Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Bladder Symptoms in the Early Menopausal Transition.

PURPOSE Bladder symptoms are common in women and result in use of healthcare resources and poor quality of life. Bladder symptoms have been linked to age and menopause, but debate exists in the literature. This article examines factors associated with bladder symptoms and compares women in late reproductive stage with those in menopausal transition. MATERIALS AND METHODS We analyzed cross-sectional data from a prospective cohort study of midlife women (mean age, 48; range, 44-54 years) in northern California. The sample consisted of 158 women in late reproductive stage or menopause transition. Assessments included anthropometrics, menstrual cycle lengths and symptoms, urine samples for follicle-stimulating hormone level, and self-reported health perception and depressive symptoms. Analyses included descriptive bivariate statistics, group comparisons, and regression models. RESULTS The most common bladder symptoms were nocturia (72%) at least once per night and urinary incontinence (50%) at least once per week. Incontinence was less prevalent in African American women compared to European Americans and Latinas (p = 0.001) and more prevalent in late reproductive stage than in menopause transition (p = 0.024). Controlling for age, women in late reproductive stage were more likely to report nocturia compared to those in menopause transition. Reproductive stage (p = 0.016), higher body mass index (p = 0.007), and race (p = 0.017) contributed to the variance in weekly nighttime urinary frequency. CONCLUSION Bladder symptoms were associated with reproductive stage. Women in late reproductive stage were more likely to experience nocturia and incontinence than those in menopause transition. The higher rates of nocturia and incontinence in late reproductive stage are intriguing. Future studies should include analysis of pelvic organ prolapse degree and other structural differences.
Integral multiple models online identifier applied to ionic polymer–metal composite actuator

Ionic polymer–metal composites are classified as a smart materials group, whose properties can be designed depending on the needs that arise. Ionic polymer–metal composites belong to the class of wet electroactive polymers. They are promising candidates actuator for various potential applications mainly due to their flexible, low voltage requirements, compact design, and lack of moving parts. However, being a widely used material in industry, ionic polymer–metal composite requires complex control methods due to its strongly nonlinear nature. An important prerequisite for an intelligent controller is the ability to adapt rapidly to any unknown operating environment. This article presents a novel approach to tuning multiple models of an online identifier by integral mapping. Through the extension of the estimation law of additional mapping between parameters and measurable signals, we significantly improve transient responses without increasing feedback gain. The authors measured the moisture content of ionic polymer–metal composite and consider in the experiment relationship between drying and varying of curvature output. The effectiveness of the proposed multiple models adaptive control strategy was verified in various experiments. The results of the study illustrated in the experiments show that adding new mapping improves not only the transients of controlled plant, but also increases the performance indexes of adaptive system.
Exploring the Reasons for Low Cataract Surgery Uptake Among Patients Detected in a Community Outreach Program in Cameroon: Focused Ethnographic Mixed Methods Study

Background Vision 2020: The Right to Sight, was one potential way to deal with the barriers surrounding cataract surgery and improve access to eye care. To this effect, the Magrabi International Council of Ophthalmology (ICO) Cameroon Eye Institute (MICEI) has performed more than 1000 sight-restoring cataract surgeries among patients referred from outreach camps. However, quite a good number of patients diagnosed with cataracts during community screening camps fail to present for surgery. This study sought to explore some of the challenges to accepting cataract surgery among community-diagnosed patients with cataract, patients operated for cataract, and community members. Objective The study objective was 5-fold: (1) to assess the level of awareness about cataract and available treatment, (2) to explore barriers to cataract surgery uptake, (3) to assess people’s perception about the outcome of cataract surgery, (4) to understand people’s perception about free cataract surgery, and (5) to explore reasons for outright refusal of cataract surgery. Methods This was a focused ethnographic study from December 2018 through February 2019 in 3 different communities of the Center Region of Cameroon, in which patients with cataract were diagnosed. The study sample was composed of patients operated for cataract, those diagnosed with cataract, key informants, and community members. Focus group discussions (FGDs), personalized in-depth interviews, and a short demographic questionnaire were used to collect data. Data were analyzed using a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet and Stata 14 (StataCorp). Data were presented using tabular and graphical methods. Results A total of 29 subjects (19 men) with a mean age of 54.5 (SD 14.5) years took part in the study. The most prominent barriers to cataract surgery were found to be cost (25/29, 86%) and fear of surgery (17/29, 59%). It was also noted by 41% (12/29) of subjects that those who do not take up cataract surgery turn to traditional medicine. Other barriers included the lack of awareness of available treatment (6/29, 21%), no perceived need (5/29, 17%), cultural beliefs and superstition (4/29, 14%), and negligence (4/29, 14%). Conclusions We found cost (25/29, 86%) and fear (17/29, 59%) to be the main barriers. Belief in traditional medicine and superstition were the main drivers of fear. The implementation of a tiered pricing system, counseling training for key informants, incentives for the referral of patients with cataract, mass media engagement, advocacy, training and active involvement of traditional doctors as key informants, acquisition of a 4×4 outreach van, and motorbikes for camp organizers were some of the recommendations based on our results.
Energy efficiency for the poor: Varying subsidies and procedures in a refrigerator replacement program∗

We study the effects of varying the subsidy level and program procedures on the performance of a national refrigerator replacement program targeted at improving energy efficiency in low-income households in Germany. Successful participation for eligible households, screened via a home energy audit, has two stages: an enrolment stage that leads to a replacement voucher and the voucher redemption stage following replacement. Exploiting two exogenous temporal discontinuities in voucher value (subsidy), enrolment and redemption procedures, we examine the replacement decisions of 77,000 eligible households. Increasing the subsidy of 50 percent raises the rate of replacement among eligible household by 9 to 16 percentage points. Changing procedures – from automatic to elective enrolment and from a three-month renewable to a two-month non-renewable voucher – raises the success rate by 4 to 10 percentage points. We conclude that low-cost changes in procedures that target the behavioral responses of low-income households represent unexploited economies in program design.
Three Hops Overlay Routing

Improvement in datacenter networks will enable architects to built larger distributed systems. However, standard distributed system architectures and their resulting communication patterns are incapable of supporting systems much larger than the current limits. This paper describes the design and evaluation of an overlay topology and messaging infrastructure that can be used for creating datacenter-scale distributed systems. The topology provides sufﬁcient scalability to accommodate future datacenter growth. Theoretical analysis suggests its fault resiliency and network capability are unmatched by other common network topologies. The messaging infrastructure build on top of this topology supports incremental scaling, node failure recovery and ﬂexible routing. Properties of the topology ensure that the overlay has constant bounded delay and bandwidth usage, which are useful for planning incremental deployment while guaranteeing performance. Finally, evaluation of our overlay prototype reveals usage trends that best matches the characteristics of our overlay.
Hydrological implications of large-scale afforestation in tropical biomes for climate change mitigation

Rising interest in large-scale afforestation and reforestation as a strategy for climate change mitigation has recently motivated research efforts aiming at the identification of areas suitable for the plantation of trees. An often-overlooked aspect of agroforestry projects for carbon sequestration is their impact on water resources. It is often unclear to what extent the establishment of forest vegetation would be limited by water availability, whether it would engender competition with other local water uses or induce water scarcity. Here we use global water models to study the hydrologic constraints and impacts of afforestation in tropical biomes. We find that 36% of total suitable and available afforestation areas are in areas where the rain alone can meet just up to the 40% of total plant water requirement. Planting trees will substantially increase water scarcity and possible dispossession (green water grab) especially in dryland regions of Africa and Oceania. Moreover, the combination of tree restoration and irrigation expansion to rainfed agricultural areas is expected to further exacerbate water scarcity, with about half of the global suitable areas for tree restoration experiencing water scarcity at least 7 months per year. Thus, the unavailability of water can overall limit climate change adaptation strategies. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Ecological complexity and the biosphere: the next 30 years’.
The impact of transformational leadership on the relationship between organizational learning culture and employee outcomes

Factors at both the organizationaland individual-level have been shown to be necessary for organizational success. Research in leadership has emphasized the importance of factors like organizational culture, empowerment, and employee innovation. The current study sought to address these topics by considering the contribution of organizational learning culture to employee outcomes, such as psychological empowerment and innovative behaviors, while investigating the moderating effect of transformational leadership. Specifically, it was proposed that transformational leadership would enhance the relationship between organizational learning culture and each of the outcomes. Data were gathered using an online survey comprising a battery of scales that measured transformational leadership, organizational learning culture, innovative behaviors, and psychological empowerment. Participants consisted of 387 employed men and women from various organizational backgrounds. Bivariate correlations and hierarchical multiple regression analyses revealed that all of the study hypotheses were supported and results were consistent with the literature. Transformational leadership proved to be a significant moderator and enhanced the relationships between organizational learning culture and innovation, and organizational learning culture and empowerment. Additional analyses were examined and implications, limitations, and recommendations for future research are discussed.
Using Dynamic Intervention for Promoting Reading Fluency of Quranic Learners in Qum: A Comparative Study of Old and New Approaches

The ability to read fluently is a critical skill for language learners in foreign language contexts. Learning to read Arabic texts for Persian language learners is not an exception. The importance of this reading is more recognized when these learners are faced with religious texts including the holy Quran. Iranian readers of the Quran have many difficulties in uttering and pronouncing Arabic words and letters which blocks their fluency. Traditional approaches toward reading fluency such as teacher model have not been very successful. Therefore, the current research has investigated the effect of dynamic assessment on promoting learning fluency of Iranian learners of Arabic. Deeply rooted in mediated interaction and learning in zone of proximal development (ZPD), dynamic intervention is a new instructional strategy toward language learning. The current research has adopted an inventory of mediational strategies (Aljaafreh and Lantolf, 1994) of interventionist dynamic assessment to intervene learning hotspots and promote fluency of intermediate Quranic learners of teacher training centers in Qum. To this aim 20 students were selected through convenience sampling and their scores were compared in a quasi-experimental design. These students were assigned to two experimental groups where one of them underwent dynamic intervention while the other was recruited in a traditional teacher modeling course. Their scores in the post-test were analyzed through t-test. The findings showed that dynamic intervention promoted reading fluency of Iranian Quranic readers more than traditional approaches. Dynamic intervention can be replaced with traditional instructional methods by Iranian Quranic teachers and promote reading fluency significantly.
Counter-rotating suspension Taylor–Couette flow: pattern transition, flow multiplicity and the spectral evolution

Abstract Inertial transitions in a suspension Taylor–Couette flow are explored for the first time via experiments in the counter-rotation regime (i.e. the rotation ratio $\varOmega =\omega _o/\omega _i<0$, where $\omega _i$ and $\omega _o$ are the angular speeds of the inner and outer cylinders, respectively) up to a particle volume fraction $\phi \leq 0.2$. The primary bifurcation from the circular Couette flow (CCF) is found to yield patterns similar to those in a particle-free Newtonian fluid, and is supercritical at $|\varOmega |\leq 0.5$ but becomes hysteretic at large $|\varOmega |=1$. It is shown that the states with different numbers of vortices can coexist over a large range of shear Reynolds number $\mbox {Re}_s(\phi )$, confirming multi-stable behaviour of the primary and higher-order states for any particle loading at $|\varOmega |\leq 0.5$. A quasi-periodic state characterized by two incommensurate frequencies, namely, the modulated wavy vortices (MWV), is found at $\varOmega =-0.5$ as a tertiary bifurcation from the wavy Taylor vortices (WTV), with the stationary Taylor vortex flow (TVF) being the primary bifurcating state from CCF at $\phi \geq 0$. A novel sequence of transitions ${\rm TVF}\to {\rm MWV}_1\to {\rm WTV}\to {\rm MWV}$, with another variant of modulated vortices (MWV$_1$) appearing directly from TVF as a secondary bifurcation, may also occur even for the particle-free ($\phi =0$) case; the coexistence/non-uniqueness of WTV and MWV states is demonstrated over a range of $\mbox {Re}_s$ values spanning the secondary and tertiary bifurcation loci. At $\varOmega =-1$, the primary bifurcation yields an oscillatory state (spiral/helical vortex flow) that gives birth to another oscillatory state (interpenetrating spiral vortices) and a non-periodic state (non-propagating interpenetrating spirals, NIS) as secondary and tertiary bifurcations, respectively, with NIS being characterized by the absence of frequency peaks in the power spectrum of the scattered light intensity. For all transitions at $\varOmega < 0$, the critical values of $\mbox {Re}_s^c(\phi )$ decrease with increasing $\phi$, with more destabilizing effects of particles being found at larger $|\varOmega |$. The effect of particle loading is found to (i) decrease the amplitude and (ii) increase the wavelength of wavy vortices, with the latter seeming to be responsible for the decreased propagation frequencies of azimuthal waves with increasing $\phi$. The normalized rotation frequency of spiral vortices also decreases with increasing $\mbox {Re}_s$ and $\phi$, and a scaling relation in terms of the relative viscosity is found to collapse the frequency data for all $\phi$.
Detection of Antibiotic Resistance, Virulence Gene, and Drug Resistance Gene of Staphylococcus aureus Isolates from Bovine Mastitis

Bovine mastitis is a serious disease associated with both high incidence and economic loss, posing a major challenge to the dairy industry worldwide. Staphylococcus aureus is one of the most common pathogens to cause bovine mastitis, and antimicrobial therapy plays an important role in mastitis control caused by S. aureus but has become less effective due to widespread drug resistance. The purpose of this study was to detect antibiotic resistance, drug resistance gene, and virulence gene of S. aureus strains, which would be helpful to mastitis control. ABSTRACT Antimicrobial therapy plays an important role in mastitis control caused by Staphylococcus aureus but has become less effective due to widespread drug resistance. The purpose of this study was to detect antibiotic resistance, drug resistance gene, and virulence gene of S. aureus strains. In this study, 2,962 milk samples were collected from 43 dairy farms located in 16 provinces of China and cultured for isolation of S. aureus. Antibiotic resistance, capsular polysaccharide, spa typing, virulence genes, and drug resistance genes of the strains were analyzed. Of 2,962 samples, 298 strains were isolated and identified as S. aureus. The strains exhibited high percentages of resistance to penicillin G (91.95%). Moreover, all strains showed resistance to more than one antimicrobial agent but were sensitive to nitrofurantoin and sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim. The results indicate that type 8 was the dominant capsular polysaccharide serotype and t459 was the dominant spa type. The most prevalent virulence gene was clfA (98%). The resistance genes of several antibiotics were detected, among which the blaZ gene (92.95%) was the highest. In conclusion, we present the antimicrobial resistance and virulence genes of S. aureus in this study which are of importance for mastitis control. IMPORTANCE Bovine mastitis is a serious disease associated with both high incidence and economic loss, posing a major challenge to the dairy industry worldwide. Staphylococcus aureus is one of the most common pathogens to cause bovine mastitis, and antimicrobial therapy plays an important role in mastitis control caused by S. aureus but has become less effective due to widespread drug resistance. The purpose of this study was to detect antibiotic resistance, drug resistance gene, and virulence gene of S. aureus strains, which would be helpful to mastitis control.
Mutational Analysis of Vibrio fischeri c-di-GMP-Modulating Genes Reveals Complex Regulation of Motility

Critical bacterial processes, including motility, are influenced by c-di-GMP, which is controlled by environment-responsive synthetic and degradative enzymes. Because bacteria such as Vibrio fischeri use motility to colonize their hosts, understanding the roles of c-di-GMP-modulating enzymes in controlling motility has the potential to inform on microbe-host interactions. ABSTRACT The symbiont Vibrio fischeri uses motility to colonize its host. In numerous bacterial species, motility is negatively controlled by cyclic-di-GMP (c-di-GMP), which is produced by diguanylate cyclases (DGCs) with GGDEF domains and degraded by phosphodiesterases with either EAL or HD-GYP domains. To begin to decode the functions of the 50 Vibrio fischeri genes with GGDEF, EAL, and/or HD-GYP domains, we deleted each gene and assessed each mutant’s migration through tryptone broth salt (TBS) soft agar medium containing or lacking magnesium (Mg) and calcium (Ca), which are known to influence V. fischeri motility. We identified 6, 13, and 16 mutants with altered migration in TBS-Mg, TBS, and TBS-Ca soft agar, respectively, a result that underscores the importance of medium conditions in assessing gene function. A biosensor-based assay revealed that Mg and Ca affected c-di-GMP levels negatively and positively, respectively; the severe decrease in c-di-GMP caused by Mg addition correlates with its strong positive impact on bacterial migration. A mutant defective for VF_0494, a homolog of V. cholerae rocS, exhibited a severe defect in migration across all conditions. Motility of a VF_1603 VF_2480 double mutant was also severely defective and could be restored by expression of “c-di-GMP-blind” alleles of master flagellar regulator flrA. Together, this work sheds light on the genes and conditions that influence c-di-GMP-mediated control over motility in V. fischeri and provides a foundation for (i) assessing roles of putative c-di-GMP-binding proteins, (ii) evaluating other c-di-GMP-dependent phenotypes in V. fischeri, (iii) uncovering potential redundancy, and (iv) deciphering signal transduction mechanisms. IMPORTANCE Critical bacterial processes, including motility, are influenced by c-di-GMP, which is controlled by environment-responsive synthetic and degradative enzymes. Because bacteria such as Vibrio fischeri use motility to colonize their hosts, understanding the roles of c-di-GMP-modulating enzymes in controlling motility has the potential to inform on microbe-host interactions. We leveraged recent advances in genetic manipulation to generate 50 mutants defective for putative c-di-GMP synthetic and degradative enzymes. We then assessed the consequences on motility, manipulating levels of magnesium and calcium, which inversely influenced motility and levels of c-di-GMP. Distinct subsets of the 50 genes were required under the different conditions. Our data thus provide needed insight into the functions of these enzymes and environmental factors that influence them.
Predicting Dengue Outbreaks with Explainable Machine Learning

Seasonal infectious diseases, such as dengue, have been causing great losses in many countries around the world in terms of deaths, quality of life, and economic burden. In Brazil, this is relevant not only in large cities such as Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo but, according to the Ministry of Health, in another 500 cities throughout the country. Predicting the occurrence of diseases, such as dengue bursts, can be a valuable instrument for public health management as health officials can better prepare and redirect resources to the affected areas. In this paper, we present an explainable machine learning model to forecast the number of dengue occurrences in a large metropolis, Rio de Janeiro. We focus on explainable models, which provide health authorities with the reasons for outbreak predictions, allowing them to plan their actions accordingly. We trained a gradient boosting decision tree algorithm (CatBoost) with data from the National System of Information on Notifiable Diseases (SINAN), weather data, and socio-demographic data from The Brazilian Institute of Geoaraphy and Statistics (IBGE).