Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Comparative study on body shape satisfaction and body weight control between Korean and Chinese female high school students

This study was conducted to compare body shape satisfaction, body image perception, weight control status, and dietary habits of Korean and Chinese female high school students in order to provide information for proper body image perception of adolescents. 221 students in Yongin, a city in Korea, and 227 students in Weihai, a city in China, were surveyed using questionnaires. Body shape satisfaction was significantly higher in Chinese students (P < 0.001) compared to Korean students. 76.2% of Korean students and 72.7% of Chinese students wanted a thinner body shape than their present body shapes. Experiences of weight control, laxative or diuretics uses, eating during weight control, and vomiting after eating were significantly higher in Korean students (P < 0.05-P < 0.001) compared to Chinese students. The score for dietary habits was significantly higher in Chinese students (P < 0.001) compared to Korean students, suggesting a more desirable dietary habit among Chinese students. Students of both countries showed a significantly positive correlation between body shape satisfaction and dietary habits, suggesting that as body shape satisfaction increases, dietary habits become more desirable. In conclusion, Korean female students showed a more distorted body image perception and had more poor dietary habits than Chinese students. Nutritional education for the establishment of normal body weight, proper body image perception, and healthy dietary habits are needed.
Renal Damage Frequency in Patients with Solitary Kidney and Factors That Affect Progression

Background. The aim of this study is to assess renal damage incidence in patients with solitary kidney and to detect factors associated with progression. Methods. Medical records of 75 patients with solitary kidney were investigated retrospectively and divided into two groups: unilateral nephrectomy (group 1) and unilateral renal agenesis/dysplasia (group 2). According to the presence of kidney damage, each group was divided into two subgroups: group 1a/b and group 2a/b. Results. Patients in group 1 were older than those in group 2 (p = 0.001). 34 patients who comprise group 1a had smaller kidney size (p = 0.002) and higher uric acid levels (p = 0.028) than those in group 1b at presentation. Uric acid levels at first and last visit were associated with renal damage progression (p = 0.004, 0.019). 18 patients who comprise group 2a were compared with those in group 2b in terms of presence of DM (p = 0.038), HT (p = 0.003), baseline proteinuria (p = 0.014), and uric acid (p = 0.032) levels and group 2a showed higher rates for each. Progression was more common in patients with DM (p = 0.039), HT (p = 0.003), higher initial and final visit proteinuria (p = 0.014, for both), and higher baseline uric acid levels (p = 0.047). Conclusions. The majority of patients with solitary kidney showed renal damage at presentation. Increased uric acid level is a risk factor for renal damage and progression. For early diagnosis of renal damage and reducing the risk of progression, patients should be referred to a nephrologist as early as possible.
System Combination for Machine Translation through Paraphrasing

In this paper, we propose a paraphrasing model to address the task of system combination for machine translation. We dynamically learn hierarchical paraphrases from target hypotheses and form a synchronous context-free grammar to guide a series of transformations of target hypotheses into fused translations. The model is able to exploit phrasal and structural system-weighted consensus and also to utilize existing information about word ordering present in the target hypotheses. In addition, to consider a diverse set of plausible fused translations, we develop a hybrid combination architecture, where we paraphrase every target hypothesis using different fusing techniques to obtain fused translations for each target, and then make the final selection among all fused translations. Our experimental results show that our approach can achieve a significant improvement over combination baselines.
An Experience Report on Requirements-Driven Model-Based Synthetic Vision Testing

In this work we show how to specifically sample domain parameters for a certain system under test (SUT) to create corresponding test data in order to find the system’s limits of operation and discover its flaws. The SUT is part of an aerial sense and avoid system that performs aerial object detection in a video stream. In order to generate synthetic test data, we first define the variability range of the test data based on real-world observations, as well as the problem specification as requirements. Then synthetic test data with explicit situational and domain coverage is generated to show how it can be used to identify problems within the tested system. Next, we show how to specifically sample domain parameters to create corresponding test data which allows us to find the operation limits of the system under test. Finally, we verify the gained insights and therefore the methodology in two ways: (i) By comparing the evaluation results to results obtained with real-world data, and (ii) by identifying the reasons for certain shortcomings based on tested SUT internals.
Distributed Computational Electromagnetics Systems Distributed Computational Electromagnetics Systems

We describe our development of a \real world" electromagnetic application on distributed computing systems. A computational electromagnetics (CEM) simulation for radar cross-section(RCS) modeling of full scale airborne systems has been ported to three networked workstation cluster systems: an IBM RS/6000 cluster with Ethernet connection; a DEC Alpha farm connected by a FDDI-based Gigaswitch; and an ATM-connected SUN IPXs testbed. We used the ScaLAPACK LU solver from Oak Ridge National Laboratory/University of Tennessee in our parallel implementation for solving the dense matrix which forms the computationally intensive kernel of this application, and we have adopted BLACS as the message passing interface in all of our code development to achieve high portability across the three conngurations. The performance data from this work is reported, together with timing data from other MPP systems on which we have implemented this application including an Intel iPSC/860 and a CM-5, and which we include for comparison.
Antioxidant supplementation preserves antioxidant response in physical training and low antioxidant intake

The present controlled-training double-blind study (supplemented (S) group, n 7; placebo (P) group, n 10) was designed to investigate whether an antioxidant mixture (Se 150 μg, retinyl acetate mg, ascorbic acid 120 mg, α-tocopheryl succinate) would allow overloaded triathletes to avoid adaptation failure in the antioxidant system. Dietary intakes were recorded. The supplement of Se, and vitamins A and E provided 100 % of the French RDA. Four weeks of overloaded training (OT) followed 4 weeks of normal training (NT). After NT and OT, biological studies were conducted at rest and after a duathlon test (run 5 km, cycle 20 km, run 5 km). During the 4-week period of NT, blood levels of GSH levels increased in response to supplementation (P<0·05) and remained elevated during OT. Plasma glutathione peroxidase activity was significantly higher in the S group in all situations after NT and OT (P<0·01). The S group had increased erythrocyte Cu,Zn-superoxide dismutase activity in response to OT (P<0·05). Supplementation significantly reduced (P<0·05) the magnitude in duathlon-induced creatine kinase isoenzyme MB mass increase, which tended to be higher with OT (P=0·09). We conclude that the antioxidant mixture helped to preserve the antioxidant system during an OT-induced stress in subjects with initially low antioxidant intakes. Effects of supplementation during NT and/or OT are shown mostly by the alleviated muscle damage. The effects of the antioxidant mixture were observed for doses that can be provided by a diversified and well-balanced diet. The maintenance of normal nutritional status with regard to the antioxidant intake (Se, vitamins C and E) plays a key role in antioxidant adaptive effects during NT and OT.
International Journal of Innovative Research in Computer and Communication Engineering Clustering Uncertain Data Using Voronoi Diagrams and R-tree Index

Clustering uncertain objects has been a topic for research. In this paper the process of clustering uncertain objects and the usage of PDFs (Probability Density Functions) to describe their locations is considered. UK-means algorithm is not efficient in handling uncertain objects. This paper demonstrates it. The reason for its inefficiency can be traced back to the fact that it computes EDs (Expected Distances) between cluster representatives and objects. It performs numerical integrations for computing EDs which are expensive. In this paper the concept of Voronoi diagrams is proposed to reduce number of ED calculations. When compared with previous bounding-box-based technique, this is more effective and analytically proven. Furthermore this paper proposes building an R-tree index in order to organize uncertain objects. This can effectively reduce overheads pertaining to pruning. The experiments revealed that the techniques used in this paper are additive. Moreover, when used in combination they outperformed earlier methods.
GlycA, a Pro-Inflammatory Glycoprotein Biomarker, and Incident Cardiovascular Disease: Relationship with C-Reactive Protein and Renal Function

Objective GlycA is a novel nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy-measured biomarker of systemic inflammation. We determined whether GlycA is associated with incident cardiovascular disease (CVD) in men and women, examined whether this association with CVD is modified by renal function, and compared this association with high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP). Research design and methods A prospective cohort study was performed among 4,759 subjects (PREVEND study) without a history of CVD and cancer. Incident CVD was defined as the combined endpoint of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Cox regression analyses were used to examine associations of baseline GlycA and hsCRP with CVD. Results 298 first CVD events occurred during a median follow-up of 8.5 years. After adjustment for clinical and lipid measures the hazard ratio (HR) for CVD risk in the highest GlycA quartile was 1.58 (95% CI, 1.05–2.37, P for trend = 0.004). This association was similar after further adjustment for renal function (estimated glomerular filtration rate and urinary albumin excretion). After additional adjustment for hsCRP, GlycA was still associated with incident CVD (HR: 1.16 per SD change (95% CI, 1.01–1.33), P = 0.04). Similar results were obtained for hsCRP (HR per SD change after adjustment for GlycA: 1.17 (95% CI 1.17 (95% CI, 1.01–3.60), P = 0.04). CVD risk was highest in subjects with simultaneously higher GlycA and hsCRP (fully adjusted HR: 1.79 (95% CI, 1.31–2.46), P<0.001). Conclusion GlycA is associated with CVD risk in men and women, independent of renal function. The association of GlycA with incident CVD is as strong as that of hsCRP.
On the K-theory of crossed products by automorphic semigroup actions

Let P be a semigroup that admits an embedding into a group G. Assume that the embedding satisfies a certain Toeplitz condition and that the Baum-Connes conjecture holds for G. We prove a formula describing the K- theory of the reduced crossed product A \rtimes{\alpha},r P by any automorphic action of P. This formula is obtained as a consequence of a result on the K-theory of crossed products for special actions of G on totally disconnected spaces. We apply our result to various examples including left Ore semigroups and quasi-lattice ordered semigroups. We also use the results to show that for certain semigroups P, including the ax + b-semigroup for a Dedekind domain R, the K-theory of the left and right regular semigroup C*-algebras of P coincide, although the structure of these algebras can be very different.
From Research Prototype to Research Product

Prototypes and prototyping have had a long and important history in the HCI community and have played a highly significant role in creating technology that is easier and more fulfilling to use. Yet, as focus in HCI is expanding to investigate complex matters of human relationships with technology over time in the intimate and contested contexts of everyday life, the notion of a 'prototype' may not be fully sufficient to support these kinds of inquiries. We propose the research product as an extension and evolution of the research prototype to support generative inquiries in this emerging research area. We articulate four interrelated qualities of research products inquiry-driven, finish, fit, and independent and draw on these qualities to describe and analyze five different yet related design research cases we have collectively conducted over the past six years. We conclude with a discussion of challenges and opportunities for crafting research products and the implications they suggest for future design-oriented HCI research.
Acute Stroke in the Very Elderly: Epidemiological Features, Stroke Subtypes, Management, and Outcome in Martinique, French West Indies

Background and Purpose— Stroke incidence increases with increasing age and has an impact on daily living in many areas. With increasing life expectancy, old people will constitute the majority of stroke victims. We present the first stroke study focusing on very old patients in a black Caribbean population (Martinique, French West Indies). Methods— All Martinican patients suffering from their first-ever stroke during 1 calendar year between June 1, 1998, and May 31, 1999, were included. Epidemiological, clinical, neuroimaging, management, and outcome data during the first month were collected and compared between very old patients (≥85 years) and patients aged <85 years. Results— One hundred patients aged ≥85 years and 480 patients aged <85 years were included (sex ratio, women/men, 2.84 and 0.85, respectively; mean±SD age, 88.8±3.6 and 65.8±13.3 years, respectively). The incidence of first-ever stroke was 1.64/1000 per year in the Martinique population and 18.2/1000 per year in patients aged ≥85 years. Elderly patients showed a significantly lower proportion of diabetes (19.1% versus 32.2%; P =0.012) and smoking (0% versus 8.4%; P =0.004) and a higher proportion of peripheral artery disease (23.4% versus 11.4%; P =0.002). Prevalence of hypertension was identical in the 2 groups (70%). There were no significant differences in stroke types or ischemic stroke subtypes between the 2 groups. Active medical care was poorer in older than in younger patients (hospitalization rate, 89% versus 94.4%; admission to neurological ward, 8% versus 23.8%; rate of performance of a CT scan, 82% versus 94%). The 30-day case fatality rate was approximately twice as high in elderly patients (31% versus 16.7%; P =0.0009), and disability (Rankin Scale score ≥3) in survivors was markedly higher (78% versus 48%; P <0.0001). Conclusions— In Martinique, the incidence of first-ever stroke in very old black Caribbean patients seems similar to that in white patients. They have the same pathological type and subtype of stroke as do young patients. The poorer stroke outcome found in the elderly during the first month may be related in large part to less active management than in younger patients.
Flow Control of Small Objects on Chip: Manipulating Live Cells, Quantum Dots, and Nanowires

This article is on microscale flow control, on dynamically shaping flow fields in microfluidic devices to precisely manipulate cells, quantum dots (QDs), and nanowires. Compared to prior methods, manipulating microscopic and nanoscopic objects by flow control can be achieved with simpler and easy-to-fabricate devices, can steer a wider variety of objects, and enables entirely new capabilities such as placement and immobilization of specific quantum dots to desired on-chip locations with nanoscale precision. A companion article investigates flow control in the body and develops methods to shape magnetic fields to direct ferrofluids of therapeutic magnetic nanoparticles to disease locations in patients.
Intronically encoded siRNAs improve dynamic range of mammalian gene regulation systems and toggle switch

Applications of conditional gene expression, whether for therapeutic or basic research purposes, are increasingly requiring mammalian gene control systems that exhibit far tighter control properties. While numerous approaches have been used to improve the widely used Tet-regulatory system, many applications, particularly with respect to the engineering of synthetic gene networks, will require a broader range of tightly performing gene control systems. Here, a generically applicable approach is described that utilizes intronically encoded siRNA on the relevant transregulator construct, and siRNA sequence-specific tags on the reporter construct, to minimize basal gene activity in the off-state of a range of common gene control systems. To demonstrate tight control of residual expression the approach was successfully used to conditionally express the toxic proteins RipDD and Linamarase. The intronic siRNA concept was also extended to create a new generation of compact, single-vector, autoinducible siRNA vectors. Finally, using improved regulation systems a mammalian epigenetic toggle switch was engineered that exhibited superior in vitro and in vivo induction characteristics in mice compared to the equivalent non-intronic system.
Evolutionary History of Lorisiform Primates

We integrate information from the fossil record, morphology, behavior and molecular studies to provide a current overview of lorisoid evolution. Several Eocene prosimians of the northern continents, including both omomyids and adapoids, have been suggested as possible lorisoid ancestors, but these cannot be substantiated as true strepsirhines. A small-bodied primate, Anchomomys, of the middle Eocene of Europe may be the best candidate among putative adapoids for status as a true strepsirhine. Recent finds of Eocene primates in Africa have revealed new prosimian taxa that are also viable contenders for strepsirhine status. Plesiopithecus teras is a Nycticebus-sized, nocturnal prosimian from the late Eocene, Fayum, Egypt, that shares cranial specializations with lorisoids, but it also retains primitive features (e.g. four premolars) and has unique specializations of the anterior teeth excluding it from direct lorisiform ancestry. Another unnamed Fayum primate resembles modern cheirogaleids in dental structure and body size. Two genera from Oman, Omanodon and Shizarodon, also reveal a mix of similarities to both cheirogaleids and anchomomyin adapoids. Resolving the phylogenetic position of these Africa primates of the early Tertiary will surely require more and better fossils. By the early to middle Miocene, lorisoids were well established in East Africa, and the debate about whether these represent lorisines or galagines is reviewed. Neontological data are used to address the controversial branching sequences among extant lorisid clades. Data from the skin and scent glands, when integrated with other lines of evidence, suggest that Asian and African lorisines share a common lorisine ancestry. The hypothesis of an African clade containing both pottos and galagos to the exclusion of Asian lorisines is less tenable. True galagines are found in the fossil record of Namibia, while true lorisines are known from the Miocene of Asia. The hypothetical branching sequences can be integrated with behavioral and morphological features to develop an adaptive model of lorisoid divergence. By specializing on two different foraging modes early in their radiation, lorisines and galagines subsequently underwent a chain of integrated evolutionary changes eventually having an impact on many components of locomotor behavior, anatomy, physiology, reproduction, life history, and social behavior. Ongoing evolutionary studies of extant galagines are illuminating population phenomena and processes of speciation in an ecological context.
The Kuramoto-Sivashinsky equation in R^1 and R^2: effective estimates of the high-frequency tails and higher Sobolev norms

We consider the Kuramoto-Sivashinsky (KS) equation in finite domains of the form $[-L,L]^d$. Our main result provides refined Gevrey estimates for the solutions of the one dimensional differentiated KS, which in turn imply effective new estimates for higher Sobolev norms of the solutions in terms of powers of $L$. We illustrate our method on a simpler model, namely the regularized Burger's equation. We also show local well-posedness for the two dimensional KS equation and provide an explicit criteria for (eventual) blow-up in terms of its $L^2$ norm. The common underlying idea in both results is that {\it a priori} control of the $L^2$ norm is enough in order to conclude higher order regularity and allows one to get good estimates on the high-frequency tails of the solutions.
An Extensive New Literature Concerning Low-Dose Effects of Bisphenol A Shows the Need for a New Risk Assessment

Bisphenol A (BPA) is the monomer used to manufacture polycarbonate plastic, the resin lining of cans, and other products, with global capacity in excess of 6.4 billion lb/year. Because the ester bonds in these BPA-based polymers are subject to hydrolysis, leaching of BPA has led to widespread human exposure. A recent report prepared by the Harvard Center for Risk Analysis and funded by the American Plastics Council concluded that evidence for low-dose effects of BPA is weak on the basis of a review of only 19 studies; the report was issued after a delay of 2.5 years. A current comprehensive review of the literature reveals that the opposite is true. As of December 2004, there were 115 published in vivo studies concerning low-dose effects of BPA, and 94 of these report significant effects. In 31 publications with vertebrate and invertebrate animals, significant effects occurred below the predicted “safe” or reference dose of 50 μg/kg/day BPA. An estrogenic mode of action of BPA is confirmed by in vitro experiments, which describe disruption of cell function at 10−12 M or 0.23 ppt. Nonetheless, chemical manufacturers continue to discount these published findings because no industry-funded studies have reported significant effects of low doses of BPA, although > 90% of government-funded studies have reported significant effects. Some industry-funded studies have ignored the results of positive controls, and many studies reporting no significant effects used a strain of rat that is inappropriate for the study of estrogenic responses. We propose that a new risk assessment for BPA is needed based on a) the extensive new literature reporting adverse effects in animals at doses below the current reference dose; b) the high rate of leaching of BPA from food and beverage containers, leading to widespread human exposure; c) reports that the median BPA level in human blood and tissues, including in human fetal blood, is higher than the level that causes adverse effects in mice; and d) recent epidemiologic evidence that BPA is related to disease in women.