Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Utilization of Cervical Cancer Screening Services and Trends in Screening Positivity Rates in a ‘Screen-And-Treat’ Program Integrated with HIV/AIDS Care in Zambia

Background In the absence of stand-alone infrastructures for delivering cervical cancer screening services, efforts are underway in sub-Saharan Africa to dovetail screening with ongoing vertical health initiatives like HIV/AIDS care programs. Yet, evidence demonstrating the utilization of cervical cancer prevention services in such integrated programs by women of the general population is lacking. Methods We analyzed program operations data from the Cervical Cancer Prevention Program in Zambia (CCPPZ), the largest public sector programs of its kind in sub-Saharan Africa. We evaluated patterns of utilization of screening services by HIV serostatus, examined contemporaneous trends in screening outcomes, and used multivariable modeling to identify factors associated with screening test positivity. Results Between January 2006 and April 2011, CCPPZ services were utilized by 56,247 women who underwent cervical cancer screening with visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA), aided by digital cervicography. The proportion of women accessing these services who were HIV-seropositive declined from 54% to 23% between 2006–2010, which coincided with increasing proportions of HIV-seronegative women (from 22% to 38%) and women whose HIV serostatus was unknown (from 24% to 39%) (all p-for trend<0.001). The rates of VIA screening positivity declined from 47% to 17% during the same period (p-for trend <0.001), and this decline was consistent across all HIV serostatus categories. After adjusting for demographic and sexual/reproductive factors, HIV-seropositive women were more than twice as likely (Odds ratio 2.62, 95% CI 2.49, 2.76) to screen VIA-positive than HIV-seronegative women. Conclusions This is the first ‘real world’ demonstration in a public sector implementation program in a sub-Saharan African setting that with successful program scale-up efforts, nurse-led cervical cancer screening programs targeting women with HIV can expand and serve all women, regardless of HIV serostatus. Screening program performance can improve with adequate emphasis on training, quality control, and telemedicine-support for nurse-providers in clinical decision making.
Analysis of Human Standing Balance by Largest Lyapunov Exponent

The purpose of this research is to analyse the relationship between nonlinear dynamic character and individuals' standing balance by the largest Lyapunov exponent, which is regarded as a metric for assessing standing balance. According to previous study, the largest Lyapunov exponent from centre of pressure time series could not well quantify the human balance ability. In this research, two improvements were made. Firstly, an external stimulus was applied to feet in the form of continuous horizontal sinusoidal motion by a moving platform. Secondly, a multiaccelerometer subsystem was adopted. Twenty healthy volunteers participated in this experiment. A new metric, coordinated largest Lyapunov exponent was proposed, which reflected the relationship of body segments by integrating multidimensional largest Lyapunov exponent values. By using this metric in actual standing performance under sinusoidal stimulus, an obvious relationship between the new metric and the actual balance ability was found in the majority of the subjects. These results show that the sinusoidal stimulus can make human balance characteristics more obvious, which is beneficial to assess balance, and balance is determined by the ability of coordinating all body segments.
Towards Usable Analysis, Design and Modeling Tools

In this paper, we discuss the issues preventing adoption of analysis, design and modeling (AMD) software development tools. We argue that AMD tools are experiencing the same problems observed with UI tools in the past. We recall those problems and outline the major developments that AMD tools should focus to achieve stronger market acceptance, in particular we argue that such an acceptance will only be possible with a new generation of developer-centric tools that clearly support UI specific activities.
When cloud computing meets with Semantic Web: A new design for e-portfolio systems in the social media era

The need, use, benefit and potential of e-portfolios have been analysed and discussed by a substantial body of researchers in the education community. However, the development and implementation approaches of e-portfolios to date have faced with various challenges and limitations.This paper presents a new approach of an e-portfolio system design based on Private‐Public (PrPl) data index system, which integrates cloud computing applications and storages with Semantic Web architecture, making semantic web-based visualisation and advanced intelligent search possible. It also discusses how thedistinctiveattributesof thePrPl-baseddigitalassetmanagementsystemcanserveas a large-scale robust e-portfolio system that can address issues with scalability, sustainability,adoptabilityandinteroperability.Withsuchanewdistinctivedesign,alarge-scale deployment at a state or national level becomes possible at a very cost-effective manner and also such large-scale deployment with intelligent digital asset management and search features create numerous opportunities in education.
Characterization of the gcd gene from Escherichia coli K-12 W3110 and regulation of its expression

DNA sequence and expressional analyses of the gcd gene of Escherichia coli K-12 W3110 revealed that two promoters that were detected were regulated negatively by cyclic AMP and positively by oxygen. Sequence conservation of the gcd gene between E. coli K-12 W3110 and PPA42 suggests that glucose dehydrogenase is required for the E. coli cells, even though it ordinarily exists as an apoprotein.
The Silencing the Self Scale: Schemas of Intimacy Associated With Depression in Women

The Silencing the Self Scale (STSS), derived from a longitudinal study of clinically depressed women, measures specific schemas about how to make and maintain intimacy hypothesized to be associated with depression in women. To assess its psychometric properties, the STSS was administered with the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) to three samples of women: college students (n = 63), residents in battered women's shelters (n = 140), and mothers (n = 270) (of 4-month-old infants) who abused cocaine during pregnancy. The STSS had a high degree of internal consistency and test–retest reliability and was significantly correlated with the BDI in all three samples.
Aquatic antiques: Swimming off this mortal coil?

In recent years it has become widely accepted that one of the greatest demographic challenges facing most developed societies is the shift to an ageing population. Older people are often constructed as dependent and over-burdening societal resources, with many consequently experiencing marginalization, discrimination and social isolation. Public health messages, promoted through various national and international policies, suggest that physical activity may be a ‘solution’ to the ‘problem’ of becoming elderly. This article draws on the stories of Masters swimmers, all aged over 60, identifying the enabling and constraining factors influencing their involvement in this sport. The findings suggest that, for those with sufficient capital, swimming enables a challenge to perceptions of the burden and dependency of older people. In particular, swimming facilitates the development of a socially desirable identity, and is used as a form of resistance to the stigma of an ageing body. However, it is possible that this reinforces an individualistic healthist discourse and simultaneously reproduces the privileges of youth and social class.
Ternary Tree Optimalization for n-gram Indexing

N-gram indexing is used in many practical applications. Spam detection, plagiarism detection or comparison of DNA reads. There are many data structures that can be used for this purpose, each with different characteristics. In this article the ternary search tree data structure is used. One improvement of ternary tree that can save up to 43% of required memory is introduced. In the second part new data structure, named ternary forest, is proposed. Efficiency of ternary forest is tested and compared to ternary search tree and two-level indexing ternary search tree.
Introgressive hybridization of human and rodent schistosome parasites in western Kenya

Hybridization and introgression can have important consequences for the evolution, ecology and epidemiology of pathogenic organisms. We examined the dynamics of hybridization between a trematode parasite of humans, Schistosoma mansoni, and its sister species, S. rodhaini, a rodent parasite, in a natural hybrid zone in western Kenya. Using microsatellite markers, rDNA and mtDNA, we showed that hybrids between the two species occur in nature, are fertile and produce viable offspring through backcrosses with S. mansoni. Averaged across collection sites, individuals of hybrid ancestry comprised 7.2% of all schistosomes collected, which is a large proportion given that one of the parental species, S. rodhaini, comprised only 9.1% of the specimens. No F1 individuals were collected and all hybrids represented backcrosses with S. mansoni that were of the first or successive generations. The direction of introgression appears highly asymmetric, causing unidirectional gene flow from the rodent parasite, S. rodhaini, to the human parasite, S. mansoni. Hybrid occurrence was seasonal and most hybrids were collected during the month of September over a 2‐year period, a time when S. rodhaini was also abundant. We also examined the sex ratios and phenotypic differences between the hybrids and parental species, including the number of infective stages produced in the snail host and the time of day the infective stages emerge. No statistical differences were found in any of these characteristics, and most of the hybrids showed an emergence pattern similar to that of S. mansoni. One individual, however, showed a bimodal emergence pattern that was characteristic of both parental species. In conclusion, these species maintain their identity despite hybridization, although introgression may cause important alterations of the biology and epidemiology of schistosomiasis in this region.
Detecting Metaphorical Phrases in the Polish Language

In this paper we describe experiments with automated detection of metaphors in the Polish language. We focus our analysis on noun phrases composed of an adjective and a noun, and distinguish three types of expressions: with literal sense, with metaphorical sense, and expressions both literal and methaphorical (context-dependent). We propose a method of automatically recognizing expression type using word embeddings and neural networks. We evaluate multiple neural network architectures and demonstrate that the method significantly outperforms strong baselines.
Developing a Teacher Trainees? Democratic Values scale: Validity and reliability analyses

Our purpose in this study was to develop a Teacher Trainees’ Democratic Values Scale (TTDVS) related to educational life. The TTDVS was determined by using factor analysis, which was conducted with 979 participants. The scale is composed of 24 items grouped into 3 subscales, which can be combined into a main scale. The study results showed that the TTDVS has an identifiable factor structure and it is a reliable and valid scale.
Shape retaining injectable hydrogels for minimally invasive bulking.

PURPOSE Particle migration, poor shape definition and/or rapid resorption limit the success of current urethral bulking agents. We propose that shape defining porous scaffolds that allow cell infiltration and anchoring, and may be delivered in a minimally invasive manner may provide many advantageous features. MATERIALS AND METHODS Alginate hydrogels were prepared with varying degrees of covalent cross-linking and different pore characteristics. Dehydrated scaffolds were compressed into smaller, temporary forms, introduced into the dorsal subcutaneous space of CD-1 mice by minimally invasive delivery through a 10 gauge angiocatheter and rehydrated in situ with a saline solution delivered through the same catheter. Ionically cross-linked calcium alginate gel served as a control. Specimens were harvested at 2, 6, 12 and 24 weeks to evaluate implant shape retention and volume, cell infiltration and calcification, and the presence of an inflammatory response. RESULTS A total of 90 scaffolds were implanted and 95% were recovered at the site of injection. All of these scaffolds successfully rehydrated and 80% recovered and maintained their original 3-dimensional shape for 6 months. Scaffold volume and tissue infiltration varied depending on the degree of alginate cross-linking. Highly cross-linked materials (20% and 35%) demonstrated the best volume maintenance with the latter facilitating the most tissue infiltration. The inflammatory response was minimal except with the 80% cross-linked material. Calcification was not observed in covalently cross-linked scaffolds. In contrast, 98% of calcium alginate implants were calcified. CONCLUSIONS Shape retaining porous hydrogels meet many of the requirements necessary for a successful injectable bulking agent and offer advantages over currently used agents.
Texture Inpainting Using Efficient Gaussian Conditional Simulation

Inpainting consists in computing a plausible completion of missing parts of an image given the available content. In the restricted framework of texture images, the image can be seen as a realization of a random field model, which gives a stochastic formulation of image inpainting: on the masked exemplar one estimates a random texture model which can then be conditionally sampled in order to fill the hole. In this paper is proposed an instance of such stochastic inpainting methods, dealing in particular with the case of Gaussian textures. First, a simple procedure is proposed for estimating a Gaussian texture model based on a masked exemplar, which, although quite naive, gives sufficient results for our inpainting purpose. Next, the conditional sampling step is solved with the traditional algorithm for Gaussian conditional simulation. The main difficulty of this step is to solve a very large linear system, which, in the case of stationary Gaussian textures, can be done efficiently with a conjugate gradien.
The Efficacy of Daily Bathing with Chlorhexidine for Reducing Healthcare-Associated Bloodstream Infections: A Meta-analysis

Design. Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials and quasi-experimental studies to assess the efficacy of daily bathing with chlorhexidine (CHG) for prevention of healthcare-associated bloodstream infections (BSIs). Setting. Medical, surgical, trauma, and combined medical-surgical intensive care units (ICUs) and long-term acute care hospitals. Participants. Inpatients. Methods. Data on patient population, diagnostic criteria for BSIs, form and concentration of topical CHG, incidence of BSIs, and study design were extracted. Results. One randomized controlled trial and 11 nonrandomized controlled trials reporting a total of 137,392 patient-days met the inclusion criteria; 291 patients in the CHG arm developed a BSI over 67,775 patient-days, compared with 557 patients in the control arm over 69,617 catheter-days. CHG bathing resulted in a reduced incidence of BSIs: the pooled odds ratio using a random-effects model was 0.44 (95% confidence interval, 0.33–0.59; P< .00001). Statistical heterogeneity was moderate, with an I 2 of 58%. For the subgroup of studies that examined central line–associated BSIs, the odds ratio was 0.40 (95% confidence interval, 0.27–0.59). Conclusions. Daily bathing with CHG reduced the incidence of BSIs, including central line-associated BSIs, among patients in the medical ICU. Further studies are recommended to determine the optimal frequency, method of application, and concentration of CHG as well as the comparative effectiveness of this strategy relative to other preventive measures available for reducing BSIs. Future studies should also examine the efficacy of daily CHG bathing in non-ICU populations at risk for BSI. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2012;33(3):257-267
Novel Biochemical Markers of Psychosocial Stress in Women

Background Prolonged psychosocial stress is a condition assessed through self-reports. Here we aimed to identify biochemical markers for screening and early intervention in women. Methods Plasma concentrations of interleukin (IL) 1-α, IL1-β, IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, interferon-γ (INF-γ), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1), epidermal growth factor (EGF), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), total tri-iodothyronine (TT3), total thyroxine (TT4), prolactin, and testosterone were measured in: 195 women on long-term sick-leave for a stress-related affective disorder, 45 women at risk for professional burnout, and 84 healthy women. Results We found significantly increased levels of MCP-1, VEGF and EGF in women exposed to prolonged psychosocial stress. Statistical analysis indicates that they independently associate with a significant risk for being classified as ill. Conclusions MCP-1, EGF, and VEGF are potential markers for screening and early intervention in women under prolonged psychosocial stress.
Large-Scale Multimodal Gesture Segmentation and Recognition Based on Convolutional Neural Networks

This paper presents an effective method for continuous gesture recognition. The method consists of two modules: segmentation and recognition. In the segmentation module, a continuous gesture sequence is segmented into isolated gesture sequences by classifying the frames into gesture frames and transitional frames using two stream convolutional neural networks. In the recognition module, our method exploits the spatiotemporal information embedded in RGB and depth sequences. For the depth modality, our method converts a sequence into Dynamic Images and Motion Dynamic Images through rank pooling and input them to Convolutional Neural Networks respectively. For the RGB modality, our method adopts Convolutional LSTM Networks to learn long-term spatiotemporal features from short-term spatiotemporal features obtained by a 3D convolutional neural network. Our method has been evaluated on ChaLearn LAP Large-scale Continuous Gesture Dataset and achieved the state-of-the-art performance.
The MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery, part 2: co-norming and standardization.

OBJECTIVE The consensus cognitive battery developed by the National Institute of Mental Health's (NIMH's) Measurement and Treatment Research to Improve Cognition in Schizophrenia (MATRICS) initiative includes 10 independently developed tests that are recommended as the standard battery for clinical trials of cognition-enhancing interventions for schizophrenia. To facilitate interpretation of results from the MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery using a common scaling across tests, normative data were obtained from a single representative U.S. community sample with the battery administered as a unit. METHOD The MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery was administered to 300 individuals from the general community at five sites in differing geographic regions. For each site, recruitment was stratified by age, gender, and education. A scientific survey sampling method was used to help avoid sampling bias. The battery was administered in a standard order to each participant in a single session lasting approximately 60 minutes. Descriptive data were generated, and age, gender, and education effects on performance were examined. RESULTS Prominent age and education effects were observed across tests. The results for gender differed by measure, suggesting the need for age and gender corrections in clinical trials. The MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery components were co-normed, with allowance for demographic corrections. CONCLUSIONS Co-norming a battery such as the MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery, comprising tests from independent test developers each with their own set of norms, facilitates valid interpretation of test scores and communication of findings across studies. These normative data will aid in estimating the magnitude of change during clinical trials of cognition-enhancing agents and make it possible to derive more directly interpretable composite scores.
A Phased Approach to Researching With Young Children: Lessons From Singapore and Beyond

Research Findings: Research with young children is a complex enterprise and often fraught with ethical and practical dilemmas. This paper seeks to discuss the experience of an Australian early childhood academic undertaking research with children 3 to 6 years of age. It draws upon a series of projects that examine young children's standpoints on quality indicators for their prior-to-school setting experiences and the methodologies that provided a framework for a successful research design. Practice or Policy: Focusing on a phased approach first piloted in Singapore, the paper examines some of the ethical and practical considerations, using a continuum process for supporting the active participation of young children in research. This is proposed as a useful tool for experienced and novice researchers seeking a guide to the processes for undertaking this type of research.
Summer Doesn't Reverse Freshman Year Body Weight and Fat Gains in Female College Students

College students, especially females, gain weight their freshman year. Yet, what happens after this first year? This study's purposes were to compare changes and rates of change in weight, body mass index (BMI), body composition (percent body fat, fat mass, fat free mass) and waist circumference between the freshman academic year and the following summer among female college students. Summer weight change also was compared between those who gained versus those who lost weight over the academic year. Participants included 237 females recruited at the beginning of the fresh- man year. Height and weight were measured using standard anthropometric techniques. Body composition was measured using bioelectrical impedance analysis; waist circumference was measured using a body scanner. Assessments were per- formed during the freshman (beginning and end) and sophomore (beginning) years. Weight gain for the 237 females dur- ing the academic year was 1.4 kg with an average 0.1 kg loss over the summer. Rates of change and increases in weight, BMI, body composition, and waist circumference were significantly higher over the academic year than the summer. When only those 162 participants who gained weight over the academic year were considered, academic year weight gain averaged 2.8 + 2.3 kg, but only -0.3 + 1.7 kg were lost over the summer. Weight change was significantly correlated with waist circumference change. Weight gained by college freshmen over the academic year was not lost over the summer. Weight gain was accompanied by unhealthy gains in percent body fat, fat mass, and waist circumference.