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The effect of hydralazine on abdominal aortic aneurysms
No full textBackground: Abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs) are complex aortic lesions that are characterised by increased inflammation and apoptosis. AAA is associated with significant mortality and morbidity. There is currently no pharmaceutical treatment for AAA. Hydralazine is an anti-hypertensive drug that also has anti-inflammatory properties. This project aimed to investigate the effect of hydralazine on AAA. Methods and results: In vivo experiments were conducted on two groups of apolipoprotein E deficient (ApoE-/-) mice that were infused with angiotensin II at the rate of 1Doctor of Philosoph
Application of YOLOv11 classification for efficient waste segmentation in Australia's recycling facilities
No full textThis paper investigates the use of YOLOvll, an advanced deep learning model, for waste classification in Aus-tralian recycling facilities, aiming to improve sorting accuracy and reduce contamination in line with Australia's National Waste Policy. Utilizing the RealWaste dataset, which contains over 10,000 annotated images of waste materials collected at the Whyte's Gully Waste and Resource Recovery facility in Wollongong, NSW, this study demonstrates YOLOvll's superior performance across various metrics. The YOLOvll variants achieved top-l classification accuracies ranging from 82.39% to 85.95% and top-5 accuracies from 99.37% to 99.79%. The highest-performing model, YOLOvllm-cls, achieved a top-l accuracy of 85.95% and an inference time of 0.5545 ms, balancing classification precision with computational efficiency. These results significantly improve upon prior models used in similar tasks, showcasing YOLOvll 's potential to automate waste classification, reduce human error, and enhance recycling operations. © 2024 IEEE
Biology, ecology, impacts and management of the invasive weed, blue heliotrope (heliotropium amplexicaule vahl)—a review
Get PDFBlue heliotrope (Heliotropium amplexicaule Vahl) is an extremely drought-hardy perennial weed that is often problematic within agricultural production systems and natural environments in some parts of the world. It has the capacity to outcompete and displace desirable plant species and it contains various biochemical compounds that are toxic to grazing livestock and humans. Heliotropium amplexicaule plants can grow within a range of climatic and environmental conditions and produce seeds that remain dormant for several years within the soil which exhibit staggered emergence long after the original parent plants have expired. While control options, including biological, chemical, cultural, and physical methods, are available, many are not suitable as a single-use approach for the long-term management of this species. Therefore, an integrated weed management (IWM) program is necessary for the confident and long-term management of H. amplexicaule, particularly within dryland ecosystems. This review explores the biology, ecology, distribution, and suitable management options currently available for H. amplexicaule, while identifying research gaps that can be addressed to assist in its future management. While particular emphasis is placed on the Australian experience, information from a global perspective is included, providing valuable insights for the long-term management of H. amplexicaule worldwide. © 2024 by the authors
Leading a successful rural school in Australia
No full textPurpose: This paper presents a case study of successful rural school leadership in Victoria, Australia. The purpose of the paper is to identify how particular leadership practices were adapted to secure rural school success. Design/methodology/approach: The author used the International Successful School Principalship Project research protocols to develop a multiple-perspective, mixed-method case study that investigated the principal's leadership at the school. Findings: The findings illustrate how the leadership practices of the principal healed the fractured school–community relationships, which allowed the school community to work together towards a common school vision. A key factor in the school's success was the principal's personal connection to the local rural community of which he was a part. This notion of native connection could have practical implications for the recruitment and retention of rural principals in the future. Originality/value: Whilst it is widely acknowledged that principals need to consider their school and community contexts when making leadership decisions, there have been few studies that have focussed on understanding how this can be achieved in the context of rural schools. This case provides a rich account of a principal's leadership practices in one successful school in rural Australia. © 2024, Emerald Publishing Limited
Economic Perspectives on tourism
No full textThis chapter examines some of the issues in the economics of tourism that have gained the attention of scholars, industry representatives and policymakers in recent times. This includes tourism consumption, seasonality, optimising the economic returns from tourism, minimising the undesired economic aspects of tourism, over-tourism, and the use of econometric techniques required to analyse strategies aimed to achieve these goals. In 2020, the emergent COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the world economy to an extent not seen since the end of World War II. Border closures, lockdowns, supply chain disruptions and other events had a destructive impact on many sectors of the world's economies, but the impact on tourism has been especially significant. The decades long growth in this industry came to an abrupt halt, with many stakeholders in the tourism sector unsure how the industry will recover. While many governments have instituted various measures designed to minimise business failures and unemployment in the sector, the true long-term extent of the social and economic damage incurred is only likely to be seen once the pandemic is completely over and normalcy in economic life has resumed. The chapter concludes with an overview of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on tourism and some thoughts on the way forward for the time after the pandemic. This chapter will largely focus on international aspects of tourism, but reference to domestic tourism will be made where necessary
Flexural performance of a pultruded GFRP short beam with reinforced concrete infill
Get PDFThis study reports on the results of an experimental investigation into the flexural behaviour of a hybrid pultruded GFRP reinforced concrete short beam. The external pultruded GFRP composites not only protect the concrete core from chemical attacks in the marine environment but also serve as structural enhancements to the hybrid system. Conversely, the concrete core provides the system with bulk size and structural stability. The experimental results, including the load-displacement curves and failure modes, are compared for the reinforced beams with or without the external GFRP reinforcements. The loading capacity shows in increase of 150 % when compared to the normal reinforced short beams. © 2024, Avestia Publishing. All rights reserved
The adaptable coach – a critical review of the practical implications for traditional and constraints-led approaches in sport coaching
Get PDFCoaches are faced with navigating a complex and dynamic environment that requires the wise and measured management of numerous competing factors. Traditional and contemporary approaches are often contrasted, with traditional approaches thought to be beneficial for outcomes like speed of skill acquisition but criticised for being overly prescriptive, and contemporary approaches praised for facilitating individualised learning and transferrable skillsets. We contend that the task for coaches is not deciding which approach is “better” and strictly conforming to one approach, rather it is determining which approach or learning principles best suit the athlete's learning requirements. Coaching is not an exact science, it is an art, in which skilled coaches need to be open, adaptable, and flexible in their approach, constantly considering the complexities of the wider coaching process. In this article, we discuss how coaching practices have the potential to be enhanced by integrating key principles from both traditional and contemporary (CLA) approaches to adapt practice to the emerging situation and meet the skill development needs of their athletes while considering the intricacies and subtleties that typify real-world coaching environments. © The Author(s) 2024
Workforce strategies to address children's mental health and behavioural needs in rural, regional and remote areas : a scoping review
Get PDFIntroduction: Children living in rural, regional and remote locations experience challenges to receiving services for mental illness and challenging behaviours. Additionally, there is a lack of clarity about the workforce characteristics to address the needs of this population. Objective: To scope the literature on the rural, regional and remote child mental health and behavioural workforce and identify barriers and enabling mechanisms to mental health service provision. Design: A scoping review utilising the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology. A database search was undertaken using Medline, CINAHL, PsycINFO, ProQuest and Scopus to identify papers published 2010–2023. Research articles reporting data on mental health workforce characteristics for children aged under 12 years, in rural, regional or remote locations were reviewed for inclusion. Findings: Seven hundred and fifty-four papers were imported into Covidence with 22 studies being retained. Retained studies confirmed that providing services to meet the needs of children's mental health is an international challenge. Discussion: The thematic analysis of the review findings highlighted four workforce strategies to potentially mitigate some of these challenges. These were: (1) The use of telehealth for clinical services and workforce upskilling; (2) Role shifting where non mental health professionals assumed mental health workforce roles; (3) Service structure strategies, and (4) Indigenous and rural cultural factors. Conclusion: A range of potential strategies exists to better meet the needs of children with mental health and behavioural issues. Adapting these to specific community contexts through co-design and production may enhance their efficacy. © 2024 The Authors. Australian Journal of Rural Health published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of National Rural Health Alliance Ltd
Telomeres in CKD prognosis improvement : prediction, early detection, and management
Get PDFChronic kidney disease (CKD) is a significant public health challenge, affecting around 10% of the global population and a leading cause of morbidity and mortality. Its progression is often silent until the advanced stages, underscoring the need for early detection markers to improve patient outcomes. This PhD thesis presents findings on how telomere length and the mechanisms that maintain telomeres might play a crucial role across the CKD spectrum. Renal fibrosis, which is central to CKD advancement, is linked with shortened or dysfunctional telomeres in animal studies. Despite existing studies suggesting a relationship between telomeres and CKD in humans, there is no conclusive evidence. This work proposes that telomere dynamics significantly influence CKD progression. It addresses this gap by examining whether variations in telomere length could serve as early indicators of CKD, potentially offering new avenues for early intervention and improving health outcomes after kidney transplants. It also investigates the relationship between telomeres and the reninangiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS), which could provide early treatment options. The research finds a correlation between kidney damage (even before a noticeable decline in renal function) and telomere length in both kidney tissue and blood leukocytes. It also establishes a connection between kidney telomere length and age, suggesting that older kidneys might be more prone to CKD due to shorter telomeres. Furthermore, through an observational cohort and using Mendelian randomisation, the study demonstrates that telomere length contributes to a decline in renal function. It also shows a non-causal association between telomere length and kidney diseases, including CKD. Moreover, the thesis explores how telomeres affect the molecular mechanisms behind renal fibrosis using human primary renal cells, identifying a role for telomerase gene TERT in renal fibrogenesis. Among kidney transplant recipients, it suggests that differentiated T-cells could be more indicative of cardiovascular health than telomere length. In animal models, it demonstrates the potential of RAAS inhibition to preserve telomere length and modulate telomere gene expression. This effect persists even after stopping the treatment, indicating a lasting benefit. This comprehensive analysis provides novel insights on telomeres in CKD, pointing to telomere length as an early indicator of kidney damage and a predictor of renal function. It highlights the potential of telomere length as a biomarker for early CKD detection, which could improve CKD outcomes. In addition, it implicates telomerase in renal fibrosis progression, suggesting that therapies targeting telomere dynamics could represent a new approach to CKD management. Moreover, it shows the potential of RAAS inhibition as an early intervention strategy. Future studies are essential to confirm these findings, further elucidate the mechanisms involved in these processes and evaluate the long-term benefits of early RAAS inhibition on patient outcomes.Doctor of Philosoph
Documentation and management of paediatric obesity : evidence from a paediatric inpatient unit
Get PDFIntroduction: The obesity epidemic is a worldwide phenomenon.1 In Australia, the prevalence of paediatric overweight or obesity is 25%.2 Children with obesity present to medical services more frequently than children with a healthy weight.3 Therefore, any hospital admission is an opportunity for clinicians to identify and manage children with overweight or obesity. Previous research has not objectively measured how frequently clinicians document a child as being above the healthy weight range and initiate weight management strategies. This study addresses this gap in the literature by demonstrating the prevalence rate and clinical characteristics of children with overweight/obesity in a non-tertiary paediatric inpatient unit and measuring the rate of clinician recognition, documentation, and initiation of weight management strategies