Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis continuum of care among women who inject drugs: A systematic review

Introduction People who inject drugs have a substantial risk for HIV infection, especially women who inject drugs (WWID). HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), a highly-effective HIV prevention drug, is uncommonly studied among WWID, and we aimed to synthesize existing knowledge across the full PrEP continuum of care in this population. Methods We systematically searched for peer-reviewed literature in three electronic databases, conference abstracts from three major HIV conferences, and gray literature from relevant sources. Eligibility criteria included quantitative, qualitative or mixed-methods studies with primary data collection reporting a PrEP-related finding among WWID, and published in English or Spanish between 2012 and 2021. The initial search identified 2,809 citations, and 32 were included. Data on study characteristics and PrEP continuum of care were extracted, then data were analyzed in a narrative review. Results Our search identified 2,809 studies; 32 met eligibility requirements. Overall, awareness, knowledge, and use of PrEP was low among WWID, although acceptability was high. Homelessness, sexual violence, unpredictability of drug use, and access to the healthcare system challenged PrEP usage and adherence. WWID were willing to share information on PrEP with other WWID, especially those at high-risk of HIV, such as sex workers. Conclusions To improve PrEP usage and engagement in care among WWID, PrEP services could be integrated within gender-responsive harm reduction and drug treatment services. Peer-based interventions can be used to improve awareness and knowledge of PrEP within this population. Further studies are needed on transgender WWID as well as PrEP retention and adherence among all WWID.
L'objet dans l'espace agricole. Le regard d'un géoagronome

L’essaim donne une nouvelle image du peuple. Le lexique de l’« essaimage » n’a cependant pas une valeur homogene : il code en meme temps les procedes du pouvoir et les pratiques qui lui resistent, dans une ambivalence tactique qui le brouille. Un collectif en essaim est necessairement sans sujet : il ne dit pas « nous ». Mais le peuple en essaim est d’autant plus puissant qu’il n’affronte pas le pouvoir qu’il combat, qu’il demeure imperceptible. L’essaimage fait fluer le commun a travers la dispersion et dans la solitude meme de ses membres.
MEDIABLENDER : INTERACTIVE MULTIMEDIA SEGMENTATION

This project aims at providing segmentation tools for assisting the browsing of multimedia content. We implemented several segmentation algorithms: two based on the Bayesian Information Criterion (BIC), the first frame-by-frame and the second using a “divide-and-conquer” approach; a third based on the self-similarity matrix. We integrated the Torch3 library to benefit from classification algorithms. We also introduced optimization methods, notably parallelized image/video feature extraction distributed over GPUs and CPUs of one computer, using StarPU. All the components developed as part of this project have been incorporated in the MediaCycle framework.
A programmable motion estimator for a class of hierarchical algorithms

Future generations of video codecs need programmable video processing capabilities to extend the range of applications. A key component of the video codec design is the motion estimator. Because of its high computational requirements, a programmable motion estimator design must carefully balance its programmability and cost-effectiveness. In this paper we propose a distributed programmable motion estimator architecture and optimize its processing engine for hardware efficiency and the control engine for flexibility. The distributed architecture models motion estimation as searching through a tree of vector points, where the traversing functions are implemented in a multi-mode vector search engine and the hierarchy is constructed by an algorithm controller with flexible DMA transfers. Based on the distributed architecture a programmable motion estimator is implemented within a 0.5 /spl mu/m CMOS video codec for multiple video standards. The programmable motion estimator achieves near full search quality (degradation less than 0.1 dB for CIF 30 f/s H.261) with only 1/4 of processing and memory resources and can be reused for H.26X and MPEG coding across a wide range of resolution and video quality tradeoff points.
Evaluation of the most influent input variables on quantities of interest in a fire simulation

This paper is concerned with a fire simulation model which aims at evaluating the effects from a fire source in a building on people evacuation. Three parameters are investigated to assess the safety of the building : the maximal upper layer temperature, the maximal lower layer temperature and the minimal layer height. The combination of these three parameters is supposed to let the evacuation paths practicable in case of a fire. The parameters are computed through a computational code in a measurement context. Consequently their knowledge is supposed to be based on a measurement uncertainty evaluation and this paper aims at evaluating the contribution of a set of input parameters to the variance of these three parameters. In measurement science, the use of Monte Carlo methods to evaluate measurement uncertainty is quite new and therefore, tools for sensitivity analysis associated to Monte Carlo methods are not well known. In this framework, we will briefly introduce the main stochastic techniques to cope with this problem and show some practical results concerning fire risk assessment of a tertiary building. Resume : Ce papier traite d'un modele de simulation incendie dont le but est d'evaluer les effets sur l'evacuation du public d'un incendie dans un bâtiment. Trois parametres caracterisent la securite dans le bâtiment : la temperature maximale en couche chaude, la temperature maximale en couche froide et la hauteur minimale de fumees. La combinaison des ces trois parametres doit assurer que les chemins d'evacuation restent praticables en cas d'incendie. Les parametres sont calcules a partir d'un code de calcul dans le contexte de la mesure. Par consequent, leur connaissance s'accompagne d'une evaluation de l'incertitude de mesure et ce papier a pour but d'evaluer la contribution d'un ensemble de grandeurs influentes a la variance de ces trois parametres. Dans la science de la mesure, l'utilisation des methodes de Monte Carlo pour evaluer l'incertitude de mesure est assez recente et, par consequent, les outils pour l'analyse de sensibilite associes aux methodes de Monte Carlo sont peu connus. Dans ce cadre, nous introduisons brievement les principales techniques stochastiques pour traiter ce probleme et montrons quelques resultats pratiques concernant la determination du risque incendie dans un bâtiment public.
‘Ga, ga, ooh-la-la’: the childlike use of language in pop-rock music

Abstract In this paper, I examine several aspects of pop-rock music that are characterised by the childlike use of language. Relying on the theoretical work of Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari – particularly on their concept of ‘becoming-child’ – I locate, describe and analyse three distinct childlike strategies common in pop-rock: the use of gibberish and nonsense that unbinds language from sense, enabling it to release its own expressive intensities; the utilisation of baby talk and other childlike vocal mannerisms, drawing attention to the physical properties of the act of singing as bodily experimentation; and different forms of repetition that ‘shake’ sense out of words, allowing them to draw their own lines of flight. Foregrounding these strategies, I ultimately claim, expands our understanding of pop-rock music while problematising its traditional interpretation as ‘rebellious’ music, offering its positive, productive qualities and ‘minoritarian’ politics as an alternative to the restricting dichotomy between oppression and liberation implied by the concept of rebellion.
Preemptive Flupirtine in Patients Undergoing Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy for Postoperative Pain Management

Background: Postoperative pain after laparoscopic surgery limits the function and mobility of patients in postoperative period. Aim: The aim of present study is to study Flupirtine regarding its efficacy as preemptive analgesic in elective laparoscopic surgeries. Methods: In this randomized prospective study 100 patients were divided into two groups. Group-F received two capsules of Oral Flupirtine 100 mg each and groupP received two multivitamin capsules(placebo) with sip of water 2 hour before the expected time of induction of anaesthesia. Time for requirement of first dose of rescue analgesic post operatively, VAS score and dose of rescue analgesic used in first 24 hours post operatively were assessed. Results: Group F had lower visual analogue score(VAS) score in comparison to P group. Time for requirement of first dose of rescue analgesic in P group was less compared to F group. Consumption of rescue analgesic was less in F group in comparison to P group. Conclusion: Flupirtine as preemptive analgesic produced prolonged postoperative analgesia compared to placebo.
Technological evaluation of strategies to get out of bed by people with Parkinson's disease: Insights from multisite wearable sensors

Background Difficulty getting out of bed is a common night-time and early morning manifestation of Parkinson's disease (PD), rated by 40% of the patients as their most concerning motor symptoms. However, current assessment methods are based on clinical interviews, video analysis, and clinical scales as objective outcome measures are not yet available. Objective To study the technical feasibility of multisite wearable sensors in the assessment of the supine-to-stand (STS) task as a determinant of the ability to get out of bed in patients with PD and age-matched control subjects, and develop relevant objective outcome measures. Methods The STS task was assessed in 32 patients with PD (mean Hoehn and Yahr; HY = 2.5) in the early morning before their first dopaminergic medication, and in 14 control subjects, using multisite wearable sensors (NIGHT-Recorder®; trunk, both wrists, and both ankles) in a sleep laboratory. Objective getting out of bed parameters included duration, onset, velocity and acceleration of truncal rotation, and angle deviation (a°) from the z-axis when subjects rose from the bed at different angles from the x-axis (10°, 15°, 30°, 45°, and 60°) as measures of truncal lateral flexion. Movement patterns were identified from the first body part or parts that moved. Correlation analysis was performed between these objective outcomes and standard clinical rating scales. Results Compared to control subjects, the duration of STS was significantly longer in patients with PD (p = 0.012), which is associated with a significantly slower velocity of truncal rotation (p = 0.003). Moderate and significant correlations were observed between the mean STS duration and age, and the Nocturnal Hypokinesia Questionnaire. The velocity of truncal rotation negatively and significantly correlated with HY staging. Any arm and leg moved together as the first movement significantly correlated with UPDRS-Axial and item #28. Several other correlations were also observed. Conclusion Our study was able to demonstrate the technical feasibility of using multisite wearable sensors to quantitatively assess early objective outcome measures of the ability of patients with PD to get out of bed, which significantly correlated with axial severity scores, suggesting that axial impairment could be a contributing factor in difficulty getting out of bed. Future studies are needed to refine these outcome measures for use in therapeutic trials related to nocturia or early morning akinesia in PD.
On prefiltering and endpoint detection of speech signal

In speech recognition systems, it is a fundamental task to detect endpoints of speech signals. The efficiency of endpoint detection affects the performance of the entire recognition system. This is especially important to an isolated word recognition system. Ordinarily, the rate of zero crossing and short time energy are used for endpoint detection. However, this is not a trivial process. In fact, there are many details we need to pay attention to. Through experiments we found that by selecting a moderate algorithm for ZCR and energy, and cooperating with the preemphasis filter (prefiltering), better accuracy of endpoint detection can be obtained.
Developing a parametric spatial ramework for digital drumming

This research operates at the intersection of music and spatial design within the context of improvised digital drumming. We outline a creative design research project founded on a series of affordance experiments that explore the ways in which the tools of spatial design can inform understandings of 'referent (Pressing 1987)' improvised patterns and phrases employed by experienced drummers. We outline the stages and process of development of a parametric computational framework using software from the spatial design industry to provide affordance (Gibson 1979) to understanding the complexities of drum improvisation. The 'ImprovSpace' Grasshopper script, operating within Rhino3DTM enables the 3D spatialization of digital drum-based improvisations wherein the parameters of drum notes, duration and velocity all can be flexibly manipulated. Drum phrases and patterns can be compared individually and clusters of repeated elements can be found within a larger corpus of improvisations. The framework enables insights into the specific attributes that constitute individual style including micro-timing, rubato and other elements of style. It is proposed that, by bringing these improvisations into visual and spatial domain in plan, elevation and isometric projections, a theoretic musico-perspectival hinge may be deconstructed that provides insights for visually and spatially dominant musicians within reflective, educational and other contexts.
The impact of non-technological innovation on the technological innovation in industry and services in Portugal

The traditional concept of innovation distinguishes product innovation from process innovation. However there’s not a lot of literature which regards the strategies of organisational and marketing innovation. The main goal of this study is to give a contribution in order to fulfil this blank, by researching the impact of organisational and marketing innovations (non-technological), on the technological innovation, both to the industry and to the services. In the empiric study, we used data extracted from the Community Innovation Survey 2008, for Portugal, by applying a probit and logit regression. The obtained results confirm the importance of the marketing innovations for the services companies. The effects of the non-technological innovation, on the technological innovation vary according to the sector at which the company performs, although we cannot neglect the similarities in some results. Finally, the study shows the positive influence of the services companies on the likelihood of innovation and the extent of innovation.
Quality Palliative Care and the First Domain: A Quality Assessment and Performance Improvement Project

The first domain of the Clinical Practice Guidelines for Quality Palliative Care includes a commitment to quality assessment and performance improvement. This article describes a quality assessment and performance improvement process initiated in November 2012 to reduce the potentially preventable readmissions (PPRs) of those persons seen by the palliative care (PC) consult service. The goal was to reduce PPRs from 15.7% to 13%. Furthermore, the project identified a more upstream population using a novel set of criteria and was found to be appropriate for PC consults. Key performance markers for a quality PC consult became the process goals guiding new consistent interventions. In response to the findings of this project, a busy, short-staffed PC team changed its daily work strategy for seeing new consults and demonstrated in measurable terms the impact of PC by reducing the PC team PPR from 15.7% to 6.3%. This dramatic change illustrated the potential for cost savings through consistent interventions. Inadequate staffing was a barrier to the ongoing success of this project when the team could not see all the ordered consults. If limited staffing issues are addressed, quality inpatient PC consults could be the answer to reducing the burden of readmissions and address the financial burden to persons and their families as well as to the health care system and rising health care costs.
Control system design using fuzzy gain scheduling of PD with Kalman filter for railway automatic train operation

The development of train control systems has progressed towards following the rapid growth of railway transport demands. To further increase the capacity of railway systems, Automatic Train Operation (ATO) systems have been widely adopted in metros and gradually applied to mainline railways to replace drivers in controlling the movement of trains with optimised running trajectories for punctuality and energy saving. Many controller design methods have been studied and applied in ATO systems. However, most researchers paid less attention to measurement noise in the development of ATO control system, whereas such noise indeed exists in every single instrumentation device and disturbs the process output of ATO. Thus, this thesis attempts to address such issues. In order to overcome measurement error, the author develops Fuzzy gain scheduling of PD (proportional and derivative) control assisted by a Kalman filter that is able to maintain the train speed within the specified trajectory and stability criteria in normal and noisy conditions due to measurement noise. Docklands Light Railway (DLR) in London is selected as a case study to implement the proposed idea. The MRes project work is summarised as follows: (1) analysing literature review, (2) modelling the train dynamics mathematically, (3) designing PD controller and Fuzzy gain scheduling, (4) adding a Gaussian white noise as measurement error, (5) implementing a Kalman filter to improve the controllers, (6) examining the entire system in an artificial trajectory and a real case study, i.e. the DLR, and (7) evaluating all based on strict objectives, i.e. a ±3% allowable error limit, a punctuality limit of no later and no earlier than 30 seconds, Integrated Absolute Error (IAE) and Integrated Squared Error (ISE) performances. The results show that Fuzzy gain scheduling of PD control can cope well with the examinations in normal situations. However, such discovery is not found in noisy conditions. Nevertheless, after the introduction to Kalman filter, all control objectives are then satisfied in not only normal but also noisy conditions. The case study implemented using DLR data including on the route from Stratford International to Woolwich Arsenal indicates a satisfactory performance of the designed controller for ATO systems.
Review of a Behavioral Assessment Process from Descriptive Assessment to Experimental Analysis: A Summary of 118 Cases

Functional analysis is one of the more robust advances in the assessment and treatment of severe behavior. Using technologies to identify the function of aberrant behavior and adjunctive reinforces to develop treatment packages is crucial to developing interventions designed to reduce aberrant behaviors while increasing alternative replacement responses. Descriptive assessments, preference assessments, reinforce assessments, and experimental functional analyses are tools that have been empirically validated to accomplish this goal. These methods have been shown to be effective in inpatient settings, homes, schools, and outpatient clinics. This study examines the use of these procedures for 118 clients evaluated in either an outpatient clinic and in the natural setting (i.e., schools, homes, and daycares). All procedures were conducted by graduate students enrolled a BCBA approved program for Masters Level practitioners. In addition, all evaluations were supervised by a doctoral level behavior analyst. We present a descriptive summary of the effectiveness of (a) the effectiveness of using the Motivation Assessment Scale at identifying maintaining functions compared to experimental analysis outcomes, (b) the preference assessment to identify reinforcing stimuli, and (c) the effectiveness of treatment packages developed. The efficacy of the outpatient model to serve clients with severe problem behaviors is discussed.
Smartphone App Usage Log Mining

The rise of smartphones can be connected to the large number of applications, or apps, which can be installed and run by users on smartphones. It becomes important for researchers, smartphone designers, and application developers to know how users use apps on their smartphones. The aim of this paper is to present our work where data mining is applied to smartphone app usage log data with a focus on data preparation. The methods include association rule mining and sequential pattern mining. The results are the discovered rules and patterns that reflect users’ real-life app-using behaviors; they can lead to improved user interfaces, and they can also be used to reconstruct the context in which a user used his or her smartphone. We demonstrate an application of data mining that can have an impact on the smartphone industry, and we also demonstrate a data-driven approach that can help us know more about how users use apps on their smartphones.
Informaçoes para negocios : aspectos da literatura cientifica nacional em revistas da area de ciencia da informaçao

Realiza analise da producao brasileira de artigos cientificos da area de ciencia da informacao, a partir 126 artigos do periodo de 1972 a 2006 que integraram a Base Brasileira sobre Informacao para Negocios (Brapin). Caracteriza a producao quanto aos aspectos enfoques e tendencias de conteudo, autoria e frequencia por periodo de publicacoes, padronizando os 342 termos descritores de acordo com o tesauro da American Society for Information Science and Technology (Asis). Fundamenta a analise de conteudo em categorias representativas das principais tematicas do conjunto de textos sobre informacao para negocios, constatando que, das 26 revistas da area de biblioteconomia e ciencia da informacao (BCI) presentes na base Brapin, apenas 13 publicaram artigos cientificos sobre o tema, destacando-se o ano de 1997 como o de maior producao. Do conjunto denominado informacao para negocios, destaca-se a tematica informacao tecnologica, com 45% dos artigos, e em relacao ao tipo de autoria, predomina o individual.