Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Determinants of Uptake of Cervical Cancer Screening Services at a No-Cost Reproductive Health Clinic Managed by Nurse-Midwives

Background: The incidence of cervical cancer (CC) has been rising in sub-Saharan Africa, and health authorities in this region have responded by increasing the availability of cheap or no-cost CC screening services (CCSS), public health education, and others. However, the efforts have not yet resulted into the expected uptake of CCSS. Objective: The aim of this study was to examine the determinants of uptake of CCSS at a no-cost reproductive health clinic managed by nurse-midwives. Methods: A descriptive design and a structured interview questionnaire were used to collect data from 236 women attending the reproductive health clinic. Logistic regression statistics were used to examine the determinants of uptake of CCSS. Results: The mean age of participants was 28.7 years, and only 29% had received CC screening. The significant determinants of uptake of CCSS were concern about the gender of the healthcare professional (HCP) (odds ratio [OR], 5.03; P = .001), age older than 25 years (OR, 3.09; P = .005), contraceptive use (OR, 0.28; P = .02), encouragement by HCPs (OR, 0.16; P = .00), and perceived quality of CCSS (OR, 0.08; P = .00). Conclusions: Gender of the HCP and encouragement or reminders by the HCP influence uptake of CCSS. Because nurse-midwives have successfully led strategies to promote other integrated reproductive health services, they can also play a key role in enhancing uptake of CCSS in resource-poor settings. Implications for Practice: Interventions to enhance service quality and deliberate policies requiring HCP to recommend encourage and remind clients may help to enhance uptake of CCSS in resource-poor settings.
Characteristics of Postictal Headache in Patients with Partial Epilepsy

Migraine-like features sometimes characterize the headache that follows epileptic seizure (postictal headache, PIH). We compared patients with different types of epilepsy to investigate the association between migraine-like PIH and seizure type. Subjects comprised 364 patients with partial epilepsy. Epilepsy types were temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE, n = 177), frontal lobe epilepsy (FLE, n = 116), and occipital lobe epilepsy (OLE, n = 71). Patients participated in a structured interview pertaining to PIH as well as interictal headache and family history of migraine. Headaches were classified according to the International Headache Society criteria, which was modified for this study. Forty percent had PIH and 26% of these patients had migraine-like PIH. Migraine-like PIH occurred significantly more often in cases of TLE and OLE than in cases of FLE. In addition, the incidence of interictal migraine headache was significantly higher in patients with migraine-like PIH. These results suggest that migraine-like PIH is related to particular regions of epileptogenic focus and that susceptibility to migraine headache predisposes to migraine-like PIH.
Safeguarding Swahili trade in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries: a unique navigational complex in south-east Tanzania

Abstract Seaborne trade underpinned the economy and society of east Africa's Swahili coast in the first part of the second millennium ad. Field study and examination of satellite images have led to the conclusion that a major construction effort was expressly conducted to safeguard shipping undertaking that trade. The purpose of causeways and platforms initially noted on the approaches to Kilwa Kisiwani Harbour has been reassessed on discovery that similar features extend for over 120km along the coast of south-east Tanzania. Located in relationship to the reef margin, these structures are believed to have been navigational aids for ships plying the gold-trading Sofala-Kilwa route in the early fourteenth or fifteenth centuries. Accordingly, they complement the Swahili urban architecture of the period in providing a unique inter-tidal stone architecture of worldwide significance in maritime history.
Changes in the Glycosylation Pattern of Prion Protein in Murine Scrapie

In prion diseases, the normal prion protein (PrPc) undergoes a conformational change that results in the abnormal form, named scrapie prion protein (PrPsc). The visual system of rodents provides a relatively simple neuronal model in which the cell bodies of neurons are confined to the retina and the axons constitute the optic nerve. We investigated by Western blot the profile of PrPc in the optic nerve and retina of normal hamsters and mice. We found that in the optic nerve the amount of PrPc is significantly higher than in the retina. A less abundant non-glycosylated band was observed in retinas compared with the optic nerve and brain. Similar results were found in the gray and white matter from normal mice and hamsters. After stereotaxic injection of ME7 or 139A in the superior colliculus, a visual target area, the proportion and glycopattern of PrP changed in the retina and optic nerve throughout the course of the disease. Similar results were found in the gray and white matter at terminal stage of scrapie after injection of ME7 and 139A in the dorsal hippocampus. This is the first time that changes in the distribution and glycopattern of PrP have been described in an in vivo model of prion diseases.
Immunocytochemical identification of two distinct gonadotropic cells (GTH I and GTH II) in the pituitary of bluefin tuna, Thunnus thynnus.

Immunocytochemical identification of GTH I and GTH II cells in the pituitary of the bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) was performed using antisera specific for the common alpha-subunit and the two distinct beta-subunits of tuna (Thunnus obesus) GTH I and GTH II. Cells of the dorsal part of the proximal pars distalis (PPD), in close association with somatotrophs, displayed immunoreactivity of GTHIbeta. GTH IIbeta immunoreactivity was present in cells of the central part of the PPD and the external border of the pars intermedia. Anti-GTHalpha immunostained both GTH Ibeta- and GTH IIbeta-immunoreactive cells and also thyrotrophs. Both GTH Ibeta- and GTH IIbeta-immunoreactive cells were observed in immature bluefin tuna, although there were greater numbers of GTH IIbeta immunoreactive cells. These results suggest that GTH I and GTH II are synthesized in separate cells in the pituitary of the bluefin tuna. The localization and appearance of the two distinct gonadotropic cells of the tuna are compared with the salmonid arrangement.
Machine learning in quantitative finance

This thesis consists of the three chapters. Chapter 1 aims to decrease the time complexity of multi-output relevance vector regression from O(VM^3) to O(V^3+M^3), where V is the number of output dimensions, M is the number of basis functions, and V<M. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method is more competitive than the existing method, with regard to computation time. MATLAB codes are available at http://www.mathworks. com/matlabcentral/fileexchange/49131. The performance of online (sequential) portfolio selection (OPS), which rebalances a portfolio in every period (e.g. daily or weekly) in order to maximise the portfolio's expected terminal wealth in the long run, has been overestimated by the ideal assumption of unlimited market liquidity (i.e. no market impact costs). Therefore, a new transaction cost factor model that considers market impact costs, estimated from limit order book data, as well as proportional transaction costs (e.g. brokerage commissions or transaction taxes in a fixed percentage) is proposed in Chapter 2 for both measuring OPS performance in a more practical way and developing a new OPS method. Backtesting results from the historical limit order book data of NASDAQ-traded stocks show both the performance deterioration of OPS by the market impact costs and the superiority of the proposed OPS method in the environment of limited market liquidity. MATLAB codes are available at http://www.mathworks. com/matlabcentral/fileexchange/56496. Chapter 3 proposes an optimal intraday trading strategy to absorb the shock to the stock market when an online portfolio selection algorithm rebalances a portfolio. It considers real-time data of limit order books and splits a very large market order into a number of consecutive market orders to minimise overall transaction costs, consisting of market impact costs as well as proportional transaction costs. To be specific, it optimises both the number of intraday tradings and an intraday trading path for a multi-asset portfolio. Backtesting results from the historical limit order book data of NASDAQ-traded stocks show the superiority of the proposed trading algorithm in the environment of limited market liquidity. MATLAB codes are available at http://www.mathworks. com/matlabcentral/fileexchange/62503.
Medical Research with Children: Ethics, Law and Practice

Research on children poses special problems to humanity: how does one go about pursuing medical knowledge, directly or indirectly beneficial to all children, in a way that does not jeopardize the interests of any individual child? Is it ethical to perform tests or procedures on a child who may not be able to give fully informed consent? There are many ethical and legal principles involved, with enough inconsistencies to bewilder any pediatric researcher about to begin a clinical study. A multitude of guidelines have been developed over the years since the Nazi atrocities, both by national and international associations and by various governmental legislatures. Yet these guidelines often tried to define what is legal in research on children, not what is ethical (unfortunately, the two do not always coincide). While there has been extensive debate on the latter subject, most notably by ethicists Paul Ramsey and Richard McCormick, very few definitive answers are available to practitioners of medical research in this regard. Medical Research with Children: Ethics, Law, and Practice does a commendable job in remedying this lack. The text is based on the discussions of a working group convened to study "the question afresh and publish a Report designed to encourage reflection and, perhaps, to help members of Research Ethics Committees in the discharge of their duties. " They met in England twenty-five times over three years. Group members included physicians, philosophers, lawyers, and other related professionals , giving the volume a noticeably balanced outlook. The goals were clearly stated in the Introduction and are certainly achieved. The working group decided to consider only research on live-born children from the moment of birth to the age of 16 years, thus avoiding the topic of research on the fetus or on fertilized eggs. While this may be considered a drawback in that most of the active debates are on these topics, delving into these issues would have caused only confusion and would have masked the highlights of the rest of the discussions. There are ten chapters, all organized so that a member of the medical academic community can progress from the simplest of ethical ideals and conclude with some workable guidelines. Chapters 1 through 5 set the arguments in before the reader. Various ethical and technical terms are defined, and possible implications are presented. Philosophical and legal inquiry is kept brief and concise, allowing the medical community easily to understand and …
Comparison of IsoCode STIX and FTA Gene Guard Collection Matrices as Whole-Blood Storage and Processing Devices for Diagnosis of Malaria by PCR

ABSTRACT We compared two collection devices, IsoCode and FTA, with whole blood for the diagnosis of malaria by PCR (n = 100). Using whole blood as the reference standard, both devices were sensitive for the detection of single-species malaria infections by PCR (≥96%). However, the detection of mixed infections was suboptimal (IsoCode was 42% sensitive, and FTA was 63% sensitive).
Partial versus full PTSD in the Korean community: prevalence, duration, correlates, comorbidity, and dysfunctions

A few studies have been conducted on the prevalence of partial posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but points of agreement and disagreement between full and partial PTSD have not been fully investigated. We interviewed a representative sample of 6,258 subjects, ages 18–64 years, in household visits using the Korean version of the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (K‐CIDI 2.1). “Partial PTSD” was defined as ≥1 symptom in each of the three symptom groups (Criteria B, C, and D) and duration of ≥1 month (Criterion E). Estimated lifetime prevalence of partial PTSD was 2.7%, and that of full PTSD was 1.7%. A “female gender” risk factor was significantly associated with both partial and full PTSD. The mean duration of partial PTSD was 6.5 years, which was not significantly different from the 5.7 year duration of full PTSD. Traumas associated with the development of partial rather than full PTSD were “natural disaster with fire” and “military combat” in men, and “witnessing a traumatic situation” and “learning about traumas to others” in women, whereas “threatened by others” was more associated with the development of full PTSD. The rates of multiple comorbid disorders and of comorbid major depressive disorder and dysfunctions in work during the 1‐month period prior to interview did not differ significantly between the partial and full PTSD groups. In conclusion, partial PTSD did not differ significantly from full PTSD in terms of duration, comorbidity, and dysfunction, but they differed markedly in terms of associated trauma types. Depression and Anxiety 24:577–585, 2007. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The influence of goal clarity, curiosity, and enjoyment on intention to code

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study is to examine the influence of goal clarity, curiosity, and enjoyment – dimensions of flow theory – on the intention to write programming code. This research refines and extends previous information systems (IS) research in two significant ways: first, this research is focused specifically on systems development behaviour; second; this is the first research that isolates specific flow theory constructs associated with systems development behaviour. We used SmartPLS to test our model, as partial least squares is the appropriate statistical methodology for theory building and model testing. Findings are based on survey data from computer IS classes at two different universities. Goal clarity and curiosity independently and significantly contributed to enjoyment when programming, which significantly and positively influenced a future intention to code. Recommendations for practitioners and faculty include testing for curiosity characteristics, providing clear goals, and providing stimuli to pique curiosity.
Knowledge and Attitude towards the Introduction of Informatics to Nursing Training among Selected Nurse Educators/Leaders in Nigeria

Background:- Technology in health care is increasingly becoming an integral part of the Nigeria health care delivery system and National Universities Commission has made it as part of bench-mark in the training of Nursing Students on Nursing informatics. Nursing and Midwifery Council is equally making efforts to see to the teaching and utilization of Nursing informatics by nursing students and practicing nurses. Therefore, this study was aimed at assessing the knowledge and attitude of nurse-educators and leaders on concept of nursing informatics. Methods:- this was a descriptive study. The study was carried out among nurse, educators and leaders at the yearly Conference organized by the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria that place in Osogbo in April 2012. 175 respondents were randomly selected for the study out of 250 that registered for the conference. Only 150 returned their questionnaire and were used for the study. Three research questions were answered and three hypothesis were tested using Chi-square(x2) and correlation coefficient at 0.05 level of significance. Results- One hundred and fifty (150) out of two hundred and fifty (250) respondents were used for the study 82.0% were females while 18.0% were males. 49.3% had Bsc/ BNSc, 36.0% had masters while 0.7% had Ph.D. 90.0% of respondents are knowledgeable. They all had positive attitude towards the introduction of informatics to the training of Nurses. There was no significant adherence in the attitude towards the introduction of informatics to nursing along gender attributes, there was no association between the qualifications and attitude of respondents towards the introduction of informatics to nursing and these was association between the respondents from different geo-political zones and their attitudes towards the introduction of informatics to nursing.
Differentiation of Hemorrhage from Iodinated Contrast in Different Intracranial Compartments Using Dual-Energy Head CT

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Identification of ICH, particularly after ischemic stroke therapy, is important for guiding subsequent antithrombotic management and is often confounded by contrast staining or extravasations within intracerebral or extra-axial compartments. This study evaluates the accuracy of DECT in distinguishing ICH from iodinated contrast in patients who received contrast via IA or IV delivery. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty patients who had received IA or IV contrast were evaluated using a DECT scanner at 80kV and 140kV to distinguish hyperdensities secondary to contrast staining or extravasation from those representing ICH. A 3-material decomposition algorithm was used to obtain virtual noncontrast images and iodine overlay images. Sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of DECT in prospectively distinguishing intracranial contrast from hemorrhage within parenchymal, subarachnoid, extra-axial, intraventricular, and intra-arterial compartments were computed using routine clinical follow-up imaging as the standard of reference. RESULTS: A total of 148 foci of intracranial hyperattenuation were identified. Of these, 142 were correctly classified for the presence of hemorrhage by DECT. The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy for identifying hemorrhage, depending on the compartment being considered, were 100%, 84.4%–100%, and 87.2%–100%, respectively. The only instances where DECT failed to correctly identify the source of hyperattenuation was in the presence of diffuse parenchymal calcification (n = 5) and a metallic streak artifact (n = 1). CONCLUSION: After IA and/or IV contrast administration, DECT can accurately differentiate all types of ICH from iodinated contrast without employing any additional radiation.
Peak Flow and Peak Cough Flow in the Evaluation of Expiratory Muscle Weakness and Bulbar Impairment in Patients with Neuromuscular Disease

Suárez AA, Pessolano FA, Monteiro SG, Ferreyra G, Capria ME, Mesa L, Dubrovsky A, De Vito EL: Peak flow and peak cough flow in the evaluation of expiratory muscle weakness and bulbar impairment in patients with neuromuscular diseases. Am J Phys Med Rehabil 2002;81:506–511. Objective To study the expiratory muscle force and the ability to cough estimated by the peak expiratory flow and peak cough flow in patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Design A total of 27 patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and 52 patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy were studied. From the group of 144 normal subjects of this laboratory, we selected 38 for comparison. Results The maximal inspiratory pressure in patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis was 64.5 ± 24.7% and 37.8 ± 21.8%, respectively, and maximal expiratory pressure was 64.2 ± 32.5% and 37.7 ± 21.6%, respectively. Patient groups showed a significant lower peak expiratory flow than normal subjects. Higher peak cough flow than peak expiratory flow was found in all groups. The peak cough flow–peak expiratory flow difference was 46 ± 18% in normal subjects, 43 ± 23% in patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, and 11 ± 17% in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. The peak expiratory flow and peak cough flow were not different in bulbar onset amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. In patient groups, the dynamic and static behavior correlated positively. Conclusions These results suggest that peak cough flow–peak expiratory flow is useful to monitor expiratory muscle weakness and bulbar involvement and to assess its evolution in these patients.
Towards Intelligent Adaptative E-Learning Systems - Machine Learning for Learner Activity Classification

As adaptivity in e-learning systems has become popular during the past years, new challenges and potentials have emerged in the field of adaptive systems. Adaptation, traditionally focused on the personalization of content, is now also required for learner communication and cooperation. With the increasing complexity of adaptation tasks, the need for automated processing of usage data, information extraction and pattern detection grows. We present learner activity mining and classification as a basis for adaptation in educational systems and discuss intelligent techniques in this context. Based on real usage data, we present the results of experiments comparing the behaviour and performance of different classification algorithms.
Excitatory effect of histamine on rat spinal motoneurons by activation of both H1 and H2 receptors in vitro

The central histaminergic nervous system, originating from the tuberomammillary nucleus of the hypothalamus, widely innervates almost the whole brain as well as the spinal cord. However, the effect of histamine on spinal motoneurons, the final common path for motor control, is still unknown. By using 8–14‐day‐old rat spinal slice preparations and intracellular recordings, the effect of histamine on motoneurons in lumbar spinal cord and the underlying mechanisms were studied. Bath application of histamine (30–300 μM) induced a membrane depolarization in the majority of recorded spinal motoneurons (78/90, 86%). Perfusing slices with tetrodotoxin or low‐Ca2+/high‐Mg2+ medium did not block the histamine‐induced excitation, indicating a direct postsynaptic action of histamine on motoneurons. Separate application of the selective histamine H1 receptor antagonist mepyramine or the selective histamine H2 receptor antagonist ranitidine partially suppressed the histamine‐induced excitation, whereas a combination of ranitidine and mepyramine totally blocked the excitatory effect of histamine on motoneurons. On the other hand, both the selective histamine H1 receptor agonist 2‐pyridylethylamine and the selective histamine H2 receptor agonist dimaprit mimicked the excitation of histamine on spinal motoneurons. These agonist‐induced excitations were also blocked by mepyramine or ranitidine. Furthermore, histamine affected membrane input resistance and potentiated repetitive firing behavior of spinal motoneurons. These results demonstrate that histamine excites rat spinal motoneurons via the histamine H1 and H2 receptors and increases their excitability, suggesting that the hypothalamospinal histaminergic fibers may directly modulate final motor outputs and actively regulate ongoing motor execution andspinal motor reflexes. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.