Infection prevention and control – quantitative study

Abstract Effective hand hygiene is one of the easiest ways to reduce healthcare associated infections (HCAIs) (WHO 2009a). This study is based on a previous study by Barrett and Randle (2008) which examined student nurses knowledge and the barriers that they faced to hand hygiene compliance. A thorough literature review revealed a lack of empirical studies that examined Health care workers hand hygiene practices within nursing homes. This study consequently examined HCWs’ perceptions of their own and patients’ hand hygiene and explored the barriers to effective hand hygiene within a nursing home setting. Ten qualitative interviews were conducted with HCWs who were working in a private nursing home. One main theme was identified within from the data entitled the theory-practice gap. Within this theme, three categories were present and included: “knowledge”, “barriers” and “practice improvement”. All categories contributed to the theme “The theory-practice gap”. It was evident that although HCWs had a level of hand hygiene knowledge, this did not translate into practice. HCWs did however have ideas of how to improve practice. HCWs identified a number of barriers to hand hygiene compliance. Many of these barriers have been previously identified within the literature (Barrett and Randle 2008, Harris et al. 2000, Camins and Fraser 2005). The most dominant of these barriers was accessibility to facilities including lack of alcohol-gel within nursing homes. The barriers had a negative impact on HCWs’ hand hygiene compliance despite their knowledge that effective hand hygiene reduces the number of HCAIs. Health care workers knowledge about hand hygiene practices could be improved to overcome certain barriers to hand hygiene compliances

Infection prevention and control – quantitative study

Abstract Effective hand hygiene is one of the easiest ways to reduce healthcare associated infections (HCAIs) (WHO 2009a). This study is based on a previous study by Barrett and Randle (2008) which examined student nurses knowledge and the barriers that they faced to hand hygiene compliance. A thorough literature review revealed a lack of empirical studies that examined Health care workers hand hygiene practices within nursing homes. This study consequently examined HCWs’ perceptions of their own and patients’ hand hygiene and explored the barriers to effective hand hygiene within a nursing home setting. Ten qualitative interviews were conducted with HCWs who were working in a private nursing home. One main theme was identified within from the data entitled the theory-practice gap. Within this theme, three categories were present and included: “knowledge”, “barriers” and “practice improvement”. All categories contributed to the theme “The theory-practice gap”. It was evident that although HCWs had a level of hand hygiene knowledge, this did not translate into practice. HCWs did however have ideas of how to improve practice. HCWs identified a number of barriers to hand hygiene compliance. Many of these barriers have been previously identified within the literature (Barrett and Randle 2008, Harris et al. 2000, Camins and Fraser 2005). The most dominant of these barriers was accessibility to facilities including lack of alcohol-gel within nursing homes. The barriers had a negative impact on HCWs’ hand hygiene compliance despite their knowledge that effective hand hygiene reduces the number of HCAIs. Health care workers knowledge about hand hygiene practices could be improved to overcome certain barriers to hand hygiene compliances

Infrastructure to Improve Beef Business Outcomes in the Queensland Gulf

There are significant economic and environmental issues impacting on the short and long term viability of family-run breeding enterprises in the Queensland Gulf. Falling cattle prices and increased business costs threaten the social and financial well-being of many beef producers. Set stocking and overgrazing combine to reduce native 3P (productive, palatable and perennial) grass frequency and herd productivity. The Ryan family on Greenhills Station at George-town in the Queensland Gulf embarked on a 5 year water and fencing infrastructure development program aiming to improve pasture utilisation, land condition and long term carrying capacity

Characterizing axonal myelination within the healthy population: a tract-by-tract mapping of effects of age and gender on the fiber g-ratio

: The g-ratio, equal to the ratio of the inner-to-outer diameter of a myelinated axon, is associated with the speed of conduction, and thus reflects axonal function and integrity. It is now possible to estimate an "aggregate" g-ratio in vivo using MRI. The aim of this study was to assess the variation of the MRI-derived fiber g-ratio in the brain of healthy individuals, and to characterize its variation across the lifespan. Thirty-eight healthy participants, aged between 20 and 76, were recruited. Whole-brain g-ratio maps were computed and analyzed voxel-wise. Median tract g-ratio values were also extracted. No significant effect of gender was found, whereas age was found to be significantly associated with the g-ratio within the white matter. The tract-specific analysis showed this relationship to follow a nearly-linear increase, although the slope appears to slow down slightly after the 6th decade of life. The most likely interpretation is a subtle but consistent reduction in myelin throughout adulthood, with the density of axons beginning to decrease between the 4th and 5th decade

Changes in neuromuscular structure and functions of human colon during ageing are region-dependent

Objective: To determine if human colonic neuromuscular functions decline with increasing age.Design: Looking for non-specific changes in neuromuscular function, a standard burst of electrical field stimulation (EFS) was used to evoke neuronally mediated (cholinergic/nitrergic) contractions/relaxations in ex vivomuscle strips of human ascending and descending colon, aged 35–91 years (macroscopically normal tissue; 239 patients undergoing cancer resection). Then, to understand mechanisms of change, numbers and phenotype of myenteric neurons (30 306 neurons stained with different markers), densities of intramuscular nerve fibres (51 patients in total) and pathways involved in functional changes were systematically investigated (by immunohistochemistry and use of pharmacological tools) in elderly (≥70 years) and adult (35–60 years) groups.Results: With increasing age, EFS was more likely to evoke muscle relaxation in ascending colon instead of contraction (linear regression: n=109, slope 0.49%±0.21%/year, 95% CI ), generally uninfluenced by comorbidity or use of medications. Similar changes were absent in descending colon. In the elderly, overall numbers of myenteric and neuronal nitric oxide synthaseimmunoreactive neurons and intramuscular nerve densities were unchanged in ascending and descending colon, compared with adults. In elderly ascending, not descending, colon numbers of cell bodies exhibiting choline acetyltransferase immunoreactivity increased compared with adults (5.0±0.6 vs 2.4±0.3 neurons/mm myenteric plexus, p=0.04). Cholinergically mediated contractions were smaller in elderly ascending colon compared with adults (2.1±0.4 and 4.1±1.1 g-tension/gtissue during EFS; n=25/14; p=0.04); there were no changes in nitrergic function or in ability of the muscle to contract/relax. Similar changes were absent in descending colon.Conclusion: In ascending not descending colon, ageing impairs cholinergic function

Interactive Machine Learning for Generative Models

Effective control of generative media models remains a challenge for specialised generation tasks, including where no suitable dataset to train a contrastive language model exists. We describe a new approach that enables users to interactively create bespoke text-to-media mappings for arbitrary media generation models, using a small number of examples. This approach - very distinct from contrastive language pretraining approaches - facilitates new strategies for using language to drive media creation in creative contexts not well served by existing methods

Neurite orientation and dispersion density imaging (NODDI) detects cortical and corticospinal tract degeneration in ALS

Background: Corticospinal tract (CST) degeneration and cortical atrophy are consistent features of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). We hypothesised that neurite orientation dispersion and density imaging (NODDI), a multicompartment model of diffusion MRI, would reveal microstructural changes associated with ALS within the CST and precentral gyrus (PCG) ‘in vivo’. Methods: 23 participants with sporadic ALS and 23 healthy controls underwent diffusion MRI. Neurite density index (NDI), orientation dispersion index (ODI) and free water fraction (isotropic compartment (ISO)) were derived. Whole brain voxel-wise analysis was performed to assess for group differences. Standard diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) parameters were computed for comparison. Subgroup analysis was performed to investigate for NODDI parameter differences relating to bulbar involvement. Correlation of NODDI parameters with clinical variables were also explored. The results were accepted as significant where p<0.05 after family-wise error correction at the cluster level, clusters formed with p<0.001. Results: In the ALS group NDI was reduced in the extensive regions of the CST, the corpus callosum and the right PCG. ODI was reduced in the right anterior internal capsule and the right PCG. Significant differences in NDI were detected between subgroups stratified according to the presence or absence of bulbar involvement. ODI and ISO correlated with disease duration. Conclusions: NODDI demonstrates that axonal loss within the CST is a core feature of degeneration in ALS. This is the main factor contributing to the altered diffusivity profile detected using DTI. NODDI also identified dendritic alterations within the PCG, suggesting microstructural cortical dendritic changes occur together with CST axonal damage

Northern grazing carbon farming – integrating production and greenhouse gas outcomes 1 : Climate Clever Beef Final Report

This project targeted three large and diverse regions across northern Australia: the Queensland Gulf, the Queensland Fitzroy Basin and the Northern Territory (Victoria River District, Douglas Daly and Barkly Tableland regions). Eleven grazing businesses across three broad regions were engaged as case studies to undertake demonstrations and evaluations within their businesses. These businesses manage more than 1,281,000 ha and 97,600 cattle. The project provided an excellent opportunity to capitalize on established networks and genuine producer interest and participation built up in recent initiatives (e.g. CCRP Climate Clever Beef (Bray et al. 2014), Northern Grazing Systems project (Phelps et al. 2014), RELRP, SCaRP, SavannaPlan, CQ Beef). The project team included research and extension professionals with decades of combined experience working with northern beef producers. The knowledge and analytical tools developed during previous projects identified practices to: reduce the greenhouse gas emissions impact of beef businesses, manage climate variability, improve land condition and increase business profitability

Northern grazing carbon farming – integrating production and greenhouse gas outcomes 1 : Climate Clever Beef Final Report

This project targeted three large and diverse regions across northern Australia: the Queensland Gulf, the Queensland Fitzroy Basin and the Northern Territory (Victoria River District, Douglas Daly and Barkly Tableland regions). Eleven grazing businesses across three broad regions were engaged as case studies to undertake demonstrations and evaluations within their businesses. These businesses manage more than 1,281,000 ha and 97,600 cattle. The project provided an excellent opportunity to capitalize on established networks and genuine producer interest and participation built up in recent initiatives (e.g. CCRP Climate Clever Beef (Bray et al. 2014), Northern Grazing Systems project (Phelps et al. 2014), RELRP, SCaRP, SavannaPlan, CQ Beef). The project team included research and extension professionals with decades of combined experience working with northern beef producers. The knowledge and analytical tools developed during previous projects identified practices to: reduce the greenhouse gas emissions impact of beef businesses, manage climate variability, improve land condition and increase business profitability