Future Frameworks: Towards a Strategic Plan for the Visual Arts and Museum Sector in NSW

The 2009 review of Museums and Galleries NSW (M&G NSW) recommended the development of a strategic plan for the visual arts & museum sector. One of the key recommendations of this review noted that with the growth of the sector over the previous ten years and a more strategic approach being adopted by Arts NSW, changes in the sector environment, as well as the substantially increased engagement of local government, it would be appropriate to undertake work in the development of the sector. Implementing this key recommendation, Arts NSW commissioned Professor Amanda Lawson to undertake strategic research, a needs analysis and external consultation to inform the planning process

Columbus Community Gardens

This project involved the collection of data from each community garden site in Columbus/Phenix City community by Professor Amanda Rees and Bert Melix, geography student (Columbus State University). Melix completed the digital map using GIS that was then shared with graphic design Professor Chuck Lawson and his student Cory Hart (Chattahoochee Valley Community College) as they developed a quad fold map to hand out to folks involved in Georgia Organics events in Columbus, Georgia. Our community partner was Georgia Organics who provided a mini grant for Bert Melix to complete the data collection and GIS map production. This project was completed in academic year 2016-2017

Successful Treatment of ANCA-Negative Wegener's Granulomatosis with Rituximab

Wegener's Granulomatosis (WG) is a systemic vasculitis typically associated with antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCAs). A small proportion of patients are ANCA negative, however, and this is more commonly found in individuals with disease limited to the ears, nose, throat, and lungs, who do not have renal involvement. Rituximab is a monoclonal anti-CD20 antibody that has been demonstrated to be effective in the treatment of autoantibody-associated rheumatic diseases, including systemic WG. We report the case of a patient with ANCA-negative WG who responded well to rituximab, illustrating that even in the absence of detectable autoantibodies, B-cell depletion can be effective

Does inbreeding contribute to pregnancy loss in Thoroughbred horses?

Background: Excessive inbreeding increases the probability of uncovering homozygous recessive genotypes and has been associated with an increased risk of retained placenta and lower semen quality. No genomic analysis has investigated the association between inbreeding levels and pregnancy loss. Objectives: This study compared genetic inbreeding coefficients (F) of naturally occurring Thoroughbred Early Pregnancy Loss (EPLs), Mid and Late term Pregnancy Loss (MLPL), and Controls. The F value was hypothesised to be higher in cases of pregnancy loss (EPLs and MLPLs) than Controls. Study design: Observational case-control study. Methods: Allantochorion and fetal DNA from EPL (n=37, gestation age 14-65 days), MLPL (n=94, gestational age 70 days–24 hours post parturition) and Controls (n=58) were genotyped on the Axiom Equine 670K SNP Genotyping Array. Inbreeding coefficients using Runs Of Homozygosity (FROH) were calculated using PLINK software. ROHs were split into size categories to investigate the recency of inbreeding. Results: MLPLs had significantly higher median number of ROH (188 interquartile range (IQR), 180.8-197.3), length of ROH (3.10, IQR 2.93-3.33), and total number of ROH (590.8, IQR 537.3-632.3), and FROH (0.26, IQR 0.24-0.28) when compared with the Controls and the EPLs (p<0.05). There was no significant difference in any of the inbreeding indices between the EPLs and Controls. The MLPLs had a significantly higher proportion of long (>10 Mb) ROH (2.5%, IQR 1.6-3.6) than the Controls (1.7%, IQR 0.6-2.5), p=0.001. No unique ROHs were found in the EPL or MLPL populations. Limitations: SNP-array data does not allow analysis of every base in the sequence. Conclusions: This first study of the effect of genomic inbreeding levels on pregnancy loss showed that inbreeding is a contributor to MLPL, but not EPL in the UK Thoroughbred population. Mating choices remain critical, because inbreeding may predispose to MLPL by increasing the risk of homozygosity for specific lethal allele(s)

The effect of increasing temperature on crop photosynthesis: From enzymes to ecosystems

As global land surface temperature continues to rise and heatwave events increase in frequency, duration, and/or intensity, our key food and fuel cropping systems will likely face increased heat-related stress. A large volume of literature exists on exploring measured and modelled impacts of rising temperature on crop photosynthesis, from enzymatic responses within the leaf up to larger ecosystem-scale responses that reflect seasonal and interannual crop responses to heat. This review discusses (i) how crop photosynthesis changes with temperature at the enzymatic scale within the leaf; (ii) how stomata and plant transport systems are affected by temperature; (iii) what features make a plant susceptible or tolerant to elevated temperature and heat stress; and (iv) how these temperature and heat effects compound at the ecosystem scale to affect crop yields. Throughout the review, we identify current advancements and future research trajectories that are needed to make our cropping systems more resilient to rising temperature and heat stress, which are both projected to occur due to current global fossil fuel emissions

Study protocol for a real-world evaluation of an integrated child and family health hub for migrant and refugee women

Introduction Continuity of child and family healthcare is vital for optimal child health and development for developmentally vulnerable children. Migrant and refugee communities are often at-risk of poor health outcomes, facing barriers to health service attendance including cultural, language, limited health literacy, discrimination and unmet psychosocial needs. 'Integrated health-social care hubs' are physical hubs where health and social services are co-located, with shared referral pathways and care navigation. Aim Our study will evaluate the impact, implementation and cost-benefit of the First 2000 Days Care Connect (FDCC) integrated hub model for pregnant migrant and refugee women and their infants. Materials and methods This study has three components. Component 1 is a non-randomised controlled trial to compare the FDCC model of care with usual care. This trial will allocate eligible women to intervention and control groups based on their proximity to the Hub sites. Outcome measures include: the proportion of children attending child and family health (CFH) nurse services and completing their CFH checks to 12 months of age; improved surveillance of growth and development in children up to 12 months, post partum; improved breastfeeding rates; reduced emergency department presentations; and improved maternal well-being. These will be measured using linked medical record data and surveys. Component 2 will involve a mixed-method implementation evaluation to clarify how and why FDCC was implemented within the sites to inform future roll-out. Component 3 is a within-trial economic evaluation from a healthcare perspective to assess the cost-effectiveness of the Hubs relative to usual care and the implementation costs if Hubs were scaled and replicated