Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
“Theory Repositories” via the Web for Problem-Based Learning

This paper describes a series of experiments conducted at the School of Management Studies at the University of Twente designed to improve students’ concentration on the theoretical study materials in a particular course. In 1997 a problem-based learning approach was introduced into a course on organization theory. After the first year it was apparent that acquisition and application of the theoretical principles of the course by student groups was below expectation. In an attempt to remedy this problem, a Web–based collaborative work environment was introduced in 1998 with the intention of encouraging students to read relevant theoretical material and also to reflect more on what they had read, via writing notes about the materials and making these available to others in their group. The collection of reflective documents is called a “theory repository” (King & Star, 1990). In addition to hosting a theory repository, the collaborative work environment was designed to control the flow of work and to enforce rules for groups’ access to the output of other groups, based on their own performance. Further changes were made after the evaluation of the 1998 cycle and a third version of the course was run and evaluated in 1999. A description of the educational setting and of the Web–based collaborative work environment and its theory repository is presented. The three editions of the course are described and the evaluation results over the period 1997-1999 are presented and discussed. The extent to which the discipline of reading improved is evaluated, as are the effects on insight into theory. The evaluation shows that the technical realization works well, but uptake of the instructional tasks for reflection only takes place if these tasks are perceived by the students as being pertinent to their performance in terms of assessment in the course.
C5b-9 dimer: isolation from complement lysed cells and ultrastructural identification with complement-dependent membrane lesions

The membrane attack complex (MAC) of complement was extracted from the membranes of cells lysed by human complement and its properties were compared with those of the fluid phase complex SC5b-9. Upon sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and immunochemical analysis, the two isolated complexes had identical subunit compositions, except that the MAC lacked the S-protein. The sedimentation coefficient and molecular weight of the extracted and isolated MAC were, respectively, 33.5 S and 1.7 x 10(6) daltons, compared to 23 S and 1.0 x 10(6) dalton for SC5b-9. Because the molecular weight of the MAC is approximately two times greater than that of C5b-0 (800,000 daltons), the MAC is considered the dimer of C5b- 9. Under specified conditions, the 33.5 S dimer could be converted to the 23 S monomer without dissociation of subunits. The MAC had the electron microscopic appearance and dimensions that are characteristic for the complement produced ultrastructural membrane lesions. SC5b-9 had a different ultrastructure that is dissimilar to the morphology of the lesions. The isolated MAC could be reincorporated into phospholipid bilayers and assumed on the surface of the resultant lipid vesicles the orientation and appearance of typical complement lesions.
Probing the Spatial Distribution of the Interstellar Dust Medium by High Angular Resolution X-Ray Halos of Point Sources

We studied the X-ray dust scattering halos around 17 bright X-ray point sources using Chandra data. All sources were observed with the Advanced CCD Imaging Spectrometer and High Energy Transmission Grating in continuous clocking mode (CC mode) or timed exposure mode (TE mode). We use an iterative method to resolve the halos at small scattering angles from the zeroth-order data in CC mode or the first-order data in TE mode, which is not, or less, piled up. Using the interstellar grain models of Weingartner and Draine and Mathis and coworkers to fit the halo profiles, we get the hydrogen column densities and the spatial distributions of the scattering dust grains along the lines of sight (LOSs) to these sources. We find that the scattering dust density very close to these sources is much higher than the normal interstellar medium. For X-ray pulsars GX 301-2 and Vela X-1 with companions of strong stellar winds, the X-ray absorption column densities are much higher than the derived scattering column densities, because the dense media around the X-ray sources produce extremely small angle scatterings that are indistinguishable from point sources, even with Chandra's angular resolution. For LMC X-1, most of the scattering and absorption occur in the Large Magellanic Cloud, rather than in the Milky Way. From the obtained X-ray spectra, the cold gas absorption and thus the equivalent hydrogen column are determined. We have obtained the linear correlation between the NH derived from spectral fits and that derived from the grain models of Weingartner and Draine and Mathis and coworkers (except for GX 301-2 and Vela X-1): NH,WD01 = (0.720 ± 0.009)NH,abs + (0.051 ± 0.013) and NN,MRN = (1.156 ± 0.016)NH,abs + (0.062 ± 0.024) in units of 1022 cm-2. High angular resolution X-ray dust scattering halos offer an excellent potential for probing the spatial distributions of the interstellar dust medium.
Measurement of CPOE end-user satisfaction among ICU physicians and nurses

Summary Background: Implementation of Computerized Provider Order Entry (CPOE) can fail or meet high levels of user resistance for a variety of reasons, including lack of attention to users’ needs and the significant workflow changes induced and required by CPOE. End-user satisfaction is a critical factor in IT implementation. Objective: The goal of this study was to identify criteria to select a valid and reliable questionnaire to measure end-user satisfaction with CPOE. Methods: We developed seven criteria that can be used to select valid and reliable questionnaires. We applied the selection criteria to existing end-user satisfaction questionnaires. Results: Most of the questionnaires used to measure end-user satisfaction have been tested for reliability and validity and most of the questionnaires have reasonably reliability and some sort of validity. However, only one questionnaire, the Physician Order Entry User Satisfaction and Usage Survey (POESUS) met most of the other criteria we developed to select a questionnaire to evaluate CPOE implementation. We used the POESUS in our study and compared the results with other studies. Results show that users are moderately satisfied with CPOE. Conclusion: Using the seven criteria we developed, it is possible to select reliable and valid questionnaires. We hope that in the future this will lead to an increasing number of studies using the same questionnaires. That will improve the possibilities for comparing the results of one study to another (benchmarking).
Nonrandom dispersal drives phenotypic divergence within a bird population

Gene flow through dispersal has traditionally been thought to function as a force opposing evolutionary differentiation. However, directional gene flow may actually reinforce divergence of populations in close proximity. This study documents the phenotypic differentiation over more than two decades in body size (tarsus length) at a very short spatial scale (1.1 km) within a population of pied flycatchers Ficedula hypoleuca inhabiting deciduous and coniferous habitats. Unlike females, males breeding in the deciduous forest were consistently larger than those from the managed coniferous forest. This assortment by size is likely explained by preset habitat preferences leading to dominance of the largest males and exclusion of the smallest ones toward the nonpreferred coniferous forest coupled with directional dispersal. Movements of males between forests were nonrandom with respect to body size and flow rate, which might function to maintain the phenotypic variation in this heritable trait at such a small spatial scale. However, a deeply rooted preference for the deciduous habitat might not be in line with its quality due to the increased levels of breeding density of hole-nesting competitors therein. These results illustrate how eco-evolutionary scenarios can develop under directional gene flow over surprisingly small spatial scales. Our findings come on top of recent studies concerning new ways in which dispersal and gene flow can influence microevolution.
Treatment Outcome of 460 Women with Vaginismus

Results: We developed our classification system based on the gynecological examination, and classified all the patients at the first visit. Among 460 women, we classified 152 (33.04%) as first- degree, 180 (39.1%) as second-degree, 108 (23.4%) as thirddegree, and 20 (4.34%) as fourth-degree. All of the therapies were individualized for the patients based on the first gynecological assessment. After the treatment and at the 3-month follow-up, 460 (100%) women had had successful sexual intercourse. The mean number of treatment sessions was 4.2. At the 1-year follow-up after treatment, 392 (85.2%) not only had regular intercourse but orgasm as well. Forty (8.69%) did not have orgasm but felt that intercourse was pleasurable. Twenty-eight (6.08%) women had regular intercourse but no interest. Conclusion: Our study showed that conducting a non-traumatic gynecologic examination is very important for definite diagnosis, classification of severity and establishment of a therapy modality for higher success rates in the management of vaginismus.
Simpler semidefinite programs for completely bounded norms

The completely bounded trace and spectral norms, for finite-dimensional spaces, are known to be efficiently expressible by semidefinite programs (J. Watrous, Theory of Computing 5: 11, 2009). This paper presents two new, and arguably much simpler, semidefinite programming formulations of these norms.
Use of loteprednol for routine prophylaxis after photorefractive keratectomy

Background The purpose of this work is to report our experience using loteprednol 0.5% for routine prophylaxis after photorefractive keratectomy in an academic refractive surgery center. Materials and methods Photorefractive keratectomy was performed on 579 eyes from 316 patients in this retrospective chart review of patients treated postoperatively with either fluorometholone 0.1% (273 eyes) or loteprednol 0.5% (306 eyes). Primary outcome measures at 6 months included uncorrected distance visual acuity, corrected distance visual acuity, and manifest refraction spherical equivalent. Secondary outcome measures were incidence of corneal haze and increased intraocular pressure. Results There were no statistically significant differences in preoperative characteristics between the two groups when comparing age, sex, best-corrected visual acuity, spherical equivalent, or keratometry. Both groups achieved excellent visual outcomes, with a mean uncorrected distance visual acuity (logMAR) of 0.004 ± 1.4 in the fluorometholone group and −0.028 ± 1.1 in the loteprednol group (P = 0.013) at 6 months. Postoperative corneal haze and increased intraocular pressure were uncommon and not statistically different between the groups. Conclusion Loteprednol 0.5% performed similarly to fluorometholone 0.1% when used for prophylaxis following photorefractive keratectomy. The incidence of haze and increased intraocular pressure were similar between the two groups.
Leakage Control Through Fine-Grained Placement and Sizing of Sleep Transistors

Multithreshold CMOS (MTCMOS) technology has become a popular technique for standby power reduction. Sleep transistor insertion in circuits is an effective application of MTCMOS technology for reducing leakage power. In this paper, we present a fine-grained approach where each gate in the circuit is provided with an independent sleep transistor. Key advantages of this approach include better circuit slack utilization and improvements in ground-bounce-related signal integrity (which is a major disadvantage in clustering-based approaches). To this end, we propose an optimal polynomial-time fine-grained sleep transistor sizing algorithm. We also prove the selective sleep transistor placement problem as NP-complete and propose an effective heuristic. Finally, in order to reduce the sleep transistor area penalty, we propose a placement-area-constrained sleep transistor sizing formulation. Our experiments show that, on average, the sleep transistor placement and optimal sizing algorithms gave 50.9% and 46.5% savings in leakage power as compared with the conventional fixed-delay penalty algorithms for 5% and 7% circuit slowdown, respectively. Moreover, the postplacement area penalty was less than 5%, which is comparable to clustering schemes.
Alternatively Spliced Methionine Synthase in SH-SY5Y Neuroblastoma Cells: Cobalamin and GSH Dependence and Inhibitory Effects of Neurotoxic Metals and Thimerosal

The folate and cobalamin (Cbl-) dependent enzyme methionine synthase (MS) is highly sensitive to oxidation and its activity affects all methylation reactions. Recent studies have revealed alternative splicing of MS mRNA in human brain and patient-derived fibroblasts. Here we show that MS mRNA in SH-SY5Y human neuroblastoma cells is alternatively spliced, resulting in three primary protein species, thus providing a useful model to examine cofactor dependence of these variant enzymes. MS activity was dependent upon methylcobalamin (MeCbl) or the combination of hydroxocobalamin (OHCbl) and S-adenosylmethionine (SAM). OHCbl-based activity was eliminated by depletion of the antioxidant glutathione (GSH) but could be rescued by provision of either glutathionylcobalamin (GSCbl) or MeCbl. Pretreatment of cells with lead, arsenic, aluminum, mercury, or the ethylmercury-containing preservative thimerosal lowered GSH levels and inhibited MS activity in association with decreased uptake of cysteine, which is rate-limiting for GSH synthesis. Thimerosal treatment decreased cellular levels of GSCbl and MeCbl. These findings indicate that the alternatively spliced form of MS expressed in SH-SY5Y human neuronal cells is sensitive to inhibition by thimerosal and neurotoxic metals, and lower GSH levels contribute to their inhibitory action.
Melatonin is able to prevent the liver of old castrated female rats from oxidative and pro‐inflammatory damage

Abstract: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of aging and ovariectomy on various physiological parameters related to inflammation and oxidative stress in livers obtained from old female rats, and the influence of chronic administration of melatonin on these animals. Twenty‐four female Wistar rats of 22 months of age were used. Animals were divided into four experimental groups: two intact groups that were untreated or given melatonin (1 mg/kg/day), and two ovariectomized groups that also untreated and treated with melatonin (1 mg/kg/day). After 10 wk of treatment, rats were sacrificed by decapitation, and livers were collected and homogenized. A group of 2‐month‐old female rats was used as young controls. Protein expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), heme oxygenase‐1 (HO‐1), IL‐6, TNF‐α and IL‐1β were determined by Western blot analysis. The levels of nitric oxide metabolites (NOx), lipid hydroperoxide (LPO), TNF‐α, IL‐1β, IL‐6 and IL‐10 were determined. Levels of LPO in the liver homogenates as well as iNOS protein expression and NOx levels were increased in old rats as compared with young animals; this effect was more evident in ovariectomized animals. Pro‐inflammatory cytokines TNF‐α, IL‐1β and IL‐6 were significantly increased and anti‐inflammatory IL‐10 decreased during aging and after ovariectomy. Aging also significantly increased the expression of HO‐1 protein, and ovariectomized rats showed an additional increase. Administration of melatonin, both to intact and to the ovariectomized animals significantly reduced NOx, LPO levels and pro‐inflammatory cytokines in the liver as compared with untreated rats. Significant rice in IL‐10 and reductions in the iNOS, HO‐1, IL‐6, TNF‐α and IL‐1β protein expression were also found in rats treated with melatonin. Oxidative stress and inflammation induced during aging in the liver are more marked in castrated than in intact females. Administration of melatonin reduces both these situations.
Commentary on highlighted late breaking trials in interventional cardiology at ESC, VIVA, TCT, and AHA 2013

With the plethora of clinical trials, it is difficult for busy interventional cardiologists to stay up to date. Therefore, the SCAI publications committee concisely summarizes and provides editorial commentary on the most important trials from recent, large international meetings. The intent is to provide this summary every six months to allow quick assimilation of trial results into interventional practice. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
High second-language proficiency protects against the effects of reverberation on listening comprehension

The purpose of this experiment was to investigate whether classroom reverberation influences second-language (L2) listening comprehension. Moreover, we investigated whether individual differences in baseline L2 proficiency and in working memory capacity (WMC) modulate the effect of reverberation time on L2 listening comprehension. The results showed that L2 listening comprehension decreased as reverberation time increased. Participants with higher baseline L2 proficiency were less susceptible to this effect. WMC was also related to the effect of reverberation (although just barely significant), but the effect of WMC was eliminated when baseline L2 proficiency was statistically controlled. Taken together, the results suggest that top-down cognitive capabilities support listening in adverse conditions. Potential implications for the Swedish national tests in English are discussed.
The meaning of reporting forgetfulness: a cross-sectional study of adults in the English 2007 Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey.

OBJECTIVES we measured subjective memory impairment (SMI) across the whole adult age range in a representative, national survey. Age is the strongest risk factor for dementia and SMI may be a precursor of objective cognitive impairment. We therefore hypothesised that SMI prevalence would rise with age in a non-demented population. METHOD we analysed data from the English 2007 Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey, representative of people in private households. Participants were asked whether they had noticed problems with forgetting in the last month, or forgotten anything important in the last week; and completed the modified Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status. RESULTS of those contacted, 7,461 (57%) participated. After excluding participants screening positive for dementia, 2,168 (31.7%) reported forgetfulness in the last month, while 449 (6.4%) had forgotten something important in the last week. Reporting forgetfulness was not associated with age. In a multivariate analysis including cognition and age, the only significant associates of reporting forgetfulness were anxiety, depressive and somatic symptoms. CONCLUSIONS our hypothesis that subjective forgetfulness prevalence would rise with age in a non-demented population was not supported. Although subjective forgetfulness can be an early symptom of future or mild dementia, it is common and non-specific and-at population level-is more likely to be related to mood than to be an early symptom of dementia. Asking those presenting with subjective forgetfulness additional questions about memory and functional decline and objective forgetfulness is likely to help clinicians to detect those at risk of dementia.
The Effects of Auditors and Regulators on Bank Financial Reporting: Evidence from Loan Loss Provisions

This paper examines how bank regulators and external auditors affect financial reporting decisions. Both groups serve an important role in the financial reporting process given their access to internal bank information, but they have different objectives and incentives affecting their influence on financial reporting. To provide insight into their roles, I examine loan loss provision timeliness, an accounting choice associated with significant managerial discretion, important economic consequences, and a potential conflict between regulators and auditors. Using a matched sample and control group, I find that unaudited banks subject to lower scrutiny from regulators recognize less timely loan loss provisions. However, external audits and greater regulatory scrutiny each have a counteracting effect as they are positively associated with loan loss provision timeliness, suggesting that different objectives and incentives dominate for these groups. I further show that although the effects of greater regulatory scrutiny and an external audit do not conflict on average, audited banks are less timely when loss rates increase relative to historical experience, consistent with regulator concerns following the financial crisis. This paper contributes to our understanding of involvement by both bank regulators and auditors in the financial reporting process and demonstrates how their objectives and incentives may differentially influence financial reporting outcomes.
An innovative concept map approach for improving students' learning performance with an instant feedback mechanism

Concept maps have been widely employed for helping students organise their knowledge as well as evaluating their knowledge structures in a wide range of subject matters. Although researchers have recognised concept maps as being an important educational tool, past experiences have also revealed the difficulty of evaluating the correctness of a concept map. It usually takes days or weeks for teachers to manually evaluate the concept maps developed by students; consequently, the students cannot receive timely feedback from the teachers, which not only affects their learning schedules, but also significantly influences the students' learning achievements. In this paper, a computer-based concept map-oriented learning strategy with real-time assessment and feedback is proposed in order to cope with the problems mentioned above. Our approach provides immediate evaluation of concept maps and gives also real-time feedback to the students. An experiment has been conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of this new strategy in comparison with the conventional computer-based concept map approach. It is found that our innovative approach can be significantly beneficial to promote learning achievements as well as the learning attitudes of students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Trypsin, elastase, plasmin and MMP-9 activity in the serum during the human ageing process.

OBJECTIVE the aim of this work was to define the influence of the ageing process on the activity of proteolytic enzymes, such as trypsin, elastase, plasmin and active MMP-9 concentration, as well as the inhibitor alpha 1-antitrypsin. Moreover, we assessed associations between enzyme activity and selected clinical and biochemical parameters. METHODS healthy normotensive volunteers (n = 60, 30 women) aged 20-82 years were split into subgroups: young (aged 20-22), middle-aged (49-52) and elderly (77-82). Serum enzyme activity was assessed using fluorometric methods. RESULTS overall, active MMP-9 concentration and trypsin activity decreased with age, and alpha1-antitrypsin concentration and plasmin activity increased. Activity of elastase increased with age when compared to the young age group. An inverse correlation was identified between MMP-9 concentration and BMI and a direct correlation found between BMI and elastase, plasmin activity and alpha1-antitrypsin concentration. In the middle-aged group, glucose correlated directly with trypsin activity and inversely with MMP-9 concentration. Trypsin activity and MMP-9 concentration correlated inversely with cholesterol concentration and plasmin and elastase activity, and the alpha1-antitrypsin concentration correlated with cholesterol concentration in the overall group. CONCLUSIONS the results confirm the influence of the ageing process on the activity of serum proteolytic enzymes. The activity of individual proteolytic enzymes in the serum changes with age.