Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Key Factors for Maximizing the Effectiveness of Blended E-Learning: The Outcome of the Internal Evaluation of a Distance Education Program for Adult Learning in Greece

The chapter focuses on the main factors, which should be met in order to maximize the effectiveness of a blended e-learning program for adult learners. The factors discussed in this chapter are derived from the perspectives of the learners, scientific staff, administrative staff, and the technical staff engaged in the distance learning process. Specifically, these factors have emerged through the internal evaluation of a national program, Design and Implementation of Distance Learning Programs, implemented in Greece via the Distance Adult Education Center for Lifelong Learning. Findings on the strengths and weaknesses of the program as well as suggestions for implementation of future related programs are also discussed in the chapter. The findings indicate that harmonization of program content and the educational process with the principles of adult education both in face-to-face and online environment has a positive effect on the educational outcome of the program. In addition, the appropriate use of the communication tools in the Learning Management System (LMS) is very important for the effectiveness of the program. Maria Pavlis-Korres General Secretariat for Lifelong Learning, Greece & University of Alcalá, Spain
In vivo Time-Dependent Radio-Protective Effect of Lycopene Against Whole-Body Gamma Radiation in Mice

Background: Ionizing radiation has become an essential part of modern medicine. However, applying the effective dose of ionizing radiation is compromised by its inevitable radiation-induced damage to normal tissues. Natural products with free radical scavenging, antioxidant activities, and immune stimulatory effects offer suitable radio-protective effects. Objectives: This study was designed to evaluate the in vivo radio-protective activity of lycopene, a naturally dietary carotenoid, against whole-body gamma-irradiation-induced mortality and sickness in mice. Methods: In this animal experimental study, lycopene was extracted from tomato paste, characterized, and then administered to mice. Consecutively, 80 healthy adult male mice were recruited and irradiated individually, and then monitored for irradiation sickness and survival parameters. Results: Pretreatment with 7 mg/kg dose of lycopene 7 days before irradiation was found to reduce the severity of symptoms of radiation sickness in a 30-day post-radiation monitoring. Lycopene treatment increased the survival rate. At the radiation dosage of 8 and 9 Gy, the difference between the survival rates of control and sample groups became significant after day 15 and 25. Lycopene was also shown to have a protective effect on white blood cell count against 8 and 9 Gy gamma radiations. Conclusions: Natural and exhibiting whole-body radio-protective activity, lycopene can be proposed as an effective radio-protector in healthy people who are exposed to radiation, such as radiographers, nuclear pharmacists, and radiologists.
Level of physical activity and obesity among the adolescent school children in Bhaktapur: A cross-sectional pilot study

Background: Physical activity is crucial for overall health and well-being of an individual. As childhood obesity has emerged as a serious public health concern, physical activity is a proven tool for prevention and treatment of this type of obesity. As lifestyle and behavior pattern is formed at the adolescence age, it is essential that healthy lifestyle and good food habit should start at this age. Hence, we aimed to fi nd the level of physical activity and obesity among the adolescent school children in this study.Objectives: The objective of the study was to fi nd the level of physical activity and obesity among the adolescent school children in a Bhaktapur school.Method: This is a cross sectional pilot study conducted in October 2015 at a private school in Bhaktapur, Nepal. A total of 83 students studying in class eight, nine and ten were included in the study. A validated self-administered questionnaire was used, height and weight were measured and a BMI index for age percentile growth chart was used to interpret the Basal Metabolic Index of the participants.Result: Out of the total 83 respondents, 31.3% of the respondents performed physical activity for at least 60 minutes a day for more than three days per week and 37.3% participants performed the same for less than three days per week. Twelve percent of the total participants were either overweight or obese.Conclusion: The amount of physical activity in majority of the students is not adequate. Prevalence of overweight and obesity in adolescence is high. Sedentary life style, increasing trends of indoor game and consumption of junk food are responsible for increased prevalence of overweight and obesity in the adolescence. Journal of Kathmandu Medical CollegeVol. 5, No. 2, Issue 16, Apr.-Jun., 2016, page: 65-70
Ultraminiature Antennas Combining Subwavelength Resonators and a Very-High-ε Uniform Substrate: The Case of Lithium Niobate

Combining the effects of subwavelength resonators and very-high-permittivity substrates enables a high extent of miniaturization, even for very simple, split-loop resonators. Here, we demonstrate how requirements to the substrate’s permittivity are connected with the desired extent of miniaturization and why materials with a relative permittivity of <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$30 < \varepsilon < 100$ </tex-math></inline-formula>, like lithium niobate, may offer a real possibility to miniaturize. For demonstration purposes, we designed, in line with this approach, an ultraminiature dual-band antenna to operate at 2.8 and 4.2 GHz. The antenna is fabricated using microfabrication techniques and studied experimentally. There is good agreement between the measurement and simulation results. The realized gain is about −5 dB for the first resonance, at which the size of the substrate-resonator block is <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\lambda /24$ </tex-math></inline-formula>. The obtained results demonstrate the potential of the suggested approach, which is expected to be applicable to a very wide class of subwavelength resonators and a wide variety of substrates with high permittivity.
The Importance of Professional Development for Secondary Content Area Classroom Teachers

The Importance of Professional Development for Secondary Content Area Classroom Teachers In this applied project the focus is on the importance of professional development for secondary classroom teachers. The author first reviews some of the issues involved with educating English as a second language (ESL) students in public education. Then the importance of professional development for secondary content area teachers is addressed. Finally, a presentation, along with handouts, is presented about how a year of guided professional development can be used to help secondary content area teachers improve their instruction.
Stem cell transplantation rescued a primary open-angle glaucoma mouse model

Glaucoma is a leading cause of irreversible blindness. In this study, we investigated if exogenous stem cells are able to rescue a glaucoma mouse model with transgenic myocilin Y437H mutation and explored the possible mechanisms. Human trabecular meshwork stem cells (TMSCs) were intracamerally transplanted which reduced mouse intraocular pressure, increased outflow facility, protected the retinal ganglion cells and preserved their function. TMSC transplantation also significantly increased the TM cellularity, promoted myocilin secretion from TM cells into the aqueous humor to reduce endoplasmic reticulum stress, repaired the TM tissue with extracellular matrix modulation and ultrastructural restoration. Co-culturing TMSCs with myocilin mutant TM cells in vitro promoted TMSCs differentiating into phagocytic functional TM cells. RNA sequencing revealed that TMSCs had upregulated genes related to TM regeneration and neuroprotection. Our results uncovered therapeutic potential of TMSCs for curing glaucoma and elucidated possible mechanisms by which TMSCs achieve the treatment effect.
Decision-making Factors in Non-operative Management of Zygomatic Fractures

Objective: A zygomatic fracture is one of the most common fractures of the maxillofacial bone. The treatment of zygomatic fractures can be performed either by surgical or non-surgical management. However, few studies have evaluated the reasons for choosing non-surgical treatment. Methods: A retrospective observational study was performed of patients with zygomatic fractures that presented in Siriraj Hospital, Thailand, from January 1, 2010, to December 31, 2014. The factors associated with the non-operative treatment of zygomatic fractures were evaluated. Moreover, we analyzed the patient data, such as their age, etiology, type of fracture, complications, associated facial fractures, and associated other organ injuries. Results: There were 337 patients with a zygomatic fracture during this period. Most of the cases involved males. Traffic accidents represented a common cause of the fracture. The mean patient age was 36 years old. Trimalar fracture of the zygoma was the most common type of fracture. The most common complication with zygoma fractures was infraorbital nerve injury. Of the study population, 161 patients (47.8%) received non-operative treatment and 176 patients (52.2%) received operative treatment. Older age (adjusted odds ratio (95% CI); 1.02 (1.00-1.03), p-value = 0.049), no diplopia (adjusted odds ratio (95% CI); 12.30 (3.28-46.14), p-value < 0.001), no infraorbital nerve injury (adjusted odds ratio (95% CI); 6.76 (3.81-11.99), p-value < 0.001), and no cosmetic concern (95% CI); 92.82 (11.97719.44), p-value < 0.001) were the only four factors related to non-operative management decisions. Conclusion: Older age, no diplopia, no infraorbital nerve injury, and no cosmetic concern of the patient were the factors associated with the non-operative treatment of zygomatic fractures.
COMPARATIVE PHYTOCHEMICAL PROFILE AND ANTIOXIDANT PROPERTY OF BARK, FLOWERS AND LEAVES EXTRACTS OF SIMAROUBA GLAUCA

Objective: The current study was to evaluate and compare the phytochemical constituents and antioxidant activity of bark, flowers and leaves of the tree Simarouba glauca. Methods: The solvent extraction of phytochemicals was carried out using Soxhlet apparatus with ethanol, chloroform, methanol, and water. The antioxidant property was determined by 2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl, hydrogen peroxide free radical scavenging, reducing power assay, and nitric oxide radical scavenging assay using gallic acid and ascorbic acid as the standards. Results: The extraction yield was found maximum in the water extract of flower (3.7% w/w). Qualitative and quantitative analysis of phytoconstituents showed that the highest amount of alkaloids and flavonoid content (2.1% w/w) and (3.9% w/w), respectively, was in the chloroform extract of the flower. Phenol and carbohydrate constituent was found to be highest in the methanol extract of leaves 2.5% w/w and 2.2% w/w, respectively. The antioxidant assays showed that the bark possessed maximum antioxidant activity. The water extracts of S. glauca bark exhibited scavenging property (90%) with an IC50 value 39.63 μg/ml, and the least activity (56%) was observed in the methanol extracts of leaves with an IC50 value of 62.96 μg/ml of S. glauca. Conclusion: The study concluded that the water extract of the bark is a potent antioxidant compared to leaves and flowers. Further, in vivo studies are essential to enumerate its medicinal use and prove its efficacy in therapeutic applications.
Development of a Model to Predict Healing of Chronic Wounds Within 12 Weeks

Objective: Chronic wounds represent a highly prevalent but little recognized condition with substantial implications for patients and payers. While better wound care products and treatment modalities are known to improve healing rates, they are inconsistently used in real-world practice. Predicting healing rates of chronic wounds and comparing to actual rates could be used to detect and reward better quality of care. We developed a prediction model for chronic wound healing. Approach: We analyzed electronic medical records (EMRs) for 620,356 chronic wounds of various etiologies in 261,398 patients from 532 wound care clinics in the United States. Patient-level and wound-level parameters influencing wound healing were identified from prior research and clinician input. Logistic regression and classification tree models to predict the probability of wound healing within 12 weeks were developed using a random sample of 70% of the wounds and validated in the remaining data. Results: A total of 365,659 (58.9%) wounds were healed by week 12. The logistic and classification tree models predicted healing with an area under the curve of 0.712 and 0.717, respectively. Wound-level characteristics, such as location, area, depth, and etiology, were more powerful predictors than patient demographics and comorbidities. Innovation: The probability of wound healing can be predicted with reasonable accuracy in real-world data from EMRs. Conclusion: The resulting severity adjustment model can become the basis for applications like quality measure development, research into clinical practice and performance-based payment.
Expectativas en las Tasas de Interés y Noticias de Política Monetaria de EEUU (Interest Rate Expectations and Monetary Policy News in the US)

(Interest Rates Expectations and Monetary Policy News in the US) The Taper Tantrum event is related to the high volatility experienced in the US stock markets between April and June 2013. The apparent cause was a set of announcements made by the Fed as a means to increase the interest rate, which was at relative low levels since the financial crises of 2008-2009. This research estimates the expected value of the level of interest rates (10-year T-Note) of a representative agent, and its significant variations, around the Taper Tantrum. For this purpose, the risk-neutral density of the interest rate extracted from option prices, which has implicit information on the expectations, is estimated. The obtained results indicate that the proposed methodology implicitly measures the expectations in the debt market. The working hypothesis is that the announcements of policymakers made during the Taper Tantrum have a statistically significant effect on US stock markets.
Regulation of leukocyte cytokine production by inhibitors of intracellular signalling pathways.

The activation of leukocytes during inflammation results in the engagement of many related intracellular signalling pathways. The role of two key proteins families, phosphodiesterase (PDE) and Src kinase, has been assessed in these signalling pathways using specific inhibitors. Inhibition of phosphodiesterase type 4 (PDE4) in lipopolysaccharide (EPS) stimulated human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) resulted in the inhibition of TNF-a by an IL-10-independent mechanism. This is in contrast to other agents that elevate cAMP which in turn inhibit TNF-a synthesis by an IL-10-dependent mechanism. When PBMC were stimulated with EPS plus IFN-y, inhibition of PDE4 resulted in an altered effect on cytokine production, elevating IE-10 while still inhibiting TNF-a. Inhibition of PDE4 in activated T cells only weakly inhibited cellular proliferation. In contrast, PDE4 inhibitors were potent but non-selective inhibitors of T-cell cytokine production. In contrast to studies in murine cells, inhibition of T-cell activation correlates with inhibition of binding to a high-affinity Rolipram binding site on the PDE4 protein. Kinases from the Src family (Eck, Fyn and Eyn) have been implicated in signalling via the T-cell receptor (TCR) on lymphocytes and the high affinity IgE receptor (FceRI) on mast cells. Potent inhibitors of Src kinases blocked T-cell proliferation and cytokine generation in response to specific ligation of the TCR. However, activation of T-cells by multiple costimulatory pathways was much more resistant to Src kinase inhibition. Inhibition of Src kinase in human cord blood-derived mast cells inhibited IgE-dependent degranulation of these cells. This indicates that Src kinase inhibitors may be useful in down-regulating allergic responses. Conversely, inhibitors of PDE4 and PDE type 7 (PDE7) did not prevent mast cell degranulation. The observation that PDE4 inhibitors can regulate monocyte cytokine generation further supports the view that these agents could have therapeutic benefit in a number of inflammatory diseases such as asthma, arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease. The failure of Src kinase inhibitors to modify T cell signalling activated by multiple pathways indicates redundancy in these signalling pathways and therefore Src kinases may not represent good targets for immunomodulation. However, a selective Src kinase inhibitor could represent a good target for an anti-allergic drug.
Implementing high value back pain care in private physiotherapy in Australia: A qualitative evaluation of physiotherapists who participated in an “implementation to innovation” system

ABSTRACT Objectives: Many barriers exist to delivering high-value care for people with low back pain (LBP). We have developed a multistrategy implementation system to overcome these barriers. Here we describe a qualitative evaluation of the experiences of private-sector physiotherapists implementing the system. Design: PRISM (Practice-based innovation and implementation system) is an iterative clinician-as-scientist implementation program, tailored here for acute and subacute LBP. PRISM integrates strategies from behavioral change, implementation, and educational science fields. Semistructured interviews, group discussion forums, and electronic questionnaires were used to collect data at multiple time points that were then analyzed using an interpretative descriptive approach. Participants: Six physiotherapists (purposive sample) practicing in private practice physiotherapy clinics in the Adelaide region, South Australia, were enrolled in the study. Interventions: Interventions included an educational pain science and care workshop incorporating self-regulated learning principles, a co-planned clinical pathway, an electronic decision support tool, development and support of a community of practice, case study simulations, audit and feedback, and collaborative problem solving and innovation for physiotherapists. Results: Participants’ experiences and perceptions centered around five themes: (1) knowledge and skills training; (2) networking and mentoring; (3) a clear clinical pathway; (4) practical tools; and (5) data feedback. Participants appraised the implementation process positively but identified patient receptiveness as a challenge at times. Suggestions for improvement included streamlining/automating data collection forms and processes and providing more simulation opportunities. Conclusions: PRISM appears to be a promising approach to overcoming several barriers that prevent people with back pain from receiving high-value care. It consolidates and increases pain science knowledge and increases physiotherapist confidence in delivering high-value care. It appears to legitimize some current practices, enhance clinical reasoning and communication skills, extend knowledge in line with contemporary pain science, and facilitate the application of a biopsychosocial management approach. The high-level acceptance by participants provides a foundation for further research to test outcomes and delivery in different settings. Contribution of the article A quality improvement intervention designed to improve delivery of high-value care was well received by private practice physiotherapists. Physiotherapists particularly valued using experiential learning to improve fluency in communicating with, and educating patients about, contemporary pain science. A structured clinical pathway and tools guided physiotherapists on the basic elements of necessary care and allowed them to concentrate on higher levels of decision making and communication with patients.
Transaction Services, Neutrality of Money, and Marginal Impatience

This paper examines the issues of neutrality and optimum quantity of money in the context in which transaction services of money are imputed and enter a utility functional of a recursive class. We show that the results are diametrically different from the case of money in the utility function. The reason is due to the fact that in response to changes in nominal interest rates, agents adjust their real balance holdings hyperbolically to keep the marginal rate of substitution between real balances and consumption unitary. As of steady state, we show that capital intensity, consumption, transaction services, the rate of time preference, and agent’s welfare are all invariant to monetary expansion, which is termed hyperneutrality. This strong neutrality holds whether the marginal impatience is increasing or decreasing in consumption and real balances. Friedman’s argument for the optimum quantity of money and the optimum money supply rule is, therefore, no longer applicable. To distinguish transactions services from money accords with Walras’s crucial distinction between money as a stock and its services of availability as a flow.
Cultural Distance and Entry Modes in Emerging Markets: Empirical Evidence in Vietnam

Cultural distance is acknowledged as a crucial factor that significantly affects the entry mode selection of multinational enterprises. The purpose of this article is to analyze the relationship between cultural distance and entry mode choice by exploring a novel dataset of 5236 firms in Vietnam with foreign investment during the period 2005–2016. Although many studies were conducted about the cultural distance and entry mode nexus, most of the research mainly focuses on developed and developing countries, where a market economy is already established. It is important to expand the research to a transition economy such as Vietnam, where the government is committed to attracting foreign investment. The results indicate that, when the cultural difference between Vietnam and their home country is high, foreign-invested firms prefer wholly-owned subsidiaries (WOS) over equity joint ventures (EJV). The study contributes to the general understanding about cultural distance and entry mode decision of foreign-invested firms in emerging markets.
Is it time to replace gzip? Comparison of modern compressors for molecular sequence databases

Nearly all molecular sequence databases currently use gzip for data compression. Ongoing rapid accumulation of stored data calls for more efficient compression tool. We systematically benchmarked the available compressors on representative DNA, RNA and Protein datasets. We tested specialized sequence compressors 2bit, BLAST, DNA-COMPACT, DELIMINATE, Leon, MFCompress, NAF, UHT and XM, and general-purpose compressors brotli, bzip2, gzip, lz4, lzop, lzturbo, pbzip2, pigz, snzip, xz, zpaq and zstd. Overall, NAF and zstd performed well in terms of transfer/decompression speed. However, checking benchmark results is necessary when choosing compressor for specific data type and application. Benchmark results database is available at: http://kirr.dyndns. org/sequence-compression-benchmark/.