Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Irritable Bowel Syndrome Is Positively Related to Metabolic Syndrome: A Population-Based Cross-Sectional Study

Irritable bowel syndrome is a common gastrointestinal disorder that may affect dietary pattern, food digestion, and nutrient absorption. The nutrition-related factors are closely related to metabolic syndrome, implying that irritable bowel syndrome may be a potential risk factor for metabolic syndrome. However, few epidemiological studies are available which are related to this potential link. The purpose of this study is to determine whether irritable bowel syndrome is related to metabolic syndrome among middle-aged people. We designed a cross-sectional study of 1,096 subjects to evaluate the relationship between irritable bowel syndrome and metabolic syndrome and its components. Diagnosis of irritable bowel syndrome was based on the Japanese version of the Rome III Questionnaire. Metabolic syndrome was defined according to the criteria of the American Heart Association scientific statements of 2009. Dietary consumption was assessed via a validated food frequency questionnaire. Principal-components analysis was used to derive 3 major dietary patterns: “Japanese”, “sweets-fruits”, and “Izakaya (Japanese Pub) “from 39 food groups. The prevalence of irritable bowel syndrome and metabolic syndrome were 19.4% and 14.6%, respectively. No significant relationship was found between the dietary pattern factor score tertiles and irritable bowel syndrome. After adjustment for potential confounders (including dietary pattern), the odds ratio (95% confidence interval) of having metabolic syndrome and elevated triglycerides for subjects with irritable bowel syndrome as compared with non-irritable bowel syndrome are 2.01(1.13–3.55) and 1.50(1.03–2.18), respectively. Irritable bowel syndrome is significantly related to metabolic syndrome and it components. This study is the first to show that irritable bowel syndrome was significantly related to a higher prevalence of metabolic syndrome and elevated triglycerides among an adult population. The findings suggest that the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome may be a potentially beneficial factor for the prevention of metabolic syndrome. Further study is needed to clarify this association.
Automatic Road Extraction from Printed Maps

Raster maps are widely available in the everyday life, and can contain a huge amount of information of any kind using labels, pictograms, or color code e.g. But due to those overlapping features, it’s not an easy task to extract roads from those maps. Many methods use user input to achieve this goal. In this paper we focus on an automated method to extract roads by using color segmentation and linear features detection to search for seed points having a high probability to belong to roads. Those seeds are then expanded before choosing to keep or to discard the extracted element.
Improving Resource Efficiency in Internet Cafés by Virtualization and Optimal User Allocation

The concept of using distributed computing to supply video games to end users has been growing in popularity. Internet cafés are one potential application for this concept. We consider a cloud-based model for Internet cafés where servers provide virtual machines with different specifications in order to meet different kinds of user demand (web browsing, low end gaming, medium end gaming, and high end gaming). In an Internet café, users arrive throughout the day with different demands and different durations for which they stay. Given the user demand over time and a fixed hardware set-up of servers, the task then consists of choosing which users to accept and how to allocate the accepted users to the servers in order to maximize the total profit of the Internet café. We formulate an integer programming model for computing an optimal choice of users to accept together with an efficient allocation of accepted users to servers. Computational results show that, when allocating users efficiently, using a cloud-based setting with servers providing virtual machines that exactly meet the users' demands can greatly improve resource efficiency in Internet cafés compared to classical zoning models that use desktop computers. At the same time, the total profit obtained from accepting users can be improved significantly due to the added flexibility when using an optimized user acceptance strategy.
At the intersection of sexual orientation and gender identity: variations in emotional distress and bullying experience in a large population-based sample of U.S. adolescents

Abstract This study examines the intersection of sexual and gender identities among adolescents, including the prevalence of these groups and rates of emotional distress and bullying victimization. Data come from a large population-based sample; two measures of sexual orientation and gender identity create eight identity groups. Youth who report identifying both as lesbian, gay, bisexual or queer/questioning (LGBQ) and as transgender/gender diverse (TGD) had significantly higher levels of two measures of emotional distress and four measures of bullying victimization than those who report only identifying as LGBQ non-TGD or straight TGD. Implications for research and practice are discussed.
Understanding the Nature of Use Regarding System Development and Management Methodologies -- Using Psychoanalysis to Understand the Influences of Methodology Attributes

Despite the overwhelming advantages of using system development methodologies (SDMs), organizations are rarely able to motivate their staff to use them. Even when employees use these methodologies, the question regarding the nature of their use remains, i.e. how are they using them? To better understand the way employees use SDMs, we conceptualize usage into three distinct constructs: committed, compliant, and resistant use. Applying a diffusion of innovations perspective, we develop and test conceptual models using the structural equation modeling technique, based on a sample size of 1474 participants, to examine how attributes of an SDM (relative advantage, complexity, compatibility, and image) influence employees' usage behavior.
Validity of Electronically Administered Recent Physical Activity Questionnaire (RPAQ) in Ten European Countries

Objective To examine the validity of the Recent Physical Activity Questionnaire (RPAQ) which assesses physical activity (PA) in 4 domains (leisure, work, commuting, home) during past month. Methods 580 men and 1343 women from 10 European countries attended 2 visits at which PA energy expenditure (PAEE), time at moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) and sedentary time were measured using individually-calibrated combined heart-rate and movement sensing. At the second visit, RPAQ was administered electronically. Validity was assessed using agreement analysis. Results RPAQ significantly underestimated PAEE in women [median(IQR) 34.1 (22.1, 52.2) vs. 40.6 (32.4, 50.9) kJ/kg/day, 95%LoA: −44.4, 63.4 kJ/kg/day) and in men (43.7 (29.0, 69.0) vs. 45.5 (34.1, 57.6) kJ/kg/day, 95%LoA: −47.2, 101.3 kJ/kg/day]. Using individualised definition of 1MET, RPAQ significantly underestimated MVPA in women [median(IQR): 62.1 (29.4, 124.3) vs. 73.6 (47.8, 107.2) min/day, 95%LoA: −130.5, 305.3 min/day] and men [82.7 (38.8, 185.6) vs. 83.3 (55.1, 125.0) min/day, 95%LoA: −136.4, 400.1 min/day]. Correlations (95%CI) between subjective and objective estimates were statistically significant [PAEE: women, rho = 0.20 (0.15–0.26); men, rho = 0.37 (0.30–0.44); MVPA: women, rho = 0.18 (0.13–0.23); men, rho = 0.31 (0.24–0.39)]. When using non-individualised definition of 1MET (3.5 mlO2/kg/min), MVPA was substantially overestimated (∼30 min/day). Revisiting occupational intensity assumptions in questionnaire estimation algorithms with occupational group-level empirical distributions reduced median PAEE-bias in manual (25.1 kJ/kg/day vs. −9.0 kJ/kg/day, p<0.001) and heavy manual workers (64.1 vs. −4.6 kJ/kg/day, p<0.001) in an independent hold-out sample. Conclusion Relative validity of RPAQ-derived PAEE and MVPA is comparable to previous studies but underestimation of PAEE is smaller. Electronic RPAQ may be used in large-scale epidemiological studies including surveys, providing information on all domains of PA.
Tentacle morphogenesis in hydra I. The role of head activator

Stimulation of tentacle-specific cell differentiation by the neuropeptide head activator was investigated in Hydra magnipapillata. Tentacle-specific sensory nerve cells were identified by a monoclonal antibody, NV1. Treatment of hydra with 1pM head activator for 18h stimulated differentiation of NV1+ nerve cells and tentacle epithelial cells in tissue from the distal gastric region. Head tissue and tissue from the proximal gastric region did not respond to head activator treatment with increased NV1+ differentiation. Hence the distal gastric region appears to be the site of tentacle formation in hydra. Tentacle precursors in head tissue seem to be committed since they fail to respond to head activator or to changes in tissue size with altered amounts of tentacle formation. We suggest that NV1 precursors form a complex with tentacle epithelial cell precursors, which then moves distally through the head region into the tentacles. The signal for NV1+ differentiation appears to be formation of this complex.
A High Performance Drive For the Rotary Coal Breaker Application

This paper considers recent advances made within the field of electric drives and how this new technology might be best applied within the mining industry. A case study is presented showing simulated results of the performance of the electric drives in a coal preparation plant. The various starting methodologies (resistance starting, fluid coupling, V/f=const and vector control) are compared within this application. The merits of each method are then discussed with regard to the specific application and other more generic applications within the mining industry. Application of a rotor flux orientation control drive is substantiated, its superior performance under start and stall conditions to that of the currently implemented system is confirmed by theoretical analysis and simulations. Experimental results for a scale model of the candidate system are presented that agree with the main conclusions of the paper.
Mapping Process of Digital Forensic Investigation Framework

Summary Digital forensics is essential for the successful prosecution of digital criminals which involve diverse digital devices such as computer system devices, network devices, mobile devices and storage devices. The digital forensic investigation must be retrieved to obtain the evidence that will be accepted in the court of law. Therefore, for digital forensic investigation to be performed successfully, there are a number of important steps that have to be taken into consideration. The aim of this paper is to produce the mapping process between the processes/activities and output for each phase in Digital Forensic Investigation Framework (DFIF). Existing digital forensic frameworks will be reviewed and then the mapping is constructed. The result from the mapping process will provide a new framework to optimize the whole investigation process.
Change Blindness in Adults with ADHD Tendency

Participants were 469 university students who were subjected to the change blindness task (CB), continuous-performance test(CPT), and Conners’ ADHD scale. According to DSM-ADHD scale, upper 25 students were assigned to ADHD group, lower 25 as control group. In the CB, students were instructed to press an arrow (left/right) key on deciding whether the two displays are the same or not. In the CPT, they were told to press the space key if the display does not contain the digit ‘5’ (CPT not-X type).
Graph Partitioning Change Detection Using Tree-Based Clustering

We are concerned with the issue of detecting changes of graph partitioning structures from a graph sequence. We call this issue GPCD(graph partitioning change detection). The graph partitioning structures may represent network communities. Hence GPCD is important in that it leads to discovery of important events which cause changes of network communities. We introduce a new algorithm for GPCD, denoted as TREE. The key ideas are: 1) we employ probabilistic trees to represent probabilistic models of graph partitioning structures. 2) We then reduce GPCD into the issue of detecting changes of trees on the basis of the minimum description length (MDL) principle. 3) By taking the cost of changes into consideration, we realize significantly less false alarm rates for change detection than the baseline method called Graph Scope. We empirically demonstrate that TREE is able to detect changes more accurately than Graph Scope.
Home environment fall detection system based on a cascaded multi-SVM classifier

Fall detection system for intelligent home care for elderly people is presented in this paper. The system includes human blob detection by non-parameter background substruction method, feature extraction from two minimum bounding boxes, and fall detection by a cascaded multi-SVM classifier. Besides falling down, other daily activities such as walk, jogging, sitting down, squatting down and immobility are also taken into consideration. A three-stage cascade of SVM classifiers is made to distinguish fall action from other activities. Each SVM classifier is first trained and tested separately to achieve its best classification performance by choosing proper features and corresponding kernel function. Then the combined classifier is trained to detect falls. A perfect correct identification rate of 98.13% on a real activity video set by experiments demonstrates the robustness and the utility of the system.
Conan: a platform for complex network analysis

Conan is a C++ library created for the accurate and ecient modelling, inference and analysis of complex networks. It implements the generation and modication of graphs according to several published models, as well as the unexpensive computation of global and local network properties. Other features include network inference and community detection. Furthermore, Conan provides a Python interface to facilitate the use of the library and its integration in currently existing applications. Conan is available at http://github.com/rhz/conan/.
Efficient Energy Management and Grid Interconnection of Solar PV System

With the increasing concerns on environment and increasing emission of greenhouse gases, we need to reduce the energy required to provide necessary products and services essential for ease of living by implementing efficient use of energy. Also we need to shift towards more clean and green forms of energy. Sun is the ultimate source of energy and its energy reaching at Earth's surface is about 10000 times greater than what we are consuming presently. Solar and wind remains in the top list of clean and green energy.Solar energy harnessed by Multifunctional photovoltaic converters (MPVC) are getting popular now a day as, it combines the advantages of inverters connected to the network (grid-tie inverter) and off-grid type inverter, as well as Uninterruptable Power Supplies (UPS). Grid tie inverter simply feeds the excess power generated to the grid with full utilization of solar panels.
Interagency collaboration in adult support and protection in Scotland: processes and barriers

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This study was heavily dependent upon the goodwill and efforts of a large number of people. First, our thanks to those who had allegedly been harmed for their informed consent to study their cases. Where it was not possible for them to grant consent themselves, welfare guardians were equally cooperative and we are most grateful to them, too. Identification of cases and the follow through to secure informed consent was dependent upon senior managers in the social work departments involved in the study. This was no easy task for them, and we very much appreciate the investment of time that they committed. In addition, they had to ensure case files were available to us and that it was practically possible for us to occupy office space in their departments for several days. This they did with great efficiency and were always hospitable towards us. Their openness was very much appreciated. We interviewed many people in a variety of different agencies. Again, with only a few very rare exceptions, we had full cooperation from them. They not only gave freely of their time but acted as a generous resource when we went back for still more information. Our sincere hope is that the outcome of this research provides some return to them as they carry out the extremely complex and demanding task of protecting and supporting individuals who are at high risk of harm from a wide range of sources. Andrew Reid has throughout given freely of his expertise in this area and encouraged us through a variety of difficult times: our thanks and appreciation to him. Finally, our thanks to the Scottish Government and Capability Scotland for supporting this work. We are obviously highly appreciative of this support.
Comparative analysis of fuzzy ART and ART-2A network clustering performance

Adaptive resonance theory (ART) describes a family of self-organizing neural networks, capable of clustering arbitrary sequences of input patterns into stable recognition codes. Many different types of ART-networks have been developed to improve clustering capabilities. In this paper we compare clustering performance of different types of ART-networks: Fuzzy ART, ART 2A with and without complement encoded input patterns, and an Euclidean ART 2A-variation. All types are tested with two- and high-dimensional input patterns in order to illustrate general capabilities and characteristics in different system environments. Based on our simulation results, Fuzzy ART seems to be less appropriate whenever input signals are corrupted by additional noise, while ART 2A-type networks keep stable in all inspected environments. Together with other examined features, ART-architectures suited for particular applications can be selected.
Designing a Portlet for Plagiarism Detections Within a Campus Portal

In an educational context, we are faced with similar challenges. How do we keep the adminis tration, faculty, staff and students well informed about institutional policies and procedures? How do we ensure the student body receives accurate and up-to-date information to help them achieve their educational and career goals? How to check for plagiarism cases? In addition, we hope to build learning communities-communities of students, instructors, administration, faculty and staff all collaborating and constructing strong relationships that provide the foundation for students to achieve their goals with greater success. We also want to promote information sharing so users can build on their experiences at the institution. Plus, we want to provide seamless integration with legacy and other applications in some easy, modifiable and reusable way. One solution to these goals is to provide a support tool for such learning through a learning portal. This portal should provide all users (e.g. students, instructors) with valuable information required. However, building and modifying learning portal is no small task, especially when you consider the shrinking budgets and limited resources in today's economy. Java portlet presents a new solution in which new functionality can be plugged to existing portals. This study shed some light on an ongoing research to develop a plagiarism detection portlet for java student assignments.
Generating Various Patterns of Intrusion using IGA

As the computer environment changes significantly, several mechanisms such as firewall are developed and intrusion detection system (IDS) is the representative among them. However, because many IDSs are modeled and evaluated with known intrusion patterns, they have inertia not to detect the intrusions which are unknown or transformed. In this paper, we propose an IGA-based method to generate the novel intrusion patterns. The fitness values of generated intrusion patterns are evaluated by users, and we apply the generated intrusion patterns to LinSTAT, one of the most famous misuse detection systems. As a experimental results, various and available intrusion patterns are generated about 73%.
International Conference on Intelligent and Advanced Systems 2007 Advanced Computational Geometry for Proximity Queries of Convex Polyhedras

— This paper summarizes the prominent algorithms for computing the minimum distance between convex polyhedras. These algorithms are used in various areas such as path planning, collision detection, haptic interaction, virtual reality, etc. The algorithm of Gilbert-Johnson-Keerthi (GJK) and the algorithm of Lin-Canny (LC) are well known fast solutions to the problem. An hybrid approach which was proposed by Sundaraj-Mazer (SM) has also been shown to produce satisfactory results in terms of speed and accuracy. A review of these algorithms and their variations are presented. A critical analysis of these algorithms is also presented. I. INTRODUCTION It has been shown that many problems in the robotics field require some form of proximity query in order to compute a solution. In the event where millions of queries are executed, efficient algorithms are required to ensure real-time compatibility. One such query is that of minimum distance. The minimum distance problem in most cases can be considered as follows. Given a certain knowledge about the geometrical structure of the environment, what is the minimum distance between the object and environment or between objects. Solutions to these problems typically use the geometrical model of the objects to find a point on each object such that the distance between them is minimized. Minimum distance computation has found wide applications especially in collision avoidance, path modification, optimal path planning, dynamic simulation and virtual reality.
Complexity Classes Characterized by Semi-Random Sources

The complexity classes characterized by semirandom sources were investigated. U.V. Vazirani and V.V Vazirani [VV85] showed that 8 -RP = RP, and U.V. Vazirani [Vaz86] showed that 8 -BPP = BPP, where, for the random class C, the class 8 -C is a set of all languages which satisfy the condition for C by using any -random source. First, we show
Making assessment promote effective learning practices: An example of ipsative assessment from the School of Psychology at UEL

There is a wealth of literature that attests to the benefits of retrieval practice in the long term retention of academic material (see Roediger & Butler, 2011 for a review). Unfortunately, there is also evidence indicating that students rarely report using this method of study (e.g. Karpicke, Butler, Roediger, 2009). The authors have piloted the use of an Ipsative format of assessment that imposes the use of retrieval practice via self-administered testing in the virtual learning environment Moodle. The purpose of this paper is to identify the rationale for the use of Ipsative Assessment in a programme’s pedagogical repertoire and to briefly overview the implementation of this format of assessment.