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The British Journal of General Practice... Jun 2024Cervical screening has transformed the diagnosis of cervical cancer. However, uptake within the national screening programme is not uniform across demographics. This...
BACKGROUND
Cervical screening has transformed the diagnosis of cervical cancer. However, uptake within the national screening programme is not uniform across demographics. This raises the question of whether medical language, which conveys essential information but also shapes attitudes towards engaging with healthcare, is part of the problem. The term "smear test" has been used for generations and is embedded in colloquial and medical vocabulary. However, there is a danger that the phrase may conjure images of an unpleasant or even reckless ordeal, potentially contributing to unnecessary patient anxiety.
AIM
To evaluate patient attitudes towards the terms "cervical smear" and "cervical brush".
METHOD
Female participants from a single GP surgery were randomly sampled. Data from questionnaires were then subjected to thematic analysis.
RESULTS
Half of patients interviewed did not feel either term would significantly influence cervical screening uptake. Equal numbers of patients expressed an overall preference for each of the two terms, and the remaining 28% expressed no preference. Qualitative data revealed some patients favoured the familiarity of the term "cervical smear", and others preferred the descriptive accuracy of "cervical brush".
CONCLUSION
It is imperative to consult target groups and use inclusive language that minimises stigmatising or negative connotations. Modifying language alone is unlikely to remedy the current access barriers in UK cervical screening. Instead, a multifaceted approach that also targets education and addresses systemic issues could offer a more sustainable strategy. Ultimately, prioritising a patient-centred approach could improve access to life-saving screening.
Topics: Humans; Female; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms; Early Detection of Cancer; Adult; Vaginal Smears; Middle Aged; Surveys and Questionnaires; Mass Screening; Terminology as Topic; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Health Policy; United Kingdom; Patient Acceptance of Health Care
PubMed: 38902077
DOI: 10.3399/bjgp24X738033 -
Journal of Theoretical Biology Jun 2024Heaps' or Herdan-Heaps' law is a linguistic law describing the relationship between the vocabulary/dictionary size (type) and word counts (token) to be a power-law...
Heaps' or Herdan-Heaps' law is a linguistic law describing the relationship between the vocabulary/dictionary size (type) and word counts (token) to be a power-law function. Its existence in genomes with certain definition of DNA words is unclear partly because the dictionary size in genome could be much smaller than that in a human language. We define a DNA word as a coding region in a genome that codes for a protein domain. Using human chromosomes and chromosome arms as individual samples, we establish the existence of Heaps' law in the human genome within limited range. Our definition of words in a genomic or proteomic context is different from other definitions such as over-represented k-mers which are much shorter in length. Although an approximate power-law distribution of protein domain sizes due to gene duplication and the related Zipf's law is well known, their translation to the Heaps' law in DNA words is not automatic. Several other animal genomes are shown herein also to exhibit range-limited Heaps' law with our definition of DNA words, though with various exponents. When tokens were randomly sampled and sample sizes reach to the maximum level, a deviation from the Heaps' law was observed, but a quadratic regression in log-log type-token plot fits the data perfectly. Investigation of type-token plot and its regression coefficients could provide an alternative narrative of reusage and redundancy of protein domains as well as creation of new protein domains from a linguistic perspective.
PubMed: 38901778
DOI: 10.1016/j.jtbi.2024.111878 -
PloS One 2024The increasingly shortened development cycle of smart vehicles has led to a qualitative shift in the nature of automotive products. Growing spatial design of vehicle...
The increasingly shortened development cycle of smart vehicles has led to a qualitative shift in the nature of automotive products. Growing spatial design of vehicle interiors can effectively satisfy users' personalisation preferences and increase their willingness to buy, as well as mitigating the environmental pollution caused by the problem of rapid replacement. Considering the subjectivity and uncertainty of users' emotional needs, this study adopts the FAHP method to comprehensively analyse and rank the SET series of factors, then combines the grey correlation method with the correlation analysis of the areas related to the interior space of the automobile, constructs the sample of the interior space of the automobile and extracts the kansei words of the space sample. Intentional vocabulary mean scores were calculated to factor analyses through kansei engineering, next the fuzzy QFD quality house was built to make affective semantic design associations and derive design weights, which are then used to guide the design and ultimately realise the design of a dynamic automotive interaction scenario. The results of the study show that the integration of different theories can reduce the uncertainties in accessing users' emotional needs. At the same time, it can provide systematic guidance for the interaction design of a growable automobile in terms of multiple dimensions of interior space connectivity, spatial layout, and perceptual experience, as well as provide valuable suggestions for the subsequent development of interior spaces.
Topics: Automobiles; Humans; Interior Design and Furnishings; Fuzzy Logic
PubMed: 38900774
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0303233 -
PloS One 2024Parental caregiving during infancy is primarily aimed at the regulation of infants' physiological and emotional states. Recent models of embodied cognition propose that...
Parental caregiving during infancy is primarily aimed at the regulation of infants' physiological and emotional states. Recent models of embodied cognition propose that interoception, i.e., the perception of internal bodily states, may influence the quality and quantity of parent-infant caregiving. Yet, empirical investigations into this relationship remain scarce. Across two online studies of mothers with 6- to 18-month-old infants during Covid-19 lockdowns, we examined whether mothers' self-reported engagement in stroking and rocking their infant was related to self-reported interoceptive abilities. Additional measures included retrospective accounts of pregnancy and postnatal body satisfaction, and mothers' reports of their infant's understanding of vocabulary relating to body parts. In Study 1 (N = 151) and Study 2 (N = 111), mothers reported their engagement in caregiving behaviours and their tendency to focus on and regulate bodily states. In a subsample from Study 2 (N = 49), we also obtained an objective measure of cardiac interoceptive accuracy using an online heartbeat counting task. Across both studies, the tendency to focus on and regulate interoceptive states was associated with greater mother-infant stroking and rocking. Conversely, we found no evidence for a relationship between objective interoceptive accuracy and caregiving. The findings suggest that interoception may play a role in parental engagement in stroking and rocking, however, in-person dyadic studies are warranted to further investigate this relationship.
Topics: Humans; Female; Infant; Mother-Child Relations; Interoception; Adult; Mothers; COVID-19; Male; SARS-CoV-2; Pregnancy
PubMed: 38900756
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0302791 -
Cerebral Cortex (New York, N.Y. : 1991) Jun 2024The left and right anterior temporal lobes (ATLs) encode semantic representations. They show graded hemispheric specialization in function, with the left ATL...
The left and right anterior temporal lobes (ATLs) encode semantic representations. They show graded hemispheric specialization in function, with the left ATL contributing preferentially to verbal semantic processing. We investigated the cognitive correlates of this organization, using resting-state functional connectivity as a measure of functional segregation between ATLs. We analyzed two independent resting-state fMRI datasets (n = 86 and n = 642) in which participants' verbal semantic expertise was measured using vocabulary tests. In both datasets, people with more advanced verbal semantic knowledge showed weaker functional connectivity between left and right ventral ATLs. This effect was highly specific. It was not observed for within-hemisphere connections between semantic regions (ventral ATL and inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), though it was found for left-right IFG connectivity in one dataset). Effects were not found for tasks probing semantic control, nonsemantic cognition, or face recognition. Our results suggest that hemispheric specialization in the ATLs is not an innate property but rather emerges as people develop highly detailed verbal semantic representations. We speculate that this effect is a consequence of the left ATL's greater connectivity with left-lateralized written word recognition regions, which causes it to preferentially represent meaning for advanced vocabulary acquired primarily through reading.
Topics: Humans; Temporal Lobe; Male; Female; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Adult; Semantics; Functional Laterality; Young Adult; Brain Mapping; Neural Pathways
PubMed: 38897815
DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhae256 -
Foods (Basel, Switzerland) Jun 2024The aim of the present research was to determine if the developed ovo-vegetarian sausage (SO), which was made with 15% chickpea flour, 51% albumin and 34% soy protein...
The aim of the present research was to determine if the developed ovo-vegetarian sausage (SO), which was made with 15% chickpea flour, 51% albumin and 34% soy protein concentrate, exhibited improved physicochemical and sensory characteristics compared to vegetarian sausages available on the local market (classic vegan sausage, SC; vegan fine herb sausage, SH; and quinoa sausage, SQ). According to the physicochemical results, the developed sample, SO, presented significant differences ( < 0.05) compared to the others, including higher protein content, lower pH and a higher a* value. Three types of sensory analyses were conducted-flash profile, overall liking and purchase intention (to determine consumers' willingness to purchase the product)-with the first involving 15 consumers and the second and third involving 60 participants each. Descriptors for each sample were determined using the vocabulary provided by consumers in the flash profile analysis. Descriptors for SO included 'elastic', 'smell of cooked corn', 'characteristic flavor', 'pasty', 'soft' and 'pastel color', contributing to its greater overall liking and purchase intention compared to the others. Through the hierarchical multiple factor analysis, a positive correlation was observed between the texture and sensory descriptors of the flash profile. Conversely, a correlation was found between the physicochemical characteristics (pH, a, color) and overall liking and purchase intention.
PubMed: 38890961
DOI: 10.3390/foods13111733 -
Hearing Research Jun 2024Spoken language development after pediatric cochlear implantation requires rapid and efficient processing of novel, degraded auditory signals and linguistic information....
Spoken language development after pediatric cochlear implantation requires rapid and efficient processing of novel, degraded auditory signals and linguistic information. These demands for rapid adaptation tax the information processing speed ability of children who receive cochlear implants. This study investigated the association of speed of information processing ability with spoken language outcomes after cochlear implantation in prelingually deaf children aged 4-6 years. Two domain-general (visual, non-linguistic) speed of information processing measures were administered to 21 preschool-aged children with cochlear implants and 23 normal-hearing peers. Measures of speech recognition, language (vocabulary and comprehension), nonverbal intelligence, and executive functioning skills were also obtained from each participant. Speed of information processing was positively associated with speech recognition and language skills in preschool-aged children with cochlear implants but not in normal-hearing peers. This association remained significant after controlling for hearing group, age, nonverbal intelligence, and executive functioning skills. These findings are consistent with models suggesting that domain-general, fast-efficient information processing speed underlies adaptation to speech perception and language learning following implantation. Assessment and intervention strategies targeting speed of information processing may provide better understanding and development of speech-language skills after cochlear implantation.
PubMed: 38889562
DOI: 10.1016/j.heares.2024.109069 -
Journal of Experimental Child Psychology Jun 2024Recent studies have shown that children benefit from orthography when learning new words. This orthographic facilitation can be explained by the fact that written...
Recent studies have shown that children benefit from orthography when learning new words. This orthographic facilitation can be explained by the fact that written language acts as an anchor device due to the transient nature of spoken language. There is also a close and reciprocal relationship between spoken and written language. Second-language word learning poses specific challenges in terms of orthography-phonology mappings that do not fully overlap with first-language mappings. The current study aimed to investigate whether orthographic information facilitates second-language word learning in developing readers, namely third and fifth graders. In a first experiment French children learned 16 German words, and in a second experiment they learned 24 German words. Word learning was assessed by picture designation, spoken word recognition, and orthographic choice. In both experiments, orthographic facilitation was found in both less and more advanced readers. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.
PubMed: 38889479
DOI: 10.1016/j.jecp.2024.105978 -
Language, Speech, and Hearing Services... Jun 2024We investigated and compared the outcomes from two standardized, norm-referenced screening assessments of language (i.e., Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals...
PURPOSE
We investigated and compared the outcomes from two standardized, norm-referenced screening assessments of language (i.e., Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals Preschool-Second Edition [CELFP-2], Diagnostic Evaluation of Language Variation-Screening Test [DELV-ST]) with African American preschoolers whose spoken dialect differed from that of General American English (GAE). We (a) described preschoolers' performance on the CELFP-2 Core Language Index (CLI) and its subtests with consideration of degree of dialect variation (DVAR) observed, (b) investigated how the application of dialect-sensitive scoring modifications to the expressive morphology and syntax Word Structure (WS) subtest affected CELFP-2 CLI scores, and (c) evaluated the screening classification agreement rates between the DELV-ST and the CELFP-2 CLI.
METHOD
African American preschoolers ( = 284) completed the CELFP-2 CLI subtests (i.e., Sentence Structure, WS, Expressive Vocabulary) and the DELV-ST. Density of spoken dialect use was estimated with the DELV-ST Part I Language Variation Status, and percentage of DVAR was calculated. The CELFP-2 WS subtest was scored with and without dialect-sensitive scoring modifications.
RESULTS
Planned comparisons of CELFP-2 CLI performance indicated statistically significant differences in performance based on DELV-ST-determined degree of language variation groupings. Scoring modifications applied to the WS subtest increased subtest scaled scores and CLI composite standard scores. However, preschoolers who demonstrated strong variation from GAE continued to demonstrate significantly lower performance than preschoolers who demonstrated little to no language variation. Affected-status agreement rates between assessments (modified and unmodified CELFP-2 CLI scores and DELV-ST Part II Diagnostic Risk Status) were extremely low.
CONCLUSIONS
The application of dialect-specific scoring modifications to standardized, norm-referenced assessments of language must be simultaneously viewed through the lenses of equity, practicality, and psychometry. The results of our multistage study reiterate the need for reliable methods of identifying risk for developmental language disorder within children who speak American English dialects other than GAE.
SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIAL
https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.26017978.
PubMed: 38889198
DOI: 10.1044/2024_LSHSS-23-00134 -
IEEE Journal of Biomedical and Health... Jun 2024Previous research has demonstrated the potential of using pre-trained language models for decoding open vocabulary Electroencephalography (EEG) signals captured through...
Previous research has demonstrated the potential of using pre-trained language models for decoding open vocabulary Electroencephalography (EEG) signals captured through a non-invasive Brain-Computer Interface (BCI). However, the impact of embedding EEG signals in the context of language models and the effect of subjectivity, remain unexplored, leading to uncertainty about the best approach to enhance decoding performance. Additionally, current evaluation metrics used to assess decoding effectiveness are predominantly syntactic and do not provide insights into the comprehensibility of the decoded output for human understanding. We present an end-to-end architecture for non-invasive brain recordings that brings modern representational learning approaches to neuroscience. Our proposal introduces the following innovations: 1) an end-to-end deep learning architecture for open vocabulary EEG decoding, incorporating a subject-dependent representation learning module for raw EEG encoding, a BART language model, and a GPT-4 sentence refinement module; 2) a more comprehensive sentence-level evaluation metric based on the BERTScore; 3) an ablation study that analyses the contributions of each module within our proposal, providing valuable insights for future research. We evaluate our approach on two publicly available datasets, ZuCo v1.0 and v2.0, comprising EEG recordings of 30 subjects engaged in natural reading tasks. Our model achieves a BLEU-1 score of 42.75%, a ROUGE-1-F of 33.28%, and a BERTScore-F of 53.86%, achieving an increment over the previous state-of-the-art by 1.40%, 2.59%, and 3.20%, respectively.
PubMed: 38889026
DOI: 10.1109/JBHI.2024.3416066