Grade Inflation and University Admissions in Ontario: Separating Fact from Perception

It is widely believed that high schools across Ontario have inflated grades in an attempt to help students secure admission to one of the province's universities. Universities, in turn, have raised their entrance requirements to allocate available spaces among an expanding pool of applicants. The intensified competition for higher marks has put considerable pressure on students and teachers, leading to the emergence of a number of grade-enhancing practices which potentially distort the admission process at postsecondary institutions. This paper analyzes university admission data for 1983-1993 and concludes that (a) there has been only a moderate increase in entering marks across the system, (b) it is necessary to distinguish inflationary mark changes from changes reflecting demographic and budgetary factors such as the increase in the pool of applicants and in the available spaces, and (c) different trends in entering marks for various programs are largely the result of demographic factors. It is also shown that while increases in entering marks across the university system have been modest, entering marks at individual institutions have risen more sharply, a paradox explained by the redistribution of the first-year registrants among universities.On pense communément que les écoles secondaires de l'Ontario ont gonflé les notes des élèves en vue d'aider ces derniers à se faire admettre aux universités de la province. À leur tour, ces universités ont établi des critères d'admission plus exigents afin de mieux répartir les places prévues parmi une base de candidats qui continue à s'agrandir. Les élèves et les enseignants ont donc subi l'influence de pressions considérables en raison d'une concurrence accrue dont le but est d'obtenir de meilleures notes. Ceci a mené à l'apparition de plusieurs pratiques destinées à gonfler les notes, ce qui pourrait éventuellement déformer la procédure d'admission dans les établissements post-secondaires. Les auteur examinent des données sur les admissions universitaires entre 1983 et 1993 et ils en arrivent aux conclusions suivantes: a) il n'y a eu qu'une augmentation modérée en ce qui concerne les notes d'admission dans l'ensemble des établissements post-secondaire; b) il faut faire la distinction entre les modifications qui découlent du «gonflement» des notes et celles qui correspondent aux facteurs démographiques et budgétaires, tel que l'accroissement de l'effectif étudiant et des places offertes; c) ce sont principalement des facteurs démographiques qui expliquent les diverses tendances concernant les notes d'admission aux différents programmes d'études. Les auteurs indiquent également que, même si les notes d'admission n'ont augmenté que légèrement dans l'ensemble du système universitaire, elles reflètent une augmentation plus importante dans certains établissements particuliers; ce paradoxe peut s'expliquer du fait de la répartition parmi les universités des étudiants inscrits en première année

Average case analysis of unification algorithms

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Bis(dimethyl­ammonium) tetra­chlorido­dimethyl­stannate(IV)

Regular crystals of the title compound, (C2H8N)2[Sn(CH3)2Cl4], were obtained by reacting SnMe2Cl2 with (CH3)2NH·HCl in ethanol in a 1:1 ratio. The Sn atom lies on a center of symmetry and is six-coordinated. It has a distorted octahedral SnC2Cl4 environment with the Cl atoms in cis positions. The Cl atoms are connected to dimethyl­ammonium cations through N—H⋯Cl hydrogen bonds, forming an infinite chain extending parallel to [010]

Effects of human activity on physiological and behavioral responses of an endangered steppe bird

This is a pre-copyedited, author-produced PDF of an article accepted for publication in Behavioral Ecology following peer review. The version of recordBehavioral Ecology 26.3 (2015): 828-838 is available online at: http://beheco.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2015/04/02/beheco.arv016Animals may perceive humans as a form of predatory threat, a disturbance, triggering behavioral changes together with the activation of physiological stress responses. These adaptive responses may allow individuals to cope with stressful stimuli, but a repeated or long-term exposure to disturbances may have detrimental individual- and population-level effects. We studied the effects of human activities, particularly hunting, on the behavior and physiological status of a near-threatened nongame steppe bird, the little bustard. Using a semiexperimental approach, we compared before, during, and after weekends: 1) the type and intensity of human activities and 2) the behavior and 3) physiological stress (fecal corticosterone metabolites) of wintering birds. Higher rates of human activity, in particular those related to hunting, occurred during weekends and caused indirect disturbance effects on birds. Little bustards spent more time vigilant and flying during weekends, and more time foraging in the mornings after weekend, possibly to compensate for increased energy expenditure during weekends. We also found increased physiological stress levels during weekends, as shown by higher fecal glucocorticoid metabolite concentrations. Increased corticosterone metabolite levels were associated with the highest levels of hunting-related disturbances. Little bustard showed marked behavioral and physiological (stress hormones) responses to human activities that peaked during weekends, in particular hunting. The long-term effect of this particular activity carried out during weekends from autumn throughout winter might adversely impact wintering populations of this nongame endangered species, potentially counteracting conservation efforts conducted on local as well as foreign breeding populationsFunding was provided by the Comunidad de Madrid and Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (CCG10-UAM/AMB-5325), Spanish Ministry of Science (CGL2009-13029/BOS), and REMEDINAL2 network of the CAM (S-2009/AMB/1783) and PhD grant from the Spanish Minister of Education (FPU to R.T.) and JAE-Doc contract funded from CSIC and the European Social Fund (ESF to F.C

Randomized clinical trial of nitazoxanide or sofosbuvir/daclatasvir for the prevention of SARS-CoV-2 infection

BACKGROUND: The COVER trial evaluated whether nitazoxanide or sofosbuvir/daclatasvir could lower the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Nitazoxanide was selected given its favourable pharmacokinetics and in vitro antiviral effects against SARS-CoV-2. Sofosbuvir/daclatasvir had shown favourable results in early clinical trials. METHODS: In this clinical trial in Johannesburg, South Africa, healthcare workers and others at high risk of infection were randomized to 24 weeks of either nitazoxanide or sofosbuvir/daclatasvir as prevention, or standard prevention advice only. Participants were evaluated every 4 weeks for COVID-19 symptoms and had antibody and PCR testing. The primary endpoint was positive SARS-CoV-2 PCR and/or serology ≥7 days after randomization, regardless of symptoms. A Poisson regression model was used to estimate the incidence rate ratios of confirmed SARS-CoV-2 between each experimental arm and control. RESULTS: Between December 2020 and January 2022, 828 participants were enrolled. COVID-19 infections were confirmed in 100 participants on nitazoxanide (2234 per 1000 person-years; 95% CI 1837-2718), 87 on sofosbuvir/daclatasvir (2125 per 1000 person-years; 95% CI 1722-2622) and 111 in the control arm (1849 per 1000 person-years; 95% CI 1535-2227). There were no significant differences in the primary endpoint between the treatment arms, and the results met the criteria for futility. In the safety analysis, the frequency of grade 3 or 4 adverse events was low and similar across arms. CONCLUSIONS: In this randomized trial, nitazoxanide and sofosbuvir/daclatasvir had no significant preventative effect on infection with SARS-CoV-2 among healthcare workers and others at high risk of infection

Risks of metabolic syndrome in the ADVANCE and NAMSAL trials

IntroductionThe ADVANCE and NAMSAL trials evaluating antiretroviral drugs have both reported substantial levels of clinical obesity in participants. As one of the main risk factors for metabolic syndrome, growing rates of obesity may drive metabolic syndrome development. This study aims to evaluate the risk of metabolic syndrome in the ADVANCE and NAMSAL trials.MethodsThe number of participants with metabolic syndrome was calculated at baseline and week 192 as central obesity and any of the following two factors: raised triglycerides, reduced HDL-cholesterol, raised blood pressure and raised fasting glucose. Differences between the treatment arms were calculated using the χ2 test.ResultsAcross all visits to week 192, treatment-emergent metabolic syndrome was 15% (TAF/FTC + DTG), 10% (TDF/FTC + DTG) and 7% (TDF/FTC/EFV) in ADVANCE. The results were significantly higher in the TAF/FTC + DTG arm compared to the TDF/FTC/EFV arm (p < 0.001), and the TDF/FTC + DTG vs. the TDF/FTC/EFV arms (p < 0.05) in all patients, and in females. In NAMSAL, the incidence of treatment-emergent metabolic syndrome at any time point was 14% (TDF/3TC + DTG) and 5% (TDF/3TC + EFV) (p < 0.001). This incidence was significantly greater in the TDF/3TC/DTG arm compared to the TDF/3TC/EFV arm in all patients (p < 0.001), and in males (p < 0.001)ConclusionIn this analysis, we highlight treatment-emergent metabolic syndrome associated with dolutegravir, likely driven by obesity. Clinicians initiating or monitoring patients on INSTI-based ART must counsel for lifestyle optimisation to prevent these effects

Burden and risk factors for Pseudomonas aeruginosa community-acquired pneumonia:a Multinational Point Prevalence Study of Hospitalised Patients

Pseudornonas aeruginosa is a challenging bacterium to treat due to its intrinsic resistance to the antibiotics used most frequently in patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). Data about the global burden and risk factors associated with P. aeruginosa-CAP are limited. We assessed the multinational burden and specific risk factors associated with P. aeruginosa-CAP. We enrolled 3193 patients in 54 countries with confirmed diagnosis of CAP who underwent microbiological testing at admission. Prevalence was calculated according to the identification of P. aeruginosa. Logistic regression analysis was used to identify risk factors for antibiotic-susceptible and antibiotic-resistant P. aeruginosa-CAP. The prevalence of P. aeruginosa and antibiotic-resistant P. aeruginosa-CAP was 4.2% and 2.0%, respectively. The rate of P. aeruginosa CAP in patients with prior infection/colonisation due to P. aeruginosa and at least one of the three independently associated chronic lung diseases (i.e. tracheostomy, bronchiectasis and/or very severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) was 67%. In contrast, the rate of P. aeruginosa-CAP was 2% in patients without prior P. aeruginosa infection/colonisation and none of the selected chronic lung diseases. The multinational prevalence of P. aeruginosa-CAP is low. The risk factors identified in this study may guide healthcare professionals in deciding empirical antibiotic coverage for CAP patients

Atypical pathogens in hospitalized patients with community-acquired pneumonia: A worldwide perspective

Background: Empirical antibiotic coverage for atypical pathogens in community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) has long been debated, mainly because of a lack of epidemiological data. We aimed to assess both testing for atypical pathogens and their prevalence in hospitalized patients with CAP worldwide, especially in relation with disease severity. Methods: A secondary analysis of the GLIMP database, an international, multicentre, point-prevalence study of adult patients admitted for CAP in 222 hospitals across 6 continents in 2015, was performed. The study evaluated frequency of testing for atypical pathogens, including L. pneumophila, M. pneumoniae, C. pneumoniae, and their prevalence. Risk factors for testing and prevalence for atypical pathogens were assessed through univariate analysis. Results: Among 3702 CAP patients 1250 (33.8%) underwent at least one test for atypical pathogens. Testing varies greatly among countries and its frequency was higher in Europe than elsewhere (46.0% vs. 12.7%, respectively, p < 0.0001). Detection of L. pneumophila urinary antigen was the most common test performed worldwide (32.0%). Patients with severe CAP were less likely to be tested for both atypical pathogens considered together (30.5% vs. 35.0%, p = 0.009) and specifically for legionellosis (28.3% vs. 33.5%, p = 0.003) than the rest of the population. Similarly, L. pneumophila testing was lower in ICU patients. At least one atypical pathogen was isolated in 62 patients (4.7%), including M. pneumoniae (26/251 patients, 10.3%), L. pneumophila (30/1186 patients, 2.5%), and C. pneumoniae (8/228 patients, 3.5%). Patients with CAP due to atypical pathogens were significantly younger, showed less cardiovascular, renal, and metabolic comorbidities in comparison to adult patients hospitalized due to non-atypical pathogen CAP. Conclusions: Testing for atypical pathogens in patients admitted for CAP in poorly standardized in real life and does not mirror atypical prevalence in different settings. Further evidence on the impact of atypical pathogens, expecially in the low-income countries, is needed to guidelines implementation

Microbiological testing of adults hospitalised with community-acquired pneumonia: An international study

This study aimed to describe real-life microbiological testing of adults hospitalised with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) and to assess concordance with the 2007 Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA)/American Thoracic Society (ATS) and 2011 European Respiratory Society (ERS) CAP guidelines. This was a cohort study based on the Global Initiative for Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus Pneumonia (GLIMP) database, which contains point-prevalence data on adults hospitalised with CAP across 54 countries during 2015. In total, 3702 patients were included. Testing was performed in 3217 patients, and included blood culture (71.1%), sputum culture (61.8%), Legionella urinary antigen test (30.1%), pneumococcal urinary antigen test (30.0%), viral testing (14.9%), acute-phase serology (8.8%), bronchoalveolar lavage culture (8.4%) and pleural fluid culture (3.2%). A pathogen was detected in 1173 (36.5%) patients. Testing attitudes varied significantly according to geography and disease severity. Testing was concordant with IDSA/ATS and ERS guidelines in 16.7% and 23.9% of patients, respectively. IDSA/ATS concordance was higher in Europe than in North America (21.5% versus 9.8%; p<0.01), while ERS concordance was higher in North America than in Europe (33.5% versus 19.5%; p<0.01). Testing practices of adults hospitalised with CAP varied significantly by geography and disease severity. There was a wide discordance between real-life testing practices and IDSA/ATS/ERS guideline recommendations