Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
International Family Planning Perspectives Unmet Need and Unintended Fertility: Longitudinal Evidence from Upper Egypt

Unmet need for family planning—i.e., use of no method despite sexual exposure and an expressed desire to avoid preg-nancy—characterizes an estimated 17% of married women in the developing world. 1 Unmet need has been a central concept in international population discourse for two decades. 2 Because this measure focuses on women (or men) who are motivated to practice contraception, it offers a relatively realistic indication of the unsatisfied (or " latent ") demand for contraception; satisfying this demand is a readily endorsed policy objective in that it aligns public policy with the expressed reproductive interests of individuals. Demographic surveys now routinely produce estimates of the prevalence of unmet need for family planning on the basis of algorithms that are conceptually straightforward but somewhat complicated to implement. 3 The convention is to classify sexually active women into four exclusive categories according to their need for contraception: no need because of infecundity; no need because of a desire to become pregnant soon; no need because of current contraceptive practice (met need); and unmet need. Doubts remain, however, about both the validity and the utility of the concept. 4 Here, we examine two questions that can be addressed only by observing women over time. The first concerns the stability of contraceptive need categories: Do women remain in the same category (no need or unmet need) for extended periods of time, or do they shift frequently between categories? If women tend to fall in the same category at successive interviews over several years, this consistency would provide some reassurance that the classification procedure is valid. Alternatively, substantial shifting among categories might cause doubt about the meaningfulness of the classification scheme. The issue of stability has important implications for pro-grammatic efforts to reduce unmet need. If categories of contraceptive need remain relatively stable, for example, then it may be cost-effective for programs to develop on-the-ground techniques for identifying women with unmet need, who would then be targeted for recruitment efforts and services. Moreover, the stability of need categories has implications for evaluating the success of program investments. An overarching goal of family planning programmatic effort is to help women move out of unmet need; the extent to which this goal has been achieved can be ascertained only approximately by comparing successive cross-sectional aggregate distributions. Indeed, a stable or even increasing level of unmet need in the aggregate can coexist with significant shifting out of unmet …
Inflation and Economic Growth Nexus in BRICS: Evidence from ARDL Bound Testing Approach

The present study investigated the inflation growth nexus in the context of BRICS countries. The study used time series data covering from the period 1980 to 2012. The data sources are cumulated from the World Bank, World Economic Outlook (WEO). The empirical findings of the study indicate that a long run positive relationship between inflation and economic growth only for China and South Africa at the 5 percent level of significance. The study also found that there is a unidirectional causality between economic growth and inflation in the context of India whereas; bidirectional causality takes place in the case of China. The VAR analysis could not find a consistent short run relationship between inflation and economic growth over ten years ahead for BRICS countries. From the policy implication point of view the study suggests that policy makers in BRICS should consider the short run relationship between inflation and economic growth while, the China and South Africa policy makers should pay attention to both short run and long run relationship.
A combined cICA-EEMD analysis of EEG recordings from depressed or schizophrenic patients during olfactory stimulation

Objective. We propose a combination of a constrained independent component analysis (cICA) with an ensemble empirical mode decomposition (EEMD) to analyze electroencephalographic recordings from depressed or schizophrenic subjects during olfactory stimulation. Approach. EEMD serves to extract intrinsic modes (IMFs) underlying the recorded EEG time. The latter then serve as reference signals to extract the most similar underlying independent component within a constrained ICA. The extracted modes are further analyzed considering their power spectra. Main results. The analysis of the extracted modes reveals clear differences in the related power spectra between the disease characteristics of depressed and schizophrenic patients. Such differences appear in the high frequency γ-band in the intrinsic modes, but also in much more detail in the low frequency range in the α-, θ- and δ-bands. Significance. The proposed method provides various means to discriminate both disease pictures in a clinical environment.
Evaluating the Effect of Project Longevity on Group-Involved Shootings and Homicides in New Haven, Connecticut

Beginning in November 2012, New Haven, Connecticut, served as the pilot site for Project Longevity, a statewide focused deterrence gun violence reduction strategy. The intervention brings law enforcement, social services, and community members together to meet with members of violent street groups at program call-ins. Using autoregressive integrated moving average models and controlling for the possibility of a non-New Haven–specific decline in gun violence, a decrease in group offending patterns, and the limitations of police-defined group member involved (GMI) categorization of shootings and homicides, the results of our analysis show that Longevity is associated with a reduction of almost five GMI incidents per month. These findings bolster research confirming the efficacy of focused deterrence approaches to reducing gun violence.
An optimal grey based approach based on TOPSIS concepts for supplier selection problem

Abstract Supplier selection is a multi-attribute decision making (MADM) problem that is affected by quantitative and qualitative factors, some of which may conflict with each other. Since most of the input information is not known accurately, selecting the right suppliers becomes more difficult. Grey theory is one of the new mathematical methods used to analyze systems with uncertain and incomplete information. In this article, we firstly described two previous grey based methods and then, we proposed a new method based on TOPSIS concepts in grey theory to deal with the problem of selecting suppliers. The new method calculates the weighted connection between each of the alternatives sequence and the positive and negative referential sequence to compare the ranking of grey numbers and select the most desirable supplier. Through this article, it is demonstrated that the new method is a good means of evaluation, and it is also more optimal than the two methods.
Renal angiomyolipoma: long-term results after arterial embolization.

PURPOSE Selective arterial embolization of renal angiomyolipomas (AMLs) was performed to prevent hemorrhage in patients with AMLs larger than 4 cm. This study was conducted to evaluate the long-term efficacy of AML embolization. MATERIALS AND METHODS Nineteen patients underwent embolization for 30 renal AMLs between July 1991 and June 2002. Of these, 10 patients had tuberous sclerosis (TS) with multiple AMLs and nine patients had a solitary sporadic AML. Embolization was performed with use of ethanol mixed with iodized oil (Ethiodol) in 29 tumors; coils were used in addition to the ethanol/Ethiodol mixture in one case. All tumors were completely embolized according to angiographic criteria including vascular stasis and absence of arterial feeders. The efficacy of embolization was determined over a mean follow-up period of 51.5 months (range, 6-132 months). Recurrence was defined as an increase in tumor size of greater than 2 cm on follow-up imaging and/or recurrent symptoms that required repeat embolization. An institutional review board exemption was obtained to perform this retrospective study. RESULTS Embolization of the renal AMLs was technically successful in all 19 patients and for all 30 lesions. AML recurrence was noted in 31.6% of patients (n = 19) and for 30% of lesions overall (n = 9). Six of 10 patients in the TS group had AML recurrences. No recurrences occurred in the patients with sporadic AML. In the TS group of 10 patients, there was a total of 21 AMLs and the overall tumor recurrence rate was 42.9% (nine of 21). Six lesions in four patients had to be reembolized because of recurrent symptoms, including one hemorrhage, and three lesions in two patients required repeat embolization because of a greater than 2 cm increase in size. The median time interval from embolization to recurrence was 78.7 months (range, 13-132 months). Statistical testing with use of the Fisher exact test demonstrated that patients with TS were significantly more likely to develop recurrence than those without TS (P = .01). CONCLUSIONS Transarterial embolization is effective in preventing hemorrhage in patients with renal AMLs. However, long-term follow-up revealed a high AML recurrence rate in patients with TS. Lifelong surveillance for recurrence after AML embolization is essential in patients with TS.
A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of the Efficacy of Anti-Toxoplasma gondii Medicines in Humans

No effective drug and definitive “gold standard” treatment for Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) infection has been available so far, though some medicines have been commonly used in the treatment of T. gondii infection, such as spiramycin, azithromycin, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), pyrimethamine- sulfadiazine (P-S), trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMX), and pyrimethamine-clindamycin (P-C). A systematic review and meta-analysis were performed to compare the efficacies of these conventional medicines in the treatment. Cohort studies for the treatment of acute T. gondii infection were searched from PubMed, Google Scholar, ect. All the cases number for different group extracted from each included literature were input to meta-analysis 3.13 software to calculate the pooled negative conversion rate (NCR), cure rate (CR) or vertical transmission rate based on their sample size and weight. The pooled NCR with 95% confidence intervals (CI) was used to evaluate the overall rate of a diagnosis positive result conversion to a negative result after treatment, which of spiramycin, azithromycin and TCM were 83.4% (95%CI, 72.1%-90.8%), 82.5% (95%CI, 75.9%-87.6%), and 85.5% (95%CI, 71.3%-93.3%) respectively, with no statistical difference between them. The pooled CR with 95% CI was used to evaluate the overall rate of complete disappearance of clinical symptoms for toxoplasmic encephalitis after therapy, which of P-S, TMP-SMX, and P-C were 49.8% (95%CI, 38. 8% -60.8%), 59.9% (95%CI, 48.9%-70.0%), and 47.6% (95%CI, 24.8%-71.4%) respectively, with no statistical difference between them. Primary T. gondii infection in pregnancy was treated mainly with spiramycin alone or combined with other drugs, and the pooled rate of vertical transmission was about 9.9% (95%CI, 5.9%-16.2%) after therapy. Toxoplasmic encephalitis in AIDS patients was usually treated with sulfonamides combined with other drugs and the pooled CR was 49.4% (95%CI, 37.9%-60.9%).
Rheology of hyaluronic acid

The dynamic viscoelastic properties of hyaluronic acid solutions have been measured over the frequency range 0.02–1.67 cps. The effects of varying temperature, hyaluronic acid concentration, pH, and ionic strength on the dynamic shear moduli were studied. The solutions exhibited a sharp transition from viscous to elastic behavior as the strain frequency increased. No entanglement coupling of the hyaluronic acid molecules was evident over the concentration range 2.0–4.0 mg. /ml. Solutions at pH 2.5 showed a pronounced elastic behavior relative to both higher and lower pH's. This effect was attributed to a stiffening of the hyaluronic acid molecule at this pH.
Antidepressive-Like Property of Dichloromethane Fraction of Pimenta pseudocaryophyllus and Relevance of Monoamine Metabolic Enzymes

Pimenta pseudocaryophyllus popularly referred to as craveiro is considered as a calming agent in different local preparations. The present study attempted to examine antidepressant-like effect of dichloromethane fraction (DF) and role of monoamine oxidase (MAO), tryptophan, and tyrosine hydroxylase. Based on the research focus, tail suspension (TS), forced swimming (FS), and open field (OF) tests were conducted after oral administration of DF (125, 250, or 500 mg/Kg). Ex vivo assay of MAO was also conducted to evaluate inhibitory effect of DF (250 mg/Kg). Administration of DF elicits antidepressant-like response in the TS and FS. However, DF 500 mg/Kg did not alter mice performance in these models. The data obtained in the OF showed a reduction in total crossing and rearing activity; these effects suggest motor interference in TS and FS performance. Mice pretreatment with p-chlorophenylalanine methyl ester (PCPA) (100 mg/kg, i.p.—serotonin biosynthesis inhibitor) for 4 consecutive days or acute administration of α-methyl-p-tyrosine (AMPT) (100 mg/kg, i.p.—catecholamine synthesis inhibitor) blocked anti-immobility effect of DF in the FS. In ex vivo assay of MAO, DF did not inhibit catabolic activity of MAO. Our findings support antidepressant-like activity of DF and suggest an effect that depends on monoamine biosynthesis.
DUNE-a multilayer gridless routing system

Advances of very large scale integration technologies present two challenges for routing problems: (1) the higher integration of transistors due to shrinking of featuring size and (2) the requirement for off-grid routing due to the variable-width variable-spacing design rules imposed by optimization techniques. In this paper, we present a multilayer gridless detailed routing system for deep submicrometer physical designs. Our detailed routing system uses a hybrid approach consisting of two parts: (1) an efficient variable-width variable-spacing detailed routing engine and (2) a wire-planning algorithm providing high-level guidance as well as ripup and reroute capabilities. Our gridless routing engine is based on an efficient point-to-point gridless routing algorithm using an implicit representation of a nonuniform grid graph. We proved that such a graph guarantees a gridless connection of the minimum cost in multilayer variable-width and variable-spacing routing problem. A novel data structure using a two-level slit tree plus interval tree in combination of cache structure is developed to support efficient queries into the connection graph. Our experiments show that this data structure is very efficient in memory usage while very fast in answering maze expansion related queries. Our detailed routing system also features a coarse grid-based wire-planning algorithm that uses exact gridless design rules (variable-width and variable-spacing) to accurately estimate the routing resources and distribute nets into routing regions. The wire-planning method also enables efficient ripup and reroute in gridless routing. Unlike previous approaches for gridless routing that explore alternatives of blocked nets by gradually tightening the design rules, our planning-based approach can take the exact gridless rules and resolve the congestion and blockage at a higher level. Our experimental results show that using the wire-planning algorithm in our detailed routing system can improve the routability and also speed up the runtime by 3 to 17 times.
Homecoming or tourism? Diaspora tourism experience of second-generation immigrants

ABSTRACT Diaspora tourism is often considered a form of ‘homecoming,’ but for the children of immigrants who are born in the new country, the question remains as to whether they perceive their parents’ homeland as ‘home’ or destination. Moreover, advancements in transportation and communication technologies allow contemporary immigrants to maintain transnational ties to their homeland, which in turn may affect the nature of diaspora tourism. The purpose of this study is to understand the lived experience of second-generation immigrants when they travel to their ancestral homeland, and explore the extent to which second-generation transnationalism shapes their diaspora tourism experiences. Using a phenomenological approach, 26 second-generation Chinese-Americans who had the experience of traveling in China were interviewed. Four themes were identified from semi-structured interviews: language and appearance, search for authenticity, family history, and sense of ‘home. ’ Proficiency in their parental language was found to be a main cause of negative experiences, yet occasionally a source of pride and attachment. Their search for authentic experiences was not unlike other tourists, while familial obligations sometimes limited their experience. Traveling back to the homeland not only allowed them to understand their parents and family history, but also reflect upon their life through experiencing contemporary China. Finally, as the transnational attachment of second-generation immigrants was not rooted in a specific locale, they could feel connected to the homeland without actually visiting their family's place of origin. Findings contribute to transnationalism and diaspora tourism literature by comparing first- and second-generation immigrants and identifying the difference between contemporary transmigrants and classic diaspora groups with regard to their diaspora tourism experience.
Haemodynamic effect of intermittent pneumatic compression of the leg after infrainguinal arterial bypass grafting

Intermittent pneumatic compression (IPC) may increase blood flow through infrainguinal arterial grafts, and has potential clinical application as blood flow velocity attenuation often precedes graft failure. The present study examined the immediate effects of IPC applied to the foot (IPCfoot), the calf (IPCcalf) and to both simultaneously (IPCfoot+calf) on the haemodynamics of infrainguinal bypass grafts.
Interobserver agreement among endosonographers for the diagnosis of neoplastic versus non-neoplastic pancreatic cystic lesions.

BACKGROUND The aim of this study was to evaluate the degree of agreement among endosonographers for EUS diagnosis of neoplastic versus non-neoplastic pancreatic cystic lesions and the specific type of cystic lesion. METHODS Videotapes of EUS procedures from 31 consecutive cases of a range of histopathologically proven lesions, including mucinous cystic neoplasm, serous cystadenoma, neuroendocrine tumor, intraductal papillary mucinous tumor, and pseudocyst, were used to make a study videotape, which was reviewed by 8 experienced endosonographers. The reviewers, blinded to clinical and surgical histopathology results, reviewed each case for the presence or absence of the following features: abnormality of pancreatic duct and parenchyma, margins, solid component, debris, and septations. They were asked to identify each lesion as neoplastic or non-neoplastic and to give a specific diagnosis for each lesion. RESULTS There was fair agreement between endosonographers for diagnosis of neoplastic versus non-neoplastic lesions (kappa = 0.24). Agreement for individual types of lesions was moderately good for serous cystadenomas (kappa = 0.46) but fair for the remainder. Agreement was moderately good for presence or absence of solid component (kappa = 0.43); fair for presence or absence of abnormal pancreatic duct (kappa = 0.29), debris (kappa = 0.21), and septations (kappa = 0.30); and slight for presence or absence of margins (kappa = 0.01) and abnormal pancreatic parenchyma (kappa = 0.01). Accuracy rates of EUS for the diagnosis of neoplastic versus non-neoplastic lesions ranged from 40% to 93%. CONCLUSIONS There is little more than chance interobserver agreement among experienced endosonographers for diagnosis of neoplastic versus non-neoplastic, specific type, and EUS features of pancreatic cystic lesions.
Evaluation of the 2010 Taipei International Flora Exposition from the perceptions of host-city residents: a new framework for mega-event legacies measurement

Numerous cities have recently hosted and engaged in mega-events to pursue tourism and urban development. Although ample research has focussed on the effects of mega-events, few studies have addressed the measurement indicators of mega-event legacies. Based on the triple bottom line principle, we developed measurement indicators for mega-event legacies to assess empirically the legacy of the 2010 Taipei International Flora Exposition based on the perceptions of Taipei City residents. We collected data from 1374 residents who live in Taipei City using the quota sampling method. Based on the study results, we designed a 36-item event legacy scale, comprising 10 mega-event legacy factors. The implications of these findings for managing mega-events and future research directions are discussed.
MobiCamp: a Campus-wide Testbed for Studying Mobile Physical Activities

Ubiquitous WiFi infrastructure and smart phones offer a great opportunity to study physical activities. In this paper, we present MobiCamp, a large-scale testbed for studying mobility-related activities of residents on a campus. MobiCamp consists of ~2,700 APs, ~95,000 smart phones, and an App with ~2,300 opt-in volunteer users. More specifically, we capture how mobile users interact with different types of buildings, with other users, and with classroom courses, etc. To achieve this goal, we first obtain a relatively complete coverage of the users' mobility traces by utilizing four types of information from SNMP and by relaxing the location granularity to roughly at the room level. Then the popular App provides user attributes (grade, gender, etc.) and fine-grained behavior information (phone usages, course timetables, etc.) of the sampled population. These detailed mobile data is then correlated with the mobility traces from the SNMP to estimate the entire campus population's physical activities. We use two applications to show the power of MobiCamp.
Just passing through: the effect of the Master Settlement Agreement on estimated cigarette tax price pass-through

In 1998, cigarette manufacturers and state attorneys general in the United States settled a group of lawsuits in an agreement known as the Master Settlement Agreement (MSA). Among the provisions of this agreement were a set of mandated escrow payments to the states that would be based on cigarette sales. The result of these provisions is that the apparent relationship between taxes and prices changed substantially following implementation of the MSA. This article estimates whether the MSA escrow amounts are reflected in prices and compares the pass-through rate of state and federal cigarette taxes only and the rate when one adds escrow payments. We find much different pass-through rates for the two measures. State and federal taxes are not fully passed to smokers. In years that escrow payments were made, cigarette prices increased by more than the sum of the state and federal taxes and the escrow payments.