Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Attitudes of PharmD Students Toward Web-based Versus Paper-based Case Studies on a Cardiology Clerkship

Objectives. The study assessed pharmacy clerkship student attitudes toward a series of cardiology case studies using either a web-based or paper-based format. Methods. Twenty-four cardiology case studies were developed that included patient-specific information followed by a series of self-assessment questions. For the paper-based cases, students were given hardcopies and later met with the instructor to review answers. With the web-based version, students completed cases online and received immediate standardized instructor responses. Results. Thirty-four clerkship students used each format in random order for half of the cases and then completed an evaluation questionnaire. The web-based cases were preferred by 24 students and by more males than females. Among students preferring the paper method, the most commonly identified advantage was convenience. Conclusions. Web-based case studies appear to be a well-accepted method for teaching clerkship students; however, additional strategies are needed to ass.
Optimal Motion Control of a Ground Vehicle

This report investigates how Optimal Control and above all, the Pontryagin Maximum Principle (PMP), can be used to find algorithms for steering a mobile platform between two pre-specified points in the state space. First the problem of finding time-optimal paths for Dubins’ as well as Reeds-Shepp’s car models is considered. They turn out to be the concatenation of circular arcs of maximum curvature and straight line segments, all tangentially connected (i.e. essentially bang-bang solutions). For each of these car models, a sufficient family of paths F , is presented. In addition, an algorithm for synthesizing the optimal path, i.e. to pinpoint the global optimum inside F , is provided. The nature of the presented algorithm is geometrical, which makes it highly suitable for numerical computations. We then consider the problem of generating smoother, more flexible and pliable paths. This helps us to reduce the impairment of the steering device, but also raises the robustness with respect to any possible uncertainties. Despite some rewarding simulation results, the presented concept turns out to suffer from severe numerical instability properties. Upon a more careful investigation, it turns out that the problem at hand is singular. Finally, in an effort to reduce the numerical difficulties, an alternative approach, viz. the Method of Perturbation is adopted. Taking the synthesized time-optimal paths as the starting point, the idea is to study how a small change in the design parameter influences the generated paths. However, this approach turns out to be numerically divergent as well.
Coronary artery bypass surgery in diabetic patients – risk factors for sternal wound infections

The incidence of sternal wound infections (SWI) after coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG) as reported worldwide is low. However, it is associated with significant increase of postoperative mortality and treatment costs. The major risk factors discussed are diabetes mellitus and bilateral IMA harvesting of the internal mammary artery. This study analyses data of 590 patients receiving CABG concerning the risk factors for SWI. Sternal wound infections occur significantly more often in diabetic patients, one crucial and significant additional risk factor is obesity.
Perceived similarity between written Estonian and Finnish: Strings of letters or morphological units?

The distance or similarity between two languages can be objective or actual, i.e. discoverable by the tools and methods of linguists, or perceived by users of the languages. In this article two methods, the Levenshtein Distance (LD), which purports to measure the objective distance, and the Index of Perceived Similarity (IPS), which quantifies language users’ perceptions, are compared. The data are the quantitative results of a test measuring conscious perceptions of similarity between Estonian and Finnish inflectional morphology by Finnish and Estonian native speakers (‘Finns’ and ‘Estonians’) with no knowledge of and exposure to the other (‘target’) language. The results show that Finns see more similarity between Finnish and Estonian than Estonians do. Also the correlations between LD and the perception results of the Finns are statistically significant while the correlations between the LD and the IPS scores of the Estonians are not. Comments by test participants provide insights into the nature of the perceptions of similarity.
Common abnormalities and disorder-specific compensation during implicit regulation of emotional processing in generalized anxiety and major depressive disorders.

OBJECTIVE Anxiety and depressive disorders are both associated with abnormalities in the processing and regulation of emotion. However, little is known about the similarities and differences between anxiety and depression at the neural level. The authors examined emotional conflict processing using a salient stimulus associated with observable and interpretable behavioral outcomes and with activation in limbic and prefrontal regions implicated in anxiety and depression. METHOD Thirty-two healthy comparison subjects, 18 patients with generalized anxiety disorder only, 14 patients with major depression only, and 25 patients with comorbid generalized anxiety disorder and major depression were studied using functional MRI while they performed an emotional conflict task that involved categorizing facial affect while ignoring overlaid affect label words. The authors used behavioral and neural measures to compare trial-by-trial changes in conflict regulation, a test of implicit regulation of emotional processing. RESULTS Behavioral data indicated that only patients with generalized anxiety (i.e., the anxiety-only and comorbid groups) failed to implicitly regulate emotional conflict. By contrast, deficits in activation and connectivity of the ventral anterior cingulate and amygdala, areas previously implicated in regulating emotional conflict, were found in all patient groups. Depression-only patients, however, compensated for this deficit by also activating the left and right anterior lateral prefrontal cortices, in which activity was correlated with behavioral evidence of successful implicit regulation, thus mediating the disorder-specificity of the behavioral phenotype. CONCLUSIONS These data support the existence of a common abnormality in anxiety and depression in the ventral cingulate and the amygdala, which may be related to a shared genetic etiology. Compensatory engagement of cognitive control circuitry in depression illustrates how the complex nature of psychopathology arises from the interaction of deficits and compensation, all of which can occur at an implicit level.
Altered Oscillation and Synchronization of Default-Mode Network Activity in Mild Alzheimer’s Disease Compared to Mild Cognitive Impairment: An Electrophysiological Study

Some researchers have suggested that the default mode network (DMN) plays an important role in the pathological mechanisms of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). To examine whether the cortical activities in DMN regions show significant difference between mild AD from mild cognitive impairment (MCI), electrophysiological responses were analyzed from 21 mild Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and 21 mild cognitive impairment (MCI) patients during an eyes closed, resting-state condition. The spectral power and functional connectivity of the DMN were estimated using a minimum norm estimate (MNE) combined with fast Fourier transform and imaginary coherence analysis. Our results indicated that source-based EEG maps of resting-state activity showed alterations of cortical spectral power in mild AD when compared to MCI. These alterations are characteristic of attenuated alpha or beta activities in the DMN, as are enhanced delta or theta activities in the medial temporal, inferior parietal, posterior cingulate cortex and precuneus. With regard to altered synchronization in AD, altered functional interconnections were observed as specific connectivity patterns of connection hubs in the precuneus, posterior cingulate cortex, anterior cingulate cortex and medial temporal regions. Moreover, posterior theta and alpha power and altered connectivity in the medial temporal lobe correlated significantly with scores obtained on the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). In conclusion, EEG is a useful tool for investigating the DMN in the brain and differentiating early stage AD and MCI patients. This is a promising finding; however, further large-scale studies are needed.
Forecast-Based Model Selection in the Presence of Structural Breaks

This paper presents analytical, Monte Carlo, and empirical evidence on the effects of structural breaks on tests for equal forecast accuracy and forecast encompassing. The forecasts are generated from two parametric, linear models that are nested under the null. The alternative hypotheses allow a causal relationship that is subject to breaks during the sample. With this framework, we show that in-sample explanatory power is readily found because the usual F-test will indicate causality if it existed for any portion of the sample. Out-of-sample predictive power can be harder to find because the results of out-of-sample tests are highly dependent on the timing of the predictive ability. Moreover, out-of-sample predictive power is harder to find with some tests than with others: the power of F-type tests of equal forecast accuracy and encompassing often dominates that of the more commonly-used t-type alternatives. Overall, out-of-sample tests are effective at revealing whether one variable has predictive power for another at the end of the sample. Based on these results and additional evidence from two empirical applications, we conclude that structural breaks can explain why researchers often find evidence of in-sample, but not out-of-sample, predictive content.
Complexity in Strongly Correlated Electronic Systems

A wide variety of experimental results and theoretical investigations in recent years have convincingly demonstrated that several transition metal oxides and other materials have dominant states that are not spatially homogeneous. This occurs in cases in which several physical interactions—spin, charge, lattice, and/or orbital—are simultaneously active. This phenomenon causes interesting effects, such as colossal magnetoresistance, and it also appears crucial to understand the high-temperature superconductors. The spontaneous emergence of electronic nanometer-scale structures in transition metal oxides, and the existence of many competing states, are properties often associated with complex matter where nonlinearities dominate, such as soft materials and biological systems. This electronic complexity could have potential consequences for applications of correlated electronic materials, because not only charge (semiconducting electronic), or charge and spin (spintronics) are of relevance, but in addition the lattice and orbital degrees of freedom are active, leading to giant responses to small perturbations. Moreover, several metallic and insulating phases compete, increasing the potential for novel behavior.
Suboptimal energy balance selectively up‐regulates muscle GLUT gene expression but reduces insulin‐dependent glucose uptake during postnatal development

The major facilitative glucose transporters in muscle, GLUT1 (insulin‐independent) and GLUT4 (insulin‐dependent), are essential for normal growth and metabolism, but factors controlling their expression during postnatal development are poorly understood. We have therefore determined the role of energy status in regulating muscle GLUT gene expression and function in young, growing pigs on a high (H) or low (L) food intake (H=2L) at 35°C or 26°C. RNase protection assays revealed selective up‐regulation of GLUT1 and GLUT4 by mild under‐nutrition 20–24 h after feeding: mRNA levels were elevated in longissimus dorsi (P< 0.001) and rhomboideus (P<0.05), but not in diaphragm or cardiac muscles. Assessment of 2‐deoxy‐glucose uptake in a small isolated muscle, flexor carpi radialis, showed that the 26L group, which had suboptimal energy balance and the greatest GLUT4 expression, had the highest insulin‐independent glucose uptake but the lowest insulin‐dependent increment: 20% compared with 70% in the other groups. These novel findings are directly relevant to an understanding of mechanisms underlying the development of insulin resistance and demonstrate 1) muscle‐specific up‐regulation of GLUT gene expression by postnatal undernutrition that is not related simply to myofiber type, but to whole‐body function; and 2) that the degree of GLUT up‐regulation and the subcellular distribution and function of GLUT proteins are dependent on energy status. —Katsumata, M. , Burton, K. A. , Li, J., Dauncey, M. J. Suboptimal energy balance selectively up‐regulates muscle GLUT gene expression but reduces insulin‐dependent glucose uptake during postnatal development. FASEB J. 13, 1405–1413 (1999)
Exploring identities between the religious and the secular through the attendees of an ostensibly ‘Atheist Church’

ABSTRACT The Sunday Assembly has a complex relationship with atheism and religion. It holds events which look and feel like religious worship, but uses this format to create a ‘godless congregation’. Described as an ‘atheist church’ by the media, members prefer to talk about inclusive communities. If the Sunday Assembly simultaneously embraces and rejects both atheism and religion, then how do attendees identify and describe themselves? We add to the growing literature exploring identities between the religious and the secular, presenting a qualitative study based on interviews with Sunday Assembly attendees. We interrogate three concepts: non-religion, the secular sacred and indifferentism to examine how the identity of Sunday Assembly attendees can be better understood. Our findings show that a significant number of attendees publicly identify as indifferent towards religion, while privately maintaining a more strongly non-religious identity, thus suggesting that for Sunday Assembly attendees, inclusivity is imperative.
The economics of climate change in Mexico: implications for national/regional policy

The recent Mexican government study, The Economics of Climate Change in Mexico (ECCM), which has largely influenced Mexico's stance on climate change issues and international negotiations, is critically reviewed. Whilst the importance of such government-supported national studies as a first attempt to provide estimates on the anticipated costs of climate change is recognized, there is scope to strengthen the underlying analysis. It is argued that some of the key policy recommendations of ECCM are weakly supported by its analysis, that it has some methodological weaknesses, and that there are inconsistencies with the approach adopted in the Stern Review. Furthermore, it is likely that the estimated costs severely under-represent future climate change damages in the case of Mexico, which could deter drastic mitigation and adaptation efforts. New estimates of the costs of climate change are presented based on the impact functions of two integrated assessment models. Policy relevance Due to its large influence in building a regional view of what climate change could imply for Latin America, the analysis of the ECCM highlights the need to strengthen the analysis of national climate documents to ensure they properly support national/regional policy making. The academic evaluation of national climate change documents is a necessary prerequisite for the development of sound climate policy.
Image segmentation using dynamic mechanism based PCNN model

Pulse-coupled neuron networks (PCNN) can be efficiently applied to image segmentation. However, the performance of segmentation depends on the suitable PCNN parameters, which are obtained by manual experiment, and the effect of the segmentation needs to be improved for images with noise. In this paper, dynamic mechanism based PCNN(DMPCNN) is brought forward to simulate the integrate-and-fire mechanism, and it is applied to segment images with noise effectively. Parameter selection is based on dynamic mechanism. Experimental results for image segmentation show its validity and robustness.
Changes in children’s reasoning about the social inclusion of aggressive children over the early years of elementary school

ABSTRACT While there is growing understanding about children’s moral reasoning for social inclusion and exclusion, we know little about how children reason specifically about the inclusion of aggressive children in school settings. To investigate children’s decisions about such inclusion and how they justified those decisions, this study reports data from 172 children interviewed in Year 1 (female = 85, male = 87), between the ages of six and seven and 155 children (female = 78, male = 79) who were interviewed again in Year 2. The children’s responses to scenarios regarding inclusion or exclusion of an aggressive child (who is bossy and pushes others around) in their play at school demonstrated that they were more likely to include an aggressive child in their play in Year 2 than in Year 1 of elementary school. They were also more likely in Year 2 to provide justifications that demonstrated a deeper understanding of the reasons for children’s aggressive behaviour at school. These data suggest that children’s school experiences may contribute to their ability to access multiple perspectives when reasoning about inclusion of others. Findings suggest the need to consider more closely how contextual experiences influence young children’s moral reasoning.
Analysis of the general match profile of international rugby union between 2007 and 2013

Abstract Law amendments are fundamental to the development of rugby and are introduced for a variety of reasons. The aim of this study was to investigate and compare the general match profile of international rugby between 2007 and 2013 in order to determine the effect of law changes. The researchers made use of mixed method methodology approach for this study. For the quantitative approach, a total of 248 matches were recorded and analyzed using the Fairplay video analysis software package. For the qualitative approach, the researchers conducted semi-structured interviews with expert coaches, specialist coaches, players and referees and referee coaches. The results revealed a practical significant decrease in the number of scrums (d = 1.03) line-outs (d = .86), rucks (d = .86), mauls (d = .62) and kicks (d = .46). An increase in the number of passes (d = .43), ball carries (d = 1.22) tackles attempted (d = .65) and penalty kicks (d = .98) between 2007 and 2013 was observed. The interviews revealed that under the current laws, there is an imbalance between attack and defence. The general match profile of international rugby has moved to a game with a decrease in the number of set pieces and kicks to an increase in the number of ball carries and tackles.
Molecular Diagnostics for Soil-Transmitted Helminths

Historically, the diagnosis of soil-transmitted helminths (STHs) (e.g., Strongyloides stercoralis, Trichuris trichiura, Ancylostoma duodenale, Necator americanus, and Ascaris lumbricoides) has relied on often-insensitive microscopy techniques. Over the past several years, there has been an effort to use molecular diagnostics, particularly quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), to detect intestinal pathogens. While some platforms have been approved by regulatory bodies (e.g., Food and Drug Administration) to detect intestinal bacteria, viruses, and protozoa, there are no approved tests currently available for STH. Although studies comparing qPCR to microscopy methods for STH are imperfect, due in large part to a lack of a sufficient gold standard, they do show a significant increase in sensitivity and specificity of qPCR compared with microscopic techniques. These studies, as well as the advantages and disadvantages of using qPCR for STH diagnosis, are discussed. Guidelines for those designing future studies utilizing qPCR are proposed for optimizing results, as is the proposition for using standardized molecular diagnostics routinely for STH in clinical laboratories and for field-based studies when possible.
CLIL or EMI: What is more effective for elementary education English learners? A case study in a bilingual school in Panama

Bilingual schools with a principles-based program are most likely to succeed in helping students become bilingual and biliterate. This case study presents the investigation conducted at Morgan Bilingual School (MBS)* to understand the content and language learning failure of many students who have been attending the program for a number of years. The investigation contextualizes the problem by presenting an overview of the school and carries out the implementation proposal of a unit of study designed using Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) and Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT) in order to see the effectiveness of these student-centered approaches for instruction compared to the school’s current teacher-centered approaches for instruction. The methodology employed qualitative and quantitative methods of data collection. The first set of findings revealed that the school’s language and content learning failure results from the lack of an assessment and accountability system, an integrated curriculum, a well-trained staff, a structured program, and appropriate and sufficient resources. The second set of findings revealed that the implementation of student-centered instructional approaches such as CLIL and TBLT are more effective for teaching and learning content and language compared to the teacher-centered instructional approaches used at Morgan Bilingual School. The implementation of a principles-based program that incorporates CLIL and TBLT may offer a solution to the school’s current content and language learning failure.
Landscapes of hoping – urban expansion and emerging futures in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso

Hope is much discussed as a future-oriented affect emerging from uncertain living conditions. While this conceptualisation illuminates the role that hope plays in shaping life trajectories, hope itself remains largely unaddressed. In this paper, we approach hope ethnographically as practice through the lens of material-semiotics. We draw on fieldwork in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, where hoping turns out to be co-constitutive of peri-urban life and landscape. We challenge person-centred understandings of hope in order to bring materiality back in two ways: first, hoping in its various modes and forms is always situated in particular settings, thus, its enactment has to be reflected; and second, hoping “takes place”, it is co-constitutive of the transformation of urban life. Additionally, we consider the temporality of hoping and highlight how hoping persists through urban space. We conclude that a more profound and thoroughly materialised understanding of hoping’s generative and stabilising potential may strengthen the role of anthropology in current research on socio-ecological transformations.
Interpersonal Styles and Labor Market Outcomes

This paper develops a framework of the role of interpersonal interactions in the labor market. Effective interpersonal interactions involve caring and directness. The ability to perform these tasks varies with personality and the importance of these tasks varies across jobs. An assignment model shows that people are most productive in jobs that match their style. An oversupply of one attribute relative to the other reduces wages for people who are better with the attribute in greater supply. We present evidence that youth sociability affects job assignment in adulthood. The returns to interpersonal interactions are consistent with the assignment model.