prevent both manic and depressive episodes. Lithium may be a better treatment choice in patients with: positive family history for bipolar disorder, mania-depression-interval pattern, few previous affective episodes/hospitalizations, high risk for suicide, no comorbidities. Valproate may be more effective as antimanic rather than prophylactic agent. Valproate might be a better choice in patients with many previous affective episodes/hospitalizations and psychiatric comorbidities. Finally, neither lithium nor valproate are suggested for the treatment of acute mixed states or bipolar depression. To consider clinical and preclinical factors may thus be useful to select the best treatment strategy.

Laboratory Monitoring of Biological Therapies in Rheumatology: The Role of Immunogenicity

Maurizio Benucci,Valentina Grossi,Mariangela Manfredi,Arianna Damiani,Maria Infantino,Paolo Moscato,Luigi Cinquanta,Elisa Gremese,Barbara Tolusso,Luca Petricca,Anna Laura Fedele,Stefano Alivernini,Fab 대한진단검사의학회 2020 Annals of Laboratory Medicine Vol.40 No.2

Biological drugs, such as proteins and immunogens, are increasingly used to treat various diseases, including tumors and autoimmune diseases, and biological molecules have almost completely replaced synthetic drugs in rheumatology. Although biological treatments such as anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF) drugs seem to be quite safe, they cause some undesirable effects, such as the onset of infections due to weakening of the immune system. Given the biological nature of these drugs, they might be recognized as extraneous; this would induce an immune reaction that neutralizes their effectiveness or lead to more serious consequences. Laboratories play a pivotal role in appropriate therapeutic management. The aim of this review was to underline the production of anti-drug antibodies during treatment with biological drugs and highlight the role of laboratories in ensuring appropriate use of these drugs.