The use of ERTS/LANDSAT imagery in relation to airborne remote sensing for terrain analysis in Western Queensland, Australia

The author has identified the following significant results. LANDSAT 1 and 2 imagery contrast the geology of the Cloncurry-Dobbyn and the Gregory River-Mt. Isa areas very clearly. Known major structural features and lithological units are clearly displayed while, hitherto unknown lineaments were revealed. Throughout this area, similar rock types produce similar spectral signatures, e.g. quartzites produce light signatures, iron rich rocks produce dark signatures. More geological data are discernible at the 1:50,000 scale than on the 1:250,000 scale. Ore horizons may be identified at the 1:50,000 scale, particularly where they are associated with iron rich rocks. On the level plains north of Cloncurry, distinctive spectral signatures produced by the combined reflectances of plant cover, soils, and geology, distinguish different types of superficial deposits. Existing and former channels of the Cloncurry and Williams Rivers are distinguished at the 1:50,000 scale on both the LANDSAT 1 and 2 imagery. On the Cloncurry Plains, fence lines are discernible on the 1:50,000 LANDSAT 2 imagery

The use of LANDSAT imagery in relation to air survey imagery for terrain analysis in northwest Queensland, Australia, volume 3

There are no author-identified significant results in this report

Vibration Modelling and Control Experiments for a Thin-Walled Cylindrical Rotor with Piezo Patch Actuation and Sensing

This paper describes a dynamic model formulation and control experiments concerning the vibration behaviour of a thin-walled cylindrical rotor with internal piezoelectric patch transducers. Model development, validation and controller design procedures were undertaken for an experimental rotordynamic system comprising a tubular steel rotor (length 0.8 m, diameter 0.166 m and wall-thickness 3.06 mm) supported by two radial active magnetic bearings. Analytical solutions for mode shapes and natural frequencies for free vibration were first derived using a shell theory model, and these used to construct a speed-dependent parametric model for the rotor structure, including piezo patch actuators and sensors. The results confirm that the developed shell theory model can accurately capture the rotating frame dynamics and accounts correctly for frequency splitting from Coriolis effects. The model is also shown to be suitable for active controller design and optimization. Model-based H2 feedback control using the rotor-mounted actuators and sensors is shown to achieve vibration suppression of targeted flexural modes, both with and without rotation

Reassessing Ethnic Differences in Mean BMI and Changes Between 2007 and 2013 in English Children.

OBJECTIVE: National body fatness (BF) data for English South Asian and Black children use BMI, which provides inaccurate ethnic comparisons. BF levels and time trends in the English National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP) between 2007 and 2013 were assessed by using ethnic-specific adjusted BMI (aBMI) for South Asian and Black children. METHODS: Analyses were based on 3,195,323 children aged 4 to 5 years and 2,962,673 children aged 10 to 11 years. aBMI values for South Asian and Black children (relating to BF as in White children) were derived independently. Mean aBMI levels and 5-year aBMI changes were obtained by using linear regression. RESULTS: In the 2007-2008 NCMP, mean aBMIs in 10- to 11-year-old children (boys, girls) were higher in South Asian children (20.1, 19.9 kg/m2 ) and Black girls, but not in Black boys (18.4, 19.2 kg/m2 ) when compared with White children (18.6, 19.0 kg/m2 ; all P < 0.001). Mean 5-year changes (boys, girls) were higher in South Asian children (0.16, 0.32 kg/m2 per 5 y; both P < 0.001) and Black boys but not girls (0.13, 0.15 kg/m2 per 5 y; P = 0.01, P = 0.41) compared with White children (0.02, 0.11 kg/m2 per 5 y). Ethnic differences at 4 to 5 years were similar. Unadjusted BMI showed similar 5-year changes but different mean BMI patterns. CONCLUSIONS: BF levels were higher in South Asian children than in other groups in 2007 and diverged from those in White children until 2013, a pattern not apparent from unadjusted BMI data

Physiological and thermoregulatory effects of oral taurine supplementation on exercise tolerance during forced convective cooling

We investigated the effects of taurine supplementation on cycling time to exhaustion in cold conditions. Eleven males cycled to exhaustion at a power output equivalent to the mid-point between ventilatory threshold and maximum aerobic power following 15-min rest in the cold (apparent temperature of ∼ 4 °C; air flow of 4.17 m·s-1). Two-hours before, participants ingested taurine (50 mg·kg-1) or placebo beverage. Pulmonary gases, carbohydrate (CHO) and fat oxidation, body temperatures, mean local sweat rate, heart rate, rate of perceived exertion (RPE) and thermal comfort were recorded. Time to exhaustion was not different between trials (taurine = 14.6 ± 4.7 min; placebo = 13.4 ± 5.6 min, P = 0.061, d = 0.27). There were no effects (P > 0.05) of taurine on core temperature, mean skin temperature or local sweat rates. However, the placebo condition showed greater (P < 0.05) reductions in arm-to-finger temperature gradient (i.e. vasodilation) across pre-exercise passive cold exposure and increased CHO oxidation (P < 0.05). Participants also reached a thermally ‘comfortable’ level quicker in the taurine condition (P < 0.05). A 50 mg·kg-1 dose of taurine did not statistically benefit endurance exercise after moderate cold exposure but conferred some potential vascular and metabolic effects

A Compensatory Mutation Provides Resistance to Disparate HIV Fusion Inhibitor Peptides and Enhances Membrane Fusion

Fusion inhibitors are a class of antiretroviral drugs used to prevent entry of HIV into host cells. Many of the fusion inhibitors being developed, including the drug enfuvirtide, are peptides designed to competitively inhibit the viral fusion protein gp41. With the emergence of drug resistance, there is an increased need for effective and unique alternatives within this class of antivirals. One such alternative is a class of cyclic, cationic, antimicrobial peptides known as θ-defensins, which are produced by many non-human primates and exhibit broad-spectrum antiviral and antibacterial activity. Currently, the θ-defensin analog RC-101 is being developed as a microbicide due to its specific antiviral activity, lack of toxicity to cells and tissues, and safety in animals. Understanding potential RC-101 resistance, and how resistance to other fusion inhibitors affects RC-101 susceptibility, is critical for future development. In previous studies, we identified a mutant, R5-tropic virus that had evolved partial resistance to RC-101 during in vitro selection. Here, we report that a secondary mutation in gp41 was found to restore replicative fitness, membrane fusion, and the rate of viral entry, which were compromised by an initial mutation providing partial RC-101 resistance. Interestingly, we show that RC-101 is effective against two enfuvirtide-resistant mutants, demonstrating the clinical importance of RC-101 as a unique fusion inhibitor. These findings both expand our understanding of HIV drug-resistance to diverse peptide fusion inhibitors and emphasize the significance of compensatory gp41 mutations. © 2013 Wood et al

Clinical Placements: The Perspectives of UK Physiotherapy Students on How Prepared they were by their University for their First Clinical Placements: an example of one HEI

Background. Clinical placements are an integral component of physiotherapy education as they give physiotherapy students the opportunity to apply their academic knowledge and skills and at the same time universities aim to provide an education that responds to the demands of practice settings.Objective. This study aims to investigate the perceptions of second year physiotherapy students on a range of aspects regarding their university’s education as a preparation for their first clinical placement.Method. Second-year physiotherapy students were invited to participate in a survey before and after engaging in their first clinical placement. Domains covered by the survey were: knowledge and skills, professionalism, communication, inter-professional awareness, and stress, coping and support.Results. The findings revealed that although the students felt prepared with regard to their anatomy, physiology, manual handling and treatment strategies they felt unprepared in patient record keeping, clinical reasoning, goal setting and communicating with families and carers.Conclusion. Universities can do much to ease their students’ path into the clinical setting and create a seamless transition from academic life to the world of practice. Possible ways in which this could be achieved are discussed

Implications of leg length for metabolic health and fitness

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Several studies have linked longer legs with favorable adult metabolic health outcomes and greater offspring birth weight. A recent Mendelian randomization study suggested a causal link between height and cardiometabolic risk; however, the underlying reasons remain poorly understood. METHODOLOGY: Using a cross-sectional design, we tested in a convenience sample of 70 healthy young women whether birth weight and tibia length as markers of early-life conditions associated more strongly with metabolically beneficial traits like organ size and skeletal muscle mass (SMM) than a statistically derived height-residual variable indexing later, more canalized growth. RESULTS: Consistent with the ‘developmental origins of health and disease’ hypothesis, we found relatively strong associations of tibia length—but not birth weight—with adult organ size, brain size, SMM and resting energy expenditure measured by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry and indirect calorimetry, respectively. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Building on prior work, these results suggest that leg length is a sensitive marker of traits directly impacting metabolic and reproductive health. Alongside findings in the same sample relating tibia length and height-residual to MRI-measured pelvic dimensions, we suggest there may exist a degree of coordination in the development of long bone, lean mass and pelvic traits, possibly centered on early, pre-pubertal growth periods. Such phenotypic coordination has important implications for fitness, serving to benefit both adult health and the health of offspring in subsequent generations

Borderline Personality Disorder and Neuroplasticity: A Review

Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is a challenging and complex mental health disorder characterized by emotional dysregulation, impulsivity, unstable relationships, and a poor sense of self. Neuroplasticity, the brain's ability to change and adapt in response to experiences, is impaired in individuals with BPD, specifically in the prefrontal cortex, amygdala, and hippocampus. This impairment has been linked to emotional dysregulation, a core symptom of the disorder. Interventions aimed at improving neuroplasticity hold promise as a treatment target for BPD. Current evidence suggests that psychotherapeutic interventions, such as Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), may improve neural plasticity in the brain regions associated with emotional dysregulation and may result in symptom reduction and improved functioning in individuals with BPD. However, much more research is needed to better understand the relationship between neuroplasticity and BPD, as well as to develop more targeted and effective interventions. With continued research in this area, it is hoped that improved understanding of the role of neuroplasticity in BPD will lead to the development of more effective treatments for this challenging disorder