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Calcium and magnesium supplementation of ewes grazing pasture did not improve lamb survival
Full text linkContext: Clinical deficiencies of calcium and magnesium may result in the metabolic disorders hypocalcaemia and hypomagnesaemia, resulting in ewe and lamb mortality. However, the contribution of subclinical deficiencies to perinatal lamb mortality in grazing flocks is unclear.
Aims: To test the hypothesis that calcium and magnesium supplementation during the lambing period would increase lamb survival to marking age.
Methods: In 2017, an on-farm study used five flocks across New South Wales, South Australia and Western Australia. On each farm, twin-bearing mature Merino ewes (n = 400–600) grazing pasture were allocated to two replicates of control and supplemented treatments. The supplemented groups were offered 30 g/ewe per day of a loose lick containing magnesium chloride (MgCl2(H2O)6), calcium sulfate (CaSO4·(H2O)2, and salt (NaCl), in the ratio 12.5:32.5:55.0, designed to have a low dietary cation–anion difference (−390 meq/100 g). A second study was conducted in 2018 on one farm to test the form of supplement. This study used two replicates of three treatments: control; a low-dietary cation–anion difference supplement as used in 2017; and a standard lime, Causmag (calcined MgO) and salt loose mix (ratio 1:1:1). Mature twin-bearing composite ewes (n = 600) were allocated to groups and those supplemented were offered minerals for the last month of pregnancy and during the lambing period. Blood and urine samples were collected in both experiments for analyses of mineral concentrations.
Key results: In the 2017 study, only two flocks consumed >10 g/ewe of supplement per day, and supplementation did not increase lamb survival to marking age in these flocks. In the 2018 study, the mean consumption of supplement was 18 or 20 g/ewe per day. Of non-supplemented ewes, 61% were deficient in plasma calcium (≤90 mg/L) and 17% were deficient in magnesium (≤18 mg/L) at Day 140 after the start of joining. Lamb survival was not increased by supplementation and was 77 ± 3.8% in both treatments.
Conclusions: Calcium and magnesium supplementation did not increase lamb survival.
Implications: Lamb survival was not increased by calcium and magnesium supplementation; however, evaluation under a wider range of grazing conditions with adequate supplement intake is required
Journey-Deuce bicompartmental knee arthroplasty with the addition of computer navigation achieves good clinical outcomes and implant survival at 10 years
No full textPurpose
To report 10-year outcomes and survivorship in patients undergoing bicompartmental knee arthroplasty (BCKA) using the Journey-Deuce prosthesis in a consecutive prospective case series.
Methods
Between November 2006 and November 2009, 41 patients with a mean age of 69.6 years (range 51–86) underwent 51 bicompartmental knee arthroplasties with the Journey-Deuce knee prosthesis. All patients presented with symptomatic medial and patellofemoral compartment osteoarthritis, with intact cruciate ligaments and a preserved lateral compartment on plain radiographs and Magnetic Resonance Imaging. Clinical assessment was undertaken pre-surgery and at 1, 2, 5 and 10 years post-surgery using the Oxford Knee Score (OKS), EuroQol Group 5-Dimension self-reported questionnaire (EQ-5D) and maximal active range of motion (ROM).
Results
30 patients (37 knees) were followed-up at a mean time of 11.4 years (SD 1.1; range 10.5–14.0). Eight patients (ten knees) were deceased and three could not be contacted at final review. No major component revision was performed. Pre-operative OKS 25.4 (SD 5.2; range 15–40), knee flexion 116.4° (SD 10.3°; range 100°–140°) and EQ-5D 70.5 (SD 19.9; range 25–95). 10-year OKS 43.5 (SD 4.1; range 32–48), knee flexion 127.3° (SD 11.1°; range 105°–144°) and EQ-5D 77.4 (SD 9.3; range 60–100). The OKS (p < 0.0001), EQ-5D (p = 0.024) and active knee flexion ROM (p < 0.0001) all significantly improved from pre-surgery to 1-year post-surgery, with no further significant changes in these scores between any post-operative time period up until 10 years. 32% (7/22) of tibial and 45% (10/22) of femoral components showed progressive radiolucencies between 2 and 5-year and 10-year follow-up.
Conclusions
This is the largest cohort of patients having undergone BCKA (with the Journey-Deuce prosthesis) with longest follow-up described in the literature. At 10 years, patients presented with significantly improved clinical outcomes, comparable to other surgical arthroplasty options. No major component revision was performed. Progressive radiolucencies were noted in 32% of tibial and 45% of femoral components without corresponding clinical signs of loosening
Lactic acid from mixed food waste fermentation using an adapted inoculum: Influence of pH and temperature regulation on yield and product spectrum
No full textEnvironmental conditions (pH and temperature) are expected to influence microbial community composition and product spectrum in mixed-culture food waste (FW) fermentation. However, some conditions may favour growth of multiple organisms that compete for common substrates or consume target metabolites. The inoculum plays an integral role in mixed-culture fermentation, but it is currently unknown how an adapted inoculum, known to selectively produce the target metabolite, would influence fermentation, and how environmental conditions could control fermentation outcomes. Therefore, this study assessed the effects of pH (uncontrolled vs. controlled pH 4.0–6.0) and temperature (35–60 °C) on lactic acid (LA) from synthetic mixed FW batch fermentation (80 gVS·L−1) utilising an adapted fermentation inoculum known to produce significant LA (10% inoculum volume). Concentrations of LA and competing organic acids were measured. Uncontrolled pH encouraged Lactobacillus growth but resulted in a low LA yield due to inhibitory conditions. Controlled pH 6.0 improved LA production but introduced LA consumption and competitive butyrate production. Observed butyrate production was dependent on pH and temperature and correlated with the growth of Clostridium Sensu Stricto 12. At pH 6.0 and 50 °C, observable LA consumption was eliminated, and the LA yield was maximised at 0.55 gLA·gVS−1 (39 gLA·L−1) while Lactobacillus remained dominant. The adapted inoculum effectively promoted LA production, while pH and temperature regulation were effective control levers to target LA
Police preparedness to respond to cybercrime in Australia: An analysis of individual and organizational capabilities
No full textThe rapid growth in the availability of information and communications technologies has also expanded opportunities to commit cybercrime. Law enforcement officers are often the first responders to such incidents. Internationally, research has revealed how police preparedness to respond to cybercrime is mediated by organizational policies and procedures, as well as characteristics such as education, gender, and previous training for cybercrime investigations. However, there has been limited research in an Australian context examining police preparedness to respond to cybercrime. As such, this article examines the preparedness of Australian police personnel to respond to cybercrime incidents drawing on surveys with two state-wide police agencies (n = 422). Here, we examine the prevalence of cybercrime training across both agencies, levels of individual and organizational confidence about responding to cybercrime incidents, and their views about enhancing responses to cybercrime. The results suggest only half of the surveyed personnel have received some cybercrime-related training, with significantly less reporting specific instruction about how to receive and direct incident reports and manage digital crime scenes. Further, while personnel are modestly confident in their individual capabilities to respond to cybercrime incidents, they lack comparative confidence in their organizations and yearn for more resourcing and professional development. Implications for police resourcing, training, and practices are discussed
Australian Public Universities: A crisis of governance*
No full textIn dialogue with other articles within this special issue, in this article we argue that the financial crisis triggered by the onset of COVID-19 is revealing a failed governance structure within Australian public universities that has ultimately enabled the conditions that led to the crisis currently before us. We suggest that the impact of COVID-19 has laid bare a series of problems that were in the process of unfolding years before the pandemic hit. Finally, we will examine this failure of leadership through the lens of the statutory nature and governance structures of Australian public universities, cast against the current rhetoric that metaphorically equates universities with commercial corporations, to determine the extent to which such a metaphor is accurate, and ultimately (we contend) detrimental to an effective and efficient university sector
Intercropping flowering plants facilitate conservation, movement and biocontrol performance of predators in insecticide-free apple orchard
No full textHabitat management is an important approach suppressing pest via conservation biological control in agricultural systems. Intercropping flowering plants is a well- practiced habitat management measure, supporting predators with shelter, nectar, alternative prey and pollen. However, few studies systematically revealed predator’s conservation performance, transfer process and biocontrol ability by intercropping flowering plants in apple orchards. Here, an experimental model of intercropping flowering plants in apple orchard was planned for two consecutive years to response above questions. Four flowering plants conserve a different number and proportions of six main predator species (three ladybeetles (Propylaea japonica, Harmonia axyridis and Hippodamia variegata), one lacewing (Chrysoperla sinica), one hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus) and one spider (Misumenops tricuspidatus)). By rubidium (Rb) marking technique, transfer rate of predators C. sinica from flowering plant Cnidium monnieri to apple trees were 79.5 % and 84.1 % in 2020 and 2021, respectively. Transfer rate of predators H. axyridis from flowering plant C. monnieri to apple trees were 74.2 % and 80.1 % in 2020 and 2021, respectively. By predator exclusion trials, the Biocontrol Services Index (BSI) was calculated in sampling date, in which the number of aphids on the caged and uncaged branch has significant difference in the four flowering plants and untreated control plots in 2020 and 2021, respectively. Thus, our results suggest that, intercropping flowering plants in insecticide-free apple orchard contributed to increase the number of predators and biological control of aphid Aphis spiraecola. These findings support that intercropping flowering plants as a promising management option could be implemented in apple orchards
A loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay for the detection of Cryptotermes brevis West Indian drywood termite (Blattodea: Kalotermitidae)
Full text linkCryptotermes brevis is one of the most destructive invasive termites in the subtropics and tropics and is a common biosecurity intercept at the Australian border. Drywood termite species are cryptic and difficult to identify morphologically in situations when soldiers or imagos are unavailable. We developed a novel DNA based loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay to detect C. brevis and differentiate it from other drywood termites. Validated voucher specimens of 30 different drywood termite species were obtained from several insect collections from which DNA was extracted and amplified. The amplicons containing partial mitochondrial 16S rRNA were sequenced and a DNA database was created from which C. brevis LAMP primers were developed, optimized, and tested. The assay was assessed against a range of target and non-target species and found to be specific, successfully amplifying the target specimens of C. brevis in under 30 min. Amplification success was variable against C. brevis faecal pellets due to minute, unmeasurable or degraded DNA. This LAMP test is a new tool for the rapid detection of C. brevis that will enable faster and less destructive management of drywood termite infestations
A partition decoupling algorithm for compact thermal model in Multi-Chip IGBT modules
No full textThis letter proposes a partition decoupling algorithm for the compact thermal model to reduce the computation burden in the multi-chip IGBT modules. As a typical coupled system, the compact thermal model is split into separate thermal models with several shared interfaces. The interface data, coupling power loss, coming from the previous time step is used to calculate the real temperature in the current time step. The proposed algorithm transforms the spatial coupling of the compact thermal model into the temporal coupling. Furthermore, based on the proposed partition decoupling algorithm, some more loosely coupled algorithms are also designed. Finally, both simulation and experiment are conducted to verify three loosely coupled algorithms
Wildsoydb DataHub: A platform for accessing soybean multiomic datasets across multiple reference genomes
No full textLetter to the Edito
Genetic dissection of the grain-filling rate and related traits through linkage analysis and genome-wide association study in bread wheat
Full text linkWheat grain yield is generally sink-limited during grain filling. The grain-filling rate (GFR) plays a vital role but is poorly studied due to the difficulty of phenotype surveys. This study explored the grain-filling traits in a recombinant inbred population and wheat collection using two highly saturated genetic maps for linkage analysis and genome-wide association study (GWAS). Seventeen stable additive quantitative trait loci (QTLs) were identified on chromosomes 1B, 4B, and 5A. The linkage interval between IWB19555 and IWB56078 showed pleiotropic effects on GFR1, GFRmax, kernel length (KL), kernel width (KW), kernel thickness (KT), and thousand kernel weight (TKW), with the phenotypic variation explained (PVE) ranging from 13.38% (KW) to 33.69% (TKW). 198 significant marker-trait associations (MTAs) were distributed across most chromosomes except for 3D and 4D. The major associated sites for GFR included IWB44469 (11.27%), IWB8156 (12.56%) and IWB24812 (14.46%). Linkage analysis suggested that IWB35850, identified through GWAS, was located in approximately the same region as QGFRmax2B.3-11, where two high-confidence candidate genes were present. Two important grain weight (GW)-related QTLs colocalized with grain-filling QTLs. The findings contribute to understanding the genetic architecture of the GFR and provide a basic approach to predict candidate genes for grain yield trait QTLs