Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Students' Interest in Engineering and Average Final Grade in Mathematics as Factors in Program Retention

Engineering as a degree program requires the students’ inclination to mathematicsto survive on carrying out various challenges of solving problems more analytically and critically. The study determined the level of interest in the Engineering Program and its correlation to average final grade in College Algebra, Trigonometry and Solid Mensuration as factors of program retention of the Filipino Freshmen engineering students enrolled in the Lyceum of the Philippines University (LPU). It examined the underlying differences between gender, school year of freshmen enrolment, final grades in three basic engineering mathematics and between those students who were retained in LPU to continue their studies and those who left to look for another degreeprogram in other universities. Descriptive type of research method was utilized in the study. Results showed that students who transferred to other universities and/or degree programs have significantly lower level of interest towards engineering and have higher perceived level of difficulty in the program than those students who decidedto stay in LPU, and female engineering students have significantly higher view of becoming engineers in the future compared to their male counterparts while the final grades of students who transferred in other universities obtained significantly lower final grades in College Algebra and Trigonometry. Keywords: Engineering, mathematics, interest, academic performance, gender difference, descriptive design, Philippines
Food-borne bacterial toxins.

Food poisoning caused by the ingestion of preformed bacterial toxins is considered in relation to comparative symptoms, procedures for extraction and purification of the causal toxins, their chemistry, serology, assay procedures and pharmacology, in so far as these are known.The bacteria discussed in this context are Clostridium botulinum, C. perfringens, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus, and Vibrio parahemolyticus. The possible roles of the enterococci, Proteus, E. coli and of unknown species, in relation to production of non-antigenic toxic substances, are discussed briefly.Requirements for prevention of the various forms of bacterial food poisoning are outlined.
Poor Iron Status Is Not Associated with Overweight or Overfat in Non-Obese Pre-Menopausal Women

Background: Associations between obesity and poor iron status have been described in children and adults. Proposed mechanisms for this association implicate a physiologic etiology, suggesting body fat accretion may progressively degrade iron status. However, the relationship between iron status and body composition in non-obese adults remains unclear. Objective: In this study we examined the relationship between body composition, inflammation, and iron status in healthy, non-obese, pre-menopausal females. Methods: Iron status was assessed using red cell distribution width, transferrin saturation, serum ferritin, and soluble transferrin receptor (sTfR). Tumor-necrosis factor-α provided a marker of inflammation, and body fat percentage (BF) was calculated from mean skinfold thickness measurements at 3 sites. Results: In this cohort (n = 207), the prevalence of iron deficiency was similar (p > 0.05) between normal and overweight (BMI 25.0–30.0 kg/m2), and normal and overfat (BF ≥30.0%) volunteers. There were no differences in individual iron status indicators, including sTfR, between overweight or overfat volunteers as compared to normal weight and normal fat peers. Logistic regression analyses indicated that overfat volunteers had a lower (p < 0.05) risk of iron deficiency, whereas overweight individuals demonstrated no change in relative risk as compared to peers. Conclusion: These findings suggest that, in non-obese adults, decrements in iron status are not associated with increasing adiposity.
A Case-Control Study of Psychosocial and Aerobic Exercise Factors in Women With Symptoms of Depression

Abstract The study is an examination of specific aspects of psychosocial constructs and health-promoting behavior that may be related to symptoms of depression. The authors used a case-control design to investigate possible differences between provisional social support, hardiness dimensions, and exercise behavior and related perceptions in a sample of 94 White, middle-aged women with and without symptoms of depression. The results indicated that women with symptoms of depression have significantly fewer (p < .001) specific forms of social support resources (i.e., reassurance of worth, social integration, guidance, and attachment) and significantly lower (p < .0001) perceptions of control and commitment in their lives. The results also indicated no difference in perceptions and behaviors related to physical activity between women with and without symptoms of depression. Those results suggest that provisional social support, as well as specific dimensions of hardiness, should be the focus of interventions for women with symptoms of depression.
A Comparison of Hypothermic Deaths in South Australia and Sweden

Case files from Forensic Science South Australia and the Swedish National Forensic Database were reviewed over a 6‐year period from 2006 to 2011 for cases where hypothermia either caused, or significantly contributed to, death. Data were analyzed for age, sex, time of year/season, place of discovery, circumstances of death, and underlying medical conditions. Despite the considerable demographic, geographic, and climatological differences, hypothermic deaths occurred at very similar rates in South Australia (3.9/100,000) and Sweden (3.3/100,000). Deaths from hypothermia in South Australia occurred predominantly indoors at home addresses, involving elderly females with multiple underlying illnesses and limited outside contacts. In contrast, Swedish hypothermic deaths generally occurred outdoors and involved middle‐aged elderly males. These data show that hypothermia may be a risk in warmer climates particularly for elderly, socially isolated individuals.
Longevity of spermatozoa in the reproductive tract of the bitch.

Summary. Survival ofspermatozoa in the reproductive tract of the bitch was studied by examination of the female genitalia at measured intervals after copulation. Motile spermatozoa were found in the lumen of the uterus in undiminished concentrations for 4 to 6 days after copulation; numbers progressively declined but motile spermatozoa were observed as late as 268 hr after copulation. Clusters of spermatozoa were observed in a high percentage of the uterine glands. The disappearance of spermatozoa was associated with the onset of metoestrus, not with time in the uterus. Bitches bred late in oestrus and examined in metroestrus had few spermatozoa compared with bitches examined in oestrus at a comparable time after copulation. Large numbers of spermatozoa were never found in the oviducts or ovarian bursae; they were consistently found here between 20 and 40 hr after copulation, a single observation showed spermatozoa in the oviducts at 168 hours. Tubal ova were recovered from eight bitches in metoestrus, in five cleavage had begun; tubal ova were recovered from four bitches in oestrus, none had undergone cleavage. Examination of the ovaries indicated that ovulation most commonly occurred within 48 hr after the onset of oestrus.
The lifetime cost of treating a person with HIV.

OBJECTIVE To estimate the cost (total charges for services) of medical care for persons with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) from the time of infection until death. DESIGN AND SETTING Data from the AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) Cost and Service Utilization Survey were used. PATIENTS Data from interviews conducted during the spring and early summer of 1992 with 1164 respondents with HIV were analyzed. The respondents were recruited at 26 sites (hospitals, clinics, and physicians' offices) in 10 cities. Billing data from a survey of providers also were used. OUTCOME MEASURES Estimates of the mean occupancy time in each of four disease stages were obtained from the San Francisco Men's Health Study. These estimates were multiplied by the monthly cost in each stage and summed to derive a synthetic estimate of the lifetime medical care costs of treating a person with HIV. RESULTS It is estimated herein that the lifetime cost of treating a person with HIV from the time of infection until death is approximately $119,000. The estimated cost of care from HIV infection until the development of AIDS is $50,000, while the estimated cost from AIDS development until death is approximately $69,000. These estimates define upper bounds because they assume persons receive treatment continuously from the moment of infection until death. CONCLUSIONS This study found that the cost of treating a person with AIDS, which has risen rapidly in the past, has fallen as a result of a reduction in the use of inpatient hospital services.
Understanding Reasons for and Outcomes of Patients Lost to Follow-Up in Antiretroviral Therapy Programs in Africa Through a Sampling-Based Approach

Objectives:Losses to follow-up after initiation of antiretroviral therapy (ART) are common in Africa and are a considerable obstacle to understanding the effectiveness of nascent treatment programs. We sought to characterize, through a sampling-based approach, reasons for and outcomes of patients who become lost to follow-up. Design:Cohort study. Methods:We searched for and interviewed a representative sample of lost patients or close informants in the community to determine reasons for and outcomes among lost patients. Results:Three thousand six hundred twenty-eight HIV-infected adults initiated ART between January 1, 2004 and September 30, 2007 in Mbarara, Uganda. Eight hundred twenty-nine became lost to follow-up (cumulative incidence at 1, 2, and 3 years of 16%, 30%, and 39%). We sought a representative sample of 128 lost patients in the community and ascertained vital status in 111 (87%). Top reasons for loss included lack of transportation or money and work/child care responsibilities. Among the 111 lost patients who had their vital status ascertained through tracking, 32 deaths occurred (cumulative 1-year incidence 36%); mortality was highest shortly after the last clinic visit. Lower pre-ART CD4+ T-cell count, older age, low blood pressure, and a central nervous system syndrome at the last clinic visit predicted deaths. Of patients directly interviewed, 83% were in care at another clinic and 71% were still using ART. Conclusions:Sociostructural factors are the primary reasons for loss to follow-up. Outcomes among the lost are heterogeneous: both deaths and transfers to other clinics were common. Tracking a sample of lost patients is an efficient means for programs to understand site-specific reasons for and outcomes among patients lost to follow-up.
Do children orphaned by AIDS experience distress over time? A latent growth curve analysis of depressive symptoms

This longitudinal study aimed to examine the enduring effects of parental HIV/AIDS on children’s psychological well-being in Asia. A sample of 1625 children aged from 6 to 18 years old were assessed annually for their depressive symptoms over three years. Latent growth curve modeling (LGCM) was used to examine the trajectories of depressive symptoms among AIDS orphans and vulnerable children in comparison with children from HIV-free families. AIDS orphans demonstrated the highest initial level of depressive symptoms among the three groups. On average, children’s depressive symptoms’ scores can be expected to realize an approximate 25% decrease for AIDS orphans, 19% decrease for vulnerable children, and 15% decrease for comparison children over a three-year period. Individual differences within the groups showed that children with higher initial level of depressive symptoms can be expected to decrease slower over time. Multiple group LGCM showed that the three groups of children demonstrated significantly different trajectories of depressive symptoms. Among the key demographic factors, only age exerted an effect on the trajectory of depressive symptoms of vulnerable children, indicating that the younger children showed higher level of initial depressive symptoms and lower rate of decrease than the older children. The current study enriched our knowledge on the longitudinal effect of parental HIV/AIDS on children’s emotional distress. Future psychological support might take the children’s developmental stages and cultural appropriateness into consideration and deliver service for the most vulnerable group of children affected by HIV/AIDS.
Muscle-nerve-muscle neurotization of the orbicularis oris muscle.

INTRODUCTION A denervated half of the orbicularis oris muscle is not reinnervated spontaneously by axon sprouting from the intact contralateral side. The borderline between the facial nerve territories seems to act as a barrier. The muscle-nerve-muscle technique was advocated as a technique to reneurotize a denervated half of the orbicularis oris muscle in cases of marginal mandibular paralysis. MATERIAL AND METHODS This muscle-nerve-muscle neurotization was tried to induce reinnervation of a denervated angle of the mouth in four patients. Grafts were harvested from the sural nerve. Functional recovery was assessed by measurement of facial movements and by electrophysiological examination. RESULTS In three of the four cases presented, this technique helped to improve function of the lower lip. The clinical relevance of the results is discussed.
Lessons Learned From Evaluating Maryland's Anti-Drunk Driving Campaign: Assessing the Evidence for Cognitive, Behavioral, and Public Health Impact

The evidence concerning Maryland's anti-drunk driving program, Checkpoint Strikeforce, is reviewed. To date, there is no evidence to indicate that this campaign, which involves a number of sobriety checkpoints and media activities to promote these efforts, has had any impact on public perceptions, driver behaviors, or alcohol-related motor vehicle crashes and injuries. This conclusion is drawn after examining statistics for alcohol-related crashes, police citations for impaired driving, and public perceptions of alcohol-impaired driving risk. Comparisons are also made with other states in the mid-Atlantic region, where similar campaign activities have occurred. Reasons for this failure in Maryland include insufficient levels of enforcement (e.g., too few sobriety checkpoints and vehicle contacts occurred to raise public perceptions of risk pertaining to impaired driving) and inadequate publicity surrounding this campaign. Suggestions for overcoming these problems are offered.
The Multiple Faces of Non-Cystic Fibrosis Bronchiectasis. A Cluster Analysis Approach.

RATIONALE The clinical presentation and prognosis of non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis are both very heterogeneous. OBJECTIVES To identify different clinical phenotypes for non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis and their impact on prognosis. METHODS Using a standardized protocol, we conducted a multicenter observational cohort study at six Spanish centers with patients diagnosed with non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis before December 31, 2005, with a 5-year follow-up from the bronchiectasis diagnosis. A cluster analysis was used to classify the patients into homogeneous groups by means of significant variables corresponding to different aspects of bronchiectasis (clinical phenotypes): age, sex, body mass index, smoking habit, dyspnea, macroscopic appearance of sputum, number of exacerbations, chronic colonization with Pseudomonas aeruginosa, FEV1, number of pulmonary lobes affected, idiopathic bronchiectasis, and associated chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Survival analysis (Kaplan-Meier method and log-rank test) was used to evaluate the comparative survival of the different subgroups. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS A total of 468 patients with a mean age of 63 (15.9) years were analyzed. Of these, 58% were females, 39.7% had idiopathic bronchiectasis, and 29.3% presented with chronic Pseudomonas aeruginosa colonization. Cluster analysis showed four clinical phenotypes: (1) younger women with mild disease, (2) older women with mild disease, (3) older patients with severe disease who had frequent exacerbations, and (4) older patients with severe disease who did not have frequent exacerbations. The follow-up period was 54 months, during which there were 95 deaths. Mortality was low in the first and second groups (3.9% and 7.6%, respectively) and high for the third (37%) and fourth (40.8%) groups. The third cluster had a higher proportion of respiratory deaths than the fourth (77.8% vs. 34.4%; P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS Using cluster analysis, it is possible to separate patients with bronchiectasis into distinct clinical phenotypes with different prognoses.
Adjustments for weighing clothed babies at high altitude or in cold climates

Public health nutritionists rely on anthropometry for nutritional assessment, program planning, and evaluation. Children are usually heavily clothed at high altitudes and in cold climates. Failing to adjust for clothing weight could underestimate malnutrition prevalence. The objective of this paper is to validate an adjustment process for estimating clothing weight and quantify potential misclassification error. In March and September 2009, 293 and 272 children under 2 years of age, respectively, were measured for weight and length in 14 highlands communities in Ecuador. Weight-for-age z-scores (WAZ) and weight-for-height z-scores (WHZ) were compared using clothing-unadjusted weights and two types of clothing-adjusted weights: individual clothing-weights and population-mean clothing-weights. Modelling showed up to 24% of children’s nutritional status and degree of malnutrition were misclassified for WAZ, and 13% for WHZ, when clothing was not taken into account in this cold climate. Compared with the more time-intensive individual clothing-weight adjustment, the population-mean clothing-weight adjustments had high specificity and sensitivity for WAZ. In cold climates, adjusting for population mean clothing weight provides a better estimate of the prevalence of malnutrition to inform appropriate program decisions for addressing underweight. An individual clothing weight adjustment may also be essential to classify a specific child’s nutritional status when acute malnutrition is a concern.
SOIL CO 2 EFFLUX AND ITS SPATIAL AND TEMPORAL VARIATIONS IN A MEDITERRANEAN PINUS SYLVESTRIS L . FOREST IN CENTRAL SPAIN

INCLÁN, R. , GRAU, J. M. , DANIEL DE LA TORRE , LOPEZ, M. : Soil CO2 efflux and its spatial and temporal variations in a Mediterranean Pinus sylvestris L. forest in central Spain. Lesn. Čas. – Forestry Journal, 52(1–2): 3–7, 2006, 1 fig., tab. 1, ref. 11. Original paper. ISSN 0323–1046 The main factors influencing spatial and temporal variations in soil respiration were investigated in 5 sampling plots distributed along an altitudinal gradient in the Sierra de Guadarrama, Spain. Soil CO2 fluxes were measured at each site every week with a closed dynamic system (LI-COR 6400) using soil collars during the summer. At the same time, soil temperature at a depth of 10 cm and soil water content were measured at each collar. Soil respiration declined during the summer synchronized with the continuous decrease in soil moisture. However, the seasonal variation of soil respiration during this period was decoupled with the temporal variation in soil temperature. The spatial variation of soil respiration across the plots might be a consequence of the influence of local topography on microclimatic conditions.
Family‐based and population‐based association studies validate PTPRD as a risk factor for restless legs syndrome

We previously mapped a genetic locus for restless legs syndrome (RLS) to chromosome 9p22‐24 (RLS3) and a later genome‐wide association study (GWAS) implicated the PTPRD gene at the RLS3 locus as a susceptibility gene for RLS. However, from the standpoint of genetics, the GWAS association needs to be validated by independent studies. In this study, we used both family‐based and population‐based association studies to assess the association between PTPRD and RLS in an American Caucasian population.
Improving Long-Term Care Facility Disaster Preparedness and Response: A Literature Review

Abstract Long-term care facilities (LTCFs) and their residents are especially susceptible to disruptions associated with natural disasters and often have limited experience and resources for disaster planning and response. Previous reports have offered disaster planning and response recommendations. We could not find a comprehensive review of studied interventions or facility attributes that affect disaster outcomes in LTCFs and their residents. We reviewed articles published from 1974 through September 30, 2015, that studied disaster characteristics, facility characteristics, patient characteristics, or an intervention that affected outcomes for LTCFs experiencing or preparing for a disaster. Twenty-one articles were included in the review. All of the articles fell into 1 of the following categories: facility or disaster characteristics that predicted preparedness or response, interventions to improve preparedness, and health effects of disaster response, most often related to facility evacuation. All of the articles described observational studies that were heterogeneous in design and metrics. We believe that the evidence-based literature supports 6 specific recommendations for facilities, governmental agencies, health care communities and academia. These include integrated and coordinated disaster planning, staff training, careful consideration before governments order mandatory evacuations, anticipation of the increased medical needs of LTCF residents following a disaster, and the need for more outcomes research. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2017;11:140–149)
Low cognitive performance, comorbid disease, and task-specific disability: findings from a nationally representative survey.

BACKGROUND This research evaluated the association of low cognitive performance with both chronic diseases and conditions, and with difficulties in a broad array of task-specific functioning and disability measures in older adults living in the community. METHODS Data were from the first wave of the Assets and Health Dynamics Among the Oldest-Old Study, a national panel survey of individuals age 70 and older (n = 6600 age-eligible self-respondents). Low cognitive performance (LCP) was defined as scores in the lowest (poorest performing) 25th percentile of a cognitive performance scale. The associations of LCP with prevalent chronic diseases and conditions and with limitations in 14 tasks (strength and mobility, instrumental activities of daily living, and activities of daily living) were evaluated. Associations of LCP and task limitations were adjusted for potential modifiers and confounders, including demographic characteristics (age, gender, race), educational attainment, chronic diseases, depressive symptoms, and sensory impairments. Data were weighted to account for complex sample design and nonresponse. RESULTS More than one third of people with LCP had three or more coexisting diseases and conditions. The unadjusted associations of LCP with task functioning were attenuated after covariate adjustment, but even after adjustment, LCP remained significantly and independently associated with functioning problems in 9 of 14 tasks (borderline with four more), including mobility tasks. CONCLUSIONS Low cognitive performance, regardless of its relationship to clinical dementia, coexists with multiple chronic diseases and conditions. It is independently associated with a broad array of functioning difficulties, even after controlling for demographic characteristics, educational attainment, and chronic conditions. Chronic diseases and conditions, however, attenuate the relationship between LCP and some task difficulties. LCP should be considered an important comorbid condition associated with both chronic diseases and disability that substantially increases the health burden of many older adults who are poorly equipped to handle it.