Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Impact of Teaching Resources on the Use of Different Teaching Methods: Libyan Accounting Graduates’ Perceptions

This study aims to investigate the perceptions of Libyan accounting graduates regarding the teaching methods that Libyan accounting educators practiced in their classrooms, the adequacy of teaching and learning resources at Libyan universities, and to test whether or not there is any relationship between adequacy of teaching and learning resources at Libyan universities and the teaching methods used by Libyan accounting educators. Quantitative data was collected from fifty four Libyan postgraduate students. Findings revealed that accounting graduates reported a high level application of teacher-centered methods than learner-centered methods at Libyan universities. Furthermore, accounting graduates in this study indicated the inadequacy of vital teaching resources. While, no one of the teaching resources indicated a significant relationship with the teacher-centered teaching methods, the learner-centered teaching methods showed positive and significant relationship with most of these teaching resources. As these teaching methods need some special resources such as laptops, internet, computers, and so on, indeed, lack of these resources will hinder the use of such teaching methods. This study helps readers better understand the teaching effectiveness in the Libyan context and provides data for future comparative studies regarding the teaching strategies in accounting.
miR-124 Functions As A Melanoma Tumor Suppressor By Targeting RACK1

Background miRNAs are small noncoding RNAs that function as posttranscriptional regulators during development and disease. Aberrant expression of miRNAs has been associated with various types of malignant tumors. Decreased levels of miR-124 have been observed in human cancers. RACK1 is a scaffold protein that acts as an oncogene in various human cancers. The association between miR-124 and RACK1 in melanoma has not been characterized. Materials and methods Real-time quantitative PCR was used to analyze RACK1 and miR-124 expression in melanoma tissue and cell lines. Dual-Luciferase reporter assay was performed to evaluate the effect of miR-124 inhibition on RACK1 expression. The effects of miR-124 on RACK1 in melanoma cell lines were evaluated using Western blot analysis and immunocytochemical staining. Wound-healing, transwell, and MTT assays, and annexin V-fluorescein isothiocyanate/propidium iodide followed by flow cytometry were used to evaluate the effects of miR-124 on RACK1-mediated proliferation, migration, invasion, and apoptosis of melanoma cells. Results The expression of miR-124 in melanoma tissue was lower than that in normal skin tissue, and the expression of RACK1 was higher in melanoma tissue than that in normal skin tissue. Analysis using Dual-Luciferase reporter assay showed that RACK1 was a direct target of miR-124. Western blot and immunocytochemical staining showed that the expression of RACK1 was significantly inhibited by miR-124 in both A375 and A875 melanoma cells. Furthermore, the results of functional experiments showed that degradation of RACK1 by miR-124 inhibited proliferation, migration, and invasion of melanoma cells, and promoted melanoma cell apoptosis. Conclusion The results suggested that miR-124 affected melanoma cells by directly targeting RACK1. miR-124 and RACK1 may be biomarkers for clinical diagnosis, and prognostic factors of human melanoma. Furthermore, miR-124 and RACK1 may be targets for the treatment of melanoma.
Artificial Neural Network to Model Managerial Timing Decision: Non-linear Evidence of Deviation from Target Leverage

The current study highlights the utilization of a non-linear model to analyze an important decision-making process in the study of corporate finance where managers are deciding on the capital structure of a firm. This study compares the results from based on the unbalanced panel data multiple regression for firm fixed effects relative to the artificial neural networks, i.e., ANN, with known determinants of capital structure as control variables for a sample of UK firms respectively. Results of the study show that firms are timing away from target levels which challenges the current findings in the literature. The ANN model achieves a better fit based on the root of mean-squared error (RMSE) values which provides a more accurate forecast. Thus, the nature of balancing between cost of being off-target versus benefits gained from timing the equity market is non-linear and which is captured by ANN. Implications from the study allow market players to understand the process of achieving optimal capital structure to maximize firm value and thus benefit all stakeholders.
Evaluation of a polyherbal formulation for the management of wet litter in broiler chickens: Implications on performance parameters, cecal moisture level, and footpad lesions

Objective: The study was carried out to develop a wet litter model with magnesium chloride to assess the effectiveness of a polyherbal formulation (PHF) on growth performance, litter and cecal moisture (LCM) level, cecal consistency (CC) score, and footpad lesions (FPLs) score in Ross 308 broiler chickens. Materials and Methods: 1,200 one-day-old chicks were assigned into five groups: normal control, negative control [NTC; treated with 1.7% magnesium chloride hexahydrate (MgCl2.6H2O)], and three treatment groups, T1, T2, and T3, where 750, 1,000, and 2,000 gm/ton of PHF, respectively, were supplemented. All the groups were fed a basal diet until day 7. However, the NTC and treatment groups were fed a diet with MgCl2 from days 8 to 42. Results: The addition of MgCl2 for 35 days worsened the growth performance traits in broilers and induced wet litter problems (FPL, high LCM, and poor CC) in the NTC group. However, PHF (750, 1,000, and 2,000 gm/ton) ameliorated the negative effect of a diet with MgCl2 on growth performance and wet litter problems, but a better response with respect to LCM and CC was observed in 2,000 gm/ton of PHF group, followed by that in 1,000 gm/ton of PHF group and 750 gm/ton of PHF group on day 42. Conclusion: The wet litter broiler model was developed through excessive feeding of MgCl2, which caused the performance parameters to worsen and the emergence of problems associated with the wet litter. Supplementation with PHF ameliorated these problems and, therefore, it can be used for the management of wet litter in poultry.
Incidence, Bacterial Profiles, And Antimicrobial Resistance Of Culture-Proven Neonatal Sepsis In South China

Background Neonatal sepsis (NS) is one of the leading causes of infant morbidity and mortality, but little is known about pathogen incidence and distribution in China. Methods In this retrospective study (January 2012 to December 2016), culture-proven cases aged less than 28 days with diagnosed NS in the Guangzhou Women and Children’s Medical Center, South China, were analyzed for pathogen incidence and antimicrobial resistance. Results A total of 620 isolates were identified from 597 NS cases. Gram-negative bacteria (n=371, 59.8%) dominated over Gram-positive bacteria (n=218, 35.2%) and fungi (n=30, 4.8%). Klebsiella pneumoniae (21.9%), Escherichia coli (21.9%), group B Streptococcus (GBS, 13.2%), and Staphylococcus aureus (6.8%) were the four most predominant pathogens. In early-onset sepsis (EOS), GBS (30.0%) and E. coli (20.0%) were dominant, whereas in late-onset sepsis (LOS), K. pneumoniae (25.6%) and E. coli (22.4%) were dominant. E. coli (25.2%) and GBS (17.7%) were the most frequently isolated from term patients, whereas K. pneumoniae was the most frequently isolated from preterm patients (34.9%). Of the infected infants, 9.5% died from sepsis, most commonly by E. coli infection (16.2%). Among 91,215 live births (LBs) delivered in the study hospital (2012–2016), 252 infants developed sepsis infection (2.76 per 1000 LBs, 95% CI 2.4–3.1), including EOS (0.78 per 1000 LBs) and LOS (2.13 per 1000 LBs). All GBS isolates were susceptible to β-lactam antibiotics, and S. aureus, including methicillin-resistant isolates, were susceptible to vancomycin. An extended-spectrum β-lactamase producer was identified in 37.3% of E. coli and 50.4% of K. pneumoniae. Conclusion K. pneumoniae was the most frequent pathogen in culture-proven NS in South China, primarily associated with LOS in preterm, whereas GBS was the dominant pathogen in EOS. E. coli was common in both episodes with the highest mortality.
Slowly Progressive Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus: Current Knowledge And Future Perspectives

Abstract Slowly progressive type 1 insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (SPIDDM), sometimes referred to as latent autoimmune diabetes in adults (LADA), is a heterogeneous disease that is often confused with type 1 and type 2 diabetes. As a result, there were few diagnostic criteria for this disorder until 2012, when the Japan Diabetes Society established criteria that could be used in clinical practice. A primary question is whether pathologic markers for type 1 or type 2 diabetes are present in the pancreas of patients with SPIDDM, because the phenotype of SPIDDM is similar to both type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Recent studies clarified pathologic findings in the pancreas of patients with SPIDDM, which included T-cell-mediated insulitis, a marker of type 1 diabetes; pseudoatrophic islets (islets specifically devoid of beta cells), another hallmark of type 1 diabetes; and a lack of amylin (ie, islet amyloid polypeptide) deposition to the islet cells, a pathologic marker of type 2 diabetes. In terms of preventing the loss of beta-cell function in patients with SPIDDM, several studies have shown that some drugs, including dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors, are effective. There is an increased need for early diagnosis of SPIDDM to preserve beta-cell function. This review presents updated findings on the pathogenesis and immunologic findings of the affected pancreas, diagnostic markers, risk factors for progression of beta-cell dysfunction, epidemiology, clinical features, diagnostic strategies, prevention strategies, and clinical options for patients with SPIDDM.
Effect of Benzo[a]pyrene-DNA Adduct in Cord Blood on the Neurodevelopment of 12-Month-Old Infants in Qingdao City

Introduction The study was designed to explore the possible adverse effects of prenatal polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) on the neurodevelopment of the infants at the age of 12 months in a birth cohort in Qingdao of China. Benzo[a]pyrene (BaP)-DNA adduct level in umbilical cord blood was measured by enzyme immunoassay. Methods Child neurodevelopment was assessed at both 6 months and 12 months of age using the Gesell Development Inventory (GDI). Results This study results reveal that multivariate linear analysis, cord BaP-DNA adduct level was inversely associated with developmental quotient score in the adaptive domain [β = −0.08; 95% CI: (−0.16, −0.003); p = 0.04], gross motor domain [β = −0.10; 95% CI: (−0.20, −0.01); p = 0.02], fine motor domain [β = −0.15; 95% CI: (−0.25, −0.05); p = 0.01], language domain [β = −0.12; 95% CI: (−0.21, −0.03); p = 0.02], and personal–social domain [β = −0.13; 95% CI: (−0.22, −0.04); p<0.01]. Further, multivariate logistic regression analysis showed increased cord BaP-DNA adduct levels associated with increased odds of delayed in language domain. Conclusion In conclusion, the study suggested that prenatal PAH exposure monitored by umbilical cord blood BaP-DNA adducts may adversely affect the neurodevelopment of the infants at 12 months of age.
Evidence-Based Multidisciplinary Design Optimization with the Active Global Kriging Model

This article presents an approach that combines the active global Kriging method and multidisciplinary strategy to investigate the problem of evidence-based multidisciplinary design optimization. The global Kriging model is constructed by introducing a so-called learning function and using actively selected samples in the entire optimization space. With the Kriging model, the plausibility, Pl, of failure is obtained with evidence theory. The multidisciplinary feasible and collaborative optimization strategies of multidisciplinary design optimization are combined with the evidence-based reliability analysis. Numerical examples are provided to illustrate the efficiency and accuracy of the proposed method. The numerical results show that the proposed algorithm is effective and valuable, which is valuable in engineering application.
A Molecular Epidemiological Analysis Of Programmed Cell Death Ligand-1 (PD-L1) Protein Expression, Mutations And Survival In Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

Purpose: To characterize programmed cell death ligand-1 (PD-L1) expression in relation to survival and gene mutation status in patients with advanced NSCLC. The study also explored the in ﬂ uence of tumor mutational burden (TMB) on PD-L1 expression and patient characteristics. Patients and methods: Adult patients with histologically or cytologically documented Stage IIIB/Stage IV/recurrent/progressive NSCLC, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status 0 to 3, and >2 lines of prior systemic treatment regimens were included in this retrospective analysis. Patients were treated from 1997 to 2015 at H. Lee ﬁ tt Center or at 7 community centers across the United States. PD-L1 expression level was determined using the VENTANA PD-L1 (SP263) Assay. EGFR and KRAS mutation status and ALK rearrangements were determined by targeted DNA sequencing; these were obtained from clinical records where targeted DNA sequencing was not performed. TMB was calculated as the total number of somatic mutations per sample. Results: From a total of 136 patients included in the study, 23.5% had tumors with high PD-L1 expression ( ≥ 25%). There were no signi ﬁ cant differences in patient characteristics, overall survival (OS), and progression-free survival (PFS) between patients with high PD-L1 expression (median OS: 39.5 months; median PFS: 15.8 months) vs low PD-L1 expression (<25%; median OS: 38.1 months; median PFS: 18.6 months). PD-L1 expression level correlated (P=0.05) with TMB and was consistent with The Cancer Genome Atlas data. Conclusion: In this retrospective analysis, survival outcomes of patients with advanced NSCLC were comparable by PD-L1 expression level. EGFR and KRAS mutation status were not found to be signi ﬁ cantly associated with PD-L1 expression level, while TMB was weakly associated with PD-L1 expression level. Overall, PD-L1 expression level was not observed to be an independent prognostic biomarker in this cohort of patients with advanced NSCLC treated with chemotherapy. low PD-L1 expression level demonstrating no signi ﬁ cant difference observed when TMB was analyzed by PD-L1 expression ≥ 25%.
Monitoring and Management of the Patient with Stargardt Disease

Abstract Stargardt disease (STGD1) represents one of the major common causes of inherited irreversible visual loss. Due to its high phenotypic and genotypic heterogeneity, STGD1 is a complex disease to understand. Non-invasive imaging, biochemical, and genetic advances have led to substantial improvements in unveiling the disease processes and novel promising therapeutic landscapes have been proposed. This review recapitulates the modalities for monitoring patients with STGD1 and the therapeutic options currently under investigation for the different stages of the disease.
Criminal responsibility and mental illness in Ireland 1850-1995: fitness to plead

Abstract Objectives: To describe forensic and clinical characteristics of unfit to plead defendants in Ireland between 1850 and 1995 as well as outcome in terms of length of stay in custody and ultimate disposal of cases. These data are compared with studies from the US and the UK. The White Paper on Mental Health (1995) highlights the need for significant change in the management of mentally ill defendants who come before the courts. The current criteria for the assessment of fitness to plead date from 1836. There has been little previous research on the use of fitness to plead procedures in Ireland which might guide future law reform. Method: This is a retrospective study of demographic, forensic and clinical data on an almost complete sample of 488 unfit to plead patients admitted to the Central Mental Hospital between 1850 and 1995. A standardised profile was completed on each subject with data drawn from hospital records and entered onto a database for analysis. Results: The use of the fitness to plead procedures peaked in the period 1910-20, and has fallen into substantial decline since then. Defendants were usually male, with a mean age of 37 years who had been charged with a violent crime. Three quarters of defendants were psychotic on admission. The mean length of detention was 14.3 years and only 4% were ultimately returned for trial. Conclusions: The decline in the number of fitness to plead findings is probably related to the reluctance of defendants to use the procedure due to the resulting prolonged period of detention. The introduction of a formal judicial review procedure to reassess the appropriateness of detention is urgently required to protect the civil liberties of those found to be unfit to plead.
Impact Of Peak Oxygen Pulse On Patients With Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Introduction Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are at an increased risk of cardiovascular comorbidities such as pulmonary hypertension or heart failure. Impaired cardiovascular function often has a significant impact on patients with COPD. Oxygen pulse (O2P) is a surrogate for stroke volume. However, studies regarding O2P, health-related quality of life (HRQL), and exercise capacity in patients with COPD are lacking. We aimed to confirm the association between O2P, HRQL, exercise capacity, severe exacerbation of COPD, and other parameters in exercise testing. Materials and methods This study included 79 patients with COPD who underwent lung function testing, a cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET), Borg Dyspnea Scale evaluation, completion of the St. George’s Respiratory Questionnaire, and echocardiography. Cardiovascular comorbidities, COPD-related hospitalizations, and emergency room visits were recorded. We compared these parameters between two groups of patients: those with normal peak O2P and those with impaired peak O2P. The relationships of peak O2P with CPET and lung function were analyzed using simple linear regression. Results Patients with normal peak O2P had higher exercise capacity (peak oxygen uptake and work rate), better HRQL, lower dyspnea score, lower COPD-related hospitalizations, and higher circulatory and ventilator parameters than patients with impaired peak O2P. According to a simple linear regression analysis, the anaerobic threshold (AT) and forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) showed a significant association with peak O2P, and the Pearson correlation coefficients (Pearson’s r) were 0.756 and 0.461, respectively. Conclusion Peak O2P has a significant impact on exercise capacity, HRQL, dyspnea, COPD-related hospitalization, and circulatory and ventilatory functions in patients with COPD. The AT and FEV1 have strong and moderate associations with peak O2P, respectively. Therefore, peak O2P is an important indicator of disease severity for patients with COPD.
Prediction Of Serum Digoxin Concentration Using Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate In Thai Population

Purpose Serum digoxin concentration (SDC) monitoring may be unavailable in some healthcare settings. Predicted SDC comes into play in the efficacy and toxicity monitoring of digoxin. Renal function is the important parameter for predicting SDC. This study was conducted to compare measured and predicted SDC when using creatinine clearance (CrCl) from Cockcroft–Gault (CG) equation and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) calculated from CKD-Epidemiology Collaboration (CKD-EPI), re-expressed Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (Re-MDRD4), Thai-MDRD4, and Thai-eGFR equations in Sheiner’s and Konishi’s pharmacokinetic models. Patients and methods In this retrospective study, patients with cardiovascular disease with a steady-state of SDC within 0.5–2.0 mcg/L were enrolled. CrCl and studied eGFR adjusted for body surface area (BSA) were used in the models to determine the predicted SDC. The discrepancies of the measured and the predicted SDC were analyzed and compared. Results One hundred and twenty-four patients ranging in age from 22 to 88 years (median 60 years, IQR 50.2, 69.2) were studied. Their serum creatinine ranged from 0.40 to 1.80 mg/dL (median 0.90 mg/dL, IQR 0.79, 1.10). The mean±SD of measured SDC was 1.12±0.34 mcg/L. In the Sheiner’s model, the mean predicted SDC was calculated by using the CG and the BSA adjusted CKD-EPI equations and was not different when compared with the measured levels (1.10±0.36 mcg/L (p=0.669) and 1.08±0.42 mcg/L (p=0.374), respectively). The CG, CKD-EPI, and Re-MDRD4 equations were a better fit for patients with creatinine ≥0.9 mg/dL for prediction with minimal errors. In the Konishi’s model, the predicted SDC using the CG and the studied eGFR equation was lower than the measured SDC (p<0.05). Conclusion In Sheiner’s model, the CG and the BSA adjusted CKD-EPI equations should be used for predicting SDC, especially in patients with serum creatinine ≥0.9 mg/dL. The other studied eGFRs underestimated SDC in both Sheiner’s and Konishi’s model.
How Well Do You Know This Library?: Mining Experts from Source Code Analysis

Third-party libraries have been widely adopted in modern software projects due to several benefits, such as code reuse and software quality. Software development is increasingly complex and requires specialists with knowledge in several technologies, such as the nowadays libraries. Such complexity turns it extremely challenging to deliver quality software given the time pressure. For this purpose, it is necessary to identify and hire qualified developers, to obtain a good team, both in open source and proprietary systems. For these reasons, enterprise and open source projects try to build teams composed of highly skilled developers in specific libraries. Developers with expertise in specific libraries may reduce the time spent on software development tasks and improve the quality of the final product. However, their identification may not be trivial. In this paper, we first argue that source code activities can be used to identify library experts. We then evaluate a mining-based strategy to identify library experts. To achieve our goal, we selected the 9 most popular Java libraries and identified the top-10 experts in each library by analyzing commits in 16,703 Java projects on GitHub. We validated the results by applying a survey with 137 library expert candidates and observed, on average, 88% of precision for the applied strategy.