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At least 415 records · Page 23Linked to original sources
PubMed2003

Dynamics of the evolution of learning algorithms by selection.

We study the evolution of artificial learning systems by means of selection. Genetic programming is used to generate populations of programs that implement algorithms used by neural network classifiers to learn a rule in a supervised learning scenario. In contrast to concentrating on final results, which would be the natural aim while designing good learning algorithms, we study the evolution process. Phenotypic and genotypic entropies, which describe the distribution of fitness and of symbols, respectively, are used to monitor the dynamics. We identify significant functional structures responsible for the improvements in the learning process. In particular, some combinations of variables and operators are useful in assessing performance in rule extraction and can thus implement annealing of the learning schedule. We also find combinations that can signal surprise, measured on a single example, by the difference between predicted and correct classification. When such favorable structures appear, they are disseminated on very short time scales throughout the population. Due to such abruptness they can be thought of as dynamical transitions. But foremost, we find a strict temporal order of such discoveries. Structures that measure performance are never useful before those for measuring surprise. Invasions of the population by such structures in the reverse order were never observed. Asymptotically, the generalization ability approaches Bayesian results.

Algorithms↗
PubMed1995

Project document drafted to revitalize population education.

In the pipeline is the recently developed draft project document aimed at revitalizing and strengthening the population education in the country. It is now under review and approval. To reactivate the population education program, the project calls for the issuance of an Executive Order by the Department of Education, Culture and Sports to create a national Population Education Center and the establishment of 15 Regional Population Education Offices and 133 population education desks at the divisional level. This institutional network will ensure the nationwide implementation of population education program. It will also update and revise some existing curricula and develop new teaching/learning materials for kindergarten, elementary and university level as well as packages for learners and fieldworkers of nonformal education. The first baseline activities to accomplish this are to review the existing curricula for population education messages from kindergarten to grade 11 and university level as well as a survey to determine population learning needs of pupils and teachers from kindergarten to university level. The project will also go into training and re-training of project staff, trainers at national and regional levels, 2000 new teachers and 1000 formerly trained teachers and 17 documentation/library assistants. Strengthening of its Documentation Center and setting up to an information network will also be undertaken. Thus, by the end of the project, it is envisaged that about half a million students and 2500 educators would have increased their knowledge and developed positive attitudes towards population-related concepts.

Asia↗
PubMed1998

Human contact with bait containing vaccine for control of rabies in wildlife.

OBJECTIVE: To document the number of human contacts with bait containing liquid vaccinia-rabies glycoprotein (V-RG) vaccine, to evaluate factors that might affect human contact with bait-vaccine units, and to summarize adverse reactions in people after contact with vaccine. DESIGN: Retrospective 4-year survey of directors of 6 oral rabies vaccination programs. SAMPLE POPULATION: Human residents in areas of vaccination programs. PROCEDURE: Data were collected from report forms and telephone conversations with directors of oral rabies vaccination programs in Florida, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Texas, and New York. Data collected included information regarding human contact with bait and vaccine, sex and age of person involved in contact, human population density, bait density, type of labeling used on bait, and other factors. RESULTS: Human contact with bait was more likely in areas where bait had white labels (vs lettering in black ink) and in areas with high human population densities. Directors of all programs reported that human contact with bait-vaccine units was minimal. Adverse reactions in exposed people were not reported. On the basis of these findings, concerns about V-RG vaccine posing a substantial public health risk remain unfounded. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Directors of oral rabies vaccination programs should systematically collect information about exposures and potential factors affecting exposure of people to bait-vaccine units. People with substantial exposure to V-RG vaccine should be evaluated for immune status and any resulting symptoms should be documented and monitored.

Animals↗
PubMed1985

[Basic theoretical and methodological principles of developing a population and housing census program in the People's Republic of Bulgaria in 1985].

"Proceeding from the Marxist approach to the relation between population and social development, a significantly broader theoretical model of studying the population by means of the forthcoming [Bulgarian] census is justified." The model includes demographic, educational, and socioeconomic aspects, as well as labor force activity. The collection of data by means of sample surveys is assessed, with a focus on areas concerning fertility and reproductive behavior, migration, labor needs and resources, health, and the social system. (summary in ENG, RUS)

Bulgaria↗
PubMed1993

Helping hospitalized smokers quit: new directions for treatment and research.

To date, relatively little work has been done to develop or evaluate effective inpatient quit-smoking treatment programs. However, there is growing interest in programs that motivate and assist the hospitalized smoker to quit smoking and remain abstinent. This article presents the rationale for hospital-based smoking treatment programs and introduces a practical minimal-contact treatment model based on extensive studies of primary-care-based and self-help interventions, on a limited number of inpatient studies, and on several prominent theories of health behavior change. Recent controlled and exploratory studies of inpatient interventions are reviewed, including programs for the general medical population and programs for special patient groups such as patients hospitalized for cardiovascular disease, pulmonary disease, cancer, and drug or alcohol dependency. Major findings are summarized, and recommendations are given for future treatment and research.

Follow-Up Studies↗
PubMed2002

Prescribing practices in a population-based HIV postexposure prophylaxis program.

OBJECTIVES: To characterize factors associated with being prescribed triple or double postexposure prophylaxis (PEP) against HIV in a population-based program. METHODS: Individuals potentially exposed to HIV received a 5 day starter kit of either double or triple antiretroviral PEP between April 1999 and November 2000 and did/did not receive the remaining 23 days PEP. Data were collected through dispensation of kits. Logistic regression identified characteristics independently associated with being prescribed triple therapy starter kits and with any 23 day follow-up. RESULTS: Of 2064 people receiving 5 day PEP [403 (20%) triple and 1661 (80%) double], 590 (29%) received 23 day follow-up. Independently associated with being prescribed triple therapy starter kits were being male [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) 1.38; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.10-1.74; P = 0.006), occupational mucocutaneous injuries (AOR 1.70; 95% CI, 1.14-2.55; P = 0.010), and community needlesticks (AOR 2.04; 95% CI, 1.54-2.69; P < 0.001). Independently associated with being prescribed the 23 day follow-up were being male (AOR 1.24; 95% CI, 1.00-1.53; P = 0.04), community mucocutaneous incidents (AOR 2.83; 95% CI, 1.41-5.70; P = 0.004), community needlesticks (AOR 1.75; 95% CI, 1.33-2.29; P < 0.001), and having received triple therapy as the starter kit (AOR 2.61; 95% CI, 2.07-3.29; P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Being prescribed triple therapy starter PEP was associated with being male and with experiencing an occupational mucocutaneous or community needlestick injury. Receiving the remaining 23 days PEP was associated with being male, experiencing a community mucocutaneous or needlestick injury, and triple therapy as the initial 5 day starter PEP.

Accidents↗
PubMed1982

Performance of a level II nursery in a neonatal regional program: part I. Patient population and role of the general pediatrician.

We examined the performance of a level II nursery in a regional neonatal program during a 30-month period. Of 3,851 live-born infants, 527 (13.7%) were admitted to the special care nursery and 70 (1.8%) were transferred to a level III nursery. There were 23 neonatal deaths, ten of them in the level II facility; the other 13 infants had been transferred to a level III center and died there. Three hundred eleven (59%) of the admissions to the special care nursery were infants whose birth weights exceeded 2,500 gm, and 241 (46%) were of more than 37 weeks' gestation. There were 262 infants admitted with respiratory distress. In an additional 55 infants, respiratory distress was part of their clinical presentation. Procedures done by the professional staff reflected these needs. A total of 3,476 days of care were provided in the special care nursery, with a mean duration of 6.6 +/- 5.91 days (+/- 1 SD). Physician time required in the special care unit was 2,317.3 hours, an average of 4.4 hours per admission. These data support the contention that general pediatricians operating level II nurseries within a regionalized program can provide care of the majority of newborns, including care of the majority of ill neonates.

Georgia↗
PubMed1967

Health, population, and economic development. International health programs have an important role in promoting economic development and population control.

Health as a basic human value is particularly important to people in the developing world. Rates of economic development lower than had been hoped for and ever more steeply rising population growth have precipitated a reaction against public health programs. Among economists, agriculturalists, and even health professionals the philosophy arose that one should "hold back" on using modern weapons against disease because they are "too effective." To satisfy the recognized popular demand, simple and relatively ineffective measures of curative medicine could be substituted. It was said that the emphasis should be, instead, on agriculture, community development, education, and industrialization and that family planning should be pushed as a separate program. Documentation presented here sharply challenges such a point of view. No segment of the total development process can be effective without the other sectors.

Demography↗
PubMed2006

Prevention of lysosomal storage disorders in Israel.

Prevention programs for the detection of heterozygotes of relatively prevalent autosomal recessive diseases in various ethnic groups are available in recent years in Israel. Several lysosomal storage disorders (LSD) are included in this program. The goal of the program is the ascertainment of high risk couples before the birth of affected offspring. This is performed by a population screening program that addresses the specific needs and requirements of various population groups in Israel. The programs are supervised and designed by medical/clinical geneticists and are accompanied by genetic counseling prior to and after testing. Three types of population screening programs are in operation. The first type is offered to the general population and is directed to premarital and married couples. High risk families mostly opt for prenatal diagnosis. The second type is performed for diseases with a frequency of about 1:1000. This occurrence is common in Israel only in various Arab communities due to the high rate of consanguinity. The third type is a premarital screening performed by the Orthodox Jewish community and is operated by a nonprofit organization--"Dor Yeshorim". Two heterozygotes for a particular disease are advised not to proceed with the marriage and thus avoid the dilemma of prenatal diagnosis. Founder mutations of the relevant genes for each ethnic group are tested and the testing is tailored for each individual according to his/her ethnic background. Genetic counseling presents family planning options to high risk couples. These programs have resulted in a significant reduction in the birth of affected patients of the tested LSD a well as other recessive diseases in recent years.

Genetic Carrier Screening↗
PubMed1990

LINKERS: a simulation programming system for generating populations with genetic structure.

Significant features are described of a Monte Carlo simulation system, LINKERS, that generates nuclear family data conforming to one locus and two loci genetic models. Software engineering techniques help to produce a user friendly environment for studies of genetic ascertainment. LINKERS' 39 code modules are maintained and optimized using VAXset. Within a VAX/VMS workstation environment LINKERS generates a useful population of 10,000 families in 1 min. An example is presented to illustrate the use of LINKERS. Generated data were analysed using the segregation program POINTER. Likelihood ratio tests showed the effects of multiple alleles, gene frequency and incorrect specification of disease prevalence.

Computer Simulation↗
PubMed1985

[Value of the analysis of new cases of arterial hypertension in an organized population for the purpose of planning primary prevention programs].

Within the framework of the 5-year program for the control of arterial hypertension, "detriment" to the population program caused by the lack of preventive work among the so-called healthy portion of the population was estimated at a Moscow machine-building plant. The proportion of patients in whom arterial hypertension was successfully reduced or controlled was matched against the proportion of those whose arterial BP went up above the normal or marginal level during the same period. The study demonstrated the possibility of identifying high-risk individuals in need of primary preventive care within a population, and timely and purposive planning of preventive programs.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Developing innovative programs for unique student populations.

BACKGROUND: Optometric education has been faced with ever-increasing expectations. These include the ability to educate students and practitioners to care for new patient populations, deal with more diverse and complex clinical problems, to be significant participants in the research community and to fulfill leadership positions within the profession. To fulfill this expectation, schools and colleges need to diversify their program offerings to attract and educate unique student populations who come from diverse backgrounds and bring a range of pre-existing knowledge and skills. RESULTS: This paper provides an overview of The New England College of Optometry's efforts in this area and two programs, the "Advanced Standing International Program" and the "Accelerated Doctor of Optometry Degree Program," are examined in detail. An emphasis is placed on outcomes assessment to ensure the programs are fulfilling their purpose and the results of a retrospective analysis of the two programs is provided.

Curriculum↗
PubMed1995

Family planning, managed care, and rural America.

Within the United States, rural residents encounter a greater number of barriers in accessing health care services than their urban counterparts. In general, rural Americans have less access to both family planning services and managed care delivery systems. Given the rapid changes in health care, we reviewed the implications for the provision and integration of family planning and managed care services in rural areas, where there is limited experience in establishing working relationships between those services. In many instances, family planning services are well established in rural areas where managed care has not yet penetrated. Our case study in Minnesota suggests that, although managed care and family planning services are developing in rural areas, there is little evidence of collaboration. Several innovative and successful family planning projects do exist in rural areas, however, and serve as models of successful population-based programs that could work well with health plans. Although this study concentrated on the provision and utilization of subsidized family planning services, there is a compelling need for further work to determine accurately where rural residents are accessing such services and how the expansion of managed care will affect the delivery of reproductive health care.

Family Planning Services↗
PubMed2003

Reaching impaired populations with HIV prevention programs: a clinical trial for homeless mentally ill African-American men.

This study tested an intervention to reduce sexual risk behaviors in a high risk impaired population: homeless African-American, Caucasian and Hispanic men with mental illness. In a comparison group clinical trial, men were assigned to an experimental cognitive-behavioral or a control intervention and followed up over 16 months. Men were recruited from a psychiatric program in two shelters for homeless men in Nashville, Tennessee. An ethnically mixed cohort of subjects (54% African-American, 42% Caucasian and 4% Hispanic) were included in the study. Most had a chronic psychiatric disorder and a co-morbid substance abuse disorder. The 257 participants who were sexually active (130 experimental, 127 control) prior to the trial were the main target of the intervention. An experimental intervention (SexG), adapted from Susser and Associates (51), comprised 6 group sessions. The control intervention was a 6-session HIV educational program. Sexual risk behavior was the primary outcome. The experimental and control groups were compared with respect to the mean score on a sexual risk index. Complete follow-up data were obtained on 257 men (100%) for the initial six-month follow-up. These individuals have been followed for the remainder of the 16-month follow-up. This intervention, (SexG), successfully reduced sexual risk behaviors of homeless mentally ill African-American, Caucasian and Hispanic men. Similar approaches may be effective in other impaired high-risk populations.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Making women and men matter: the Philippine POPCOM experience.

To reorient population policies and programs and make population workers more gender-responsive was the challenge faced by the Philippine Population Commission (POPCOM), the government's central policymaking and coordinating body for population concerns. This paper traces the history of population policies in the Philippines and describes the factors that helped create a climate conducive to a rethinking of POPCOM's policies. POPCOM first conducted an institutional assessment to determine the levels of awareness of its population officers about gender, reproductive health, and population and development issues. A gender-responsive population policy framework with a reproductive health perspective was then developed to guide training programs, information management strategies, and pilot community-based action research programs. Problems anticipated in integrating a gender and reproductive health perspective include the Catholic Church, different priorities of government, and a reluctant Congress. Suggested strategies are (a) formation of a critical mass of various groups to demand policy shifts; (b) for women, development, and environment nongovernmental organizations to identify allies in government and international organizations; (c) regular dialogues between donors and the government's central planning agency; and (d) working through the media.

Catholicism↗