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Maternal mortality and ‘near miss’ morbidity at a tertiary hospital in Timor‐Leste
No full textBackground: Assessment of severe maternal morbidity is increasingly being undertaken to understand the aetiology and factors which lead to adverse maternal outcomes. Their use in conjunction with maternal deaths may allow a comprehensive assessment of care provided, highlight areas for improvement within the health system and allow benchmarking of care against other institutions. Timor-Leste has one of the highest rates of maternal mortality in the Asia-Pacific region; however, there has been limited research into the level of severe obstetric morbidity in the country. Aim: To determine the aetiology and rates of severe obstetric morbidity and mortality at Hospital Nacional Guido Valadares, Timor-Leste. Methods and Materials: Cases of maternal 'near misses' and deaths were prospectively identified over a period of 12 months using the World Health Organization maternal near-miss criteria. Cases of maternal death and near miss were combined (severe maternal outcomes) for descriptive analysis. Results: During the audit period, 69 severe maternal outcomes were identified: 30 maternal deaths and 39 'near misses'. The maternal mortality ratio and the maternal near-miss ratio were 662/100 000 live births and 8/1000 live births, respectively. The main identified obstetric aetiologies were haemorrhage and pre-eclampsia, while 22% of severe maternal outcomes did not have a clearly identified cause. Conclusion: The high institutional maternal mortality ratio requires urgent attention and identification of areas for improvement. Auditing and benchmarking using the WHO near-miss criteria provide a mechanism for standardised comparison of obstetric care but require further refinement to the local context
Genetic evaluation of tail length in Australian sheep
No full textSheep tail docking is common practice to reduce the incidence of flystrike and stained fleece, yet it is associated with poor animal welfare. This study aims to explore genetic variation in tail length, which may offer the potential to reduce sheep tail length via genetic selection. Tail length is moderate to highly heritable (0.35±0.01-0.67±0.03) with low (0.14±0.01) to moderately high (0.37±0.01) genetic correlations with body weight. These results indicate tail length may be reduced via genetic selection, offering a welfare-friendly alternative to tail docking
Assessing Anthelmintic Resistance on Small Ruminant Farms in a Tropical Production System
Get PDFImidazothiazoles and benzimidazole are the only classes of anthelmintic drugs that have been used over the past 40 years in Fiji. Recently, concerns have arisen that anthelminthic resistance could be widespread and affect animal health and productivity in Fiji. The present study was designed to evaluate the current anthelmintic resistance status in Fiji’s small ruminant farms. The study included 11 farms from the two (Western and Northern divisions) most relevant areas of small ruminant production in Fiji. The anthelmintic treatments tested were levamisole (LEV), albendazole (ALB), levamisole + albendazole combination (LEV+ALB), ivermectin (IVM), moxidectin (MOX), closantel (CLO) and a negative control (CON). The anthelmintic’s efficacy was tested using faecal egg count reduction (FECR) tests and copro-cultures on days 14, 28, and 42 after treatment administration. The lowest mean FECR on day 14 was observed for ALB (65.2 %) followed by LEV (91.6 %), ALB + LEV (94.3 %), IVM (97.4 %) and MOX (98.8 %). The most relevant genera of GIN encountered were Haemonchus and Tri chostrongylus spp., with no distinct pattern of resistance to drug groups between the two populations. None of the tested drugs (MOX and CLO) presented FECR over 95 % on days 28 and 42. Overall, the level of anthelmintic resistance observed was lower than hypothesised for this study. The combination of LEV+ALB has proven effective and presents an appealing treatment option for managing anthelmintic resistance and worm burden reduction in Fiji
Six Evidence-Informed Tips on How to Optimize Learning from Instructional Videos
No full textLearning from instructional video (IV) is popular for people of all ages and at all educational levels. The effects of studying IVs on learning outcomes have traditionally been examined by two main research traditions. Research inspired by social-cognitive theories has focused mostly on the effects of video modelling examples, which are how-to demonstration videos in which a person shows how to complete a task or solve a problem. Research inspired by cognitive theories has predominantly examined the effects of other types of videos, such as short videos explaining a concept or longer recordings of lectures. In this chapter, we synthesize the findings from both research lines and provide six evidence-informed tips that can help educators and educational content developers decide how to design their IVs and how to support IV learning. Based on the available evidence, we suggest to (1) only present information relevant to learning, (2) provide cues to direct attention, (3) segment and pause (longer) videos, (4) show the presenter of the video on the screen, (5) show a demonstration from a first-person perspective, and (6) encourage generative learning activities. The chapter concludes with a discussion that details several suggestions for future IV research
Graph Neural Network Aided Expectation Propagation Detector for MU-MIMO Systems
No full textMultiuser massive multiple-input multiple-output (MU-MIMO) systems can be used to meet high throughput requirements of 5G and beyond networks. In an uplink MU-MIMO system, a base station is serving a large number of users, leading to a strong multi-user interference (MUI). Designing a high performance detector in the presence of a strong MUI is a challenging problem. This work proposes a novel detector based on the concepts of expectation propagation (EP) and graph neural network, referred to as the GEPNet detector, addressing the limitation of the independent Gaussian approximation in EP. The simulation results show that the proposed GEPNet detector significantly outperforms the state-of-the-art MU-MIMO detectors in strong MUI scenarios with equal number of transmit and receive antennas
Nuanced approaches to families in five countries: Quality and practice
No full textEarly childhood educators (ECEs) work in highly regulated environments due to the push for regulation and standardisation, often in the name of quality improvement. Despite this, our study showed educators used a nuanced approach to involving families in their services that was influenced by their settings, values and service culture
Evaluation of Athlete Monitoring Tools across 10 Weeks of Elite Youth Basketball Training: An Explorative Study
Get PDFThe growth of sport science technology is enabling more sporting teams to implement athlete monitoring practices related to performance testing and load monitoring. Despite the increased emphasis on youth athlete development, the lack of longitudinal athlete monitoring literature in youth athletes is concerning, especially for indoor sports such as basketball. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of six different athlete monitoring methods over 10 weeks of youth basketball training. Fourteen state-level youth basketball players (5 males and 9 females; 15.1 ± 1.0 years) completed this study during their pre-competition phase prior to their national basketball tournament. Daily wellness and activity surveys were completed using the OwnUrGoal mobile application, along with heart rate (HR) and inertial measurement unit (IMU) recordings at each state training session, and weekly performance testing (3x countermovement jumps [CMJs], and 3x isometric mid-thigh pulls [IMTPs]). All of the athlete monitoring methods demonstrated the coaching staff’s training intent to maintain performance and avoid spikes in workload. Monitoring IMU data combined with PlayerLoad™ data analysis demonstrated more effectiveness for monitoring accumulated load (AL) compared to HR analysis. All six methods of athlete monitoring detected similar trends for all sessions despite small-trivial correlations between each method (Pearson’s correlation: −0.24 OwnUrGoal, is recommended for youth sporting clubs, given its practicability and low-cost. Regular athlete education from coaches and support staff regarding the use of these questionnaires is required to gain the best data
A Bayesian Receiver With Improved Complexity-Reliability Trade-Off in Massive MIMO Systems
No full textThe stringent requirements on reliability and processing delay in the fifth-generation (5G) cellular networks introduce considerable challenges in the design of massive multiple-input-multiple-output (M-MIMO) receivers. The two main components of an M-MIMO receiver are a detector and a decoder. To improve the trade-off between reliability and complexity, a Bayesian concept has been considered as a promising approach that enhances classical detectors, e.g. minimum-meansquare-error detector. This work proposes an iterative M-MIMO detector based on a Bayesian framework, a parallel interference cancellation scheme, and a decision statistics combining concept. We then develop a high performance M-MIMO receiver, integrating the proposed detector with a low complexity sequential decoding for polar codes. Simulation results of the proposed detector show a significant performance gain compared to other low complexity detectors. Furthermore, the proposed M-MIMO receiver with sequential decoding ensures one order magnitude lower complexity compared to a receiver with stack successive cancellation decoding for polar codes from the 5G New Radio standard
Reliability and Validity of the Polhemus Liberty System for Upper Body Segment and Joint Angular Kinematics of Elite Golfers
Get PDFGolf swing analysis is common in both recreational and professional levels where players are searching for improvements in shot accuracy and distance. The use of motion analysis systems such as the portable Polhemus Liberty system is gaining interest by coaches and players; however, to date, no research has examined the usefulness of the Polhemus Liberty system for golf swing analysis. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the reliability of the Polhemus Liberty system and validity compared to the VICON Nexus motion analysis system when assessing segment (pelvis and thorax) and joint (shoulder, elbow and wrist) angular kinematics during a golf swing at key events (address, top of backswing and impact). Fifteen elite amateur/professional golfers performed ten golf swing trials within specified bounds using their 5-iron club. Reliability was assessed using interclass coefficient, effect size and t-test statistics by all participants completing two separate testing sessions on separate days following the same experimental protocol. Validity was assessed using effect size, Pearson correlation and t-test statistics by comparing swings captured using both Polhemus Liberty and VICON Nexus concurrently. Results demonstrated no difference in ball outcome results using the Trackman launch monitor (P > 0.05) and that the Polhemus Liberty system was reliable across the two sessions for all segment (pelvis and thorax) and joint (lead shoulder (gleno-humeral joint), elbow and wrist) angular kinematics ( 0.05) and that the Polhemus Liberty system was reliable across the two sessions for all segment (pelvis and thorax) and joint (lead shoulder (gleno-humeral joint), elbow and wrist) angular kinematics (P > 0.05). Validity analysis showed that the Polhemus Liberty system for the segments (pelvis and thorax) and joints (lead shoulder and wrist) were different compared to the VICON Nexus data at key events during the golf swing. Although validity could not be confirmed against VICON Nexus modeling, the Polhemus Liberty system may still be useful for golf swing analysis across training sessions. However, caution should be applied when comparing data from the system to published research data using different motion analysis methods. 0.05). Validity analysis showed that the Polhemus Liberty system for the segments (pelvis and thorax) and joints (lead shoulder and wrist) were different compared to the VICON Nexus data at key events during the golf swing. Although validity could not be confirmed against VICON Nexus modeling, the Polhemus Liberty system may still be useful for golf swing analysis across training sessions. However, caution should be applied when comparing data from the system to published research data using different motion analysis methods
Retaining Permanent and Temporary Immigrants in Rural Australia: Place‐Based and Individual Determinants
No full textIn many low-fertility countries, immigration is increasingly seen a solution to the twin problem of rural depopulation and skill shortages. In Australia, this takes the form of regional visa schemes that require both skilled and humanitarian migrants to reside initially in nonmetropolitan regions for a minimum of 2 years. In the absence of nationally representative longitudinal data, the efficacy of this policy is yet to be assessed. Applying survival analysis to novel administrative data from the Person Level Integrated Data Asset (PLIDA), this paper establishes the level and determinants of rural retention among immigrants who arrived between January and August 2011 on eight different visas and compares these to the Australian population to the end of 2019. Our results suggest that regional visa schemes are effective in attracting permanent skilled migrants but not in retaining them, even when controlling for socio-demographic characteristics. Migrants on regional skilled visa and temporary skilled workers display a 40% 9-year retention rate compared with over 50% for Australian and New Zealand citizens, permanent family, skilled and humanitarian migrants and 30% for students. In contrast, the low retention of temporary skilled migrants is largely the product of their younger and more educated profile. We identify a negative selection process by which immigrants with less-education, lower incomes, or less English proficiency—including humanitarian migrants—are more likely to stay in nonmetropolitan regions. This outcome signifies a process of socio-spatial polarisation and a segmented labour market. At a regional-level, we find that regions with a diverse occupational mix and co-ethnic networks are more likely to retain immigrants whereas those with high housing costs are significantly less likely. These results provide policy levers to boost rural retention