Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Factors influencing colorectal cancer screening participation

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a major health problem worldwide. Although population-based CRC screening is strongly recommended in average-risk population, compliance rates are still far from the desirable rates. High levels of screening uptake are necessary for the success of any screening program. Therefore, the investigation of factors influencing participation is crucial prior to design and launches a population-based organized screening campaign. Several studies have identified screening behaviour factors related to potential participants, providers, or health care system. These influencing factors can also be classified in non-modifiable (i.e., demographic factors, education, health insurance, or income) and modifiable factors (i.e., knowledge about CRC and screening, patient and provider attitudes or structural barriers for screening). Modifiable determinants are of great interest as they are plausible targets for interventions. Interventions at different levels (patient, providers or health care system) have been tested across the studies with different results. This paper analyzes factors related to CRC screening behaviour and potential interventions designed to improve screening uptake.
Reports & communications: Debriefings of Web-based malaria games

This study describes the postgame debriefings of an adolescent participant in the Philippines who had played two Web-based computer games related to the topic of malaria. These games, produced by the Nobel Foundation, the MOSQUITO GAME and the PARASITE GAME, were based on the works of Nobel Prize winners Ronald Ross and Alphonse Laveron. After the play of the games, a 7-point debriefing was conducted. This took place in an informal setting. The participant enjoyed and learned new content from both games. Also, the participant made suggestions about revisions of the games' objectives. The study revealed that the debriefing format was smoothly accomplished and effective for these games.
Levodopa‐induced dyskinesias in Parkinson's disease: Is sensitization reversible?

Levodopa‐induced dyskinesias (LIDs) in patients with Parkinson's disease are considered to result from the severity of dopaminergic denervation in the striatum, which is an irrevocable phenomenon, and sensitization induced by long‐term intermittent administration of levodopa. Taking advantage of the 64% reduction of levodopa treatment allowed in 12 Parkinson's disease patients by continuous high‐frequency stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus, we evaluated the severity of parkinsonian motor disability and LIDs during two levodopa challenges performed before the surgical implantation of the stimulation electrodes and after 8.8 months of continuous bilateral subthalamic nucleus stimulation that was interrupted 2 hours before the levodopa test. Motor disability during the “off” and “on” drug periods was unchanged. The severity of LIDs during the “on” period and dystonia during the “off” period decreased by 54% and 62%, respectively. The reduced severity of LIDs in the absence of subthalamic nucleus stimulation demonstrates that the sensitization phenomenon resulting from long‐term intermittent levodopa administration is partially reversible. Ann Neurol 2000;47:655–658
Optimal SIR target determination for outer-loop control in the W-CDMA system

In interference limited cellular radio systems, the control of target signal-to-interference (SIR) ratios in the outer loop in order to satisfy a given quality criteria, is a challenge due to the changing fading characteristics of the radio channel. The performance of the systems based on the commonly adopted technique of relatively infrequent frame error rate (FER) measurements is very deteriorated under dynamic environments. The method for the outer loop presented in this paper, exploits the knowledge of SIR fading stochastic models (Suzuki or Loo models for the desired signal, and Gaussian distribution for the interference) to on-line tune the mentioned target value. Thus, the Newton-Raphson method is applied to numerical approximations of the SIR cumulative distribution functions (CDF's), so that it is possible to obtain the minimum SIR target fade margin that satisfies a given outage probability specification (quality criteria) for that link and for second order statistical moments (shadowing variance, Rice Factor.) which are estimated dynamically. The validity of the SIR CDF's numerical approximations derived has been tested throughout comparison of their plots with the existent ones. The outage probability obtained from those numerical approximations for given values of the SIR margin and second order statistical moments, is then used as input of the Newton-Raphson process. The outcome of this process is, as desired, the previously mentioned SIR margin value. The method performance has been tested under a realtime UMTS demonstrator developed within the IST ARROWS (advanced radio resource management on wireless services) European Collaborative project. The outcomes from the dynamic simulation show that the outer loop method proposed here is able to maintain the QoS required under dynamic environments.
Developing successful pedagogy with information and communications technology: how are science teachers meeting the challenge?

Abstract From the diversity of views on the role of information and communications technology (ICT) in education, this article focuses on ICT as a tool for enhancing learning in the subject-defined context. Drawing from evidence gathered from teachers' evaluations of over 300 lessons taught using ICT, we examine the implementation strategies and teacher variable factors which define the pedagogy of ICT use and contribute to the frequently reported successful lesson outcomes. Teachers' perception of success was largely expressed in terms of achievement of subject learning objectives and suggested criteria strongly rooted in their pedagogy developed with conventional resources. The role of teachers' beliefs in underpinning their professional practice is examined and the tendency towards conservative teaching styles is discussed
A Universal Appointment Rule with Patient Classification for Service Times, No-Shows, and Walk-Ins

This study evaluates patient classification for scheduling and sequencing appointments for patients differentiated by their mean and standard deviation of service times, no-show, and walk-in probabilities. Alternative appointment systems are tested through simulation using a universal Dome rule and some of the best traditional appointment rules in the literature. Our findings show that the universal Dome rule performs better in terms of reducing the total cost of patient’s waiting time, doctor’s idle time, and overtime, and its performance improves further with the right sequencing of patient groups. Although it is a challenge to find the best sequence, we propose a heuristic rule that successfully identifies the best sequence with an accuracy level of 98% for the universal Dome rule. Sensitivity analyses further confirm that our findings are valid even when assumptions on patient punctuality and service time distributions are relaxed. To facilitate the use of our proposed appointment system, an open source online tool is developed to support practitioners in designing their appointment schedules for real clinics.
Application of Autoscala software to the Canadian Advanced Digital Ionosonde

Autoscala, a computer program for the automatic scaling of ionograms, was applied to the Canadian Advanced Digital Ionosonde (CADI). The reliability of the system was tested in different conditions, in terms of reliability of automatically scaled ‘foF2’ values and electron density profiles. In order to test the reliability of the automatic scaling of foF2, the data obtained manually by a well-experienced operator were used as a reference. A value within ±0.5 MHz of the manual value was considered acceptable, which was in line with the International Union of Radio Science (URSI) limits of ±5Δ (Δ is the reading accuracy). The satisfactory performance of the software was demonstrated.
The role of nondeterminism in model verification and validation

Model verification and validation (V&V) is an enabling methodology for the development of computational models that can be used to make engineering predictions with quantified confidence. Model V&V procedures are needed to reduce the time, cost and risk associated with component and full-scale testing of products, materials, and engineered systems. Quantifying the confidence and predictive accuracy of model calculations provides the decision-maker with the information necessary for making high-consequence decisions. Development of guidelines and procedures for conducting a V&V programme are currently being defined by a broad spectrum of researchers. This paper briefly reviews the main concepts involved in model V&V and then focuses on the critical role that nondeterministic analysis plays in the V&V process.
Cancer in native Hawaiíans

Cancer incidence and mortality rates among Native Hawaiians remain high despite advances in health care. The incidence of lung cancer are the highest among Native Hawaiian women and men. Breast cancer mortality rates are one of the highest nationally for Native Hawaiian women. Possible responsible factors include 1) cultural barriers, 2) compliance to standard medical care, 3) accessibility to health care, and 4) the cost of health care. Improved health promotion and cancer prevention and control programs are needed. Cancer 1998;83:1865‐1867. © 1998 American Cancer Society.
Diagnostic tools using a mesoscale NWP model for the early warning of convection

A mesoscale numerical weather prediction model and its associated diagnostics are evaluated to gauge their ability to forecast convection and the convective environment for ten case‐study days. The diagnostic indices and parameters evaluated are those used to assess atmospheric instability, mesoscale forcing, inhibition and low‐level moisture supply. In addition, bulk Richardson number and helicity diagnostics are examined for convection organisation. Convection over mountainous regions is not considered. The case‐study days are grouped according to their synoptic type in order to evaluate the usefulness of the forecast diagnostics. In the evaluation it is found that by combining the CAPE (convective available potential energy) and low‐level relative humidity diagnostics one can delineate quite large areas where convective triggering is possible and outside which convection will not develop. Organisation of the mesoscale convective systems is also considered. It is found that forecast strong low‐level shears tend to be well correlated with observed linear convective systems. A set of stability indices are evaluated quantitatively and qualitatively by comparing the forecast stability indices with observations at a sounding location. CAPE and a simple index based on a moist temperature difference between two layers (Adedokun2) are identified as the most useful forecast stability indices for all of the cases. Copyright © 1998 Royal Meteorological Society
Verbal Protocols of Reading: The Nature of Constructively Responsive Reading

Contents: Preface. An Introduction to Protocol Analysis of Reading. Methods Employed to Construct a Summary of Conscious Processes During Skilled Reading. What Readers Can Do When They Read: A Summary of the Results from the On-Line Self-Report Studies of Reading. Text Processing in Light of Think-Aloud Analyses of Reading: Constructively Responsive Reading. The Future of Reading Protocol Analyses: Addressing Methodological Concerns in Order to Advance Conceptual Understanding.
Communicating and Distorting Risks with Graphs: An Eye-Tracking Study

Graphs can represent complex information in accessible ways. Unfortunately, many graphs are poorly designed and lead to errors in judgment and decision-making. Here, we examine the influence of distorted graphs used by advertisers and major news organizations to communicate risks. Results indicated that the distorted graphs were associated with large judgment errors and that cognitive abilities (e.g., numeracy, graph literacy, cognitive reflection) predicted differences in error rates. Eye-tracking results revealed a strong link between elaborative information search and stimuli-memory, which mediated the ability-judgment relationship. Discussion focuses on cognitive mechanisms (e.g., elaborative encoding), implications for HFES graph design guidelines, and emerging opportunities for personalized decision support.
Design and implementation of an adaptive PID controller using single neuron learning algorithm

In this paper, an adaptive single neuron-based PID controller for DC motor systems in vibratory stress relief equipment is proposed. Three inputs of the single neuron, which accord respectively with the proportion, integration and derivative of the feedback error, are associated with variable weights. The weight training algorithm is based on a combination of Delta and Hebbian learning rules. A motor speed control system with the WZ-86A DC motor was simulated using Matlab and Simulink, and further implemented on a microcomputer platform. Experiment results show that this system has satisfactory static and dynamical performances with strong robustness.
Measuring performance and impact of rural community-led library initiatives in Thailand.

Reports the results of performance and impact evaluation of three community-led library initiatives in Central Thailand. The methodology included both quantitative and qualitative approaches. Point of exit interviews with library users were undertaken to gather their opinions on library collections, performance and impact. The constraints faced by community dwellers in using the libraries were also identified. Interviews with community leaders were conducted to gain their perspectives on the problems and how library services could be improved. The results showed that small-scale community-run library services have the potential to make a positive impact on community development. The results also yielded several implications for community-based libraries in Thailand, including how their services could be improved to have even greater impact on the communities they serve. A model for community libraries is provided which can be replicated to speed up rural development in Thailand and beyond.
Optimization of the Processing Gain of and M-ary Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum Communication System

In most realistic communication systems, be they spread spectrum or conventional systems, some overall bandwidth constraint is usually placed upon the system. In the case of spread spectrum communications, this constraint limits the amount of processing gain that the system can employ. In addition to processing gain, factors such as alphabet size affect the total bandwidth. It is the purpose of this paper to combine these two effects to determine how one should trade off the amount of processing gain one uses relative to the underlying modulation bandwidth when one is operating under the constraint of fixed total system bandwidth.
Linguistic-based meta-heuristic optimization model for flexible job shop scheduling

In this paper, a linguistic based meta-heuristic modelling and solution approach for solving the Flexible Job Shop Scheduling Problem (FJSSP) is presented. FJSSP is an extension of the classical job-shop scheduling problem. The present problem definition is to assign each operation to a machine out of a set of capable machines ( the routing problem ) and to order the operations on the machines ( the sequencing problem ), such that a predefined performance measure is optimized. The scope of the problem is widened by taking into account the alternative process plans for each part ( process plan selection problem ) in the present study. Moreover, instead of using operations to represent product processing requirements and machine processing capabilities, machine independent capability units, which are known as Resource Elements (RE), are used. Representation of unique and shared capability boundaries of machine tools and part processing requirements is possible via RE. Using REs in scheduling can also reduce the problem size. The FJSSP is presented as a grammar and the productions in the grammar are defined as controls. Using these controls and the Giffler and Thompson (1960) priority rule-based heuristic, a simulated annealing algorithm is developed to solve FJSSP. This novel approach simplifies the modelling process of the FJSSP and enables usage of existing job shop scheduling algorithms for its solution. The results obtained from the computational study have shown that the proposed algorithm can solve this complex problem effectively within reasonable time. The results have also given some insights on the effect of the selection of dispatching rules and the flexibility level on the job shop performance. It is observed that the effect of dispatching rule selection on the job shop performance diminishes by increasing the job shop flexibility.
Design of a DI model-based Content Addressable Memory for Asynchronous Cache

This paper presents a novel approach in the design of a CAM for an asynchronous cache. The architecture of cache mainly consists of four units: control logics, content addressable memory, completion signal logic units and instruction memory. The pseudo-DCVSL is useful to make a completion signal which is a reference for handshake control. The proposed CAM is a very simple extension of the basic circuitry that makes a completion signal based on DI model. The cache has 2.75KB CAM for 8KB instruction memory. We designed and simulated the proposed asynchronous cache including CAM. The results show that the cache hit ratio is up to 95% based on pseudo ? LRU replacement policy.
Confounding in Educational Computing Research

Despite considerable evidence in research that computer-based instruction enhances student learning, an argument is presented that most of this research is confounded. Wherever computers are used to deliver instruction (including the teaching of programming languages), any resulting change in student learning or performance may be attributed to the uncontrolled effects of different instructional methods, content and/or novelty. The evidence for this confounding places the independent variables in most of these studies in doubt and diminishes the role of educational computing research in the development of instructional theory but not in instructional development or delivery.
Interrogation of Direct Numerical Simulation of Solid-Liquid Flow

In direct simulation the fluid motion is resolved numerically and the forces which move the particles are computed rather than modeled. This procedure opens new windows for understanding and modeling. Numerical methods are discussed based on body fitted moving unstructured grids and another on a fixed grid in which the portions of the fluid occupied by solids are forced to move as a rigid body by a distribution of Lagrange multipliers. Animation of the fluidization of 1204 spheres in 3D will be compared with experiments and the concept of fluidization of slurries in conduits by lift rather than drag will be framed in animation by direct simulation. Correlation for lift-off of single particles and the bed height of slurries fluidized by lift are obtained by processing data from numerical experiments.
Image Distortion Classification towards Quality Assessment Based on Tri-Training and Natural Scene Statistics

An image distortion classification approach towards quality assessment is presented in this paper based on tri-training and natural scene statistics. At first, the semi-supervised learning of tri-training is employed to carry out the classification of different distortion images by the combination of labeled images with unlabeled images. Then the method of nature scene statistics is used to extract features of distortion images so as to lay a well foundation for effective classification. Through the synthetical integration of tri-training and nature scene statistics, a well effect of classification can be achieved. A series of experiment results show the performance advantages of the presented algorithm.
The Effect of Task Type on Iranian Advanced EFL Learners' Vocabulary Learning

This study aimed to investigate the effect of teaching two types of tasks (multiple-choice item and sentence-writing) on Iranian EFL learners' vocabulary learning. For this purpose, sixty students were selected out of ninety through the administration of a Comprehensive English Language Test (CELT). They were junior translator trainees with the age range of 22-26. They were then divided into two comparison groups. A pretest of vocabulary was administered to both groups. Then both groups were given a five-session treatment. One group was taught vocabulary based on sentence-writing task, and the other group was taught vocabulary through multiple-choice task. After the treatment, the same version of vocabulary test was given to both groups as posttest to check the effectiveness of the treatments. The results of paired-samples and independent samples t-tests revealed that the effect of sentence-writing task on learners' vocabulary learning was more than that of the multiple-choice task. The implications and recommendations will also be presented.
Surgical management of prostate cancer. Contemporary results with anatomic radical prostatectomy

In men with clinically localized prostate cancer whose life expectancy exceeds 10 years, radical prostatectomy has been considered the preferred treatment. When the cancer is confined to the prostate, radical prostatectomy has yielded excellent long term, cancer‐free survival results; however, when the cancer escapes from the prostate recurrence rates increase progressively with the degree cancer spread.
AROME-WMED, a real-time mesoscale model designed for the HyMeX special observation periods

Abstract. During autumn 2012 and winter 2013, two special observation periods (SOPs) of the HYdrological cycle in the Mediterranean EXperiment (HyMeX) took place. For the preparatory studies and to support the instrument deployment during the field campaign, a dedicated version of the operational convective-scale Application of Research to Operations at Mesoscale (AROME)-France model was developed: the AROME-WMED (West Mediterranean Sea) model. It covers the western Mediterranean basin with a 48 h forecast range. It provided real-time analyses and forecasts which were sent daily to the HyMeX operational centre to forecast high-precipitation events and to help decision makers on the deployment of meteorological instruments. This paper presents the main features of this numerical weather prediction system in terms of data assimilation and forecast. Some specific data of the HyMeX SOP were assimilated in real time. The forecast skill of AROME-WMED is then assessed with objective scores and compared to the operational AROME-France model, for both autumn 2012 (05 September to 06 November 2012) and winter 2013 (01 February to 15 March 2013) SOPs. The overall performance of AROME-WMED is good for the first HyMeX special observation period (SOP1) (i.e. mean 2 m temperature root mean square error (RMSE) of 1.7 °C and mean 2 m relative humidity RMSE of 10 % for the 0–30 h forecast ranges) and similar to those of AROME-France for the 0–30 h common forecast range (maximal absolute difference of 2 m temperature RMSE of 0.2 °C and 0.21 % for the 2 m relative humidity); conversely, for the 24–48 h forecast range it is less accurate (relative loss between 10 and 12 % in 2 m temperature and relative humidity RMSE, and equitable threat score (ETS) for 24 h accumulated rainfall), but it remains useful for scheduling observation deployment. The characteristics of parameters, such as precipitation, temperature or humidity, are illustrated by one heavy precipitation case study that occurred over the south of Spain.