Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Rethinking Design-Based Approaches for School-Based Improvement: The Experience of the TAMAM Project

The School Based Reform in Arab Countries (TAMAM) project aims to build leadership capacity for school-based reform. This paper asks: (a) To what extent can a design-based approach frame the design of school improvement projects such as TAMAM? (b) What characteristics of design-based approaches are most relevant to guide the design of school-based improvement projects? Results of the qualitative analysis demonstrate that a design-based approach can be used to describe TAMAM and highlight the most important elements. This study proposes that design-based approaches be used for designing and describing comparable school-based improvement initiatives, especially in contexts similar to the Arab region.
Prognostic importance of the nutritional status and systemic inflammatory response in non-small cell lung cancer.

PURPOSE Despite all primary prevention and therapeutic efforts around the world, non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) continues to be an important public health problem. In the treatment of patients, laboratory parameters can be used for the determination of treatment intensity. These laboratory parameters should be easily accessible, cheap and easy to use. For this purpose, the prognostic importance in NSCLC of serum albumin levels, neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and thrombocyte-lymphocyte ratio (TLR) was investigated in the present study. METHODS Serum albumin levels and body mass index (BMI) were used to determine the nutritional status and NLR and TLR were used to determine the systemic inflammatory response (SIR). RESULTS While median survival was 9.1 months in hypoalbuminemic patients, it was 16.4 months in normoalbuminemic patients (p=0.002). The relationship of positive or negative NLR as an indicator of SIR with median survival was statistically significant (p=0.006). While median survival was 7.8 months for patients with NLR ≥5, it was 14.7 for the patients with NLR <5 (p=0.006). TLR as a SIR indicator was not connected with median survival (p=0.072). CONCLUSION Serum albumin, indicating the nutritional status and the NLR as an indicator of SIR, are significantly related with prognosis in locally advanced and metastatic NSCLC. Serum albumin measurement and calculation of NLR are easily accessible, cheap and easy to use laboratory methods. We consider that serum albumin levels and NLR can be utilized in the treatment planning of NSCLC patients.
The Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer's Disease (CERAD). Part I. Clinical and neuropsychological assesment of Alzheimer's disease

The Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer's Disease (CERAD) has developed brief, comprehensive, and reliable batteries of clinical and neuropsychological tests for assessment of patients with the clinical diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). We administered these batteries in a standardized manner to more than 350 subjects with a diagnosis of AD and 275 control subjects who were enrolled in a nationwide registry by a consortium of 16 university medical centers. The tests selected for this study measured the primary cognitive manifestations of AD across a range of severity of the disorder, and discriminated between normal subjects and those with mild and moderate dementia. The batteries also detected deterioration of language, memory, praxis, and general intellectual status in subjects returning for reassessment 1 year later. Interrater and testretest reliabilities were substantial. Long-term observations of this cohort are in progress in an effort to validate the clinical and neuropsychological assessments and to confirm the diagnosis by postmortem examinations. Although information on validation is limited thus far, the CERAD batteries appear to fill a need for a standardized, easily administered, and reliable instrument for evaluating persons with AD in multicenter research studies as well as in clinical practice.
Analysis of Prices in the Housing Market Using Mixed Models

Abstract Hedonic models, commonly applied for analyzing prices in the property market, do not always fulfil their role, mainly due to the application of simplified assumptions concerning the distribution of variables, the nature of relations or spatial heterogeneity. Classical regression models assumed that the variation of the explained variable (price) is explained by the effect of market features (fixed effects) and the residual component. The hierarchical structure of market data, both as regards market segments and the spatial division, suggests that statistical models of prices should also include random effects for selected subgroups of properties and interactions between variables. The mixed model provides an alternative for constructing various regression models for individual groups or for using binary variables within one model. With its appropriate structure, it makes it possible to take into account both the spatial heterogeneity and to examine the effects of individual features on prices within various property groups. It can also identify synergy effects. The article presents the issue of mixed modelling in the property market and an example of its application in a market of dwellings in Olsztyn. The research used transaction data from the price and value register, supplemented with spatial data. The obtained model was compared with classical regression models and geographically weighted regression. The study also covered the usefulness of mixed models in the mass evaluation of properties, and the possibility of using them in spatial analyses and for the development of property value maps.
Empowering youth and communities through 4-H School Gardening Programs: Results of focus groups in Burundi, Africa

The quality of education and training children receive today will significantly impact their development into adulthood and their impact on society (Kibwiki & Semana, 2001). Burundi, Africa is the second poorest country in the world and has a turbulent history laced with economic, political, and cultural challenges (Headrick, 2016). With more than half the population under the age of 18, educating the youth of Burundi is paramount to bringing about change in the country. The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand the needs of primary school teachers, administrators, afterschool program educators and their students; and to determine if a 4-H Youth Development school gardening program was a viable methodology to meet their needs. The desire of local partners to empower Burundian youth and the fact that empowerment is a fundamental principle of the 4-H methodology led to the selection of Empowerment Theory as the conceptual framework for this study. A needs assessment using focus groups was conducted with 34 primary school teachers, administrators, and afterschool staff in two rural communities in Burundi. Findings indicated that poverty and hunger were the primary barriers to quality education and climbing out of poverty. School educators also reported a need for professional development to better provide quality education for youth. Based on the outcomes of the focus groups, the researchers recommend that the 4-H Youth Development school gardening program is implemented in rural Burundi using Empowerment Theory as a framework to address the needs of educators and youth.
Do Spot Rate Volatility and Forward Market Intervention by the Central Bank Impact the Forward Premia in India

This study investigates the impact of exchange rate volatility as well as forward market intervention on forward premia in the Indian case. The study finds that the exchange rate volatility positively impacts month-over-month change in forward premia. In fact, inclusion of the exchange rate volatility is found to reduce the out-of-sample forecast error of forward premia. Forward market intervention, however, is not found to have any significant impact on the forward premia.
Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement: Current Developments, Ongoing Issues, Future Outlook

Since the first clinical implantation in 2002, transcatheter aortic valve implantation or transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) has become an established therapy in the treatment of symptomatic severe aortic stenosis in patients deemed too high risk for surgical aortic valve replacement. With over 50,000 implants performed in more than 40 countries, a large amount of clinical data have emerged in this rapidly growing field. Careful patient selection, systematic risk stratification, optimal valve sizing, meticulous procedural techniques, and complications management are all important elements to achieve good outcomes. However, several critical issues exist with TAVR that need to be addressed before it can become more widely adopted. Quality of life improvement and cost-effectiveness of TAVR, when compared to surgical aortic valve replacement, remain uncertain in lower risk patients. Stroke, paravalvular leak, vascular complication, bleeding, and heart block represent only a few of the key concerns in this therapy. Valve-in-valve procedures are becoming a novel application of transcatheter heart valve in the treatment of a degenerated bioprosthesis, and next generation heart valves that address some of these ongoing issues are currently under evaluation. Future prospective studies will allow us to refine this therapy and optimize outcomes in this high-risk patient population.
Depression is an independent predictor of poor long‐term functional outcome post‐stroke

The influence of depression on the long‐term outcome of stroke patients was examined among 390 of 486 consecutive patients aged 55–85 years. They completed, at 3 months after ischaemic stroke, a detailed medical, neurological, and radiological stroke evaluation, structured measures of emotion (Beck’s Depression Inventory, BDI), handicap (Rankin scale, RS), and assessment of activities of daily living (Barthel Index, BI). Further RS and BI was evaluated at 15‐month follow‐up from these 390 patients and BDI in 276 patients. A group of 256 patients completed, in addition to the 15‐month follow‐up, a comprehensive psychiatric evaluation, including the Present State Examination 3 months after stroke. The DSM‐III‐R criteria were used for diagnosis of the depressive disorders. BDI identified depression (cut‐off point ≥ 10 for depression) in 171 (43.9%) of 390 and in 123 (44.6%) of 276 patients at 3‐ and 15‐month follow‐up. DSM‐III‐R major depression was diagnosed in 66 (25.8%), and minor depression in 32 (12.5%), of 256 patients 3 months after stroke. Patients with BDI ≥ 10, or major, but not minor, depression more often had poor functional outcome (RS > II and BI < 17) at 15 months. Poor functional outcome at 3 months also correlated with depression at 15 months. In logistic regression analysis, depression at 3 months (Beck ≥ 10) correlated with poor functional outcome at 15 months (RS > II) (OR 2.5, 95% CI 1.6–3.8). More careful examination and treatment of depression in stroke patients is emphasized.
Spinodal decomposition in a critical isobutyric acid and water mixture.

Light scattering was used to study the time evolution of phase separation of a critical isobutyric acid and water mixture in the spinodal region. A shoulder is observed in the larger-scattering-angle region of the main dominant peak in the structure factor, and the time dependence of the position of shoulder is well scaled by the same characteristic wave number and interdiffusion coefficient as those for the main peak. The tail in the large-scattering-angle region of the structure factor is well expressed by the Porod law in the intermediate and late stages of spinodal decomposition.
Aorta and iliac arteries: single versus multiple detector-row helical CT angiography.

PURPOSE To compare single- versus four-channel helical computed tomographic (CT) aortography. MATERIALS AND METHODS Forty-eight patients with aortic aneurysm or dissection underwent four- and one-channel CT angiography. Scan pairs covered the thoracic inlet to the diaphragm (n = 10) and supraceliac abdominal aorta (n = 19) or thoracic inlet (n = 19) to the femoral arterial bifurcations. For four-channel CT, nominal section thickness and pitch were 2.5 mm and 6.0, respectively, and for one-channel CT, 3.0 mm and 2.0 to the infrarenal aorta and 5.0 mm and 2.0 to the femoral arteries. Effective section thickness, scanning duration, scanning coverage, dose of iodinated contrast material, and mean aortoiliac attenuation were compared. Data were summarized as speed (coverage/duration), scanning efficiency (speed/section thickness), and contrast efficiency (mean aortic attenuation/dose of contrast material). RESULTS At four- versus one-channel CT, CT angiography was 2.6 times faster, scanning efficiency was 4.1 times greater, contrast efficiency was 2.5 times greater, dose of contrast material was reduced (mean, 57%; 97 vs 232 mL) without a significant change in aortic enhancement, and sections were thinner (mean, 40%; 3.2 vs 5.3 mm) despite a 59% shorter scanning duration (22 vs 56 seconds). CONCLUSION Substantially reduced doses of contrast medium, shorter scanning durations, and narrower effective sections result with four- versus one-channel CT aortography. No advantages of one-channel CT aortography were demonstrated.
Low temperature camera module assembly using acrylic-based solder ACFs with ultrasonic-assisted thermo-compression bonding method

In this study, in order to improve thermal stability and reliability of camera module assembly for high yield rate, the camera module assembly using low temperature curable acrylic solder ACFs with ultrasonic-assisted thermo-compression (TC) bonding has been introduced. In general, the acrylic-based ACFs are cured at lower bonding temperature than conventionally used epoxy-based ACFs. And, the recently adopted ultrasonic-assisted TC bonding utilizes ultrasonic vibration during vertical thermo-compression to break solder oxide layers. Bonded solder ACF joints of camera modules for this study were investigated in terms of curing behavior, peel adhesion strength, and solder wetting. In addition, thermal stability of internal camera module assembly at this bonding condition was also investigated. According to the experiment results, acrylic-based solder ACF joints showed peel adhesion strength above recommendation with full degree of cure and excellent solder wetting on the electrodes at the low bonding temperature of 150°C and the ultrasonic amplitude of 6 μm. At the bonding temperature of 150°C, the internal temperature of a camera module was about 110°C which was lower than 137°C, the glass transition temperature of the lens. Therefore, the low temperature curable acrylic-solder ACFs with ultrasonic-assisted TC bonding is appropriate for the camera modules, since the ACFs were optimized in terms of degree of cure, peel adhesion strength and solder wetting and the camera modules were thermally stable at the low bonding temperature of 150°C.
The Effects of Load Carriage and Muscle Fatigue on Lower-Extremity Joint Mechanics

Military personnel are commonly afflicted by lower-extremity overuse injuries. Load carriage and muscular fatigue are major stressors during military basic training. Purpose: To examine effects of load carriage and muscular fatigue on lower-extremity joint mechanics during walking. Method: Eighteen men performed the following tasks: unloaded walking, walking with a 32-kg load, fatigued walking with a 32-kg load, and fatigued walking. After the second walking task, muscle fatigue was elicited through a fatiguing protocol consisting of metered step-ups and heel raises with a 16-kg load. Each walking task was performed at 1.67 m·s− 1 for 5 min. Walking movement was tracked by a VICON motion capture system at 120 Hz. Ground reaction forces were collected by a tandem force instrumented treadmill (AMTI) at 2,400 Hz. Lower-extremity joint mechanics were calculated in Visual 3D. Results: There was no interaction between load carriage and fatigue on lower-extremity joint mechanics (p>.05). Both load carriage and fatigue led to pronounced alterations of lower-extremity joint mechanics (p < .05). Load carriage resulted in increases of pelvis anterior tilt, hip and knee flexion at heel contact, and increases of hip, knee, and ankle joint moments and powers during weight acceptance. Muscle fatigue led to decreases of ankle dorsiflexion at heel contact, dorsiflexor moment, and joint power at weight acceptance. In addition, muscle fatigue increased demand for hip extensor moment and power at weight acceptance. Conclusion: Statistically significant changes in lower-extremity joint mechanics during loaded and fatigued walking may expose military personnel to increased risk for overuse injuries.
The chicken telomerase RNA gene: conservation of sequence, regulatory elements and synteny among viral, avian and mammalian genomes

Telomerase RNA (TR) is essential for telomerase activity and the maintenance of telomere length in proliferating cell populations. The objective of the present research was to define the cytogenetic and molecular genomic organization of chicken TR (chTR). The chTR exists as a single copy gene (TERC, alias TR), mapping to chromosome 9 (GGA9). The loci on the q arm of GGA9 map to three chromosomes in human with five of the nine GGA9q loci mapping to HSA3q. Sequencing of the chTERC locus (3,763 bp) from the UCD 001 genome (Red Jungle Fowl) included: 604 bp 5′, 465 coding, and 2,694 bp 3′ (from –604 to +3159). Sequence analysis included homology searches conducted on several levels including comparisons among different chicken genotypes, Marek’s disease virus (MDV) sequences, plus human and murine. We provide evidence for distal 5′ and 3′ sequence homology between chTERC and the MDV genome among other known regions of homology (promoter and coding), elaborate on 5′ transcription factor binding motifs among the various genomes as well as show type and number of TERT-related motifs 3′ of chicken TR (e.g., Sp1, c-Myb, c-Myc, AP2, among others). Surrounding the gene are more than 25 Sp1 sites, over 20 oncogene transcription factor binding motifs and numerous hormonal and other specialized binding motifs. Knowledge of 5′ and 3′ chTERC regulatory elements will be useful for investigating normal control mechanisms during growth and development as well as investigating the potential for dysregulation of this important gene during oncogenesis, especially among different genotypes.
The indicator for surgery in adhesive small bowel obstruction patient managed with long tube.

BACKGROUND/AIMS In treating many cases of postoperative adhesive small bowel obstruction (ASBO), we have found that if a long tube is not effective in conservative treatment, the surgical timing requires careful consideration. The aim of this study was to clarify the limits of conservative treatment, long tube management, and surgical timing. METHODOLOGY A retrospective chart review was conducted of 234 patients with ASBO from April 1998 to September 2002, and 155 cases were excluded (135 who recovered in conservative treatment within 2 days and 20 who required surgery due to suspended strangulation). We divided the remaining 79 subjects into 2 groups, a conservative improvement group of 23 patients who recovered from ASBO following conservative treatment after 3 days, and a surgery group of 56 patients who underwent surgery after 3 days. We examined the baseline characteristics, interval from the onset of symptoms, duration of long tube placement, and change in drainage volume through the long tube. RESULTS A significant difference in interval was found from the onset of symptoms to long tube insertion (35 hours vs. 44 hours). In bowel stenosis, surgery tended to be selected in the group with occlusion or retention of gastrografin. A significant difference was found in the change in drainage volume through long tube on day 3 (more or less than 500mL) between the conservative improvement group and surgery group. CONCLUSIONS In conservative treatment for challenging cases of ASBO, the long tube should be placed as soon as possible. The drainage volume through the long tube on day 3 (cut-off value; 500mL) was the indicator for surgery in ASBO.
Impact and preventability of adverse events in Spanish public hospitals: results of the Spanish National Study of Adverse Events (ENEAS).

OBJECTIVE To determine the impact and preventability of adverse events (AEs) associated with health care in Spanish hospitals. DESIGN Retrospective cohort study. SETTING Twenty-four Spanish hospitals. PARTICIPANTS Patients of any age with a clinical record indicating an inpatient stay of >24 h and a discharge between 4 and 10 June 2005 (n = 5908). INTERVENTION None. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Percentage of AEs considered preventable. RESULTS We were able to identify 525 patients suffering AEs associated directly with medical care, who accumulated 655 AEs with 43% of these AEs considered preventable. Overall, 45% (295 AEs) were considered minor, 39% (255 AEs) moderate and 16% (105 AEs) severe. There were no significant differences in AE severity by hospital size, but AEs associated with surgical services were more likely to be severe than those associated with medical services. Some 31.4% of AEs resulted in a longer stay and 23.4% led to hospital admission. AEs associated with medical care caused 6.1 additional days per patient. Of the patients, 66.3% required additional procedures and 69.9% required additional treatments. Incidence of death in patients with AEs was 4.4% (CI 95%: 2.8-6.5). Age over 65 was associated with a higher incidence of preventable AEs. The highest percentages of preventable AEs were related to diagnosis (84.2%), to nosocomial infections (56.6%) and to care (56%). CONCLUSIONS In Spanish hospitals, AEs associated with health care cause distress, disability, death, lengthen hospital stay and cause increased consumption of health-care resources. A relatively high percentage of AEs in Spain may be preventable with improvements in medical care.
A model evaluation study for treatment planning of laser-induced thermal therapy

Abstract A cross-validation analysis evaluating computer model prediction accuracy for a priori planning magnetic resonance-guided laser-induced thermal therapy (MRgLITT) procedures in treating focal diseased brain tissue is presented. Two mathematical models are considered. (1) A spectral element discretisation of the transient Pennes bioheat transfer equation is implemented to predict the laser-induced heating in perfused tissue. (2) A closed-form algorithm for predicting the steady-state heat transfer from a linear superposition of analytic point source heating functions is also considered. Prediction accuracy is retrospectively evaluated via leave-one-out cross-validation (LOOCV). Modelling predictions are quantitatively evaluated in terms of a Dice similarity coefficient (DSC) between the simulated thermal dose and thermal dose information contained within N = 22 MR thermometry datasets. During LOOCV analysis, the transient model’s DSC mean and median are 0.7323 and 0.8001 respectively, with 15 of 22 DSC values exceeding the success criterion of DSC ≥ 0.7. The steady-state model’s DSC mean and median are 0.6431 and 0.6770 respectively, with 10 of 22 passing. A one-sample, one-sided Wilcoxon signed-rank test indicates that the transient finite element method model achieves the prediction success criteria, DSC ≥ 0.7, at a statistically significant level.