The impact of avian influenza on small and medium scale poultry producers in South East Asia (preliminary findings).

Preliminary findings of the economic impact of avian influenza on poultry farmers in South East Asia is reported. Total economic losses in Indonesia are estimated at more than US$387 million; in Vietnam direct economic losses are estimated at more than US$200 million. Probit and economic surplus results are pending.Livestock Production/Industries,

Internally 4-connected binary matroids with cyclically sequential orderings

We characterize all internally 4-connected binary matroids M with the property that the ground set of M can be ordered (e0,…,en−1) in such a way that {ei,…,ei+t} is 4-separating for all 0≤i,t≤n−1 (all subscripts are read modulo n). We prove that in this case either n≤7 or, up to duality, M is isomorphic to the polygon matroid of a cubic or quartic planar ladder, the polygon matroid of a cubic or quartic Möbius ladder, a particular single-element extension of a wheel, or a particular single-element extension of the bond matroid of a cubic ladder

Evaluation of a novel assay for detection of the fetal marker RASSF1A: facilitating improved diagnostic reliability of noninvasive prenatal diagnosis

BackgroundAnalysis of cell free fetal (cff) DNA in maternal plasma is used routinely for non invasive prenatal diagnosis (NIPD) of fetal sex determination, fetal rhesus D status and some single gene disorders. True positive results rely on detection of the fetal target being analysed. No amplification of the target may be interpreted either as a true negative result or a false negative result due to the absence or very low levels of cffDNA. The hypermethylated RASSF1A promoter has been reported as a universal fetal marker to confirm the presence of cffDNA. Using methylation-sensitive restriction enzymes hypomethylated maternal sequences are digested leaving hypermethylated fetal sequences detectable. Complete digestion of maternal sequences is required to eliminate false positive results.MethodscfDNA was extracted from maternal plasma (n = 90) and digested with methylation-sensitive and insensitive restriction enzymes. Analysis of RASSF1A, SRY and DYS14 was performed by real-time PCR.ResultsHypermethylated RASSF1A was amplified for 79 samples (88%) indicating the presence of cffDNA. SRY real time PCR results and fetal sex at delivery were 100% accurate. Eleven samples (12%) had no detectable hypermethylated RASSF1A and 10 of these (91%) had gestational ages less than 7 weeks 2 days. Six of these samples were male at delivery, five had inconclusive results for SRY analysis and one sample had no amplifiable SRY.ConclusionUse of this assay for the detection of hypermethylated RASSF1A as a universal fetal marker has the potential to improve the diagnostic reliability of NIPD for fetal sex determination and single gene disorders

The Influence of Oral Contraceptive Knowledge on Oral Contraceptive Continuation Among Young Women

Background: Using a multidimensional approach, we assessed young women's knowledge of oral contraceptives (OC) and its influence on OC continuation rates. Methods: We used data from 659 women aged 13?25 years participating in a randomized controlled trial of an educational text message OC continuation intervention. Women received 6 months of daily text messages or routine care. At baseline and 6 months, we administered a comprehensive 41-item questionnaire measuring knowledge of OC's mechanism, effectiveness, use, side effects, risks, and benefits. We ascertained OC continuation status and reasons for discontinuation at 6 months. We analyzed relationships between OC knowledge and continuation with multivariable logistic regression. Results: Young women scored, on average, 22.8 out of 41 points on the OC knowledge assessment at baseline and 24.7 points at 6 months. The 6-month OC continuation rate was 59%. OC continuers had >2-points-higher OC knowledge scores at 6 months than discontinuers (p2 points lower than women who discontinued for other reasons (p-values<0.001). In multivariable regression models, each correct response on the baseline and 6-month knowledge assessments was associated with a 4% and 6% increased odds of OC continuation, respectively. Six-month OC knowledge scores were negatively associated with OC discontinuation due to side effects (odds ratio [OR] 0.94) and forgetfulness (OR 0.88). Conclusions: OC knowledge, which was low among young women in our study, was associated with OC continuation and common reasons for discontinuation. Continued efforts to characterize relationships between OC knowledge and behavior and to test the effectiveness of different components of interventions aimed at increasing knowledge, addressing side effects, and improving use of OCs are warranted.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/140126/1/jwh.2013.4574.pd

When does the inverse have the same sign pattern as the transpose?

summary:By a sign pattern (matrix) we mean an array whose entries are from the set $\lbrace +,-,0\rbrace$. The sign patterns $A$ for which every real matrix with sign pattern $A$ has the property that its inverse has sign pattern $A^T$ are characterized. Sign patterns $A$ for which some real matrix with sign pattern $A$ has that property are investigated. Some fundamental results as well as constructions concerning such sign pattern matrices are provided. The relation between these sign patterns and the sign patterns of orthogonal matrices is examined

The Development, Management and Support of Smart Strategic Alliances

Despite the increasing number of strategic alliances, how to ensure their success is poorly understood. Studies suggest that up to seventy-five percent of alliances fail to meet their initial objectives due to a multitude of cultural, political, technological and human factors. If such an eclectic set of competencies is required for success, alliance management is clearly a difficult task for today’s manager. Traditionally, managers wishing to develop strategic alliance competencies have relied on ad-hoc consultancy services and training. This has not, to date, resulted in a notable improvement in alliance success. The SMART project redresses this growing need by developing a knowledge-based software support system to help managers conceptualise, implement and manage strategic alliances. First, this paper introduces the field of strategic alliances; then the foundations of knowledgebased support systems are discussed. Finally, how the SMART approach will create value for managers is relayed

Suffolk County, a National Leader in Environmental Initiatives. Why?

Abstract: Suffolk County has been a leader, often within New York State and sometimes nationally, in developing plans and legislation to preserve the bodies of water, farmlands, and open spaces. Is this circumstantial and fortuitous? Or, were there forces that inspired governmental leaders to take action? This article explores those questions with the hope of inspiring our next generation of leaders to be vigilant and bold as threats to our natural resources, open spaces, and health continue to arise

Kyra Miller and Morgan Music Senior Recital

https://dc.ewu.edu/music_performances/1687/thumbnail.jp

Interventions to prevent obesity in school-aged children 6-18 years: An update of a Cochrane systematic review and meta-analysis including studies from 2015–2021

Background Childhood obesity remains a global public health priority due to the enormous burden it generates. Recent surveillance data suggests there has been a sharp increase in the prevalence of childhood obesity during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Cochrane review of childhood obesity prevention interventions (0–18 years) updated to 2015 is the most rigorous and comprehensive review of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) on this topic. A burgeoning number of high quality studies have been published since that are yet to be synthesised. Methods An update of the Cochrane systematic review was conducted to include RCT studies in school-aged children (6-18 years) published to 30 June 2021 that assessed effectiveness on child weight (PROSPERO registration: CRD42020218928). Available cost-effectiveness and adverse effect data were extracted. Intervention effects on body mass index (BMI) were synthesised in random effects meta-analyses by setting (school, after-school program, community, home), and meta-regression examined the association of study characteristics with intervention effect. Findings Meta-analysis of 140 of 195 included studies (183,063 participants) found a very small positive effect on body mass index for school-based studies (SMD –0·03, 95%CI –0·06,–0·01; trials = 93; participants = 131,443; moderate certainty evidence) but not after-school programs, community or home-based studies. Subgroup analysis by age (6–12 years; 13–18 years) found no differential effects in any setting. Meta-regression found no associations between study characteristics (including setting, income level) and intervention effect. Ten of 53 studies assessing adverse effects reported presence of an adverse event. Insufficient data was available to draw conclusions on cost-effectiveness. Interpretation This updated synthesis of obesity prevention interventions for children aged 6–18 years, found a small beneficial impact on child BMI for school-based obesity prevention interventions. A more comprehensive assessment of interventions is required to identify mechanisms of effective interventions to inform future obesity prevention public health policy, which may be particularly salient in for COVID-19 recovery planning. Funding This research was funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), Australia (Application No APP1153479)