Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Prognostic Factors for Poor Cognitive Development in Children Born Very Preterm or With Very Low Birth Weight: A Systematic Review.

IMPORTANCE Cognitive delay is the most common form of impairment among children born very preterm (VPT) at 32 weeks or less or with very low birth weight (VLBW) of 1250 g or less. It is important to identify factors that are robust predictors of long-term outcome because the ability to predict future prognosis will assist in health care and educational service planning and provision. OBJECTIVE To identify prognostic factors for poor cognitive development in children born VPT or with VLBW. EVIDENCE REVIEW A systematic review was conducted using MEDLINE, EMBASE, and PyscINFO databases to identify studies published between January 1, 1990, and June 1, 2014, reporting multivariable prediction models for neurodevelopment in VPT or VLBW children. Thirty-one studies comprising 98 risk factor models for cognitive outcome were identified. Two independent reviewers extracted key information on study design, outcome definition, risk factor selection, model development, and reporting and conducted a risk-of-bias assessment. FINDINGS There was evidence that male sex, nonwhite race/ethnicity, lower level of parental education, and lower birth weight were predictive of global cognitive impairment in children younger than 5 years. In older children, only the influence of parental education was sustained. Male sex was also predictive of language impairment in early infancy, but not in middle childhood. Gestational age was a poor predictor of cognitive outcome, probably because of a reduced discriminatory power in cohorts restricted to a narrow gestational age range. The prognostic value of neonatal brain injury was unclear; however, studies adopted mixed strategies for managing children with physical or neurosensory disability. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE The influence of perinatal risk factors on cognitive development of VPT or VLBW children appears to diminish over time as environmental factors become more important. It is difficult to isolate cognitive outcomes from motor and neurosensory impairment, and the strategy for dealing with untestable children has implications for risk prediction.
Mouse slc9a8 mutants exhibit retinal defects due to retinal pigmented epithelium dysfunction.

PURPOSE As part of a large scale systematic screen to determine the effects of gene knockout mutations in mice, a retinal phenotype was found in mice lacking the Slc9a8 gene, encoding the sodium/hydrogen ion exchange protein NHE8. We aimed to characterize the mutant phenotype and the role of sodium/hydrogen ion exchange in retinal function. METHODS Detailed histology characterized the pathological consequences of Slc9a8 mutation, and retinal function was assessed by electroretinography (ERG). A conditional allele was used to identify the cells in which NHE8 function is critical for retinal function, and mutant cells analyzed for the effect of the mutation on endosomes. RESULTS Histology of mutant retinas reveals a separation of photoreceptors from the RPE and infiltration by macrophages. There is a small reduction in photoreceptor length and a mislocalization of visual pigments. The ERG testing reveals a deficit in rod and cone pathway function. The RPE shows abnormal morphology, and mutation of Slc9a8 in only RPE cells recapitulates the mutant phenotype. The NHE8 protein localizes to endosomes, and mutant cells have much smaller recycling endosomes. CONCLUSIONS The NHE8 protein is required in the RPE to maintain correct regulation of endosomal volume and/or pH which is essential for the cellular integrity and subsequent function of RPE.
Abuse and dependence on prescription opioids in adults: a mixture categorical and dimensional approach to diagnostic classification

Background For the emerging DSM-V, it has been recommended that dimensional and categorical methods be used simultaneously in diagnostic classification; however, little is known about this combined approach for abuse and dependence. Method Using data (n=37 708) from the 2007 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), DSM-IV criteria for prescription opioid abuse and dependence among non-prescribed opioid users (n=3037) were examined using factor analysis (FA), latent class analysis (LCA, categorical), item response theory (IRT, dimensional), and factor mixture (hybrid) approaches. Results A two-class factor mixture model (FMM) combining features of categorical latent classes and dimensional IRT estimates empirically fitted more parsimoniously to abuse and dependence criteria data than models from FA, LCA and IRT procedures respectively. This mixture model included a severely affected group (7%) with a comparatively moderate to high probability (0.32−0.88) of endorsing all abuse and dependence criteria items, and a less severely affected group (93%) with a low probability (0.003−0.16) of endorsing all criteria. The two empirically defined groups differed significantly in the pattern of non-prescribed opioid use, co-morbid major depression, and substance abuse treatment use. Conclusions A factor mixture model integrating categorical and dimensional features of classification fits better to DSM-IV criteria for prescription opioid abuse and dependence in adults than a categorical or dimensional approach. Research is needed to examine the utility of this mixture classification for substance use disorders and treatment response.
Unifying Experiment Design and Convex Regularization Techniques for Enhanced Imaging With Uncertain Remote Sensing Data—Part I: Theory

This paper considers the problem of high-resolution remote sensing (RS) of the environment formalized in the terms of a nonlinear ill-posed inverse problem of estimation of the power spatial spectrum pattern (SSP) of the wavefield scattered from an extended remotely sensed scene via processing the discrete measurements of a finite number of independent realizations of the observed degraded data signals [single realization of the trajectory signal in the case of synthetic aperture radar (SAR)]. We address a new descriptive experiment design regularization (DEDR) approach to treat the SSP reconstruction problem in the uncertain RS environment that unifies the paradigms of maximum likelihood nonparametric spectral estimation, descriptive experiment design, and worst case statistical performance optimization-based regularization. Pursuing such an approach, we establish a family of the DEDR-related SSP estimators that encompass a manifold of algorithms ranging from the traditional matched filter to the modified robust adaptive spatial filtering and minimum variance beamforming methods. The theoretical study is resumed with the development of a fixed-point iterative DEDR technique that incorporates the regularizing projections onto convex solution sets into the SSP reconstruction procedures to enforce the robustness and convergence. For the imaging SAR application, the proposed DEDR approach is aimed at performing, in a single optimized processing, adaptive SAR focusing, speckle reduction and RS scene image enhancement, and accounts for the possible presence of uncertain trajectory deviations.
REGISTERED NURSES' PERCEPTIONS OF THE CERVICAL SCREENING PROGRAMME IN PRIMARY HEALTH CARE CLINICS IN THE KWAZULU-NATAL PROVINCE OF SOUTH AFRICA

Cervical cancer is a significant problem in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. However, the implementation of the provincial cervical screening programme has been slow. Registered nurses need to be knowledgeable about the disease and comply with the screening programme. The purpose of this study was to determine the perceptions of registered nurses in the public sector primary health care clinics in KwaZulu-Natal, regarding the cervical screening programme, problems experienced and their compliance with the criteria for selecting clients for screening. An exploratory, descriptive and qualitative design was used. The sample consisted of all consenting registered nurses from the selected clinics (n = 21), who participated in focus group discussions. Data were analysed using thematic content analysis. Although appreciative of the screening programme, the nurses disagreed with the starting age of 30 and 10 year intervals for Pap smears, believing that younger women are at risk due to HIV and AIDS and sexually transmitted infections. Further education of registered nurses should ensure that they understand the natural course of the disease and the rationale for the guideline policy.
Factors Influencing Ranging on Community Land and Crop Raiding by Mountain Gorillas

One of the challenges facing conservationists is the conflict between humans and wildlife due to competition for resources. Ranging outside the national park and crop raiding by mountain gorillas Gorilla beringei beringei around Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Uganda, is a major concern because it has negative impacts on both wildlife conservation and local livelihoods, particularly due to the high density of subsistence agriculturalists living along the park boundary. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of food availability inside and outside the park on the occurrence of gorillas ranging outside the park and crop raiding. We collected data on 13 mountain gorilla groups ranging in three general locations on the edge of the park over a 13‐month period. Using generalized linear mixed models, we found that the number of days both ranging outside the park and crop raiding was positively influenced by the availability of both tea Camellia sinensis and pine (Pinus sp.) plantations and uncultivated land, all of which contain herbaceous plants eaten by the gorillas, as well as due to the availability of palatable crops [bananas (Musa sp.), eucalyptus (Eucalyptus sp.) and sweet potatoes Ipomoea batatas]. Our results suggest that ranging outside the park and crop raiding were influenced by food availability outside the park, not by a lack of food resources inside the park. To stop gorillas from leaving the park, we recommend removing herbaceous foods consumed by gorillas from plantations and uncultivated land and planting of buffer crops. If kept clear of herbaceous foods and planted contiguously along the boundary, tea plantations may best serve as a buffer to prevent gorillas from using community land. This study shows that the mitigation of human–wildlife conflict requires research to inform appropriate management strategies based on the species' behavioral ecology.
Treatment of Cavitary Bone Defects in Chronic Osteomyelitis: Bioactive glass S53P4 vs. Calcium Sulphate Antibiotic Beads

Aim: To evaluate the efficacy of bioglass (BAG-S53P4) in the treatment of patients with chronic osteomyelitis and compare the results with calcium sulphate antibiotic beads in one medical centre. Methods: Retrospective analysis of 25 cases. Inclusion criteria: patients diagnosed clinically and radiographically of osteomyelitis and treated surgically (Group 1: cavitary bone defects treated with bioglass and Group 2: cavitary bone defects treated with calcium sulphate antibiotic beads) during the period of 2014 and 2015 in one medical centre. Results: Patients in group 1 (bioglass treatment): total of 12 patients (11 males and 1 female) with mean age: 50 years (30-86). Average length of hospital stay was 22 days and mean follow-up time: 23 months (16-33). Mean erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and mean c-reactive protein (CRP) before surgery: 55mm/hr and 54 mg/L, respectively. Mean ESR and mean CRP in last blood exam: 18 mm/hr and 8 mg/L, respectively. There were 2 postoperative complications: seroma formation and delayed wound healing. Only 1 patient had recurrence of infection. Patients in group 2 (calcium sulphate antibiotic beads treatment): total of 13 patients (9 males and 4 females) with mean age: 48 years (17-67). Average length of hospital stay was 21 days and mean follow-up time 22 months (16-29). Mean ESR and mean CRP before surgery: 51mm/hr and 41 mg/L, respectively. Mean ESR and mean CRP in last blood test: 15 mm/hr and 11 mg/L. 2 postoperative complications were registered: chronic expanding hematoma of the muscle flap donor site and seroma formation. 1 patient had recurrence of infection. Overall, there were no differences in recurrence of infection, p=0.740 and in complication rate, p=0.672. 11 (91,7%) patients in group 1 and 12 (92,3%) patients in group 2 showed no signs of recurrence of infection both clinically and radiologically at final follow-up. The most frequent cause of osteomyelitis in group 1 was post traumatic while a postsurgical aetiology was more frequent in group 2. The distal tibia was the most common location. The most frequent pathogen isolated in both groups was methicillin sensible staphylococcus aureus. Conclusions: An advance in treatment of patients with cavitary bone defects in chronic osteomyelitis is the use of synthetic bone substitutes although current evidence is low. In this study, we demonstrate how bioglass without local antibiotics and calcium sulphate antibiotic beads are both equally effective treatment options. Overall, there were no differences between groups in mean hospital stay, complication rates and recurrence of infection.
Male mate choice based on female coloration in a lizard: the role of a juvenile trait

In many animals, females choose males for mating in relation to their conspicuous coloration, but males can also select females by display traits. In a lizard species in which females show red tail coloration during the mating season, tail color was experimentally manipulated and males preferred red versus white adult females for courtship. Red coloration makes females more sexually attractive in this lizard species, possibly because it indicates sexual maturity and a pre-ovulatory reproductive status.
Learning to Pinpoint Singing Voice from Weakly Labeled Examples

Building an instrument detector usually requires temporally accurate ground truth that is expensive to create. However, song-wise information on the presence of instruments is often easily available. In this work, we investigate how well we can train a singing voice detection system merely from song-wise annotations of vocal presence. Using convolutional neural networks, multiple-instance learning and saliency maps, we can not only detect singing voice in a test signal with a temporal accuracy close to the state-of-the-art, but also localize the spectral bins with precision and recall close to a recent source separation method. Our recipe may provide a basis for other sequence labeling tasks, for improving source separation or for inspecting neural networks trained on auditory spec-trograms.
A model of the influence of false-positive mammography screening results on subsequent screening

Abstract Decades of empirical research have demonstrated psychological and behavioural consequences of false-positive medical tests. To organise this literature and offer novel predictions, we propose a model of how false-positive mammography results affect return for subsequent mammography screening. We propose that false-positive mammography results alter how women think about themselves (e.g., increasing their perceived likelihood of getting breast cancer) and the screening test (e.g., believing mammography test results are less accurate). We further hypothesise that thoughts elicited by the false-positive experience will, in turn, affect future use of screening mammography. In addition, we discuss methodological considerations for statistical analyses of these mediational pathways and propose two classes of potential moderators. While our model focuses on mammography screening, it may be applicable to psychological and behavioural responses to other screening tests. The model is especially timely as false-positive medical test results are increasingly common, due to efforts to increase uptake of cancer screening, new technologies that improve existing tests’ ability to detect disease at the cost of increased false alarms, and growing numbers of new medical tests.
The identification by teachers of special educational needs in primary school pupils and factors associated with referral to special education

Abstract This paper addresses the identification of pupils with special educational needs (SEN) in mainstream primary schools by their teachers. Data were analysed from two consecutive measurement occasions of a large cohort study in the Netherlands. The types and severity of pupils’ problems, and their school careers were studied. Around 25% of the pupils were considered by their teachers to have SEN. Results show that a substantial percentage of pupils who had been identified with SEN at the first measurement occasion were not identified with SEN three years later, whereas the same percentage had not been identified with SEN at the first occasion but was at the second occasion. Significant predictors of being identified with SEN include results from skills tests, and the teacher’s views on the pupil performing below expectations, having a less favourable attitude to work, being less popular with classmates, and being more dependent on the teacher. In addition, boys are more likely to be identified with SEN in comparison to girls. Cognitive impairment and/or delayed cognitive development proved to be the most influential predictor of referral to special education. In addition, chances of a pupil being referred to special education are influenced by several other pupil characteristics. Implications of these outcomes are discussed.
Conflict detection, dual processes, and logical intuitions: Some clarifications

Recent studies on conflict detection during thinking suggest that reasoners are sensitive to possible conflict between their heuristic judgement and elementary logical or probabilistic principles. I have argued that this conflict sensitivity calls for the postulation of logical intuitions and has implications for the way we conceive the interaction between System-1 and System-2 in dual process theories. In this paper I clarify potential misconceptions about this work, discuss the link with other approaches, and sketch directions for further research.
Assessment of a short phylogenetic marker based on comparisons of 3' end 16S rDNA and 5' end 16S-23S ITS nucleotide sequences on the genus Xanthomonas

A short phylogenetic marker previously used in the reconstruction of the Class γ-proteobacteria was assessed here at a lower taxa level, species in the genus Xanthomonas. This maker is 224 nucleotides in length. It is a combination of a 157 nucleotide sequence at the 3' end of the 16S rRNA gene and a 67 nucleotide sequence at the 5' end of the 16S-23S ITS sequence. A total of 23 Xanthomonas species were analyzed. Species from the phylogenetically related genera Xylella and Stenotrophomonas were included for com- parison purposes. A bootstrapped neighbor- joining phylogenetic tree was inferred from comparative analyses of the 224 bp nucleotide sequence of all 30 bacterial strains under study. Four major Groups were revealed based on the topology of the neighbor-joining tree, Group I to IV. Group I and II contained the genera Steno-trophomonas and Xylella, respectively. Group III included five Xanthomonas species: X. theicola, X. sacchari, X. albineans, X. transluscens and X. hyacinthi. This group of Xanthomonas species is often referred to as the hyacinthi group. Group IV contained the other 18 Xanthomonas species. The overall topology of the neighbor-joining tree was in agreement with currently accepted phylogenetic. The short phylogenetic marker used here could resolve species from three dif-ferent Xanthomonadacea genera: Stenotro-phomonas, Xylella and Xanthomonas. At the level of the Xanthomonas genus, distant spe-cies could be distinguished, and whereas some closely-related species could be distinguished, others were undistinguishable. Pathovars could not be distinguished. We have met the resolving limit of this marker: pathovars and very closely related species from same genus.
Bias detection: Response confidence evidence for conflict sensitivity in the ratio bias task

Human reasoning is often biased by heuristic thinking. A key question is whether people detect that their heuristic answer conflicts with logical considerations. Empirical studies suggest that the detection is typically successful but the generality of these findings has been questioned. The present study focuses on this issue. A response confidence measure was used to validate conflict sensitivity findings in the classical ratio bias task and identify individual differences in conflict detection efficiency. Participants were asked to indicate how confident they were after solving problems for which a cued heuristic response could be inconsistent or consistent with the correct response. Results confirmed that most reasoners showed a confidence decrease when they were biased, suggesting that they acknowledge that their intuitive answers are not fully warranted. However, there were also subgroups of reasoners who failed to show a confidence effect. Implications for the debate on conflict detection during thinking are discussed.
Never Too Much? The Curvilinear Relationship Between Empowering Leadership and Task Performance

Although empowering leadership is generally considered to be a desirable leadership approach, its effectiveness has been questioned and the response is mixed. Integrating the “Too-Much-of-a-Good-Thing” effect and dual task processing, this study examines the relationship between empowering leadership and task performance. Specifically, we suggest a curvilinear relationship between empowering leadership and employee task performance. Further, applying a leadership contingency perspective, we propose that the curvilinear relationship between empowering leadership and employee task performance is moderated by employee learning orientation. Using survey data from 137 supervisor–subordinate dyads, our results show that the inverted U-shaped relationship between empowering leadership and employee task performance is moderated by employee learning orientation. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.
A bias-corrected CMIP5 dataset for Africa using the CDF-t method : a contribution to agricultural impact studies

Abstract. The objective of this paper is to present a new dataset of bias-corrected CMIP5 global climate model (GCM) daily data over Africa. This dataset was obtained using the cumulative distribution function transform (CDF-t) method, a method that has been applied to several regions and contexts but never to Africa. Here CDF-t has been applied over the period 1950–2099 combining Historical runs and climate change scenarios for six variables: precipitation, mean near-surface air temperature, near-surface maximum air temperature, near-surface minimum air temperature, surface downwelling shortwave radiation, and wind speed, which are critical variables for agricultural purposes. WFDEI has been used as the reference dataset to correct the GCMs. Evaluation of the results over West Africa has been carried out on a list of priority user-based metrics that were discussed and selected with stakeholders. It includes simulated yield using a crop model simulating maize growth. These bias-corrected GCM data have been compared with another available dataset of bias-corrected GCMs using WATCH Forcing Data as the reference dataset. The impact of WFD, WFDEI, and also EWEMBI reference datasets has been also examined in detail. It is shown that CDF-t is very effective at removing the biases and reducing the high inter-GCM scattering. Differences with other bias-corrected GCM data are mainly due to the differences among the reference datasets. This is particularly true for surface downwelling shortwave radiation, which has a significant impact in terms of simulated maize yields. Projections of future yields over West Africa are quite different, depending on the bias-correction method used. However all these projections show a similar relative decreasing trend over the 21st century.