Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Barriers and Delays in Tuberculosis Diagnosis and Treatment Services: Does Gender Matter?

Background. Tuberculosis (TB) remains a global public health problem with known gender-related disparities. We reviewed the quantitative evidence for gender-related differences in accessing TB services from symptom onset to treatment initiation. Methods. Following a systematic review process, we: searched 12 electronic databases; included quantitative studies assessing gender differences in accessing TB diagnostic and treatment services; abstracted data; and assessed study validity. We defined barriers and delays at the individual and provider/system levels using a conceptual framework of the TB care continuum and examined gender-related differences. Results. Among 13,448 articles, 137 were included: many assessed individual-level barriers (52%) and delays (42%), 76% surveyed persons presenting for care with diagnosed or suspected TB, 24% surveyed community members, and two-thirds were from African and Asian regions. Many studies reported no gender differences. Among studies reporting disparities, women faced greater barriers (financial: 64% versus 36%; physical: 100% versus 0%; stigma: 85% versus 15%; health literacy: 67% versus 33%; and provider-/system-level: 100% versus 0%) and longer delays (presentation to diagnosis: 45% versus 0%) than men. Conclusions. Many studies found no quantitative gender-related differences in barriers and delays limiting access to TB services. When differences were identified, women experienced greater barriers and longer delays than men.
Adaptive bit rate maximizing time-domain equalizer design for DMT-based systems

The classical discrete multitone receiver as used in, e.g., digital subscriber line (DSL) modems, combines a channel shortening time-domain equalizer (TEQ) with one-tap frequency-domain equalizers (FEQs). In a previous paper, the authors proposed a nonlinear bit rate maximizing (BM) TEQ design criterion and they have shown that the resulting BM-TEQ and the closely related BM per-group equalizers (PGEQs) approach the performance of the so-called per-tone equalizer (PTEQ). The PTEQ is an attractive alternative that provides a separate complex-valued equalizer for each active tone. In this paper, the authors show that the BM-TEQ and BM-PGEQ, despite their nonlinear cost criterion, can be designed adaptively, based on a recursive Levenberg-Marquardt algorithm. This adaptive BM-TEQ/BM-PGEQ makes use of the same second-order statistics as the earlier presented recursive least-squares (RLS)-based adaptive PTEQ. A complete range of adaptive BM equalizers then opens up: the RLS-based adaptive PTEQ design is computationally efficient but involves a large number of equalizer taps; the adaptive BM-TEQ has a minimal number of equalizer taps at the expense of a larger design complexity; the adaptive BM-PGEQ has a similar design complexity as the BM-TEQ and an intermediate number of equalizer taps between the BM-TEQ and the PTEQ. These adaptive equalizers allow us to track variations of transmission channel and noise, which are typical of a DSL environment.
An Exemplar Model for Learning Object Classes

We introduce an exemplar model that can learn and generate a region of interest around class instances in a training set, given only a set of images containing the visual class. The model is scale and translation invariant. In the training phase, image regions that optimize an objective function are automatically located in the training images, without requiring any user annotation such as bounding boxes. The objective function measures visual similarity between training image pairs, using the spatial distribution of both appearance patches and edges. The optimization is initialized using discriminative features. The model enables the detection (localization) of multiple instances of the object class in test images, and can be used as a precursor to training other visual models that require bounding box annotation. The detection performance of the model is assessed on the PASCAL Visual Object Classes Challenge 2006 test set. For a number of object classes the performance far exceeds the current state of the art of fully supervised methods.
A comparison of classmate and self-evaluation of dysphoric and nondysphoric Chinese students

Forty dysphoric and thirty-nine nondysphoric Chinese college students participated in this study. Subjects completed forms on performance standard setting, self-evaluation, and self-perceived efficacy for their academic performance and social skills. Two classmates of each subject were asked to appraise the subject's level of academic performance, social skills, and academic efficacy. The results showed that although there was no difference between the standards the subjects set for themselves in the two groups, dysphorics showed lower self-evaluation, and self-perceived efficacy than nondysphorics. In comparison with their classmates' appraisals, dysphorics rated themselves lower both on their academic performance and social skills, whereas their efficacy judgements coincided with their classmates' appraisals. The findings suggest that depressed people are sadder but not wiser when self-evaluation and self-efficacy are taken into consideration.
[Study of intrauterine growth of normal newborn infants]

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the intrauterine normal growth profile and its variations. To draw an intrauterine growth standard at the maternity ward of Hospital Universitário Antonio Pedro (UFF-RJ) by studying the variables of weight, length, cephalic perimeter and ponderal index, at birth, from single foetus pregnancies. We compare those curves with those in other national research works, as well as with the classical one by Lubchenco.METHODS: The starting number of 1566 live births which happened between April, 1992 and September, 1993 was cut down to 1031 due to exclusions resulting from interfering factors of foetus growth (Hypertensive Disease of Pregnancy, smoking mother, chronic arterial hypertension and major malformations). We also excluded from analysis those foetus of mothers who could not remember the date of their last period or when it was discordant in more than a week from Dubowtiźs score.RESULTS: Comparing this standard of intrauterine growth to those chosen in literature, the present values were similar to other national curves that exclude intrauterine growth interfering factors. Comparing our curve with the classical Lubchencós curve, we observed higher mean values at lower gestational ages than the ones in Denvers study, and lower late desaceleration of the ponderal gain in the present one.The Ponderal Indexes of the present study have higher mean values compared to the ones in other studies, denoting, perhaps, higher prevalence of type I, or symmetric, intrauterine growth retard pattern.CONCLUSION: This study proposes a standard which is adequate to the assessment of intrauterine growth of similar populations.
PI 3 K / AKT pathway mutations cause a spectrum of brain malformations from megalencephaly to focal cortical dysplasia

Malformations of cortical development containing dysplastic neuronal and glial elements, including hemimegalencephaly and focal cortical dysplasia, are common causes of intractable paediatric epilepsy. In this study we performed multiplex targeted sequencing of 10 genes in the PI3K/AKT pathway on brain tissue from 33 children who underwent surgical resection of dysplastic cortex for the treatment of intractable epilepsy. Sequencing results were correlated with clinical, imaging, pathological and immunohistological phenotypes. We identified mosaic activating mutations in PIK3CA and AKT3 in this cohort, including cancer-associated hotspot PIK3CA mutations in dysplastic megalencephaly, hemimegalencephaly, and focal cortical dysplasia type IIa. In addition, a germline PTEN mutation was identified in a male with hemimegalencephaly but no peripheral manifestations of the PTEN hamartoma tumour syndrome. A spectrum of clinical, imaging and pathological abnormalities was found in this cohort. While patients with more severe brain imaging abnormalities and systemic manifestations were more likely to have detected mutations, routine histopathological studies did not predict mutation status. In addition, elevated levels of phosphorylated S6 ribosomal protein were identified in both neurons and astrocytes of all hemimegalencephaly and focal cortical dysplasia type II specimens, regardless of the presence or absence of detected PI3K/AKT pathway mutations. In contrast, expression patterns of the T308 and S473 phosphorylated forms of AKT and in vitro AKT kinase activities discriminated between mutation-positive dysplasia cortex, mutation-negative dysplasia cortex, and non-dysplasia epilepsy cortex. Our findings identify PI3K/AKT pathway mutations as an important cause of epileptogenic brain malformations and establish megalencephaly, hemimegalencephaly, and focal cortical dysplasia as part of a single pathogenic spectrum.
Multiple blocks in the engagement of oxidative phosphorylation in putative ovarian cancer stem cells: implication for maintenance therapy with glycolysis inhibitors

Survival rate in ovarian cancer has not improved since chemotherapy was introduced a few decades ago. The dismal prognosis is mostly due to disease recurrence where majority of the patients succumb to the disease. The demonstration that tumors are comprised of subfractions of cancer cells displaying heterogeneity in stemness potential, chemoresistance, and tumor repair capacity suggests that recurrence may be driven by the chemoresistant cancer stem cells. Thus to improve patient survival, novel therapies should eradicate this cancer cell population. We show that in contrast to the more differentiated ovarian cancer cells, the putative CD44+/MyD88+ ovarian cancer stem cells express lower levels of pyruvate dehydrogenase, Cox–I, Cox-II, and Cox–IV, and higher levels of UCP2. Together, this molecular phenotype establishes a bioenergetic profile that prefers the use of glycolysis over oxidative phosphorylation to generate ATP. This bioenergetic profile is conserved in vivo and therefore a maintenance regimen of 2-deoxyglucose administered after Paclitaxel treatment is able to delay the progression of recurrent tumors and decrease tumor burden in mice. Our findings strongly suggest the value of maintenance with glycolysis inhibitors with the goal of improving survival in ovarian cancer patients.
Residential Water Use: Predicting and Reducing Consumption1

This project had two goals: to explain variation in residential water consumption and to evaluate methods of encouraging residents to reduce their consumption. Survey data for both studies were collected by mail questionnaire in early 1991, and water consumption figures were recorded between June and August of that year. In Study 1 (n = 264) a three-variable regression model (number of residents, clothes washing machine loads, and property value) accounted for 60% of the variance. Attitudes, habits and values were very poor predictors of water consumption. In Study 2 (n =226) households were divided into three treatment groups: feedback only, feedback and dissonance, and a control group. Repeated-measures ANOVA revealed that high consumers receiving dissonance and feedback or feedback alone had significantly reduced their water consumption in the treatment period. The implications of these findings are discussed.
Trajectory Tracking by TP Model Transformation: Case Study of a Benchmark Problem

The main objective of this paper is to study the recently proposed tensor-product-distributed-compensation (TPDC)-based control design framework in the case of tracking control design of a benchmark problem. The TPDC is a combination of the tensor product model transformation and the parallel distributed compensation framework. In this paper, we investigate the effectiveness of the TPDC design. We study how it can be uniformly and readily executed without analytical derivations. We show that the TPDC is straightforward and numerically tractable, and is capable of guaranteeing various different control performances via linear matrix inequality (LMI) conditions. All these features are studied via the state feedback trajectory control design of the translational oscillations with an eccentric rotational proof mass actuator system. The trajectory tracking capability for various tracking commands is optimized here by decay rate LMI conditions. Constraints on the output and control of the closed-loop system are also considered by LMI conditions. We present numerical simulations of the resulting closed-loop system to validate the control design
An investigation of deep neural networks for noise robust speech recognition

Recently, a new acoustic model based on deep neural networks (DNN) has been introduced. While the DNN has generated significant improvements over GMM-based systems on several tasks, there has been no evaluation of the robustness of such systems to environmental distortion. In this paper, we investigate the noise robustness of DNN-based acoustic models and find that they can match state-of-the-art performance on the Aurora 4 task without any explicit noise compensation. This performance can be further improved by incorporating information about the environment into DNN training using a new method called noise-aware training. When combined with the recently proposed dropout training technique, a 7.5% relative improvement over the previously best published result on this task is achieved using only a single decoding pass and no additional decoding complexity compared to a standard DNN.
Gait Pattern and Cognitive Performance During Treadmill Walking in Parkinson Disease

ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to explore whether attentional demands are involved in gait improvements in Parkinson disease (PD) patients when they walk on a treadmill. DesignNineteen individuals with idiopathic PD and 19 age-matched healthy controls participated in this study. Participants walked on a treadmill and on overground under single task (walk only) and dual task (walk performing a simultaneous cognitive task) conditions. The dual-task paradigm was used to reveal the attention allocation behavior. Gait pattern and cognitive performance was measured. ResultsThe PD group showed reduced gait variability when walking on a treadmill in comparison with overground. However, this reduction did not deteriorate during the dual task. Moreover, there were no differences in the cognitive performance between treadmill and overground walking. ConclusionsThis study does not support the proposition attentional resource allocation as a possible mechanism for the treadmill-associated gait improvements observed in PD. To Claim CME Credits:Complete the self-assessment activity and evaluation online at http://www.physiatry. org/JournalCME CME Objectives:Upon completion of this article, the reader should be able to: (1) Understand the influence of attentional demands on gait improvements in PD patients during treadmill walking; (2) Verbalize the gait improvements demonstrated in PD patients following gait training on a treadmill; and (3) Understand the benefits of treadmill training as a therapeutic tool to improve gait in people with PD. Level:Advanced Accreditation:The Association of Academic Physiatrists is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians. The Association of Academic Physiatrists designates this activity for a maximum of 1.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
Eclogite–high-pressure granulite metamorphism records early collision in West Gondwana: new data from the Southern Brasília Belt, Brazil

Abstract: Nappes in the southern sector of the Southern Brasília Belt record suturing of the Paranapanema Block and Socorro–Guaxupé Arc with a subducted passive margin on the western side of the São Francisco Craton. We report secondary ion mass spectrometry U–Pb zircon ages that for the first time constrain the age of: (1) retrograded eclogite from a block along the tectonic contact beneath the uppermost nappe in a stack of passive margin-derived nappes; (2) high-pressure granulite-facies metamorphism in the uppermost passive margin-derived nappe; (3) high-pressure granulite-facies metamorphism in the overlying arc-derived nappe. Rare zircons from a retrograded eclogite yield a 206Pb/238U age of 678 ± 29 Ma, which we interpret as most likely to date close-to-peak-P metamorphism and to provide a minimum age for detachment of the overlying passive margin-derived nappe from the subducting plate. Zircon associated with ilmenite in samples from two structural levels in the passive margin-derived high-pressure granulite nappe yields 206Pb/238U ages of 648 ± 12 and 647 ± 11 Ma, and Ti-in-zircon crystallization temperatures from c. 860 °C down to c. 785 °C, but skewed toward the lower part of the range. These data indicate zircon formation during cooling from around peak T to the solidus, consistent with the high-T retrograde P–T path deduced from microstructures linked to phase assemblage fields in isochemical phase diagrams. Rb–Sr multi-mineral–whole-rock isochrons from two samples from close to the bottom of this nappe date formation of a retrograde sillimanite-bearing penetrative fabric to c. 590 Ma at temperatures of c. 750 °C (based on Ti-in-quartz thermometry). Rare zircons from leucosome in high-pressure granulite from the overlying arc-derived nappe yield a 206Pb/238U age of 622 ± 28 Ma and Ti-in-zircon crystallization temperatures from c. 970 °C down to c. 820 °C, which we interpret to record formation of zircon during cooling from peak high-pressure granulite-facies conditions. These ages indicate that the first stage of craton amalgamation in West Gondwana may have occurred earlier than previously inferred. Supplementary material: Geochemical and geochronological data are available at http://www.geolsoc. org.uk/SUP18377.
Slip tendency analysis as a tool to constrain fault reactivation: A numerical approach applied to three‐dimensional fault models in the Roer Valley rift system (southeast Netherlands)

We describe a new numerical approach to constrain the three‐dimensional (3‐D) pattern of fault reactivation. Taking advantage of the knowledge of the tectonic stress field, the ratio of the resolved shear and normal stresses (slip tendency) as well as the direction of the shear stress is calculated at every location on the faults modelled by triangulated surfaces. Although the calculated contact stresses represent only a first order approximation of the real stresses, comparison of the 3‐D pattern of slip tendency with the frictional resistance of the fault can provide useful constraints on the probability of fault reactivation. The method was applied to 3‐D geometrical fault models in the Roer Valley Rift System (southeast Netherlands) which is presently characterized by pronounced tectonic activity. The input stress tensors were constrained by published stress indicators. The analysis demonstrated that the observed fault activity could be explained within a reasonable range of frictional parameters and input stress magnitudes. In addition a fairly good correlation was found between the predicted slip directions and the focal mechanisms of local earthquakes. This suggests that in the study area, fault models being valid in the uppermost part of the crust are suitable to constrain fault reactivation even in the deeper part of the seismogenic layer. The analysis further demonstrated that fault hierarchy and the regional tectonic contexts of the fault system are important factors in fault reactivation. Therefore they always should be taken into account during evaluation of the calculated slip tendency and slip direction patterns.
Designing an Effective In-School Suspension Program

Educators since the days of the one-room schoolhouse have been perplexed by what to do with students who disrupt a classroom and won't follow school rules. During the one-room schoolhouse days, teachers placed the disruptive student in a corner with a pointed cap on his or her head for a time. In some ways 100 years has not improved the in-school disciplining of students, but it has made us more aware of the effects of our actions. In-school suspension as a method of discipline has become widely used in schools today. In this article we will identify four popular models of inschool suspension and discuss research on modifying the behaviors of in-school suspension (ISS) students. By identifying and analyzing successful ones we can develop more insightful and effective programs. In-school suspension is "a program to which a student is assigned because of disruptive behavior for a specific amount of time" (Sheets 1996, 87). Many states have defined disruptive behavior as "behavior that interferes with the student's own learning and/or the educational process of others, and requires attention and assistance beyond that which traditional programs can provide or results in frequent conflicts of a disruptive nature while the student is under the jurisdiction of the school, either in or out of the classroom" (Sheets 1996).
Single molecule thermodynamics of ATP synthesis by F1-ATPase

FoF1-ATP synthase is a factory for synthesizing ATP in virtually all cells. Its core machinery is the subcomplex F1-motor (F1-ATPase) and performs the reversible mechanochemical coupling. The isolated F1-motor hydrolyzes ATP, which is accompanied by unidirectional rotation of its central γ - shaft ? > . When a strong opposing torque is imposed, the γ ? > -shaft rotates in the opposite direction and drives the F1-motor to synthesize ATP. This mechanical-to-chemical free-energy transduction is the final and central step of the multistep cellular ATP-synthetic pathway. Here, we determined the amount of mechanical work exploited by the F1-motor to synthesize an ATP molecule during forced rotations using a methodology combining a nonequilibrium theory and single molecule measurements of responses to external torque. We found that the internal dissipation of the motor is negligible even during rotations far from a quasistatic process.
The role of the therapist in offender treatment

Although best practice dictates that offender programs should be based within a cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) orientation, little is known about the impact of the therapist in delivering the program content, and therapist behaviors that can enhance the therapeutic process. In this paper we review the existing literature on process issues with general offenders and sexual offenders and attempt to highlight the importance of therapist behaviors in therapeutic treatment strategies. We conclude that therapists can use the therapeutic relationship to build trust and rapport, and that training should specially aim to enhance these skills.