86 research outputs found
A School Eye Health Rapid Assessment (SEHRA) planning tool: Module to survey the magnitude and nature of local needs.
No full textBACKGROUND: Eye conditions in children can have negative consequences on visual functioning and quality of life. There is a lack of data on the magnitude of children with eye conditions who need services for effective planning of school eye health programmes. To address this, the School Eye Health Rapid Assessment (SEHRA) tool is being developed to collect data to support school eye health programme planning. METHODS: The module, 'the magnitude and nature of local needs in school children' is the first of six modules in the SEHRA tool. The module outlines a school-based cluster survey designed to determine the magnitude of eye health needs in children. This paper outlines the survey sampling strategy, and sample size calculations. RESULTS: The requirements for the SEHRA survey indicate that in regions where a larger sample size is required, or where fewer schools are recruited to the survey, confidence in the accuracy of the data will be lower. CONCLUSIONS: The SEHRA survey module 'the magnitude and nature of local needs in school children' can be applied in any context. In certain circumstances, the confidence in the survey data will be reduced
Effects of caffeinated pre-workout supplement on cognitive interference of undergraduate students
No full textThroughout history, humans have attempted to improve their overall efficiency and performance which includes the use of stimulants such as caffeine (Repantis, Bovy, Ohla, Kühn & Dresler, 2021). Today we live in such a society that constantly demands our attention. Thus, it has never been more prevalent to avoid distractions to focus on our tasks. Caffeine may have a minor impact in increasing focus during cognitive interference. Not concrete evidence as indicated by the p-value results of 0.354 for congruent trials and 0.380 for incongruent trials or 64.6% confidence and 62.0% confidence respectively. P-values determine results collected are statistically insignificant thus, it cannot be said that caffeine increases focus during cognitive interference. This poster was presented at the Douglas College Student Research Day 2022 on April 15, 2022.Not peer reviewedStudent Research Day Poster (2022
Contemporary outcome measures in acute stroke research: choice of primary outcome measure
No full textBACKGROUND AND PURPOSE:
The diversity of available outcome measures for acute stroke trials is challenging and implies that the scales may be imperfect. To assist researchers planning trials and to aid interpretation, this article reviews and makes recommendations on the available choices of scales. The aim is to identify an approach that will be universally accepted and that should be included in most acute trials, without seeking to restrict options for special circumstances.
METHODS:
The article considers outcome measures that have been widely used or are currently advised. It examines desirable properties for outcome measures such as validity, relevance, responsiveness, statistical properties, availability of training, cultural and language issues, resistance to comorbidity, as well as potential weaknesses. Tracking and agreement among outcomes are covered.
RESULTS:
Typical ranges of scores for the common scales are described, along with their statistical properties, which in turn influence optimal analytic techniques. The timing of recovery on scores and usual practice in trial design are considered.
CONCLUSIONS:
The preferred outcome measure for acute trials is the modified Rankin Scale, assessed at 3 months after stroke onset or later. The interview should be conducted by a certified rater and should involve both the patient and any relevant caregiver. Incremental benefits at any level of the modified Rankin Scale may be acceptable. The modified Rankin Scale is imperfect but should be retained in its present form for comparability with existing treatment comparisons. No second measure should be required, but correlations with supporting scales may be used to confirm consistency in direction of effects on other measures
Comparative study on umbilical cord serum prolactin levels of normal preterm neonates and preterm neonates with respiratory distress syndrome
No full textIntroduction: Respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) is the most common cause of respiratory distress, morbidity, and mortality associated with premature delivery. Prolactin is present in very high concentrations in amniotic fluid, and prolactin receptors are present in lung preparations. Prolactin acts as a direct trigger of lecithin synthesis or in a “chain reaction” along the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis. Thus, prolactin seems to have a role in lung maturation along with many other factors through a complex mechanism. Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate and compare the umbilical cord serum prolactin levels of preterm infants with and without RDS. Materials and Methods: This was a hospital-based comparative observational study carried out at neonatal units of the department of pediatric medicine in a tertiary care center from April 2019 to May 2020. Out of a total of 80 preterm infants, 40 developed RDS and other 40 served as controls. Umbilical cord blood prolactin levels in neonates were measured in both groups and compared. Chi-square test and an unpaired Student's t-test were used for statistical analysis. Probability was considered significant if <0.05. Results: The mean weight of babies was 1312.50 ± 134.30 g in the normal preterm group and 1285.80 ± 314.76 g in the preterm RDS group (P = 0.622). The mean gestational age was 32.1 ± 1.39 weeks in the normal preterm group and 31.77 ± 2.10 weeks in the preterm RDS group (P = 0.418). The mean serum prolactin levels were slightly high in the female preterm RDS group (P = 0.533). The mean cord prolactin levels in all the gestational ages were higher in normal preterm as compared to preterm with RDS (P < 0.05). Conclusions: Prolactin level was significantly associated with gestational age and birth weight. Low prolactin levels were significantly associated with the development of RDS in preterm babies. The easily available cord blood can be used to measure prolactin levels at birth to predict RDS
Transcriptomic signature of the SHATTERPROOF2 expression domain reveals the meristematic nature of arabidopsis gynoecial medial domain
No full textPlant meristems, like animal stem cell niches, maintain a pool of multipotent, undifferentiated cells that divide and differentiate to give rise to organs. In Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana), the carpel margin meristem is a vital meristematic structure that generates ovules from the medial domain of the gynoecium, the female floral reproductive structure. The molecular mechanisms that specify this meristematic region and regulate its organogenic potential are poorly understood. Here, we present a novel approach to analyze the transcriptional signature of the medial domain of the Arabidopsis gynoecium, highlighting the developmental stages that immediately proceed ovule initiation, the earliest stages of seed development. Using a floral synchronization system and a SHATTERPROOF2 (SHP2) domain-specific reporter, paired with FACS and RNA sequencing, we assayed the transcriptome of the gynoecial medial domain with temporal and spatial precision. This analysis reveals a set of genes that are differentially expressed within the SHP2 expression domain, including genes that have been shown previously to function during the development of medial domain-derived structures, including the ovules, thus validating our approach. Global analyses of the transcriptomic data set indicate a similarity of the pSHP2-expressing cell population to previously characterized meristematic domains, further supporting the meristematic nature of this gynoecial tissue. Our method identifies additional genes including novel isoforms, cis-natural antisense transcripts, and a previously unrecognized member of the REPRODUCTIVE MERISTEM family of transcriptional regulators that are potential novel regulators of medial domain development. This data set provides genome-wide transcriptional insight into the development of the carpel margin meristem in Arabidopsis
Abstracts
No full textAbstracts included:Mark Albrecht, William Stillwell and Stephen R. Wassall. Effects of Retinoids on Phospholipid Bilayers.Shirley A. Bayer. Development of the Neostriatum in the Rat Brain.Angela M. Burke and Pang Fai Ma. A Comparative Study of the Hamster Kidney Cell Line BHK-21 (C-13) and Normal Hamster Kidney Tissues.E.A.G. Chernoff. Adhesion and Expansion of Epithelial Cell Sheets.Thomas A. Cole, Willis H. Johnson and Ruchir Sehra. Identification of Members of Species-groups of Genus Paramecium with Fluorescent, DNA-binding Dyes.David M. Gibson, Steven J. Miller and Ted Goodson, III. Degradation of Liver HMGCoA Reductase in Vitro.A. Gubitosi and R.J. Stark. Effects of Extracellular Sodium and Calcium on Acetylcholine Induced Hyperpolarizations in Mouse Parotid Cells.Michael I. Lee, Scott A. Smith and Alice S. Bennett. Influence of Dietary Fatty Acids on Murine Mammary Cell Types.Michael S. Maloney and Jeannette L. Daniel. Con A Binding Sites in the Ciliate Stentor coeruleus Are Located in the Membranellar and Somatic Cilia.John W. Munford and Joseph E. Trumpey. Diabetes-induced Decrease in Sodium Pump Activity in Rat Soleus Muscle.Bruce Pickelheimer and Richard S. Manalis. Effect of Caffeine on Contractility of Frog Skeletal Muscle.Danny Lee Roberson and Richard S. Manalis. Neurotransmitter Release Simulation.Patricia R. Walsh and Michael S. Maloney. Calmodulin Antagonists Inhibit Oral Regeneration in the Ciliate Stentor coeruleus.Stephen P. Zimmer and Joan E. Lafuze. Serum Angiotensin Converting Enzyme Changes in Rabbits Following Neutrophil Activation in vivo
Instrumentation of Earth Rock Fill Dams
No full textAn effective instrumentation and monitoring program combined with regular inspection are the key factors of a good dam safety program. Instrumentation data can be of benefit only if the instruments function reliably, the data are received and evaluated in a timely manner and values are compared to the documented design limits and historical behavior
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