Equal or Just? Intergenerational Allocations within Family Farm Businesses

A multi-disciplinary literature review was conducted in order to integrate multiple perspectives pertaining to family farm business transfer. Factors affecting perceptions of equality in family farm transfers were identified. Preliminary survey results analyze perceptions of equality within farm families and how these perceptions affect family farm transfer planning and implementation.family farm succession, intergenerational transfer, Farm Management, Q10, Q12,

Parental Motivation in Family Farm Intergenerational Transfers

An intergenerational transfer model incorporating both altruism and exchange is presented for family farm transfers. A simulation study is conducted to test parental motivation in intergenerational transfers of family farm businesses. Results indicated that family farm intergenerational transfers are altruistically motivated.Family Farms, Intergenerational Transfer, Family Farm Succession, Consumer/Household Economics, Farm Management, Q10, Q12,

Use of simulated patients to develop communication skills in nursing education: An integrative review

Background Registered nurses are expected to communicate effectively with patients. To improve on this skill education programmes in both hospital and tertiary settings are increasingly turning to simulation modalities when training undergraduate and registered nurses. The roles simulated patients (SPs) assume can vary according to training purposes and approach. Aims The first aim is to analyse how SPs are used in nursing education to develop communication skills. The second aim is to evaluate the evidence that is available to support the efficacy of using SPs for training nurses in communication skills and finally to review the SP recruitment and training procedure. Design An Integrative review. Data Sources A search was conducted on CINAHL, Psych-info, PubMed, Google Scholar, Scopus, Ovid, Medline, and ProQuest databases. Keywords and inclusion/exclusion criteria were determined and applied to the search strategy. Review Methods The integrative review included Nineteen studies from 2006-2016. Critical Appraisal Skills Program (CASP) method of evaluation was utilised. Emergent themes were extracted with similar and divergent perspectives. Results Analysis identified seven clinical contexts for communication skills training (CST) and two SP roles from the eighteen studies. SPs were either directly involved in the teaching of communication (active role) or used in the evaluation of the effectiveness of a communication skills program (passive role). A majority of studies utilised faculty-designed measurement instruments. Conclusion The evidence presented in the 19 articles indicates that the use of SPs to teach nurse-patient communication skills targets more challenging clinical interactions. Engaging SPs in both CST program facilitation and course evaluation provides nurse educators with a strong foundation to develop further pedagogical and research capacity. Expanding the utilisation of SPs to augment nurses’ communication skills and ability to engage with patients in a broader range of clinical contexts with increased methodological rigor is recommended. © 2016 Elsevier Lt

Argonaute-Bound Small RNAs from Promoter-Proximal RNA Polymerase II

Argonaute (Ago) proteins mediate posttranscriptional gene repression by binding guide miRNAs to regulate targeted RNAs. To confidently assess Ago-bound small RNAs, we adapted a mouse embryonic stem cell system to express a single epitope-tagged Ago protein family member in an inducible manner. Here, we report the small RNA profile of Ago-deficient cells and show that Ago-dependent stability is a common feature of mammalian miRNAs. Using this criteria and immunopurification, we identified an Ago-dependent class of noncanonical miRNAs derived from protein-coding gene promoters, which we name transcriptional start site miRNAs (TSS-miRNAs). A subset of promoter-proximal RNA polymerase II (RNAPII) complexes produces hairpin RNAs that are processed in a DiGeorge syndrome critical region gene 8 (Dgcr8)/Drosha-independent but Dicer-dependent manner. TSS-miRNA activity is detectable from endogenous levels and following overexpression of mRNA constructs. Finally, we present evidence of differential expression and conservation in humans, suggesting important roles in gene regulation.United States. Public Health Service (grant RO1 GM34277)National Cancer Institute (U.S.) (PO1-CA42063)National Cancer Institute (U.S.) (Koch Institute Support (core) grant P30-CA14051)National Institutes of Health (U.S.). Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (F32GM101872)National Institutes of Health (U.S.). Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (F32CA139902

Are Two Carrots Better Than One? The Effects of Adding Employment Services to Financial Incentive Programs for Welfare Recipients

The Self-Sufficiency Project (SSP) was a social experiment conducted in two provinces in Canada during the 1990s that tested a generous financial incentive program for welfare recipients. A little-known subsidiary experiment, called SSP Plus, had a three-way design that tested the incremental effect of adding employment services to the generous financial incentive program. Employment services are viewed by many welfare analysts as an important component of an overall strategy for helping welfare recipients escape poverty and achieve stable employment. This paper presents the results of the SSP Plus experiment. Adding employment services encouraged more people to take up the earnings supplement, and it appeared to have long-term effects on full-time employment and welfare receipt. This might be because the services improved the jobs people obtained. Both earnings and wage rates were higher compared to earnings and wages without the services and the jobs held appeared to be more sustainable.Labor supply, social program evaluation, welfare policy

First-generation shaped gel reactors based on photo-patterned hybrid hydrogels

This paper reports the development of first-generation photo-patterned ring-shaped gel reactors that catalyse the hydrolysis of para-nitrophenol phosphate using a phosphatase enzyme. Encapsulation of alkaline phosphatase within a hybrid gel combining a low-molecular-weight gelator (LMWG) and a polymer gelator (PG) does not appear to inhibit its ability to turn over this reaction. The PG enables photo-patterning of the gel, facilitated by the pre-formed LMWG network which limits convection and diffusion during the patterning step. Furthermore, the rheologically weak, reversible LMWG network can be washed away, allowing straightforward release of the patterned gel reactor. By tailoring reactor design and reaction conditions, and changing the enzyme to acid phosphatase, the distribution of substrate and product between the gel and the different solution phases could be controlled. Although these first generation gel reactors have some limitations, in particular with the gel adsorbing significant amounts of substrate/product, a number of design criteria emerge with regard to choice of gelator, enzyme and assembly technique. These insights will inform the future development of this approach to reaction engineering

Alfalfa forage insect control

The Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service periodically issues revisions to its publications. The most current edition is made available. For access to an earlier edition, if available for this title, please contact the Oklahoma State University Library Archives by email at [email protected] or by phone at 405-744-6311

Ischemic preconditioning modulates ROS to confer protection in liver ischemia and reperfusion

Ischemia reperfusion (IR) injury is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in liver transplantation. When oxygen is reintroduced to the liver graft it initiates a cascade of molecular reactions leading to the release of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and pro-inflammatory cytokines. These soluble mediators propagate a sterile immune response to cause significant tissue damage. Ischemic preconditioning (IPC) is one method that reduces hepatocellular injury by altering the immune response and inhibiting the production of ROS. Studies quantifying the effects of IPC in humans have demonstrated an improved liver enzyme panel in patients receiving grafts pretreated with IPC as compared to patients receiving the standard of care. In our review, we explore current literature in the field in order to describe the mechanism through which IPC regulates the production of ROS and improves IR injury

Effect of conjugated bile salts on antibiotic susceptibility of bile salt-tolerant Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium isolates.

Virtually every antibiotic may cause in vivo alterations in the number, level, and composition of the indigenous microbiotae. The degree to which the microbiotae are disturbed depends on many factors. Although bile may augment antibiotic activity, studies on the effect of bile on the antibiotic susceptibility of indigenous and exogenous probiotic microorganisms are lacking. It was against this background that the antibiotic susceptibility of 37 bile salt-tolerant Lactobacillus and 11 Bifidobacterium isolates from human and other sources was determined in the presence of 0.5% wt/wt oxgall (conjugated bile salts). Oxgall did not affect the intrinsic resistance of lactobacilli to metronidazole (5 microg), vancomycin (30 microg), and cotrimoxazole (25 microg), whereas it resulted in a complete loss of resistance to polymyxin B (300 microg) and the aminoglycosides gentamicin (10 microg), kanamycin (30 microg), and streptomycin (10 microg) for most strains studied (P < 0.001). Oxgall did not affect the intrinsic resistance of bifidobacteria to metronidazole and vancomycin, whereas polymyxin B and co-trimoxazole resistance was diminished (P < 0.05) and aminoglycoside resistance was lost (P < 0.001). Seven lactobacilli, but no bifidobacteria strain, showed unaltered intrinsic antibiotic resistance profiles in the presence of oxgall. Oxgall affected the extrinsic susceptibility of lactobacilli and bifidobacteria to penicillin G (10 microg), ampicillin (10 microg), tetracycline (30 microg), chloramphenicol (30 microg), erythromycin (15 microg), and rifampicin (5 microg) in a source- and strain-dependent manner. Human strain-drug combinations of lactobacilli (P < 0.05) and bifidobacteria (P < 0.01) were more likely to show no change or decreased susceptibility compared with other strain-drug combinations. The antimicrobial activity spectra of polymyxin B and the aminoglycosides should not be considered limited to gram-negative bacteria but extended to include gram-positive genera of the indigenous and transiting microbiotae in the presence of conjugated bile salts. Those lactobacilli (7 of 37) that show unaltered intrinsic and diminished extrinsic antibiotic susceptibility in the presence of oxgall may possess greater upper gastrointestinal tract transit tolerance in the presence of antibiotics