How to screen for domestic violence against women in primary health care centers

Background: Violence against women is a major public health problem. Primary health care workers are involved in both detection and management of violence. Screening of women for violence is an important tool for early detection and prevention of violence through a valid and accepted screening tool.Objectives: The purpose of this study was to identify the main elements and characteristics of a violence screening tool that can be used in primary health care centers.Methods: An observational cross-sectional study was carried out in primary health care centers located in two randomly selected health regions in Kuwait. The study involved all available physicians (210) and nurses (464) in the selected centers. The overall response rate was 54.3%. A selfadministrative questionnaire was used for data collection.Results: Physicians favored an indirect question about violence (79.7%), while a question about feeling safe (83.6%) was suggested by nurses. The most frequently suggested method was searching for signs of violence. The majority of both nurses (82.4%) and physicians (82.0%) suggested physicians to carry out the screening process for domestic violence against women. The primary health care level was suggested to be in charge of screening for violence by 88.7% of nurses and 82.0% of physicians. Both  nurses and physicians agreed that the examination should be carried out in complete privacy (95.0% and 91.4%), by an examiner of the same sex (89.1% and 89.8%), and not allowing a relative of the victim to attend the screening (85.3% and 78.9%). Opportunistic screening was preferred by both physicians (69.5%) and nurses (87.8%) when manifestations of violence are noticed.Conclusion: A short tool containing a question about safety and looking for signs of violence administered by a physician on opportunistic basis in the primary health care centers in complete privacy was suggested for screening of women.Keywords: Screening; Tool; Violence; Women; Primary Cente

A Bayesian interpretation of the particle swarm optimization and its kernel extension

Particle swarm optimization is a popular method for solving difficult optimization problems. There have been attempts to formulate the method in formal probabilistic or stochastic terms (e.g. bare bones particle swarm) with the aim to achieve more generality and explain the practical behavior of the method. Here we present a Bayesian interpretation of the particle swarm optimization. This interpretation provides a formal framework for incorporation of prior knowledge about the problem that is being solved. Furthermore, it also allows to extend the particle optimization method through the use of kernel functions that represent the intermediary transformation of the data into a different space where the optimization problem is expected to be easier to be resolved–such transformation can be seen as a form of prior knowledge about the nature of the optimization problem. We derive from the general Bayesian formulation the commonly used particle swarm methods as particular cases

Geographic variation in breeding system and environment predicts melanin-based plumage ornamentation of male and female Kentish plovers

Sexual selection determines the elaboration of morphological and behavioural traits and thus drives the evolution of phenotypes. Sexual selection on males and females can differ between populations, especially when populations exhibit different breeding systems. A substantial body of literature describes how breeding systems shape ornamentation across species, with a strong emphasis on male ornamentation and female preference. However, whether breeding system predicts ornamentation within species and whether similar mechanisms as in males also shape the phenotype of females remains unclear. Here, we investigate how different breeding systems are associated with male and female ornamentation in five geographically distinct populations of Kentish plovers Charadrius alexandrinus. We predicted that polygamous populations would exhibit more elaborate ornaments and stronger sexual dimorphism than monogamous populations. By estimating the size and intensity of male (n = 162) and female (n = 174) melanin-based plumage ornaments, i.e. breast bands and ear coverts, we show that plumage ornamentation is predicted by breeding system in both sexes. A difference in especially male ornamentation between polygamous (darker and smaller ornaments) and monogamous (lighter and larger) populations causes the greatest sexual dimorphism to be associated with polygamy. The non-social environment, however, may also influence the degree of ornamentation, for instance through availability of food. We found that, in addition to breeding system, a key environmental parameter, rainfall, predicted a seasonal change of ornamentation in a sex-specific manner. Our results emphasise that to understand the phenotype of animals, it is important to consider both natural and sexual selection acting on both males and females