Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Teacher Gender, Student Gender, and Primary School Achievement: Evidence from Ten Francophone African Countries

Abstract Using an exceptionally rich, standardised education assessment dataset comprising over 1800 primary schools and 31,000 grade six students from 10 francophone Western and Central African countries, this study analyses the relationship between teacher gender, student gender, and student achievement. Findings indicate that, for girls, being taught by a female teacher increases math and reading performance. For boys, however, teacher gender has no effect. Similar, but less strong effects are also found for subject appreciation. Moreover, traditional academic gender stereotypes remain prevalent among both male and female teachers. Our findings suggest that hiring more female teachers in the region can reduce educational gender gaps without hurting boys.
Caring for a relative with chronic fatigue syndrome: difficulties, cognition and acceptance over time

The present study explored the difficulties experienced by carers of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) sufferers, their cognitions, and their efforts to accept the illness. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 17 carers to study these issues, retrospectively, over three stages: before the diagnosis of CFS, shortly after the diagnosis, and at present. Surprisingly, the results suggested that carers, several of them absent from home during the day, felt that their lives were only minimally constrained by the illness. Nevertheless, all carers reported specific coping efforts to manage both the illness and their own distress, and indicated that they learned to accept the illness over time. However, acceptance appeared to be a form of resignation rather than a positive appreciation of the illness. In light of the uncertainties surrounding the origin of CFS and carers’ apparent confusion, the results obtained in the present study are significant in that they increase our understanding of CFS carers’ quality of life, their efforts to cope with the illness, and the physical and emotional help they may provide to the sufferer. Such information can be usefully employed in the increasing development of counselling interventions and instrumental support networks that involve both sufferers and their carers.
Risk of automobile accidents in cigarette smokers.

I used a case-control study to identify an increased risk of motor vehicle crash (MVC) in cigarette smokers as compared to non-smokers. Information on smoking status and potential confounding factors was obtained using a self-administered mail-out questionnaire sent to 1,000 persons known to have had a MVC, and a control group of 1,100 persons with no record of MVC in the previous five years. Assessment of relative risk estimates (RR) and adjustment for confounding factors was done by logistic regression analysis. Smokers had a 1.5-fold increase in risk for MVC over non-smokers (p = .01). Also, an increased tendency to smoke while driving was associated with greater risk of MVC (X2 trend: p = .01). The basis for this association may be: 1. distraction from driving by the act of smoking. 2. behavioural differences between smokers and non-smokers. 3. carbon-monoxide toxicity. Further study is needed to determine the importance of these factors as components of the increase in risk found.
Endothelial Progenitor Cells: A Primer for Vascular Surgeons

Endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) participate in vascular healing during both acute injury and chronic disease. The quantity and quality of circulating EPCs correlate inversely with the severity of vascular disease, such that reduced number and/or function of EPCs are significant independent risk factors for impaired healing capacity, dysfunctional endothelium, and progression of atherosclerosis and vascular disease. EPC therapy assists healing of cardiac and limb ischemia and has great potential for improving the quality of life and longevity of patients with severe cardiovascular and peripheral vascular disease who are not candidates for conventional revascularization procedures. In addition, EPCs can be used to promote vascular graft patency. This review focuses on the characterization of EPCs, positive and negative regulators of EPCs, the role of EPCs in vascular disease, and the potential for EPC therapy to ameliorate the sequelae of severe peripheral vascular disease.
The rate and cost of hospital-acquired infections occurring in patients admitted to selected specialties of a district general hospital in England and the national burden imposed.

Between April 1994 and May 1995 4000 adult patients admitted to selected specialties of a district general hospital were recruited to this study. Hospital-acquired infections presenting during the in-patient stay were identified using previously validated methods of surveillance, and information on daily resource use by both infected and uninfected patients was recorded and estimates of their cost derived. Linear regression modelling techniques were used to estimate how much of the observed variation in resource use and costs could be explained by the presence of an infection. Complete in-patient data sets were obtained for 3980 patients. Of these, 309 patients (7.8%; 95% CI; 7.0, 8.6) presented with one or more hospital-acquired infections during the in-patient period. Infected patients, on average, incurred hospital costs 2.9 (regression model estimate: 2.8; 95% CI; 2.6, 3.0) times higher than uninfected patients, equivalent to an additional pound3154 (regression model estimate pound2917). Both the incidence and the economic impact varied with site of infection and with admission specialty. Estimates of the burden of hospital-acquired infections occurring in adult patients admitted to similar specialties at NHS hospitals in England were derived from the results of this study. An estimated 320 994 (95% CI; 288 071, 353 916) patients per annum acquire one or more infections which present during the in-patient period, and these infections cost the hospital sector an estimated 930.62 million pounds (95% CI; 780.26 pounds; 1080.97 million pounds) per annum. The results presented represent the gross economic benefits that might accrue if these infections are prevented. Further research is required to establish the net benefits of prevention.
Spendthrifts and Savers: Are Canadians Acting Like They Are ‘House Poor’ Or ‘House Rich’?

Are Canadians acting like they are “house poor” and scrimping on spending in other parts of their lives because of what they pay for homes? What is interesting about this question is the fact that Canadian monthly mortgage bills, measured by the mortgage debt-service ratio, are approximately the same in size as they have been historically. The issue with a flat mortgage debt-servicing ratio, however, is it masks debt composition between interest and principal. With interest rates near zero, it is more likely that rates will rise in the future, causing an increase in mortgage debt-servicing costs. Furthermore, as we are more than seven years removed from the last recession, and there are strong arguments to suggest we have a housing-market bubble in our largest cities, there is additional risk of a negative economic shock. A high-leverage environment would exacerbate this situation. Using Statistics Canada mortgage-debt data broken down between interest and principal, my results suggest that Canadian households, on aggregate, have not slowed non-housing consumption due to this riskier debt environment. Furthermore, households have spent out of accumulated housing wealth, suggesting the removal of a buffer, potentially worsening any negative economic shock should house values fall. While these results are concerning, I find a lack of consumption sensitivity to increases in total debtservicing costs. The implication is that the risk to Canadian households comes more from a negative economic shock than from rising interest rates that raise monthly mortgage payments. From a policymaking perspective, the Bank of Canada can use these results to help model the economy now and into the future given current debt dynamics. Being prepared for a potentially larger consumption impact from a negative economic shock is prudent. Governments at all levels should continue to monitor the effectiveness of their demand-side policies while considering what supply-side policies may be more appropriate in slowing down housing prices and cheap credit growth, thereby lowering debt loads. Options for the government to consider include the balancing of environmental concerns with housing supply growth, pricing the use of infrastructure, and making the application process for development more efficient and transparent.
Diurnal changes in needle gas exchange in alpine Pinus pumila during snow-melting and summer seasons

Pinus pumila (Pallas) Regel. is a dominant dwarf tree in alpine regions of Japan. The possible factors limiting the net photosynthetic rate (Pn) of the needles of P. pumila were examined in the snow-melting (May) and the summer (August) seasons. In August, in situ maximum Pn was 20 μmol kg−1 needle s−1 in the current-year needles and 25 μmol kg−1 needle s−1 in the 1-year-old needles. Diurnal trends of Pn in August were positively related to fluctuations in photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD) and no midday depression of Pn was found, indicating that a decrease in PPFD rather than an increase in needle-to-air vapor pressure deficit (ΔW) might cause the reduction of Pn. Both stomatal conductance (gs) and Pn were lower in May than in August. In May, Pn and gs were almost zero in the morning, but gradually increased with decreasing ΔW, reaching maximum Pn values (4 μmol kg−1 needle s−1) and gs (60 mmol kg−1 needle s−1) at 16.00 hours. The daytime Pn in May was positively related to gs. Relative water content in the exposed needles above the snow in May was 83%, which was far above the lethal level. This indicates that the water flow from stems or soils to needles was enough to compensate for a small amount of water loss due to the low gs in May, although the water supplied to needles would be impeded by the low temperatures. Thus, the reduced gs in May would be important for avoiding needle desiccation, and would result in a reduced Pn.
A 10-Year Review of Benign and Malignant Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumors in a Single Center: Clinical and Radiographic Features Can Help to Differentiate Benign from Malignant Lesions

Background: Malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors are rare, and their aggressive nature mandates treatment in specialist centers. In contrast, benign peripheral nerve sheath tumors are common and are treated by a variety of specialist surgeons, including plastic surgeons. The authors aimed to detect features in the clinical presentation of peripheral nerve sheath tumors that point toward a diagnosis of malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor and therefore prompt referral to a specialist center. Methods: All histologically diagnosed primary peripheral nerve sheath tumors from January of 1995 to December of 2004 were identified from histopathology records. Notes were reviewed and analyzed with regard to symptoms, signs, radiology, electrophysiology, surgery, and pathology. Statistical comparisons used Fisher's exact test and the Mann-Whitney test. Results: During the study period, 32 cases of malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor in 30 patients were treated. Factors in the clinical evaluation that significantly predicted the presence of malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor included site, large size, depth in relation to the deep fascia, short duration of symptoms, and pain. Magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography were sensitive and specific ways of confirming the clinical diagnosis. Interestingly, schwannomata were harder to distinguish from malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors both clinically and radiologically. Conclusions: The authors have reviewed their institutional experience of peripheral nerve sheath tumors over a 10-year period. Their results will help to focus clinical and radiologic investigation of patients presenting with these tumors.
Eye Movements in Drawing Simple Lines

As part of an investigation into real-world drawing, eye movements and eye – hand interactions have been recorded for twenty subjects of varying drawing experience drawing simple straight and curved lines and a square. Two modes of eye — hand behaviour were observed. In the first, named ‘close pursuit’, fixations closely followed the pencil with a sequence of small saccades. In the second, named ‘target locking’, a stable fixation was made on the end-point of the line throughout the entire drawing action. Depending on subject and type of line, close pursuit, target locking, or a combination of these modes was used regardless of previous drawing experience. The results are discussed in terms of the role of the eye in the control of the movement trajectory of the hand.
Influenza viruses in Nigeria, 2009-2010: results from the first 17 months of a national influenza sentinel surveillance system.

BACKGROUND Influenza surveillance data from tropical, sub-Saharan African countries are limited. To better understand the epidemiology of influenza, Nigeria initiated influenza surveillance in 2008. METHODS Outpatients with influenza-like illness (ILI) and inpatients with severe acute respiratory illness (SARI) were enrolled at 4 sentinel facilities. Epidemiologic data were obtained, and respiratory specimens were tested for influenza viruses, using real-time reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction assays. RESULTS During April 2009-August 2010, 2841 patients were enrolled. Of 2803 specimens tested, 217 (7.7%) were positive for influenza viruses (167 [8%] were from subjects with ILI, 17 [5%] were from subjects with SARI, and 33 were from subjects with an unclassified condition). During the prepandemic period, subtype H3N2 (A[H3N2]) was the dominant circulating influenza A virus subtype; 2009 pandemic influenza A virus subtype H1N1 (A[H1N1]pdm09) replaced A(H3N2) as the dominant circulating virus during November 2009. Among persons with ILI, A(H1N1)pdm09 was most frequently found in children aged 5-17 years, whereas among subjects with SARI, it was most frequently found in persons aged ≥ 65 years. The percentage of specimens that tested positive for influenza viruses peaked at 18.9% in February 2010, and the majority were A(H1N1)pdm09. CONCLUSIONS Influenza viruses cause ILI and SARI in Nigeria. Data from additional years are needed to better understand the epidemiology and seasonality of influenza viruses in Nigeria.
Herpes simplex virus glycoprotein K promotes egress of virus particles

Herpes simplex virus (HSV) glycoprotein K (gK) is thought to be intimately involved in the process by which infected cells fuse because HSV syncytial mutations frequently alter the gK (UL53) gene. Previously, we characterized gK produced in cells infected with wild-type HSV or syncytial HSV mutants and found that the glycoprotein was localized to nuclear and endoplasmic reticulum membranes and did not reach the cell surface (L. Hutchinson, C. Roop, and D. C. Johnson, J. Virol. 69:4556-4563, 1995). In this study, we have characterized a mutant HSV type 1, denoted F-gK beta, in which a lacZ gene cassette was inserted into the gK coding sequences. Since gK was found to be essential for virus replication, F-gK beta was propagated on complementing cells which can express gK. F-gK beta produced normal plaques bounded by nonfused cells when plated on complementing cells, although syncytia were observed when the cells produced smaller amounts of gK. In contrast, F-gK beta produced only microscopic plaques on Vero cells and normal human fibroblasts (which do not express gK) and these plaques were reduced by 10(2) to 10(6) in number. Further, large numbers of nonenveloped capsids accumulated in the cytoplasm of F-gK beta-infected Vero cells, virus particles did not reach the cell surface, and the few enveloped particles that were produced exhibited a reduced capacity to enter cells and initiate an infection of complementing cells. Overexpression of gK in HSV-infected cells also caused defects in virus egress, although particles accumulated in the perinuclear space and large multilamellar membranous structures juxtaposed with the nuclear envelope were observed. Together, these results demonstrate that gK regulates or facilitates egress of HSV from cells. How this property is connected to cell fusion is not clear. In this regard, gK may alter cell surface transport of viral particles or other viral components directly involved in the fusion process.
Assessment of Apoptosis by Immunohistochemistry to Active Caspase-3, Active Caspase-7, or Cleaved PARP in Monolayer Cells and Spheroid and Subcutaneous Xenografts of Human Carcinoma

Immunohistochemistry to active caspase-3, recently recommended for apoptosis detection, is inappropriate to detect apoptosis involving caspase-7. Cleavage of poly-ADP-ribose polymerase 1 (PARP-1), a major substrate of both caspases, is a valuable marker of apoptosis. Apoptosis evaluation induced in vitro either by paclitaxel or by photodynamic treatment (PDT) with Foscan in HT29 or KB monolayer cells and HT29 spheroids yielded a close percentage of labeled cells whatever the antibody used, whereas in control specimens, cleaved PARP (c-PARP) immunostaining failed to detect apoptosis as efficiently as active caspase-3 or −7 immunostaining. Studies in MDA-MB231 monolayer cells and HT29 xenografts either subjected or not subjected to Foscan-PDT resulted in a significant higher number of active caspase-3–labeled cells, although immunofluorescence analysis showed c-PARP and active caspase-3 perfectly colocalized in tumors. A restricted expression of c-PARP was obvious in the greater part of caspase-3 expressing cells from control tumor, whereas photosensitized tumors showed a higher number of cells expressing large fluorescent spots from both active caspase-3 and c-PARP. These results support the assumption that c-PARP expression was dependent on treatment-induced apoptosis. The absence of caspase-7 activation in some caspase-3–expressing cells undergoing Foscan-PDT shows the relevance of using antibodies that can discriminate caspase-dependent apoptotic pathways.
The multiple quality models paradox: how much 'best practice' is just enough?

Today, several dozen global, national, and industry-specific standards compete for attention in the industry. Most companies have limited experience in implementing new quality models and few have experts across multiple quality model domains. For most organizations, the number of standards is excessive and unnecessary. Instead, organizations need a straightforward framework that establishes a systematic, value-added, and effective governance structure and delivery mechanism based on industry-accepted business process management principles. They need to do this without having to subscribe explicitly to many different models, standards, and best practices. This paper looks at several key industry standards (ISO 9001, CMMI, ITIL, ISO 27001, eSCM-SP, Six Sigma) and uses the concept of ‘process DNA’ and ‘Quality Genes’ to analyze the key concepts contained in these standards. The Q-Genes are then used as the basis to explore several organizational archetypes and how different types of organizations can effectively take advantage of the principles in these standards, while limiting unnecessary and redundant effort. This paper recognizes the value of having processes that are drawn from widely accepted and proven quality models. However, it also seeks to find a suitable balance between process maturity and excessive complexity. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. (Audience: Any organization interested in improvement. Reader is expected to have basic awareness of process improvement practices and be a combination of academically/empirically oriented.)
Consistency of Leg Extension Power Assessments in Older Men: The Osteoporotic Fractures in Men (MrOS) Study

Blackwell T, Cawthon PM, Marshall LM, Brand R: Consistency of leg extension power assessments in older men: The osteoporotic fractures in men (MrOS) study. This study examined the consistency of the Nottingham power rig in assessing leg extension power in older men, assessed between different examiners with adjustment for the order of measurement (time) and clinic. Fifty-five men (mean, 73 yrs) enrolled in the Osteoporotic Fractures in Men Study had maximum leg extension power of each leg measured at baseline and remeasured 1 wk later. There was a significant effect of time (P < 0.01). The second visit had an average increase in leg extension power (right leg, 14.2 W; left leg, 16.5 W). After accounting for the effect of time, a low coefficient of variation was observed between examiners (right leg 3.49%; left leg 3.46%). Data from the two time points corresponded reasonably well. The effect of time and fatigue should be considered when performing this measurement. The Nottingham power rig provided a reproducible measure of leg extension power in this multisite study of older men.
Reoperative surgery for bilateral multinodular goitre in the era of total thyroidectomy

Total thyroidectomy, rather than bilateral subtotal thyroidectomy, is now accepted as the preferred management for bilateral benign multinodular goitre (BMNG) in order to reduce the need for reoperative surgery. The aim of this study was to examine whether this approach has had an impact on presentation for bilateral reoperative thyroid surgery.
Chocolate: Modern Science Investigates an Ancient Medicine Epicatechin in Human Plasma: In Vivo Determination and Effect of Chocolate Consumption on Plasma Oxidation Status

Diets that are rich in plant foods have been associated with a decreased risk for specific disease processes and certain chronic diseases. In addition to essential macronutrients and micronutrients, the flavonoids in a variety of plant foods may have health-enhancing properties. Chocolate is a food that is known to be rich in the flavan-3-ol epicatechin and procyanidin oligomers. However, the bioavailability and the biological effects of the chocolate flavonoids are poorly understood. To begin to address these issues, we developed a method based on HPLC coupled with electrochemical (coulometric) detection to determine the physiological levels of epicatechin, catechin and epicatechin dimers. This method allows for the determination of 20 pg (69 fmol) of epicatechin, which translates to plasma concentrations as low as 1 nmol/L. We next evaluated the absorption of epicatechin, from an 80-g semisweet chocolate (procyanidin-rich chocolate) bolus. By 2 h after ingestion, there was a 12-fold increase in plasma epicatechin, from 22 to 257 nmol/L (P , 0.01). Consistent with the antioxidant properties of epicatechin, within the same 2-h period, there was a significant increase of 31% in plasma total antioxidant capacity (P , 0.04) and a decrease of 40% in plasma 2-thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (P , 0.01). Plasma epicatechin and plasma antioxidant capacity approached baseline values by 6 h after ingestion. These results show that it is possible to determine basal levels of epicatechin in plasma. The data support the concept that the consumption of chocolate can result in significant increases in plasma epicatechin concentrations and decreases in plasma baseline oxidation products. J. Nutr. 130: 2109S—2114S, 2000.