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Benefit‐cost analysis of skeleton weed ( Chondrilla juncea ) management in Western Australia
No full textThis paper estimates the return on investment in the skeleton weed management program in Western Australia. A bioeconomic model is used to estimate costs to broadacre cropping industries over time with and without the program. Results suggest that without the program annual crop yield losses and increased growing costs, expressed in Australian dollars (13.6 million after 30 years. With the program, these losses reduce to A3.4 million, the program is likely to produce an annual net benefit to grain producers of A$8.6 million after 30 years
A comparison of striatal-to-occipital ratio quantification approaches in F-FDOPA pet imaging
No full textBackground. Parkinson's disease (PD) can be challenging to diagnose in the clinical setting. 6-[18F] fluoro-L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (18F-FDOPA) PET imaging may assist in the diagnosis of Parkinson's disease by assessing pre-synaptic dopamine dysfunction. The striato-occipital ratio (SOR) is a measure of the uptake in the striatum (caudate and putamen) referenced against the activity in the occipital lobe (representing background activity). Manual quantification of these regions of interest (ROI) is commonly performed however this is time-consuming and may be susceptible to variances in inter-reader interpretation.
Aims. The aim of this audit was to compare manual quantification of 18F-FDOPA PET SOR, performed as standard practice at our institution, to a commercially available automated SOR quantification program.
Methods. The scans of 95 consecutive patients (40 female, 55 male, 59.77 ± 15.26 years) who underwent 18F-DOPA PET imaging for evaluation of Parkinsonism were retrospectively reviewed. Each PET scan was analysed using manual quantification by two Nuclear Medicine consultants, and the mean of these sets of quantitative values was compared against the automated quantification generated via Siemens SyngoVia software package MI-Neurology. This study has institutional approval as a Quality Initiative project.
Results. 90 scans were evaluable by both manual and automated methods. Five patients who were unable to undergo automated quantitative analysis due to either inadequate image times or administrative errors were excluded from the comparative analysis. Statistical analysis comparing SOR obtained by manual and automated methods demonstrated high intraclass correlation (ICC), with minimal variance (Table 1).
Conclusion. Automated quantification of SOR demonstrated statistically significant agreement with manual quantification methods highlighting its potential to be utilised to increase efficiency in 18F-FDOPA PET imaging interpretation
Climate and land use influences on changing spatiotemporal patterns of mountain vegetation cover in southwest China
Get PDFUnderstanding the spatiotemporal patterns of vegetative cover in relation to climate and land uses is essential for effective management of ecology and the environment. In this study, spatial and temporal changes of the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and potential influencing factors were analyzed in different elevations and land uses across southwest China. Results showed: (1) there was a critical elevation of 3400 m, with different NDVI responses to climate and human interventions above and below 3400 m. Below 3400 m, mean NDVI in each land use area and the whole region did not change with elevation due to compensative effects of decreasing cultivated land and increasing woodland and grassland towards high elevations. Above 3400 m, cultivation effectively ceases. NDVI decreased with elevation as alpine plant species shifted from woody trees to alpine grass, primarily related to declining temperature towards high altitudes. (2) NDVI responses to climate change and human activities are also different above and below 3400 m. NDVI below 3400 m increased significantly after 1980s, primarily as a result of reforestation on hillslopes and improved agricultural productivity. Above 3400 m, under climate warming since the 1980s, NDVI did not increase significantly in 1990s and even decreased in 2000s as the consecutive rise of temperature is higher towards higher altitudes in the 2000s. (3) The area-weighted NDVIs illustrated that from 1980s to 2000s, the increased mean NDVI in the whole region arose from contributions of 20.93, 60.66 and 18.41% changes in NDVIs in cultivated land, woodland and grassland, respectively. In 2000s, the proportion of the woody trees contribution to NDVI increased due to reforestation in the low elevation area (3400 m). The decease of NDVI in the high elevations did not alter increasing trend of NDVI across the whole region during 1982–2015. However, in future, the greening could diminish or even cease as climate warming continues and effects of artificially managed ecological restoration reduce
Preserving the work function of Ultra-Violet-ozone treated indium tin oxide by triarylamine-based small molecule modification for solution-processed organic light-emitting diodes with increased external quantum efficiency
No full textUV-ozone treatment is one of the most common ways to increase the work function of indium tin oxide (ITO), which is used as the transparent conducting anode in organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). However, the work function increase is time sensitive when the samples are left or processed in air, often returning to a similar value to that measured before UV-ozone treatment. We found that for OLEDs formed by solution processing and containing a poly(ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) hole injection layer that there was no advantage in terms of device efficiency of using UV-ozone treated ITO. However, if a triarylamine-based small molecule [N1,N3,N5-tris(4-n-butylphenyl)-N1,N3,N5-triphenylbenzene-1,3,5-triamine, 4-n-BTDAB] was introduced onto the UV-ozone treated ITO then the work function was stabilised. When 4-n-BTDAB was introduced between UV-ozone treated ITO and PEDOT:PSS, the resultant solution processed OLEDs were found to have a maximum external quantum efficiency ≈20% higher (corresponding to an absolute increase of ≈2% to around 12%) compared to devices with the same structure but without the triarylamine layer
How SERU production system improves manufacturing flexibility and firm performance: An empirical study in China
No full textSERU production system (SERU) demonstrates more manufacturing flexibility in response to volatile market demands. Although many firms have implemented SERU successfully, little research on manufacturing flexibility in SERU exists, especially empirical evidence in the context of Chinese firms. Manufacturing flexibility considers two major dimensions in SERU, namely, product mix flexibility and volume flexibility. We propose a contingency-based framework to explore the source factors of manufacturing flexibility and their impact on firm performance. We examine the moderating effects of both multi-skilled worker turnover and industry type. Using a total of 357 samples from China, we test the hypotheses with structural equation modeling. Our results reveal that both SERU reconfiguration and multi-skilled worker involvement are important sources of product mix flexibility and volume flexibility, and the two kinds of flexibility subsequently improve firm performance. Multi-skilled worker involvement has a stronger impact than SERU reconfiguration on improving manufacturing flexibility. Both multi-skilled worker turnover and industry type are important moderators. We also conduct tests indicating that the mediation effects of manufacturing flexibility are moderated by multi-skilled worker turnover and industry type. Overall, the acquisition of manufacturing flexibility and its impact on performance in SERU are situation dependent
A homicide and a chat with a neighbour
No full textDuring the investigation of a shooting homicide, a series of pelvic fractures was found in a young female victim. The cause of these fractures instigated a detailed investigation to establish their relationship, or otherwise, with the homicide. Pelvic fractures can involve any pelvic bones and achieve anatomical instability of the pelvic ring. They can be complicated by internal or external hemorrhages, related to lacerations of major blood vessels or organs, caused by sharp edges of dislocated bone fragments. These lacerations can be life-threatening by evolving into a rapidly fatal hemorrhagic shock. Most pelvic fractures result from high-energy injuries, typically in motor vehicle accidents and falls from a height. In falls from a height, a positive correlation between the level of the height and the seriousness of the injuries has been analysed in the scientific literature and established. Postmortem pelvic fractures are difficult to detect at the autopsy by reason of their anatomical location in the human body, thus the routine use of a non-contrast postmortem computed tomography (PMCT) before performing the conventional autopsy has been recommended since the late 2000s
How does news flow affect cross-market volatility spillovers? Evidence from China’s stock index futures and spot markets
No full textThis paper examines how news flow affects cross-market volatility spillovers and price discovery process in China’s stock market and index futures market. We find robust evidence confirming dominant predicting power of the stock market in the price discovery process, and presence of asymmetric and persistent volatility effects. The results show that volatility spillovers are bidirectional between stock index futures and spot prices, and news release has significant and positive association with the dynamic conditional correlation between the index spot and the index futures markets. These have important implications for effective hedging and portfolio management decision in emerging markets
Cryptic U2-dependent pre-mRNASplice site usage induced by splice switching antisense oligonucleotides
Get PDFAntisense oligomers (AOs) are increasingly being used for modulating RNA splicing in live cells, both for research and for therapeutic purposes. While the most common intended effect of these AOs is to induce skipping of whole exons, rare examples are emerging of AOs that induce skipping of only part of an exon, through activation of an internal cryptic splice site. In this report, we examined seven such examples of AO-induced cryptic splice site activation – five new examples from our own experiments and three from reports published by others. We modelled the predicted effects that AO binding would have on the secondary structure of each of the RNA targets, and how these alterations would in turn affect the accessibility of the RNA to splice factors. We observed that a common predicted effect of AO binding was a disruption to the exon definition signal within the exon’s excluded segment
Necropolitics in a post-apocalyptic zombie diaspora: The case of AMC’s The Walking Dead
No full textAmerican Movie Classics’ (AMC) popular television series The Walking Dead (2010–present) transports viewers into an apocalyptic zombie dystopia where the lines between safety and precarity, being governed and governing, or being alive and/or dead slip and change. Utilizing Achille Mbembe’s term “necropolitics”, the article explores The Walking Dead’s representation of governance and power in terms of individual and group security. While the zombie has been understood as the liminal figure par excellence, The Walking Dead’s non-zombie characters illustrate diasporic liminality as refugees, hovering on or near the threshold of death. The scale of suffering or prosperity is determined by who leads or governs. Frequently, those deemed “in charge” exercise power and control to discipline, to punish, and to provide security. The series offers a metaphor for the potential uses of power in biological, environmental, or natural disaster situations where survivors grapple with scarce resources and the constant presence of death
Testing the reliability of the Health Literacy Questionnaire with carers of older adults receiving hospital care
No full textObjective
To determine the re‐test reliability of the Health Literacy Questionnaire (HLQ) with carers of older adults discharged from hospital or attending the outpatient clinic.
Methods
Carers completed the HLQ twice by telephone and rated the acceptability of completing the tool. Tool completion time was recorded. Correlations were calculated between the test occasions using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) and 95% confidence intervals.
Results
Fifty‐one carers of older patients participated. The HLQ showed good reliability (ICC = 0.75‐0.90) for seven of the nine scales and moderate reliability (0.50‐0.74) for the other two scales. Median completion time was 16.5 minutes (range 9‐50), and acceptability was rated as 9.5/10.
Conclusion
The HLQ is a reliable tool for use with carers of older adults attending hospital. However, the length of time for completion of the HLQ may limit its feasibility for use by hospital staff and carers, given the high stress and time pressures of acute care