General practice registrars’ intentions for future practice: Implications for rural medical workforce planning

The models of practice that general practice registrars (GPRs) envisage undertaking will affect workforce supply. The aim of this research was to determine practice intentions of current GPRs in a regional general practice training program (Coast City Country General Practice Training). Questionnaires were circulated to 220 GPRs undertaking general practice placements to determine characteristics of ideal practice models and intentions for future practice. Responses were received for 99 participants (45%). Current GPRs intend to work an average of less than eight half-day sessions/week, with male participants intending to work more hours (t(91) = 3.528, P = 0.001). More than one-third of this regional cohort intends to practice in metropolitan centres. Proximity to family and friends was the most important factor influencing the choice of practice location. Men ranked remuneration for work as more important (t (88) = –4.280, P \u3c 0.001) and women ranked the ability to work part-time higher (t(94) = 3.697, P \u3c 0.001). Fee-for-service payment alone, or in combination with capitation, was the preferred payment system. Only 22% of Australian medical graduates intend to own their own practice compared with 52% of international medical graduates (χ2(1) = 8.498, P = 0.004). Future general practitioners (GPs) intend to work fewer hours than current GPs. Assumptions about lifestyle factors, practice models and possible professional roles should be carefully evaluated when developing strategies to recruit GPs and GPRs into rural practice

Don\u27t Run Out Of STEAM! Barriers to A Transdisciplinary Learning Approach

Reform-based instruction can maximize learning and provide equitable access for students in both mathematics and science. A proposal for change by national organizations shed light on the need for programs in integrated science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) or with the inclusion of the arts (STEAM). A balanced approach to integrated STEAM education uses real issues from around the world to challenge students to be innovative, creative, and think critically about ways they can provide solutions. The purpose of this article is to highlight the potential of a transdisciplinary STEAM instructional approach, while examining the barriers that teachers face in implementation, and provide possible suggestions that allow for successful implementation of transdisciplinary STEAM instruction. With the growing interest in STEM education, it is important to better understand teacher challenges and obstacles to provide support for educators who are developing and implementing integrated STEM instruction. Integrated STEAM allows for creativity across disciplines and promotes students to become conceptual thinkers who are ready to approach future careers and education with more imagination and innovation

Technology utilization in a non-urban region - A measurement of the impact of the Technology Use Studies Center Final report

Technology utilization in agricultural areas and measurement of impact of technology use studies cente

Investigation of a gravity wave ducting event in the upper mesosphere

Atmospheric gravity waves (GWs) play an important role in the transport of energy and momentum throughout the Earth’s atmosphere. GW effects couple the lower regions of the atmosphere with the middle and upper regions of the atmosphere and the neutral atmosphere with the ionosphere. The effects are particularly strong in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere (MLT), where upward-propagating GWs tend to deposit momentum and energy flux via breaking, viscous dissipation, or other processes. The resulting net drag, heating, and cooling impact the global circulation of the mean atmospheric flow. Consequently, the parameterization of GWs in global climate models is a key focus of contemporary research on the MLT region. The physical processes associated with GWs must be understood in addition to their statistical characteristics in order to better parameterize their effects on the atmosphere. Ducting is a process that can occur when a GW becomes trapped between two evanescent regions in the atmosphere. According to the linear GW theory, a fully ducted wave has zero vertical momentum flux, so the ducting process must also be understood in order to improve our parameterization of GWs in global climate models. In this thesis, correlative lidar and airglow observations of a highly resonant ducting event, which occurred on the night of January 18, 2015, above the Andes Lidar Observatory (ALO) on Cerro Pachón, Chile (30.0° S, 70.0° W), are presented and analyzed. A ducted quasi-monochromatic GW with large associated temperature (T’) and vertical wind (w’) perturbations was observed in the mesopause region. A coherent phase relationship, consistent with the linear GW theory, between the temperature and vertical wind perturbations associated with the GW was found. The results also appear to show the generation of a secondary upward-propagating wave above the primary duct

A Novel Sequence-Based Antigenic Distance Measure for H1N1, with Application to Vaccine Effectiveness and the Selection of Vaccine Strains

H1N1 influenza causes substantial seasonal illness and was the subtype of the 2009 influenza pandemic. Precise measures of antigenic distance between the vaccine and circulating virus strains help researchers design influenza vaccines with high vaccine effectiveness. We here introduce a sequence-based method to predict vaccine effectiveness in humans. Historical epidemiological data show that this sequence-based method is as predictive of vaccine effectiveness as hemagglutination inhibition (HI) assay data from ferret animal model studies. Interestingly, the expected vaccine effectiveness is greater against H1N1 than H3N2, suggesting a stronger immune response against H1N1 than H3N2. The evolution rate of hemagglutinin in H1N1 is also shown to be greater than that in H3N2, presumably due to greater immune selection pressure.Comment: 26 pages, 7 figures, 2 tables, supplemen

Development of superconducting YBa2Cu3O(x) wires with low resistance electrical contacts

Materials exhibiting superconductivity above liquid nitrogen temperatures (77 K) will enable new applications of this phenomena. One of the first commercial applications of this technology will be superconducting magnets for medical imaging. However, a large number of aerospace applications of the high temperature superconducting materials have also been identified. These include magnetic suspension and balance of models in wind tunnels and resistanceless leads to anemometers. The development of superconducting wires fabricated from the ceramic materials is critical for these applications. The progress in application of a patented fiber process developed by Clemson University for the fabrication of superconducting wires is reviewed. The effect of particle size and heat treatment on the quality of materials is discussed. Recent advances made at Christopher Newport College in the development of micro-ohm resistance electrical contacts which are capable of carrying the highest reported direct current to this material is presented

Communicating Hunger and Satiation in the First Two Years of Life: A Systematic Review

Responsive feeding has been identified as important in preventing overconsumption by infants. However, this is predicated on an assumption that parents recognise and respond to infant feeding cues. Despite this, relatively little is understood about how infants engage parental feeding responses. Therefore the aim of this systematic review was to identify what is known about infant communication of hunger and satiation and what issues impact on the expression and perception of these states. A search of Medline, CINAHL, Web of Science, PsycINFO, Science Direct and Maternal and Infant care produced 27 papers. Eligibility criteria included: peer reviewed qualitative and/or quantitative publications on feeding behaviours, hunger, satiation/satiety cues of typically developing children in the first two years of life. Papers published between 1966 and 2013 were included in the review. The review revealed that feeding cues and behaviours are shaped by numerous issues, such as infants’ physical attributes, individual psychological factors and environmental factors. Meanwhile, infant characteristics, external cues and mothers’ own characteristics affect how feeding cues are perceived. The existing literature provides insights into many aspects of hunger and satiation in infancy; however, there are significant gaps in our knowledge. There is a lack of validated tools for measuring hunger and satiation, a need to understand how different infant characteristics impact on feeding behaviour and a need to extricate the respective contributions of infant and maternal characteristics to perceptions of hunger and satiation. Further research is also recommended to differentiate between feeding driven by liking and that driven by hunger

The eyes have it: Infant gaze as an indicator of hunger and satiation

Infant gaze serves as a measure of attention to food cues in adults and children and may play a role in signalling infant hunger and satiation. Maternal responsiveness to infant satiation cues, including gaze, supports healthy appetite development and may reduce obesity risk. However, mothers often experience difficulty in interpreting feeding cues, and there have been few attempts to study cues systematically. This study aimed to develop a reliable coding scheme for categorising and tracking infant gaze behaviours during complementary feeding (CF). Twenty infants aged between six and eighteen months were filmed during typical meals on two occasions at home. The Infant Gaze at Mealtime (IGM) coding scheme was devised from the analysis of a sample of videos, a piloting and testing process, and the feeding cues and developmental psychology literature. Inter and intra-rater reliability tests of the scheme with 20% of the study videos revealed high levels of reliability. When applied to the full sample of 225 video clips, the IGM coding scheme revealed a significant decrease over time in the frequency of infants gazing at food and a significant increase in exploratory gaze behaviour within a meal. These changes were consistent across main and dessert courses, suggesting they may be indicative of changes in infant feeding state. The results suggest that infant gaze may offer a means of identifying infant hunger and satiation and, as an easily observed behaviour, an effective tool for mothers and professionals for promoting responsive feeding

Snack Portion Sizes for Preschool Children Are Predicted by Caregiver Portion Size, Caregiver Feeding Practices and Children′s Eating Traits

Caregivers are mostly responsible for the foods young children consume; however, it is unknown how caregivers determine what portion sizes to serve. This study examined factors which predict smaller or larger than recommended snack portion sizes in an online survey. Caregivers of children aged 2 to 4 years were presented with 10 snack images, each photographed in six portion sizes. Caregivers (n = 659) selected the portion they would usually serve themselves and their child for an afternoon snack. Information on child eating traits, parental feeding practices and demographics were provided by caregivers. Most caregivers selected portions in line with recommended amounts for preschool children, demonstrating their ability to match portion sizes to their child′s energy requirements. However, 16% of caregivers selected smaller than recommended low energy-dense (LED, e.g., fruits and vegetables) snacks for their child which was associated with smaller caregiver′s own portion size, reduced child food liking and increased satiety responsiveness. In contrast, 28% of caregivers selected larger than recommended amounts of high energy-dense (HED, e.g., cookies, crisps) snacks for their child which were associated with larger caregiver′s own portion size, greater frequency of consumption, higher child body mass index (BMI), greater pressure to eat and lower child food liking. These findings suggest that most caregivers in this study select portions adjusted to suit their child′s age and stage of development. Future interventions could provide support to caregivers regarding the energy and nutrient density of foods given the relatively small portion sizes of LED and large portions of HED snacks offered to some children