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Current Status of Psychopharmacological, Neuromodulation, and Oxytocin Treatments for Autism: Implications for Clinical Practice
No full textObjectives To provide an overview of the current literature regarding the neurobiological treatments of psychopharmacology, neuromodulation, oxytocin therapy, and psychological resilience, as treatments for autism-related difculties, and to distil the research fndings from those treatments for everyday clinical application Methods Instead of producing another specifc systematic summary of the efcacy of these treatments, this review took an overview of each feld of research, identifed its key research fndings, and evaluated the treatment-ready status of each of them in terms of their evidence base. From this information, a set of recommendations were derived for their clinical applications, so as to inform practice in the field. Results These treatments represent relatively recent and neurobiologically based approaches to the challenges of autism, and are in the development stage. Each treatment is promising, and has some evidential basis for its success, but all need further research to establish their evidence-based validity for everyday clinical usage. Conclusions While most of these treatments can be applied with caution, clinicians should acknowledge their restrictive benefits and costs, that are described herein. Within those caveats, each of these treatments should be considered as an emerging therapy that clinicians should consider utilising in appropriate settings and with specific cases
Genotyping both live and dead animals to improve post‑weaning survival of pigs in breeding programs
No full textBackground In this study, we tested whether genotyping both live and dead animals (GSD) realises more genetic gain for post-weaning survival (PWS) in pigs compared to genotyping only live animals (GOS).Methods Stochastic simulation was used to estimate the rate of genetic gain realised by GSD and GOS at a 0.01 rate of pedigree-based inbreeding in three breeding schemes, which differed in PWS (95%, 90% and 50%) and litter size (6 and 10). Pedigree-based selection was conducted as a point of reference. Variance components were estimated and then estimated breeding values (EBV) were obtained in each breeding scheme using a linear or a threshold model. Selection was for a single trait, i.e. PWS with a heritability of 0.02 on the observed scale. The trait was simulated on the underlying scale and was recorded as binary (0/1). Selection candidates were genotyped and phenotypes before selection, with only live candidates eligible for selection. Genotyping strategies differed in the proportion of live and dead animals genotyped, but the phenotypes of all animals were used for predicting EBV of the selection candidates.Results Based on a 0.01 rate of pedigree-based inbreeding, GSD realised 14 to 33% more genetic gain than GOS for all breeding schemes depending on PWS and litter size. GSD increased the prediction accuracy of EBV for PWS by at least 14% compared to GOS. The use of a linear versus a threshold model did not have an impact on genetic gain for PWS regardless of the genotyping strategy and the bias of the EBV did not differ significantly among genotyping strategies.Conclusions Genotyping both dead and live animals was more informative than genotyping only live animals to predict the EBV for PWS of selection candidates, but with marginal increases in genetic gain when the proportion of dead animals genotyped was 60% or greater. Therefore, it would be worthwhile to use genomic information on both live and more than 20% dead animals to compute EBV for the genetic improvement of PWS under the assumption that dead animals reflect increased liability on the underlying scale
Multilingualism, the Linguistic Landscape of Fiji
No full textMultilingualism is a worldwide phenomenon in today’s multicultural World. There are about thirty times as many languages as there are countries. Nearly half of the world's population speaks more than one language. This article examines the causes of multilingualism, whether it is advantageous or disadvantageous for individuals and the nation. Consequently, it will cover the linguistic landscape of Fiji and explain its causes. Ultimately, one will find that multilingualism has more benefits then setbacks
Refining a novel on-farm attention bias test to measure anxious states in sheep (AEC14/28)
No full textAnimal welfare is an increasingly important aspect of livestock production systems and there is a need to develop tests that can identify sheep that are more resilient and cope better with our production systems. This study further validated and refined a novel behavioural test for sheep as a measure of anxious states. The original test method took 3 minutes per animal and required some prior training. One objective of this project was to refine the test, to take less than 3 minutes per animal and to remove the need for prior training, so that it could be applied on-farm to larger numbers of animals. Another objective of the study was to pharmacologically validate the test as a measure of anxious states, using the drugs diazepam and m-Chlorophenylpiperazine to reduce and induce anxious states respectively prior to testing
Victimisation, safety and policing in rural areas: Evidence from the literature
No full textThis chapter provides a brief analysis of existing rural criminological literature, intertwining various research threads to reveal the nuanced dynamics shaping the rural experience in terms of victimisation, perceived safety and policing. The perception of low crime rates in rural areas often leads to the assumption that rural crime and safety issues are inconsequential, neglecting the actual impact of crime on people, at least on those who are victimised or feel unsafe. Advancing our understanding of this subject is not only vital for criminology's future but also an essential step towards building a truly sustainable society, so it is hoped that this chapter will be helpful by offering a research summary aligned to policy and the UN 2030 Sustainability Agenda. In this quest for knowledge, questions that resonate beyond farms and remote areas are confronted, discussing safety problems that occur across areas of the rural-urban continuum
An Exploratory Analysis of Minority Stress Experiences and Mental Ill-Health in Bisexual Adults
No full textDespite an increase in research examining sexual minority groups, there remains comparatively less targeted research with bisexual people, as they are often absorbed into lesbian and gay samples in research or disregarded entirely. Given the existing data suggesting that bisexual people have higher rates of mental health issues than lesbian women and gay men, it is critical that this group's mental health, and risk factors of mental ill-health, be explored independently. The current study aimed to investigate the risk factors of bisexual-identified individuals' mental health and suicidality using structural equation modeling (SEM). The study recruited bisexual people, with a final international sample of 817 participants aged between 16 and 58 years (M = 23.11, SD = 8.54). Results indicated high mental ill-health in this sample based on responses to mental health screening questionnaires, self-reported diagnoses, and reported engagement with mental health professionals. Participants also had a high degree of suicidality, with close to half reporting having made at least one suicide attempt and/or really wanting to die. Results of the SEM indicated that these poor mental health outcomes were associated with the unique experiences of prejudicial events (stigma, discrimination, interpersonal hostility), minority stress (internalized biphobia, lack of social support), and isolation from a welcoming community experienced by this population. We provide recommendations for clinical practice and educational programs in light of these findings
Dark Laughs: Australian Comedy Noir from the Outback to Tassie
No full textHowever you choose to identify noir – as a genre, style, or cycle – over its 80 years from classic American film noir to neo-noir, neon-noir, national noirs, and television noir, it has undeniably seeped into popular culture. Exemplary of this is the way noir has hybridised with other genres and styles, true of comedy as much as its more serious pairings with science fiction, Western, and Gothic. This is not a new phenomenon: Sue Short points out that pastiche noir began appearing at the end of the classic cycle, citing Kiss Me Deadly (1955) as an example that noir has always had “a sense of exaggeration and self-consciousness” (185). Successful parody relies on a shared understanding of visual motifs, narratives, characters, and iconography. As Dahlia Schweitzer indicates, “we take the rules of genres so seriously that we even call attention to them for the sake of comedy … even when poking fun, the rules are still being followed” (117-118). With so many easily identifiable features, noir has enjoyed homage and parody in sketch comedy, films, animation, and the ‘noir episode’ in television over the years. There are also comedy-noir hybrids that don’t solely rely on parody but rather weave the style into the fabric of their narratives and visuals
Assessment of some genetic attributes in wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.) using gene-specific molecular markers
No full textTwenty-four wheat genotypes were characterized for the presence of three stress related genetic attributes using gene-specific molecular markers. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) products of approximately 110 bp of 1RS rye chromosome fragment from 16 genotypes were obtained using specific primer pairs indicating the presence of translocation in these lines. The same genotypes were screened for the presence of dwarfing genes where 19 genotypes showed the presence of either the Rht-B1b or Rht-D1b allele having a semi-dwarf phenotype. Two of the genotypes (Kheri and Sufi) had wild type alleles in both the loci and two other genotypes showed the presence of double dwarf alleles (Rht-B1b + Rht-D1b). A 16.9 kDa HSP gene was characterized by validating a single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) linked with thermo tolerance in wheat. Thirteen of the 24 genotypes, which failed to amplify the specific PCR product due to the presence of an SNP, are expected to show tolerance for heat stress. Among the genotypes, Sonora-64, Balaka, Barkat, Aghrani and BARI Gom-24 (Prodip) tested positive for all the three markers evaluated (rye translocation, dwarfing genes and heat tolerance). These genotypes could be used to improve various stress tolerance attributes in wheat for future breeding programs
Editorial
No full textIt is with a mixture of relief and sadness that we sign off on our very last issue of Australian Historical Studies. We are particularly proud of this issue. In it we gather some new and innovative work, ranging from discussion of convict voyages to eastern Australia and analysis of the Chinese diaspora in Australia to a sobering exploration of rape culture in the 1942–43 trial of Errol Flynn. This issue also includes a state of the field essay on Captain Cook by Kate Fullagar and a fabulous line-up of museum, film and book reviews, including Heather Goodall on Grace Karskens’ latest blockbuster, Ann Curthoys on Henry Reynolds and Megan Davis and George Williams, and Ruth Balint on Sheila Fitzpatrick’s latest
Hollywood is suing yet another AI company. But there may be a better way to solve copyright conflicts
No full textThis week Disney, Universal Pictures and Warner Bros Discovery jointly sued MiniMax, a Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) company, over alleged copyright infringement. The three Hollywood media giants allege MiniMax (which operates Hailuo AI and is reportedly valued at US$4 billion) engaged in mass copyright infringement of characters such as Darth Vader and Mickey Mouse by scraping vast amounts of copyrighted data to train their models without permission or payment. This lawsuit is the latest in a growing list of copyright infringement cases involving AI. These cases include authors, publishers, newspapers, music labels and independent musicians around the world