Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Prescribing costs in dispensing practices.

OBJECTIVE--To examine differences in prescribing between dispensing and non-dispensing practices. SETTING--The 108 practices covered by Lincolnshire Family Health Services Authority. DESIGN--Analysis of prescribing data for 1990-1 from PD2 reports from the Prescription Pricing Authority in relation to data on practice characteristics obtained from Lincolnshire Family Health Services Authority; and aggregated level 3 prescribing and cost information (PACT data) for 10 selected drugs from the Prescription Pricing Authority to examine amounts prescribed. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES--Prescribing cost per patient, items per patient, and cost per item in dispensing and non-dispensing practices. RESULTS--Dispensing practices had higher prescribing costs per patient than non-dispensing practices. This difference held for non-dispensing patients within dispensing practices. Structural features failed to explain the differences in prescribing cost, except for the higher numbers of elderly patients in dispensing practices (which explained 13% of the difference) and the number of partners (5%). The main determinant of the difference was the lower use of generic drugs in dispensing practices (84%). Dispensing patients were prescribed lower quantities of drugs on average for each item. CONCLUSIONS--Dispensing practices could reduce their prescribing expenditure to that of non-dispensing practices by increasing their prescribing of generic drugs. The shorter prescribing intervals for dispensing patients may be due to dispensing fees being related to the number of prescribed items.
Functional and Neural Signatures of Body-ownership

As agents, we act upon the world with our body, and we experience ourselves, and the world through the same body. This fact implies that the sense of self is crucially dependent on motor-efferent and sensory-afferent signals. The exact nature of sensory-motor interactions that generate a sense of self is still unknown. This research aims to empirically identify the basic neuro-cognitive principles governing an embodied sense of self
A polarimetric study of the B[e] star HD 45677

We present new medium-resolution spectropolarimetric observations of HD 45677 in the B and R bands. A change in polarization is detected across Hα, Hβ and Hγ confirming that the ionized region around the star is aspherical. (Q, U) points associated with these emission lines occur away from the continuum, defining a polarization vector which points in the same direction for each of the lines at an average intrinsic polarization angle of 164°± 3°. These data were combined with past photometric and polarimetric data from the literature to investigate any variability. We find that HD 45677 is both photometrically and polarimetrically variable and that these changes are linked. We suggest that these variations may be caused by an aspherical blowout, and by deriving a least-squares fit to the B-band polarimetric data in the Q–U space, we show that the blowout occurs at an intrinsic polarization angle of 175°± 1°, along the same angle as the proposed geometry of the ionized region.
Participation of serotonin in capsaicin-induced mouse ear edema.

We investigated the involvement of serotonin (5-HT) in mouse ear edema induced by topical application of capsaicin (250 micrograms/ear). Application of capsaicin to the ear caused degranulation of mast cells in skin connective tissue. Capsaicin-induced ear edema was significantly inhibited by preadministration of 5-HT2 receptor antagonists such as ketanserin (2 mg/kg, i.v.) and LY 53857 (1 mg/kg, i.v.), but not 5-HT1-, 5-HT3- and 5-HT4-receptor antagonists. Intradermal injection of alpha-methyl 5-HT (5-HT2-receptor agonist) and 5-HT into ear skin produced edema formation more potently than 8-OH-DPAT (5-HT1A agonist) and 2-methyl 5-HT (5-HT3 agonist). 5-HT2 antagonists markedly suppressed the edema response to 5-HT and its receptor agonists, whereas any antagonist for 5-HT1, 5-HT3 and 5-HT4-receptors had no effect. Furthermore, 5-HT2-receptor antagonists partly prevented ear edema in response to substance P (SP), a putative mediator or capsaicin-induced edema, and compound 48/80, a releaser of vasoactive amines form mast cells. These results suggest that 5-HT released from mast cells is partly involved in the development of capsaicin-induced mouse ear edema via 5-HT2 receptors in the ear skin.
Teste de fluência verbal no adulto e no idoso: verificação da aprendizagem verbal

PURPOSE: to check verbal learning in normal subjects submitted to a verbal fluency test, considering age, schooling and sex. METHODS: 200 subjects, from 40 to 80-year old, submitted to a semantic and phonologic verbal fluency test, 1 minute long, taking place twice in a 24 hours period. RESULTS: after longitudinal analysis of the data obtained from the semantic test (1st day versus 2nd day) G1 indicated verbal learning in all schooling levels, except from 9 to 12 years of schooling. For G2 the level from 0 to 4 years of schooling was significant. In phonologic test G1 indicated verbal learning in all schooling levels, except from 9 to 12 years of schooling. And for G2, the level from 5 to 8 years of schooling was significant. Transversal analysis of the data (G1 versus G2) indicated no significant semantic test results and considering the phonologic test, just the second day was significant, observing the subjects from 0 to 4 years of schooling. Comparing both genders, among all groups and combinations of days, considering the semantic test, G1 gave evidence of significant data during the first and the second day. CONCLUSION: both tests attest that verbal learning was more effective for adults than for elderly people. However, there were no significant statistical differences among all groups, except from a decrease in words creation as long as age increased and schooling decreased. By comparing both genders, men performance improved in the semantic test.
Employed mothers: Interrole conflict, spouse support and marital functioning

SUMMARY Increased participation by mothers in the labour force may exert a negative effect on working mothers themselves (e.g. interrole conflict) and influence the marital relationship negatively. Recent research suggests that not all individuals experiencing psychological distress suffer psychological strain (e.g. marital discord). Rather, variables such as social support moderate negative effects of psychological stressors. To test this, sixty-four employed mothers (M age = 36 years) completed interrole conflict and spouse support scales. Marital satisfaction, verbal and nonverbal communication were the criteria operationalized to assess marital functioning. Using moderated multiple regression analyses, interrole conflict and spouse support predicted marital satisfaction and verbal communication significantly. In addition, spouse support may moderate negative effects of interrole conflict on marital satisfaction and verbal communication. With regard to nonverbal communication, spouse support was both a significant main effect and possibly a moderator of interrole conflict. The role of spouse support, conceptual and treatment implications, and future research priorities are identified.
Knowledge and Attitude towards Pharmacovigilance and Adverse Drug Reaction Reporting among Dental Students in a Private University, Malaysia

Objective: This study was conducted among the dental students to evaluate the knowledge and attitude towards pharmacovigilance and adverse drug reactions reporting among the dental students in a private university, Malaysia. Methods: The survey was carried out among the pre-final and final year dental students using a pre-validated questionnaire that included the demographics details and survey items related to knowledge and perception aspects towards adverse drug reactions and pharmacovigilance. The questionnaire was distributed to the participants (n=100). A total of 61 questionnaires were duly filled out, giving a response rate of 76.25%. The survey data was analyzed using SPSS version 20. Results: The overall mean score on knowledge among the dental students was found to be 15.84. The study also observed that mean score on attitude in pre-final year and final year dental students were 11.03 and 20.44 respectively. The overall mean score for attitude on ADRs reporting and pharmacovigilance was found to be 22.65. Conclusion: The results show that knowledge of dental students who participated in the study towards pharmacovigilance and adverse drug reaction reporting was low. However, 15.6% of pre-final year students and 27.6% of final year students expressed positive attitude towards pharmacovigilance and ADRs reporting. As part of future health care professionals, they are expected to have sound knowledge and positive attitude towards pharmacovigilance activities. Key words: Adverse Drug Reactions, Attitude, Dental Students, Knowledge, Pharmacovigilance.
Leveraging Value within IT-Backed Collaborative Alliances

Organizations today make radical use of the IT resources to sustain or better their existing competitive position. One such initiative is forming alliances on a shared IT backbone with partners of their value chain. We term these alliances the collaborative organizational structures (COS). Regardless of the nature of engagement with IT resources, organizations will require unique competencies to obtain performance-differentiating value from these IT resources. In a collaborative environment, these competencies would be a result of the synergy between the alliances’ unique competences. We call these the inter-firm IT-related capabilities. The resource centric theoretical frameworks suggest a trajectory of competence development and the structure of inter-firm competencies, but they do not inform the nature of these competencies. We employ an interpretive design to suggest three inter-firm IT-related capabilities for IT-backed collaborative alliances. We discuss these capabilities in this research and suggest that their effectiveness be measured directly against the collaborative rent, and indirectly against the firm-level performance of the alliance partners.
Creativity, uncertainty and discomfort: teachers as writers

Teaching for creativity in writing requires not only knowledge, skills and understanding, but the emotional capacity to tolerate uncertainty, take risks and engage artistically. This paper reflects upon one strand of a research project which is examining the relationship between teachers' development as writers at their own level and their efficacy as creative teachers of writing. It draws on the compositional experiences of 16 English primary teachers, who wrote regularly in project sessions, in school and at home and documented the process. The multiple data sources include: questionnaires, writing histories, composing logs, interviews, observations and analyses of the writing produced. The teachers' lived experience of composing clustered around a number of themes, these included: constraints and intuitive insights, a sense of the personal, and deep feelings of uncertainty and insecurity. This paper focuses on only one of these themes; it explores three teachers' uncomfortable encounters with ambiguity and risk and considers the diverse ways in which they responded to the emotional discomfort evoked. Pedagogical implications are also examined. It is argued that in order to support children's creative development as writers, teachers need extended opportunities to engage artistically and creatively as writers themselves.
Fractional Anisotropy Changes After Several Weeks of Daily Left High-Frequency Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation of the Prefrontal Cortex to Treat Major Depression

Objectives: As part of a sham controlled treatment trial using daily left repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), brain changes associated with 4 to 6 weeks of treatment were examined using diffusion tensor imaging to noninvasively evaluate prefrontal white matter (WM) microstructure. A decrease in fractional anisotropy values of the left prefrontal WM could indicate damage to the region. Methods: Diffusion tensor imaging was performed before and after 4 to 6 weeks of daily rTMS treatments. Mean fractional anisotropy levels associated with active rTMS and sham rTMS for the right and left prefrontal WM were assessed. Results: Adequate images were acquired for 8 participants (active n = 4, sham n = 4) before and after rTMS. A mean increase was found for the left prefrontal WM. The mixed model revealed a trend toward a significant treatment group × region interaction effect (P = 0.11). Furthermore, simple region effects (left prefrontal WM vs right prefrontal WM) were at a trend toward significance for difference after treatment within the active rTMS group (P = 0.07), but not within the sham rTMS group (P = 0.88). Conclusions: Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation resulted in no evidence of damage to WM on the side of stimulation. Diffusion tensor imaging may offer a unique modality to increase our understanding of mechanisms of action for rTMS.
Gender Differences in Motivation to Learn French

<p>There is concern among second language educators in Canada that male students are losing interest in studying French as a second language (FSL). In response, in the fall of 2003 a study was conducted to investigate gender differences in second language (L2) motivation among Grade 9 core French students. Building upon the traditional model of L2 motivation, that emphasizes learner attitudes toward the target-language community, the researcher broadened the concept of L2 motivation to include both societal and classroom-related factors. A mixed methodology was then employed to determine if gender differences in these factors exist among Grade 9 FSL students. Approximately 500 students in Grade 9 completed a questionnaire. The significant findings of the questionnaires were then explored in interviews with students and teachers. As the study progressed, it became apparent that societal perceptions of what is appropriate for males lay at the root of these differences. </p> <p>Les professeurs de langues secondes au Canada s'inquiètent de la perte d'intérêt que démontrent les garçons canadiens face à l'étude du français langue seconde (FLS). Par conséquent, à l'automne 2003 une étude a été entreprise afin de comparer la motivation des garçons et des filles de 9e année qui étudient principalement en français. En utilisant le modèle traditionnel de motivation d'apprendre une langue seconde, modèle qui souligne les attitudes des apprenants envers la langue ciblée, le chercheur a élargi le concept de la motivation en L2 pour inclure des facteurs reliés à la classe et à la société. Une approche mixte a été employée afin de déterminer s'il y a des différences entre les garçons et les filles de 9e année en FLS. Environ 500 élèves de 9e année ont rempli un sondage. Les résultats importants du sondage ont été étudiés à l'aide d'entrevues auprès des élèves et des professeurs. À mesure que l'étude se déroulait, le chercheur a constaté qu'à l'origine des différences retrouvées, il y a des perceptions sociales de ce qu'est convenable pour un garçon. </p>
Neuropsychological Phenotype in Wolf-Hirschhorn Syndrome

The Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome (WHS) is a rare genetic disorder that causes a range of intellectual disability from mild to severe. In this study, we used standard tools to psychometrically characterize the specific neuropsychological phenotype of WHS. We studied 57 individuals with WHS, ranging in age from 2.6 to 28.6 years representing 70% of the certified Italian WHS population. Results obtained by administering Griffiths’ Mental Developmental Scales and the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale revealed a typical WHS neuropsychological phenotype characterized by specific strengths and weaknesses. Despite their severe cognitive impairment, in both scales, patients showed better communication and social interaction skills compared to visuo-motor abilities. Results of our study could bring to the development of new and more effective treatments for individuals affected by WHS: based on neuropsychological phenotype description, it should be possible to design specific rehabilitation programs. These programs would then be aimed at improving rehabilitation protocols to optimize the developmental potential and personal independence of individuals with WHS and thus to improve their quality of life.
International Journal of Web Information Systems A model for web-based course registration systems

Purpose – University students use web-based course registration systems to search, select, and register to courses. Despite having an important role at universities, course registration systems often pose usability problems to users. In this project, the authors assessed the usability of a web-based course registration system, proposed an improved model for such systems, and evaluated the model. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – The authors conducted a series of user studies to achieve the objectives. First, the authors performed a usability study to evaluate the course registration system at MacEwan University (myStudentSystem). Based on the study results, the authors designed and developed a prototype that addresses the limitations of the system. Second, the authors conducted a usability test to get feedback on the prototype and improve its design features accordingly. Finally, the authors performed a summative evaluation to assess the usability of the prototype and myStudentSystem. Findings – The summative evaluation results showed that the design improved the overall system usability and user satisfaction. Most participants preferred the prototype to myStudentSystem. Research limitations/implications – The authors tested the prototype in controlled experimental settings, and the participants were limited to undergraduate students at MacEwan University. These conditions may limit the generalizability of the results. Further studies that deploy and test the prototype in the real world are necessary to validate findings. Originality/value – Based on the studies, the authors outline guidelines for designing web-based course registration systems and advocate the use of new technologies to create highly interactive web applications. The authors’ model can assist software developers in designing and implementing web-based course registration systems at universities.
Auditing hospital queuing

This paper reports on research carried out during the summer of 2000, within a National Health hospital in the West Midlands region of England. It looks specifically at the queuing problems in the busiest clinic of the hospital, and involves the observation and questioning of 280 patients. The research considers Maister’s proposition, that satisfaction equals perception minus expectation. The results of the interviews and observations produced some unexpected outcomes, as well as confirming similar research in other areas of the service sector. The research continues by investigating the options available to the hospital’s management for managing the patient’s perception of their wait, and suggests operational ways of improving the actual waiting process.
"ARGUMENT IS WAR"-Or is it a Game of Chess? Multiple Meanings in the Analysis of Implicit Metaphors

Both Lakoff and Johnson (1980) and Vervaeke and Kennedy (1996), in their critique of Lakoff and Johnson, drew narrowly from a broad range of reasonable interpretations of the metaphors they analyzed. Expanding the interpretations vitiates many of Vervaeke and Kennedy's criticisms, but it supports their call for an open interpretation of groups of metaphors and points toward a more complex elaboration of the theories put forth by Lakoff and Johnson. The results of applying this approach to "ARGUMENT IS WAR" suggest that war is not necessarily the primary conceptual metaphor for contentious argument, as Lakoff and Johnson claimed. Rather, there is a complex field of contentious interactions, ranging from simple discussions through contests to all-out war: Any and all of these can be and are used as metaphors for the others. When a word or phrase like "defend," "position," "maneuver," or "strategy" is used, there is no a priori way to determine whether the intended meaning is an athletic contest or a game of chess. Similar analyses are applied to other examples from the metaphor literature, and a modification of the basic idea of conceptual mapping is proposed, in which metaphors map cognitive responses onto prototypical situations rather than mapping 1 specific experience or concept onto another.
Modern apprenticeships in professional football: some policy implications

Purpose – This paper aims to examine the two year Modern Apprenticeship undertaken by trainees in the English professional football industry.Design/methodology/approach – In the first round of this three‐year project representatives of seven English clubs were interviewed in the summer of 2005; follow‐up interviews were conducted in the summer of 2006. To contextualise these results, a representative of a leading French club who was responsible for youth training was asked about provision in that country.Findings – The paper finds that the apprenticeship system in France is more extensive and expensive but it produces players who are more likely to do well in major international competitions such as the World Cup. This in turn is due to the fact that more resources are allocated to training aspiring footballers; such spending includes extensive government subsidies. However, attrition rates are even higher in France than in England; at a micro level the system there is less successful.Practical implicatio.
School-based practice patterns: a survey of occupational therapists in Colorado.

OBJECTIVE This purpose of this study was to describe school-based occupational therapy practice for kindergarten through twelfth-grade students in Colorado and to examine occupational therapy practice in light of current education policy and published views of best practice. METHOD Study data were provided by 105 occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants who completed a 24-item questionnaire. RESULTS Occupational therapists carried an average caseload of 43.68 students; most frequently served kindergarten through third-grade students with perceptual or communicative disabilities; and delivered services most often in pullout treatment areas. Practitioners spent most of their work week providing direct services. Remedial or developmental approaches were used 62% of the time and compensatory and educational approaches 37% of the time. Individualized education program goals addressed by occupational therapists were most frequently developed by the occupational therapist and targeted students' sensory or motor impairments. Workshops on autism and sensorimotor intervention techniques were reported as the primary and preferred forms of professional development. CONCLUSION The strong majority of reported occupational therapy services contrasted with emerging views of best practice. They were, however, consistent with the Colorado Department of Education's guidelines for "motor specialists" that address occupational therapy, physical therapy, and adaptive physical educators working in schools. Study findings are discussed.
Risky Resilience and Resilient Risk: The Key Role of Intentionality in an Emerging Dialectics

Drawing from both clinical experience and the risk/resilience research, we posit that many psychosocial factors actually embed elements of both. Underlying this risky-resilience and resilient-risk dialectics are two methodological conditions—statistical suppression and complex moderation. Focusing on a host of psychosocial factors (e.g., dependency, self-concept, social support, positive life events, coping strategies), we illustrate the dialectics and theorize that it is related to individuals' intentionality, particularly their need to project one's self into the future and to use available resources for the purpose of realizing possible selves.