Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Assessment of Self-Medication Practice Among Undergraduate Medical Students In The Eastern Region , Saudi Arabia

Background: Self-medication is a common and regular practice of using medicines without any medical supervision by the people themselves for self-treatment. Objectives: To clarify; the prevalence, the most common self-medicated drugs and most common health conditions for which self-medication will practice, as well as to estimate the level of knowledge and attitude towards self-medication practice. Methods: A descriptive cross sectional study was conducted among undergraduate medical students in the Eastern Region, Saudi Arabia. The study included 473 medical students (293 student from medical college of King Faisal university "Al-Hassa" and 180 from Medical College of Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, "Al-Dammam"), with a mean age 22.2±2.1 years and (range of 18-26 years). Results: The overall prevalence of self-medication among studied sample was 90.5%, while the prevalence in the last 12 months before the current study was 75.5%. Self-medication was common prevalent among lower grades than higher grades. Most common class of drugs self-medicated was analgesics (59.1%), antipyretics (43.9%), antibiotics (24.3%), antispasmodics (24.1%), herbals (16.8%), and tonics/vitamins (14.7%). Most common indication for self-medication were headache (48.4%), fever (40.4%), sore throat (38.3%), and cough (24.3%). Out of 428 of respondents 209 (48.8%) were used self-medication for themselves, 107 (25.0%) for their family members, and 56 (13.1%) for their friends. Main source of medications for those self-medicated was pharmacy (70.3%). Among the total respondents, 218 (46.1%) agreed on self-medication practice and 187 (39.5%) disagreed on the practice. Two major reasons that lead to practice of self-medication among study participants were; minor illness (40.8%), prior experience of diseases (30.3%). The risk of wrong diagnosis (38.5%), adverse reaction (29.9%), delay in seeking medical advice (11.8%), were the most reasons against self-medication practice. Conclusion: Self-medication is widely practiced among undergraduate medical students, facilitated by the easy availability of drugs.
EFFECTS OF MONETARY SANCTIONS ON BEHAVIOR Evidence from Library Fines

Discussions comparing fines and imprisonment suggest that, under certain conditions, the former might be preferred over the latter, especially in terms of economic efficiency. The present paper contributes to this debate by studying the behavioral responses to monetary sanctions in a unique field setting: a university library. I evaluate the behavior of library users during a ten-year period (2005-2015), covering more than 800,000 daily transactions. In doing so, I want to answer the following question: how does the introduction of a monetary sanction affect observed behavior in this specific setting? By exploiting variation in the introduction of a monetary sanction (fine) in the library, I find that such an introduction reduced users’ delays, as predicted by standard models of law enforcement. However, when analyzing the dynamic effects of such an introduction, I find that the fine lost efficacy over time, since its nominal value remained the same after its instauration. These results not only have important implications for the design of sanctioning systems, but they also shed light on related issues, such as incentives, social norms, and corruption in real-world settings.
Scale Development Process : Service Quality in Car Rental Services

This paper aims to provide an example for developing a measurement scale by using car rental services as a case. To do so, both qualitative and quantitative methods are utilized in three fundamental stages recommended by Churchill (1979) and Parasuraman, Zeithaml & Berry (1988). In following their footsteps, the first qualitative research was undertaken in the form of 23 in-depth interviews which produced 61 items that described user perceptions. Then, a quantitative study was undertaken to purify the scale items, examine dimensionality, reliability, factor structure and validity. After a rigorous statistical analysis an 18-itemed scale with six factors emerged. The paper also introduces the setting of the research and presents need for scale development briefly which is followed by discussion, implications and limitations.
Vector Sensor Emulation from the IMS Hydrophone Triad

[1] The International Monitoring System (IMS) maintains 2 hydrophones that have been used to study icebergs and T3 wave propagation among others. These stations consist of 4 three hydrophones at about the depth of the deep sound 5 channel in a horizontal triangle array with 2 km sides. We 6 have used data from these stations in the very low frequency 7 regime, over 0.01 0.05 Hz band, to demonstrate that these 8 stations can also be used as water column seismometers. By 9 differencing the acoustic pressure, data were transformed 10 to vector quantities analogous to seismometer data. Hy11 drophone station data from the December 26th 2004 Great 12 Sumatra Earthquake has been compared to seismograph 13 data of the same event indicating, that the hydrophone sta14 tions can indeed be used as surrogate seismometers. 15
Platzer Differential Hybrid Games Differential Hybrid Games

This article introduces differential hybrid games, which combine differential games with hybrid games. In both kinds of games, two players interact with continuous dynamics. The difference is that hybrid games also provide all the features of hybrid systems and discrete games, but only deterministic differential equations. Differential games, instead, provide differential equations with continuous-time game input by both players, but not the luxury of hybrid games, such as mode switches and discrete-time or alternating adversarial interaction. This article augments differential game logic with modalities for the combined dynamics of differential hybrid games. It shows how hybrid games subsume differential games and introduces differential game invariants and differential game variants for proving properties of differential games inductively.
Effects of curcumin on anion / cation transporters and multidrug response proteins in cisplatin induced nephrotoxicity

Nephrotoxicity is the major side effect that restricts cisplatin usage in solid tumor therapy and oxidative stress has a prominent role in the pathophysiology of cisplatin nephrotoxicity. Curcumin is an effective antioxidant on oxygen metabolites. Organic anion and cation proteins (OATs, OCTs) serve for the transport of the chemicals into kidney cells and excretion to the urine of these molecules become via multi drug resistance associated proteins (MRPs). We investigated the effects of curcumin on OATs, OCTs and MRPs in rats with cisplatin induced nephrotoxicity. Wistar albino rats (6 weeks old, n=28) were assigned to four groups as; (i): control; (ii): curcumin (100 mg/kg/ day); (iii): cisplatin (7 mg/kg single dose, i.p); (iv): curcumin + cisplatin (100 mg/kg/day + 7 mg/kg single dose, i.p). Nephrotoxicity was associated with elevations in serum urea and creatinine concentrations and oxidative stress as reflected by elevated renal malondialdehyde (MDA). Rat kidney with cisplatin induced nephrotoxicity had decreased the OAT-1, OAT-3, OCT-1 and OCT-2 levels and increased MRP2 and MRP4 levels as compared to healthy rat kidneys. However, administration of resveratrol (100 mg/kg/day) partially alleviated the cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity as reflected suppressed the expression oxidative stress parameters and OATs and OCTs levels and enhanced the MRPs levels in the kidney of cisplatin treated rats. Furthermore, the histopathological changes due to cisplatin were ameliorated by curcumin treatment. In conclusion, curcumin has the potential of preventing the cisplatin induced nephrotoxicity via the modulation OATs, OCTs and MRPs expressions in the kidney.
The influence of room spaciousness on investigative interviews

Purpose. The quality of information obtained from investigative interviews largely relies on the quality of communication between the interviewee and interviewer. One aspect of the communication process that has yet to be well examined is the environment in which the interviews take place. The present study examined the influence of physical spaciousness, manipulated as room size and interpersonal sitting distance between interviewer and interviewee on the disclosure of crime-related information, as well as perceptions of rapport and overall interview experience. Methods. Participants engaged in a virtual reality scenario depicting a crime and were interviewed as suspects in either a larger or smaller room, at a closer or larger distance. Results. Results showed no links between room size and sitting distance on disclosure rates. However, an exploratory analysis did reveal that participants interviewed in the larger room reported more positive interview experience in terms of spaciousness, and consequently higher perceptions of rapport, compared to those interviewed in the small room. Conclusions. We found evidence against an influence of room size and interpersonal distance on disclosure. Still, our study does provide initial evidence that manipulating room size in an interview context could positively impact rapport-building.
THE VALUE OF RELIABILITY

Changes in the reliability of travel time are not incorporated in standard appraisals of infrastructure projects and transport policies in The Netherlands or in other countries. Nevertheless, many transport projects and policies will affect not only the average travel time, but also its spread. There are some indications that travellers, shippers and carriers have substantial valuations for an increase in reliability of transport time.
TO DEVELOP SELF-CONFIDENCE AND CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS

The study aims to develop the interactive electronic school book (IESB) about the atomic nucleus for grade 12 of the last semester that can be used to develop self-confidence and critical thinking skills. The method used in this research was the ADDIE development procedure which is limited to the test phase of product design expert. Analysis data needs were taken from high school students and teachers using questionnaires. Expert tests were carried out by experts in the field of physics education. Data were analyzed quantitatively and descriptively. Based on the results of the questionnaire 65,2% of the students said that they wanted the IESB which contains an interactive question exercise with feedback for exam exercises and preparing for admission to university. The current book has not given self-confidence to 83,9% of students. Expertial test results show that the atom core electronic book that will be able to cultivate self-confidence and critical thinking skills is an interactive digital format with experimental simulation, interactive question on HOTS level with feed back, and hyperlink to other learning resources.
Direct and indirect conservation benefits of religious and spiritual beliefs in traditional Ghanaian communities

Religion and spirituality are often important contributors to social norms in traditional communities. These social norms, manifested through socio-cultural practices, have been accredited with having conservation benefits. This research investigated the motives behind, and potential conservation benefits of such practices, through interviewing indigenous residents and local officials within three regions of Ghana. Strict taboos can contribute directly to conservation, through restricting activities in specific habitats such as sacred groves, and restricting the timing, methods and species of resource harvesting. Ceremonial practices such as festivals, sacrifices and worship, have indirect conservation benefits through reinforcing the relationship between people and nature. This research proposes that habitat protection through social taboos which maintains the environmental setting combined with ceremonial behaviours, are fundamental to the continuation of these belief systems. However, the belief systems may be disrupted by increasing pressures from development, which threatens the sacred sites and the longevity of conservation in the region.
OF DIETARY VITAMIN C SUPPLEMENTATION ON VITAMIN C BLOOD PLASMA CONTENT , BODY ANTIOXIDANT POTENTIAL AND FITNESS IN YOUNG FEMALE ATHLETES

Anna Bogacka, Anna Lubkowska, Piotr Kaczka 1 Zakład Podstaw Żywienia Człowieka, Zachodniopomorski Uniwersytet Technologiczny w Szczecinie, Szczecin, Polska 2 Zakład Diagnostyki Funkcjonalnej i Medycyny Fizykalnej, Pomorski Uniwersytet Medyczny w Szczecinie, Szczecin, Polska 3 Olimp Laboratories Sp. z o.o. , Dębica, Polska 1 Department of Fundamentals of Human Nutrition, West Pomeranian University of Technology in Szczecin, Szczecin, Poland 2 Department of Functional Diagnostics and Physical Medicine, Pomeranian University of Medicine in Szczecin, Szczecin, Poland 3 Olimp Laboratories Sp. z o.o, Dębica, Poland
The Factors Affecting Small Bowel Volume in the Pelvis of Patients Receiving Radiotherapy for Rectal Cancer

Purpose: Radiation (RT)-Induced Gastrointestinal (GI) toxicities are associated the small bowel volume irradiated and the dosage received. However, rectal cancer patients treated with neoadjuvant Chemoradiotherapy (CRT) experience less GI toxicities compared to adjuvant chemoradiotherapy. The purpose of this study was to explore the factors which are associated with the small bowel volume in the pelvic radiation fields. Materials and methods: Patients with rectal cancer who had preor post-surgery CRT and were treated by a single radiation oncologist were included. All patients were treated with 3-D conformal radiotherapy. The volume of the organs was determined from planning CT scans. Acute toxicity was graded using Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) Common Toxicity Criteria. Acute GI toxicity and its associated determinants such as age, bladder volume, gender, Body Mass Index (BMI), and type of surgery were documented. Results: A total of 119 patients (71 males, 48 females) 35 to 88 years of age were recruited. Sixty one out of 119 patients had pre-surgery RT or CRT and 58 patients had post-surgery therapy. Single predictors for greater irradiated small bowel volume were post-surgery treatment, female sex, smaller bladder volume and older age. The small bowel volume tended to increase with lower BMI and abdominoperineal resection. Multivariate analysis indicated that post-surgery treatment, being a female, and having a smaller bladder volume were predictors of greater irradiated volume of the small bowel. Conclusion: Factors such as pelvic surgery, being female, flat bladder, and older age are associated with increased small bowel volumes in pelvis. These would increase the irradiated small bowel volumes in patients receiving radiotherapy for rectal cancer. Therefore, giving radiotherapy before the surgery or using technical such as IMRT or Rapid Arc to avoid or reduce the small bowel volumes being irradiated is warranted.
Environmental effects on parental gesture and infant word learning

How infants determine correct word-referent pairings within complex environments is not yet fully understood. The combination of multiple cues, including gestures, may guide learning as part of a communicative exchange between parent and child. Gesture use and word learning are interlinked, with early child gesture predicting later vocabulary size, and parental gesture predicting child gesture. However, the extent to which parents alter gesture cues during word learning according to referential uncertainty is not known. In this study, we manipulated the number of potential referents across conditions during a word learning task with 18–24-month-olds, and explored how changes in parental gesture use translated into infant word learning. We demonstrate that parents alter their gesture use according to the presence, but not the degree, of referential uncertainty. We further demonstrate that a degree of variability in the number of potential referents appears to benefit word learning.
Decomposing the effect of drug benefit program on antihypertensive medication adherence among the elderly in urban China

Purpose Hypertension is a rapidly growing epidemic in People’s Republic of China, yet it remains inadequately controlled. This study aimed to identify the relative contributions of program effects and patients’ characteristics to the differences in antihypertensive medication nonadherence between drug benefit program enrollees and non-enrollees. Patients and methods Data were from a cross-sectional survey of 1,969 community-dwelling elderly adults with hypertension. Self-reported adherence was measured following previous studies in People’s Republic of China. The Blinder-Oaxaca nonlinear decomposition method was used to identify the relative contributions of program effects and patients’ individual characteristics. Results Eleven percent of the drug benefit program enrollees were nonadherent to their medication, while 17% of non-enrollees were. Blinder-Oaxaca decomposition identified that over 60% of the gap between the two groups was due to the program effects (P=0.024). The rest could be explained by differences in observable characteristics (P<0.001), such as diabetic status, duration of hypertension, and blood pressure control. Conclusion The study confirmed that drug benefit program enrollees were more likely to be adherent to their antihypertensive medication than non-enrollees in the context of People’s Republic of China.
IMPACT OF NUTRITIONAL EDUCATION STRATEGIES ON ANTHROPOMETRIC VARIABLES AND NUTRITION KNOWLEDGE

Objective: To assess the impact of a nutrition education program on the nutritional status and food knowledge of patients with overweight. Methods: A longitudinal quantitative study, performed between September and October 2012, with sample consisting of 15 patients with excessive weight (overweight: Body Mass Index or BMI between 25kg/m 2 and 29,9kg/m 2 ; and obesity: above 30kg/m 2 ), enrolled in a group of food education in a Primary Healthcare Unit. Nutritional intervention occurred in six weekly meetings (M1: general screening; and M7 to M2: 6 nutritional interventions), being applied a questionnaire assessing the participants’ knowledge on the subjects to be discussed before and after the intervention. Prior to the first meeting and in the last intervention, measures of weight, height and waist circumference were obtained. Nonparametric Wilcoxon tests were performed, with a significance level of 5%, to analyze the average number of correct answers and the nutritional outcome. Results: Following the nutritional education strategy, there was an average reduction of 1.51kg in relation to the initial weight; the average BMI increased from 37.41kg/m² to 36.85kg/m²; waist circumference showed mean reduction of 5.6cm; and the number of correct answers in the questionnaires increased. Conclusion : The nutritional education strategy seems to have influenced the good evolution of the participants’ nutritional status, leading to a decrease in the anthropometric measures and increasing knowledge about healthy eating. después de la estrategia de educación nutricional. Conclusión: La estrategia de educación nutricional parece haber influenciado en la buena evolución del estado nutricional de los participantes llevando a una reducción de medidas antropométricas y ampliando los conocimientos de alimentación saludable. Descriptores: Educación Alimentaria y Nutricional; Obesidad; Promoción de la Salud; Educación en Salud.
Personalised system of instruction: The ODL way

All academic institutions subscribe to systems and methods that are deemed appropriate for the delivery of courses or programmes to the general masses. Some emphasise on physical delivery as in conventional institutions. Some employ a blended approach as in distance learning institutions. In modern times, we see conventional institutions making use of a mixture of conventional face-to-face and modern e-learning approaches in delivering programmes. In the 1960s, an experimental method of instruction was introduced by Fred Keller. It was aptly named Keller's Personalised System of Instruction (PSI) and it stayed on the educational radar right through the 70s and 80s. This non-traditional method of instruction, which dominated colleges and universities, was regarded as superior to conventional methods. It was originally used in a conventional education setting or face-to-face teaching environment. Unfortunately, its popularity slowly waned in subsequent decades. The original PSI method contained five defining features and these are applied, inadvertently or otherwise, by distance education institutions in their delivery of courses. The purpose of this study is to examine the exploitation of PSI in the delivery of courses at Wawasan Open University (WOU). To facilitate the investigation, the elementary level Microeconomics course was selected. The study reveals that PSI principles, in general, are applied in WOU with twists that fit into institutional and cultural norms, bearing in mind the attention the university pays to quality.
Impact of an Educational Program on Knowledge and Practices of Nurses about Caring of Patient with Chest Tube .

Since nurses are the first people after chest tube placement on the patient's bedside, so they should have enough information on the care of chest tube. Nursing care of chest drains can either be pre-procedural or post-procedural. Pre-procedural care includes obtaining an informed consent and providing health education to the patient, preparing the equipment and assisting the procedure for tube thoracostomy. Post-procedural care entails monitoring vital signs, assessing and documenting drainage, caring the water seal drainage system, assisting patients during change of position and in removing of the chest tube after it has served its function . Appropriate training in the management of chest drains should be received by the nurses to ensure that patients are cared for safely and competently . Aims of the Study: To assess knowledge, practice and of nurses regarding care of chest tube and to evaluate the impact of educational program on knowledge and practices of nurses about caring of patient with chest tube. Subjects and Methods: A quasi experimental study design was utilized to accomplish this study.The study was performed in two sittings, Thoracic surgery unite at Tanta Emergency University Hospital and intensive care unit at Tanta Educational hospital All available nurses were taken from the settings that previously mentioned. The total number was 40 nurses . Tow tools were used to collect data for this study. They included two sheets of Interview questionnaires and sheet of observational checklists. Results: The study revealed that more than half of nurses 52.5% less than 30 years old and 55% 0f them had technical education, while 65% of them had experience less than 5 years in caring of chest tube. Majority of studied nurses 95% had no past training in caring of chest tube. The mean posttest knowledge scores of studied nurses regarding chest tube had significantly higher than their mean pretest knowledge scores as test P< 0.05 level of significance.Total performance level was unsatisfactory less than 60% in preprogram implementation,while immediate post program 40% of studied nurses had satisfactory performance and after month of program implantation 42.5% of nurses performance needed improvement Conclusion and Recommendations: The study concludes that planned teaching on care of patient with chest tube drainage was found to be effective in increasing the knowledge of staff nurses. Staff nurses had a significant gain in knowledge and skill regarding care of patient with chest tube drainage. Nurse’s educational needs regarding chest drains care should be assessed to improve clinical practice and reducing unnecessary complications.