Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Barriers to high quality coding of hospital chart information to administrative data: A qualitative study

ABSTRACTObjectives Administrative data are widely used in research, health policy, and the evaluation of health service delivery. We undertook a qualitative study to explore the barriers to high quality coding of chart information to administrative data, at the level of coders in Canada. ApproachOur study design is qualitative. We recruited professional medical chart coders and data users working across Alberta, Canada, using a multimodal recruitment strategy. We conducted an in-depth, semi-structured interview with each participant. All interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed. We conducted thematic analysis (e.g., line-by-line open coding) of interview transcripts. Codes were then collated into themes and compared across our dataset to ensure accurate interpretations of the data. The study team met to discuss, modify, and interpret emergent themes in the context of the barriers to coding administrative data. ResultsWe recruited 28 coding specialists. In general, coders had high job satisfaction and sense of collegiality, as well as sufficient resources to address their coding questions. They believed themselves to be adequately trained and consistently put in the extra effort when searching charts to find additional information that accurately reflected the patient journey. Barriers to high quality coding from the coder perspective included: 1) Incomplete and inaccurate information in physician progress notes and discharge summaries; 2) Difficulty navigating a complex hybrid of paper and electronic medical records; 3) Focus on productivity rather than quality by the employer, which at times resulted in inconsistent instructions for coding secondary diagnoses and discordant expectations between the employer and the coders’ professional standards. ConclusionFuture interventions to improve the quality of administrative data should focus on physician education of necessary components in charting, evaluation of electronic medical records from the perspectives of those who play a key role in abstracting data, and evaluation of productivity guidelines for coders and their effects on data quality.
Hemodynamic and metabolic changes in muscle in relation to insulin action

It is widely accepted that insulin increases total blood flow to muscle. This lab has demonstrated in a number of studies that insulin also recruits capillary flow in muscle by an unknown mechanism. This hemodynamic response to insulin is linked to its metabolic effects as it increases the access of glucose and insulin to muscle cells. It is possible that insulin may act on endothelial or vascular smooth muscle cells to release a vasodilator (NO, adenosine, prostaglandins or endothelium-dependent hyperpolarizing factor) causing capillary recruitment. The aim of this thesis was to look at possible mechanisms underlying insulin’s hemodynamic and metabolic action in muscle. This was examined during hyperinsulinemic euglycemic clamps in anesthetized rats. To test the agents affecting insulin action at the local muscle level, a novel technique was developed wherein the epigastric artery (a branch of the femoral artery) was cannulated and test substances were infused into one leg to avoid any systemic effects; the contralateral leg served as control. Femoral artery blood flow and metabolism of exogenously infused 1-methylxanthine (1- MX) as an index of capillary recruitment were measured in both legs for comparison. There is some evidence that insulin’s hemodynamic action on muscle is mediated by nitric oxide-cGMP pathway. T-1032, a phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitor, was infused systemically, to see whether NO-dependent insulin-mediated capillary recruitment in muscle could be enhanced by inhibiting cyclic GMP degradation. T-1032, however, produced an acute insulin resistance. In addition, NO production was enhanced using two endothelium-dependent nitro-vasodilators methacholine and bradykinin. Methacholine infused systemically caused MAP to fall and blood glucose to rise, resulting in a lower GIR. Local infusion of methacholine but not bradykinin in one leg significantly increased capillary recruitment and insulin-mediated glucose uptake. Furthermore, a NOS inhibitor, L-NAME, infused locally in one leg had no effect on insulin action in muscle. Systemic L-NAME infusion partially blocked the insulinmediated capillary recruitment without any effect on insulin-mediated glucose uptake. On the other hand, local infusion of calcium-dependent potassium channel (KCa) blocker TEA in one leg, almost completely blocked insulin’s effects on capillary recruitment and attenuated insulin-mediated glucose uptake. Collectively these findings indicate that the action of insulin on muscle is the net result of a combination of effects. There is evidence for involvement of systemic NO and local KCa channels in insulin-mediated capillary recruitment. Hence, modulation of either of these components could potentially alter the hemodynamics and metabolism in muscle.
Antipattern Discovery in Folk Tunes

Abstract This paper presents a new pattern discovery method for labelled folk song corpora. The method discovers general patterns that are rare or even entirely absent from a set of pieces, and among those the patterns that are frequent in a background set. Pattern discovery is performed with reference to a background ontology of folk tune genres. The method is applied to a large corpus of Basque folk tunes and results are evaluated as descriptive patterns and as negative association rules.
Nutritional Assessment of Geriatric Stroke Patients in a Rehabilitation Hospital

Objective: It was aimed to evaluate the nutritional status of geriatric stroke patients admitted to a convalescent and rehabilitation hospital and the clinical usefulness of the mini-nutritional assessment (MNA) to identify malnutrition in elderly stroke patients. Method: We performed a nutritional evaluation using the MNA questionnaire, anthropometric, haematological, and biochemical parameters in 30 stroke patients. Malnutrition was defined if there were abnormalities in at least one of the following parameters: serum values of albumin and transferrin, hemoglobin and total lymphocytes in blood, and \ body mass index. The sensitivity, specificity, and predictive values of MNA for malnutrition were assessed. Results: The mean age of patients was 69.5 years and mean body mass index was 22.8 . The prevalence of malnutrition was 46.7% while malnutrition or risk of malnutrition by MNA was 80%. The sensitivity, specificity, and positive/negative predictive values of MNA for malnutrition were respectively 92.9%, 31.3%, 54.2%, and 83.3% with a cutoff point lower than 23.5. There was a significant difference of hemoglobin value between malnourished and nourished group (p
The experience of university academic staff in their use of information communications technology

This research explores issues encountered by academic staff in their adoption of technology within the teaching and learning environment. The context of this research is set within a global environment; where technology is seen as both underpinning and enabling the current period of rapid change. Both the literature and University documents purport that the use of technology is instrumental in the delivery of positive economic, educational and social change. The researcher identified a dissonance between administrative policy and practices, and academic practice in relation to the use of technology. Consequently, the purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of academic staff in their adoption of technology within the teaching and learning environment. The literature review generated following research questions: 1. Why do academic staff use information communication technology (ICT)? 2. How do academic staff use ICT? 3. What are the barriers to the use of ICT that have been identified by academic staff? 4. How do academic leaders promote the use of ICT in teaching and learning? As the adoption of technology is essentially a social process, the epistemological position of constructivism, using an interpretative perspective, was adopted for this research. The methodology of case study is utilised as it allowed detailed exploration of self-perceptions and lived experiences of the participants in relation to their use of technology within their professional practice. 21 participants were initially selected for this study. From this group of participants Rogers' Theory of Diffusion was used to select those participants who could provide the most useful insights; resulting in the seven case studies documented in this thesis. ;This research concluded that for the academic mainstream, the deployment and availability of technology had reached a stage where hardware, software, internet connectivity and projection capability were no longer seen as impediments to their use of technology. All participants, ranging from the highly innovative to the late technology adopters, used technology for email, the world wide web (WWW), administrative tasks, and the preparation and presentation of their lectures. While the use of various technologies was universal among the participants, the predominant use of technology was to support the transmission mode of instruction. The research concluded that a constructivist educational approach was not closely linked to early technology adoption, but to the participants' individual educational beliefs. The educational beliefs of the participants were in conflict with their experience of the University's practices, which reflected a lack of instructional leadership in relation to the use of technology.
Does bilirubin act as a free radical quencher of clinical significance in neonates and children?

Abstract Pediatricians are generally wary of hyperbilirubinemia because elevated circulating bilirubin is seen both as a sign of disease and a cause of pathology. Normal aerobic metabolism is associated with the chance occurrence of reactive oxygen species (ROS) that can damage cellular macromolecules. Bilirubin as a molecule at the crossroads of the natural protection of the body against ROS has been the subject of experiments in vitro and in animals, as well as observational and epidemiological studies during the past two decades. This review assesses the evidence as to whether bilirubin is a free radical quencher of clinical significance in the newborn and children, and thus may have a beneficial role. The overall conclusion is that pediatricians should remain cautious about bilirubin and follow current guidelines.
Developing a Modular In-service Training Program to Improve Teaching Skills of Primary School Teachers of English in Turkey

This study aims to determine the needs of primary school teachers concerning their expectations from an in-service program to foster their English language teaching competencies and develop such an in-service program draft. Data were collected from 10 primary school teachers working in schools in Ankara where there are currently no appointed English language teachers and from 3 academics working in the field of English language teaching. For data collection, an in-depth interview was used to determine the needs of primary school teachers from an in service program; and a structured questionnaire was used to identify the opinions of the academics on the suitability of the proposed program. The results demonstrate that primary school teachers are in need of such an in-service training program and they specifically need training on teaching methods and techniques of English, basic pronunciation patterns, use of thematic instruction, use of software to teach English and alternative assessment methods. Considering these needs of the primary school teachers who teach English, an in-service training program was developed and finalized by the opinions of the academics. With the dissemination of this program, an important need of classroom teachers can be met in the short run.
Performance relevance of environmental and social disclosures

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to establish the relationship between environmental‒social disclosure scores and corporate financial performance. The authors tried to investigate the relevance of assurance practice (whether or not companies’ assessment policies are subject to individual assessment for the given period) and value relevance in foreign-owned firms. Design/methodology/approach This research is based on accounting-based valuation model proposed by Berthelot et al. (2003), considering the market value of equity as the function of book value and other financial indicators including Return of Assets and Return on Capital Employed. Environmental and social disclosure scores are extracted from Bloomberg database as the measure of company’s transparency in reporting value relevance information and sustainable development. The study considers the sample period of 8 years (2008‒15) and uses static (fixed effects and random effects) and dynamic (generalised methods of moments (GMM)) panel data estimations for analysing and concluding results. Findings The results support the evidence of environmental disclosure score as performance relevance indicator. Environmental disclosure score highlights the positive and significant relationship with different performance indicators. The interaction between foreign ownership and environmental disclosure represents a negative association, implying that foreign ownership is incubating more on profit making rather than environmental protection initiatives. However, in the context of the social disclosure score, a positive association with economic performance is found. But interaction term between foreign ownership and social disclosure represented a negative coefficient. Originality/value Value relevance disclosures are investigated with performance indicators that create an incentive for stakeholders. Also, the effect of foreign ownership and value relevance interaction term on firm’s financial performance is determined. To the best of authors’ understanding, previous literature is silent about this dimension. The authors also tried to incorporate the solution to the endogeneity issue by using GMM.
Too much information? Predictors of information overload in the context of online news exposure

ABSTRACT As the Internet provides massive amounts of heterogeneous information, people may perceive this medium as challenging. The difficulty to evaluate and select relevant information increases as more and more diverse sources and content are available. Information overload (IO) may be the consequence. The research presented here gives a first comprehensive overview of possible indicators for IO in the context of online news exposure. Based on an online survey (N=419), we found that younger people with less information-seeking self-efficacy were more susceptible to experience IO. Additionally, we identified motivations for media consumption and information retrieval strategies in the Internet that imply IO. With our results, we contribute to a further understanding of IO and provide an important basis for future research needed to face the challenges resulting from the rising media diversity.
Role of local prostaglandin synthesis in the modulation of proliferative activity of rat colonic epithelium.

The role of local prostaglandin (PG) synthesis in the modulation of the proliferative activity of colonic epithelium was examined in rat colon. Experimental rats were given either indomethacin (5 mg/kg s.c. every 8 h for three doses) or aspirin (0.5 g/100 g diet for 3 d). In rats treated with indomethacin or aspirin, the incorporation of [3H]thymidine (dThd) into DNA in vivo was increased approximately twofold over control in mucosal scrapings from distal colon, and approximately threefold over control in the proliferating pool of epithelial cells isolated from distal colon. [3H]dThd incorporation into DNA was also examined ex vivo immediately after distal colonic resection. It was approximately twofold higher in mucosa of colonic segments (1-h incubation) from rats treated with indomethacin or aspirin in vivo, compared with corresponding values of segments from control rats. Immunoreactive (i) prostaglandin E (PGE), the dominant PG product of colon segment incubates by high-performance liquid chromatography analysis of [14C]arachidonate metabolites, was markedly (95%) reduced in the media of 1-h colon incubates from indomethacin- or aspirin-treated rats, compared with control rats. Moreover, the cyclic (c)AMP content of mucosa of segments from indomethacin- or aspirin-treated rats was significantly lower than that of control rats. Prolonged incubation (4-24 h) of colonic segments from indomethacin-treated rats, in the absence of indomethacin in vitro, led to an eventual return of [3H]dThd incorporation into DNA, iPGE, and mucosal cAMP to control values. Conversely, inclusion of indomethacin (0.25 mM) in the incubations (6 h) of colonic segments from indomethacin-treated rats resulted in persistent suppression of iPGE and mucosal cAMP, as well as persistent enhancement of [3H]dThd incorporation into mucosal DNA. However, incubation of colonic segments from control rats (no in vivo drug exposure) with indomethacin or aspirin in vitro for periods up to 24 h failed to alter DNA synthesis, despite marked reduction in media iPGE and lower mucosal cAMP. The latter observations suggested that additional in vivo factors initiated the enhancement of DNA synthesis in indomethacin- or aspirin-treated rats. Exogenous PGE2, D2, I2, or F2 alpha, each of which increased the endogenous mucosal cAMP content of incubated colonic segments from control, indomethacin- or aspirin-treated rats, all suppressed [3H]dThd incorporation into mucosal DNA in vitro. Dibutyryl cAMP, but not dibutyryl cGMP, had an analogous suppressive effect on in vitro [3H]dThd incorporation into DNA. Thus, the present observations are consistent with an inhibitory action of endogenous colonic PG synthesis on the proliferative activity of colonic epithelium. This action may be mediated through cAMP.
Cadmium-Induced Testicular Toxicity, Oxidative Stress and Histopathology in Wistar Rats: Sustained Effects of Polyphenol-Rich Extract of Vernonia Amygdalina (Del.) Leaf -

Background: Cadmium (Cd) is a toxic heavy metal of both environmental and occupational concerns. The health impact of ethno-botanical approaches in attempts to ameliorate its deleterious effects in biological systems should be an area of scientific interest since established therapies are often burdened with undesirable side effects. Aim: To determine the effects of polyphenol-rich extract of the leaf of Vernonia amygdalina (PEVA) on Cd-induced testicular toxicity, oxidative stress, and histopathology in Wistar rats. Materials and Methods: A total of twenty five (25) male Wistar rats were divided into five groups as follows: Group 1 (Control) received distilled water (0.2 ml/100 g i.p.) for 5 consecutive days and thereafter left untreated for 28 days. Group 2 received Cd alone at 5 mg/kg (i.p.) for 5 consecutive days. Group 3 was pre-treated with Cd as Group 2 and thereafter left untreated for a period of 28 days, whereas Groups 4 and 5 were pre-treated with Cd as Group 2 and thereafter received PEVA (orally) at two dose levels (200 and 400 mg/kg, respectively) for 28 days. Results: Cd administration induced reproductive toxicity as evidenced by lowered level of follicle stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone, and testosterone (P < 0.05); perturbation of sperm characterization (P < 0.05); deleterious disruptions of the antioxidant system as evidenced by lowered levels of reduced glutathione and superoxide dismutase as well as elevation in thiobarbituric acid reactive substances level (P < 0.05); decrease in relative testicular weight (P < 0.05); and severe disseminated necrosis of the seminiferous tubules with terminally undifferentiated/necrotic cells as revealed by the histopathological examination. These conditions were sustained following administration of the two dose levels of PEVA. Conclusion: PEVA administration is not a suitable therapeutic choice for fertility enhancement in male Wistar rat model of Cd-induced decline in reproductive function.
Dates as a substitute for added sugar in traditional foods - a case study with idli.

Scientific evidences suggest that increased intake of added sugar is one of the major causes for dental caries, glucose intolerance, diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular diseases, obesity, hypertension and behavioural complications such as hyperactivity in children. In many parts of the world, consumption of added sugar is much higher than the dietary recommendation from health organizations. Several researchers have used dried fruits to sweeten the traditional foods as the functionality of the sugar incorporated within the structure of intact fruits is different than added sugar in human health. Date fruits have also been used in several forms such as syrups, spread, sugar and flour as a sweetener in food. The objective of this study was to develop acceptable idli (traditional Indian breakfast) with chopped dates, date paste and date syrup, and determine their sensory and chemical properties. Total phenol and vitamin C contents of dates idli were significantly higher than control idli with added sugar. The sensory properties of four idli products (idli with date paste, idli with date syrup, idli with chopped dates and control idli served with white sugar) were evaluated by 40 untrained panelists. The sweetness and aroma of the idli with chopped dates got significantly higher scores than other three idli products with no difference among them. Similarly the overall acceptability score of the idli with chopped dates was higher than other idli products. Panelists from a regular eaters group gave higher scores for the overall acceptability of developed idli products than first time consumers. In all sensory attributes and consumer types, idli with dates scored higher preference or at least equal preference with control idli and white sugar combination. There are ample opportunities to educate people and create awareness about preparation and consumption of traditional foods with dates in order to reduce added sugar intake.
Building Stories of Resilience in the Face of Childhood Cancer: Exploring the experiences of childhood cancer survivors

This qualitative study addressed the personal stories, characteristics, influences, and factors which assisted childhood survivors of cancer to be resilient and thrive. Six childhood cancer survivors told stories of coping with the hardships of a cancer diagnosis and eight common themes uniquely experienced by each survivor were revealed. Results of this study indicated that professionals should address a cancer diagnosis as a family diagnosis, constantly facilitating communication within the family system. Health promotion should also be a common professional practice, supporting the individual in self-advocacy. Professionals should also support survivors in the process of making meaning out of his/her cancer experience and accepting the survivor identity. Finally, this study found that professional collaboration utilizing aspects of narrative therapy is an ideal vehicle towards supporting survivors in building stories of resilience.
Model Checking Considered Harmful

Analysts agree that extensible methodologies are an in- teresting new topic in the field of robotics, and systems engineers concur. Given the current status of ambimorphic information, analysts predictably desire the exploration of write-back caches. In this work we motivate a framework for “smart” epistemologies (Fucus), which we use to validate that active networks and erasure coding are always incompatible.