Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of a four‐session cognitive–behavioural intervention for menopausal hot flushes

This study aims to evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of a four-session cognitive–behavioural treatment (CBT) for hot flushes—a symptom commonly experienced by menopausal women for whom hormone replacement therapy (HRT) has been the main treatment option. A patient preference design was used to compare CBT (N = 24), HRT (N = 12) and no-treatment (NT) (N = 16) groups, with a randomized comparison of CBT participants into treatment vs. waiting (followed by treatment) conditions. A monitoring control condition was also included. Hot flush measures did not change after monitoring, or after the wait condition, nor for the NT group. CBT and HRT significantly reduced hot flush frequency, but CBT also significantly reduced anxiety and hot flush problem ratings. Changes were maintained at three-month follow-up. The development of psychological treatments appears feasible and warranted in view of treatment effects and patient preferences.
The Healthy Lifeworks Project: the role of organisational health in the personal health of employees

Purpose – This paper aims to present the results of a three‐year comprehensive workplace initiative which provided an unprecedented opportunity to explore the potential relationship between organisational health, stress, and health outcomes.Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected from 325 employees participating in a comprehensive workplace wellness intervention taking place in a large governmental organisation. Organisational health was measured using a 16‐item measure of organisational health indicators and a four‐item measure of health culture. Personal health outcomes were assessed using 12 indicators: personal wellness profile, health age, blood pressure, nutrition, fat intake, fibre intake, alcohol use, fitness, smoking status, cancer risk, stress, and good health practices.Findings – Analyses indicated that after controlling for gender and age, organisational health was associated with increased personal wellness, lower health age, better overall nutrition, reduced fat intake, increased f.
Diabetes Self-Care Activities (Diet & Exercise) and Adherence to Treatment: A Hospital –Based Study among Diabetic Male Patients in Taif, Saudi Arabia

Diabetes mellitus is a complex disorder that requires constant adherence to certain lifestyle measures and medication to achieve good glycaemic control. The main aim of this study was to measure adherence to self- care practices (diet, exercise and medication) among diabetic patients and to identify predicators of adherence. A hospital-based study was conducted in King Abdul Aziz Specialized Hospital, Taif, KSA during June – October 2013. Convenient method of sampling was adopted, whereby all adult ( > 18 years) male diabetic patients were recruited. Data was collected through face-to-face interview method using structured questionnaire. Data was processed using the software Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) (Version 21). Overall 378 patients were eligible; 191 (50.5%) > 50 years old and nearly two third had secondary or university education. Overweight and obese patients constituted more than two third of the respondents. Generally adherence to diet, exercise was found to be low. Multivariate analysis showed that only presence of other diseases {adjusted OR 2.8 (1.3-6.0), P = 0.011} and marital status {adjusted OR 3.4 (1.0-11.7), P = 0.049} were found to be significantly associated with adherence to diet. Patients’ age was the only predicator for patients’ commitment to practicing exercise {adjusted OR 4.7(1.3-17.8), P = 0.020)}. Non adherence to medication was found to 80.6 % (n=305). In conclusion non-adherence to the studied self-care practices was suboptimal. Proper and continuous health education accompanied with patients’ motivation may improve patients’ adherence.
Performance Analysis of A Centralized Burst-Mode Traffic Shaping for Distributed Parallel Queues

Accurate control of the data flows in distributed queues is a critical issue in a cloud service or a scalable network system. This paper proposes a centralized traffic control mechanism using burst-mode scheduling. To minimize the amount of control signaling bandwidth and to achieve a high level of control accuracy, transmissions of distributed packets are controlled by a centralized traffic shaping method using a virtual queue that is configured by reported packet information without aggregation of the packets. The performance critical metrics of the proposed mechanism are analyzed using a queueing model and the derivation of the feasible batch service size in the given delay constraints is also achieved. The accuracy of the proposed scheme is validated by numerical analysis and practical tests.
When is the generalized delta rule a learning rule? a physical analogy

The authors show that under some conditions the weights and threshold obtained under the linear generalized delta rule can be calculated a priori. The analysis is illustrated by a physical analogy. The steady-state weight vector produced by the generalized delta rule can be equated to the center of mass of a collection of particles placed at corners of a hypercube defined by the weights and threshold. The result is a direct mapping from the input and target signals onto the weight-threshold hypercube. <<ETX>>
FOLFOX 4 Combined with Herbal Medicine for Advanced Colorectal Cancer: A Systematic Review

This systematic review evaluates the clinical evidence for the addition of herbal medicines (HMs) to FOLFOX 4 for advanced colorectal cancer (ACRC) in terms of tumor response rate (tRR), survival, quality of life and reduction in adverse events (AEs). Seven electronic databases were searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of FOLFOX4 combined with HMs compared to FOLFOX4 alone. Outcome data for 13 randomized controlled trials were analysed using Review Manager 5.1. Risk of bias for objective outcomes including tumor response and survival was judged as low. Publication bias was not evident. Meta‐analyses found the addition of HMs improved tRR (RR 1.25, 95%CI 1.06–1.47, I2 = 0%), one year survival (RR 1.51, 95%CI 1.19–1.90, I2 = 0%) and quality of life in terms of Karnofsky Performance Status (KPS) gained (RR 1.84, 95%CI 1.54‐2.19, I2 = 0%); alleviated grade 3 and 4 chemotherapy‐related AEs for neutropenia (RR 0.33, 95%CI 0.18‐0.60, I2 = 0%), nausea and vomiting (RR 0.34, 95%CI 0.17‐0.67, I2 = 0%) and neurotoxicity (RR 0.39, 95%CI 0.15‐1.00, I2 = 0%), compared to FOLFOX4 alone. The most frequently used herbs were Astragalus membranaceus, Panax ginseng, Atractylodes macrocephala, Poria cocos, Coix lachryma‐jobi and Sophora flavescens. In experimental studies, each of these herbs has shown actions that could have contributed to improved tumor response. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Image colorization using Bayesian nonlocal inference

Colorization is the process of adding colors to monochrome images. State-of-the-art colorization methods can be generally categorized into example-based colorization and scribble-based algorithms. In this paper, we present a new scribble-based colorization algorithm based on Bayesian inference and nonlocal likelihood computation. We convert the process of image colorization to a probability optimization problem in this Bayesian framework, where we use nonlocal-mean likelihood computation and Markov random field prior's. The expectation maximization method is used to solve an optimization object function. Finally, experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm
Analgesic and anti-inflammatory effect of the aqueous extract of Dichrostachys glomerata (Forssk.) Hutch fruits.

Aims: Dichrostachys glomerata is a plant found in the humid areas of Africa and widely used for the treatment of many ailments including rheumatism and snake bite. The present study has been undertaken to assess the analgesic and the anti-inflammatory properties of aqueous extract Dichrostachys glomerata fruit. Place and Duration of Study: Department of Animal Biology and Physiology, Faculty of Science, University of Yaounde I, Cameroon. Between January 2012 and October 2012. Methodology: Pain was induced in mice by the intraperitoneal administration of 1% acetic acid, hot plate, formalin and tail immersion test. Carrageenan and serotonin (1%) were used to induce inflammation in rat paws. Results: Dichrostachys glomerata significantly inhibited pain induced by acetic acid with a percentage inhibition of 19.4, 69.8, 33.7 and 24.3% respectively at the doses of 25, 50, 100 and 200 mg/kg. An acute pretreatment of mice with extract significantly increased reaction time in the hot plate test with a percentage inhibition more than 68%. Formalin Original Research Article European Journal of Medicinal Plants, 4(8): 964-978, 2014 965 induced pain was also significantly inhibited after treatment of rat with the plant extract at the doses of 25 and 50 mg/kg for the neurogenic phase with percentage of inhibition of 56.14 and 61.46% respectively. The extract significantly reduced oedema induced by carrageenan injection with a PI of 72.57 and 79.85% at the doses of 200 and 25 mg/kg respectively. In contrast, a pi of 65.03% was obtained with the plant extract at the dose of 50 mg/kg on serotonin-induced oedema. Conclusion: The Results obtained showed that D. glomerata aqueous extract have both analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties and could be a potential source of new oral anti-inflammatory and/ or analgesic drug.
Extrapolation of Mackey-Glass data using Cascade Correlation

Attempting to find near-optimal architec tures, ontogenic neural networks develop their own architectures as they train. As part of a project entitled "Ontogenic Neural Networks for the Prediction of Chaotic Time Series," this paper presents findings of a ten- week research period on using the Cascade Correlation ontogenic neural network to extrapolate (predict) a chaotic time series generated from the Mackey-Glass equation. During training the neural network forms a model of the Mackey-Glass equation by observing its behavior. Then the neural network is used to simulate the function in order to extrapolate it, that is, to predict its behavior beyond the space observed by the neural network. Truer, more informative measures of extrapolation accuracy than currently popular measures are presented. The effects of some network parameters on extrapolation accuracy were investigated. Sinusoidal activation functions turned out to be best for our data set. The best range for sigmoidal activation functions was [-1, +1]. Though surprisingly good extrapolations have been obtained, there remain pitfalls. These pitfalls are discussed along with possible methods for avoiding them.
Loran-C Signal Analysis Test Data and Simulation

Modeling, simulation and test data are used to define the accuracy achieved using the Loran-C navigation system. Although Loran was invented prior to WWII, the system has undergone major changes and enhancements over the years. Currently the system offers high accuracy at a very low cost. This paper presents the new nanosecond precision Loran-C system performance and accuracy based on extensive modling, simulation and data analysis.
Adaptive denoising and lossy compression of images in transform domain

ing corthat uch 999 Abstract. A new algorithm for removing mixed noise from images based on combining an impulse removal operation with local adaptive filtering in transform domain is proposed in this paper. The key point is that the operation is designed so that it removes impulses while maintaining as much as possible of the frequency content of the original image. The second stage is an adaptive denoising operation based on local transform. The proposed algorithm works well in denoising images corrupted by a white (Gaussian, Laplacian, exponential) noise, impulsive noise, and their mixtures. Comparison of the new algorithm with known techniques for removing mixed noise from images shows the advantages of the new approach, both quantitatively and visually. In this paper we also apply transformbased denoising methods for removing blocking and ringing artifacts from decompressed block transform or wavelet coded images. The method is universal and applies to any compression method used. © 1999 SPIE and IS&T. [S1017-9909(99)00803-X]
Evaluation of lossless compression techniques for high-resolution RGB and CMYK color images

In the prepress industry, color images have both a high spatial and a high color resolution. Such images require a consider- able amount of storage space and impose long transmission times. Data compression is desired to reduce these storage and transmis- sion problems. Because of the high quality requirements in the pre- press industry, mostly only lossless compression is acceptable. Most existing lossless compression schemes operate on gray-scale images. In this case the color components of color images are com- pressed independently. However, higher compression ratios can be achieved by exploiting intercolor redundancies. In this paper we present a comparison of three state-of-the-art lossless compression techniques which exploit such color redundancies: intercolor error prediction and a Karhunen-Loeve transform-based technique, which are both linear color decorrelation techniques, and interframe CALIC, which uses a nonlinear approach to color decorrelation. It is shown that these techniques are able to exploit color redundancies and that color decorrelation can be done effectively and efficiently. The linear color decorrelators provide a considerable coding gain (about 2 bpp) on some typical prepress images. Surprisingly, the nonlinear interframe CALIC predictor does not yield better results. © 1999 SPIE and IS&T. (S1017-9909(99)00704-7)
Two-dimensional backscattering Mueller matrix of sphere–cylinder birefringence media

Abstract. We have developed a sphere–cylinder birefringence model (SCBM) for anisotropic media. The new model is based on a previously published sphere–cylinder scattering model (SCSM), but the spherical and cylindrical scatterers are embedded in a linearly birefringent medium. A Monte Carlo simulation program for SCBM was also developed by adding a new module to the SCSM program to take into account the effects of birefringence. Simulations of the backscattering Mueller matrix demonstrate that SCBM results in better agreement with experimental results than SCSM and is more suitable to characterize fibrous tissues such as skeletal muscle. Using Monte Carlo simulations, we also examined the characteristics of two-dimensional backscattering Mueller matrix of SCBM and analyzed the influence of linear birefringence.
African American Girls’ Ideal Dating Relationship Now and in the Future

Adolescence is a particularly important and challenging time for developing long-lasting romantic relationship patterns. However, limited empirical research has explored teen perceptions of ideal partner characteristics during adolescence or their significance to the quality of current and future relationships. Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with 33 African American high school girls to shed light on the qualities desired in their dating relationships and relational factors that influence teen dating behaviors. Guided by the Social Ecological Framework, interviews were transcribed verbatim and entered into ATLAS.ti, for coding and analysis. Girls discussed the important influence of parents in choosing a partner and provided positive depictions of friendship and marriage with a suitable partner. More research is needed to understand how and why adolescents desire particular characteristics, how socialization shapes teen perceptions, and how these preferences may be related to current and future adolescent dating choices, including violence perpetration and victimization.
Children’s Emotional and Behavioral Problems and Their Mothers’ Labor Supply

It has been documented that about 20% of children and adolescents suffer from a diagnosable mental or addictive disorder in the United States. The high prevalence of children’s emotional and behavioral problems (EBP) might have a negative effect on their mothers’ labor market outcomes because children with EBP require additional time for treatment. However, these children may require additional financial resources, which might promote mothers’ labor supply. Previous studies have only considered chronic conditions in analyzing the impact of children’s health on parental work activities. Moreover, most of these studies have not accounted for endogeneity in children’s health. This article estimates the effects of children’s EBP on their mothers’ labor supply by family structure while accounting for endogeneity in children’s health. We used the 1997 and 2002 Child Development Supplements (CDS) to the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID). We used probit and bivariate probit models to estimate mothers’ probability of employment, and tobit and instrumental variable tobit models to estimate the effects of children’s EBP on their mothers’ work hours. Findings show negative effects of children’s EBP on their married mothers’ employment and on their single mothers’ work hours.
Recommendations for Reporting Cost-effectiveness Analyses

Objective. —This article, the third in a 3-part series, describes recommendations for the reporting of cost-effective analyses (CEAs) intended to improve the quality and accessibility of CEA reports. Participants. —The Panel on Cost-Effectiveness in Health and Medicine, a nonfederal panel with expertise in CEA, clinical medicine, ethics, and health outcomes measurement, convened by the US Public Health Service. Evidence. —The panel reviewed the theoretical foundations of CEA, current practices, alternative methods, published critiques of CEAs, and criticisms of general CEA methods and reporting practices. Consensus Process. —The panel developed recommendations through 21/2 years of discussions. Comments on preliminary drafts were solicited from federal government methodologists, health agency officials, and academic methodologists. Conclusion. —These recommendations are proposed to enhance the transparency of study methods, assist analysts in providing complete information, and facilitate the presentation of comparable cost-effectiveness results across studies. Adherence to reporting conventions and attention to providing information required to understand and interpret study results will improve the relevance and accessibility of CEAs.
Concurrent video-rate color and near-infrared fluorescence laparoscopy

Abstract. The visual identification and demarcation of tumors and tumor margins remains challenging due to the low optical contrast of cancer cells over surrounding tissues. Fluorescence molecular imaging was recently considered clinically for improving cancer detection during open surgery. We present herein a next step in the development of fluorescence molecular guidance by describing a novel video-rate imaging laparoscope capable of concurrently recording color and near-infrared fluorescence images and video. Video-rate operation is based on graphics processing unit-based image processing. We examine the optical characteristics of the system developed and provide performance metrics related to intra-operative endoscopic guidance, showcased on phantoms and endoscopic color and fluorescence molecular imaging of tumors in a mouse model of the human disease.
Making formal methods practical

Despite their potential, formal methods have had difficulty gaining acceptance in the industrial sector. Some complaints are based on supposed impracticality: many consider formal methods to be an approach to system specification and analysis that requires a large learning time. Contributing to this scepticism is the fact that some types of formal methods have not yet been proven to handle systems of realistic complexity. To learn more about how to design formal specification languages that can be used for complex systems and require minimal training, we developed a formal specification of an English language specification of the vertical flight control system similar to that found in the MD-11. This paper describes the lessons learned from this experience.
Multivariate SPC for recipe preservation of batch processes

The performances of the Hotelling's T2 control chart and the squared prediction error control chart based on the multi‐way principal component analysis are evaluated for monitoring within batch process variation for the purpose of recipe preservation. A nonlinear model for simulated batch process data is provided. The model allows for cross correlation of error terms at a given time period and serial correlation of error terms across time periods. The performance characterizations of the two monitoring schemes are provided for a variety of levels of cross correlation and serial correlation. The impact of the time period at which process shifts occur is also investigated for the monitoring schemes. The T2 control chart is recommended for the cases considered. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Surface Surgery of the Nickel-Rich Cathode Material LiNi0.815Co0.15Al0.035O2: Toward a Complete and Ordered Surface Layered Structure and Better Electrochemical Properties.

A complete and ordered layered structure on the surface of LiNi0.815Co0. 15Al0.035O2 (NCA) has been achieved via a facile surface-oxidation method with Na2S2O8. The field-emission transmission electron microscopy images clearly show that preoxidation of the hydroxide precursor can eliminate the crystal defects and convert Ni(OH)2 into layered β-NiOOH, which leads to a highly ordered crystalline NCA, with its (006) planes perpendicular to the surface in the sintering process. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Raman shift results demonstrate that the contents of Ni2+ and Co2+ ions are reduced with preoxidization on the surface of the hydroxide precursor. The level of Li+/Ni2+ disordering in the modified NCA determined by the peak intensity ratio I(003)/I(104) in X-ray diffraction patterns decreases. Thanks to the complete and ordered layered structure on the surface of secondary particles, lithium ions can easily intercalate/extract in the discharging-charging process, leading to greatly improved electrochemical properties.
Quantifying the backscattering of second harmonic generation in tissues with confocal multiphoton microscopy

Abstract. The backward second harmonic generation (SHG) in mouse tissues is studied with a confocal multiphoton microscopy system. The total backward collected SHG (B-SHG) consists of the backward generated SHG and the backward-scattered forward-generated SHG (BS-SHG), which can be modeled by a Gaussian and a uniform distribution, respectively, at the confocal pinhole plane. By varying the pinhole size with a series of collection fibers, the proportion of the BS-SHG to the B-SHG and the proportion of BS-SHG to the forward generated SHG can be obtained. The approach is first validated by Monte Carlo simulation. It is then applied to two types of mouse tissues: mouse tail tendon and Achilles tendon. It is found that the BS-SHG contributes less to the B-SHG for the tail tendon than Achilles tendon with thicknesses of ∼300 μm. With the thickness of the Achilles tendon tissue increased to 1000 μm but the focal plane kept at the same depth, as high as ∼10% of the total forward SHG is backscattered and collected. The results indicate that BS-SHG may not be the major source of B-SHG in the tail tendon, but it may be the major source in the Achilles tendon. These methods and results provide a noninvasive method and supporting information for investigating the generation mechanism of SHG and help with optimizing backward SHG microscopy and spectroscopy measurements.