Background:Grasslands are the primary source of feed for grazing livestock,and as such,knowledge on how to best manage livestock and grasslands,through the use of spatiotemporal modelling,will assist in the long-term ...Background:Grasslands are the primary source of feed for grazing livestock,and as such,knowledge on how to best manage livestock and grasslands,through the use of spatiotemporal modelling,will assist in the long-term management of a valuable ecosystem resource.Methods:This study was conducted over 14 months between March and April 2017 in Orange,NSW,Australia.The study evaluated sheep behaviour in relation to the presence of pasture species,environment and paddock structures,using random forest modelling,to predict sheep location under continuous high(HSR,13 DSE ha−1)and low(LSR,7DSE ha−1)stocking rates.Results:In the LSR,significant drivers included water,shade and fence lines(p<0.01).In the HSR,only fence lines and available biomass were found to be significant(p<0.01).The presence of green legumes in both stocking rates often increased residency by sheep.Animals spent more time together in the LSR,suggesting that social behaviour played a larger role than pasture quantity and quality in driving grazing behaviours.Conclusions:Understanding how pasture type can influence grazing behaviours and also how animal behaviour affects pasture performance and utilisation is important in developing long-term sustainable management strategies on a paddock scale.展开更多
We present 7 adults atopic asthmatics that were referred due to repeatedly relapsing asthma requiring oral courses of prednisolone. All were steroid responsive yet steroid dependant and were screened for adrenal insuf...We present 7 adults atopic asthmatics that were referred due to repeatedly relapsing asthma requiring oral courses of prednisolone. All were steroid responsive yet steroid dependant and were screened for adrenal insufficiency after changes to inhaled therapy and other standard anti-asthma treatments failed to improve the situation. All were deemed to be compliant. 4 used long-term intranasal steroids in addition to inhaled corticosteroids. No topical steroid creams were used by these patients. Adrenal suppression was examined via a 9 am cortisol level and a short synacthen test (using intravenous tetracosactide 250 mcg) along with measurement of ACTH (Adreno-Cortico-Trophic Hormone). The tests were performed in periods off prednisolone. We report the observed beneficial effects after treatment of the adrenal insufficiency with hydrocor-tisone acetate replacement therapy in these cases, and the benefit to their exacerbations, hospital admission and the requirement for prednisolone courses. These patients would have been stepped up to yet higher doses of inhaled steroids and even referred for anti-IgE treatment etc. Adrenal suppression is well described in the medical literature for asthmatics, but the beneficial outcomes of treating this are unknown. These 7 cases have been followed for up to 3 years since hydrocorti-sone replacement therapy. Most improved to a stable asthma without frequent exacerbations nor requirement for prednisolone and only 1 had a hospital admission.展开更多
Scholars have criticized the capacity of playgrounds to support children’s participation in public life.Fences of childhood,such as walls,fences,and enclosures,dominate children’s"public”spatial experiences in...Scholars have criticized the capacity of playgrounds to support children’s participation in public life.Fences of childhood,such as walls,fences,and enclosures,dominate children’s"public”spatial experiences in the global north.Challenging well-established critiques of the fenced playground as a space that segregates and controls childhood experiences,this study offers a novel and nuanced perspective,emphasizing the qualities of the playground fence that support play and playful connections,on,through,and around it.Employing an ethnographic methodology,this study includes 167h of observations in three typical urban public playgrounds in Greece and 65 semi-structured interviews with 124 participants.Drawing on recursive thematic qualitative analysis,the fence emerges as a blurred boundary,that is,an element that transgresses assumptions and questions spatial classifications and hierarchies.Rarely the subject of design discourse,these findings are particularly significant in design disciplines globally and offer new understandings on the possibilities afforded by the playground fence.Emergent themes,namely,indeterminacy,climbabilty,playability,and porosity,are proposed as principles to guide fenced playground design as part of a fundamental reconceptualization.This reconceptualization positions the fenced playground as a public space infrastructure,supporting intergenerational interaction and play as well as children’s presence and play in the public realm.展开更多
Background-Impaired endothelium-dependent NO-mediated vasodilation is a key feature of essential hypertension and may precede the increase in blood pressure. We investigated whether transport of the NO precursor L-arg...Background-Impaired endothelium-dependent NO-mediated vasodilation is a key feature of essential hypertension and may precede the increase in blood pressure. We investigated whether transport of the NO precursor L-arginine is related to decreased endothelial function. Methods and Results-Radiotracer kinetics([3H]L-arginine)were used to measure forearm and peripheral blood mononuclear cell arginine uptake in hypertensive subjects(n=12)and in 2 groups of healthy volunteers with(n=15)and without(n=15)a family history of hypertension. In conjunction, forearm blood flow responses to acetylcholine and sodium nitroprusside were measured before and after a supplemental intra-arterial infusion of L-arginine. In vivo and in vitro measures of L-arginine transport were substantially reduced in the essential hypertension and positive family history groups compared with the negative family history group; however, no difference was detected in peripheral blood mononuclear cell mRNA or protein expression levels for the cationic amino acid transporter CAT-1. Plasma concentrations of L-arginine and NG,NG-dimethylarginine(ADMA)did not differ between groups. L-Arginine supplementation improved the response to acetylcholine only in subjects with essential hypertension and positive family history. Conclusions-Similar to their hypertensive counterparts, normotensive individuals at high risk for the development of hypertension are characterized by impaired L-arginine transport, which may represent the link between a defective L-arginine/NO pathway and the onset of essential hypertension. The observed transport defect is not due to apparent alterations in CAT-1 expression or elevated endogenous ADMA.展开更多
Introduction: In cases of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, we have observed an elevation in mean red cell volume, serum gamma glutamyl transferase and peripheral monocyte counts, initially in a pilot study but also in n...Introduction: In cases of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, we have observed an elevation in mean red cell volume, serum gamma glutamyl transferase and peripheral monocyte counts, initially in a pilot study but also in new incident cases. These changes could not be explained by drug therapy, vitamin deficiency or other diseases. Method: We compared the peripheral blood abnormalities in 149 patients with lung fibrosis to 448 age and sex matched controls. We also examined the effect of cotrimoxazole treatment for 12 weeks on these abnormalities. From the pilot study of cotrimoxazole in lung fibrosis patients, the relationship of the peripheral blood monocyte count and serum cytokine transforming growth factor beta-1 was examined. Epstein Barr viral status was examined in a selection of patients in case it explained our observations. Results: The findings confirm the elevation in mean red cell volume, gamma glutamyl transferase and peripheral monocyte counts in patients compared with matched controls. Oral cotrimoxazole ameliorated these 3 blood abnormalities. Serological evidence of Epstein Barr viral infection was present in tested patients but active viral replication was absent. The monocyte count had a linear relationship with the serum transforming growth factor beta-1 levels, which increased by 600 pg/ml for every of 0.1 × 109/l increase in the monocyte count. Conclusion: These observations may reflect oxidative stress which was reduced by cotrimoxazole. A related sulphonamide “dapsone” is known to reduce oxidative stress through direct effects on neutrophil and monocyte function;similar effects may explain these findings and require a formal study.展开更多
An isolated cylindrical void is located inside an incompressible nonlinearelasticmediumwhose constitutive behaviour is governed by a neo-Hookean strain energy function.In-plane hydrostatic pressure is applied in the f...An isolated cylindrical void is located inside an incompressible nonlinearelasticmediumwhose constitutive behaviour is governed by a neo-Hookean strain energy function.In-plane hydrostatic pressure is applied in the far-field so that the void changes its radius and an inhomogeneous region of deformation arises in the vicinity of the void.We consider scattering from the void in the deformed configuration due to an incident field(of small amplitude)generated by a horizontally polarized shear(SH)line source,a distance r0(R0)away from the centre of the void in the deformed(undeformed)configuration.We show that the scattering coefficients of this scattered field are unaffected by the pre-stress(initial deformation).In particular,they depend not on the deformed void radius a or distance r0,but instead on the original void size A and original distance R0.展开更多
基金The authors would like to acknowledge Alexander Clancy and Jaime Manning for their assistance in establishing this trial and Dougal Pottie for his assistance in the field.Financial support for this trial was provided by the Australian Wool Education Trust grant to Alexander Clancy and the Coolringdon Research Trust,which provides a scholarship to Danica Parnell.
文摘Background:Grasslands are the primary source of feed for grazing livestock,and as such,knowledge on how to best manage livestock and grasslands,through the use of spatiotemporal modelling,will assist in the long-term management of a valuable ecosystem resource.Methods:This study was conducted over 14 months between March and April 2017 in Orange,NSW,Australia.The study evaluated sheep behaviour in relation to the presence of pasture species,environment and paddock structures,using random forest modelling,to predict sheep location under continuous high(HSR,13 DSE ha−1)and low(LSR,7DSE ha−1)stocking rates.Results:In the LSR,significant drivers included water,shade and fence lines(p<0.01).In the HSR,only fence lines and available biomass were found to be significant(p<0.01).The presence of green legumes in both stocking rates often increased residency by sheep.Animals spent more time together in the LSR,suggesting that social behaviour played a larger role than pasture quantity and quality in driving grazing behaviours.Conclusions:Understanding how pasture type can influence grazing behaviours and also how animal behaviour affects pasture performance and utilisation is important in developing long-term sustainable management strategies on a paddock scale.
文摘We present 7 adults atopic asthmatics that were referred due to repeatedly relapsing asthma requiring oral courses of prednisolone. All were steroid responsive yet steroid dependant and were screened for adrenal insufficiency after changes to inhaled therapy and other standard anti-asthma treatments failed to improve the situation. All were deemed to be compliant. 4 used long-term intranasal steroids in addition to inhaled corticosteroids. No topical steroid creams were used by these patients. Adrenal suppression was examined via a 9 am cortisol level and a short synacthen test (using intravenous tetracosactide 250 mcg) along with measurement of ACTH (Adreno-Cortico-Trophic Hormone). The tests were performed in periods off prednisolone. We report the observed beneficial effects after treatment of the adrenal insufficiency with hydrocor-tisone acetate replacement therapy in these cases, and the benefit to their exacerbations, hospital admission and the requirement for prednisolone courses. These patients would have been stepped up to yet higher doses of inhaled steroids and even referred for anti-IgE treatment etc. Adrenal suppression is well described in the medical literature for asthmatics, but the beneficial outcomes of treating this are unknown. These 7 cases have been followed for up to 3 years since hydrocorti-sone replacement therapy. Most improved to a stable asthma without frequent exacerbations nor requirement for prednisolone and only 1 had a hospital admission.
文摘Scholars have criticized the capacity of playgrounds to support children’s participation in public life.Fences of childhood,such as walls,fences,and enclosures,dominate children’s"public”spatial experiences in the global north.Challenging well-established critiques of the fenced playground as a space that segregates and controls childhood experiences,this study offers a novel and nuanced perspective,emphasizing the qualities of the playground fence that support play and playful connections,on,through,and around it.Employing an ethnographic methodology,this study includes 167h of observations in three typical urban public playgrounds in Greece and 65 semi-structured interviews with 124 participants.Drawing on recursive thematic qualitative analysis,the fence emerges as a blurred boundary,that is,an element that transgresses assumptions and questions spatial classifications and hierarchies.Rarely the subject of design discourse,these findings are particularly significant in design disciplines globally and offer new understandings on the possibilities afforded by the playground fence.Emergent themes,namely,indeterminacy,climbabilty,playability,and porosity,are proposed as principles to guide fenced playground design as part of a fundamental reconceptualization.This reconceptualization positions the fenced playground as a public space infrastructure,supporting intergenerational interaction and play as well as children’s presence and play in the public realm.
文摘Background-Impaired endothelium-dependent NO-mediated vasodilation is a key feature of essential hypertension and may precede the increase in blood pressure. We investigated whether transport of the NO precursor L-arginine is related to decreased endothelial function. Methods and Results-Radiotracer kinetics([3H]L-arginine)were used to measure forearm and peripheral blood mononuclear cell arginine uptake in hypertensive subjects(n=12)and in 2 groups of healthy volunteers with(n=15)and without(n=15)a family history of hypertension. In conjunction, forearm blood flow responses to acetylcholine and sodium nitroprusside were measured before and after a supplemental intra-arterial infusion of L-arginine. In vivo and in vitro measures of L-arginine transport were substantially reduced in the essential hypertension and positive family history groups compared with the negative family history group; however, no difference was detected in peripheral blood mononuclear cell mRNA or protein expression levels for the cationic amino acid transporter CAT-1. Plasma concentrations of L-arginine and NG,NG-dimethylarginine(ADMA)did not differ between groups. L-Arginine supplementation improved the response to acetylcholine only in subjects with essential hypertension and positive family history. Conclusions-Similar to their hypertensive counterparts, normotensive individuals at high risk for the development of hypertension are characterized by impaired L-arginine transport, which may represent the link between a defective L-arginine/NO pathway and the onset of essential hypertension. The observed transport defect is not due to apparent alterations in CAT-1 expression or elevated endogenous ADMA.
文摘Introduction: In cases of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, we have observed an elevation in mean red cell volume, serum gamma glutamyl transferase and peripheral monocyte counts, initially in a pilot study but also in new incident cases. These changes could not be explained by drug therapy, vitamin deficiency or other diseases. Method: We compared the peripheral blood abnormalities in 149 patients with lung fibrosis to 448 age and sex matched controls. We also examined the effect of cotrimoxazole treatment for 12 weeks on these abnormalities. From the pilot study of cotrimoxazole in lung fibrosis patients, the relationship of the peripheral blood monocyte count and serum cytokine transforming growth factor beta-1 was examined. Epstein Barr viral status was examined in a selection of patients in case it explained our observations. Results: The findings confirm the elevation in mean red cell volume, gamma glutamyl transferase and peripheral monocyte counts in patients compared with matched controls. Oral cotrimoxazole ameliorated these 3 blood abnormalities. Serological evidence of Epstein Barr viral infection was present in tested patients but active viral replication was absent. The monocyte count had a linear relationship with the serum transforming growth factor beta-1 levels, which increased by 600 pg/ml for every of 0.1 × 109/l increase in the monocyte count. Conclusion: These observations may reflect oxidative stress which was reduced by cotrimoxazole. A related sulphonamide “dapsone” is known to reduce oxidative stress through direct effects on neutrophil and monocyte function;similar effects may explain these findings and require a formal study.
文摘An isolated cylindrical void is located inside an incompressible nonlinearelasticmediumwhose constitutive behaviour is governed by a neo-Hookean strain energy function.In-plane hydrostatic pressure is applied in the far-field so that the void changes its radius and an inhomogeneous region of deformation arises in the vicinity of the void.We consider scattering from the void in the deformed configuration due to an incident field(of small amplitude)generated by a horizontally polarized shear(SH)line source,a distance r0(R0)away from the centre of the void in the deformed(undeformed)configuration.We show that the scattering coefficients of this scattered field are unaffected by the pre-stress(initial deformation).In particular,they depend not on the deformed void radius a or distance r0,but instead on the original void size A and original distance R0.
