Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Problem-Based Learning ( PBL ) As A Teaching-Learning Strategy To Supplement The Knowledge Of Pharmacology In Medical School Undergraduates

Background: PBL as a teaching-learning strategy is progressively being incorporated into the medical curriculum. Problembased learning (PBL) provides the forum for the students to solve the given problem and in the process students learn content knowledge and also develop problem-solving skills, reasoning skills, communication skills, and self-assessment skills. It has evoked a substantial interest and debate in medical teaching in recent years. Method: Conventional didactic lectures were taken on certain CNS topics. This was followed by two tests; first one was a short answer question test and a second one was based on PBL strategy. The difference in their score was statistically analysed. Results: Scores of the two tests were compared and statistically analysed by using Student’s t test. Marks scored by the students for PBL test were higher than those scored in the SAQ test; this difference was statistically significant. A score of t> 1.96 is considered significant mean change; our calculation showed the t =10.1 which is highly significant. Conclusion: Intelligent combination of both traditional and PBL curricula could prove to be the best and most effective methodology for training medical school undergraduates.
Leading Indicators for the Capital Goods Industry

The goal of this paper is to build leading indicators to predict the capital goods business cycle in Brazil. We propose a probit model with autoregressive dynamics consisting of series with predictive power to anticipate contractions in this sector. The model is especially suitable for this sector as it includes information about the characteristics of cycle phases and their duration in the estimation of recession probability, and adapts well to the high volatility of the capital goods business cycle. The results indicate that the dynamic probit model has a better forecasting performance than the simple probit model in several aspects, both within and out of sample and in real time.
Poverty Effects of the Philippines' Tariff Reduction Program: Insights from a Computable General Equilibrium Analysis

A computable general equilibrium micro-simulation model is used to assess the economic and poverty impacts of tariff reduction in the Philippines. Tariff reduction induces consumers to substitute cheaper imported agricultural products for domestic goods, thereby resulting in a contraction in agricultural output. In contrast, tariff reduction reduces the domestic cost of production, benefiting the outward-oriented and import-dependent industrial sector. The national poverty headcount decreases marginally as lower consumer prices outweigh the nominal income reduction experienced by the majority of households. However, both the poverty gap and severity of poverty worsens, implying that the poorest of the poor become even poorer. Copyright 2008 The Authors. Journal compilation 2008 East Asian Economic Association and Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
The nature of the demand for alcohol: understanding elasticity

Purpose – The demand for alcohol is a well‐researched topic, yet the published literature regarding consumer responses to changes in the price of alcohol includes many conflicting and inconsistent results. This paper seeks to present an analysis of known own‐price elasticity estimates, and to attempt to understand why reported results differ.Design/methodology/approach – The approach taken to analysing the data is the meta‐regression approach. Specifically, the meta‐regression considers 150 beers, spirits, and wines, own price elasticity point estimates, which have been drawn from studies that consider demand responses to changes in the price of alcohol in 18 different countries.Findings – The results of the empirical work reported in this paper suggest that the year of the study, the length of study, the per capita level of alcohol consumption, and the relative ethanol share of a beverage are important factors when explaining variations in consumer demand responses to changes in the price of alcohol. Int.
Transfusion after Intramedullary Nailing of Hip Fractures

Introduction: Patients with unstable multi-fragmentary trochanteric fractures in comparison to those with simple intra-capsular and inter-trochanteric fractures have a larger amount of fractured metaphyseal bone from which bleeding can occur at the time of injury. A detailed analysis was performed comparing haemoglobin (Hb) in the pre and postoperative periods between patients requiring transfusion and those not. This was to determine if pre-operative blood loss caused a greater magnitude of fall in Hb concentration compared to post-operative blood loss, demonstrating if bleeding from the fracture as opposed to the surgery that patients had undergone was associated with the need for transfusion. Methods: Retrospective review of patients undergoing third generation Gamma Nail (Stryker Trauma, Switzerland) fixation for unstable peritrochanteric fractures. Fracture type was classified according to the MUller AO/ OTA classification. Patients were excluded if they had prophylactic nailing for metastatic disease; had sustained a diaphyseal fracture; or if they had been on warfarin, had any previous documented anaemia or acute gastrointestinal haemorrhage. The pre and post-operative Hb was recorded, timing and volume of transfusion. The Hb levels were analysed using a repeated measures regression model. The mean arterial blood pressure (MAP), level of fitness prior to surgery according to the American Society Anaesthesiologists (ASA) grading and fracture type was defined for each patient. Results: There were 51 patients with a mean age of 78 years after exclusions. 23 patients received a transfusion and 28 did not. The mean pre-operative Hb in the non-transfused group was 118.4 g/L, higher than the Hb in the transfused group, 95.9 g/L (p < 0.00). In comparison, in the 48 hour period after their operation, the mean Hb concentrations were comparable in both groups (p=0.358). Conclusions: There was a significant difference in the starting Hb level between groups: in the group requiring transfusion patients were anaemic before surgery. The association of pre-operative anaemia with an unstable multifragmentary trochanteric fracture should alert clinicians that these patients are likely to require blood replacement.
An Assessment of Observer Bias in the Shunt Design Trial

Introduction: An international multicenter randomized trial comparing standard pressure differential valves, Orbis Sigma valves and PS Medical Delta valves, for children with newly diagnosed hydrocephalus failed to show a difference in the time to first shunt failure (power 80%). In order to avoid observer bias, the primary endpoint, shunt failure, was defined by detailed clinical and radiological criteria. Surgeons notified the data center when their patient reached endpoint. Their decision was blindly reviewed by a centralized adjudication process. The current analysis asks: (1) Did the surgeons and the blinded adjudication process agree on the presence of shunt failure? (2) Do the shunt survival curves change when the surgeons’ assessment of outcome is used? Methods: The two methods of outcome assessment (surgeons’ decision and adjudication process) were compared with a kappa statistic for the presence of shunt failure and a log rank statistic for time to shunt failure. Results: The surgeon and the adjudication process agreed on the presence of the primary outcome in 313/344 patients in the trial (kappa = 0.81). The 31 cases of disagreement were evenly distributed among the three shunts. The survival curves generated from the surgeons’ decision were not significantly different from those generated by the adjudication process (log rank = 0.70, p = 0.37) and did not alter the study conclusions. Discussion: Observer bias in the assessment of outcome is always a concern in an unblinded clinical trial such as this one. We did not detect an observer bias of sufficient magnitude to alter the study conclusions.
SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS AND THEIR KNOWLEDGE ABOUT HEALTH-RELATED PHYSICAL FITNESS AND SPORT / SREDNJOŠKOLSKI UČENICI I NJIHOVO ZNANJE O VAŽNOSTI TJELESNE SPREME I SPORTA ZA ZDRAVLJE

ABSTRACTThis study evaluated physical education knowledge according to gender, secondary school programme, year of study and type of knowledge. The results of multivariate analysis of variance show that the programme of study had the highest impact (20.2% of the variance) on both dependent variables (conceptual and specific knowledge), the impact of gender was about half as high (11.7% of the variance), whereas the impact of the year of study was much lower (3.5% of the variance). The students from grammar school programmes had more knowledge than students from the other two secondary school programmes. Males scored higher than females, especially on specific knowledge. In technical and vocational programmes, there is no impact of the year of study on the knowledge exhibited by female students. As a result, physical education teachers should have more knowledge and skills in order to educate students about health-related physical fitness. They will need to acquire special didactic competences, particularly when teaching girls in technical and vocational secondary schools.Key words: gender, physical education knowledge, secondary school. -----SAŽETAKOvo istraživanje ispitalo je znanje tjelesne i zdravstvene kulture prema spolu, srednjoškolskom obrazovnom programu, godini učenja i vrsti znanja. Rezultati multivarijatne analize varijanci pokazali su da je obrazovni program imao najveći utjecaj (20,2 % varijance) na obje zavisne varijable (konceptualno i specifično znanje), utjecaj spola bio je jednako značajan (11,7% varijance), dok je utjecaj godine učenja bio prilično slabiji (3,5% varijance). Učenici koji pohađaju gimnazijske obrazovne programe imali su veće znanje od učenika iz druga dva srednjoškolska obrazovna programa. Muški učenici imali su bolje rezultate od učenica, posebno u specifičnim znanjima. U tehničkim i strukovnim obrazovnim programima nije primijećen utjecaj razreda kojega učenice pohađaju na znanje koje su pokazale. Shodno tomu, nastavnici tjelesne kulture trebali bi imati više znanja i vještina da bi obrazovali učenike o učinku tjelesne spreme na zdravlje. Oni će morati usvojiti posebne didaktičke kompetencije, pogotovo kada poučavaju učenice u tehničkim i strukovnim srednjim školama. Ključne riječi: spol, znanje tjelesne kulture, srednja škola.
Computational and experimental approaches for assessing the interactions between the model calycin β‐lactoglobulin and two antibacterial fluoroquinolones

Norfloxacin and levofloxacin, two fluoroquinolones of different bulk, rigidity and hydrophobicity taken as model ligands, were docked to one apo and two holo crystallographic structures of bovine β‐lactoglobulin (BLG) using different computational approaches. BLG is a member of the lipocalin superfamily. Lipocalins show a typical b‐barrel structure encompassing an internal cavity where small hydrophobic molecules are usually bound. Our studies allowed the identification of two putative binding sites in addition to the calyx. The rigid docking approximation resulted in strong repulsive forces when the ligands were docked into the calyx of the apo form. On the contrary, hindrance was not experienced in flexible docking protocols whether on the apo or on the holo BLG forms, due to allowance for side chain rearrangement. Ki between 10−7 and 10−6 M were estimated for norfloxacin at pH 7.4, smaller than 10−5 M for levofloxacin. Spectroscopic and electrophoretic techniques experimentally validated the occurrence of an interaction between norfloxacin and BLG. Changes in chemical shift and dynamic parameters were observed between the 19F NMR spectra of the complex and of the ligand. A Ki (ca 10−7 M) comparable with the docking results was estimated through a NMR relaxation titration. Stabilization against unfolding was demonstrated by denaturant gradient gel electrophoresis on the complex versus apo BLG. NMR experimental evidence points to a very loose interaction for ofloxacin, the racemic mixture containing levofloxacin. Furthermore, we were able to calculate in silico Ki's comparable to the published experimental values for the complexes of palmitic and retinoic acid with BLG. Proteins 2006. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Systemic inflammation, nutritional status and survival in patients with cancer

Purpose of reviewThere is now good evidence in humans that a chronic systemic inflammatory response results in the cardinal features of cancer cachexia, principally the progressive loss of weight (in particular lean tissue). This review examines the role of recent simple objective systemic inflammation-based scores in predicting reduction of nutritional status and survival. Recent findingsThe most common measure of the systemic inflammatory response in cancer patients has been an elevated C-reactive protein concentration. This has now been included in recent definitions of cancer cachexia. There are also recent systemic inflammation-based scores, the Glasgow Prognostic Score, Neutrophil Lymphocyte Ratio and the Platelet Lymphocyte Ratio that have been shown to have prognostic value in cancer patients. These scores, in particular the Glasgow Prognostic Score, enable identification of patients who are, or likely, to develop cachexia, have a poor response to treatment and who are likely to have poor survival. SummaryA chronic systemic inflammatory response is clearly implicated in the progressive nutritional and functional decline in the cancer patients and their subsequent poor outcome. Systemic inflammation-based prognostic scores not only identify patients at risk but also provide well defined therapeutic targets for future clinical trials targeting nutritional decline.
A Meta-Analysis of the Financial Performance of Family Firms: Another Attempt

This study presents the results of a meta-analysis of the financial performance of family firms. Drawing on a sample of 380 studies, we find that family firms show an economically weak, albeit statistically significant, superior performance compared to non-family firms. Furthermore, we find moderating factors to significantly condition the relationship. These results show that the positive effect of family firms on financial performance is more pronounced in samples of public and large firms and when an ownership definition of family firms is used. It is also notable that family firms do best when their performance is assessed by ROA, a measure that is not as influenced by financial structure as ROE. Based on the broad empirical evidence obtained, we discuss implications and avenues for future research.
Journalism in Africa: Modernity, Africanity

The basic assumptions underpinning African Journalism in definition and practice, are not informed by the fact that ordinary Africans are busy Africanizing their modernity and modernizing their Africanity in ways often too complex for simplistic dichotomies to capture. The precepts of journalism that apply currently in Africa are largely at variance with dominant ideas of personhood and agency (and by extension society, culture and democracy) shared by communities across the continent, as it assumes that there is a One-Best-Way of being and doing to which Africans must aspire and be converted in the name of modernity and civilization. This divorce is at the heart of some of the professional and ethical dilemmas that haunt journalism in and on Africa, a journalism whose tendency is to debase and caricature African humanity, creativity and realities. It is a constraint that renders African Journalism a journalism of bandwagonism, where mimicry is the order of the day, as emphases is less on thinking than on doing, less on leading than on being led. African Journalism lacks both the power of self-definition and the power to shape the universals that are deaf-and-dumb to the particularities of journalism in and on Africa. Because journalism has tended to be treated as an attribute of so-called ‘modern’ societies or of ‘superior’ others, it is only proper, so the reasoning goes, that African Journalism and the societies it serves, are taught the principles and professional practices by those who ‘know’ what it means to be civilized and to be relevant to civilization.
Signal transduction events in lung injury induced by 2‐chloroethyl ethyl sulfide, a mustard analog

Sulfur mustard has been used as a vesicant chemical warfare agent. To understand the mechanism by which mustard gas exposure causes respiratory damage, we have used 2‐chloroethyl ethyl sulfide (CEES) as a mustard analog. Our initial studies have shown that guinea pigs exposed to CEES intratracheally accumulate high levels of TNF‐α. Accumulation of TNF‐α leads to activation of both acid and neutral sphingomyelinases, resulting in high accumulation of ceramides, a second messenger involved in cell apoptosis. In addition, NF‐κB was activated for a short period (1–2 h after exposure) as determined by mobility shift assay. Supershift assays indicated that both p50 and p65 of NF‐κB were activated due to CEES exposure. However, NF‐κB rapidly disappeared after 2 h. It is possible that the initial activation of NF‐κB was an adaptive response to protect the cells from damage since NF‐κB is known to inhibit TNF‐α/ceramide‐induced cell apoptosis. Since NF‐κB disappeared after 2 h, the cells continued being damaged owing to accumulation of ceramides and activation of several caspases, leading to apoptosis. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biochem Mol Toxicol 17:114–121, 2003; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/jbt.10068
Association between interleukin 10 gene polymorphisms and risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus in a Chinese population

Objective To investigate the relationship between the interleukin 10 (IL10) gene single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) −1082 G/A (rs1800896), −819 T/C (rs1800871) and −592 A/C (rs1800872) and risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus in a Chinese population. Methods This case–control study recruited patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and healthy control subjects. Genotyping of the −1082 G/A (rs1800896), −819 T/C (rs1800871) and −592 A/C (rs1800872) SNPs was conducted and genotype frequencies were compared between the two groups. Results The study recruited 364 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and 677 healthy controls. Patients carrying the −1082 GG genotype had a significantly increased risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 1.57, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.03, 2.68), as did those patients carrying the −592 AA genotype (adjusted OR 1.63, 95% CI 1.06, 2.53). Subjects carrying both the −1082 GA + GG and −592 AC + AA genotypes had a significantly increased risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus (adjusted OR 2.03, 95% CI 1.24, 3.15). Conclusions The SNPs −1082G/A and −592 A/C increased the risk for type 2 diabetes mellitus, and could be potential targets for screening for the early detection of the risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus.
Substitution of the methionine residues of calmodulin with the unnatural amino acid analogs ethionine and norleucine: Biochemical and spectroscopic studies

Calmodulin (CaM) is a 148‐residue regulatory calcium‐binding protein that activates a wide range of target proteins and enzymes. Calcium‐saturated CaM has a bilobal structure, and each domain has an exposed hydrophobic surface region where target proteins are bound. These two “active sites” of calmodulin are remarkably rich in Met residues. Here we have biosynthetically substituted (up to 90% incorporation) the unnatural amino acids ethionine (Eth) and norleucine (Nle) for the nine Met residues of CaM. The substituted proteins bind in a calcium‐dependent manner to hydrophobic matrices and a synthetic peptide, encompassing the CaM‐binding domain of myosin light‐chain kinase (MLCK). Infrared and circular dichroism spectroscopy show that there are essentially no changes in the secondary structure of these proteins compared to wild‐type CaM (WT‐CaM). One‐and two‐dimensional NMR studies of the Eth‐CaM and Nle‐CaM proteins reveal that, while the core of the proteins is relatively unaffected by the substitutions, the two hydrophobic interaction surfaces adjust to accommodate the Eth and Nle residues. Enzyme activation studies with MLCK show that Eth‐CaM and Nle‐CaM activate the enzyme to 90% of its maximal activity, with little changes in dissociation constant. For calcineurin only 50% activation was obtained, and the KD for Nle‐CaM also increased 3.5‐fold compared with WT‐CaM. These data show that the “active site” Met residues of CaM play a distinct role in the activation of different target enzymes, in agreement with site‐directed mutagenesis studies of the Met residues of CaM.
Citizenship and the Corporation

This article investigates the contribution made by the concept of citizenship to contemporary understandings of the widely held business corporation. Because the conventional economic understanding of corporations and corporate law cannot fully explain the nature of the business corporation and the purposes of corporate law, the framework within which teachers and students of corporate law approach the corporation must be enlarged. By looking at the corporation exclusively through the lens of economics we are unable to account for all features of the corporation and corporate law, and we risk mistaking the purpose of these features, or wrongly supposing that they serve no purpose. The article proposes that through resort to a distinct set of conceptual tools—the concept of citizenship, borrowed from political theory—we can attain a fuller comprehension of the meaning of the corporation.
The value relevance of UK dirty surplus accounting flows

Misgivings about dirty surplus accounting practices derive, in part, from two related concerns. Firstly, it has been argued that dirty surplus accounting might result in value-relevant items being reported within ‘dirty surplus flows’ rather than within earnings. Secondly, it has been suggested that the low transparency of dirty surplus flows might reduce investors' ability to recognize value-relevant items in a timely fashion. In this study, we address the first of these concerns. We examine UK stock returns and accounting flows accumulated over intervals of up to 20 years. We report evidence on the value-relevance of accounting flows which were excluded from ‘ordinary profit’ (i.e. accounting profit exclusive of extraordinary items) in the UK over the period from 1972 to 1992. Our tests provide strong evidence that UK ordinary profit is value-relevant and provide some evidence, on the basis of long-interval tests, that extraordinary items are value-relevant. There is little evidence that other flows excluded from ordinary profit are value-relevant, however. These finding may allay concerns that, by allowing value-relevant flows to bypass reported earnings, dirty surplus accounting practices have promoted undesirable ‘creative accounting’ activity by UK firms.