Trends in Topical Prescriptional Therapy for Old Patients With Dry Eye Disease in Six Major Areas of China: 2013–2019

The prevalence of dry eye disease (DED) in old patients are high, corresponding to a substantial economic burden. In this cross-sectional study, we analyzed the trends in the topical prescriptional treatment of old patients with DED in six major areas of China. Information on topical drug prescriptions for DED patients aged above 60 years was extracted from the Hospital Prescription Analysis Cooperative Program of China database. Trends in yearly prescriptions and cost were analyzed. The data were further stratified by patient age and sex, drug class, and specific drug. A total of 130,734 prescriptions from 52 hospitals located in six major areas of China were analyzed. The number of prescripptions per year for patients with DED increased from 13,308 in 2013 to 22,074 in 2019, with a corresponding increase in cost of all topical drugs from 1,490,014 Chinese Yuan (CNY) to 2,618,206 CNY. Drugs for the treatment of DED accounted for the largest proportion of the total cost in each year. Ocular lubricants were the main pharmacotherapy agent. Sodium hyaluronate use increased over time, and the drug was used by 65.9% of patients by the end of the study. Pranoprofen was the second most frequently used drug. The most frequently used drugs for co-incident disease were antimicrobials. Treatment patterns for DED haven’t changed, and the most frequently used drug combination was sodium hyaluronate and pranoprofen. In summary, prescription for old patients with DED and the cost of treatment are increasing. Ocular lubricants are the main treatment option, while sodium hyaluronate is the most frequently used drug. The observed trends can lead to more efficient allocation of health care resources in China.

Towards a Joint International Database: Alignment of SSR Marker Data for European Collections of Cherry Germplasm

The objective of our study was the alignment of microsatellite or simple sequence repeat (SSR) marker data across germplasm collections of cherry within Europe. Through the European Cooperative program for Plant Genetic Resources ECPGR, a number of European germplasm collections had previously been analysed using standard sets of SSR loci. However, until now these datasets remained unaligned. We used a combination of standard reference genotypes and ad-hoc selections to compile a central dataset representing as many alleles as possible from national datasets produced in France, Great Britain, Germany, Italy, Sweden and Switzerland. Through the comparison of alleles called in data from replicated samples we were able to create a series of alignment factors, supported across 448 different allele calls, that allowed us to align a dataset of 2241 SSR profiles from six countries. The proportion of allele comparisons that were either in agreement with the alignment factor or confounded by null alleles ranged from 67% to 100% and this was further improved by the inclusion of a series of allele-specific adjustments. The aligned dataset allowed us to identify groups of previously unknown matching accessions and to identify and resolve a number of errors in the prior datasets. The combined and aligned dataset represents a significant step forward in the co-ordinated management of field collections of cherry in Europe.

The Impact of Storytelling and Cooperative Learning on Iranian EFL Learners Vocabulary Achievement

The researcher investigated the effect of using short stories and cooperative learning together in one class and compared its effect with the existing traditional methods and cooperative program as well as contextualized short-story-based program. To do so, 75 Iranian female EFL learners participated in the study after a homogeneity test. They were divided into three groups i.e., storytelling, cooperative, and mixed. The learners in the cooperative group followed the above procedures of cooperative learning for reading short stories and the short story group was engaged in a question and answering activity was guided by the teacher, as mentioned earlier. Moreover, the mixed group covered the short stories extensively out of the class as described for the short story group and did the cooperative group work activity in class. After the treatment lasted 12 sessions, the learners took the test again. The study's findings reveal that using story-telling can be a good strategy to bypass the difficulty of vocabulary instruction insomuch it gives leaners chances of using new words communicatively to produce target forms in meaningful real-world contexts.

DOES SCHOOL COOPERATIVE PROGRAM INCREASE ENTREPRENEURIAL INTENTION? A STRUCTURAL EQUATION MODELLING APPROACH

Purpose of the study: The primary purpose of this empirical research is to investigate the impact of school cooperative involvement on entrepreneurial intention among Malaysian secondary school students. The school cooperative program was introduced in Malaysia in 1968, and presently, 2421 school cooperatives are operating nationwide. Despite so, the impact of school cooperative towards students’ entrepreneurial intention remains unclear. Methodology: This research employed the quantitative method, using a cross-sectional survey. The data collected from secondary school students in the East Coast Peninsular of Malaysia involve three states, namely Kelantan, Terengganu, and Pahang. The study employed the Covariance Based Structural Equation Modelling (CB SEM) to analyze the data using the Analysis of Moment Structure (AMOS) graphic. Principal finding: The result shows that the students’ involvement in the school cooperative increases their entrepreneurial intention. Applications of this study: The Malaysian government should focus on nurturing entrepreneurship in schools. The Ministry of Education (MOE) and Angkatan Koperasi Kebangsaan Malaysia (ANGKASA) need to enforce assessments on participating students to ensure the effectiveness of this entrepreneurship education program. Moreover, school administrators should support the school cooperative owing to its positive impact on students. Novelty/Originality of this study: This research delivers the best way to increase entrepreneurial intention by measuring the impact of students’ involvement in school cooperatives. Also, the paper proposes a framework for enhancing entrepreneurial intention by clarifying the Theory of Students’ Involvement. Consequently, this research fills the previous research gap on entrepreneurial intention and lack of information on Malaysian school cooperatives.

PERANAN PROGRAM KOPERASI JASA KEUANGAN SYARIAH BAITUL MAAL WAT TAMWIL ( KJKS BMT) DALAM PEMBERDAYAAN PELAKU USAHA MIKRO KECIL MENENGAH DI KOTA PADANG

This research background was found in the implementation of the program Baitul Maal Wat Tamwil (BMT) in Empowerment’s actors UMKM in Padang. The aims of this research was to describe the implementation of Sharia Baitul Maal Wat Tamwil (KJKS BMT) Cooperative Program and to know the impact of KJKS Program implementation through savings and loan program in approaching the access of business capital to SMEs in Padang City. The method used in this research was qualitative research using descriptive method. The research found that the Role of Sharia Financial Services Cooperative Program Baitul Maal Wat Tamwil (KJKS BMT) for the Empowerment of Micro Small Medium Enterprises has been effective by providing financing in the addition of venture capital to UMKM for the development of their business. Although the implementation of KJKS program has been in accordance with existing procedures but has not fully able to improve the welfare of its members. This can be seen from its still found some obstacles in the implementation, constraints faced can be categorized into two forms. Internal obstacles such as: lack of KJKS capital, poor people's mindset about KJKS program, lack of supervision on KJKS program implementation, external constraints such as: the utilization of aid funds that have not maximized, Fructuative Community Economic Condition (unstable), Competitor with product Just like the existence of loan sharks, obstacles that come from the participants of the program carried out efforts such as guidance, the system pick up the ball against members who are stuck in the payment.

PERANAN PROGRAM KOPERASI JASA KEUANGAN SYARIAH BAITUL MAAL WAT TAMWIL ( KJKS BMT) DALAM PEMBERDAYAAN PELAKU USAHA MIKRO KECIL MENENGAH DI KOTA PADANG

This research background was found in the implementation of the program Baitul Maal Wat Tamwil (BMT) in Empowerment’s actors UMKM in Padang. The aims of this research was to describe the implementation of Sharia Baitul Maal Wat Tamwil (KJKS BMT) Cooperative Program and to know the impact of KJKS Program implementation through savings and loan program in approaching the access of business capital to SMEs in Padang City. The method used in this research was qualitative research using descriptive method. The research found that the Role of Sharia Financial Services Cooperative Program Baitul Maal Wat Tamwil (KJKS BMT) for the Empowerment of Micro Small Medium Enterprises has been effective by providing financing in the addition of venture capital to UMKM for the development of their business. Although the implementation of KJKS program has been in accordance with existing procedures but has not fully able to improve the welfare of its members. This can be seen from its still found some obstacles in the implementation, constraints faced can be categorized into two forms. Internal obstacles such as: lack of KJKS capital, poor people's mindset about KJKS program, lack of supervision on KJKS program implementation, external constraints such as: the utilization of aid funds that have not maximized, Fructuative Community Economic Condition (unstable), Competitor with product Just like the existence of loan sharks, obstacles that come from the participants of the program carried out efforts such as guidance, the system pick up the ball against members who are stuck in the payment.