Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Seroprevalence of hepatitis C virus infection in Cameroon: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Objective Better knowledge of hepatitis C virus (HCV) seroprevalence at the national level can help to implement pertinent strategies to address the HCV-related burden. The aim of this paper was to estimate the seroprevalence of HCV infection in Cameroon. Design Systematic review and meta-analysis. Participants People residing in Cameroon. Data sources Electronic databases including PubMed/MEDLINE, AJOL, WHO-Afro Library, Africa Index Medicus, National Institute of Statistics and National AIDS Control Committee, Cameroon from 1 January 2000 to 15 December 2016 were searched. English and French languages papers were considered. Two independent investigators selected studies. The methodological quality of the studies was assessed using the Newcastle–Ottawa scale. Results 31 studies including 36 407 individuals were finally considered. There was no national representative study. The overall pooled prevalence was 6.5% (95% CI 4.5% to 8.8%; I²=98.3%). A sensitivity analysis of individuals at low risk of HCV infection showed a pooled prevalence of 3.6% (95% CI 2.3% to 5.2%, I²=97.7%, 18 studies) among 22 860 individuals (general population, blood donors and pregnant women), which was higher than for a high-risk population (healthcare workers and people with other identified comorbidities), 12.2% (95% CI 4.9% to 22.2%; I²=98.3%, 13 studies); p=0.018. The prevalence was higher in the East region, in rural settings, and when using an enzyme immunoassay technique for detecting HCV antibodies. Sex, sites, study period, sample size, timing of data collection and methodological quality of studies were not sources of heterogeneity. Limitation One-third of studies (29.0%) had a low risk bias in their methodology and most were facility-based (87.1%). Conclusion The seroprevalence of HCV infection in Cameroon indicates the need for comprehensive and effective strategies to interrupt HCV transmission in the Cameroonian population. Specific attention is needed for the East region of the country, rural settings and high-risk populations. A national representative study is needed to provide better estimates.
Adaptive Digital Predistortion for Wideband High Crest Factor Applications Based on the WACP Optimization Objective: An Extended Analysis

This paper provides an extended analysis of the adaptive digital predistortion technique initially proposed and conceptually overviewed in [1]. This digital predistortion technique is suitable for wideband high crest factor applications (digital audio broadcasting, digital video broadcasting-terrestrial & wideband code division multiple access high power transmitters) and overcomes the technical deficiencies of the traditional direct learning method. Specifically, predistortion filter parameter estimation is modeled as a generic mathematical optimization problem instead of a linear regression problem. In addition, the optimization objective is derived in the frequency instead of the time domain. A hybridly pruned Volterra series with memory is used to implement the predistortion filter. Hybrid pruning leads to a small optimization vector space, whilst the predistortion filter memory makes the method well suited to wideband applications. Given that predistortion filter parameter estimation does not rely on known test signals being injected into the transmitter, the method is on-air adaptive. Implementation aspects of the technique not covered in [1], but requiring extended coverage in this paper, include selection of mathematical optimization algorithms, predistortion filter memory estimation, weighted adjacent channel power weighting function application, and on-air adaption performance. Results obtained from actual hardware are presented.
Coping and adjustment strategies used by emergency services staff after traumatic incidents: implications for psychological debriefing, reconstructed early intervention and psychological first aid

This survey reports few points of convergence between post incident coping and adjustment strategies used by 217 experienced emergency services and the principles that inform delivery of debriefing services. Officers prefer immediate access to colleagues and those with whom they feel close. Most wish to talk freely and flexibly about events and prefer to be consulted about a possible need for early intervention. Cluster analysis identified five core components of deliberate coping strategies; wait and see, rest and relaxation, finding relief from somatosensory sequelae, re-establish routines and a sense of control, and graded confrontation with distressing reminders
Channel-Specific Wireless Sensor Network Path Data

Channel-specific path data for a 44-node 2.4 GHz wireless sensor network deployed in an industrial setting is presented. Each node generates one data packet every 28 seconds with the number of transmissions, received acknowledgements, average RSSI, and other metrics for a path to a single neighbor on a single channel for every 15 minutes of operation. Twenty-six days of data were recorded, revealing the scale of time-variation of stability throughout the network and how this is a frequency-dependent quantity. Particularly on low-power paths, both RSSI and stability are observed to vary in unpredictable ways that differ from other paths in the same spatial vicinity. A time-varying model is proposed for simulation of networks in low-noise environments. Channel hopping and path diversity succeed in maintaining near-perfect reliability at a delivered rate of 1.0 kb/s despite this time-and frequency-variance.
Low-Complexity One-Dimensional Edge Detection in Wireless Sensor Networks

In various wireless sensor network applications, it is of interest to monitor the perimeter of an area of interest. For example, one may need to check if there is a leakage of a dangerous substance. In this paper, we model this as a problem of one-dimensional edge detection, that is, detection of a spatially nonconstant one-dimensional phenomenon, observed by sensors which communicate to an access point (AP) through (possibly noisy) communication links. Two possible quantization strategies are considered at the sensors: (i) binary quantization and (ii) absence of quantization. We first derive the minimum mean square error (MMSE) detection algorithm at the AP. Then, we propose a simplified (suboptimum) detection algorithm, with reduced computational complexity. Noisy communication links are modeled either as (i) binary symmetric channels (BSCs) or (ii) channels with additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN).
Genome Sequence of a Novel Recombinant Coxsackievirus A6 Strain from Shanghai, China, 2013

ABSTRACT A novel recombinant coxsackievirus A6 (CVA6) strain was isolated during a coxsackievirus A6 outbreak in Shanghai, China, in 2013. Genomic sequence and similarity plot analysis showed that the novel CVA6 strain shared higher similarity with a recent CVA4 strain rather than the recent CVA6 strain in the 2C and 3′ untranslated regions (UTRs).
Complex health conditions and mental health training

How prepared are frontline service providers for dealing with mental illness in patients with multiple, complex health conditions? The aims of this study were two-fold, to gain insight into the kinds of training and education desired by frontline service providers in a healthcare setting and to compile a list of key questions for health service managers and education leaders to address based on our findings. Over 100 care providers responded to a survey. Over half of the respondents indicated no mental health training, and the majority desired increased training and support. Suggested approaches ranged from regular workshops (eg, case presentations) to systems-level strategies (eg, partnering with mental health organizations). This study provides a critical first look into what frontline service providers identify as being essential to their skill set in working with a complex population and raises important questions for healthcare managers and educators to consider in addressing this gap.
Participatory and Transformative Engagement inLibraries and Museums: Exploring and Expandingthe Salzburg Curriculum

During a program titled “Libraries and Museums in an Era of Participatory Culture,” co-sponsored by the Salzburg Global Seminar (SGS) and the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), one of the discussion groups developed recommendations for skills needed by librarians and museum professionals in today’s connected and participatory world. The group focused on the concepts, knowledge, and processes that both librarians and museum professionals need to understand and know, realizing that participatory culture has ramifications both for traditional functions and emerging skills. The initial framework was an overview. This paper expands on the work started in Salzburg and calls for further discussion. By opening the conversation to the library and museum worlds, it is proposed that the two systems of education and continuing education will experience positive and possibly unexpected synergistic benefits.
Exploiting models intrinsic robustness for noisy speech recognition

We propose in this paper an original approach to build masks in the framework of missing data recognition. The proposed soft masks are estimated from the models themselves, and not from the test signal as it is usually the case. They represent the intrinsic robustness of model's log-spectral coefficients. The method is validated with cepstral models, on two synthetic and two real-life noises, at different signal-to-noise ratios. We further discuss how such masks can be combined with other signal-based masks and noise compensation techniques.
Appropriate and effective management of rheumatoid arthritis

Early referral (at <3 months) and early DMARD treatment enable the course of RA to be changed. Once the disease has become aggressive it is much harder to treat and improvements will not be as great as they would have been with earlier treatment. The latest strategies and treatments enable remission to be achieved in many more patients than formerly.
Accelerating Neural Network Ensemble Learning Using Optimization and Quantum Annealing Techniques

Neural networks (NN) are models of choice in machine learning, as they can learn and model highly non-linear functions. However, the process of training NNs is an ill-posed problem, as the solution is either not unique or not a continuous function of the input data. We have previously introduced an ensemble NN model that is less ill-posed by employing a) heuristics in the training phase to develop models with good generalization capability and b) a post-training Sensitivity Heuristic to exclude the models that are sensitive to input perturbation. Although the heuristics have improved the accuracy of the model, they are time consuming and perhaps non-optimal. To accelerate the NN model, we have reformulated the heuristics as optimization problems that can be solved on a quantum device such as D-Wave Systems' D-Wave 2X quantum computer. The results show that the alternative approach produces results that are as good as the original heuristics, but takes far less time.
Improved Bounds for Matroid Partition and Intersection Algorithms

We give bounds on total lengths of augmenting paths in standard implementations of the matroid partition and intersection algorithms, and indicate how these observations can be used to improve the running times in certain applications. For example, for the matroid intersection algorithm on two r by n matrices the running time is shown to be $O(nr^2 \log r)$. We also give improved versions of the two algorithms, when running times are measured in terms of calls to an independence oracle. For example, there is a matroid partition algorithm on $O(n)$n-element matroids using $O(n^{2.5} )$ independence tests.
Masculinity and sexuality : selected topics in the psychology of men

Foreword. Sexual fantasy and behavior: selected clinical issues. Male heterosexuality. Evaluation and treatment of erectile dysfunction. Fatherhood as a transformation of the self: steps toward a new psychology of men. Casualties of recovered memory therapy: the impact of false allegations of incest on accused fathers. Afterword. Index.
Nimotuzumab Induces NK Cell Activation, Cytotoxicity, Dendritic Cell Maturation and Expansion of EGFR-Specific T Cells in Head and Neck Cancer Patients

Survival benefit and long-term duration of clinical response have been seen using the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-targeted monoclonal antibody (mAb) nimotuzumab. Blocking EGFR signaling may not be the only mechanism of action underlying its efficacy. As an IgG1 isotype mAb, nimotuzumab’s capacity of killing tumor cells by antibody dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) and to induce an immune response in cancer patients have not been studied. ADCC-induced by nimotuzumab was determined using a 51Cr release assay. The in vitro effect of nimotuzumab on natural killer (NK) cell activation and dendritic cell (DC) maturation and the in vivo frequency of circulating regulatory T cells (Tregs) and NK cells were assessed by flow cytometry. Cytokine levels in supernatants were determined by ELISA. ELISpot was carried out to quantify EGFR-specific T cells in nimotuzumab-treated head and neck cancer (HNSCC) patients. Nimotuzumab was able to kill EGFR+ tumor cells by NK cell-mediated ADCC. Nimotuzumab-activated NK cells promoted DC maturation and EGFR-specific CD8+ T cell priming. Interestingly, nimotuzumab led to upregulation of some immune checkpoint molecules on NK cells (TIM-3) and DC (PD-L1), to a lower extent than another EGFR mAb, cetuximab. Furthermore, circulating EGFR-specific T cells were identified in nimotuzumab-treated HNSCC patients. Notably, nimotuzumab combined with cisplatin-based chemotherapy and radiation increased the frequency of peripheral CD4+CD39+FOXP3+Tregs which otherwise were decreased to baseline values when nimotuzumab was used as monotherapy. The frequency of circulating NK cells remained constant during treatment. Nimotuzumab-induced, NK cell-mediated DC priming led to induction of anti-EGFR specific T cells in HNSCC patients. The association between EGFR-specific T cells and patient clinical benefit with nimotuzumab treatment should be investigated.
Plk is an M-phase-specific protein kinase and interacts with a kinesin-like protein, CHO1/MKLP-1

PLK (STPK13) encodes a murine protein kinase closely related to those encoded by the Drosophila melanogaster polo gene and the Saccharomyces cerevisiae CDC5 gene, which are required for normal mitotic and meiotic divisions. Affinity-purified antibody generated against the C-terminal 13 amino acids of Plk specifically recognizes a single polypeptide of 66 kDa in MELC, NIH 3T3, and HeLa cellular extracts. The expression levels of both poly(A)+ PLK mRNA and its encoded protein are most abundant about 17 h after serum stimulation of NIH 3T3 cells. Plk protein begins to accumulate at the S/G2 boundary and reaches the maximum level at the G2/M boundary in continuously cycling cells. Concurrent with cyclin B-associated cdc2 kinase activity, Plk kinase activity sharply peaks at the onset of mitosis. Plk enzymatic activity gradually decreases as M phase proceeds but persists longer than cyclin B-associated cdc2 kinase activity. Plk is localized to the area surrounding the chromosomes in prometaphase, appears condensed as several discrete bands along the spindle axis at the interzone in anaphase, and finally concentrates at the midbody during telophase and cytokinesis. Plk and CHO1/mitotic kinesin-like protein 1 (MKLP-1), which induces microtubule bundling and antiparallel movement in vitro, are colocalized during late M phase. In addition, CHO1/MKLP-1 appears to interact with Plk in vivo and to be phosphorylated by Plk-associated kinase activity in vitro.
Hallucinations as a trauma-based memory: implications for psychological interventions

The relationship between hallucinations and life events is a topic of significant clinical importance. This review discusses the extent to which auditory and visual hallucinations may be directly related to traumatic events. Evidence suggests that intrusive images occur frequently within individuals who also report hallucinatory experiences. However, there has been limited research specifically investigating the extent to which hallucinations are the re-experiencing of a traumatic event. Our current theoretical understanding of these relationships, along with methodological difficulties associated with research in this area, are considered. Recent clinical studies, which adopt interventions aimed at the symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder in people diagnosed with a psychotic disorder, are reviewed. There is a need for the development of evidence-based interventions in this area.
Facet Classification of Blogs: Know-Center at the TREC 2009 Blog Distillation Task

In this paper, we outline our experiments carried out at the TREC 2009 Blog Distillation Task. Our system is based on a plain text index extracted from the XML feeds of the TREC Blogs08 dataset. This index was used to retrieve candidate blogs for the given topics. The resulting blogs were classied using a Support Vector Machine that was trained on a manually labelled subset of the TREC Blogs08 dataset. Our experiments included three runs on dierent features: rstly on nouns, secondly on stylometric properties, and thirdly on punctuation statistics. The facet identication based on our approach was successful, although a signicant number of candidate blogs were not retrieved at all.
Stage-dependent sensitivity to ultraviolet radiation in zygotes of the brown alga Fucus serratus

Sensitivity to ultraviolet (UV) radiation (UV-A, λ = 315-400 nm; plus UV-B, λ = 280-315 nm) of zygotes of the brown alga Fucus serratus L. (Phaeophyta) has been assessed through effects on growth of developing germlings. Different stages of development were distinguished by considering 5 h periods of time after fertilisation. Both the stage of the zygote and the UV radiation condition significantly affected growth of developing germlings. The negative response of growth rate of early stages of the zygotes to UV radiation seemed to be caused by UV-B rather than UV-A radiation, as the lowest relative growth rates were always estimated for germlings developed from zygotes irradiated with UV-B radiation. As regards the stage of the zygote, those germlings that developed from zygotes irradiated at 5-10 h after fertilisation showed the strongest inhibition of growth compared with the other stages. These results point to polarisation as the most UV-sensitive process during the first 24 h of the development of the zygote. A non-linear relationship between the developmental stage of the zygote and the sensitivity to UV radiation is suggested.
Ju l 2 00 4 Magnetic properties of Quantum Corrals from ’ first principles ’ calculations

We present calculations for electronic and magnetic properties of surface states confined by a circular quantum corral built of magnetic adatoms (Fe) on a Cu(111) surface. We show the oscillations of charge and magnetization densities and the possibility of the appearance of spin-polarized states. In order to classify the peaks in the calculated density of states with orbital quantum numbers we analyzed the problem in terms of a simple quantum mechanical circular well model. This model is also used to an estimate the behavior of the magnetization and energy with respect to the radius of the circular corral. The calculations are performed fully relativistically using the embedding technique within the Korringa-Kohn-Rostoker method.
An integrated grammatical / non-grammatical model of phonological variation

Phonological variation is conditioned by both grammatical and non-grammatical factors. Nearly all models of variation in phonological theory are exclusively grammatical, and do not account for the influence of nongrammatical factors at all. In this paper, I argue that an adequate theory of phonological variation should account for both grammatical and non-grammatical influences on variation, and I develop a noisy Harmonic Grammar model of variation that can do this. The constraints used in Harmonic Grammar are ordinary grammatical constraints (as in Optimality Theory), and the influence of grammar on variation follows from this. The influence of non-grammatical factors is accounted for by scaling the weight of faithfulness constraints up or down, resulting in less or more unfaithfulness.
The Need for More Individual-Level Judicial Election Data

After the 2000 election cycle, the Brennan Center for Justice and the National Institute on Money in State Politics issued a report on that year’s state supreme court elections. According to the report, a “new politics of judicial elections” had materialized in which judicial elections were getting more competitive, negative, and costly (Goldberg, Holman, and Sanchez, 2002). Around the same time, a new wave of judicial elections research emerged beginning largely with the work of Hall (2001). Although scholars had studied judicial elections for decades (e.g., Dubois, 1980), in many ways this new research was more methodologically advanced and employed more systematic data sets. In Hall’s (2001) integral article, she examined contestation and competition in judicial elections using an impressive set of data from 1980 to 1995.1 Her findings challenged the conventional wisdom that judicial elections are usually uncompetitive. From there, Hall, both by herself and with Bonneau (e.g., Hall, 2001, 2007a; Hall and Bonneau, 2006, 2008; Bonneau and Hall, 2003), examined numerous questions relating to such issues as challenger emergence and political participation in judicial elections. Bonneau (2004; 2005a, b; 2007a, b) also conducted extensive research on campaign spending in judicial races. These studies added a tremendous amount to our understanding of judicial elections at the supreme court level. More recently, Streb and Frederick (e.g., Streb and Frederick, 2009; Frederick and Streb, 2008; Streb, Frederick, and LaFrance, 2009), have replicated several of the works of Hall and Bonneau at the intermediate appellate court (IAC) level to get a better understanding of the ways in which the two appellate court levels’ elections are similar or different. One shortcoming of all of these analyses, however, is that both Hall and Bonneau and Streb and Frederick had to rely on aggregate-level election results to analyze the dynamics of judicial elections. Although these aggregate-level data sets were comprehensive, the lack of systematic individual-level data raises as many questions about judicial elections as the aforementioned studies answered. There is simply much we cannot glean by relying on aggregate election returns alone. Just as studies of other elections, such as those for president or Congress, have been enriched by aggregate and individual-level data, the judicial elections subfield would benefit greatly from more complete individual-level data sets, both of voters and candidates. This is not to imply that no work on judicial elections has used individual-level data or that the studies that have employed individual-level data have some-