Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The IMPACT Program: Increasing Employability Skills of High School Students Through Adventure Based Learning

High school students face unique challenges following graduation such as the rising costs of post-secondary education, demands from employers for a highly skilled workforce, and the desire of employers to hire workers who are not only technologically proficient, but also effective communicators and team players. Soft skills have become a commodity to businesses. High schools find themselves more and more responsible for adequately preparing students for a rapidly changing economy. Engaging instruction in social motional learning (SEL) for secondary students is essential in preparing them for this transition. Research shows that Adventure Based Learning (ABL) could be the vehicle for securing students’ interest and promoting generalization of social emotional skills across settings. The objective of this study was to investigate a program designed to foster soft skills in technical education students. Data included in this study consisted of pre-and post-student and instructor questionnaires, lesson feedback forms, and an electronic stakeholders’ survey. The information was obtained from twelfth grade students enrolled in a technical education high school (n=181), vocational instructors (n=9), administrators (n=6), and support team members (n=5). The results of the student survey indicated some small improvements in skills for managing emotions.
Socio-Economic Impact of Infused Iron Chelation Therapy in France: ISOSFER Study Results.

Background: Patients suffering from β-thalassemia (TM), sickle cell disease (SCD), and myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) undergoing chronic blood transfusions are at risk for iron overload which, if not treated by iron chelation therapy (ICT), can cause serious organ damage and reduce life expectancy. Deferoxamine (DFO) is the standard of care for the depletion of excess body iron. It has to be infused for 8–10 hours, 5–7 times a week. Although the clinical need for ICT is clearly established, less is known about the economic burden of DFO treatment. Aim: To estimate the total annual costs of DFO ICT in treatment centers in France. Methods: A cross-sectional study with a prospective recruitment. Among 278 consecutive patients receiving regular transfusions for TM, SCD or MDS who consulted between October 2005 and February 2006 in 24 French centers, 161 were on ICT. 124 patients were treated with DFO alone for more than 1 year. Among them, 67 aged 14 years or more agreed to participate. Resources used were collected through patient and physician questionnaires. Unit costs (2004/2005 €) were applied according to French economic guidelines. Results: DFO was administered via subcutaneous (sc) infusion for 70% of patients, mainly nightly and with a mean duration of 10 hours. Other ways of administering DFO included intravenous (iv) infusion (15%), sc bolus (9%) and combined sc and iv treatment (5%). Patient characteristics are summarized in the table below. For all patients, the estimated mean weighted annual cost of infusions is 16009 € (SD ± 13867). Costs are similar for the three diseases. ICT delivery equipment (infusion set and pump) and nursing administration, drug cost, DFO adverse events monitoring, periodic exams and treatment of infused ICT-related adverse events represent respectively 56.5%, 38.5%, 0.3%, 3.7% and 0.9% of total direct cost. The estimated annual mean cost of the drug alone was 6160 € (SD ± 4145). Average cost for DFO adverse events management is low at 151.5€ (SD ± 1224), essentially due to one patient complication. Costs of periodic exams are also low due to the fact that exams are not strictly performed annually as recommended. These estimates of the total annual costs of DFO ICT are likely to be underestimating the overall cost of DFO therapy because treatment costs of the clinical consequences of poor adherence to DFO and lost productivity were not collected in the study. Conclusions: ISOSFER demonstrated that total direct costs of ICT are substantial and well exceed the cost of DFO alone. The cost of DFO administration constitutes a significant portion of the total cost of iron chelation (54%). These data are comparable to other analyses published from US (43% of the total costs, n=155) and Swiss (45%, n=17) databases.
The predictive capacity of toe blood pressure and the toe brachial index for foot wound healing and amputation: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Foot wounds are a growing international concern, as the incidence of risk factors such as diabetes, obesity, vascular disease and advancing age rises. This systematic review and meta-analysis was performed to determine the prognostic capabilities of toe blood pressure and the toe brachial index for predicting chronic foot wound healing or progression to amputation. MEDLINE, CINAHL, EMBASE, PubMed Central and the reference lists of retrieved studies were systematically searched in June 2014. Two authors independently reviewed selected studies reporting original research. Methodological quality was assessed using STROBE and CASP appraisal tools. Ten studies were reviewed; six investigated wound healing and four investigated amputation as the outcome. Study quality was inconsistent; most failed to report aspects of their methodology and used different equipment or techniques. Meta-analysis indicated a cut-off toe blood pressure of 30 mmHg was associated with a relative risk of 3.25 (95% CI: 1.96, 5.41) for non-healing, however, significant heterogeneity was found. Additionally, serial assessments or grading of toe blood pressure values may improve accuracy and utility. Toe blood pressure and related indices may be useful in predicting the outcome of chronic foot wounds; however, further high-quality research is required before clinical utility is confirmed.
Seismic disasters and the demographic perspective: 1968, Belice and 1980, Irpinia-Basilicata (southern Italy) case studies

One of the challenges on disasters’ understanding is the assessment of impact from a more global perspective, adding to their scenario of injuries, deaths, homeless and economic losses, those effects that are mostly widespread and could last for a long period of time, driving to a serious disruption of a community or a society. Seismic disasters are not just the results of the energy released by the earthquake or buildings’ vulnerability: social, demographic, cultural parameters may instead play a crucial, yet underestimated, role. We carried out a pilot study to investigate the demographic perspective of the impact of 1968 Belice and 1980 Irpinia-Basilicata earthquakes on local communities. The macroseismic MCS intensities were used as a primary parameter upon which the demographic scenario was derived. Population annual growth rates, the ageing index, the child- woman ratio, and the Gini index from the demographic data census of the period 1951-2011 were analyzed to assess population dynamics, age structure evolution and its level of spatial concentration within the disasters’ areas. Demographic data were then matched to macroseismic intensities to outline a new, original analysis which describes the impact of the two seismic disasters with a broad multi-parameter perspective. The results highlight also the existence of a general marginality of most affected areas with respect to the processes of population growth, ageing and fertility, as well as for distribution of the regional population, occurring already before the disasters stroke. This marginality might have enhanced the impact of disasters by significantly increasing vulnerability.
Initial results from the 21-gene breast cancer assay registry: A prospective observational study in patients (pts) with ER+, early-stage invasive breast cancer (EBC).

565 Background: Genomic assays such as the 21-gene breast cancer assay (Oncotype DX), have improved the ability to individualize pt treatment based on their individual tumor’s biology. Since 2004, when the 21-gene assay became commercially available, more than 300K assays have been ordered. While several studies have been conducted assessing the impact of having the Recurrence Score (Score) result on treatment decisions, most have been retrospective or evaluating the treatment recommendation. The Oncotype DX Breast Cancer Registry is a large prospective study conducted in clinical practices evaluating the types of pts having the assay ordered and the actual treatments delivered. We report here the first set of analyses. Methods: Pts with ER+ EBC were eligible to enroll. Data collected at baseline (BL) included age, size, grade, ER, PR and HER2 status. Data collected at the 6-month visit included Score and treatment given. Pt demographics, Score distribution, and associations with clinicopathologic (CP) fa.
A blend of essential oils improved feed efficiency and affected ruminal and systemic variables of dairy cows

Abstract This experiment evaluated the effect of a blend of essential oils (BEO) on intake, lactation performance, diet digestibility, ruminal fermentation profile, eating behavior, body thermoregulation, blood acid–base balance, and milk fatty acid profile of lactating cows. Twenty-eight Holstein cows were individually fed a standard diet for 14 d and treatments control or BEO (a microencapsulated blend of pepper extract containing capsaicin and pure forms of carvacrol, cinnamaldehyde, and eugenol; 150 mg/kg of diet dry matter) for 56 d. Significance was declared at P ≤ 0.05 and trends at 0.05 < P ≤ 0.10. Dry matter intake (DMI) was reduced (19.5 vs. 20.1 kg/d) and milk yield was increased (30.1 vs. 30.8 kg/d) by BEO, inducing improved milk to DMI ratio (1.53 vs. 1.62). Milk fat concentration tended to be increased by BEO, but total solids yield did not differ. There was a trend for increased total tract non-neutral detergent fiber organic matter digestibility with BEO. The molar proportion of acetate in ruminal fluid was reduced (51.4 vs. 57.8%) and that of propionate was increased (26.1 vs. 31.3%) by BEO. Ruminal microbial yield and total protozoa count in ruminal fluid did not differ. Cows fed BEO ingested a greater proportion of the daily intake in the morning (30.6 vs. 36.6%) and tended to ingest a lower proportion at night, tended to have longer meals, and had fewer meals per day (11.9 vs. 13.7) and larger meal size (1.5 vs. 1.7 kg of dry matter per meal). Blood urea-N and glucose concentrations did not differ. The BEO increased jugular blood oxygenation. The sweating rate on a hot and dry day was increased (160 vs. 221 g/m2/h) by BEO. The mean rectal and skin temperatures and respiration rate did not differ, but the proportion of rectal temperature measurements ≥39.2 °C was reduced by BEO at 1400 h (17.8 vs. 28.5%) and 2000 h (23.2 vs. 34.8%). The BEO increased the secretion (g/d) of 18:2 trans-10, cis-12 and the concentration of 18:0 iso fatty acids in milk fat. When one sample of milk from BEO cows was offered with two samples of milk from control, 59% of regular consumers of milk (n = 63) identified the odd sample correctly. The gain in feed efficiency induced by BEO was associated with reduced acetate-to-propionate ratio in ruminal fluid, altered eating behavior, lower frequency of high rectal temperature, and increased blood oxygenation. Essential oils had positive effects on ruminal fermentation and systemic variables of dairy cows.
Uso de antimicrobiano nanoparticulado para o tratamento da mastite subclínica de ovelhas de corte no período seco

Inflammation of the mammary gland is one of the main causes of losses in sheep-rearing. This study aimed to investigate the cure rates from treating subclinical mastitis after intramammary infusion of active antimicrobial agents as conventional formulations or as nanoparticles, at the time when the ewes are being dried off. A total of 584 mammary glands in 307 ewes in meat-producing herds located in Sao Carlos, Sao Paulo, Brazil, were analyzed. Prescreening of subclinical mastitis cases was done using the California mastitis test (CMT) and/or the somatic cell count (SCC). Microbiological analyses were performed to confirm the infectious etiology. The mammary glands with subclinical mastitis were distributed into three groups: G1 (control; mammary glands that did not receive any antimicrobial treatment); G2 (mammary glands to which 100mg of benzathine cloxacillin in conventional form were administered); and G3 (mammary glands to which 50mg of benzathine cloxacillin in nanoparticulate form were administered). The treatment applied to G3 was more efficient (P=0.047) in curing mammary glands with subclinical mastitis. Use of cloxacillin nanoparticles at the time when the ewes are being dried off helps to control infectious subclinical mastitis and reduces consequential losses among meat-producing herds.
Education supply and economic growth in nineteenth-century France

The role played by education in the transition from stagnation to growth has been highly debated. Two questions related to this debate remain open: did education impact the economic take-off of countries and their move towards a sustained economic growth ? What level of education was the most relevant during this transition process ? In this article, I investigate these two questions by studying the effect of primary schooling on the economic development of French municipalities during the 19th century and up to World War I. To do so, I rely on a quasi-natural experiment, the Guizot law of 1833. This piece of legislation made mandatory for each municipality over 500 inhabitants to open and fund a primary school for boys. This law constitutes the first coercive measure on schooling supply undertaken by the French state. By implementing a regression discontinuity around the 500-inhabitant threshold defined by the law, I identify a positive impact of primary instruction on the subsequent growth of municipalities. Therefore, primary schooling, and the acquisition of elementary skills, played a major role in the development of French municipalities during the century of industrialisation and modernisation. This more generally reveals a positive impact of basic education during the transition from stagnation to growth. JEL codes : I25, N13, N33
Experimental Investigation of Demographic Factors Related to Phishing Susceptibility

This paper reports on a simulated phishing experiment targeting 6,938 faculty and staff at George Mason University. The study examined various possible predictors of phishing susceptibility. The focus of the present paper is on demographic factors (including age, gender and position/employment). Since previous studies of age and gender have yielded discrepant results, one purpose of the study was to disambiguate these findings. A second purpose was to compare different types of email phishing exploits. A third objective was to compare the effect of different types of feedback given to those who clicked on one or more of three simulated phishing exploits that were deployed over a three-week period. Our analysis of demographic factors, effects of phishing email content, and effects of repeated exposure to phishing exploits revealed significant age effects, marginally significant gender differences, and significant differences in email type. A multi-level model estimated effects of multiple variables simultaneously.
Awareness about periodontitis and pre-term low birth weight infants among gynecologists in Srinagar Kashmir: A questionnaire study

Background: Periodontal infection has been associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes. Subsequently it is important that gynecologists are educated about hormonal effects on women’s oral health. The current study assessed gynecologist’s awareness regarding the effect of female sex hormones on periodontal health and preterm delivery. Materials and Methods: Sixty-six gynecologists from the city of Srinagar completed a questionnaire regarding awareness about female hormonal and periodontal health and its effects on pre-term low birth weight infants. Respondents were divided into three groups: Group A, (doctors who practiced at a medical colleges) Group B (doctors who practiced at private hospitals) and Group C. (doctors who practiced at both medical colleges and private hospitals) Survey responses were collected and data between the groups were statistically compared. Results: Our findings showed that most gynecologists were aware and concerned about female patient’s oral health during various hormonal phases. However, gynecologists practicing at medical colleges (Group A) and gynecologists practicing at both medical colleges and private hospitals (Group C) had significantly greater health awareness than doctors practicing at private hospitals. (Group B) Conclusion: The results of the current study imply the fact that there is adequate knowledge about the effects of hormonal changes in the periodontal tissues. However, there is limited incorporation of this knowledge, especially among gynecologists who are exclusively into private practice.
Non-Contact Characterization of Flexible Hybrid Electronics by Synchronized Thermography

Eddy current heating (ECH) with synchronized thermography (ST) is utilized for the contactless characterization of flexible hybrid electronics. The proposed approach is used for analyzing the uniformity of large-area electronics being the basis for the quality assurance of hybrid electronics manufacturing. Flexible polymer substrate with printed conductors, bonded conventionally manufactured light-emitting diode (LED) chips and current regulators were used as test samples. Obtained results show that ST with ECH is an effective and roll-to-roll compatible measurement tool for in situ quality monitoring of hybrid electronics manufacturing.
Wave Equation-Based Discontinuous Galerkin Time Domain Method for Co-Simulation of Electromagnetics-Circuit Systems

In this article, a hybrid electromagnetic (EM)-circuit solver incorporated with wave equation-based discontinuous Galerkin time domain (DGTD-WE) method is developed to simulate microwave antennas and devices comprised of lumped circuit networks including arbitrary ports and both linear and nonlinear components. The computational domain is divided into two subsystems: one is the distributive part of the model which is modeled by the DGTD-WE method and the other is the lumped circuit networks which are analyzed by a SPICE-like transient circuit solver. In addition, a general impedance transmission boundary condition (ITBC) is introduced for the DGTD-WE method to model the interactions between the EM fields and the circuit networks. With the help of the proposed ITBC, coupling matrices between the two subsystems are small and highly sparse, and thus can be efficiently solved. Moreover, an average evaluation technique for the port voltage has been proposed to obtain a stable solution in the EM-circuit co-simulation. Numerical examples are presented to demonstrate stability, accuracy, and applications which extend the capability of the current DGTD-WE method to model hybrid field-circuit problems. Finally, the proposed method is validated experimentally using a diode mixer.
Gas-assisted discharge flow of granular media from silos

We studied experimentally the discharge of a vertical silo filled by spherical glass beads and assisted by injection of air from the top at a constant flow rate, a situation which has practical interest for nuclear safety or air-assisted discharge of hoppers. The measured parameters are the mass flow rate and the pressure along the silo, while the controlled parameters are the size of particles and the flow rate of air. Increasing the air flow rate induces an increase in the granular media flow rate. Using a two-phase continuum model with a frictional rheology to describe particle-particle interactions, we reveal the role played by the air pressure gradient at the orifice. Based on this observation we propose a simple analytical model which predicts the mass flow rate of a granular media discharged from a silo with injection of gas. This model takes into account the coupling with the gas flow as well as the silo geometry, position and size of the orifice.
Serum Haptoglobin and Hemopexin Levels in Pediatric SS and SC Disease Patients: Biomarker of Hemolysis and Inflammation

INTRODUCTION: Hemolysis is a hallmark of sickle cell disease (SCD) pathogenesis, with the release of hemoglobin (Hb) and heme into the plasma that can promote vasculopathy, inflammation, thrombosis, and renal injury. Plasma haptoglobin (Hp) and hemopexin (Hpx) tightly bind free Hb and heme, respectively, thwarting these clinical sequelae. Hp-Hb and Hpx-heme complexes bind to CD163 and CD91 receptors found primarily on macrophages and hepatocytes, respectively, and are taken up by receptor-mediated endocytosis. In SCD patients it is generally believed that chronic hemolysis depletes plasma haptoglobin and hemopexin levels, however we found only one paper in the literature that has reported plasma Hp and Hpx levels in SCD patients, albeit in a limited number of SS (n=5) and SC (n=3) patients (Muller-Eberhard U et al. Blood 1968). Here we report serum Hp and Hpx levels in 272 Brazilian SS, SC, and AA children along with systemic biomarkers of hemolysis, iron metabolism, inflammation leukocyte and platelet counts, and lipid metabolism. We hypothesize that serum Hp and Hpx levels will be significantly lower and biomarkers of hemolysis, iron metabolism, and inflammation will be significantly higher in SS and SC children compared to AA children. METHODS: The present study used blood samples collected prospectively from 272 unrelated steady-state SCD children with SS (n=179) and SC (n=93) disease. Patients were followed at Bahia Pediatrics Centers, during January 2010 to November 2015. The study included 28 healthy AA volunteers randomly selected from the Clinical Laboratory of the Faculdade de Farmacia da Universidade Federal da Bahia. The study was approved by the Fundacao de Pesquisa Oswaldo Cruz research board, and all procedures were in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki of 1975, as revised in 2000. Biochemical and inflammatory analyses were performed by immunochemistry assay and immunoassay. Hematological analyses were carried out using an electronic cell counter and the Hb profile was investigated by high performance liquid chromatography. Serum Hp and Hpx levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunoassay following the manufacturer9s instructions. RESULTS: Evaluating the Hp and Hpx levels, we found that SS and SC patients have lower Hp and Hpx levels (SS SC>AA) than AA controls (p SC>AA, p SC>AA. Likewise, serum ferritin levels, a marker of body iron stores, were higher in SS and SC patients than AA controls (SS>SC>AA, p SC>AA, p AA>SC). Finally, Total, HDL, and LDL cholesterol levels were lowest in patients with more hemolysis (SS Disclosures Vercellotti:Imara: Research Funding. Belcher:Cydan/Imara: Research Funding; CSL-Behring: Research Funding.
Factors that influence staff turnover in World Vision International Somalia

v LIST OF FIGURES . ix LIST OF TABLES . x CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION . 1 1.1 Background of the study . 1 1.1.1 Turnover . 2 1.1.2 World Vision International Somalia . 4 1.2 Statement of the problem . 6 1.3 Objective of the study . 7 1.4 Importance of the study. 8 CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW . 9 2.