KSC00pp0349

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-03-10

The Hero Team (278) robot, named Hero, is repaired in a Kennedy Space Center research and development machine shop. The team of Edgewater High School students was co-sponsored by NASA Kennedy Space Center and Honeywell. Students from all over the country are at the KSC Visitor Complex for the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Southeast Regional competition March 9-11 in the Rocket Garden. Teams of high school students are testing the limits of their imagination using robots they have designed, with the support of business and engineering professionals and corporate sponsors, to compete in a technological battle against other schools' robots. Of the 30 high school teams competing, 16 are Florida teams co-sponsored by NASA and KSC contractors. Local high schools participating are Astronaut, Bayside, Cocoa Beach, Eau Gallie, Melbourne, Melbourne Central Catholic, Palm Bay, Rockledge, Satellite, and Titusville

KSC-00pp0349

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-03-10

The Hero Team (278) robot, named Hero, is repaired in a Kennedy Space Center research and development machine shop. The team of Edgewater High School students was co-sponsored by NASA Kennedy Space Center and Honeywell. Students from all over the country are at the KSC Visitor Complex for the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Southeast Regional competition March 9-11 in the Rocket Garden. Teams of high school students are testing the limits of their imagination using robots they have designed, with the support of business and engineering professionals and corporate sponsors, to compete in a technological battle against other schools' robots. Of the 30 high school teams competing, 16 are Florida teams co-sponsored by NASA and KSC contractors. Local high schools participating are Astronaut, Bayside, Cocoa Beach, Eau Gallie, Melbourne, Melbourne Central Catholic, Palm Bay, Rockledge, Satellite, and Titusville

KSC00pp0335

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-03-10

The Hero Team (278) robot, named Hero, is repaired in a Kennedy Space Center research and development machine shop. The team of Edgewater High School students was co-sponsored by NASA Kennedy Space Center and Honeywell. Students from all over the country are at the KSC Visitor Complex for the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Southeast Regional competition March 9-11 in the Rocket Garden. Teams of high school students are testing the limits of their imagination using robots they have designed, with the support of business and engineering professionals and corporate sponsors, to compete in a technological battle against other schools' robots. Of the 30 high school teams competing, 16 are Florida teams co-sponsored by NASA and KSC contractors. Local high schools participating are Astronaut, Bayside, Cocoa Beach, Eau Gallie, Melbourne, Melbourne Central Catholic, Palm Bay, Rockledge, Satellite, and Titusville

KSC00pp0326

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-03-10

The Roboticks team (408) carries their robot, which is named R2K, during the FIRST competition. The team of students from Blanche Ely High School in Ft. Lauderdale was co-sponsored by Nortel Networks and NASA Kennedy Space Center. Students from all over the country are at the KSC Visitor Complex for the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Southeast Regional competition March 9-11 in the Rocket Garden. Teams of high school students are testing the limits of their imagination using robots they have designed, with the support of business and engineering professionals and corporate sponsors, to compete in a technological battle against other schools' robots. Of the 30 high school teams competing, 16 are Florida teams co-sponsored by NASA and KSC contractors. Local high schools participating are Astronaut, Bayside, Cocoa Beach, Eau Gallie, Melbourne, Melbourne Central Catholic, Palm Bay, Rockledge, Satellite, and Titusville

KSC-00pp0326

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-03-10

The Roboticks team (408) carries their robot, which is named R2K, during the FIRST competition. The team of students from Blanche Ely High School in Ft. Lauderdale was co-sponsored by Nortel Networks and NASA Kennedy Space Center. Students from all over the country are at the KSC Visitor Complex for the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Southeast Regional competition March 9-11 in the Rocket Garden. Teams of high school students are testing the limits of their imagination using robots they have designed, with the support of business and engineering professionals and corporate sponsors, to compete in a technological battle against other schools' robots. Of the 30 high school teams competing, 16 are Florida teams co-sponsored by NASA and KSC contractors. Local high schools participating are Astronaut, Bayside, Cocoa Beach, Eau Gallie, Melbourne, Melbourne Central Catholic, Palm Bay, Rockledge, Satellite, and Titusville

Team 278 gets help from KSC machine shop

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2000-01-01

The Hero Team (278) gets some help from a Kennedy Space Center research and development machine shop in repairing their robot, named Hero. The team of Edgewater High School students was co- sponsored by NASA Kennedy Space Center and Honeywell. Students from all over the country are at the KSC Visitor Complex for the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Southeast Regional competition March 9-11 in the Rocket Garden. Teams of high school students are testing the limits of their imagination using robots they have designed, with the support of business and engineering professionals and corporate sponsors, to compete in a technological battle against other schools' robots. Of the 30 high school teams competing, 16 are Florida teams co- sponsored by NASA and KSC contractors. Local high schools participating are Astronaut, Bayside, Cocoa Beach, Eau Gallie, Melbourne, Melbourne Central Catholic, Palm Bay, Rockledge, Satellite, and Titusville.

Team 278 gets help from KSC machine shop

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2000-01-01

The Hero Team (278) robot, named Hero, is repaired in a Kennedy Space Center research and development machine shop. The team of Edgewater High School students was co-sponsored by NASA Kennedy Space Center and Honeywell. Students from all over the country are at the KSC Visitor Complex for the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Southeast Regional competition March 9-11 in the Rocket Garden. Teams of high school students are testing the limits of their imagination using robots they have designed, with the support of business and engineering professionals and corporate sponsors, to compete in a technological battle against other schools' robots. Of the 30 high school teams competing, 16 are Florida teams co-sponsored by NASA and KSC contractors. Local high schools participating are Astronaut, Bayside, Cocoa Beach, Eau Gallie, Melbourne, Melbourne Central Catholic, Palm Bay, Rockledge, Satellite, and Titusville.

Ascaridia galli induced ulcerative proventriculitis in a poultry bird.

PubMed

Brar, Rajinder Singh; Kumar, Rahul; Leishangthem, Geeta Devi; Banga, Harmanjit Singh; Singh, Nittin Dev; Singh, Harkirat

2016-06-01

Various possible causes of proventriculitis include virus, bacteria, fungus, protozoans, nematodes, biogenic amines and excessive copper sulphate. In the present case, parasites were found in the lumen of the proventriculus, gizzard and duodenum of a poultry bird. Characteristic features of the parasite were studied and confirmed as Ascaridia galli. An ulcerative proventriculitis evident as denuded superficial epithelium, sub-epithelial hemorrhages, infiltration of the inflammatory cells and fibrosis were seen at histopathology. Proventriculitis caused by A. galli has not been reported till date. Here, we report a case of ulcerative proventriculitis in a poultry bird caused by nematode, A. galli.

Closing ceremonies of the FIRST Southeast Regional robotics competition

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2000-01-01

Members of the team known as Heatwave, from St. Petersburg, Fla., are excited after receiving an award at the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Southeast Regional competition held at the KSC Visitor Complex. At left are Carol Cavanaugh, Public Affairs, and Nap Carroll, chief financial officer, Kennedy Space Center. Heatwave came in second for the final competition, plus received awards for Number One Seed, Best Offensive round, and the DaimlerChrysler Team Spirit. Teams of high school students from all over the country tested the limits of their imagination using robots they designed, with the support of business and engineering professionals and corporate sponsors, to compete in a technological battle against other schools' robots. Of the 30 high school teams competing at the Southeast Regional event, 16 were Florida teams co-sponsored by NASA and KSC contractors. Local high schools participating are Astronaut, Bayside, Cocoa Beach, Eau Gallie, Melbourne, Melbourne Central Catholic, Palm Bay, Rockledge, Satellite, and Titusville.

Closing ceremonies of the FIRST Southeast Regional robotics competition

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2000-01-01

Adult members of the team known as Heatwave, from St. Petersburg, Fla., get 'high fives' from Nap Carroll (center), chief financial officer, Kennedy Space Center, and other officials of the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Southeast Regional competition held at the KSC Visitor Complex. Heatwave came in second for the final competition, plus received awards for Number One Seed, Best Offensive round, and the DaimlerChrysler Team Spirit. Teams of high school students from all over the country tested the limits of their imagination using robots they designed, with the support of business and engineering professionals and corporate sponsors, to compete in a technological battle against other schools' robots. Of the 30 high school teams competing at the Southeast Regional event, 16 were Florida teams co-sponsored by NASA and KSC contractors. Local high schools participating are Astronaut, Bayside, Cocoa Beach, Eau Gallie, Melbourne, Melbourne Central Catholic, Palm Bay, Rockledge, Satellite, and Titusville.

Closing ceremonies of the FIRST Southeast Regional robotics competition

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2000-01-01

Members of the team known as Heatwave, from St. Petersburg, Fla., accept one of their four awards earned during the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Southeast Regional competition held at the KSC Visitor Complex. Heatwave came in second for the final competition, plus received awards for Number One Seed, Best Offensive round, and the DaimlerChrysler Team Spirit. At far left is Nap Carroll, chief financial officer, Kennedy Space Center. Teams of high school students from all over the country tested the limits of their imagination using robots they designed, with the support of business and engineering professionals and corporate sponsors, to compete in a technological battle against other schools' robots. Of the 30 high school teams competing at the Southeast Regional event, 16 were Florida teams co-sponsored by NASA and KSC contractors. Local high schools participating are Astronaut, Bayside, Cocoa Beach, Eau Gallie, Melbourne, Melbourne Central Catholic, Palm Bay, Rockledge, Satellite, and Titusville.

KSC-00pp0351

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-03-11

Adult members of the team known as Heatwave, from St. Petersburg, Fla., get "high fives" from Nap Carroll (center), chief financial officer, Kennedy Space Center, and other officials of the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Southeast Regional competition held at the KSC Visitor Complex. Heatwave came in second for the final competition, plus received awards for Number One Seed, Best Offensive round, and the DaimlerChrysler Team Spirit. Teams of high school students from all over the country tested the limits of their imagination using robots they designed, with the support of business and engineering professionals and corporate sponsors, to compete in a technological battle against other schools' robots. Of the 30 high school teams competing at the Southeast Regional event, 16 were Florida teams co-sponsored by NASA and KSC contractors. Local high schools participating are Astronaut, Bayside, Cocoa Beach, Eau Gallie, Melbourne, Melbourne Central Catholic, Palm Bay, Rockledge, Satellite, and Titusvill

KSC00pp0351

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-03-11

Adult members of the team known as Heatwave, from St. Petersburg, Fla., get "high fives" from Nap Carroll (center), chief financial officer, Kennedy Space Center, and other officials of the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Southeast Regional competition held at the KSC Visitor Complex. Heatwave came in second for the final competition, plus received awards for Number One Seed, Best Offensive round, and the DaimlerChrysler Team Spirit. Teams of high school students from all over the country tested the limits of their imagination using robots they designed, with the support of business and engineering professionals and corporate sponsors, to compete in a technological battle against other schools' robots. Of the 30 high school teams competing at the Southeast Regional event, 16 were Florida teams co-sponsored by NASA and KSC contractors. Local high schools participating are Astronaut, Bayside, Cocoa Beach, Eau Gallie, Melbourne, Melbourne Central Catholic, Palm Bay, Rockledge, Satellite, and Titusvill

Team 282 prepares for the FIRST competition

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2000-01-01

The Orange Crusher team (282) works on their robot, which is named Rust Bot, during the FIRST competition. The team of students from Lake Howell, Winter Springs and Orange Christian Private high schools was co-sponsored by NASA Kennedy Space Center, Matern Professional Engineering The Foundation, Control Technologies, Lucent Technologies and Sandy Engineering. Students from all over the country are at the KSC Visitor Complex for the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Southeast Regional competition March 9-11 in the Rocket Garden. Teams of high school students are testing the limits of their imagination using robots they have designed, with the support of business and engineering professionals and corporate sponsors, to compete in a technological battle against other schools' robots. Of the 30 high school teams competing, 16 are Florida teams co- sponsored by NASA and KSC contractors. Local high schools participating are Astronaut, Bayside, Cocoa Beach, Eau Gallie, Melbourne, Melbourne Central Catholic, Palm Bay, Rockledge, Satellite, and Titusville.

KSC00pp0325

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-03-10

The Orange Crusher team (282) works on their robot, which is named Rust Bot, during the FIRST competition. The team of students from Lake Howell, Winter Springs and Orange Christian Private high schools was co-sponsored by NASA Kennedy Space Center, Matern Professional Engineering The Foundation, Control Technologies, Lucent Technologies and Sandy Engineering. Students from all over the country are at the KSC Visitor Complex for the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Southeast Regional competition March 9-11 in the Rocket Garden. Teams of high school students are testing the limits of their imagination using robots they have designed, with the support of business and engineering professionals and corporate sponsors, to compete in a technological battle against other schools' robots. Of the 30 high school teams competing, 16 are Florida teams co-sponsored by NASA and KSC contractors. Local high schools participating are Astronaut, Bayside, Cocoa Beach, Eau Gallie, Melbourne, Melbourne Central Catholic, Palm Bay, Rockledge, Satellite, and Titusvill

KSC-00pp0325

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-03-10

The Orange Crusher team (282) works on their robot, which is named Rust Bot, during the FIRST competition. The team of students from Lake Howell, Winter Springs and Orange Christian Private high schools was co-sponsored by NASA Kennedy Space Center, Matern Professional Engineering The Foundation, Control Technologies, Lucent Technologies and Sandy Engineering. Students from all over the country are at the KSC Visitor Complex for the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Southeast Regional competition March 9-11 in the Rocket Garden. Teams of high school students are testing the limits of their imagination using robots they have designed, with the support of business and engineering professionals and corporate sponsors, to compete in a technological battle against other schools' robots. Of the 30 high school teams competing, 16 are Florida teams co-sponsored by NASA and KSC contractors. Local high schools participating are Astronaut, Bayside, Cocoa Beach, Eau Gallie, Melbourne, Melbourne Central Catholic, Palm Bay, Rockledge, Satellite, and Titusvill

Greater Melbourne.

PubMed

Wulff, M; Burke, T; Newton, P

1986-03-01

With more than a quarter of its population born overseas, Melbourne, Australia, is rapidly changing from an all-white British outpost to a multicultural, multilingual community. Since the "white" Australian policy was abandoned after World War II, 3 million immigrants from 100 different countries have moved to Australia. Most of the immigrants come from New Zealand, Rhodesia, South Africa, Britain, Ireland, Greece, Turkey, Yugoslavia, Poland, and Indochina. Melbourne is Australia's 2nd largest city and houses 1 out of 5 Australians. Its 1984 population was 2,888,400. Melbourne's housing pattern consists of subdivisions; 75% of the population live in detached houses. Between 1954 and 1961 Melbourne grew at an annual rate of 3.5%; its growth rate between 1961 and 1971 still averaged 2.5%. In the 1970s the growth rate slowed to 1.4%. Metropolitan Melbourne has no central government but is divided into 56 councils and 8 regions. Both Australia's and Melbourne's fertility rates are high compared to the rest of the developed world, partly because of their younger age structure. 41% of Melbourne's population was under age 24 in 1981. Single-person households are growing faster than any other type. 71% of the housing is owner-occupied; in 1981 the median sized dwelling had 5.2 rooms. Public housing only accounts for 2.6% of all dwellings. Fewer students graduate from high school in Australia than in other developed countries, and fewer graduates pursue higher education. Melbourne's suburban sprawl promotes private car travel. In 1980 Melbourne contained more than 28,000 retail establishments and 4200 restaurants and hotels. Industry accounts for 30% of employment, and services account for another 30%. Its largest industries are motor vehicles, clothing, and footware. Although unemployment reached 10% after the 1973 energy crisis, by 1985 it was down to 6%.

77 FR 73654 - Eau Galle Renewable Energy Company, Eau Galle Hydro, LLC; Notice of Transfer of Exemption

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-12-11

... Renewable Energy Company, Eau Galle Hydro, LLC; Notice of Transfer of Exemption 1. By letter filed October 12, 2012, Eau Galle Renewable Energy Company informed the Commission that its exemption from... transferred to Eau Galle Renewable Energy Company by letter.\\2\\ The project is located on the Eau Galle River...

Nuclear DNA contents of Echinchloa crus-galli and its Gaussian relationships with environments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Dan-Dan; Lu, Yong-Liang; Guo, Shui-Liang; Yin, Li-Ping; Zhou, Ping; Lou, Yu-Xia

2017-02-01

Previous studies on plant nuclear DNA content variation and its relationships with environmental gradients produced conflicting results. We speculated that the relationships between nuclear DNA content of a widely-distributed species and its environmental gradients might be non-linear if it was sampled in a large geographical gradient. Echinochloa crus-galli (L.) P. Beauv. is a worldwide species, but without documents on its intraspecific variation of nuclear DNA content. Our objectives are: 1) to detect intraspecific variation scope of E. crus-galli in its nuclear DNA content, and 2) to testify whether nuclear DNA content of the species changes with environmental gradients following Gaussian models if its populations were sampled in a large geographical gradient. We collected seeds of 36 Chinese populations of E. crus-galli across a wide geographical gradient, and sowed them in a homogeneous field to get their offspring to determine their nuclear DNA content. We analyzed the relationships of nuclear DNA content of these populations with latitude, longitude, and nineteen bioclimatic variables by using Gaussian and linear models. (1) Nuclear DNA content varied from 2.113 to 2.410 pg among 36 Chinese populations of E. crus-galli, with a mean value of 2.256 pg. (2) Gaussian correlations of nuclear DNA content (y) with geographical gradients were detected, with latitude (x) following y = 2.2923*e -(x - 24.9360)2/2*63.79452 (r = 0.546, P < 0.001), and with longitude (x) following y = 2.2933*e -(x - 116.1801)2/2*44.74502 (r = 0.672, P < 0.001). (3) Among the nineteen bioclimatic variables, except temperature isothermality, precipitations of the wettest month, the wettest quarter and the warmest quarter, the others could be better fit with nuclear DNA content by using Gaussian models than by linear models. There exists intra-specific variation among 36 Chinese populations of E. crus-galli, Gaussian models could be applied to fit the correlations of its Nuclear DNA content

Allelopathy effect of rice straw on the germination and growth of Echinochloa crus-galli (L.) P. Beauv

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anuar, Fitryana Dewi Khairul; Ismail B., S.; Ahmad, Wan Juliana Wan

2015-09-01

A study on the effect of extract and decomposing rice straw of MR220 CL2, MR253 and MR263 on the germination and seedling growth of Echinochloa crus-galli has been conducted in the laboratory and greenhouse of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. Three concentrations of aqueous extract (25, 50 and 100 g L-1) and decomposing rice straw (5, 10 and 15 g 500g-1) were used in the experiment. The experimental design used was the Complete Randomized Design (CRD) to evaluate the allelopathic effect of various concentrations of rice straw on various growth parameters of the test plants. All the experiments were carried out in three replications and conducted twice. Results showed that the rice straw extract of all the varieties showed significant effects on the germination and seedling growth of E. crus-galli. Aqueous extract of MR263 showed the greatest reduction on the germination of E.crus-galli compared to the other varieties at 100 g L-1 concentration (26% as compared to control). As the extract concentration of rice straw increased, the radicle length of E. crus-galli was significantly reduced. The radicle and hypocotyl length of E. crus-galli was significantly inhibited by 82.28% and 41.13% respectively at 100 g L-1 concentration of the aqueous extract of MR263. Decomposing rice straw of all rice varieties inhibited germination and all the growth parameters of the test plants. As the concentration of rice debris increased, the radicle length of the test plant decreased for all treatments. Decomposing rice straw of MR220 CL2 showed the greatest inhibitory effect on the growth of E. crus-galli compared to the other varieties. It inhibited the radicle, hypocotyl, fresh and dry weight of the test plants by 63.29%, 62.61%, 83.68% and 82.49% respectively as compared to the control. Therefore, rice straw of MR220 CL2, MR253 and MR263 showed allelopathic characteristics as they inhibited the germination and various growth parameters of E. crus-galli. However, further studies need

Effect of an artificial Ascaridia galli infection on egg production, immune response, and liver lipid reserve of free-range laying hens.

PubMed

Sharma, N; Hunt, P W; Hine, B C; McNally, J; Sharma, N K; Iqbal, Z; Normant, C; Andronicos, N M; Swick, R A; Ruhnke, I

2018-02-01

This study was conducted to determine the effect of Ascaridia galli infection on free-range laying hens. Lohmann Brown laying hens (n = 200) at 17 wk of age were allocated to 4 treatment groups (n = 50 per group), each with 5 replicate pens of 10 hens. Hens in 3 treatment groups were orally inoculated with different doses of embryonated A. galli eggs: low (250 eggs), medium (1,000 eggs), and high (2,500 eggs) levels, whereas hens of the control group were not infected. Infection levels were monitored using excreta egg counts and mature A. galli worm counts in the intestine. Anti A. galli antibody titers (IgY) in the serum were measured prior to infection, and at 6, 11, 15, and 20 wk post infection (PI) and in egg yolk at 11 and 20 wk PI. Parameters evaluated included feed intake, egg production, egg weight, egg mass, FCR, liver weight, liver fat, and intra epithelial immune cell infiltration. The results showed no difference in feed intake, body weight, or FCR among any treatment groups (P > 0.05). Egg production was lower in the low infection group compared to other groups at 20 wk of age (P < 0.01). Serum IgY was higher in the infected groups' hens at 20 wk PI compared to control group hens (P < 0.01). Yolk IgY increased significantly over time and was higher in infected hens compared to hens of the control group at 11 and 20 wk PI (P < 0.001). No differences were observed in liver lipid content or intraepithelial lymphocytes infiltration among treatment groups. Ascaridia galli eggs in the coprodeum content and adult A. galli worm count were higher in infected hens compared to hens of the control group (P < 0.01). In conclusion, the effects of artificial infection with A. galli on the parameters investigated were minor, and egg yolk antibody may be a more reliable indicator of A. galli infection than serum antibody or excreta egg count. © 2017 Poultry Science Association Inc.

EAU policy on live surgery events.

PubMed

Artibani, Walter; Ficarra, Vincenzo; Challacombe, Ben J; Abbou, Clement-Claude; Bedke, Jens; Boscolo-Berto, Rafael; Brausi, Maurizio; de la Rosette, Jean J M C H; Deger, Serdar; Denis, Louis; Guazzoni, Giorgio; Guillonneau, Bertrand; Heesakkers, John P F A; Jacqmin, Didier; Knoll, Thomas; Martínez-Piñeiro, Luis; Montorsi, Francesco; Mottrie, Alexander; Piechaud, Pierre-Thierry; Rane, Abhay; Rassweiler, Jens; Stenzl, Arnulf; Van Moorselaar, Jeroen; Van Velthoven, Roland F; van Poppel, Hendrik; Wirth, Manfred; Abrahamsson, Per-Anders; Parsons, Keith F

2014-07-01

Live surgery is an important part of surgical education, with an increase in the number of live surgery events (LSEs) at meetings despite controversy about their real educational value, risks to patient safety, and conflicts of interest. To provide a European Association of Urology (EAU) policy on LSEs to regulate their organisation during urologic meetings. The project was carried out in phases: a systematic literature review generating key questions, surveys sent to Live Surgery Panel members, and Internet- and panel-based consensus finding using the Delphi process to agree on and formulate a policy. The EAU will endorse LSEs, provided that the EAU Code of Conduct for live surgery and all organisational requirements are followed. Outcome data must be submitted to an EAU Web-based registry and complications reported using the revised Martin criteria. Regular audits will take place to evaluate compliance as well as the educational role of live surgery. This policy represents the consensus view of an expert panel established to advise the EAU. The EAU recognises the educational role of live surgery and endorses live case demonstration at urologic meetings that are conducted within a clearly defined regulatory framework. The overriding principle is that patient safety must take priority over all other considerations in the conduct of live surgery. Controversy exists regarding the true educational value of live surgical demonstrations on patients at surgical meetings. An EAU committee of experts developed a policy on how best to conduct live surgery at urologic meetings. The key principle is to ensure safety for every patient, including a code of conduct and checklist for live surgery, specific rules for how the surgery is organised and performed, and how each patient's results are reported to the EAU. For detailed information, please visit www.uroweb.org. Copyright © 2014 European Association of Urology. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

HERBICIDE SENSITIVITY OF ECHINOCHLOA CRUS-GALLI POPULATIONS: A COMPARISON BETWEEN CROPPING SYSTEMS.

PubMed

Claerhout, S; De Cauwer, B; Reheul, D

2014-01-01

Echinochloa crus-galli populations exhibit high morphological variability and their response to herbicides varies from field to field. Differential response to herbicides could reflect differences in selection pressure, caused by years of cropping system related herbicide usage. This study investigates the relation between herbicide sensitivity of Echinochloa crus-galli populations and the cropping system to which they were subjected. The herbicide sensitivity of Echinochloa crus-galli was evaluated for populations collected on 18 fields, representing three cropping systems, namely (1) a long-term organic cropping system, (2) a conventional cropping system with corn in crop rotation or (3) a conventional cropping system with long-term monoculture of corn. Each cropping system was represented by 6 E. crus-galli populations. All fields were located on sandy soils. Dose-response pot experiments were conducted in the greenhouse to assess the effectiveness of three foliar-applied corn herbicides: nicosulfuron (ALS-inhibitor), cycloxydim (ACCase-inhibitor) and topramezone (HPPD-inhibitor), and two soil-applied corn herbicides: S-metolachlor and dimethenamid-P (both VLCFA-inhibitors). Foliar-applied herbicides were tested at a quarter, half and full recommended doses. Soil-applied herbicides were tested within a dose range of 0-22.5 g a.i. ha(-1) for S-metolachlor and 0-45 g a.i. ha(-1) for dimethenamid-P. Foliar-applied herbicides were applied at the three true leaves stage. Soil-applied herbicides were treated immediately after sowing the radicle-emerged seeds. All experiments were performed twice. The foliage dry weight per pot was determined four weeks after treatment. Plant responses to herbicides were expressed as biomass reduction (%, relative to the untreated control). Sensitivity to foliar-applied herbicides varied among cropping systems. Compared to populations from monoculture corn fields, populations originating from organic fields were significantly more

Cuticular surface damage of Ascaridia galli adult worms treated with Veitchia merrillii betel nuts extract in vitro.

PubMed

Balqis, Ummu; Hambal, Muhammad; Rinidar; Athaillah, Farida; Ismail; Azhar; Vanda, Henni; Darmawi

2017-07-01

The objective of this research was to in vitro evaluate the cuticular surface damage of Ascaridia galli adult worms treated with ethanolic extract of betel nuts Veitchia merrillii . Phytochemical screening was done using FeCl 3 , Wagner and Dragendorff reagents, NaOH, MgHCl, and Liebermann-Burchard reaction test. Amount of 16 worms were segregated into four groups with three replicates. Four worms of each group submerged into phosphate buffered saline, 25 mg/ml, and 75 mg/ml crude ethanolic extract of V. merrillii , and 15 mg/ml albendazole. The effect of these extract was observed 40 h after incubation as soon as worms death. The worms were sectioned transversally and were explored for any cuticular histopathological changes in their body surface under microscope. We found that the ethanolic extract of V. merrillii betel nuts contains tannins, alkaloids, flavonoids, triterpenoids, and saponins. The ethanolic extract of betel nuts V. merrillii induces surface alterations caused cuticular damage of A. galli adult worms. We concluded that ethanolic extract of betel nuts V. merrillii possess anthelmintic activity caused cuticular damage of A. galli adult worms.

[Blastocystis galli sp. n. (Protista: Rhizopoda) from the intestines of domestic hens].

PubMed

Belova, L M; Kostenko, L A

1990-01-01

A new species, Blastocystis galli, parasitic in blind processes of large intestine was found in domestic hens. Sizes of blastocysts are 7.5-35.0 x 6.25-30.0 (18.67 x 17.05) microns. The parasite form varies from round to ellipsoid. There were found stages with 1 to 4 nuclei and stages containing 8 to 32 small daughter individuals. Outside blastocysts are covered with structured glycocalyx. Under glycocalyx there is a plasmatic membrane. Cytoplasm contains a great number of ribosomes and mitochondria with cristae resembling in their shape oval or round small sacs. Nucleus contains nucleolus. Chromatin mass is concentrated on one of the poles of the nucleus as individual bodies. Semilunar in form chromatin mass was not found. Golgi apparatus is represented by a number of plates grouped in a pile. Most part of the cell is occupied by reproductive organelles divided by cytoplasmatic membranes into compartments. On the basis of its ultrafine organization. B. galli is assigned to the kingdom Protista, type Rhizopoda, class Lobosea, subclass Gymnamoebia, order Blastocystida.

Cuticular surface damage of Ascaridia galli adult worms treated with Veitchia merrillii betel nuts extract in vitro

PubMed Central

Balqis, Ummu; Hambal, Muhammad; Rinidar; Athaillah, Farida; Ismail; Azhar; Vanda, Henni; Darmawi

2017-01-01

Aim: The objective of this research was to in vitro evaluate the cuticular surface damage of Ascaridia galli adult worms treated with ethanolic extract of betel nuts Veitchia merrillii. Materials and Methods: Phytochemical screening was done using FeCl3, Wagner and Dragendorff reagents, NaOH, MgHCl, and Liebermann–Burchard reaction test. Amount of 16 worms were segregated into four groups with three replicates. Four worms of each group submerged into phosphate buffered saline, 25 mg/ml, and 75 mg/ml crude ethanolic extract of V. merrillii, and 15 mg/ml albendazole. The effect of these extract was observed 40 h after incubation as soon as worms death. The worms were sectioned transversally and were explored for any cuticular histopathological changes in their body surface under microscope. Results: We found that the ethanolic extract of V. merrillii betel nuts contains tannins, alkaloids, flavonoids, triterpenoids, and saponins. The ethanolic extract of betel nuts V. merrillii induces surface alterations caused cuticular damage of A. galli adult worms. Conclusion: We concluded that ethanolic extract of betel nuts V. merrillii possess anthelmintic activity caused cuticular damage of A. galli adult worms. PMID:28831213

Mechanism of metamifop inhibition of the carboxyltransferase domain of acetyl-coenzyme A carboxylase in Echinochloa crus-galli

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xia, Xiangdong; Tang, Wenjie; He, Shun; Kang, Jing; Ma, Hongju; Li, Jianhong

2016-09-01

Acetyl-coenzyme A carboxylase (ACCase) plays crucial roles in fatty acid metabolism and is an attractive target for herbicide discovery. Metamifop is a novel ACCase-inhibiting herbicide that can be applied to control sensitive weeds in paddy fields. In this study, the effects of metamifop on the chloroplasts, ACCase activity and carboxyltransferase (CT) domain gene expression in Echinochloa crus-galli were investigated. The results showed that metamifop interacted with the CT domain of ACCase in E. crus-galli. The three-dimensional structure of the CT domain of E. crus-galli ACCase in complex with metamifop was examined by homology modelling, molecular docking and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. Metamifop has a different mechanism of inhibiting the CT domain compared with other ACCase inhibitors as it interacted with a different region in the active site of the CT domain. The protonation of nitrogen in the oxazole ring of metamifop plays a crucial role in the interaction between metamifop and the CT domain. The binding mode of metamifop provides a foundation for elucidating the molecular mechanism of target resistance and cross-resistance among ACCase herbicides, and for designing and optimizing ACCase inhibitors.

New geophysical views of Mt.Melbourne Volcano (East Antarctica)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Armadillo, E.; Gambetta, M.; Ferraccioli, F.; Corr, H.; Bozzo, E.

2009-05-01

Mt. Melbourne volcano is located along the transition between the Transantarctic Mountains and the West Antarctic Rift System. Recent volcanic activity is suggested by the occurrence of blankets of pyroclastic pumice and scoria fall around the eastern and southern flanks of Mt Melbourne and by pyroclastic layers interbedded with the summit snows. Geothermal activity in the crater area of Mount Melbourne may be linked to the intrusion of dykes within the last 200 years. Geophysical networks suggest that Mount Melbourne is a quiescent volcano, possibly characterised by slow internal dynamics. During the 2002-2003 Italian Antarctic campaign a high-resolution aeromagnetic survey was performed within the TIMM (Tectonics and Interior of Mt. Melbourne area) project. This helicopter-borne survey was flown at low-altitude and in drape-mode configuration (305 m above terrain) with a line separation less than 500 m. Our new high-resolution magnetic maps reveal the largely ice-covered magmatic and tectonic patters in the Mt. Melbourne volcano area. Additionally, in the frame of the UK-Italian ISODYN-WISE project (2005-06), an airborne ice-sounding radar survey was flown. We combine the sub-ice topography with images and models of the interior of Mt. Melbourne volcano, as derived from the high resolution aeromagnetic data and land gravity data. Our new geophysical maps and models also provide a new tool to study the regional setting of the volcano. In particular we re-assess whether there is geophysical evidence for coupling between strike-slip faulting, the Terror Rift, and Mount Melbourne volcano.

Melbourne vascular surgical association audit.

PubMed

Beiles, C Barry

2003-01-01

The formation of the Melbourne Vascular Surgical Association has led to the establishment of a vascular surgical audit programme that commenced in January 1999. This has allowed establishment of a benchmark for quality assurance in vascular surgery in Australia. A consultative process allowed widespread adoption of the audit across all public hospital vascular units in Melbourne and the two largest regional centres in Victoria. Data were collected at two points during admission: at operation and at discharge. Risk stratification, using logistic regression and risk-adjusted ratios for adverse events was assessed for comparison of outcomes between units for the first 3 years of data collection. There is regular contact with all participants for data feedback and quality control. The standard of vascular surgery across Victoria is consistent, and there has been excellent compliance by all academic vascular units. Private practice data are less complete, and only half of the vascular surgeons have participated. A statewide audit process is feasible and viable. Coordination by the Melbourne Vascular Surgical Association is crucial for its continued success.

Tamil in Melbourne

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fernandez, Sue; Clyne, Michael

2007-01-01

There have been few Australian studies of language maintenance amongst immigrant languages from the Indian subcontinent. The present study focuses on Tamil speakers in Melbourne from Sri Lanka or India, who are Hindus or Christians. Tamil is a pluricentric language that has been under the domination of English in these countries, at least amongst…

76 FR 70532 - Release of Airport Property: Melbourne International Airport, Melbourne, FL

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-11-14

... Melbourne Airport Authority to dispose of the property for other than aeronautical purposes. The property is... Drive in Brevard County, Florida. This parcel is adjacent to airport property and is currently vacant...-aeronautical purposes. DATES: Comments are due on or before December 14, 2011. ADDRESSES: Documents are...

Astronomical publications of Melbourne Observatory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Andropoulos, Jenny Ioanna

2014-05-01

During the second half of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century, four well-equipped government observatories were maintained in Australia - in Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide and Perth. These institutions conducted astronomical observations, often in the course of providing a local time service, and they also collected and collated meteorological data. As well, some of these observatories were involved at times in geodetic surveying, geomagnetic recording, gravity measurements, seismology, tide recording and physical standards, so the term "observatory" was being used in a rather broad sense! Despite the international renown that once applied to Williamstown and Melbourne Observatories, relatively little has been written by modern-day scholars about astronomical activities at these observatories. This research is intended to rectify this situation to some extent by gathering, cataloguing and analysing the published astronomical output of the two Observatories to see what contributions they made to science and society. It also compares their contributions with those of Sydney, Adelaide and Perth Observatories. Overall, Williamstown and Melbourne Observatories produced a prodigious amount of material on astronomy in scientific and technical journals, in reports and in newspapers. The other observatories more or less did likewise, so no observatory of those studied markedly outperformed the others in the long term, especially when account is taken of their relative resourcing in staff and equipment.

Georg Neumayer and Melbourne Observatory: an institutional legacy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gillespie, Richard

This paper assesses Georg Neumayer's impact on the Victorian scientific community, and especially his role in the establishment of Melbourne Observatory as a major scientific institution in colonial Australia. Neumayer's arrival in Melbourne to pursue his own scientific project triggered a chain of events that would lead to the creation of Melbourne Observatory and the integration of Neumayer's geomagnetic and meteorological research into the ongoing program of the observatory. The location of the observatory in South Yarra was a direct result of Neumayer's insistence that the site was the most suitable for geomagnetic measurement. Most critically, Neumayer's attempts to get approval for his project highlighted the need for local scientists to establish political and scientific alliances that would ensure endorsement by international, notably British, scientists, and that would persuade local elites and government of the practical value of their research.

Quantitative proteomics reveals ecological fitness cost of multi-herbicide resistant barnyardgrass (Echinochloa crus-galli L.).

PubMed

Yang, Xia; Zhang, Zichang; Gu, Tao; Dong, Mingchao; Peng, Qiong; Bai, Lianyang; Li, Yongfeng

2017-01-06

Barnyardgrass (Echinochloa crus-galli) is one of the top 15 herbicide-resistant weeds around the world that interferes with rice growth, resulting in major losses of rice yield. Thus, multi-herbicide resistance in barnyardgrass presents a major threat, with the underlying mechanisms that contribute to resistance requiring elucidation. In an attempt to characterize this multi-herbicide resistance at the proteomic level, comparative analysis of resistant and susceptible barnyardgrasses was performed using iTRAQ, both with and without quinclorac, bispyribac-sodium and penoxsulam herbicidal treatment. A total of 1342 protein species were identified from 2248 unique peptides by searching the UniProt database and conducting data analysis. Approximately 904 protein species with 4774 Gene Ontology (GO) terms were grouped into the categories of biological process, cellular component and molecular function. Among these, 688 protein species were annotated into 1583 KEGG pathways, with 980 protein species relating to metabolism and 93 relating to environmental information processing. A total of 292 protein species showed more than a 1.2-fold change in abundance in the resistant biotype relative to the susceptible biotype. Furthermore, herbicide treatment resulted in 157 protein species that showed more than a 1.2-fold change in the resistant biotype. Moreover, physiological analyses demonstrated an ecological fitness cost in the resistant biotype. While some studies have shown a fitness cost to be associated with an altered ecological interaction, our understanding of the fitness costs associated with herbicide resistance are limited. Herein, physiological and proteomic analysis demonstrates herbicide resistance associated ecological fitness cost and potential mechanisms of herbicide-resistance in resistant biotypes of E. crus-galli. The results presented herein have revealed differences in ecological adaptation between resistant and susceptible biotypes in E. crus-galli and

Visitor Behavior at Melbourne Zoo.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Churchman, David

The potential educational impact of the Melbourne Zoo (Australia) for recreational visitors was examined in this study using time as the major dependent variable. Specific goals included: (1) assessment of the potential cognitive and affective educational impact of zoos on recreational visitors; (2) determination of the temporal and spatial…

Bilingual Advertising in Melbourne Chinatown

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chen, Sherry Yong

2014-01-01

This paper explores the function of bilingual advertising by analyzing a case study of bilingual advertising in the Chinatown of Melbourne, Australia. The use of bilingual advertising in an immigrant setting differentiates itself from those in Asian settings where English is not used by dominant proportion of speakers in the society, and this…

Extreme Droughts In Sydney And Melbourne Since The 1850s

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dogan, Selim

2014-05-01

Sydney and Melbourne are the two highly populated and very well known Australian cities. Population is over 4 million for each. These cities are subject to extreme droughts which affect regional water resources and cause substantial agricultural and economic losses. This study presents a drought analysis of Sydney and Melbourne for the period of 1850s to date by using Effective Drought Index (EDI) and Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI). EDI is a function of precipitation needed for return to normal conditions, the amount of precipitation necessary for recovery from the accumulated deficit since the beginning of a drought. SPI is the most popular and widely used drought index for the last decades. According to the results of EDI analysis; 8 different extreme drought events identified in Sydney, and 5 events in Melbourne since 1850s. The characterization of these extreme drought events were investigated in terms of magnitude, duration, intensity and interarrival time between previous drought event. EDI results were compared with the results of SPI and the similarities and differences were then discussed in more detail. The most severe drought event was identified for the period of July 1979 to February 1981 (lasted 19 months) for Sydney, while the most severe drought took longer in Melbourne for the period of March 2006 to February 2010 (47 months). This study focuses on the benefits of the use of EDI and SPI methods in order to monitor droughts beside presenting the extreme drought case study of Sydney and Melbourne.

Regulation of adenosine deaminase (ADA) on induced mouse experimental autoimmune uveitis (EAU) ‡

PubMed Central

Liang, Dongchun; Zuo, Aijun; Zhao, Ronglan; Shao, Hui; Kaplan, Henry J.; Sun, Deming

2016-01-01

Adenosine is an important regulator of the immune response and adenosine deaminase (ADA) inhibits this regulatory effect by converting adenosine into functionally inactive molecules. Studies have shown that adenosine receptor (AR) agonists can be either anti- or pro-inflammatory. Clarification of the mechanisms that cause these opposing effects should provide a better guide for therapeutic intervention. In this study, we investigated the effect of ADA on the development of experimental autoimmune uveitis (EAU) induced by immunizing EAU-prone mice with a known uveitogenic peptide, IRBP1–20. Our results showed that the effective time to administer a single dose of ADA to suppress induction of EAU was 8–14 days post-immunization, shortly before EAU expression, but ADA treatment at other time points exacerbated disease. ADA preferentially inhibited Th17 responses and this effect was γδ T cell-dependent. Our results demonstrated that the existing immune status strongly influences the anti- or proinflammatory effects of ADA. Our observations should help improve the design of ADA- and AR-targeted therapies. PMID:26856700

Earth observations of Melbourne, Australia taken during the STS-97 mission

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-12-09

STS097-303-031 (30 Nov. - 11 Dec. 2000) --- This scene of Melbourne in Australia's state of Victoria was photographed with a 35mm camera by one of the STS-97 astronauts aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour in December 2000. Downtown Melbourne (population 3.2 million people based on year 2000 estimate), is visible in this very detailed city view. Melbourne is the second largest city in Australia, capital city and major seaport in the state of Victoria. A tremendous amount of the urban infrastructure can be seen, including the central business district, overall gridded street pattern, numerous highways and railroads, airports, and recreational facilities. Slight color differences throughout the image help to identify residential areas of the city from the commercial zones (clusters of more highly reflective surfaces). Downtown Melbourne can be identified by the concentration of tall buildings and the shadows cast by these buildings immediately northeast of the estuary (linear, dark feature). Several rivers and creeks are visible (dark, meandering lines) as they drain through the city and empty into the large estuary that forms the lower reaches of the Yarra River. Port Melbourne is located along the south side of the broad estuary. Several piers extend eastward from the peninsula that separates Hobson Bay (east) from Alton Bay (west) along the northern edge of Port Phillip Bay (the larger body of water). The dark features scattered throughout the urban built-up area are primarily open spaces such as parks and golf courses. The runways of Moorabbin Airport are located near the southeastern edge of the image, while the runways of a smaller airport are also visible northwest of the downtown area.

Water recycling: a major new initiative for Melbourne--crucial for a sustainable future.

PubMed

Arbon, M; Ireland, M

2003-01-01

Melbourne Water has adopted a challenging target of recycling 20 per cent of treated effluent from Melbourne's two major sewerage treatment plants by 2010. This target was adopted in response to key drivers for water recycling in the Melbourne region such as: strong support for conserving water resources and protecting marine environments; acknowledgment of recycled water as a valuable resource; greater emphasis on environmental issues and sustainable management principles; and opportunities to increase demand for recycled water through effective planning mechanisms. Issues that must be effectively addressed to meet the target include: managing public perceptions of recycled water; health and environmental concerns; lack of consensus among government agencies; high up-front costs of infrastructure; and prices of other sources of water supply not currently true costed. Melbourne Water has identified the following factors as critical in determining the success of recycling strategy: ability to demonstrate that water recycling will be important in terms of long term water cycle management; effective stakeholder consultation; gaining government support; establishing long-term, guaranteed markets for recycled water; implementing well planned, large scale recycling schemes; ability to provide a product that meets customer needs; regulatory approval; and implementation of a system that is economically viable. Water recycling initiatives are being investigated on household, local and regional levels. Over 10 proposals that will contribute to the 20 per cent recycled water target from the regional treatment plants are under various stages of development. Melbourne Water's commitment to recycling within a total water cycle management context is a vital component of this major new initiative for Melbourne and is crucial for a sustainable future.

The Ecology of Minority Languages in Melbourne

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bradshaw, Julie

2013-01-01

Melbourne's linguistic and cultural diversity has continually changed in response to global economic forces and shifting patterns of war and conflict. Immigrant and refugee communities have arrived with different skills, educational and professional profiles, and cultural and religious values. The ecological niches of three contrasting linguistic…

On the causes of variability in amounts of airborne grass pollen in Melbourne, Australia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

de Morton, Julian; Bye, John; Pezza, Alexandre; Newbigin, Edward

2011-07-01

In Melbourne, Australia, airborne grass pollen is the predominant cause of hay fever (seasonal rhinitis) during late spring and early summer, with levels of airborne grass pollen also influencing hospital admissions for asthma. In order to improve predictions of conditions that are potentially hazardous to susceptible individuals, we have sought to better understand the causes of diurnal, intra-seasonal and inter-seasonal variability of atmospheric grass pollen concentrations (APC) by analysing grass pollen count data for Melbourne for 16 grass pollen seasons from 1991 to 2008 (except 1994 and 1995). Some of notable features identified in this analysis were that on days when either extreme (>100 pollen grains m-3) or high (50-100 pollen grains m-3) levels of grass pollen were recorded the winds were of continental origin. In contrast, on days with a low (<20 pollen grains m-3) concentration of grass pollen, winds were of maritime origin. On extreme and high grass pollen days, a peak in APC occurred on average around 1730 hours, probably due to a reduction in surface boundary layer turbulence. The sum of daily APC for each grass pollen season was highly correlated ( r = 0.79) with spring rainfall in Melbourne for that year, with about 60% of a declining linear trend across the study period being attributable to a reduction of meat cattle and sheep (and hence grazing land) in rural areas around Melbourne. Finally, all of the ten extreme pollen events (3 days or more with APC > 100 pollen grains m-3) during the study period were characterised by an average downward vertical wind anomaly in the surface boundary layer over Melbourne. Together these findings form a basis for a fine resolution atmospheric general circulation model for grass pollen in Melbourne's air that can be used to predict daily (and hourly) APC. This information will be useful to those sectors of Melbourne's population that suffer from allergic problems.

On the causes of variability in amounts of airborne grass pollen in Melbourne, Australia.

PubMed

de Morton, Julian; Bye, John; Pezza, Alexandre; Newbigin, Edward

2011-07-01

In Melbourne, Australia, airborne grass pollen is the predominant cause of hay fever (seasonal rhinitis) during late spring and early summer, with levels of airborne grass pollen also influencing hospital admissions for asthma. In order to improve predictions of conditions that are potentially hazardous to susceptible individuals, we have sought to better understand the causes of diurnal, intra-seasonal and inter-seasonal variability of atmospheric grass pollen concentrations (APC) by analysing grass pollen count data for Melbourne for 16 grass pollen seasons from 1991 to 2008 (except 1994 and 1995). Some of notable features identified in this analysis were that on days when either extreme (>100 pollen grains m(-3)) or high (50-100 pollen grains m(-3)) levels of grass pollen were recorded the winds were of continental origin. In contrast, on days with a low (<20 pollen grains m(-3)) concentration of grass pollen, winds were of maritime origin. On extreme and high grass pollen days, a peak in APC occurred on average around 1730 hours, probably due to a reduction in surface boundary layer turbulence. The sum of daily APC for each grass pollen season was highly correlated (r = 0.79) with spring rainfall in Melbourne for that year, with about 60% of a declining linear trend across the study period being attributable to a reduction of meat cattle and sheep (and hence grazing land) in rural areas around Melbourne. Finally, all of the ten extreme pollen events (3 days or more with APC > 100 pollen grains m(-3)) during the study period were characterised by an average downward vertical wind anomaly in the surface boundary layer over Melbourne. Together these findings form a basis for a fine resolution atmospheric general circulation model for grass pollen in Melbourne's air that can be used to predict daily (and hourly) APC. This information will be useful to those sectors of Melbourne's population that suffer from allergic problems.

Comparing private and public transport access to diabetic health services across inner, middle, and outer suburbs of Melbourne, Australia.

PubMed

Madill, Rebecca; Badland, Hannah; Mavoa, Suzanne; Giles-Corti, Billie

2018-04-13

Melbourne, Australia is experiencing rapid population growth, with much of this occurring in metropolitan outer suburban areas, also known as urban growth areas. Currently little is known about differences in travel times when using private and public transport to access primary and secondary services across Melbourne's urban growth areas. Plan Melbourne Refresh, a recent strategic land use document has called for a 20 min city, which is where essential services including primary health care, can be accessed within a 20 min journey. Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a major chronic condition in Australia, with some of Melbourne's growth areas having some of the highest prevalence across Australia. This study explores travel times to diabetic health care services for populations residing in inner, middle and outer suburbs of metropolitan Melbourne. Geographic information systems (GIS) software were used to map the location of selected diabetic primary and secondary health care service providers across metropolitan inner, middle, outer established, outer urban growth and outer fringe areas of Melbourne. An origin-destination matrix was used to estimate travel distances from point of origin (using a total of approximately 50,000 synthetic residential addresses) to the closest type of each diabetic health care service provider (destinations) across Melbourne. ArcGIS was used to estimate travel times for private transport and public transport; comparisons were made by area. Our study indicated increased travel times to diabetic health services for people living in Melbourne's outer growth and outer fringe areas compared with the rest of Melbourne (inner, middle and outer established). Compared with those living in inner city areas, the median time spent travelling to diabetic services was between 2.46 and 23.24 min (private motor vehicle) and 12.01 and 43.15 min (public transport) longer for those living in outer suburban areas. Irrespective of travel mode used

Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barr, Andrew; Gillard, Julia; Firth, Verity; Scrymgour, Marion; Welford, Rod; Lomax-Smith, Jane; Bartlett, David; Pike, Bronwyn; Constable, Elizabeth

2008-01-01

Improving educational outcomes for all young Australians is central to the nation's social and economic prosperity and will position young people to live fulfilling, productive and responsible lives. Young Australians are therefore placed at the centre of the Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals. These goals are: (1) Australian schooling…

76 FR 35831 - Television Broadcasting Services; Eau Claire, WI

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-06-20

... FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION 47 CFR Part 73 [MB Docket No. 11-100, RM-11632; DA 11-1034] Television Broadcasting Services; Eau Claire, WI AGENCY: Federal Communications Commission. ACTION: Proposed.... ADDRESSES: Federal Communications Commission, Office of the Secretary, 445 12th Street, SW., Washington, DC...

Understanding the pathophysiology of schizophrenia: Contributions from the Melbourne Psychiatric Brain Bank.

PubMed

Dean, Brian; Copolov, David; Scarr, Elizabeth

2016-11-01

The Melbourne Psychiatric Brain Bank came into existence 25years ago. This review focusses on lines of research that have used tissue from the Brain Bank over periods of time. Hence there is a discussion on the significance of changes in levels of serotonin 2A receptors in the cortex of patients with schizophrenia and the relevance of such changes with regards to the pathophysiology of the disorder. The extensive contribution made by studies using tissue from the Melbourne Psychiatric Brain Bank to understanding the role of muscarinic receptors in the pathophysiology and treatment of schizophrenia is summarised. Finally, findings using brain bank tissue and "omics" technologies are reviewed. In each case, findings using tissue from the Melbourne Psychiatric Brain Bank is placed in context with research carried out on human postmortem CNS in schizophrenia and with findings in other lines of research that can help explain the causes or consequences of changes in CNS molecular cytoarchitecture. This timely review of data from the Melbourne Psychiatric Brain Bank reinforces the challenges faced in trying to increase our understanding of the molecular pathophysiology of schizophrenia. Continuing to increase our understanding of the disorder is important as a precursor to identifying new drug targets that can be exploited to improve the treatment of a disorder where treatment resistance remains a significant problem (Millan et al., 2016). Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Aromatic-ring-functionalised benzoxazinones in the system Oryza sativa-Echinochloa crus-galli as biorational herbicide models.

PubMed

Macías, Francisco A; Chinchilla, Nuria; Varela, Rosa M; Molinillo, José Mg; Marín, David; de Siqueira, Joao M

2009-10-01

Barnyardgrass, Echinochloa crus-galli (L.) Beauv., is one of the most problematic weeds occurring in rice crops. Although efficient chemical control is provided by herbicides available on the market, resistant biotypes provoked by pressure selection have appeared in recent times. This emphasises the need for alternative treatments in which herbicidal compounds from a natural origin could be included. A number of chemicals with a [2H]-1,4-benzoxazin-3(4H)-one (D-DIBOA) skeleton were tested on this weed, and also in rice, in order to achieve an optimal lead for herbicide composition development by taking into consideration phytotoxic effects and selectivity on the weed. 6-Cl-D-DIBOA causes the same effect as the commercial herbicide propanil at a concentration 15 times lower, while 6-F-D-DIBOA causes this inhibition at a dose 30 times lower. The phytotoxicities caused by 8-Cl-D-DIBOA (IC50 = 44 microM, R2 = 0.866) and 7,8-diF-D-DIBOA (IC50 = 52 microM, R2 = 0.9067) are also remarkable. 8-Cl-D-DIBOA was the compound that presented the highest selectivity on Echinochloa crus-galli. The structural requirements for optimal phytotoxicity and selectivity were elucidated by means of QSAR methodology, considering electronic and steric factors. One of the most important descriptors influencing the bioactivity was the dipole moment modulus. This was successfully correlated by employing a second-order polynomial model. The in vitro phytotoxic profiles and selectivities shown for these chemicals make them truly promising candidates for higher-level studies. 6F- and 6Cl-D-DIBOA, for their high phytotoxicities, and 8-Cl-D-DIBOA, because of its high selectivity, were found to be the most interesting compounds from this point of view. Copyright 2009 Society of Chemical Industry.

Tram-related trauma in Melbourne, Victoria.

PubMed

Mitra, Biswadev; Al Jubair, Jubair; Cameron, Peter A; Gabbe, Belinda J

2010-08-01

To establish the incidence and pattern of injuries in patients presenting to hospital with tram-related injuries. Data on tram-related injury pertaining to 2001-2008 calendar years were extracted from three datasets: the population-based Victorian State Trauma Registry for major trauma cases, the Victorian Emergency Minimum Dataset for ED presentations and the National Coroners' Information System for deaths. Incidence rates adjusted for the population of Melbourne, and trends in the incidence of tram-related ED presentations and major trauma cases, were analysed and presented as incidence rate ratios (IRR). There were 1769 patients who presented to ED after trauma related to trams in Melbourne during the study period. Of these, 107 patients had injuries classified as major trauma. There was a significant increase in the rate of ED presentations (IRR 1.03, P = 0.010) with falls (46%) the most commonly reported mechanism. Most falls occurred inside the trams. There was also a significant increase in the incidence rates of major trauma cases (IRR 1.12, P = 0.006) with pedestrians accounting for most major trauma cases. Most cases of trauma related to trams have minor injuries and are discharged following ED management. Primary prevention of falls in trams and the separation of pedestrians from trams are key areas requiring immediate improvement. In the face of increasing trauma associated with trams, continuing safety surveillance and targeted public safety messages are important to sustain trams as safe and effective mode of transport.

ITE, a novel endogenous nontoxic aryl hydrocarbon receptor ligand, efficiently suppresses EAU and T-cell-mediated immunity.

PubMed

Nugent, Lindsey F; Shi, Guangpu; Vistica, Barbara P; Ogbeifun, Osato; Hinshaw, Samuel J H; Gery, Igal

2013-11-13

Ligands for aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR), such as dioxins, are highly toxic. One such ligand, TCDD, was found to exert potent immunosuppressive capacities in mice developing pathogenic autoimmune processes, including EAU, but its toxicity makes it unusable for humans. A recently identified endogenous AHR ligand, ITE, is also immunosuppressive, but is nontoxic and could therefore be useful for therapy in humans. Here, we tested ITE for its capacity to inhibit EAU and related immune responses. EAU was induced in B10.A mice by immunization with interphotoreceptor retinoid-binding protein (IRBP; 40 μg) in CFA. Treatment with ITE was by daily intraperitoneal injection of 0.2 mg. Disease severity was assessed by both fundoscopy and histological examination. Draining lymph node cells were tested for proliferation by thymidine uptake and for cytokine production and release by ELISA. In addition, the intracellular expression of cytokines and Foxp3 was determined by flow cytometry. Serum antibodies were measured by ELISA. Treatment with ITE efficiently inhibited the development of EAU in mice, as well as the cellular immune responses against IRBP and PPD. ITE treatment inhibited the expansion of both Th1 and Th17 subpopulations, as well as their release of the signature cytokines, IFN-gamma and IL-17. The treatment moderately increased, however, the proportion of Foxp3 expressing T-regulatory cells. Antibody production was not affected by the treatment. ITE, an endogenous AHR ligand, efficiently inhibits EAU development and related cellular immune responses. Being nontoxic, ITE may be considered for treatment of pathogenic immunity in humans.

ITE, A Novel Endogenous Nontoxic Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor Ligand, Efficiently Suppresses EAU and T-Cell–Mediated Immunity

PubMed Central

Nugent, Lindsey F.; Shi, Guangpu; Vistica, Barbara P.; Ogbeifun, Osato; Hinshaw, Samuel J. H.; Gery, Igal

2013-01-01

Purpose. Ligands for aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR), such as dioxins, are highly toxic. One such ligand, TCDD, was found to exert potent immunosuppressive capacities in mice developing pathogenic autoimmune processes, including EAU, but its toxicity makes it unusable for humans. A recently identified endogenous AHR ligand, ITE, is also immunosuppressive, but is nontoxic and could therefore be useful for therapy in humans. Here, we tested ITE for its capacity to inhibit EAU and related immune responses. Methods. EAU was induced in B10.A mice by immunization with interphotoreceptor retinoid-binding protein (IRBP; 40 μg) in CFA. Treatment with ITE was by daily intraperitoneal injection of 0.2 mg. Disease severity was assessed by both fundoscopy and histological examination. Draining lymph node cells were tested for proliferation by thymidine uptake and for cytokine production and release by ELISA. In addition, the intracellular expression of cytokines and Foxp3 was determined by flow cytometry. Serum antibodies were measured by ELISA. Results. Treatment with ITE efficiently inhibited the development of EAU in mice, as well as the cellular immune responses against IRBP and PPD. ITE treatment inhibited the expansion of both Th1 and Th17 subpopulations, as well as their release of the signature cytokines, IFN-gamma and IL-17. The treatment moderately increased, however, the proportion of Foxp3 expressing T-regulatory cells. Antibody production was not affected by the treatment. Conclusions. ITE, an endogenous AHR ligand, efficiently inhibits EAU development and related cellular immune responses. Being nontoxic, ITE may be considered for treatment of pathogenic immunity in humans. PMID:24150760

Geospatial analysis of cyclist injury trends: an investigation in Melbourne, Australia.

PubMed

Lawrence, Brendan M; Stevenson, Mark R; Oxley, Jennifer A; Logan, David B

2015-01-01

This study applied geospatial analysis to explore spatial trends in cycling-related injury in Melbourne, Australia, in order to identify an area where injury density was reducing against expectation. The crash characteristics and cycling environment of the identified area were examined to better understand factors related to cycling safety. Two methods were used to examine spatial trends in cycling-related injury. Firstly, cycling injury density was calculated using a kernel density estimation method for the years 2000 to 2011. This was used to examine patterns in injury density across Melbourne over an extended time period. Secondly, absolute change in injury density was calculated between 2005 and 2011. From this, a geographical area presenting a reduced injury density was selected for a case study, and crash characteristics of the area were obtained for the observational period. This led to discussion on which changes to the cycling environment, if any, may be associated with the reduced injury rate. Injury density in Melbourne had been progressively increasing between 2000 and 2011, with a nearly 3-fold increase in the peak injury density over that period. Decreases were observed in some locations between 2005 and 2011, and a geographical area to the southeast of Melbourne experienced a more significant decrease than others. This appeared to be associated with a combination of behavior and road infrastructure change, although a lack of data to verify change in cycling exposure prevented more definitive associations from being established. The apparent positive response of the injury rate to behavior and road infrastructure interventions is promising, yet the injury rate is unlikely to achieve the government's road safety target of 30% reduction in serious injuries by 2022. Moreover, the number of injuries sustained at the most common crash location appears to be increasing. Further research is necessary to discern which specific features of the urban road

Selling University Reform: The University of Melbourne and the Press

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Potts, Anthony

2012-01-01

Since the advent of the "Times Higher Education Supplement World University Rankings" and the "Academic Rankings of World Universities" by Shanghai Jiao Tong University, some Australian universities have become especially concerned with being ranked among the 100 leading universities. The University of Melbourne, Australia's…

Investigation experimentale de l'ecoulement et des performances thermiques du nanofluide eau-oxyde de cuivre dans un Micro-Canal Chauffe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rimbault, Benjamin

Cette these de maitrise presentee par articles visait a etudier le comportement hydraulique et thermique d'un ecoulement de nanofluides en micro-canal chauffe. Nous avons etudie premierement de l'eau distillee, ensuite des melanges de particules d'oxyde de cuivre (taille 29nm) avec de l'eau distillee en concentrations particulaires volumiques 4.5%, 1.03%, et 0.24% (CuO-H2O). L'ecoulement force des differents fluides a ete realise au moyen de pompes a engrenages au sein d'un circuit ferme, comprenant un micro-canal a section rectangulaire (e=1.116mm,1=25.229mm) chauffe sur deux faces paralleles via des cartouches electriques, deux echangeurs de chaleurs en serie, ainsi qu'un debitmetre magnetique. A notre connaissance peu d'etudes sur l'ecoulement de nanofluides d'oxyde de cuivre-eau en micro-canal rectangulaire chauffe sont disponibles dans la litterature, cette recherche sert de contribution. Premierement, une validation avec la litterature a ete effectuee pour le cas d'un ecoulement d'eau entre plaques planes paralleles chauffees. Des essais hydrauliques ont ete realises pour une gamme du nombre de Reynolds allant jusqu'a Re=5000 a temperature constante. Par la suite des essais thermiques jusqu'a Re=2500 ont consiste en une elevation de temperature fixe (20.5°C a 30.5°C) a travers la longueur du micro-canal sous un regime stationnaire. Les resultats ont demontre une augmentation de la perte de pression et du coefficient de frottement des nanofluides sur l'eau pour un meme debit. Une telle augmentation de perte de pression etait de +70%, +25%, et +0 a 30% respectivement pour les concentrations 4.50%, 1.03%, et 0.24%. Concernant la transition laminaire a turbulent les comportements semblaient indiquer une valeur critique semblable entre l'eau et les differentes concentrations avec et sans chauffage a un nombre de Reynolds critique Rem 1000. Nous avons observe une legere augmentation du coefficient de convection thermique avec le debit massique pour les faibles

The enabling institutional context for integrated water management: lessons from Melbourne.

PubMed

Ferguson, Briony C; Brown, Rebekah R; Frantzeskaki, Niki; de Haan, Fjalar J; Deletic, Ana

2013-12-15

There is widespread international acceptance that climate change, demographic shifts and resource limitations impact on the performance of water servicing in cities. In response to these challenges, many scholars propose that a fundamental move away from traditional centralised infrastructure towards more integrated water management is required. However, there is limited practical or scholarly understanding of how to enable this change in practice and few modern cities have done so successfully. This paper addresses this gap by analysing empirical evidence of Melbourne's recent experience in shifting towards a hybrid of centralised and decentralised infrastructure to draw lessons about the institutional context that enabled this shift. The research was based on a qualitative single-case study, involving interviews and envisioning workshops with urban water practitioners who have been directly involved in Melbourne's water system changes. It was found that significant changes occurred in the cultural-cognitive, normative and regulative dimensions of Melbourne's water system. These included a shift in cultural beliefs for the water profession, new knowledge through evidence and learning, additional water servicing goals and priorities, political leadership, community pressure, better coordinated governance arrangements and strong market mechanisms. The paper synthesises lessons from the case study that, with further development, could form the basis of prescriptive guidance for enabling the shift to new modes of water servicing to support more liveable, sustainable and resilient outcomes for future cities. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

EAU guidelines on penile curvature.

PubMed

Hatzimouratidis, Konstantinos; Eardley, Ian; Giuliano, François; Hatzichristou, Dimitrios; Moncada, Ignacio; Salonia, Andrea; Vardi, Yoram; Wespes, Eric

2012-09-01

not responding to pharmacotherapy. These European Association of Urology (EAU) guidelines summarise the present information on penile curvature. The extended version of the guidelines is available on the EAU Web site (www.uroweb.org/guidelines/). Copyright © 2012 European Association of Urology. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

EAU guidelines on surgical treatment of urinary incontinence.

PubMed

Lucas, M G; Bosch, R J L; Burkhard, F C; Cruz, F; Madden, T B; Nambiar, A K; Neisius, A; de Ridder, D J M K; Tubaro, A; Turner, W H; Pickard, R S

2013-09-01

The European Association of Urology (EAU) guidelines on urinary incontinence published in March 2012 have been rewritten based on an independent systematic review carried out by the EAU guidelines panel using a sustainable methodology. We present a short version here of the full guidelines on the surgical treatment of patients with urinary incontinence, with the aim of dissemination to a wider audience. Evidence appraisal included a pragmatic review of existing systematic reviews and independent new literature searches based on Population, Intervention, Comparator, Outcome (PICO) questions. The appraisal of papers was carried out by an international panel of experts, who also collaborated in a series of consensus discussions, to develop concise structured evidence summaries and action-based recommendations using a modified Oxford system. The full version of the guidance is available online (www.uroweb.org/guidelines/online-guidelines/). The guidance includes algorithms that refer the reader back to the supporting evidence and have greater accessibility in daily clinical practice. Two original meta-analyses were carried out specifically for these guidelines and are included in this report. These new guidelines present an up-to-date summary of the available evidence, together with clear clinical algorithms and action-based recommendations based on the best available evidence. Where high-level evidence is lacking, they present a consensus of expert panel opinion. Copyright © 2012 AEU. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

The availability of snack food displays that may trigger impulse purchases in Melbourne supermarkets.

PubMed

Thornton, Lukar E; Cameron, Adrian J; McNaughton, Sarah A; Worsley, Anthony; Crawford, David A

2012-03-15

Supermarkets play a major role in influencing the food purchasing behaviours of most households. Snack food exposures within these stores may contribute to higher levels of consumption and ultimately to increasing levels of obesity, particularly within socioeconomically disadvantaged neighbourhoods. We aimed to examine the availability of snack food displays at checkouts, end-of-aisle displays and island displays in major supermarket chains in the least and most socioeconomically disadvantaged neighbourhoods of Melbourne. Within-store audits of 35 Melbourne supermarkets. Supermarkets were sampled from the least and most socioeconomically disadvantaged suburbs within 30 km of the Melbourne CBD. We measured the availability of crisps, chocolate, confectionery, and soft drinks (diet and regular) at the checkouts, in end-of-aisle displays, and in island bin displays. Snack food displays were most prominent at checkouts with only five stores not having snack foods at 100% of their checkouts. Snack foods were also present at a number of end-of-aisle displays (at both the front (median 38%) and back (median 33%) of store), and in island bin displays (median number of island displays: 7; median total circumference of island displays: 19.4 metres). Chocolate items were the most common snack food item on display. There was no difference in the availability of these snack food displays by neighbourhood disadvantage. As a result of the high availability of snack food displays, exposure to snack foods is almost unavoidable in Melbourne supermarkets, regardless of levels of neighbourhood socioeconomic disadvantage. Results of this study could promote awareness of the prominence of unhealthy food items in chain-brand supermarkets outlets.

Validation de modeles d'eclairement incident a la surface de l'eau en Arctique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Julien, Laliberte

Dans ce memoire, deux methodes d'estimation d'eclairement incident a la surface de l'Arctique sont evaluees. Une base de donnees in situ a ete constituee a partir de 16 campagnes oceanographiques en Arctique. Pour les dates ou l'eclairement est mesure, les estimations d'eclairement journalier incident a la surface obtenues a partir des satellites de la couleur de l'eau (Frouin et al. 2003) et a partir des satellites meteorologiques (Belanger et al. 2013) sont produites. De meme, un exercise de comparaison entre les estimations satellitaires est produit pour l'annee 2004 sur tout le territoire Arctique. La comparaison entre les donnees observees et les donnees estimees a partir des satellites meteorologiques donnent un biais de 6% et une quadratique moyenne 33%. La comparaison entre les observations et les satellites de la couleur de l'eau donnent un biais de 2% et 20%. Finalement, la difference moyenne entre les estimations des 2 methodes d'estimation satellitaires pour tout l'Arctique pour l'annee 2004 est de 0,29 Einstein/m2/jour avec un ecart-type de 6,78 Einstein/m2/jour. Les resultats montrent entre autres que la methode qui utilise les satellites de la couleur de l'eau est plus precise pour estimer l'eclairement sur une petite superficie puisqu'elle rend mieux les variations locales dans l'eclairement. La methode qui utilise les satellites meteorologique est plus precise pour estimer l'eclairement sur une grande superficie, puisqu'elle est moins restreinte dans les conditions qui permettent de fournir une estimation. Ainsi, la methode qui utilise les satellites meteorologiques montre qu'un eclairement annuel de l'Arctique de 38% n'est pas prise en compte par les satellites de la couleur de l'eau.

Socioeconomic differences in outdoor food advertising at public transit stops across Melbourne suburbs.

PubMed

Settle, Philippa J; Cameron, Adrian J; Thornton, Lukar E

2014-10-01

To assess and compare the number and type of outdoor food advertisements at public transit stops within suburbs of varying levels of socioeconomic disadvantage. An observational audit tool was developed and implemented to assess the number and type of food advertisements at public transit stops within Melbourne, Victoria. A total of 20 Melbourne neighbourhoods (suburbs) from across the least and the most socioeconomically disadvantaged areas were selected. All public transit stops, including train stations and bus and tram stops with a shelter were audited.  A similar proportion of transit stops in the least and most-disadvantaged suburbs displayed food advertisements (total n=203). However, some differences in the type of advertisements across suburbs were noted with advertisements for fast food restaurants, flavoured milk and fruit juice more common in the most-disadvantaged neighbourhoods (all p<0.05) and advertisements for diet soft drink, tea, coffee and convenience stores more common in the least-disadvantaged neighbourhoods (all p<0.05). This exploration of outdoor food advertising at Melbourne transit stops found 30% displayed food advertisements, with those in more disadvantaged suburbs more frequently promoting chain-brand fast food and less frequently promoting diet varieties of soft drinks. These findings may help raise awareness of unhealthy environmental exposures. © 2014 Public Health Association of Australia.

Translation, reliability, and clinical utility of the Melbourne Assessment 2.

PubMed

Gerber, Corinna N; Plebani, Anael; Labruyère, Rob

2017-10-12

The aims were to (i) provide a German translation of the Melbourne Assessment 2 (MA2), a quantitative test to measure unilateral upper limb function in children with neurological disabilities and (ii) to evaluate its reliability and aspects of clinical utility. After its translation into German and approval of the back translation by the original authors, the MA2 was performed and videotaped twice with 30 children with neuromotor disorders. For each participant, two raters scored the video of the first test for inter-rater reliability. To determine test-retest reliability, one rater additionally scored the video of the second test while the other rater repeated the scoring of the first video to evaluate intra-rater reliability. Time needed for rater training, test administration, and scoring was recorded. The four subscale scores showed excellent intra-, inter-rater, and test-retest reliability with intraclass correlation coefficients of 0.90-1.00 (95%-confidence intervals 0.78-1.00). Score items revealed substantial to almost perfect intra-rater reliability (weighted kappa k w  = 0.66-1.00) for the more affected side. Score item inter-rater and test-retest reliability of the same extremity were, with one exception, moderate to almost perfect (k w  = 0.42-0.97; k w  = 0.40-0.89). Furthermore, the MA2 was feasible and acceptable for patients and clinicians. The MA2 showed excellent subscale and moderate to almost perfect score item reliability. Implications for Rehabilitation There is a lack of high-quality studies about psychometric properties of upper limb measurement tools in the neuropediatric population. The Melbourne Assessment 2 is a promising tool for reliable measurement of unilateral upper limb movement quality in the neuropediatric population. The Melbourne Assessment 2 is acceptable and practicable to therapists and patients for routine use in clinical care.

The availability of snack food displays that may trigger impulse purchases in Melbourne supermarkets

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background Supermarkets play a major role in influencing the food purchasing behaviours of most households. Snack food exposures within these stores may contribute to higher levels of consumption and ultimately to increasing levels of obesity, particularly within socioeconomically disadvantaged neighbourhoods. We aimed to examine the availability of snack food displays at checkouts, end-of-aisle displays and island displays in major supermarket chains in the least and most socioeconomically disadvantaged neighbourhoods of Melbourne. Methods Within-store audits of 35 Melbourne supermarkets. Supermarkets were sampled from the least and most socioeconomically disadvantaged suburbs within 30 km of the Melbourne CBD. We measured the availability of crisps, chocolate, confectionery, and soft drinks (diet and regular) at the checkouts, in end-of-aisle displays, and in island bin displays. Results Snack food displays were most prominent at checkouts with only five stores not having snack foods at 100% of their checkouts. Snack foods were also present at a number of end-of-aisle displays (at both the front (median 38%) and back (median 33%) of store), and in island bin displays (median number of island displays: 7; median total circumference of island displays: 19.4 metres). Chocolate items were the most common snack food item on display. There was no difference in the availability of these snack food displays by neighbourhood disadvantage. Conclusions As a result of the high availability of snack food displays, exposure to snack foods is almost unavoidable in Melbourne supermarkets, regardless of levels of neighbourhood socioeconomic disadvantage. Results of this study could promote awareness of the prominence of unhealthy food items in chain-brand supermarkets outlets. PMID:22420759

Clinical application of the Melbourne risk prediction tool in a high-risk upper abdominal surgical population: an observational cohort study.

PubMed

Parry, S; Denehy, L; Berney, S; Browning, L

2014-03-01

(1) To determine the ability of the Melbourne risk prediction tool to predict a pulmonary complication as defined by the Melbourne Group Scale in a medically defined high-risk upper abdominal surgery population during the postoperative period; (2) to identify the incidence of postoperative pulmonary complications; and (3) to examine the risk factors for postoperative pulmonary complications in this high-risk population. Observational cohort study. Tertiary Australian referral centre. 50 individuals who underwent medically defined high-risk upper abdominal surgery. Presence of postoperative pulmonary complications was screened daily for seven days using the Melbourne Group Scale (Version 2). Postoperative pulmonary risk prediction was calculated according to the Melbourne risk prediction tool. (1) Melbourne risk prediction tool; and (2) the incidence of postoperative pulmonary complications. Sixty-six percent (33/50) underwent hepatobiliary or upper gastrointestinal surgery. Mean (SD) anaesthetic duration was 377.8 (165.5) minutes. The risk prediction tool classified 84% (42/50) as high risk. Overall postoperative pulmonary complication incidence was 42% (21/50). The tool was 91% sensitive and 21% specific with a 50% chance of correct classification. This is the first study to externally validate the Melbourne risk prediction tool in an independent medically defined high-risk population. There was a higher incidence of pulmonary complications postoperatively observed compared to that previously reported. Results demonstrated poor validity of the tool in a population already defined medically as high risk and when applied postoperatively. This observational study has identified several important points to consider in future trials. Copyright © 2013 Chartered Society of Physiotherapy. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Did our current initial treatment practice change after EAU/ESPU vesicoureteral reflux risk grouping?

PubMed

Tokat, Eda; Gurocak, Serhat; Ure, Iyimser; Acar, Cenk; Sınık, Zafer; Tan, Mustafa Ozgur

2018-06-02

The "European Association of Urology (EAU) Guidelines on Vesicoureteral Reflux (VUR) in Children (September 2012)" established risk classification by analyzing and defining risk factors for each patient. In this study we aimed to investigate how our initial treatment procedures were affected by EAU/ESPU guideline vesicoureteral reflux risk grouping and to compare the early clinical results of treatments performed before and after the risk classification in our patients with VUR. 334 renal units with regular clinical follow-up who were treated owing to VUR (vesicoureteral reflux) between years 2009 and 2017 were retrospectively reviewed. Preoperative clinical parameters such as grade and laterality of reflux, presence of renal scar, initial and follow-up treatments, findings of medical treatment and surgical procedures were analyzed. The initial medical and surgical methods were compared by categorizing patients according to risk groups before and after 2013. Mean age and follow-up duration were 71.4(6-216) months and 47(4-141) months, respectively. Among the preoperative parameters, only high EAU risk group (p = 0.01) and treating lower urinary tract symptoms (p < 0.001) were determining the postoperative success rates significantly, while age, sex, and presence of renal scar at DMSA were not affecting the success of treatment significantly. While no significant difference in medical and surgical treatment rates is observed after risk grouping system in low risk group, the percentages of patients who are treated with surgical methods initially were significantly decreased in moderate and high risk groups (p = 0.002 and p = 0.012, respectively). We determined that VUR risk grouping did not change clinical success significantly in all risk groups. Despite the fact that EAU/ESPU VUR risk classification changed our current practice in terms of initial treatment method, this different approach did not seem to affect early clinical success positively

Pancreatic trauma: Universities of Melbourne HPB Group.

PubMed

Fleming, W R; Collier, N A; Banting, S W

1999-05-01

Pancreatic trauma is uncommon, but carries high morbidity and mortality rates, especially when diagnosis is delayed or inappropriate surgery is attempted. Although the retroperitoneal position of the pancreas confers it some immunity to injury, the force required to do so often results in severe associated injuries to other organs, which may be life threatening. Diagnosis may be difficult and surgery can be a considerable technical challenge. All patients with pancreatic trauma who attended one of three Melbourne teaching hospitals from 1977 to 1998 were identified. Injuries were graded and the method of diagnosis and treatment studied. The incidence and causation of postoperative morbidity and mortality was identified. Thirty-eight patients (26 men and 12 women) were studied. Blunt trauma was responsible in 30 patients, stab wounds in five, gunshot wounds in two and iatrogenic injury in one. Injuries to other organs occurred in 30 patients. Surgical procedures were undertaken in 34 patients, resulting in the death of five and complications in 25. Complications and death are related to the associated injuries, as much as to the pancreatic injury itself. In this study, we review the experience of the management of pancreatic trauma in three large teaching hospitals in Melbourne over a 21-year period, and suggest a strategy for dealing with these difficult patients. Adherence to the basic concepts of control of bleeding from associated vascular injury, minimization of contamination, accurate pancreatic assessment, judicious resection and adequate drainage can diminish the risk. By approaching the problem in a systematic way and adopting a generally conservative management plan, complications and deaths can be minimized in these complex cases.

Mothers' perceptions of Melbourne InFANT Program: informing future practice.

PubMed

Lunn, Priscilla L; Roberts, Sanae; Spence, Alison; Hesketh, Kylie D; Campbell, Karen J

2016-09-01

Intervention programs to prevent childhood obesity are more likely to be successful when mothers are involved and engaged. Yet programs that involve mothers do not often employ process evaluation to identify aspects of the intervention that participants enjoyed or viewed as useful. The aims of this study were to describe how participants of the Melbourne InFANT Program-an early childhood obesity prevention intervention-engaged in the program and perceived its usefulness. Process evaluation data were collected at multiple time points during and after the intervention, using mixed methods drawing upon both quantitative and qualitative data. Results from short surveys (n = 271) and interview transcripts (n = 26) revealed that the Melbourne InFANT Program was perceived as useful and relevant by most (82-93%) participants. The formats through which the knowledge and skills were delivered were considered concise and effective, and aspects considered particularly useful included group sessions and advice on practical strategies to minimize stress around mealtimes. Findings from this study are important to inform future practice and the development of interventions which are well received by participants. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

ACER and University of Melbourne Music Evaluation Kit. Handbook and Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bryce, Jennifer

The Melbourne Music Evaluation Kit (MEK) was designed to aid teachers of first-year secondary-school music classes to select appropriate curriculum materials related to the music backgrounds of class members, as indicated by scores on the kit. Tests included in the kit are criterion- referenced and are used as a diagnostic tool to measure…

From Humanity to Utility: Melbourne University and Public Examinations 1856-1964.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Musgrave, P. W.

The interaction of a university and the society is described in a case study of the system of public examinations of Melbourne University in Victoria (Australia). The initial desire to guarantee the academic standards of college entrants grew into a system that also provided school leaving certificates for those not entering the university. Over a…

A new `bio-comfort' perspective for Melbourne based on heat stress, air pollution and pollen

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jacobs, Stephanie J.; Pezza, Alexandre B.; Barras, Vaughan; Bye, John

2014-03-01

Humans are at risk from exposure to extremes in their environment, yet there is no consistent way to fully quantify and understand the risk when considering more than just meteorological variables. An outdoor `bio-comfort' threshold is defined for Melbourne, Australia using a combination of heat stress, air particulate concentration and grass pollen count, where comfortable conditions imply an ideal range of temperature, humidity and wind speed, acceptable levels of air particulates and a low pollen count. This is a new approach to defining the comfort of human populations. While other works have looked into the separate impacts of different variables, this is the first time that a unified bio-comfort threshold is suggested. Composite maps of surface pressure are used to illustrate the genesis and evolution of the atmospheric structures conducive to an uncomfortable day. When there is an uncomfortable day due to heat stress conditions in Melbourne, there is a high pressure anomaly to the east bringing warm air from the northern interior of Australia. This anomaly is part of a slow moving blocking high originating over the Indian Ocean. Uncomfortable days due to high particulate levels have an approaching cold front. However, for air particulate cases during the cold season there are stable atmospheric conditions enhanced by a blocking high emanating from Australia and linking with the Antarctic continent. Finally, when grass pollen levels are high, there are northerly winds carrying the pollen from rural grass lands to Melbourne, due to a stationary trough of low pressure inland. Analysis into days with multiple types of stress revealed that the atmospheric signals associated with each type of discomfort are present regardless of whether the day is uncomfortable due to one or multiple variables. Therefore, these bio-comfort results are significant because they offer a degree of predictability for future uncomfortable days in Melbourne.

A new 'bio-comfort' perspective for Melbourne based on heat stress, air pollution and pollen.

PubMed

Jacobs, Stephanie J; Pezza, Alexandre B; Barras, Vaughan; Bye, John

2014-03-01

Humans are at risk from exposure to extremes in their environment, yet there is no consistent way to fully quantify and understand the risk when considering more than just meteorological variables. An outdoor 'bio-comfort' threshold is defined for Melbourne, Australia using a combination of heat stress, air particulate concentration and grass pollen count, where comfortable conditions imply an ideal range of temperature, humidity and wind speed, acceptable levels of air particulates and a low pollen count. This is a new approach to defining the comfort of human populations. While other works have looked into the separate impacts of different variables, this is the first time that a unified bio-comfort threshold is suggested. Composite maps of surface pressure are used to illustrate the genesis and evolution of the atmospheric structures conducive to an uncomfortable day. When there is an uncomfortable day due to heat stress conditions in Melbourne, there is a high pressure anomaly to the east bringing warm air from the northern interior of Australia. This anomaly is part of a slow moving blocking high originating over the Indian Ocean. Uncomfortable days due to high particulate levels have an approaching cold front. However, for air particulate cases during the cold season there are stable atmospheric conditions enhanced by a blocking high emanating from Australia and linking with the Antarctic continent. Finally, when grass pollen levels are high, there are northerly winds carrying the pollen from rural grass lands to Melbourne, due to a stationary trough of low pressure inland. Analysis into days with multiple types of stress revealed that the atmospheric signals associated with each type of discomfort are present regardless of whether the day is uncomfortable due to one or multiple variables. Therefore, these bio-comfort results are significant because they offer a degree of predictability for future uncomfortable days in Melbourne.

Etude de la qualité bactériologique de l’eau utilisée dans l’industrie agroalimentaire dans le Nord du Maroc

PubMed Central

Haijoubi, El Houcine; Benyahya, Fatiha; Bendahou, Abdrezzak; Essadqui, Faima Zahra; Behhari, Mohammed El; El Mamoune, Ahmed Fouad; Ghailani, Naima Nourouti; Mechita, Mohcine Bennani; Barakat, Amina

2017-01-01

Introduction L'eau est utilisée d'une façon primordiale dans tout le processus de la fabrication des produits alimentaires. Les industries agroalimentaires du Nord du Maroc utilisent différentes sources d'eaux mais l'eau de réseau public et l'eau de puits sont les principales sources d'eau utilisée. Cette eau peut s'avérer la source principale des éventuelles contaminations et altérations des aliments. Notre but est d'évaluer la qualité bactériologique de l'eau utilisée par les industries agroalimentaires dans la région du Nord du Maroc, d'identifier les différents germes responsables de la pollution de ces eaux et de définir les principales causes de cette pollution. Méthodes Des échantillons d'eau prélevés aux robinets ou des puits ont été analysés pour la recherche des germes indicateurs de la pollution (coliformes totaux (CT), coliformes fécaux (CF), entérocoques intestinaux (E), microorganismes revivifiables (MOR), anaérobies sulfitoréducteurs) et les germes pathogènes (Salmonelles, Staphylocoques, Pseudomonas aeruginosa). Le dénombrement des bactéries a été fait par la technique de filtration et par incorporation en milieu solide en surfusion. Résultats Les résultats ont montré que les eaux du réseau public ont été de qualité bactériologique satisfaisante tandis que 40% des eaux des puits ont été non conformes aux normes à cause de la présence des indicateurs de pollution CT, CF, E et MOR. En revanche, les germes pathogènes, en particulier les Salmonelles, ont été absents dans les eaux de tous les puits analysés. Conclusion La pollution de ces puits a été généralement liée au non-respect des conditions de puisage hygiéniques. La qualité bactériologique des eaux de ces puits peut être améliorée par une protection adéquate. PMID:28450992

Bus network redesign for inner southeast suburbs of Melbourne, Australia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pandangwati, S. T.; Milyanab, N. A.

2017-06-01

Public transport is the most effective mode of transport in the era of climate change and oil depletion. It can address climate change issues by reducing urban greenhouse gas emission and oil consumption while at the same time improving mobility. However, many public transport networks are not effective and instead create high operating costs with low frequencies and occupancy. Melbourne is one example of a metropolitan area that faces this problem. Even though the city has well-integrated train and tram networks, Melbourne’s bus network still needs to be improved. This study used network planning approach to redesign the bus network in the City of Glen Eira, a Local Government Area (LGA) in the southeastern part of Metropolitan Melbourne. The study area is the area between Gardenvale North and Oakleigh Station, as well as between Caulfield and Patterson Stations. This area needs network improvement mainly because of the meandering bus routes that run within it. This study aims to provide recommendations for improving the performance of bus services by reducing meandering routes, improving transfer point design and implementing coordinated timetables. The recommendations were formulated based on a ‘ready-made’ concept to increase bus occupancy. This approach can be implemented in other cities with similar problems and characteristics including those in Indonesia.

Effect of long-term acclimatization on summer thermal comfort in outdoor spaces: a comparative study between Melbourne and Hong Kong.

PubMed

Lam, Cho Kwong Charlie; Lau, Kevin Ka-Lun

2018-04-12

The Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI) is an index for assessing outdoor thermal environment which aims to be applicable universally to different climates. However, the scale of UTCI thermal stress classification can be interpreted depending on the context. Previous studies validated the UTCI in individual cities, but comparative studies between different cities are scarce. This study examines the differences in thermal perception and clothing choices between residents from two climate zones over similar UTCI ranges in summer. We compared summer thermal comfort survey data from Melbourne (n = 2162, January-February 2014) and Hong Kong (n = 414, July-August 2007). We calculated the UTCI from outdoor weather station data and used t tests to compare the differences in thermal sensation and clothing between Hong Kong and Melbourne residents. When the UTCI was between 23.0 and 45.9 °C, Melbourne residents wore significantly more clothing (0.1 clo) than Hong Kong residents. Hong Kong residents reported neutral to warm sensation at a higher UTCI range compared with the dynamic thermal sensation (DTS) model. Moreover, Melbourne residents reported warm and hot sensation at a higher UTCI range than the DTS model. Respondents in Melbourne also exhibited different responses to the mean radiant temperature under shaded and sunny conditions, while such a trend was not observed in Hong Kong. It would be advisable to define different thermal sensation thresholds for the UTCI scale according to different climate zones for better prediction of the outdoor thermal comfort of different urban populations.

Effect of long-term acclimatization on summer thermal comfort in outdoor spaces: a comparative study between Melbourne and Hong Kong

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lam, Cho Kwong Charlie; Lau, Kevin Ka-Lun

2018-04-01

The Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI) is an index for assessing outdoor thermal environment which aims to be applicable universally to different climates. However, the scale of UTCI thermal stress classification can be interpreted depending on the context. Previous studies validated the UTCI in individual cities, but comparative studies between different cities are scarce. This study examines the differences in thermal perception and clothing choices between residents from two climate zones over similar UTCI ranges in summer. We compared summer thermal comfort survey data from Melbourne (n = 2162, January-February 2014) and Hong Kong (n = 414, July-August 2007). We calculated the UTCI from outdoor weather station data and used t tests to compare the differences in thermal sensation and clothing between Hong Kong and Melbourne residents. When the UTCI was between 23.0 and 45.9 °C, Melbourne residents wore significantly more clothing (0.1 clo) than Hong Kong residents. Hong Kong residents reported neutral to warm sensation at a higher UTCI range compared with the dynamic thermal sensation (DTS) model. Moreover, Melbourne residents reported warm and hot sensation at a higher UTCI range than the DTS model. Respondents in Melbourne also exhibited different responses to the mean radiant temperature under shaded and sunny conditions, while such a trend was not observed in Hong Kong. It would be advisable to define different thermal sensation thresholds for the UTCI scale according to different climate zones for better prediction of the outdoor thermal comfort of different urban populations.

Developing a Nonsexist/Nongendered Language Policy at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Benson, Erica J.; Kemp, Theresa D.; Pirlott, Angela; Coughlin, Casey; Forss, Quinn; Becherer, Laura

2013-01-01

This article describes a project initiated in 2011 at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire (UWEC) to develop a research-based action plan to justify the need for, and consequently the creation and adoption of, gender-inclusive language policies that aligned with UWEC's equity, diversity, and inclusivity goals and mission. By 2013, six…

Study on the Validity and Reliability of Melbourne Decision Making Scale in Turkey

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Çolakkadioglu, Oguzhan; Deniz, M. Engin

2015-01-01

This study is to analyze the validity and reliability of Melbourne Decision Making Questionnaire (MDMQ). The sample consisted of 650 university students. The structural validity of the MDMQ, as well as correlations among its sub-scales, measure-bound validity, internal consistency, item total correlations and test-retest reliability coefficients…

Reliability of the Melbourne assessment of unilateral upper limb function.

PubMed

Randall, M; Carlin, J B; Chondros, P; Reddihough, D

2001-11-01

This study examines the reliability of the Melbourne Assessment of Unilateral Upper Limb Function: a quantitative test of quality of movement in children with neurological impairment. The assessment was administered to 20 children aged from 5 to 16 years (mean age 9 years 10 months, SD 2 years 10 months) who had various types and degrees of cerebral palsy (CP). The performances of the 20 children during assessment were videotaped for subsequent scoring by 15 occupational therapists. Scores were analyzed for internal consistency of test items, inter- and intrarater reliability of scorings of the same videotapes, and test-retest reliability using repeat videotaping. Results revealed very high internal consistency of test items (alpha=0.96), moderate to high agreement both within and between raters for all test items (intraclass correlations of at least 0.7) apart from item 16 (hand to mouth and down), and high interrater reliability (0.95) and intrarater reliability (0.97) for total test scores. Test-retest results revealed moderate to high intrarater reliability for item totals (mean of 0.83 and 0.79) for each rater and high reliability for test totals (0.98 and 0.97). These findings indicate that the Melbourne Assessment of Unilateral Upper Limb Function is a reliable tool for measuring the quality of unilateral upper-limb movement in children with CP.

EAU Guidelines on Non-Muscle-invasive Urothelial Carcinoma of the Bladder: Update 2016.

PubMed

Babjuk, Marko; Böhle, Andreas; Burger, Maximilian; Capoun, Otakar; Cohen, Daniel; Compérat, Eva M; Hernández, Virginia; Kaasinen, Eero; Palou, Joan; Rouprêt, Morgan; van Rhijn, Bas W G; Shariat, Shahrokh F; Soukup, Viktor; Sylvester, Richard J; Zigeuner, Richard

2017-03-01

The European Association of Urology (EAU) panel on Non-muscle-invasive Bladder Cancer (NMIBC) released an updated version of the guidelines on Non-muscle-invasive Bladder Cancer. To present the 2016 EAU guidelines on NMIBC. A broad and comprehensive scoping exercise covering all areas of the NMIBC guidelines published between April 1, 2014, and May 31, 2015, was performed. Databases covered by the search included Medline, Embase, and the Cochrane Libraries. Previous guidelines were updated, and levels of evidence and grades of recommendation were assigned. Tumours staged as TaT1 or carcinoma in situ (CIS) are grouped as NMIBC. Diagnosis depends on cystoscopy and histologic evaluation of the tissue obtained by transurethral resection of the bladder (TURB) in papillary tumours or by multiple bladder biopsies in CIS. In papillary lesions, a complete TURB is essential for the patient's prognosis. If the initial resection is incomplete, there is no muscle in the specimen, or a high-grade or T1 tumour is detected, a second TURB should be performed within 2-6 wk. The risks of both recurrence and progression may be estimated for individual patients using the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) scoring system and risk tables. The stratification of patients into low-, intermediate-, and high-risk groups is pivotal to recommending adjuvant treatment. For patients with a low-risk tumour and intermediate-risk patients at a lower risk of recurrence, one immediate instillation of chemotherapy is recommended. Patients with an intermediate-risk tumour should receive 1 yr of full-dose bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) intravesical immunotherapy or instillations of chemotherapy for a maximum of 1 yr. In patients with high-risk tumours, full-dose intravesical BCG for 1-3 yr is indicated. In patients at highest risk of tumour progression, immediate radical cystectomy (RC) should be considered. RC is recommended in BCG-refractory tumours. The long version of

Seasonal precipitation forecasting for the Melbourne region using a Self-Organizing Maps approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pidoto, Ross; Wallner, Markus; Haberlandt, Uwe

2017-04-01

The Melbourne region experiences highly variable inter-annual rainfall. For close to a decade during the 2000s, below average rainfall seriously affected the environment, water supplies and agriculture. A seasonal rainfall forecasting model for the Melbourne region based on the novel approach of a Self-Organizing Map has been developed and tested for its prediction performance. Predictor variables at varying lead times were first assessed for inclusion within the model by calculating their importance via Random Forests. Predictor variables tested include the climate indices SOI, DMI and N3.4, in addition to gridded global sea surface temperature data. Five forecasting models were developed: an annual model and four seasonal models, each individually optimized for performance through Pearson's correlation r and the Nash-Sutcliffe Efficiency. The annual model showed a prediction performance of r = 0.54 and NSE = 0.14. The best seasonal model was for spring, with r = 0.61 and NSE = 0.31. Autumn was the worst performing seasonal model. The sea surface temperature data contributed fewer predictor variables compared to climate indices. Most predictor variables were supplied at a minimum lead, however some predictors were found at lead times of up to a year.

Retrospective forecasting of the 2010-2014 Melbourne influenza seasons using multiple surveillance systems.

PubMed

Moss, R; Zarebski, A; Dawson, P; McCAW, J M

2017-01-01

Accurate forecasting of seasonal influenza epidemics is of great concern to healthcare providers in temperate climates, since these epidemics vary substantially in their size, timing and duration from year to year, making it a challenge to deliver timely and proportionate responses. Previous studies have shown that Bayesian estimation techniques can accurately predict when an influenza epidemic will peak many weeks in advance, and we have previously tailored these methods for metropolitan Melbourne (Australia) and Google Flu Trends data. Here we extend these methods to clinical observation and laboratory-confirmation data for Melbourne, on the grounds that these data sources provide more accurate characterizations of influenza activity. We show that from each of these data sources we can accurately predict the timing of the epidemic peak 4-6 weeks in advance. We also show that making simultaneous use of multiple surveillance systems to improve forecast skill remains a fundamental challenge. Disparate systems provide complementary characterizations of disease activity, which may or may not be comparable, and it is unclear how a 'ground truth' for evaluating forecasts against these multiple characterizations might be defined. These findings are a significant step towards making optimal use of routine surveillance data for outbreak forecasting.

Measuring food access in Melbourne: access to healthy and fast foods by car, bus and foot in an urban municipality in Melbourne.

PubMed

Burns, C M; Inglis, A D

2007-12-01

Access to healthy food can be an important determinant of a healthy diet. This paper describes the assessment of access to healthy and unhealthy foods using a GIS accessibility programme in a large outer municipality of Melbourne. Access to a major supermarket was used as a proxy for access to a healthy diet and fast food outlet as proxy for access to unhealthy food. Our results indicated that most (>80%) residents lived within an 8-10 min car journey of a major supermarket i.e. have good access to a healthy diet. However, more advantaged areas had closer access to supermarkets, conversely less advantaged areas had closer access to fast food outlets. These findings have application for urban planners, public health practitioners and policy makers.

Parent compliance: a bad predictor of resolution and a problem in the application of EAU guidelines on vesicoureteral reflux in children.

PubMed

Prisca, Radu Alexandru; Gozar, Horea; Prisca, Ana Maria; Moldovan, Cosmin; Borda, Angela

2017-05-01

Primary vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) is a controversial pathology. Current management of VUR is ruled by EAU guidelines elaborated in 2012. They defined and analyzed the risk factors and enunciated three risk groups, developing the initial treatment indications. Continuous antibiotic prophylaxis (CAP) is recommended as the initial treatment option in patients classified in moderate-risk group without low urinary tract disorder. The compliance with medication use is a concern for using CAP. The aim of the present study is to quantify the compliance of the parents of VUR patients, to analyze its impact on treatment and the applicability of EAU guidelines in our patients. This is a 4-year prospective study, which includes 202 patients aged between 1 and 174 months, diagnosed with primary VUR without LUTD. To quantify parent compliance with treatment, an algorithm was developed. Out of 202 children, 60.9% were girls. A rate of 54% patients was declared cured. In terms of compliance, incompliant patients tend toward worsening (p = 0.0001), most of them being unfollowed. Logistic regression demonstrated that the evolution of children with VUR is dependent on compliance. In conclusion, parent's compliance must be considered in EAU guidelines application, being a negative predictive factor in VUR resolution.

Disulfide-stabilized Helical Hairpin Structure and Activity of a Novel Antifungal Peptide EcAMP1 from Seeds of Barnyard Grass (Echinochloa crus-galli)*

PubMed Central

Nolde, Svetlana B.; Vassilevski, Alexander A.; Rogozhin, Eugene A.; Barinov, Nikolay A.; Balashova, Tamara A.; Samsonova, Olga V.; Baranov, Yuri V.; Feofanov, Alexey V.; Egorov, Tsezi A.; Arseniev, Alexander S.; Grishin, Eugene V.

2011-01-01

This study presents purification, activity characterization, and 1H NMR study of the novel antifungal peptide EcAMP1 from kernels of barnyard grass Echinochloa crus-galli. The peptide adopts a disulfide-stabilized α-helical hairpin structure in aqueous solution and thus represents a novel fold among naturally occurring antimicrobial peptides. Micromolar concentrations of EcAMP1 were shown to inhibit growth of several fungal phytopathogens. Confocal microscopy revealed intensive EcAMP1 binding to the surface of fungal conidia followed by internalization and accumulation in the cytoplasm without disturbance of membrane integrity. Close spatial structure similarity between EcAMP1, the trypsin inhibitor VhTI from seeds of Veronica hederifolia, and some scorpion and cone snail toxins suggests natural elaboration of different functions on a common fold. PMID:21561864

Engaging Staff Communities in a Knowledge Transfer Strategy: A Case Study at the University of Melbourne

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goodwill, Robyn J.

2012-01-01

Within the framework of the strategic journey undertaken between 2005 and 2010, this paper seeks to examine how the University of Melbourne sought to differentiate itself through the introduction and reconceptualisation of a "third stream" of academic work. Specifically, this paper seeks to investigate, through qualitative methods, how…

Seasonal asthma in Melbourne, Australia, and some observations on the occurrence of thunderstorm asthma and its predictability

PubMed Central

Sutherland, Michael F.; Johnston, Fay H.; Lampugnani, Edwin R.; McCarthy, Michael A.; Jacobs, Stephanie J.; Pezza, Alexandre B.; Newbigin, Edward J.

2018-01-01

We examine the seasonality of asthma-related hospital admissions in Melbourne, Australia, in particular the contribution and predictability of episodic thunderstorm asthma. Using a time-series ecological approach based on asthma admissions to Melbourne metropolitan hospitals, we identified seasonal peaks in asthma admissions that were centred in late February, June and mid-November. These peaks were most likely due to the return to school, winter viral infections and seasonal allergies, respectively. We performed non-linear statistical regression to predict daily admission rates as functions of the seasonal cycle, weather conditions, reported thunderstorms, pollen counts and air quality. Important predictor variables were the seasonal cycle and mean relative humidity in the preceding two weeks, with higher humidity associated with higher asthma admissions. Although various attempts were made to model asthma admissions, none of the models explained substantially more variation above that associated with the annual cycle. We also identified a list of high asthma admissions days (HAADs). Most HAADs fell in the late-February return-to-school peak and the November allergy peak, with the latter containing the greatest number of daily admissions. Many HAADs in the spring allergy peak may represent episodes of thunderstorm asthma, as they were associated with rainfall, thunderstorms, high ambient grass pollen levels and high humidity, a finding that suggests thunderstorm asthma is a recurrent phenomenon in Melbourne that occurs roughly once per five years. The rarity of thunderstorm asthma events makes prediction challenging, underscoring the importance of maintaining high standards of asthma management, both for patients and health professionals, especially during late spring and early summer. PMID:29649224

Forecasting influenza outbreak dynamics in Melbourne from Internet search query surveillance data.

PubMed

Moss, Robert; Zarebski, Alexander; Dawson, Peter; McCaw, James M

2016-07-01

Accurate forecasting of seasonal influenza epidemics is of great concern to healthcare providers in temperate climates, as these epidemics vary substantially in their size, timing and duration from year to year, making it a challenge to deliver timely and proportionate responses. Previous studies have shown that Bayesian estimation techniques can accurately predict when an influenza epidemic will peak many weeks in advance, using existing surveillance data, but these methods must be tailored both to the target population and to the surveillance system. Our aim was to evaluate whether forecasts of similar accuracy could be obtained for metropolitan Melbourne (Australia). We used the bootstrap particle filter and a mechanistic infection model to generate epidemic forecasts for metropolitan Melbourne (Australia) from weekly Internet search query surveillance data reported by Google Flu Trends for 2006-14. Optimal observation models were selected from hundreds of candidates using a novel approach that treats forecasts akin to receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. We show that the timing of the epidemic peak can be accurately predicted 4-6 weeks in advance, but that the magnitude of the epidemic peak and the overall burden are much harder to predict. We then discuss how the infection and observation models and the filtering process may be refined to improve forecast robustness, thereby improving the utility of these methods for healthcare decision support. © 2016 The Authors. Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

International Students from Melbourne Describing Their Cross-Cultural Transitions Experiences: Culture Shock, Social Interaction, and Friendship Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Belford, Nish

2017-01-01

Drawing from a study that explored how international students experience cross-cultural transitions after living and studying in Melbourne for a few years, this paper, in particular, examines the participants' experiences with culture shock, social interaction, and friendship development. The findings include narratives of their personal stories…

What keeps Melbourne GPs satisfied in their jobs?

PubMed

Walker, Kate Anne; Pirotta, Marie

2007-10-01

Workforce shortages make it important to promote job satisfaction and career longevity in general practitioners. We aimed to investigate strategies that maintain and improve Melbourne (Victoria) GP job satisfaction. A postal survey of a random selection of The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners vocationally recognised GPs (N=860). Open ended answers were coded according to themes and compared between genders. Thirty-eight percent of surveyed GPs responded. The mean satisfaction score was 50 out of 70 (SD 9). Women GPs were more satisfied than men with life-work balance (p<0.01). Most frequently nominated themes for satisfaction were job variety, longitudinal patient relationships, belief in the value of the work and intellectual stimulation. Strategies to improve GP satisfaction were increased pay, reduced paperwork, and improved administrative systems. General practitioners were satisfied with their jobs due to the intrinsic qualities of their work and workplace. Decreasing the administrative burden, increasing remuneration and improving practice supports may improve metropolitan GP job satisfaction.

Exploring beliefs of the four major ethnic groups in Melbourne regarding healthcare and treatment.

PubMed

Leong, Kai'En; Weiland, Tracey J; Dent, Andrew W

2010-11-01

To explore and compare beliefs about healthcare and treatment of four ethnic groups attending a Melbourne emergency department (ED), and the corresponding perceptions held by emergency clinicians. Prospective survey of ED doctors and patients from Greek, Italian, Vietnamese and Anglo-Saxon backgrounds. Vietnamese patients were least likely to believe their ethnic group received the best available care but less likely to believe in the existence of ethnic healthcare disparities. They were most likely to have an ethnically concordant GP and preferred most strongly to raise sensitive issues with an ethnically concordant doctor. Anglo-Saxon patients placed less importance on family support and older Anglo-Saxons were less likely than other groups to turn to God for comfort. Doctors perceived the existence of ethnic healthcare disparity, which was not perceived by the ethnic groups themselves. They underestimated the extent of patient-perceived disease control, external supports for coping, or use of complementary practitioners. Doctors overestimated patient perceived importance of doctor-patient ethnic concordance for Anglo-Saxons but underestimated the importance this has for Vietnamese patients. They also underestimated importance of clinician-demonstrated cultural understanding. Beliefs about healthcare and treatment differ across the four major ethnic groups attending a Melbourne ED. Doctors' misperceptions of patients' beliefs suggest that cultural competence amongst ED doctors could be improved.

Late Hebrew Immersion at Mt. Scopus College, Melbourne: Towards Complete Hebrew Fluency for Jewish Day School Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lorch, S. C.; And Others

1992-01-01

This paper describes and evaluates a Hebrew immersion program for Jewish day school students at Mt. Scopus College in Melbourne, Australia. Specific sections address the following: (1) the first year; (2) the second year; (3) designing the evaluation of the program; (4) results of the evaluation (including academic outcomes, student and parent…

Domestic residence to multi-storey building. The lived experience of hospital grounds in Melbourne before World War II.

PubMed

Bourke, Anne

2012-09-01

Hospital grounds in Melbourne, Australia, before World War I resembled imposing residential sites with grand mansions surrounded by shrubberies, circular drives and tennis courts. By World War II hospitals had become multi-storey buildings surrounded by car parks and grass. Although there have been numerous studies that link the changing built environment of hospitals to social, medical and architectural narratives, there has been little emphasis on the impact of these changes on the experience of the hospital as a place, and its identity as an institution. The broader meanings for staff and patients are not explored. This paper then investigates the outdoor grounds of hospitals as places before World War II in Melbourne, Australia. This analysis illuminates a hitherto neglected aspect of hospital history that not only enriches an understanding of this period but provides insights into the role of outdoor grounds that has implications for twenty-first century hospitals. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Cardiovascular Nursing: From Florence to Melbourne.

PubMed

Thompson, David R

2016-08-01

This paper, based on the 2015 CSANZ Cardiovascular Nursing Lecture, takes its title from the invitation to give this lecture in Melbourne being received when the author was visiting Florence, after whom Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing, is named. Her work has indirectly shaped and influenced cardiovascular nursing, which has developed over the past 50 years. Despite its relatively short history, cardiovascular nursing has made a major contribution to improving the cardiovascular health and well-being of patients and families through health promotion, risk reduction and disease prevention. Examples include cardiac rehabilitation and secondary prevention and chronic heart failure disease management. Challenges, however, remain, including nurses practising to the full extent of their education and training, working as full partners with physicians and other health professionals in redesigning healthcare, ensuring better data collection and being more active in advocacy and policy initiatives. Cardiovascular nursing has a strong record of innovation but should always remember that it is there to serve the public and, bearing in mind the risk of potential harm versus benefit, be mindful of Florence Nightingale's wise counsel, "First, do no harm". Copyright © 2016 Australian and New Zealand Society of Cardiac and Thoracic Surgeons (ANZSCTS) and the Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand (CSANZ). Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Breastfeeding practices of ethnic Indian immigrant women in Melbourne, Australia.

PubMed

Maharaj, Natasha; Bandyopadhyay, Mridula

2013-12-18

The health benefits of breastfeeding are well documented in public health and medical literature worldwide. Despite this, global rates of breastfeeding steadily decline during the first couple of months postpartum. Although immigrant women have higher initiation rates and a longer duration of breastfeeding overall, breastfeeding practices are compromised because of a myriad of socioeconomic and cultural factors, including the acculturation process. The objective of this study was to show how acculturation and cultural identity influenced breastfeeding practices among Indian immigrants in Melbourne, Australia. Twelve case studies were employed to gather narratives of women's lived experiences. Ethnographic field research methods were used to collect data, including participant observation, semi-structured interviews, case studies, and life histories. This provided in-depth information from women on various aspects of the immigrant experience of motherhood, including infant care and feeding. Participants were opportunistically recruited from Indian obstetricians and gynaecologists. Women identifying as ethnic Indian and in their third trimester of pregnancy were recruited. Interviews were conducted in women's homes in metropolitan Melbourne over a 12 month period between 2004 and 2005. Data were coded and analysed thematically. All women identified as ethnic Indian and initiated breastfeeding in accordance with their cultural identity. Social support and cultural connectivity impacted positively on duration of breastfeeding. However, acculturation (adopting Australian cultural values and gender norms, including returning to paid employment) negatively influenced breastfeeding duration. In addition, the high reliance of recent immigrants on the advice of healthcare professionals who gave inconsistent advice negatively affected exclusive breastfeeding. For ethnic Indian immigrant women breastfeeding practice is closely linked to acculturation and identity construction

Ruth Flockart and Dr Wood: A Crucial Relationship in the Development of Melbourne Methodist Ladies' College Music Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jenkins, Louise

2011-01-01

This paper explores the notion that particular working relationships within school music programs can have a significant affect on the program's development and progress. To explore this notion the research focussed on the working relationship of a music teacher at Melbourne Methodist Ladies' College (MLC), Ruth Flockart (1891-1985) and the…

Evaluation of Mental Health First Aid training with members of the Vietnamese community in Melbourne, Australia

PubMed Central

Minas, Harry; Colucci, Erminia; Jorm, Anthony F

2009-01-01

Background The aim of this project was to investigate in members of the Vietnamese community in Melbourne the impact of Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training on attitudes to people with mental illness and on knowledge about mental disorders. Our hypotheses were that at the end of the training participants would have increased knowledge of mental disorders and their treatments, and decreased negative attitudes towards people with mental disorders. Methods Respondents were 114 participants in two-day MHFA training workshops for the Vietnamese community in Melbourne conducted by two qualified MHFA trainers. Participants completed the research questionnaire prior to the commencement of the training (pre-test) and at its completion (post-test). The questionnaires assessed negative attitudes towards people with mental illness (as described in four vignettes), ability to recognise the mental disorders described in the vignettes, and knowledge about how to assist someone with one of these disorders. Responses to open-ended questions were content analysed and coded. To evaluate the effect of the training, answers to the structured questions and to the coded open-ended questions given at pre- and post-test were compared using McNemar tests for dichotomous values and Wilcoxon tests for other scores. Results Between pre- and post-test there was significant improvement in recognition of mental disorders; more targeted and appropriate mental health first aid responses, and reduction in inappropriate first aid responses; and negative attitudes to the people described in the vignettes declined significantly on many items of the stigma scale. Conclusion A two-day, MHFA training course for general members of the Vietnamese community in Melbourne demonstrated significant reductions in stigmatising attitudes, improved knowledge of mental disorders and improved knowledge about appropriate forms of assistance to give to people in the community with mental disorder. There is sufficient

"Why Has It Only become an Issue Now?": Young Drug Users' Perceptions of Drug Driving in Melbourne, Victoria

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wilson, Laura Ann; Wilson, Dean

2010-01-01

Preliminary research into drug-user perceptions of drug driving was undertaken with a sample group of drug users aged 18 to 24 from Melbourne, Victoria. Eleven males and nine females participated in semi-structured interviews and completed self-report surveys. Participants discussed their drug driving and their perceptions of the likelihood of…

The Early Years: Embracing the Challenges. 1997 Early Years of Schooling Conference Proceedings (Melbourne, Australia, July 20-21, 1997).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Victoria Education Dept. (Australia).

These conference proceedings comprise 19 papers and the plenary session presented at the Early Years Schooling Conference held in Melbourne, Australia. The plenary session was "A Developmental Approach to Teaching Young Children" conducted by Lilian Katz. The keynote addresses and breakout sessions were: (1) "Developmental Learning:…

Innovative urban forestry governance in Melbourne?: Investigating "green placemaking" as a nature-based solution.

PubMed

Gulsrud, Natalie Marie; Hertzog, Kelly; Shears, Ian

2018-02-01

A nature-based approach to climate resilience aims to challenge and re-frame conventional environmental management methods by refocusing solutions from technological strategies to socio-ecological principles such as human well-being and community-based governance models, thereby improving and legitimizing the delivery of ecosystem services (ES). There are, however, many challenges to applying a socio-ecological agenda to urban climate resilience and thereby re-framing ES delivery as community and people focused, a knowledge gap extensively outlined in the environmental governance literature. In this paper, we aim to contribute to this re-assesment of urban environmental governance by examining the City of Melbourne's approach to urban re-naturing governance from a place-based perspective. Here we focus on the city's internationally-acclaimed urban forest strategy (UFS), investigating how and to which extent the governance arrangements embedded within the UFS draw strength from diverse perspectives and allow for institutional arrangements that support "situated" reflexive decision making and co-creation. We find that Melbourne's UFS governance process fosters green placemaking by re-focusing climate adaptation solutions from technological strategies to situated socio-ecological principles such as human well-being and community-based decision making. In this sense, this case provides valuable insight for the broader UGI governance field regarding the opportunities and challenges associated with a socio-cultural approach to urban re-naturing and ES delivery. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Comparative anthelminthic efficacy and safety of Caesalpinia crista seed and piperazine adipate in chickens with artificially induced Ascaridia galli infection.

PubMed

Javed, I; Akhtar, M S; Rahman, Z U; Khaliq, T; Ahmad, M

1994-01-01

The antiascarid activity of Caesalpinia crista Linn. seeds, popularly known as Karanjwa, was evaluated in chickens of the Fumi breed, suffering from artificially induced Ascaridia galli infection. Eggs per gram (EPG) counts were determined in the droppings of chickens prior and after treatment with powdered C. crista at doses of 30, 40 and 50 mg/kg of body weight along with its extracts in water and methanol in amounts representing 50 mg/kg of crude powder. The crude drug at the dose rates of 40 and 50 mg/kg and its methanol extract induced a significant (P < 0.001) effect on post-treatment days 10 and 15 while the 30 mg/kg dose was efficacious (P < 0.05) on day 15 only. However, the aqueous extract did not show significant results. These results suggest that a 50 mg/kg dose of C. crista seed powder, its equivalent methanolic extract and piperazine (200 mg/kg) are equieffective in treating the ascarid infection of poultry. The crude C. crista powder appears to be potent and safer than its methanol extract on the basis of the side effects observed.

Mobile telephone use among Melbourne drivers: a preventable exposure to injury risk.

PubMed

Taylor, David McD; Bennett, Dianne M; Carter, Michael; Garewal, Devinder

2003-08-04

To determine the rate of handheld mobile telephone use among motor vehicle drivers. Observational study of motor vehicle drivers at three times (10: 00-11: 00; 14: 00-15: 00; 17: 00-18: 00) on three consecutive Fridays in October 2002 at 12 highway sites in metropolitan Melbourne. Rates of mobile phone use overall and by sex and age group, highway site (major metropolitan road, central business district, freeway exit ramp) and time of day (morning, afternoon, evening). 315 of 17 023 drivers were observed using mobile phones (18.5 users/1000 drivers; 95% CI, 16.5-20.6). Men had a slightly higher rate of use (19.0; 95% CI, 16.5-21.6) than women (17.5; 95% CI, 14.1-20.9), but the difference was not significant. Older drivers (50 years or more) had a significantly lower rate (4.8; 95% CI, 2.5-7.0) than middle-aged (21.9; 95% CI, 18.8-25.1) or young drivers (23.2; 95% CI, 18.9-27.5). Central business district drivers had a slightly, but not significantly, higher rate (20.5; 95% CI, 16.8-24.3) compared with those on major metropolitan roads (16.7; 95% CI, 13.3-20.2) or freeway exit ramps (18.2; 95% CI, 14.8-21.6). The rate of mobile phone use was significantly higher in the evening (23.5; 95% CI, 19.8-27.3) compared with the morning (16.0; 95% CI, 12.6-19.4) and afternoon (15.2; 95% CI, 11.9-18.4). Mobile phone use is common among Melbourne metropolitan drivers despite restrictive legislation. This issue needs to be further addressed by Victoria Police and public health and education agencies. Similar research is indicated to determine the extent of mobile phone use in other states.

Shade Sails and Passive Recreation in Public Parks of Melbourne and Denver: A Randomized Intervention.

PubMed

Buller, David B; English, Dallas R; Buller, Mary Klein; Simmons, Jody; Chamberlain, James A; Wakefield, Melanie; Dobbinson, Suzanne

2017-12-01

To test whether shade sails will increase the use of passive recreation areas (PRAs). We conducted a stratified randomized pretest-posttest controlled design study in Melbourne, Australia, and Denver, Colorado, in 2010 to 2014. We randomized a sample of 144 public parks with 2 PRAs in full sun in a 1:3 ratio to treatment or control. Shade sails were built at 1 PRA per treatment park. The outcome was any use of the study PRA (n = 576 pretest and n = 576 posttest observations; 100% follow-up). Compared with control PRAs (adjusted probability of use: pretest = 0.14, posttest = 0.17), use of treatment PRAs (pretest = 0.10, posttest = 0.32) was higher at posttest (odds ratio [OR] = 3.91; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.71, 8.94). Shade increased use of PRAs in Denver (control: pretest = 0.18, posttest = 0.19; treatment: pretest = 0.16, posttest = 0.47) more than Melbourne (control: pretest = 0.11, posttest = 0.14; shaded: pretest = 0.06, posttest = 0.19; OR = 2.98; 95% CI = 1.09, 8.14). Public investment in shade is warranted for skin cancer prevention and may be especially useful in the United States. Clinicaltrials.gov identifier NCT02971709.

Examining the nutritional quality of food and beverage consumed at Melbourne aquatic and recreation centres.

PubMed

Boelsen-Robinson, Tara; Chung, Alexandra; Khalil, Marianne; Wong, Evelyn; Kurzeme, Ariana; Peeters, Anna

2017-04-01

Examine the nutritional quality of food and beverages consumed across a sample of community aquatic and recreation centres in metropolitan Melbourne, Australia. Interviewer-administered surveys of randomly selected patrons attending four aquatic and recreation centres were conducted to ascertain food and beverage items consumed over two data collection periods (May-June 2014, January-February 2015). We selected centres in and around metropolitan Melbourne with a sit-down cafeteria and children's swimming classes. We classified items by government nutrient profiling guidelines; 'green' (best choice), 'amber' (choose carefully) or 'red' (limit). A total of 2,326 surveys were conducted (response rate 63%). Thirty-five per cent of surveyed patrons consumed food or beverages while at the centre; 54% of patrons purchased from the café and 61% brought items to the centre. More than half the food consumed from the café was 'red', increasing to 92% for children. One in five children visiting the centre consumed a 'red' item bought from the centre café. The nutritional quality of food and beverages consumed at recreation centres was generally poor, with the on-site cafés providing the majority of discretionary items consumed. Implications for public health: Community aquatic and recreation centres provide an opportunity to promote healthy eating by increasing the provision of healthy options and limiting discretionary food and drink items. © 2017 The Authors.

Shade Sails and Passive Recreation in Public Parks of Melbourne and Denver: A Randomized Intervention

PubMed Central

English, Dallas R.; Buller, Mary Klein; Simmons, Jody; Chamberlain, James A.; Wakefield, Melanie; Dobbinson, Suzanne

2017-01-01

Objectives. To test whether shade sails will increase the use of passive recreation areas (PRAs). Methods. We conducted a stratified randomized pretest–posttest controlled design study in Melbourne, Australia, and Denver, Colorado, in 2010 to 2014. We randomized a sample of 144 public parks with 2 PRAs in full sun in a 1:3 ratio to treatment or control. Shade sails were built at 1 PRA per treatment park. The outcome was any use of the study PRA (n = 576 pretest and n = 576 posttest observations; 100% follow-up). Results. Compared with control PRAs (adjusted probability of use: pretest = 0.14, posttest = 0.17), use of treatment PRAs (pretest = 0.10, posttest = 0.32) was higher at posttest (odds ratio [OR] = 3.91; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.71, 8.94). Shade increased use of PRAs in Denver (control: pretest = 0.18, posttest = 0.19; treatment: pretest = 0.16, posttest = 0.47) more than Melbourne (control: pretest = 0.11, posttest = 0.14; shaded: pretest = 0.06, posttest = 0.19; OR = 2.98; 95% CI = 1.09, 8.14). Conclusions. Public investment in shade is warranted for skin cancer prevention and may be especially useful in the United States. Trial Registration. Clinicaltrials.gov identifier NCT02971709. PMID:29048958

Developmental capacity of Ascaridia galli eggs is preserved after anaerobic storage in faeces.

PubMed

Tarbiat, B; Rahimian, S; Jansson, D S; Halvarsson, P; Höglund, J

2018-05-15

The reliability of the results of in vitro studies such as detection of anthelmintic resistance often depends on the ability of the parasite eggs to develop under laboratory conditions. The aim of this study was to assess the embryonation capability of the chicken roundworm Ascaridia galli eggs after storage under different conditions. Two storage media for parasite eggs were used; faeces or water. Eggs in petri dishes (90 dishes in total) containing faces or water media were first exposed either to aerobic or anaerobic conditions at different temperatures (4 °C /+O 2 , 4 °C /-O 2 , 25 °C/-O 2 ) for a maximum of 72 days. Every second week, materials from petri dishes in triplicates were recovered and incubated aerobically for two weeks at 25 °C. After the incubation, 200-300 eggs from each petri shish (sampling unit) were counted and the number of embryonated eggs was determined. Data was analyzed in R (version 3.4.3) A logistic regression model with the probability of an egg to embryonate as dependent variable and conditions, storage medium and time points as fixed effects with quasibinomial distribution was run. Least-square means were calculated and pairwise comparisons were made with the fixed effect factors (condition, storage medium and time point). Eggs in faeces had a significantly (p ˂ 0.05) higher embryonation than those in water, irrespective of storage conditions. At 4 °C embryonation tended to decline over time under aerobic conditions irrespective of the storage medium, whereas it remained constant following storage at anaerobic conditions. In contrast, anaerobic storage at the 25 °C negatively affected egg development in both media, except for day 14 in faeces. Our major finding was that eggs in faeces under anaerobic conditions and at 4 °C retained the highest rate of development, with a minimum decline in their developmental capacity over time compared to cleaned eggs stored in water. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All

Competition between rice (Oryza sativa L.) and (barnyardgrass (Echinochloa crus-galli (L.) P. Beauv.) as affected by methanol foliar application.

PubMed

Rezaeieh, Alireza D; Aminpanah, Hashem; Sadeghi, Seyed M

2015-01-01

Pot experiment was conducted in Iran, to evaluate the effect of methanol on competition between rice (Oryza sativa) and barnyardgrass (Echinochloa crus-galli). The experiment was conducted as a randomized complete block design with a factorial treatment arrangement and three replicates. Factors were two aqueous methanol foliar applications (0, and 14% v/v) and five rice: barnyardgrass ratios (100:0, 75:25, 50:50, 25:6, and 0:100). Replacement series diagrams for aboveground dry weight illustrated that 'Shiroudi' was more competitive than barnyardgrass as averaged across methanol foliar applications. When methanol was not sprayed, the lines for 'Shiroudi' and barnyardgrass intersected at 75:25 rice: barnyardgrass ratio, but when methanol was sprayed at 14% v/v, the lines for 'Shiroudi' and barnyardgrass intersect at the left of the 75:25 rice: barnyardgrass mixture proportion. These indicate that methanol application reduced competitive ability of 'Shiroudi' against barnyardgrass for aboveground biomass accumulation. At the same time, Methanol foliar application significantly reduced the relative crowding coefficient of 'Shiroudi' while simultaneously it significantly increased the relative crowding coefficient of barnyard grass. This indicates that methanol foliar application reduced the competitive ability of 'Shiroudi' against barnyardgrass for shoot biomass accumulation. This experiment illustrated that foliar spray of aqueous methanol can not be recommended for rice under weedy conditions.

Personality as a risk factor in large bowel cancer: data from the Melbourne Colorectal Cancer Study.

PubMed

Kune, G A; Kune, S; Watson, L F; Bahnson, C B

1991-02-01

In a case control study which formed one arm of a large, population-based investigation of colorectal cancer incidence, aetiology and survival. 'The Melbourne Colorectal Cancer Study', among others, 22 psychosocially orientated questions were asked by personal interview of 637 histologically confirmed new cases of colorectal cancer and 714 age/sex frequency matched community controls, from Melbourne (population 2.81 million). Self-reported childhood or adult life 'unhappiness' was statistically significantly more common among the cancer cases, while 'unhappiness with retirement' was similarly distributed among cases and controls. Questions which were formulated to test a particular personality profile as a cancer risk, and which included the elements of denial and repression of anger and of other negative emotions, a commitment to prevailing social norms resulting in the external appearance of a 'nice' or 'good' person, a suppression of reactions which may offend others and the avoidance of conflict, showed a statistically significant discrimination between cases and controls. The risk of colorectal cancer with respect to this model was independent of the previously found risk factors of diet, beer intake, and family history of colorectal cancer, and was also independent of other potential confounding factors of socioeconomic level, marital status, religion and country of birth. Although the results must be interpreted with caution, the data are consistent with the hypothesis that this personality type may play a role in the clinical expression of colorectal cancer and merits further study.

EAU guidelines on laser technologies.

PubMed

Herrmann, Thomas R W; Liatsikos, Evangelos N; Nagele, Udo; Traxer, Olivier; Merseburger, Axel S

2012-04-01

The European Association of Urology (EAU) Guidelines Office has set up a guideline working panel to analyse the scientific evidence published in the world literature on lasers in urologic practice. Review the physical background and physiologic and technical aspects of the use of lasers in urology, as well as current clinical results from these new and evolving technologies, together with recommendations for the application of lasers in urology. The primary objective of this structured presentation of the current evidence base in this area is to assist clinicians in making informed choices regarding the use of lasers in their practice. Structured literature searches using an expert consultant were designed for each section of this document. Searches were carried out in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and Medline and Embase on the Dialog/DataStar platform. The controlled terminology of the respective databases was used, and both Medical Subject Headings and EMTREE were analysed for relevant entry terms. One Cochrane review was identified. Depending on the date of publication, the evidence for different laser treatments is heterogeneous. The available evidence allows treatments to be classified as safe alternatives for the treatment of bladder outlet obstruction in different clinical scenarios, such as refractory urinary retention, anticoagulation, and antiplatelet medication. Laser treatment for bladder cancer should only be used in a clinical trial setting or for patients who are not suitable for conventional treatment due to comorbidities or other complications. For the treatment of urinary stones and retrograde endoureterotomy, lasers provide a standard tool to augment the endourologic procedure. In benign prostatic obstruction (BPO), laser vaporisation, resection, or enucleation are alternative treatment options. The standard treatment for BPO remains transurethral resection of the prostate for

Peer support groups, mobile phones and refugee women in Melbourne.

PubMed

Liamputtong, Pranee; Koh, Lee; Wollersheim, Dennis; Walker, Rae

2016-09-01

In this article, we discuss qualitative findings basing on the experiences of refugee women living in Melbourne, Australia, who participated in a peer support training programme and received a free mobile phone. We pay attention to social support as a health enhancing strategy and empowerment that occurred among the participants. Participation in peer support groups and access to a mobile phone were beneficial for the women. Peer support functioned as social support among group members. The programme allowed the women to be connected to their families and the wider communities and assisted them to access health care and other settlement aspects with greater ease. It also increased personal empowerment among the women. Our programme shows that by tapping on community resources to ameliorate personal or resettlement issues, the burden on service providers can be reduced. Our findings also offer a model for future research and programmes regarding refugee people elsewhere. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Health seeking narratives of unwell Sri Lankan Tamil refugees in Melbourne Australia.

PubMed

Samuel, Sophia; Advocat, Jenny; Russell, Grant

2018-03-01

Sri Lankan Tamil refugees are among the largest group of refugees to resettle in Australia in the last decade. The aim of this study is to characterise the narratives of health-seeking among unwell Sri Lankan Tamil refugees in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Drawing on a qualitative, phenomenological perspective, we conducted in-depth interviews in Tamil and English with 12 participants who identified as being unwell for 6 months or more. Findings revealed three narratives of health-seeking: the search for the 'good life' that was lost or never experienced, seeking help from familiar channels in an unfamiliar context, and the desire for financial and occupational independence. These three narratives are undergirded by the metanarrative of a hope-filled recovery. These narratives of Tamil refugees' lived experience provide new insights into clinical care and health service delivery.

Assessment of soil metal concentrations in residential and community vegetable gardens in Melbourne, Australia.

PubMed

Laidlaw, Mark A S; Alankarage, Dileepa H; Reichman, Suzie M; Taylor, Mark Patrick; Ball, Andrew S

2018-05-01

Gardening and urban food production is an increasingly popular activity, which can improve physical and mental health and provide low cost nutritious food. However, the legacy of contamination from industrial and diffuse sources may have rendered surface soils in some urban gardens to have metals value in excess of recommended guidelines for agricultural production. The objective of this study was to establish the presence and spatial extent of soil metal contamination in Melbourne's residential and inner city community gardens. A secondary objective was to assess whether soil lead (Pb) concentrations in residential vegetable gardens were associated with the age of the home or the presence or absence of paint. The results indicate that most samples in residential and community gardens were generally below the Australian residential guidelines for all tested metals except Pb. Mean soil Pb concentrations exceeded the Australian HIL-A residential guideline of 300 mg/kg in 8% of 13 community garden beds and 21% of the 136 residential vegetable gardens assessed. Mean and median soil Pb concentrations for residential vegetable gardens was 204 mg/kg and 104 mg/kg (range <4-3341 mg/kg), respectively. Mean and median soil Pb concentration for community vegetable garden beds was 102 mg/kg and 38 mg/kg (range = 17-578 mg/kg), respectively. Soil Pb concentrations were higher in homes with painted exteriors (p = 0.004); generally increased with age of the home (p = 0.000); and were higher beneath the household dripline than in vegetable garden beds (p = 0.040). In certain circumstances, the data indicates that elevated soil Pb concentrations could present a potential health hazard in a portion of inner-city residential vegetable gardens in Melbourne. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Parents׳ experiences of raising pre-school aged children in an outer-Melbourne growth corridor.

PubMed

Andrews, Fiona Jane; Rich, Stephanie; Stockdale, Rebecca; Shelley, Julia

2014-05-01

There is growing concern about the outer-suburbs in Australia as healthy places to raise children. This paper aimed to explore this from the perspectives of parents raising preschool-age children in an outer-Melbourne municipality. Findings showed that parents were positive about the natural environment as well as the provision of recreation areas and generally felt their neighbourhoods were a safe place for raising children. However, car-dependency, housing estate design and limited local job opportunities all appeared to contribute to social isolation amongst families. Using the Environments for Health Framework, this paper makes suggestions to improve liveability for families in this municipality. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Microscopie par rayons X dans la fenêtre de l'eau : faisabilité et intérêt pour la biologie d'un instrument de laboratoire

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Adam, J. F.; Moy, J. P.

2005-06-01

La biologie étudie des structures ou des phénomènes sub-cellulaires. Pour cela la microscopie est la technique d'observation privilégiée. La résolution spatiale de la microscopie optique s'avère bien souvent insuffisante pour de telles observations. Les techniques plus résolvantes, comme la microscopie électronique par transmission sont souvent destructrices et d'une complexité peu adaptée aux besoins des biologistes. La microscopie par rayons X dans la fenêtre de l'eau permet l'imagerie rapide de cellules dans leur milieu naturel, nécessite peu de préparation et offre des résolutions de quelques dizaines de nanomètres. De plus, il existe un bon contraste naturel entre les structures carbonées (protéines, lipides) et l'eau. Actuellement cette technique est limitée aux centres de rayonnement synchrotron, ce qui impose une planification et des déplacements incompatibles avec les besoins de la biologie. Un tel microscope fonctionnant avec uns source de laboratoire serait d'une grande utilité. Ce document présente un état de l'art de la microscopie par rayons X dans la fenêtre de l'eau. Un cahier des charges détaillé pour un appareil de laboratoire ayant les performances optiques requises par les biologistes est présenté et confronté aux microscopes X de laboratoire déjà existants. Des solutions concernant la source et les optiques sont également discutées.

Factors controlling volatile organic compounds in dwellings in Melbourne, Australia.

PubMed

Cheng, M; Galbally, I E; Molloy, S B; Selleck, P W; Keywood, M D; Lawson, S J; Powell, J C; Gillett, R W; Dunne, E

2016-04-01

This study characterized indoor volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and investigated the effects of the dwelling characteristics, building materials, occupant activities, and environmental conditions on indoor VOC concentrations in 40 dwellings located in Melbourne, Australia, in 2008 and 2009. A total of 97 VOCs were identified. Nine VOCs, n-butane, 2-methylbutane, toluene, formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, d-limonene, ethanol, 2-propanol, and acetic acid, accounted for 68% of the sum of all VOCs. The median indoor concentrations of all VOCs were greater than those measured outdoors. The occupant density was positively associated with indoor VOC concentrations via occupant activities, including respiration and combustion. Terpenes were associated with the use of household cleaning and laundry products. A petroleum-like indoor VOC signature of alkanes and aromatics was associated with the proximity of major roads. The indoor VOC concentrations were negatively correlated (P < 0.05) with ventilation. Levels of VOCs in these Australian dwellings were lower than those from previous studies in North America and Europe, probably due to a combination of an ongoing temporal decrease in indoor VOC concentrations and the leakier nature of Australian dwellings. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Fertility and work-force participation: The experience of Melbourne Wives.

PubMed

Ware, H

1976-11-01

Summary Current and retrospective data on the fertility control, work-force participation intentions and practice of Melbourne wives are combined in an examination of the causal link between work-force participation and reduced family size. Stress is laid on the analysis of the interaction between work-force participation and fertility over time, taking into account the proportion of married life spent in the work-force, rather than relying exclusively on a measure of current participation, the only option available in the analysis of census-type data. The wide range of information available makes it possible to study the effects of work-force participation on wives of unimpaired fertility, as well as the different consequences of planned and unplanned participation, and of working in a variety of occupations and for a number of distinct reasons. Examination of the future fertility intentions and current contraceptive practice of the younger wives shows that working wives are not, in these respects, markedly different from their house-wife peers. Overall, the balance of the evidence indicates that in the majority of cases fertility influences work-force participation rather than the converse.

Breast pump use amongst mothers of healthy term infants in Melbourne, Australia: A prospective cohort study.

PubMed

Johns, Helene M; Amir, Lisa H; McLachlan, Helen L; Forster, Della A

2016-02-01

this paper describes the use of breast pumps amongst a group of mothers of healthy term infants in Melbourne, Australia, between birth and six months post partum. a prospective cohort study; data were collected using structured questionnaires. 1003 postpartum women who had given birth to healthy infants at term were recruited from three Melbourne maternity hospitals between July 2009 and April 2011. Data were collected by face-to-face interview at recruitment and by telephone interview three and six months later. at recruitment (24 to 48 hours post partum), 60% (605/1003) of women already had a breast pump. At two weeks post partum expressing was common; 62% (290/466) of women had expressed by this time, with 40% (186/466) doing so several times a day. By six months post partum 83% (754/911) of the women had a breast pump and 40% (288/715) were expressing, although most just occasionally. The most common reasons for any expressing in the first six months were 'to be able to go out and leave the baby' (35%; 268/772); milk supply 'not enough'(27%; 207/772); and having 'too much' milk (19%; 147/772). The increasing popularity of expressing breast milk to feed infants is not driven by women returning to the workforce, as only 10% of women (80/772) expressed because they had returned to paid employment. health professionals should be aware that in some settings breast pump use is common in the first six months, and this is not always related to maternal workforce participation. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Patterns of weak, near-surface winds at Melbourne, Australia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tapp, R. G.

1985-12-01

Up to 30 months of near-surface anemograph records have been examined from 13 locations in and near Melbourne, Australia, to determine the wind patterns which existed during prolonged periods of light winds (at least 3 hours at 2 m s-1 or less). A coherent katabatic wind system was found to develop in at least part of the monitored region on approximately 30% of nights. The flow broadly followed the slope of the basin surrounding the city, with a strong flow down the main river valley, and was partly reinforced by a land breeze in bayside areas. Other valleys also acted as channels for these winds. The general tendency of these katabatic winds was to converge towards the central business district and the northern part of Port Phillip Bay adjacent to the city centre. Where winds from different directions interacted, one of the winds dominated or successive replacement occurred causing the wind direction to vary considerably during a period. There were indications that in the presence of low-level stability with a synoptic gradient wind between east and north, the gradient flow may be deflected around the major topographic barrier to the northeast of the city. The existence of such a situation would have major implications in terms of air quality due to the possibility of pollutants being recirculated in conditions when vertical diffusion was very limited.

Variation in outcomes of the Melbourne Infant, Feeding, Activity and Nutrition Trial (InFANT) Program according to maternal education and age.

PubMed

Cameron, Adrian J; Ball, Kylie; Hesketh, Kylie D; McNaughton, Sarah A; Salmon, Jo; Crawford, David A; Lioret, Sandrine; Campbell, Karen J

2014-01-01

To assess the effectiveness of the Melbourne Infant Feeding, Activity and Nutrition Trial (InFANT) Program according to maternal education and age. A cluster-randomised controlled trial involving 542 mother/infant pairs from 62 existing first-time parent groups was conducted in 2008 in Melbourne, Australia. The intervention involved 6 × 2-hour dietitian-delivered sessions, DVD and written resources from infant age 4-15 months. Outcomes included infant diet (3 × 24 h diet recalls), physical activity (accelerometry), television viewing and body mass index. We tested for moderation by maternal education (with/without a University degree) and age (< 32 and ≥ 32 years). The trial was registered with the ISRCTN Register (identifier 81847050). Interaction effects with the treatment arm were observed for maternal education and age. The intervention effects on vegetable (positive effect) and sweet snack consumption (negative effect) were greater in children with higher educated mothers while intervention effects on water consumption (positive effect) were greater in infants with lower educated mothers. The intervention was also more effective in increasing both vegetable and water consumption in infants with mothers aged < 32 years. Child obesity prevention interventions may be differentially effective according to maternal education and age. Evidence of differential effects is important for informing more sensitively targeted/tailored approaches. © 2013.

Herbicides and trace metals in urban waters in Melbourne, Australia (2011-12): concentrations and potential impact.

PubMed

Allinson, Mayumi; Zhang, Pei; Bui, AnhDuyen; Myers, Jackie H; Pettigrove, Vincent; Rose, Gavin; Salzman, Scott A; Walters, Robert; Allinson, Graeme

2017-03-01

Urban stormwater samples were collected from five aquatic systems in Melbourne, Australia, on six occasions between October 2011 and March 2012 and tested for 30 herbicides and 14 trace metals. Nineteen different herbicides were observed in one or more water samples from the five sites; chemicals observed at more than 40% of sites were simazine (100%), MCPA (83%), diuron (63%) and atrazine (53%). Using the toxicity unit (TU) concept to assess potential risk to aquatic ecosystems, none of the detected herbicides were considered to pose an individual, group or collective short-term risk to fish or zooplankton in the waters studied. However, 13 herbicides had TU values suggesting they might have posed an individual risk to primary producers at the time of sampling. Water quality guideline levels were exceeded on many occasions for Cd, Cu, Cr, Pb and Zn. Similarly, RQ med and RQ max exceeded 1 for Cd, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb, V and Zn. Almost all the metals screened exceeded a log 10 TU of -3 for every trophic level, suggesting that there may have been some impact on aquatic organisms in the studied waterbodies. Our data indicate that Melbourne's urban aquatic environments may be being impacted by approved domestic, industrial and sporting application of herbicides and that stormwater quality needs to be carefully assessed prior to reuse. Further research is required to understand the performance of different urban stormwater wetland designs in removing pesticides and trace metals. Applying the precautionary principle to herbicide regulation is important to ensure there is more research and assessment of the long-term 'performance' standard of all herbicides and throughout their 'life cycle'. Implementing such an approach will also ensure government, regulators, decision makers, researchers, policy makers and industry have the best possible information available to improve the management of chemicals, from manufacture to use.

Report on the comparison of the scan strategies employed by the Patrick Air Force Base WSR-74C/McGill radar and the NWS Melbourne WSR-88D radar

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Taylor, Gregory; Evans, Randolph; Manobianco, John; Schumann, Robin; Wheeler, Mark; Yersavich, Ann

1994-01-01

The objective of this investigation is to determine whether the current standard WSR-88D radar (NEXRAD) scan strategies permit the use of the Melbourne WSR-88D to perform the essential functions now performed by the Patrick Air Force Base (PAFB) WSR-74C/McGill radar for evaluating shuttle weather flight rules (FR) and launch commit criteria (LCC). To meet this objective, the investigation compared the beam coverage patterns of the WSR-74C/McGill radar located at PAFB and the WSR-88D radar located at the Melbourne National Weather Service (NWS) Office over the area of concern for weather FR and LCC evaluations. The analysis focused on beam coverage within four vertical 74 km radius cylinders (1 to 4 km above ground level (AGL), 4 to 8 km AGL, 8 to 12 km AGL, and 1 to 12 km AGL) centered on Kennedy Space Center (KSC) Launch Complex 39A. The PAFB WSR-74C/McGill radar is approximately 17 km north-northeast of the Melbourne WSR-88D radar. The beam coverage of the WSR-88D using VCP 11 located at the Melbourne NWS Office is comparable (difference in percent of the atmosphere sampled between the two radars is 10 percent or less) within the area of concern to the beam coverage of the WSR-74C/McGill radar located at PAFB. Both radars provide good beam coverage over much of the atmospheric region of concern. In addition, both radars provide poor beam coverage (coverage less than 50 percent) over limited regions near the radars due to the radars' cone of silence and gaps in coverage within the higher elevation scans. Based on scan strategy alone, the WSR-88D radar could be used to perform the essential functions now performed by the PAFB WSR-74C/McGill radar for evaluating shuttle weather FR and LCC. Other radar characteristics may, however, affect the decision as to which radar to use in a given case.

The Melbourne Family Support Program: evidence-based strategies that prepare family caregivers for supporting palliative care patients.

PubMed

Hudson, Peter; Aranda, Sanchia

2014-09-01

A key component of palliative care is support for family caregivers. Although some family caregivers identify positive aspects, the impact is typically burdensome; they are prone to physical and psychological morbidity, financial disadvantage and social isolation. Outcomes of systematic reviews have highlighted the importance of investment in family caregiver intervention research. To provide an overview of the development, evaluation and outcomes arising from of a programme of research (The Melbourne Family Support Program (FSP)), which focused on reducing the psychosocial burden of family caregivers. Developmental work involved a systematic literature review; focus groups with family caregivers and health professionals; and identification of a conceptual framework. Following a pilot randomised controlled trial (RCT), a programme of psychoeducational intervention studies was developed and tested; one via RCT, the others via prepost test. Four psychoeducational interventions, incorporating one-to-one and group format delivery, conducted in both the home and inpatient hospital/hospice were evaluated. Statistically significant outcomes included improvements in family caregivers' preparedness, competence, positive emotions, more favourable levels of psychological wellbeing and a reduction in unmet needs. Internationally endorsed guidelines for the psychosocial support of family caregivers were produced and several resources were constructed. Fifteen publications in international peer-reviewed journals have arisen from this programme. The interventions and resources from the Melbourne FSP provide several evidenced-based and clinically relevant approaches that focus on reducing the psychosocial burden of the caregiving role. In several instances, however, more rigorous methodological testing is advocated. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

Two consecutive thunderstorm associated epidemics of asthma in the city of Melbourne. The possible role of rye grass pollen.

PubMed

Bellomo, R; Gigliotti, P; Treloar, A; Holmes, P; Suphioglu, C; Singh, M B; Knox, B

1992-06-15

To document the clinical impact and identify the meteorological and environmental circumstances surrounding two epidemics of asthma exacerbations associated with thunderstorms in the city of Melbourne and to find a possible aetiology for these events. Collection of meteorological and environmental data from the Victorian Bureau of Meteorology and the Environment Protection Authority; collection of clinical data from metropolitan emergency departments and the Victorian Ambulance Service; and study of a cohort of affected patients with asthma and a control group of asthmatics who were not affected by the storms. Tertiary institution. Twelve storm-affected patients with asthma and 16 asthmatics not affected by the storms. Administration of a questionnaire, medical interview, pulmonary function tests and skin prick tests with common allergens. Both epidemics caused a major increase in the number of hospital attendances and admissions because of asthma exacerbation (five to ten fold rise). These events could not be related to atmospheric pollution or specific meteorological features of the storms. Patients affected by the second storm were significantly more likely to suffer from hay fever (P less than 0.05), rye grass pollen allergy (P less than 0.05) and allergy to rainfall released rye grass starch granules (P less than 0.025). Late spring thunderstorms in the city of Melbourne can trigger epidemics of asthma attacks. The seasonal nature of the phenomenon and the pattern of allergic responses found in affected patients suggest a possible aetiological role for rye grass pollen.

Mothers' health and babies' weights: the biology of poverty at the Melbourne Lying-in Hospital, 1857-83.

PubMed

Mccalman, Janet; Morley, Ruth

2003-04-01

Birth weight remains a major focus of medical research into the relationship between pre-natal growth and life course health, and historians have used mean birth weight to assess women's standard of living. However, there are intrinsic difficulties in inferring maternal health and nutritional status from birth weight, and some of the known data sets produce puzzling results. One rich data set comes from the Melbourne Lying-in Hospital, 1857-83, and the article discusses the complex institutional, social, and economic causes that may underlie its apparently counter-intuitive anthropometric results. This data set reveals the biological effects differential social conditions can inflict, even within an otherwise affluent society.

3D calculation of Tucson-Melbourne 3NF effect in triton binding energy

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hadizadeh, M. R.; Tomio, L.; Bayegan, S.

2010-08-04

As an application of the new realistic three-dimensional (3D) formalism reported recently for three-nucleon (3N) bound states, an attempt is made to study the effect of three-nucleon forces (3NFs) in triton binding energy in a non partial wave (PW) approach. The spin-isospin dependent 3N Faddeev integral equations with the inclusion of 3NFs, which are formulated as function of vector Jacobi momenta, specifically the magnitudes of the momenta and the angle between them, are solved with Bonn-B and Tucson-Melbourne NN and 3N forces in operator forms which can be incorporated in our 3D formalism. The comparison with numerical results in both,more » novel 3D and standard PW schemes, shows that non PW calculations avoid the very involved angular momentum algebra occurring for the permutations and transformations and it is more efficient and less cumbersome for considering the 3NF.« less

A tale of two cities: a review of homicide in Melbourne and Glasgow in 2005.

PubMed

Lynch, Matthew; Black, Marjorie

2008-01-01

The Departments of Forensic Medicine and Science at the University of Glasgow and the Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine in Melbourne are academic university-based forensic medicine units providing a medico-legal death investigation service to the Strathclyde region of Scotland and the State of Victoria, Australia, respectively. We reviewed and compared homicides in the two jurisdictions for the year 2005. Whilst gross numbers were comparable, the homicide rate per capita was significantly higher in Glasgow. Death due to stabbing comprised a greater proportion of homicides in Glasgow, reflective of a well recognised social epidemic of knife-related trauma amongst young males. Blunt force trauma was the most prevalent cause of homicidal injury in the Australian cases. The cities shared a low incidence of firearm- related homicide, reflective of strict legislative initiatives.

Origin and heterogeneity of pore sizes in the Mount Simon Sandstone and Eau Claire Formation: Implications for multiphase fluid flow

DOE PAGES

Mozley, Peter S.; Heath, Jason E.; Dewers, Thomas A.; ...

2016-01-01

The Mount Simon Sandstone and Eau Claire Formation represent a principal reservoir - caprock system for wastewater disposal, geologic CO 2 storage, and compressed air energy storage (CAES) in the Midwestern United States. Of primary concern to site performance is heterogeneity in flow properties that could lead to non-ideal injectivity and distribution of injected fluids (e.g., poor sweep efficiency). Using core samples from the Dallas Center Structure, Iowa, we investigate pore structure that governs flow properties of major lithofacies of these formations. Methods include gas porosimetry and permeametry, mercury intrusion porosimetry, thin section petrography, and X-ray diffraction. The lithofacies exhibitmore » highly variable intra- and inter-informational distributions of pore throat and body sizes. Based on pore-throat size, samples fall into four distinct groups. Micropore-throat dominated samples are from the Eau Claire Formation, whereas the macropore-, mesopore-, and uniform-dominated samples are from the Mount Simon Sandstone. Complex paragenesis governs the high degree of pore and pore-throat size heterogeneity, due to an interplay of precipitation, non-uniform compaction, and later dissolution of cements. Furthermore, the cement dissolution event probably accounts for much of the current porosity in the unit. The unusually heterogeneous nature of the pore networks in the Mount Simon Sandstone indicates that there is a greater-than-normal opportunity for reservoir capillary trapping of non-wetting fluids — as quantified by CO 2 and air column heights — which should be taken into account when assessing the potential of the reservoir-caprock system for CO 2 storage and CAES.« less

Modeling interactions of agriculture and groundwater nitrate contaminants: application of The STICS-Eau-Dyssée coupled models over the Seine River Basin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tavakoly, A. A.; Habets, F.; Saleh, F.; Yang, Z. L.

2017-12-01

Human activities such as the cultivation of N-fixing crops, burning of fossil fuels, discharging of industrial and domestic effluents, and extensive usage of fertilizers have recently accelerated the nitrogen loading to watersheds worldwide. Increasing nitrate concentration in surface water and groundwater is a major concern in watersheds with extensive agricultural activities. Nutrient enrichment is one of the major environmental problems in the French coastal zone. To understand and predict interactions between agriculture, surface water and groundwater nitrate contaminants, this study presents a modeling framework that couples the agronomic STICS model with Eau-Dyssée, a distributed hydrologic modeling system to simulate groundwater-surface water interaction. The coupled system is implemented on the Seine River Basin with an area of 88,000 km2 to compute daily nitrate contaminants. Representing a sophisticated hydrosystem with several aquifers and including the megalopolis of Paris, the Seine River Basin is well-known as one of the most productive agricultural areas in France. The STICS-EauDyssée framework is evaluated for a long-term simulation covering 39 years (1971-2010). Model results show that the simulated nitrate highly depends on the inflow produced by surface and subsurface waters. Daily simulation shows that the model captures the seasonal variation of observations and that the overall long-term simulation of nitrate contaminant is satisfactory at the regional scale.

The impact of sustained hot weather on risk of acute work-related injury in Melbourne, Australia.

PubMed

McInnes, Judith Anne; MacFarlane, Ewan M; Sim, Malcolm R; Smith, Peter

2018-02-01

It has been reported that weather-related high ambient temperature is associated with an increased risk of work-related injury. Understanding this relationship is important because work-related injuries are a major public health problem, and because projected climate changes will potentially expose workers to hot days, including consecutive hot days, more often. The aim of this study was to quantify the impact of exposure to sustained periods of hot weather on work-related injury risk for workers in Melbourne, Australia. A time-stratified case crossover study design was utilised to examine the association between two and three consecutive days and two and three consecutive nights of hot weather and the risk of work-related injury, using definitions of hot weather ranging from the 60th to the 95th percentile of daily maximum and minimum temperatures for the Melbourne metropolitan area, 2002-2012. Workers' compensation claim data was used to identify cases of acute work-related injury. Overall, two and three consecutive days of hot weather were associated with an increased risk of injury, with this effect becoming apparent at a daily maximum temperature of 27.6 °C (70th percentile). Three consecutive days of high but not extreme temperatures were associated with the strongest effect, with a 15% increased risk of injury (odds ratio 1.15, 95% confidence interval 1.01-1.30) observed when daily maximum temperature was ≥33.3 °C (90th percentile) for three consecutive days, compared to when it was not. At a threshold of 35.5 °C (95th percentile), there was no significant association between temperature and injury for either two or three consecutive days of heat. These findings suggest that warnings to minimise harm to workers from hot weather should be given, and prevention protocol initiated, when consecutive warm days of temperatures lower than extreme heat temperatures are forecast, and well before the upper ranges of ambient daytime temperatures are reached.

Mediators of improved child diet quality following a health promotion intervention: the Melbourne InFANT Program.

PubMed

Spence, Alison C; Campbell, Karen J; Crawford, David A; McNaughton, Sarah A; Hesketh, Kylie D

2014-11-04

Young children's diets are currently suboptimal. Given that mothers have a critical influence on children' diets, they are typically a target of interventions to improve early childhood nutrition. Understanding the maternal factors which mediate an intervention's effect on young children's diets is important, but has not been well investigated. This research aimed to test whether maternal feeding knowledge, maternal feeding practices, maternal self-efficacy, and maternal dietary intakes acted as mediators of the effect of an intervention to improve child diet quality. The Melbourne Infant Feeding Activity and Nutrition Trial (InFANT) Program was a cluster-randomized controlled trial, conducted from 2008-2010. This novel, low-dose, health promotion intervention was delivered quarterly over 15 months and involved educational activities, promotion of peer discussion, a DVD and written materials. Post-intervention, when children were approximately 18 months of age, child diets were assessed using multiple 24-hour recalls and a purpose-developed index of diet quality, the Obesity Protective Dietary Index. Maternal mediators were assessed using a combination of previously validated and purpose-deigned tools. Mediation analysis was conducted using the test of joint significance and difference of coefficients methods. Across 62 parents' groups in Melbourne, Australia, 542 parents were recruited. Post- intervention, higher maternal feeding knowledge and lower use of foods as rewards was found to mediate the direct intervention effect on child diet quality. While other aspects of maternal feeding practices, self-efficacy and dietary intakes did not act as mediators, they were associated with child diet quality. Mediation analysis of this novel health promotion intervention showed the importance of maternal feeding knowledge and use of foods as rewards in impacting child diet quality. The other maternal factors assessed were appropriate targets but further research on how to

The impact of sustained hot weather on risk of acute work-related injury in Melbourne, Australia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McInnes, Judith Anne; MacFarlane, Ewan M.; Sim, Malcolm R.; Smith, Peter

2018-02-01

It has been reported that weather-related high ambient temperature is associated with an increased risk of work-related injury. Understanding this relationship is important because work-related injuries are a major public health problem, and because projected climate changes will potentially expose workers to hot days, including consecutive hot days, more often. The aim of this study was to quantify the impact of exposure to sustained periods of hot weather on work-related injury risk for workers in Melbourne, Australia. A time-stratified case crossover study design was utilised to examine the association between two and three consecutive days and two and three consecutive nights of hot weather and the risk of work-related injury, using definitions of hot weather ranging from the 60th to the 95th percentile of daily maximum and minimum temperatures for the Melbourne metropolitan area, 2002-2012. Workers' compensation claim data was used to identify cases of acute work-related injury. Overall, two and three consecutive days of hot weather were associated with an increased risk of injury, with this effect becoming apparent at a daily maximum temperature of 27.6 °C (70th percentile). Three consecutive days of high but not extreme temperatures were associated with the strongest effect, with a 15% increased risk of injury (odds ratio 1.15, 95% confidence interval 1.01-1.30) observed when daily maximum temperature was ≥33.3 °C (90th percentile) for three consecutive days, compared to when it was not. At a threshold of 35.5 °C (95th percentile), there was no significant association between temperature and injury for either two or three consecutive days of heat. These findings suggest that warnings to minimise harm to workers from hot weather should be given, and prevention protocol initiated, when consecutive warm days of temperatures lower than extreme heat temperatures are forecast, and well before the upper ranges of ambient daytime temperatures are reached.

The characteristics of acute non-fatal medication-related events attended by ambulance services in the Melbourne Metropolitan Area 1998-2002.

PubMed

Hutton, Jennie; Dent, Andrew; Buykx, Penny; Burgess, Stephen; Flander, Louisa; Dietze, Paul

2010-01-01

To describe the characteristics of non-fatal medication-related ambulance attendances in Melbourne. A retrospective analysis of 16 705 patient care records completed by ambulance paramedics in Melbourne where medications had a causal role in the attendance. A single medication only was implicated in 11 765 cases (70% of the total). Of these, 85% involved one of six types of medication: benzodiazepines (52%), paracetamol (15%), selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors (6.5%), combination paracetamol and opioids (4%), phenothiazines (3.4%) and tricyclic antidepressants (TCA) (3.7%). Cases involving benzodiazepines were significantly (P < 0.001) older (Average = 37 years) than those involving paracetamol (Average = 30 years). Thirty-four per cent of cases involved concurrent alcohol use, and this varied according to drug type (paracetamol 26%, benzodiazepines 40%, selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors 35%, paracetamol and opioids 35%). An abnormal Glasgow Coma Scale score was found in 19% of cases, again varying according to drug type (paracetamol 10%, TCA 39%, benzodiazepines 21%, paracetamol and opioids 17%, phenothiazines 15%). Ten per cent of cases were not transported to hospital ranging from 3% for TCA to 13% for benzodiazepines. The majority of non-fatal medication events attended by ambulance paramedics involve one of six substances. Benzodiazepines were most commonly implicated and, as management may require only simple supportive treatment, significant numbers are not transported to hospital. The unique clinical population is identified in this study and the ongoing medical and psychiatric treatment of these patients not transported to hospital in the study period needs to be considered.

Acceptability of general practice services for Afghan refugees in south-eastern Melbourne.

PubMed

Manchikanti, Prashanti; Cheng, I-Hao; Advocat, Jenny; Russell, Grant

2017-04-01

Over 750000 refugees have resettled in Australia since 1945. Despite complex health needs related to prior traumatic experiences and the challenges of resettlement in a foreign country, refugees experience poor access to primary care. Health and settlement service providers describe numerous cultural, communication, financial and health literacy barriers. This study aimed to investigate the acceptability of general practitioner (GP) services and understand what aspects of acceptability are relevant for Afghan refugees in south-eastern Melbourne. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with two Afghan community leaders and 16 Dari- or English-speaking Afghan refugees who accessed GP services. Two distinct narratives emerged - those of recently arrived refugees and established refugees (living in Australia for 3 years or longer). Transecting these narratives, participants indicated the importance of: (1) a preference for detailed clinical assessments, diagnostic investigations and the provision of prescriptions at the first consultation; (2) 'refugee-friendly' staff; and (3) integrated, 'one-stop-shop' GP clinic features. The value of acceptable personal characteristics evolved over time - GP acceptability was less a consideration for recently arrived, compared with more, established refugees. The findings reinforce the importance of tailoring healthcare delivery to the evolving needs and healthcare expectations of newly arrived and established refugees respectively.

Infant feeding intentions among first time pregnant women in urban Melbourne, Australia.

PubMed

York, Elissa; Hoban, Elizabeth

2013-07-01

to identify first time pregnant women's infant feeding intentions for the first 2 years of life. a qualitative phenomenological approach was used, with semi-structured interviews as the primary method of data collection. two of Eastern Health's antenatal clinics in the outer east region of Melbourne, Australia. seven first time pregnant women from an Eastern Health antenatal clinic. women's infant feeding intention for the first 2 years of life. all the participants intend to breast feed their infant for around 6 months. Women rely heavily on information about infant feeding options from friends, books and the internet, as the information provided by health professionals was found to be inadequate, acquired late in the pregnancy and difficult to access. the information women receive from midwives at antenatal appointments and parenting classes about infant feeding options is inadequate, as women are not satisfied with the timing, amount and usefulness of the information they receive. in order to see an increase in the rate of breast feeding it is imperative to create supportive environments for women to breast feed, and for midwives and health professionals to provide information and continued support for women in both the pre- and postnatal period. Crown Copyright © 2012. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Musculoskeletal injuries in the ultramarathon: the 1990 Westfield Sydney to Melbourne run.

PubMed Central

Fallon, K E

1996-01-01

OBJECTIVE: To document the injuries sustained by participants in a 1005 km ultramarathon. METHODS: Clinical notes were reviewed on entrants in the 1005 km Sydney to Melbourne ultramarathon. An injury was recorded following self referral by a participant or if the history obtained from the runner or his support crew indicated the likelihood of a significant injury which could have an impact upon performance. RESULTS: 64 injuries were found in 32 runners. The knee (31.3%) and ankle (28.1%) regions were most commonly injured. The most common single diagnosis was retropatellar pain syndrome, and Achilles tendinitis and medial tibial stress syndrome were the next most common injuries. Peritendinitis/tendinitis of the tendons passing under the extensor retinaculum at the ankle, an injury infrequently reported in other sports, was common (19% of all injuries). CONCLUSIONS: The injuries were typically associated with running but 12 (19% of the total) involved the tendons of the muscles of the anterior compartment of the lower leg, and in almost every case the major site of inflammation was at the extensor retinaculum at the anterior aspect of the ankle. This injury appears to be relatively specific to the ultramarathon-"ultramarathoner's ankle". Images p321-a PMID:9015594

Intergenerational differences in acculturation experiences, food beliefs and perceived health risks among refugees from the Horn of Africa in Melbourne, Australia.

PubMed

Wilson, Alyce; Renzaho, Andre

2015-01-01

To investigate the differences in acculturation experiences between parent and adolescent refugees from the Horn of Africa in Melbourne, Australia and to explore food beliefs and perceived health risks from an intergenerational perspective. Qualitative cross-sectional study involving a combination of semi-structured one-on-one interviews and focus group discussions. North-West suburbs of Melbourne, Australia. Eritrean, Ethiopian, Somali and Sudanese refugees. Using a purposeful sampling technique, twelve semi-structured face-to-face interviews (nine adults and three adolescents) and four in-depth focus groups (two with adolescents each containing six participants and two with adults one containing six participants and the other ten participants) were carried out. Thus overall data were obtained on fifteen adolescents and twenty-five parents. Qualitative analysis identified differences between parents and adolescents in relation to lifestyle, diet and physical activity. Views regarding health consequences of their changed diets also differed. Parental feeding practices encompassed a variety of methods and were enforced in an attempt by parents to control their children's dietary behaviours and prevent their drift away from traditional eating habits. These findings call for more research to contextualise dietary acculturation among refugee youth and the impact of migration on parenting styles and feeding practices in communities from the Horn of Africa. Preventive health programmes with Horn of Africa refugees need to acknowledge the effect of acculturation on diet and physical activity levels and a socio-cultural framework needs to be developed with respect to the importance and influence of the family environment.

Summer heat: a cross-sectional analysis of seasonal differences in sexual behaviour and sexually transmissible diseases in Melbourne, Australia.

PubMed

Cornelisse, Vincent J; Chow, Eric P F; Chen, Marcus Y; Bradshaw, Catriona S; Fairley, Christopher K

2016-06-01

To date, no study has correlated seasonal differences in sexual behaviour with the seasonal differences in sexually transmitted infections (STIs); and no seasonal study of STIs has been conducted in the southern hemisphere. Our study aimed to describe seasonal differences in sexual behaviour and correlate this with seasonal differences in STI diagnoses in Melbourne, Australia. This was a cross-sectional study of individuals attending the Melbourne Sexual Health Centre over a 9-year period from 2006 to 2014. We conducted separate analyses for men who have sex with men (MSM) and men who have sex with women (MSW), and women. Seasonal patterns of sexual behaviour and STI positivity were examined within each group. All groups reported a higher number of partners over the preceding three months for consultations in summer compared with winter (MSM mean 5.48 vs 5.03; MSW mean 2.46 vs 2.31; women mean 1.83 vs 1.72). Urethral gonorrhoea diagnoses among MSM were higher in summer compared with winter (OR 1.23, 95% CI 1.04 to 1.46). Similarly, non-gonococcal urethritis (NGU) diagnoses among MSW were the highest in summer (OR 1.11, 95% CI 1.03 to 1.20), but there was no seasonal difference in NGU diagnoses when we adjusted for partner numbers. In women, pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) diagnoses peaked in autumn, when rates were higher than in winter (OR 1.30, 95% CI 1.09 to 1.55). Our results describe a peak in sexual partner number and STI diagnoses during consultations in summer in men and a rise in PID in autumn in women. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/

Changes to publication requirements made at the XVIII International Botanical Congress in Melbourne - what does e-publication mean for you?

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Changes to the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature are decided on every 6 years at Nomenclature Sections associated with International Botanical Congresses (IBC). The XVIII IBC was held in Melbourne, Australia; the Nomenclature Section met on 18-22 July 2011 and its decisions were accepted by the Congress at its plenary session on 30 July. Several important changes were made to the Code as a result of this meeting that will affect publication of new names. Two of these changes will come into effect on 1 January 2012, some months before the Melbourne Code is published. Electronic material published online in Portable Document Format (PDF) with an International Standard Serial Number (ISSN) or an International Standard Book Number (ISBN) will constitute effective publication, and the requirement for a Latin description or diagnosis for names of new taxa will be changed to a requirement for a description or diagnosis in either Latin or English. In addition, effective from 1 January 2013, new names of organisms treated as fungi must, in order to be validly published, include in the protologue (everything associated with a name at its valid publication) the citation of an identifier issued by a recognized repository (such as MycoBank). Draft text of the new articles dealing with electronic publication is provided and best practice is outlined. To encourage dissemination of the changes made to the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants, this article will be published in BMC Evolutionary Biology, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, Brittonia, Cladistics, MycoKeys, Mycotaxon, New Phytologist, North American Fungi, Novon, Opuscula Philolichenum, PhytoKeys, Phytoneuron, Phytotaxa, Plant Diversity and Resources, Systematic Botany and Taxon. PMID:21917189

Changes to publication requirements made at the XVIII International Botanical Congress in Melbourne - what does e-publication mean for you?

PubMed Central

Knapp, Sandra; McNeill, John; Turland, Nicholas J.

2011-01-01

Abstract Changes to the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature are decided on every 6 years at Nomenclature Sections associated with International Botanical Congresses (IBC). The XVIII IBC was held in Melbourne, Australia; the Nomenclature Section met on 18-22 July 2011 and its decisions were accepted by the Congress at its plenary session on 30 July. Several important changes were made to the Code as a result of this meeting that will affect publication of new names. Two of these changes will come into effect on 1 January 2012, some months before the Melbourne Code is published. Electronic material published online in Portable Document Format (PDF) with an International Standard Serial Number (ISSN) or an International Standard Book Number (ISBN) will constitute effective publication, and the requirement for a Latin description or diagnosis for names of new taxa will be changed to a requirement for a description or diagnosis in either Latin or English. In addition, effective from 1 January 2013, new names of organisms treated as fungi must, in order to be validly published, include in the protologue (everything associated with a name at its valid publication) the citation of an identifier issued by a recognized repository (such as MycoBank). Draft text of the new articles dealing with electronic publication is provided and best practice is outlined. To encourage dissemination of the changes made to the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants, this article will be published in BMC Evolutionary Biology, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, Brittonia, Cladistics, MycoKeys, Mycotaxon, New Phytologist, North American Fungi, Novon, Opuscula Philolichenum, PhytoKeys, Phytoneuron, Phytotaxa, Plant Diversity and Resources, Systematic Botany and Taxon. PMID:22287918

Accessing maternal and child health services in Melbourne, Australia: reflections from refugee families and service providers.

PubMed

Riggs, Elisha; Davis, Elise; Gibbs, Lisa; Block, Karen; Szwarc, Jo; Casey, Sue; Duell-Piening, Philippa; Waters, Elizabeth

2012-05-15

Often new arrivals from refugee backgrounds have experienced poor health and limited access to healthcare services. The maternal and child health (MCH) service in Victoria, Australia, is a joint local and state government operated, cost-free service available to all mothers of children aged 0-6 years. Although well-child healthcare visits are useful in identifying health issues early, there has been limited investigation in the use of these services for families from refugee backgrounds. This study aims to explore experiences of using MCH services, from the perspective of families from refugee backgrounds and service providers. We used a qualitative study design informed by the socioecological model of health and a cultural competence approach. Two geographical areas of Melbourne were selected to invite participants. Seven focus groups were conducted with 87 mothers from Karen, Iraqi, Assyrian Chaldean, Lebanese, South Sudanese and Bhutanese backgrounds, who had lived an average of 4.7 years in Australia (range one month-18 years). Participants had a total of 249 children, of these 150 were born in Australia. Four focus groups and five interviews were conducted with MCH nurses, other healthcare providers and bicultural workers. Four themes were identified: facilitating access to MCH services; promoting continued engagement with the MCH service; language challenges; and what is working well and could be done better. Several processes were identified that facilitated initial access to the MCH service but there were implications for continued use of the service. The MCH service was not formally notified of new parents arriving with young children. Pre-arranged group appointments by MCH nurses for parents who attended playgroups worked well to increase ongoing service engagement. Barriers for parents in using MCH services included access to transportation, lack of confidence in speaking English and making phone bookings. Service users and providers reported that

Forest Fire Smoke Exposures and Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrests in Melbourne, Australia: A Case-Crossover Study.

PubMed

Dennekamp, Martine; Straney, Lahn D; Erbas, Bircan; Abramson, Michael J; Keywood, Melita; Smith, Karen; Sim, Malcolm R; Glass, Deborah C; Del Monaco, Anthony; Haikerwal, Anjali; Tonkin, Andrew M

2015-10-01

Millions of people can potentially be exposed to smoke from forest fires, making this an important public health problem in many countries. In this study we aimed to measure the association between out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) and forest fire smoke exposures in a large city during a severe forest fire season, and estimate the number of excess OHCAs due to the fire smoke. We investigated the association between particulate matter (PM) and other air pollutants and OHCA using a case-crossover study of adults (≥ 35 years of age) in Melbourne, Australia. Conditional logistic regression models were used to derive estimates of the percent change in the rate of OHCA associated with an interquartile range (IQR) increase in exposure. From July 2006 through June 2007, OHCA data were collected from the Victorian Ambulance Cardiac Arrest Registry. Hourly air pollution concentrations and meteorological data were obtained from a central monitoring site. There were 2,046 OHCAs with presumed cardiac etiology during our study period. Among men during the fire season, greater increases in OHCA were observed with IQR increases in the 48-hr lagged PM with diameter ≤ 2.5 μm (PM2.5) (8.05%; 95% CI: 2.30, 14.13%; IQR = 6.1 μg/m(3)) or ≤ 10 μm (PM10) (11.1%; 95% CI: 1.55, 21.48%; IQR = 13.7 μg/m(3)) and carbon monoxide (35.7%; 95% CI: 8.98, 68.92%; IQR = 0.3 ppm). There was no significant association between the rate of OHCA and air pollutants among women. One hundred seventy-four "fire-hours" (i.e., hours in which Melbourne's air quality was affected by forest fire smoke) were identified during 12 days of the 2006/2007 fire season, and 23.9 (95% CI: 3.1, 40.2) excess OHCAs were estimated to occur due to elevations in PM2.5 during these fire-hours. This study found an association between exposure to forest fire smoke and an increase in the rate of OHCA. These findings have implications for public health messages to raise community awareness and for planning of emergency

Accessing maternal and child health services in Melbourne, Australia: Reflections from refugee families and service providers

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background Often new arrivals from refugee backgrounds have experienced poor health and limited access to healthcare services. The maternal and child health (MCH) service in Victoria, Australia, is a joint local and state government operated, cost-free service available to all mothers of children aged 0–6 years. Although well-child healthcare visits are useful in identifying health issues early, there has been limited investigation in the use of these services for families from refugee backgrounds. This study aims to explore experiences of using MCH services, from the perspective of families from refugee backgrounds and service providers. Methods We used a qualitative study design informed by the socioecological model of health and a cultural competence approach. Two geographical areas of Melbourne were selected to invite participants. Seven focus groups were conducted with 87 mothers from Karen, Iraqi, Assyrian Chaldean, Lebanese, South Sudanese and Bhutanese backgrounds, who had lived an average of 4.7 years in Australia (range one month-18 years). Participants had a total of 249 children, of these 150 were born in Australia. Four focus groups and five interviews were conducted with MCH nurses, other healthcare providers and bicultural workers. Results Four themes were identified: facilitating access to MCH services; promoting continued engagement with the MCH service; language challenges; and what is working well and could be done better. Several processes were identified that facilitated initial access to the MCH service but there were implications for continued use of the service. The MCH service was not formally notified of new parents arriving with young children. Pre-arranged group appointments by MCH nurses for parents who attended playgroups worked well to increase ongoing service engagement. Barriers for parents in using MCH services included access to transportation, lack of confidence in speaking English and making phone bookings. Service users

Cosmet'eau-Changes in the personal care product consumption practices: from whistle-blowers to impacts on aquatic environments.

PubMed

Bressy, Adèle; Carré, Catherine; Caupos, Émilie; de Gouvello, Bernard; Deroubaix, José-Frédéric; Deutsch, Jean-Claude; Mailler, Romain; Marconi, Anthony; Neveu, Pascale; Paulic, Laurent; Pichon, Sébastien; Rocher, Vincent; Severin, Irina; Soyer, Mathilde; Moilleron, Régis

2016-07-01

The Cosmet'eau project (2015-2018) investigates the "changes in the personal care product (PCP) consumption practices: from whistle-blowers to impacts on aquatic environments." In this project, the example of PCPs will be used to understand how public health concerns related to micropollutants can be addressed by public authorities-including local authorities, industries, and consumers. The project aims to characterize the possible changes in PCP consumption practices and to evaluate the impact of their implementation on aquatic contamination. Our goals are to study the whistle-blowers, the risk perception of consumers linked with their practices, and the contamination in parabens and their substitutes, triclosan, and triclocarban from wastewater to surface water. The project investigates the following potential solutions: modifications of industrial formulation or changes in consumption practices. The final purpose is to provide policy instruments for local authorities aiming at building effective strategies to fight against micropollutants in receiving waters.

Emergency demand, repeat and frequent presentations by older patients in metropolitan Melbourne: A retrospective cohort study using routinely collected hospital data.

PubMed

Lowthian, Judy; Turner, Lyle; Joe, Angela; Pearce, Christopher; Brijnath, Bianca; Browning, Colette; Shearer, Marianne; Mazza, Danielle

2018-01-18

To describe patterns for potentially avoidable general practice (PAGP)-type and non-PAGP-type ED presentations by older patients during 2008 and 2012. Retrospective analysis of ED presentations by patients ≥70 years for 2008 and 2012. Metropolitan Melbourne public hospital data were obtained from the Victorian Emergency Minimum Dataset. Outcomes were characteristics of PAGP-type and non-PAGP-type presentations as defined by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare; numbers and rates per 1000 population ≥70 years of repeat (×2-3/year) and frequent (≥ ×4/year) PAGP-type and non-PAGP-type presentations. The older metropolitan Melbourne population increased by 10.3% between 2008 and 2012, whereas the number of ED presentations increased by 12.7%. The volume of PAGP-type presentations decreased by 2.6%, with declining rates per 1000 population ≥70 years of repeat (7.2-6.2) and frequent (0.7-0.4) presentation. In contrast, the volume of non-PAGP-type presentations grew by 15.4%, with increasing repeat (57.6-60.7) and frequent (13.1-14.2) presentation rates per 1000 population ≥70 years. The majority (39%) of non-PAGP-type presentations by frequent ED attenders were due to cardiovascular or respiratory problems. The rate of repeat and frequent PAGP-type presentations by older people decreased in 2012 compared with 2008, suggesting that initiatives implemented to reduce avoidable presentations may have had an effect. However, an increase in the rate of frequent non-PAGP-type presentations, predominately for acute exacerbation of cardiovascular and respiratory conditions, has important implications for planning future healthcare delivery; hence, the importance of initiatives such as the Health Care Home. © 2018 Australasian College for Emergency Medicine and Australasian Society for Emergency Medicine.

The use of alprazolam by people who inject drugs in Melbourne, Australia.

PubMed

Horyniak, Danielle; Reddel, Siobhan; Quinn, Brendan; Dietze, Paul

2012-06-01

In Australia, people who inject drugs (PWID) commonly report the use of benzodiazepines (BZDs). This paper explores the emerging use of alprazolam among PWID in Melbourne, Australia. This study reports on 3 years of data collected through the Victorian Illicit Drug Reporting System (2008-2010). Structured interviews were conducted with 451 PWID and analysed using odds ratios and χ(2)-tests for trends over time. While the proportion of PWID reporting recent BZD use remained stable over time, the proportion reporting alprazolam to be their most commonly used BZD fluctuated, peaking in 2009. Alprazolam users were significantly more likely to report using illicit BZDs and to report recent BZD injection compared with users of other BZDs. Alprazolam use was associated with the sale of drugs for cash, but not with other criminal activities. The fluctuations in alprazolam use over time may be reflective of medical practitioners ceasing to prescribe alprazolam in response to reports of associated harms; however, this may in turn be driving the illicit alprazolam market. While the data do not indicate a clear association between alprazolam use and harms, considering the potential severity of associated harms and the association between alprazolam use and anterograde amnesia, patterns of alprazolam use among PWID should be closely monitored. Potential changes to prescribing practice should consider unintended consequences, such as replacement with other BZD types, or illicitly obtained BZDs. © 2011 Australasian Professional Society on Alcohol and other Drugs.

The contribution of smoking to socioeconomic differentials in mortality: results from the Melbourne Collaborative Cohort Study, Australia

PubMed Central

Siahpush, Mohammad; English, Dallas; Powles, John

2006-01-01

Objective To assess the contribution of smoking to the inverse association of mortality with years of formal education in men in Australia. Design Data were obtained from a prospective cohort study that included 17 049 men in Melbourne recruited from 1990 to 1994, most of whom were aged between 40 and 69 years at baseline. The outcome measured was all‐cause mortality. The contribution of smoking to socioeconomic status differentials was estimated by including smoking as a variable in a Cox's proportional hazards model that also included education and other potential confounding variables. Results In men, the association between education and mortality was attenuated after adjustment for smoking, and the aetiological fraction for low levels of education was reduced from 16.5% to 10.6%. Conclusions In men, smoking contributes substantially to socioeconomic differentials in mortality. Effective policies and interventions that target smoking among socially disadvantaged groups may substantially reduce socioeconomic differentials in health. PMID:17108305

A comparative, epidemiological study of acute renal colic presentations to emergency departments in Doha, Qatar, and Melbourne, Australia.

PubMed

Pathan, Sameer A; Mitra, Biswadev; Bhutta, Zain A; Qureshi, Isma; Spencer, Elle; Hameed, Asmaa A; Nadeem, Sana; Tahir, Ramsha; Anjum, Shahzad; Cameron, Peter A

2018-01-03

This study aimed to compare the epidemiology, clinical presentations, management, and outcomes of renal colic presentations in two major academic centers from geographically diverse populations: Qatar (a country in the Afro-Asian stone belt) and South-Eastern Australia (not within a stone belt). We undertook a retrospective cohort study of patients with renal colic who presented to the Hamad General Hospital Emergency Department (HGH-ED), Qatar, and The Alfred ED, Melbourne, Australia, during a period of 1 year from August 1, 2012, to July 31, 2013. Cases were identified using ICD-9-CM codes, and an electronic template was used to record the data on predefined clinical variables. A total of 12,223 from the HGH-ED and 384 from The Alfred ED were identified as renal colic presentations during the study period. The rate of renal colic presentations at the HGH-ED was 27.9 per 1000 ED visits compared to 6.7 per 1000 ED visits at The Alfred ED. Patients presenting to the HGH-ED were significantly younger [34.9 years (29.0-43.4) than The Alfred ED [48 years (37-60); P < 0.001]. The median stone size was larger in the HGH-ED group [6 (4-8) mm] versus The Alfred ED group [4 (3-6) mm, P < 0.001]. The intervention rate in the stone-positive population was significantly higher in the HGH-ED group as opposed to The Alfred ED group (38.7 versus 11.9%, P < 0.001). At the time of discharge, The Alfred ED group received fewer analgesic prescriptions (55.8 versus 83.5%, P < 0.001) and more tamsulosin prescriptions (25.3 versus 11.7%, P < 0.001). Renal colic presentations to the HGH-ED, Qatar, were younger, with larger stone size mostly located in the lower ureter, compared to The Alfred ED, Melbourne, Australia. The findings suggest that the benefits of treatment including medical expulsion therapy will vary between the two populations. Differences in epidemiology and patient mix should be considered while tailoring strategies for effective management of patients

Mental health claims management and return to work: qualitative insights from Melbourne, Australia.

PubMed

Brijnath, Bianca; Mazza, Danielle; Singh, Nabita; Kosny, Agnieszka; Ruseckaite, Rasa; Collie, Alex

2014-12-01

Mental health conditions (MHC) are an increasing reason for claiming injury compensation in Australia; however little is known about how these claims are managed by different gatekeepers to injury entitlements. This study, drawing on the views of four stakeholders-general practitioners (GPs), injured persons, employers and compensation agents, aims to describe current management of MHC claims and to identify the current barriers to return to work (RTW) for injured persons with a MHC claim and/or mental illness. Ninety-three in-depth interviews were undertaken with GPs, compensation agents, employers and injured persons. Data were collected in Melbourne, Australia. Thematic techniques were used to analyse data. MHC claims were complex to manage because of initial assessment and diagnostic difficulties related to the invisibility of the injury, conflicting medical opinions and the stigma associated with making a MHC claim. Mental illness also developed as a secondary issue in the recovery process. These factors made MHC difficult to manage and impeded timely RTW. It is necessary to undertake further research (e.g. guideline development) to improve current practice in order to enable those with MHC claims to make a timely RTW. Further education and training interventions (e.g. on diagnosis and management of MHC) are also needed to enable GPs, employers and compensation agents to better assess and manage MHC claims.

An evaluation of the performance of a WRF multi-physics ensemble for heatwave events over the city of Melbourne in southeast Australia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Imran, H. M.; Kala, J.; Ng, A. W. M.; Muthukumaran, S.

2018-04-01

Appropriate choice of physics options among many physics parameterizations is important when using the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model. The responses of different physics parameterizations of the WRF model may vary due to geographical locations, the application of interest, and the temporal and spatial scales being investigated. Several studies have evaluated the performance of the WRF model in simulating the mean climate and extreme rainfall events for various regions in Australia. However, no study has explicitly evaluated the sensitivity of the WRF model in simulating heatwaves. Therefore, this study evaluates the performance of a WRF multi-physics ensemble that comprises 27 model configurations for a series of heatwave events in Melbourne, Australia. Unlike most previous studies, we not only evaluate temperature, but also wind speed and relative humidity, which are key factors influencing heatwave dynamics. No specific ensemble member for all events explicitly showed the best performance, for all the variables, considering all evaluation metrics. This study also found that the choice of planetary boundary layer (PBL) scheme had largest influence, the radiation scheme had moderate influence, and the microphysics scheme had the least influence on temperature simulations. The PBL and microphysics schemes were found to be more sensitive than the radiation scheme for wind speed and relative humidity. Additionally, the study tested the role of Urban Canopy Model (UCM) and three Land Surface Models (LSMs). Although the UCM did not play significant role, the Noah-LSM showed better performance than the CLM4 and NOAH-MP LSMs in simulating the heatwave events. The study finally identifies an optimal configuration of WRF that will be a useful modelling tool for further investigations of heatwaves in Melbourne. Although our results are invariably region-specific, our results will be useful to WRF users investigating heatwave dynamics elsewhere.

Alcohol intoxication in the context of major public holidays, sporting and social events: a time-series analysis in Melbourne, Australia, 2000-2009.

PubMed

Lloyd, Belinda; Matthews, Sharon; Livingston, Michael; Jayasekara, Harindra; Smith, Karen

2013-04-01

To assess the relationship between ambulance attendances, emergency department (ED) presentations and hospital admissions for acute alcohol intoxication and the timing of public holidays, sporting and social events. Time-series analysis was used to explore trends in intoxication in the context of major events. Population of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia between 2000 and 2009. All patients attended by ambulance, presenting to hospital EDs, or admitted to hospital who were classified as acutely alcohol intoxicated. Analysis of daily numbers of presentations for acute alcohol intoxication associated with major events were undertaken, including lead and lag effects. Analyses controlled for day of week and month of year to address temporal and seasonal variations. Alcohol intoxication presentations were significantly elevated the day before all public holidays, with intoxication cases on the day of public holidays only higher on New Year's Day (ambulance 6.57, 95% confidence intervals (CI): 3.4-9.74; ED 3.34, 95% CI: 1.28-5.4) and ANZAC Day (ambulance 3.71, 95% CI: 0.68-6.75). The Australian Football League (AFL) Grand Final (ED 2.37, 95% CI: 0.55-4.19), Commonwealth Games (ED 2.45, 95% CI: 0.6-4.3) and Melbourne Cup Day (ambulance 6.14, 95% CI: 2.42-9.85) represented the sporting events with significant elevations in acute intoxication requiring medical attention. The last working day before Christmas was the only social event where a significant increase in acute intoxication occurred (ambulance 8.98, 95% CI: 6.8-11.15). Acute alcohol intoxication cases requiring ambulance, emergency department and hospital in-patient treatment increase substantially on the day preceding public holidays and other major social events. © 2012 The Authors, Addiction © 2012 Society for the Study of Addiction.

Are youth mentoring programs good value-for-money? An evaluation of the Big Brothers Big Sisters Melbourne Program.

PubMed

Moodie, Marjory L; Fisher, Jane

2009-01-30

The Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) program matches vulnerable young people with a trained, supervised adult volunteer as mentor. The young people are typically seriously disadvantaged, with multiple psychosocial problems. Threshold analysis was undertaken to determine whether investment in the program was a worthwhile use of limited public funds. The potential cost savings were based on US estimates of life-time costs associated with high-risk youth who drop out-of-school and become adult criminals. The intervention was modelled for children aged 10-14 years residing in Melbourne in 2004. If the program serviced 2,208 of the most vulnerable young people, it would cost AUD 39.5 M. Assuming 50% were high-risk, the associated costs of their adult criminality would be AUD 3.3 billion. To break even, the program would need to avert high-risk behaviours in only 1.3% (14/1,104) of participants. This indicative evaluation suggests that the BBBS program represents excellent 'value for money'.

Short-term changes in thermal perception associated with heatwave conditions in Melbourne, Australia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lam, Cho Kwong Charlie; Gallant, Ailie J. E.; Tapper, Nigel J.

2018-05-01

Variations in human thermal perception have been described on timescales from minutes to seasons. However, the effect of weather-related thermal extremes on inter-daily changes to outdoor thermal perception has not been well characterised. This study used human thermal comfort data from an outdoor botanic garden in sub-urban Melbourne, Australia as a case study. We examined inter-daily variations in local visitors' thermal perception before (11-12 January 2014) and after (18-19 January 2014) a severe heatwave from 14 to 17 January 2014, when daily maximum temperature exceeded 41 °C for 4 consecutive days. We compared thermal comfort survey results (pre-heatwave: n = 342, post-heatwave: n = 294) with air temperature and the Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI) measurements. Even though the days preceding and following the heatwave had a similar range in temperature (19-25 °C) and UTCI (26-32 °C), the visitors felt cooler in the days following the heatwave (i.e. lower thermal sensation votes). In the 2 days following the heatwave, visitors also wore less clothing compared with before the heatwave. Our results show that the thermal perception of visitors changed significantly following their exposure to the heatwave, even after controlling for changes in clothing choices and the ages of survey participants. Psychological adaptation to heat (such as thermal history and expectation) might be one of the possible explanations for this inter-daily variability of local visitors' thermal perception.

Children's Television Behaviour: Its Antecedents and Relationship to School Performance. A Study of the Television Viewing Behaviour of Children in Grade 6 of State Primary Schools in the Metropolitan Area of Melbourne. Occasional Paper No. 14.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sharman, Kevin James

A study was conducted to describe the television viewing habits of grade 6 children in primary schools within the metropolitan area of Melbourne, Australia; to examine the nature of the relationships between factors found to be relevant in explaining television behavior; and to examine the relationship between television behavior and school…

Developing risk-based screening guidelines for dioxin management at a Melbourne sewage treatment plant.

PubMed

Gorman, J; Mival, K; Wright, J; Howell, M

2003-01-01

Dioxin is a generic term used to refer to the congeners of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs). The principal source of dioxin production is generally thought to be from unintended by-products of waste incineration, but dioxins are also naturally formed from volcanic activity and forest fires (WHO, 1998). Estimates of dioxin emissions in Australia suggest that approximately 75% of the total PCDD and PCDF emissions derive from prescribed burning and wild bushfires. Currently, no screening guidelines for dioxins within soils are available in Australia. This paper presents the general approach and results of a human health risk-based assessment performed by URS Australia in 2001 to develop site specific reference criteria for remediation of a former sewage plant in Melbourne. Risk-based soil remediation concentrations for dioxins at the sewage treatment plant site were developed using tolerable daily intake values of 4, 2 and 1 pg/kg/day. The potentially significant exposure pathways and processes for exposure to dioxins were identified and risk-based soil concentrations derived in accordance with the general method framework presented in the National Environmental Protection Measure (Assessment of Site Contamination). The derived dioxin reference criteria were used to develop an effective risk management program focussed on those conditions that present the greatest contribution to overall risk to human health.

Etudes physiques des mélanges eau-cryoprotecteurs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vassoille, R.; Perez, J.

The aim of the following review is to present the most important studies concerning the physical properties of water-solutes mixtures used in cryobiology. Cryobiology is a branch of biology which deals with the very low temperature behaviour of cells. This technique is developed today in several directions. The creation of banks of cells and perhaps in a short time of small organs, is the purpose of much research in this domain. Before freezing, living cells are generally put in a solution containing one or more solutes. The role of these solutes is to protect the cells against damage due to crystallization of water (cryoprotectors). The mechanisms of cryoprotection are not well known ; nevertheless the vitreous state formation during cooling is often invoked. So, it is possible to avoid crystallization damage such as mechanical strain (due to an increase of volume of about 10 %) and salt effects (due to osmotic pressure). The conditions in which the vitreous state is obtained, maintained during cooling, storage at low temperature and rewarming can be defined by physical studies presented in the following review. Le présent travail est essentiellement une revue bibliographique des principales études physiques qui ont été réalisées avec des solutions de composés habituellement employés en cryobiologie. La cryobiologie est une branche de la biologie qui s'intéresse au comportement des cellules à basse température. Cette discipline est actuellement en plein développement dans des domaines très divers. Son principal but est la création de banques de cellules de plus en plus complexes avec comme perspective la conservation des organes. Les cellules vivantes sont généralement placées avant congélation dans une solution contenant divers composés dont le rôle est de protéger les cellules contre les effets de la cristallisation de l'eau. L'action protectrice de ces cryoprotecteurs est encore mal connue; cependant, la formation d'un état vitreux lors du

Gender differences in mental health literacy among Chinese-speaking Australians in Melbourne, Australia.

PubMed

Wong, Daniel Fu Keung; Lam, Angus Yuk Kit; Poon, Ada; Chow, Amy Yin Man

2012-03-01

This study attempted to understand gender differences in knowledge of mental illness, preference for professional help, and medications and treatment methods among Australians of Chinese-speaking background. This study adopted a cluster convenience sampling method in which subjects were taken from the four major areas in cosmopolitan Melbourne where most Chinese people are living. A total of 200 Chinese-speaking Australians participated in the study. They were presented with two vignettes describing an individual with acute depression or acute schizophrenia and then questions were asked to assess their understanding of the conditions, preference for professional help, medications and treatment methods. More female than male respondents could correctly identify the conditions in the two vignettes. Female participants also perceived medications to be relatively more harmful than their male counterparts. In contrast, there were significantly more males than females who adhered to traditional views on the causation of mental illness; had significantly higher percentages of endorsement of 'deal with it alone'; believed 'traditional Chinese medical doctor' and 'Chinese herbal medicines' to be helpful to the person in the schizophrenia vignette; and significantly endorsed 'psychiatric ward', 'electro-convulsive treatment', 'changing fungshui' and 'traditional Chinese worship' to be helpful for the persons in both vignettes. A combination of factors, which included age, duration of migration and traditional Chinese cultural values, were put forward to explain the above differences. Campaigns to improve the mental health literacy of Chinese-speaking Australians must take into account the gender differences between male and female Chinese-speaking Australians so that culturally relevant and gender-specific education programmes can be developed.

Risk profile of young people admitted to hospital for suicidal behaviour in Melbourne, Australia.

PubMed

Borschmann, Rohan; Stark, Patrick; Prakash, Chidambaram; Sawyer, Susan M

2018-05-20

Self-harm and suicidal behaviour is most prevalent during adolescence, but little is known about the risk profile of adolescents admitted to hospital for suicidal behaviour. Young people who self-harm are at an increased risk of mortality compared to those who do not self-harm; adolescents admitted to hospital for suicidal behaviour are particularly at risk. The aim of this study was to generate a risk profile of adolescents admitted to hospital with suicidal behaviour. We conducted a 12-month retrospective audit of adolescent admissions to the mental health inpatient unit at a tertiary children's hospital in Melbourne, Australia. Routinely collected data were used to generate a risk profile. We found that 212 of 271 (78.2%) admissions were due to suicidal behaviour. Of these, 107 (51%) adolescents were diagnosed with one or more mental disorders at discharge, most commonly major depressive disorder. Beyond known distal determinants of health risk, the proximal risk profile of these adolescents included factors relating to gender, substance use, prior mental health diagnoses and prior admission to hospital. Poor sleep was also a risk factor, with 159 (75%) reporting a recent history of sleeping problems. The very high proportion of admissions to the mental health inpatient unit due to suicidal behaviour reinforces the importance of finding effective methods of identification of the risk processes underpinning suicidal behaviours to reduce the unnecessary waste of young lives by suicide. © 2018 Paediatrics and Child Health Division (The Royal Australasian College of Physicians).

Concentrations of legacy and novel brominated flame retardants in indoor dust in Melbourne, Australia: An assessment of human exposure.

PubMed

McGrath, Thomas J; Morrison, Paul D; Ball, Andrew S; Clarke, Bradley O

2018-04-01

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and novel brominated flame retardants (NBFR) have been used in a range of polymers to inhibit the spread of fires but also have a propensity to migrate out of consumer materials and contaminate indoor dust. In this study, a total of 57 dust samples were collected from 12 homes, eight offices and eight vehicles in Melbourne, Australia and analysed for eight PBDEs (-28, -47, -99, -100, -153, -154, -183 and -209) and seven NBFRs (PBT, PBEB, HBB, EH-TBB, BEH-TEBP, BTBPE and DBDPE) to determine human exposure risks from dust ingestion. Samples were analysed using selective pressurized liquid extraction (S-PLE) and gas chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS). Legacy and replacement flame retardants were detected in all samples with overall ∑PBDE concentrations ranging from 120 to 1700,000 ng/g (median 2100 ng/g) and ∑NBFRs ranging from 1.1 to 10,000 ng/g (median 1800 ng/g). BDE-209 and DBDPE were the dominant compounds in dust samples, followed by congeners associated with commercial Penta-BDE formulations (-47, -99, -100, -153 and -154) and then EH-TBB of the FireMaster 550 and BZ-54 products. ∑Penta-BDE concentrations were elevated in office samples compared with homes and vehicles, while EH-TBB and BDE-209 measured higher concentrations in vehicles compared with their respective levels in homes and offices. Risk assessment estimates revealed the majority of exposure to occur in the home for both adults and toddlers in the City of Melbourne. Generally, body weight adjusted exposure to PBDEs and NBFRs was predicted to be 1 to 2 orders of magnitude higher for toddlers than adults. Estimated rates of BDE-47, -99, -153 and -209 ingestion were each 2 orders of magnitude or more below the USEPA's prescribed oral reference dose values (RfDs) for typical exposure scenarios. However, exposure rates for BDE-47 and -99 reached as high as 52 and 95% of RfDs, respectively, for adults and 4.4 and 7

Depression literacy among Australians of Chinese-speaking background in Melbourne, Australia

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Background This study investigated the knowledge of depression and preference for professional help, medications and treatment methods among Australians of Chinese-speaking background, and the perceptions of this population of the causes of mental illness. Methods Adopting a cluster convenience sampling method, the study recruited 200 Chinese-speaking subjects from four major areas in metropolitan Melbourne where many Chinese live. The respondents were presented with a vignette describing an individual with depression and then asked questions to assess their understanding of depression and preference for professional help, medications and treatment methods. A comparative approach was used to compare the findings with those of a previous study of the mental health literacy of Australian and Japanese adults. Results Compared to the Australian and Japanese samples, a much lower percentage of Chinese-speaking Australians (14%) could correctly identify major depression described in the vignette, and a higher percentage believed that counseling professionals could be helpful. Higher percentages of those who believed that close family members could be helpful were found in the Chinese-speaking Australian and Japanese samples, and these two groups also expressed more uncertainty about the usefulness or harmfulness of certain medications compared to the Australian sample. Higher percentages of respondents in both the Chinese-speaking Australian and the Australian sample considered "lifestyle changes" to be helpful compared to the Japanese sample. In the Chinese-speaking sample, 30%, 17.4%, 33% and 27% of the respondents rated "traditional Chinese medicine doctors," "Chinese herbal medications," "taking Chinese nutritional foods/supplements" and "qiqong" as helpful. Many perceived "changing fungshui" and "traditional Chinese worship" to be harmful. Regarding the perception of causes of mental illness, items related to psychosocial perspectives including "life stress" and

Depression literacy among Australians of Chinese-speaking background in Melbourne, Australia.

PubMed

Wong, Fu Keung Daniel; Lam, Yuk Kit Angus; Poon, Ada

2010-01-19

This study investigated the knowledge of depression and preference for professional help, medications and treatment methods among Australians of Chinese-speaking background, and the perceptions of this population of the causes of mental illness. Adopting a cluster convenience sampling method, the study recruited 200 Chinese-speaking subjects from four major areas in metropolitan Melbourne where many Chinese live. The respondents were presented with a vignette describing an individual with depression and then asked questions to assess their understanding of depression and preference for professional help, medications and treatment methods. A comparative approach was used to compare the findings with those of a previous study of the mental health literacy of Australian and Japanese adults. Compared to the Australian and Japanese samples, a much lower percentage of Chinese-speaking Australians (14%) could correctly identify major depression described in the vignette, and a higher percentage believed that counseling professionals could be helpful. Higher percentages of those who believed that close family members could be helpful were found in the Chinese-speaking Australian and Japanese samples, and these two groups also expressed more uncertainty about the usefulness or harmfulness of certain medications compared to the Australian sample. Higher percentages of respondents in both the Chinese-speaking Australian and the Australian sample considered "lifestyle changes" to be helpful compared to the Japanese sample. In the Chinese-speaking sample, 30%, 17.4%, 33% and 27% of the respondents rated "traditional Chinese medicine doctors," "Chinese herbal medications," "taking Chinese nutritional foods/supplements" and "qiqong" as helpful. Many perceived "changing fungshui" and "traditional Chinese worship" to be harmful. Regarding the perception of causes of mental illness, items related to psychosocial perspectives including "life stress" and "interpersonal conflict" were

A community-based culturally competent oral health promotion for migrant older adults living in Melbourne, Australia.

PubMed

Mariño, Rodrigo; Calache, Hanny; Morgan, Mike

2013-02-01

To evaluate the effect of a theory-based oral health promotion intervention in a community environment by a nondental peer educator on the oral hygiene and gingival health of independent-living Italian older adults. A quasiexperimental design with a pretest-posttest nonequivalent control group with no intervention. Ten Melbourne-based Italian social clubs participated in this evaluation. One hundred forty-four active members of the social clubs. A series of oral health seminars and four supervised brushing sessions at club premises. The intervention did not involve any direct oral health professional clinical care. Clubs were allocated to the control or intervention group. Dental plaque levels and gingival bleeding scores were determined. A series of one-way analyses of covariance were conducted using the baseline measures as covariates. Controlling for pretest scores, the experimental group was significantly more likely than the control group to have improved gingival status and self-efficacy. No significant effects were found regarding dental plaque. Within the setting of Italian social clubs, the intervention was effective at increasing self-efficacy and reducing gingival bleeding. As such, it represents a useful approach for the design of oral health interventions in older migrant adults. © 2013, Copyright the Authors Journal compilation © 2013, The American Geriatrics Society.

The evolving market structures of gambling: case studies modelling the socioeconomic assignment of gaming machines in Melbourne and Sydney, Australia.

PubMed

Marshall, David C; Baker, Robert G V

2002-01-01

The expansion of gambling industries worldwide is intertwined with the growing government dependence on gambling revenue for fiscal assignments. In Australia, electronic gaming machines (EGMs) have dominated recent gambling industry growth. As EGMs have proliferated, growing recognition has emerged that EGM distribution closely reflects levels of socioeconomic disadvantage. More machines are located in less advantaged regions. This paper analyses time-series socioeconomic distributions of EGMs in Melbourne, Australia, an immature EGM market, and then compares the findings with the mature market in Sydney. Similar findings in both cities suggest that market assignment of EGMs transcends differences in historical and legislative environments. This indicates that similar underlying structures are evident in both markets. Modelling the spatial structures of gambling markets provides an opportunity to identify regions most at risk of gambling related problems. Subsequently, policies can be formulated which ensure fiscal revenue from gambling can be better targeted towards regions likely to be most afflicted by excessive gambling-related problems.

Immunizations under sedation at a paediatric hospital in Melbourne, Australia from 2012-2016.

PubMed

Cheng, Daryl R; Elia, Sonja; Perrett, Kirsten P

2018-05-09

Sedation for immunizations is of particular importance in a subset of paediatric patients with anxiety disorders, needle phobia, developmental or behavioural disorders. The Royal Children's Hospital (RCH) Melbourne offers a unique immunization under sedation service for these patients. We aimed to evaluate the number and types of patients using inpatient sedation for immunizations, distraction and sedation techniques used, and outcomes of these procedures. A medical record review was conducted on all patients who had immunization under sedation between January 2012 to December 2016 in the RCH Day Medical Unit (DMU). A total of 139 children and adolescents had 213 vaccination encounters. More than half of the vaccination encounters involved multiple vaccines. A total of 400 vaccines were administered. One third of patients (32.3%) had multiple DMU admissions for vaccinations. The median age of patients was 13 years. There were only 10 (4.7%) failed attempts at vaccination; all due to patient non-compliance with prescribed sedation. The majority of patients (58.9%) had a diagnosis of needle phobia. Sedation was most commonly adequately achieved with inhaled nitrous oxide (54.7% sole agent). Midazolam was often used as an adjunct therapy (42.8%). Local anaesthetic cream or play therapy, were used in only 5.9% and 3.9% of patients respectively, although this may reflect poor documentation rather than actual practice. For a subset of paediatric patients for which standard immunization procedures have failed, distraction techniques and conscious sedation enable immunizations to be given safely and effectively. Future research will develop protocols to streamline immunization procedures under sedation. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Past physical activity and age-related macular degeneration: the Melbourne Collaborative Cohort Study.

PubMed

McGuinness, Myra B; Karahalios, Amalia; Simpson, Julie A; Guymer, Robyn H; Robman, Luba D; Hodge, Allison M; Cerin, Ester; Giles, Graham G; Finger, Robert P

2016-10-01

To assess the association between past physical activity and early, intermediate and late age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in a community-based cohort study in Melbourne, Australia. Diet and lifestyle information was recorded at baseline (1990-1994) and total recreational activity was derived from walking, vigorous and non-vigorous exercise. At follow-up (2003-2007), digital macular photographs were graded for early, intermediate and late AMD. Data were analysed using multinomial logistic regression controlling for age, sex, smoking, region of descent, diet and alcohol. Effect modification by sex was investigated. Out of 20 816 participants, early, intermediate and late AMD were detected at follow-up in 4244 (21%), 2661 (13%) and 122 (0.6%) participants, respectively. No association was detected between past total recreational physical activity and early, intermediate or late AMD. Frequent (≥3 times/week) and less frequent (1-2 times/week) vigorous exercise were associated with lower odds of intermediate and late AMD in univariable models. After controlling for confounders, there was evidence of effect modification by sex and frequent vigorous exercise was associated with a 22% decrease in the odds of intermediate AMD (95% CI 4% to 36%) in women, but no association was found for men. Past frequent vigorous exercise may be inversely related to the presence of intermediate AMD in women. Further studies are needed to confirm whether physical activity and exercise have a protective effect for AMD. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/

Reduced food access due to a lack of money, inability to lift and lack of access to a car for food shopping: a multilevel study in Melbourne, Victoria.

PubMed

Burns, Cate; Bentley, Rebecca; Thornton, Lukar; Kavanagh, Anne

2011-06-01

To describe associations between demographic and individual and area-level socio-economic variables and restricted household food access due to lack of money, inability to lift groceries and lack of access to a car to do food shopping. Multilevel study of three measures of restricted food access, i.e. running out of money to buy food, inability to lift groceries and lack of access to a car for food shopping. Multilevel logistic regression was conducted to examine the risk of each of these outcomes according to demographic and socio-economic variables. Random selection of households from fifty small areas in Melbourne, Australia, in 2003. The main food shoppers in each household (n 2564). A lack of money was significantly more likely among the young and in households with single adults. Difficulty lifting was more likely among the elderly and those born overseas. The youngest and highest age groups both reported reduced car access, as did those born overseas and single-adult households. All three factors were most likely among those with a lower individual or household socio-economic position. Increased levels of area disadvantage were independently associated with difficulty lifting and reduced car access. In Melbourne, households with lower individual socio-economic position and area disadvantage have restricted access to food because of a lack of money and/or having physical limitations due difficulty lifting or lack of access to a car for food shopping. Further research is required to explore the relationship between physical restrictions and food access.

Virtual Surgical Planning for Correction of Delayed Presentation Scaphocephaly Using a Modified Melbourne Technique.

PubMed

Macmillan, Alexandra; Lopez, Joseph; Mundinger, Gerhard S; Major, Melanie; Medina, Miguel A; Dorafshar, Amir H

2018-02-23

Late treatment of scaphocephaly presents challenges including need for more complex surgery to achieve desired head shape. Virtual surgical planning for total vault reconstruction may mitigate some of these challenges, but has not been studied in this unique and complex clinical setting. A retrospective chart review was conducted for patients with scaphocephaly who presented to our institution between 2000 and 2014. Patients presenting aged 12 months or older who underwent virtual surgical planning-assisted cranial vault reconstruction were included. Patient demographic, intraoperative data, and postoperative outcomes were recorded. Pre- and postoperative anthropometric measurements were obtained to document the fronto-occipital (FO) and biparietal (BP) distance and calculate cephalic index (CI). Virtual surgical planning predicted, and actual postoperative anthropometric measurements were compared. Five patients were identified who fulfilled inclusion criteria. The mean age was 50.6 months. One patient demonstrated signs of elevated intracranial pressure preoperatively. Postoperatively, all but one needed no revisional surgery (Whitaker score of 1). No patient demonstrated postoperative evidence of bony defects, bossing, or suture restenosis. The mean preoperative, simulated, and actual postoperative FO length was 190.3, 182, and 184.3 mm, respectively. The mean preoperative, simulated, and actual postoperative BP length was 129, 130.7, and 131 mm, respectively. The mean preoperative, simulated, and actual postoperative CI was 66, 72, and 71.3, respectively. Based on our early experience, virtual surgical planning using a modified Melbourne technique for total vault remodeling achieves good results in the management of late presenting scaphocephaly.

Mobilization of metals from Eau Claire siltstone and the impact of oxygen under geological carbon dioxide sequestration conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shao, Hongbo; Kukkadapu, Ravi K.; Krogstad, Eirik J.; Newburn, Matt K.; Cantrell, Kirk J.

2014-09-01

To investigate the impact of O2 as an impurity co-injected with CO2 on geochemical interactions, especially trace metal mobilization from a geological CO2 sequestration (GCS) reservoir rock, batch studies were conducted with Eau Claire siltstone collected from CO2 sequestration sites. The rock was reacted with synthetic brines in contact with either 100% CO2 or a mixture of 95 mol% CO2-5 mol% O2 at 10.1 MPa and 75 °C. Both microscopic and spectroscopic measurements, including 57Fe-Mössbauer spectroscopy, Laser Ablation-Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry, powder X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and chemical extraction were combined in this study to investigate reaction mechanisms. The Eau Claire siltstone contains quartz (52 wt%), fluorapatite (40%), and aluminosilicate (5%) as major components, and dolomite (2%), pyrite (1%), and small-particle-/poorly-crystalline Fe-oxides as minor components. With the introduction of CO2 into the reaction vessel containing rock and brine, the leaching of small amounts of fluorapatite, aluminosilicate, and dolomite occurred. Trace metals of environmental concern, including Pb, As, Cd, and Cu were detected in the leachate with concentrations up to 400 ppb in the CO2-brine-rock reaction system within 30 days. In the presence of O2, the oxidation of Fe(II) and the consequent changes in the reaction system, including a reduction in pH, significantly enhanced the mobilization of Pb, Cd, and Cu, whereas As concentrations decreased, compared with the reaction system without O2. The presence of O2 resulted in the formation of secondary Fe-oxides which appear to be Fe(II)-substituted P-containing ferrihydrite. Although the rock contained only 1.04 wt% total Fe, oxidative dissolution of pyrite, leaching and oxidation of structural Fe(II) in fluorapatite, and precipitation of Fe-oxides significantly decreased the pH in brine with O2 (pH 3.3-3.7), compared with the reaction

An empirical Bayes safety evaluation of tram/streetcar signal and lane priority measures in Melbourne.

PubMed

Naznin, Farhana; Currie, Graham; Sarvi, Majid; Logan, David

2016-01-01

Streetcars/tram systems are growing worldwide, and many are given priority to increase speed and reliability performance in mixed traffic conditions. Research related to the road safety impact of tram priority is limited. This study explores the road safety impacts of tram priority measures including lane and intersection/signal priority measures. A before-after crash study was conducted using the empirical Bayes (EB) method to provide more accurate crash impact estimates by accounting for wider crash trends and regression to the mean effects. Before-after crash data for 29 intersections with tram signal priority and 23 arterials with tram lane priority in Melbourne, Australia, were analyzed to evaluate the road safety impact of tram priority. The EB before-after analysis results indicated a statistically significant adjusted crash reduction rate of 16.4% after implementation of tram priority measures. Signal priority measures were found to reduce crashes by 13.9% and lane priority by 19.4%. A disaggregate level simple before-after analysis indicated reductions in total and serious crashes as well as vehicle-, pedestrian-, and motorcycle-involved crashes. In addition, reductions in on-path crashes, pedestrian-involved crashes, and collisions among vehicles moving in the same and opposite directions and all other specific crash types were found after tram priority implementation. Results suggest that streetcar/tram priority measures result in safety benefits for all road users, including vehicles, pedestrians, and cyclists. Policy implications and areas for future research are discussed.

Informal care for stroke survivors: results from the North East Melbourne Stroke Incidence Study (NEMESIS).

PubMed

Dewey, H M; Thrift, A G; Mihalopoulos, C; Carter, R; Macdonell, R A L; McNeil, J J; Donnan, G A

2002-04-01

Informal caregivers play an important role in the lives of stroke patients, but the cost of providing this care has not been estimated. The purpose of this study was to determine the nature and amount of informal care provided to stroke patients and to estimate the economic cost of that care. The primary caregivers of stroke patients registered in the North East Melbourne Stroke Incidence Study (NEMESIS) were interviewed at 3, 6, and 12 months after stroke, and the nature and amount of informal care provided were documented. The opportunity and replacement costs of informal care for all first-ever-in-a-lifetime strokes (excluding subarachnoid hemorrhages) that occurred in 1997 in Australia were estimated. Among 3-month stroke survivors, 74% required assistance with activities of daily living and received informal care from family or friends. Two thirds of primary caregivers were women, and most primary caregivers (>90%) provided care during family or leisure time. Total first-year caregiver time costs for all first-ever-in-a-lifetime strokes were estimated to be A$21.7 million (opportunity cost approach) or A$42.5 million (replacement cost approach), and the present values of lifetime caregiver time costs were estimated to be A$171.4 million (opportunity cost approach) or A$331.8 million (replacement cost approach). Informal care for stroke survivors represents a significant hidden cost to Australian society. Because our community is rapidly aging, this informal care burden may increase significantly in the future.

A Cluster of Fentanyl-Laced Heroin Deaths in 2015 in Melbourne, Australia.

PubMed

Rodda, Luke N; Pilgrim, Jennifer L; Di Rago, Matthew; Crump, Kerryn; Gerostamoulos, Dimitri; Drummer, Olaf H

2017-05-01

The prevalence of opioid use in therapeutic and recreational settings has steadily increased throughout the western world. The addition of fentanyl into heroin products can produce potentially dangerous consequences, even to opioid tolerant individuals who may be unaware of such additions. Following an observed spike of heroin-fentanyl related deaths in Melbourne, Australia, a study was undertaken to determine the prevalence of these cases. All reportable deaths occurring in Victoria during 2015 and submitted to the toxicology laboratory were analysed using LC-MS-MS to confirm the combination of the heroin marker 6-acetylmorphine and/or morphine, and fentanyl. Over 4,000 coronial cases in 2015 underwent toxicological analysis for these drugs, there were nine cases identified that involved fentanyl-laced heroin. There was no specific mention of fentanyl use in any of these cases. All occurred within 2 months and in two distinct locations. The first four deaths occurred within 3 days of each other, in neighboring suburbs. The ages ranged from 25 to 57 years with an average of 40 and median of 37 years, and consisted of eight males and one female. The average and median femoral blood concentration of fentanyl was 18 and 20 ng/mL (range: <1-45 ng/mL), and morphine 140 and 80 ng/mL (range: 20-400 ng/mL), respectively. All nine cases had 6-acetylmorphine detectable in blood. Urine analysis was also performed where available. A syringe, powder and spoon found at the scene of one case were also analysed and found to be positive for both heroin and fentanyl, which supported the likelihood of fentanyl-laced heroin. This is the first reported case series of fatalities involving heroin and fentanyl outside of North America in published literature. These findings may help inform public health and prevention strategies serving to decrease the potential for such fatalities in the future. © Crown copyright 2017.

Effects of alcoholic extract of Curcuma longa on Ascaridia infestation affecting chicken.

PubMed

Alrubaie, Abdulrazak Labi

2015-07-01

Ascaridia galli, the common intestinal nematode, remains a major cause of economic loss in the poultry industry in developing countries. Treatments using chemicals are not only expensive but also affect host health. Plant extracts as better alternative is gaining significance. Here, we have studied the effects of alcoholic extract of turmeric, Curcuma longa L. (Zingiberaceae) roots, against A. galli infection in chicken. Different concentrations of C. longa root extract were tested in vitro on 5 groups of adults A. galli worms and in vivo on 6 groups of chicks. The results showed that the turmeric root extract @ 60 mg mL(-1) in vitro significantly (P < 0.001) proved paralytic and fatal against worms (16.80 ± 1.28 h). In vivo, chicken groups (G2-G6) were infected with an average of 300 ± 12 embryonated eggs of A. galli. The G2 was not given any treatment while G3 was treated with piperazine (@ 200 mg kg(-1) body wt.); and Groups 4, 5 and 6 were given turmeric @ 200, 400 and 600 mg kg(-1) body wt., respectively. The mean number of worms extracted at the end of the trial in G2 (untreated) was 18.10 ± 2.42, while the G3 treated with piperazine had no worms. Groups 4 and 5 did not show any significant difference compared to G2. However, G6 that had 3.20 ± 1.33 worms was statistically significant. Higher concentrations of turmeric given to infected chickens significantly reduced the length and weight of worms. The study showed that the worm infestation damaged the intestinal villi, and.treatment with high concentration of C. longa had healing effects and restored the integrity of intestinal mucosa. The results have demonstrated the ameliorating effect of C. longa turmeric on A. galli infested chickens.

Incidence and outcome of subtypes of ischaemic stroke: initial results from the north East melbourne stroke incidence study (NEMESIS).

PubMed

Dewey, Helen M; Sturm, Jonathan; Donnan, Geoffrey A; Macdonell, Richard A L; McNeil, John J; Thrift, Amanda G

2003-01-01

Information about the incidence and outcome of stroke subtypes is necessary to understand the likely impact of stroke prevention and treatment strategies. The purpose of this study was to determine the incidence and outcome of subtypes of cerebral infarction (CI). All strokes occurring in a population of 133816 in Melbourne, Australia, during a 12-month period of 1996 and 1997 were identified and cases of CI subtyped according to the Oxfordshire Community Stroke Project classification. 276 'first-ever-in-a-lifetime' stroke cases were registered. CI accounted for 72% of cases. Annual incidence rates per 100000 persons adjusted to the 'world' population were 11 (95% CI, 4-18) for TACI, 25 (95% CI, 15-35) for PACI, 17 (95% CI, 9-25) for POCI and 18 (95% CI, 10-26) for LACI. 28-day case fatality was highest for TACI (35%; 95% CI, 19-51%) and first year recurrence rate highest for PACI (17%; 95% CI, 8-26%). TACI had the poorest functional outcome at 3 and 12 months. These findings are similar to those of two previous studies conducted in the northern hemisphere. Copyright 2003 S. Karger AG, Basel

Visitors' perception of thermal comfort during extreme heat events at the Royal Botanic Garden Melbourne.

PubMed

Lam, Cho Kwong Charlie; Loughnan, Margaret; Tapper, Nigel

2018-01-01

Outdoor thermal comfort studies have mainly examined the perception of local residents, and there has been little work on how those conditions are perceived differently by tourists, especially tourists of diverse origins. This issue is important because it will improve the application of thermal indices in predicting the thermal perception of tourists. This study aims to compare the differences in thermal perception and preferences between local and overseas visitors to the Royal Botanic Garden (RBG) in Melbourne during summer. An 8-day survey was conducted in February 2014 at four sites in the garden (n = 2198), including 2 days with maximum temperature exceeding 40 °C. The survey results were compared with data from four weather stations adjacent to the survey locations. One survey location, 'Fern Gully', has a misting system and visitors perceived the Fern Gully to be cooler than other survey locations. As the apparent temperature exceeded 32.4 °C, visitors perceived the environment as being 'warm' or 'hot'. At 'hot' conditions, 36.8 % of European visitors voted for no change to the thermal conditions, which is considerably higher than the response from Australian visitors (12.2 %) and Chinese visitors (7.5 %). Study results suggest that overseas tourists have different comfort perception and preferences compared to local Australians in hot weather based at least in part on expectations. Understanding the differences in visitors' thermal perception is important to improve the garden design. It can also lead to better tour planning and marketing to potential visitors from different countries.

Visitors' perception of thermal comfort during extreme heat events at the Royal Botanic Garden Melbourne

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lam, Cho Kwong Charlie; Loughnan, Margaret; Tapper, Nigel

2018-01-01

Outdoor thermal comfort studies have mainly examined the perception of local residents, and there has been little work on how those conditions are perceived differently by tourists, especially tourists of diverse origins. This issue is important because it will improve the application of thermal indices in predicting the thermal perception of tourists. This study aims to compare the differences in thermal perception and preferences between local and overseas visitors to the Royal Botanic Garden (RBG) in Melbourne during summer. An 8-day survey was conducted in February 2014 at four sites in the garden ( n = 2198), including 2 days with maximum temperature exceeding 40 °C. The survey results were compared with data from four weather stations adjacent to the survey locations. One survey location, `Fern Gully', has a misting system and visitors perceived the Fern Gully to be cooler than other survey locations. As the apparent temperature exceeded 32.4 °C, visitors perceived the environment as being `warm' or `hot'. At `hot' conditions, 36.8 % of European visitors voted for no change to the thermal conditions, which is considerably higher than the response from Australian visitors (12.2 %) and Chinese visitors (7.5 %). Study results suggest that overseas tourists have different comfort perception and preferences compared to local Australians in hot weather based at least in part on expectations. Understanding the differences in visitors' thermal perception is important to improve the garden design. It can also lead to better tour planning and marketing to potential visitors from different countries.

The Galli Galli Sim Sim Story Pond: Inspiring Children as Storytellers in India

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Batada, Ameena; Joshi, Ira; Sharma, Garima; Mehta, Swati

2010-01-01

Children have long enjoyed a special status in the family and the community in India, where traditional teaching techniques include song, dance, play, and storytelling. In India, play-oriented, child-centered approaches to teaching and learning, which are common in the United States, Canada, Europe, and elsewhere, are the exception to the norm…

Root distribution and potential interactions between allelopathic rice, sprangletop (Leptochloa spp.), and barnyardgrass (Echinochloa crus-galli) based on ¹³C isotope discrimination analysis.

PubMed

Gealy, David; Moldenhauer, Karen; Duke, Sara

2013-02-01

Weed-suppressive rice cultivars hold promise for improved and more economical weed management in rice. Interactions between roots of rice and weeds are thought to be modulated by the weed-suppressive activity of some rice cultivars, but these phenomena are difficult to measure and not well understood. Thus, above-ground productivity, weed suppression, and root distribution of 11 rice cultivars and two weed species were evaluated in a drill-seeded, flood-irrigated system at Stuttgart, Arkansas, USA in a two-year study. The allelopathic cultivars, PI 312777 and Taichung Native 1 (TN-1), three other weed-suppressive cultivars, three indica-derived breeding selections, and three non-suppressive commercial cultivars were evaluated in field plots infested with barnyardgrass (Echinochloa crus-galli (L.) Beauv.) or bearded sprangletop (sprangletop, Leptochloa fusca (L.) Kunth var. fascicularis (Lam.) N. Snow). The allelopathic cultivars produced more tillers and suppressed both weed species to a greater extent than did the breeding selections or the non-suppressive cultivars. (13)C isotope discrimination analysis of mixed root samples to a depth of 15 cm revealed that the allelopathic cultivars typically produced a greater fraction of their total root mass in the surface 0-5 cm of soil depth compared to the breeding selections or the non-suppressive cultivars, which tended to distribute their roots more evenly throughout the soil profile. These trends in root mass distribution were apparent at both early (pre-flood) and late-season stages in weed-free and weed-infested plots. Cultivar productivity and root distribution generally responded similarly to competition with the two weed species, but barnyardgrass reduced rice yield and root mass more than did sprangletop. These findings demonstrate for the first time that roots of the allelopathic cultivars PI 312777 and TN-1 explore the upper soil profile more thoroughly than do non-suppressive cultivars under weed

A Regional Guidebook for Applying the Hydrogeomorphic Approach to Assessing Wetland Functions of Forested Wetlands in Alluvial Valleys of the Coastal Plain of the Southeastern United States

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-04-01

galli Barnyard grass Imperata   cylindrica    Cogongrass Ligustrum japonicum   Japanese privet Ligustrum sinense   Chinese Privet Lonicera japonica... Imperata   cylindrica    Cogongrass Ligustrum japonicum   Japanese privet Ligustrum sinense   Chinese Privet Lonicera japonica   Japanese Honeysuckle...crus-galli Barnyard grass Imperata   cylindrica    Cogongrass Ligustrum japonicum   Japanese privet Ligustrum sinense   Chinese Privet Lonicera

Psychometric and Clinimetric Properties of the Melbourne Assessment 2 in Children With Cerebral Palsy.

PubMed

Wang, Tien-Ni; Liang, Kai-Jie; Liu, Yi-Chia; Shieh, Jeng-Yi; Chen, Hao-Ling

2017-09-01

To examine the psychometric and clinimetric properties of the Melbourne Assessment 2 (MA2), an outcome measurement that is increasingly used in clinical studies. Psychometric and clinimetric study. Community. Seventeen children with cerebral palsy (CP) from 5 to 12 years were recruited for the estimation of the test-retest reliability and minimal detectable change (MDC). Thirty-five children with CP were recruited to receive an 8-week intensive neurorehabilitation intervention to estimate the validity, responsiveness, and minimal clinically important difference (MCID). Thirty-five children with CP received upper limb neurorehabilitation programs for 8 weeks. The MA2 and the criterion measures, including the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency, 2nd edition (BOT-2), the Box and Blocks Test (BBT), and the Pediatric Motor Activity Log-Revised (PMAL-R), were evaluated at pretreatment and posttreatment. The MA2 has 4 subscales: range of motion, fluency, accuracy, and dexterity. The test-retest reliability of the MA2 is high (intraclass correlation coefficient, .92-.98). The significant relationships between the MA2 and BBT, BOT-2, and PMAL-R support its validity. The significance of paired t test results (P<.001) and large magnitudes of the standardized response mean (1.70-2.00) confirm the responsiveness of the MA2. The MDC values of the 4 subscales of the MA2 are 2.85, 1.63, 1.97, and 1.84, respectively, and the suggested MCID values of these 4 subscales are 2.35, 3.20, 2.09, and 2.22, respectively, indicating the minimum scores of improvement to be interpreted as both statistically significant and clinically important. The study findings indicate that the MA2 has sound psychometric and clinimetric properties and is thus an adequate measurement for research and clinical applications. Copyright © 2017 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The Melbourne East Monash General Practice Database (MAGNET): Using data from computerised medical records to create a platform for primary care and health services research.

PubMed

Mazza, Danielle; Pearce, Christopher; Turner, Lyle Robert; De Leon-Santiago, Maria; McLeod, Adam; Ferriggi, Jason; Shearer, Marianne

2016-07-04

The Melbourne East MonAsh GeNeral PracticE DaTabase (MAGNET) research platform was launched in 2013 to provide a unique data source for primary care and health services research in Australia.  MAGNET contains information from the computerised records of 50 participating general practices and includes data from the computerised medical records of more than 1,100,000 patients.  The data extracted is patient-level episodic information and includes a variety of fields related to patient demographics and historical clinical information, along with the characteristics of the participating general practices.  While there are limitations to the data that is currently available, the MAGNET research platform continues to investigate other avenues for improving the breadth and quality of data, with the aim of providing a more comprehensive picture of primary care in Australia.

Risking for protection: discourses around 'safe sex' among Chilean, Turkish and second-generation Greek women living in Melbourne, Australia.

PubMed

Gifford, S M; Bakopanos, C; Dawson, M T; Yesilyurt, Z

1998-01-01

The aim of this study was to identify the ways in which women from Turkish, second-generation Greek and Chilean backgrounds living in Melbourne, Australia, understand risks to their sexual health with a focus on STDs including HIV/AIDS. Data were derived from in-depth qualitative interviews with 20 women from each ethnic group (N = 60). Interviews were guided by a theme list, conducted in the woman's language of preference, tape-recorded and fully transcribed. Transcripts were double coded for key themes and analysed using ethnographic content analysis. The key findings are that for many women, reducing the risk of STDs to protect their physical health introduces risks to their social health and to the well-being of their family and community. Thus, women place priority over the protection of their social health as opposed to their physical health. Despite specific cultural differences in understandings of sexual health risks and illnesses, all women shared gendered commonalities in the ways in which they contextualise STDs within the wider context of social relationships and their everyday life. We conclude by arguing for interventions that specifically take into account social models of risk in STD and HIV/AIDS prevention and we consider the practical implications of this for harm reduction strategies in multicultural societies such as Australia.

How clinical reasoning is taught and learned: Cultural perspectives from the University of Melbourne and Universitas Indonesia.

PubMed

Findyartini, Ardi; Hawthorne, Lesleyanne; McColl, Geoff; Chiavaroli, Neville

2016-07-21

The majority of schools in the Asia-Pacific region have adopted medical curricula based on western pedagogy. However to date there has been minimal exploration of the influence of the culture of learning on the teaching and learning process. This paper explores this issue in relation to clinical reasoning. A comparative case study was conducted in 2 medical schools in Australia (University of Melbourne) and Asia (Universitas Indonesia). It involved assessment of medical students' attitudes to clinical reasoning through administration of the Diagnostic Thinking Inventory (DTI), followed by qualitative interviews which explored related cultural issues. A total of 11 student focus group discussions (45 students) and 24 individual medical teacher interviews were conducted, followed by thematic analysis. Students from Universitas Indonesia were found to score lower on the Flexibility in Thinking subscale of the DTI. Qualitative data analysis based on Hofstede's theoretical constructs concerning the culture of learning also highlighted clear differences in relation to attitudes to authority and uncertainty avoidance, with potential impacts on attitudes to teaching and learning of clinical reasoning in undergraduate medical education. Different attitudes to teaching and learning clinical reasoning reflecting western and Asian cultures of learning were identified in this study. The potential impact of cultural differences should be understood when planning how clinical reasoning can be best taught and learned in the changing global contexts of medical education, especially when the western medical education approach is implemented in Asian contexts.

A store cohort study of compliance with a point-of-sale cigarette display ban in Melbourne, Australia.

PubMed

Zacher, Meghan; Germain, Daniella; Durkin, Sarah; Hayes, Linda; Scollo, Michelle; Wakefield, Melanie

2013-02-01

This study aimed to evaluate compliance with legislation which restricted cigarette displays in retail outlets, and to assess prevalence of pro- and anti-tobacco elements in stores pre- and post-legislation. METHODS Three audits of 302 stores in Melbourne, Australia by trained observers who gathered information on point-of-sale tobacco displays 2-3 months before and 3-4 and 11-12 months after the enactment of new restrictions. Between the first and second audits, nine stores stopped selling tobacco and three stores had either shut down or were closed for renovations. Of the remaining 290 stores, 94.1% observed the full ban on cigarette package visibility, while new restrictions on price board size and new requirements for graphic health warnings were followed in 85.9% and 67.2% of stores, respectively. Between the second and third audits, another seven stores ended tobacco sales and two stores closed. In Audit 3, 89.7% of the remaining 281 stores complied with price board restrictions, and 82.2% of stores followed requirements for graphic health warnings. Overall, the prevalence of anti-tobacco signage increased and pro-tobacco features decreased between audits for every store type and neighborhood socio-economic status. Tobacco retailers were almost universally compliant with placing cigarettes out of sight and a substantial majority were compliant with regulations on price board size and display of graphic health warnings, demonstrating that such legislation can be implemented successfully.

Dietary factors and the risk of glioma in adults: results of a case-control study in Melbourne, Australia.

PubMed

Giles, G G; McNeil, J J; Donnan, G; Webley, C; Staples, M P; Ireland, P D; Hurley, S F; Salzberg, M

1994-11-01

In a population-based case-control study of 416 incident gliomas in adults carried out in Melbourne, Australia, between 1987 and 1991, 409 age-sex-matched case-control pairs (243 male and 166 female) had adequate data available to examine associations between the dietary intake of N-nitroso compounds, N-nitroso precursors, other nutrients including N-nitroso inhibitors, and the risk of glioma. Dietary intakes were based on the reported frequency of consumption of 59 food items. Increased odds ratio (OR) were observed in males who consumed high levels of bacon, corned meats, apples, melons and oil. OR less than unity were observed in men consuming cabbage and cola drinks, and in women who consumed wholegrain bread, pasta, corned meat, bananas, cauliflower, brocoli, cola drinks and nuts. Generally, N-nitroso associations were greater in men and micronutrient associations were greater in women. Elevated OR in men, but not women, were associated with the intake of N-nitroso dimethylamine (NDMA), retinol and vitamin E. The intake of nitrate (largely of vegetable origin) was protective in women but not in men. When analyzed using multiple logistic regression, the association with NDMA intake in males was not modified by dietary micronutrient intakes. In females, beta carotene alone, though not directly associated with risk, modified the effect of NDMA. On balance, this study added only limited support to the N-nitroso hypothesis of glial carcinogenesis.

Differences in drinking patterns associated with migration from a Greek island to Melbourne, Australia: a study of sibships.

PubMed

Powles, J W; Macaskill, G; Hopper, J L; Ktenas, D

1991-05-01

Siblings (and their families) who have migrated from the Greek island of Levkada to Melbourne, Australia reported markedly lower alcohol consumption (n aged 25-74 = 846, reported consumption 16 g/d for men, 2 g/d for women) when compared with the siblings (and their family members) who stayed on the island (n = 498, 54 g/d for men, 16 g/d for women). Median time since migration exceeded 20 years. Of nonmigrants, 73% drank wine and 88% of these produced all they consumed. They drank wine regularly with the two main meals each day. Some migrants managed a kind of self-sufficiency by home-pressing bulk-purchased grapes, but commoner responses were to purchase beer or wine or to cease drinking alcohol. Migrants who drank wine consumed less than half as much as comparable nonmigrants. The prevalence of drinking on special occasions was not lower in migrants, nor were the amounts drunk. Drinking contexts continued to be those traditional within Greek culture. Among nonmigrant men self-rated health was positively associated with alcohol consumption. In this culture, which has traditionally made heavy use of alcohol and used it primarily as a food, the level and pattern of use changed markedly under changed circumstances--such as the loss of true self-sufficiency and an altered temporal pattern of daily life.

Becoming an 'Amai': Meanings and experiences of motherhood amongst Zimbabwean women living in Melbourne, Australia.

PubMed

Benza, Sandra; Liamputtong, Pranee

2017-02-01

little is known about the meanings and experiences of motherhood among Zimbabwean migrant women. This paper discusses the meanings and experiences of motherhood from the perspectives of Zimbabwean migrant women living in Melbourne, Australia. qualitative methods (in-depth interviewing, photo elicitation and drawing) were conducted with 15 Zimbabwean women who had children in Zimbabwe and in Australia. Data were analysed using thematic analysis method. Zimbabwean women defined motherhood in varied ways. Common to all women was that becoming a mother had a significant meaning. Motherhood came with a sense of responsibility for children which resulted from their compromise and sacrifice. The dedication was exhibited by participants who demonstrated commitment to motherhood when striving to be a good mother. While motherhood provided pleasure and joy, some women found the role of motherhood burdensome in their new homeland. Due to cultural expectations of motherhood, women kept their difficulties silent for fear of being judged a 'bad mother'. The unfamiliarity with the health and social care systems in Australia presented challenges to these women. Often, they were treated without respect and felt discriminated against. our findings reveal the paradox of motherhood. Although motherhood can be burdensome, there are positive changes brought about by the process of motherhood. Due to a lack of knowledge about the health and social care system and the negative experiences with health care in Australia, the women felt overwhelmed about becoming a mother in Australia. healthcare providers, including midwives, need to understand how migrant women perceive and experience motherhood and their mothering role as this will help to improve the health and social care for these women and their children. Findings from this study provide a basis for further investigation into the formation and strengthening of support networks for Zimbabwean mothers in particular, and to other migrant

Venous thromboembolism management in Northeast Melbourne: how does it compare to international guidelines and data?

PubMed

Lim, Hui Y; Chua, Chong C; Tacey, Mark; Sleeman, Matthew; Donnan, Geoffrey; Nandurkar, Harshal; Ho, Prahlad

2017-09-01

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality with significant heterogeneity in its management, both within our local practice and in international guidelines. To provide a holistic evaluation of 'real-world' Australian experience in the warfarin era, including how we compare to international guidelines. Retrospective evaluation of VTE from July 2011 to December 2012 at two major hospitals in Melbourne, Australia. These results were compared to recommendations in the international guidelines. A total of 752 episodes involving 742 patients was identified. Contrary to international guidelines, an unwarranted heritable thrombophilia screen was performed in 22.0% of patients, amounting to a cost of AU$29 000. The duration of anticoagulation was longer compared to international recommendations, although the overall recurrence (3.2/100 person-years) and clinically significant bleeding rates (2.4/100 person-years) were comparable to 'real-world' data. Unprovoked VTE (hazard ratio 2.06; P = 0.01) was a risk factor for recurrence, and there was no difference in recurrence between major VTE (proximal deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and/or pulmonary embolism) and isolated distal DVT (3.02 vs 3.94/100 person-years; P = 0.25). Fourteen patients were subsequently diagnosed with malignancy, and patients with recurrent VTE had increased risk of prospective cancer diagnosis (relative risk 6.68; P < 0.001). While our 'real-world' VTE experience during the warfarin era largely correlates with international guidelines, there remains heterogeneity in the management strategies, including excessive thrombophilia screening and longer duration of anticoagulation. This audit highlights the need for national VTE guidelines, as well as prospective auditing of VTE management, in the direct oral anticoagulant era for future comparison. © 2017 Royal Australasian College of Physicians.

Vitamin D status and the risk of type 2 diabetes: the Melbourne Collaborative Cohort Study.

PubMed

Heath, Alicia K; Williamson, Elizabeth J; Hodge, Allison M; Ebeling, Peter R; Eyles, Darryl W; Kvaskoff, David; O'Dea, Kerin; Giles, Graham G; English, Dallas R

2018-05-18

Inverse associations between vitamin D status and risk of type 2 diabetes observed in epidemiological studies could be biased by confounding and reverse causality. We investigated the prospective association between vitamin D status and type 2 diabetes and the possible role of reverse causality. We conducted a case-cohort study within the Melbourne Collaborative Cohort Study (MCCS), including a random sample of 628 participants who developed diabetes and a sex-stratified random sample of the cohort (n=1,884). Concentration of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) was measured using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry in samples collected at recruitment. Logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the risk of type 2 diabetes for quartiles of 25(OH)D relative to the lowest quartile and per 25 nmol/L increase in 25(OH)D, adjusting for confounding variables. The ORs for the highest versus lowest 25(OH)D quartile and per 25 nmol/L increase in 25(OH)D were 0.60 (95% CI: 0.44, 0.81) and 0.76 (95% CI: 0.63, 0.92; p=0.004), respectively. In participants who reported being in good/very good/excellent health approximately four years after recruitment, ORs for the highest versus lowest 25(OH)D quartile and per 25 nmol/L increase in 25(OH)D were 0.46 (95% CI: 0.29, 0.72) and 0.71 (95% CI: 0.56, 0.89; p=0.003), respectively. In this sample of middle-aged Australians, vitamin D status was inversely associated with the risk of type 2 diabetes, and this association did not appear to be explained by reverse causality. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V.

A health-promoting community dental service in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia: protocol for the North Richmond model of oral health care.

PubMed

Hall, Martin; Christian, Bradley

2017-10-01

Despite the best efforts and commitment of oral health programs, there is no evidence that the current surgical output-based model of oral health care is delivering better oral health outcomes to the community. In fact, Australian evidence indicates the oral health of the community could be getting worse. It is now well-understood that this traditional surgical model of oral health care will never successfully manage the disease itself. It is proposed that a health-promoting, minimally invasive oral disease management model of care may lead to a sustainable benefit to the oral health status of the individual and community groups. The aim of this paper is to describe such a model of oral health care (MoC) currently being implemented by the North Richmond Community Health Oral Health (NRCH-OH) program in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; this model may serve as a template for other services to re-orient their healthcare delivery towards health promotion and prevention. The paper describes the guiding principles and theories for the model and also its operational components, which are: pre-engagement while on the waitlist; client engagement at the reception area; the assessment phase; oral health education (high-risk clients only); disease management; and reviews and recall.

The maintenance effect of cognitive-behavioural treatment groups for the Chinese parents of children with intellectual disabilities in Melbourne, Australia: a 6-month follow-up study.

PubMed

Wong, D F K; Poon, A; Kwok, Y C Lai

2011-11-01

Caring for a child with intellectual disability can be stressful. No data on the longer-term effects of cognitive-behavioural treatment (CBT) on parents from a Chinese-speaking background who have children with intellectual disabilities are available in the literature. This study attempted to fill this research gap by examining the maintenance effect of CBT among the Chinese parents of such children in Melbourne, Australia. Thirty-nine participants took part in our CBT groups and attended follow-up meetings. A questionnaire comprising four instruments, the Parenting Stress Index (PS) - Parent Domain, General Health Questionnaire-12 (GHQ-12), Abbreviated Quality of Life Enjoyment and Satisfaction Questionnaire (Q-LES-Q-18) and Dysfunctional Attitude Scale (DAS), was administered to the participants at the pre- and post-test stage and at the 6-month follow-up. One-way repeated-measures analyses of variance revealed significant time and group effects in the PS (F(2,27) = 16.93, P < 0.001), Q-LES-Q-18 (F(2,27) = 15.98, P < 0.001), GHQ-12 (F(2,27) = 81.93, P < 0.001) and DAS (F(2,27) = 15.50, P < 0.001) scores at the three measurement times. The participants continued to maintain significant improvements in mental health and quality of life and declines in the severity of parenting stress and dysfunctional attitudes at the 6-month follow-up. Effect size analyses revealed mostly large differences in the foregoing measurements (Cohen's d = 0.76-2.18) between the pre-test and 6-month follow-up. Employing a cut-off score of 3/4 in the GHQ-12 to identify at-risk and not-at-risk cases, approximately 90.5% of the participants could be classified as not-at-risk at the follow-up. Lastly, regression analyses showed that changes in DAS scores significantly predicted changes in the GHQ-12 and Q-LES-Q-18 scores at the follow-up. This study provides preliminary evidence of the 6-month maintenance effect of CBT groups for the Melbourne-resident Chinese parents of children with

Active transport and obesity prevention - A transportation sector obesity impact scoping review and assessment for Melbourne, Australia.

PubMed

Brown, V; Moodie, M; Mantilla Herrera, A M; Veerman, J L; Carter, R

2017-03-01

Given the alarming prevalence of obesity worldwide and the need for interventions to halt the growing epidemic, more evidence on the role and impact of transport interventions for obesity prevention is required. This study conducts a scoping review of the current evidence of association between modes of transport (motor vehicle, walking, cycling and public transport) and obesity-related outcomes. Eleven reviews and thirty-three primary studies exploring associations between transport behaviours and obesity were identified. Cohort simulation Markov modelling was used to estimate the effects of body mass index (BMI) change on health outcomes and health care costs of diseases causally related to obesity in the Melbourne, Australia population. Results suggest that evidence for an obesity effect of transport behaviours is inconclusive (29% of published studies reported expected associations, 33% mixed associations), and any potential BMI effect is likely to be relatively small. Hypothetical scenario analyses suggest that active transport interventions may contribute small but significant obesity-related health benefits across populations (approximately 65 health adjusted life years gained per year). Therefore active transport interventions that are low cost and targeted to those most amenable to modal switch are the most likely to be effective and cost-effective from an obesity prevention perspective. The uncertain but potentially significant opportunity for health benefits warrants the collection of more and better quality evidence to fully understand the potential relationships between transport behaviours and obesity. Such evidence would contribute to the obesity prevention dialogue and inform policy across the transportation, health and environmental sectors. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Local S100A8 Levels Correlate With Recurrence of Experimental Autoimmune Uveitis and Promote Pathogenic T Cell Activity

PubMed Central

Yun, Juan; Xiao, Tong; Zhou, Lei; Beuerman, Roger W.; Li, Juanjuan; Zhao, Yuan; Hadayer, Amir; Zhang, Xiaomin; Sun, Deming; Kaplan, Henry J.

2018-01-01

Purpose To investigate the role of damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) in recurrent experimental autoimmune uveitis (EAU). Methods Recurrent EAU was induced in Lewis rats by interphotoreceptor retinoid-binding protein (IRBP) R16-peptide specific T cells (tEAU). Aqueous humor and serum samples were kinetically collected and DAMPs examined by quantitative proteomics, Western blot analysis, and ELISA. tEAU rats were treated with S100 inhibitor paquinimod followed by disease evaluation. The functions of T effector cells and T regulatory cells (Tregs) were compared between treated and nontreated groups. The expression of costimulatory molecules on antigen-presenting cells was examined by flow cytometry. Results S100A8, but not high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1), in the eye was found to be correlated with intraocular inflammatory episodes. Administration of paquinimod significantly protected tEAU rats from recurrence. Treated tEAU rats had fewer R16-specific Th1 and Th17 cells, but increased numbers of Tregs. R16-specific T cells from treated tEAU rats into naïve recipients prevented induction of tEAU by R16-specific T cells from nontreated tEAU rats. Moreover, APCs from treated tEAU rats expressed higher levels of a negative costimulatory molecule, CD200R, and lower levels of CD80, CD86, and MHC class II molecules compared to APCs from nontreated tEAU rats. An opposite pattern of expression of these molecules was observed on APCs incubated in vitro with recombinant S100A8. Conclusions Our data demonstrate a link between local expression of DAMPs and autoimmune responses, and suggest that complete S100A8/A9 blockade may be a new therapeutic target in recurrent autoimmune uveitis. PMID:29625456

Observation and modelling of stable isotopes in precipitation for midlatitude weather systems in Melbourne, Australia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barras, Vaughan; Simmonds, Ian

2010-05-01

The application of stable water isotopes as tracers of moisture throughout the hydrological cycle is often hindered by the relatively coarse temporal and spatial resolution of observational data. Intensive observation periods (IOPs) of isotopes in precipitation have been valuable in this regard enabling the quantification of the effects of vapour recycling, convection, cloud top height and droplet reevaporation (Dansgaard, 1953; Miyake et al., 1968; Gedzelman and Lawrence, 1982; 1990; Pionke and DeWalle, 1992; Risi et al., 2008; 2009) and have been used as a basis to develop isotope models of varying complexity (Lee and Fung, 2008; Bony et al., 2008). This study took a unified approach combining observation and modelling of stable isotopes in precipitation in an investigation of three key circulation types that typically bring rainfall to southeastern Australia. The observational component of this study involved the establishment of the Melbourne University Network of Isotopes in Precipitation (MUNIP). MUNIP was devised to sample rainwater simultaneously at a number of collection sites across greater Melbourne to record the spatial and temporal isotopic variability of precipitation during the passage of particular events. Samples were collected at half-hourly intervals for three specific rain events referred to as (1) mixed-frontal, (2) convective, and (3) stratiform. It was found that the isotopic content for each event varied over both high and low frequencies due to influences from local changes in rain intensity and large scale rainout respectively. Of particular note was a positive relationship between deuterium excess and rainfall amount under convective conditions. This association was less well defined for stratiform rainfall. As a supplement to the data coverage of the observations, the events were simulated using a version of NCAR CAM3 running with an isotope hydrology scheme. This was done by periodically nudging the model dynamics with data from the

Progress towards a National Cardiac Procedure Database--development of the Australasian Society of Cardiac and Thoracic Surgeons (ASCTS) and Melbourne Interventional Group (MIG) registries.

PubMed

Chan, William; Clark, David J; Ajani, Andrew E; Yap, Cheng-Hon; Andrianopoulos, Nick; Brennan, Angela L; Dinh, Diem T; Shardey, Gilbert C; Smith, Julian A; Reid, Christopher M; Duffy, Stephen J

2011-01-01

Since the call for a National Cardiac Procedures Database in 2001, much work has been accomplished in both cardiac surgery and interventional cardiology in an attempt to establish a unified, systematic approach to data collection, defining a common minimum dataset pertinent to the Australian context, and instituting quality control measures to ensure integrity and privacy of data. In this paper we outline the aims of the Australasian Society of Cardiac and Thoracic Surgeons (ASCTS) and the Melbourne Interventional Group (MIG) registries, and propose a comprehensive set of standardised data elements and their definitions to facilitate transparency in data collection, consistency between these and other data sets, and encourage ongoing peer-review. The aims are to improve outcomes for patients by determining key performance indicators and standards of performance for hospital units, to allow estimation of procedural risks and likelihood of outcomes for patients, and to report outcomes to relevant stake-holders and the public. Copyright © 2010 Australasian Society of Cardiac and Thoracic Surgeons and the Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Incidence of stroke subtypes in the North East Melbourne Stroke Incidence Study (NEMESIS): differences between men and women.

PubMed

Thrift, Amanda G; Dewey, Helen M; Sturm, Jonathan W; Srikanth, Velandai K; Gilligan, Amanda K; Gall, Seana L; Macdonell, Richard A L; McNeil, John J; Donnan, Geoffrey A

2009-01-01

Incidence rates of stroke subtypes may be imprecise when samples are small. We aimed to determine the incidence of stroke subtypes in a large geographically defined population. Multiple overlapping sources were used to ascertain all strokes occurring in 22 postcodes (population of 306,631) of Melbourne, Australia, between 1997 and 1999. Stroke subtypes were defined by CT, MRI and autopsy. The Mantel-Haenszel age-adjusted rate ratio (MH RR) was used to compare incidence rates between men and women. We identified 1,421 strokes among 1,337 residents, 1,035 (72.8%) being first-ever strokes. Incidence (number/100,000 population/year), adjusted to the European population 45-84 years, was 197 (95% confidence interval, CI, 169-224) for ischemic stroke (IS), 47 (95% CI 33-60) for intracerebral haemorrhage (ICH) and 19 (95% CI 10-27) for subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH). Compared with women, men in this age group had a greater incidence of IS (MH RR 1.65, 95% CI 1.39-1.96, p < 0.0001) and ICH (MH RR 1.46, 95% CI 1.01-2.10, p = 0.0420), but lesser rates of SAH (MH RR 0.34, 95% CI 0.16-0.69, p = 0.0031). In this population-based study, the incidence of IS and ICH was greater among men than women, while women had a greater incidence of SAH. More effort may need to be directed at modifying risk factors for IS and ICH in men. 2008 S. Karger AG, Basel

Lifetime cost of stroke subtypes in Australia: findings from the North East Melbourne Stroke Incidence Study (NEMESIS).

PubMed

Dewey, Helen M; Thrift, Amanda G; Mihalopoulos, Cathy; Carter, Robert; Macdonell, Richard A L; McNeil, John J; Donnan, Geoffrey A

2003-10-01

Little is known about any variations in resource use and costs of care between stroke subtypes, especially nonhospital costs. The purpose of this study was to describe the patterns of resource use and to estimate the first-year and lifetime costs for stroke subtypes. A cost-of-illness model was used to estimate the total first-year costs and lifetime costs of stroke subtypes for all strokes (subarachnoid hemorrhages excluded) that occurred in Australia during 1997. For each subtype, average cost per case during the first year and the present value of average cost per case over a lifetime were calculated. Resource use data obtained in the North East Melbourne Stroke Incidence Study (NEMESIS) were used. The present value of total lifetime costs for all strokes was Aus 1.3 billion dollars (US 985 million dollars). Total lifetime costs were greatest for ischemic stroke (72%; Aus 936.8 million dollars; US 709.7 million dollars), followed by intracerebral hemorrhage (26%; Aus 334.5 million dollars; US 253.4 million dollars) and unclassified stroke (2%; Aus 30 million dollars; US 22.7 million dollars). The average cost per case during the first year was greatest for total anterior circulation infarction (Aus 28 266 dollars). Over a lifetime, the present value of average costs was greatest for intracerebral hemorrhage (Aus 73 542 dollars), followed by total anterior circulation infarction (Aus 53 020 dollars), partial anterior circulation infarction (Aus 50 692 dollars), posterior circulation infarction (Aus 37 270 dollars), lacunar infarction (Aus 34 470 dollars), and unclassified stroke (Aus 12 031 dollars). First-year and lifetime costs vary considerably between stroke subtypes. Variation in average length of total hospital stay is the main explanation for differences in first-year costs.

Feasibility Study of Economics and Performance of Solar Photovoltaics at the Sky Park Landfill Site in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. A Study Prepared in Partnership with the Environmental Protection Agency for the RE-Powering America's Land Initiative: Siting Renewable Energy on Potentially Contaminated Land and Mine Sites

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Simon, J.; Mosey, G.

2013-01-01

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), in accordance with the RE-Powering America's Land initiative, selected the Sky Park Landfill site in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, for a feasibility study of renewable energy production. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) provided technical assistance for this project. The purpose of this report is to assess the site for a possible photovoltaic (PV) system installation and estimate the cost, performance, and site impacts of different PV options. In addition, the report recommends financing options that could assist in the implementation of a PV system at the site.

Evaluation of the Implementation of a New Nurse-Led Express "Test-And-Go" Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Sexually Transmitted Infection Testing Service for Men Who Have Sex With Men at a Sexual Health Center in Melbourne, Australia.

PubMed

Chow, Eric P F; Fortune, Ria; Dobinson, Sheranne; Wakefield, Trish; Read, Tim R H; Chen, Marcus Y; Bradshaw, Catriona S; Fehler, Glenda; Fairley, Christopher K

2018-06-01

In August 2015, a nurse-led express human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/sexually transmitted infection (STI) testing service "Test-And-Go" (TAG) for asymptomatic men who have sex with men (MSM) was implemented in a large public sexual health center in Melbourne, Australia. We aimed to compare the clients' characteristics between the TAG and routine walk-in service among asymptomatic MSM. This study was conducted at the Melbourne Sexual Health Centre, Australia, between August 5, 2015, and June 1, 2016. General estimating equation logistic regression models were constructed to examine the association between the use of TAG service and clients' demographic characteristics, sexual behaviors, and HIV/STI positivity. Clients' consultation and waiting times for both services were calculated. Of the 3520 consultations, 784 (22.3%) were TAG services and 2736 (77.7%) were routine walk-in services for asymptomatic MSM. Asymptomatic MSM were more likely to use the TAG service if they were born in Australia (adjusted odds ratio, 1.29; 95% confidence interval, 1.07-1.56), and had more than 6 male partners in the last 12 months (adjusted odds ratio, 1.13; 95% confidence interval, 1.08-1.58). Age, HIV status, condomless anal sex and HIV/STI positivity did not differ between the two services. The TAG service had a shorter median waiting time (8.4 minutes vs 52.9 minutes; p < 0.001) and consultation time (8.9 minutes vs 17.6 minutes; p < 0.001) than the routine walk-in service. Although country of birth and sexual behaviors differed between clients attending the 2 services, there were no differences in HIV and STI positivity. Importantly, the TAG service required less waiting and consultation time and hence created additional clinic capacity at the general clinic to see clients who are at higher risk.

Implications of survey labels and categorisations for understanding drug use in the context of sex among gay and bisexual men in Melbourne, Australia.

PubMed

Ryan, Kathleen E; Wilkinson, Anna L; Pedrana, Alisa; Quinn, Brendan; Dietze, Paul; Hellard, Margaret; Stoové, Mark

2018-05-01

Reliably measuring drug use by gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (GBM) in the context of sex can inform sexual health service responses. We report changing drug use patterns among GBM testing for HIV at a community-based service in Melbourne in response to behavioural survey modifications. Surveys were completed by GBM prior to all HIV tests. Survey one asked about use of "party drugs for the purpose of sex" and survey two asked about specific drug use (alcohol, amyl nitrate, methamphetamine, cocaine, ecstasy, GHB, Viagra ® /Cialis ® ) before or during sex. Differences in drug use prevalence and demographic and sexual risk correlates are reported. Reported drug use increased from 16.9% in survey one to 54.0% in survey two. Among GBM completing both surveys, 45% who reported no drug use in survey one reported drug use in survey two. Drug use was associated with high HIV risk behaviours across both surveys. Survey modification improved ascertainment of drug use in the context of sex among GBM. Continued monitoring of drug use in this setting will improve our understanding the relationship between use of specific drugs and sexual health and help inform client focused health promotion. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Cost of stroke in Australia from a societal perspective: results from the North East Melbourne Stroke Incidence Study (NEMESIS).

PubMed

Dewey, H M; Thrift, A G; Mihalopoulos, C; Carter, R; Macdonell, R A; McNeil, J J; Donnan, G A

2001-10-01

Accurate information about resource use and costs of stroke is necessary for informed health service planning. The purpose of this study was to determine the patterns of resource use among stroke patients and to estimate the total costs (direct service use and indirect production losses) of stroke (excluding SAH) in Australia for 1997. An incidence-based cost-of-illness model was developed, incorporating data obtained from the North East Melbourne Stroke Incidence Study (NEMESIS). The costs of stroke during the first year after stroke and the present value of total lifetime costs of stroke were estimated. The total first-year costs of all first-ever-in-a lifetime strokes (SAH excluded) that occurred in Australia during 1997 were estimated to be A$555 million (US$420 million), and the present value of lifetime costs was estimated to be A$1.3 billion (US$985 million). The average cost per case during the first 12 months and over a lifetime was A$18 956 (US$14 361) and A$44 428 (US$33 658), respectively. The most important categories of cost during the first year were acute hospitalization (A$154 million), inpatient rehabilitation (A$150 million), and nursing home care (A$63 million). The present value of lifetime indirect costs was estimated to be A$34 million. Similar to other studies, hospital and nursing home costs contributed most to the total cost of stroke (excluding SAH) in Australia. Inpatient rehabilitation accounts for approximately 27% of total first-year costs. Given the magnitude of these costs, investigation of the cost-effectiveness of rehabilitation services should become a priority in this community.

Translation into French of: “Changes to publication requirements made at the XVIII International Botanical Congress in Melbourne – what does e-publication mean for you?”. Translated by Christian Feuillet and Valéry Malécot Changements des conditions requises pour la publication faits au XVIII e Congrès International de Botanique à Melbourne – qu’est-ce que la publication électronique représente pour vous?

PubMed Central

Knapp, Sandra; McNeill, John; Turland, Nicholas J.

2011-01-01

Résumé Les changements au Code International de Nomenclature Botanique sont décidés tous les 6 ans aux Sections de Nomenclature associées aux Congrès Internationaux de Botanique (CIB). Le XVIIIe CIB se tenait à Melbourne, Australie; la Section de Nomenclature s’est réunie les 18-22 juillet 2011 et ses décisions ont été acceptées par le Congrès en session plénière le 30 juillet. Suite à cette réunion, plusieurs modifications importantes ont été apportées au Code et vont affecter la publication de nouveaux noms. Deux de ces changements prendront effet le 1er janvier 2012, quelques mois avant que le Code de Melbourne soit publié. Les documents électroniques publiés en ligne en ‘Portable Document Format’ (PDF) avec un ‘International Standard Serial Number’ (ISSN) ou un ‘International Standard Book Number’ (ISBN) constitueront une publication effective, et l’exigence d’une description ou d’une diagnose en latin pour les noms des nouveaux taxa sera changée en l’exigence d’une description ou d’une diagnose en latin ou en anglais. De plus, à partir du 1er janvier 2013, les noms nouveaux des organismes traités comme champignons devront, pour que la publication soit valide, inclure dans le protologue (tous ce qui est associé au nom au moment de la publication valide) la citation d’un identifiant (‘identifier’) fourni par un dépôt reconnu (tel MycoBank). Une ébauche des nouveaux articles concernant la publication électronique est fournie et des conseils de bon usage sont esquissés. Pour encourager la diffusion des changements adoptés au Code International de Nomenclature pour les algues, les champignons et les plantes, cet article sera publié dans BMC Evolutionary Biology, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, Brittonia, Cladistics, MycoKeys, Mycotaxon, New Phytologist, North American Fungi, Novon, Opuscula Philolichenum, PhytoKeys, Phytoneuron, Phytotaxa, Plant Diversity and Resources, Systematic Botany et

Individual characteristics are less important than event characteristics in predicting protected and unprotected anal intercourse among homosexual and bisexual men in Melbourne, Australia.

PubMed

Smith, A M A; Grierson, J; Pitts, M; Pattison, P

2006-12-01

To describe individual, social network and encounter specific factors associated with protected anal intercourse (PAI) and unprotected anal intercourse (UAI). This was a cross sectional survey conducted between April and November 2002. A total of 733 sexual encounters were reported by 202 men recruited from the gay community in Melbourne, Australia. Predictors of self reported PAI and UAI were examined. Of the 733 sexual events most (56.3%) did not involve anal intercourse, and more involved PAI than UAI (30.6% versus 13.1%). PAI was more likely than no anal intercourse (NAI) if the participant's social network was mostly homosexual, the partner was an occasional or casual partner, or was HIV positive. PAI was less likely if sex took place at a "beat" but more likely if it took place at a sauna. PAI was more likely if the partner was affected by drugs or alcohol. UAI was more likely than NAI if the participant had injected drugs in the year before interview. It was less likely if the partner was occasional or casual or was HIV positive but more likely if the partner's HIV status was unknown. UAI was much more likely than NAI if the encounter took place at a "sex on premises" venue. In this analysis it is the characteristics of the sexual encounter that predict whether PAI or UAI rather than NAI takes place.

Detection and molecular characterization of Cryptosporidium spp. in captive canaries (Serinus canaria) using different diagnostic methods.

PubMed

Camargo, Vinícius da Silva; Santana, Bruna Nicoleti; Ferrari, Elis Domingos; Nakamura, Alex Akira; Nagata, Walter Bertequini; Nardi, Ana Rita Moraes; Meireles, Marcelo Vasconcelos

2018-01-01

This study used several diagnostic methods to examine the occurrence of and molecularly characterize Cryptosporidium spp. in captive canaries (Serinus canaria) in southern and southeastern Brazil. A total of 498 fecal samples were purified by centrifugal-flotation using Sheather's solution. Cryptosporidium spp. diagnosis was performed using three diagnostic methods: malachite green negative staining, nested PCR targeting the 18S rRNA gene, followed by sequencing the amplified fragments, and duplex real-time PCR targeting the 18S rRNA specific to detect Cryptosporidium galli and Cryptosporidium avian genotype III. The overall positivity for Cryptosporidium spp. (total samples positive in at least one protocol) from the microscopic analysis, nested PCR and duplex real-time PCR protocol results was 13.3% (66/498). The positivity rates were 2.0% (10/498) and 4.6% (23/498) for Cryptosporidium spp. by microscopy and nested PCR, respectively. Sequencing of 20 samples amplified by nested PCR identified C. galli (3.0%; 15/498), Cryptosporidium avian genotype I (0.8%; 4/498) and Cryptosporidium avium (0.2%; 1/498). Duplex real-time PCR revealed a positivity of 7.8% (39/498) for C. galli and 2.4% (12/498) for avian genotype III. Malachite green negative staining differed significantly from nested PCR in detecting Cryptosporidium spp. Duplex real-time PCR was more sensitive than nested PCR/sequencing for detecting gastric Cryptosporidium in canaries.

78 FR 5254 - Standard Instrument Approach Procedures, and Takeoff Minimums and Obstacle Departure Procedures...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-01-25

... Pass, RNAV (GPS)-A, Amdt 1 Jonesboro, AR, Jonesboro Muni, ILS OR LOC RWY 23, Amdt 2 Jonesboro, AR, Jonesboro Muni, VOR RWY 23, Amdt 11 Melbourne, AR, Melbourne Muni--John E Miller Field, RNAV (GPS) RWY 3, Amdt 1 Melbourne, AR, Melbourne Muni--John E Miller Field, RNAV (GPS) RWY 21, Amdt 1 Aspen, CO, Aspen...

Assortative sexual mixing patterns in male-female and male-male partnerships in Melbourne, Australia: implications for HIV and sexually transmissible infection transmission.

PubMed

Chow, Eric P F; Read, Tim R H; Law, Matthew G; Chen, Marcus Y; Bradshaw, Catriona S; Fairley, Christopher K

2016-10-01

Assortative mixing patterns have become a new and important focus in HIV/sexually transmissible infection (STI) research in recent years. There are very limited data on sexual mixing patterns, particularly in an Australian population. Male-female and male-male partnerships attending the Melbourne Sexual Health Centre (MSHC) between 2011 and 2014 were included. Correlation of age between two individuals within a partnership was examined by using Spearman's rank correlation. The Newman's assortativity coefficient was used as an aggregate quantitative measurement of sexual mixing for number of partners and condom use. 1165 male-female and 610 male-male partnerships were included in the analysis. There was a strong positive correlation of age in both male-female (rho=0.709; P<0.001) and male-male partnerships (rho=0.553; P<0.001). The assortative mixing pattern for number of partners was similar in male-female (r=0.255; 95% CI: 0.221-0.289) and male-male partnerships (r=0.264; 95% CI: 0.218-0.309). There was a stronger assortative mixing pattern for condom use in male-male (r=0.517, 95% CI: 0.465-0.569) compared with male-female (r=0.382; 95% CI: 0.353-0.412) partnerships. Male-female and male-male partnerships have a high assortativity mixing pattern for age, number of partners and condom use. The sexual mixing pattern is not purely assortative, and hence it may lead to increased HIV and STI transmission in certain risk groups.

Utility of risk-based chlamydia testing in primary care: analysis of retrospective surveillance data among women in Melbourne, Australia.

PubMed

Wilkinson, Anna L; McNamee, Kathleen; El-Hayek, Carol; Chow, Eric P F; Bradshaw, Catriona S; Roth, Norm; Tee, B K; Stoové, Mark; Hellard, Margaret

2017-06-01

Background Chlamydia (Chlamydia trachomatis) continues to be a public health challenge in Australia, with some contention as to the best screening approach. In the present study we examined chlamydia testing, positivity and sexual behaviour among women with the aim of informing targeted testing among women aged ≥30 years. A longitudinal analysis was conducted on retrospective surveillance data collected among women attending general practice, family planning and sexual health clinics participating in sentinel surveillance in Melbourne, Australia. Women were aged ≥16 years and underwent urogenital testing for C. trachomatis (chlamydia) at participating clinics between 2007 and 2014. Chlamydia incidence was calculated as positive chlamydia tests over person-years (PY) among women and reported by 5-year age groups. A Cox regression model examined correlates of a positive chlamydia test among women aged ≥30 years. In all, 36770 women contributed 46432 PY and 52395 chlamydia tests, of which 2895 were positive. The overall chlamydia incidence rate was 6.2 per 100 PY (95% confidence interval (CI) 6.0-6.5). Chlamydia incidence declined with age, plateauing to <5 per 100 PY among women aged ≥30 years. Among women aged ≥30 years, being born in North-East Asia (adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) 2.9; 95% CI 1.9-4.5) and reporting multiple partners (aHR 2.5; 95% CI 1.8-3.5) in the past 12 months were associated with a positive chlamydia test. Chlamydia control remains challenging in Australia and optimising testing in primary care is a key priority. The results of the present study suggest that, at least among women aged ≥30 years, chlamydia testing should be risk-based and informed by appropriate sexual history taking.

An investigation of the impact of Melbourne Zoo's "Seal-the-Loop" donate call-to-action on visitor satisfaction and behavior.

PubMed

Mellish, Sarah; Sanders, Ben; Litchfield, Carla A; Pearson, Elissa L

2017-05-01

Modern zoos are uniquely positioned to educate the public about environmental issues and promote conservation action. This report investigates the introduction of a donation request during an interactive fur seal presentation (as part of Melbourne Zoo's "Seal-the-Loop" initiative) on visitor satisfaction, perceptions of donation as a way to help wild fur seals, and donation behaviors. Comparisons are made between three groups surveyed upon exit: (1) viewed the interactive fur seal presentation prior to the donation request implementation (pledge-presentation: N = 86; see Mellish, Pearson, Sanders, and Litchfield []; International Zoo Yearbook 129:129-154); (2) viewed the interactive fur seal presentation including the donation request (donate-presentation: N = 82); and (3) viewed the fur seal exhibit and donation point but not the presentation and were not directly asked to make a donation (donate-exhibit: N = 82). Findings demonstrate visitor satisfaction with the interactive fur seal presentation was not negatively impacted following the implementation of the donate request (with >92% of pledge-presentation and donate-presentation visitors providing a "satisfied" or "very satisfied" rating). Only the donate-presentation visitors reported donation as a conservation action to help wild fur seals (19.18%; 0% for pledge-presentation visitors). While both donate-exhibit (39.51%) and donate-presentation visitors (60.75%) self-reported making donations or intending to do so, donation behavior was significantly increased for visitors who had viewed the fur seal presentation. Findings provide preliminary support that zoos may utilize interactive educational presentations to effectively ask visitors for donations to support specific conservation projects, without negatively impacting on satisfaction and with a relatively high level of visitor engagement. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Comparison of the ability of organic acids and EDTA to enhance the phytoextraction of metals from a multi-metal contaminated soil.

PubMed

Kim, Sung-Hyun; Lee, In-Sook

2010-02-01

Chelates have been shown to enhance the phytoextraction of metal from contaminated soil. In this study, we evaluated the ability of chelates to enhance the phytoextraction of metals by barnyard grass (Echinochloa crus-galli) from soils contaminated with multiple metals. The results revealed that EDTA increased the ability of barnyard grass to take up Cd, Cu and Pb, but that it resulted in increased soil leaching. Conversely, citric acid induced the removal of Cd, Cu and Pb from soil without increasing the risk of leaching. Furthermore, E.crus-galli showed no signs of phytotoxicity in response to treatment with citric acid, whereas its shoot growth decreased in response to treatment with EDTA (p < 0.05). Taken together, these results demonstrate that citric acid is a good agent for the enhancement of the phytoextraction of metals.

A parent focused child obesity prevention intervention improves some mother obesity risk behaviors: the Melbourne inFANT program.

PubMed

Lioret, Sandrine; Campbell, Karen J; Crawford, David; Spence, Alison C; Hesketh, Kylie; McNaughton, Sarah A

2012-08-28

The diets, physical activity and sedentary behavior levels of both children and adults in Australia are suboptimal. The family environment, as the first ecological niche of children, exerts an important influence on the onset of children's habits. Parent modeling is one part of this environment and a logical focus for child obesity prevention initiatives. The focus on parent's own behaviors provides a potential opportunity to decrease obesity risk behaviors in parents as well. To assess the effect of a parent-focused early childhood obesity prevention intervention on first-time mothers' diets, physical activity and TV viewing time. The Melbourne InFANT Program is a cluster-randomized controlled trial which involved 542 mothers over their newborn's first 18 months of life. The intervention focused on parenting skills and strategies, including parental modeling, and aimed to promote development of healthy child and parent behaviors from birth, including healthy diet, increased physical activity and reduced TV viewing time. Data regarding mothers' diet (food frequency questionnaire), physical activity and TV viewing times (self-reported questionnaire) were collected using validated tools at both baseline and post-intervention. Four dietary patterns were derived at baseline using principal components analyses including frequencies of 55 food groups. Analysis of covariance was used to measure the impact of the intervention. The scores of both the "High-energy snack and processed foods" and the "High-fat foods" dietary patterns decreased more in the intervention group: -0.22 (-0.42;-0.02) and -0.25 (-0.50;-0.01), respectively. No other significant intervention vs. control effects were observed regarding total physical activity, TV viewing time, and the two other dietary patterns, i.e. "Fruits and vegetables" and "Cereals and sweet foods". These findings suggest that supporting first-time mothers to promote healthy lifestyle behaviors in their infants impacts maternal

A parent focused child obesity prevention intervention improves some mother obesity risk behaviors: the Melbourne inFANT Program

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background The diets, physical activity and sedentary behavior levels of both children and adults in Australia are suboptimal. The family environment, as the first ecological niche of children, exerts an important influence on the onset of children’s habits. Parent modeling is one part of this environment and a logical focus for child obesity prevention initiatives. The focus on parent’s own behaviors provides a potential opportunity to decrease obesity risk behaviors in parents as well. Objective To assess the effect of a parent-focused early childhood obesity prevention intervention on first-time mothers’ diets, physical activity and TV viewing time. Methods The Melbourne InFANT Program is a cluster-randomized controlled trial which involved 542 mothers over their newborn’s first 18 months of life. The intervention focused on parenting skills and strategies, including parental modeling, and aimed to promote development of healthy child and parent behaviors from birth, including healthy diet, increased physical activity and reduced TV viewing time. Data regarding mothers’ diet (food frequency questionnaire), physical activity and TV viewing times (self-reported questionnaire) were collected using validated tools at both baseline and post-intervention. Four dietary patterns were derived at baseline using principal components analyses including frequencies of 55 food groups. Analysis of covariance was used to measure the impact of the intervention. Results The scores of both the "High-energy snack and processed foods" and the "High-fat foods" dietary patterns decreased more in the intervention group: -0.22 (−0.42;-0.02) and −0.25 (−0.50;-0.01), respectively. No other significant intervention vs. control effects were observed regarding total physical activity, TV viewing time, and the two other dietary patterns, i.e. “Fruits and vegetables” and “Cereals and sweet foods”. Conclusions These findings suggest that supporting first-time mothers

Individual characteristics are less important than event characteristics in predicting protected and unprotected anal intercourse among homosexual and bisexual men in Melbourne, Australia

PubMed Central

Smith, A M A; Grierson, J; Pitts, M; Pattison, P

2006-01-01

Objective To describe individual, social network and encounter specific factors associated with protected anal intercourse (PAI) and unprotected anal intercourse (UAI). Methods This was a cross sectional survey conducted between April and November 2002. A total of 733 sexual encounters were reported by 202 men recruited from the gay community in Melbourne, Australia. Predictors of self reported PAI and UAI were examined. Results Of the 733 sexual events most (56.3%) did not involve anal intercourse, and more involved PAI than UAI (30.6% versus 13.1%). PAI was more likely than no anal intercourse (NAI) if the participant's social network was mostly homosexual, the partner was an occasional or casual partner, or was HIV positive. PAI was less likely if sex took place at a “beat” but more likely if it took place at a sauna. PAI was more likely if the partner was affected by drugs or alcohol. UAI was more likely than NAI if the participant had injected drugs in the year before interview. It was less likely if the partner was occasional or casual or was HIV positive but more likely if the partner's HIV status was unknown. UAI was much more likely than NAI if the encounter took place at a “sex on premises” venue. Conclusions In this analysis it is the characteristics of the sexual encounter that predict whether PAI or UAI rather than NAI takes place. PMID:17151033

Population and age-group trends in weekend sun protection and sunburn over two decades of the SunSmart programme in Melbourne, Australia.

PubMed

Makin, J K; Warne, C D; Dobbinson, S J; Wakefield, M A; Hill, D J

2013-01-01

In response to the high skin cancer burden in Australia, the multicomponent, community-wide SunSmart programme has worked since 1988 to reduce excessive sun exposure.  To examine trends in key sun-protection behaviours and sunburn for the Melbourne population from 1987 to 2007, and examine for the first time patterns of change among age groups.   Representative cross-sectional weekly telephone surveys of weekend sun protection and sunburn were conducted over 11 of the summers in the period 1987-88 to 2006-07. Trends were analysed for the population and for age groups, adjusting for ambient temperature and ultraviolet radiation, which are environmental determinants of sun-related behaviour and sunburn.   The general pattern of trends suggests two distinct periods, one with rapid improvement in behaviours (more sunscreen use, less unprotected body exposure and less sunburn) from 1987-88 to 1994-95, and the second from 1997-98 to 2006-07 with fewer changes in behaviours noted. The age-group analyses showed a similar pattern of change over time across groups, with a few notable exceptions.  The similarity of the pattern of trends among age groups suggests that external influences including the SunSmart programme's activity had a relatively similar impact across the population. Sun-related behaviours continue to be amenable to change. More recent relative stability with some declines in sun protection suggests further intensive campaigns and other strategies may be needed to maintain previous successes and to achieve more universal use of sun protection. © 2012 The Authors. BJD © 2012 British Association of Dermatologists.

Early motherhood: a qualitative study exploring the experiences of African Australian teenage mothers in greater Melbourne, Australia.

PubMed

Ngum Chi Watts, Mimmie Claudine; Liamputtong, Pranee; Mcmichael, Celia

2015-09-10

Motherhood is a significant and important aspect of life for many women around the globe. For women in communities where motherhood is highly desired, motherhood is considered crucial to the woman's identity. Teenage motherhood, occurring at a critical developmental stage of teenagers' lives, has been identified as having adverse social and health consequences. This research aimed to solicit the lived experiences of African Australian young refugee women who have experienced early motherhood in Australia. This qualitative research used in-depth interviews. The research methods and analysis were informed by intersectionality theory, phenomenology and a cultural competency framework. Sixteen African born refugee young women who had experienced teenage pregnancy and early motherhood in Greater Melbourne, Australia took part in this research. Interviews were audio recorded, transcribed and data analysed using thematic content analysis. Ethics approval for this research was granted by Victoria University Human Research Ethics committee. Motherhood brings increased responsibilities, social recognition, and a sense of purpose for young mothers. Despite the positive aspects of motherhood, participants faced challenges that affected their lives. Most often, the challenges included coping with increased responsibilities following the birth of the baby, managing the competing demands of schooling, work and taking care of a baby in a site of settlement. The young mothers indicated they received good support from their mothers, siblings and close friends, but rarely from the father of their baby and the wider community. Participants felt that teenage mothers are frowned upon by their wider ethnic communities, which left them with feelings of shame and embarrassment, despite the personal perceived benefits of achieving motherhood. We propose that service providers and policy makers support the role of the young mothers' own mother, sisters, their grandmothers and aunts following

Patterns of stroke recurrence according to subtype of first stroke event: the North East Melbourne Stroke Incidence Study (NEMESIS).

PubMed

Azarpazhooh, Mahmoud Reza; Nicol, Marcus B; Donnan, Geoffrey A; Dewey, Helen M; Sturm, Jonathan W; Macdonell, Richard A L; Pearce, Dora C; Thrift, Amanda G

2008-08-01

Specific information about the nature of recurrent events that occur after each subtype of index stroke may be useful for refining preventive therapies. We aimed to determine whether stroke recurrence rates, the pattern of subtype recurrence, and prescription of secondary prevention agents differed according to initial stroke subtype. Multiple overlapping sources were used to recruit all first-ever stroke patients from a geographically defined region of Melbourne, Australia over a 3-year period from 1996 to 1999. Potential stroke recurrences (fatal and nonfatal) occurring within 2 years of the initial event were identified following patient interview and follow up of death records. Subjects were classified into the different Oxfordshire groups and the type of first-ever stroke was compared with recurrent stroke events. One thousand, three hundred and sixteen first-ever strokes were registered during the 3-year period (mean age 74.4 years). A total of 103 first recurrent stroke events (fatal and nonfatal) occurred among those with a first-ever ischemic stroke or intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) during the 2-year follow-up period. The recurrent stroke subtype was different to the index stroke subtype in most (78%) patients. People with partial anterior circulation infarct had the greatest proportion of recurrences (13%), with a third of these being the more severe total anterior circulation infarct subgroup. The relative risk of ICH after an index lacunar infarct (LACI) compared with an index non-LACI was 4.06 (95% CI 1.10-14.97, P=0.038). Prescription of secondary prevention agents was greater at 2 years after stroke than at hospital discharge, and was similar between ischemic stroke subtypes. Approximately 9% of people with first-ever stroke suffered a recurrent event, despite many being prescribed secondary prevention agents. This has implications for the uptake of current preventive strategies and the development of new strategies. The possibility that ICH is

Pattern and characteristics of ecstasy and related drug (ERD) presentations at two hospital emergency departments, Melbourne, Australia, 2008-2010.

PubMed

Horyniak, Danielle; Degenhardt, Louisa; Smit, De Villiers; Munir, Venita; Johnston, Jennifer; Fry, Craig; Dietze, Paul

2014-04-01

To describe patterns and characteristics of emergency department (ED) presentations related to the use of ecstasy and related drugs (ERDs) in Melbourne, Australia. Retrospective audit of ERD-related presentations from 1 January 2008 to 31 December 2010 at two tertiary hospital EDs. Variation in presentations across years was tested using a two-tailed test for proportions. Univariate and multivariate logistic regressions were used to compare sociodemographic and clinical characteristics across groups. Most of the 1347 presentations occurred on weekends, 24:00-06:00. Most patients arrived by ambulance (69%) from public places (42%), private residences (26%) and licensed venues (21%). Ecstasy-related presentations decreased from 26% of presentations in 2008 to 14% in 2009 (p<0.05); γ-hydroxybutyrate (GHB) presentations were most common overall. GHB presentations were commonly related to altered conscious state (89%); other presentations were due to psychological concerns or nausea/vomiting. Compared with GHB presentations, patients in ecstasy-related presentations were significantly less likely to require intubation (OR 0.04, 95% CI 0.01 to 0.18), but more likely to result in hospital admission (OR 1.77, 95% CI 1.08 to 2.91). Patients in amphetamine-related cases were older than those in GHB-related cases (median 28.4 years vs 23.9 years; p<0.05), and more likely to have a history of substance use (OR 4.85, 95% CI 3.50 to 6.74) or psychiatric illness (OR 6.64, 95% CI 4.47 to 9.87). Overall, the median length of stay was 3.0 h (IQR 1.8-4.8), with most (81%) patients discharged directly home. Although the majority of ERD-related presentations were effectively treated, with discharge within a short time frame, the number and timing of presentations places a significant burden on EDs. ERD harm reduction and improved management of minor harms at licensed venues could reduce this burden.

Patterns of, and Factors Associated With, Illicit Pharmaceutical Opioid Analgesic Use in a Prospective Cohort of People Who Inject Drugs in Melbourne, Australia.

PubMed

Horyniak, Danielle; Agius, Paul A; Degenhardt, Louisa; Reddel, Siobhan; Higgs, Peter; Aitken, Campbell; Stoové, Mark; Dietze, Paul

2015-01-01

People who inject drugs (PWID) are a key population engaging in pharmaceutical opioid analgesic (PO) use, yet little is known about patterns of illicit PO use among this group. The aims of this research were to measure the prevalence and frequency of lifetime and past-month illicit PO use and injection in a sample of regular PWID, to examine patterns of past-month illicit PO use within individuals over time, and to identify factors independently associated with past-month illicit PO use. Data were drawn from a prospective cohort study of regular PWID (N = 666) in Melbourne, Australia. Data from five waves of annual data collection (including baseline) were analyzed descriptively and using generalized estimating equations (GEE). At baseline, 59% of participants reported lifetime illicit PO use and 20% reported past-month use, predominantly through injecting. Most illicit PO users at baseline transitioned to nonuse of illicit POs across the study period. In multivariable GEE analysis, factors associated with past-month illicit PO use included past-year arrest [adjusted odds ratio (AOR): 1.39], opioids other than heroin as drug of choice (AOR: 5.14), experiencing poorer physical health (AOR: 0.98) and a range of other drug use variables. We found little evidence of ongoing illicit PO use among those followed up, with illicit PO use linked to polydrug use more broadly. Nonetheless, trends in illicit PO use among PWID should continue to be monitored and harm reduction interventions implemented to reduce the associated public health risks.

Primed Mycobacterial Uveitis (PMU): Histologic and Cytokine Characterization of a Model of Uveitis in Rats.

PubMed

Pepple, Kathryn L; Rotkis, Lauren; Van Grol, Jennifer; Wilson, Leslie; Sandt, Angela; Lam, Deborah L; Carlson, Eric; Van Gelder, Russell N

2015-12-01

The purpose of this study was to compare the histologic features and cytokine profiles of experimental autoimmune uveitis (EAU) and a primed mycobacterial uveitis (PMU) model in rats. In Lewis rats, EAU was induced by immunization with interphotoreceptor binding protein peptide, and PMU was induced by immunization with a killed mycobacterial extract followed by intravitreal injection of the same extract. Clinical course, histology, and the cytokine profiles of the aqueous and vitreous were compared using multiplex bead fluorescence immunoassays. Primed mycobacterial uveitis generates inflammation 2 days after intravitreal injection and resolves spontaneously 14 days later. CD68+ lymphocytes are the predominant infiltrating cells and are found in the anterior chamber, surrounding the ciliary body and in the vitreous. In contrast to EAU, no choroidal infiltration or retinal destruction is noted. At the day of peak inflammation, C-X-C motif ligand 10 (CXCL10), IL-1β, IL-18, and leptin were induced in the aqueous of both models. Interleukin-6 was induced 2-fold in the aqueous of PMU but not EAU. Cytokines elevated in the aqueous of EAU exclusively include regulated on activation, normal T cell expressed and secreted (RANTES), lipopolysaccharide-induced CXC chemokine (LIX), growth-related oncogene/keratinocyte chemokine (GRO/KC), VEGF, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), macrophage inflammatory protein-1α (MIP-1α), and IL-17A. In the vitreous, CXCL10, GRO/KC, RANTES, and MIP-1α were elevated in both models. Interleukin-17A and IL-18 were elevated exclusively in EAU. Primed mycobacterial uveitis generates an acute anterior and intermediate uveitis without retinal involvement. Primed mycobacterial uveitis has a distinct proinflammatory cytokine profile compared with EAU, suggesting PMU is a good complementary model for study of immune-mediated uveitis. CXCL10, a proinflammatory cytokine, was increased in the aqueous and vitreous of both models and may be a

Longitudinal analysis of change in individual-level needle and syringe coverage amongst a cohort of people who inject drugs in Melbourne, Australia.

PubMed

O'Keefe, Daniel; Scott, Nick; Aitken, Campbell; Dietze, Paul

2017-07-01

Needle and syringe program (NSP) coverage is often calculated at the individual level. This method relates sterile needle and syringe acquisition to injecting frequency, resulting in a percentage of injecting episodes that utilise a sterile syringe. Most previous research using this method was restricted by their cross-sectional design, calling for longitudinal exploration of coverage. We used the data of 518 participants from an ongoing cohort of people who inject drugs in Melbourne, Australia. We calculated individual-level syringe coverage for the two weeks prior to each interview, then dichotomised the outcome as either "sufficient" (≥100% of injecting episodes covered by at least one reported sterile syringe) or "insufficient" (<100%). Time-variant predictors of change in recent coverage (from sufficient to insufficient coverage) were estimated longitudinally using logistic regression with fixed effects for each participant. Transitioning to methamphetamine injection (AOR:2.16, p=0.004) and a newly positive HCV RNA test result (AOR:4.93, p=0.001) were both associated with increased odds of change to insufficient coverage, whilst change to utilising NSPs as the primary source of syringe acquisition (AOR: 0.41, p=0.003) and opioid substitution therapy (OST) enrolment (AOR:0.51, p=0.013) were protective against a change to insufficient coverage. We statistically tested the transitions between time-variant exposure sub-groups and transitions in individual-level syringe coverage. Our results give important insights into means of improving coverage at the individual level, suggesting that methamphetamine injectors should be targeted, whilst both OST prescription and NSP should be expanded. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Alcohol consumption and cardiovascular mortality accounting for possible misclassification of intake: 11-year follow-up of the Melbourne Collaborative Cohort Study.

PubMed

Harriss, Linton R; English, Dallas R; Hopper, John L; Powles, John; Simpson, Julie A; O'Dea, Kerin; Giles, Graham G; Tonkin, Andrew M

2007-10-01

To investigate the relationship between usual daily alcohol intake, beverage type and drinking frequency on cardiovascular (CVD) and coronary heart disease (CHD) mortality, accounting for systematic misclassification of intake. Prospective cohort study with mean follow-up of 11.4 years. Setting The Melbourne Collaborative Cohort Study, Australia. A total of 38 200 volunteers (23 044 women) aged 40-69 years at baseline (1990-1994). Self-reported alcohol intake using beverage-specific quantity-frequency questions (usual intake) and drinking diary for previous week. Compared with life-time abstention, usual daily alcohol intake was associated with lower CVD and CHD mortality risk for women but not men. For women, the hazard ratio [HR (95% CI)] for CVD for those drinking > 20 g/day alcohol was 0.43 (0.19-0.95; P trend = 0.18), and for CHD, 0.19 (0.05-0.82; P trend = 0.24). Male former drinkers had over twice the mortality risk for CVD [HR = 2.58 (1.51-4.41)] and CHD [HR = 2.91 (1.59-5.33)]. Wine was the only beverage associated inversely with mortality for women. Compared with drinkers who consumed no alcohol in the week before baseline, drinking frequency was associated inversely with CVD and CHD mortality risk for men but not women. HR for men drinking 6-7 days/week was 0.49 (0.29-0.81; P trend = 0.02) for CVD, and 0.49 (0.26-0.92: P trend = 0.23) for CHD. Usual daily alcohol intake was associated with reduced CVD and CHD mortality for women but not men. This benefit appeared to be mainly from wine, although comparison of beverages was not possible. Drinking frequency was associated inversely with CVD and CHD death for men but not women.

Molecular characterization of Cryptosporidium spp. in poultry from Brazil

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Cryptosporidiosis is an important zoonotic disease caused by the protozoa Cryptosporidium. Infections in birds are mainly caused by three species C. meleagridis, C. baileyi, and C. galli. C. meleagridis is the third most common cause of cryptosporidiosis in immunocompromised and immunocompetent huma...

Ligophorus spp. (Monogenoidea: Dactylogyridae) parasitizing mullets (Teleostei: Mugiliformes: Mugilidae) occurring in the fresh and brackish waters of the Shatt Al-Arab River and Estuary in southern Iraq, with the description of Ligophorus sagmarius sp. n. from the greenback mullet Chelon subviridis (Valenciennes).

PubMed

Kritsky, Delane C; Khamees, Najim R; Ali, Atheer H

2013-12-01

The gills of three of five species of mullets (Teleostei: Mugiliformes: Mugilidae) collected from the brackish and fresh waters of southern Iraq were infected with species of Ligophorus (Monogenoidea: Dactylogyridae) as follows: greenback mullet Chelon subviridis (Valenciennes) infected with Ligophorus lebedevi Dmitrieva, Gerasev, Gibson, Pronkina and Galli, 2012, Ligophorus bantingensis Soo and Lim, 2012, Ligophorus sagmarius n. sp., and Ligophorus fluviatilis (Bychowsky, 1949) Dmitrieva, Gerasev, Gibson, Pronkina, and Galli, 2012; Klunzinger’s mullet Liza klunzingeri (Day) with L. bantingensis, L. fluviatilis, and an apparently undescribed species of Ligophorus; and abu mullet Liza abu (Heckel) with L. bantingensis and L. fluviatilis. The keeled mullet Liza carinata (Valenciennes) and Speigler’s mullet Valamugil speigleri (Bleeker) were uninfected. L. sagmarius n. sp. is described, and L. lebedevi and L. bantingensis are redescribed. Available specimens of L. fluviatilis and the undescribed species of Ligophorus from Klunzinger’s mullet were insufficient for description.

Child oral health in migrant families: A cross-sectional study of caries in 1-4 year old children from migrant backgrounds residing in Melbourne, Australia.

PubMed

Gibbs, L; de Silva, A M; Christian, B; Gold, L; Gussy, M; Moore, L; Calache, H; Young, D; Riggs, E; Tadic, M; Watt, R; Gondal, I; Waters, E

2016-06-01

Early Childhood Caries (ECC) is the most common, preventable disease of childhood. It can affect children's health and wellbeing and children from migrant families may be at greater risk of developing ECC. To describe ECC in children from migrant families, and explore possible influences. Cross-sectional analysis of caries data collected as baseline data for an oral health promotion study. The analysis sample included 630 1-4 year-old children clustered within 481 Iraqi, Lebanese and Pakistani families in Melbourne, Australia. Child participants received a community-based visual dental examination. Parents completed a self-administered questionnaire on demographics, ethnicity, and oral health knowledge, behaviour and attitudes. Child caries experience. Bivariate associations between oral health behaviours and ethnicity were tested for significance using chi-square. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to identify associations with ECC, adjusting for demographic variables and accounting for clustering by family. Overall, 34% of children in the sample experienced caries (both non-cavitated and cavitated). For all caries lesions, parent' length of residence in Australia, consumption of sweet drinks and parental education remained as independent predictors of child caries experience. Adding sugar to drinks was an additional risk factor for cavitation. Ethnicity was associated with some individual oral health behaviours suggesting cultural influences on health, however the relationship was not independent of other predictors. Culturally competent oral health promotion interventions should aim to support migrant families with young children, and focus on reducing sweet drink consumption.

Effect of Seeding Rate on Weed Suppression Activity and Yield of Indica and Tropical Japonica Rice Cultivars.

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Weeds are ubiquitous and costly pests in U.S. rice production systems. Although most rice cultivars do not suppress weeds dramatically, certain indica cultivars and commercial hybrids have been shown to suppress barnyardgrass (Echinochloa crus-galli) in conventional as well as reduced-herbicide and ...

Rhetoric and Essentially Contested Arguments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Garver, Eugene

1978-01-01

Draws a connection between Gallie's essentially contested concepts and Aristotle's account of rhetorical argument by presenting a definition of Essentially Contested Argument which is used as the connecting term between rhetoric and essentially contested concepts and by demonstrating the value of making this connection. (JF)

Pursuit of Social Justice in Situations of Conflict

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Heaney, Tom

2009-01-01

"Fairness" and "justice" are, according to Gallie (1964), essentially contested concepts--concepts for which there are common understandings in the abstract, but disagreements over the application of these concepts to specific instances. Contested terms are often critical in ethical dilemmas--those times when practitioners are…

The prognostic significance of smoking cessation after acute coronary syndromes: an observational, multicentre study from the Melbourne interventional group registry.

PubMed

Yudi, Matias B; Farouque, Omar; Andrianopoulos, Nick; Ajani, Andrew E; Kalten, Katie; Brennan, Angela L; Lefkovits, Jeffrey; Hiew, Chin; Oqueli, Ernesto; Reid, Christopher M; Duffy, Stephen J; Clark, David J

2017-10-06

We aim to ascertain the prognostic significance of persistent smoking and smoking cessation after an acute coronary syndrome (ACS) in the era of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and optimal secondary prevention pharmacotherapy. Consecutive patients from the Melbourne Interventional Group registry (2005-2013) who were alive at 30 days post-ACS presentation were included in our observational cohort study. Patients were divided into four categories based on their smoking status: non-smoker; ex-smoker (quit >1 month before ACS); recent quitter (smoker at presentation but quit by 30 days) and persistent smoker (smoker at presentation and at 30 days). The primary endpoint was survival ascertained through the Australian National Death Index linkage. A Cox-proportional hazards model was used to estimate the adjusted HR and 95% CI for survival. Of the 9375 patients included, 2728 (29.1%) never smoked, 3712 (39.6%) were ex-smokers, 1612 (17.2%) were recent quitters and 1323 (14.1%) were persistent smokers. Cox-proportional hazard modelling revealed, compared with those who had never smoked, that persistent smoking (HR 1.78, 95% CI 1.36 to 2.32, p<0.001) was an independent predictor of increased hazard (mean follow-up 3.9±2.2 years) while being a recent quitter (HR 1.27, 95% CI 0.96 to 1.68, p=0.10) or an ex-smoker (HR 1.03, 95% CI 0.87 to 1.22, p=0.72) were not. In a contemporary cohort of patients with ACS, those who continued to smoke had an 80% risk of lower survival while those who quit had comparable survival to lifelong non-smokers. This underscores the importance of smoking cessation in secondary prevention despite the improvement in management of ACS with PCI and pharmacotherapy. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2017. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

Ambient Noise Statistics for Sonar Modelling - Final Report

DTIC Science & Technology

2005-05-01

traitement des données de bouées acoustiques EC-SWAN (bruit ambiant en eau peu profonde dans l’Est canadien) collectées mensuellement sur une période de 12...déplacé son champ d’intérêt de l’océan profond vers les eaux des zones littorales. L’acoustique en eau peu profonde présente un grand défi, car...l’expérience EC-SWAN (bruit ambiant en eau peu profonde dans l’Est canadien), ont été entreprises pour étudier les variations dans le temps et dans

Immunomodulatory effects of Longdan Xiegan Tang on CD4+/CD8+ T cells and associated inflammatory cytokines in rats with experimental autoimmune uveitis.

PubMed

Tang, Kai; Guo, Dadong; Zhang, Lian; Guo, Junguo; Zheng, Fengming; Si, Junkang; Bi, Hongsheng

2016-09-01

Longdan Xiegan Tang (LXT) is a mixture of herbal extracts commonly used in traditional Chinese medicine that may exert immunomodulatory effects for the treatment of autoimmune diseases. However, the detailed mechanisms that mediate the actions of LXT are unclear. The present study induced an experimental autoimmune uveitis (EAU) model in Lewis rats via injection of IRBP1177‑1191 emulsion. The model was used to investigate the effects of LXT on EAU rats and assess the efficacy of LXT by measuring clinical manifestations and histopathological changes caused by EAU. Additionally, alterations in the ratio of CD4+/CD8+‑T cells were determined by flow cytometry, and the expression of interferon (IFN)‑γ, interleukin (IL)‑17, IL‑10 and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)‑α were measured using reverse transcription‑quantitative polymerase chain reaction and enzyme‑linked immunosorbent assay analysis. The results of the present study demonstrate that LXT can efficiently alleviate the symptoms of EAU, inhibit the differentiation of uveitogenic CD4+ T cells and reduce the expression of proinflammatory cytokines, including IFN‑γ, IL‑17 and TNF‑α. Furthermore, LXT promotes the production of IL‑10 and accelerates the recovery of EAU, indicating that the immunomodulatory effects of LXT may potentially be used for the treatment of uveitis.

Cryptosporidium and Giardia taxa in faecal samples from animals in catchments supplying the city of Melbourne with drinking water (2011 to 2015).

PubMed

Koehler, Anson V; Haydon, Shane R; Jex, Aaron R; Gasser, Robin B

2016-06-01

In a long-term program to monitor pathogens in water catchments serving the City of Melbourne in the State of Victoria in Australia, we detected and genetically characterised Cryptosporidium and Giardia in faecal samples from various animals in nine water reservoir areas over a period of 4 years (July 2011 to November 2015). This work was conducted using PCR-based single-strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) and phylogenetic analyses of portions of the small subunit of ribosomal RNA (SSU) and 60 kDa glycoprotein (gp60) genes for Cryptosporidium, and triose-phosphate isomerase (tpi) gene for Giardia. The prevalence of Cryptosporidium was 1.62 % (69 of 4,256 samples); 25 distinct sequence types were defined for pSSU, and six for gp60 which represented C. hominis (genotype Ib - subgenotype IbA10G2), C. cuniculus (genotype Vb - subgenotypes VbA26, and VbA25), and C. canis, C. fayeri, C. macropodum, C. parvum, C. ryanae, Cryptosporidium sp. "duck" genotype, C. suis and C. ubiquitum as well as 12 novel SSU sequence types. The prevalence of Giardia was 0.31 % (13 of 4,256 samples); all three distinct tpi sequence types defined represented assemblage A of G. duodenalis. Of the 34 sequence types (genotypes) characterized here, five and one have been recorded previously for Cryptosporidium and Giardia, respectively, from humans. Novel genotypes of Cryptosporidium and Giardia were recorded for SSU (n = 12), gp60 (n = 4) and tpi (n = 1); the zoonotic potential of these novel genotypes is presently unknown. Future work will continue to monitor the prevalence of Cryptosporidium and Giardia genotypes in animals in these catchments, and expand investigations to humans. Nucleotide sequences reported in this paper are available in the GenBank database under accession nos. KU531647-KU531718.

Field performance and genetic makeup of RU1001161, a good quality selection from crosses between weed-suppressive indica rice and commercial U.S. southern long grains

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Sustainable, economically viable weed control is an ongoing challenge in U.S. rice production, particularly in light of increased resistance to herbicides in populations of Echinochloa crus-galli (barnyardgrass) and other weed species. Indica rice lines such as PI 312777 and PI 338046 have been sho...

The First Report of KRT5 Mutation Underlying Acantholytic Dowling-Degos Disease with Mottled Hypopigmentation in an Indian Family

PubMed Central

Verma, Shyam; Pasternack, Sandra M.; Rütten, Arno; Ruzicka, Thomas; Betz, Regina C.; Hanneken, Sandra

2014-01-01

Galli Galli disease (GGD) is the name given to a rare form of acantholytic Dowling-Degos disease. (DDD), the latter itself being a rare condition. We believe we are describing for the first time in Indian dermatologic literature a case of GGD in a family where 25 persons have DDD and have been able to document a KRT5 mutation in four members of the family. Whereas reticulate pigmentation is a hallmark of DDD there are rare reports of mottled pigmentation with multiple asymptomatic hypopigmented macules scattered diffusely along with the pigmentation. All the cases described here show a mottled pigmentation comprising hypo and hyperpigmented asymptomatic macules. After the clinical diagnosis was made by one of the authors (SV) in India, the German authors repeated histological examination and successfully demonstrated a heterozygous nonsense mutation, c.C10T (p.Gln4X), in exon 1 of the KRT5 gene, from various centers in Munich, Bonn, Dusseldorf and Friedrichschafen in Germany. PMID:25284854

Low night temperature effect on photosynthate translocation of two C4 grasses.

PubMed

Potvin, C; Strain, B R; Goeschl, J D

1985-10-01

Translocation of assimilates in plants of Echinochloa crus-galli, from Quebec and Mississippi, and of Eleusine indica from Mississippi was monitored, before and after night chilling, using radioactive tracing with the short-life isotope 11 C. Plants were grown at 28°/22°C (day/night temperatures) under either 350 or 675 μl·l -1 CO 2 . Low night temperature reduced translocation mainly by increasing the turn-over times of the export pool. E. crus-galli plants from Mississippi were the most susceptible to chilling; translocation being completely inhibited by exposure for one night to 7°C at 350 μl·l -1 CO 2 . Overall, plants from Quebec were the most tolerant to chilling-stress. For plants of all three populations, growth under CO 2 enrichment resulted in higher 11 C activity in the leaf phloem. High CO 2 concentrations also seemed to buffer the transport system against chilling injuries.

Primed Mycobacterial Uveitis (PMU): Histologic and Cytokine Characterization of a Model of Uveitis in Rats

PubMed Central

Pepple, Kathryn L.; Rotkis, Lauren; Van Grol, Jennifer; Wilson, Leslie; Sandt, Angela; Lam, Deborah L.; Carlson, Eric; Van Gelder, Russell N.

2015-01-01

Purpose The purpose of this study was to compare the histologic features and cytokine profiles of experimental autoimmune uveitis (EAU) and a primed mycobacterial uveitis (PMU) model in rats. Methods In Lewis rats, EAU was induced by immunization with interphotoreceptor binding protein peptide, and PMU was induced by immunization with a killed mycobacterial extract followed by intravitreal injection of the same extract. Clinical course, histology, and the cytokine profiles of the aqueous and vitreous were compared using multiplex bead fluorescence immunoassays. Results Primed mycobacterial uveitis generates inflammation 2 days after intravitreal injection and resolves spontaneously 14 days later. CD68+ lymphocytes are the predominant infiltrating cells and are found in the anterior chamber, surrounding the ciliary body and in the vitreous. In contrast to EAU, no choroidal infiltration or retinal destruction is noted. At the day of peak inflammation, C-X-C motif ligand 10 (CXCL10), IL-1β, IL-18, and leptin were induced in the aqueous of both models. Interleukin-6 was induced 2-fold in the aqueous of PMU but not EAU. Cytokines elevated in the aqueous of EAU exclusively include regulated on activation, normal T cell expressed and secreted (RANTES), lipopolysaccharide-induced CXC chemokine (LIX), growth-related oncogene/keratinocyte chemokine (GRO/KC), VEGF, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), macrophage inflammatory protein-1α (MIP-1α), and IL-17A. In the vitreous, CXCL10, GRO/KC, RANTES, and MIP-1α were elevated in both models. Interleukin-17A and IL-18 were elevated exclusively in EAU. Conclusions Primed mycobacterial uveitis generates an acute anterior and intermediate uveitis without retinal involvement. Primed mycobacterial uveitis has a distinct proinflammatory cytokine profile compared with EAU, suggesting PMU is a good complementary model for study of immune-mediated uveitis. CXCL10, a proinflammatory cytokine, was increased in the aqueous and

Establishing the Melbourne injecting drug user cohort study (MIX): rationale, methods, and baseline and twelve-month follow-up results

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Cohort studies provide an excellent opportunity to monitor changes in behaviour and disease transmission over time. In Australia, cohort studies of people who inject drugs (PWID) have generally focused on older, in-treatment injectors, with only limited outcome measure data collected. In this study we specifically sought to recruit a sample of younger, largely out-of-treatment PWID, in order to study the trajectories of their drug use over time. Methods Respondent driven sampling, traditional snowball sampling and street outreach methods were used to recruit heroin and amphetamine injectors from one outer-urban and two inner-urban regions of Melbourne, Australia. Information was collected on participants’ demographic and social characteristics, drug use characteristics, drug market access patterns, health and social functioning, and health service utilisation. Participants are followed-up on an annual basis. Results 688 PWID were recruited into the study. At baseline, the median age of participants was 27.6 years (IQR: 24.4 years – 29.6 years) and two-thirds (67%) were male. Participants reported injecting for a median of 10.2 years (range: 1.5 months – 21.2 years), with 11% having injected for three years or less. Limited education, unemployment and previous incarceration were common. The majority of participants (82%) reported recent heroin injection, and one third reported being enrolled in Opioid Substitution Therapy (OST) at recruitment. At 12 months follow-up 458 participants (71% of eligible participants) were retained in the study. There were few differences in demographic and drug-use characteristics of those lost to follow-up compared with those retained in the study, with attrition significantly associated with recruitment at an inner-urban location, male gender, and providing incomplete contact information at baseline. Conclusions Our efforts to recruit a sample of largely out-of-treatment PWID were limited by drug market

Role of DAF in protecting against T-cell autoreactivity that leads to experimental autoimmune uveitis.

PubMed

An, Fengqi; Li, Qing; Tu, Zhidan; Bu, Hong; Chan, Chi-Chao; Caspi, Rachel R; Lin, Feng

2009-08-01

To investigate the role of decay-accelerating factor (DAF), a cell surface complement regulator that recently has been linked to T-cell responses and autoimmunity in the pathogenesis of experimental autoimmune uveitis (EAU). EAU was induced in wild-type (WT) and Daf1(-/-) mice, and their disease severities, IRBP specific Th1/Th17 responses, and cytokine expression profiles were compared. In a test of the efficacy of treatment with soluble mouse DAF protein, EAU was induced in disease-susceptible B10.RIII mice, and they were treated with 0.5 mg soluble DAF protein or equal volume of PBS IP every other day. Retinal histology and IRBP-specific T-cell responses were compared after 14 days. Both EAU incidence and histopathology scores were significantly greater in Daf1(-/-) mice. There was a >10-fold greater mononuclear cell influx into the retina together with severe vasculitic lesions, retinal folding, and photoreceptor cell layer destruction. There were 5- to 7-fold greater Th1 and 3- to 4-fold greater Th17 responses against IRBP in Daf1(-/-) mice with EAU, and they expressed significantly elevated levels of GM-CSF, IL-2, IL-3, and IFN-gamma. WT B10.RIII mice that received soluble DAF protein treatments exhibited decreased IRBP-specific Th1/Th17 responses and were protected from retinal injury compared with the mice that received PBS treatments. DAF significantly influences IRBP-specific Th1 and Th17 responses and disease severity in EAU. Systemic upregulation of DAF levels could be used to suppress retinal antigen(s)-specific autoimmunity to treat autoimmune posterior uveitis.

Aldose reductase deficiency protects from autoimmune- and endotoxin-induced uveitis in mice.

PubMed

Yadav, Umesh C S; Shoeb, Mohammed; Srivastava, Satish K; Ramana, Kota V

2011-10-17

To investigate the effect of aldose reductase (AR) deficiency in protecting the chronic experimental autoimmune (EAU) and acute endotoxin-induced uveitis (EIU) in c57BL/6 mice. The WT and AR-null (ARKO) mice were immunized with human interphotoreceptor retinoid-binding peptide (hIRPB-1-20), to induce EAU, or were injected subcutaneously with lipopolysaccharide (LPS; 100 μg) to induce EIU. The mice were killed on day 21 for EAU and at 24 hours for EIU, when the disease was at its peak, and the eyes were immediately enucleated for histologic and biochemical studies. Spleen-derived T-lymphocytes were used to study the antigen-specific immune response in vitro and in vivo. In WT-EAU mice, severe damage to the retinal wall, especially to the photoreceptor layer was observed, corresponding to a pathologic score of ∼2, which was significantly prevented in the ARKO or AR inhibitor-treated mice. The levels of cytokines and chemokines increased markedly in the whole-eye homogenates of WT-EAU mice, but not in ARKO-EAU mice. Further, expression of inflammatory marker proteins such as inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), cyclooxygenase (COX)-2, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, and vascular cell adhesion molecule (VCAM)-1 was increased in the WT-EIU mouse eyes but not in the ARKO-EIU eyes. The T cells proliferated vigorously when exposed to the hIRPB antigen in vitro and secreted various cytokines and chemokines, which were significantly inhibited in the T cells isolated from the ARKO mice. These findings suggest that AR-deficiency/inhibition protects against acute as well as chronic forms of ocular inflammatory complications such as uveitis.

Comparative Proteomic Analysis of Two Uveitis Models in Lewis Rats.

PubMed

Pepple, Kathryn L; Rotkis, Lauren; Wilson, Leslie; Sandt, Angela; Van Gelder, Russell N

2015-12-01

Inflammation generates changes in the protein constituents of the aqueous humor. Proteins that change in multiple models of uveitis may be good biomarkers of disease or targets for therapeutic intervention. The present study was conducted to identify differentially-expressed proteins in the inflamed aqueous humor. Two models of uveitis were induced in Lewis rats: experimental autoimmune uveitis (EAU) and primed mycobacterial uveitis (PMU). Differential gel electrophoresis was used to compare naïve and inflamed aqueous humor. Differentially-expressed proteins were separated by using 2-D gel electrophoresis and excised for identification with matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight (MALDI-TOF). Expression of select proteins was verified by Western blot analysis in both the aqueous and vitreous. The inflamed aqueous from both models demonstrated an increase in total protein concentration when compared to naïve aqueous. Calprotectin, a heterodimer of S100A8 and S100A9, was increased in the aqueous in both PMU and EAU. In the vitreous, S100A8 and S100A9 were preferentially elevated in PMU. Apolipoprotein E was elevated in the aqueous of both uveitis models but was preferentially elevated in EAU. Beta-B2-crystallin levels decreased in the aqueous and vitreous of EAU but not PMU. The proinflammatory molecules S100A8 and S100A9 were elevated in both models of uveitis but may play a more significant role in PMU than EAU. The neuroprotective protein β-B2-crystallin was found to decline in EAU. Therapies to modulate these proteins in vivo may be good targets in the treatment of ocular inflammation.

Growth characteristics of a weed-suppressive indica x non-suppressive tropical japonica rice mapping population

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The indica rice cultivar, PI 312777, can be highly productive as well as suppressive to C4 grass species such as barnyardgrass (Echinochloa crus-galli). A recombinant inbred line (RIL) mapping population was developed using single seed descent from a cross between ‘Katy’ (non-weed-suppressive) and ...

Field evaluation of potential weed-suppressive traits in an indica x tropical japonica mapping population

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The indica rice accession, PI 312777 (a.k.a. WC 4644), is highly productive and can suppress barnyardgrass (Echinochloa crus-galli) in reduced-input systems, but the genetic control of this weed suppression is unknown. A set of 330 recombinant inbred lines (RILs) was developed using single seed desc...

Prevalence of gastrointestinal helminth infections in free-range laying hens under mountain farming production conditions.

PubMed

Wuthijaree, K; Lambertz, C; Gauly, M

2017-12-01

1. A cross-sectional study was conducted from September 2015 to July 2016 in South Tyrol, Northern Italy to examine the prevalence of gastrointestinal helminths in free-range laying hens under mountain farming production conditions. 2. A total of 280 laying hens from 14 free-range mountain farms (4 organic, 10 conventional) were randomly collected at the end of the laying period. Faecal samples were taken to analyse faecal egg counts (FEC) and faecal oocyst counts (FOC). The gastrointestinal tracts were removed post mortem and examined for the presence of helminths. 3. In faeces, FEC values averaged 258 eggs per g of faeces, which were dominated by Ascaridia galli and Heterakis gallinarum. Mean FOC was 80 oocysts/g. In the gastrointestinal tract, at least one nematode species was found in 99.3% of the examined hens. H. gallinarum was the most prevalent nematode (95.7%), followed by Capillaria spp. (66.8%) and A. galli (63.6%). Thirty per cent of the chickens were infected with cestodes (tapeworms). Correlation coefficients between worm counts of H. gallinarum, Capillaria spp. and A. galli ranged from 0.41 to 0.51. 5. The helminth prevalence did not differ between conventional and organic farms, whereas total worm burden was higher in organic compared with conventional farms (318.9 vs. 112.0). Prevalence and infection intensity did not differ between farms that used anthelmintic treatments and those that did not. 6. In conclusion, free-range laying hens under the studied mountain farming conditions are at high risk of nematode infection, especially in organic systems. The vast majority of hens are subclinical infected with at least one helminth species.

Nasofrontal dermoid sinus cyst: report of two cases.

PubMed

Zerris, Vasilios A; Annino, Don; Heilman, Carl B

2002-09-01

Nasofrontal dermoid sinus cysts are rare. The embryological origin, presentation, treatment, and genetic associations of two cases of these cysts are discussed. Emphasis is placed on physical findings and the importance of addressing both the intracranial and extracranial components. The first patient, a 33-year-old woman, sought care for chemical meningitis. As a child, she was differentiated from her identical twin sister by a dimple on the tip of her nose. The second patient, a 34-year-old man, sought care for new-onset seizures. Since birth, he had a dimple on the tip of his nose. As a child, he had undergone resection of a nasal cyst. Imaging studies in both patients indicated a midline anterior cranial base mass within the falx and a defect in the crista galli. Both patients underwent biorbitofrontal nasal craniotomy. A bifrontal craniotomy was performed first, then removal of the orbitonasal ridge. The dermoid and involved falx were resected. The sinus tract was followed through the crista galli and resected up to the osteocartilaginous junction in the nose. The remainder of the tract was resected via a small incision through the nares. The dura was closed primarily by mobilizing the dura along the sides of the crista galli. After surgery, both patients still possessed their sense of smell. Nasofrontal dermoid sinus cysts have a unique embryological origin. A midline basal frontal dermoid associated with a dimple on the nasal surface with or without protruding hair and sebaceous discharge is the pathognomonic presentation. It is important to address both the intracranial and extracranial component surgically. Although concomitant anomalies and familial clustering have been described, most cases are spontaneous occurrences.

Addressing the midwifery workforce crisis: evaluating an employment model for undergraduate midwifery students at a tertiary maternity hospital in Melbourne, Australia.

PubMed

McLachlan, Helen L; Forster, Della A; Ford, Rachael L; Farrell, Tanya

2011-12-01

In Victoria, maternity services are under significant strain due to increased numbers of women giving birth and critical workforce shortages. Hospitals have experienced challenges in adequately staffing maternity units, particularly on postnatal wards. In 2008, a tertiary maternity hospital in Melbourne introduced a model where undergraduate midwifery students were employed as Division 2 nurses (SMW_Div2) (enrolled nurses), to work in the postnatal area only. This study explored the pilot employment model from the perspective of the SMW_Div2 and hospital midwives. A web-based survey was administered to hospital midwives and the SMW_Div2s in the employment model in January 2010. The survey explored the views of midwives and SMW_Div2s regarding the perceived impact of the model on workforce readiness, recruitment and retention, and clinical competence and confidence. Forty-seven of 158 midwives (30%) and five of nine SMW_Div2s employed in the model responded to the survey. Both groups considered the model to have benefits for the organisation, including increased: student workforce readiness; clinical confidence and competence; and organisational loyalty. Both groups also considered that the model would facilitate: workforce recruitment; a teaching and learning culture within the organisation; and enhanced partnerships between students, hospitals and universities. Caution was expressed regarding workload and the need for ongoing support for SMW_Div2s working in the model. SMW_Div2s and midwives were positive about the introduction of the paid employment model at the Women's. The findings are consistent with evaluations of similar programs in the nursing setting. The employment model has potential short and long term individual and organisational advantages, which is important in the context of increasing births and workforce shortages. Progression of such models will be contingent on the collaboration and cooperation of the various stakeholders involved in maternity

Associations between the purchase of healthy and fast foods and restrictions to food access: a cross-sectional study in Melbourne, Australia.

PubMed

Burns, Cate; Bentley, Rebecca; Thornton, Lukar; Kavanagh, Anne

2015-01-01

To examine the associations between financial, physical and transport conditions that may restrict food access (which we define as food security indicators) and the purchase of fast foods and nutritious staples such as bread and milk. Multilevel logistic and multinomial regression analysis of cross-sectional survey data to assess associations between the three indicators of food insecurity and household food shopping adjusted for sociodemographic and socio-economic variables. Random selection of households (n 3995) from fifty Census Collector Districts in Melbourne, Australia, in 2003. The main food shoppers in each household (n 2564). After adjustment for confounders, analysis showed that a greater likelihood of purchasing chain-brand fast food on a weekly basis compared with never was associated with running out of money to buy food (OR = 1·59; 95 % CI 1·08, 2·34) and reporting difficulties lifting groceries (OR = 1·77; 95 % CI 1·23, 2·54). Respondents without regular access to a car to do food shopping were less likely to purchase bread types considered more nutritious than white bread (OR = 0·75; 95 % CI 0·59, 0·95) and milk types considered more nutritious than full-cream milk (OR = 0·62; 95 % CI 0·47, 0·81). The food insecurity indicators were not associated with the purchasing of fruits, vegetables or non-chain fast food. Householders experiencing financial and physical barriers were more likely to frequently purchase chain fast foods while limited access to a car resulted in a lower likelihood that the nutritious options were purchased for two core food items (bread and milk). Policies and interventions that improve financial access to food and lessen the effect of physical limitations to carrying groceries may reduce the purchasing of fast foods. Further research is required on food sourcing and dietary quality among those with food access restrictions.

Retailer-Led Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Price Increase Reduces Purchases in a Hospital Convenience Store in Melbourne, Australia: A Mixed Methods Evaluation.

PubMed

Blake, Miranda R; Peeters, Anna; Lancsar, Emily; Boelsen-Robinson, Tara; Corben, Kirstan; Stevenson, Christopher E; Palermo, Claire; Backholer, Kathryn

2018-06-01

Limited evidence has been gathered on the real-world impact of sugar-sweetened beverage price changes on purchasing behavior over time or in community-retail settings. Our aim was to determine changes in beverage purchases, business outcomes, and customer and retailer satisfaction associated with a retailer-led sugar-sweetened beverage price increase in a convenience store. We hypothesized that purchases of less-healthy beverages would decrease compared to predicted sales. A convergent parallel mixed methods design complemented sales data (122 weeks pre-intervention, 17 weeks during intervention) with stakeholder interviews and customer surveys. Electronic beverage sales data were collected from a convenience store in Melbourne, Australia (August through November 2015). Convenience store staff completed semi-structured interviews (n=4) and adult customers exiting the store completed surveys (n=352). Beverages were classified using a state government framework. Prices of "red" beverages (eg, nondiet soft drinks, energy drinks) increased by 20%. Prices of "amber" (eg, diet soft drinks, small pure fruit juices) and "green" beverages (eg, water) were unchanged. Changes in beverage volume, item sales, and revenue during the intervention were compared with predicted sales. Sales data were analyzed using time series segmented regression while controlling for pre-intervention trends, autocorrelation in sales data, and seasonal fluctuations. Beverage volume sales of red (-27.6%; 95% CI -32.2 to -23.0) and amber (-26.7%; 95% CI -39.3 to -16.0) decreased, and volume of green beverages increased (+26.9%; 95% CI +14.1 to +39.7) in the 17th intervention week compared with predicted sales. Store manager and staff considered the intervention business-neutral, despite a small reduction in beverage revenue. Fifteen percent of customers noticed the price difference and 61% supported the intervention. A 20% sugar-sweetened beverage price increase was associated with a reduction

EAU Guidelines on the Assessment of Non-neurogenic Male Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms including Benign Prostatic Obstruction.

PubMed

Gratzke, Christian; Bachmann, Alexander; Descazeaud, Aurelien; Drake, Marcus J; Madersbacher, Stephan; Mamoulakis, Charalampos; Oelke, Matthias; Tikkinen, Kari A O; Gravas, Stavros

2015-06-01

Lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) represent one of the most common clinical complaints in adult men and have multifactorial aetiology. To develop European Association of Urology (EAU) guidelines on the assessment of men with non-neurogenic LUTS. A structured literature search on the assessment of non-neurogenic male LUTS was conducted. Articles with the highest available level of evidence were selected. The Delphi technique consensus approach was used to develop the recommendations. As a routine part of the initial assessment of male LUTS, a medical history must be taken, a validated symptom score questionnaire with quality-of-life question(s) should be completed, a physical examination including digital rectal examination should be performed, urinalysis must be ordered, post-void residual urine (PVR) should be measured, and uroflowmetry may be performed. Micturition frequency-volume charts or bladder diaries should be used to assess male LUTS with a prominent storage component or nocturia. Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) should be measured only if a diagnosis of prostate cancer will change the management or if PSA can assist in decision-making for patients at risk of symptom progression and complications. Renal function must be assessed if renal impairment is suspected from the history and clinical examination, if the patient has hydronephrosis, or when considering surgical treatment for male LUTS. Uroflowmetry should be performed before any treatment. Imaging of the upper urinary tract in men with LUTS should be performed in patients with large PVR, haematuria, or a history of urolithiasis. Imaging of the prostate should be performed if this assists in choosing the appropriate drug and when considering surgical treatment. Urethrocystoscopy should only be performed in men with LUTS to exclude suspected bladder or urethral pathology and/or before minimally invasive/surgical therapies if the findings may change treatment. Pressure-flow studies should be performed

Estimating the long-term costs of ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke for Australia: new evidence derived from the North East Melbourne Stroke Incidence Study (NEMESIS).

PubMed

Cadilhac, Dominique A; Carter, Rob; Thrift, Amanda G; Dewey, Helen M

2009-03-01

Stroke is associated with considerable societal costs. Cost-of-illness studies have been undertaken to estimate lifetime costs; most incorporating data up to 12 months after stroke. Costs of stroke, incorporating data collected up to 12 months, have previously been reported from the North East Melbourne Stroke Incidence Study (NEMESIS). NEMESIS now has patient-level resource use data for 5 years. We aimed to recalculate the long-term resource utilization of first-ever stroke patients and compare these to previous estimates obtained using data collected to 12 months. Population structure, life expectancy, and unit prices within the original cost-of-illness models were updated from 1997 to 2004. New Australian stroke survival and recurrence data up to 10 years were incorporated, as well as cross-sectional resource utilization data at 3, 4, and 5 years from NEMESIS. To enable comparisons, 1997 costs were inflated to 2004 prices and discounting was standardized. In 2004, 27 291 ischemic stroke (IS) and 4291 intracerebral hemorrhagic stroke (ICH) first-ever events were estimated. Average annual resource use after 12 months was AU$6022 for IS and AU$3977 for ICH. This is greater than the 1997 estimates for IS (AU$4848) and less than those for ICH (previously AU$10 692). The recalculated average lifetime costs per first-ever case differed for IS (AU$57 106 versus AU$52 855 [1997]), but differed more for ICH (AU$49 995 versus AU$92 308 [1997]). Basing lifetime cost estimates on short-term data overestimated the costs for ICH and underestimated those for IS. Patterns of resource use varied by stroke subtype and, overall, the societal cost impact was large.

Brief comprehensive quality of life assessment after stroke: the assessment of quality of life instrument in the north East melbourne stroke incidence study (NEMESIS).

PubMed

Sturm, Jonathan W; Osborne, Richard H; Dewey, Helen M; Donnan, Geoffrey A; Macdonell, Richard A L; Thrift, Amanda G

2002-12-01

Generic utility health-related quality of life instruments are useful in assessing stroke outcome because they facilitate a broader description of the disease and outcomes, allow comparisons between diseases, and can be used in cost-benefit analysis. The aim of this study was to validate the Assessment of Quality of Life (AQoL) instrument in a stroke population. Ninety-three patients recruited from the community-based North East Melbourne Stroke Incidence Study between July 13, 1996, and April 30, 1997, were interviewed 3 months after stroke. Validity of the AQoL was assessed by examining associations between the AQoL and comparator instruments: the Medical Outcomes Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36); London Handicap Scale; Barthel Index; National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale; and Irritability, Depression, Anxiety scale. Sensitivity of the AQoL was assessed by comparing AQoL scores from groups of patients categorized by severity of impairment and disability and with total anterior circulation syndrome (TACS) versus non-TACS. Predictive validity was assessed by examining the association between 3-month AQoL scores and outcomes of death or institutionalization 12 months after stroke. Overall AQoL utility scores and individual dimension scores were most highly correlated with relevant scales on the comparator instruments. AQoL scores clearly differentiated between patients in categories of severity of impairment and disability and between patients with TACS and non-TACS. AQoL scores at 3 months after stroke predicted death and institutionalization at 12 months. The AQoL demonstrated strong psychometric properties and appears to be a valid and sensitive measure of health-related QoL after stroke.

Comparative Proteomic Analysis of Two Uveitis Models in Lewis Rats

PubMed Central

Pepple, Kathryn L.; Rotkis, Lauren; Wilson, Leslie; Sandt, Angela; Van Gelder, Russell N.

2015-01-01

Purpose Inflammation generates changes in the protein constituents of the aqueous humor. Proteins that change in multiple models of uveitis may be good biomarkers of disease or targets for therapeutic intervention. The present study was conducted to identify differentially-expressed proteins in the inflamed aqueous humor. Methods Two models of uveitis were induced in Lewis rats: experimental autoimmune uveitis (EAU) and primed mycobacterial uveitis (PMU). Differential gel electrophoresis was used to compare naïve and inflamed aqueous humor. Differentially-expressed proteins were separated by using 2-D gel electrophoresis and excised for identification with matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization–time of flight (MALDI-TOF). Expression of select proteins was verified by Western blot analysis in both the aqueous and vitreous. Results The inflamed aqueous from both models demonstrated an increase in total protein concentration when compared to naïve aqueous. Calprotectin, a heterodimer of S100A8 and S100A9, was increased in the aqueous in both PMU and EAU. In the vitreous, S100A8 and S100A9 were preferentially elevated in PMU. Apolipoprotein E was elevated in the aqueous of both uveitis models but was preferentially elevated in EAU. Beta-B2–crystallin levels decreased in the aqueous and vitreous of EAU but not PMU. Conclusions The proinflammatory molecules S100A8 and S100A9 were elevated in both models of uveitis but may play a more significant role in PMU than EAU. The neuroprotective protein β-B2–crystallin was found to decline in EAU. Therapies to modulate these proteins in vivo may be good targets in the treatment of ocular inflammation. PMID:26747776

Intravitreal injection of anti-Interleukin (IL)-6 antibody attenuates experimental autoimmune uveitis in mice.

PubMed

Tode, Jan; Richert, Elisabeth; Koinzer, Stefan; Klettner, Alexa; Pickhinke, Ute; Garbers, Christoph; Rose-John, Stefan; Nölle, Bernhard; Roider, Johann

2017-08-01

To evaluate the effect of an intravitreally applied anti-IL-6 antibody for the treatment of experimental autoimmune uveitis (EAU). EAU was induced in female B10.RIII mice by Inter-Photoreceptor-Binding-Protein (IRBP) in complete Freund's adjuvant, boosted by Pertussis toxin. Single blinded intravitreal injections of anti-IL-6 antibody were applied 5-7days as well as 8-10days (3day interval) after EAU induction into the randomized treatment eye and phosphate buffered saline (PBS) into the fellow control eye. Clinical and fluorescein angiography scoring (6 EAU grades) was done at each injection day and at enucleation day 14. Enucleated eyes were either scored histologically (6 EAU grades) or examined by ELISA for levels of IL-6, IL-17 and IL-6 soluble Receptor (sIL-6R). Uveitis developed in all 12 mice. Clinical uveitis score was significantly reduced (p=0.035) in treated eyes (median 2.0, range 0-4.0, n=12) compared to the fellow control eyes (median 3.0, range 1.0-4.0, n=12). Angiography scores were reduced in 9/12 treated eyes and histological scores in 3/4 treated eyes compared to the fellow control eyes. Cytokine levels were determined in 8 mice, of which 4 responded to anti-IL-6 treatment and 4 did not respond. All mice responding to treatment had a significant reduction of IL-6 (p<0.01) and IL-17 (p=0.01) levels in treated eyes compared to the fellow control eyes. This difference was not seen in non-responding mice. Intravitreal anti-IL-6 treatment significantly attenuates experimental autoimmune uveitis in mice. EAU activity correlates with ocular IL-6 and IL-17 levels. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Immunomodulatory effects of linomide in animals immunized with immunopathogenic retinal antigens: dissociation between different immune functions.

PubMed

Shirkey, B L; Slavin, S; Vistica, B P; Podgor, M J; Gery, I

1997-06-01

Linomide (LS-2616, quinoline-3-carboxamide) has been reported to exert a diverse range of effects on the immune system. On one hand, this drug was found to stimulate the immune system and to enhance activities such as DTH or allograft rejection. On the other hand, linomide was shown to inhibit the induction of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis and myasthenia gravis, as well as the development of diabetes in non-obese diabetic (NOD) mice. Here we report the effects of linomide in animals immunized with uveitogenic retinal antigens. Treatment with linomide completely inhibited the development of experimental autoimmune uveoretinitis (EAU) in mice immunized with interphotoreceptor retinoid-binding protein and markedly suppressed EAU in rats immunized with S-antigen (S-Ag). In addition, linomide-treated rats exhibited reduced antibody production and lymphocyte proliferative response to S-Ag. In contrast to these suppressive activities, linomide treatment did not affect the development of adoptively transferred EAU in rats and moderately enhanced the DTH reactions to S-Ag in immunized rats in which EAU and other immune responses to this antigen were suppressed.

Human Embryonic Stem Cell-Derived Mesenchymal Stromal Cells Decrease the Development of Severe Experimental Autoimmune Uveitis in B10.RIII Mice.

PubMed

Qin, Yu; Chan, Ann M; Chang, Yu-Ling; Matynia, Anna; Kouris, Nicholas A; Kimbrel, Erin A; Ashki, Negin; Parikh, Sachin; Gorin, Michael B; Lanza, Robert; Levinson, Ralph D; Gordon, Lynn K

2017-09-15

We investigated the effect of exogenously administered human embryonic stem cell-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (hESC-MSCs) in experimental autoimmune uveitis (EAU) in B10.RIII mice, a murine model of severe uveitis. B10.RIII mice were immunized with an uveitogenic peptide, and intraperitoneal injections of 5 million hESC-MSCs per animal were given on the same day. Behavioral light sensitivity assays, histological evaluation, cytokine production, and regulatory T cells were analyzed at the peak of the disease. Histological and behavioral evidence demonstrated that early systemic treatment with hESC-MSCs decreases the development of severe EAU in B10.RIII mice. hESC-MSCs suppress Th17 and upregulate Th1 and Th2 responses as well as IL-2 and GM-CSF in splenocytes from hESC-MSC-treated mice. MSCs that originate from hESC decrease the development of severe EAU in B10.RIII mice, likely through systemic immune modulation. Further investigation is needed to determine any potential effect on active EAU.

Translating an early childhood obesity prevention program for local community implementation: a case study of the Melbourne InFANT Program.

PubMed

Laws, R; Hesketh, K D; Ball, K; Cooper, C; Vrljic, K; Campbell, K J

2016-08-08

While there is a growing interest in the field of research translation, there are few published examples of public health interventions that have been effectively scaled up and implemented in the community. This paper provides a case study of the community-wide implementation of the Melbourne Infant, Feeding, Activity and Nutrition Trial (InFANT), an obesity prevention program for parents with infants aged 3-18 months. The study explored key factors influencing the translation of the Program into routine practice and the respective role of policy makers, researchers and implementers. Case studies were conducted of five of the eight prevention areas in Victoria, Australia who implemented the Program. Cases were selected on the basis of having implemented the Program for 6 months or more. Data were collected from January to June 2015 and included 18 individual interviews, one focus group and observation of two meetings. A total of 28 individuals, including research staff (n = 4), policy makers (n = 2) and implementers (n = 22), contributed to the data collected. Thematic analysis was conducted using cross case comparisons and key themes were verified through member checking. Key facilitators of implementation included availability of a pre-packaged evidence based program addressing a community need, along with support and training provided by research staff to local implementers. Partnerships between researchers and policy makers facilitated initial program adoption, while local partnerships supported community implementation. Community partnerships were facilitated by local coordinators through alignment of program goals with existing policies and services. Workforce capacity for program delivery and administration was a challenge, largely overcome by embedding the Program into existing roles. Adapting the Program to fit local circumstance was critical for feasible and sustainable delivery, however balancing this with program fidelity was a critical

Annual Summary Report for ONR Contract Number N00014-76-C-0430.

DTIC Science & Technology

1985-07-17

University of Paris VII, 4-7 Dec. 1984 (to appear in the Proceedings, published as a special issue of Traitement du Signal): * (a) L’acoustique des...Mathematics, University of Deraen, Norv~ae). "R~fflexion et rdfraction d’un faiL- eau acoustique sur une interface eau -stdiment". IWO - 15h50 A. FLORI

Urinary excretion of adrenal steroids, catecholamines and electrolytes in man, before and after acclimatization to cold in Antarctica

PubMed Central

Budd, G. M.; Warhaft, N.

1970-01-01

1. Urine samples were collected from four men before and during test cold exposures in Melbourne, Australia, and Mawson, Antarctica. Changes in the response of body temperature to the test exposures showed that the men had acclimatized to cold at Mawson. 2. Excretion rates of 17-hydroxycorticosteroids and 17-ketosteroids were significantly greater at Mawson than in Melbourne, in both the pre-exposure and exposure periods. 3. Excretion rates of noradrenaline, adrenaline, sodium, potassium and creatinine did not differ significantly between Mawson and Melbourne, nor did urine flow rates. 4. During the cold exposure significant increases occurred, to the same extent at Mawson as in Melbourne, in urine flow rate and in all measured urinary constituents except creatinine. PMID:5501486

The health loss from ischemic stroke and intracerebral hemorrhage: evidence from the North East Melbourne Stroke Incidence Study (NEMESIS).

PubMed

Cadilhac, Dominique A; Dewey, Helen M; Vos, Theo; Carter, Rob; Thrift, Amanda G

2010-05-14

People suffering different types of stroke have differing demographic characteristics and survival. However, current estimates of disease burden are based on the same underlying assumptions irrespective of stroke type. We hypothesized that average Quality Adjusted Life Years (QALYs) lost from stroke would be different for ischemic stroke and intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). We used 1 and 5-year data collected from patients with first-ever stroke participating in the North East Melbourne Stroke Incidence Study (NEMESIS). We calculated case fatality rates, health-adjusted life expectancy, and quality-of-life (QoL) weights specific to each age and gender category. Lifetime 'health loss' for first-ever ischemic stroke and ICH surviving 28-days for the 2004 Australian population cohort was then estimated. Multivariable uncertainty analyses and sensitivity analyses (SA) were used to assess the impact of varying input parameters e.g. case fatality and QoL weights. Paired QoL data at 1 and 5 years were available for 237 NEMESIS participants. Extrapolating NEMESIS rates, 31,539 first-ever strokes were expected for Australia in 2004. Average discounted (3%) QALYs lost per first-ever stroke were estimated to be 5.09 (SD 0.20; SA 5.49) for ischemic stroke (n = 27,660) and 6.17 (SD 0.26; SA 6.45) for ICH (n = 4,291; p < 0.001). QALYs lost also differed according to gender for both subtypes (ischemic stroke: males 4.69 SD 0.38, females 5.51 SD 0.46; ICH: males 5.82 SD 0.67, females 6.50 SD 0.40). People with ICH incurred greater loss of health over a lifetime than people with ischemic stroke. This is explained by greater stroke related case fatality at a younger age, but longer life expectancy with disability after the first 12 months for people with ICH. Thus, studies of disease burden in stroke should account for these differences between subtype and gender. Otherwise, in countries where ICH is more common, health loss for stroke may be underestimated. Similar to other studies

Concordance of gonorrhoea of the rectum, pharynx and urethra in same-sex male partnerships attending a sexual health service in Melbourne, Australia.

PubMed

Cornelisse, Vincent J; Zhang, Lei; Law, Matthew; Chen, Marcus Y; Bradshaw, Catriona S; Bellhouse, Clare; Fairley, Christopher K; Chow, Eric P F

2018-02-27

We aimed to describe anatomic site-specific concordance of gonococcal infections in partnerships of men who have sex with men (MSM). We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of data from MSM partnerships attending Melbourne Sexual Health Centre between March 2011 and February 2015. Logistic regression models (random effect) were used to examine the association between gonococcal infections of the urethra, rectum and pharynx. Gonococci were detected by culture at all anatomic sites. The analysis included 495 partnerships. Of the men with urethral gonorrhoea, 33% (95% CI 18-52) had partners with pharyngeal gonorrhoea and 67% (95% CI 48-82) had partners with rectal gonorrhoea. The adjusted odds of having urethral gonorrhoea was 4.6 (95% CI 1.2-17.1) for a man whose partner had pharyngeal gonorrhoea, and 48.1 (95% CI 18.3-126.7) for a man whose partner had rectal gonorrhoea. Of the men with rectal gonorrhoea, 46% (95% CI 31-61) had a partner with urethral gonorrhoea and 23% (95% CI 12-37) had a partner with pharyngeal gonorrhoea. The adjusted odds of having rectal gonorrhoea was 63.9 (95% CI 24.7-165.6) for a man whose partner had urethral gonorrhoea. Of the men with pharyngeal gonorrhoea, 42% (95% CI 23-63) had a partner with rectal gonorrhoea and 23% (95% CI 9-44) had a partner with had a partner with pharyngeal gonorrhoea. The adjusted odds of having pharyngeal gonorrhoea was 8.9 (95% CI 3.2-24.6) for a man whose partner had rectal gonorrhoea. The crude odds of having pharyngeal gonorrhoea was 14.2 (95% CI 5.1-39.0) for a man whose partner had pharyngeal gonorrhoea. These data provide the first estimates of concordance of anatomic site-specific gonococcal infections in MSM partnerships, and confirm that urethral gonorrhoea is contracted from both rectal and pharyngeal sites, and suggest that gonococci transmit between the rectum and pharynx. However, due to use of culture rather than NAAT, our analysis was not adequately powered to assess pharynx

Cross sectional epidemiological investigation on the prevalence of gastrointestinal helminths in free range chickens in Narsingdi district, Bangladesh.

PubMed

Ferdushy, Tania; Hasan, Mohammed Tabaruk; Golam Kadir, A K M

2016-09-01

Rural poultry production in Bangladesh is mainly based on the free range or backyard poultry production system. This backyard poultry plays a vital tool for poverty alleviation as well as for empowerment of poor women of this country. However, this production system has disadvantage of susceptibility to many diseases including higher burden of parasitic infection. Therefore this cross sectional epidemiological investigation was done to determine the prevalence and distribution of gastrointestinal helminths in Narsingdi district, Bangladesh. To conduct this study a total of 150 chickens from three different villages of Narsingdi district, Bangladesh (50 chickens per village) were collected by random sampling method and killed by cervical disarticulation. Thereafter, all the chickens were necropsied and gastrointestinal tracts were examined macroscopically for the presence helminth infection. In total two nematode (Ascaridia galli, Heterakis gallinarum,) and one cestode (Raillietina spp.) were identified by post mortem examination. Raillietina spp. was detected as the most prevalent helminth species (86-92 %) followed by A. galli (70-86 %), and H. gallinarum (70-76 %) in studied villages. In some chickens petechial hemorrhage were observed in the small intestinal wall which was associated with the A. galli infection and for some birds white tiny nodules were detected in case of H. gallinarum infection. No significant difference in parasite prevalence was observed between male and female bird as well as among three studied villages (P > 0.05). We observed that most of chickens were infected with more than one species of parasites. This finding suggests that the poultry production system in rural areas of Bangladesh and the environmental conditions are very favourable for the transmission and persistence of the parasite species in rural areas of Bangladesh.

Proportion of infants meeting the Australian 24-hour Movement Guidelines for the Early Years: data from the Melbourne InFANT Program.

PubMed

Hesketh, Kylie D; Downing, Katherine L; Campbell, Karen; Crawford, David; Salmon, Jo; Hnatiuk, Jill A

2017-11-20

Little information is available on the movement behaviours of infants, despite evidence that these are important for development. The release of new Australian 24-hour Movement Guidelines provides an opportunity to document the current state of movement behaviours in infants relative to these guidelines. The aim of this study was to report the prevalence of 4 month old Australian infants meeting the 24-hour Movement Guidelines, individually, and in combination, and to describe associations with individual characteristics. Maternal report baseline data from the Melbourne Infant Feeding, Activity and Nutrition Trial Program were used to determine prevalence of infants meeting physical activity (30 min of tummy time per day), sedentary behaviour (no more than 1 h at a time kept restrained; zero screen time), and sleep guidelines (14-17 h for 0-3 month olds or 12-16 h for 4-11 month olds). Prevalence of infants meeting combined guidelines was also described. The odds of meeting guidelines based on infant and family characteristics was determined. Data are reported for 455 infants with a mean age of 3.6 months (SD = 1.0). The proportion of infants meeting each of the guidelines was 29.7% for tummy time, 56.9% for kept restrained, 27.9% for screen time, 58.7% for sleep and 3.5% for the combined guidelines (i.e. meeting all four guidelines). A significantly higher proportion of girls than boys met the screen time guideline (32.5% versus 24.0%, p = 0.04) and the combined guidelines (5.7% versus 1.6%, p = 0.01). Few associations were observed between infant and family characteristics and proportion of infants meeting individual guidelines. Very few infants met all of the guidelines contained in the new Australian 24-hour Movement Guidelines suggesting there is much room for improvement in movement behaviours from early life. Fewer infants met the tummy time and screen time guidelines hence these appear to be the behaviours requiring most attention. Parents and

Pesticide and trace metal occurrence and aquatic benchmark exceedances in surface waters and sediments of urban wetlands and retention ponds in Melbourne, Australia.

PubMed

Allinson, Graeme; Zhang, Pei; Bui, AnhDuyen; Allinson, Mayumi; Rose, Gavin; Marshall, Stephen; Pettigrove, Vincent

2015-07-01

Samples of water and sediments were collected from 24 urban wetlands in Melbourne, Australia, in April 2010, and tested for more than 90 pesticides using a range of gas chromatographic (GC) and liquid chromatographic (LC) techniques, sample 'hormonal' activity using yeast-based recombinant receptor-reporter gene bioassays, and trace metals using spectroscopic techniques. At the time of sampling, there was almost no estrogenic activity in the water column. Twenty-three different pesticide residues were observed in one or more water samples from the 24 wetlands; chemicals observed at more than 40% of sites were simazine (100%), atrazine (79%), and metalaxyl and terbutryn (46%). Using the toxicity unit (TU) concept, less than 15% of the detected pesticides were considered to pose an individual, short-term risk to fish or zooplankton in the ponds and wetlands. However, one pesticide (fenvalerate) may have posed a possible short-term risk to fish (log10TUf > -3), and three pesticides (azoxystrobin, fenamiphos and fenvalerate) may have posed a risk to zooplankton (logTUzp between -2 and -3); all the photosystem II (PSII) inhibiting herbicides may have posed a risk to primary producers in the ponds and wetlands (log10TUap and/or log10TUalg > -3). The wetland sediments were contaminated with 16 different pesticides; no chemicals were observed at more than one third of sites, but based on frequency of detection and concentrations, bifenthrin (33%, maximum 59 μg/kg) is the priority insecticide of concern for the sediments studied. Five sites returned a TU greater than the possible effect threshold (i.e. log10TU > 1) as a result of bifenthrin contamination of their sediments. Most sediments did not exceed Australian sediment quality guideline levels for trace metals. However, more than half of the sites had threshold effect concentration quotients (TECQ) values >1 for Cu (58%), Pb (50%), Ni (67%) and Zn (63%), and 75% of sites had mean probable effect concentration quotients

USING POSITIVE CLINICAL LEADERSHIP TO SUPPORT A CULTURE OF PRESSURE INJURY PREVENTION.

PubMed

Sage, Sarah; Tudor, Hannah

2017-03-01

The Royal Melbourne Hospital (RMH) is an 800 bed tertiary referral service within metropolitan Melbourne. While the hospital acquired pressure injury (HAPI) incidence rate is low (2.5%), there is still work to be done in this area.

Matt Beard | NREL

Science.gov Websites

. McNichols, J. Gu, A.J. Nozik, A. Sellinger, G. Galli, M.C. Beard, "Tuning colloidal quantum dot band , 15257, 2017, DOI:10.1038/ncomms15257 Y. Yan, R. W. Crisp, J. Gu, B.D. Chernomodik, G.F. Pach, A.R . Marshall, J. A. Turner, M.C. Beard, "Multiple exciton generation for photoelectrochemical hydrogen

[Future development of the "integrated water cycle"].

PubMed

de Marinis, G

2003-01-01

In this presentation problems connected to the usage and management of entire water cycle are illustrated. The solution has to be found in a reorganization of the national water system. When the regulation n. 36/94 (legge Galli) will be completely in force, an improvement of the efficiency of the entire organization of the integrated water cycle will be obtained.

Acquisition of T regulatory function in cathepsin L-inhibited T cells by eye-derived CTLA-2alpha during inflammatory conditions.

PubMed

Sugita, Sunao; Horie, Shintaro; Nakamura, Orie; Maruyama, Kazuichi; Takase, Hiroshi; Usui, Yoshihiko; Takeuchi, Masaru; Ishidoh, Kazumi; Koike, Masato; Uchiyama, Yasuo; Peters, Christoph; Yamamoto, Yoshimi; Mochizuki, Manabu

2009-10-15

Pigment epithelium isolated from the eye possesses immunosuppressive properties such as regulatory T (Treg) cell induction; e.g., cultured retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) converts CD4(+) T cells into Treg cells in vitro. RPE constitutively expresses a novel immunosuppressive factor, CTLA-2alpha, which is a cathepsin L (CathL) inhibitor, and this molecule acts via RPE to induce Treg cells. To clarify CTLA-2alpha's role in the T cell response to RPE in ocular inflammation, we used the experimental autoimmune uveitis (EAU) animal model to examine this new immunosuppressive property of RPE. In EAU models, TGF-beta, but not IFN-gamma inflammatory cytokines, promotes the up-regulation of the expression of CTLA-2alpha in RPE. Similarly, CTLA-2alpha via RPE was able to promote TGF-beta production by the CD4(+) T cells. The RPE-exposed T cells (RPE-induced Treg cells) greatly produced TGF-beta and suppressed bystander effector T cells. There was less expression of CathL by the RPE-exposed T cells, and CathL-inhibited T cells were able to acquire the Treg phenotype. Moreover, CathL-deficient mice spontaneously produced Treg cells, with the increase in T cells potentially providing protection against ocular inflammation. More importantly, CD4(+) T cells from EAU in CathL knockout mice or rCTLA-2alpha from EAU animals were found to contain a high population of forkhead box p3(+) T cells. In both EAU models, there was significant suppression of the ocular inflammation. These results indicate that RPE secretes CTLA-2alpha, thereby enabling the bystander T cells to be converted into Treg cells via TGF-beta promotion.

Small heat shock protein αA-crystallin prevents photoreceptor degeneration in experimental autoimmune uveitis.

PubMed

Rao, Narsing A; Saraswathy, Sindhu; Pararajasegaram, Geeta; Bhat, Suraj P

2012-01-01

The small heat shock protein, αA-crystallin null (αA-/-) mice are known to be more prone to retinal degeneration than the wild type mice in Experimental Autoimmune Uveoretinitis (EAU). In this report we demonstrate that intravenous administration of αA preserves retinal architecture and prevents photoreceptor damage in EAU. Interestingly, only αA and not αB-crystallin (αB), a closely related small heat shock protein works, pointing to molecular specificity in the observed retinal protection. The possible involvement of αA in retinal protection through immune modulation is corroborated by adaptive transfer experiments, (employing αA-/- and wild type mice with EAU as donors and Rag2-/- as the recipient mice), which indicate that αA protects against the autoimmune challenge by modulating the systemic B and T cell immunity. We show that αA administration causes marked reduction in Th1 cytokines (TNF-α, IL-12 and IFN-γ), both in the retina and in the spleen; notably, IL-17 was only reduced in the retina suggesting local intervention. Importantly, expression of Toll-like receptors and their associated adaptors is also inhibited suggesting that αA protection, against photoreceptor loss in EAU, is associated with systemic suppression of both the adaptive and innate immune responses.

Validation of clinical case definition of acute intussusception in infants in Viet Nam and Australia.

PubMed

Bines, Julie E; Liem, Nguyen Thanh; Justice, Frances; Son, Tran Ngoc; Carlin, John B; de Campo, Margaret; Jamsen, Kris; Mulholland, Kim; Barnett, Peter; Barnes, Graeme L

2006-07-01

To test the sensitivity and specificity of a clinical case definition of acute intussusception in infants to assist health-care workers in settings where diagnostic facilities are not available. Prospective studies were conducted at a major paediatric hospital in Viet Nam (the National Hospital of Pediatrics, Hanoi) from November 2002 to December 2003 and in Australia (the Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne) from March 2002 to March 2004 using a clinical case definition of intussusception. Diagnosis of intussusception was confirmed by air enema or surgery and validated in a subset of participants by an independent clinician who was blinded to the participant's status. Sensitivity of the definition was evaluated in 584 infants aged<2 years with suspected intussusception (533 infants in Hanoi; 51 in Melbourne). Specificity was evaluated in 638 infants aged<2 years presenting with clinical features consistent with intussusception but for whom another diagnosis was established (234 infants in Hanoi; 404 in Melbourne). In both locations the definition used was sensitive (96% sensitivity in Hanoi; 98% in Melbourne) and specific (95% specificity in Hanoi; 87% in Melbourne) for intussusception among infants with sufficient data to allow classification (449/533 in Hanoi; 50/51 in Melbourne). Reanalysis of patients with missing data suggests that modifying minor criteria would increase the applicability of the definition while maintaining good sensitivity (96-97%) and specificity (83-89%). The clinical case definition was sensitive and specific for the diagnosis of acute intussusception in infants in both a developing country and a developed country but minor modifications would enable it to be used more widely.

Numerical modelling and hydrochemical characterisation of a fresh-water lens in the Belgian coastal plain

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vandenbohede, A.; Lebbe, L.

2002-05-01

The distribution of fresh and salt water in coastal aquifers is influenced by many processes. The influence of aquifer heterogeneity and human interference such as land reclamation is illustrated in the Belgian coastal plain where, around A.D. 1200, the reclamation of a tidally influenced environment was completed. The aquifer, which was filled with salt water, was thereafter freshened. The areal distribution of peat, clay, silt and sand influences the general flow and distribution of fresh and salt water along with the drainage pattern and results in the development of fresh-water lenses. The water quality in and around the fresh-water lenses below an inverted tidal channel ridge is surveyed. The hydrochemical evolution of the fresh water lens is reconstructed, pointing to cation exchange, solution of calcite and the oxidation of organic material as the major chemical reactions. The formation and evolution of the fresh water lens is modelled using a two-dimensional density-dependent solute transport model and the sensitivity of drainage and conductivities are studied. Drainage level mainly influences the depth of the fresh-water lens, whereas the time of formation is mainly influenced by conductivity. Résumé. La répartition de l'eau douce et de l'eau salée dans les aquifères littoraux est influencée par de nombreux mécanismes. L'influence de l'hétérogénéité de l'aquifère et des interférences anthropiques telles que la mise en valeur des terres est illustrée par la plaine côtière belge où, depuis l'an 1200, on a mis en valeur un environnement soumis aux marées. L'aquifère, qui contenait de l'eau salée, contient maintenant de l'eau douce. La distribution spatiale de tourbe, d'argile, de silt et de sable joue un rôle dans l'écoulement général et dans la répartition de l'eau douce et de l'eau salée le long du réseau de drainage et produit des lentilles d'eau douce. La qualité de l'eau dans et autour des lentilles d'eau douce sous une lev

Band-edge engineering of Silicon by Surface Functionalization: a Combined Ab-initio and Photoemission Study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Yan; O'Leary, Leslie; Lewis, Nathan; Galli, Giulia

2012-02-01

The electrode material choice is limited in solar to fuel formation devices because of the requirement of band-edge matching to the fixed fuel formation potential. This limitation can be relieved via band-edge engineering. The changes of band-edge positions of Si electrodes induced by the adsorption of H-, Cl-, Br- and short-chain alkyl groups were investigated by combining density functional (DFT), many-body perturbation theory (MBPT), and ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy. The band edge shifts are related to the formation of surface dipole moments, and determine the barrier height of electrons and holes in doped silicon surfaces. We find that the trends of the sign and magnitude of the computed surface dipoles as a function of the adsorbate may be explained by simple electronegative rules. We show that quasi-particle energies obtained within MBPT are in good agreement with experiment, while DFT values may exhibit substantial errors. However computed band edge differences are in good agreement with spectroscopic and electrical measurements even at the DFT level of theory. [1] Y. Li and G. Galli, Phys. Rev. B 82, 045321 (2010). [2] Y. Li, L. O'Leary, N. Lewis and G. Galli, to be submitted.

Wound Healing in Mac-1 Deficient Mice

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-05-01

36. Rosenkranz AR, Coxon A, Maurer M, Gurish MF, Austen KF, Friend DS, Galli SJ, Mayadas TN. Impaired mast cell development and innate immunity in Mac...genetically deficient mice. 3 INTRODUCTION Wound healing is a complex yet well-regulated process in which multiple resident cells ...recruited inflammatory cells , and stem cells interact to create an environment that supports the healing process. An optimal inflammatory response is a

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Family members of the STS-107 astronauts, other dignitaries, members of the university community and the public gather for the dedication ceremony of the Columbia Village at the Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne, Fla. Each of the seven new residence halls in the complex is named for one of the STS-107 astronauts who perished during the Columbia accident -- Rick Husband, Willie McCool, Laurel Clark, Michael Anderson, David Brown, Kalpana Chawla, and Ilan Ramon.

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-10-28

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Family members of the STS-107 astronauts, other dignitaries, members of the university community and the public gather for the dedication ceremony of the Columbia Village at the Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne, Fla. Each of the seven new residence halls in the complex is named for one of the STS-107 astronauts who perished during the Columbia accident -- Rick Husband, Willie McCool, Laurel Clark, Michael Anderson, David Brown, Kalpana Chawla, and Ilan Ramon.

The "Pizzicato Effect" Program: A (Personal) Reflection

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Watson, Amanda

2016-01-01

This paper is a reflection on a teaching program located in a Government primary school in Melbourne and initiated by the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra (MSO). The school was selected by a coincidence. Volunteers, MSO personnel, community and corporate funding, employed classroom and specialist music teachers came together to provide teaching of…

Respiratory infection rates differ between geographically distant paediatric cystic fibrosis cohorts

PubMed Central

Hart, Emily; Turkovic, Lidija; Padros-Goossens, Marc; Stick, Stephen M.; Ranganathan, Sarath C.

2016-01-01

Respiratory infections are a major cause of pulmonary decline in children with cystic fibrosis (CF). We compared the prevalence of infection in early life at geographically distant CF treatment centres participating in the same surveillance programme in Australia. Lower airway microbiology, inflammation and structural lung disease at annual review were evaluated for 260 children 0–8 years old with CF at 1032 visits to CF treatment centres in Melbourne or Perth. Melbourne patients were more likely to be culture-positive for common respiratory pathogens at all age groups (odds ratio (OR) 1.85, 95% CI 1.33–2.58). Subjects <2 years old in Melbourne were also more likely to have neutrophil elastase present (OR 3.11, 95% CI 1.62–5.95). Bronchiectasis (OR 2.02, 95% CI 1.21–3.38) and air trapping (OR 2.53, 95% CI 1.42–4.51) in subjects 2–5 years old was more common in Melbourne subjects. The severity of structural lung disease was also worse in Melbourne patients >5 years old. Patients at both centres had a similar rate of hospitalisations and prescribed antibiotics. No procedural differences were identified that could explain the disparity between pathogen prevalence. Geographical differences in early acquisition of infection may contribute to variability in outcomes between CF centres. PMID:27957481

Free-lance nursing in Italy.

PubMed

Galli, E; Lindsay, J S

1993-01-01

In 1987 Registered Nurses Ernesta 'Tina' Galli and Joanne Lindsay embarked on a unique venture--a private agency* organized and run by nurses that engages free-lance nurses to fill the need for nursing assistance both at home and in public and private institutions. The response has been overwhelming. Today they have branches throughout Italy and have expanded their services to include research and primary health care. Below, their story.

The Effects of Doctrine on International Security Assistance Force Operations

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-04-04

Article 5 collective defense.34 These operations can be described as: Such operations are normally known as Peace Support Operations ( PSO ). They are...diplomatic and humanitarian agencies. PSO are designed to achieve a long-term political settlement or other specified conditions. They include...December 2006), ix. 42 Gallis. 43 Ann Scott Tyson and Josh White, “Gates Hits NATO Allies’ Role in Afghanistan,” Washington Post, 7 February 2008, sec

Persistence and Effective Half-Life of Chemical Warfare Agent VX on Grass Foliage

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-08-01

obtain results applicable to VX- contaminated battlefields. The Effective Half-Life of VX on grass foliage was determined as the net effect of factors...Soldiers on VX- contaminated battlefields. 15. SUBJECT TERMS Chemical warfare agent (CWA) Agent–plant Echinochloa crus-galli Foliage Effective Half...The use of either trade or manufacturers ’ names in this report does not constitute an official endorsement of any commercial products. This report may

Home Space: Youth Identification in the Greek Diaspora

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tsolidis, Georgina; Pollard, Vikki

2010-01-01

This article draws on a larger study on schooling and diaspora using the case of the Greek community of Melbourne, Australia to examine processes of identification of young people with access to minority cultures. The Melbourne Greek community is long-standing, diverse, and well-established. Because of this, the young people involved in this study…

The role of the Spanish Committee of the International Association of Hydrogeologists in the management and protection of Spain's groundwater resources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Custodio, Emilio; Llamas, M.-Ramón; Villarroya, Fermín

Spain is a relatively large European country (ca. 500,000km2) with extensive semiarid areas in which there exists a large number of good aquifers. In some areas, these aquifers are intensively developed and are the most important sources of fresh water. Nevertheless, groundwater development and protection has rarely been duly considered by the Spanish Water Administration, despite the pressure to remedy this situation by various groups of experts, some of them members of the Water Administration. The Spanish Committee of the International Association of Hydrogeologists (IAH) has been very active during the last decade in promoting activities to spread groundwater science, technology, and management in Spain and outside, mostly in Latin America, and in trying to orient water policy toward issues of groundwater. These activities include mainly the organization of technical and scientific meetings on current topics such as groundwater in the new Water Act, overexploitation, groundwater in water-resources planning, groundwater pollution, natural-recharge estimation and others. The impact of these activities on the recent water policy of Spain seems significant, and the experience gained may be applicable to other countries. Résumé L'Espagne est un pays européen assez étendu (500,000km2 environ), où existent des zones semi-arides possédant de nombreux aquifères intéressants. Dans certaines régions, ces aquifères sont intensivement exploités et constituent les sources essentielles d'eau douce. Cependant, l'exploitation et la protection des eaux souterraines ont rarement été prises en compte de façon correcte par l'Administration Espagnole de l'Eau, malgré les pressions exercées pour remédier à la situation par différents groupes d'experts, dont certains sont membres de l'Administration de l'Eau. Le Comité Espagnol de l'Association Internationale des Hydrogéologues (AIH) a été particulièrement actif au cours de ces dix dernières années pour

Urbanization and the groundwater budget, metropolitan Seoul area, Korea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Yoon-Young; Lee, Kang-Kun; Sung, Ig Hwan

2001-07-01

The city of Seoul is home to more than 10 million people in an area of 605 km2. Groundwater is ed for public water supply and industrial use, and to drain underground facilities and construction sites. Though most tap water is supplied from the Han River, the quantity and quality of groundwater is of great concern to Seoul's citizens, because the use of groundwater for drinking water is continuously increasing. This study identifies the major factors affecting the urban water budget and quality of groundwater in the Seoul area and estimates the urban water budget. These factors include leakage from the municipal water-supply system and sewer systems, precipitation infiltration, water-level fluctuations of the Han River, the subway pumping system, and domestic pumping. The balance between groundwater recharge and discharge is near equilibrium. However, the quality of groundwater and ability to control contaminant fluxes are impeded by sewage infiltration, abandoned landfills, waste dumps, and abandoned wells. Résumé. La ville de Séoul possède une population de plus de 10 millions d'habitants, pour une superficie de 605 km2. Les eaux souterraines sont pompées pour l'eau potable et pour les usages industriels, ainsi que pour drainer les équipements souterrains et les sites en construction. Bien que l'essentiel de l'eau potable provienne de la rivière Han, la quantité et la qualité de l'eau souterraine présentent un grand intérêt pour les habitants de Séoul, parce qu'on utilise de plus en plus l'eau souterraine pour l'eau potable. Cette étude identifie les facteurs principaux qui affectent la qualité de l'eau souterraine dans la région de Séoul et fait l'estimation du bilan d'eau urbaine. Les principaux facteurs affectant le bilan d'eau urbaine et la qualité de l'eau souterraine sont les fuites du réseau d'adduction et du réseau d'égouts, l'infiltration des eaux de précipitation, les fluctuations du niveau de la rivière Han, le réseau de pompage

Phytotoxic property of the invasive plant Tithonia diversifolia and a phytotoxic substance.

PubMed

Suzuki, Masahiko; Iwasaki, Arihiro; Suenaga, Kiyotake; Kato-Noguchi, Hisashi

2017-06-01

Tithonia diversifolia (Hermsl.) A. Gray is a perennial invasive plant and spreads quickly in the invasive areas. The extracts of T. diversifolia were found to be toxic to several crop plant species such as rice, maize, sorghum, lettuce and cowpea, and several putative allelopathic substances were identified. However, there is limited information available for the effects of T. diversifolia on wild plants including weed plant species. We investigated the allelopathic potential of T. diversifolia extracts on weed plants, and searched for phytotoxic substances with allelopathic activity. An aqueous methanol extract of T. diversifolia leaves inhibited the growth of weed plants, Lolium multiflorum Lam., Phleum pretense L., Echinochloa crus-galli (L.) Beauv. The extract was then purified by several chromatographic runs and a phytotoxic substance with allelopathic activity was isolated and identified by spectral analysis as tagitinin C. The substance inhibited the growth of Lolium multiflorum, Phleum pratense and Echinochloa crus-galli at concentrations greater than 0.1 - 0.3 mM. The present results suggest that T. diversifolia may possess allelopathic potential on weed plants and tagitinin C may be responsible for the allelopathic effects of T. diversifolia. The allelopathic potential of T. diversifolia may contribute to its invasive characteristics.

How do drug market changes affect characteristics of injecting initiation and subsequent patterns of drug use? Findings from a cohort of regular heroin and methamphetamine injectors in Melbourne, Australia.

PubMed

Horyniak, Danielle; Stoové, Mark; Degenhardt, Louisa; Aitken, Campbell; Kerr, Thomas; Dietze, Paul

2015-01-01

Changes in drug market characteristics have been shown to affect drug use patterns but few studies have examined their impacts on injecting initiation experiences and subsequent patterns of injecting drug use (IDU). We collected data on self-reported injecting initiation experiences and past-month patterns of IDU from 688 regular heroin and methamphetamine injectors in Melbourne, Australia, who initiated injecting across three different drug market periods (prior to the Australian heroin shortage ('high heroin')/immediately following the shortage ('low heroin')/'contemporary' markets (fluctuating heroin and methamphetamine availability)). We used univariable and multivariable logistic regression to examine the relationship between period of injecting initiation and first drug injected, and multinomial logistic regression for the relationship between period of injecting initiation and current injecting patterns. 425 participants (62%) reported initiating injecting in the high heroin period, 146 (21%) in the low heroin period, and 117 (17%) in the contemporary period. Participants who initiated injecting during the low heroin period were twice as likely to initiate injecting using a drug other than heroin (AOR: 1.94, 95% CI: 1.27-2.95). The most common patterns of drug use among study participants in the month preceding interview were polydrug use (44%) and primary heroin use (41%). Injecting initiation period was either non-significantly or weakly associated with current drug use pattern, which was more strongly associated with other socio-demographic and drug use characteristics, particularly self-reported drug of choice. The drug market period in which injecting initiation occurred influenced the first drug injected and influenced some aspects of subsequent drug use. In the context of highly dynamic drug markets in which polydrug use is common there is a need for broad harm reduction and drug treatment services which are flexible and responsive to changing

ShipMo3D Version 3.0 User Manual for Computing Ship Motions in the Time and Frequency Domains

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-01-01

permettent de modéliser un navire en manœuvre libre et en eau calme ou dans les vagues. SM3DBuildSeaway construit des modèles de voie maritime à trajet...manœuvrant libre - ment en eau calme ou dans une voie maritime modélisée. Plusieurs applications du logiciel ShipMo3D font des prévisions des mouvements de...can be produced. For a random seaway, the range of wave frequencies should be sufficient to encompass almost all energy within the wave spectrum. For

France: Factors Shaping Foreign Policy, and Issues in U.S.-French Relations

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-05-21

view, France should seek a balance that embraces diversity yet preserves a degree of uniformity that sustains the French “identity.” He believes that...Order Code RL32464 France : Factors Shaping Foreign Policy, and Issues in U.S.- French Relations Updated May 21, 2008 Paul Gallis Specialist in... France : Factors Shaping Foreign Policy, and Issues in U.S.- French Relations 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER 5b. GRANT NUMBER 5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT NUMBER 6

The wounding response of dormant barnyardgrass (Echinochloa crus-galli) seeds

Treesearch

G.R. Leather; Shi-Jean S. Sung; M.G. Hale

1992-01-01

Induction of germination in dormant barnyard grass seeds by wounding was investigated. Previous research indicated that a volatile compound was emitted during imbibition of wounded caryopses.When wounded caryopses were submerged in agar, total germination and speed of germination were stimulated, and the stimulation was dependent upon the concentration of agar.A...

A cockspur for the DSS cells: Erythrina crista-galli sensitizers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Enciso, Paula; Decoppet, Jean-David; Grätzel, Michael; Wörner, Michael; Cabrerizo, Franco M.; Cerdá, María Fernanda

2017-04-01

Dye sensitized solar cells were assembled employing a mixture of anthocyanins extracted from red ceibo's flowers. At the literature different extraction procedures are reported to extract anthocyanins from natural products and sensitize the cells. In order to compare them, different methods were followed to set the cells under the same conditions. Assembled cells showed very interesting conversion efficiency values, reaching a 0.73% value for extracts purified using C18 column, in open cells under illumination using a solar light simulator, 1 sun, 1.5 AM. Data reported herein prove that anthocyanins obtained from ceibo's flower, after simple further purification, might represent an excellent, cheap and clean alternative for the development of DSS cells.

Nitrogen composition in urban runoff--implications for stormwater management.

PubMed

Taylor, Geoff D; Fletcher, Tim D; Wong, Tony H F; Breen, Peter F; Duncan, Hugh P

2005-05-01

A study was conducted to characterise the composition of nitrogen in urban stormwater in Melbourne, Australia, during baseflows and storm events, and to compare the results with international data. Nitrogen in Melbourne stormwater was predominantly dissolved (approximately 80%), with ammonia the least-abundant form (approximately 11%). Concentrations of nitrogen species did not vary significantly between baseflow and storms, although the proportion of nitrogen in particulate form was higher during storm events (p = 0.04). Whilst the composition of nitrogen in Melbourne was broadly consistent with international data, the level of dissolved inorganic nitrogen was higher in Melbourne (mu = 48% during baseflows and 49% during storms) than in the international literature (mu = 29%). Limitations in the international dataset precluded comparison of total dissolved nitrogen. The results have implications for stormwater management. Whilst nitrogen species concentrations are variable, they are not strongly related to flow conditions, so treatment systems must be designed to cope with stochastic inflow concentrations at all times. To optimise their performance, stormwater treatments should be designed to improve dissolved nitrogen removal. Further research is needed to improve the ability of treatment systems to achieve this aim.

The decriminalization of prostitution is associated with better coverage of health promotion programs for sex workers.

PubMed

Harcourt, Christine; O'Connor, Jody; Egger, Sandra; Fairley, Christopher K; Wand, Handan; Chen, Marcus Y; Marshall, Lewis; Kaldor, John M; Donovan, Basil

2010-10-01

In order to assess whether the law has an impact on the delivery of health promotion services to sex workers, we compared health promotion programs in three Australian cities with different prostitution laws. The cities were Melbourne (brothels legalized if licensed, unlicensed brothels criminalized), Perth (criminalization of all forms of sex work) and Sydney (sex work largely decriminalized, without licensing). We interviewed key informants and gave questionnaires to representative samples of female sex workers in urban brothels. Despite the different laws, each city had a thriving and diverse sex industry and a government-funded sex worker health promotion program with shopfront, phone, online and outreach facilities. The Sydney program was the only one run by a community-based organisation and the only program employing multi-lingual staff with evening outreach to all brothels. The Melbourne program did not service the unlicensed sector, while the Perth program accessed the minority of brothels by invitation only. More Sydney workers reported a sexual health centre as a source of safer sex training and information (Sydney 52% v Melbourne 33% and Perth 35%; p<0.001). Sex workers in Melbourne's licensed brothels were the most likely to have access to free condoms (Melbourne 88%, Sydney 39%, Perth 12%; p<0.001). The legal context appeared to affect the conduct of health promotion programs targeting the sex industry. Brothel licensing and police-controlled illegal brothels can result in the unlicensed sector being isolated from peer-education and support. © 2010 The Authors. Journal Compilation © 2010 Public Health Association of Australia.

Prevalence of asthma in regional Victorian schoolchildren.

PubMed

Robertson, C F; Bishop, J; Dalton, M; Caust, J; Nolan, T M; Olinsky, A; Phelan, P D

1992-06-15

To determine whether the high prevalence of reported asthma in Melbourne schoolchildren is seen in rural Victoria. A questionnaire on respiratory symptoms was distributed to children to be completed by parents and returned to the school. Results were compared with a previous Melbourne study. Two hundred and twenty-seven government and non-government primary schools in five rural regions of Victoria: coast, wheatbelt, riverland, highland and Latrobe valley. All children enrolled in grade 2 were invited to join the study. Parents completed questionnaires for 4661 children after 4886 questionnaires were distributed (response rate, 95%). History of wheeze in the past 12 months. The overall prevalence of wheeze in the last 12 months was 23.6%. There was a significant difference overall in this rate across the five rural areas and Melbourne, with the Latrobe Valley (26.2%) and highland areas (25.0%) having the highest rate, and the wheatbelt the lowest (19.6%). The spectrum of severity of asthma was similarly distributed across rural regions, although severe episodes were significantly more frequently reported by parents from rural areas than by parents in Melbourne. The reported use of bronchodilators and diagnosis of asthma showed a similar pattern of variation to that of the 12-month prevalence of wheeze. The prevalence of asthma in 7-year-old children is similar for rural Victoria as a whole compared with Melbourne, but there is variability in asthma prevalence in individual rural areas which is difficult to account for in terms of known environmental precipitants.

The diagnostic accuracy of endovaginal and transperineal ultrasound for detecting anal sphincter defects: The PREDICT study.

PubMed

Roos, A-M; Abdool, Z; Sultan, A H; Thakar, R

2011-07-01

To determine the accuracy and predictive value of transperineal (TPU) and endovaginal ultrasound (EVU) in the detection of anal sphincter defects in women with obstetric anal sphincter injuries and/or postpartum symptoms of faecal incontinence. One hundred and sixty-five women were recruited, four women were excluded as they were seen years after their last delivery. TPU and EVU, followed by endonanal ultrasound (EAU), were performed using the B&K Viking 2400 scanner. Sensitivity and specificity, as well as predictive values with 95% confidence intervals, for detecting anal sphincter defects were calculated for EVU and TPU, using EAU as the reference standard. On EAU a defect was found in 42 (26%) women: 39 (93%) had an external (EAS) and 23 (55%) an internal anal sphincter (IAS) defect. Analysable images of one level of the EAS combined with an analysable IAS were available in 140 (87%) women for EVU and in 131 (81%) for TPU. The sensitivity and specificity for the detection of any defect was 48% (30-67%) and 85% (77-91%) for EVU and 64% (44-81%) and 85% (77-91%) for TPU, respectively. Although EAU using a rotating endoprobe is the validated reference standard in the identification of anal sphincter defects, it is not universally available. However while TPU and/or EVU with conventional ultrasound probes can be useful in identifying normality, for clinical purposes they are not sensitive enough to identify an underlying sphincter defect. Copyright © 2011 The Royal College of Radiologists. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Understanding oral health beliefs and practices among Cantonese-speaking older Australians.

PubMed

Mariño, Rodrigo; Minichiello, Victor; Macentee, Michael I

2010-03-01

The present study was conducted to explore how older immigrants from Hong Kong or Southern China manage their oral health in Melbourne. We used six focus groups involving 50 Cantonese-speaking immigrants who were 55 years and over and living in Melbourne. Four major themes relevant to oral health care emerged from the discussion: (i) traditional Chinese health beliefs; (ii) traditional medicine and oral health; (iii) attitudes towards dentists; and (iv) access to oral health-care services. Language, communication and cost of dentistry were identified as major barriers to oral health care. Older Chinese immigrants in Melbourne have concerns about oral health care that are similar to other ethnic groups, they want more oral health-related support from government, and many of they return to China or Hong Kong for dental treatment.

Soldiers in Cold Environments (Soldats en environnements froids)

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-04-01

survie par temps froid et en eau froide pour l’essai de divers ensembles d’habillement ; d) envisager l’adoption du procédé d’Ulm pour le traitement des...vêtements d’hiver ; • Les expériences de laboratoire en air froid et sur la morsure du gel; • La modélisation de la survie en eau froide et en air froid...normalisés au sein des pays de l’OTAN ; b) développer un protocole commun pour le traitement de l’hypothermie; c) développer un modèle de prévision de

The Impact of Implementation of the European Association of Urology Guidelines Panel Recommendations on Reporting and Grading Complications on Perioperative Outcomes after Robot-assisted Radical Prostatectomy.

PubMed

Gandaglia, Giorgio; Bravi, Carlo Andrea; Dell'Oglio, Paolo; Mazzone, Elio; Fossati, Nicola; Scuderi, Simone; Robesti, Daniele; Barletta, Francesco; Grillo, Luca; Maclennan, Steven; N'Dow, James; Montorsi, Francesco; Briganti, Alberto

2018-03-12

The rate of postoperative complications might vary according to the method used to collect perioperative data. We aimed at assessing the impact of the prospective implementation of the European Association of Urology (EAU) guidelines on reporting and grading of complications in prostate cancer patients undergoing robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP). From September 2016, an integrated method for reporting surgical morbidity based on the EAU guidelines was implemented at a single, tertiary center. Perioperative data were prospectively and systematically collected during a patient interview at 30 d after surgery as recommended by the EAU Guidelines Panel Recommendations on Reporting and Grading Complications. The rate and grading of complications of 167 patients who underwent RARP±pelvic lymph node dissection (PLND) after the implementation of the prospective collection system (Group 1) were compared with 316 patients treated between January 2015 and August 2016 (Group 2) when a system based on patient chart review was used. No differences were observed in disease characteristics and PLND between the two groups (all p≥0.1). Postoperative complications were graded according to the Clavien-Dindo classification system. Overall, the complication rate was higher when the prospective collection system based on the EAU guidelines was used (29%) than when retrospective chart review (10%; p<0.001) was used. In particular, a substantially higher rate of grade 1 (8.4% vs 4.7%) and 2 (14% vs 2.8%) complications was detected in Group 1 versus Group 2 (p<0.001). Although the rate of complications occurred during hospitalization did not differ (13% vs 10%; p=0.3), 31 (19%) complications after discharge were detected in Group 1. This resulted into a readmission rate of 16%. Conversely, no complications after discharge and readmissions were recorded for Group 2. The implementation of the EAU guidelines on reporting perioperative outcomes roughly doubled the complication

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Japanese girls from Urawa Daiichi Girls High School, Urawa, Japan, pose for a group photo during a visit to the Space Station Processing Facility. They were awarded the trip to Kennedy Space Center when their experiments were chosen to fly on mission STS-107. The girls are accompanied by American students from Melbourne and Jacksonville, Fla. The National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA) and the KSC International Space Station/Payload Processing Directorate worked with the NASA KSC Education Programs and University Research Division to coordinate the students’ visit.

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-08-20

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Japanese girls from Urawa Daiichi Girls High School, Urawa, Japan, pose for a group photo during a visit to the Space Station Processing Facility. They were awarded the trip to Kennedy Space Center when their experiments were chosen to fly on mission STS-107. The girls are accompanied by American students from Melbourne and Jacksonville, Fla. The National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA) and the KSC International Space Station/Payload Processing Directorate worked with the NASA KSC Education Programs and University Research Division to coordinate the students’ visit.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Japanese girls from Urawa Daiichi Girls High School, Urawa, Japan, pose for a group photo during a visit to the Orbiter Processing Facility. They were awarded the trip to Kennedy Space Center when their experiments were chosen to fly on mission STS-107. The girls are accompanied by American students from Melbourne and Jacksonville, Fla. The National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA) and the KSC International Space Station/Payload Processing Directorate worked with the NASA KSC Education Programs and University Research Division to coordinate the students’ visit.

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-08-20

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Japanese girls from Urawa Daiichi Girls High School, Urawa, Japan, pose for a group photo during a visit to the Orbiter Processing Facility. They were awarded the trip to Kennedy Space Center when their experiments were chosen to fly on mission STS-107. The girls are accompanied by American students from Melbourne and Jacksonville, Fla. The National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA) and the KSC International Space Station/Payload Processing Directorate worked with the NASA KSC Education Programs and University Research Division to coordinate the students’ visit.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- NASA Associate Administrator for Space Flight William F. Readdy addresses the family members of the STS-107 astronauts, other dignitaries, members of the university community and the public gathered for the dedication ceremony of the Columbia Village at the Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne, Fla. Each of the seven new residence halls in the complex is named for one of the STS-107 astronauts who perished during the Columbia accident -- Rick Husband, Willie McCool, Laurel Clark, Michael Anderson, David Brown, Kalpana Chawla, and Ilan Ramon.

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-10-28

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- NASA Associate Administrator for Space Flight William F. Readdy addresses the family members of the STS-107 astronauts, other dignitaries, members of the university community and the public gathered for the dedication ceremony of the Columbia Village at the Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne, Fla. Each of the seven new residence halls in the complex is named for one of the STS-107 astronauts who perished during the Columbia accident -- Rick Husband, Willie McCool, Laurel Clark, Michael Anderson, David Brown, Kalpana Chawla, and Ilan Ramon.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Dr. Jonathan Clark, husband of STS-107 astronaut Laurel Clark, addresses the family members of the STS-107 astronauts, other dignitaries, members of the university community and the public gathered for the dedication ceremony of the Columbia Village at the Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne, Fla. Each of the seven new residence halls in the complex is named for one of the STS-107 astronauts who perished during the Columbia accident -- Rick Husband, Willie McCool, Laurel Clark, Michael Anderson, David Brown, Kalpana Chawla, and Ilan Ramon.

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-10-28

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Dr. Jonathan Clark, husband of STS-107 astronaut Laurel Clark, addresses the family members of the STS-107 astronauts, other dignitaries, members of the university community and the public gathered for the dedication ceremony of the Columbia Village at the Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne, Fla. Each of the seven new residence halls in the complex is named for one of the STS-107 astronauts who perished during the Columbia accident -- Rick Husband, Willie McCool, Laurel Clark, Michael Anderson, David Brown, Kalpana Chawla, and Ilan Ramon.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Dr. Anthony J. Catanese, president of the Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne, Fla., delivers the opening remarks at the university's Columbia Village dedication ceremony. The event is attended by family members of the STS-107 astronauts, other dignitaries, members of the university community and the public. Each of the seven new residence halls in the complex is named for one of the STS-107 astronauts who perished during the Columbia accident -- Rick Husband, Willie McCool, Laurel Clark, Michael Anderson, David Brown, Kalpana Chawla, and Ilan Ramon.

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-10-28

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Dr. Anthony J. Catanese, president of the Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne, Fla., delivers the opening remarks at the university's Columbia Village dedication ceremony. The event is attended by family members of the STS-107 astronauts, other dignitaries, members of the university community and the public. Each of the seven new residence halls in the complex is named for one of the STS-107 astronauts who perished during the Columbia accident -- Rick Husband, Willie McCool, Laurel Clark, Michael Anderson, David Brown, Kalpana Chawla, and Ilan Ramon.

Assessment of vitamin D and its association with cardiovascular disease risk factors in an adult migrant population: an audit of patient records at a Community Health Centre in Kensington, Melbourne, Australia.

PubMed

Ruwanpathirana, Thilanga; Reid, Christopher M; Owen, Alice J; Fong, David P S; Gowda, Usha; Renzaho, Andre M N

2014-11-11

Vitamin D deficiency is a global public health problem associated with increased risk of cardio-metabolic diseases and osteoarthritis. Migrants with dark skin settled in temperate climates are at greater risk of both vitamin D deficiency and cardiovascular diseases. This study aims to identify the risk of vitamin D deficiency and associations with cardiovascular disease in a migrant population in Australia. An audit was carried out at a Community Health Service in Kensington, Melbourne which, services a large migrant population. Data from the clinical records of all adults who visited the medical centre at least once during the period from 1st January 2010 to 31st December 2012 was extracted. The future (10 year) coronary heart disease risk was estimated using Framingham Risk Score. The centre has given higher priority to vitamin D testing in migrants, those middle-aged, females and those with diabetes and osteoarthritis. Migrants from countries located in lower latitude regions (Latitude N230 to S230) were 1.48 (95% C.I. 1.32-1.65) times more likely to develop vitamin D deficiency post migration and 0.44 (95% C.I. 0.31-0.62) times less likely to have a >15% 10-year risk of coronary heart disease when compared to their Australian-born counterparts. Adherence to a high risk strategy for vitamin D testing was observed in the centre. Pre-migration latitude is an important factor for vitamin D deficiency (lower the latitude higher the risk) and in predicting future risk of cardiovascular disease in migrants. These findings suggest that a targeted approach for vitamin D testing, including zone of origin might better identify individuals at higher risk of both vitamin D deficiency and cardiovascular disease.

Discrepancy Between European Association of Urology Guidelines and Daily Practice in the Management of Non-muscle-invasive Bladder Cancer: Results of a European Survey.

PubMed

Hendricksen, Kees; Aziz, Atiqullah; Bes, Perrine; Chun, Felix K-H; Dobruch, Jakub; Kluth, Luis A; Gontero, Paolo; Necchi, Andrea; Noon, Aidan P; van Rhijn, Bas W G; Rink, Michael; Roghmann, Florian; Rouprêt, Morgan; Seiler, Roland; Shariat, Shahrokh F; Qvick, Brian; Babjuk, Marek; Xylinas, Evanguelos

2017-10-23

The European Association of Urology (EAU) non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) guidelines are meant to help minimise morbidity and improve the care of patients with NMIBC. However, there may be underuse of guideline-recommended care in this potentially curable cohort. To assess European physicians' current practice in the management of NMIBC and evaluate its concordance with the EAU 2013 guidelines. Initial 45-min telephone interviews were conducted with 20 urologists to develop a 26-item questionnaire for a 30-min online quantitative interview. A total of 498 physicians with predefined experience in treatment of NMIBC patients, from nine European countries, completed the online interviews. Descriptive statistics of absolute numbers and percentages of the use of diagnostic tools, risk group stratification, treatment options chosen, and follow-up regimens were used. Guidelines are used by ≥87% of physicians, with the EAU guidelines being the most used ones (71-100%). Cystoscopy (60-97%) and ultrasonography (42-95%) are the most used diagnostic techniques. Using EAU risk classification, 40-69% and 88-100% of physicians correctly identify all the prognostic factors for low- and high-risk tumours, respectively. Re-transurethral resection of the bladder tumour (re-TURB) is performed in 25-75% of low-risk and 55-98% of high-risk patients. Between 21% and 88% of patients received a single instillation of chemotherapy within 24h after TURB. Adjuvant intravesical treatment is not given to 6-62%, 2-33%, and 1-20% of the patients with low-, intermediate-, and high-risk NMIBC, respectively. Patients with low-risk NMIBC are likely to be overmonitored and those with high-risk NMIBC undermonitored. Our study is limited by the possible recall bias of the selected physicians. Although most European physicians claim to apply the EAU guidelines, adherence to them is low in daily practice. Our survey among European physicians investigated discrepancies between guidelines and

Maladies reliées aux loisirs aquatiques

PubMed Central

Sanborn, Margaret; Takaro, Tim

2013-01-01

Résumé Objectif Passer en revue les facteurs de risque, la prise en charge et la prévention des maladies reliées aux loisirs aquatiques en pratique familiale. Sources des données Des articles originaux et de synthèse entre janvier 1998 et février 2012 ont été identifiés à l’aide de PubMed et des expressions de recherche en anglais water-related illness, recreational water illness et swimmer illness. Message principal Il y a un risque de 3 % à 8 % de maladies gastrointestinales (MGI) après la baignade. Les groupes à risque élevé de MGI sont les enfants de moins de 5 ans, surtout s’ils n’ont pas été vaccinés contre le rotavirus, les personnes âgées et les patients immunodéficients. Les enfants sont à plus grand risque parce qu’ils avalent plus d’eau quand ils nagent, restent dans l’eau plus longtemps et jouent dans l’eau peu profonde et le sable qui sont plus contaminés. Les adeptes des sports dans lesquels le contact avec l’eau est abondant comme le triathlon et le surf cerf-volant sont aussi à risque élevé et même ceux qui s’adonnent à des activités impliquant un contact partiel avec l’eau comme la navigation de plaisance et la pêche ont un risque de 40 % à 50 % fois plus grand de MGI par rapport à ceux qui ne pratiquent pas de sports aquatiques. Il y a lieu de faire une culture des selles quand on soupçonne une maladie reliée aux loisirs aquatiques et l’échelle clinique de la déshydratation est utile pour l’évaluation des besoins de traitement chez les enfants affectés. Conclusion Les maladies reliées aux loisirs aquatiques est la principale cause de MGI durant la saison des baignades. La reconnaissance que la baignade est une source importante de maladies peut aider à prévenir les cas récurrents et secondaires. On recommande fortement le vaccin contre le rotavirus chez les enfants qui se baignent souvent.

Acid-Catalyzed Degradation of Poly(2-Butyl-1,3,6-Trioxocane)

DTIC Science & Technology

1986-01-10

was not studied. The "detailed investigation of ring formation by Illuminati and his coworkers" " show that formation of 8-membered rings is highly...with oxygen atom lowers the strain. Thus a trioxocane should be less destabilized relative 11 linear polymer than is cyclooctane. Illuminati et al...I, 1. 4, tw 29 11. G. Illuminati and L. Mandolini, Acct. Chem. Res. ,14. 95. 12. M.A. Casadel, C. Galli and L. Mandolini, 4, . hem. Soc. i123, 10.6

Acute immunosuppression and syngeneic bone marrow transplantation in ocular autoimmunity abort disease, but do not result in induction of long-term protection.

PubMed

Savion, S; Silver, P B; Chan, C C; Caspi, R R

1998-09-01

Acute immunosuppression induced by total body irradiation (TBI) or cyclophosphamide (Cy) treatment, followed by syngeneic bone marrow transplantation (SBMT), was reported to be effective in inducing long-term tolerance in some autoimmune disease models. We examined the efficacy of this approach in the mouse model of experimental autoimmune uveoretinitis (EAU). Development of EAU induced by the interphotoreceptor retinoid binding protein (IRBP) was abolished almost completely by either TBI or Cy treatment, followed by SBMT, instituted one week after priming. In parallel, IRBP-specific delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) responses and lymph node cell proliferation were strongly suppressed or abolished. However, when these IRBP-immunized, lymphoablated and BM reconstituted mice were rechallenged with the immunizing antigen seven weeks after the primary immunization, they were not protected from developing disease, despite the fact that DTH and lymph node cell proliferation to the antigen were suppressed relative to controls. TBI treatment appeared somewhat more effective than Cy treatment as judged by its more profound effect on immunological responses. These results demonstrate the ability of acute immunosuppression followed by reconstitution of the immune system to inhibit the development of EAU, although long-term protection from disease was not achieved.

Use of flexible ureteroscopy in the clinical practice for the treatment of renal stones: results from a large European survey conducted by the EAU Young Academic Urologists-Working Party on Endourology and Urolithiasis.

PubMed

Sanguedolce, F; Liatsikos, E; Verze, P; Hruby, S; Breda, A; Beatty, J D; Knoll, T

2014-08-01

Treatment of renal stones using flexible ureteroscopy (fURS) is increasingly common despite the poor evidence in literature supporting its use and indications. With this study, we wanted to investigate the current use and indication of fURS for the treatment of renal stones in the clinical practice across the European countries. A survey was conducted using an emailed questionnaire consisting of 21 items; 2,894 recipients were selected via the EAU membership database. The questionnaires were collected through the SurveyMonkey system and the data were processed with the SPSS statistical package. Frequencies, cross tabs and Pearson correlation coefficients were applied as appropriate. 1,168 questionnaires were collected (response rate 40.4%). fURS was performed in 72.9% of the respondents' institutions, and 54.2% of the respondents were performing the procedure. For 95% of the users, fURS was considered first-line treatment, for stone of lower pole stone (45.9%) and <1 cm (44.2%) and 2 cm (43.8%) in size. The ureteral access sheaths were used routinely by more than 70% of the respondents. Lower pole stone repositioning technique was routinely performed by 45.9% of the surgeons. After fragmentation, 47.2% of the responders preferred to retrieve only the bigger fragments. At the end of fURS, lower volume surgeons were more likely to place routinely a double-J stent (p = 0.001). Higher volume surgeons estimated a higher durability of devices, both optical and digital ones (p < 0.001), and were more prone to consider fURS cost-effective when compared to other treatment modalities (p < 0.001). fURS is widely used for the treatment of renal stones and its use and indication can vary according to the age and surgeons' case volume. Higher volume surgeons are more prompt to extend international guidelines indications and to consider the technology cost-effective.

Evaluation of Underwater Contamination by Explosives and Metals at Point Amour Labrador and in the Halifax Harbour Area

DTIC Science & Technology

2004-06-01

à Pointe Amour, au Labrador, où le HMS Raleigh sombra en 1922. Des munitions non éclatées s’y trouvaient et on a procédé à la détonation in situ de...cours de cette opération, l’échantillonnage d’eau et de sédiments a été effectué à l’aide d’un véhicule submersible télécommandé. En ce qui concerne...l’identification des échantillons, les conditions météorologiques ainsi que les méthodes d’échantillonnage en eau profonde. DRDC Valcartier TR-2004-125 i

HOspitals and patients WoRking in Unity (HOW R U?): telephone peer support to improve older patients’ quality of life after emergency department discharge in Melbourne, Australia—a multicentre prospective feasibility study

PubMed Central

Lennox, Alyse; Curtis, Andrea; Wilson, Gillian; Rosewarne, Cate; Smit, De Villiers; O’Brien, Debra; Browning, Colette Joy; Boyd, Lee; Smith, Cathie; Cameron, Peter

2018-01-01

Objectives To ascertain the feasibility and acceptability of the HOW R U? programme, a novel volunteer-peer postdischarge support programme for older patients after discharge from the emergency department (ED). Design A multicentre prospective mixed-methods feasibility study. Setting Two tertiary hospital EDs in metropolitan Melbourne, Australia. Participants A convenience sample of 39 discharged ED patients aged 70 years or over, with symptoms of social isolation, loneliness and/or depression. Intervention The HOW R U? intervention comprised weekly social support telephone calls delivered by volunteer peers for 3 months following ED discharge. Primary and secondary outcome measures The primary outcomes were feasibility of study processes, intervention acceptability to participants and retention in the programme. Secondary outcomes were changes in loneliness level (UCLA-3—3-item Loneliness Scale), mood (5-item Geriatric Depression Scale) and health-related quality of life (EQ-5D-5L and EQ-VAS) postintervention. Results Recruitment was feasible, with 30% of eligible patients successfully recruited. Seventeen volunteer peers provided telephone support to patient participants, in addition to their usual hospital volunteer role. HOW R U? was well received, with 87% retention in the patient group, and no attrition in the volunteer group. The median age of patients was 84 years, 64% were female, and 82% lived alone. Sixty-eight per cent of patients experienced reductions in depressive symptoms, and 53% experiencing reduced feelings of loneliness, and these differences were statistically significant Patient feedback was positive and volunteers reported great satisfaction with their new role. Conclusion HOW R U? was feasible in terms of recruitment and retention and was acceptable to both patients and volunteers. The overall results support the potential for further research in this area and provide data to support the design of a definitive trial to confirm the observed

Preparation of a Natural Product Extract Library for Investigation Against Disease States Specific to Defence Health: A Mini Long Range Research Project

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-02-01

Sci in 1994 and with a BSc(Hons) in 1995 from The University of Melbourne. In 1999 he completed a PhD in marine natural products chemistry from the...BSc(Hons) in 1994 from the University of Melbourne. In 1998 she completed a PhD in organic chemistry , developing new free-radical syntheses of some...Melissa began work in the area of medicinal chemistry , developing partial agonists of adenosine A1 receptors; firstly at Deakin University and

Targeting CD6 for the treatment of experimental autoimmune uveitis.

PubMed

Zhang, Lingjun; Li, Yan; Qiu, Wen; Bell, Brent A; Dvorina, Nina; Baldwin, William M; Singer, Nora; Kern, Timothy; Caspi, Rachel R; Fox, David A; Lin, Feng

2018-06-01

CD6 is emerging as a new target for treating many pathological conditions in which T cells are integrally involved, but even the latest data from studies of CD6 gene engineered mice were still contradictory. To address this issue, we studied experimental autoimmune uveitis (EAU), a model of autoimmune uveitis, in wild-type (WT) and CD6 knockout (KO) mice. After EAU induction in WT and CD6 KO mice, we evaluated ocular inflammation and compared retinal antigen-specific T-cell responses using scanning laser ophthalmoscopy, spectral-domain optical coherence tomography, histopathology, and T cell recall assays. Uveitogenic T cells from WT and CD6 KO mice were adoptively transferred into WT naïve mice to confirm the impact of CD6 on T cells. In addition, we immunized CD6 KO mice with recombinant CD6 protein to develop mouse anti-mouse CD6 monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) in which functional antibodies exhibiting cross-reactivity with human CD6 were screened and identified for treatment studies. In CD6 KO mice with EAU, we found significantly decreased retinal inflammation and reduced autoreactive T-cell responses, and confirmed the impaired uveitogenic capacity of T cells from these mice in an adoptive transfer experiment. Notably, one of these cross-reactive mAbs significantly ameliorated retinal inflammation in EAU induced by the adoptive transfer of uveitogenic T cells. Together, these data strongly suggest that CD6 plays a previously unknown, but pivotal role in autoimmune uveitis, and may be a promising new treatment target for this blinding disease. In addition, the newly developed mouse anti-mouse/human CD6 mAbs could be valuable tools for testing CD6-targeted therapies in other mouse models of human diseases. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Developpement d'un catalyseur nickel-alumine efficace pour le reformage de diesel a la vapeur d'eau et etude du systeme reactionnel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fauteux-Lefebvre, Clemence

Le developpement de sources d'energie alternatives fiables et efficaces est aujourd'hui une necessite. L' interet dans le reformage d'hydrocarbures liquides est ainsi croissant puisqu'il s'agit d'une voie pour l'alimentation des piles a combustible. Les piles a combustible ont une efficacite pour la conversion d'energie en electricite plus grande que celle des moteurs a combustion et font ainsi partie de la recherche de solution en efficacite energetique. Ces piles consomment de l'hydrogene comme combustible pour produire de l'electricite, d'ou l'interet pour le reformage. En effet, cette reaction permet de produire de l'hydrogene et du monoxyde de carbone (un autre combustible des piles a combustible a electrolyte solide) a partir d'hydrocarbure liquide, notamment le diesel. Les piles pourraient donc etre integrees avec une unite de reformage leur fournissant directement le combustible necessaire a partir de diesel. Dans ce projet de recherche, un nouveau catalyseur de nickel sous forme de spinelle nickel-alumine (spinelle NiAl2O4 sur support d'alumine et de zircone stabilisee avec yttria) a ete developpe et teste en laboratoire pour du reformage de propane, d'hydrocarbures liquides et de diesel, a la vapeur d'eau. Par ailleurs, une methode d'ajout des reactifs novatrice a ete utilisee afin de diminuer la pyrolyse precedant le reformage, en utilisant une emulsion. Les resultats de reformage d'hydrocarbures purs ont montre des concentrations tres pres de l'equilibre thermodynamique et une activite constante sans desactivation du catalyseur ni formation de carbone, et ce avec des ratios H2O/C de moins de 2.5 et des temperatures d'operation variant entre 630 °C et 750 °C. Lors de tests effectues en utilisant du diesel fossile, a 705°C, avec un debit volumique des reactifs de plus de 50 000 cm3gcat-1h-1 et un ratio H2O/C de moins de 2.5, l'activite a ete maintenue pendant plus de 15 heures, malgre une operation en cycles. L'analyse du catalyseur apres cette

Diurnal fluctuations in nematode egg excretion in naturally and in experimentally infected chickens.

PubMed

Wongrak, Kalyakorn; Gauly, Matthias; Daş, Gürbüz

2015-03-15

We investigated whether nematode egg excretion through feces of naturally or experimentally infected chickens follow certain patterns within a day, which may allow determining the most appropriate sampling time for the highest parasite egg concentration. Feces samples (n=864) from chickens (n=36) with naturally occurring mixed nematode infections (trials N1, N2) or with an experimental Ascaridia galli infection (E) were collected quantitatively every 4h for four consecutive days. Number of eggs per gram of feces (EPG) was determined, and accumulative egg output (AEO) at each sampling time as well as total number of eggs excreted within 24h (eggs per day, EPD) were then estimated. At the end of the collection period, the hens were necropsied and their worm burdens determined. Naturally infected hens harbored Heterakis gallinarum (100%), Capillaria spp. (95.7%) and A. galli (91.3%). The experimental A. galli infection produced patent infections in all the birds. In general, both fecal egg concentration (EPG) and the amount of feces increased (P<0.05) sharply from the early morning to early-noon (10:00 a.m.) and remained at a high level until evenings which thereafter decreased to their initial levels during the night both in naturally and experimentally infected birds. This resulted in a more apparent increase or a decrease in AEO at the corresponding time points, respectively, and led to much higher egg excretions during the daytime than the nights. Despite the apparent within day fluctuations in egg excretion, neither EPG (P=0.704) nor AEO (P=0.499) nor EPD (P=0.149) was significantly different among the four collection days. Similarly, there was no significant interaction (P>0.05) between effects of sampling hours and days on EPG and AEO, suggesting the existence of repeatable diurnal fluctuations within each day. Although an association between climatic parameters (e.g., ambient temperature and relative humidity) and the nematode egg excretion was quantified, a

Differences in photosynthetic responses of NADP-ME type C4 species to high light.

PubMed

Romanowska, Elżbieta; Buczyńska, Alicja; Wasilewska, Wioleta; Krupnik, Tomasz; Drożak, Anna; Rogowski, Paweł; Parys, Eugeniusz; Zienkiewicz, Maksymilian

2017-03-01

Three species chosen as representatives of NADP-ME C4 subtype exhibit different sensitivity toward photoinhibition, and great photochemical differences were found to exist between the species. These characteristics might be due to the imbalance in the excitation energy between the photosystems present in M and BS cells, and also due to that between species caused by the penetration of light inside the leaves. Such regulation in the distribution of light intensity between M and BS cells shows that co-operation between both the metabolic systems determines effective photosynthesis and reduces the harmful effects of high light on the degradation of PSII through the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). We have investigated several physiological parameters of NADP-ME-type C4 species (e.g., Zea mays, Echinochloa crus-galli, and Digitaria sanguinalis) grown under moderate light intensity (200 µmol photons m -2  s -1 ) and, subsequently, exposed to excess light intensity (HL, 1600 µmol photons m -2  s -1 ). Our main interest was to understand why these species, grown under identical conditions, differ in their responses toward high light, and what is the physiological significance of these differences. Among the investigated species, Echinochloa crus-galli is best adapted to HL treatment. High resistance of the photosynthetic apparatus of E. crus-galli to HL was accompanied by an elevated level of phosphorylation of PSII proteins, and higher values of photochemical quenching, ATP/ADP ratio, activity of PSI and PSII complexes, as well as integrity of the thylakoid membranes. It was also shown that the non-radiative dissipation of energy in the studied plants was not dependent on carotenoid contents and, thus, other photoprotective mechanisms might have been engaged under HL stress conditions. The activity of the enzymes superoxide dismutase and ascorbate peroxidase as well as the content of malondialdehyde and H 2 O 2 suggests that antioxidant defense is not

Drainage-Area Data for Wisconsin Streams

DTIC Science & Technology

1983-01-01

Balsam Lake, County Trunk 34 N 16 W NW1/4SW1/4 11 Polk 5 81 .7 Highway E 05341000 Bone Lake near Luck (head of Fox Creek) 35 N 16 W NW1/4NW1/4 5 Polk 1...Not determine 05341010 Fox Creek near Luck, at outlet of Bone 35 N 16 W NW1/4SE1/4 20 Polk 7 16 .6 Lake 05341030 Straight River near Balsam Lake, at...13 W SW1/4SW1/4 21 Pepin 1 9,010 Eau Celle River 05369800 Eau Galle River tributary near Hersey, 28 N 15 W SW1/4SW1/4 5 St . Croix 3 .56 U.S

Evaluation of weed control efficacy and crop safety of the new HPPD-inhibiting herbicide-QYR301.

PubMed

Wang, Hengzhi; Liu, Weitang; Zhao, Kongping; Yu, Hui; Zhang, Jia; Wang, Jinxin

2018-05-21

QYR301, 1,3-Dimethyl-1H-pyrazole-4-carboxylic acid 4-[2-chloro-3-(3,5-dimethyl-pyrazol-1-ylmethyl)-4-methanesulfonyl-benzoyl]-2,5-dimethyl-2H-pyrazol-3-yl ester, is a novel HPPD-inhibiting herbicide and was evaluated to provide a reference for post-emergence (POST) application under greenhouse and field conditions. The crop safety (180 and 360 g active ingredient (a.i.) ha -1 treatments) experiment revealed that wheat, paddy, garlic and corn were the only four crops without injury at both examined herbicide rates. The weed control efficacy (60 and 120 g a.i. ha -1 ) experiment showed that QYR301 exhibited high efficacy against many weeds, especially weeds infesting paddy fields. Furthermore, it is interesting that both susceptible and multiple herbicide resistant Echinochloa crus-galli (L.) Beauv. and Echinochloa phyllopogon (Stapf) Koss, two notorious weed species in paddy field, remained susceptible to QYR301. Further crop tolerance results indicated that 20 tested paddy hybrids displayed different levels of tolerance to QYR301, with the japonica paddy hybrids having more tolerance than indica paddy hybrids under greenhouse conditions. Results obtained from field experiments showed that QYR301 POST at 135 to 180 g a.i. ha -1 was recommended to provide satisfactory full-season control of E. crus-galli and Leptochloa chinensis (L.) Nees and to maximize rice yields. These findings indicate that QYR301 possesses great potential for the management of weeds in paddy fields.

Alkaloids in Erythrina by UPLC-ESI-MS and In Vivo Hypotensive Potential of Extractive Preparations

PubMed Central

Merlugo, Liara; Santos, Marí C.; Sant'Anna, Liane S.; Cordeiro, Everson W. F.; Batista, Luiz A. C.; Miotto, Silvia T. S.; Garcia, Cássia V.; Moreira, Cleci M.; Mendez, Andreas S. L.

2015-01-01

Erythrina species are used in popular medicine as sedative, anxiolytic, anti-inflammatory, and antihypertensive. In this work, we investigated the chemical composition of extracts obtained from leaves of E. falcata and E. crista-galli. The hypotensive potential of E. falcata and the mechanism of action were also studied. The extracts were obtained by maceration and infusion. The total content of phenolic compounds and flavonoids was estimated by spectrophotometric methods. The chemical constituents were studied performing a chromatographic analysis by UPLC-ESI-MS. For in vivo protocols, blood pressure and heart rate were measured by the invasive hemodynamic monitoring method. Different concentrations of extracts and drugs such as L-NAME, losartan, hexamethonium, and propranolol were administrated i.v. The results of total phenolic contents for E. falcata and E. crista-galli were 1.3193–1.4989 mgGAE/mL for maceration and 0.8771–0.9506 mgGAE/mL for infusion. In total flavonoids, the content was 7.7829–8.1976 mg RE/g for maceration and 9.3471–10.4765 RE mg/g for infusion. The chemical composition was based on alkaloids, suggesting the presence of erythristemine, 11β-methoxyglucoerysodine, erysothiopine, 11β-hydroxyerysodine-glucose, and 11-hydroxyerysotinone-rhamnoside. A potent dose-dependent hypotensive effect was observed for E. falcata, which may be related to the route of β-adrenergic receptors. PMID:26356581

The social media revolution is changing the conference experience: analytics and trends from eight international meetings.

PubMed

Wilkinson, Sarah E; Basto, Marnique Y; Perovic, Greta; Lawrentschuk, Nathan; Murphy, Declan G

2015-05-01

To analyse the use of Twitter at urology conferences to enhance the social media conference experience. We prospectively registered the hashtags of eight international urology conferences taking place in 2013, using the social media metrics website, Symplur.com. In addition, we prospectively registered the hashtag for the European Association of Urology (EAU) Annual Congress for 3 consecutive years (2012-2014) to analyse the trend in the use of Twitter at a particular meeting. Metrics including number of 'tweets', number of participants, tweet traffic per day, and overall digital impressions, which were captured for 5 days before each conference, the conference itself, and the following 2 days. We also measured corresponding social media activity at a very large non-urology meeting (the American Society of Clinical Oncology) for comparative purposes. Twitter activity was noted at all eight conferences in 2013. In all, 12,363 tweets were sent generating over 14 million impressions. The number of participants tweeting at each meeting varied from 80 (Congress of the Société Internationale d'Urologie, #SIU2013) to 573 (the American Urological Association, #AUA13). Overall, the AUA meeting (#AUA13) generated the most Twitter activity with >8.6 million impressions and a total of 4663 tweets over the peri-conference period. It also had the most impressions and tweets per day over this period, at 717,000 and 389, respectively. The EAU Annual Congress 2013 (#EAU13) generated 1.74 million impressions from a total of 1762 tweets from 236 participants. For trends in Twitter use, there was a very sharp rise in Twitter activity at the EAU Annual Congress between 2012 and 2014. Over this 3-year period, the number of participants increased almost 10-fold, leading to an increase in the number of tweets from 347 to almost 6000. At #EAU14, digital impressions reached 7.35 million with 5903 tweets sent by 797 participants. Urological conferences, to a varying extent, have adopted

First-Principle Simulations of Water

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schwegler, Eric

2004-03-01

The structural and dynamical properties of water are investigated with a series of first-principle and classical molecular dynamics simulations. A number of effects that can influence the simulated properties of water will be discussed including temperature, intramolecular flexibility [1], and the quantum nature of protons. This work was performed under the auspices of the U.S. Dept. of Energy at the University of California/Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under contract no. W-7405-Eng-48. [1] M. Allesch, E. Schwegler, G. Galli, F. Gygi, J. Chem. Phys. in press 2004.

[Parahaemoproteus desseri n. sp.; gametogony and schizogony in the natural host: Psittacula roseata from Thailand, experimental sporogony in Culicoides nubeculosus (author's transl)].

PubMed

Miltgen, F; Landau, I; Ratanaworabhan, N; Yenbutra, S

1981-01-01

The gametogony and the tissue schizogony of Parahaemoproteus desseri are described in the natural host: Psittacula roseata; the schizonts develop in muscle fibres; they are large (up to 900 micrometer) and often sausage shaped with pseudo-septa. Experimental sporogony was studied in laboratory bred Culicoides nubeculosus (Ceratopogonidae). Oocysts are small and give rise to a small number of sporozoites. The morphological characteristics of the schizonts of our Parahaemoproteus are very similar to those of schizonts of Arthrocystis galli and therefore it is possible that the two genera are synonymous.

Weed growth inhibitors from Aspergillus fischeri TISTR 3272.

PubMed

Phattanawasin, P; Pojchanakom, K; Sotanaphun, U; Piyapolrungroj, N; Zungsontiporn, S

2007-12-01

Chloroform and ethyl acetate extracts of Aspergillus fischeri TISTR 3272 showed good growth inhibitory activity on Mimosa pigra and Echinochloa crus-galli. Bioassay-directed fractionation of the active extracts led to the isolation of five known compounds, (+)-terrein (1), (-)-6-hydroxymellein (2), two diketopiperazines (cyclo-(S-Pro-S-Leu) (3) and cyclo-(S-Pro-S-Val) (4)) and butyrolactone I (5). Compounds 2-5 were reported for the first time in this fungus. Their structural determinations were based on analyses of spectroscopic data and their weed growth inhibitory effects were assessed.

Look who's talking! A roadside survey of drivers' cell phone use.

PubMed

Young, Kristie L; Rudin-Brown, Christina M; Lenné, Michael G

2010-12-01

The objective of this study was to quantify Melbourne drivers' rates of handheld and hands-free phone use and the driver, vehicle, site, and time characteristics associated with phone use. Additionally, this study sought to examine any change in the prevalence of handheld cell phone use by Melbourne drivers between 2006 and 2009. Observational survey of vehicle drivers at various times of the day and week at 3 sites across metropolitan Melbourne during May 2009. A total of 195 (3.4%) of the 5813 drivers observed were using handheld phones and 81 (1.4%) were using hands-free phones. This represents a significant increase in handheld phone usage rates compared to those found in an earlier study conducted in Melbourne in 2006. Cell phone use was associated with a range of driver, vehicle, site, and time characteristics. Handheld phone users were predominately young or middle-aged drivers who drove cars or 4-wheel-drive vehicles (4WDs), and this activity was more likely to occur in the late afternoon. Use of hands-free phones did not differ significantly across gender, age group, vehicle type, observation site, or time of day; however, use of hands-free phones was higher on weekdays compared to weekends. Despite legislation being in place, drivers' handheld cell phone use is still a major road safety concern, particularly for young and middle-aged drivers. The effectiveness of other strategies for decreasing handheld usage rates, including increased surveillance and tougher penalties, need to be ascertained.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Japanese girls from Urawa Daiichi Girls High School, Urawa, Japan, place a floral tribute to the crew of Columbia at the STS-107 memorial stone at the Spacehab facility, Cape Canaveral, Fla. The group was awarded the trip to Florida when their experiments were chosen to fly on mission STS-107. The group was also meeting with American students from Melbourne and Jacksonville, Fla. The National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA) and the KSC International Space Station and Payloads Processing Directorate worked with the NASA KSC Education Programs and University Research Division to coordinate the students’ visit.

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-08-20

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Japanese girls from Urawa Daiichi Girls High School, Urawa, Japan, place a floral tribute to the crew of Columbia at the STS-107 memorial stone at the Spacehab facility, Cape Canaveral, Fla. The group was awarded the trip to Florida when their experiments were chosen to fly on mission STS-107. The group was also meeting with American students from Melbourne and Jacksonville, Fla. The National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA) and the KSC International Space Station and Payloads Processing Directorate worked with the NASA KSC Education Programs and University Research Division to coordinate the students’ visit.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Japanese and American students gather at the STS-107 memorial stone at the Spacehab facility, Cape Canaveral, Fla. The Japanese girls are from Urawa Daiichi Girls High School, Urawa, Japan. The group was awarded the trip to Florida when their experiments were chosen to fly on mission STS-107. The American students are from Melbourne and Jacksonville, Fla. The National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA) and the KSC International Space Station and Payloads Processing Directorate worked with the NASA KSC Education Programs and University Research Division to coordinate the students’ visit.

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-08-20

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Japanese and American students gather at the STS-107 memorial stone at the Spacehab facility, Cape Canaveral, Fla. The Japanese girls are from Urawa Daiichi Girls High School, Urawa, Japan. The group was awarded the trip to Florida when their experiments were chosen to fly on mission STS-107. The American students are from Melbourne and Jacksonville, Fla. The National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA) and the KSC International Space Station and Payloads Processing Directorate worked with the NASA KSC Education Programs and University Research Division to coordinate the students’ visit.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Evelyn Husband, wife of STS-107 Commander Rick Husband, visits a new residence hall at the Florida Institute of Technology (FIT) in Melbourne, Fla., named for her late husband. Family members of the STS-107 astronauts, other dignitaries, members of the university community and the public gathered for a dedication ceremony for the Columbia Village at FIT. Each of the seven new residence halls in the complex is named for one of the STS-107 astronauts who perished during the Columbia accident -- Rick Husband, Willie McCool, Laurel Clark, Michael Anderson, David Brown, Kalpana Chawla, and Ilan Ramon.

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-10-28

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Evelyn Husband, wife of STS-107 Commander Rick Husband, visits a new residence hall at the Florida Institute of Technology (FIT) in Melbourne, Fla., named for her late husband. Family members of the STS-107 astronauts, other dignitaries, members of the university community and the public gathered for a dedication ceremony for the Columbia Village at FIT. Each of the seven new residence halls in the complex is named for one of the STS-107 astronauts who perished during the Columbia accident -- Rick Husband, Willie McCool, Laurel Clark, Michael Anderson, David Brown, Kalpana Chawla, and Ilan Ramon.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Rona Ramon, wife of STS-107 Payload Specialist Ilan Ramon, visits a new residence hall at the Florida Institute of Technology (FIT) in Melbourne, Fla., named for her late husband. Family members of the STS-107 astronauts, other dignitaries, members of the university community and the public gathered for a dedication ceremony for the Columbia Village at FIT. Each of the seven new residence halls in the complex is named for one of the STS-107 astronauts who perished during the Columbia accident -- Rick Husband, Willie McCool, Laurel Clark, Michael Anderson, David Brown, Kalpana Chawla, and Ilan Ramon.

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-10-28

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Rona Ramon, wife of STS-107 Payload Specialist Ilan Ramon, visits a new residence hall at the Florida Institute of Technology (FIT) in Melbourne, Fla., named for her late husband. Family members of the STS-107 astronauts, other dignitaries, members of the university community and the public gathered for a dedication ceremony for the Columbia Village at FIT. Each of the seven new residence halls in the complex is named for one of the STS-107 astronauts who perished during the Columbia accident -- Rick Husband, Willie McCool, Laurel Clark, Michael Anderson, David Brown, Kalpana Chawla, and Ilan Ramon.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Sandra Anderson, wife of STS-107 Payload Commander Michael Anderson, visits a new residence hall at the Florida Institute of Technology (FIT) in Melbourne, Fla., named for her late husband. Family members of the STS-107 astronauts, other dignitaries, members of the university community and the public gathered for a dedication ceremony for the Columbia Village at FIT. Each of the seven new residence halls in the complex is named for one of the STS-107 astronauts who perished during the Columbia accident -- Rick Husband, Willie McCool, Laurel Clark, Michael Anderson, David Brown, Kalpana Chawla, and Ilan Ramon.

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-10-28

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Sandra Anderson, wife of STS-107 Payload Commander Michael Anderson, visits a new residence hall at the Florida Institute of Technology (FIT) in Melbourne, Fla., named for her late husband. Family members of the STS-107 astronauts, other dignitaries, members of the university community and the public gathered for a dedication ceremony for the Columbia Village at FIT. Each of the seven new residence halls in the complex is named for one of the STS-107 astronauts who perished during the Columbia accident -- Rick Husband, Willie McCool, Laurel Clark, Michael Anderson, David Brown, Kalpana Chawla, and Ilan Ramon.

Outcomes from the Mount Sinai Social Work Leadership Enhancement Program: Evaluation and extrapolation.

PubMed

Nilsson, David; Wellington-Boyd, Anna

2006-01-01

This article presents an overview of outcomes from the Mount Sinai Leadership Enhancement Program as identified by previous program participants from Melbourne, Australia. These are categorised into: (1) Personal/professional, (2) Intra-organisational, (3) Interorganisational, and (4) International outcomes. Two illustrative examples are provided of international outcomes demonstrating how the ongoing commitment of Professor Epstein has extended and embedded the principles of practice-based research in Melbourne, and how the over-riding principles of the program have been applied by participants in establishing collaborative relationships with colleagues in our neighbouring South-East Asian region.

Impact of organic carbon quality on methanogenesis in subterranean estuaries and implications for greenhouse gas production

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pain, A.; Young, C. R.; Martin, J. B.

2016-12-01

The land-sea interface is a hotspot for organic carbon (OC) remineralization reactions, which generate greenhouse gases (CO2 and CH4). Intense processing of terrestrial organic carbon occurs in surface estuaries, and the extent of reactions depends in part on OC reactivity. Subterranean estuaries (STEs) are ubiquitous along coastlines but understudied relative to surface estuaries. However, they could possess many of the same characteristics that lead to intense OC processing in surface estuaries and perhaps be even more important to C cycling considering their small water-sediment ratios. We assess OC processing in three seepage faces discharging to Indian River Lagoon, FL (Eau Gallie North, EGN; Riverwalk Park, RWP; and Banana River Lagoon, BRL), by measuring the quantity and quality of dissolved OC along with concentrations and δ13C signatures of dissolved CO2 and CH4. OC quality is assessed with fluorescence and PARAFAC modeling to depict changes in the abundance of reactive OC. CH4 concentrations vary by orders of magnitude between seepage faces, with the highest concentrations of 100 µM at RWP. RWP is more reducing than EGN and BRL and also contains the highest abundance of labile protein-like organic matter, which may fuel more extensive OC remineralization reactions. Residuals of salinity-based concentration and isotopic mixing models between lagoon surface water and inland groundwater indicate changes in concentration and isotopic compositions of CO2 and CH4 in the STE is due to reactions rather than mixing. At EGN and BRL, CO2 and CH4 are produced at a molar ratio of CO2:CH4 = 4 and 1.5, respectively, suggesting predominant methanogenesis via acetate fermentation, which produces CO2:CH4 ratios of 1. At RWP, CO2 is consumed as CH4 is produced at a molar ratio of -0.8, near the expected change in CO2:CH4 of -1 for methanogenesis via CO2 reduction. RWP δ13C-CH4 signatures are more depleted (-81‰) than EGN and BRL (-55‰), further supporting different

HOspitals and patients WoRking in Unity (HOW R U?): telephone peer support to improve older patients' quality of life after emergency department discharge in Melbourne, Australia-a multicentre prospective feasibility study.

PubMed

Lowthian, Judy A; Lennox, Alyse; Curtis, Andrea; Wilson, Gillian; Rosewarne, Cate; Smit, De Villiers; O'Brien, Debra; Browning, Colette Joy; Boyd, Lee; Smith, Cathie; Cameron, Peter; Dale, Jeremy

2018-06-14

To ascertain the feasibility and acceptability of the HOW R U? programme, a novel volunteer-peer postdischarge support programme for older patients after discharge from the emergency department (ED). A multicentre prospective mixed-methods feasibility study. Two tertiary hospital EDs in metropolitan Melbourne, Australia. A convenience sample of 39 discharged ED patients aged 70 years or over, with symptoms of social isolation, loneliness and/or depression. The HOW R U? intervention comprised weekly social support telephone calls delivered by volunteer peers for 3 months following ED discharge. The primary outcomes were feasibility of study processes, intervention acceptability to participants and retention in the programme. Secondary outcomes were changes in loneliness level (UCLA-3-3-item Loneliness Scale), mood (5-item Geriatric Depression Scale) and health-related quality of life (EQ-5D-5L and EQ-VAS) postintervention. Recruitment was feasible, with 30% of eligible patients successfully recruited. Seventeen volunteer peers provided telephone support to patient participants, in addition to their usual hospital volunteer role. HOW R U? was well received, with 87% retention in the patient group, and no attrition in the volunteer group.The median age of patients was 84 years, 64% were female, and 82% lived alone. Sixty-eight per cent of patients experienced reductions in depressive symptoms, and 53% experiencing reduced feelings of loneliness, and these differences were statistically significant Patient feedback was positive and volunteers reported great satisfaction with their new role. HOW R U? was feasible in terms of recruitment and retention and was acceptable to both patients and volunteers. The overall results support the potential for further research in this area and provide data to support the design of a definitive trial to confirm the observed effects. ANZCTRN12615000715572; Results. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in

Eco-hydrology: Groundwater flow and site factors in plant ecology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Klijn, Frans; Witte, Jan-Philip M.

Résumé En écologie végétale, le site est un concept central. Un site, c'est l'endroit où une espèce végétale ou une communauté de plantes se développe le site assure un ensemble de conditions dans lesquelles elles vivent. Dans un matériau homogène à l'origine, l'écoulement gravitaire d'une nappe influence les conditions du site par l'intermédiaire de la distribution spatiale des nutriments et d'autres composés chimiques associés. Les remontées d'eau peuvent tout spécialement produire et maintenir les conditions du site essentielles pour différentes espèces et communautés de plantes relativement rares. Les écologues ont porté une attention accrue à ces remontées d'eau, en sorte qu'une coopération avec les hydrologues en a résulté, avec l'émergence d'une discipline propre, l'éco-hydrologie, à la limite des deux domaines scientifiques et liée au concept de site. Aux Pays-Bas, une classification des types d'eau, basée sur l'histoire de l'eau souterraine à proximité de la surface, a été mise en oeuvre pour constituer une base nationale de données géographiques sur les remontées d'eau d'intérêt écologique. Des analyses des correspondances des données de cette base, portant sur l'existence de certaines espèces de plantes, montrent que dans les sols sableux pauvres du Pléistocène la remontée d'eau explique très bien la présence de certaines espèces et communautés, alors que, dans les plaines fluviales et les régions de polders à sols argileux riches, l'influence de la remontée d'eau est masquée par l'importance des caractéristiques des sols. En conclusion donc, certaines espèces de plantes peuvent être utilisées comme des indicateurs de la remontée d'eau dans des diagnostiques et des levés de terrain rapides, mais à condition de prendre en permanence des précautions sur les limites de l'approche. Resumen En ecología botánica un concepto de gran importancia es el de emplazamiento, definido como el lugar que

Projecting future temperature-related mortality in three largest Australian cities.

PubMed

Guo, Yuming; Li, Shanshan; Liu, De Li; Chen, Dong; Williams, Gail; Tong, Shilu

2016-01-01

We estimated net annual temperature-related mortality in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne in Australia using 62 global climate model projections under three IPPC SRES CO2 emission scenarios (A2, A1B and B1). In all cities, all scenarios resulted in increases in summer temperature-related deaths for future decades, and decreases in winter temperature-related deaths. However, Brisbane and Sydney will increase the net annual temperature-related deaths in the future, while a slight decrease will happen in Melbourne. Additionally, temperature-related mortality will largely increase beyond the summer (including January, February, March, November and December) in Brisbane and Sydney, while temperature-related mortality will largely decrease beyond the winter in Melbourne. In conclusion, temperature increases for Australia are expected to result in a decreased burden of cold-related mortality and an increased burden of heat-related mortality, but the balance of these differences varied by city. In particular, the seasonal patterns in temperature-related deaths will be shifted. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Undergraduate Child Psychiatry Teaching in Melbourne, Australia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gough, Jenny K.; McCallum, Zoe; Bevan, Catherine; Vance, Alasdair

2010-01-01

Objective: The teaching of child psychiatry in Australian medical schools is under review: the content, the placement of the field within medical curricula, and the appropriate teaching and learning methods are all contested. The authors developed a 1-day program in the 9-week child and adolescent health course conducted in the final two semesters…

Imported Case of Poliomyelitis, Melbourne, Australia, 2007

PubMed Central

Roberts, Jason A.; Beckett, Carolyn L.; Prime, Hayden T.; Loh, Poh-Sien; Thorley, Bruce R.; Daffy, John R.

2009-01-01

Wild poliovirus–associated paralytic poliomyelitis has not been reported in Australia since 1977. We report type 1 wild poliovirus infection in a man who had traveled from Pakistan to Australia in 2007. Poliomyelitis should be considered for patients with acute flaccid paralysis or unexplained fever who have been to poliomyelitis-endemic countries. PMID:19116053

Imported case of poliomyelitis, Melbourne, Australia, 2007.

PubMed

Stewardson, Andrew J; Roberts, Jason A; Beckett, Carolyn L; Prime, Hayden T; Loh, Poh-Sien; Thorley, Bruce R; Daffy, John R

2009-01-01

Wild poliovirus-associated paralytic poliomyelitis has not been reported in Australia since 1977. We report type 1 wild poliovirus infection in a man who had traveled from Pakistan to Australia in 2007. Poliomyelitis should be considered for patients with acute flaccid paralysis or unexplained fever who have been to poliomyelitis-endemic countries.

Patterns in groundwater chemistry resulting from groundwater flow

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stuyfzand, Pieter J.

Groundwater flow influences hydrochemical patterns because flow reduces mixing by diffusion, carries the chemical imprints of biological and anthropogenic changes in the recharge area, and leaches the aquifer system. Global patterns are mainly dictated by differences in the flux of meteoric water passing through the subsoil. Within individual hydrosomes (water bodies with a specific origin), the following prograde evolution lines (facies sequence) normally develop in the direction of groundwater flow: from strong to no fluctuations in water quality, from polluted to unpolluted, from acidic to basic, from oxic to anoxic-methanogenic, from no to significant base exchange, and from fresh to brackish. This is demonstrated for fresh coastal-dune groundwater in the Netherlands. In this hydrosome, the leaching of calcium carbonate as much as 15m and of adsorbed marine cations (Na+, K+, and Mg2+) as much as 2500m in the flow direction is shown to correspond with about 5000yr of flushing since the beach barrier with dunes developed. Recharge focus areas in the dunes are evidenced by groundwater displaying a lower prograde quality evolution than the surrounding dune groundwater. Artificially recharged Rhine River water in the dunes provides distinct hydrochemical patterns, which display groundwater flow, mixing, and groundwater ages. Résumé Les écoulements souterrains influencent les différents types hydrochimiques, parce que l'écoulement réduit le mélange par diffusion, porte les marques chimiques de changements biologiques et anthropiques dans la zone d'alimentation et lessive le système aquifère. Ces types dans leur ensemble sont surtout déterminés par des différences dans le flux d'eau météorique traversant le sous-sol. Dans les "hydrosomes" (masses d'eau d'origine déterminée), les lignes marquant une évolution prograde (séquence de faciès) se développent normalement dans la direction de l'écoulement souterrain : depuis des fluctuations fortes de la

Accordance of Online Health Information on Prostate Cancer with the European Association of Urology Guidelines.

PubMed

Bruendl, Johannes; Rothbauer, Clemens; Ludwig, Bernd; Dotzler, Bernhard; Wolff, Christian; Reimann, Sandra; Borgmann, Hendrik; Burger, Maximilian; Breyer, Johannes

2018-01-01

The internet is an emerging source of information for prostate cancer (PCa) patients. Since little is known about the quality of information on PCa provided online, we investigated its accordance to the latest European Association of Urology (EAU) guidelines. A total of 89 German web pages were included for analysis. A quality model classifying the provider of information and its expertise was introduced. Correctness of provided information was systematically compared to the EAU guidelines. Information was provided by medical experts (41%), media (11%), and pharmaceutical companies (6%). Certificates were found in 23% with a significantly higher rate if provided by medical experts (p = 0.003). The minority of web pages showed information in accordance with the EAU guidelines regarding screening (63%), diagnosis (32%), classification (39%), therapy (36%), complications (8%), and follow-up (27%). Web pages by medical experts as well as websites with any kind of certification showed a significantly higher guideline conformity regarding diagnosis (p = 0.027, p = 0.002), therapy (p = 0.010, p = 0.011), follow-up (p = 0.005, p < 0.001), and availability of references (p = 0.017, p = 0.003). The present study reveals that online health information on PCa lacks concordance to current guidelines. Certified websites or websites provided by medical experts showed a significantly higher quality and accordance with guidelines. © 2018 S. Karger AG, Basel.

ICE-VOLC Project: unravelling the dynamics of Antarctica volcanoes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cannata, Andrea; Del Carlo, Paola; Giudice, Gaetano; Giuffrida, Giovanni; Larocca, Graziano; Liuzzo, Marco

2017-04-01

Melbourne and Rittmann volcanoes are located in the Victoria Land. Whilst Rittmann's last eruption dates probably to Pleistocene, Melbourne's most recent eruption between 1862 and 1922, testifying it is still active. At present, both volcanoes display fumarolic activity. Melbourne was discovered in 1841 by James Clark Ross, Rittmann during the 4th Italian Expedition (1988/1989). Our knowledge on both volcanoes is really little. The position of these volcanoes in the Antarctic region (characterised by absence of anthropic noise) and its proximity with the Italian Mario Zucchelli Station makes them ideal sites for studying volcano seismic sources, geothermal emissions, seismo-acoustic signals caused by cryosphere-hydrosphere-atmosphere dynamics, and volcanic gas impact on environment. Hence, the main aim of the ICE-VOLC ("multiparametrIC Experiment at antarctica VOLCanoes: data from volcano and cryosphere-ocean-atmosphere dynamics") project is the study of Melbourne and Rittmann, by acquisition, analysis and integration of multiparametric geophysical, geochemical and thermal data. Complementary objectives include investigation of the relationship between seismo-acoustic activity recorded in Antarctica and cryosphere-hydrosphere-atmosphere dynamics, evaluation of the impact of volcanic gas in atmosphere. This project involves 26 researchers, technologists and technicians from University of Perugia and from Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia of Catania, Palermo, Pisa and Rome. In this work, we show the preliminary results obtained after the first expedition in Antarctica, aiming to perform geochemical-thermal surveys in the volcano ice caves, as well as to collect ash samples and to install temporary seismic stations.

An exploratory trial implementing a community-based child oral health promotion intervention for Australian families from refugee and migrant backgrounds: a protocol paper for Teeth Tales.

PubMed

Gibbs, Lisa; Waters, Elizabeth; de Silva, Andrea; Riggs, Elisha; Moore, Laurence; Armit, Christine; Johnson, Britt; Morris, Michal; Calache, Hanny; Gussy, Mark; Young, Dana; Tadic, Maryanne; Christian, Bradley; Gondal, Iqbal; Watt, Richard; Pradel, Veronika; Truong, Mandy; Gold, Lisa

2014-03-12

Inequalities are evident in early childhood caries rates with the socially disadvantaged experiencing greater burden of disease. This study builds on formative qualitative research, conducted in the Moreland/Hume local government areas of Melbourne, Victoria 2006-2009, in response to community concerns for oral health of children from refugee and migrant backgrounds. Development of the community-based intervention described here extends the partnership approach to cogeneration of contemporary evidence with continued and meaningful involvement of investigators, community, cultural and government partners. This trial aims to establish a model for child oral health promotion for culturally diverse communities in Australia. This is an exploratory trial implementing a community-based child oral health promotion intervention for Australian families from refugee and migrant backgrounds. Families from an Iraqi, Lebanese or Pakistani background with children aged 1-4 years, residing in metropolitan Melbourne, were invited to participate in the trial by peer educators from their respective communities using snowball and purposive sampling techniques. Target sample size was 600. Moreland, a culturally diverse, inner-urban metropolitan area of Melbourne, was chosen as the intervention site. The intervention comprised peer educator led community oral health education sessions and reorienting of dental health and family services through cultural Competency Organisational Review (CORe). Ethics approval for this trial was granted by the University of Melbourne Human Research Ethics Committee and the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development Research Committee. Study progress and output will be disseminated via periodic newsletters, peer-reviewed research papers, reports, community seminars and at National and International conferences. Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ACTRN12611000532909).

Interference of allelopathic rice with paddy weeds at the root level.

PubMed

Yang, X-F; Kong, C-H

2017-07-01

Despite increasing knowledge of the involvement of allelopathy in negative interactions among plants, relatively little is known about its action at the root level. This study aims to enhance understanding of interactions of roots between a crop and associated weeds via allelopathy. Based on a series of experiments with window rhizoboxes and root segregation methods, we examined root placement patterns and root interactions between allelopathic rice and major paddy weeds Cyperus difformis, Echinochloa crus-galli, Eclipta prostrata, Leptochloa chinensis and Oryza sativa (weedy rice). Allelopathic rice inhibited growth of paddy weed roots more than shoots regardless of species. Furthermore, allelopathic rice significantly reduced total root length, total root area, maximum root width and maximum root depth of paddy weeds, while the weeds adjusted horizontal and vertical placement of their roots in response to the presence of allelopathic rice. With the exception of O. sativa (weedy rice), root growth of weeds avoided expanding towards allelopathic rice. Compared with root contact, root segregation significantly increased inhibition of E. crus-galli, E. prostrata and L. chinensis through an increase in rice allelochemicals. In particular, their root exudates induced production of rice allelochemicals. However, similar results were not observed in C. difformis and O. sativa (weedy rice) with either root segregation or root exudate application. The results demonstrate that allelopathic rice interferes with paddy weeds by altering root placement patterns and root interactions. This is the first case of a root behavioural strategy in crop-weed allelopathic interaction. © 2017 German Botanical Society and The Royal Botanical Society of the Netherlands.

Prevalence and impact of gastrointestinal helminths on body weight gain in backyard chickens in subtropical and humid zone of Jammu, India.

PubMed

Katoch, R; Yadav, Anish; Godara, R; Khajuria, J K; Borkataki, S; Sodhi, S S

2012-04-01

Necropsy of gastrointestinal tract of 125 free-range chickens from a subtropical and humid zone of northwestern India revealed four nematode spp. (Ascaridia galli, Heterakis gallinarum, Capillaria spp. and Cheilospirura hamulosa) and four cestode spp. (Raillietina cesticillus, Raillietina echinobothrida, Raillietina tetragona and Amoebotaenia cuneata) The overall prevalence of the helminth parasites was 72.0%. Amongst various helminth species encountered in the region, A. galli emerged out as the most prevalent, followed by H. gallinarum, R. cesticillus and R. echinobothrida. The impact of helminthic infections on body weight gain in growing chickens was investigated. One hundred growing chickens, aged 40 days were randomly assigned to two groups (treated and untreated controls) of 50 birds each. The birds in treated group were given fenbendazole at 7.5 mg per kg body weight in drinking water, while the birds in other group served as untreated controls. At the end of the 90 days of the field trial, the mean body weight gain of untreated controls was 1232.2 ± 7.28 g (13.7 g/day) compared with 1617.6 ± 5.43 g (18.0 g/day) in the treated group. It was associated with a significantly (P < 0.05) higher mean worm burden (32.92 ± 6.12) in untreated controls than the treated group (2.46 ± 1.14). The prevalences of helminthic species and their impact on body weight gain in growing backyard chickens have been discussed.

Survival of insects in the wheel bays of a Boeing 747B aircraft on flights between tropical and temperate airports

PubMed Central

Russell, R. C.

1987-01-01

Mosquitos (Culex quinquefasciatus), house flies (Musca domestica), and flour beetles (Tribolium confusum) located in cages within the wheel bays of a Boeing 747B aircraft, survived travel on the following normal commercial routes: Sydney—Melbourne; Melbourne—Singapore; Singapore—Bangkok; Bangkok—Singapore; and Singapore—Melbourne. Survival of all three species was high, averaging 84% for mosquitos and higher for flies (93%) and beetles (>99%). Although external temperatures were -42 °C to -54 °C for aircraft cruising at 10 700-11 900 m, minimum temperatures within the wheel bays ranged from +8 °C to +25 °C. PMID:3501345

Expanded Endoscopic Endonasal Approaches to Skull Base Meningiomas

PubMed Central

Prosser, J. Drew; Vender, John R.; Alleyne, Cargill H.; Solares, C. Arturo

2012-01-01

Anterior cranial base meningiomas have traditionally been addressed via frontal or frontolateral approaches. However, with the advances in endoscopic endonasal treatment of pituitary lesions, the transphenoidal approach is being expanded to address lesions of the petrous ridge, anterior clinoid, clivus, sella, parasellar region, tuberculum, planum, olfactory groove, and crista galli regions. The expanded endoscopic endonasal approach (EEEA) has the advantage of limiting brain retraction and resultant brain edema, as well as minimizing manipulation of neural structures. Herein, we describe the techniques of transclival, transphenoidal, transplanum, and transcribiform resections of anterior skull base meningiomas. Selected cases are presented. PMID:23730542

Sustainable groundwater resources, Heretaunga Plains, Hawke's Bay, New Zealand

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brown, L. J.; Dravid, P. N.; Hudson, N. A.; Taylor, C. B.

The Heretaunga Plains, Hawke's Bay, New Zealand, is underlain by Quaternary fluvial, estuarine-lagoonal, and marine deposits infilling a subsiding syncline. Within the depositional sequence, river-channel gravels form one of the most important aquifer systems in New Zealand. An interconnected unconfined-confined aquifer system contains groundwater recharged from the Ngaruroro River bed at the inland margin of the plain, 20km from the coast. At the coast, gravel aquifers extend to a depth of 250m. In 1994-95, 66Mm3 of high quality groundwater was ed for city and rural water supply, agriculture, industry, and horticulture. Use of groundwater, particularly for irrigation, has increased in the last 5years. Concern as to the sustainability of the groundwater resource led to a research programme (1991-96). This paper presents the results and recommends specific monitoring and research work to refine the groundwater balance, and define and maintain the sustainable yield of the aquifer system. Three critical management factors are identified. These are (1) to ensure maintenance of consistent, unimpeded groundwater recharge from the Ngaruroro River; (2) to specifically monitor groundwater levels and quality at the margins of the aquifer system, where transmissivity is <5000m2/d and summer groundwater levels indicate that ion exceeds recharge; (3) to review groundwater-quality programs to ensure that areas where contamination vulnerability is identified as being highest are covered by regular monitoring. Résumé Les plaines d'Heretaunga, dans la baie d'Hawke (Nouvelle-Zélande), sont occupées par des dépôts quaternaires fluviaux, estuariens lagunaires et marins remplissant un synclinal subsident. Dans cette séquence de dépôts, des graviers de chenaux fluviatiles forment l'un des plus importants systèmes aquifères de Nouvelle-Zélande. Un système aquifère interconnecté libre et captif contient de l'eau souterraine dont la recharge est assurée à partir du lit de

Large scale atomistic approaches to thermal transport and phonon scattering in nanostructured materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Savic, Ivana

2012-02-01

Decreasing the thermal conductivity of bulk materials by nanostructuring and dimensionality reduction, or by introducing some amount of disorder represents a promising strategy in the search for efficient thermoelectric materials [1]. For example, considerable improvements of the thermoelectric efficiency in nanowires with surface roughness [2], superlattices [3] and nanocomposites [4] have been attributed to a significantly reduced thermal conductivity. In order to accurately describe thermal transport processes in complex nanostructured materials and directly compare with experiments, the development of theoretical and computational approaches that can account for both anharmonic and disorder effects in large samples is highly desirable. We will first summarize the strengths and weaknesses of the standard atomistic approaches to thermal transport (molecular dynamics [5], Boltzmann transport equation [6] and Green's function approach [7]) . We will then focus on the methods based on the solution of the Boltzmann transport equation, that are computationally too demanding, at present, to treat large scale systems and thus to investigate realistic materials. We will present a Monte Carlo method [8] to solve the Boltzmann transport equation in the relaxation time approximation [9], that enables computation of the thermal conductivity of ordered and disordered systems with a number of atoms up to an order of magnitude larger than feasible with straightforward integration. We will present a comparison between exact and Monte Carlo Boltzmann transport results for small SiGe nanostructures and then use the Monte Carlo method to analyze the thermal properties of realistic SiGe nanostructured materials. This work is done in collaboration with Davide Donadio, Francois Gygi, and Giulia Galli from UC Davis.[4pt] [1] See e.g. A. J. Minnich, M. S. Dresselhaus, Z. F. Ren, and G. Chen, Energy Environ. Sci. 2, 466 (2009).[0pt] [2] A. I. Hochbaum et al, Nature 451, 163 (2008).[0pt

Plan for a groundwater monitoring network in Taiwan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hsu, Shiang-Kueen

In Taiwan, rapid economic growth, rising standards of living, and an altered societal structure have in recent years put severe demands on water supplies. Because of its stable quantity and quality, groundwater has long been a reliable source of water for domestic, agricultural, and industrial users, but the establishment of a management program that integrates groundwater and surface-water use has been hampered by the lack of groundwater data. In 1992, the Department of Water Resources (DWR) initiated a program entitled "Groundwater Monitoring Network Plan in Taiwan." Under this program, basic groundwater data, including water-level and water-quality data, are being collected, and a reliable database is being established for the purpose of managing total water resources. This paper introduces the goals, implementation stages, and scope of that plan. The plan calls for constructing 517 hydrogeologic survey stations and 990 groundwater monitoring wells within 17 years. Under this program, water-level fluctuations are continuously monitored, whereas water-quality samples are taken for analysis only at the initial drilling stage and, subsequently, at the time when a monitoring well is being serviced. In 1996, the DWR and the Water Resources Planning Commission were merged to form today's Water Resources Bureau. Résumé A Taïwan, l'expansion économique rapide, l'amélioration des conditions de vie et la transformation de la structure sociale ont provoqué, ces dernières années, une très forte demande en eau. Du fait de sa constance en qualité et en quantité, l'eau souterraine a longtemps été considérée comme une ressource en eau sûre pour les usages domestiques, agricoles et industriels. Mais la mise en place d'un programme de gestion intégrant les utilisations d'eaux souterraines et de surface a été gênée par l'absence de données sur les eaux souterraines. En 1992, le Département des Ressources en Eau a lancé le programme "Plan pour un réseau de

75 FR 21042 - Notice of Determinations Terminating Investigations of Petitions Regarding Eligibility To Apply...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-04-22

..., Michigan. TA-W-72,042: Align Technology, Santa Clara, California. TA-W-72,173: Reliant Machine, Inc., Green...: Hutchinson Technology, Eau Claire, Wisconsin. TA-W-72,685: First Data Corp., Daytona Beach, Florida. TA-W-72...

Hepatitis C seropositivity is not a risk factor for sensory neuropathy among patients with HIV

PubMed Central

Cherry, C.L.; Affandi, J.S.; Brew, B.J.; Creighton, J.; Djauzi, S.; Hooker, D.J.; Imran, D.; Kamarulzaman, A.; Kamerman, P.; McArthur, J.C.; Moore, R.D.; Price, P.; Smyth, K.; Tan, I.L.; Vanar, S.; Wadley, A.; Wesselingh, S.L.; Yunihastuti, E.

2010-01-01

Background: Sensory neuropathy (SN) is common in patients with HIV. Hepatitis C (HCV) coinfection is often cited as an HIV-SN risk factor, but data to support this are lacking. This collaboration aimed to examine the association between HCV serostatus and SN risk among ambulatory HIV-positive patients. Methods: Patients with HIV were assessed in cross-sectional studies in Baltimore, Jakarta, Johannesburg, Kuala Lumpur, Melbourne, and Sydney for SN (defined by both supportive symptoms and signs). HCV seropositivity was assessed as an SN risk using a χ2 test, followed by logistic regression modeling to correct for treatment exposures and demographics. Results: A total of 837 patients of African, Asian, and Caucasian descent were studied. HCV seroprevalence varied by site (Baltimore n = 104, 61% HCV+; Jakarta 96, 51%; Johannesburg 300, 1%; Kuala Lumpur 97, 10%; Melbourne 206, 16%; Sydney 34, 18%). HCV seropositivity was not associated with increased SN risk at any site, but was associated with reduced SN risk in Melbourne (p = 0.003). On multivariate analyses, the independent associations with SN were increasing age, height, and stavudine exposure. HCV seropositivity was not independently associated with an increased SN risk at any site, but associated independently with reduced SN risk in Baltimore (p = 0.04) and Melbourne (p = 0.06). Conclusions: Hepatitis C (HCV) seropositivity was not associated with increased sensory neuropathy risk among HIV-positive patients at any site. While we were unable to assess HCV RNA or liver damage, the data suggest that HCV coinfection is not a major contributor to HIV-SN. GLOSSARY HCV = hepatitis C; SN = sensory neuropathy. PMID:20458071

An exploratory trial implementing a community-based child oral health promotion intervention for Australian families from refugee and migrant backgrounds: a protocol paper for Teeth Tales

PubMed Central

Gibbs, Lisa; Waters, Elizabeth; de Silva, Andrea; Riggs, Elisha; Moore, Laurence; Armit, Christine; Johnson, Britt; Morris, Michal; Calache, Hanny; Gussy, Mark; Young, Dana; Tadic, Maryanne; Christian, Bradley; Gondal, Iqbal; Watt, Richard; Pradel, Veronika; Truong, Mandy; Gold, Lisa

2014-01-01

Introduction Inequalities are evident in early childhood caries rates with the socially disadvantaged experiencing greater burden of disease. This study builds on formative qualitative research, conducted in the Moreland/Hume local government areas of Melbourne, Victoria 2006–2009, in response to community concerns for oral health of children from refugee and migrant backgrounds. Development of the community-based intervention described here extends the partnership approach to cogeneration of contemporary evidence with continued and meaningful involvement of investigators, community, cultural and government partners. This trial aims to establish a model for child oral health promotion for culturally diverse communities in Australia. Methods and analysis This is an exploratory trial implementing a community-based child oral health promotion intervention for Australian families from refugee and migrant backgrounds. Families from an Iraqi, Lebanese or Pakistani background with children aged 1–4 years, residing in metropolitan Melbourne, were invited to participate in the trial by peer educators from their respective communities using snowball and purposive sampling techniques. Target sample size was 600. Moreland, a culturally diverse, inner-urban metropolitan area of Melbourne, was chosen as the intervention site. The intervention comprised peer educator led community oral health education sessions and reorienting of dental health and family services through cultural Competency Organisational Review (CORe). Ethics and dissemination Ethics approval for this trial was granted by the University of Melbourne Human Research Ethics Committee and the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development Research Committee. Study progress and output will be disseminated via periodic newsletters, peer-reviewed research papers, reports, community seminars and at National and International conferences. Trial registration number Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials

Vision impairment predicts five-year mortality.

PubMed Central

Taylor, H R; McCarty, C A; Nanjan, M B

2000-01-01

PURPOSE: To describe predictors of mortality in the 5-year follow-up of the Melbourne Visual Impairment Project (VIP) cohort. METHODS: The Melbourne VIP was a population-based study of the distribution and determinants of age-related eye disease in a cluster random sample of Melbourne residents aged 40 years and older. Baseline examinations were conducted between 1992 and 1994. In 1997, 5-year follow-up examinations of the original cohort commenced. Causes of death were obtained from the National Death Index for all reported deaths. RESULTS: Of the original 3,271 participants, 231 (7.1%) were reported to have died in the intervening 5 years. Of the remaining 3,040 participants eligible to return for follow-up examinations, 2,594 (85% of eligible) did participate, 51 (2%) had moved interstate or overseas, 83 (3%) could not be traced, and 312 (10%) refused to participate. Best corrected visual acuity < 6/12 and cortical cataract were associated with a significantly increased risk of mortality, as were increasing age, male sex, increased duration of cigarette smoking, increased duration of hypertension, and arthritis. CONCLUSIONS: Even mild visual impairment increases the risk of death more than twofold. PMID:11190044

Identification of resident and inflammatory bone marrow derived cells in the sclera by bone marrow and haematopoietic stem cell transplantation

PubMed Central

Hisatomi, Toshio; Sonoda, Koh‐hei; Ishikawa, Fumihiko; Qiao, Hong; Nakamura, Takahiro; Fukata, Mitsuhiro; Nakazawa, Toru; Noda, Kousuke; Miyahara, Shinsuke; Harada, Mine; Kinoshita, Shigeru; Hafezi‐Moghadam, Ali; Ishibashi, Tatsuro; Miller, Joan W

2007-01-01

Aims To characterise bone marrow derived cells in the sclera under normal and inflammatory conditions, we examined their differentiation after transplantation from two different sources, bone marrow and haematopoietic stem cells (HSC). Methods Bone marrow and HSC from green fluorescent protein (GFP) transgenic mice were transplanted into irradiated wild‐type mice. At 1 month after transplantation, mice were sacrificed and their sclera examined by histology, immunohistochemistry (CD11b, CD11c, CD45), and transmission and scanning electron microscopy. To investigate bone marrow derived cell recruitment under inflammatory conditions, experimental autoimmune uveitis (EAU) was induced in transplanted mice. Results GFP positive cells were distributed in the entire sclera and comprised 22.4 (2.8)% (bone marrow) and 28.4 (10.9)% (HSC) of the total cells in the limbal zone and 18.1 (6.7)% (bone marrow) and 26.3 (3.4)% (HSC) in the peripapillary zone. Immunohistochemistry showed that GFP (+) CD11c (+), GFP (+) CD11b (+) cells migrated in the sclera after bone marrow and HSC transplantation. Transmission and scanning electron microscopy revealed antigen presenting cells among the scleral fibroblasts. In EAU mice, vast infiltration of GFP (+) cells developed into the sclera. Conclusion We have provided direct and novel evidence for the migration of bone marrow and HSC cells into the sclera differentiating into macrophages and dendritic cells. Vast infiltration of bone marrow and HSC cells was found to be part of the inflammatory process in EAU. PMID:17035278

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Japanese girls from Urawa Daiichi Girls High School, Urawa, Japan, carry a floral tribute to the crew of Columbia to place at the STS-107 memorial stone at the Spacehab facility, Cape Canaveral, Fla. The group was awarded the trip to Florida when their experiments were chosen to fly on mission STS-107. The group was also meeting with American students from Melbourne and Jacksonville, Fla. The National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA) and the KSC International Space Station and Payloads Processing Directorate worked with the NASA KSC Education Programs and University Research Division to coordinate the students’ visit.

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-08-20

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Japanese girls from Urawa Daiichi Girls High School, Urawa, Japan, carry a floral tribute to the crew of Columbia to place at the STS-107 memorial stone at the Spacehab facility, Cape Canaveral, Fla. The group was awarded the trip to Florida when their experiments were chosen to fly on mission STS-107. The group was also meeting with American students from Melbourne and Jacksonville, Fla. The National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA) and the KSC International Space Station and Payloads Processing Directorate worked with the NASA KSC Education Programs and University Research Division to coordinate the students’ visit.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Japanese girls from Urawa Daiichi Girls High School, Urawa, Japan, pose for a group photo on their visit to the Spacehab facility in Cape Canaveral, Fla. They were awarded the trip when their experiments were chosen to fly on mission STS-107. The group was also meeting with American students from Melbourne and Jacksonville, Fla. The girls planned a floral tribute at the STS-107 memorial stone at the facility. The National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA) and the KSC International Space Station and Payloads Processing Directorate worked with the NASA KSC Education Programs and University Research Division to coordinate the students’ visit.

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-08-20

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Japanese girls from Urawa Daiichi Girls High School, Urawa, Japan, pose for a group photo on their visit to the Spacehab facility in Cape Canaveral, Fla. They were awarded the trip when their experiments were chosen to fly on mission STS-107. The group was also meeting with American students from Melbourne and Jacksonville, Fla. The girls planned a floral tribute at the STS-107 memorial stone at the facility. The National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA) and the KSC International Space Station and Payloads Processing Directorate worked with the NASA KSC Education Programs and University Research Division to coordinate the students’ visit.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Dr. Jonathan Clark (right), husband of STS-107 Mission Specialist Laurel Clark, and their son (left) visit a new residence hall at the Florida Institute of Technology (FIT) in Melbourne, Fla., named for his late wife. Family members of the STS-107 astronauts, other dignitaries, members of the university community and the public gathered for a dedication ceremony for the Columbia Village at FIT. Each of the seven new residence halls in the complex is named for one of the STS-107 astronauts who perished during the Columbia accident -- Rick Husband, Willie McCool, Laurel Clark, Michael Anderson, David Brown, Kalpana Chawla, and Ilan Ramon.

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-10-28

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Dr. Jonathan Clark (right), husband of STS-107 Mission Specialist Laurel Clark, and their son (left) visit a new residence hall at the Florida Institute of Technology (FIT) in Melbourne, Fla., named for his late wife. Family members of the STS-107 astronauts, other dignitaries, members of the university community and the public gathered for a dedication ceremony for the Columbia Village at FIT. Each of the seven new residence halls in the complex is named for one of the STS-107 astronauts who perished during the Columbia accident -- Rick Husband, Willie McCool, Laurel Clark, Michael Anderson, David Brown, Kalpana Chawla, and Ilan Ramon.

40 CFR 81.350 - Wisconsin.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... County X Buffalo County X Chippewa County X Clark County X Crawford County X Dunn County X Eau Claire... Unclassifiable/Attainment Chippewa County Unclassifiable/Attainment Clark County Unclassifiable/Attainment... Unclassifiable/Attainment Chippewa County Unclassifiable/Attainment Clark County Unclassifiable/Attainment...

40 CFR 81.350 - Wisconsin.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... County X Buffalo County X Chippewa County X Clark County X Crawford County X Dunn County X Eau Claire... Unclassifiable/Attainment Chippewa County Unclassifiable/Attainment Clark County Unclassifiable/Attainment... Unclassifiable/Attainment Chippewa County Unclassifiable/Attainment Clark County Unclassifiable/Attainment...

When smoke comes to town - effects of biomass burning smoke on air quality down under

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Keywood, Melita; Cope, Martin; (C. P) Meyer, Mick; Iinuma, Yoshi; Emmerson, Kathryn

2014-05-01

Annually, biomass burning results in the emission of quantities of trace gases and aerosol to the atmosphere. Biomass burning emissions have a significant effect on atmospheric chemistry due to the presence of reactive species. Biomass burning aerosols influence the radiative balance of the earth-atmosphere system directly through the scattering and absorption of radiation, and indirectly through their influence on cloud microphysical processes, and therefore constitute an important forcing in climate models. They also reduce visibility, influence atmospheric photochemistry and can be inhaled into the deepest parts of the lungs, so that they can have a significant effect on human health. Australia experiences bushfires on an annual basis. In most years fires are restricted to the tropical savannah forests of Northern Australia. However in the summer of 2006/2007 (December 2006 - February 2007), South Eastern Australia was affected by the longest recorded fires in its history. During this time the State of Victoria was ravaged by 690 separate bushfires, including the major Great Divide Fire, which devastated 1,048,238 hectares over 69 days. On several occasions, thick smoke haze was transported to the Melbourne central business district and PM10 concentrations at several air quality monitoring stations peaked at over 200 µg m-3 (four times the National Environment Protection Measure PM10 24 hour standard). During this period, a comprehensive suite of air quality measurements was carried out at a location 25 km south of the Melbourne CBD, including detailed aerosol microphysical and chemical composition measurements. Here we examine the chemical and physical properties of the smoke plume as it impacted Melbourne's air shed and discuss its impact on air quality over the city. We estimate the aerosol emission rates of the source fires, the age of the plumes and investigate the transformation of the smoke as it progressed from its source to the Melbourne airshed. We

Natural infection of free-range chickens with the ascarid nematode Toxocara sp.

PubMed

Campos-da-Silva, Danielle R; da Paz, Jeanne S; Fortunato, Viviane R; Beltrame, Marcus A V; Valli, Luis C P; Pereira, Fausto E L

2015-11-01

Human toxocariasis may be acquired by eating raw chicken liver. However, there are no reports on the prevalence of natural infection of chickens with Toxocara. The aim of this study was to evaluate the presence of anti-Toxocara antibodies as indicators of natural infection with Toxocara, in free-range chickens from Espírito Santo State, Brazil. An ELISA test with secretory and excretory Toxocara canis antigens was used. Negative controls were 20 industrial chickens reared in a high hygiene standard environment. Positive control serum was from a chicken infected with embryonated eggs of T. canis. Sera were adsorbed with Ascaridia galli extract to reduce cross-reactivity. Cut-off was the mean plus four times the standard deviation of optical density (OD) in negative group. One hundred and fifty-seven sera from free-range chicken were investigated. Results showed 58.5% of the chickens were positive with ELISA test; 12.7% had OD over the positive control and may be considered as true infected chickens. The results between the cut-off and the positive control may include infections with low titers of antibodies or may represent serum scar of past infection or may be the result of cross-reaction with other nematodes rather than A. galli which is used for the adsorption of sera. In conclusion, high prevalence of Toxocara sp. antibodies demonstrates natural infection of free-range chickens from Espírito Santo State which may represent a risk of infection with this nematode in people who have the habit of eating raw or undercooked chicken meat or viscera. The results also suggest that chickens may be useful as sentinels to detect soil contaminated with Toxocara eggs.

L'astronomie dans le monde

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Manfroid, J.

2016-06-01

Chocs d’amas - Amas de galaxies - Halos sur Pluton - Makémaké - Comète sans queue – Titan – Planètes Kepler - Transit de Mercure - Quatre lasers au-dessus de Paranal – NGC 1332 - Eau sur Mars

[The specificity of blastocysts (Rhizopoda: Lobosea)].

PubMed

Belova, L M; Krylov, M V

1994-01-01

The analysis of specificity of blastocysts was based on the data on host association and on experimental data. In experiments we failed to infect the geese (Anser anser) with Blastocystis galli taken from the fowl (Gallus gallus) and also failed to infect the fowl with B. suis taken from the pigs (Sus scrofa domestica). Experimental data and field observations of blastocysts distribution among different groups of hosts point out that the same species of blastocysts can not parasitize in hosts belonging to different classes and orders. The examination of 89 fish specimens belonging to 14 species of Osteichthyes taken from the Neman delta did not discover any blastocysts.

Impact of sex on prognostic host factors in surgical patients with lung cancer.

PubMed

Wainer, Zoe; Wright, Gavin M; Gough, Karla; Daniels, Marissa G; Choong, Peter; Conron, Matthew; Russell, Prudence A; Alam, Naveed Z; Ball, David; Solomon, Benjamin

2017-12-01

Lung cancer has markedly poorer survival in men. Recognized important prognostic factors are divided into host, tumour and environmental factors. Traditional staging systems that use only tumour factors to predict prognosis are of limited accuracy. By examining sex-based patterns of disease-specific survival in non-small cell lung cancer patients, we determined the effect of sex on the prognostic value of additional host factors. Two cohorts of patients treated surgically with curative intent between 2000 and 2009 were utilized. The primary cohort was from Melbourne, Australia, with an independent validation set from the American Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) database. Univariate and multivariate analyses of validated host-related prognostic factors were performed in both cohorts to investigate the differences in survival between men and women. The Melbourne cohort had 605 patients (61% men) and SEER cohort comprised 55 681 patients (51% men). Disease-specific 5-year survival showed men had statistically significant poorer survival in both cohorts (P < 0.001); Melbourne men at 53.2% compared with women at 68.3%, and SEER 53.3% men and 62.0% women were alive at 5 years. Being male was independently prognostic for disease-specific mortality in the Melbourne cohort after adjustment for ethnicity, smoking history, performance status, age, pathological stage and histology (hazard ratio = 1.54, 95% confidence interval: 1.10-2.16, P = 0.012). Sex differences in non-small cell lung cancer are important irrespective of age, ethnicity, smoking, performance status and tumour, node and metastasis stage. Epidemiological findings such as these should be translated into research and clinical paradigms to determine the factors that influence the survival disadvantage experienced by men. © 2016 Royal Australasian College of Surgeons.

Trying to keep a balance: the meaning of health and diabetes in an urban aboriginal community.

PubMed

Thompson, S J; Gifford, S M

2000-11-01

Although the predominant paradigm of epidemiological investigation continues to focus narrowly on the individual and on individual risk factors, there is a growing body of work that calls for a rethinking of the current epidemiological models. In this paper we illustrate the need for a more comprehensive epidemiological approach towards understanding the risks for diabetes, by exploring the lived experiences of diabetes and lay meanings of risk among Aborigines living in Melbourne, Australia. Ethnographic fieldwork was conducted within the Melbourne Aboriginal community in the state of Victoria over a 22-month period (1994-1996). Melbourne Aborigines see non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) as the result of living a life out of balance, a life of lost or severed connections with land and kin and a life with little control over past, present or future. The lay model regarding diabetes that is derived from the narratives of Melbourne Aborigines, consists of three levels of connectedness important in determining an individual's susceptibility not only to diabetes but to all disease--(1) family, (2) community and (3) society. This structure of interactive systems at successive levels from the individual to the population fits within the framework of an ecological paradigm. The strength of ethnography as applied to epidemiology is that it has the capacity to discover previously unknown components of a system at several different levels, and to build models to explain how these components interact. This framework, developed using an ethno-epidemiological approach, has application in other indigenous populations who have been dispossessed of their land, their pasts and their future. There is great potential to apply this approach to the major public health challenges presented by rapid global socio-cultural and environmental change that are impacting negatively on population health.

Regionalized rainfall-runoff model to estimate low flow indices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Garcia, Florine; Folton, Nathalie; Oudin, Ludovic

2016-04-01

Estimating low flow indices is of paramount importance to manage water resources and risk assessments. These indices are derived from river discharges which are measured at gauged stations. However, the lack of observations at ungauged sites bring the necessity of developing methods to estimate these low flow indices from observed discharges in neighboring catchments and from catchment characteristics. Different estimation methods exist. Regression or geostatistical methods performed on the low flow indices are the most common types of methods. Another less common method consists in regionalizing rainfall-runoff model parameters, from catchment characteristics or by spatial proximity, to estimate low flow indices from simulated hydrographs. Irstea developed GR2M-LoiEau, a conceptual monthly rainfall-runoff model, combined with a regionalized model of snow storage and melt. GR2M-LoiEau relies on only two parameters, which are regionalized and mapped throughout France. This model allows to cartography monthly reference low flow indices. The inputs data come from SAFRAN, the distributed mesoscale atmospheric analysis system, which provides daily solid and liquid precipitation and temperature data from everywhere in the French territory. To exploit fully these data and to estimate daily low flow indices, a new version of GR-LoiEau has been developed at a daily time step. The aim of this work is to develop and regionalize a GR-LoiEau model that can provide any daily, monthly or annual estimations of low flow indices, yet keeping only a few parameters, which is a major advantage to regionalize them. This work includes two parts. On the one hand, a daily conceptual rainfall-runoff model is developed with only three parameters in order to simulate daily and monthly low flow indices, mean annual runoff and seasonality. On the other hand, different regionalization methods, based on spatial proximity and similarity, are tested to estimate the model parameters and to simulate

KSC-2012-3181

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-06-04

MELBOURNE, Fla. – NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver addresses the audience during opening ceremonies for the International Space University's 25th annual Space Studies Program session at the Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne, Fla. The nine-week intensive course is designed for post-graduate university students and professionals during the summer. The program is hosted by a different country each year, providing a unique educational experience for participants from around the globe. NASA Kennedy Space Center and Florida Tech are co-hosting this year's event which runs from June 4 to Aug. 3. This year, there are about 125 participants representing 31 countries. For more information, visit http://www.isunet.edu. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-2012-3171

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-06-04

MELBOURNE, Fla. – NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver addresses students on the opening day of the International Space University's 25th annual Space Studies Program session at the Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne, Fla. The nine-week intensive course is designed for post-graduate university students and professionals during the summer. The program is hosted by a different country each year, providing a unique educational experience for participants from around the globe. NASA Kennedy Space Center and Florida Tech are co-hosting this year's event which runs from June 4 to Aug. 3. This year, there are about 125 participants representing 31 countries. For more information, visit http://www.isunet.edu. Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

KSC-2012-3175

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-06-04

MELBOURNE, Fla. – NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver addresses the audience during opening ceremonies for the International Space University's 25th annual Space Studies Program session at the Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne, Fla. The nine-week intensive course is designed for post-graduate university students and professionals during the summer. The program is hosted by a different country each year, providing a unique educational experience for participants from around the globe. NASA Kennedy Space Center and Florida Tech are co-hosting this year's event which runs from June 4 to Aug. 3. This year, there are about 125 participants representing 31 countries. For more information, visit http://www.isunet.edu. Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

KSC-2012-3173

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-06-04

MELBOURNE, Fla. – NASA Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana participates in the opening ceremonies for the International Space University's 25th annual Space Studies Program session at the Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne, Fla. The nine-week intensive course is designed for post-graduate university students and professionals during the summer. The program is hosted by a different country each year, providing a unique educational experience for participants from around the globe. NASA Kennedy Space Center and Florida Tech are co-hosting this year's event which runs from June 4 to Aug. 3. This year, there are about 125 participants representing 31 countries. For more information, visit http://www.isunet.edu. Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

KSC-2012-3170

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-06-04

MELBOURNE, Fla. – NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver addresses students on the opening day of the International Space University's 25th annual Space Studies Program session at the Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne, Fla. The nine-week intensive course is designed for post-graduate university students and professionals during the summer. The program is hosted by a different country each year, providing a unique educational experience for participants from around the globe. NASA Kennedy Space Center and Florida Tech are co-hosting this year's event which runs from June 4 to Aug. 3. This year, there are about 125 participants representing 31 countries. For more information, visit http://www.isunet.edu. Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

KSC-2012-3176

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-06-04

MELBOURNE, Fla. – NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver addresses the audience during opening ceremonies for the International Space University's 25th annual Space Studies Program session at the Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne, Fla. The nine-week intensive course is designed for post-graduate university students and professionals during the summer. The program is hosted by a different country each year, providing a unique educational experience for participants from around the globe. NASA Kennedy Space Center and Florida Tech are co-hosting this year's event which runs from June 4 to Aug. 3. This year, there are about 125 participants representing 31 countries. For more information, visit http://www.isunet.edu. Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

Hydrogeologic uncertainties and policy implications: The Water Consumer Protection Act of Tucson, Arizona, USA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wilson, L. G.; Matlock, W. G.; Jacobs, K. L.

The 1995 Water Consumer Protection Act of Tucson, Arizona, USA (hereafter known as the Act) was passed following complaints from Tucson Water customers receiving treated Central Arizona Project (CAP) water. Consequences of the Act demonstrate the uncertainties and difficulties that arise when the public is asked to vote on a highly technical issue. The recharge requirements of the Act neglect hydrogeological uncertainties because of confusion between "infiltration" and "recharge." Thus, the Act implies that infiltration in stream channels along the Central Wellfield will promote recharge in the Central Wellfield. In fact, permeability differences between channel alluvium and underlying basin-fill deposits may lead to subjacent outflow. Additionally, even if recharge of Colorado River water occurs in the Central Wellfield, groundwater will become gradually salinized. The Act's restrictions on the use of CAP water affect the four regulatory mechanisms in Arizona's 1980 Groundwater Code as they relate to the Tucson Active Management Area: (a) supply augmentation; (b) requirements for groundwater withdrawals and permitting; (c) Management Plan requirements, particularly mandatory conservation and water-quality issues; and (d) the requirement that all new subdivisions use renewable water supplies in lieu of groundwater. Political fallout includes disruption of normal governmental activities because of the demands in implementing the Act. Résumé La loi de 1995 sur la protection des consommateurs d'eau de Tucson (Arizona, États-Unis) a été promulguée à la suite des réclamations des consommateurs d'eau de Tucson alimentés en eau traitée à partir à la station centrale d'Arizona (CAP). Les conséquences de cette loi montrent les incertitudes et les difficultés qui apparaissent lorsque le public est appeléà voter sur un problème très technique. Les exigences de la loi en matière de recharge négligent les incertitudes hydrogéologiques du fait de la

1982 Horton Medalist

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chapman, Thomas G.; Philip, J. R.

The names of Horton and Philip occur together so frequently in any discussion of infiltration that it is particularly appropriate that John R. Philip should be the recipient of the Robert E. Horton Medal. In 1931, Horton emphasized the need for ‘research to provide connective tissue between related problems,’ and Philip's achievements have gone far toward satisfying that need.John R. Philip was born at Ballarat, some 70 miles from Melbourne, and attended Melbourne University, graduating as bachelor of civil engineering in 1946. After a few years of engineering experience with Queensland's Irrigation Commission, he took up a position as research scientist in the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) in 1951. He moved rapidly from analysis of the hydraulics of border irrigation to the general problems of infiltration and soil water movement and found analytical solutions to a wide range of problems in homogeneous porous media. In 1957, Philip and his colleague D. A. de Vries were awarded the Horton prize of the AGU for their paper on moisture movement in porous materials under temperature gradients. In 1960, Melbourne University awarded John Philip his doctorate of science for a thesis, ‘Physical Contributions to Microhydrology,’ consisting of 19 published papers.

Comparing the costs of three prostate cancer follow-up strategies: a cost minimisation analysis.

PubMed

Pearce, Alison M; Ryan, Fay; Drummond, Frances J; Thomas, Audrey Alforque; Timmons, Aileen; Sharp, Linda

2016-02-01

Prostate cancer follow-up is traditionally provided by clinicians in a hospital setting. Growing numbers of prostate cancer survivors mean that this model of care may not be economically sustainable, and a number of alternative approaches have been suggested. The aim of this study was to develop an economic model to compare the costs of three alternative strategies for prostate cancer follow-up in Ireland-the European Association of Urology (EAU) guidelines, the National Institute of Health Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines and current practice. A cost minimisation analysis was performed using a Markov model with three arms (EAU guidelines, NICE guidelines and current practice) comparing follow-up for men with prostate cancer treated with curative intent. The model took a health care payer's perspective over a 10-year time horizon. Current practice was the least cost efficient arm of the model, the NICE guidelines were most cost efficient (74 % of current practice costs) and the EAU guidelines intermediate (92 % of current practice costs). For the 2562 new cases of prostate cancer diagnosed in 2009, the Irish health care system could have saved €760,000 over a 10-year period if the NICE guidelines were adopted. This is the first study investigating costs of prostate cancer follow-up in the Irish setting. While economic models are designed as a simplification of complex real-world situations, these results suggest potential for significant savings within the Irish health care system associated with implementation of alternative models of prostate cancer follow-up care.

Diagnosis and treatment of male patients with lower urinary tract symptoms in Spain - The MERCURY Study. Do urologists follow the recommendations of the European guidelines?

PubMed

Errando-Smet, C; Müller-Arteaga, C; Hernández, M; Roset, M

2018-02-07

To explore the management of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) in men in Spain and assess the compliance with recommendations established in the European Association of Urology (EAU) guidelines. MERCURY was an epidemiological and cross-sectional study which involved 227 Urology Units across Spain assessing adult male patients with mixed LUTS and persisting storage symptoms. Sociodemographic, clinical and resource use data for the 6 months prior to study inclusion were collected. Additionally, through a theoretical clinical case, clinicians described their attitude toward the diagnostic and therapeutic management of males with mixed LUTS and persisting storage symptoms during the first and second visits. Answer options given to clinicians about LUTS management were aligned with those recommended by EAU guidelines. 610 patients included in the study were evaluated. 87.7% of them consumed some health resource mainly due to: urologist visits (79.7%), PSA determination (76.6%) and treatment with alpha-blockers (37.5%) and alpha-blockers plus antimuscarinics (37.2%). According to the theoretical clinical case, urologists preference toward diagnostic tools and pharmacological treatment in first visit were mainly PSA determination (97.7%), digital rectal examination (91.4%) and treatment with alphablockers as monotherapy (56.6%), whereas in the second visit uroflowmetry (48.9%), voiding diary (40.3%) and treatment with alpha-blockers plus antimuscarinics (70.6%) were mainly preferred. Urologists attitude toward management of male patients with mixed LUTS and persisting storage symptoms is aligned with that recommended in the EAU guidelines. Copyright © 2018 AEU. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Dietary Omega-3 Fatty Acids Suppress Experimental Autoimmune Uveitis in Association with Inhibition of Th1 and Th17 Cell Function

PubMed Central

Shoda, Hiromi; Yanai, Ryoji; Yoshimura, Takeru; Nagai, Tomohiko; Kimura, Kazuhiro; Sobrin, Lucia; Connor, Kip M.; Sakoda, Yukimi; Tamada, Koji; Ikeda, Tsunehiko; Sonoda, Koh-Hei

2015-01-01

Omega (ω)–3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFAs) inhibit the production of inflammatory mediators and thereby contribute to the regulation of inflammation. Experimental autoimmune uveitis (EAU) is a well-established animal model of autoimmune retinal inflammation. To investigate the potential effects of dietary intake of ω-3 LCPUFAs on uveitis, we examined the anti-inflammatory properties of these molecules in comparison with ω-6 LCPUFAs in a mouse EAU model. C57BL/6 mice were fed a diet containing ω-3 LCPUFAs or ω-6 LCPUFAs for 2 weeks before as well as after the induction of EAU by subcutaneous injection of a fragment of human interphotoreceptor retinoid-binding protein emulsified with complete Freund’s adjuvant. Both clinical and histological scores for uveitis were smaller for mice fed ω-3 LCPUFAs than for those fed ω-6 LCPUFAs. The concentrations of the T helper 1 (Th1) cytokine interferon-γ and the Th17 cytokine interleukin-17 in intraocular fluid as well as the production of these cytokines by lymph node cells were reduced for mice fed ω-3 LCPUFAs. Furthermore, the amounts of mRNAs for the Th1- and Th17-related transcription factors T-bet and RORγt, respectively, were reduced both in the retina and in lymph node cells of mice fed ω-3 LCPUFAs. Our results thus show that a diet enriched in ω-3 LCPUFAs suppressed uveitis in mice in association with inhibition of Th1 and Th17 cell function. PMID:26393358

A comparison of the treatment recommendations for neurogenic lower urinary tract dysfunction in the national institute for health and care excellence, European Association of Urology and international consultations on incontinence guidelines.

PubMed

Jaggi, Ashley; Drake, Marcus; Siddiqui, Emad; Fatoye, Francis

2018-04-17

Healthcare guidelines are an important vehicle in establishing up-to-date evidence based medicine (EBM) in clinical practice. Due to varying development processes, clinical guidelines created by different institutions can often contain contrasting recommendations. This can have implications for optimal and standardized patient care across management settings. The similarities and differences of treatment recommendations made in the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), The European Association of Urology (EAU), and the International Consultation on Continence (ICI) guidelines for neurogenic lower urinary tract dysfunction (NLUTD) were assessed. The guidelines generally agree on their approach to conservative management, including behavioral therapies, and catheterization techniques. There was discrepancy on the benefit of using an alpha blocker in NLUTD and bladder outlet obstruction (BOO) and administering Botulinum toxin A (Onabotulinum-A) in NLUTD. The highest degree of divergence was seen in recommendations for surgical treatments, where the EAU made gender-specific recommendations, and gave continent urinary diversion higher preference than given in the NICE and ICI guidelines. In the absence of high-quality clinical evidence, many of the recommendations made across all three guidelines are based on expert opinion. NICE, the EAU and ICI have similarities but they place differing emphasis on costs and expert opinion, which translated in notably different recommendations. It is evident that increased research efforts, possibly in the form of prospective registries, pragmatic trials, and resource utilization studies are necessary to improve the underlying evidence base for NLUTD, and subsequently the strength and concordance of recommendations across guidelines. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

24 CFR 3280.305 - Structural design requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

..., Plaquemines, St. Bernard, St. Charles, St. Mary, and Terrabonne. North Carolina: Carteret, Dare, and Hyde. (iv... Sherburne Steele Jackson Morrison Anoka Freeborn Nobles Douglas Chisapo Faribault Rock Grant Washington... Douglas Oconto Pepin Lincoln Bayfield Menominee Pierce Oneida Ashland Langlade Dunn Polk Iron Marathon Eau...

24 CFR 3280.305 - Structural design requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

..., Plaquemines, St. Bernard, St. Charles, St. Mary, and Terrabonne. North Carolina: Carteret, Dare, and Hyde. (iv... Sherburne Steele Jackson Morrison Anoka Freeborn Nobles Douglas Chisapo Faribault Rock Grant Washington... Douglas Oconto Pepin Lincoln Bayfield Menominee Pierce Oneida Ashland Langlade Dunn Polk Iron Marathon Eau...

Migration of recharge waters downgradient from the Santa Catalina Mountains into the Tucson basin aquifer, Arizona, USA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cunningham, Erin E. B.; Long, Austin; Eastoe, Chris; Bassett, R. L.

Aquifers in the arid alluvial basins of the southwestern U.S. are recharged predominantly by infiltration from streams and playas within the basins and by water entering along the margins of the basins. The Tucson basin of southeastern Arizona is such a basin. The Santa Catalina Mountains form the northern boundary of this basin and receive more than twice as much precipitation (ca. 700mm/year) as does the basin itself (ca. 300mm/year). In this study environmental isotopes were employed to investigate the migration of precipitation basinward through shallow joints and fractures. Water samples were obtained from springs and runoff in the Santa Catalina Mountains and from wells in the foothills of the Santa Catalina Mountains. Stable isotopes (δD and δ18O) and thermonuclear-bomb-produced tritium enabled qualitative characterization of flow paths and flow velocities. Stable-isotope measurements show no direct altitude effect. Tritium values indicate that although a few springs and wells discharge pre-bomb water, most springs discharge waters from the 1960s or later. Résumé La recharge des aquifères des bassins alluviaux arides du sud-ouest des États-Unis est assurée surtout à partir des lits des cours d'eau et des playas dans les bassins, ainsi que par l'eau entrant à la bordure de ces bassins. Le bassin du Tucson, dans le sud-est de l'Arizona, est l'un de ceux-ci. La chaîne montagneuse de Santa Catalina constitue la limite nord de ce bassin et reçoit plus de deux fois plus de précipitations (environ 700mm/an) que le bassin (environ 300mm/an). Dans cette étude, les isotopes du milieu ont été utilisés pour analyser le déplacement de l'eau de pluie vers le bassin au travers des fissures et des fractures proches de la surface. Des échantillons d'eau ont été prélevés dans les sources et dans l'écoulement de surface de la chaîne montagneuse et dans des puits au pied de la chaîne. Les isotopes stables (δD et δ18O) et le tritium d

L'astronomie dans le monde

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Manfroid, J.

2009-06-01

L'ESA en route vers les origines de l'univers; Record de distance; Blob primordial; Novae; Expansion de l'univers; Plat ou pas?; L'eau sur Mars; Bombardement massif; M87; CoRoT; EX Lupi; Première pour ALMA; Kohoutek 4-55; Arp 194

Engineering Assessment of Hydrodynamics and Jetty Scour at Little River Inlet North and South Carolina

DTIC Science & Technology

1992-12-01

CERC) through a reimbursable study for the US Army Engineer District, Charleston (SAC). Mr. James Joslin and Mr. Millard Dowd were the SAC repre...Principal Investigator of the reimburs - able study, Ms. Monica A. Chasten, EAU, CSEB, and Mr. William C. Seabergh, Wave Dynamics Division. Techniral

Super Science Saturdays: Developing Hawaii's Natural Treasures.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hapai, Marlene Nachbar; Sing, David Kekaulike

1994-01-01

Takes a closer look at Super Science Saturday, held by the Center for Gifted and Talented Native Hawaiian Children/University of Hawaii at Hilo. These children are known to Hawaiians as Na Pua No'eau, which refers to Hawaii's children as "flowers blossoming toward self-discovery." (ZWH)

Etude de l'influence de la temperature et de l'humidite sur les proprietes mecaniques en traction des fibres de chanvre et de coco

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ho Thi, Thu Nga

L'objectif de cette etude fut d'etablir l'effet de l'humidite et de la temperature sur la resistance en traction et le module elastique des fibres de chanvre et de coco. Deux etudes ont ete realisees afin d'atteindre cet objectif. La premiere vise l'absorption de l'humidite dans ces fibres en exposition dans l'air (de 0%RH a 80%RH) ainsi que l'absorption de l'eau dans ces fibres immergees dans l'eau aux differentes temperatures. La deuxieme consiste a mesurer la resistance en traction et le module elastique de ces fibres sous differentes conditions d'humidite et de temperature. En basant sur les resultats experimentaux obtenus, les methodes semi empiriques et de reseaux de neurones ont ete utilisees pour but de predire les proprietes en traction (resistance et module d'elasticite) des fibres de chanvre et de coco sous l'influence de l'humidite et de la temperature.

Study of the Tributyl Phosphate--30 Percent Dodecane Solvent; ETUDE DU SOLVANT PHOSPHATE TRIBUTYLIQUE 30 PERCENT--DODECANE (in French)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Leroy, P.

1967-07-01

This study, originating mainly from a literature survey, gives the principal chemical and physical features of the tributyl-phosphate (TBP) agent diluted at 30 volumes per cent in dodecane. The mixture is a very commonly used extractant in nuclear fuel processing. In this paper, the main following points are reported: -) the components (TBP and diluents) -) the TBP-diluents systems (non-loaded), -) the TBP-diluents-water systems, -) TBP-diluents-water-nitric acid systems, and -) industrial solvents. (author) [French] Cette etude, d'origine bibliographique, regroupe les caracteristiques physico-chimiques essentielles du phosphate tributylique (TBP) dilue a 30% en volume dans du dodecane. Ce melange constitue un agentmore » d'extraction tres utilise dans le traitement des combustibles nucleaires. Les principaux points traites sont les suivants: -) les constituants (TBP et diluants), -) les systemes TBP-diluants non charges, -) les systemes TBP-diluants-eau, -) les systemes TBP-diluants-eau-acide nitrique, et -) les solvants industriels. (auteur)« less

RCT of a Promising Vocational/Employment Program for High-Risk Juvenile Offenders

PubMed Central

Schaeffer, Cindy M.; Henggeler, Scott W.; Ford, Julian D.; Mann, Marc; Chang, Rocio; Chapman, Jason E.

2013-01-01

Juvenile offenders with substance use problems are at high risk for deleterious long-term outcomes. This study evaluated the capacity of a promising vocational and employment training program in the building sector (i.e., Community Restitution Apprenticeship-Focused Training, CRAFT) to mitigate such outcomes through enhanced employment and education. Participants were 97 high-risk juvenile offenders (mean age = 15.8 years) randomized to CRAFT versus education as usual (EAU) intervention conditions. Multi-method procedures measured employment, education, substance use, mental health, and criminal outcomes through a 30-month post-baseline follow-up. CRAFT was significantly more effective than EAU at increasing rates of youth employment and GED attendance. Intervention effects were not observed, however, for months employed, hours worked, or hourly wage. Measures of youth substance use, mental health symptoms, and criminal activity showed no favorable or iatrogenic effects. The potential of CRAFT was modestly supported, and suggestions were made for future research. PMID:23958035

KSC-2012-3177

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-06-04

MELBOURNE, Fla. – NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver has a rapt audience of space program managers and students for her remarks during opening ceremonies for the International Space University's 25th annual Space Studies Program session at the Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne, Fla. The nine-week intensive course is designed for post-graduate university students and professionals during the summer. The program is hosted by a different country each year, providing a unique educational experience for participants from around the globe. NASA Kennedy Space Center and Florida Tech are co-hosting this year's event which runs from June 4 to Aug. 3. This year, there are about 125 participants representing 31 countries. For more information, visit http://www.isunet.edu. Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

KSC-2012-3183

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-06-04

MELBOURNE, Fla. – Entertainment during the opening ceremonies for the International Space University's 25th annual Space Studies Program session at the Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne, Fla., is provided by Jim Sawgrass and the Deep Forest Native American Indian Program dancers. The nine-week intensive course is designed for post-graduate university students and professionals during the summer. The program is hosted by a different country each year, providing a unique educational experience for participants from around the globe. NASA Kennedy Space Center and Florida Tech are co-hosting this year's event which runs from June 4 to Aug. 3. This year, there are about 125 participants representing 31 countries. For more information, visit http://www.isunet.edu. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-2012-3179

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-06-04

MELBOURNE, Fla. – Entertainment during the opening ceremonies for the International Space University's 25th annual Space Studies Program session at the Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne, Fla., is provided by Jim Sawgrass and the Deep Forest Native American Indian Program dancers. The nine-week intensive course is designed for post-graduate university students and professionals during the summer. The program is hosted by a different country each year, providing a unique educational experience for participants from around the globe. NASA Kennedy Space Center and Florida Tech are co-hosting this year's event which runs from June 4 to Aug. 3. This year, there are about 125 participants representing 31 countries. For more information, visit http://www.isunet.edu. Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

KSC-2012-3180

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-06-04

MELBOURNE, Fla. – NASA Kennedy Space Center Director and former astronaut Bob Cabana addresses the audience during opening ceremonies for the university's 25th annual Space Studies Program session at the Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne, Fla. The nine-week intensive course is designed for post-graduate university students and professionals during the summer. The program is hosted by a different country each year, providing a unique educational experience for participants from around the globe. NASA Kennedy Space Center and Florida Tech are co-hosting this year's event which runs from June 4 to Aug. 3. This year, there are about 125 participants representing 31 countries. For more information, visit http://www.isunet.edu. Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

KSC-2012-3182

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-06-04

MELBOURNE, Fla. – Entertainment during the opening ceremonies for the International Space University's 25th annual Space Studies Program session at the Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne, Fla., is provided by Jim Sawgrass and the Deep Forest Native American Indian Program dancers. The nine-week intensive course is designed for post-graduate university students and professionals during the summer. The program is hosted by a different country each year, providing a unique educational experience for participants from around the globe. NASA Kennedy Space Center and Florida Tech are co-hosting this year's event which runs from June 4 to Aug. 3. This year, there are about 125 participants representing 31 countries. For more information, visit http://www.isunet.edu. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KSC-2012-3178

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-06-04

MELBOURNE, Fla. – Entertainment during the opening ceremonies for the International Space University's 25th annual Space Studies Program session at the Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne, Fla., is provided by Jim Sawgrass and the Deep Forest Native American Indian Program dancers. The nine-week intensive course is designed for post-graduate university students and professionals during the summer. The program is hosted by a different country each year, providing a unique educational experience for participants from around the globe. NASA Kennedy Space Center and Florida Tech are co-hosting this year's event which runs from June 4 to Aug. 3. This year, there are about 125 participants representing 31 countries. For more information, visit http://www.isunet.edu. Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

Complications of laparoscopic hysterectomy: the Monash experience.

PubMed

Tsaltas, J; Lawrence, A; Michael, M; Pearce, S

2002-08-01

A retrospective review of medical records was performed to assess the incidence and type of significant complications encountered during laparoscopic hysterectomy Two hundred and sixty-five consecutive patients were reviewed between the years 1994 and August 2001. Two hundred and thirty-two laparoscopic vaginal hysterectomies and 33 total laparoscopic hysterectomies were performed. The operations were performed at Monash Medical Centre, a Melbourne tertiary public hospital, and two Melbourne private hospitals, by three surgeons. Ten significant complications occurred. There were two cases of ureteric fistula, two bladder injuries, two bowel obstructions, two postoperative haematomas, one case of a bladder fistula and one superficial epigastric artery injury. In-patient stay ranged from two to six days. Our complication and in-patient stay rates are consistent with previously reported rates.

Particle behavior simulation in thermophoresis phenomena by direct simulation Monte Carlo method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wada, Takao

2014-07-01

A particle motion considering thermophoretic force is simulated by using direct simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) method. Thermophoresis phenomena, which occur for a particle size of 1 μm, are treated in this paper. The problem of thermophoresis simulation is computation time which is proportional to the collision frequency. Note that the time step interval becomes much small for the simulation considering the motion of large size particle. Thermophoretic forces calculated by DSMC method were reported, but the particle motion was not computed because of the small time step interval. In this paper, the molecule-particle collision model, which computes the collision between a particle and multi molecules in a collision event, is considered. The momentum transfer to the particle is computed with a collision weight factor, where the collision weight factor means the number of molecules colliding with a particle in a collision event. The large time step interval is adopted by considering the collision weight factor. Furthermore, the large time step interval is about million times longer than the conventional time step interval of the DSMC method when a particle size is 1 μm. Therefore, the computation time becomes about one-millionth. We simulate the graphite particle motion considering thermophoretic force by DSMC-Neutrals (Particle-PLUS neutral module) with above the collision weight factor, where DSMC-Neutrals is commercial software adopting DSMC method. The size and the shape of the particle are 1 μm and a sphere, respectively. The particle-particle collision is ignored. We compute the thermophoretic forces in Ar and H2 gases of a pressure range from 0.1 to 100 mTorr. The results agree well with Gallis' analytical results. Note that Gallis' analytical result for continuum limit is the same as Waldmann's result.

Can Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi Reduce the Growth of Agricultural Weeds?

PubMed Central

Veiga, Rita S. L.; Jansa, Jan; Frossard, Emmanuel; van der Heijden, Marcel G. A.

2011-01-01

Background Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are known for their beneficial effects on plants. However, there is increasing evidence that some ruderal plants, including several agricultural weeds, respond negatively to AMF colonization. Here, we investigated the effect of AMF on the growth of individual weed species and on weed-crop interactions. Methodology/Principal Findings First, under controlled glasshouse conditions, we screened growth responses of nine weed species and three crops to a widespread AMF, Glomus intraradices. None of the weeds screened showed a significant positive mycorrhizal growth response and four weed species were significantly reduced by the AMF (growth responses between −22 and −35%). In a subsequent experiment, we selected three of the negatively responding weed species – Echinochloa crus-galli, Setaria viridis and Solanum nigrum – and analyzed their responses to a combination of three AMF (Glomus intraradices, Glomus mosseae and Glomus claroideum). Finally, we tested whether the presence of a crop (maize) enhanced the suppressive effect of AMF on weeds. We found that the growth of the three selected weed species was also reduced by a combination of AMF and that the presence of maize amplified the negative effect of AMF on the growth of E. crus-galli. Conclusions/Significance Our results show that AMF can negatively influence the growth of some weed species indicating that AMF have the potential to act as determinants of weed community structure. Furthermore, mycorrhizal weed growth reductions can be amplified in the presence of a crop. Previous studies have shown that AMF provide a number of beneficial ecosystem services. Taken together with our current results, the maintenance and promotion of AMF activity may thereby contribute to sustainable management of agroecosystems. However, in order to further the practical and ecological relevance of our findings, additional experiments should be performed under field conditions. PMID

Quaternary Aquifer of the North China Plain-assessing and achieving groundwater resource sustainability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Foster, Stephen; Garduno, Hector; Evans, Richard; Olson, Doug; Tian, Yuan; Zhang, Weizhen; Han, Zaisheng

The Quaternary Aquifer of the North China Plain is one of the world's largest aquifer systems and supports an enormous exploitation of groundwater, which has reaped large socio-economic benefits in terms of grain production, farming employment and rural poverty alleviation, together with urban and industrial water-supply provision. Both population and economic activity have grown markedly in the past 25 years. Much of this has been heavily dependent upon groundwater resource development, which has encountered increasing difficulties in recent years primarily as a result of aquifer depletion and related phenomena. This paper focuses upon the hydrogeologic and socio-economic diagnosis of these groundwater resource issues, and identifies strategies to improve groundwater resource sustainability. L'aquifère Quaternaire de la Plaine du Nord de la Chine est l'un des plus grands systèmes aquifères du monde; il permet une exploitation énorme d'eau souterraine, qui a permis des très importants bénéfices socio-économiques en terme de production de céréales, d'emplois ruraux et de réduction de la pauvreté rurale, en même temps que l'approvisionnement en eau potable et pour l'industrie. La population comme l'activité économique ont remarquablement augmenté au cours de ces 25 dernières années. Elles ont été sous la forte dépendance du développement de la ressource en eau souterraine, qui a rencontré des difficultés croissantes ces dernières années, du fait du rabattement de l'aquifère et des phénomènes associés. Cet article est consacré aux diagnostiques hydrogéologique et socio-économique des retombées de cette ressource en eau souterraine; il identifie les stratégies pour améliorer la pérennité des ressources en eau souterraine. El acuífero cuaternario de la Llanura Septentrional de China es uno de los mayores sistemas acuíferos del mundo y soporta una enorme explotación de su agua subterránea, las cuales han originado grandes

Analyse chronometrique intersexes de la resolution de la tache d'horizontalite des liquides

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Berthiaume, Francois

D'abondantes recherches ont demontre que la reussite a la tache d'horizontalite des liquides est en moyenne plus elevee chez les individus de sexe masculin que chez ceux de sexe feminin. Deux facteurs principaux ont ete proposes: il s'agit de la connaissance du principe physique de l'invariance de l'orientation des liquides et de certaines habiletes perceptives d'ordre visuel. Le but de la presente recherche est d'etablir la duree detaillee de la resolution de la tache d'horizontalite des liquides chez 185 filles et 180 garcons, ages de 15 a 19 ans et repartis en 8 groupes. Dans une version informatisee, le premier groupe trace la position de la surface de l'eau a l'interieur d'un contenant dans diverses inclinaisons et le deuxieme evalue si l'orientation d'une ligne y represente bien cette position; le troisieme groupe trace une horizontale dans un rectangle et le quatrieme juge si la ligne illustree y est bien horizontale. Quatre autres groupes executent respectivement les memes taches dans la version classique papier-crayon. Le temps accorde a la reflexion avant de commencer le trace, le temps de tracage comme tel et le temps de verification du trace complete sont calcules. Chez les groupes qui evaluent l'orientation d'une ligne sur support informatique, le temps requis pour y parvenir est note. Enfin, un questionnaire estime si les participants connaissent ou non le principe physique d'invariance de l'orientation de la surface d'un liquide. Les resultats revelent que cette connaissance est plus frequente chez les garcons dans l'ensemble des groupes. Dans le cas ou les sujets ont a tracer une ligne, les filles reussissent moins d'essais que les garcons s'il faut, sur support informatique, tracer la surface de l'eau dans un contenant incline ou a l'horizontale. Il en va de meme s'il faut, sur support papier, tracer une horizontale dans un contenant incline. Le trace de la surface de l'eau est plus exact chez les sujets connaissant le principe d'invariance et l

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Lani McCool (back row, left), wife of STS-107 Pilot Willie McCool, accompanied by their children and other family members, visits a new residence hall at the Florida Institute of Technology (FIT) in Melbourne, Fla., named for her late husband. Family members of the STS-107 astronauts, other dignitaries, members of the university community and the public gathered for a dedication ceremony for the Columbia Village at FIT. Each of the seven new residence halls in the complex is named for one of the STS-107 astronauts who perished during the Columbia accident -- Rick Husband, Willie McCool, Laurel Clark, Michael Anderson, David Brown, Kalpana Chawla, and Ilan Ramon.

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-10-28

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Lani McCool (back row, left), wife of STS-107 Pilot Willie McCool, accompanied by their children and other family members, visits a new residence hall at the Florida Institute of Technology (FIT) in Melbourne, Fla., named for her late husband. Family members of the STS-107 astronauts, other dignitaries, members of the university community and the public gathered for a dedication ceremony for the Columbia Village at FIT. Each of the seven new residence halls in the complex is named for one of the STS-107 astronauts who perished during the Columbia accident -- Rick Husband, Willie McCool, Laurel Clark, Michael Anderson, David Brown, Kalpana Chawla, and Ilan Ramon.

Effects of molecular dissociation on the hydrogen equation of state

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bonev, Stanimir; Schwegler, Eric; Galli, Giulia; Gygi, Francois

2002-03-01

It has been suggested recently(François Gygi and G. Galli, submitted to Phys. Rev. Lett.) that the physical mechanism behind the larger compressibility of liquid deuterium observed in laser shock experiments as compared to ab initio simulations may be related to shock-induced electronic excitations. A possible result of such non-adiabatic processes is hindering of the molecular dissociation. This has motivated us to study the importance of molecular dissociation on the hydrogen equation of state. To this end, we have carried out ab initio molecular dynamics simulations of liquid deuterium where intramolecular dissociation is prevented by the use of bond length contraints. Simulations at both fixed thermodynamic conditions and dynamical simulations of shocked deuterium will be discussed.

The Period of 2167 Erin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Montigiana, N.; Benedetti, W.; Mannucci, M.; Riccetti, S.

2008-09-01

Analysis of data taken in March and April 2007 by groups from Osservatorio Astronomico Margherita Hack and the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire indicates a likely period of 5.7186 ± 0.0001 h for 2167 Erin. The amplitude of the lightcurve was 0.53 ± 0.02 mag.

Mesenchymal stem cells induce functionally active T-regulatory lymphocytes in a paracrine fashion and ameliorate experimental autoimmune uveitis.

PubMed

Tasso, Roberta; Ilengo, Cristina; Quarto, Rodolfo; Cancedda, Ranieri; Caspi, Rachel R; Pennesi, Giuseppina

2012-02-01

Mesenchymal stem/progenitor cells (MSCs) have regenerative and immunomodulatory properties, exerted by cell-cell contact and in a paracrine fashion. Part of their immunosuppressive activity has been ascribed to their ability to promote the induction of CD4+CD25+FoxP3+ T lymphocytes with regulatory functions (Treg). Here the authors studied the effect of MSCs on the induction of Treg and on the development of autoimmunity, and they examined the possibility that MSC-mediated Treg induction could be attributed to the secretion of soluble factors. The authors induced experimental autoimmune uveitis (EAU) in mice by immunization with the 1-20 peptide of the intraphotoreceptor binding protein. At the same time, some of the animals were treated intraperitoneally with syngeneic MSCs. The authors checked T-cell responses and in vitro Treg conversion by cell proliferation and blocking assays, in cell-cell contact and transwell settings. TGFβ and TGFβ receptor gene expression analyses were performed by real-time PCR. The authors found that a single intraperitoneal injection of MSCs was able to significantly attenuate EAU and that a significantly higher percentage of adaptive Treg was present in MSC-treated mice than in MSC-untreated animals. In vitro blocking of antigen presentation by major histocompatibility complex class II precluded priming and clonal expansion of antigen-specific Treg, whereas blockade of TGFβ impaired the expression of FoxP3, preventing the conversion of CD4+ T cells into functionally active Treg. The authors demonstrated that MSCs can inhibit EAU and that their immunomodulatory function is due at least in part to the induction of antigen-specific Treg in a paracrine fashion by secreting TGFβ.

Long-Term Therapeutic Effects of Mesenchymal Stem Cells Compared to Dexamethasone on Recurrent Experimental Autoimmune Uveitis of Rats

PubMed Central

Zhang, Lingjun; Zheng, Hui; Shao, Hui; Nian, Hong; Zhang, Yan; Bai, Lingling; Su, Chang; Liu, Xun; Dong, Lijie; Li, Xiaorong; Zhang, Xiaomin

2014-01-01

Purpose. We tested the long-term effects of different regimens of mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) administration in a recurrent experimental autoimmune uveitis (rEAU) model in rats, and compared the efficacy of MSC to that of dexamethasone (DEX). Methods. One or two courses of MSC treatments were applied to R16-specific T cell–induced rEAU rats before or after disease onsets. The DEX injections were given for 7 or 50 days continuously after disease onsets. Clinical appearances were observed until the 50th day after transfer. On the 10th day, T cells from control and MSC groups were analyzed by flow cytometry. Supernatants from the proliferation assay and aqueous humor were collected for cytokine detection. Functions of T cells and APCs in spleens also were studied by lymphocyte proliferation assays. Results. One course of MSC therapy, administered after disease onset, led to a lasting therapeutic effect, with a decreased incidence, reduced mean clinical score, and reduced retinal impairment after 50 days of observation, while multiple courses of treatment did not improve the therapeutic benefit. Although DEX and MSCs equally reduced the severity of the first episode of rEAU, the effect of DEX was shorter lasting, and DEX therapy failed to control the disease even with long periods of treatment. The MSCs significantly decreased T helper 1 (Th1) and Th17 responses, suppressed the function of antigen-presenting cells, and upregulated T regulatory cells. Conclusions. These results suggested that MSCs might be new corticosteroid spring agents, while providing fewer side effects and longer lasting suppressive effects for recurrent uveitis. PMID:25125599

75 FR 47537 - Foreign-Trade Zone 136-Brevard County, FL; Application for Reorganization Under Alternative Site...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-08-06

... 2 (500 acres)--Titusville-Cocoa Space Center Executive Airport Industrial Park, Titusville; Site 3... Park at State Road 520, Cocoa; and Site 5 (5 acres)--718 and 720 North Drive, Melbourne. The grantee's...

Insulated Concrete Homes Increase Durability and Energy Efficiency

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

None

2001-05-01

New houses designed by Mercedes Homes in Melbourne, Florida, save their homeowners money by using energy efficient features such as a high performance heat pump and solar control glazing to reduce cooling costs.

Organization - NOAA's National Weather Service

Science.gov Websites

Virginia Charleston Alabama Birmingham Huntsville Mobile Arkansas Little Rock Florida Jacksonville Key West Mobile/Pensacola Tallahassee, FL Key West, FL Miami-South Florida, FL Tampa Bay, FL Melbourne, FL

A Low Concentration of Tacrolimus/Semifluorinated Alkane (SFA) Eyedrop Suppresses Intraocular Inflammation in Experimental Models of Uveitis.

PubMed

De Majumdar, S; Subinya, M; Korward, J; Pettigrew, A; Scherer, D; Xu, H

2017-01-01

Corticosteroids remain the mainstay therapy for uveitis, a major cause of blindness in the working age population. However, a substantial number of patients cannot benefit from the therapy due to steroids resistance or intolerance. Tacrolimus has been used to treat refractory uveitis through systemic administration. The aim of this study was to evaluate the therapeutic potential of 0.03% tacrolimus eyedrop in mouse models of uveitis. 0.03% tacrolimus in perfluorobutylpentane (F4H5) (0.03% Tacrolimus/SFA) was formulated using a previously published protocol. Tacrolimus suspended in PBS (0.03% Tacrolimus/PBS) was used as a control. In addition, 0.1% dexamethasone (0.1% DXM) was used as a standard therapy control. Endotoxin-induced uveitis (EIU) and experimental autoimmune uveoretinitis (EAU) were induced in adult C57BL/6 mice using protocols described previously. Mice were treated with eyedrops three times/day immediately after EIU induction for 48 h or from day 14 to day 25 post-immunization (for EAU). Clinical and histological examinations were conducted at the end of the experiment. Pharmacokinetics study was conducted in mice with and without EIU. At different times after eyedrop treatment, ocular tissues were collected for tacrolimus measurement. The 0.03% Tacrolimus/SFA eyedrop treatment reduced the clinical scores and histological scores of intraocular inflammation in both EIU and EAU to the levels similar to 0.1% DXM eyedrop treatment. The 0.03% Tacrolimus/PBS did not show any suppressive effect in EIU and EAU. Pharmacokinetic studies showed that 15 min after topical administration of 0.03% Tacrolimus/SFA, low levels of tacrolimus were detected in the retina (48 ng/g tissue) and vitreous (2.5 ng/ml) in normal mouse eyes, and the levels were significantly higher in EIU eyes (102 ng/g tissue in the retina and 24 ng/ml in the vitreous). Tacrolimus remained detectable in intraocular tissues of EIU eyes 6 h after topical administration (68 ng/g retinal tissue, 10

A personalized 3D-printed prosthetic joint replacement for the human temporomandibular joint: From implant design to implantation.

PubMed

Ackland, David C; Robinson, Dale; Redhead, Michael; Lee, Peter Vee Sin; Moskaljuk, Adrian; Dimitroulis, George

2017-05-01

Personalized prosthetic joint replacements have important applications in cases of complex bone and joint conditions where the shape and size of off-the-shelf components may not be adequate. The objective of this study was to design, test and fabricate a personalized 3D-printed prosthesis for a patient requiring total joint replacement surgery of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ). The new 'Melbourne' prosthetic TMJ design featured a condylar component sized specifically to the patient and fixation screw positions that avoid potential intra-operative damage to the mandibular nerve. The Melbourne prosthetic TMJ was developed for a 58-year-old female recipient with end-stage osteoarthritis of the TMJ. The load response of the prosthesis during chewing and a maximum-force bite was quantified using a personalized musculoskeletal model of the patient's masticatory system developed using medical images. The simulations were then repeated after implantation of the Biomet Microfixation prosthetic TMJ, an established stock device. The maximum condylar stresses, screw stress and mandibular stress at the screw-bone interface were lower in the Melbourne prosthetic TMJ (259.6MPa, 312.9MPa and 198.4MPa, respectively) than those in the Biomet Microfixation device (284.0MPa, 416.0MPa and 262.2MPa, respectively) during the maximum-force bite, with similar trends also observed during the chewing bite. After trialing surgical placement and evaluating prosthetic TMJ stability using cadaveric specimens, the prosthesis was fabricated using 3D printing, sterilized, and implanted into the female recipient. Six months post-operatively, the prosthesis recipient had a normal jaw opening distance (40.0 mm), with no complications identified. The new design features and immediate load response of the Melbourne prosthetic TMJ suggests that it may provide improved clinical and biomechanical joint function compared to a commonly used stock device, and reduce risk of intra-operative nerve damage

Dealing with Drought: Decoupling Climatic and Management-Related Drivers of Water Conservation Behavior

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hemati, A.; Rippy, M.; Grant, S. B.

2015-12-01

As global populations grow, cities in drought prone regions of the world such as California and South East Australia are faced with escalating water scarcity and water security challenges. The management approaches geared towards addressing these challenges are diverse. Given the myriad of possible approaches and the tendency to apply them in combination, successful management actions can be difficult to identify. Background climactic variability further complicates the story, making transfer of management lessons from one drought stressed region to another difficult. Here we use Melbourne, a city of 4.3 million people in South East Australia that recently faced and overcame a > 10 year "Millennium" drought, as a test case for evaluating the relative importance of various management-related and climactic factors in driving reductions in municipal water consumption (~60% in 12 years). Our analysis suggests that Melbourne's declining municipal consumption cannot be explained by potable substitution alone, as reductions in municipal consumption were not matched by increased use of alternative sources (e.g., urban rain or recycled water). Thus, water conservation behavior (not source switching) may be responsible for the majority of demand reduction in Melbourne. Interestingly, while voluntary or mandatory water restrictions appear to have substantially altered the rate of change of consumption near the end of Melbourne's Millennium drought (e.g., forcing a period of intense conservation), overall conservation behavior precedes these restrictions. This suggests that other rapidly implemented (and hither too unquantified) management approaches such as advertising or newspapers may have driven water conservation behavior early in the drought. Climatic factors, particularly precipitation may also have influenced conservation behavior; changes in precipitation were significantly positively correlated with changes in water consumption at a lag of 18 months. Similar

A national audit of retail lamb loin quality in Australia.

PubMed

Safari, E; Channon, H A; Hopkins, D L; Hall, D G; van de Ven, R

2002-07-01

A retail audit of lamb loin tenderness was conducted over a 12-month period to determine the variation in tenderness of Australian lamb. Tenderness was objectively measured using Warner-Bratzler (WB) shear force. Muscle pH and cooking loss were determined on all samples and colour was measured on a sub-sample of loins. A total of 909 midloins from retail butcher shops and supermarkets located in four Australian capital cities (Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne, and Perth) were evaluated at four sampling times (December 1997 and March, June, and October 1998). Overall, 20.3% of all midloins purchased had a WB shear force value above the threshold level of 5 kg. Generic samples from Melbourne butcher shops were similar for WB shear force on average to the generic samples from Canberra and Sydney, whereas those from Melbourne supermarkets had significantly (P<0.001) higher WB shear force and were in line with generic samples from Perth. In both Canberra and Perth, alliance (branded) lamb had a greater WB shear force (P<0.05) than generic lamb. No relationship was found between price per kg and shear force (r=0.02) for loins purchased in Sydney (n=220). Price per kg differed between months (P<0.001) and suburbs (P<0.001), but not between retail butcher shops and supermarkets. Of the midloins tested, 10.3% had a pH above the critical point of 5.8. Midloins from the December 1997 sampling had a lower pH (P<0.01) than those sampled at other months. Those sampled in Melbourne and Perth had a similar mean pH, which were lower (P<0.001) than Canberra and Sydney samples. The findings from this quality audit suggest that there is room to improve the tenderness of Australian lamb sold in the domestic market. A lamb eating quality assurance system, based on set protocols, is one approach that is currently being investigated in Australia to ensure the supply of consistently high eating quality lamb to consumers.

Place Names: Making the Basics of Geography Fun to Learn.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vogeler, Ingolf

1988-01-01

Arguing that students need to have knowledge about places and regions to understand current and past world affairs, a college-level geography course (University of Wisconsin Eau Claire) which teaches physical and cultural place names is described. Presents course objectives, topics, and activities and states that it serves student needs and…

Reading Professionals: The Vital Link.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gabler, Carol L.

The Family Literacy Program in Eau Claire, Wisconsin is an example of a strong linkage between professional educators, volunteers, and parents. The program uses the strengths of reading professionals working with preschool students and adult learners in order to break the intergenerational cycle of illiteracy. Cooperation and hard work are the…

Success Models for Gifted Native Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sing, David K.

The Center for Gifted and Talented Native Hawaiian Children at the University of Hawaii at Hilo aims to develop culturally appropriate gifted and talented programs and identification procedures for Native Hawaiian children. Every Center program incorporates four elements of the Na Pua No'eau model: talent enhancement, self-esteem development,…

Conceptual Framework for Conducting Cost Benefit Studies in Wisconsin VTAE and Cost Benefit Studies--VTAE Programs.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Webb, Robert I.; And Others

The step-by-step cost benefit study, confined to measuring and comparing economic costs with economic benefits, is based on the 1971, 1972, and 1973 classes graduating from the Agribusiness-Machinery Partsman-Salesman Program at District One Technical Institute in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Numerous tables throughout the report contain cost benefit…

Providing Affordable Housing: Small Communities Benefit from Upgrading Dilapidated Homes.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hestekin, Kay

1991-01-01

Describes the Affordable Housing Opportunities Program (AHOP) created by the Eau Claire County Housing Authority in Wisconsin. The AHOP buys, renovates, and sells homes for prices below fair market value. This provides safe, sanitary housing for families who could not otherwise afford it. Describes the purchase, renovation, and sale of four…

Review of “Managing Arsenic in the Environment: From Soil to Hman Health”

EPA Science Inventory

This is a book review of "Managing Arsenic in the Environment: From Soil to Human Health," R. Naidu, E. Smith, G. Owens, P. Bhattacharya, and P. Nadebaum eds., CSIRO Publishing, Melbourne, Australia, 656 pp.,

Managing for sustainability in an arid climate: lessons learned from 20 years of groundwater management in Arizona, USA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jacobs, Katharine L.; Holway, James M.

Substantial progress has been made within central Arizona in moving towards a more sustainable water future, particularly in transitioning the urban demand from a primarily nonrenewable groundwater-based supply to increasing dependence on the Colorado River, Salt River and effluent. Management efforts include a wide range of regulatory and voluntary programs which have had mixed success. The Department of Water Resources has learned a number of key lessons throughout the years, and this paper attempts to establish the water management context and identify those lessons for the benefit of others who may want to evaluate alternative approaches to groundwater management. Themes to be discussed include evaluating water management approaches in a public policy context, the effectiveness of alternative management approaches and the relative merits of regulatory vs. nonregulatory efforts, and the importance of high-quality data in making management decisions. De nets progrès ont été faits dans le centre de l'Arizona pour aller vers une gestion plus durable de l'eau, en particulier en reportant la demande urbaine d'une alimentation basée sur l'eau souterraine primitivement non renouvelable sur une dépendance croissante des rivières Colorado et Salt et des effluents. Les efforts de gestion portent sur une large gamme de programmes de réglementation et d'actions volontaires qui ont réussi. Le Département des Ressources en Eau a appris un certain nombre de leçons clés au cours des années cet article tente d'établir le contexte de gestion de l'eau et d'identifier ces leçons pour le bénéfice de ceux qui cherchent à évaluer des approches alternatives de gestion de l'eau souterraine. Les thèmes à discuter portent sur l'évaluation des approches de gestion de l'eau dans un contexte de politique publique, l'efficacité d'approches alternatives de gestion et les mérites relatifs d'efforts de réglementation par rapport à une absence de réglementation, et l

Technical Writing in Hydrogeology.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tinker, John R., Jr.

1986-01-01

A project for Writing Across the Curriculum at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire is described as a method to relate the process of writing to the process of learning hydrology. The project focuses on an actual groundwater contamination case and is designed to improve the technical writing skills of students. (JN)

"I've Never Heard of It Before": Awareness of Open Access at a Small Liberal Arts University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kocken, Gregory J.; Wical, Stephanie H.

2013-01-01

Small colleges and universities, often late adopters of institutional repositories and open access initiatives, face challenges that have not fully been explored in the professional literature. In an effort to gauge the level of awareness of open access and institutional repositories at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire (UWEC), the authors of…

Phospholipids as Biomarkers for Excessive Alcohol Use

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-03-01

although the urine results were strongly driven by two very high samples (Fig 5). Coincident with the higher glucose levels in ALD sera, levels of......and Iraq (Operation Iraqi Freedom, OIF) is a major contributor to the onset and exacerbation of EAU, a rising epidemic reported to be as high as 40

Establishment of an Off-Campus Baccalaureate Nursing Program.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ostmoe, Patricia M.

In an effort to prepare more baccalaureate level nurses for the rural areas of central Wisconsin and to accommodate the educational needs of geographically bound nontraditional students, a basic baccalaureate nursing program was established at an off-campus site. This University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire program is offered in cooperation with two…

Urinary tract infections in children: EAU/ESPU guidelines.

PubMed

Stein, Raimund; Dogan, Hasan S; Hoebeke, Piet; Kočvara, Radim; Nijman, Rien J M; Radmayr, Christian; Tekgül, Serdar

2015-03-01

In 30% of children with urinary tract anomalies, urinary tract infection (UTI) can be the first sign. Failure to identify patients at risk can result in damage to the upper urinary tract. To provide recommendations for the diagnosis, treatment, and imaging of children presenting with UTI. The recommendations were developed after a review of the literature and a search of PubMed and Embase. A consensus decision was adopted when evidence was low. UTIs are classified according to site, episode, symptoms, and complicating factors. For acute treatment, site and severity are the most important. Urine sampling by suprapubic aspiration or catheterisation has a low contamination rate and confirms UTI. Using a plastic bag to collect urine, a UTI can only be excluded if the dipstick is negative for both leukocyte esterase and nitrite or microscopic analysis is negative for both pyuria and bacteriuria. A clean voided midstream urine sample after cleaning the external genitalia has good diagnostic accuracy in toilet-trained children. In children with febrile UTI, antibiotic treatment should be initiated as soon as possible to eradicate infection, prevent bacteraemia, improve outcome, and reduce the likelihood of renal involvement. Ultrasound of the urinary tract is advised to exclude obstructive uropathy. Depending on sex, age, and clinical presentation, vesicoureteral reflux should be excluded. Antibacterial prophylaxis is beneficial. In toilet-trained children, bladder and bowel dysfunction needs to be excluded. The level of evidence is high for the diagnosis of UTI and treatment in children but not for imaging to identify patients at risk for upper urinary tract damage. In these guidelines, we looked at the diagnosis, treatment, and imaging of children with urinary tract infection. There are strong recommendations on diagnosis and treatment; we also advise exclusion of obstructive uropathy within 24h and later vesicoureteral reflux, if indicated. Copyright © 2014 European Association of Urology. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

SOCS3 Deletion in T-Lymphocytes Suppresses Development of Chronic Ocular Inflammation Via Up-regulation of CTLA-4 and Expansion of Regulatory T cells

PubMed Central

Yu, Cheng-Rong; Kim, Sung-Hye; Mahdi, Rashid M.; Egwuagu, Charles E.

2013-01-01

Suppressors of cytokine signaling (SOCS) proteins are negative-feedback regulators of JAK/STAT pathway and SOCS3 contributes to host immunity by regulating the intensity/duration of cytokine signals and inflammatory responses. Mice with Socs3 deletion in myeloid cells exhibit enhanced STAT3-signaling, expansion of Th1 and Th17 cells and developed severe experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). Interestingly, development of the unique IL-17/IFN-γ-double producing (Th17/IFN-γ and Tc17/IFN-γ) subsets that exhibit strong cytotoxic activities and associated with pathogenesis of several autoimmune diseases, has recently been shown to depend on epigenetic suppression of SOCS3 expression, further suggesting involvement of SOCS3 in autoimmunity and tumor immunity. In this study, we generated mice with Socs3 deletion in CD4 T cell compartment (CD4-SOCS3KO) to determine in vivo effects of the loss of Socs3 in the T cell-mediated autoimmune disease, experimental autoimmune uveitis (EAU). In contrast to the exacerbation of EAE in myeloid-specific SOCS3-deleted mice, CD4-SOCS3KO mice were protected from acute and chronic uveitis. Protection from EAU correlated with enhanced expression of CTLA4 and expansion of IL-10 producing Tregs with augmented suppressive activities. We further show that SOCS3 interacts with CTLA4 and negatively regulates CTLA4 levels in T cells, providing mechanistic explanation for the expansion of Tregs in CD4-SOCS3 during EAU. Contrary to in vitro epigenetic studies, Th17/IFN-γ and Tc17/IFN-γ populations were markedly reduced in CD4-SOCS3KO, suggesting that SOCS3 promotes expansion of Th17/IFN-γ subset associated with development of severe uveitis. Thus, SOCS3 is a potential therapeutic target in uveitis and other auto-inflammatory diseases. PMID:24101549

Risk Group Systems for Penile Cancer Management: A Study of 203 Patients With Invasive Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

PubMed

Chaux, Alcides

2015-10-01

To evaluate the accuracy of previously published risk group systems for predicting inguinal nodal metastases in patients with penile carcinoma. Two hundred three cases of invasive penile squamous cell carcinomas (SCC) were stratified using the following systems: Solsona et al (J Urol 2001;165:1509), Hungerhuber et al (Urology 2006;68:621), and the system proposed by the European Association of Urology (EAU; Eur Urol 2004;46:1). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was carried out to compare accuracy in predicting final nodal status and cancer-related death. Most of cases were pT2/pT3 high-grade tumors with a small percentage of low-grade pT1 carcinomas. The metastatic rates for the Solsona et al, EAU, and Hungerhuber et al systems in the high-risk category were 15 of 73 (21%), 16 of 103 (16%), and 10 of 35 (29%) in patients with clinically negative inguinal lymph nodes and 52 of 75 (69%), 55 of 93 (59%), and 34 of 47 (72%) in patients with palpable inguinal lymph nodes, respectively. Performance by ROC analysis showed a low accuracy for all stratification systems although the Solsona et al and the Hungerhuber et al systems performed better than the EAU system. Patients in intermediate-risk categories and with clinically palpable inguinal lymph nodes were more likely to have nodal metastasis than patients with clinically negative lymph nodes in the same category. These stratification systems may be useful for patients with low-grade superficial tumors and less accurate for evaluating patients with high-grade locally advanced penile carcinomas. These data may be useful for therapeutic planning of patients with penile SCC. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

In Vivo Bioluminescence Imaging for Longitudinal Monitoring of Inflammation in Animal Models of Uveitis.

PubMed

Gutowski, Michal B; Wilson, Leslie; Van Gelder, Russell N; Pepple, Kathryn L

2017-03-01

We develop a quantitative bioluminescence assay for in vivo longitudinal monitoring of inflammation in animal models of uveitis. Three models of experimental uveitis were induced in C57BL/6 albino mice: primed mycobacterial uveitis (PMU), endotoxin-induced uveitis (EIU), and experimental autoimmune uveitis (EAU). Intraperitoneal injection of luminol sodium salt, which emits light when oxidized, provided the bioluminescence substrate. Bioluminescence images were captured by a PerkinElmer In Vivo Imaging System (IVIS) Spectrum and total bioluminescence was analyzed using Living Image software. Bioluminescence on day zero was compared to bioluminescence on the day of peak inflammation for each model. Longitudinal bioluminescence imaging was performed in EIU and EAU. In the presence of luminol, intraocular inflammation generates detectable bioluminescence in three mouse models of uveitis. Peak bioluminescence in inflamed PMU eyes (1.46 × 105 photons/second [p/s]) was significantly increased over baseline (1.47 × 104 p/s, P = 0.01). Peak bioluminescence in inflamed EIU eyes (3.18 × 104 p/s) also was significantly increased over baseline (1.09 × 104 p/s, P = 0.04), and returned to near baseline levels by 48 hours. In EAU, there was a nonsignificant increase in bioluminescence at peak inflammation. In vivo bioluminescence may be used as a noninvasive, quantitative measure of intraocular inflammation in animal models of uveitis. Primed mycobacterial uveitis and EIU are both acute models with robust anterior inflammation and demonstrated significant changes in bioluminescence corresponding with peak inflammation. Experimental autoimmune uveitis is a more indolent posterior uveitis and generated a more modest bioluminescent signal. In vivo imaging system bioluminescence is a nonlethal, quantifiable assay that can be used for monitoring inflammation in animal models of uveitis.

Putting a Face on Hunger: A Community-Academic Research Project

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Coffey, Nancy; Canales, Mary K.; Moore, Emily; Gullickson, Melissa; Kaczmarski, Brenda

2014-01-01

Food insecurity is a growing concern for Eau Claire County residents in Western Wisconsin. A community-academic partnership studied food insecurity through the voices of families struggling to access food and institutions that assist with hunger related problems. Data were collected through focus groups held in urban and rural parts of the county.…

Building Local and Transnational Feminisms: An Interview with Noelia Corrales and Lussiana Salazar of la Escuela de Español Colibrí in Matagalpa, Nicaragua

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kemp, Theresa D.

2016-01-01

In 2009, the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire's (UWEC) women's studies program offered its first iteration of the faculty-led international immersion course Women's Lives and Experiences in Nicaragua. This program was created and initially led by Dr. Rose-Marie Avin, a faculty member in the economics department and an affiliate member of both…

Struggle for the Soul: John Lawrence Childs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stallones, Jared

2010-01-01

John Lawrence Childs was born in Eau Claire, Wisconsin on January 11, 1889, the second child of John Nelson Childs and Helen Janette (Nettie) Smith. In childhood Childs absorbed the values of industry, democracy, and a traditional, but socially conscious, religion. Childs was a Methodist and an intensely private person not given to talking about…

Preferences for Expansion of Public Services in Five West Central Wisconsin Counties. Report No. 8 of a Series on Quality of Life and Development in Northwestern Wisconsin, February 1976.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lambert, Virginia

As part of a study of the quality of life in northwestern Wisconsin, 1974 sample populations (N=150 residents per county) from each of 4 west central counties (Dunn, Clark, Eau Claire, and Polk) were presented with a list of public service programs and asked if they should be "expanded", "kept the same", or "cut…

Adherence to the Mediterranean Diet Is not Related to Beta-Amyloid Deposition: Data from the Women's Healthy Ageing Project.

PubMed

Hill, E; Szoeke, C; Dennerstein, L; Campbell, S; Clifton, P

2018-01-01

Research has indicated the neuroprotective potential of the Mediterranean diet. Adherence to the Mediterranean diet has shown preventative potential for Alzheimer's disease incidence and prevalence, yet few studies have investigated the impact of Mediterranean diet adherence on the hallmark protein; beta-amyloid. To investigate the association between Mediterranean diet adherence and beta-amyloid deposition in a cohort of healthy older Australian women. This study was a cross-sectional investigation of participants from the longitudinal, epidemiologically sourced Women's Healthy Ageing Project which is a follow-up of the Melbourne Women's Midlife Health Project. Assessments were conducted at the Centre for Medical Research, Royal Melbourne Hospital in Melbourne, Australia. F-18 Florbetaben positron emission tomography scanning was conducted at the Austin Centre for PET in Victoria, Australia. One hundred and eleven Women's Healthy Ageing Project participants were included in the study. Mediterranean diet adherence scores for all participants were calculated from the administration of a validated food frequency questionnaire constructed by the Cancer Council of Victoria. Beta-amyloid deposition was measured using positron emission tomography standardised uptake value ratios. Gamma regression analysis displayed no association between Mediterranean diet adherence and beta-amyloid deposition. This result was consistent across APOE-ε4 +/- cohorts and with the inclusion of covariates such as age, education, body mass index and cognition. This study found no association between adherence to the Mediterranean diet and beta-amyloid deposition in a cohort of healthy Australian women.

Characterizing the Relationships Among Lightning and Storm Parameters: Lightning as a Proxy Variable

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Goodman, S. J.; Raghavan, R.; William, E.; Weber, M.; Boldi, B.; Matlin, A.; Wolfson, M.; Hodanish, S.; Sharp. D.

1997-01-01

We have gained important insights from prior studies that have suggested relationships between lightning and storm growth, decay, convective rain flux, vertical distribution of storm mass and echo volume in the region, and storm energetics. A study was initiated in the Summer of 1996 to determine how total (in-cloud plus ground) lightning observations might provide added knowledge to the forecaster in the determination and identification of severe thunderstorms and weather hazards in real-time. The Melbourne Weather Office was selected as a primary site to conduct this study because Melbourne is the only site in the world with continuous and open access to total lightning (LDAR) data and a Doppler (WSR-88D) radar. A Lightning Imaging Sensor Data Applications Demonstration (LISDAD) system was integrated into the forecaster's workstation during the Summer 1996 to allow the forecaster to interact in real-time with the multi-sensor data being displayed. LISDAD currently ingests LDAR data, the cloud-to-ground National Lightning Detection Network (NLDN) data, and the Melbourne radar data in f real-time. The interactive features provide the duty forecaster the ability to perform quick diagnostics on storm cells of interest. Upon selection of a storm cell, a pop-up box appears displaying the time-history of various storm parameters (e.g., maximum radar reflectivity, height of maximum reflectivity, echo-top height, NLDN and LDAR lightning flash rates, storm-based vertically integrated liquid water content). This product is archived to aid on detailed post-analysis.

A Multiplicative Cascade Model for High-Resolution Space-Time Downscaling of Rainfall

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Raut, Bhupendra A.; Seed, Alan W.; Reeder, Michael J.; Jakob, Christian

2018-02-01

Distributions of rainfall with the time and space resolutions of minutes and kilometers, respectively, are often needed to drive the hydrological models used in a range of engineering, environmental, and urban design applications. The work described here is the first step in constructing a model capable of downscaling rainfall to scales of minutes and kilometers from time and space resolutions of several hours and a hundred kilometers. A multiplicative random cascade model known as the Short-Term Ensemble Prediction System is run with parameters from the radar observations at Melbourne (Australia). The orographic effects are added through multiplicative correction factor after the model is run. In the first set of model calculations, 112 significant rain events over Melbourne are simulated 100 times. Because of the stochastic nature of the cascade model, the simulations represent 100 possible realizations of the same rain event. The cascade model produces realistic spatial and temporal patterns of rainfall at 6 min and 1 km resolution (the resolution of the radar data), the statistical properties of which are in close agreement with observation. In the second set of calculations, the cascade model is run continuously for all days from January 2008 to August 2015 and the rainfall accumulations are compared at 12 locations in the greater Melbourne area. The statistical properties of the observations lie with envelope of the 100 ensemble members. The model successfully reproduces the frequency distribution of the 6 min rainfall intensities, storm durations, interarrival times, and autocorrelation function.

Guided Learning Applied to Optical Mineralogy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Driver, S. C.; Hunter, W. R.

1975-01-01

Describes an individual programmed study method used in a second year Geology course at the University of Melbourne. Outlines the criteria that make this instructional style useful and presents the student questionnaire used to evaluate the course. (GS)

Evaluation of allelopathic, decomposition and cytogenetic activities of Jasminum officinale L. f. var. grandiflorum (L.) Kob. on bioassay plants.

PubMed

Teerarak, Montinee; Laosinwattana, Chamroon; Charoenying, Patchanee

2010-07-01

Methanolic extracts prepared from dried leaves of Jasminum officinale f. var. grandiflorum (L.) Kob. (Spanish jasmine) inhibited seed germination and stunted both root and shoot length of the weeds Echinochloa crus-galli (L.) Beauv. and Phaseolus lathyroides L. The main active compound was isolated and determined by spectral data as a secoiridoid glucoside named oleuropein. In addition, a decrease in allelopathic efficacy appeared as the decomposition periods increased. The mitotic index in treated onion root tips decreased with increasing concentrations of the extracts and longer periods of treatment. Likewise, the mitotic phase index was altered in onion incubated with crude extract. Furthermore, crude extract produced mitotic abnormalities resulting from its action on chromatin organization and mitotic spindle. Copyright (c)2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Collision group and renormalization of the Boltzmann collision integral.

PubMed

Saveliev, V L; Nanbu, K

2002-05-01

On the basis of a recently discovered collision group [V. L. Saveliev, in Rarefied Gas Dynamics: 22nd International Symposium, edited by T. J. Bartel and M. Gallis, AIP Conf. Proc. No. 585 (AIP, Melville, NY, 2001), p. 101], the Boltzmann collision integral is exactly rewritten in two parts. The first part describes the scattering of particles with small angles. In this part the infinity due to the infinite cross sections is extracted from the Boltzmann collision integral. Moreover, the Boltzmann collision integral is represented as a divergence of the flow in velocity space. Owing to this, the role of collisions in the kinetic equation can be interpreted in terms of the nonlocal friction force that depends on the distribution function.

Collision group and renormalization of the Boltzmann collision integral

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saveliev, V. L.; Nanbu, K.

2002-05-01

On the basis of a recently discovered collision group [V. L. Saveliev, in Rarefied Gas Dynamics: 22nd International Symposium, edited by T. J. Bartel and M. Gallis, AIP Conf. Proc. No. 585 (AIP, Melville, NY, 2001), p. 101], the Boltzmann collision integral is exactly rewritten in two parts. The first part describes the scattering of particles with small angles. In this part the infinity due to the infinite cross sections is extracted from the Boltzmann collision integral. Moreover, the Boltzmann collision integral is represented as a divergence of the flow in velocity space. Owing to this, the role of collisions in the kinetic equation can be interpreted in terms of the nonlocal friction force that depends on the distribution function.

Modeling and Ab initio Calculations of Thermal Transport in Si-Based Clathrates and Solar Perovskites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

He, Yuping

2015-03-01

We present calculations of the thermal transport coefficients of Si-based clathrates and solar perovskites, as obtained from ab initio calculations and models, where all input parameters derived from first principles. We elucidated the physical mechanisms responsible for the measured low thermal conductivity in Si-based clatherates and predicted their electronic properties and mobilities, which were later confirmed experimentally. We also predicted that by appropriately tuning the carrier concentration, the thermoelectric figure of merit of Sn and Pb based perovskites may reach values ranging between 1 and 2, which could possibly be further increased by optimizing the lattice thermal conductivity through engineering perovskite superlattices. Work done in collaboration with Prof. G. Galli, and supported by DOE/BES Grant No. DE-FG0206ER46262.

[Indigenous medical assistance in Madagascar (1898-1950)].

PubMed

Merlin, J; Mafart, B; Triaud, J L

2003-01-01

The foundations of local health services in Madagascar were laid when the island was taken over by the French in 1896. Medical care was a major priority for the first colonial governor named General Galliéni. Local health services expanded greatly from 1896 to 1950 thanks notably to institutions such as the Tananarive Medical School and Pasteur Institute. These services played a crucial role in the fight against smallpox and bubonic plague. However they were also used for political purposes by both colonial and independent governments. In sum the history of local health services in Madagascar can be described as a battle between political power and scientific knowledge. The overall result is positive for some and controversial for others.

What Australian Primary School Students Value in Mathematics Learning: A WIFI Preliminary Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Seah, Wee Tiong; Barkatsas, Tasos

2014-01-01

Grades 5/6 students in Melbourne reported the valuing of "achievement," "open-endedness," "relevance," "humanism," "ICT," and "openness" most in mathematics learning. Although prior research suggested that students in East Asia valued "achievement" most as well, there was an…

Towards an Automated Pipeline for the Translation and Optimization of Geospatial Data for Virtual Environments

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-12-01

clearly observed in the game industry ( Introversion , 2008). Currently there are many tools available to assist in automating the production of large...Graphics and Interactive Techniques, Melbourne, Australia, February 11 – 14. Introversion Software, 2008: Procedural Content Generation. http

Evaluation of allelopathic potential and quantification of momilactone A,B from rice hull extracts and assessment of inhibitory bioactivity on paddy field weeds.

PubMed

Chung, Ill Min; Kim, Jung Tae; Kim, Seung-Hyun

2006-04-05

Rice (Oryza sativa L.) hull extracts were used in a bioassay to evaluate the allelopathic potential of rice on the germination and growth of barnyard grass (Echinochloa crus-galli P. Beauv. var. oryzicola Ohwi), to quantify momilactone A and B levels in rice hull germplasm and to assess the inhibitory bioactivity of momilactone A and B as a potential natural source of herbicide for weed control in paddy fields. Four varieties of weeds including E. crus-galli P. Beauv. var. oryzicola Ohwi, Monochoria vaginalis var. plantaginea, Scirpus juncoides, and Eleocharis kuroguwai were tested in the paddy field. Of 99 rice varieties, the top five including Noindari exhibited inhibition effects greater than 50% in average inhibition of dry weight (AIDW). Noindari among them exerted the strongest effect (55.6%). The next five in the ranking exhibited inhibition effects of greater than 40%. Also, 46 varieties had inhibition effects between 20 and 40%, and 29 varieties had inhibition effects greater than 10%. Fourteen varieties had very low inhibitory effects (less than 10%), the lowest of which was Heunbe (4.7%). These varieties showed a mean inhibition of 19.8% for germination rate (GR), 9.9% for germination percentage (GP), 16.6% for leaf dry weight (LDW), 38.9% for straw dry weight (SDW), and 26.8% for root dry weight (RDW). Rice varieties were classified into six categories based on their total momilactones (TMs) (momilactone A + momilactone B). The highest level of momilactone A was found in the Baekna rice variety (34.7 microg g(-1)), and Baekgwangok contained the highest level of momilactone B (37.8 microg g(-1)). In allelopathic potential with genetic properties and morphological characteristics, the total inhibition rate (TIR) was 18.3% for Korean rice varieties, 19.0% for middle maturing varieties, 17.8% for colorless hull varieties, 18.3% for awn varieties, and 19.0% for colorless awn varieties. In addition, Korean varieties showed higher TMs (4.5 microg g(-1)) as

The Making of the Faculty: Fostering Professional Development, Curricular Innovation, and Teamwork Through a Collaborative Science Community.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ross, Jacqueline; And Others

This paper describes the efforts of a host community generally referred to as a "Collaborative Community" and comprised of the Biology and Math departments of the University of Wisconsin-Stout (UW-Stout), the Math and Biology Departments of the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire (UW-EC), and the Departments of Math, Biology, and Chemistry of the…

Teaching Women's Rights and the Imperialist Agenda

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Long, Alex

2014-01-01

The author is a graduate student studying English at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, and recently concluded co-teaching a course called The Human Experience of War. The course consisted of reading various works of British literature that spanned World Wars I and II. Through the experience of teaching this course, one recurring theme that…

Community Problems in Five West Central Counties. Report No. 7 of a Series on Quality of Life and Development in Northwestern Wisconsin, February 1976.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lambert, Virginia; Linn, Gary

As part of a study on development and the quality of life in northwestern Wisconsin, questions concerning important problems, public services, and environmental issues were asked of samples of 150 people in each of 4 west central counties (Clark, Dunn, Eau Claire, and Polk) in 1974. Responses to similar questions asked in a 1973 study of St. Croix…

Joint Venture Marketing Training: Development Marketing Plans Utilizing Foreign and American Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Steele, David; Jones, Kevin

This paper describes a workshop prepared and presented by the Business Administration Department of the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, that is designed to provide training in evaluating a European market for an American product and preparing a plan for marketing the product in Europe. It is noted that the program can work with both students…

Adherence to European Association of Urology Guidelines on Prophylactic Antibiotics: An Important Step in Antimicrobial Stewardship.

PubMed

Cai, Tommaso; Verze, Paolo; Brugnolli, Anna; Tiscione, Daniele; Luciani, Lorenzo Giuseppe; Eccher, Cristina; Lanzafame, Paolo; Malossini, Gianni; Wagenlehner, Florian M E; Mirone, Vincenzo; Bjerklund Johansen, Truls E; Pickard, Robert; Bartoletti, Riccardo

2016-02-01

The evolution of resistant pathogens is a worldwide health crisis and adherence to European Association of Urology (EAU) guidelines on antibiotic prophylaxis may be an important way to improve antibiotic stewardship and reduce patient harm and costs. To evaluate the prevalence of antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains and health care costs during a period of adherence to EAU guidelines in a tertiary referral urologic institution. A protocol for adherence to EAU guidelines for antibiotic prophylaxis for all urologic procedures was introduced in January 2011. Data for 3529 urologic procedures performed between January 2011 and December 2013 after protocol introduction were compared with data for 2619 procedures performed between January 2008 and December 2010 before protocol implementation. The prevalence of bacterial resistance and health care costs were compared between the two periods. The outcome measures were the proportion of resistant uropathogens and costs related to antibiotic consumption and symptomatic postoperative infection. We used χ2 and Fisher's exact tests to test the significance of differences. The proportion of patients with symptomatic postoperative infection did not differ (180/3529 [5.1%] vs. 117/2619 [4.5%]; p=0.27). A total of 342 isolates from all patients with symptomatic postoperative infections were analysed. The rate of resistance of Escherichia coli to piperacillin/tazobactam (9.1% vs. 5.4%; p=0.03), gentamicin (18.3% vs. 11.2%; p=0.02), and ciprofloxacin (32.3% vs. 19.1%; p=0.03) decreased significantly after protocol introduction. The defined daily dose (DDD) use of ciprofloxacin fell from 4.2 to 0.2 DDD per 100 patient-days after implementation (p<0.001). Antibiotic drug costs (€76,980 vs. €36,700) and costs related to postoperative infections (€45,870 vs. €29,560) decreased following introduction of the protocol (p<0.001). Adherence to EAU guidelines on antibiotic prophylaxis reduced antibiotic usage without increasing post

Setting the pace: the 2011 Australasian Podiatry Council conference

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

The 2011 Australasian Podiatry Council conference was held from April 26 to 29 in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. This commentary provides a brief overview of the conference, including the speakers and topic areas covered, selected original research highlights, and award winning presentations. PMID:21762520

TRIHALOMETHANE PRECURSOR REMOVAL BY THE MAGNESIUM CARBONATE PROCESS

EPA Science Inventory

A project was conducted to determine and improve the ability of the magnesium carbonate process to remove trihalomethane (THM) precursors in treated drinking water. The project was conducted at a drinking water treatment plant in Melbourne, FL, which had been developed and instal...

Sharing Place, Learning Together: Perspectives and Reflections on an Educational Partnership Formation with a Remote Indigenous Community School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Godinho, Sally Caroline; Woolley, Marilyn; Webb, Jessie; Winkel, Kenneth Daniel

2015-01-01

Sustainable partnership formation in a remote Indigenous community involves social, cultural and political considerations. This article reports on the project, "Sharing Place, Learning Together: Supporting Sustainable Educational Partnerships to Advance Social Equity," funded by the Melbourne Social Equity Institute (MSEI) at the…

Is "Learning" Science Enough?--A Cultural Model of Religious Students of Science in an Australian Government School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ferguson, Joseph Paul; Kameniar, Barbara

2014-01-01

This paper investigates the cognitive experiences of four religious students studying evolutionary biology in an inner city government secondary school in Melbourne, Australia. The participants in the study were identified using the Religious Background and Behaviours questionnaire (Connors, Tonigan, & Miller, 1996). Participants were…

Late Pleistocene-Holocene volcanic activity in northern Victoria Land recorded in Ross Sea (Antarctica) marine sediments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Del Carlo, P.; Di Roberto, A.; Di Vincenzo, G.; Bertagnini, A.; Landi, P.; Pompilio, M.; Colizza, E.; Giordano, G.

2015-05-01

Eight pyroclastic fall deposits have been identified in cores of Late Pleistocene-Holocene marine sediments from the Ross Sea (Antarctica), and their components, granulometry and clast morphologies were analysed. Sedimentological, petrographic and geochemical analysis of clasts, with 40Ar-39Ar dating of alkali feldspar grains, indicate that during this period at least five explosive eruptions of mid to high intensity (plinian to subplinian) occurred, and that three of these eruptions took place from Mount Melbourne volcanic complex, between 137.1 ± 3.4 and 12 ka. Geochemical comparison of the studied tephra with micro- and crypto-tephra recovered from deep Antarctic ice cores and from nearby englacial tephra at Frontier Mountain indicates that eruptive activity in the Melbourne Volcanic Province of northern Victoria Land was intense during the Late Pleistocene-Holocene, but only a general area of provenance for the majority of the identified tephra can be identified.

Housing stability over two years and HIV risk among newly homeless youth.

PubMed

Rosenthal, Doreen; Rotheram-Borus, Mary Jane; Batterham, Philip; Mallett, Shelley; Rice, Eric; Milburn, Norweeta G

2007-11-01

The stability of living situation was examined as a predictor of young people's HIV-related sexual and drug use acts two years after leaving home for the first time. Newly homeless youth aged 12-20 years were recruited in Los Angeles County, California, U.S.A. (n = 261) and Melbourne, Australia (n = 165) and followed longitudinally at 3, 6, 12, 18, and 24 months. Their family history of moves and the type and frequency of moves over the two years following becoming newly homeless were examined. Regression analyses indicated that recent sexual risk two years after becoming newly homeless was not related to the instability of youths' living situations; condom use was higher among youth with more placements in institutional settings and among males. Drug use was significantly related to having moved more often over two years and Melbourne youth used drugs significantly more than youth in Los Angeles.

Survey of Advanced Technologies in Japan, Vol. 3: Database Reports

DTIC Science & Technology

1990-05-01

INDUSTRIAL CO. LTD. Y NEC CORPORATION, CSC INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH LABORATORIES Y THE UNIVERSITY OF ELECTRO-COMMUNICATIONS Y TOKYO INSTITUTE...77 by the National *"eau of Standards, and is an outgrowth of research performed by IBM. which was based on information theory, using computer...Y COMMUNICATION RESEARCH LABORATORY, MINISTRY OF POSTS AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS Y MATSUSHITA ELECTRONICS CORP., ELECTRONICS RESEARCH LABORATORY Y

Report on corrections and future considerations for Appendices II–VIII of the International Code of Nomenclature for Algae, Fungi, and Plants

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

For the first time, the main text and Appendices II–VIII of the International Code of Nomenclature were separately published following decisions of the Melbourne Nomenclature Section, which contributed to subsequent development of an online resource capable of producing the Appendices in real time. ...

Peer Reviewing Preservice Teachers of Christian Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Buchanan, Michael T.

2011-01-01

This study investigated the contributions peer review makes to the formation of preservice teachers of religious education within the context of Christian higher education. The participants were postgraduate students undertaking a preservice teacher training course at Australian Catholic University, Australia (Melbourne campus). Those training to…

NOAA Photo Library - Other NOAA Photo Sites

Science.gov Websites

National Marine Mammal Laboratory Resource Assessment and Conservation Engineering Fish Photos by Family Florida - Melbourne: Post Storm Damage Surveys and Summaries Florida - Tallahassee: Virtual Office Tour Kentucky - Jackson: Virtual Tour Kentucky - Louisville: Photo Album Kentucky - Paducah: Photo Gallery

Perspectives on ... Information Literacy in the ''E'' Environment: An Approach for Sustainability

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bridgland, Angela; Whitehead, Martha

2005-01-01

This article examines an organizational approach to information literacy at the University of Melbourne involving information specialists who bridge information management, teaching, and technology. It discusses the circumstances leading to this approach, the benefits and challenges of the information specialists' mandate, the importance of social…

Equity or Equality? Students with Language Backgrounds Other Than English. Centre for the Study of Higher Education Research Working Papers, 93.8.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Isaac, Anne

This paper reviews participation patterns of migrants, refugees, and permanent residents with language backgrounds other than English (LBOTE), at Australian universities in general, and the University of Melbourne in particular. It critically examines the effectiveness of current measures designed to improve the opportunities and university…

Individual Dlfferences in Children's Preferences among Recent Paintings.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bell, R.; Bell, G.

1979-01-01

Preferences of Melbourne, Australia, students for twentieth-century paintings were examined. The identified dimensions of preference (represention, color, complexity) were similar to those found in previous studies. Age and sex differences were found only for color and complexity. Preference for representational, over nonrepresentational,…

Computer Networking with the Victorian Correspondence School.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Conboy, Ian

During 1985 the Education Department installed two-way radios in 44 remote secondary schools in Victoria, Australia, to improve turn-around time for correspondence assignments. Subsequently, teacher supervisors at Melbourne's Correspondence School sought ways to further augument audio interactivity with computer networking. Computer equipment was…

Ecological Relevance of the Major Allelochemicals in Lycopersicon esculentum Roots and Exudates.

PubMed

Rial, Carlos; Gómez, Elisabeth; Varela, Rosa M; Molinillo, José M G; Macías, Francisco A

2018-05-09

Stigmasterol, bergapten, and α-tomatine were isolated from tomato roots. The preliminary phytotoxic activities of stigmasterol and α-tomatine were evaluated in a wheat-coleoptile bioassay, and α-tomatine was more active than stigmasterol. To confirm its phytotoxic activity, α-tomatine was tested on Lactuca sativa and two weeds ( Lolium perenne and Echinochloa crus-galli), and it was active in all cases. The stimulatory activities of α-tomatine and stigmasterol on parasitic-plant germination were also evaluated, and α-tomatine was found to be active on Phelipanche ramosa, a parasitic plant of tomato. α-Tomatine was identified in root exudates by LC-MS/MS. This confirms that α-tomatine is exuded by roots into the environment, where it could act as both an allelochemical and a stimulator of P. ramosa, a parasitic plant of tomato.

Séchage d'un enduit pigmenté avec application à l'étude d'une couche papetière

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bernada, P.; Bruneau, D.

1996-07-01

Paper color coating drying is investigated from several experimental view points which include drying kinetics and time evolution of moisture content profiles, pore size distribution in the dried coating, and natural binder (starch) distribution in the dried coating. A study of the effects of drying conditions on those experimental parameters is carried out. Furthermore, gelification and consolidation characteristic moisture contents of the coating are determined using a graphical approach. Le séchage d'un enduit pigmenté à l'usage d'une couche papetière est absorbé sous diverts aspects : cinétiques de séchage et évolution temporelle des profils de teneur en eau, profils de répartition de la taille des pores dans la couche séchée, et répartition finale d'un liant hydrophile de la sauce de couchage (amidon). Les conséquences des conditions de séchage sur ces paramètres expérimentaux sont mises en évidence. De plus, les teneurs en eau caractéristiques de gélification et consolidation de la sauce de couchage sont obtenues par une approche graphique.

[Radionuclide bone scan in patients with newly diagnosed prostate cancer. Clinical aspects and cost analysis].

PubMed

Klatte, T; Klatte, D; Böhm, M; Allhoff, E P

2006-10-01

The indication for a radionuclide bone scan in patients with newly diagnosed, untreated prostate cancer remains controversial. In this retrospective study we examined 406 patients who had received a staging bone scan irrespective of their PSA serum level and histology. We evaluated different guidelines and recommendations with respect to their usefulness. The costs were calculated according to EBM and GOA. We evaluated the classification systems of bone metastases according to Soloway, Crawford, and Rigaud. The bone scan was positive in 41 (10%) of 406 patients. The EAU guidelines turned out to be useful with respect to both clinical value and cost efficiency. The Rigaud classification of bone metastases predicted outcome better than the Soloway or Crawford classification. The EAU guidelines from 2005 are a useful tool to decide whether to perform a bone scan in patients with newly diagnosed, untreated prostate cancer. A bone scan should be performed if PSA levels exceed 20 ng/ml in patients with a G1/G2 histology, and in patients with G3 histology and locally advanced disease irrespective of PSA level. Bone scan metastases should be classified according to Rigaud.

Teachers' Needs in Supporting Students with a Disability in the Classroom: A Research Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Eraclides, George

An Australian study explored what teachers thought about working with students with disabilities and what kind of factors affected their practices. Twelve teachers from Box Hill Institute in Melbourne were interviewed using questions grouped into these four categories: background and experience, attitude, professional issues, and recommendations.…

Promotional Discourse in the Websites of Two Australian Universities: A Discourse Analytic Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hoang, Thi Van Yen; Rojas-Lizana, Isolda

2015-01-01

This article shows how universities represent themselves through the use of language on their institutional websites. Specifically, it compares and contrasts how a long established university, the University of Melbourne and a young university, Macquarie University construct their institutional identities and build up a relationship with potential…

Global Flows as Gendered Cultural Pedagogies: Learning Gangsta in the "Durty South"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Savage, Glenn C.; Hickey-Moody, Anna

2010-01-01

This article theorizes empirical data from an ethnographic project conducted in and around the economically disadvantaged suburb of Noble Park in southeast suburban Melbourne (Victoria, Australia). Exploring the politics around gendered identities of young people involved in the research, particularly Australian-Sudanese men, the authors theorize…

Technologies, Democracy and Digital Citizenship: Examining Australian Policy Intersections and the Implications for School Leadership

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moyle, Kathryn

2014-01-01

There are intersections that can occur between the respective peak Australian school education policy agendas. These policies include the use of technologies in classrooms to improve teaching and learning as promoted through the "Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians" and the "Australian Curriculum";…

Minimizing the chaos following the loss of article 59: suggestions for a necessary discussion

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

We believe that the decision at the 2011 Melbourne Botanical Congress to suppress the dual nomenclature for pleomorphic fungi was premature since the great majority of fungal genera still remain inadequately typified and need molecularly based revisions. We deplore the move from a clearly rule-deter...

Australian Adult Consumers' Beliefs about Plant Foods: A Qualitative Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lea, Emma; Worsley, Anthony; Crawford, David

2005-01-01

This exploratory qualitative study examined consumers' perceived barriers and benefits of plant food (fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes, nuts, seeds) consumption and views on the promotion of these foods. Ten focus groups were conducted in Melbourne, Australia. Groups consisted of employees of various workplaces, community group members,…

An Institutional Approach to the Evaluation of Educational Technology.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kennedy, Gregor E.

2003-01-01

Outlines an institutional approach that guides the evaluation of educational technology in the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences at the University of Melbourne (Victoria, Australia). Roles for an internal evaluator and educational technology practitioners are proposed, and a conceptual framework that guides the evaluation process…

The Ethiopian Adolescent and the Effect of Cultural Difference on Immigrant Students' Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bitew, Getnet; Ferguson, Peter

2011-01-01

This article investigates the effect of cultural difference on the secondary school induction and learning of Ethiopian-Australian immigrant students living in Melbourne, Australia. A qualitative methodology was employed using interviews as data-collection instruments. Secondary school students, their teachers, and parents acted as participants in…

Questioning Art: Factors Affecting Students' Cognitive Engagement in Responding

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Morris, Julia E.; Lummis, Geoffrey W.; Lock, Graeme

2017-01-01

The "Melbourne declaration on educational goals for young Australians" (MCEETYA, 2008) cited confident and creative citizens as a key goal for Australian students. This goal aligns with global research on visual arts, specifically visual literacy. Being visually literate means decoding images, understanding the relationship between image…

Internationalizing the Curriculum: The Implementation Experience in a Faculty of Business and Economics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Crosling, Glenda; Edwards, Ron; Schroder, Bill

2008-01-01

Curriculum internationalization is a strategy adopted by many universities as they prepare their graduates for employment in the global economy. This paper is a case study of the organizational change involved in one institution's (Monash University, Melbourne, Australia) attempts to implement curriculum internationalization in the foundation…

Shared Pedagogical Understandings: Schoolwide Inclusion Practices Supporting Learner Needs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Abawi, Lindy; Oliver, Mark

2013-01-01

Educational perspectives that recommend inclusion of children with special needs into mainstream classrooms remain a controversial topic. The Melbourne Declaration declares that all young Australians should be supported to become successful learners; confident and creative individuals; and active and informed citizens. So the question remains how…

Insulated Concrete Homes Increase Durability and Energy Efficiency

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Building America; Hendron, B.; Poole, L.

2001-06-05

New houses designed by Mercedes Homes in Melbourne, Florida, with technical support from the U.S. Department of Energy's Building America Program, save their homeowners money by using energy efficient features such as a high performance heat pump and solar control glazing to reduce cooling costs.

Fusarium agapanthi sp. nov, a novel bikaverin and fusarubin-producing leaf and stem spot pathogen of Agapanthus praecox (African lily) from Australia and Italy

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

This study was conducted to characterize a novel Fusarium species that caused leaf and stem spot on Agapanthus praecox (Agapanthus, African lily) in northern Italy and leaf rot and spot on the same host in Melbourne, Australia. Formally described as Fusarium agapanthi, this pathogen was analyzed usi...

Social Connectedness among International Students at an Australian University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rosenthal, Doreen Anne; Russell, Jean; Thomson, Garry

2007-01-01

A representative sample of undergraduate and postgraduate international students at a large Australian university (n = 979, 64% females) completed a mail-back survey examining their perceptions of social connectedness. Four aspects of social connectedness were investigated: (1) connectedness in Melbourne, (2) social mixing and interaction with…

Absorbing Australian Culture through the Exchange Program at RMIT International University in Vietnam

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chi, Nguyen Ho Phuong

2013-01-01

This paper outlines a case study of four Vietnamese students who have just completed their exchange semester at RMIT University, Melbourne. Results indicate that the students appreciate multiple benefits brought by this experience, including a developing sense of language use, responsibility, dependence, self-awareness, integration, and…

Historic Australian Conceptualisations of English, Literacy and Multimodality in Policy and Curriculum and Conflicts with Educational Accountability

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cumming, Joy; Kimber, Kay; Wyatt-Smith, Claire

2011-01-01

Attainment of functional English literacy skills by all students has been a focus of Australian national policy since the 1989 Hobart Declaration (MCEETYA, 1989). This focus underpins current educational accountability policy enacted through the National Assessment Program-Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN). The Adelaide and Melbourne Declarations…

The Many-Headed Hydra: Information Networking at LAA.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Winzenried, Arthur P.

1997-01-01

Describes an integrated computer library system installed at Lilydale Adventist Academy (LAA) in Melbourne (Australia) in response to a limited budget, increased demand, and greater user expectations. Topics include student workstations, cost effectiveness, CD-ROMS on local area networks, and student input regarding their needs. (Author/LRW)

Mechanism for Visual Detection of Small Targets in Insects

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-06-14

of natural images statistics in biological motion estimation. Lect Notes Comput Sc, 1811, 492–501 Egelhaaf M, Borst A (1985) Are there separate ON...Modulating selective attention in an insect neuron, 30th Annual Meeting of the Australiasian Neuroscience Society, Melbourne, February. 3-6 23

Travelling Drum with Different Beats: Experiencing African Music and Culture in Australian Teacher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Joseph, Dawn

2005-01-01

This article reports on a study that examined the effectiveness of introducing African music and culture to Australian non-specialist primary teacher education students at Deakin University in Melbourne (Australia). The study demonstrates that African music enhanced the generic musical experiences, learning, motivation, interest, confidence and…

KSC-2012-3174

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-06-04

MELBOURNE, Fla. – Professor Angie Bukley, dean and vice president for Academic Affairs, International Space University, addresses the audience during opening ceremonies for the university's 25th annual Space Studies Program session at the Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne, Fla. Seated from left are Anthony J. Catanese, president of Florida Tech NASA Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana Bukley and Dr. Guy A. Boy, chair of the Space Studies Program’s local organizing committee. The nine-week intensive course is designed for post-graduate university students and professionals during the summer. The program is hosted by a different country each year, providing a unique educational experience for participants from around the globe. NASA Kennedy Space Center and Florida Tech are co-hosting this year's event which runs from June 4 to Aug. 3. This year, there are about 125 participants representing 31 countries. For more information, visit http://www.isunet.edu. Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

KSC-2012-3172

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-06-04

MELBOURNE, Fla. – Anthony J. Catanese, president of the Florida Institute of Technology, participates in the opening ceremonies for the International Space University's 25th annual Space Studies Program session at the Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne, Fla. Seated from left are Catanese NASA Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana Professor Angie Bukley, dean and vice president for Academic Affairs, International Space University and Dr. Guy A. Boy, chair of the Space Studies Program’s local organizing committee. The nine-week intensive course is designed for post-graduate university students and professionals during the summer. The program is hosted by a different country each year, providing a unique educational experience for participants from around the globe. NASA Kennedy Space Center and Florida Tech are co-hosting this year's event which runs from June 4 to Aug. 3. This year, there are about 125 participants representing 31 countries. For more information, visit http://www.isunet.edu. Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

Geographic variation in the eukaryotic virome of human diarrhea

PubMed Central

Holtz, Lori R.; Cao, Song; Zhao, Guoyan; Bauer, Irma K.; Denno, Donna M.; Klein, Eileen J.; Antonio, Martin; Stine, O. Colin; Snelling, Thomas L.; Kirkwood, Carl D.; Wang, David

2014-01-01

Little is known about the population of eukaryotic viruses in the human gut (“virome”) or the potential role it may play in disease. We used a metagenomic approach to define and compare the eukaryotic viromes in pediatric diarrhea cohorts from two locations (Melbourne and Northern Territory, Australia). We detected viruses known to cause diarrhea, non-pathogenic enteric viruses, viruses not associated with an enteric reservoir, viruses of plants, and novel viruses. Viromes from Northern Territory children contained more viral families per sample than viromes from Melbourne, which could be attributed largely to an increased number of sequences from the families Adenoviridae and Picornaviridae (genus enterovirus). qRT-PCR/PCR confirmed the increased prevalence of adenoviruses and enteroviruses. Testing of additional diarrhea cohorts by qRT-PCR/PCR demonstrated statistically different prevalences in different geographic sites. These findings raise the question of whether the virome plays a role in enteric diseases and conditions that vary with geography. PMID:25262473

Evolution of the complications of laparoscopic hysterectomy after a decade: a follow up of the Monash experience.

PubMed

Tan, Jason J; Tsaltas, Jim; Hengrasmee, Pattaya; Lawrence, Anthony; Najjar, Haider

2009-04-01

A retrospective review of medical records was performed to assess the incidence and types of significant complications encountered during laparoscopic hysterectomy which would affect the use of a laparoscopic approach versus other routes of hysterectomy. A total of 526 consecutive patients' medical data between January 1994 and August 2007 were reviewed. Two hundred and thirty-two laparoscopic-assisted vaginal hysterectomies and 294 total laparoscopic hysterectomies were performed at Monash Medical Centre, a Melbourne tertiary public hospital, and three Melbourne private hospitals, by or under the supervision of three surgeons. Sixteen significant complications occurred. There were two cases of ureteric fistula, two bladder injuries, two bowel obstructions, four postoperative haematomas, one case of a bladder fistula, four conversions to laparotomy and one superficial epigastric artery injury. Inpatient stay ranged from two to six days. Our complication and inpatient stay rates are consistent with the previously reported rates, although there has been a reduction of incidence of visceral injuries with experience and introduction of new equipment.

76 FR 49697 - Television Broadcasting Services; Eau Claire, WI

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-08-11

..., viewers have reported difficulties receiving the station's digital signal on channel 13 since the end of the digital transition. Substituting channel 38 for channel 13 will allow Gray to leverage the... Report and Order in a report to be sent to Congress and the Government Accountability Office pursuant to...

Nonlinear Filtering and Approximation Techniques

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-09-01

filtering. UNIT8 Q RECERCE**No 1223 Programme 5 A utomatique, Productique, Traitement dui Signal et des Donnc~es CONSISTENT PARAMETER ESTIMATION FOR...ue’e[71 E C 2.’(Rm x [0,7]; R) is the unique solution of the Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman equation 9u,’[7](x, t) - EAu "’[ 7](x,t) + He,’[ 7](x,t,Du,[ 7](x,t

Community-Oriented Counterterrorism: Incorporating National Homeland Security Mandates into the Local Community Policing Philosophy

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-12-01

both 2000 and 2007 Bw·eau of Justice Statistics Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics sw’Veys. These agencies incmporate most...responded to a variety of community policing and homeland security questions in both 2000 and 2007 Bureau of Justice Statistics Law Enforcement...Management and Administrative Statistics surveys. These agencies incorporate most major U.S. police departments as well as a representative sample of smaller

SOCS3 deletion in T lymphocytes suppresses development of chronic ocular inflammation via upregulation of CTLA-4 and expansion of regulatory T cells.

PubMed

Yu, Cheng-Rong; Kim, Sung-Hye; Mahdi, Rashid M; Egwuagu, Charles E

2013-11-15

Suppressors of cytokine signaling (SOCS) proteins are negative-feedback regulators of the JAK/STAT pathway, and SOCS3 contributes to host immunity by regulating the intensity and duration of cytokine signals and inflammatory responses. Mice with Socs3 deletion in myeloid cells exhibit enhanced STAT3 signaling, expansion of Th1 and Th17 cells, and develop severe experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis. Interestingly, development of the unique IL-17/IFN-γ double-producing (Th17/IFN-γ and Tc17/IFN-γ) subsets that exhibit strong cytotoxic activities and are associated with pathogenesis of several autoimmune diseases has recently been shown to depend on epigenetic suppression of SOCS3 expression, further suggesting involvement of SOCS3 in autoimmunity and tumor immunity. In this study, we generated mice with Socs3 deletion in the CD4 T cell compartment (CD4-SOCS3 knockout [KO]) to determine in vivo effects of the loss of Socs3 in the T cell-mediated autoimmune disease, experimental autoimmune uveitis (EAU). In contrast to the exacerbation of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis in myeloid-specific SOCS3-deleted mice, CD4-SOCS3KO mice were protected from acute and chronic uveitis. Protection from EAU correlated with enhanced expression of CTLA-4 and expansion of IL-10-producing regulatory T cells with augmented suppressive activities. We further show that SOCS3 interacts with CTLA-4 and negatively regulates CTLA-4 levels in T cells, providing a mechanistic explanation for the expansion of regulatory T cells in CD4-SOCS3 during EAU. Contrary to in vitro epigenetic studies, Th17/IFN-γ and Tc17/IFN-γ populations were markedly reduced in CD4-SOCS3KO, suggesting that SOCS3 promotes expansion of the Th17/IFN-γ subset associated with development of severe uveitis. Thus, SOCS3 is a potential therapeutic target in uveitis and other autoinflammatory diseases.

Blockade of the interaction of leukotriene b4 with its receptor prevents development of autoimmune uveitis.

PubMed

Liao, Tianjiang; Ke, Yan; Shao, Wen-Hai; Haribabu, Bodduluri; Kaplan, Henry J; Sun, Deming; Shao, Hui

2006-04-01

To investigate the role of leukotriene B4 (LTB4) and its receptor BLT1 in the pathogenesis of mouse uveitis. Experimental autoimmune uveitis (EAU) was induced in B10RIII mice by immunization of interphotoreceptor retinoid binding protein (IRBP; peptide sequence 161-180) or in C57BL/6 (B6) mice by transfer of activated T cells specific for IRBP1-20. The animals were then treated with and without the BLT1 receptor antagonist, CP105696, at the disease onset after immunization or at day 0 or day 6 after T-cell transfer. EAU was also induced in wild-type B6 (WT) and BLT1-deficient (BLT1-/-) mice by reciprocal transfer of the T cells from B6 to BLT1-deficient mice and vise versa. Clinical signs of inflammation and ocular histology were compared. The chemotactic activity of LTB4 on naïve and IRBP-specific autoreactive T cells as well as effector leukocytes was examined. The treatment of CP105696, greatly reduced the intensity of ongoing disease. IRBP1-20-specific T cells derived from wild-type B6 mice induced only mild uveitis in syngeneic BLT1-deficient mice and that IRBP1-20-specific T cells derived from BLT1-/- mice induced milder disease in wild-type B6 mice than those derived from wild-type B6 mice, suggesting that expression of the LTB4 receptor on both activated autoreactive T cells and effector leukocytes was necessary for ocular inflammation to occur. Consistent with these data, transfer of autoreactive T cells from B6 mice to 5-lipoxygenase-deficient (5-LO-/-) mice, which have a functional defect in LTB4 expression, also failed to induce uveitis in the recipient mice. The results demonstrate a critical role for LTB4 in ocular inflammation and in the development and progression of EAU and suggest a new potential target for therapeutic intervention in this disease.

Spanish adaptation of the recommendations for the appropriate use of social networks in urology of the European Association of Urology.

PubMed

Rodríguez-Socarrás, M E; Gómez-Rivas, J; Álvarez-Maestro, M; Tortolero, L; Ribal, M J; Garcia Sanz, M; Roupret, M

2016-09-01

To adapt to Spanish the recommendations for the appropriate use of social media (SoMe) in the urological setting prepared by the European Association of Urology (EAU). The use of SoMe has become fairly popular in the international urological community. Due to the nature of the medical content shared among healthcare professionals through SoMe, however, there is the risk of medical and legal problems. For this reason, various international urological associations such as the American Urological Association, the British Association of Urological Surgeons and EAU have published their recommendations for the appropriate use of social media. Efforts have been made to adapt and summarise the recommendations of the EAU in Spanish and to publish them in Actas Urológicas Españolas (@actasurologicas), the official journal of the Spanish Urological Association (@InfoAEU) and the American Confederation of Urology (@CAU_URO). SoMe include well-known platforms such as Twitter, Facebook and YouTube, which have undoubtedly changed the way in which people communicate and interact. SoMe offer clear advantages for communicating between professionals, working in teams, disseminating knowledge and creating professional profiles and are increasingly used by patients and healthcare practitioners. The introduction of SoMe in the urological community has started a revolution in how scientific articles are shared, how people participate in congresses and how international urological associations communicate with their followers. However, SoMe is generally an open public setting, with potential risks for confidentiality and the doctor-patient relationship due to the nature of the shared information. The present recommendations include tools for creating professional profiles, protecting confidentiality and creating honest and responsible content. SoMe represents a fascinating area for the communication and dissemination of knowledge, with considerable applicability in health care and the