Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of a school-based train-the-trainer intervention program to teach first aid and risk reduction among high school students.

BACKGROUND Farming is a hazardous occupation posing health risks from agricultural exposures for the farm owner and family members. First Aid for Rural Medical Emergencies (F.A.R.M.E.) was developed to support a train-the-trainer (TTT) program to prepare high school students to teach first aid skills and risk reduction through peer interaction. This study was designed to evaluate the educational effectiveness for first aid skill development and awareness of safety issues and injury prevention impacting agricultural communities. METHODS Forty-three agricultural science students from a rural high school participated in the study. A quasi-experimental design was used to evaluate knowledge acquisition and anticipatory action among groups: those participating in training and a comparison group with no training. The intervention group included 27 participants trained as first aid peer instructors using the F.A. R.M. E. manual, return demonstration, case scenario facilitation training, and teaching evaluation sessions. The effectiveness of the program was evaluated using triangulated data. Independent t test analyses were conducted on post-test scores to evaluate the knowledge acquisition and anticipatory action scores between groups. Focus group sessions assessed attitudes, experiences, and values held following the intervention of teaching peers. RESULTS Results indicate that the intervention group scored significantly higher on anticipatory action (t = 2.23, p = .03) but not knowledge acquisition (t = 1.37, p = .18). Focus group data suggest that the TTT format bolstered confidence in teaching, confirmed that teens enjoy learning from teens, and fostered pride in team work. CONCLUSIONS The F.A. R.M. E. TTT resulted in a theory and evidence-based intervention that can be implemented in a school setting to promote knowledge and skill acquisition of first aid and injury prevention among rural high school students.
A 12-week intervention with protein-enriched foods and drinks improved protein intake but not physical performance of older patients during the first 6 months after hospital release: a randomised controlled trial

Abstract During and after hospitalisation, older adults are recommended to consume 1·2–1·5 g of protein/kg body weight per d (g/kg per d) to improve recovery. This randomised controlled trial studied the effectiveness of a 12-week intervention with protein-enriched foods and drinks by following-up seventy-five older patients (mean age: 76·8 (sd 6·9) years) during their first 6 months after hospital discharge. Primary outcomes were protein intake and physical performance (measured with Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB)). Secondary outcomes for physical recovery were gait speed, chair-rise time, leg-extension strength, hand-grip strength, body weight, nutritional status (Mini Nutritional Assessment), independence in activities of daily living (ADL) and physical activity. The intervention group consumed more protein during the 12-week intervention period compared with the control group (P<0·01): 112 (sd 34) g/d (1·5 (sd 0·6) g/kg per d) v. 78 (sd 18) g/d (1·0 (sd 0·4) g/kg per d). SPPB total score, gait speed, chair-rise time, body weight and nutritional status improved at week 12 compared with baseline (time effect P<0·05), but were not different between groups. Leg-extension strength, hand-grip strength and independence in ADL did not change. In conclusion, protein-enriched products enabled older adults to increase their protein intake to levels that are higher than their required intake. In these older adults with already adequate protein intakes and limited physical activity, protein enrichment did not enhance physical recovery in the first 6 months after hospital discharge.
The Perceptions of Taxpayers on the Adoption of Electronic Fiscal Devices (EFDs) in Revenue Collection in Tanzania: The Case of Dodoma

Most of developing countries rely on fiscal instruments in running their government’s operations; main source of public revenue in these countries is taxes. This study evaluated the taxpayer’s perceptions on the use of Electronic Fiscal Devices (EFDs) by analyzing the benefits of using EFDs in revenue collection; the perceptions of taxpayers towards the use of EFDs and challenges towards the use of the EFDs in revenue collection. The study adopted the survey research design and the sample size of 75 taxpayers was used. The findings show that majority of taxpayers’ demonstrated advantages of using EFDs machine in revenue collection. The study findings reveals that EFDs has reduced the time it takes to prepare sales report, secure tax information for auditing purpose and transaction; and ensure tax rate to be paid by the taxpayers. The challenges faced by EFDs users includes high prices of EFD machines, faint fiscal tax invoices, EFD’s network problem, lack of taxpayer’s education EFDs applications and few suppliers of EFDs machines. The study recommend Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA) to conduct trainings and workshops with taxpayers on EFDs application; to provide incentives to encourage taxpayers’ adoption of EFDs; to ensure sensitization, education and training programs are promoted to taxpayers’ awareness in on EFDs system in friendly manner. Finally, the government through fiscal laws should make sure that all qualified taxpayers are enrolled on the use of EFD machine.
UROLITHIASIS, ENDOUROLOGY AND LAPAROSCOPY Randomized Double-Blind Comparison of Lidocaine Gel and Plain Lubricating Gel in Relieving Pain During Flexible Cystoscopy

J Endourol, 19: 163–166, 2005 Purpose: To compare the pain induced by outpatient flexible cystoscopy in men having local lidocaine jelly application or plain lubricant. Patients and Methods: We performed a randomized, double-blind study to compare the anesthetic effect of intraurethral 2% lidocaine gel (N 45) and plain lubricant (N 46) in men undergoing outpatient flexible cystoscopy. The age, prostate size, and examination time were similar in the two groups. Before cystoscopy, we filled the urethra with 20 mL of gel, which was held for 15 minutes. A 15.5F flexible cystoscope was then used for examination. A 10-point visual analog pain scale (1 least to 10 most painful) and a four-point pain grade (grade 1 least to grade 4 most painful) were used to measure the pain perception. The amount of postoperative analgesic used and willingness to adopt the same anesthesia for future cystoscopy were also recorded. Results: The mean pain scores for the lidocaine and plain gel groups were 2.8 1.1 and 2.5 1.1, respec-tively (P 0.06), while the pain grades for the lidocaine gel and plain gel groups were 1.6 0.6 and 1.8 0.7, respectively (P 0.19). In both groups, many patients (42.2% in the lidocaine gel group and 37% in the plain lubricant group) felt the external sphincter and prostatic urethra were the most uncomfortable areas during cystoscopy. Postcystoscopic analgesics were requested by 12 of 45 patients in the lidocaine group, but only 6 of 46 of the plain-gel group (P 0.103). When patients were asked if they would desire general anes-thesia for better pain control in future examinations, five of the lidocaine group responded positively, while three of the plain-gel group said they would (P 0.62). The cost of lidocaine gel is about thrice that of the plain gel. Conclusion: Using plain lubricant is cheaper and faster than applying lidocaine gel. The pain score, pain grade, postcystoscopic analgesic requirement, and anesthetics requested for the next cystoscopy were similar in the two groups. However, a larger investigation will be needed to achieve more significant statistical power. Editorial Comment: Save your money! Lidocaine gel as an anesthetic before flexible cystoscopy is not worth its weight in plain lubricant. In actuality, it is 3 times more expensive. Indeed, whether you give 10 or 20 ml, or whether you wait the 15 minutes needed for it even to begin to work, makes no difference. 1 All that happens is you are wasting precious office time, incurring additional expense and providing your patient no benefit. Also noteworthy is that the authors document what many might consider the obvious—the areas of greatest discomfort during flexible cystoscopy are the external sphincter and the prostatic urethra. It is not clear to me that the lidocaine gel even reaches these areas.
Neural Mechanisms of Visual Attention: Object-Based Selection of a Region in Space

Objects play an important role in guiding spatial attention through a cluttered visual environment. We used event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging (ER-fMRI) to measure brain activity during cued discrimination tasks requiring subjects to orient attention either to a region bounded by an object (object-based spatial attention) or to an unbounded region of space (location-based spatial attention) in anticipation of an upcoming target. Comparison between the two tasks revealed greater activation when attention selected a region bounded by an object. This activation was strongly lateralized to the left hemisphere and formed a widely distributed network including (a) attentional structures in parietal and temporal cortex and thalamus, (b) ventral-stream object processing structures in occipital, inferior-temporal, and parahippocampal cortex, and (c) control structures in medial-and dorsolateral-prefrontal cortex. These results suggest that object-based spatial selection is achieved by imposing additional constraints over and above those processes already operating to achieve selection of an unbounded region. In addition, ER-fMRI methodology allowed a comparison of validly versus invalidly cued trials, thereby delineating brain structures involved in the reorientation of attention after its initial deployment proved incorrect. All areas of activation that differentiated between these two trial types resulted from greater activity during the invalid trials. This outcome suggests that all brain areas involved in attentional orienting and task performance in response to valid cues are also involved on invalid trials. During invalid trials, additional brain regions are recruited when a perceiver recovers from invalid cueing and reorients attention to a target appearing at an uncued location. Activated brain areas specific to attentional reorientation were strongly right-lateralized and included posterior temporal and inferior parietal regions previously implicated in visual attention processes, as well as prefrontal regions that likely subserve control processes, particularly related to inhibition of inappropriate responding.
The Measurement of Sexual Selection Using Bateman's Principles: An Experimental Test in the Sex-Role-Reversed Pipefish Syngnathus typhle1

Abstract Angus J. Bateman's classic study of sexual selection in Drosophila melanogaster has had a major influence on the development of sexual selection theory. In some ways, Bateman's study has served a catalytic role by stimulating debate on sex roles, sexual conflict and other topics in sexual selection. However, there is still considerable disagreement regarding whether or not “Bateman's principles” are helpful in the study of sexual selection. Here, we test the idea that Bateman's principles provide the basis for a useful method to quantify and compare mating systems. In this study, we focus on the sex-role-reversed pipefish Syngnathus typhle as a model system to study the measurement of sexual selection. We set up artificial breeding assemblages of pipefish in the laboratory and used microsatellite markers to resolve parentage. Three different sex-ratio treatments (female-biased, even and male-biased) were used to manipulate the expected intensity of sexual selection. Measures of the mating system based on Bateman's principles were calculated and compared to the expected changes in the intensity of sexual selection. We also compare the results of this study to the results of a similar study of Bateman's principles in the rough-skinned newt, a species with conventional sex roles. The results of this experiment show that measures of the mating system based on Bateman's principles do accurately capture the relative intensities of sexual selection in the different treatments and species. Thus, widespread use of Bateman's principles to quantify mating systems in nature would facilitate comparative studies of sexual selection and mating system evolution.
A potential role for initiator-tRNA in pre-mRNA splicing regulation

The translation initiator-tRNA plays a crucial role in the initiation of protein synthesis in both prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells, by employing specific base pairing between its anticodon triplet CAU and the general initiation codon AUG in the mRNA. Here we show that the initiator-tRNA may also act, in a manner that is independent of its role in protein translation, as a pre-mRNA splicing regulator. Specifically, we show that alternative splicing events that are induced by mutations in the translation initiation AUG codon can be suppressed by expressing initiator-tRNA constructs carrying anticodon mutations that compensate for the AUG mutations. These mutated initiator-tRNAs appeared to be uncharged with an amino acid. Our results imply that recognition of the initiation AUG sequence by the anticodon triplet of initiator-tRNA in its unloaded state plays a role in quality control of splicing in the cell nucleus by a yet unresolved mechanism. Identifying the initiator-tRNA as a transacting splicing regulator suggests a novel involvement of this molecule in splicing regulation and provides a critical step toward deciphering this intriguing mechanism.
River Delta Morphology: Wave Climate and the Role of the Subaqueous Proffile

Application of a comprehensive wave climate program to seven major deltas indicates that deltaic configurations and coastal landform combinations depend to a considerable degree on the wave power adjacent to the shore and on the river discharge relative to wave forces. Nearshore wave power is not correlative with deepwater wave power but, owing to frictional attenuation, is a function of the subaqueous slope. The subaqueous slope, in turn, depends partially on the slope and width of the continental shelf but primarily on the rate at which the river can supply sediments to the nearshore zone. River-dominated configurations result only when the river is able to build flat offshore profiles, which reduce nearshore wave power; where the subaqueous slope is steep, waves reach the shore comparatively undiminished and wave-built forms prevail.
Multipotent Stem/Progenitor Cells with Similar Properties Arise from Two Neurogenic Regions of Adult Human Brain

Recent in vitro studies have shown that the periventricular subependymal zone (SEZ) of the rodent brain is capable of de novo generation of neurons and glia. There is less information available on neurogenesis in the adult human brain, and no study has shown the clonal generation of neurons and glia from in vitro-generated "neurospheres. " Here we describe the isolation of proliferative stem/progenitor cells within neurospheres from two different regions, the SEZ and the hippocampus, from surgical biopsy specimens of adult (24-57 years) human brain. Using light and electron microscopy; immunocytochemistry for a variety of neuronal, glial, and developmental (including extracellular matrix; ECM) markers; and the reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction to demonstrate different gene transcripts found in neurospheres, it is shown that the adult human brain harbors a complex population of stem/progenitor cells that can generate neuronal and glial progeny under particular in vitro growth conditions. These methods also show that these neurospheres contain both neurons and glia and demonstrate regional similarities at the mRNA level, indicating common stem/progenitor cell types within two different neurogenic regions of the adult human brain. In addition to the synthesis of developmentally regulated molecules such as the ECM protein tenascin-C, a variety of other genes (e.g., Pax 6) and proteins (e.g. , Bcl-2) involved in cell survival and differentiation are expressed by adult human brain neurospheres.
Adapting the Curriculum: How K-12 Teachers Perceive the Role of Open Educational Resources

It has been suggested that open educational resources (OER) can lower cost and lead to greater flexibility, however while there has been significant investment in opening up content there have been few studies looking at how these resources are perceived by those who might use them. This quantitative article contributes to fill a gap in our knowledge of how K-12 educators teaching in face-to-face, online and blended contexts currently think about and use OER. It is part of the research carried out by the Hewlett-funded OER Research Hub (OERRH) Project to examine the impact of OER on teaching and learning practices. The authors report findings from a survey of 600+ schoolteachers who answered a set of attitudinal and behavioural questions in relation to how they use OER, what types of OER they use and what influences their selection of content, in addition to the purpose, challenges and perceived impact of OER in the K-12 classroom. The research highlights how OER allow schoolteachers to personalise learning through adaptation, and argues that mainstreaming OER in K-12 education is not only a matter of raising awareness but of changing teachers’ habits.
Association between Insurance Status and Hospital Length of Stay following Trauma

Previous research has demonstrated that nonclinical factors are associated with differences in clinical care, with uninsured patients receiving decreased resource use. Studies on trauma populations have also shown unclear relationships between insurance status and hospital length of stay (LOS), a commonly used metric for evaluating quality of care. The objective of this study is to define the relationship between insurance status and LOS after trauma using the largest available national trauma dataset and controlling for significant confounders. Data from 2007 to 2010 National Trauma Data Bank were used to compare differences in LOS among three insurance groups: privately insured, publically insured, and uninsured trauma patients. Multivariable regression models adjusted for potential confounding due to baseline differences in injury severity and demographic and clinical factors. A total of 884,493 patients met the inclusion criteria. After adjusting for the influence of covariates, uninsured patients had significantly shorter hospital stays (0.3 days) relative to privately insured patients. Publicly insured patients had longer risk-adjusted LOS (0.9 days). Stratified differences in discharge disposition and injury severity significantly altered the relationship between insurance status and LOS. In conclusion, this study elucidates the association between insurance status and hospital LOS, demonstrating that a patient's ability to pay could alter LOS in acute trauma patients. Additional research is needed to examine causes and outcomes from these differences to increase efficiency in the health care system, decrease costs, and shrink disparities in health outcomes.
Identity elements for specific aminoacylation of yeast tRNA(Asp) by cognate aspartyl-tRNA synthetase

The nucleotides crucial for the specific aminoacylation of yeast tRNA(Asp) by its cognate synthetase have been identified. Steady-state aminoacylation kinetics of unmodified tRNA transcripts indicate that G34, U35, C36, and G73 are important determinants of tRNA(Asp) identity. Mutations at these positions result in a large decrease (19- to 530-fold) of the kinetic specificity constant (ratio of the catalytic rate constant kcat and the Michaelis constant Km) for aspartylation relative to wild-type tRNA(Asp). Mutation to G10-C25 within the D-stem reduced kcat/Km eightfold. This fifth mutation probably indirectly affects the presentation of the highly conserved G10 nucleotide to the synthetase. A yeast tRNA(Phe) was converted into an efficient substrate for aspartyl-tRNA synthetase through introduction of the five identity elements. The identity nucleotides are located in regions of tight interaction between tRNA and synthetase as shown in the crystal structure of the complex and suggest sites of base-specific contacts.
CALL FOR PAPERS Physiological and Molecular Mechanisms Implicated in the Neural Control of Circulation Influence of sedentary versus physically active conditions on regulation of plasma renin activity and vasopressin

Mueller PJ. Influence of sedentary versus physically active conditions on regulation of plasma renin activity and vasopressin. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol 295: R727–R732, 2008. First published May 28, 2008; doi:10.1152/ajpregu.00144. 2008. —Physical inactivity is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Sedentary animals compared to physically active controls exhibit enhanced sympathoexcitatory responses, including arterial baroreflexmediated sympathoexcitation. Hypotension-induced sympathoexcitation is also associated with the release of vasoactive hormones. We hypothesized that sedentary conditions may enhance release of the vasoactive hormones AVP and ANG II. To test this hypothesis, the humoral response to hypotension was examined in conscious rats after 9–12 wk of sedentary conditions or “normally active” conditions. Normally active conditions were produced by allowing rats access to running wheels in their home cages. Running distance peaked after 4 wk (4.5 0.7 km/day), and the total distance run after 9 wk was 174 23 km (n 25). Similar levels of hypotension were induced in conscious sedentary or physically active animals with the arterial vasodilator, diazoxide (25 mg/kg iv). Control experiments used a saline injection of equivalent volume. Plasma samples were collected and assayed for plasma AVP concentration and plasma renin activity (PRA). Sedentary conditions significantly enhanced resting and hypotension-induced PRA relative to normal physical activity. In contrast, resting and hypotension-induced AVP levels were not statistically different between groups. These data suggest that baroreflexmediated activation of the renin-angiotensin system, but not AVP secretion, is enhanced by sedentary conditions. We speculate that augmented activation of the renin-angiotensin system may be related to enhanced sympathetic outflow observed in sedentary animals and may contribute to increased risk of cardiovascular disease in the sedentary population.
A quantitative anatomical study of the granule cell dendritic fields of the rat dentate gyrus using a novel probabilistic method

The granule cell dendritic fields of the adult rat dentate gyrus were analyzed quantitatively using a probabilistic method developed to correct dendritic length and segment number for dendrites cut during sectioning. Golgi‐impregnated, linearized hippocampi were sectioned serially in one of the three hippocampal planes. Three dendritic field parameters were quantified from camera lucida drawings of these dendritic fields: dendritic field spread, dendritic length, and the branching and termination patterns of dendritic segments.