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1
Maynard, D. N. "EVALUATION OF PROPAGATING STOCK AND PRACTICES FOR ANNUAL RHUBARB PRODUCTION." HortScience 25, no. 9 (September 1990): 1119f—1119. http://dx.doi.org/10.21273/hortsci.25.9.1119f.
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Yield and quality of seed- and vegetatively-propagated rhubarb [Rheum rhabarbarum L.) for annual production were evaluated for 4 seasons. Field planting of transplants or crown divisions in late October or early November resulted in harvests beginning in early to late January and continuing until late April. Selection of `Victoria' seedlings based on petiole color was not effective in increasing the proportion of red mature petioles. Yields from seed-propagated annual `Victoria' rhubarb were always higher than yields from `McDonald' single-bud crown divisions and higher than yields from `McDonald' crown-divisions in one of two years. The four-year average yield for `Victoria' seed-propagated rhubarb was 20.4 Mg·ha-1 whereas `McDonald' crown-division-propagated rhubarb had a two-year average yield of 15.8 Mg·ha-1. On the other hand, petiole color of vegetatively-propagated rhubarb was always superior to that of seed-propagated rhubarb. GA applications increased early yield from `McDonald' single-bud divisions, but reduced early and total harvest petiole weight.
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Korte, Chris J., Patrick Wilson, Brian Kearns, Glenn J. Fitzgerald, Joe F. Panozzo, Cassandra K. Walker, Brendan Christy, et al. "Potential impact of elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide and climate change on Victorian wheat marketing grades and value." Crop and Pasture Science 70, no. 11 (2019): 926. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/cp19155.
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The potential impact of elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration ([CO2]) and future climate predicted for 2050 on wheat marketing grades and grain value was evaluated for Victoria, Australia. This evaluation was based on measured grain yield and quality from the Australian Grains FACE program and commercial grain delivery data from Victoria for five seasons (2009–13). Extrapolation of relationships derived from field experimentation under elevated [CO2] to the Victorian wheat crop indicated that 34% of grain would be downgraded by one marketing grade (range 1–62% depending on season and region) because of reduced protein concentration; and that proportions of high-protein wheat grades would reduce and proportions of lower protein grades would increase, with the largest increase in the Australian Standard White (ASW1) grade. Simulation modelling with predicted 2050 [CO2] and future climate indicated reduced wheat yields compared with 2009–13 but higher and lower grain quality depending on region. The Mallee Region was most negatively affected by climate change, with a predicted 43% yield reduction and 43% of grain downgraded by one marketing grade. Using 2016 prices, the value of Victorian wheat grain was influenced mainly by production in the different scenarios, with quality changes in different scenarios having minimal impact on grain value.
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Kolnhofer-Derecskei, Anita. "How did the COVID-19 restrictions impact higher education in Victoria?" Multidiszciplináris kihívások, sokszínű válaszok, no. 1 (August 31, 2022): 50–72. http://dx.doi.org/10.33565/mksv.2022.01.03.
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This paper aims to observe how the Australian COVID-19 restrictions influenced higher education, teachers’ and students’ lives. Before the pandemic, the higher education sector was the largest serviced based sector in Australia and overly depended on international students’ fee income. The academic year of 2020 started as usual with 141703 higher education enrolments of overseas students, mainly students from Asia. However, they did not arrive due to the strict border closure. Travel restrictions were put in place from China from 1 February 2020, later from other countries worldwide. That significantly affected international students' travel from Asia directly before the start of the new academic year. Consequently, many institutions have transitioned from campus-based courses to online delivery. Besides, numerous academic lecturers and professional staff have been invited to the expression of interest in a voluntary and, of course, involuntary redundancy program. Most vacant positions have been frozen, and various saving programs have been implied. Owing to the toughest rules and strictest restrictions, Australian borders remained closed for over 600 days. Melbourne was under six lockdowns totalling 265 days since March 2020, which resulted in the author’s experience of three semester-long remote teaching at one of the biggest and most prominent universities in Melbourne without any personal contact with international students. The author lived and worked in Melbourne during the COVID-19 era, so this study is based on her perspectives and experiences extended with a wide empirical evaluation of secondary data about the Australian academic sector between 2020 and 2021.
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Maynard, D. N. "Evaluation of Propagating Stock and Practices for Annual Rhubarb Production." HortScience 25, no. 11 (November 1990): 1399–401. http://dx.doi.org/10.21273/hortsci.25.11.1399.
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Yield and quality of seedand vegetatively propagated rhubarb (Rheum rhabarbarum L.) for annual production were evaluated for four seasons. Selection of `Victoria' seedlings based on petiole color was not effective in increasing the proportion of red mature petioles. Yields from seed-propagated annual rhubarb were always higher than yields from single-bud crown divisions and from crown divisions in 1 of 2 years. Petiole color of vegetatively propagated rhubarb was always superior to that of seed-propagated rhubarb. GA applications increased early yield from single-bud divisions, but reduced petiole weight of early and total harvest of `McDonald' rhubarb. Chemical name used: gibberellic acid (GA).
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Ford, J. L., G. R. Cousins, Z. Jahufer, I. J. Baird, D. R. Woodfield, and B. A. Barrett. "Grasslands Legacy - a new, large-leaved white clover cultivar with broad adaption." Journal of New Zealand Grasslands 77 (January 1, 2015): 211–18. http://dx.doi.org/10.33584/jnzg.2015.77.458.
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White clover (Trifolium repens L.) continues to play a pivotal role in the Australasian pastoral industry, despite increased use of nitrogen fertiliser on farms. Improved white clovers for dairy farming must be well adapted to the farm systems they are intended for, including increased rates of fertiliser nitrogen, higher stocking rates and access to irrigation. The breeding objective was to develop a white clover cultivar in evaluation systems that simulate modern farming practices, and test that cultivar in both New Zealand and Australia for adaptation and agronomic merit. This included breeding and early generation evaluation at research farms in the Manawatu and Waikato, with subsequent evaluations in these locations and farms in Southland and Victoria, Australia. This resulted in 'Grasslands Legacy', a new large leaved white clover cultivar bred for New Zealand and eastern temperate Australian pastures, which has shown significant (P
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Das, R., U. Thapa, S. Debnath, Y. A. Lyngdoh, and D. Mallick. "Evaluation of French bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) genotypes for seed production." Journal of Applied and Natural Science 6, no. 2 (December 1, 2014): 594–98. http://dx.doi.org/10.31018/jans.v6i2.502.
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An experimental study was conducted during 2011/2012 and 2012/2013 at Horticulture Research Station, Mondouri, Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya, Monhanpur, Nadia, West Bengal, India, to evaluate the performance of fourteen different bush type French bean genotypes for seed yield and to study varietal characterization based on plant morphology. The genotypes, studied under this experiment were namely, Abhay, Shillong Local-3, Arjun, Selection-9, Arka Anoop, Arka Komal, Badshah, Anupam, Arka Suvidha, Falguni, Sonali, Local, Victoria and Vaishnavi-264. From overall point of view of the outcome of the experiment, it has been revealed that genotype with relatively bolder seeds with more number of seeds per pod, and higher bearing capacity per plant generally gives higher seed yield. Among the genotypes under study, Arka Suvidha was the best one as it produced the highest seed yield (2180.92 kg/ha) and relatively good plant vigour and fairly high seed vigour index (2944.38). Falguni and Mohanpur Local also can be considered promising once for seed production point of view.
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Diyanchyk, M. V., and L. A. Vilchynska. "Use of the collection of the buckwhears genus in breeding programs." Faktori eksperimental'noi evolucii organizmiv 27 (September 1, 2020): 221–25. http://dx.doi.org/10.7124/feeo.v27.1330.
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Aim. Using the hybridization method on the basis of the ecological and geographical principle of parental pairs selection, to create a new source material in the selection of buckwheat and conduct a comprehensive assessment of it. Methods. Testing, material evaluation, analysis of plants, yield and grain quality were carried out in accordance with the generally accepted methods of the State variety testing. Results. A new source material was created and evaluated in the selection of buckwheat based on the attraction to the hybridization of samples from the collection of the buckwheat genus, in particular, varieties Snezhen, Botansoba, Nokheda, Prymorska 7, collection sample No. 4013, Victoria Podilska, Belorussian early ripening, Arosa. Hybrid samples are compared with the Victoria standard variety. It was revealed that direct and reverse hybrids of the first generation from crossing varieties: Botansoba and Snezhen, Snezhen and Victoria Podilska, Nokheda and Snezhen are characterized by higher yields by 0.38–0.80 c/ha compared to the standard. Conclusions. We plan to continue testing the best breeding numbers in the following nurseries of the breeding process. Better with biometric and yield indicators, we plan to use breeding numbers in the breeding programs of the Scientific Research Institute of Cereal Crops of the PDATU.
Keywords: hybridization, growing season, biometric parameters, yield.
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Chen, Zhenyi, Robyn Schofield, Melita Keywood, Sam Cleland, Alastair G. Williams, Stephen Wilson, Alan Griffiths, and Yan Xiang. "Observations of the Boundary Layer in the Cape Grim Coastal Region: Interaction with Wind and the Influences of Continental Sources." Remote Sensing 15, no. 2 (January 12, 2023): 461. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/rs15020461.
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A comparative study and evaluation of boundary layer height (BLH) estimation was conducted during an experimental campaign conducted at the Cape Grim Air Pollution station, Australia, from 1 June to 13 July 2019. The temporal and spatial distributions of BLH were studied using data from a ceilometer, sodar, in situ meteorological measurements, and back-trajectory analyses. Generally, the BLH under continental sources is lower than that under marine sources. The BLH is featured with a shallow depth of 515 ± 340 m under the Melbourne/East Victoria continental source. Especially the mixed continental sources (Melbourne/East Victoria and Tasmania direction) lead to a rise in radon concentration and lower BLH. In comparison, the boundary layer reaches a higher averaged BLH value of 730 ± 305 m when marine air is prevalent. The BLH derived from ERA5 is positively biased compared to the ceilometer observations, except when the boundary layer is stable. The height at which wind profiles experience rapid changes corresponds to the BLH value. The wind flow within the boundary layer increased up to ∼200 m, where it then meandered up to ∼300 m. Furthermore, the statistic shows that BLH is positively associated with near-surface wind speed. This study firstly provides information on boundary layer structure in Cape Grim and the interaction with wind, which may aid in further evaluating their associated impacts on the climate and ecosystem.
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Barlow, Kate, Nicole Newman, Victoria Lehr, and Courtney Taylor. "Comparing Models of Fieldwork Through Student Performance." American Journal of Occupational Therapy 76, Supplement_1 (July 1, 2022): 7610510235p1. http://dx.doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2022.76s1-po235.
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Abstract Date Presented 04/01/2022 This study examined the efficacy of the same site model (SSM) by comparing Fieldwork Performance Evaluation scores of students who completed the SSM (n = 42) versus the traditional fieldwork model (n = 43). Results showed that students who completed the SSM scored 1 point higher, with no statistical difference (p = .621). The SSM is preferred by most students; therefore, to promote positive mental health and take a trauma-informed pedagogy, the SSM of fieldwork should be a consideration for fieldwork. Primary Author and Speaker: Kate Barlow Additional Authors and Speakers: Courtney Taylor Contributing Authors: Nicole Newman, Victoria Lehr
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Zafari, Najibullah, Ashok Sharma, Dimuth Navaratna, Varuni M. Jayasooriya, Craig McTaggart, and Shobha Muthukumaran. "A Comparative Evaluation of Conceptual Rainfall–Runoff Models for a Catchment in Victoria Australia Using eWater Source." Water 14, no. 16 (August 16, 2022): 2523. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/w14162523.
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Hydrological modelling at a catchment scale was conducted to investigate the impact of climate change and land-use change individually and in combination with the available streamflow in the Painkalac catchment using an eWater Source hydrological model. This study compares the performance of three inbuilt conceptual models within eWater Source, such as the Australian water balance model (AWBM), Sacramento and GR4J for streamflow simulation. The three-model performance was predicted by bivariate statistics (Nash–Sutcliff efficiency) and univariate (mean, standard deviation) to evaluate the efficiency of model runoff predictions. Potential evapotranspiration (PET) data, daily rainfall data and observed streamflow measured from this catchment are the major inputs to these models. These models were calibrated and validated using eight objective functions while further comparisons of these models were made using objective functions of a Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency (NSE) log daily and an NSE log daily bias penalty. The observed streamflow data were split into three sections. Two-thirds of the data were used for calibration while the remaining one-third of the data was used for validation of the model. Based on the results, it was observed that the performance of the GR4J model is more suitable for the Painkalac catchment in respect of prediction and computational efficiency compared to the Sacramento and AWBM models. Further, the impact of climate change, land-use change and combined scenarios (land-use and climate change) were evaluated using the GR4J model. The results of this study suggest that the higher climate change for the year 2065 will result in approximately 45.67% less streamflow in the reservoir. In addition, the land-use change resulted in approximately 42.26% less flow while combined land-use and higher climate change will produce 48.06% less streamflow compared to the observed flow under the existing conditions.
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Mengis, Nadine, David P. Keller, Andrew H. MacDougall, Michael Eby, Nesha Wright, Katrin J. Meissner, Andreas Oschlies, et al. "Evaluation of the University of Victoria Earth System Climate Model version 2.10 (UVic ESCM 2.10)." Geoscientific Model Development 13, no. 9 (September 10, 2020): 4183–204. http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/gmd-13-4183-2020.
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Abstract. The University of Victoria Earth System Climate Model (UVic ESCM) of intermediate complexity has been a useful tool in recent assessments of long-term climate changes, including both paleo-climate modelling and uncertainty assessments of future warming. Since the last official release of the UVic ESCM 2.9 and the two official updates during the last decade, considerable model development has taken place among multiple research groups. The new version 2.10 of the University of Victoria Earth System Climate Model presented here will be part of the sixth phase of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP6). More precisely it will be used in the intercomparison of Earth system models of intermediate complexity (EMIC), such as the C4MIP, the Carbon Dioxide Removal and Zero Emissions Commitment model intercomparison projects (CDR-MIP and ZECMIP, respectively). It now brings together and combines multiple model developments and new components that have come about since the last official release of the model. The main additions to the base model are (i) an improved biogeochemistry module for the ocean, (ii) a vertically resolved soil model including dynamic hydrology and soil carbon processes, and (iii) a representation of permafrost carbon. To set the foundation of its use, we here describe the UVic ESCM 2.10 and evaluate results from transient historical simulations against observational data. We find that the UVic ESCM 2.10 is capable of reproducing changes in historical temperature and carbon fluxes well. The spatial distribution of many ocean tracers, including temperature, salinity, phosphate and nitrate, also agree well with observed tracer profiles. The good performance in the ocean tracers is connected to an improved representation of ocean physical properties. For the moment, the main biases that remain are a vegetation carbon density that is too high in the tropics, a higher than observed change in the ocean heat content (OHC) and an oxygen utilization in the Southern Ocean that is too low. All of these biases will be addressed in the next updates to the model.
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Cayuela, J. A., A. Vázquez, A. G. Pérez, and J. M. García. "Control of Table Grapes Postharvest Decay by Ozone Treatment and Resveratrol Induction." Food Science and Technology International 15, no. 5 (October 2009): 495–502. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1082013209350539.
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Continued and intermittent (12 h per day) ozone treatments (2 ppm) to control postharvest decay have been assayed during the storage of ‘Superior Seedless’, ‘Cardinal CL80,’ and ‘Regina Victoria’ table grapes (Vitis vinifera L.) at 5 °C for 72 days. The effects of these treatments on the main fruit quality parameters, including resveratrol content, were monitored. Both ozone treatments considerably reduced decay of cold stored grapes compared to those kept in air, continuous ozone treatment being the most effective for controlling postharvest losses. Intermittent ozone treatment induced the highest resveratrol content in stored grapes. On the contrary, ozone-treated grapes got lower scores in the sensory evaluation tests and also showed significantly higher weight losses than the fruits kept in air.
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Koolhof, Iain S., Simon M. Firestone, Silvana Bettiol, Michael Charleston, Katherine B. Gibney, Peter J. Neville, Andrew Jardine, and Scott Carver. "Optimising predictive modelling of Ross River virus using meteorological variables." PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases 15, no. 3 (March 9, 2021): e0009252. http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0009252.
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Background Statistical models are regularly used in the forecasting and surveillance of infectious diseases to guide public health. Variable selection assists in determining factors associated with disease transmission, however, often overlooked in this process is the evaluation and suitability of the statistical model used in forecasting disease transmission and outbreaks. Here we aim to evaluate several modelling methods to optimise predictive modelling of Ross River virus (RRV) disease notifications and outbreaks in epidemiological important regions of Victoria and Western Australia. Methodology/Principal findings We developed several statistical methods using meteorological and RRV surveillance data from July 2000 until June 2018 in Victoria and from July 1991 until June 2018 in Western Australia. Models were developed for 11 Local Government Areas (LGAs) in Victoria and seven LGAs in Western Australia. We found generalised additive models and generalised boosted regression models, and generalised additive models and negative binomial models to be the best fit models when predicting RRV outbreaks and notifications, respectively. No association was found with a model’s ability to predict RRV notifications in LGAs with greater RRV activity, or for outbreak predictions to have a higher accuracy in LGAs with greater RRV notifications. Moreover, we assessed the use of factor analysis to generate independent variables used in predictive modelling. In the majority of LGAs, this method did not result in better model predictive performance. Conclusions/Significance We demonstrate that models which are developed and used for predicting disease notifications may not be suitable for predicting disease outbreaks, or vice versa. Furthermore, poor predictive performance in modelling disease transmissions may be the result of inappropriate model selection methods. Our findings provide approaches and methods to facilitate the selection of the best fit statistical model for predicting mosquito-borne disease notifications and outbreaks used for disease surveillance.
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Eikemo, H., D. M. Gadoury, R. A. Spotts, O. Villalta, P. Creemers, R. C. Seem, and A. Stensvand. "Evaluation of Six Models to Estimate Ascospore Maturation in Venturia pyrina." Plant Disease 95, no. 3 (March 2011): 279–84. http://dx.doi.org/10.1094/pdis-02-10-0125.
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Estimates of ascospore maturity generated by models developed for Venturia pyrina in Victoria, Australia (NV and SV), Oregon, United States (OR), and Italy (IT) or for V. inaequalis in New Hampshire, United States (NH-1) or modified in Norway (NH-2) were compared with observed field ascospore release of V. pyrina from 21 site–year combinations. The models were also compared with ascospore release data from laboratory assays. In the laboratory assays, the forecasts of the NH-1 and NH-2 models provided the best fit to observed spore release. Under field conditions, the lag phases and slope coefficients of all models differed from those of observed release of ascospores. Identifying the precise time of bud break of pear to initiate degree-day accumulation was problematic at both Australian sites. This resulted in a higher deviance between bud break and first released ascospore compared with the sites in Norway and Belgium. Linear regressions of observed release against forecasted maturity generated similarly high concordance correlation coefficients. However, where differences were noted, they most often favored models that included adjustment for dry periods. The NH-2, IT, and NV models using pooled data also provided the most accurate estimates of 95% ascospore depletion, a key event in many disease management programs.
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Manickam, Ravishankar, Jaw-Rong Chen, Paola Sotelo-Cardona, Lawrence Kenyon, and Ramasamy Srinivasan. "Evaluation of Different Bacterial Wilt Resistant Eggplant Rootstocks for Grafting Tomato." Plants 10, no. 1 (January 1, 2021): 75. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/plants10010075.
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Bacterial wilt (BW) is one of the most economically important diseases of tomato and eggplant in the tropics and subtropics, and grafting onto resistant rootstocks can provide an alternative and effective solution to manage soil-borne bacterial in these crops. This study was conducted to evaluate the BW resistance and agronomic potential of newly identified eggplant accessions as rootstocks for tomato grafting. Five BW resistant eggplant accessions (VI041809A, VI041943, VI041945, VI041979A, and VI041984) from the World Vegetable Center were evaluated as rootstocks for grafting with two different fresh market tomato cultivars (Victoria and TStarE) as scion under open field conditions in Taiwan. Graft compatibility using the tube grafting method as well as BW wilting percentage, disease index, fruit yield and quality parameters were assessed. All the rootstocks showed good graft compatibility (93% and above) and grafted plants showed low wilting percentage (0.0–20.0%) and disease index (0.0–20.8%) following inoculation with BW. Yield for the eggplant rootstock grafted tomato plants was higher compared to the non-grafted tomatoes and self-grafted tomato. Fruit quality was not affected by grafting, although some differences in antioxidant activities were observed. The new eggplant rootstocks can be considered as alternatives to the rootstocks currently used for commercial production of tomatoes during the hot-wet season.
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Grāvīte, Ilze, Edīte Kaufmane, Laila Ikase, and Edgars Cirša. "Influence of Different Training Systems on the Beginning of Domestic Plum Production and Yield." Proceedings of the Latvian Academy of Sciences. Section B. Natural, Exact, and Applied Sciences. 73, no. 3 (July 1, 2019): 244–51. http://dx.doi.org/10.2478/prolas-2019-0039.
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Abstract All growers prefer to obtain a first harvest as soon as possible. The aim of this study was to identify an effective tree training system for new Latvian plum cultivars, which provides the highest yield and fruit quality. The trial was established in 2012 at the Institute of Horticulture (formerly Latvia State Institute of Fruit-Growing) and included cultivars ‘Ance’, ‘Adelyn’, and ‘Sonora’; and the controls ‘Victoria’ and ‘Jubileum’. Planting distances were 4 × 2.5 m, and the rootstock was Prunus cerasifera. Tree training was done using four systems: two systems with branch bending (Heka espalier and spindle); and two systems without bending (standard (round) and flat crown). Evaluation of average fruit weight and yield per trunk cross section area (TCSA) was done from 2015 to 2017. The Heka espalier and spindle systems had first yield in 2015, but systems without bending had first yield only in 2016. Average yield per TCSA was significantly higher for the Heka espalier system (0.49 kg·cm−2) than for the spindle system (0.24 kg·cm−2), standard crown system (0.17 kg·cm−2), and flat crown system (0.30 kg·cm−2). Cultivar ‘Victoria’ had the highest yield among all systems. Average fruit size showed the same results: the biggest fruits were obtained with the Heka espalier system, and the smallest for systems without bending in the standard crown.
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Culvenor, R. A., J. T. Wood, A. L. Avery, W. Dempsey, S. E. McDonald, G. Ronnfeldt, and P. E. Veness. "Multi-site evaluation on acid soils of a Phalaris aquatica × P. arundinacea × P. aquatica backcross population bred for acid soil tolerance." Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 55, no. 6 (2004): 681. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/ar03262.
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Half-sib families in the AT98 Phalaris aquatica × P. arundinacea × P. aquatica backcross population bred for acid soil tolerance were compared for establishment, persistence, and yield with phalaris (P. aquatica L.) controls and cocksfoot (Dactylis glomerata L. cv. Porto) at 4 sites in south-eastern Australia with the aim of selecting the parents of a new cultivar. The sites had strongly acid soils but differed in parent material, pH profile, soil fertility, and suitability for phalaris. Establishment by AT98 was clearly superior to all phalaris controls and similar to cocksfoot in an acid soil high in Al to depth at Chiltern, north-eastern Victoria, after sowing in early spring 2000. It was considered likely that better establishment by AT98 was due to its higher Al tolerance. In contrast, little variation in establishment was observed at 3 other sites sown in late autumn 1999, possibly due to a longer period free of moisture stress compared with the later sown Chiltern site. Once established, the control cultivars of phalaris at the autumn-sown sites in general persisted and yielded similarly to the mean of the AT98 families. Significant family variation was observed and predicted heritability on a family mean basis was high for persistence measured as basal frequency and moderately high for yield in the third year. Family by site interaction was relatively low for both attributes. A cultivar based on the best families should give more reliable establishment on acid soils high in Al under conditions where rapid root growth to depth is needed for survival, and give more flexibility of sowing date on these soils. Its best performance relative to cv. Landmaster in terms of third-year yield was predicted to occur on granite-derived soils in north-eastern Victoria.
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Armstrong, D. P. "Water use efficiency and profitability on an irrigated dairy farm innorthern Victoria: a case study." Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture 44, no. 2 (2004): 137. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/ea02123.
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A study was conducted to look at water use efficiency and profitability on an irrigated dairy farm in northern Victoria. For this case study farm, an economic evaluation was performed for various development options that could result in higher water use efficiency, increased profit, and meet the farm owners' objectives. Water use efficiency was defined as the amount of milk (kg milk fat plus protein) produced from pasture per megalitre of water (irrigation plus effective rainfall).The case study farm data indicated that between 1995–96 and 1998–99 there was no simple, direct association between water use efficiency and profitability. The development options considered included building a new dairy and increasing herd size and either increasing the area of irrigated pasture or intensifying on the existing irrigated area. The likely water use efficiency and economic efficiency were estimated for the various development options. The development budgets suggested that intensifying on the existing irrigated land was the most attractive option, if the predicted improvements in water use efficiency were achieved. This option had an internal rate of return of 64%, broke even after 5 years and was compatible with the objectives of the farm owners.Options that resulted in simultaneous increases in water use efficiency, profitability and labour efficiency appear to be more likely to be adopted than options that focus solely on increasing water use efficiency.
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Li, Guangdi D., Zhongnan Nie, Amanda Bonython, Suzanne P. Boschma, Richard C. Hayes, Andrew D. Craig, Greg M. Lodge, et al. "Evaluation of chicory cultivars and accessions for forage in south-eastern Australia." Crop and Pasture Science 61, no. 7 (2010): 554. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/cp10011.
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The comparative herbage production and persistence of 7 chicory cultivars and 14 accessions collected from diverse regions of the world were evaluated over 3 years in 5 agro-ecological environments across New South Wales (NSW), Victoria (Vic.) and South Australia (SA). Results showed that all cultivars had higher herbage yields than the accessions, but varied greatly among sites. Averaged across all cultivars, total herbage yields were up to 24.6 t DM/ha over 3 years at the Hamilton, Vic. site, but as low as 6.9 and 5.7 t DM/ha at the Wagga Wagga and Bookham, NSW sites, respectively, where chicory only persisted for 2 years. In contrast, the average herbage yield of all accessions was only one-half of that produced by the cultivars at the Hamilton site and about one-third of that at the other 4 sites. All cultivars and accessions persisted well under the favourable climate conditions experienced at the Hamilton site. In contrast, severe drought in 2006 resulted in the death of chicory swards at the Wagga Wagga and Bookham sites, and substantial declines in persistence at the Manilla, NSW and Willalooka, SA sites. Nevertheless, accessions collected from Australia and Asia were more persistent than some of the cultivars and may provide opportunities to select genotypes better adapted to intermittently dry mixed farming systems in south-eastern Australia. Our findings indicated that the current cultivars were best suited to sites similar to the Hamilton site in the winter-dominant, higher rainfall zone of south-eastern Australia. Under these conditions chicory was likely to be productive and persistent for 4 years or longer. In the drier mixed farming zone, chicory may be more suitable in shorter (2–3-year) pasture phases. Further research is required to identify those factors contributing to poor persistence.
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Wong, Raymond W. M., Alesha Thai, Yet H. Khor, Kerryn Ireland-Jenkin, Celia J. Lanteri, and Barton R. Jennings. "The Utility of Rapid On-Site Evaluation on Endobronchial Ultrasound Guided Transbronchial Needle Aspiration: Does It Make a Difference?" Journal of Respiratory Medicine 2014 (November 12, 2014): 1–5. http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2014/245974.
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The purpose of this study was to assess the efficacy of using rapid on-site evaluation (ROSE) for samples taken during endobronchial ultrasound guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) at Austin Health, Victoria. This was compared to data collected for cases performed without ROSE. A retrospective analysis was conducted on 188 consecutive patients who underwent EBUS-TBNA from May 2012 to July 2014 whose data was collected prospectively at the time of the procedure. The presence of a cytologist during ROSE resulted in a significant reduction in the number of lesions sampled [mean: 1.5 ± 0.7 (1, 4) versus 1.9 ± 0.8 (1, 4), P = 0.0020] and the number of TBNAs required per case [mean: 3.6 ± 1.4 (1, 8) versus 4.2 ± 1.5 (1, 8), P = 0.0017]. This could potentially result in a shorter procedure time and, ultimately, a reduction in complication rate. The quality of the samples obtained during EBUS-TBNA with ROSE was higher. A larger proportion of samples yielded a satisfactory cell block allowing the potential benefit of additional pathology testing including immunohistochemistry and molecular pathology. In summary, the use of ROSE during EBUS-TBNA was superior to off-site cytological assessment of bronchoscopy specimens.
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Ridley, AM, and DR Coventry. "Yield responses to lime of phalaris, cocksfoot, and annual pastures in north-eastern Victoria." Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture 32, no. 8 (1992): 1061. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/ea9921061.
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Yield responses of 3 mixed grass-clover pastures [Phalaris aquatica L. cv. Sirosa (phalaris), Dactylis glomerata cv. Porto (cocksfoot), and annual grass based Trifolium subterraneum L. cv. Trikkala (subterranean clover) pastures] were measured over 5 soil pH treatments at 2 sites in Victoria. One site (Beechworth) was strongly acidic [pH(CaCl2) < 4.21 to a depth of 40 cm and contained high concentrations of soil aluminium (Al). At the other site (Lake Rowan), yield responses to lime application had been measured previously, but only in Al-sensitive wheat cultivars. At Beechworth, pasture yield responses to lime were not consistent but. when observed. occurred in autumn and winter in all 3 pasture types. Phalaris pastures showed yield increases more often than cocksfoot and annual pastures. Low magnesium and calcium concentrations may have limited dry matter production, although yields were reasonable on all treatments. Where lime was applied, growth responses may have been due to alleviation of Al toxicity. At Beechworth, pasture yield was increased where lime increased pH from 4.2 to 4.6 and decreased soil Al (measured in 10 mmol CaCl2/L) from 11 to <3 �g/g soil. Herbage manganese concentrations were not high in phalaris and subterranean clover, and cocksfoot manganese standards were not available. At Lake Rowan (pH 4.7, Al <1 �g/g), no growth responses to lime were seen in any pasture treatment, and annual grass based pastures sometimes had higher yields than phalaris and cocksfoot pastures. On strongly acidic soils such as at Beechworth, incorporation of lime prior to pasture establishment should be considered. Perennial grasses may reduce further soil degradation through acidification. Soil A1 concentrations are commonly lower in ley-cropping areas, and the inclusion of perennial grasses in ley pastures requires further evaluation.
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Bowman, PJ, GM McKeon, and DH White. "An evaluation of the impact of long-range climate forecasting on the physical and financial performance of wool-producing enterprises in Victoria." Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 46, no. 4 (1995): 687. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/ar9950687.
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Improved climate forecasting has the potential to increase the ability of farm managers to cope with a variable climate. In this study a simulation model of a breeding ewe flock was used to make a preliminary assessment of the value of climate forecasting for wool-producing enterprises in Victoria. Stocking and selling policies were modified in response to long-range forecasts of weather conditions. The effects on pasture cover, sheep welfare and financial returns were compared with those of a traditional management policy for a period of 25 years. These comparisons were made at two locations, Hamilton and Rutherglen, and at two stocking rates. The effects of different levels of accuracy of the weather forecast on the value of the changes in stocking and selling policies were also evaluated. Altering the stocking and selling policies using an accurate forecast of seasonal conditions resulted in a reduction in the death rate of adult ewes and their progeny. Timely action when adverse conditions were imminent resulted in an increase in both pasture cover during autumn and winter and minimum liveweight of the sheep. Gross returns were increased on average by more than 5%. Much of this increase was contributed by higher wool returns associated with the increase in size of the flock during favourable conditions. Expenditure on sheep purchases was lower for the traditionally managed farms; however, knowledge of forthcoming conditions did allow stock numbers to be reduced before pasture reserves were depleted in poor seasons which in turn reduced the requirement for supplementary feed. The total cash costs tended to be lower on the traditionally managed farm, but this difference was not significant. Both the cash operating surplus and net cash income were significantly increased by altering stocking and selling policies using an accurate forecast of seasonal conditions at Hamilton, but, although the same trends were evident, the effect of using the forecast at Rutherglen was not significant. Where the forecast was accurate in only 8 years in 10 or 6 years in 10, the benefits of altering the stocking and selling policies were reduced, but even at the lower level of accuracy the average cash operating surplus for the 25 years of the analysis was higher than that achieved using the traditional management regime. However, in individual years, inappropriate policies adopted due to an incorrect forecast resulted in reductions in financial returns of up to 64%. Accurate forecasts can improve land care and animal welfare by changing pasture and animal management, particularly by reducing stock numbers. However, since the profitability of sheep enterprises in Victoria is highly dependent on the choice of stocking rate, recommendations to reduce stock numbers without considering the financial viability of sheep enterprises may go unheeded. Hence, in the short-term at least, it can be difficult to achieve improvements in land care and animal welfare while at the same time maintaining profitability. This study indicated that the financial benefits for wool producers of reliable seasonal outlooks in southern Australia are probably substantially less than generally anticipated, at least for the strategies investigated. Furthermore, the accuracy of seasonal forecasting in southern Australia is such that the benefits from correct forecasts can be partly offset in other years from decisions which have been made on the basis of incorrect forecasts. The study also highlighted a number of important issues that need to be considered in evaluating climate forecasts.
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Cheng, Daryl R., Hazel J. Clothier, Hannah J. Morgan, Emma Roney, Priya Shenton, Nicholas Cox, Bryn O. Jones, Silja Schrader, Nigel W. Crawford, and Jim P. Buttery. "Myocarditis and myopericarditis cases following COVID-19 mRNA vaccines administered to 12–17-year olds in Victoria, Australia." BMJ Paediatrics Open 6, no. 1 (June 2022): e001472. http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmjpo-2022-001472.
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Importance COVID-19 mRNA vaccine-associated myocarditis has previously been described; however specific features in the adolescent population are currently not well understood. Objective To describe myocarditis adverse events following immunisation reported following any COVID-19 mRNA vaccines in the adolescent population in Victoria, Australia. Design Statewide, population-based study. Setting Surveillance of Adverse Events Following Vaccination in the Community (SAEFVIC) is the vaccine-safety service for Victoria, Australia. Participants All SAEFVIC reports of myocarditis and myopericarditis in 12–17-year-old COVID-19 mRNA vaccinees submitted between 22 February 2021 and 22 February 2022, as well as accompanying diagnostic investigation results where available, were assessed using Brighton Collaboration criteria for diagnostic certainty. Exposures Any mRNA COVID-19 vaccine. Main outcomes/Mmeasure Confirmed myocarditis as per Brighton Collaboration criteria (levels 1–3). Results Clinical review demonstrated definitive (Brighton level 1) or probable (level 2) diagnoses in 75 cases. Confirmed myocarditis reporting rates were 8.3 per 100 000 doses in this age group. Cases were predominantly male (n=62, 82.7%) and post dose 2 (n=61, 81.3%). Rates peaked in the 16–17-year-old age group and were higher in males than females (17.7 vs 3.9 per 100 000, p=<0.001). The most common presenting symptoms were chest pain, dyspnoea and palpitations. A large majority of cases who had a cardiac MRI had abnormalities (n=33, 91.7%). Females were more likely to have ongoing clinical symptoms at 1-month follow-up (p=0.02). Conclusion Accurate evaluation and confirmation of episodes of COVID-19 mRNA vaccine-associated myocarditis enabled understanding of clinical phenotypes in the adolescent age group. Any potential vaccination and safety surveillance policies needs to consider age and gender differences.
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CLARKE, TIMOTHY, SIMON-PETER ANDREWS, PETER J. MOATE, CARMEL A. POLLINO, and WERNER L. SCHMIDT. "Evaluation of low cost in-line milk samplers for estimating individual cow somatic cell counts." Journal of Dairy Research 64, no. 1 (February 1997): 13–22. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0022029996002014.
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The Dairy Herd Improvement Fund of Victoria recently identified a requirement for a simple and inexpensive in-line sampler to enable dairy farmers to collect representative milk samples for counting somatic cells. We found that the currently available simple in-line milk samplers, when connected to standard 35 ml collection vessels, terminate sampling early in a milking, and thus provide samples that are unrepresentative of the whole milking. We showed that cell count during a milking varies greatly, tending to be high for the first 1–2 l. Analyses of resulting samples will thus tend to overestimate cell counts if samplers are used in their traditional way. We found greater sampling rates in high-line compared with low-line milking systems, and consequently developed modified samplers suitable for both situations. Our samplers utilize low sampling rates (∼1–3%) and large collection vessels (450 ml). Compared with currently available simple in-line samplers, our type of sampler provided milk samples considerably more representative of the entire milking for the majority of cows. In conjunction with subsampling, they provided samples of appropriate size (12·5 ml minimum to 25 ml maximum) for testing fat, protein, lactose and cell count. Cell count results indicated that errors associated with the use of currently available simple in-line samplers could frequently be >200%. In contrast, we found that use of our samplers gave an estimate for cell count that was only slightly higher (mean 20%) than that from samples collected by an approved Tru-Test sampler.
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Vilchynska, L. A., O. P. Horodyska, and M. V. Diyanchuk. "Buckwheat selection for resistance to extreme environmental factors." Faktori eksperimental'noi evolucii organizmiv 27 (September 1, 2020): 55–60. http://dx.doi.org/10.7124/feeo.v27.1302.
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Aim. Based on the usage of samples from the buckwheat genus collection, create and evaluate new source material for drought tolerance, productivity, and quality indicators. Methods. Testing, material evaluation, analysis of plants, yield and grain quality were carried out in accordance with the generally accepted methods of the State variety testing. Results. A laboratory and field assessment of the initial parental forms selected from the collection of the buckwheat genus, involved in hybridization and hybrid combinations based on them based on drought tolerance in the conditions of Podilskyi State Agrarian and Engineering University during 2006–2019 was carried out. It was revealed that the donors for creating new source material on the basis of drought tolerance are the varieties Skorostyhla 86, Smuglianka, Kazanka, Alyonushka, and Veselka. Buckwheat numbers 7/07, 8/07, 2/07, 24/06 have a vegetation period shorter by 5–12 days, drought tolerance 35,4–47,3 % higher, 0,3–0,7 t higher / ha grain yield and high quality indicators compared with the standard Victoria variety. Conclusions. Selected samples with economically valuable traits (7/06, 4/07, 23/06, 5/07, 6/07, 16/07, 15/07, 25/06, 24/06, 22/06) use in breeding programs to create more drought-resistant buckwheat varieties with high yield and grain quality.
Keywords: buckwheat, selection, drought tolerance, express method, productivity and quality indicators.
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Brusco, Natasha, Andrea Voogt, Melissa Nott, Libby Callaway, Mae Mansoubi, and Natasha Layton. "Meeting Unmet Needs for Stroke Rehabilitation in Rural Public Health: Explorative Economic Evaluation of Upper Limb Robotics-Based Technologies through a Capabilities Lens." Societies 12, no. 5 (October 10, 2022): 143. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/soc12050143.
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Rehabilitation technologies are rapidly evolving, presenting promising interventions for people with neurological impairments. Access to technology, however, is greater in metropolitan than rural areas. Applying a capabilities approach to this access issue foregrounds healthcare recipients’ rights and personhood within the discourse on resource allocation. Within this context, this study aimed to investigate the economic viability of robotics-based therapy (RBT) in rural Victoria, Australia. A regional health network developed a model of care to provide equitable access to RBT following stroke. This explorative economic evaluation examined both the clinical and economic impact of RBT program implementation across six program iterations compared to 1:1 out-patient rehabilitation. While clinical outcomes were equivalent, the per patient RBT cost ranged from AUD 2681 (Program 1) to AUD 1957 (Program 6), while the per patient cost of usual care 1:1 out-patient rehabilitation, was AUD 2584. Excluding Program 1, the health service cost of usual care 1:1 out-patient rehabilitation was consistently higher, indicating that an established RBT program may be cost-effective, specifically providing less cost for the same effect. This research demonstrates the economic feasibility of delivering RBT in a regional public health stroke service. More broadly, it provided a reduction in the capability gap between rural and metropolitan stroke survivors by tackling an access disadvantage.
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Blumenthal, MJ, K. Prakash, A. Leonforte, PJ Cunningham, and HI Nicol. "Characterisation of the Kangaroo Valley ecotype of perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne)." Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 47, no. 7 (1996): 1131. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/ar9961131.
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A breeding program commenced in 1992 to produce perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) cultivars based on the Kangaroo Valley perennial ryegrass (KVPR) ecotype with improved winter and late season growth, disease resistance, and persistence. Perennial ryegrass plants (9000) were collected from 45 sites within the Kangaroo Valley and Shoalhaven flood plain in August 1992. Using principal component analysis, site differences were greatest for N percentage, Mg and Na concentration, and A1 saturation. Collections were space planted along with standard cultivars (Banks, Ellett, Embassy, Grasslands Lincoln, and Vedette) at Berry, New South Wales (34�48'S), and Timboon, Victoria (38'32'S), with 50 treatments and 10 replicates. Plants were visually scored for seasonal yield, rust incidence, greenness, leafiness, persistence, habit, and tiller density at both sites. At Berry, leaf angle, leaf width, and heading date were determined. Despite the differences in moisture, temperature, and growth indices between the 2 test sites, seasonal yield scores (mean of 100 plants) at Berry and Timboon were highly genetically correlated (r = 0.79-0.99). Standard cultivars were higher yielding with higher tiller density but with a greater rust incidence than collections (P < 0.01). Collections originating from the Shoalhaven flood plain were higher yielding with greater tiller density than plants from the Kangaroo Valley (P < 0.01), although differences were not as great as site of origin differences would suggest. Selections have been made for polycross half-sib formation, and half-sib evaluation will take place at a number of sites to determine the average general combining ability of parent selections for synthetic cultivar production.
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Smee, Donald F., Mark von Itzstein, Beenu Bhatt, and E. Bart Tarbet. "Exacerbation of Influenza Virus Infections in Mice by Intranasal Treatments and Implications for Evaluation of Antiviral Drugs." Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy 56, no. 12 (October 1, 2012): 6328–33. http://dx.doi.org/10.1128/aac.01664-12.
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ABSTRACTCompounds lacking oral activity may be delivered intranasally to treat influenza virus infections in mice. However, intranasal treatments greatly enhance the virulence of such virus infections. This can be partially compensated for by giving reduced virus challenge doses. These can be 100- to 1,000-fold lower than infections without such treatment and still cause equivalent mortality. We found that intranasal liquid treatments facilitate virus production (probably through enhanced virus spread) and that lung pneumonia was delayed by only 2 days relative to a 1,000-fold higher virus challenge dose not accompanied by intranasal treatments. In one study, zanamivir was 90 to 100% effective at 10 mg/kg/day by oral, intraperitoneal, and intramuscular routes against influenza A/California/04/2009 (H1N1) virus in mice. However, the same compound administered intranasally at 20 mg/kg/day for 5 days gave no protection from death although the time to death was significantly delayed. A related compound, Neu5Ac2en (N-acetyl-2,3-dehydro-2-deoxyneuraminic acid), was ineffective at 100 mg/kg/day. Intranasal zanamivir and Neu5Ac2en were 70 to 100% protective against influenza A/NWS/33 (H1N1) virus infections at 0.1 to 10 and 30 to 100 mg/kg/day, respectively. Somewhat more difficult to treat was A/Victoria/3/75 virus that required 10 mg/kg/day of zanamivir to achieve full protection. These results illustrate that treatment of influenza virus infections by the intranasal route requires consideration of both virus challenge dose and virus strain in order to avoid compromising the effectiveness of a potentially useful antiviral agent. In addition, the intranasal treatments were shown to facilitate virus replication and promote lung pathology.
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Young, Kathy L., W. Robert Bolton, Ånund Killingtveit, and Daqing Yang. "Assessment of precipitation and snowcover in northern research basins*." Hydrology Research 37, no. 4-5 (August 1, 2006): 377–91. http://dx.doi.org/10.2166/nh.2006.021.
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In 2004, a workshop was held to collect and synthesize the water balance data from 39 northern research basins (NRB) in Victoria, BC, Canada. One of the recommendations from the meeting was a need to review systematically each component of the water balance for these northern basins in order to identify spatial and temporal trends and to address significant knowledge gaps. Here, we assess the methodologies for measuring snow and rain in these northern basins; examine the temporal and spatial patterns of snow accumulation both during and at the end-of-the winter; consider ablation patterns and comment on the occurrence of extreme events. Our evaluation indicates that northern hydrologists still employ a variety of gauges and approaches to both measure and correct precipitation. For the NRB, rainfall contributions dominate in lower latitudes while snowfall gains importance with higher latitudes and altitude. Occurrence of large water bodies, topography (i.e. aspect, slope) and vegetation influence precipitation amount and its distribution across the landscape. Only two NRB studies showed a declining trend in snowcover (SWE). Snow is still considered the most important input of water in these northern basins, but extreme summer precipitation events (both rain and snow) have triggered higher magnitude floods than seasonal snowmelt runoff. Glacierized basins are sensitive to summer snowfalls and low winter snow storage. Both have the potential to dampen or enhance melting despite warmer or cooler air temperatures. Standardized gauges, approaches and continued monitoring of the NRB is encouraged.
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Fennessy, Paul, Vanessa Clements, and Olivia Hibbitt. "OP44 Robot-Assisted Surgery: Joint HTA To Inform Australian Policy And Funding." International Journal of Technology Assessment in Health Care 35, S1 (2019): 10. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0266462319001107.
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IntroductionRobot-Assisted Surgery (RAS) has been available in Australia since 2003. There are 50 da Vinci RAS systems in Australia (18 in NSW and 12 in Victoria) with most in the private hospital sector. In Australia the capital cost of a da Vinci RAS system is up to AUD 4 million (USD 2.8 million), which excludes annual maintenance fees of AUD 250,000 (USD 175,000) and consumable costs of AUD 3,500 (USD 2,450) for each procedure.MethodsThe NSW Ministry of Health and Victorian Department of Health and Human Services commissioned a health technology assessment (HTA) to explore the benefits, risks and economic implications of surgical robotics, which involved a review of the peer reviewed literature, a cost benefit analysis of public sector patients who received RAS and broad stakeholder consultation to document current perspectives on RAS applications.ResultsRAS is as safe and effective as other surgical modalities when performed by sufficiently skilled surgeons, although evidence generally comes from small studies with limited follow-up time and few studies report long term mortality, morbidity or patient-reported outcomes. Comparative benefits of RAS are uncertain as most studies conclude little or no difference in procedure related or functional outcomes. While RAS reduces length of stay, which offers patient and health system benefits, this is insufficient to fully offset high capital and consumable costs currently charged to Australian providers. Government and clinical stakeholders identified that establishing an RAS service requires consideration of important factors, including: i) Governance is critical; ii) Higher case volumes may improve financial viability; and iii) a need for state-wide/national standards for surgeon training and credentialing.ConclusionsRAS is as safe and effective as other modalities when performed by skilled surgeons. However, uncertainty remains around long-term outcomes and clinical and cost effectiveness. An accredited training program, monitoring and evaluation will be critical to ensure outcomes data inform ongoing evidence assessment and government policy and investment.
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Dezfuli, Amin K., Charles M. Ichoku, George J. Huffman, Karen I. Mohr, John S. Selker, Nick van de Giesen, Rebecca Hochreutener, and Frank O. Annor. "Validation of IMERG Precipitation in Africa." Journal of Hydrometeorology 18, no. 10 (October 1, 2017): 2817–25. http://dx.doi.org/10.1175/jhm-d-17-0139.1.
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Abstract Understanding of hydroclimatic processes in Africa has been hindered by the lack of in situ precipitation measurements. Satellite-based observations, in particular, the TRMM Multisatellite Precipitation Analysis (TMPA) have been pivotal to filling this void. The recently released Integrated Multisatellite Retrievals for GPM (IMERG) project aims to continue the legacy of its predecessor, TMPA, and provide higher-resolution data. Here, IMERG-V04A precipitation data are validated using in situ observations from the Trans-African Hydro-Meteorological Observatory (TAHMO) project. Various evaluation measures are examined over a select number of stations in West and East Africa. In addition, continent-wide comparisons are made between IMERG and TMPA. The results show that the performance of the satellite-based products varies by season, region, and the evaluation statistics. The precipitation diurnal cycle is relatively better captured by IMERG than TMPA. Both products exhibit a better agreement with gauge data in East Africa and humid West Africa than in the southern Sahel. However, a clear advantage for IMERG is not apparent in detecting the annual cycle. Although all gridded products used here reasonably capture the annual cycle, some differences are evident during the short rains in East Africa. Direct comparison between IMERG and TMPA over the entire continent reveals that the similarity between the two products is also regionally heterogeneous. Except for Zimbabwe and Madagascar, where both satellite-based observations present a good agreement, the two products generally have their largest differences over mountainous regions. IMERG seems to have achieved a reduction in the positive bias evident in TMPA over Lake Victoria.
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Khan, Sajjad, Shahzad Aslam, Iqra Mustafa, and Sheraz Aslam. "Short-Term Electricity Price Forecasting by Employing Ensemble Empirical Mode Decomposition and Extreme Learning Machine." Forecasting 3, no. 3 (June 22, 2021): 460–77. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/forecast3030028.
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Day-ahead electricity price forecasting plays a critical role in balancing energy consumption and generation, optimizing the decisions of electricity market participants, formulating energy trading strategies, and dispatching independent system operators. Despite the fact that much research on price forecasting has been published in recent years, it remains a difficult task because of the challenging nature of electricity prices that includes seasonality, sharp fluctuations in price, and high volatility. This study presents a three-stage short-term electricity price forecasting model by employing ensemble empirical mode decomposition (EEMD) and extreme learning machine (ELM). In the proposed model, the EEMD is employed to decompose the actual price signals to overcome the non-linear and non-stationary components in the electricity price data. Then, a day-ahead forecasting is performed using the ELM model. We conduct several experiments on real-time data obtained from three different states of the electricity market in Australia, i.e., Queensland, New South Wales, and Victoria. We also implement various deep learning approaches as benchmark methods, i.e., recurrent neural network, multi-layer perception, support vector machine, and ELM. In order to affirm the performance of our proposed and benchmark approaches, this study performs several performance evaluation metric, including the Diebold–Mariano (DM) test. The results from the experiments show the productiveness of our developed model (in terms of higher accuracy) over its counterparts.
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Parameshwar Narayanakar, Rajkumar, and Darshan Saligrama Govinda Shetty. "A study of correlation of pre-operative fine needle aspiration cytology and ultrasonography with post-operative histopathology in thyroid swellings." International Surgery Journal 7, no. 5 (April 23, 2020): 1456. http://dx.doi.org/10.18203/2349-2902.isj20201851.
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Background:Diseases of the thyroid gland can be due to inflammatory and neoplastic causes. Many diagnostic tests like ultrasound, thyroid nuclear scan and fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) are available for their evaluation. Histopathologically, they can be adenomas, colloid nodules, cysts, infectious nodules, lymphocytic or granulomatous nodules, congenital abnormalities or hyperplasia, or various types of malignancy. It is therefore crucial to have a clear diagnostic approach to ensure patients are managed appropriately and are not over or under-treated. Present study was done to evaluate FNAC and ultrasonography (USG) as a diagnostic method in thyroid swellings and to plan surgery accordingly.Methods: A prospective observational study was conducted among 60 adult patients undergoing thyroid surgery at Victoria and Bowring and Lady Curzon Hospital. They were investigated with FNAC and USG of thyroid, and were subjected to surgery and subsequent histopathological examination. The histopathological examination reports were correlated with the findings of FNAC and USG in order to evaluate their findings by statistical methods.Results:The sensitivity and specificity of FNAC was 87.5% and 98% respectively. All malignant lesions on FNAC were confirmed by histopathology indicating its excellence. Therefore FNAC helps in planning the correct management and avoids second surgery. And the sensitivity and specificity of USG was 75% and 86% respectively. Therefore combination of both FNAC and ultrasonography will improve the diagnostic accuracy to higher level and helps in better management. Conclusions:FNAC has high sensitivity and specificity, so it is closest to ideal test. However, a combination of both FNAC and ultrasound will give desirable results and so that we can avoid mismanagement.
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Gallo, Sina, Sonia Jean-Philippe, Celia Rodd, and Hope A. Weiler. "Vitamin D supplementation of Canadian infants: practices of Montreal mothers." Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism 35, no. 3 (June 2010): 303–9. http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/h10-021.
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Health policy in North America advocates that all breastfed infants receive a vitamin D supplement of 400 IU per day for the primary prevention of rickets. Despite this recommendation, rickets still occurs in Canada. It is not known whether vitamin D deficiency in the Canadian population is solely attributable to inadequacies in vitamin supplementation. Thus, the evaluation of current practices, including awareness and compliance with recommendations, is clearly needed. The objective of this study was to describe the vitamin D supplementation practices of mothers of newborns living in the Montreal area. This was a cross-sectional telephone survey of 343 mothers delivering a healthy term infant from December 2007 to May 2008 at the Royal Victoria Hospital (Montreal, Que.). Ninety percent of all mothers breastfed their infants during the first 6 months; 53% did so exclusively. Of mothers exclusively breastfeeding, 74% reported meeting the Health Canada recommendation. The main reason for not adhering to the recommendation was the assumption by mothers who began to feed fortified formula (400 IU·L–1) that supplementation was no longer necessary. Fifty percent of infants receiving mixed feedings without supplementation prior to 6 months did not achieve the recommended intake. Receiving advice about supplementation and the higher education of mothers were significant positive determinants of supplementation practices. This work identified infants consuming mixed feedings and those consuming only formula in the first 6 months as groups at high risk for not meeting the recommended 400 IU·day–1 of vitamin D. Therefore there may still be gaps in knowledge regarding vitamin D supplementation.
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ACKERMAN, ILANA N., RACHELLE BUCHBINDER, and RICHARD H. OSBORNE. "Challenges in Evaluating an Arthritis Self-management Program for People with Hip and Knee Osteoarthritis in Real-world Clinical Settings." Journal of Rheumatology 39, no. 5 (March 1, 2012): 1047–55. http://dx.doi.org/10.3899/jrheum.111358.
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Objective.To evaluate the influence of a 6-week Arthritis Self-Management Program (ASMP) on health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and self-management skills in clinical settings.Methods.Individuals with hip or knee osteoarthritis referred to orthopedic surgeons or rheumatologists at 6 hospitals in Victoria, Australia, were recruited. In a randomized controlled trial, participants received the Stanford ASMP and self-help book (intervention) or book only (control). Assessments included the Assessment of Quality of Life instrument (AQoL; range −0.04 to 1.00) and Health Education Impact Questionnaire (heiQ; range 1–6) at baseline and up to 12 months. The primary outcome was HRQOL at 12 months (assessed using the AQoL).Results.Recruitment was concluded early due to persistent challenges including infrequent referrals and patient inability or disinterest in participating. Of 1125 individuals screened, only 120 were randomized (control, n = 62; intervention, n = 58). Seven ASMP were conducted while 18 scheduled ASMP were cancelled. Forty-four of 58 intervention group participants received the intervention as allocated (76%); all control group participants were sent the book (100%). Ninety-four participants (78%) completed 12-month assessments (control, 90%; intervention, 66%). There was no difference in HRQOL at 12 months (adjusted mean difference −0.02, 95% CI −0.09 to 0.05). At 6 weeks, the intervention group reported higher heiQ skill and technique acquisition scores (adjusted mean difference 0.29, 95% CI 0.04 to 0.55); however, this dissipated by 3 months.Conclusion.Significant challenges hampered this evaluation of the ASMP. The observed lack of enthusiasm from potential referrers and patients raises doubts about the practicality of this intervention in real-world settings. (ANZCTR Clinical Trials Registry no. ACTRN12606000174583)
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Tarrasa, Giancarlo Hernán Cristerna, Martha Ramiro Mendoza, Francisco Javier Otero Mendoza, and Eduardo Arias de la Garza. "#29: Clinical Evaluation of Pediatric Patients with Respiratory Symptoms with Confirmed and Negative Influenza in a Third-level Pediatric Center in Mexico City." Journal of the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society 10, Supplement_1 (March 1, 2021): S23—S24. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/jpids/piaa170.075.
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Abstract Background Influenza virus is responsible for 3 to 5 million cases every year with an estimated mortality in children around 0.15 deaths per 100,000 population. Mexico reported in the 2018–2019 Influenza season 7,210 confirmed cases with 811 deaths (11%) with AH1N1 the most frequent type with 67% of the cases and 88% of the deaths. Clinical assessment of children with influenza is difficult because of the overlap of symptoms between other viral diseases so we evaluated the severity of respiratory symptoms in influenza-positive and -negative children to attain better clinical assessment of influenza cases. Methods We evaluated 846 children less than 18 years old who were screened for influenza in the emergency department at our hospital by using the WHO Influenza Like Disease (ILD) definition between epidemiological week 40 up to week 20 of the 2018–2019 influenza season. Clinical characteristics, evolution and comorbidities were assessed between positive and negative influenza test. Influenza was confirmed by RT–PCR of a nasal swab. Both χ 2 test and t-test were used for statistical analysis of both groups. Results Of the 846 children evaluated for ILD, 177 were positive and 669 were negative for influenza virus. 53.6% of the positive group and 52.2% of the negative group were male, mean ages were 5.25 years and 3.73 years, respectively (P < 0.0001) with 55% and 73.9% less than 5 years old, respectively. 75.7% of the positive group had severe disease defined as hypoxemic pneumonia and 78.6% of the negative group. Statistically significant differences in clinical evaluation were observed regarding frequency of fever, cough, sore throat, chills, myalgias, arthralgias, malaise, conjunctivitis and sudden onset of symptoms. Also, in the positive group there was higher probability of having a positive close contact (6.8%) case than in the negative group (2.5%) (P = 0.005). Cardiopathy, immunosuppression and cancer were the most frequent comorbidities in the influenza group. Four percent of the influenza-positive group and 5% of the negative group were vaccinated. Influenza types were 55.4% AH1N1pdm09, 35% B (29% Yamagata, 22.6% Victoria, 48.4% undetermined) and 9% of AH3. Two deaths were reported in the influenza-positive group. Conclusions Influenza can produce a severe disease in children, especially with those with co-morbidity; therefore, careful evaluation of respiratory symptoms, contact history to ILD, and highly sensitive diagnostics will accurately diagnose influenza. Patients with severe influenza should be promptly treated with antivirals and isolated to decrease intrahospital transmission.
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Okello, Jaspher, John Bosco Lamoris Okullo, Gerald Eilu, Philip Nyeko, and Joseph Obua. "Morphological Variations inTamarindus indicaLINN. Fruits and Seed Traits in the Different Agroecological Zones of Uganda." International Journal of Ecology 2018 (December 11, 2018): 1–12. http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2018/8469156.
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An investigation was carried out on variations in the morphological traits ofTamarindus indicaLINN. fruits (length, breadth, mass, and pulp mass) and seeds (number and mass) from the different agroecological zones and land use types of Uganda. Fruits were collected from the two land use types in the three agroecological zones and measured for various morphological traits. The study sites were located between 593 and 1,096 meters above sea level. ANOVA was used to test the differences in morphological traits of fruits and seeds between agroecological zones and land use types. The morphological traits relationship was determined using Pearson Correlation Coefficient (R). There were significant (P≤0.05) variations among theT. indicafruits and seed morphological traits within the agroecological zones and land use types. Lake Victoria Crescent agroecological zone recorded higher fruits morphological traits values. Wild and on-farm land use types were superior in fruits and seed traits, respectively. Many seeds per fruit (17) were recorded in Uganda (Eastern agroecological zone) than those recorded elsewhere. Significant uphill positive linear correlations between all morphological traits (P≤0.05) were observed, with the strongest relationships being between seed mass and seed number (R=0.79), fruit mass and fruit length (R=0.75), pulp mass and fruit mass (R=0.73), and seed mass and fruit mass (R=0.73). However, fruit breadth presented slightly weaker positive linear correlations with all other morphological traits. This is the first quantitative evaluation ofT. indicamorphological traits variation in Uganda. Dispersion/variation and correlation relationships suggest that all the studied morphological traits can be used for selection of plus trees for tree breeding improvement such as yield per tree. The observed variations are probably attributed to influence of agroecological zones’ factors, environmental factors, climate, land use types, and farming systems, a reflection ofT. indicaadaptation to different conditions showing high genetic and phenotypic differences to be exploited.
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Theerthegowda, Akhila Nallur, Pavithra Umashankar, and Nagashri Suresh Iyer. "A Comparative Study between Bedside Index for Severity in Acute Pancreatitis (BISAP) and Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE-II) Scoring System in Assessing the Severity of Acute Pancreatitis at Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute, Bangalore, India." Journal of Evidence Based Medicine and Healthcare 8, no. 36 (September 6, 2021): 3269–75. http://dx.doi.org/10.18410/jebmh/2021/594.
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BACKGROUND Acute pancreatitis (AP) is an inflammatory disease of the pancreas, that results from intrapancreatic activation, release, and digestion of the organ by its own enzymes. The diagnosis of acute pancreatitis can be made when a patient presents with threefold elevated serum levels of amylase or lipase, abdominal pain and vomiting. In this study, we wanted to assess the severity of acute pancreatitis by using BISAP (Bedside index for severity in acute pancreatitis) and APACHE-II (Acute physiology and chronic health evaluation) scoring systems and compare the accuracy of BISAP scores with APACHE-II scores. METHODS A prospective study including 201 patients was conducted from April 2018 to March 2020 in Victoria Hospital, affiliated to BMCRI. RESULTS Among 201 AP patients, 129 were found to have mild acute pancreatitis (MAP), 72 were of severe acute pancreatitis (SAP), 192 survival cases, and 9 death cases. The larger the rating score, the higher the proportion of severe pancreatitis and mortality risk. Two kinds of scoring criteria; BISAP score points and Apache II score points compared in patients with MAP and SAP, In Apache II score to predict severity of organ failure, the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value was 84.72 %, 93.02 %, 87.14 %, 91.60 % and area under the curve was 0.958 (P < 0.0001). In BISAP, the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value was 90.28 %, 80.62 %, 72.22 %, 93.69 % and area under the curve was 0.917 (P < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS Ability of APACHE II score prediction of AP in severity of organ failure and mortality are stronger than BISAP score, But APACHE II scoring system indicators were cumbersome, complicated assessment. BISAP scoring system is simple, economical, rapid and reliable, and it can effectively predict the severity and mortality of acute pancreatitis, and can be used as a preliminary screening method in accurate risk stratification and initiation of management accordingly at community health care, secondary health care and tertiary health care Hospitals. KEYWORDS Pancreatitis, Severity, Prediction, APACHE II and BISAP
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Gangappa, Rajashekara Babu, Thejas Savasere, and Prashanth Basappa Chowdary. "A prospective analysis of management of carcinoma stomach." International Surgery Journal 4, no. 1 (December 13, 2016): 381. http://dx.doi.org/10.18203/2349-2902.isj20164474.
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Background:Gastric carcinoma is a malignant epithelial tumour of the gastric mucosa with glandular differentiation. It applies to tumours arising in the distal stomach, body stomach and tumours arising in the proximal 5 cm, but not crossing the esophago-gastric junction. It is the fourth most common cancer and the second leading cause of cancer death. Its incidence is increasing and is especially prevalent in Asia. Its prevalence is four times higher in South India than North India. The objective of this study was to study the aetiology, clinical features, evaluation of carcinoma stomach, surgical management and post-operative complications of carcinoma stomach.Methods: This was a prospective study of patients with gastric carcinoma who were surgically managed at Victoria Hospital, Bangalore, India between September 2013 and April 2016.Results:The age group with the maximum incidence of gastric carcinoma was between the ages of 51-60. 61.54% of the patients followed a mixed diet and the rest were vegetarians. 50% of the patients were smokers only, 19.23% gave history of only alcohol consumption and 15.38% of the patients had history of both alcohol consumption and smoking. 55.77% of the patients presented with T3 disease and 19.23% of the patients had M1 disease. 42.31% of the patients had N1 disease, 34.62% of the patients had N2 disease, 19.23% of the patients had N3 disease and the rest had N0 disease. 75% of the patients underwent resection with a curative intent and the rest 25% had palliative procedures. On follow-up, 19.51% of the patients who underwent a curative resection expired and 80.48% are surviving. 81.48% of the patients who underwent a palliative procedure expired and 18.51% are surviving.Conclusions:Diet plays an important role in carcinoma of the stomach. A high index of suspicion is important in the diagnosis. Surgery is the only potentially curative form of treatment and the prognosis after curative surgery for early gastric cancer has been excellent. There is a need for early diagnosis so that the disease can be treated adequately which directly translates into an improved survival.
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Ruhl, EH. "Uptake and distribution of potassium by grapevine rootstocks and its implication for grape juice pH of scion varieties." Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture 29, no. 5 (1989): 707. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/ea9890707.
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Differences in petiole K+ concentration of ungrafted grapevine rootstocks grown under field conditions at Merbein, Victoria, were compared with the rootstock effects on grape juice pH of the scion varieties Chardonnay and Ruby Cabernet. Significant positive correlations were obtained between grape juice pH of the scion varieties on various rootstocks and K+ accumulation in the petioles of ungrafted rootstock vines. Rootstock varieties that contributed to high pH in the grape juice of the scion (e.g. Freedom, Dog Ridge, Rupestris du Lot) showed high K+ concentrations in their petioles, while those rootstocks that contributed to low pH in the grape juice of the scion (e.g. 140 Ruggeri, 1202 Couderc, 110 Richter), had low K+ concentrations in their petioles. In 2 water culture experiments in the glasshouse, K+ uptake and distribution in ungrafted rootstock vines was examined at different K+ levels. In the first experiment the rootstocks 140 Ruggeri and Freedom had similar K+ concentrations in the various plant parts when grown in nutrient solution with 0.1 mmol K+/L. With K+ concentrations of 1, 2, and 10 mmol/L in the nutrient solution Freedom had significantly higher K+ contents in leaves and petioles than 140 Ruggeri. When K+ supply was increased from 1 to 2 mmol/L, K+ concentrations in the various plant parts were not significantly increased. However, when the supply was increased to 10 mmol/L, K t concentrations were significantly different. In the second experiment with K+ levels of 1 and 10 mmol/L, higher K+ contents were obtained in the basal and apical leaves of Dog Ridge and Ramsey compared with 140 Ruggeri, Schwarzmann, 1103 Paulsen and Sultana, while in roots, 140 Ruggeri, 110 Richter and Sultana had the highest K+ contents. Dog Ridge and Rarnsey are both known to increase scion grape juice K+ concentration and pH of the scion variety, while 140 Ruggeri and 1103 Paulsen contribute to low grape juice K+ concentration and pH. The results demonstrate that differences between rootstocks in the extent of K+ accumulation in the shoot are a major determinant of the rootstock effects on grape juice pH. The extent of K+ accumulation can best be measured in basal leaves or petioles. This provides a screening method for the evaluation of rootstocks which restrict K+ accumulation and contribute to lower grape juice pH.
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Ridley, A. M. "Preparing Australian broadacre agriculture for environmental scrutiny using Environmental Management Systems: implications for extension services." Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture 47, no. 3 (2007): 367. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/ea06030.
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Environmental Management Systems (EMS) have been trialled in the broadacre industries across Australia. This paper outlines the trends in extension service provision, comments on changes needed if environmental issues are to become higher priority and discusses institutional issues. For EMS in Australia to become a mainstream farm business management activity there needs to be sufficient private good outcomes for land managers to adopt them and sufficient public good outcomes for public money to be invested in their implementation. As there are few market drivers at present, extension and incentives are likely to be needed to facilitate their uptake. Evaluation of likely cost-effective public good outcomes is needed for continued public sector investment. Regardless of whether EMS or similar schemes are provided by the public or private sector, if they are to become mainstream there needs to be a move from the dominant extension models used by the public sector (group facilitation and empowerment) to a programmed learning approach. Building on a ‘personalised consultant’ model is recommended for land managers prepared to pay for information to maintain their competitive edge. For more ‘traditional’ land managers, partnerships with the public sector through Landcare networks and regional natural resource management bodies and rural resellers are more realistic. There is large need for formalised training of both public and private extension providers. The institutional arrangements and current alignment and supportiveness for EMS between state agencies, farmer organisations and regional natural resource management bodies is highly variable across the states, but currently appears strongest in Victoria, Queensland and Western Australia. Australian broadacre industries are globally exposed in being prepared to take on increased environmental scrutiny. It will take many years to reduce this risk given the large and dispersed nature of the broadacre industries. All players, especially governments, regional organisations, peak farmer and peak industry groups need to take a more proactive role in funding and implementing EMS or similar type schemes if they believe there are long-term benefits in doing so. The alternative is to wait for a crisis and be limited to taking a reactive approach to environmental accountability.
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Kum, Elena, Adriyan Hrycyshyn, Gabriele Jagelaviciute, Angela Carly Chen, Iman Baharmand, Samer Rihani, Gabriella Rumball, et al. "Development and Evaluation of a Community of Practice to Support Stem Cell Donor Recruitment in Canada." Blood 136, Supplement 1 (November 5, 2020): 25–26. http://dx.doi.org/10.1182/blood-2020-138372.
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Background: A community of practice (COP) is a group of people who share a passion for something, and learn how to perform better as they interact regularly. COPs have been shown to be effective models for achieving quality outcomes in healthcare. We report the development and evaluation of a COP in stem cell donor recruitment in Canada. Methodology: In 09/2017, we launched a COP in stem cell donor recruitment in Canada. Stakeholders in donor recruitment were invited via email and Facebook posts to participate in regular e-meetings and a Facebook group. E-meeting topics included running larger stem cell drives, recruiting the most needed donors, redirecting non-optimal donors, reviews of drive outcomes and strategies to improve, using patient stories to support donor recruitment, and reducing donor attrition. Each e-meeting included speakers and roundtable discussion relevant to the theme. The Facebook group facilitated discussion and sharing of resources between e-meetings (see Fig. A for examples of posts). COP participants were also invited to join subcommittees which focused on developing needed resources or achieving specific objectives identified by the COP. A survey was sent to COP participants in 01/2020 to evaluate the perceived impact of the COP to donor recruitment practice. Recruitment outcomes by COP participants of the Canadian donor recruitment organization Stem Cell Club were compared before and after the launch of the COP. Results: As of 07/2020, the COP Facebook group included 333 stakeholders in donor recruitment (312 donor recruiters from Stem Cell Club; 15 patients/donors; 6 donor registry staff). 51 unique attendees participated in 7 e-meetings, 21 of whom attended 2 or more meetings. COP participants collaboratively set the following goals for the COP: 1) to foster teamwork and collaboration in donor recruitment efforts; 2) to improve knowledge and practice related to donor recruitment; 3) to improve recruitment of the most-needed donors; and 4) to improve donor recruiters' ability to run high quality stem cell drives. 141 posts were published to the Facebook group about patient/donor stories (41%), resources in stem cell donation (23%), stem cell drive outcomes and campaigns (15%), updates related to donor recruitment (14%), and questions posed to the community by COP participants (5%). 44 COP participants completed the COP evaluation survey. The majority agreed/strongly agreed that the Facebook group (86%) and e-meetings (59%) supported the development of a community. 64-84% agreed/strongly agreed that participating in the COP fostered collaboration; improved their knowledge and practice in donor recruitment; and improved their ability to run higher quality drives and recruit most-needed donors (Fig. B). Stem Cell Club's donor recruitment outcomes improved following the launch of the COP: in 2016-2017, Stem Cell Club recruited 2918 donors (46% male; 55.9% of males non-Caucasian) compared to 3418 donors in 2017-2018 (52.7% male; 57.8% of males non-Caucasian), and 4531 donors in 2018-2019 (52.9% male; 62.7% of males non-Caucasian) (Fig C). Finally, a number of outputs were generated as a result of collaboration through the COP, including development of resources such as an infographic (stemcellclub.ca/promo.html), a whiteboard video series (youtu.be/V4fVBtxnWfM), and a stem cell donation story library (#WhyWeSwab; facebook.com/WhyWeSwab). COP participants collaborated on national donor recruitment campaigns, securing coverage in major media outlets across Canada (including Toronto Star: thestar.com/life/2019/11/15/stem-cell-donors-wanted-get-swabbed-campaign-coming-to-university-campuses.html; Toronto Sun: torontosun.com/news/local-news/working-to-build-canadas-network-of-stem-cell-donors; London Free Press: lfpress.com/news/local-news/toddlers-case-proves-patients-must-harness-social-media-in-quest-for-stem-cell-donors-advocates; and Victoria News: vicnews.com/news/stem-cell-drive-at-uvic-aims-to-find-lifesaving-donors-for-patients-in-need) and recruiting thousands of needed donors (Fig. D). Conclusion: We describe the first COP in stem cell donor recruitment to our knowledge. The COP was valued by participants and supported efforts to improve donor recruitment. The COP model can be adapted by donor recruitment organizations around the world to improve recruitment outcomes. Figure Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
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Tornero, C., V. Navarro-Compán, B. Joven-Ibáñez, R. Almodovar, X. Juanola-Roura, C. Fernández-Carballido, J. C. Quevedo-Abeledo, et al. "POS0996 SIX-YEAR RESULTS FROM THE ESPERANZA COHORT: EVALUATION OF CLINICAL FEATURES, DISEASE ACTIVITY MEASURES AND TREATMENT ASPECTS IN AXIAL AND PERIPHERAL EARLY SPONDYLOARTHRITIS." Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases 80, Suppl 1 (May 19, 2021): 766.2–767. http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/annrheumdis-2021-eular.2725.
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Background:Esperanza was a multicenter national health program developed to facilitate an early diagnosis of patients with Spondyloarthritis (SpA) in Spain.Objectives:To compare the clinical evolution of patients with axial SpA (axSpA) and peripheral SpA (pSpA) included in this program.Methods:Patients from the Esperanza cohort fulfilling ASAS criteria for axSpA or pSpA and completed the 6-year follow-up were included. Patients were classified according to the predominant symptom. In case of having axSpA and pSpA, they were classified as axSpA. Clinical features, disease activity and treatment aspects at baseline and 6-year visit were evaluated.Results:From 775 patients recruited at baseline, 6-year follow-up data from 178 (83.5%) fulfilling ASAS criteria at the final visit were available: 133 (74.7%) for axSpA and 45 for pSpA (25.3%). 118 (66.3%) were males (50.6% with axSpA and 62.2%, pSpA, p=0.4). Patients with axSpA had more frequently positive HLA-B27 (90.5%) vs. (9.5%), p<0.001. Follow-up clinical features are shown in Table 1. At the final visit, both axSpA and pSpA presented an improvement in clinical symptoms, disease activity (CRP, BASDAI, ASDAS and VAS-pt) and quality of life (ASQoL). A worsening of mobility (BASMI) was observed in both groups. The prevalence of uveitis, psoriasis and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) at baseline was 10.7%, 18% and 5.6%, respectively. At the 6-year visit, the cumulative prevalence (CP) was 14% for uveitis (16.5% in axSpA and 6.7% in pSpA), 22.5% for psoriasis (12.8% in axSpA and 51.1% in pSpA) and 7.9% for IBD (5.3% in axSpA and 15.6% in pSpA). Most of the patients were prescribed NSAIDS at baseline and more patients maintained this treatment at the 6-year visit in axSpA compared with pSpA (96.9% vs 87.5%, p=0.02). At the final visit, a higher percentage with pSpA received csDMARDs in comparison with axSpA (81% vs. 35.7%, p<0.001). Sixty (44.4%) patients received biologic therapy at the final visit and no differences were observed in their prescription: 43% in axSpA and 48.6% in pSpA(p=0.6).Conclusion:The early diagnosis of recent-onset SpA achieves a significant improvement in clinical features, disease activity and quality of life in patients with axSpA and pSpA after 6 years of follow-up. Although previous publications revealed a low radiographic progression in this cohort1, the worsening of BASMI must aware clinicians of possible evolutive structural damage.Reference:[1]Fernández-Carballido et al. RMD Open. 2020 Sep;6(2):e001345Acknowledgements:The Spanish Foundation of Rheumatology received funding from Pfizer (formerly Wyeth) to develop the Esperanza Program. Later, the Program has been supported by restricted grants from the Instituto de Salud Carlos III and Fondos FEDER (FIS PI13/02034 and PI17/01840) and AbbVie.Disclosure of Interests:Carolina Tornero: None declared, Victoria Navarro-Compán: None declared, Beatriz Joven-Ibáñez: None declared, RAQUEL ALMODOVAR: None declared, Xavier Juanola-Roura: None declared, Cristina Fernández-Carballido: None declared, Juan Carlos Quevedo-Abeledo: None declared, Jose Rosas: None declared, Azucena Hernández: None declared, Carlos A. Montilla-Morales: None declared, Jose Ramón Maneiro: None declared, A. Juan-Mas: None declared, Jose Antonio Pinto Tasende: None declared, Mireia Moreno: None declared, Jesus Sanz: None declared, Teresa Ruiz Jimeno: None declared, Manuel Moreno: None declared, María Lourdes Ladehesa Pineda: None declared, Eugenio de Miguel Speakers bureau: AbbVie, Novartis, Pfizer, MSD, BMS, UCB, Roche, Grunental, Janssen, Sanofi., Paid instructor for: Janssen, Novartis, Roche, Consultant of: AbbVie, Novartis, Pfizer, Galapagos, Grant/research support from: Abbvie, Novartis, Pfizer.
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Voigt, Louise, and Sue Tregeagle. "Buy Australian: A local family preservation success." Children Australia 21, no. 1 (1996): 27–30. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s1035077200004764.
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The ‘new’ American solution for abused and neglected children — Intensive Family Preservation Programs — are being heavily marketed to Australians. Victoria and New South Wales have enthusiastically embraced the idea with pilot programs based on American statistics proving its value in maintaining children with their families and improving their safety. No matter that the Americans themselves warned that evaluations showed that out of home placements rate was no higher for families that did not receive the program and that the programs came from a country whose own Advisory Board on Child Abuse and Neglect described the child protection system as a ‘national emergency’.
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Kumar, Upendra, and Avinash Patidar. "Performance Evaluation of Thermo Chemical Behavior of PCI Under Optimal Conditions." SMART MOVES JOURNAL IJOSCIENCE 4, no. 12 (December 13, 2018): 9. http://dx.doi.org/10.24113/ijoscience.v4i12.173.
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In this study, a three-dimensional mathematical model is used to simulate the flow and thermo chemical behavior of the enhanced operation of PCI Victorian lignite under optimal FC conditions. The geometry of the model includes a lance, a blowtorch, a nozzle, a track and a coke bed at the bottom of a BF. Under the same operating conditions, the highest temperature in the main coal pavilion is observed in the brindled lignite container due to its higher volatile matter content. Injecting lignite into briquettes can achieve a higher overall combustion value than the semi-coke container and the carbon container in the ducting. The comparison confirms the possibility of replacing the replacement coal with PCI coal with an improved lignite, as it shows a very similar evolution of the combustion characteristics under the same operating conditions.
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Shen, Ciyue, Collin Schlager, Deepta Rajan, Maryam Pouryahya, Mary Lin, Victoria Mountain, Ilan Wapinski, et al. "Abstract 1922: Application of an interpretable graph neural network to predict gene expression signatures associated with tertiary lymphoid structures in histopathological images." Cancer Research 82, no. 12_Supplement (June 15, 2022): 1922. http://dx.doi.org/10.1158/1538-7445.am2022-1922.
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Abstract Background: Tertiary lymphoid structures (TLS) are vascularized lymphocyte aggregates in the tumor microenvironment (TME) that correlate with better patient outcomes. Previous studies identified a 12 chemokine gene expression signature associated with disease progression and the type and degree of TLS. These signatures could provide insight important for clinical decision making during pathologic evaluation, but predicting gene expression from whole slide images (WSI) may be impeded by low prediction accuracy and lack of interpretability. Here we report an artificial intelligence (AI)-based, state-of-the-art workflow to predict the 12-chemokine TLS gene signature from lung cancer WSI, and identify histological features relevant to model predictions. Methods: Models were trained using 538 cases of paired lung cancer WSI and mRNA-seq expression data (The Cancer Genome Atlas). Cell and tissue classifiers, based on convolutional neural networks (CNN) were trained on WSI, and a graph neural network (GNN) model that leverages the relative spatial arrangement of the CNN-identified cells and tissues was used to predict gene expression. GNN predictions of TLS signature genes were compared with the predictions of models trained using hand-crafted, task-specific features (TLS feature models) describing the number, size, and cellular composition of identified TLS. The Pearson correlation coefficient was used to assess the accuracy of GNN and TLS feature model predictions. GNNExplainer1, a tool that simultaneously identifies a subgraph and a subset of node features important for predictions, was applied to interpret the GNN model predictions. Results: GNN model predictions show reasonable accuracy: GNN models significantly predicted mRNA expression of all 12 genes (p<0.05), and the predicted expression of six genes was moderately correlated with ground-truth measurements (Pearson-r>0.5). The correlation of GNN predictions was higher than that of the TLS feature models for all 12 signature genes. The GNNExplainer identified relevant features including the mean and standard deviation of lymphocyte count, and fraction of lymphocytes in cancer stroma. Subgraphs selected by the GNNExplainer focus on, but extend beyond, regions of human-annotated TLS objects, indicating that TLS may influence gene expression and the TME in regions beyond their immediate vicinity. Conclusion: Here, we show a comparison of two interpretable AI methods for the prediction of TLS-induced gene expression from WSI. The outperforming GNN-based approach is highly reproducible and accurate, predicting histopathology features relevant to TLS that may be used to inform patient prognosis and treatment. These methods could be applied to predict additional clinically relevant transcriptomic signatures. 1. Ying, R, et al. 2019. arXiv:1903.03894v4 Citation Format: Ciyue Shen, Collin Schlager, Deepta Rajan, Maryam Pouryahya, Mary Lin, Victoria Mountain, Ilan Wapinski, Amaro Taylor-Weiner, Benjamin Glass, Robert Egger, Andrew Beck. Application of an interpretable graph neural network to predict gene expression signatures associated with tertiary lymphoid structures in histopathological images [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2022; 2022 Apr 8-13. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2022;82(12_Suppl):Abstract nr 1922.
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Saucedo, M. N., M. Kurome, M. Reichenbach, E. Wolf, and H. D. Reichenbach. "54 CRYOPRESERVATION OF BOVINE IN VITRO-PRODUCED EMBRYOS: INTRINSIC FACTORS DETERMINING VITRIFICATION OUTCOMES." Reproduction, Fertility and Development 27, no. 1 (2015): 120. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/rdv27n1ab54.
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As a part of a study on bovine embryo genomic evaluation, effects of an intact (iZP) or opened zonae pellucidae (oZP) of in vitro-produced embryos on vitrification outcomes were assessed. In the first experiment, only iZP embryos were subjected to vitrification, using either the hollow fibre vitrification method (HFV; Matsunari et al. 2012 J. Reprod. Dev.) or the cryologic vitrification method (CVM; CryoLogic®, Blackburn, Victoria, Australia). Developmental stage (morula = M; early blastocyst = EaB; blastocyst = B) and quality (good = 1; fair = 2) before vitrification were evaluated. In a first set of experiments, quality 1 and 2 iZP embryos were vitrified either by the HFV or the CVM method. A significant difference between the 2 methods was found when comparing overall survival rates (24–48 h post-thaw; HFV 59.32% v. CVM 78.9%; P < 0.001; unpaired t-test, GraphPad Prism, GraphPad Software Inc., La Jolla, CA, USA). Concerning hatching rates, no significant difference was found (HFV 48.7% v. CVM 57.8%; P > 0.1). In order to evaluate influence of embryo stage and quality on HFV or CVM outcomes, iZP embryos vitrified by the HFV method were classified regarding quality (1: n = 207; 2: n = 66; total n = 273) and embryo stage (M: n = 78; EaB: n = 74; B: n = 121). Concerning survival rates, no significant difference was found between M 1 (57.4%) and M 2 (44.6%), or EaB 1 (80%) and EaB 2 (68%). However, a significant difference was found when comparing B 1 (77%) and B 2 (29%; P < 0.05). With regard to hatching rate, no significant difference was found between M 1 (39.9%) and M 2 (30%), or EaB 1 (66.6%) and EaB 2 (57%). However, significant difference was found between B 1 (60.9%) and B 2 (22%; P < 0.05). With regard to the CVM (1: n = 172; 2: n = 82; total n = 254), no significant difference was found when analysing survival rates of EaB 1 (82%) and EaB 2 (80%), or B 1 (87%) and B 2 (74%), whereas the survival rates were significantly different between M 1 (80%) and M 2 (53%; P < 0.05). Significant differences regarding hatching rates were not found between M 1 (51%) and M 2 (28%) or EaB 1 (55%) and EaB 2 (65%), whereas the hatching rate of B 1 (76%) was not significantly higher than that of B 2 (48.8%; P < 0.05). In a second set of experiments, oZP EaB (1: n = 14) and oZP B (1: n = 30) were vitrified by the CVM method. No significant difference regarding survival rates concerning stage (95 and 72%, EaB and B, respectively), or between treatments (EaB iZP v. oZP, and B iZP v. oZP; P > 0.1) was found. Effect of ZP, either intact or opened, does not seem to affect survival rates (judged by their re-expansion 24–48 h post-thaw) of good-quality embryos.The authors thank the Bavarian Research Foundation for the financial support (AZ-1031-1; DOK-153-12).
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Shaimaa, I. H., A. A. Shalamova, and A. G. Abramov. "Rooting stimulation of “Victoria” and “Korinka russkaya” grape hardwood cuttings as influenced by potassium salt of Indolyl-3-Acetic Acid (KIAA)." Vegetable crops of Russia, no. 1 (March 19, 2020): 70–73. http://dx.doi.org/10.18619/2072-9146-2020-1-70-73.
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Relevance. Applying exogenous auxins to the cuttings of grapevines is a common practice in viticulture to improve the rooting process. The potassium salt formulations of auxins have been documented to be more, less, or equally efficient as acid formulations in rooting stimulation of cuttings depending on the genetic features of the plant, type and concentration of auxin, type of cuttings, and many other factors.Methods. The present study aimed at evaluating the effect of potassium salt of indolyl-3-acetic acid (KIAA) on rooting of the hardwood cuttings of two grape cultivars namely, Korinka russkaya and Victoria, which are commonly planted by grape growers of the Tatarstan Republic. The study was conducted in 2018 and 2019 under hydroponic conditions in a controlled-environment growth chamber in Kazan State Agrarian University. The cuttings were treated with 1) KIAA at two concentrations (5,000 and 10,000) ppm; 2) β-indolyl-butyric acid (IBA) 3,000 ppm (as a check treatment) and 3) distilled water as a control.Results. Based upon the overall results, KIAA significantly improved the rooting process of both investigated cultivars. Rooting percentage, average number of roots on cuttings as well as the quality of the root system was enhanced with increasing auxin concentration up to 10,000 ppm. IBA also improved the rooting quality parameters over the controls. The two grape cultivars differed significantly in their rooting capacity: cuttings of Korinka russkaya in both years had greater values of all the studied parameters compared with those of Victoria cultivar except for the callusing percentage, which was higher in Victoria.
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Doss, Victoria, Erin Healy, Sasha Beyer, Sachin R. Jhawar, Jose G. Bazan, and Julia White. "Abstract P3-19-17: Radiation of the low axilla in the prone position." Cancer Research 82, no. 4_Supplement (February 15, 2022): P3–19–17—P3–19–17. http://dx.doi.org/10.1158/1538-7445.sabcs21-p3-19-17.
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Abstract Background: Whole breast irradiation (WBI) after a positive sentinel lymph node biopsy (SNB) is recommended to be treated in the supine position to facilitate inclusion of the low axilla with “high tangents” when regional nodal irradiation is not planned. Treatment in the prone position has several advantages over supine positioning including minimizing heart and lung doses for many and decreased skin toxicity for larger breasted women. We hypothesized that, using three dimensional conformal radiation therapy (3DCRT), the low axilla can be safely and adequately treated in the prone position with minimal toxicity and good outcomes. Methods: We identified patients who underwent post lumpectomy whole breast and low axilla irradiation in the prone position using 3DCRT from 2014 to 2020. Standard 3DCRT treatment planning included delineation of surgical cavity, breast and low axillary clinical target volumes (CTV) with 5 mm expansion to planning target volumes (PTV). The “low axilla” CTV was generally defined as the level I axilla according to the RTOG Breast Cancer Atlas. Dosimetric data for both targets and organs at risk (OARs) was extracted from approved treatment plans’ dose-volume histograms (DVHs). Toxicity and cancer outcomes were collected from the electronic medical records. Descriptive statistical analysis was performed. Results: Seventy patients were identified. Median age was 61 years (range 34-87), median body mass index (BMI) was 30.4 kg/m2 (range 22.1-49.1), and 88.6% (N=62) had hormone sensitive, HER2 negative breast cancer. The median tumor size was 1.35 cm (range 0.07-4.5cm). For 56 patients (80.0%), a SNB was done with median of 2 (range 1-7) sentinel nodes removed - 19 (34%) with macro-metastasis (median size 4 mm, range 2.2-13mm), 21 (37.5%) with micrometastasis, and 16 (28.6%) with isolated tumor cells. Three patients had an additional node with isolated tumor cells. Thirteen (18.6%) were Nx (no nodal evaluation) and 1 had an unsuccessful SLNB with no lymph nodes obtained. Hypofractionation was used in 97.1% (N=68): 4256 cGy in 16 fractions (N=44, 62.8%) or 4000 cGy in 15 fractions (N=24, 34.3%). All targets were covered adequately. The median V95/V90 of the PTVbreast_eval, PTVlump_eval, and PTVAx were 96%/98.3% (range 76.2/91.9% - 99.6/101.4%), 100.1%/101.2% (range 87.6/94.9%-102.8/103.3%), and 95.3%/97.5% (range 82.4/91.6%-100.4/101.7%) respectively. The mean heart dose for all patients was 83.5 cGy; 82.7 cGy for right-sided tumors and 83.8 cGy for left-sided tumors. The median V16 of the ipsilateral lung was 4.25% (range 0.2 - 11.3%). Overall, toxicity was low with no grade 3 or higher events. For acute toxicity, most patients (N=54, 77.1%) reported grade 1 fatigue and had either grade 1 (N=52, 74.2%) or grade 2 (N=15, 21.4%) dermatitis. For late toxicity, 14 patients (20%) were referred to physical therapy after radiation, 7 (10%) for range of motion, 5 (7%) for arm lymphedema evaluation and 4 (6%) for other reasons. With a median follow-up of 18.5 months (range 0-63 months), 1 patient recurred both locally and regionally (1.4%) and one other patient recurred distantly. Conclusions: Patients with a positive SNB or are Nx who are recommended to have post-lumpectomy whole breast and low axilla irradiation can be safely and adequately treated in the prone position using 3DCRT with minimal toxicity and good outcomes. Citation Format: Victoria Doss, Erin Healy, Sasha Beyer, Sachin R. Jhawar, Jose G. Bazan, Julia White. Radiation of the low axilla in the prone position [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2021 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2021 Dec 7-10; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2022;82(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P3-19-17.
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Gunn, Anne, Frank L. Miller, and Bruce McLean. "Evidence for and possible causes of increased mortality of bull muskoxen during severe winters." Canadian Journal of Zoology 67, no. 5 (May 1, 1989): 1106–11. http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/z89-157.
Full textAbstract:
Muskoxen (Ovibos moschatus) were classified by sex and age at 12 locations on four islands in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, Northwest Territories. We classified 147 muskoxen on Bailey Point, southwestern Melville Island, and 92 on northeastern Prince of Wales Island in August 1983. We subsequently classified 5449 muskoxen on western Victoria and Banks islands in July–August 1986, which we used as a basis for evaluating the 1983 samples. The pooled sex ratio for muskoxen ≥ 3 years old was significantly skewed toward females, and the proportion of single bulls was also lower on Bailey Point than on northeastern Prince of Wales Island in August 1983 or on Banks or Victoria islands in July–August 1986. Sexual behaviour was frequently observed at Bailey Point in August 1983, which suggests that both bulls and cows were in breeding condition. Almost no aggressive rutting behaviour was seen at Bailey Point, in contrast to observation of the complete range of sexual and aggressive behaviours on Prince of Wales Island. Above-average (1970–1985) snow depths were experienced from March to May in five of the six winters preceding winter 1982–1983. We suggest that severe winters imposed malnutrition-related mortality on spent bulls. The depleted fat reserves of these bulls apparently could not sustain them during severe and prolonged winters. This kind of winter mortality among breeding bulls likely is higher in areas of high muskox densities where more interactions between bulls during the rut lead to greater energetic costs.