LLukas22/scidocs huggingface dataset:
Concept mapping as an educational strategy to Promote meaningful learning

Background: A major metacognitive learning strategy that appears to improve students learning experience is concept mapping. Purpose: To determine the effects of teaching by concept mapping method on meaningful learning of a group of bachelor degree program nursing students. Methods: Students studied in fourth year of Nursing, Bachelor’s Program, in two nursing faculties located in Tehran were selected by simple sampling method and randomly assigned into intervention and control groups. The selected materials were taught by concept mapping strategy for the intervention group while in the control group traditional lecturing method was used. A teacher-made, criterion referenced test was used as instrument to evaluate meaningful learning of participants in two groups. Results: Based on intended criteria 230 fourth year students wereincluded.25 students were excluded due to lack of one or more including criteria. The remaining students were divided randomly into two intervention (106 students) and control (99 students) groups. The study was conducted during a 5-week period. The results showed that there was a significant statistical difference between the mean scores of retention test of learning in the case (72.40 %) and control (53.30 %) groups (P<0.005). T-test also revealed that there was a significant statistical difference between the mean scores of cumulative post-test for the case group (73.29 %) and the mean scores of cumulative posttest for the control group (68.69 %). Conclusion: Based on our findings it can be concluded that teaching by concept mapping strategy has significant effects on meaningful learning and retention of the students. By addressing these issues it is suggested that more nurse educators would attempt to use the concept mapping strategy in the promotion of meaningful learning.
Aerial Manipulation: A Literature Review

Aerial manipulation aims at combining the versatility and the agility of some aerial platforms with the manipulation capabilities of robotic arms. This letter tries to collect the results reached by the research community so far within the field of aerial manipulation, especially from the technological and control point of view. A brief literature review of general aerial robotics and space manipulation is carried out as well.
Wealth Distributions in Asset Exchange Models

How do individuals accumulate wealth as they interact economically? We outline the consequences of a simple microscopic model in which repeated pairwise exchanges of assets between individuals build the wealth distribution of a population. This distribution is determined for generic exchange rules — transactions that involve a fixed amount or a fixed fraction of individual wealth, as well as random or greedy exchanges. In greedy multiplicative exchange, a continuously evolving power law wealth distribution arises, a feature that qualitatively mimics empirical observations.
BELIEF IN THE LAW OF SMALL NUMBERS

People have erroneous intuitions about the laws of chance. In particular, they regard a sample randomly drawn from a population as highly representative, that is, similar to the population in all essential characteristics. The prevalence of the belief and its unfortunate consequences for psychological research are illustrated by the responses of professional psychologists to a questionnaire concerning research decisions. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gender norms and economic empowerment intervention to reduce intimate partner violence against women in rural Côte d’Ivoire: a randomized controlled pilot study

BACKGROUND
Gender-based violence against women, including intimate partner violence (IPV), is a pervasive health and human rights concern. However, relatively little intervention research has been conducted on how to reduce IPV in settings impacted by conflict. The current study reports on the evaluation of the incremental impact of adding "gender dialogue groups" to an economic empowerment group savings program on levels of IPV. This study took place in north and northwestern rural Côte d'Ivoire.


METHODS
Between 2010 and 2012, we conducted a two-armed, non-blinded randomized-controlled trial (RCT) comparing group savings only (control) to "gender dialogue groups" added to group savings (treatment). The gender dialogue group consisted of eight sessions that targeted women and their male partner. Eligible Ivorian women (18+ years, no prior experience with group savings) were invited to participate. 934 out of 981 (95.2%) partnered women completed baseline and endline data collection. The primary trial outcome measure was an overall measure of past-year physical and/or sexual IPV. Past year physical IPV, sexual IPV, and economic abuse were also separately assessed, as were attitudes towards justification of wife beating and a woman's ability to refuse sex with her husband.


RESULTS
Intent to treat analyses revealed that compared to groups savings alone, the addition of gender dialogue groups resulted in a slightly lower odds of reporting past year physical and/or sexual IPV (OR: 0.92; 95% CI: 0.58, 1.47; not statistically significant). Reductions in reporting of physical IPV and sexual IPV were also observed (not statistically significant). Women in the treatment group were significantly less likely to report economic abuse than control group counterparts (OR = 0.39; 95% CI: 0.25, 0.60, p < .0001). Acceptance of wife beating was significantly reduced among the treatment group (β = -0.97; 95% CI: -1.67, -0.28, p = 0.006), while attitudes towards refusal of sex did not significantly change Per protocol analysis suggests that compared to control women, treatment women attending more than 75% of intervention sessions with their male partner were less likely to report physical IPV (a OR: 0.45; 95% CI: 0.21, 0.94; p = .04) and report fewer justifications for wife beating (adjusted β = -1.14; 95% CI: -2.01, -0.28, p = 0.01) ; and both low and high adherent women reported significantly decreased economic abuse (a OR: 0.31; 95% CI: 0.18, 0.52, p < 0.0001; a OR: 0.47; 95% CI: 0.27, 0.81, p = 01, respectively). No significant reductions were observed for physical and/or sexual IPV, or sexual IPV alone.


CONCLUSIONS
Results from this pilot RCT suggest the importance of addressing household gender inequities alongside economic programming, because this type of combined intervention has potential to reduce levels of IPV. Additional large-scale intervention research is needed to replicate these findings.


TRIAL REGISTRATION



REGISTRATION NUMBER
NCT01629472.
A Survey of Spam Detection Methods on Twitter

Twitter is one of the most popular social media platforms that has 313 million monthly active users which post 500 million tweets per day. This popularity attracts the attention of spammers who use Twitter for their malicious aims such as phishing legitimate users or spreading malicious software and advertises through URLs shared within tweets, aggressively follow/unfollow legitimate users and hijack trending topics to attract their attention, propagating pornography. In August of 2014, Twitter revealed that 8.5% of its monthly active users which equals approximately 23 million users have automatically contacted their servers for regular updates. Thus, detecting and filtering spammers from legitimate users are mandatory in order to provide a spam-free environment in Twitter. In this paper, features of Twitter spam detection presented with discussing their effectiveness. Also, Twitter spam detection methods are categorized and discussed with their pros and cons. The outdated features of Twitter which are commonly used by Twitter spam detection approaches are highlighted. Some new features of Twitter which, to the best of our knowledge, have not been mentioned by any other works are also presented. Keywords—Twitter spam; spam detection; spam filtering;
Common genetic determinants of vitamin D insufficiency: a genome-wide association study

BACKGROUND
Vitamin D is crucial for maintenance of musculoskeletal health, and might also have a role in extraskeletal tissues. Determinants of circulating 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations include sun exposure and diet, but high heritability suggests that genetic factors could also play a part. We aimed to identify common genetic variants affecting vitamin D concentrations and risk of insufficiency.


METHODS
We undertook a genome-wide association study of 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations in 33 996 individuals of European descent from 15 cohorts. Five epidemiological cohorts were designated as discovery cohorts (n=16 125), five as in-silico replication cohorts (n=9367), and five as de-novo replication cohorts (n=8504). 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations were measured by radioimmunoassay, chemiluminescent assay, ELISA, or mass spectrometry. Vitamin D insufficiency was defined as concentrations lower than 75 nmol/L or 50 nmol/L. We combined results of genome-wide analyses across cohorts using Z-score-weighted meta-analysis. Genotype scores were constructed for confirmed variants.


FINDINGS
Variants at three loci reached genome-wide significance in discovery cohorts for association with 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations, and were confirmed in replication cohorts: 4p12 (overall p=1.9x10(-109) for rs2282679, in GC); 11q12 (p=2.1x10(-27) for rs12785878, near DHCR7); and 11p15 (p=3.3x10(-20) for rs10741657, near CYP2R1). Variants at an additional locus (20q13, CYP24A1) were genome-wide significant in the pooled sample (p=6.0x10(-10) for rs6013897). Participants with a genotype score (combining the three confirmed variants) in the highest quartile were at increased risk of having 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations lower than 75 nmol/L (OR 2.47, 95% CI 2.20-2.78, p=2.3x10(-48)) or lower than 50 nmol/L (1.92, 1.70-2.16, p=1.0x10(-26)) compared with those in the lowest quartile.


INTERPRETATION
Variants near genes involved in cholesterol synthesis, hydroxylation, and vitamin D transport affect vitamin D status. Genetic variation at these loci identifies individuals who have substantially raised risk of vitamin D insufficiency.


FUNDING
Full funding sources listed at end of paper (see Acknowledgments).
Power-gating-aware high-level synthesis

A problem inherent in designing power-gated circuits is the overhead of the state-retention storage required to preserve the circuit state in standby mode. Reducing the amount of retention storage is known to be the most influential factor in minimizing the loss of the benefit (i.e. power saving) by power-gating. In this paper, we address a new problem of high-level synthesis with the objective of minimizing the size of retention storage to be used in the power-gated circuits. Specifically, we propose a complete design framework, called HLS-pg, that starts from the power-gating-aware scheduling, allocation, and controller synthesis down to the final circuit layout. The key contribution of the work is to solve the power-gating-aware scheduling problem, namely, scheduling operations that minimizes the number of retention registers required at the power-gating control step, while satisfying resource and latency constraints. In experiments on benchmark designs implemented in 65-nm CMOS technology, HLS-pg generates circuits with 27% less leakage current, with 6% less circuit area and wirelength, compared to the power-gated circuits produced by conventional highlevel synthesis.
Reliability of the 36-item version of the Token Test in patients with poststroke aphasia.

AIM
The purpose of this study was to investigate the intra- and inter-rater reliability of the 36-item version of the Token Test.


METHODS
Twenty-four people following stroke with mild disorder of language comprehension were assessed by two speech therapists at a distance of 2  days apart.


RESULTS
The test showed excellent and good inter-rater reliability, while some parts had lower coefficients.


CONCLUSION
This version of the Token Test can be used to assess mild disorder of oral language comprehension. However, further clearer instructions for administration and scoring may improve the test reliability.
Comparison of nitric oxide concentration in seminal fluid between infertile patients with and without varicocele and normal fertile men.

INTRODUCTION
Elevated nitric oxide (NO) levels have been shown to have toxic effects on sperm function and motility. This study was conducted to compare NO levels in the seminal fluid of infertile men with varicocele with those of infertile and fertile men without varicocele.


MATERIALS AND METHODS
Semen samples were obtained from 40 infertile men with varicocele (group 1), 40 infertile men without varicocele (group 2), and 40 fertile volunteers without varicocele (group 3). NO levels in the seminal plasma of patients in each group were measured and compared. In infertile men with varicocele, semen parameters, including sperm count and motility, and grade of varicocele were also determined.


RESULTS
Mean NO concentrations were 52.34 +/- 26.62 micromol/L, 37.06 +/- 20.39 micromol/L, and 33.7 +/- 18.99 micromol/L in groups 1, 2, 3, respectively. Concentrations in group 1 were significantly higher than were those in groups 2 and 3 (P = 0.001). In group 1, no significant correlations were seen between NO concentrations and grades of varicocele, sperm count, sperm motility, or ages of the patients.


CONCLUSION
Data from the current study suggest a possible role of NO in damaging the sperm function in varicocele as demonstrated by an increased concentration of NO in the seminal fluid of infertile men with varicocele compared with the seminal fluid of fertile and infertile men without varicocele.
Biped robot design powered by antagonistic pneumatic actuators for multi-modal locomotion

An antagonistic muscle mechanism that regulates joint compliance contributes enormously to human dynamic locomotion. Antagonism is considered to be the key for realizing more than one locomotion mode. In this paper, we demonstrate how antagonistic pneumatic actuators can be utilized to achieve three dynamic locomotion modes (walking, jumping, and running) in a biped robot. Firstly, we discuss the contribution of joint compliance to dynamic locomotion, which highlights the importance of tunable compliance. Secondly, we introduce the design of a biped robot powered by antagonistic pneumatic actuators. Lastly, we apply simple feedforward controllers for realizing walking, jumping, and running and confirm the contribution of joint compliance to such multimodal dynamic locomotion. Based on the results, we can conclude that the antagonistic pneumatic actuators are superior candidates for constructing a human-like dynamic locomotor. c © 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Intermittent Demand Forecasts with Neural Networks

Intermittent demand appears when demand events occur only sporadically. Typically such time series have few observations making intermittent demand forecasting challenging. Forecast errors can be costly in terms of unmet demand or obsolescent stock. Intermittent demand forecasting has been addressed using established forecasting methods, including simple moving averages, exponential smoothing and Croston’s method with its variants. This study proposes a neural network (NN) methodology to forecast intermittent time series. These NNs are used to provide dynamic demand rate forecasts, which do not assume constant demand rate in the future and can capture interactions between the non-zero demand and the inter-arrival rate of demand events, overcoming the limitations of Croston’s method. In order to mitigate the issue of limited fitting sample, which is common in intermittent demand, the proposed models use regularised training and median ensembles over multiple training initialisations to produce robust forecasts. The NNs are evaluated against established benchmarks using both forecasting accuracy and inventory metrics. The findings of forecasting and inventory metrics are conflicting. While NNs achieved poor forecasting accuracy and bias, all NN variants achieved higher service levels than the best performing Croston’s method variant, without requiring analogous increases in stock holding volume. Therefore, NNs are found to be effective for intermittent demand applications. This study provides further arguments and evidence against the use of conventional forecasting accuracy metrics to evaluate forecasting methods for intermittent demand, concluding that attention to inventory metrics is desirable. ∗Correspondance: N Kourentzes, Department of Management Science, Lancaster University Management School, Lancaster, Lancashire, LA1 4YX, UK. Tel.: +44-1524-592911 Email address: n.kourentzes@lancaster.ac.uk (Nikolaos Kourentzes) Preprint submitted to International Journal of Production Economics January 10, 2013
Participants' perspective on maintaining behaviour change: a qualitative study within the European Diabetes Prevention Study

BACKGROUND
The European Diabetes Prevention Study (EDIPS) is an RCT of diet and exercise interventions in people with impaired glucose tolerance. We undertook a qualitative study, nested within the EDIPS in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK, aiming to understand the experience of participants who maintained behaviour change, in order to inform future interventions.


METHODS
Participants were purposively sampled, according to success criteria for diet and physical activity change maintenance, and invited to attend individual semi-structured interviews. Fifteen participants completed an interview and reflected on their experience over three to five years. We used the Framework method to analyse the transcribed data.


RESULTS
Main themes were identified as factors that help (props) and those that hinder (burdens) behaviour change maintenance at different organisational levels: individual (both physical and psychological), social and environmental. Pre-existing physical conditions (such as arthritis) and social demands (such as caring for an ageing relative) hindered, whereas the benefits of becoming fitter and of having social and professional support helped, participants in maintaining behaviour change. Participants' long term experiences highlighted the salience of the continuous change in their physical, social and environmental conditions over time.


CONCLUSION
The construct of props and burdens facilitates a holistic view of participants' behaviour. Efforts to encourage behaviour change maintenance should take account of context and the way this changes over time, and should include strategies to address these issues. The experience of participants who maintain behaviour change highlights the challenges for the wider implementation of diabetes prevention strategies.


TRIAL REGISTRATION
(ISRCTN 15670600).
Paternal obesity induces metabolic and sperm disturbances in male offspring that are exacerbated by their exposure to an “obesogenic” diet

Obesity and related comorbidities are becoming increasingly prevalent globally. In mice preconception paternal exposure to a high fat diet (HFD) impairs the metabolic and reproductive health of male offspring, despite their control diet (CD) consumption. However, offspring share lifestyle, including diet, with parents. We assessed if male offspring from HFD fathers have a heightened susceptibility to HFD-induced metabolic and reproductive derangements. This 2 × 2 design saw founder males (F0) and their offspring (F1) fed either a HFD or a nutritionally matched CD. Regardless of paternal diet, HFD fed male offspring had greater total body weight and adiposity. Offspring sired by a HFD male and fed a HFD were the heaviest, had the greatest adiposity and had the greatest concentration of serum cholesterol, triglyceride, HDL, and NEFA compared with CD sired/fed littermates. A synergistic increase in serum insulin was unmasked by both father/son HFD consumption, concomitant with increased sera glucose. Either a paternal or offspring HFD was associated with similar reductions to offspring sperm motility. Whereas sperm ROS concentrations and sperm-oocyte binding saw detrimental effects of both F0 HFD and F1 HFD with an interaction evident between both, culminating in the most impaired sperm parameters in this group. This indicates that metabolic and fertility disturbances in male offspring sired by HFD fathers are exacerbated by a "second-hit" of exposure to the same obesogenic environment postnatally. If translatable to human health, this suggests that adverse reproductive and metabolic outcomes may be amplified across generations through a shared calorie dense diet, relevant to the current worldwide obesity epidemic.
Comparative genomics of the neglected human malaria parasite Plasmodium vivax

The human malaria parasite Plasmodium vivax is responsible for 25–40% of the ∼515 million annual cases of malaria worldwide. Although seldom fatal, the parasite elicits severe and incapacitating clinical symptoms and often causes relapses months after a primary infection has cleared. Despite its importance as a major human pathogen, P. vivax is little studied because it cannot be propagated continuously in the laboratory except in non-human primates. We sequenced the genome of P. vivax to shed light on its distinctive biological features, and as a means to drive development of new drugs and vaccines. Here we describe the synteny and isochore structure of P. vivax chromosomes, and show that the parasite resembles other malaria parasites in gene content and metabolic potential, but possesses novel gene families and potential alternative invasion pathways not recognized previously. Completion of the P. vivax genome provides the scientific community with a valuable resource that can be used to advance investigation into this neglected species.
Positive psychology interventions: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled studies

BACKGROUND
The use of positive psychological interventions may be considered as a complementary strategy in mental health promotion and treatment. The present article constitutes a meta-analytical study of the effectiveness of positive psychology interventions for the general public and for individuals with specific psychosocial problems.


METHODS
We conducted a systematic literature search using PubMed, PsychInfo, the Cochrane register, and manual searches. Forty articles, describing 39 studies, totaling 6,139 participants, met the criteria for inclusion. The outcome measures used were subjective well-being, psychological well-being and depression. Positive psychology interventions included self-help interventions, group training and individual therapy.


RESULTS
The standardized mean difference was 0.34 for subjective well-being, 0.20 for psychological well-being and 0.23 for depression indicating small effects for positive psychology interventions. At follow-up from three to six months, effect sizes are small, but still significant for subjective well-being and psychological well-being, indicating that effects are fairly sustainable. Heterogeneity was rather high, due to the wide diversity of the studies included. Several variables moderated the impact on depression: Interventions were more effective if they were of longer duration, if recruitment was conducted via referral or hospital, if interventions were delivered to people with certain psychosocial problems and on an individual basis, and if the study design was of low quality. Moreover, indications for publication bias were found, and the quality of the studies varied considerably.


CONCLUSIONS
The results of this meta-analysis show that positive psychology interventions can be effective in the enhancement of subjective well-being and psychological well-being, as well as in helping to reduce depressive symptoms. Additional high-quality peer-reviewed studies in diverse (clinical) populations are needed to strengthen the evidence-base for positive psychology interventions.