University of the Sunshine Coast
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First assessment of the potential for coculture of sandfish (Holothuria scabra) with Babylon snail (Babylonia areolata) in Vietnam
No full textThe potential for the coculture of sandfish, Holothuria scabra and Babylon snail, Babylonia areolata was investigated. Sandfish (weight 1.87 ± 0.41 g) were cultured at low (25 ind/m2; 46.75 g/m2), medium (50 ind/m2; 93.5 g/m2), and high (100 ind/m2; 187 g/m2) densities in monoculture and in coculture with Babylonia at a density of 400 ind/m2 (208 g/m2). In monoculture, sandfish were provided with 1 g m−2 day−1 commercial prawn starter feed. In coculture, trash fish provided for Babylonia (5% total wet weight per day) was the only food input. Sandfish survival over the 84‐day experiment period was reduced in coculture treatments (77.60 vs. 97.22%) but was in line with expected survival rates (80–90%) of commercial sandfish culture. Mean sandfish weight gain and absolute growth rate were around 37% greater in coculture (mean weight gain 13.42 ± 2.90 g vs. 9.77 ± 2.54 g over 84 days). No differences in Babylonia growth rate or survival were evident between sandfish density treatments. Sediment organic matter content did not differ significantly between monoculture (0.43 ± 0.03%) and coculture (0.55 ± 0.06%) treatments, but the latter had elevated concentrations of ammonia. Results provide a basis for further development of land‐based pond coculture systems for sandfish and Babylonia
A case study - Implementing a registered nurse professional Recognition program across a Queensland hospital and health service
No full textOngoing advancement and documentation of professional development is required to maintain nursing registration and competency to practise in Australia and many other countries. All Australian registered nurses are required to undertake a minimum of twenty hours of continuing professional development annually and demonstrate competence to practice; this is a criterion for nursing registration. Many health care organisations nationally and internationally develop programs to support such processes, assisting nurses to formally document their ongoing education and commitment to best practice, and clearly demonstrate their ongoing continuing professional development. Such programs align with the MAGNET ® principles of providing structural empowerment, exemplary professional practice and new knowledge, innovations and improvements. This study describes the implementation, evaluation and impact of the registered nurse professional recognition program undertaken by one Hospital and Health Service in South East Queensland using Donabedian's structure, process outcome framework. The registered nurse professional recognition program was implemented to invest in and develop the nursing workforce by providing an opportunity for registered nurses to assess and document their professional skills, knowledge and expertise that are critical to the provision of safe and cost-effective patient and family-centred care
Carbon and Biodiversity Outcomes under Divergent Management Scenarios in Shifting Cultivation Landscapes in the Upland Philippines
No full textThe Philippines is both a biodiversity hotspot and a megadiverse country. The country also has experienced one of the highest rates of deforestation in Southeast Asia and is among the first countries to introduce a massive reforestation program to address the country’s rapid biodiversity and forest loss. Drawing upon an empirical study from the Leyte island and other relevant case studies from the Philippines, in this chapter, we demonstrate that recovering secondary forests following shifting cultivation, locally known as kaingin have the high potentials for biodiversity and carbon co-benefits. Based on our empirical study, we also found that secondary forest regrowing after kaingin use can potentially be used as a cost-effective reforestation measure with multiple benefits to people and the environment in upland areas of the Philippines. We also discuss measures that are essential for such programs to be successful
The Cosmology of Mādhyamaka Buddhism and Its World of Deep Relationalism
No full textThis chapter focuses on the cosmology within Nāgārjuna’s thought, the foundational philosopher in the Mādhyamaka Buddhist tradition. Nāgārjuna weaves a carefully reasoned path—the ‘Middle Way’—between substantialism and nominalism. Yet his emphasis on Śūnyatā (‘Emptiness’) is widely misinterpreted in the West as leading to nihilism when read with little consideration of its twin element, Pratı̄tyasamutpāda (defined as ‘Dependent Origination’, or my preferred nomenclature ‘Interdependent Co-arising’). I argue that these two concepts, when unified, can overcome the trappings of both nihilism and of nominalist existence that seem to hold such a fixation in the metaphysical assumptions of many theories of IR. In particular, I show how this dialectic of Emptiness and Interdependent Co-arising provides a unique philosophical expression of the unity of all things within a cosmology of deep relationalism without the need of ontotheology. This alternate foundation offers a far more complex understanding of relations and intersubjectivity and thus provides a reorientation for a genuine cosmopolitan politics
Dam(n) Seawalls: A Case of Climate Change Maladaptation in Fiji
No full textCoastal communities in Pacific Island Countries are particularly vulnerable to climate change impacts including sea-level rise, coastal erosion, tidal inundation, and the intensification of storm surge activity. In response, adaptation projects across the region have attempted to reduce exposure and overall vulnerability to these coastal pressures. This paper explores what happens once these projects reach communities: are effective and sustainable outcomes achieved, or can the implementation of adaptation projects lead to unintended negative outcomes and result in maladaptation? This paper investigates this issue in relation to two seawall projects implemented in communities on Vanua Levu Island, Fiji. We found that the seawalls have not been successful in achieving their primary aim of safeguarding communities against coastal pressures and have instead resulted in unanticipated negative outcomes for land and livelihood security. Of primary concern is the way that seawalls trap water along their landward sides—acting more like a dam—because of the ineffective design and construction of the seawalls and associated infrastructure. This paper concludes with a call to think more long-term about site-specific adaptation measures that actively involve and are driven by local perspectives in the planning, implementation, and maintenance process
HPV16 E6 gene polymorphisms and the functions of the mutation site in cervical cancer among Uygur and Han women in Xinjiang
No full textObjective : This study aimed to: 1) investigate the status and genotype distribution of human papillomavirus (HPV) in infected Uygur and Han women in Xinjiang; 2) elucidate the variation of the HPV16 E6 gene sequence in the cervix of Uygur and Han women in Xinjiang; and 3) analyze the HPV16 E6 gene polymorphism site and relationship with the development of cervical cancer.
Methods : A total of 2879 samples of cervical mucus from the exfoliated cells of Uygur and Han women were collected for an epidemiological analysis of HPV. Genomic DNA was extracted from the cervical HPV16-positive tissues of 110 Uygur and Han women, and E6 was amplified by PCR and sequenced. The HPV16 E6 sequence was analyzed using the European standard as the prototype, and an evolutionary tree analysis was performed. HPV16 E6-295T/350T-GV230, HPV16 E6-295G/350G-GV230, and HPV16 E6-295T/350G-GV230 were stably transfected into human cervical cancer C33A cells. HPV16 E6 protein expression was confirmed using a direct immunofluorescence assay. CCK8 and clonogenic assays were used to analyze C33A cell proliferation. Both a transwell and cell scratch assay were used to study C33A cell migration and invasion. C33A cell apoptosis was analyzed using FACS experiments. SPSS17.0 statistical software was used for statistical data processing. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.
Results : The total HPV infection rate was 26.390% (760/2879), whereas the Uygur infection rate was 22.87% (196/857) and the Han infection rate was 27.89% (564/2022) (P < 0.05). HPV16, HPV 52, and HPV 53 were associated with higher detection rates in Uygur, whereas HPV16, HPV52, and HPV58 exhibited a higher detection rate in Han. HPV-infected women from Uygur and Han commonly exhibited a single infection. A total of 14 mutation sites were identified in the HPV16 E6 gene by sequencing 110 HPV16-positive samples, including eight missense and six synonymous mutations. Among these, 65 cases of E6 genes were mutated at nucleotide 350 (T350G) with the corresponding amino acids changing from leucine to valine (L83V) and a mutation rate of 59.09%. Moreover, there were seven cases of an E6 gene mutation at nucleotide 295 (T295G) with corresponding amino acid changes from aspartic to glutamic (D64E) and a mutation rate of 6.36%. It is important to note that these seven cases of HPV16 E6 T295G mutations were accompanied by the E6 T350G mutation. Phylogenetic analysis showed that there were HPV16 European (Ep), European variant (E), and three Asian (As) types in Uygur and Han women. No African (Af) and Asian American (AA) types were observed. When HPV16 E6 295T/350T, 295G/350G, and 295T/350G GV230 eukaryotic expression vector(s) were stably transfected into cervical cancer C33A cells, they were found to promote cellular proliferation, migration, invasion, and inhibit apoptosis. The 295T/350G-GV230 had the strongest effect on C33A cells and 295G/350G-GV230 was significantly stronger than 295T/350T-GV230 (P < 0.05). Conclusions : The positive HPV infection rates differed between the Uygur and Han groups in Xinjiang, and the genotype distribution of HPV infection was different. Between the Uygur and Han women in Xinjiang, the main types of HPV16 infection were European (E) and Asian (As). After stably transfecting C33A cells with a eukaryotic expression vector for different polymorphism sites (295T/350T, 295G/350G, and 295T/350G), the 295T/350G mutation site promoted the proliferation，migration, and invasion of C33A cells to a greater extent than 295G/350G; however, 295G/350G had a stronger effect than 295T/350T
The Effect of New Silvicultural Trends on Mental Workload of Harvester Operators
No full textClose-to-nature (CTN) forestry offers many advantages, but makes management more complex and generally results in lower harvesting productivity and higher harvesting cost. While the higher harvesting cost of CTN is widely acknowledged, few ever consider the potential impact on operator workload, as the harvesting task becomes more complex. This study aimed to determine the mental workload of harvester operators under two silvicultural regimes: »pure conifer« stand and »mixwood« stand. In total, 13 harvester operators with varying experience levels were monitored for work performance and mental workload when operating a harvester simulator in two virtual stands designed according to the above-mentioned silvicultural regimes. Mental workload was assessed using the NASA Task Load Index (NASA-TLX) interview method and heart rate variability measurements, during two 30-minute test sessions performed in the »pure conifer« and the »mixwood« stand, respectively. As expected, operating in a more diversified »mixwood« stand resulted in a marked productivity loss, estimated between 40 and 57%. The study also confirmed the increased aggravation of mental demand, effort and frustration experienced by the operators when passing from the »pure conifer« stand to the »mixwood« stand. Such increase in mental workload was independent of the age and experience of the operators. Results can be used to paint a more holistic picture of CTN forestry and its implications for harvester operators. Besides increasing the number of subjects being monitored, future studies should focus on live forest operations
Mindfulness Improves Attention Resource Allocation During Response Inhibition in Older Adults
No full textObjectives A core process trained during mindfulness is inhibitory control. A decline in inhibitory control is thought to underlie age-related cognitive declines. Electroencephalographic event-related potentials (ERPs) index both the speed and allocation of attentional resources, making them useful in assessing cognition in ageing. While mindfulness has been shown to improve attentional control, studies examining ageing cohorts are lacking. Here, we examine ERP changes during an inhibitory control task in older adults to assess the ability of mindfulness to enhance cognition in ageing. Methods A longitudinal RCT was conducted to examine the effect of an 8-week mindfulness training (MT) intervention on the N2 and P3 ERP components during the Sustained Attention to Response Task (SART) in healthy older adults aged over 60 years (n = 48). An active control computer-based attention training (CT) program (n = 27) designed to activate similar attentional components to mindfulness was used to determine if outcomes resulted from attention training or mindfulness-specific factors. Results While both the MT and CT groups displayed improved SART performance following the interventions (as indexed by errors of commission and reaction time coefficient of variation), only the MT group showed significant reductions in frontal P3 latency during response inhibition. Conclusions The results suggest that mindfulness may enhance the speed and efficiency of attentional processes, thus providing protective benefits against age-related cognitive decline
Criterion validity of the Psychotic-Like Experiences Questionnaire for Children (PLEQ-C)
No full textPsychotic-like experiences (PLEs) are perceptual and thought disturbances that, although common among children, increase risk for future psychopathology, particularly if persistent. Clinical interviews are too time-consuming and costly to administer at a population level, but the criterion validity of a brief questionnaire for screening community samples of children as young as 9 years for PLEs has not been established. This study aimed to test the criterion (concurrent and predictive) validity of the Psychotic-Like Experiences Questionnaire for Children (PLEQ-C). The PLEQ-C (9-item self- and 10-item parent-report versions) was administered to 139 children aged 9–12 years and their caregivers recruited from Greater London, UK. Children additionally completed a diagnostic interview assessing hallucinations and delusions and three further PLEQ-C assessments at approximately 24-month intervals. Concordance of child- and caregiver-reports of PLEs on questionnaire (PLE-Q) was low. Self-reports of any PLE-Q demonstrated good sensitivity (73.3%), specificity (78.5%), positive and negative predictive values (PPV: 72.1%; NPV: 79.5%) for any PLE determined by interview (PLE-I), whereas caregiver-reports of any PLE-Q performed poorly (sensitivity 51.7%, specificity 78.5%, PPV 64.6%, NPV 68.1%). Multinomial regression analyses indicated that children reporting any PLE-Q at screening were at significantly increased risk of reporting PLEs on multiple assessments during adolescence relative to no PLEs, closely replicating the pattern and magnitude of effects (large-to-very large) obtained for children with any PLE-I. The PLEQ-C offers a valid, brief, feasible, and cost-effective means of community screening to identify children who present with PLEs and could be assessed with clinical interview
Tourism with and by Indigenous and ethnic communities in the Asia Pacific region: a bricolage of people, place
No full textExtant literature has emerged to shed light on Indigenous tourism peoples, places and partnerships. These studies to date have uncovered a rich diversity of contexts and collaborations, but likewise raise the challenges and complexities of working with stakeholder groups that feature diverse, and sometimes divergent interests. However, it has been acknowledged that studies in and about Indigenous tourism have been conducted from an ‘etic’ perspective. In other words, Indigenous tourism is often objectified, and appropriated through the lens of Western-centric paradigms. In addition, there remains scarce knowledge as to the bricolage of Indigenous tourism experiences from and by ethnic communities in the Asia Pacific region. This paper presents a review of new scholarly work that have advanced new insights to this body of work, and chart future avenues for communities of practice in the field