The effect of Teach for America on the distribution of student achievement in primary school: Evidence from a randomized experiment

Using data from a randomized experiment and fixed effect quantile regression (FEQR), we look at the effects of having a TFA teacher on test scores across the entire achievement distribution of primary school students in disadvantaged neighborhoods. While we find that TFA teachers neither help nor hurt students in terms of reading test scores, we find positive and statistically significant effects of TFA over the entire math achievement distribution for the full sample and the effects are fairly uniform. We find a similar effect of TFA across the math test score distribution irrespective of student gender, although the FEQR estimates for female students are two to three times larger than for male students. In addition, we find that there is significant heterogeneity in the effects of TFA for Hispanic and black students and for students taught by novice teachers. Finally, we find that the effect of TFA is homogeneous across the math achievement distribution irrespective of certification type. Taken together, these patterns suggest that allowing highly qualified recent college graduates and mid-career professionals, who in the absence of TFA would not have taught in these disadvantaged neighborhoods, should have a positive influence not just on students at the top of the math achievement distribution but across the entire math achievement distribution

INVESTIGATION ON PHYTOCHEMICAL, ANTIOXIDANT, AND ANTIMICROBIAL PROPERTIES, DRYING PROFILE AND EXTRACTION OPTIMIZATION OF DEER APPLE (MALUS TRILOBATA V ERIOLOBUS TRILOBATUS)

© 2022, Latin American Applied Research.All Rights Reserved.In this study, drying kinetics, extraction optimization, total phenolic and flavonoid contents, antioxidant activities, and antimicrobial effects of deer apple (Malus trilobata v Eriolobus trilobatus) fruit species were determined. Representing 50% eth-anol and 15.86 solvent-sample ratio; total phenolic and flavonoid content, antioxidant activity by DPPH and CUPRAC methods, and inhibition percent were found as 1000.9 mg gallic acid equivalent/kg fresh weight (FW), 469.5 mg catechin equivalent/kg FW, 967.7 mg Trolox equivalent/kg FW, 3.58 mg Trolox equivalent/g FW, 39.85%, respectively. It is shown that the deer apple fruit has antimicrobial activity against Escherichia coli O157:H7, Staphylococcus au-reus, Bacillus cereus, and Aspergillus flavus that known as pathogenic or spoilage microorganisms. This study shows that deer apple fruit is a good source of phenolic and flavonoid and has antimicrobial activity. Also, it contributes information about some physicochemical and antimicrobial properties of deer ap-ple fruit and aims to increase the awareness of this fruit specie

Deer apple (Malus trilobata) fruit grown in the Mediterranean region: identification of some components and pomological features

Deer apple (Malus trilobata) fruit is present naturally in the Mediterranean region and can be used for many different purposes, such as consuming as fresh and dried fruits, using as herbal tea flavorings, making vinegar, and pickle. Also, it is traditionally used against various health problems like cholesterol, shortness of breath, diabetes, and hypertension. Many researchers have studied some properties of deer apple fruit, such as the ecology of the species, fruit and seed properties, body form, and phenology. In this study, besides pomological properties, the organic acid, phenolic compound, sugar, and aroma composition of the deer apple fruit were determined for the first time. Malic acid (27.5 mg/g) is the most abundant organic acid in deer apple, while fructose (351 mg/g) is the most abundant sugar. It was determined that the deer apple contains various phenolic compounds such as protocatechuic acid, chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, epicatechin, rutin, and quercetin. Acetic acid, nonanal, hexanal, acetoin, acetaldehyde, n-octanal, hept-2(E)-enal are the most abundant aroma compounds

Recommendations for assessing patient-reported outcomes and health-related quality of life in patients with urticaria: a GA2LEN taskforce position paper

The aim of this Global Allergy and Asthma European Network (GA2LEN) consensus report is to provide recommendations and suggestions for assessing patient-reported outcomes (PROs) including health-related quality of life in patients with urticaria. We recommend that PROs should be used both in clinical trials and routine practice for the evaluation of urticaria patients. We suggest that PROs should be considered as the primary outcome of future clinical trials. Two validated and disease-specific instruments for assessing PROs are available, the urticaria activity score (for symptoms) and the chronic urticaria questionnaire on quality of life CU-Q2oL. This latter tool, CU-Q2oL, is available in many languages and should be preferred, where available, over more generic instruments for assessing urticaria-specific effects on quality of life. CU-Q2oL is only suited for the investigation of patients with chronic spontaneous urticaria. Similar instruments for other forms of urticaria have yet to be developed and validated. Also, tools for assessing other chronic spontaneous urticaria PROs besides quality of life and symptoms are needed

Hospital-acquired infections following the 1999 Marmara earthquake

In this study, medical records of all casualties admitted to our hospital following the Marmara earthquake, which struck northwest Turkey and resulted in the destruction of several towns in the Marmara region, were evaluated retrospectively. The time buried under the rubble, demographic data, type of medical and surgical therapies performed, type of injury and data on infection were analysed. Between 17 August and 25 September 1999, 630 trauma victims were received at our hospital and 532 (84%) of them were hospitalized. The mean age of hospitalized patients (312 males, 220 females) was 32 years (2-90 years). Two hundred and twenty patients were hospitalized for more than 48 h. Forty-one of them (18.6%) had 43 hospital-acquired infection (HAI) episodes, which were mostly wound infections (46.5%). A total of 143 culture specimens was collected and 48 yielded the following potential pathogens: 15 Acinetobacter baumanii (31.2%), nine Staphylococcus aureus (18.7%), seven Pseudomonas aeruginosa (14.6%), six Escherichia coli (12.5%), six Klebsiella pneumoniae (12.5%), two Stenotrophomonas maltophilia (4.2%) and three various Pseudomonas spp. (6.3%). All S. aureus strains were found to be resistant to methicillin in vitro. Two strains of A. baumannii and one P. aeruginosa were found to be resistant to all antimicrobials including carbapenems. Fifty-three victims died (10%) and 36 of those died during the first 48 h because of severe injuries and multi-organ failure. After 48 h of hospitalization, the mortality rate was significantly higher in those patients with HAI (14/41) than those without (3/179) (34.1% vs. 1.7%, P < 0.05). In conclusion, trauma is the significant factor associated with HAI and a high incidence of Acinetobacter strains was responsible for HAI in trauma patients. (C) 2002 The Hospital Infection Society