Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Genetic factors in the etiology of type 2 diabetes: linkage analyses, candidate gene association, and genome-wide association – still a long way to go! -

Type 2 diabetes is a complex and pleomorphic metabolic disorder arising from a complex interaction between genes and the environment. During the last decade there has been an outpouring of studies providing clues into the genetic architecture underlying type 2 diabetes mellitus. This review provides an overview of the genetics of type 2 diabetes in the context of recent progress in the understanding of the genetic susceptibility of the disease. Approximately 40 variants have been identified so far and the identification of these susceptibility loci for diabetes has introduced novel genes, pathways and mechanisms of diabetes pathogenesis. The genetic loci so far identified account for only a small fraction (approximately 10%) of the overall heritable risk for type 2 diabetes mellitus. Uncovering the missing heritability is essential to the progress of type 2 diabetes genetic studies and to the translation of genetic information into clinical practice. However, it may be a long time before all the susceptibility genes are found. It may take even more time before their roles in different pathways have been elucidated and the mechanisms involved in their interaction with other factors in the disease etiology clarified.
Revisiting transactions in Ada

Classical lock-based concurrency control does not scale with current and foreseen multi-core architectures, opening space for alternative concurrency control mechanisms. The concept of transactions executing concurrently in isolation with an underlying mechanism maintaining a consistent system state was already explored in fault-tolerant and distributed systems, and is currently being explored by transactional memory, this time being used to manage concurrent memory access. In this paper we discuss the use of Software Transactional Memory (STM), and how Ada can provide support for it. Furthermore, we draft a general programming interface to transactional memory, supporting future implementations of STM oriented to real-time systems.
Design and Real-World Evaluation of Eyes-Free Yoga

People who are blind or low vision may have a harder time participating in exercise due to inaccessibility or lack of encouragement. To address this, we developed Eyes-Free Yoga using the Microsoft Kinect that acts as a yoga instructor and has personalized auditory feedback based on skeletal tracking. We conducted two different studies on two different versions of Eyes-Free Yoga: (1) a controlled study with 16 people who are blind or low vision to evaluate the feasibility of a proof-of-concept and (2) an 8-week in-home deployment study with 4 people who are blind or low vision, with a fully functioning exergame containing four full workouts and motivational techniques. We found that participants preferred the personalized feedback for yoga postures during the laboratory study. Therefore, the personalized feedback was used as a means to build the core components of the system used in the deployment study and was included in both study conditions. From the deployment study, we found that the participants practiced Yoga consistently throughout the 8-week period (Average hours = 17; Average days of practice = 24), almost reaching the American Heart Association recommended exercise guidelines. On average, motivational techniques increased participant's user experience and their frequency and exercise time. The findings of this work have implications for eyes-free exergame design, including engaging domain experts, piloting with inexperienced users, using musical metaphors, and designing for in-home use cases.
Simulated Angular Head Oscillation Enhances Vection in Depth

Research has shown that adding simulated linear head oscillation to radial optic flow displays enhances the illusion of self-motion in depth (ie linear vection). We examined whether this oscillation advantage for vection was due to either the added motion parallax or retinal slip generated by insufficient compensatory eye movement during display oscillation. We constructed radial flow displays which simulated 1 Hz horizontal linear head oscillation (generates motion parallax) or angular head oscillation in yaw (generates no motion parallax). We found that adding simulated angular or linear head oscillation to radial flow increased the strength of linear vection in depth. Neither type of simulated head oscillation significantly reduced vection onset latencies relative to pure radial flow. Simultaneous eye-movement recordings showed that slow-phase ocular following responses (OFRs) were induced in both linear and angular viewpoint oscillation conditions. Vection strength was significantly reduced by active central fixation when viewing displays which simulated angular, but not linear, head oscillation. When these displays with angular oscillation were viewed without stable fixation, vection strength was found to increase with the velocity and regularity of the OFR. We conclude that vection improvements observed during central viewing of displays with angular viewpoint oscillation depend on the generation of eye movements.
Fast copy-move forgery detection

This paper proposes a method for detecting copy-move forgery over images tampered by copy-move. To detect such forgeries, the given image is divided into overlapping blocks of equal size, feature for each block is then extracted and represented as a vector, all the extracted feature vectors are then sorted using the radix sort. The difference (shift vector) of the positions of every pair of adjacent feature vectors in the sorting list is computed. The accumulated number of each of the shift vectors is evaluated. A large accumulated number is considered as possible presence of a duplicated region, and thus all the feature vectors corresponding to the shift vectors with large accumulated numbers are detected, whose corresponding blocks are then marked to form a tentative detected result. Finally, the medium filtering and connected component analysis are performed on the tentative detected result to obtain the final result. Compared with other methods, employing the radix sort makes the detection much more efficient without degradation of detection quality.
Modern information retrieval: the concepts and technology behind search

Contents Preface Acknowledgements 1 Introduction 2 User Interfaces for Search by Marti Hearst 3 Modeling 4 Retrieval Evaluation 5 Relevance Feedback and Query Expansion 6 Documents: Languages & Properties with Gonzalo Navarro and Nivio Ziviani 7 Queries: Languages & Properties with Gonzalo Navarro 8 Text Classification with Marcos Gonccalves 9 Indexing and Searching with Gonzalo Navarro 10 Parallel and Distributed IR with Eric Brown 11 Web Retrieval with Yoelle Maarek 12 Web Crawling with Carlos Castillo 13 Structured Text Retrieval with Mounia Lalmas 14 Multimedia Information Retrieval by Dulce Poncele'on and Malcolm Slaney 15 Enterprise Search by David Hawking 16 Library Systems by Edie Rasmussen 17 Digital Libraries by Marcos Gonccalves A Open Source Search Engines with Christian Middleton B Biographies Bibliography Index
Visual properties of neurons in a polysensory area in superior temporal sulcus of the macaque.

1. We recorded from single neurons in the dorsal bank and fundus of the anterior portion of the superior temporal sulcus, an area we term the superior temporal polysensory area (STP). Five macaques were studied under anesthesia ( N20) and immobilization in repeated recording sessions. 2. Almost all of the neurons were visually responsive, and over half responded to more than one sensory modality; 21% responded to visual and auditory stimuli, 17% responded to visual and somesthetic stimuli, 17% were trimodal, and 41% were exclusively visual. 3. Almost all the visual receptive fields extended into both visual half-fields, and the majority approached the size of the visual field of the monkey, including both monocular crescents. Somesthetic receptive fields were also bilateral and usually included most of the body surface. 4. Virtually all neurons responded better to moving visual stimuli than to stationary visual stimuli, and almost half were sensitive to the direction of movement. Several classes of directional neurons were found, including a) neurons selective for a single direction of movement throughout their receptive field, b) neurons selective for directions of movement radially symmetric about the center of gaze, and c) neurons selective for movement in depth. 5. The majority of neurons (70%) had little or no preference for stimulus size, shape, orientation, or contrast. The minority (30%) responded best to particular stimuli. Some of these appeared to be selective for faces. 6. The properties of most STP neurons, such as large receptive fields, sensitivity to movement, insensitivity to form, and polymodal responsiveness, suggest that STP is more involved in orientation and spatial functions than in pattern recognition.
Review of Differential Threshold Gate Implementations

ABSTRACT This paper reviews differential implementations of threshold logic gates, detailing two classes of solutions: capacitive (floating gate and switched capacitor), and conductance/current. KEY WORDS Differential gates, threshold logic, perceptron, VLSI, neural network 1. Introduction Research on neural networks (NNs) goes back sixty years. The seminal year for the development of the “science of mind” was 1943 when the article A Logical Calculus of the Ideas Immanent in Nervous Activity by McCulloch and Pitts was published [24]. They introduced the first mathematical model of a neuron, the perceptron, or threshold logic (TL) gate (TLG): f (x 1, K, x n ) = sgn ( ∑ n =1 −θ )i wi xi (1) Capacitive TLGs can be classified into two major groups: where w i is the synaptic weight associated to x i , θ is the threshold , and n is the fan-in of the TLG. The general belief that a neuron is a TLG, which fires when some variable reaches a threshold , can be questionable. That is why, the TLG model has been tested on a spike train generated by the Hodgkin-Huxley model (a precise four-dimensional neuron model) with a stochastic input [18]. The result was that the threshold model correctly predicts nearly 90% of the spikes,
English and Japanese CALL Systems Developed at Kyoto University

This paper gives an overview of the English and Japanese CALL systems which have been developed at Kyoto University. Both systems incorporate automatic speech recogni- tion (ASR) technologies to detect pronunciation errors. In order to cope with non-native speech, error prediction mechanisms are prepared based on linguistic knowledge and corpus-based decision tree learning. Several choices of acoustic modeling for non-native speech including erroneous pronunciations are also investigated. The English CALL system is designed for Japanese college students so that they can introduce Japanese cultures to foreign people, thus the acoustic model and error prediction are tuned to the specific native language (L1=Japanese). On the o ther hand, the Japanese CALL system is for foreign visitors of any L1, and focuses on basic-level sentence production and adopts GUI for easy practice.
Cognitive and Behavioral Processes and Its Stages of Change for Fruit and Vegetable Consumption among Nursing and Midwifery Staff of Ardabil Hospitals, 1395: Application of the Trans Theoretical Model

Background & objectives: Inappropriate nutrition places employees at risk of being overweight or obese, and not only affect their health but also indirectly may affect patients. The trans-theoretical model is one of the most common models of health promotion. It is recognized as one of the ways of identifying and changing diet, especially increasing the consumption of fruits and vegetables. In this model, behavioral changes can be seen in stages. Therefore, this study designed to determine the status of cognitive and behavioral processes and its stages of change for fruit and vegetable consumption. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted with the participation of 300 nursing and midwifery staffs of Ardabil hospital using systematic random sampling method. Data gathering instrument was a validated questionnaire to collect information on demographic characteristics, stages and the process of change for fruit and vegetables consumption. The data was analyzed by SPSS (ver. 23) to measure central tendency, spearman correlation test, ANOVA, and Post-hoc. Results: Average age and BMI of participants were 31±7.05 and 25.7±3.5 respectively. The majority of subjects (77.3%) were in the early stages of change (pre-contemplation, contemplation, and preparation) for fruit and vegetable consumption while, only 22.7% was in active stages (action and maintenance). The mean scores of cognitive and behavioral processes were at a higher level in the maintenance stage and the lowest in the contemplation. Finally, the mean scores of social liberation, environment re-evaluation, self re-evaluation, stimulus control and counter conditioning processes increased from the inactive stages to the active stages. Conclusion: Findings support the effect of processes of change in fruits and vegetables consumption among nursing and midwifery staffs, so that using behavioral process of change such as stimulus control and self liberation can lead to positive progress in stage of change. We suggest educational programs to increase consumption of fruits and vegetables, particularly considering individuals’ current stages and processes of change.
Elementary Vectors and Conformal Sums in Polyhedral Geometry and their Relevance for Metabolic Pathway Analysis

A fundamental result in metabolic pathway analysis states that every flux mode can be decomposed into a sum of elementary modes. However, only a decomposition without cancelations is biochemically meaningful, since a reversible reaction cannot have different directions in the contributing elementary modes. This essential requirement has been largely overlooked by the metabolic pathway community. Indeed, every flux mode can be decomposed into elementary modes without cancelations. The result is an immediate consequence of a theorem by Rockafellar which states that every element of a linear subspace is a conformal sum (a sum without cancelations) of elementary vectors (support-minimal vectors). In this work, we extend the theorem, first to “subspace cones” and then to general polyhedral cones and polyhedra. Thereby, we refine Minkowski's and Carathéodory's theorems, two fundamental results in polyhedral geometry. We note that, in general, elementary vectors need not be support-minimal; in fact, they are conformally non-decomposable and form a unique minimal set of conformal generators. Our treatment is mathematically rigorous, but suitable for systems biologists, since we give self-contained proofs for our results and use concepts motivated by metabolic pathway analysis. In particular, we study cones defined by linear subspaces and nonnegativity conditions — like the flux cone — and use them to analyze general polyhedral cones and polyhedra. Finally, we review applications of elementary vectors and conformal sums in metabolic pathway analysis.
Developing Change Readiness: A Video-Based Classroom Exercise

Leading change is a significant element of a management career, and therefore, discussions on change management are integral to leadership and organizational behavior courses in business programs. However, given their limited work experiences with organizational transitions, most business students fail to appreciate the challenge involved in getting others to accept and implement the change. This classroom activity serves to help students better understand the concerns of change recipients when a top-down change is mandated. The assignment involves students watching an organizational change video in class, discussing in groups, identifying the different change readiness sentiments, and responding to a brief questionnaire. Students find the activity both challenging and exciting, and it gives the students an opportunity to appreciate various concerns related to change implementation. This exercise can be used with a range of courses in management curricula, both undergraduate and graduate, and in other leadership training modules.
Effects of occupational therapy services on fine motor and functional performance in preschool children.

PURPOSE This study examined how performance components and variables in intervention influenced fine motor and functional outcomes in preschool children. METHOD In a sample of 44 preschool-aged children with fine motor delays who received occupational therapy services, eight fine motor and functional performance assessments were administered at the beginning and end of the academic year. Data on the format and intervention activities of each occupational therapy session were recorded for 8 months. RESULTS The children received a mean of 23 sessions, in both individual and group format. Most of the sessions (81%) used fine motor activities; 29% addressed peer interaction, and 16% addressed play skills. Visual motor outcomes were influenced by the number of intervention sessions and percent of sessions with play goals. Fine motor outcomes were most influenced by the therapists' emphasis on play and peer interaction goals; functional outcomes were influenced by number of sessions and percent of sessions that specifically addressed self-care goals. CONCLUSION The influence of play on therapy outcomes suggests that a focus on play in intervention activities can enhance fine motor and visual motor performance.
It’s Heart Work: Critical Case Studies, Critical Professional Development, and Fostering Hope Among Social Justice–Oriented Teacher Educators

As social justice–oriented teachers and teacher educators, it can seem as if we are fighting a losing battle against neoliberal education policies designed to disrupt and dismantle our field. In this article we draw upon traditions of critical race theory, counterstorying, and critical hope to examine the complex realities of contemporary teacher education and envision an alternate reality in which our profession develops and thrives. To do so, we first present a series of autoethnographic critical case studies that highlight dilemmas of practice. We then invite readers to examine each case through multiple lenses, as they grapple with the complexities of a visionary path forward. In so doing, we offer tools for critical professional development that articulate, deconstruct, and reimagine social justice–oriented teacher education and activism in this changing landscape. We close with recommendations to increase our collective capacity as social justice teacher educators, placing a central emphasis on the need for community, critical professional development, and hope.
A Wireless Sensor Network for Field Hockey Performance Analysis

The tracking of human movement has indeed become a central issue in acquiring optimized and strategy based solutions in various domains of applications. The utilization of technology in the enhancement of tracking players in a team sport is an evident applications which should utilize sensors. The game of field hockey is a sports requiring two main cohesive human movement. The first being individual and the second representing the group dynamics. Groups in the game of field hockey represents micro-human network formation and of the entire eleven players on the field. Among the pertinent sports technology utilized by field hockey teams is based on video visualization and the capturing of the player movement (Lu, 2007). In order to gain a clear understanding of the situation on the ground, it is becoming vital to observe from close range, using remote sensing devices placed in the area of interest. However, there are only a few movement tracking systems available today, and most of these systems are wired which tend to pose constraints in terms of movement (Wang, 2005). There are also a constrained number of wireless sensor available today to track human movements. Among the developed solutions is a wearable wireless sensor network to capture human movement (Wang, 2005). The system was tested on dance performance. In this research the advantages were for the development of the wearable sensor which permitted mobility through wireless. However, the research did not address the significance of coordinated interactions from a network sensor configuration and reconfiguration. The ability of applied WSN onto military applications are amplified by the possibility to provide intelligent cohesive network reconfiguration. In this research, the coordinated wireless sensor was not based on individual or pair human tracking system but is enhanced by the ability to focus on optimization based on multiple network configurations. Large networks of wireless sensors and actuators pose a number of problems that are not present in smaller networks of wired devices. Although current generation devices, such as the Mica motes, have limited processors (motes have an 8-bit, 7 MHz processor) and memory (motes have 4 KB of RAM and 512 KB of Flash), it is expected that in a few years these limitations will be much less severe. In distinguishing our research, test application encompassing human tracking in correlation to Game Analysis is proposed. The game constitutes of equipment control which is highly dependent on the human movement. This is distinctly different from those in deployment (Michael, 2005). The major
Steroid sparing strategies in renal transplantation.

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Optimizing Shuffle Performance in Spark

Spark [6] is a cluster framework that performs in-memory computing, with the goal of outperforming disk-based engines like Hadoop [2]. As with other distributed data processing platforms, it is common to collect data in a manyto-many fashion, a stage traditionally known as the shuffle phase. In Spark, many sources of inefficiency exist in the shuffle phase that, once addressed, potentially promise vast performance improvements. In this paper, we identify the bottlenecks in the execution of the current design, and propose alternatives that solve the observed problems. We evaluate our results in terms of application level throughput.