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The scope for Geotourism based on Regolith in Southwestern Australia—a theoretical and practical perspective
No full textRegolith in some regions has become a world famous and highly valued tourism attraction or is an emerging geotourism focus. However, there remains much scope for valuing what regolith can offer within the framework of geotourism. We thus present a case for a more inclusive approach to involving regolith in geotourism agendas and illustrate the utility of such an approach using the example of regolith occurring in southwestern Australia. Our case is supported by re-visiting the theoretical framework that underpins geotourism and by considering the status of geotourism in Western Australia. The value of regolith as a topic in geotourism is explained through provision of a simplified scientific background for a range of regolith types from southwestern, Australia. We provide guidance on indicative interpretive content that could be delivered by trained guides. Whilst emphasising that such an approach sets the scene for profiling regolith within geotourism agendas in Western Australia, we also contend that by simplifying the science, recognising its importance in our lives, in combination with an understanding of the sociological objectives of geotourism, regolith can readily be built into geotourism programmes around the world
Preparation of formed coke from biomass by sequence of torrefaction, binderless hot briquetting and carbonization
Get PDFThis paper proposes a method of preparing high-strength formed coke from woody biomass without binder. Chipped and pre-dried Japanese cedar was heat-treated in an inert atmosphere (i.e., torrefied) at 225–325°C (Tt), pulverized to sizes in three different ranges, molded into briquettes (in the form of thick disk with diameter/thickness ≈ 2.5) at temperature up to 200°C by applying mechanical pressure of 128 MPa. The torrefied/briquetted cedar (TBC) was then converted into coke by heating to 1000°C in an inert atmosphere at normal pressure. This process sequence enabled to prepare coke having indirect tensile strength (St) of 8–32 MPa, which was much higher than that without torrefaction, below 5 MPa. The torrefaction greatly improved pulverizability of the cedar, which was further promoted by increasing Tt. St of TBC and that of coke both increased as the particle sizes of TBC decreased, but this explained only a minor part of significant effect of Tt on St of the coke. St was maximized at Tt = 275°C regardless of the degree of pulverization. The Tt effects on physicochemical properties of TBC and coke were investigated in detail. The difference in St of coke by Tt was mainly due to that in the increment of St along the carbonization at 500–1000°C. Fracture surfaces of the coke had particular morphologies that had been inherited from the original honeycomb structure of the cedar
Adult attachment in looked after children and their mental health: Exploring the link between childhood adversity and the development of psychopathology
Get PDFPeople who have experienced out-of-home care as children or adolescents often have disrupted attachment relationships and are overrepresented in clinical populations. Previous research has drawn a link between attachment style and specific types of psychopathology. This thesis explores the experience of early childhood adversity with a sample of adults who were Looked After Children (LAC) in relation to their mental health in adulthood. Using classifications from the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI) and a range of measures of attachment, trauma, defence styles, dissociative experiences, psychopathology and personality, this thesis sought to examine how disrupted attachment in childhood translates into psychopathology and what builds resilience in those who experience early adversity without the development of psychiatric disorders. Of particular interest is the concept of Earned Security, which can be derived from the AAI classification system developed by George et al. (1985) whereby some people who experience substandard caregiving early in life still go on to be classified as having a secure attachment representation, albeit ‘Earned’ as opposed to ‘Continuous’ security. First, a systematic literature review of 11 identified studies of Earned Security was conducted. In Study One, the LAC sample was compared quantitatively to normative samples on the above-mentioned measures to determine whether there were significant differences in relation to the experience of childhood adversity. Study One established that the LAC sample was significantly higher on the Overprotection subscales of the Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI) for both Mother and Father, as well as significantly higher on the Avoidance and Anxiety subscales of the Experiences in Close Relationships-Revised (ECR-R) than normative populations, and significantly lower on the Care subscale of the PBI for Mother and Father. The LAC sample was also significantly higher than normative populations on the Dissociative Experiences Scale, and the Emotional Abuse, Emotional Neglect, Physical Abuse and Physical Neglect subscales of the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire.
Study Two used Thematic Analysis to examine the AAI transcripts of the LAC sample qualitatively. Five overarching themes were identified (along with 26 subthemes). Study Three used a Mixed-Method Comparative Case Study and found that Protective Factors such as Reflective Function, Reparative Attachments, Time in Therapy, a Positive Initial Foundation, Help-Seeking Behaviours and Mature defences play a role in the development of resilience for those who have experienced childhood adversity but did not go on to develop psychopathology. These studies imply that for professionals working with LAC populations (or other groups who have experienced significant early adversity), the Protective Factors identified in this thesis have clinical utility across a range of service systems and areas of policy. Tailored interventions focused on enhancing these Protective Factors can be utilised to create a more integrated systems approach to building resilience, buffering against psychopathology and facilitating a shift towards ‘Earned Organisation’ with respect to attachment representations
Factors impacting SME business resilience post-COVID-19
Get PDFThe ability of an organization to respond to a crisis with agility is vital for business leaders to maintain business continuity. Our paper examined how business owners responded to the challenges caused by the pandemic. Using online surveys for data collection, we investigated a critical agility issue of supply chain risks through understanding the interrelationship of various business capability factors. Partial least squares path modeling (PLS-PM) was applied to a sample of 220 participants who were owners of micro, small, and medium businesses in Western Australia. The findings showed that the businesses’ efficiency, financial strength, and flexibility in sourcing affected the businesses’ supply chain risks negatively. More support for labor productivity, asset utilization, waste elimination, financial reserves, portfolio diversification, and credit access needs to be introduced to enhance the resilience of the business supply chain. This paper is novel, as we used the data collected in Western Australia, where the SMEs were still affected by the global supply chain disruption but lacked protracted lockdowns, as had occurred nationally and globally during the COVID-19 period
Improving adherence to acute low back pain guideline recommendations with chiropractors and physiotherapists: the ALIGN cluster randomised controlled trial
Get PDFBackground
Acute low back pain is a common condition, has high burden, and there are evidence-to-practice gaps in the chiropractic and physiotherapy setting for imaging and giving advice to stay active. The aim of this cluster randomised trial was to estimate the effects of a theory- and evidence-based implementation intervention to increase chiropractors’ and physiotherapists’ adherence to a guideline for acute low back pain compared with the comparator (passive dissemination of the guideline). In particular, the primary aim of the intervention was to reduce inappropriate imaging referral and improve patient low back pain outcomes, and to determine whether this intervention was cost-effective.
Methods
Physiotherapy and chiropractic practices in the state of Victoria, Australia, comprising at least one practising clinician who provided care to patients with acute low back pain, were invited to participate. Patients attending these practices were included if they had acute non-specific low back pain (duration less than 3 months), were 18 years of age or older, and were able to understand and read English. Practices were randomly assigned either to a tailored, multi-faceted intervention based on the guideline (interactive educational symposium plus academic detailing) or passive dissemination of the guideline (comparator). A statistician independent of the study team undertook stratified randomisation using computer-generated random numbers; four strata were defined by professional group and the rural or metropolitan location of the practice. Investigators not involved in intervention delivery were blinded to allocation. Primary outcomes were X-ray referral self-reported by clinicians using a checklist and patient low back pain-specific disability (at 3 months).
Results
A total of 104 practices (43 chiropractors, 85 physiotherapists; 755 patients) were assigned to the intervention and 106 practices (45 chiropractors, 97 physiotherapists; 603 patients) to the comparator; 449 patients were available for the patient-level primary outcome. There was no important difference in the odds of patients being referred for X-ray (adjusted (Adj) OR: 1.40; 95% CI 0.51, 3.87; Adj risk difference (RD): 0.01; 95% CI − 0.02, 0.04) or patient low back pain-specific disability (Adj mean difference: 0.37; 95% CI − 0.48, 1.21, scale 0–24). The intervention did lead to improvement for some key secondary outcomes, including giving advice to stay active (Adj OR: 1.96; 95% CI 1.20, 3.22; Adj RD: 0.10; 95% CI 0.01, 0.19) and intending to adhere to the guideline recommendations (e.g. intention to refer for X-ray: Adj OR: 0.27; 95% CI 0.17, 0.44; intention to give advice to stay active: Adj OR: 2.37; 95% CI 1.51, 3.74).
Conclusions
Intervention group clinicians were more likely to give advice to stay active and to intend to adhere to the guideline recommendations about X-ray referral. The intervention did not change the primary study outcomes, with no important differences in X-ray referral and patient disability between groups, implying that hypothesised reductions in health service utilisation and/or productivity gains are unlikely to offset the direct costs of the intervention. We report these results with the caveat that we enrolled less patients into the trial than our determined sample size. We cannot recommend this intervention as a cost-effective use of resources
Lower reproductive rate and lamb survival contribute to lower lamb marking rate in maiden ewes compared to multiparous ewes
Get PDFSuboptimal reproductive performance of maiden (primiparous) ewes remains a source of inefficiency for the Australian sheep industry. However, the extent and causes of the poorer reproductive performance of maiden ewes on Australian sheep farms are not well understood. Here, we show the reproductive performance of maiden ewes relative to their multiparous counterparts on the same farms across Australia using a cohort survey. The difference in marking rate for non-Merino maiden ewe lambs compared to multiparous ewes was 58% (74 vs. 132%; p < 0.001), and this was attributable to a 50% difference in reproductive rate (109 vs. 159%; p < 0.001) and 16% difference in lamb survival to marking (67 vs. 83%; p < 0.001). The difference in marking rate for maiden Merino two-tooth ewes lambing at approximately 2 years-of-age compared to mature multiparous ewes was 22% (80 vs. 102%; p < 0.001) and this was attributable to a 24% difference in reproductive rate (108 vs. 132%; p < 0.001) and 3% difference for lamb survival (75 vs. 78%; p < 0.05). Positive correlations for reproduction traits (reproductive rate, lamb survival and marking rate) between maidens and multiparous ewes were observed for maiden Merino two-tooth ewes (p < 0.001), but these correlations were weak or non-existent for non-Merino ewe lambs. Strategies to improve both reproductive rate and lamb survival can address the poorer and more variable reproductive performance of maiden ewes
Demographic processes underpinning post-fire resilience in California closed-cone pine forests: The importance of fire interval, stand structure, and climate
No full textThe resilience of serotinous obligate-seeding plants to fire may be compromised if increasing fire frequency curtails time available for canopy seed bank accumulation (i.e., immaturity risk), but how various drivers affect seed availability at the time of fire is poorly understood. Using field data from California closed-cone pine (Pinus attenuata and P. muricata) stands, we assess two critical demographic processes during the inter-fire period—reproductive capacity and mortality. At tree- and stand-levels, we test how these processes are affected by stand age and are mediated by biotic and abiotic factors. We found that stand age was the key driver of reproductive capacity; older stands had a greater proportion of reproductively mature individuals and greater closed cone density. Stand density mediated the effect of age; greater stand density resulted in greater closed cone density and a lower proportion of reproductively mature individuals, but reproductive capacity in low- and high-density stands converged over time. Increased moisture stress reduced the stand-level proportion reproductively mature trees but had no effect on closed cone density. Mortality was strongly associated with density-dependent thinning and increased in stands with high moisture stress. Reproductive capacity began to increase sharply 10 years post-fire and by 20 years immaturity risk was low. However, prior to 20 years, low-density stands with high moisture stress may be more susceptible to immaturity risk. Understanding these relationships is critical to predicting serotinous population persistence under changing climate and disturbance conditions
Clindamycin adjunctive therapy for severe Staphylococcus aureus treatment evaluation (CASSETTE)—an open-labelled pilot randomized controlled trial
Get PDFBackground
Combination antibiotic therapy with an antitoxin agent, such as clindamycin, is included in some guidelines for severe, toxin-mediated Staphylococcus aureus infections. The evidence to support this practice is currently limited to in vitro, animal and observational human case-series data, with no previous randomized controlled trials (RCTs).
Objectives
This pilot RCT aimed to determine the feasibility of conducting a clinical trial to examine if adjunctive clindamycin with standard therapy has greater efficacy than standard therapy alone for S. aureus infections.
Methods
We performed an investigator-initiated, open-label, multicentre, pilot RCT (ACTRN12617001416381p) in adults and children with severe S. aureus infections, randomized to standard antibiotic therapy with or without clindamycin for 7 days.
Results
Over 28 months, across nine sites, 127 individuals were screened and 34 randomized, including 11 children (32%). The primary outcome—number of days alive and free of systemic inflammatory response syndrome ≤14 days—was similar between groups: clindamycin (3 days [IQR 1–6]) versus standard therapy (4 days [IQR 0–8]). The 90 day mortality was 0% (0/17) in the clindamycin group versus 24% (4/17) in the standard therapy group. Secondary outcomes—microbiological relapse, treatment failure or diarrhoea—were similar between groups.
Conclusions
As the first clinical trial assessing adjunctive clindamycin for S. aureus infections, this study indicates feasibility and that adults and children can be incorporated into one trial using harmonized endpoints, and there were no safety concerns. The CASSETTE trial will inform the definitive S. aureus Network Adaptive Platform (SNAP) trial, which includes an adjunctive clindamycin domain and participants with non-severe disease
Red yeast (Phaffia rhodozyma) and its effect on growth, antioxidant activity and color pigmentation of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)
Get PDFEfficacy of orally used of red yeast (Phaffia rhodozyma) (1.6 mg astaxanthin/g product) at 15.5 g (P1), 37.3 g (P2) and 47 (P3) g per kg diet were studied on performance, carcass composition, antioxidant activity and fillet pigmentation in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) weighing 208–212 g for eight weeks at 11 °C. Synthetic astaxanthin (AX) (0.5 g/kg diet) and basal diet were used as controls. With an increase in P. rhodozyma concentration in diet, weight gain and specific growth rate exhibited an increase compared to basal diet (P 0.05). Water holding capacity and lipid loss in fillets of treatments were lower than fish fed basal diet (P < 0.05). By increasing P. rhodozyma concentration in fish diets, redness value exhibited a progressive increase, and the highest value was seen in P3 diet compared to other treatments (P < 0.05). These data show application of P. rhodozyma at 47 g/kg diet in trout could provide a better performance, antioxidant activities, and fillet pigmentation
Morphological structures and drug release effect of multiple electrospun nanofibre membrane systems based on PLA, PCL, and PCL/Magnetic nanoparticle composites
Get PDFBiopolymers are good carrier materials in relation to efficient release sustainability for encapsulated drugs. In particular, electrospun polymer/composite fibre membranes can offer greater benefits owing to their competitive release features as well as large specific surface areas. In this study, multiple electrospun nanofibre membrane systems were utilised including different material systems such as poly(lactic acid) (PLA), poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL), and PCL/magnetic nanoparticle (MP) composites loaded with tetracycline hydrochloride (TCH) as a therapeutic compound for their potential use in drug delivery applications. Such electrospun nanofibres were investigated to understand how composite constituents could tailor surface morphology for drug release control and biodegradation effect of PCL electrospun nanofibers on a long term for different drug release systems. Fibre diameter appeared to be decreased considerably with the addition of TCH drug. It was also evident that average fibre diameter was reduced when embedding MPs owing to the enhancement of solution conductivity. The encapsulation of TCH drug was found to be effective, as evidenced by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) data revealed no significant change in the thermal stability of PCL with the inclusion of TCH and MPs. However, the use of TCH to PLA delayed the thermal degradation. Glass transition temperature (TQ) and melting temperature (TM) of PCL were decreased with the inclusion of MPs and TCH. The degree of crystallinity (XC) for PCL diminished when incorporated with MPs. Additional TCH to PLA, PCL, and PCL/MP nanocomposites resulted in a moderate decrease in (XC). TCH might be dispersed in an amorphous state within nanofibre membranes. Over the short-term periods, it was clearly seen that TCH release from PCL nanofibre membranes was higher as opposed to PLC/MP and PLA counterparts. On the contrary, such a drug release from PLC membranes became relatively slow owing to its high (XC). Further, the mass loss results were consistent with those obtained from in vitro drug release. Overall, TCH release kinetics of PCL/TCH nanofibre membranes were better estimated by Zeng model as opposed to PLA/TCH counterparts