Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Sexual Dysfunction in Cervical Cancer Survivors: A Scoping Review

Sexual function in cervical cancer survivors declines significantly after treatments irrespective of the modality used. Only a few studies have looked at their psychosexual needs, perception, and acceptance of psychosexual support. This review summarizes findings of current qualitative as well as quantitative studies to understand the plight of cervical cancer survivors regarding sexual dysfunction and the management issues. The effect of gynecologic cancers on sexuality depends on multiple factors such as psychosexual factors, biologic factors, and age. Younger patients have poorer outcomes with a more pronounced impact on sexual well-being. Radicality of surgery has direct correlation with sexual dysfunction. Low or no sexual interest, lack of lubrication, dyspareunia, and reduced vaginal caliber are frequently found. For too long, researchers have focused on defining the prevalence and types of sexual problems after various cancer treatments. The area that continues to be neglected is the evaluation of effective interventions to prevent or treat cancer-related sexual dysfunction. In particular, mental health and medical specialists need to collaborate to create cost-effective treatment programs. Collaborative intervention with gynecologists, sexologists, radiotherapists, and nursing staff would be beneficial to optimize the sexual wellness of cancer survivors and their spouses.
Carbon-nanotube-based nanoelectromechanical switch

A nanoelectromechanical model based on atomistic simulations including charge transfer was investigated. Classical molecular dynamics method combined with continuum electric models could be applied to a carbon-nanotube nanoelectromechanical memory device that could be characterized by carbon-nanotube bending performance by atomistic capacitive and interatomic forces. The capacitance of the carbon atom was changed with the height of the carbon atom. We performed MD simulations for a suspended (5,5) carbon-nanotube-bridge with the length of 11.567 nm (LCNT) and the depth of the trench of 0.9 ~ 1.5 nm (H). After the carbon-nanotube collided on the gold surface, the carbon-nanotube-bridge oscillated on the gold surface with amplitude of ~1 Å, and the amplitude gradually decreased. When H ≤ 1.3 nm, the carbon-nanotube-bridge continually contacted with the gold surface after the first collision. When H ≥ 1.4 nm, the carbon-nanotube-bridge stably contacted with the gold surface after several rebounds. As H increased, the threshold voltage linearly increased. As the applied bias increased, the transition time exponentially decreased at each trench depth. When H / LCNT was below 0.13, the carbon-nanotube nanoelectromechanical memories were permanent nonvolatile memory devices, whereas the carbon-nanotube nanoelectromechanical memories were volatile memory or switching devices when H / LCNT was above 0.14. The turn-on voltages and tunneling resistances obtained from our simulations are compatible to those obtained from previous experimental and theoretical results.
Threshold shifts and restitution of the hearing after different music exposures

Human hearing is sometimes exposed to such high levels at modern musical events that the danger of acute damage cannot be ruled out for musicians, disc jockeys and listeners, even if the exposure time is limited. In order to examine at least basically the hypothetically expected different effects of various musical styles, 10 volunteer test subjects were exposed to three types of music with equally loud lower levels. In a change-over test design over several days, quite different exposures (European and Chinese classical music, house music) with a mean level of 94 dB(A) and a limited exposure time of 1 hour were chosen for ethical as well as for pragmatic reasons. Pieces by Bach and Handel, with passages that are dominated by wind instruments, and pieces of the culturally different Chinese music were selected that are fairly similar to European classical music in terms of rhythm and melody, yet completely different with regard to pitch and instrumentation. Since nowadays, many young people prefer music with an emphasis on rhythm to classical music, a medley of monotonous, downright hammering and penetrating house music was used. After the exposures, the maximum hearing threshold shifts (TTS2) were measured and the entire restitution course was recorded audiometrically. With regression-analytically determined 13.5 dB (house music), 12.1 dB (classical music) and 9.8 dB (Chinese classical music), the TTS2 values were not substantially different between the three exposures. Based on these results, the aural effects of house music would have been comparable to classical music. However, the restitution of the hearing after house music (with more than 2.5 hours) required a substantially longer time period. After both types of classical music, the resting hearing threshold was once again reached within less than 1 hour. Moreover, the accumulated hearing threshold shifts were substantially (more than three times) lower than the overall physiological costs associated with house music.
Scheduling heavy-duty truck repairs using ACO and SA

This study was conducted in a workshop that specializes in engines and power transmission systems repair for heavy-duty trucks utilized in the coal mining industry. The workshop is equipped with batch processing machines, single and parallel capacitated machines for prewashing, disassembly, washing and evaluation operations. Given a set of jobs, their process routes and sizes, the objective is to schedule the jobs, such that the makespan is minimized. The workshop scheduling problem is very similar to the job shop problem. A network representation of the problem using disjunctive and conjunctive arcs is proposed to solve it with the Ant Colony Optimization (ACO) algorithm. The solution quality and run time of ACO are compared with a Simulated Annealing (SA) heuristic.
Contribution of piezocision in oral surgery: the example of the acceleration of orthodontic movements

Introduction Patients are more demanding of short or less invasive interventions. Piezocision responds well to this demand, particularly in the case of piezo-guided corticotomy to accelerate orthodontic movements. Different surgical approaches are described to shorten orthodontic procedures. Corticotomy is a surgical process where osteotomies are realized at the level of the cortical part of the bone. Objective The aim of this work is to review the contribution of piezocision in oral surgery, using as example a review over the current results of piezocision on the acceleration of orthodontic movements. Data sources The articles referenced and used in this article come from the PubMed database. The searched keywords were "piezocision" alone or in combination with "orthodontics". Study selection This search resulted in 44 available articles. Subsequently, 6 randomized controlled trials were selected based on relevance, journal, and publication date. Four Randomized Controlled Trials and two Controlled Clinical Trials were studied. Data extraction The reviewer assessed each article for their relevance and methodology. The 6 studies compared the time savings between conventional orthodontic treatment (control group) and orthodontic treatment combined with piezocision surgery (test group). Data synthesis Piezocision corticotomy reduces the operation and the postoperative period and increases the acceptance of corticotomies and their indications.
Compliance with Warnings in High Risk Recreational Activities: Skiing and Scuba

Warnings research generally has focused on identifying which factors influence people to read and remember the content of warnings. Additional research has determined that people tend to read warnings if they perceive an activity or product to be dangerous or if they are less familiar with it. However, for practical purposes, reading the label or warning does not go far enough. In addition to examining whether warnings have been read, the current study also addresses user compliance by surveying people immediately after they have completed a high risk recreational activity (either skiing or scuba diving). The three areas examined in this study were whether the perception of danger affected the reading of, and compliance with warnings; whether familiarity with an activity affected reading and compliance; and whether there was any difference in responses between men and women. As expected, the perception of danger and familiarity with the activity increased the reading of and reported compliance with warnings. Many differences were found between the responses of men and women. Although there was no sex difference in whether subjects read warnings, women reported complying with the warnings significantly more than men. In accordance with stereotypes, men were more likely to participate in high-risk sports; claim to have a higher ability in the activity; and participated in the activity more often than the women (in the two years prior to this study).
β-Caryophyllene from Chilli Pepper Inhibits the Proliferation of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Cells by Affecting miR-659-3p-Targeted Sphingosine Kinase 1 (SphK1)

Background β-Caryophyllene is the main ingredient of chilli pepper and used for the prevention of various cancers, while the molecular mechanism for its effects on non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains unclear. Methods NSCLC cell lines A549 and NCI-H1299 were treated with β-Caryophyllene and miR-659-3p (a potential tumor suppressor) mimic or siRNA. The levels of miR-659-3p, sphingosine kinase 1 (SphK1), apoptotic factors and oxidative stress factors were investigated. Results β-Caryophyllene inhibited NSCLC growth, promoted their apoptotic rate, increased the level of miR-659-3p, apoptotic factors (cleaved caspase-3 and BAX), antioxidant factors (SOD, CAT and GPx) and reduced the level of oxidative stress (ROS and NO) and SphK1. miR-659-3p mimic and siRNA affected NSCLC growth, their apoptosis, and biochemical indices. Conclusion β-Caryophyllene of chilli pepper exerts inhibitory activity in NSCLC cells possibly by affecting miR-659-3p-targeted SphK1.
Mental Health and the PhD: Insights and Implications for Political Science

ABSTRACT There is a severe mental health crisis among graduate students in political science. We present findings from an original survey on the mental health of political science PhD students at seven US universities. Our results are concerning: 15.8% expressed thoughts of suicide in the two weeks prior to taking the survey. About 30% of respondents met the criteria for depression and only a third of those were receiving treatment. Approximately 32% met the criteria for anxiety and fewer than half were receiving treatment. We also found that students with poorer mental health were more isolated, had fewer friends in their department and fewer people to turn to for help, and were more likely to contemplate dropping out of their program. Our study raises important questions about the experiences of graduate students during the PhD program and serves as an urgent call to action to address the well-being of our colleagues.
Land Use, Land Cover, and Population Density Impact on the Formation of Canopy Urban Heat Islands through Traverse Survey in the Nagpur Urban Area, India

AbstractThis paper discusses an observational study that explored the impact of land use/land cover, and population density on the formation of canopy UHI in Nagpur. The study aims to compare the canopy UHI hotspots and heat sinks with respect to urban land use/land cover, and population density as the prominent determinants in urban areas. Traverse surveys were carried during the summer and winter seasons, 2012–2014, to measure nocturnal mean canopy UHI intensity. The nocturnal mean canopy UHI intensity was observed as 2.14°C during summer and 2.36°C during winter traverse surveys within Nagpur. Canopy UHI effects were found to be most prevailing in high building density and high population density areas. Densely populated areas with less vegetation exhibited the highest canopy UHI hotspots and areas with the least canopy UHI are the heat sink spots. The impact of vegetation is negative because it weakens the canopy UHI effect. On the contrary, population density could strengthen the canopy UHI effect in.
A new design method for sliding mode controllers using a linear time-varying sliding surface

Abstract The main objective of this study is to present a time-varying sliding surface using a new design method to improve the performance of a classical sliding mode controller that has a constant linear sliding surface. In the proposed method, the sliding surface is defined on new coordinate axes: one of the coordinates is the original sliding surface and the other one is naturally chosen as perpendicular to this axis. An important property of the proposed method is that it has a simple geometric interpretation and provides continuous movement of the sliding surface. A comparison of the proposed method against both the classical sliding mode controller and sliding mode controller with a discretely rotating sliding surface is made through simulations. Simulations are first performed on a typical second-order linear system without any disturbances and parameter variations. Next, bounded external disturbance and parameter variations are inserted into the system simulations. Results have shown that the proposed method improved the system performance, providing decreases in the reaching and settling times, and the proposed method has demonstrated more robustness to disturbances and parameter variations compared to its counterparts.
A Coupled Electromagnetic and Mechanical Analysis of Electromagnetic Acoustic Transducers

In this paper a comprehensive finite element analysis of Electromagnetic Acoustic Transducer (EMAT) is presented. The analysis has been performed using complete and incomplete expressions for excitation current and results have been compared with published data to assess the accuracy of the complete expression approach. Furthermore, the effects of varying the EMAT parameters, such as lift-off and coil dimensions, also the excitation frequency and static magnetic flux density, were investigated to show the effects they have on the performance of EMAT. Additionally, a finite element analysis was conducted on the coupled physics between electromagnetic and mechanical displacement of EMAT.
Complex pattern visual evoked potentials in controls and multiple sclerosis patients

Nontraditional circular checkerboard patterns were used in addition to the standard checkerboard to record visual evoked potentials. Peak analysis was used to determine latency and amplitude values for peaks of the triphasic response (N1, P1, and N2). Although P1s remained fairly constant across patterns, definite trends were seen for the N1 and N2 peaks. These changes had significant effects on the time interval of the triphasic response. Common findings for the MS patients including P1 latency prolongation, decreased peak amplitudes, and, in general, deviations from all of the above-mentioned control trends. The findings suggest that the circular checkerboard pattern is a more effective stimulus than the standard checkerboard and that the N2 peak may be of more diagnostic value than suggested by previous reports. <<ETX>>
Rural women's socio-demographic and cultural determinants on contraceptive uptake in The Gambia: community-based cross-sectional study

Background: Family planning is one of the key cornerstones of safe parenthood and a reproductive rights issue. In underdeveloped nations, women experiencing unmet FP needs formed a considerable proportion of all women of reproductive age and are ongoing public health concerns in The Gambia. The study was set out to explore the influence of socio-demographic and cultural factors on contraceptive uptake among rural women in The Gambia. Methods: The study used a community-based cross-sectional analytical design. A multistage sampling strategy, comprising simple random and cluster sampling, was utilized to obtain a sample of 634 childbearing women (15-49 years) from rural Gambia's sampled clusters. Data collection was conducted using pre-tested structured interview questionnaires. The association was examined using chi-square/fisher's exact test with a significance level set at p<0.05. Binary logistic regression analysis was performed to examine the effect of socio-demographic and cultural determinants on uptake of contraceptives, with corresponding computed adjusted odds ratios (aOR). IBM SPSS version 25 was used for data entry and analysis. Results: The uptake of contraceptives among the study participants was 30.4%. The total demand for FP was 59.4% while the satisfaction of demand for FP was 57.6%. The significant predictors of FP uptake were the age of women (aOR=1.097, p=0.014), reason for using FP (aOR=1.139, p=0.011), use of contraceptives before (aOR=24.416, p<0.001) and reason for not discussing FP with a partner (aOR=1.787, p=0.029). Conclusion: The study showed low contraceptive uptake among women in rural communities. Thus, spousal communications on FP concerns are key intermediate steps towards eventual acceptance and sustained usage of FP services. The program should focus on improving access to and availability of FP services in rural areas. The program should prioritize addressing women's needs through consistent community-based interventions including targeted home visits.
Modeling the turn-off of IGBT's in hard- and soft-switching applications

The turn-off of IGBTs in hard- and soft-switching converters is analyzed using nonquasi-static analysis. It is shown that while the turn-off current waveform for hard-switching is governed solely by the device for a particular value of on-state current and bus voltage, turn-off current waveform for soft-switching is strongly dependent on device-circuit interactions, so that a trade-off between turn-off loss and switching time can be made using external circuit elements. Models are developed to explain IGBT turn-off for both hard- and soft-switching conditions. Hard-switching considers both inductive and resistive loads. Calculated results are validated by comparison with results of measurements and two-dimensional (2-D) numerical simulations.
Pesticides in Surface Waters and Groundwaters

Diffuse pollution by pesticides, particularly herbicides, has been recognized in the UK for several years. Atrazine, Simazine, Mecoprop, Dimethoate and, more recently, Isoproturon and Chlortoluron have been found frequently in surface waters at concentrations up to 0.5 μg/l, with a maximum of 11.5 μg/l. Pesticides are detected less frequently in groundwaters, at concentrations generally lower than 0.1 μg/l. Atrazine is found most frequently. Concentrations in untreated surface and ground-waters have generally been below the maxima recommended for drinking water by the Department of the Environment (DoE). Concentrations in treated drinking water have not exceeded the DoE recommended maximum concentrations, but measures are being taken to reduce concentrations to below 0.1 μg/l.
Supporting peer evaluation of student-generated content: a study of three approaches

Abstract Engaging students in the creation of learning resources is an effective way of developing a repository of revision items. However, a selection process is needed to separate high- from low-quality resources as some of the materials created by students can be ineffective, inappropriate or incorrect. In this study, we share our experiences and findings in incorporating three approaches for peer evaluation of student-generated content, using an educational technology called RiPPLE which supports learner sourcing of study materials. All approaches asked students to score peer-developed resources, rate their confidence in that judgment and to provide written feedback or justification of their evaluation to the resource’s author. The first approach provided no guidance to scoring. The second supplied a simple instructor-developed rubric for scoring. The third utilised a simple data-informed rubric incorporating criteria derived from thematic analysis of students’ comments provided in the first two conditions. The analysis of 8,213 evaluations of student-generated content from 813 students shows that the data-informed rubric produced more rigorous evaluations, higher agreement in scores but lower student confidence in the accuracy of their assessments. The analysis of comments shows that students went beyond the criteria supplied in the rubrics and applied their own understanding of resource quality.
Afghan Women’s Barriers to Seeking Help for Domestic Violence in Australia

ABSTRACT Help seeking for domestic violence is complex and multifaceted, and settling in a new country might make the help-seeking process more challenging and complicated. This study explored the barriers to seeking help for domestic violence, specifically experienced by Afghan women after settling in Australia. The study involved 21 semistructured interviews with newly arrived Afghan women. Interviews were audio recorded and transcribed, and the data were analysed thematically. The barriers Afghan women experienced were embodied in cultural norms to stay in marital relationships, demands to preserve the family’s reputation, personal circumstances, and women’s experiences with, and perspectives on, available services. The findings suggest that policy and practice should recognise those barriers and respond to them in a culturally appropriate way. IMPLICATIONS Domestic violence services’ procedures and processes should be developed based on an understanding of multiple layers of oppression and barriers to seeking help for migrant women. Service providers should apply an intersectional lens along with antioppressive perspectives to address barriers to domestic violence services women experience at different levels. Social workers in domestic violence services need relevant training to provide culturally appropriate services to migrant women.
Women, Information Technology and Waves of Optimism: Australian Evidence on Mixed-Skill Jobs

Optimism about the increased engagement of women in information technology employment has been informed, in part, by essentialist ideas about the suitability for women of emerging jobs combining technical with interpersonal, artistic or other ‘non-technical’ skills. Drawing on evidence from Australia, we highlight limitations to this brand of optimism, questioning the potential for women in mixed-skill jobs in computing and multimedia organisations.