CERVIS: Cervical Cancer Early Response Visual Identification System

The goal of CERVIS is to make a substantial, positive impact in the cervical cancer screening space through the development of a minimally invasive, cost effective solution that enables women in low-resource settings to test for cervical cancer on a frugal and effective platform. In the developed world, there are a variety of options that can aid in early detection, including Pap smears. However, due to the high cost and laboratory requirements that accompany this procedure, women in low-resource settings rarely have access to this preventative care or regular screenings for cervical cancer. Using new research about the changes in the vaginal microbiome, CERVIS aims to create a frugal, visual diagnostic screening tool for early stage cervical cancer as an alternative to the existing expensive, invasive, and clinic-dependent methods. Outcomes will be measured by partnering with a Kenyan NGO to collect data from several clinics

A study of the health services for elementary school children provided by state departments in Massachusetts.

Thesis (Ed.M.)--Boston Universit

Comorbid depression and risk of lower extremity amputation in people with diabetes: systematic review and metaanalysis

Objective: To compare the risk of lower extremity amputation (LEA) in people with diabetes with and without comorbid depression. Research design and methods: A systematic review of the published literature was conducted. Six databases were searched including PubMed, CINAHL, EMBASE, Medline, the Cochrane Library and PsycARTICLES from inception to 22 June 2016, using a detailed search strategy and cross-checking of reference lists for potentially eligible studies published in English. No date restrictions were employed. All studies were reviewed independently for inclusion by two review authors. Data extraction was performed using a standardized data abstraction form, and study quality was assessed independently by two reviewers. A meta-analysis was performed reporting pooled hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% CIs in Review Manager software. Results: In total, seven studies were eligible for inclusion in the systematic review. Data on 767 997 patients from five studies were included in the meta-analysis. Pooled estimates across the studies were obtained using a random-effects model due to significant heterogeneity (I2=87%). People with diabetes and depression had an increased hazard of LEA (HR 1.76, 95% CI 1.19 to 2.60) compared to people with diabetes and no depression. Conclusions: Based on the available evidence, comorbid depression appears to increase the risk of LEA in people with diabetes. Limited data were available, however, with significant heterogeneity between studies. Further research is needed to inform intervention and clinical practice development in the management of diabetes

Presenting the SWTC: A Symbolic Corpus of Themes from John Williams’ Star Wars Episodes I-IX

This paper presents a new symbolic corpus of musical themes from the complete Star Wars trilogies (Episodes I-IX) by John Williams. The corpus files are made available in multiple formats (.krn, .sib., and .musicxml) and include melodic, harmonic, and formal information. The Star Wars Thematic Corpus (SWTC) contains a total of 64 distinctive, recurring, and symbolically meaningful themes and motifs, commonly referred to as leitmotifs. Through this corpus we also introduce a new humdrum standard for non-functional harmony encodings, **harte (Harte et al., 2005; Harte, 2010). This report details the motivation, describes the transcription and encoding processes, and provides some brief summary statistics. While relatively small in scale, the SWTC represents a unified collection from one of the most prolific and influential composers of the 20th and 21st centuries, and the under-studied subset of film and multimedia musical material in general. We hope the SWTC will provide insights into John Williams’ compositional style, as well as prove useful in comparisons against other thematic corpora from film and beyond

Peroxi-electrocoagulation for Treatment of Trace Organic Compounds and Natural Organic Matter at Neutral pH

Iron-based oxidation technologies can be advantageous for mitigating trace organic compounds (TOrCs) during water and wastewater treatment due to their production of hydroxyl radicals. However, iron-based oxidation often occurs at acidic pH to promote Fenton\u27s reaction, which limits the processes\u27 feasibility for treatment applications. This study focused on utilizing iron-electrocoagulation (EC) paired with ex situ H2O2 addition (peroxi-electrocoagulation [EC:H2O2]) to promote oxidative reactions at neutral pH conditions. The hydroxyl radical probe para-chlorobenzoic acid (pCBA) was used to gauge oxidant activity and serve as a representative TOrC. The impact of water pH, current density, iron dose, H2O2 dose (i.e., [H2O2]initial/[Fe2+]generated ratio), and the presence of natural organic matter (NOM) were evaluated. Multivariable regressions showed that high levels of H2O2 relative to iron (i.e., [H2O2]initial/[Fe2+]generated ratio \u3e0.7) inhibited the rate of pCBA oxidation, likely due to additional radical quenching from extra H2O2. Oxidation of pCBA was confirmed at neutral pH conditions, indicating that EC:H2O2 may potentially serve as a multi-mechanistic treatment technology capable of oxidation. Experiments were also conducted in real-world water samples to gauge EC:H2O2 applications for treating groundwater, river water, and primary treated wastewater. Overall, H2O2 addition enhanced the oxidative degradation of TOrCs while still removing NOM. The one exception was the primary effluent sample, which had the highest degree of oxidant scavenging of all matrices tested. The electrical energy per order (EEO) metric demonstrated that EC:H2O2 is competitive with other TOrC oxidation technologies, with the added benefit of NOM mitigation in the same unit process

The Development of CERVIS: Cervical cancer Early Response Visual Identification System

The goal of CERVIS is to make a substantial, positive impact in the cervical cancer diagnostic space through the development of a minimally invasive, cost effective solution that enables women in low-resource settings to test for cervical cancer on a frugal and effective platform. In the developed world, there are a variety of options that can aid in early detection, including pap smears. However, due to the high cost and laboratory requirements that accompany this procedure, women in low-resource settings rarely have access to this preventative care or regular screenings for cervical cancer. Using new research about the changes in the vaginal microbiome, we aim to create a frugal, visual diagnostic screening tool for early stage cervical cancer as an alternative to the existing expensive, invasive, and clinic-dependent methods. Outcomes will be measured by partnering with a Kenyan NGO to collect data from several clinics

Using Rapid Reviews in Nursing and Midwifery Research: An Example From a Study Commissioned to Inform Policy-Making

Aim: To illustrate the potential use of rapid review approaches in nursing and midwifery research by presenting a worked example from a study conducted to inform policy decision making. Background: Rapid reviews, which can be defined as outputs of a knowledge synthesis approach that involves modifying or omitting elements of a systematic review process due to limited time or resources, are becoming increasingly popular in health research. This paper provides guidance on how a rapid review can be undertaken and discusses the strengths and challenges of the approach. Data source and research design: Data from a rapid review of the literature undertaken in 2015 is used as a worked example to highlight one method of undertaking a rapid review. Implications for nursing: Seeking evidence to inform health policy making or evidence based practice is a process that can be limited by time constraints, making it difficult to conduct comprehensive systematic reviews

The perceptions of key stakeholders of the roles of specialist and advanced nursing and midwifery practitioners

Aim: To explore the perceptions of key stakeholders of the roles of specialist and advanced nursing and midwifery practitioners. Background: There is evidence that the contribution of these roles to patient care is poorly understood. Design: This research took place over 2 months in 2015 and is part of a larger study involving a rapid review to inform policy development on the specialist and advanced nursing and midwifery practice in Ireland. As an added value, a qualitative element involving thematic analysis was undertaken with key stakeholders. Methods: A phenomenological qualitative study was conducted incorporating semistructured interviews with key stakeholders (n = 15). Purposive sampling with maximum diversity was used to recruit a wide range of perspectives. Findings: Participant’s perspectives led to seven themes: Impact of these roles; role preparation, experience and organizational support; specialist and advanced practice roles in an interdisciplinary context; different folks but not such different roles; impact of specialist and advanced practice roles on patient outcomes; barriers and facilitators to enacting specialist and advanced practice roles; future development of these roles. Conclusion: There is acknowledgement of the positive impact of specialist and advanced practitioners; however, the evidence is currently not conclusive. Preparation for these roles needs to reflect changes in the calibre of today’s professional applicants, and organizational support is paramount to their successful execution. The contribution of their activity to patient outcome needs to be made visible to enhance these roles and to justify the development of new roles across a variety of healthcare areas