Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Reallocating sedentary time to moderate‐to‐vigorous physical activity but not to light‐intensity physical activity is effective to reduce adiposity among youths: a systematic review and meta‐analysis

The aim of the study was to summarize the evidence of the effects of reallocating time spent in sedentary behaviours in different activity intensities on youth's adiposity. Five databases were searched. Studies that reported the effects of replacing sedentary behaviour with light‐intensity physical activity (LIPA) and/or moderate‐to‐vigorous physical activity (MVPA) on at least one adiposity parameter. The estimated regression coefficients (β) and 95% CIs were combined and meta‐analysed. Data from 7,351 youths and five studies were analysed. Pooled analysis from cross‐sectional studies shows that replacing sedentary time with LIPA showed no significant associations with any adiposity‐related outcomes. Replacing sedentary time with MVPA was statistically associated with total body fat percentage (β = −2.512; p = 0.003), but not with body mass index or waist circumference. In subgroup analysis, the greatest magnitude of association was observed from studies where 60 min of sedentary behaviour was reallocated to 60 min of MVPA (β = −4.535; p < 0.001). Our results highlight the importance of promoting MVPA, which may improve body composition phenotypes in young people. This information can be used to develop more effective lifestyle interventions.
Generalization and systematicity in echo state networks

Echo state networks (ESNs) are recurrent neural networks that can be trained efficiently because the weights of recurrent connections remain fixed at random values. Investigations of these networks' ability to generalize in sentence-processing tasks have resulted in mixed outcomes. Here, we argue that ESNs do generalize but that they are not systematic, which we define as the ability to generally outperform Markov models on test sentences that violate the training sentences' grammar. Moreover, we show that systematicity in ESNs can easily be obtained by switching from arbitrary to informative representations of words, suggesting that the information provided by such representations facilitates connectionist systematicity.
Intelligent agents in a goal finding application for homeland security

Orderly and efficient evacuations are the key in saving lives and are of considerable interest to homeland security. There has been a considerable interest in simulation of intelligent agent behavior in the context of agent based modeling. This paper combines Genetic Algorithm (GA) with Neural Networks (NN) to explore how intelligent agents can look for exits during an evacuation. The agents have the capability to adapt their behavior in the environment and formulate their response by learning from the environment. Our approach focuses on modeling individual behavior as well as group behavior. Individuals constantly adjust their behavior according to the dynamic factors in the environment. We are developing crowd-modeling and emergency behavior modeling capability in a goal finding application. This paper examines an intelligent agent-based evacuation that can help plan emergency evacuations, run numerous event-driven evacuation scenarios, support research in the areas of human behavior, and model the movement of responders and security personnel. The result of this simulation was very promising as we are able to observe the agents use GA and NN to learn how to find the various exits.
White privilege in the lives of Muslim converts in Britain

This paper explores how the whiteness of converts to Islam affects their post-conversion experiences. It shows how white converts are privileged because their whiteness functions as a marker of dominance and respectability. In attempting to go beyond well-established observations about the existence of white privilege, the limits of white privilege are also considered. It is argued that upon converting to Islam, white converts' whiteness is jeopardized, thus showing the precariousness of whiteness. The paper also considers how converts' whiteness can cause them difficulties rather than benefits due to the unique context that they find themselves in. Unlike white supremacists who portray white people as always a victim however, this paper seeks a more balanced understanding of the complexity of whiteness as often-but-not-always privileging. This paper is based on thirty-seven in-depth interviews that were conducted between 2008 and 2009 with Muslim converts in Greater Manchester.
Hyperglycemia-Induced Hypovolemia Is Involved in Early Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Alterations in Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetic Mice: A Comparison with Furosemide-Induced Hypovolemia

Aims The aim of the study was to assess the early features of diabetic cardiomyopathy using cardiac magnetic resonance within the first week after streptozotocin injection in mice. We focused on the relationship between left ventricular function and hypovolemia markers in diabetic animals compared to a hypovolemic rodent model. Methods and Results Swiss mice were randomized into control (group C), streptozotocin-induced diabetes (group D) and furosemide-induced hypovolemia (group F) groups. Cardiac magnetic resonance, non-invasive blood pressure, urine volume, plasma markers of dehydration and cardiac histology were assessed in all groups. Mean blood glucose was higher in diabetic animals than in groups C and F (30.5±5.8 compared to 10.4±2.1 and 11.1±2.8 mmol/L, respectively; p<0.01). Diuresis was increased in animals from group D and F compared to C (14650±11499 and 1533±540 compared to 192±111 μL/24 h; p<0.05). End diastolic and end systolic volumes were lower in group D than in group C at week 1 (1.52±0.36 vs. 1.93±0.35 and 0.54±0.22 vs. 0.75±0.18 mL/kg, p<0.05). These left ventricular volume values in group D were comparable to those observed in the acute hypovolemia model (group F). Increased dehydration plasma markers and an absence of obvious intrinsic myocardial damage (evaluated by cardiac magnetic resonance and histology) suggest that a hemodynamic mechanism underlies the very early drop in left ventricular volumes in group D and provides a potential link to hyperglycemic osmotic diuresis. Conclusions Researchers using cardiac magnetic resonance in hyperglycemic rodent models should be aware of this hemodynamic mechanism, which may partially explain modifications in cardiac parameters in addition to diabetic myocardial damage.
Tracing Student Responsiveness to Intervention With Early Literacy Skills Indicators: Do They Reflect Growth Toward Text Reading Outcomes?

This study investigated four widely-used early literacy skills indicators in reflecting growth toward first-grade text reading skills. Examining the progress of 101 students across kindergarten and first grade, Letter Naming Fluency (LNF) and Nonsense Word Fluency (NWF) were more accurate than Initial Sounds Fluency and Phoneme Segmentation Fluency in discriminating between students grouped according to successful or unsuccessful first-grade reading outcomes. LNF and NWF slope also discriminated between groups, but graphed observed scores suggested potential problems in identifying students with persistently low achievement. Results suggest the need for continued refinement of early literacy skills measures for instructional decision-making.
Towards a Heterogeneous Medical Image Registration Acceleration Platform

For the past decade, improving the performance and accuracy of medical image registration has been a driving force of innovation in medical imaging. Accurate image registration enhances diagnoses of patients, accounts for changes in morphology of structures over time, and even combines images from different modalities. The ultimate goal of medical image registration research is to create a robust, real time, elastic registration solution that may be used on many modalities. With such a computationally intensive and multifaceted problem, researchers have exploited parallelism at different levels to improve the performance of this application, but there has yet to be a solution fast enough and effective enough to gain widespread clinical use. To achieve real time elastic registration, an implementation must simultaneously exploit multiple types of parallelism in the application by targeting a heterogeneous platform whose computational components (e.g. multiprocessors, graphics processors, field programmable gate arrays) match these types of parallelism. Our initial experiments indicate that an 8 node heterogeneous cluster can realize over 100times speedup compared to a high performance uniprocessor system. By creating a platform based on modern hardware, we believe that a heterogeneous compute platform customized for image registration can provide robust, scalable, cost effective sub-minute medical image registration capabilities.
The cockroach genus Sorineuchora Caudell, 1927 from China (Blattodea, Ectobiidae, Pseudophyllodromiinae)

Abstract In this paper, three new species (S. bimaculata sp. n., S. viridis sp. n., and S. hispida sp. n.) and five known species, S. formosana (Matsumura, 1913), S. nigra (Shiraki, 1908), S. shanensis (Princis, 1950), S. bivitta (Bey-Bienko, 1969), and S. undulata (Bey-Bienko, 1958), are described and illustrated. Sorineuchora undulata was previously synonymized with S. nigra, and is now reinstated as a valid species. A key to the males of Sorineuchora from China is provided.
Scaling-Up Access to Family Planning May Improve Linear Growth and Child Development in Low and Middle Income Countries

Background A large literature has indicated a robust association between birth spacing and child survival, but evidence on the association of birth timing with physical growth in low and middle income countries (LMICs) remains limited. Methods and Results Data from 153 cross-sectional Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) across 61 LMICs conducted between 1990 and 2011 were combined to assess the association of birth timing with child stunting (height-for-age z-score <−2). A total of 623,789 children of birth order 1–5 contributed to the maternal age analysis, while the birth spacing dataset consisted of 584,226 children of birth order 2 and higher. Compared to 27–34 year old mothers, maternal age under 18 years was associated with a relative stunting risk of 1.35 (95% CI: 1.29–1.40) for firstborn children, whereas the relative risk was 1.24 (95% CI: 1.19–1.29) for mothers aged 18–19 years. The association of young maternal age with stunting was significantly greater for urban residents and those in the top 50% of household wealth. Birth intervals less than 12 months and 12–23 months had relative risks for stunting of 1.09 (95% CI: 1.06–1.12) and 1.06 (95% CI: 1.05–1.06) as compared to a 24–35 month inter-pregnancy interval, respectively. The strength of both teenage pregnancy and short birth interval associations showed substantial variation across WHO region. We estimate that 8.6% (6.9–10.3%) of stunted cases in the South Asian DHS sample would have been averted by jointly eliminating teen pregnancies and birth intervals less than 24 months, while only 3.6% (1.5–5.7%) of stunting cases would have prevented in the Middle East and North Africa sample. Conclusions Postponing the age of first birth and increasing inter-pregnancy intervals has the potential to significantly reduce the prevalence of stunting and improve child development in LMICs.
First-time parenthood under socially disadvantaged conditions: Linking caregivers’ experiences of avoidance and relationship satisfaction with feelings of closeness to the infant

Abstract Systemic models assume that quality of interparental and parent–child relationships are related to adult attachment representations in internal working models. Previous studies have confirmed this, but failed to consider interpersonal mechanisms such as relationship satisfaction as latent variables. Further, these relations in socially disadvantaged first-time parents are understudied The present study sheds more light on that area by investigating the interdependency of parents’ ratings by using the actor–partner mediator model with latent variables, and the association between adult re-presentations of attachment, relationship satisfaction and caregivers' feelings of closeness to the infant at 6 months postpartum in a sample of 104 socially disadvantaged first-time parents. Results supported the assumption that relationship satisfaction mediates the association between parents’ characteristics of attachment avoidance and mothers' bonding to the infant. Moreover, a few individual-level associations between the study variables and psychosocial risk factors such as experiences of domestic violence and neglect in childhood could be found.
Fundus autofluorescence imaging findings in choroidal osteoma.

Choroidal osteoma is a rare ossifying benign choroidal tumor, which typically occurs in otherwise healthy young women. It appears as a well-demarcated, slightly elevated, yellow–white to orange–red lesion located in the juxtapapillary or macular area (Figure 1). Fluorescein angiography usually shows diffuse patchy hyperfluorescence with late-phase generalized tissue staining. Optical coherence tomography demonstrates a highly reflective cavernous structure. Orbital computed tomographic scan reveals a characteristic, well-defined, homogeneously radio-opaque plaque with the same density as bone at the level of the choroid. Fundus autofluorescence (FAF) is a noninvasive imaging technique that is used increasingly to image retinal diseases. Fundus autofluorescence detects the presence of lipofuscin, a product of degraded photoreceptor outer segments, which accumulates in retinal pigment epithelial cells. A continuous FAF pattern indicates normal metabolic activity of these cells, and the loss of FAF means that photoreceptors or retinal pigment epithelial cells are dysfunctional. To date, there are only a few reports of FAF findings in choroidal tumors, including nevus, melanoma, and hemangioma, but not in choroidal osteoma. We obtained autofluorescence images using the HRA confocal scanning laser ophthalmoscope (HRA2, Heidelberg Engineering, Heidelberg, Germany). The increased thickness of the tumor might adversely affect the accuracy of the FAF signal because out of focus regions are not visible with the confocal imaging mode. Otherwise, FAF highlighted a peripheral hyperautofluorescence associated with granular hypoautofluorescent dots with consistent patterns of speckled fluorescence (Figure 2). This would suggest an increased metabolic activity of the retinal pigment epithelial cells along the margins of the tumor together with atrophic areas of retinal pigment epithelial cell loss. Unlike choroidal hemangioma, choroidal osteoma grows gradually in the natural course showing pseudopodial margin. There have been studies in age-related macular degeneration showing that distinct Fig. 1. Right fundus photograph showing a typical choroidal osteoma in the juxtapapillary and macular area.
The protective effect of male circumcision on HIV infection in a sample of Kenyan men

This article examines the association between male circumcision and HIV infection in a national sample. The analysis is based on the 2003 Kenya Demographic and Health Survey (KDHS), a nationally representative household-based population survey of adults, in which male respondents self-reported their circumcision status. In addition, in some households eligible for individual interview, blood samples were subsequently anonymously obtained for HIV testing, making this the first study linking socio-demographic information to HIV status at the national level. The study sample is limited to 3 413 men aged 15–54 years who gave valid information on their circumcision and HIV statuses. Nearly 5% of the men were HIV-positive, and 86% had been circumcised. HIV prevalence was significantly higher among the uncircumcised men (12%) than among the circumcised men (3%). This indication of the protective effect of male circumcision on HIV infection remained statistically significant (OR 0.15; 95%CI: 0.09–0.23) even after controlling for the effects of socio-demographic variables, age at first sexual intercourse, and use of paid sex. Based on these results, we recommend that HIV-prevention advocates and activists, scholars, bio-medical communities and political leaders find ways to include this oldest surgical procedure in their HIV/AIDS discourses and programmes in sub-Saharan Africa.
Message Passing for Programming Languages and Operating Systems

Message passing as a mean of communication has been gaining popularity within domains of concurrent programming languages and operating systems. In this thesis, we discuss how message passing languages can be applied in the context of operating systems which are heavily based on this form of communication. In particular, we port the Go programming language to the Barrelfish OS and integrate the Go communication channels with the messaging infrastructure of Barrelfish. We show that the outcome of the porting and the integration allows us to implement OS services that can take advantage of the easy-to-use concurrency model of Go. Our evaluation based on LevelDB benchmarks shows comparable performance to the Linux port. Meanwhile, the overhead of the messaging integration causes the poor performance when compared to the native messaging of Barrelfish, but exposes an easier to use interface, as shown by the example code.
Use of Lambda Phage S and R Gene Products in an Inducible Lysis System for Vibrio cholerae- and Salmonella enterica Serovar Typhimurium-Based DNA Vaccine Delivery Systems

ABSTRACT Novel methods for adapting DNA vaccine technology to the prevention of mucosal diseases are greatly needed. Here we show that regulated expression of phage lambda lysis genes S and R causes dramatic lysis of both Vibrio cholerae and Salmonella entericaserovar Typhimurium cells with concomitant release of plasmid DNA into the surrounding media. We also used single and double DNase mutant strains to show that secreted V. cholerae DNases can adversely affect the integrity of DNA molecules released upon lysis. These results suggest that incorporation of lambda SR-mediated lysis constructs and DNA stabilizing mutations into candidate live attenuated bacterial vaccines offers a promising approach for the development of effective mucosal DNA delivery vectors for humans.
Ineffective communication of mental status information during care transfer of older adults

AbstractBACKGROUND: Monitoring and documenting the mental status of older patients transferred between providers or facilities is important because mental status change can be a sign of acute disease and mental status abnormalities necessitate specific approaches to care. OBJECTIVES: To identify patient and illness factors associated with presence of a mental status description in inter-facility transfer documents and to describe the content and concurrent validity of transfer mental status descriptions when they occur. DESIGN: Retrospective study. PARTICIPANTS: Individuals transferred between 5 long-term and 2 acute care facilities in an urban setting. MEASUREMENTS: Trained research personnel reviewed hospital and nursing home medical records and inter-facility transfer documents. Mental status descriptions in transfer documents were coded as abnormal or normal within 5 domains: alertness, communication, orientation/memory, behavior, and mood. Descriptions were compared with mental status items in the nursing home Minimum Data Set and in a transfer communication checklist. RESULTS: In all, 123 nursing home residents experienced 174 hospital admissions. Mental status descriptions were present in 69% of transfer documents. A total of 67% of patients missing a transfer mental status description upon nursing home-to-hospital transfer had dementia. Factors associated with presence of a transfer mental status description were urgent transfer, nursing home of origin, and among patients without dementia, greater cognitive impairment. When present, a mean of 1.47 (SD=0.81) cognitive domains were documented in transfer mental status descriptions. Agreement between transfer mental status descriptions and comparison sources was fair to good (κ=.31 to .73). CONCLUSION: Mental status documentation during transfer of older adults between nursing home and hospital did not identify all patients with dementia and did not completely characterize patients’ cognitive status.
Toward Enabling Users to Visually Evaluate the Effectiveness of Different Search Methods

This paper explores how information visualization can provide insights into the effectiveness of different query formulations or the same query submitted to multiple search engines. Different queries or search methods are deemed more effective if the fusion of their results leads to a new result set that contains an increased number of relevant documents. The MetaCrystal toolset can be used to visualize the degree of overlap and similarity between the results returned by different queries or engines. The work presented is guided by two working hypotheses: 1) documents found by multiple methods are more likely to be relevant; 2) high degrees of overlap and/or systematic relationships between the ranked lists being compared will not lead to fusion results that contain more relevant documents. MetaCrystal visually identifies documents found by multiple queries or engines. The number and distribution patterns of documents found by multiple methods can be used as a visual measure of the fusion effectiveness. Examples, using Internet and TREC data, are presented that support both in a qualitative and quantitative way the working hypotheses.
Do socioeconomic status and stress reactivity really impact neurocognitive performance

arious discussions have centered on whether and how socioeconomic status and stress are associated with neurocognitive function in different stages of development. Reviews have been conducted focusing on only part of these relationships (SES and stress or SES and neurocognition). The aim of the present study was to review investigations that examined the relationship between socioeconomic status (SES), stress (assessed by cortisol levels and allostatic load), and neurocognitive performance (executive function, memory, language, and intelligence), including the three variables in the same study. A systematic review was conducted that evaluated articles published between 1990 and 2013 in the Web of Knowledge, PsycINFO, PubMed, SCOPUS, Embase, and BVS-Psi databases. Nine studies were analyzed based on inclusion criteria. Overall, SES, stress, and neurocognitive performance were independently related in the studies. Furthermore, early evidence suggest that stress is a mechanism that mediates the relationship between SES and neurocognitive performance, specifically in visuospatial working memory and executive function tasks in childhood. This evidence should be confirmed in future studies.
RFC 7800 - Money Over IP

This Request For Comment (RFC) is a proposal for a new protocol to use money over the Internet. Features like a distributed architecture, a published cryptographic algorithm, a minimal authority responsibility, the absence of fees will make this protocol a perfect tool for citizens in today's digital World. An implementation has validated the main principles and we entering now a testing phase (v0.1). Depending of the results, a released date for the 1.0 revision will to decided to allow anybody to send or to receive money to/from anyone, in any currency, with a regular and personal smart-phone. A distributed hash table (DHT) is used to store all transactions, public keys and certificates redundantly on several nodes. The all system may replace coins, banknotes and classical checks in the future. We also argue that the Bitcoin technology does not satisfy the requirements for a digital mean of payment. This proposal is expected to be reviewed and commented by the Internet Engineering Task Force.