Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Comparison of two methods for performing treatment reviews by pharmacists and general practitioners for home-dwelling elderly people.

RATIONALE, AIMS AND OBJECTIVES There is room for improvement in pharmacotherapy for elderly outpatients. Studies have shown that collaborating health care professionals [e.g. pharmacists in cooperation with general practitioners (GPs)] are able to resolve prescription-related pharmaceutical care issues by means of treatment reviews. The aim of the study was to describe the feasibility of two methods for treatment review (results were given to the GP either in case conferences or in written feedback), and to determine if and how the process of treatment review can be improved. SETTING Local pharmacists and GPs cooperated in performing treatment reviews for outpatients aged 75 years or more who were using five or more medicines chronically. METHOD Written questionnaires, structured telephone interviews and analysis of various features of the treatment reviews that were recorded during the intervention study were used. RESULTS The pharmacists in the case conference group made more recommendations to the GPs (non-significant). Significantly more recommendations were identified by the pharmacists themselves in the case conference group. Health care professionals accepted an intervention with personal contact in case conferences better than an intervention with feedback in writing. They were more positive about the process of treatment review presented personally, although there were not always as many medication changes as they had hoped for. They also had concrete suggestions for improving the intervention, such as using a combination of written feedback and case conferences, and reserving the case conferences for the most complex cases. CONCLUSIONS Treatment reviews for the elderly in normal primary care are feasible. Health care professionals agree that the process for treatment review can be improved.
Intertwining operators and composition series of generalized and degenerate principal series for Sp(4,R)

In this paper we study analytic properties of intertwining operators and apply them to the determination of the composition series of degenerate and generalized principal series for Sp(4,R). We expect that that some of the methods developed here will extend to higher rank groups in order to extend the formalism of degenerate Eisenstein series given by [16] and [17]. In higher rank cases we expect to be more dependent on the algebraic theory of representation theory of the real reductive groups as developed by Vogan [30].
Development of primordial germ cells in the mouse *

Summary. Primordial germ cells in the mouse are known to be derived from the epiblast. They can be identified histochemically, by their high alkaline phosphatase activity. At 8 d post coitum they have been observed within the embryonic part of the egg cylinder, at the posterior end of the primitive streak. Earlier, at 7.25 days post coitum, we have observed them embedded in the extra‐embryonic mesoderm, as a tight clump. Germ cell counts over the 7–8 d period of gastrulation have been made. They are consistent with either of two models: (1) derivation of the germ cell lineage from a very small stem cell pool, followed by a constant rate of proliferation, and (2) derivation from a larger initial stem cell pool, followed by a period when germ cells are differentiating but not dividing.
Follow-up data for patients managed by store and forward telemedicine in developing countries

There is very little published information about the outcomes of patients treated by telemedicine in developing countries. Over a two-year period, seven medical students from five universities spent their electives at a hospital in Papua New Guinea. They assisted with the review of a total of 44 e-referrals made by local doctors; the referrals resulted in 61 queries in a wide range of specialties. The major categories of these queries were internal medicine, paediatrics and surgery. Follow-up data were obtained in 22 of the 44 cases (50%) after a median period of 13 weeks (interquartile range 3-19). The cases were reviewed by an independent doctor. Telemedicine was considered to have assisted with the diagnosis in all cases (median score 5 on a five-point scale from 1 = not helpful at all to 5 = very good/excellent). The advice to the referring doctor for further action was considered helpful in all except one case (median score 5 on the same scale). The outcome for the patient was considered to be good in 15 of the cases (median score 4 on the same scale). Medical students were able to facilitate e-referrals by relieving the pressure on the local doctor to undertake the necessary clerical and technical work. The students reported a rewarding elective experience. The follow-up data showed that low-cost telemedicine can provide useful advice in a low resource setting.
Pluck or Luck: Does Trait Variation or Chance Drive Variation in Lifetime Reproductive Success?

While there has been extensive interest in how intraspecific trait variation affects ecological processes, outcomes are highly variable even when individuals are identical: some are lucky, while others are not. Trait variation is therefore important only if it adds substantially to the variability produced by luck. We ask when trait variation has a substantial effect on variability in lifetime reproductive success (LRS), using two approaches: (1) we partition the variation in LRS into contributions from luck and trait variation and (2) we ask what can be inferred about an individual’s traits and with what certainty, given their observed LRS. In theoretical stage- and size-structured models and two empirical case studies, we find that luck usually dominates the variance of LRS. Even when individuals differ substantially in ways that affect expected LRS, unless the effects of luck are substantially reduced (e.g., low variability in reproductive life span or annual fecundity), most variance in lifetime outcomes is due to luck, implying that departures from “null” models omitting trait variation will be hard to detect. Luck also obscures the relationship between realized LRS and individual traits. While trait variation may influence the fate of populations, luck often governs the lives of individuals.
Performance analysis of online matching algorithms for D2D communications

In this paper, we consider a Device-to-Device (D2D) cellular network in which idle users can work as relays between cell users and the base station to improve their data rate. The relaying induces a cost for the User Equipment Relays (UER), that should be compensated with a payment from the mobile operator so that UERs accept to offer the service. The problem hence arises for the operator to match cell users and UERs at a reasonable cost and increasing the data rate. In this context, we consider the requirements of truthfulness, budget feasibility and acceptance of online scenarios to compare ON algorithm, which considers all constraints, with other three algorithms that were not built to respect all of them, Hungarian, Threshold and Online Weighted Knapsack (OWK). We observed that ON algorithm is the best in terms of execution time; however, it does not scale well considering the number of matched edges, requiring modifications in its selection criteria. In addition, we noticed that OWK algorithm has appealing properties and, if it were modified to be truthful and to reduce its complexity, it would present the best results.
Antimicrobial activity of aluminium oxide nanoparticles for potential clinical applications

The last two decades have seen a drastic increase in bacterial resistance to antibiotics and is a major concern for medical professionals world-wide. Metal oxide nanomaterials are currently the most promising tools applied as antimicrobial agents for diagnosis of diseases, drug delivery systems, sun screens and ceramics in biomedical and pharmaceutical arena. The antimicrobial activity of metal oxide nanoparticles is due to the large surface area which ensures a broad range of reactions with bio-organics present on the cell surface. Alumina nanoparticles have immense commercial applications and are being studied for their antimicrobial behaviour. At near-neutral pH, an electrostatic interaction plays a possible role in toxicity of alumina nanoparticles, due to interaction between its positive surface charge and negatively charged bacterial cells leading to NP adhesion onto bacterial surfaces and decrease in cell viability. This review attempts to elaborate the antimicrobial behaviour of alumina nanoparticles and its potential clinical applications.
Marine Drugs Regulating Apoptosis Induced by Tumor Necrosis Factor-Related Apoptosis-Inducing Ligand (TRAIL)

Marine biomass diversity is a tremendous source of potential anticancer compounds. Several natural marine products have been described to restore tumor cell sensitivity to TNF-related apoptosis inducing ligand (TRAIL)-induced cell death. TRAIL is involved during tumor immune surveillance. Its selectivity for cancer cells has attracted much attention in oncology. This review aims at discussing the main mechanisms by which TRAIL signaling is regulated and presenting how marine bioactive compounds have been found, so far, to overcome TRAIL resistance in tumor cells.
The Matter and Form of Maimonides’s Guide by Josef Stern (review)

post-Avicenna, and so on. The results are all first-rate, with chapters that represent the true state of the art and bang-up-to-date bibliographies to help the reader delve below the surface. Scholars may quibble about some of the details, and likely they will, but I found the contributions to be judicious and balanced in their treatment even of hotly contested issues. The editor has made some interesting choices in expanding on certain aspects of Avicenna’s legacy. The book’s treatment of Avicenna’s psychological works divides into a short chapter on abstraction and emanation (Dag Hasse) and a longer one that draws out the connections between Avicenna’s psychology and his broader epistemology (Deborah Black). Both chapters are perspicuous and perspicacious, but because neither author addresses the soul as such, such famous items as, for example, Avicenna’s arguments for the soul’s substantiality and immortality are entirely passed over. Avicenna’s metaphysics is similarly treated across two chapters; this division is well motivated and corresponds roughly to the distinction between metaphysica generalis and metaphysica specialis. Peculiarly, while Stephen Menn’s treatment of the former ably gathers threads from all over recent scholarship, Adamson’s chapter regarding the latter stands very nearly alone, with only a few references to Toby Mayer’s valuable work to keep it company (and some backward glances in Wisnovsky’s chapter to echo its contents). Is it possible that Avicenna’s philosophical theology is due for a reappraisal next? If so, here is one field where a reignited dialogue with scholars of Latin medieval philosophy may yet prove useful. Amos Bertolacci’s chapter provides valuable pointers to potentially interesting authors and issues. Only rarely does the reviewer wish that she or he would have 200 more pages to read. This is one such instance. The essays are all compressed and terse, some to the detriment of their digestibility. A more basic point has to do with serious omissions. Why, beyond considerations of space, treat only the syllogistic to the exclusion of the other logical arts? Why present case studies in Avicenna’s natural philosophy while passing on Avicenna’s comprehensive remarks regarding the principles of physics? Why, in heaven’s name, is there no mention at all of Avicenna’s zoology or his mathematical works? (The last may be a case of a dearth of active scholars matching a present lack of understanding of what Avicenna contributed.) More so than in the case of other similar works, one gets the sense here of many of the contributors being forced merely to point to advances made over the course of the past several decades, rather than being able to substantiate their claims or even fill out the picture to any appreciable extent. (Freudenthal and Zonta actually resorted to publishing a fuller version of their chapter on Avicenna’s Jewish reception separately as a journal article.) Still, even being reminded of Avicenna’s riches is a welcome palliative, if not yet the full cure. T a n e l i K u k k o n e n
Treatment of Burn Scar Depigmentation by Carbon Dioxide Laser–Assisted Dermabrasion and Thin Skin Grafting

Permanent depigmentation occasionally develops after deep partial-thickness and full-thickness burn injuries, which heal by secondary intention. This problem can be solved by dermabrasion and thin split-thickness skin grafting. However, mechanical dermabrasion is a bloody procedure that risks exposing medical professionals to infectious diseases transmitted by blood products, and it is difficult to assess the extent of tissue ablation. In this study, dermabrasion of depigmented burn scar area was performed by using flash-scanned carbon dioxide laser treatment, followed by thin split-thickness skin grafting. This method was applied to 13 patients on whom burn scar depigmentation sites were located as follows: two in the facial area, four on the trunk, and seven on the extremities. Skin graft take was excellent in all patients except for one. The follow-up period for these patients ranged from 1 to 12 months, with an average of 8 months. Repigmentation appeared soon after grafting, and no depigmentation occurred again in the treated areas. In conclusion, depigmented burn scar areas can be dermabraded in a short time; depth of tissue ablation can be well controlled; and a bloodless and smooth raw surface can be created by using a flash-scanned carbon dioxide laser. These raw surfaces sustain thin skin grafts well. (Plast. Reconstr. Surg. 105: 1973, 2000.)
Alfabetização científica multimodal na resolução de problemas por estudantes do ensino médio regular

Este trabalho discute o uso de estrategias multimodais na aprendizagem de quimica. Estudantes do 3° ano do ensino medio participaram de uma atividade que envolveu a resolucao de uma questao obtida da prova de selecao de candidatos para ingresso na Universidade de Sao Paulo em 2012. A questao explora um conteudo basico de quimica e envolve a capacidade do aluno operar em diferentes modos de representacao (textual, numerica e visual). A analise dos resultados mostrou que os perfis dos alunos envolvidos na pesquisa puderam ser classificados de acordo com tres diferentes padroes de alfabetizacao multimodal, nos quais uma porcentagem superior a dois tercos dos alunos apresentaram apenas um minimo dominio dos conteudos e minimas habilidades e competencias multimodais para a resolucao dos problemas propostos. Os resultados obtidos se apresentam como fortes indicadores da necessidade de um ensino focado na alfabetizacao multimodal na area de Ciencias da Natureza.
Mechanism of iberiotoxin block of the large-conductance calcium-activated potassium channel from bovine aortic smooth muscle.

The interaction of iberiotoxin (IbTX) with the large-conductance calcium-activated potassium (maxi-K) channel was examined by measuring single-channel currents from maxi-K channels incorporated into planar lipid bilayers. Addition of nanomolar concentrations of IbTX to the external side of the channel produced long nonconducting silent periods, which were interrupted by periods of normal channel activity. The distributions of durations of blocked and unblocked periods were both described by single exponentials. The mean duration of the unblocked periods decreased in proportion with the external concentration of IbTX, while the mean duration of the blocked periods was not affected. These results suggest that IbTX blocks the maxi-K channel through a simple bimolecular binding reaction where the silent periods represent times when a single toxin molecule is bound to the channel. In symmetric solutions of 150 mM KCl, with a membrane potential of 40 mV, the mean duration of the blocked periods produced by IbTX was 840 s, and the association rate was 1.3 x 10(6) M-1 s-1, yielding an equilibrium dissociation constant of about 1 nM. Raising the internal potassium concentration increased the dissociation rate constant of IbTX in a manner which was well described by a saturable binding function for potassium. External tetraethylammonium ion increased the average duration of the unblocked periods without affecting the blocked periods, suggesting that tetraethylammonium and IbTX compete for the same site near the conductance pathway of the channel. Increasing the external concentration of monovalent cations from 25 to 300 mM with either potassium or sodium decreased the rate of binding of IbTX to the channel by approximately 24-fold, with little effect on the rate of toxin dissociation. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Okul Öncesi Eğitim Öğretmenliği Bölümü Öğrencilerinin Motivasyon Kaynakları ve Sorunları

Bu arastirmanin amaciokul oncesi egitim ogretmenligi bolumu ogrencilerinin motivasyon kaynaklarive sorunlarinibelirlemek, motivasyon duzeylerinin, motivasyon kaynaklarive sorunlarinin devam ettikleri fakulte ve sinifa gore farklilasip farklilasmadigini incelemektir. Arastirmada tarama modeli kullanilmistir. Arastirmanin calisma grubunu Selcuk Universitesi M.E. F. (179), Egitim Fakultesinde (111) Okul Oncesi Egitim Ogretmenligi bolumune devam eden 290 ogrenci olusturmaktadir.Arastirma verileri Acat ve Yenilmez (2004) tarafindan gelistirilen Ogretmenlik Meslegine Iliskin Motivasyon Kaynaklarive SorunlariAnketi ile toplanmistir. Arastirmanin sonucunda Okul Oncesi Egitim Ogretmenligi Bolumu ogrencilerin ogretmenlik meslegine iliskin motivasyonlarinin genellikle yuksek oldugu, cok az sorun yasadiklarive ogretmenlik meslegine iliskin motivasyon duzeyleri, motivasyon kaynaklarive sorunlarinin devam ettikleri fakulte ve sinifa gore anlamliduzeyde farklilastigigozlenmistir.
INCIDENCE OF SCLEROTOMY-RELATED RETINAL BREAKS

Purpose: To estimate the incidence of sclerotomy-related retinal breaks (SRRBs) and identify possible associated risk factors. Methods: Medical records of patients who underwent pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) from January 1994 to January 1999 at the King Khaled Eye Specialist Hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, were reviewed. The diagnosis, procedure, and possible associated risk factors were documented, in addition to the presence of SRRBs and time of discovery. Results: Of the 441 eyes, 3.1% developed early SRRBs, while 2.9% of 350 eyes developed late SRRBs. Most of the eyes that developed SRRBs were phakic, and penetrating trauma was found statistically to increase the risk of SRRBs. Conclusions: SRRBs are an uncommon complication of PPV. Early detection and proper management can prevent serious sequelae of such complications.
Muscle wasting and dedifferentiation induced by oxidative stress in a murine model of cachexia is prevented by inhibitors of nitric oxide synthesis and antioxidants.

Muscle wasting is a critical feature of patients afflicted by AIDS or cancer. In a murine model of muscle wasting, tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF alpha) induces oxidative stress and nitric oxide synthase (NOS) in skeletal muscle, leading to decreased myosin creatinine phosphokinase (MCK) expression and binding activities. The impaired MCK‐E box binding activities resulted from abnormal myogenin‐Jun‐D complexes, and were normalized by the addition of Jun‐D, dithiothreitol or Ref‐1, a nuclear redox protein. Treatment of skeletal muscle cells with a phorbol ester, a superoxide‐generating system, an NO donor or a Jun‐D antisense oligonucleotide decreased Jun‐D activity and transcription from the MCK‐E box, which were prevented by antioxidants, a scavenger of reducing equivalents, a NOS inhibitor and/or overexpression of Jun‐D. The decreased body weight, muscle wasting and skeletal muscle molecular abnormalities of cachexia were prevented by treatment of TNF alpha mice with the antioxidants D‐alpha‐tocopherol of BW755c, or the NOS inhibitor nitro‐L‐arginine.
The health professional's role in preventing nosocomial infections

Despite their best intentions, health professionals sometimes act as vectors of disease, disseminating new infections among their unsuspecting clients. Attention to simple preventive strategies may significantly reduce disease transmission rates. Frequent hand washing remains the single most important intervention in infection control. However, identifying mechanisms to ensure compliance by health professionals remains a perplexing problem. Gloves, gowns, and masks have a role in preventing infections, but are often used inappropriately, increasing service costs unnecessarily. While virulent microorganisms can be cultured from stethoscopes and white coats, their role in disease transmission remains undefined. There is greater consensus about sterile insertion techniques for intravascular catheters—a common source of infections—and their care. By following a few simple rules identified in this review, health professionals may prevent much unnecessary medical and financial distress to their patients.
Differential cyclic AMP dependence of facilitation at Aplysia sensorimotor synapses as a function of prior stimulation: augmentation versus restoration of transmitter release

Synaptic facilitation at sensory-to-motor neuron synapses in Aplysia is a mechanism contributing to a simple form of learning called behavioral sensitization. Previous work has shown that facilitation is mediated in part by the neurotransmitter 5-HT acting through cAMP to broaden presynaptic action potentials and thus increase transmitter release from the sensory neuron terminals. Other studies have indicated that 5- HT causes facilitation by more than one mechanism, depending on whether the synapse has first been depressed by prior stimulation. The present study examines the involvement of cAMP in facilitation at depressed synapses by utilizing the adenylyl cyclase activator 7 beta-desacetyl-7 beta-[gamma-(N-methylpiperazino)-butyryl] forskolin (7B-forskolin) and 5-HT separately and in combination. Facilitation at relatively rested synapses can be mimicked with application of 7B-forskolin, whereas transmission at synapses that have been subjected to repeated stimulation is not affected. The forskolin derivative by itself increases cAMP levels in sensory neurons and potentiates 5-HT-induced stimulation of cAMP 2–10-fold. Nonetheless, joint application of 7B- forskolin and 5-HT at submaximal concentrations to depressed synapses causes the same amount of facilitation as 5-HT alone. This finding implies that facilitation by 5-HT at repeatedly stimulated synapses is not mediated by cAMP alone. In addition, facilitation by 7B-forskolin at relatively rested synapses can occur without prolongation of action potentials, suggesting that cAMP can act in more than one way to enhance transmission. Taken together with earlier findings, the present results suggest that at least three distinct processes participate in facilitation by 5-HT.