Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
50 Years of Educational Progress and Challenge in Ghana. Research Monograph No. 33.

In 2007 Ghana celebrated 50 years of independence from British colonial rule. The golden jubilee offered an opportunity to take stock of how the country had progressed in expanding education and the challenges for the future. This paper offers a critique of the journey, highlighting the challenges and progress. What reforms in education has taught Ghana is that it is much easier to fix the ‘hardware’ than the ‘software’ problems of education. With huge investments from internal and external sources structural and infrastructural problems of education can be fixed. With expanded facilities access can improve. However, completion rates remain the problem, especially at junior and senior secondary where low completion rates deprive the country of much needed educated youth prepared for work and for further education and training. TVET development plans faces the challenge of ensuring that sustainable capital and recurrent investment is available to improve infrastructural facilities and thereby improve the quality of products. Fifty years after independence, although Ghana has made good progress in expanding education provision, it is still faced with the problem of securing an education system that delivers on quality and provides equitable access for all, especially the poor and disadvantaged. Until and unless significant gains are made here, the goal of producing a workforce with the knowledge and skills for development would be hard to achieve. This is the task for the next fifty years.
An Indian Tertiary Care Hospital Scenario of Papillary Carcinoma of Thyroid.

INTRODUCTION Thyroid carcinoma is the most common endocrine malignancy and its Papillary Histotype {Papillary Carcinoma of Thyroid (PTC)} is the most common type of Thyroid cancer. The clinicopathological features of PTC vary with geographical location. AIM To describe the clinicopathological profile of PTC in a Tertiary Care Hospital located in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. MATERIALS AND METHODS Data on age, sex, centricity of the tumour, presence of calcifications, infiltration, metastasis, associated non malignant conditions and frequency of histological subtypes of all cases of PTC diagnosed in Department of Pathology, Madras Medical College Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India between January 2007 and December 2011 were obtained from clinicopathological documents and analysed statistically. RESULTS Statistically significant correlations were found between age and sex, age and metastasis, sex and centricity, sex and metastasis, size of lesion and sex, size of lesion and age, size and presence of calcifications and presence of calcifications and metastasis. CONCLUSION Scenario of PTC in our tertiary care setup which warrants attention is male preponderance of multicentric lesions. Further, a high association with colloid nodular goitre, while low incidence of tall cell variant is notable clinico pathological scenarios in this study.
Trend in incidence of adenocarcinoma of the esophagus in Japan, 1993-2001.

BACKGROUND Several studies with population-based cancer registry data have suggested that incidence of adenocarcinoma of the esophagus has been increasing since 1970 in some European and North American countries and Australia. However, data from Asian countries with regard to the incidence of esophageal cancer by histological type based on the population-based cancer registry are lacking. The aim of this study was to describe the incidence of esophageal cancer by histological type in a Japanese population. METHODS Cancer incidence data for 1993-2001 from 15 population-based cancer registries were collected by the Japan Cancer Surveillance Research Group in 2005. We used data from eight registries corresponding to inclusion criteria for data quality. RESULTS Squamous cell carcinoma remains the predominant type in all esophageal cancers in Japan. The ratio of squamous cell carcinoma to adenocarcinoma is 26:1. For adenocarcinoma, estimated average annual percentage change was 4.7% (95% confidence interval: 0.7, 8.9) in men and 6.0% (2.4, 9.8) in women. Age-adjusted incidence rate (the world standard population) per 100 000 for 2001 was 0.3 in men and 0.05 in women. Incidence of squamous cell carcinoma was increasing slightly in men and nearly constant in women. Age-adjusted incidence rate for 2001 was 8.2 in men and 1.0 in women. CONCLUSION No dramatic increase in adenocarcinoma has occurred, and absolute incidence remains low in Japan.
High‐calcium dialysate: A factor associated with inflammation, malnutrition and mortality in non‐diabetic maintenance haemodialysis patients

Aim: Chronic inflammation, which is common in dialysis patients, often causes malnutrition and even protein‐energy wasting. However, the association of high‐calcium dialysate with malnutrition and/or inflammation in non‐diabetic maintenance haemodialysis patients remains unclear. This study investigated the possible adverse effects of high‐calcium dialysate and mortality in this population.
BROMOCRIPTINE‐INDUCED PREGNANCIES IN WOMEN WITH LARGE PROLACTINOMAS

Fourteen women with large prolactinomas experienced a total of nineteen bromocriptine‐induced term pregnancies. None of the women had received prior pituitary tumour therapy. Post‐partum sellar X‐ray examinations showed signs of tumour enlargement in two women. Only one of them had clinical symptoms of tumour expansion with visual field defects during the pregnancy. The visual impairment improved when bromocriptine treatment was reinstituted and the pregnancy continued to term. The other twelve women had a total of seventeen uneventful pregnancies without symptoms or signs of pituitary tumour expansion. Thus, medical therapy with dopamine receptor agonists is the primary treatment for most infertile women with prolactinomas. The risk of serious pregnancy‐induced tumour expansion is very small in properly investigated and carefully supervised patients with large PRL‐secreting pituitary adenomas.
Laser Myringotomy Versus Ventilation Tubes In Otitis Media With Effusion.

BACKGROUND Otitis media with effusion (OME) is a leading cause of difficulty in hearing in paediatric population. Otitis media with effusion must be detected and managed early to prevent conductive hearing loss in children. It was aimed to compare results of laser myringotomy and ventilation tube insertion, in terms of hearing improvement and recurrence of Middle ear effusion (MEE). METHODS This randomized controlled trial was conducted from February 2012 to January 2015. Children of 4- 12 years of age with decreased hearing due to OME were included in the study. These children were investigated with pure tone audiometry (PTA) and tympanometry to confirm conductive hearing loss. Patients were put in 2 groups, group one comprised of patients treated with laser myringotomy and group 2, treated with ventilation tube insertion. The objective was to evaluate and compare results of the two procedures in terms of resolution of middle ear effusion (MEE) and improvement of hearing. The two procedures were also compared in terms of complications like otorrhea, persistence of perforation, hypertrophic scar and thinning of tympanic membrane (TM). RESULTS Middle ear effusion cleared in 35 out of 68 ears with laser myringotomy (LM) as compared to 52 out of 62 ears with ventilation tubes (VT). The myringotomy was still patent in 21 ears treated with LM while tube was in site in 50 years with VT after 3 months. The hearing level improved with LM by 10-15 dB after first 3 months. CONCLUSIONS The aim in Otitis media with effusion is ventilation of tympanic cavity. Laser myringotomy can be substitute to ventilation tube insertion (VT). But it remains patent for shorter time and less effective than VT. The ears with refractory or recurrent MEE should have VT insertion.
A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of modafinil film-coated tablets in children and adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of modafinil in children and adolescents, ages 7 to 17, with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). METHOD In this 9-week, double-blind, flexible-dose study, patients were randomized to once-daily modafinil (170-425 mg) or placebo. Assessments included ADHD Rating Scale-IV (ADHD-RS-IV) School and Home Versions and Clinical Global Impression of Improvement (CGI-I) scale. RESULTS Two hundred patients were randomized. Modafinil produced significant reductions in ADHD-RS-IV total scores at school (n = 128; mean change +/- SD: -17.5 +/- 13.1 points) compared with placebo (n = 66; -9.7 +/- 10.3 points; p < .0001). Similarly, modafinil reduced ADHD-RS-IV total scores at home compared with placebo (-17.6 +/- 13.3 versus -7.5 +/- 11.8 points; p < .0001). Fifty-two percent of patients randomized to modafinil and 18% of those randomized to placebo met prestudy criteria for responder on the CGI-I (p < .0001). Randomization to modafinil was associated with significantly more insomnia, headache, decreased appetite, and weight loss than randomization to placebo, but discontinuation attributed to adverse events did not differ statistically between treatment groups (modafinil, 5%; placebo, 6%). CONCLUSION Modafinil was well tolerated and reduced ADHD symptoms at school and home compared with placebo.
Gene cloning, expression, and characterization of trehalose‐6‐phosphate synthase from Pleurotus ostreatus

Trehalose‐6‐phosphate synthase (TPS; EC2.4.1.15) catalyzes the first step in trehalose synthesis, which involves transfer of glucose from uridine diphosphate glucose (UDPG) to glucose 6‐phosphate (G6P) to form trehalose‐6‐phosphate. To determine the gene and enzymatic characteristics of TPS in Pleurotus ostreatus, we cloned and sequenced the cDNA of PoTPS1, which contains a 1665 bp open reading frame that encodes a 554‐amino acid protein with a predicted molecular weight of 62.01 kDa. This gene was expressed in Escherichia coli BL21 and then the recombinant protein was purified and characterized. Results showed that the optimum pH and temperature for the recombinant PoTPS1 were 7.4 and 30 °C, respectively; the Km value against G6P and UDPG were 0.14 and 0.17 mM, respectively, and the Vmax and Kcat values were 91.86 nkat/g and 5.89 s−1, respectively. Trehalose content was as high as 158.88 mg g−1 dry weight after heat treatment at 40 °C for 15 h, which was consistent with highest TPS1 activity at that time point. This result indicated that PoTPS1 was responsible for trehalose synthesis in P. ostreatus.
Short communication: Impact of long‐term (14 years) bi‐annual ivermectin treatment on Wuchereria bancrofti microfilaraemia

Ivermectin has been and continues to be extensively used to control onchocerciasis in areas of hyper and mesoendemicity within the African Programme of Onchocerciasis Control. As programmes to eliminate lymphatic filariasis (LF) caused by Wuchereria bancrofti expand, areas of coendemicity with onchocerciasis will be incorporated into LF programmes. This study reports that in villages which were hyperendemic for onchocerciasis after some 14 years of treatment with ivermectin, no W. bancrofti could be detected in a population of 1210 individuals whilst in adjacent villages a prevalence of around 3% was found. Despite the long period of ivermectin treatment Mansonella perstans did not appear to respond to ivermectin in this setting.
Energetics and Topology of CzcA, a Cation/Proton Antiporter of the Resistance-Nodulation-Cell Division Protein Family*

The membrane-bound CzcA protein, a member of the resistance-nodulation-cell division (RND) permease superfamily, is part of the CzcCB2A complex that mediates heavy metal resistance in Ralstonia sp. CH34 by an active cation efflux mechanism driven by cation/proton antiport. CzcA was purified to homogeneity after expression in Escherichia coli, reconstituted into proteoliposomes, and the kinetics of heavy metal transport by CzcA was determined. CzcA is composed of 12 transmembrane α-helices and two large periplasmic domains. Two conserved aspartate and a glutamate residue in one of these transmembrane spans are essential for heavy metal resistance and proton/cation antiport but not for facilitated diffusion of cations. Generalization of the resulting model for the function of CzcA as a two-channel pump might help to explain the functions of other RND proteins in bacteria and eukaryotes.
L-Carnitine Pretreatment Protects Slow-Twitch Skeletal Muscles in a Rat Model of Ischemia–Reperfusion Injury

Ischemia–reperfusion (I/R) injury negatively affects the outcome of surgical interventions for amputated or severely traumatized extremities. This study aimed to evaluate the protective role of l-carnitine on the contractile properties of fast-twitch (extensor digitorum longus [EDL]) and slow-twitch (soleus [SOL]) skeletal muscles following I/R-induced injury in a rat model. Rats were divided into 4 groups (1) saline pretreatment, (2) l-carnitine pretreatment, (3) saline pretreatment and I/R, and (4) l-carnitine pretreatment and I/R. Twitch and tetanic contractions in the EDL and SOL muscles in each group were recorded. Additionally, a fatigue protocol was performed in these muscles. Twitch and tetanic contraction amplitudes were lower in the EDL and SOL muscles in which I/R was induced (P < .01). l-Carnitine pretreatment significantly increased tetanic contraction amplitude in the SOL muscles following I/R (P < .01) but not in the EDL muscles. l-Carnitine pretreatment did not alter the fatigue response in any of the muscles.
Study of Gibberellic Acid Production by Solid State Fermentation Using Fusarium Moniliforme Sheldon

Gibberellic acid production using Fusarium moniliforme , isolated from wilted sugarcane plant has been investigated by solid state fermentation (SSF). The gibberellic acid production of 154mgm/gm was obtained on commercial wheat bran (CWB) mineral salt acid bed in 500 ml flasks after 168 h incubation. The gibberellic acid production rate was about 0.6 to 0.9 mgm/gm/hr during 96 to 168 h. Different carbon sources namely sucrose, lactose, maltose, soluble starch, glycerol, wheat flour and maize flour were tested as an additional substrate along with CWB at the concentration of 25% w/w or v/w base to observe its effects on gibberellic acid production. Soluble starch has been proved the best additional carbon source for gibberellic acid production, which yielded 1160mgm/gm of gibberellic acid after 168 h. Similarly, various nitrogen sources namely NH 4 Cl, NH 4 NO 3 , (NH 4 ) 2 SO 4 , (NH 4 )MoO 4 and urea were tested as an additional substrate at the concentration of 0.07% w/w of CWB. Urea was proved as the best nitrogen source which yielded 532 mgm/gm of gibberellic acid after 168 h incubation. We have observed about 7.5-fold and 3.5-fold increase in gibberellic acid production upon addition of soluble starch and urea respectively, in CWB using Fusarium moniliforme . Int J Appl Sci Biotechnol, Vol 4(3): 402-407
Evaluation of Exclusive Data Allocation Between SSD Tier and SSD Cache in Storage Systems

We proposed and evaluated the storage I/O response time with the exclusive allocation method between SSD for tiered volume and SSD for cache in the storage system utilizing SSD and HDD. In the proposed method, the SSD cache function with exclusive allocation caches only data which is allocated on HDD tier. This enables more data to be allocated on SSD and leads to reduce storage I/O response time. The simulation result shows that the proposed method reduces the storage I/O response time in high I/O locality workload with large SSD capacity. The proposed method reduces the storage I/O response time by up to 23% compared to the combination method of SSD/HDD volume tiering method and SSD cache method without exclusive allocation.
Surgical intervention for adnexal masses during pregnancy

We aimed to evaluate the influence of surgical intervention on gestational and neonatal outcomes in women who underwent elective surgery in the second trimester of gestation because of an adnexal mass. We retrospectively reviewed the hospital records of women who underwent elective surgery for adnexal masses in the second trimester of gestation between 2006 and 2012. The ages of the women ranged between 17 and 33 years. Eight women underwent a laparotomy, and one woman, who aborted on the day of the operation, underwent a laparoscopy. Dermoid cysts, cystadenoma and borderline ovarian tumours were present in four, two and two of the women, respectively. Eight women had no complications after surgery and delivered healthy newborns at term. We concluded that elective surgery on an adnexal mass in the second trimester of gestation is safe for both the mother and the fetus.
Second complete remission of Helicobacter pylori negative gastric MALT lymphoma following antibiotic treatment

Mucosa associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma of the stomach is associated with Helicobacter pylori (HP) infection in the large majority of patients [1]. Following initial pilot studies, large scale trials have consistently shown that HP eradication as sole treatment modality in patients with early stage HP-associated gastric MALT lymphoma can achieve sustained complete remission (CR) in *80% of selected patients [2,3]. Patients treated with antibiotic therapy have an exellent long-term outcome and a low rate of relapse, although a significant percentage remains monoclonal after HP eradication [4]. Recently, several prognostic factors contributing to the efficacy of HP eradication have been defined, including depth of invasion [5], presence of an underlying autoimmune disease [6], monoclonal gammopathy [7] and presence of t(11;18)(q21;21), which occurs exclusively in MALT lymphoma and defines the large majority of non-responders [8,9]. In 5 – 10% of patients with gastric MALT lymphoma, however, an infection with H. pylori cannot be detected with the currently available methods including breath test, histology, serology and stool antigen. With regards to such patients, there are only limited clinical data at the moment. A retrospective multi-center analysis [10] has shown a higher rate of t(11;18)(q21;q21) in H. pylori negative MALT lymphoma patients than in HP positive patients. In this analysis, a limited number of patients had not responded to HP eradication. These patients, however, had a high rate of t(11;18)(q21;q21) and/ or presented with advanced disease. As opposed to this, recent data from our institution [11] have demonstrated that antibiotic treatment might still constitute an effective form of treatment in selected patients with early stage gastric MALT lymphoma in the absence of parameters suggestive of HP infection. A total of six patients with localised gastric lymphoma were given antibiotic treatment, with four developing a sustained CR, one relapsing after 14 months and one having stable disease for 12 months before being referred to alternative treatment. One of the patients with CR tested positive for t(11;18)(q21;21), while the remaining five were negative. As opposed to HP positive gastric MALT lymphomas, which might respond to a second course of antibiotic treatment at relapse from initial remission, virtually nothing is known about the potential of antibiotic re-treatment in case of relapse from HP negative gastric MALT lymphoma. We present the case of a patient with HP negative gastric MALT lymphoma who developed a second CR when treated with an alternative antibiotic regimen following relapse 21 months after initial CR. A 59-year old man was referred to our department for treatment of gastric MALT-lymphoma diagnosed at another hospital. Unspecific epigastric complaints refractory to treatment with H2-blockers for 3 weeks had led to gastroscopy, disclosing multiple slight ulcerations. Histologic evaluation of the biopsies was
Numerical Modeling of Holmium-Doped Fluoride Fiber Lasers

We combine all the known experimental demonstrations and spectroscopic parameters into a numerical model of the Ho3+-doped fluoride glass fiber laser system. Core-pumped and cladding-pumped arrangements were simulated for all the population-bottlenecking mitigation schemes that have been tested, and good agreement between the model and the previously reported experimental results was achieved in most but not in all cases. In a similar way to Er3+-doped fluoride glass fiber lasers, we found that the best match with measurements required scaled-down rate parameters for the energy transfer processes that operate in moderate to highly concentrated systems. The model isolated the dominant processes affecting the performance of each of the bottlenecking mitigation schemes and pump arrangements. It was established that pump excited-state absorption is the main factor affecting the performance of the core-pumped demonstrations of the laser, while energy transfer between rare earth ions is the main factor controlling the performance in cladding-pumped systems.
Quality of dying and death in two medical ICUs: perceptions of family and clinicians.

OBJECTIVE We compared perceptions of the quality of dying and death in the ICU across nurses, resident physicians, attending physicians, and family members. The aim was to obtain a surrogate assessment of the quality of the dying process and examine differences in the perceptions of different types of raters. DESIGN Cross-sectional survey of family members and ICU clinicians conducted following the death of enrolled patients. SETTING Two medical ICUs at academic tertiary care medical centers. PATIENTS Patients dying in the ICU (n = 68). MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS The previously validated Quality of Dying and Death (QODD) instrument was modified for use in the ICU. Within 48 h of the time of death, the nurse, resident, and attending physician caring for the patient were asked to complete the QODD. One month following the death, a designated family member was contacted and the QODD was administered on the telephone. Family members and attending physicians gave the most favorable ratings of death, while nurses and residents provided less favorable ratings. Significant differences between these groups were notable (p < 0.01) on items related to patient autonomy: maintaining dignity, being touched by loved ones, and the overall quality of death. CONCLUSIONS The perception of dying and death in the ICU varies considerably between nurses, attending physicians, resident physicians, and family members. Further studies are needed to explain these differences and determine the utility of the ICU QODD instrument for assessing and improving the quality of end-of-life care in the ICU.
Neurologic Markers of the Progression of Alzheimer's Disease

This article describes the results of studies conducted to determine the usefulness of reflex changes as markers of disease severity in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Standardized and quantified muscle stretch reflexes, cutaneous, reflexes, and developmental (primitive) reflexes were studied in normal older adults, in individuals with mild memory impairment, and in patients with AD, in all clinical severity stages as assessed with the Global Deterioration Scale (GDS), the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), and the Functional Assessment Staging (FAST) procedure. Changes in frequency and intensity of these individual reflex variables, as well as of variables consisting of combinations of these individual reflexes, appeared to be sensitive indicators of the progression of AD. These neurological reflex variables showed high Pearson correlations with the GDS (.72), the MMSE (.74), and the FAST (.80). Standardized quantified neurological reflex measures are useful as noncognitive, education-independent, and culture-independent markers of the course of AD.