Energy density in the diet of workers from São Paulo, Brazil, and associated socio-demographic factors*

Objective: This paper aims at analyzing the energy density (ED) of the diet of workers from the city of São Paulo, Southeastern Brazil, and the way this is associated with socio-demographic characteristics, as well as evaluating the relationship between ED and nutrient intake. Methods: A cross-sectional study evaluated the diet of 852 workers using the 24-hour dietary recall; one recall was applied to all individuals and a second one was applied to a sub-sample in order to adjust intrapersonal variability. The ED of the diet was calculated using three methods: inclusion of all solid foods and beverages, excluding water (ED 1); inclusion of all solid foods and beverages containing at least 5 kcal/100g (ED 2); and inclusion of all solid foods, excluding all beverages (ED 3). Linear regression was used to analyze the relationship between ED and socio-demographic variables and the relationship between ED and nutrients was evaluated using Pearson coefficient correlation. Results: Considering the workers' diet, the ED values observed were 1.18 kcal/g, 1.22 kcal/g and 1.73 kcal/g for the ED 1, ED 2, ED 3 methods, respectively. In the multiple regression models, only the age variable was maintained in the final model and showed an inverse association with all ED methods. ED 3 showed an increase in energy density for non-white individuals. Of all studied nutrients, protein was the only one that was not significantly correlated with ED 3 (p = 0.899). Conclusion: The young adults studied had a higher energy-density diet, representing a priority group for nutrition interventions. Regardless of the calculation method used, there is a correlation between ED and nutrients.Objetivo: Analisar a densidade energética (DE) da dieta de trabalhadores da cidade de São Paulo e sua associação com características sociodemográficas, bem como avaliar a relação entre DE e ingestão de nutrientes. Métodos: Estudo transversal que avaliou a dieta de 852 trabalhadores, por meio de recordatório de 24 horas, sendo um recordatório aplicado a todos os indivíduos e um segundo para subamostra, a fim de corrigir a variabilidade intrapessoal. A DE da dieta foi calculada por três métodos: inclusão de todos os alimentos sólidos e das bebidas, excluindo apenas água (DE 1); inclusão de todos os alimentos sólidos e bebidas calóricas que contêm, no mínimo, 5 kcal/100g (DE 2); inclusão de todos os alimentos sólidos e exclusão de todas as bebidas (DE 3). Para analisar a relação entre a DE e as variáveis sociodemográficas utilizou-se regressão linear, e a relação entre DE e nutrientes foi avaliada por meio do coeficiente de correlação de Pearson. Resultados: Para a dieta dos trabalhadores, os valores de DE observados foram 1,18 kcal/g, 1,22 kcal/g e 1,73 kcal/g, considerando-se os métodos DE 1, DE 2 e DE 3, respectivamente. Nos modelos múltiplos de regressão, apenas a variável idade apresentou associação negativa com todos os métodos de DE. Para a DE 3, houve incremento da DE para indivíduos não brancos. Dentre os nutrientes estudados, o único que não apresentou correlação significativa foi a proteína, para DE 3 (p = 0,899). Conclusão: Os adultos jovens tinham uma alimentação com maior DE, sendo um grupo prioriatário para intervenções nutricionais. Além disso, independente do método de cálculo, há correlação entre a DE e os nutrientes da dieta.Universidade de São Paulo Faculdade de Saude Publica Programa de Pos Graduacao em NutricaoUniversidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP) Instituto de Saude e Sociedade Departamento de Saude, Clinica e InstituicoesUniversidade de São Paulo Faculdade de Saude Publica Departamento de NutricaoUNIFESP, Instituto de Saude e Sociedade Depto. de Saude, Clinica e InstituicoesSciEL

Integrating performance analysis in the model driven development of software product lines

The paper proposes to integrate performance analysis in the early phases of the model-driven development process for Software Product Lines (SPL). We start by adding generic performance annotations to the UML model representing the set of core reusable SPL assets. The annotations are generic and use the MARTE Profile recently adopted by OMG. A first model transformation realized in the Atlas Transformation Language (ATL), which is the focus of this paper, derives the UML model of a specific product with concrete MARTE performance annotations from the SPL model. A second transformation generates a Layered Queueing Network performance model for the given product by applying an existing transformation approach named PUMA, developed in previous work. The proposed technique is illustrated with an e-commerce case study that models the commonality and variability in both structural and behavioural SPL views. A product is derived and the performance of two design alternatives is compared

Psychophysical or spinal reflex measures when assessing conditioned pain modulation?

Background: Assessing conditioning pain modulation (CPM) with spinal reflex measures may produce more objective and stable CPM effects than using psychophysical measures. The aim of the study was to compare the CPM effect and test–retest reliability between a psychophysical protocol with thermal test‐stimulus and a spinal reflex protocol with electrical test‐stimulus. Methods: Twenty‐five healthy volunteers participated in two identical experiments separated by minimum 1 week. The thermal test‐stimulus was a constant heat stimulation of 120 s on the subjects’ forearm with continuous ratings of pain intensity on a 10 cm visual analogue scale. The electrical test‐stimulus was repeated electrical stimulation on the arch of the foot for 120 s, which elicited a nociceptive withdrawal reflex recorded from the anterior tibial muscle. Conditioning stimulus was a 7°C water bath. Differences in the magnitude and test–retest reliability were investigated with repeated‐measures analysis of variance and by relative and absolute reliability indices. Results: The CPM effect was −46% and 4.5% during the thermal and electrical test‐stimulus (p < 0.001) respectively. Intraclass correlation coefficient of 0.5 and 0.4 was found with the electrical and thermal test‐stimulus respectively. Wide limits of agreement were found for both the electrical (−3.4 to 3.8 mA) and the thermal test‐stimulus (−3.2 to 3.6 cm). Conclusions: More pronounced CPM effect was demonstrated when using a psychophysical protocol with thermal test‐stimulus compared to a spinal reflex protocol with electrical test‐stimulus. Fair relative reliability and poor absolute reliability (due to high intraindividual variability) was found in both protocols. Significance: The large difference in CPM effect between the two protocols suggests that the CPM effect relates to pain perception rather than nociception on the spinal level. Due to poor absolute intrarater reliability, we recommend caution and further research before using any of the investigated CPM protocols in clinical decision making on an individual level

Non-functional properties in the model-driven development of service-oriented systems

Systems based on the service-oriented architecture (SOA) principles have become an important cornerstone of the development of enterprise-scale software applications. They are characterized by separating functions into distinct software units, called services, which can be published, requested and dynamically combined in the production of business applications. Service-oriented systems (SOSs) promise high flexibility, improved maintainability, and simple re-use of functionality. Achieving these properties requires an understanding not only of the individual artifacts of the system but also their integration. In this context, non-functional aspects play an important role and should be analyzed and modeled as early as possible in the development cycle. In this paper, we discuss modeling of non-functional aspects of service-oriented systems, and the use of these models for analysis and deployment. Our contribution in this paper is threefold. First, we show how services and service compositions may be modeled in UML by using a profile for SOA (UML4SOA) and how non-functional properties of service-oriented systems can be represented using the non-functional extension of UML4SOA (UML4SOA-NFP) and the MARTE profile. This enables modeling of performance, security and reliable messaging. Second, we discuss formal analysis of models which respect this design, in particular we consider performance estimates and reliability analysis using the stochastically timed process algebra PEPA as the underlying analytical engine. Last but not least, our models are the source for the application of deployment mechanisms which comprise model-to-model and model-to-text transformations implemented in the framework VIATRA. All techniques presented in this work are illustrated by a running example from an eUniversity case study

Tulsa: a tool for transforming UML to layered queueing networks for performance analysis of data intensive applications

Motivated by the problem of detecting software performance anti-patterns in data-intensive applications (DIAs), we present a tool, Tulsa, for transforming software architecture models specified through UML into Layered Queueing Networks (LQNs), which are analytical performance models used to capture contention across multiple software layers. In particular, we generalize an existing transformation based on the Epsilon framework to generate LQNs from UML models annotated with the DICE profile, which extends UML to modelling DIAs based on technologies such as Apache Storm

Assessing composition in modeling approaches

Modeling approaches are based on various paradigms, e.g., aspect-oriented, feature-oriented, object-oriented, and logic-based. Modeling approaches may cover requirements models to low-level design models, are developed for various purposes, use various means of composition, and thus are difficult to compare. However, such comparisons are critical to help practitioners know under which conditions approaches are most applicable, and how they might be successfully generalized and combined to achieve end-to-end methods. This paper reports on work done at the 2nd International Comparing Modeling Approaches (CMA) workshop towards the goal of identifying potential comprehensive modeling methodologies with a particular emphasis on composition: (i) an improved set of comparison criteria; (ii) 19 assessments of modeling approaches based on the comparison criteria and a common, focused case study

Three-dimensional head tracking and facial expression recovery using an anthropometric muscle-based active appearance model

This paper describes a novel 3-D model-based tracking algorithm allowing the real-time recovery of 3-D position, orientation, and facial expressions of a moving head. The method uses a 3-D anthropometric muscle-based active appearance model (3-D AMB AAM), a feature-based matching algorithm, and an extended Kalman filte