Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Knowledge and perceptions of recent pharmacy graduates about generic medicines

The ever-rising price of prescription medicines is a phenomenon that affects nearly every developed country across the globe. An effective strategy to contain escalating costs is by using cheaper generic medicines. Within this context, most policy makers are encouraging healthcare professionals to prescribe or substitute generic medicines whenever possible. Whichever policy—generic prescribing or generic substitution—is adopted, the main challenge is how to maintain the confidence of patients and carers in using generics. This is where the role of the pharmacist becomes vital. The availability of different brands of the same drug at the same strength and in the same dosage form poses a special challenge to healthcare professionals, making these issues very relevant to pharmacists in all practice settings. To date in Australia and elsewhere, no studies have been conducted to assess the knowledge and perceptions of recent pharmacy graduates with regard to generic medicines and generic substitution. Therefore, a national web-based survey was undertaken to evaluate pharmacy pre-registrants’ perceptions and knowledge of generic medicines. More than 80% of study participants thought that generic medicines are inferior, less effective and produce more side effects compared to brand name medicines. These findings highlight that pharmacy pre-registrants need a better understanding of the principles and concepts of bioavailability and bioequivalence if they are to contribute appropriately to generic medicine use.
AUEB at BioASQ 6: Document and Snippet Retrieval

We present AUEB’s submissions to the BioASQ 6 document and snippet retrieval tasks (parts of Task 6b, Phase A). Our models use novel extensions to deep learning architectures that operate solely over the text of the query and candidate document/snippets. Our systems scored at the top or near the top for all batches of the challenge, highlighting the effectiveness of deep learning for these tasks.
Personality and Attitude towards Teaching Profession: Mediating Role of Self Efficacy

The objective of the present study is to examine the correlation between the five factor personality traits of pre-service teachers and their attitudes towards the teaching profession and to test the mediating role of the pre-service teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs. The study population included pre-service teachers that attended the "pedagogical formation course" instructed / applied in Inonu University, Faculty of Education, Department of Educational Sciences in 2015-2016 academic year. The survey sample included 382 pre-service teachers who voluntarily responded to the measurement instruments utilized in the study. The study data were collected with the "five factor personality scale", "attitudes towards the teaching profession scale" and "teacher self-efficacy scale". The obtained data were analyzed with path analysis of structural equation modeling. In conclusion, it was observed that there was a significant positive correlation between the five factor personality traits of extraversion, conscientiousness, openness and agreeableness and teacher self-efficacy belief, and there was a significant negative correlation between neuroticism personality trait and teacher self-efficacy belief. It was observed that the self-efficacy beliefs of pre-service teachers played a full mediating role between their neuroticism, openness and extraversion personality traits, and the same played a partial mediating role in the correlation between conscientiousness and agreeableness personality traits and the attitude towards the teaching profession. The implementation of a curriculum in pre-service teacher training that would increase the self-efficacy beliefs on teaching would also improve their attitudes towards the profession positively.
Plasmid mediated multidrug resistant of uropathogenic Proteus mirabilis

A total of 136 urine samples were collected aseptically from patients with urinary tract abnormality from April to June, 2010. Depending on morphological, cultural and biochemical testes 16(~11.8%) Proteus mirabilis isolates were recovered. They were examined for antibiotic resistance. All of the isolates(100%) were resistant to Ampicillin, Amoxicillin, Cephalothin, They showed highly resistant rate to Tetracycline (81%), and Gentamycin(75%). Some of the isolates exhibit resistant to the third generation Cephalosporines as Cefotaxime and Ceftriaxon(Cef). There are 5 Multi drug resistant (MDR) phenotypes have been recognized. It have been found that three of these isolates produced β-lactamase enzymes and each of them was bearing single plasmid of more than 3000bp in size (the largest fragment of the DNA marker). Following curing experiment, the mutant strains lost their plasmids and resistance to all β-lactam antibiotics which included Ampicillin, amoxicillin, cephalothin, cefotaxime and ceftriaxone as well as Tetracycline and Gentamycin. The results of present study highlight that some of MDR phenotype exhibiting by uropathogenic Proteus mirabilis attributed to plasmid bearing multiple resistance determinant.
Recent increases in the atmospheric growth rate and emissions of HFC-23 (CHF 3 ) and the link to HCFC-22 (CHClF 2 ) production

Abstract. High frequency measurements of trifluoromethane (HFC-23, CHF3), a potent hydrofluorocarbon greenhouse gas, largely emitted to the atmosphere as a by-product of the production of the hydrochlorofluorocarbon HCFC-22 (CHClF2), at five core stations of the Advanced Global Atmospheric Gases Experiment (AGAGE) network, combined with measurements on firn air, old Northern Hemisphere air samples and Cape Grim Air Archive (CGAA) air samples, are used to explore the current and historic changes in the atmospheric abundance of HFC-23. These measurements are used in combination with the AGAGE 2-D atmospheric 12-box model and a Bayesian inversion methodology to determine model atmospheric mole fractions and the history of global HFC-23 emissions. The global modelled annual mole fraction of HFC-23 in the background atmosphere was 28.9 ± 0.6 pmol mol−1 at the end of 2016, representing a 28 % increase from 22.6 ± 0.4 pmol mol−1 in 2009. Over the same time frame, the modelled mole fraction of HCFC-22 increased by 19 % from 199 ± 2 to 237 ± 2 pmol mol−1. However, unlike HFC-23, the annual average HCFC-22 growth rate slowed from 2009 to 2016 at an annual average rate of −0.5 pmol mol−1 yr−2. This slowing atmospheric growth is consistent with HCFC-22 moving from dispersive (high fractional emissions) to feedstock (low fractional emissions) uses, with HFC-23 emissions remaining as a consequence of incomplete mitigation from all HCFC-22 production. Our results demonstrate that, following a minimum in HFC-23 global emissions in 2009 of 9.6 ± 0.6, emissions increased to a maximum in 2014 of 14.5 ± 0.6 Gg yr−1 and then declined to 12.7 ± 0.6 Gg yr−1 (157 Mt CO2 eq. yr−1) in 2016. The 2009 emissions minimum is consistent with estimates based on national reports and is likely a response to the implementation of the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) to mitigate HFC-23 emissions by incineration in developing (non-Annex 1) countries under the Kyoto Protocol. Our derived cumulative emissions of HFC-23 during 2010–2016 were 89 ± 2 Gg (1.1 ± 0.2 Gt CO2 eq.), which led to an increase in radiative forcing of 1.0 ± 0.1 mW m−2 over the same period. Although the CDM had reduced global HFC-23 emissions, it cannot now offset the higher emissions from increasing HCFC-22 production in non-Annex 1 countries, as the CDM was closed to new entrants in 2009. We also find that the cumulative European HFC-23 emissions from 2010 to 2016 were ∼ 1.3 Gg, corresponding to just 1.5 % of cumulative global HFC-23 emissions over this same period. The majority of the increase in global HFC-23 emissions since 2010 is attributed to a delay in the adoption of mitigation technologies, predominantly in China and East Asia. However, a reduction in emissions is anticipated, when the Kigali 2016 amendment to the Montreal Protocol, requiring HCFC and HFC production facilities to introduce destruction of HFC-23, is fully implemented.
SmoothViz : An Interactive Visual Analysis System for SPH Data

The paper describes the software tool SmoothViz designed for visual representation and interactive analysis of data coming from SPH simulations with astrophysics as the driving application. Its main characteristics can be summarized as follows: (1) All visualization methods operate directly on particle data, i.e., any kind of re-sampling or regularization of the original data is avoided. (2) The system supports the analysis of individual scalar and vector fields as well as a simultaneous analysis of multiple fields. (3) The system works with time-varying volumetric physical spaces and respective attribute spaces, where each attribute refers to a field. (4) Interactive analysis is supported by the use of multiple coordinated views, i.e., a number of views of different properties of the data are provided. When the user interacts with one view (e.g., by making a selection) the interactions are immediately reflected in all other views (e.g., by highlighting the selection in all views).
Overexpression of PTEN enhanced gemcitabine-induced apoptosis by promoting autophagy in osteosarcoma cell line MG-63

Osteosarcoma is the most common form of primary bone cancer in adolescent with a male predominance. Down-regulation of PTEN is a common event in osteosarcoma progression. In this study, we found that overexpression of PTEN in osteosarcoma derived cell lines MG-63 could sensitize cell for gemcitabine-induced apoptosis. Further experiment demonstrated PTEN overexpression could induce autophagy in MG-63 cell and PTEN-mediated autophagy was required for enhancing apoptosis induced by Gemcitabine, which suggested that PTEN could enhance apoptosis induction via autophagic cell death. Moreover, the upregulated of Autophagy related genes (ATGs) were observed in PTEN overexpressed cell as well. In conclusion, our data suggested that dysregulation of PTEN may not only contributing to the osteosarcoma progression but also drug resistance of chemotherapy. PTEN-mediated autophagic cell death may serve as a new pathway for osteosarcoma treatment.
Kalman Filtering and Its Real‐Time Applications

Kalman filter was pioneered by Rudolf Emil Kalman in 1960, originally designed and developed to solve the navigation problem in Apollo Project. Since then, numerous applications were developed with the implementation of Kalman filter, such as applications in the fields of navigation and computer vision's object tracking. Kalman filter consists of two separate processes, namely the prediction process and the measure‐ ment process, which work in a recursive manner. Both processes are modeled by groups of equations in the state space model to achieve optimal estimation outputs. Prior knowledge on the state space model is needed, and it differs between different systems. In this chapter, the authors outlined and explained the fundamental Kalman filtering model in real‐time discrete form and devised two real‐time applications that implement‐ ed Kalman filter. The first application involved using vision camera to perform real‐ time image processing for vehicle tracking, whereas the second application discussed the real‐time Global Positioning System (GPS)‐aided Strapdown Inertial Navigation Unit (SINU) system implementation using Kalman filter. Detail descriptions, model derivations, and results are outlined in both applications.
Poisson-Fermi Formulation of Nonlocal Electrostatics in Electrolyte Solutions

Abstract We present a nonlocal electrostatic formulation of nonuniform ions and water molecules with interstitial voids that uses a Fermi-like distribution to account for steric and correlation efects in electrolyte solutions. The formulation is based on the volume exclusion of hard spheres leading to a steric potential and Maxwell’s displacement field with Yukawa-type interactions resulting in a nonlocal electric potential. The classical Poisson-Boltzmann model fails to describe steric and correlation effects important in a variety of chemical and biological systems, especially in high field or large concentration conditions found in and near binding sites, ion channels, and electrodes. Steric effects and correlations are apparent when we compare nonlocal Poisson-Fermi results to Poisson-Boltzmann calculations in electric double layer and to experimental measurements on the selectivity of potassium channels for K+ over Na+.
Spotted owl demography in the central Sierra Nevada

There has been a great deal of controversy over the status of spotted owl (Strix occidentalis) populations in western North America. Therefore, we estimated the population dynamics of a population of California spotted owls (S. o. occidentalis) in the central Sierra Nevada. We assessed reproductive status at 62 territories on 253 occasions over a 10-year period and recorded 714 captures of 210 individuals over a 14-year period. Reproduction varied temporally but did not exhibit any noticeable trends, whereas survival followed a quadratic pattern: owls experienced higher survival during the middle years of the study. Demographic parameter estimates indicate that the population declined 5.2% (SE = 2.6) per year from 1990-1999. Although conditions behind this decline may change in the future, these results suggest that management of spotted owl populations and maintaining their habitat are high conservation priorities in the central Sierra Nevada.
Three-source partitioning of CO2 efflux from maize field soil by 13C natural abundance

A natural-13C-labeling approach—formerly observed under controlled conditions—was tested in the field to partition total soil CO2 efflux into root respiration, rhizomicrobial respiration, and soil organic matter (SOM) decomposition. Different results were expected in the field due to different climate, site, and microbial properties in contrast to the laboratory. Within this isotopic method, maize was planted on soil with C3-vegetation history and the total CO2 efflux from soil was subdivided by isotopic mass balance. The C4-derived C in soil microbial biomass was also determined. Additionally, in a root-exclusion approach, root- and SOM-derived CO2 were determined by the total CO2 effluxes from maize (Zea mays L.) and bare-fallow plots. In both approaches, maize-derived CO2 contributed 22% to 35% to the total CO2 efflux during the growth period, which was comparable to other field studies. In our laboratory study, this CO2 fraction was tripled due to different climate, soil, and sampling conditions. In the natural-13C-labeling approach, rhizomicrobial respiration was low compared to other studies, which was related to a low amount of C4-derived microbial biomass. At the end of the growth period, however, 64% root respiration and 36% rhizomicrobial respiration in relation to total root-derived CO2 were calculated when considering high isotopic fractionations between SOM, microbial biomass, and CO2. This relationship was closer to the 50% : 50% partitioning described in the literature than without fractionation (23% root respiration, 77% rhizomicrobial respiration). Fractionation processes of 13C must be taken into account when calculating CO 2 partitioning in soil. Both methods—natural 13C labeling and root exclusion—showed the same partitioning results when 13C isotopic fractionation during microbial respiration was considered and may therefore be used to separate plantand SOM-derived CO 2 sources.
On the Effect of Security Warnings on Cryptographic API Misuse

Cryptographic API misuse is responsible for a large number of software vulnerabilities. In many cases developers are overburdened by the complex set of programming choices and their security implications. Past studies have identified significant challenges when using cryptographic APIs that lack a certain set of usability features (e. g. easy-to-use documentation or meaningful warning and error messages) leading to an especially high likelihood of writing functionally correct but insecure code. To support software developers in writing more secure code, this work investigates a novel approach aimed at these hard-touse cryptographic APIs. In a controlled online experiment with 53 participants, we study the effectiveness of an API integrated security advice which informs about an API misuse and places secure programming hints as guidance close to the developer. This allows to address insecure cryptographic choices including encryption algorithms, key sizes, modes of operation and hashing algorithms with helpful documentation in the guise of warnings. Whenever possible, the security advice proposes code changes to fix the responsible security issues. We find that our approach significantly improves code security. 73% of the participants who received the security advice fixed their insecure code.
A variational scheme for retrieving ice cloud properties from combined radar, lidar, and infrared radiometer

[1] A variational method is described for retrieving profiles of visible extinction coefficient, ice water content and effective radius in ice clouds using the combination of ground-based or spaceborne radar, lidar and infrared radiometer. The forward model includes effects such as non-Rayleigh scattering by the radar and molecular and multiple scattering by the lidar. By rigorous treatment of errors and a careful choice of state variables and associated a priori estimates, a seamless retrieval is possible between regions of the cloud detected by both radar and lidar and regions detected by just one of these two instruments. Thus, when the lidar signal is unavailable (for reasons such as strong attenuation), the retrieval tends toward an empirical relationship using radar reflectivity factor and temperature, and when the radar signal is unavailable (such as in optically thin cirrus), accurate retrievals are still possible from the combination of lidar and radiometer. The method is tested first on simulated profiles from aircraft data and then on real observations taken in West Africa. It would be straightforward to expand the approach to include other measurements simply by including a forward model for them.
EHR Workflow Management Systems: Essentials, History, Healthcare

Workflow management system technology promises critically important increases in electronic health record (EHR) usability and productivity. This paper describes the characteristics of electronic health record (EHR) workflow management systems (WfMSs): the difference between workflow management and mere workflow, the workflow reference model, the central role of the process definition, various frameworks within which to understand workflow, a productivity survey, the importance of workflow management to EHR usability, and future research and development directions.
Adoption of labor-enhancing technologies by specialty crop producers

Purpose - – The purpose of this paper is twofold, first: to define the profile of adopters of labor-enhancing technologies (e.g. platforms) identifying factors – such as operations size, mix of fruits grown, apple operation location, principal operators socio-demographics – and second: to estimate the efficiency threshold for platform adoption during apple harvesting to be financially feasible considering future increases in farm labor wages. Design/methodology/approach - – The authors conducted a mixed-mode survey in January-February 2010. Data were analyzed using a bivariate probit model, considering that the decision to adopt platforms was related with the orchard planting system. The authors conducted simulation scenarios to estimate the efficiencies – harvest – platforms must achieve in order to be economically feasible. Findings - – In total, 11 percent of the 316 apple operations covered by the survey used platforms. Orchard operations most likely to invest in planar structures are relatively large, produce high-value varieties, use organic systems, and have relatively young and educated operators. Similarly, operations producing high-value fruit such as “Honeycrisp” and controlled or patented varieties and relatively large operations are more likely to invest in platforms. The results of the comparison of the cost of harvesting apples using platforms vs ladders under several production assumptions indicate that platforms must increase labor productivity by at least 13 percent in order to be adopted by the industry. Research limitations/implications - – This study caveat is the lack of inclusion of production and marketing uncertainties in the estimation of future apple harvest costs. Further research to deeper analyze these issues is needed. Practical implications - – The authors present information on the profile of mechanization adopters, so extension educators and engineers could concentrate efforts on them to increase adoption levels. In addition the authors provide a threshold of efficiencies for harvest platforms associated with cost savings compared to manual harvest. Social implications - – Enabling the adoption of mechanization technologies by specialty crop industries would decrease the dependence on labor, decreasing labor uncertainties and facilitating the production of high quality produce to satisfy the needs of consumers. Second, it will end an era of importing poverty, given that the specialty crop industry has long benefited from seasonal migrant workers. It will improve rural American communities to shorten pools of farm workers, giving them access to permanent jobs with higher salaries. Originality/value - – The contribution of this study is to improve understanding of the degree of mechanization, financial feasibility of current existing technologies, and barriers to greater mechanization by the Washington apple industry. Given the similar labor challenges faced, in general, by the US specialty crop agriculture, results could be applicable to the entire industry.
Effect of Iron-Mediated Oxidative Stress on Insulin Resistance through the Forkhead Box-Containing Protein O Subfamily-1 (FOXO-1) Pathway in Chronic Hepatitis C *

Aims: Chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is often associated with glucose metabolic disorders and iron overload. It has recently been shown that reactive oxygen species (ROS) increase gluconeogenesis in hepatocytes through the forkhead box-containing protein O subfamily-1 (FOXO1)-dependent pathway. The aim of this study is proving a cause-and-effect relationship between iron-mediated ROS production and insulin resistance (IR) in chronic hepatitis C (CH-C) patients. Methods: The study included 42 patients with CH-C (22 males and 20 females, median age 53 years). Homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) value was assessed for each patient at entry. Gene expression levels in the biopsied liver tissues were determined by quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT- PCR). In addition, the effect of ROS on gluconeogenesis was assessed using HepG2 cells treated with a well-known ROS generator, diethylmaleate (DEM). Results: The serum ferritin levels were significantly correlated with the serum aspartate aminotransferase level, alanine aminotransferase level, HOMA-IR value, grade of fatty accumulation, total hepatic iron score, and 8-OH-deoxy-2’-guanosine (8-OHdG)-positive cell count. FOXO1 expression was correlated with 8-OHdG-positive cell count, phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK) expression, and HOMA-IR. In HepG2 cells, the gene transcription of FOXO1 and PEPCK was increased by DEM treatment, which was associated with an increase in non-phosphorylated FOXO1 protein in the nuclear fraction. Conclusions: Iron-mediated ROS production enhances gluconeogenesis through the FOXO1-mediated pathway and is an affecting factor to IR in patients with CH-C.