Covariance and Correlation between Education Mismatch and Skills Mismatch in Tanzanian Formal Sector

This study examined the correlation and covariance between education mismatch and skills mismatch in the Tanzanian Formal sector taking Dar es Salaam and Dodoma regions as case studies The study employed cross sectional and Worker Self Assessment WSA techniques with 319 workers from public and private sectors selected by multistage cluster sampling Office interviews were conducted to collect qualitative data using structured questionnaire The SPSS-16 statistical package was used for data analysis Using Chi square at 5 level of significance the results reported an existence of relationship between education mismatch and skills mismatch 2 39 57 p 0 00 Using bivariate corre- lation results portrayed a weak positive correlation between education mismatch and skills mismatch Corem sm 0 241 Also using bivariate covariance the results showed a positive co-vary behavior between education mismatch and skills mismatch Covem sm 0 112 This study therefore concludes that education mismatch and skills mismatch are not perfect substitute It is thus recommended that the government should not take the existence of National Employment Policy of 2008 and its labour regulatory frameworks as a guarantee of success Thus deliberate efforts should be adopted to force both private and public employers to use the same standards measures and regulations in recruitment to minimize incidence of mismatch Also the government and other labour market actors should avoid using education mismatch as a proxy for skills mismatch since the two have no a one to one relatio

Effekte des LHRH-Agonisten Triptorelin auf die in vitro Proliferation verschiedener Ovarial- und Endometriumkarzinomzellinien

5. Zusammenfassung Ovarial- und Endometriumkarzinome sind in den weiter fortgeschrittenen, rezidivierten oder gar metastasierten Stadien schwierig zu behandeln. Seit Ende der achtziger Jahre konnten antiproliferative Effekte von LHRH und seinen Analoga auf Ovarial- und Endometriumkarzinomzellen gezeigt werden. Daneben wurden sowohl in verschiedenen Karzinomzellinien als auch in Tumorgewebeproben die Expression von LHRH und seinem Rezeptor nachgewiesen. Diese Ergebnisse sprechen für ein lokal autokrines System, welches auf LHRH basierend direkten Einfluß auf Proliferation und Differenzierung der Tumorzellen nimmt. Die Experimente und die davon abgeleiteten Überlegungen der vorliegenden Arbeit lassen den antiproliferativen Effekt des LHRH-Analogons Triptorelin in direktem Zusammenhang mit der Expression des LHRH-Rezeptors erscheinen. An einer Reihe von neun bislang nicht untersuchten, etablierten Tumorzellinien konnte hier ein eindeutiger antiproliferativer Effekt des LHRH-Agonisten Triptorelin in Zellinien gezeigt werden, die den LHRH-Rezeptor exprimierten. In Zellinien ohne Expression des LHRH-Rezeptors war Triptorelin wirkungslos. Bei den Ovarialkarzinomzellinien NIH:OVCAR-3 und BG-1, sowie den Endometriumkarzinomzellinien HEC-1B, KLE und AN-3-CA konnten deutliche Zellzahlreduktionen durch das Einwirken von Triptorelin erreicht werden. Im zeitabhängigen Versuch ließen sich die Zahlen der Ovarialkarzinomzellen mit einer Dosis von 10-5 mol/L Triptorelin über 5 Tage um bis zu 30,3% reduzieren (p<0,01), die dosisabhängige Reduktion belief sich sogar auf 41,6% (p<0,001). Die Zellzahl der Endometriumkarzinomzellinie HEC-1B konnte am vierten Tag um 47,5% (p<0,001) reduziert werden, dosisabhängig gelang dies um 43,3% (p<0,001) mit der höchsten Konzentration Triptorelin von 10-5 mol/L. Auch konnte bereits in niedrigen Dosierungen von 1 nmol/L Triptorelin bei vier dieser fünf Zellinien eine signifikannte Wachstumshemmung nachvollzogen werden. Bei drei der fünf Ovarialkarzinomzellinien (SK-OV-3, CA-OV-3 und SW 626) sowie bei einer der vier Endometriumkarzinomzellinien (MFE-296) konnte keine signifikante antiproliferative Wirkung durch Triptorelin gefunden werden. Werden diese Ergebnisse mit denen anderer Mitarbeiter korreliert, so kann festgestellt werden, daß die Zellinien, die LHRH-Bindungsstellen und mRNA für LHRH und seinen Rezeptor exprimieren, auch durch den LHRH-Agonisten gehemmt wurden. Diese Ergebnisse erklären möglicherweise die unterschiedlichen Auffassungen der verschiedenen Arbeitsgruppen bezüglich der antiproliferativen Wirkung von LHRH-Analoga auf Ovarial- und Endometriumkarzinomzellinien. Zusammenfassend lassen diese Erkenntnisse annehmen, dass Tumoren, die LHRH-Rezeptoren exprimieren können, möglicherweise in naher Zukunft mit LHRH-Analoga zu therapieren sind

Wenn das Quartier wichtiger wird : Mobilität und Wohnen im Alter

Mobilität ist für ältere Menschen ein hohes Gut und wirkt sich positiv auf ihre Lebensqualität aus. Wer mobil bleibt – und sei es nur im engeren Umkreis seines eigenen Wohnquartiers –, fühlt sich wohler und bleibt gesünder. Alternsforscher analysieren individuelle Verhaltensweisen und Bedürfnisse hochbetagter Menschen (80 Jahre und älter), sie schauen aber auch in die Zukunft: Wie sieht das Mobilitätsprofil der "jungen Alten" zwischen 65 und 80 Jahren aus, und wie wird es sich entwickeln, wenn die "Baby Boomer"-Generation, also die heute Fünfzigjährigen, Rentner sind

Factors associated with reporting multiple causes of death

BACKGROUND: There is analytical potential for multiple cause of death data collected from death certificates. This study examines relationships of multiple causes of death as a function of factors available on the death certificate (demographics of decedent, place of death, type of certifier, disposal method, whether an autopsy was performed, and year of death). METHODS: Data from 326,332 Minnesota death certificates from 1990–1998 are examined. Underlying and non-underlying causes of death are examined (based on record axis codes) as well as demographic and death-related covariates. Associations between covariates and prevalence of multiple causes of death and conditional probability of underlying compared to non-underlying causes of death are examined. The occurrence of ischemic heart disease or diabetes as underlying causes are specifically examined. RESULTS: Both the probability of multiple causes of death and the proportion of underlying cause compared to non-underlying cause of death are associated with demographic characteristics of the deceased and other non-medical conditions related to filing death certificate such as place of death. CONCLUSIONS: Multiple cause of death data provide a potentially useful way of looking for inaccuracies in reporting of causes of death. Differences across demographics in the proportion of time a cause is selected as underlying compared to non-underlying exist and can potentially provide useful information about the overall impact of causes of death in different populations

Risk factors for falls in adults with rheumatoid arthritis: a prospective study.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association between potential risk factors and falls in community-dwelling adults with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). METHODS: We followed patients for 1 year of followup in a prospective cohort study with monthly falls calendars and telephone calls. Lower extremity muscle strength, postural stability, number of swollen and tender joints, functional status, history of falling, fear of falling, pain, fatigue, medication, and use of steroids were assessed as risk factors for falls. RESULTS: A total of 386 women and 173 men with RA (n = 559) ages 18-88 years completed baseline assessments and 535 participants (96%) completed 1-year followup. Bivariate logistic regression showed that falls risk was not associated with age or sex. Multivariate logistic regression revealed that a history of multiple falls in the previous 12 months was the most significant predictive risk factor (odds ratio [OR] 5.3, 95% confidence interval [95% CI] 2.3-12.3). The most significant modifiable risk factors were swollen and tender lower extremity joints (OR 1.7, 95% CI 1.1-2.7), psychotropic medication (OR 1.8, 95% CI 1.1-3.1), and fatigue (OR 1.13, 95% CI 1.02-1.2). CONCLUSION: Adults with RA are at high risk of falls. In clinical practice, high-risk fall patients with RA can be identified by asking whether patients have fallen in the past year. Important risk factors highlighted in this study include swollen and tender lower extremity joints, fatigue, and use of psychotropic medications

Academic Performance and Behavioral Patterns

Identifying the factors that influence academic performance is an essential part of educational research. Previous studies have documented the importance of personality traits, class attendance, and social network structure. Because most of these analyses were based on a single behavioral aspect and/or small sample sizes, there is currently no quantification of the interplay of these factors. Here, we study the academic performance among a cohort of 538 undergraduate students forming a single, densely connected social network. Our work is based on data collected using smartphones, which the students used as their primary phones for two years. The availability of multi-channel data from a single population allows us to directly compare the explanatory power of individual and social characteristics. We find that the most informative indicators of performance are based on social ties and that network indicators result in better model performance than individual characteristics (including both personality and class attendance). We confirm earlier findings that class attendance is the most important predictor among individual characteristics. Finally, our results suggest the presence of strong homophily and/or peer effects among university students

Noninvasive assessment of asthma severity using pulse oximeter plethysmograph estimate of pulsus paradoxus physiology

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Pulsus paradoxus estimated by dynamic change in area under the oximeter plethysmograph waveform (PEP) might provide a measure of acute asthma severity. Our primary objective was to determine how well PEP correlates with forced expiratory volume in 1-second (%FEV₁) (criterion validity) and change of %FEV₁(responsiveness) during treatment in pediatric patients with acute asthma exacerbations.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We prospectively studied subjects 5 to 17 years of age with asthma exacerbations. PEP, %FEV₁, airway resistance and accessory muscle use were recorded at baseline and at 2 and 4 hours after initiation of corticosteroid and bronchodilator treatments. Statistical associations were tested with Pearson or Spearman rank correlations, logistic regression using generalized estimating equations, or Wilcoxon rank sum tests.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We studied 219 subjects (median age 9 years; male 62%; African-American 56%). Correlation of PEP with %FEV₁demonstrated criterion validity (r = - 0.44, 95% confidence interval [CI], - 0.56 to - 0.30) and responsiveness at 2 hours (r = - 0.31, 95% CI, - 0.50 to - 0.09) and 4 hours (r = - 0.38, 95% CI, - 0.62 to - 0.07). PEP also correlated with airway resistance at baseline (r = 0.28 for ages 5 to 10; r = 0.45 for ages 10 to 17), but not with change over time. PEP was associated with accessory muscle use (OR 1.16, 95% CI, 1.11 to 1.21, P < 0.0001).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>PEP demonstrates criterion validity and responsiveness in correlations with %FEV₁. PEP correlates with airway resistance at baseline and is associated with accessory muscle use at baseline and at 2 and 4 hours after initiation of treatment. Incorporation of this technology into contemporary pulse oximeters may provide clinicians improved parameters with which to make clinical assessments of asthma severity and response to treatment, particularly in patients who cannot perform spirometry because of young age or severity of illness. It might also allow for earlier recognition and improved management of other disorders leading to elevated pulsus paradoxus.</p