Improving the J/psi Production Baseline at RHIC and the LHC

We assess the theoretical uncertainties on the inclusive J/psi production cross section in the Color Evaporation Model (CEM) using values for the charm quark mass, renormalization and factorization scales obtained from a fit to the charm production data. We use our new results to provide improved baseline comparison calculations at RHIC and the LHC. We also study cold matter effects on J/psi production at leading relative to next-to-leading order in the CEM within this approach.Comment: Proceedings for Hard Probes 2012, Cagliari, Ital

The Effects of 9/11 on the Fire Fighter Labor Market

The purpose of this study is to look at this apparent increase in demand for fire protection services in the theoretical framework of derived demand. The theory of derived demand tells us that the demand for labor in a certain field is determined by the demand for the goods or services produced by that labor (Freeman, 1972). More specifically, we should expect to see a shift to the right of the demand curve for fire fighters from the increased demand for fire protection services since September Eleventh. This should lead to greater employment levels and higher wages in the labor market for fire fighters. Section II gives the background of the increased demand for fire protection services since September Eleventh. Section III will follow by presenting the theory of derived demand. This will set up the hypothesis that employment numbers and wages for fire fighters should have increased after September Eleventh from the increased demand for fire protection services. Section IV will layout the model and data that will be used to test this hypothesis and Section V will examine the results obtained by testing our model so that we can draw conclusions and policy implications from them. Such implications could be quite useful to the Department of Homeland Security as well as local governments as they work to improve the preparedness of first responders to respond to and recover from potential acts ofterrorism

The associations between medical, allied and complementary medicine practitioner visits and childhood vaccine uptake

© 2018 The Authors Background: Vaccination rates have remained steady for a number of years in Australia, however geographical areas of lower vaccine coverage remains a day-to-day challenge. The study explores parental attitudes, beliefs and intentions in relation to vaccination and examines the early effects of recent No Jab No Pay legislation. Methods: A national survey of was conducted, using an online questionnaire. Parents from all states in Australia with at least one child aged <6 years were invited to participate. Results: A total of 429 parents participated in the study. The substantial majority of participants reported having their youngest child's vaccination status up to date (n = 401, 93.5%). A child's vaccinations were more likely to be up to date if they had consulted a paediatrician in the previous 12-months (OR 5.01; 95%CI 1.05, 23.92; p =.043). Conversely they were less likely to be vaccinated if they were influenced by information from a complementary medicine (CM) practitioner (OR 0.03; 95%CI 0.01, 0.15; p <.001) or had visited a CM-practitioner (OR 0.09; 95%CI 0.02, 0.33; p <.001) in the previous 12-months. A total of 2.6% of parents had immunised their child as a result of the No Jab No Pay legislation, while 3.9% stated the legislation had no effect, and 1.2% said it had made them less likely to vaccinate. A further 1.2% of parents stated they are considering vaccination as a result of the legislative changes. Conclusion: Parents who have not vaccinated their children appear to trust non-mainstream sources of information such as CM-practitioners. Further research is required to determine how to manage the challenges and opportunities of CM-practitioners as a source of vaccine information

Polyploidy

SummaryPolyploidy is defined as an increase in genome DNA content. Throughout the plant and animal kingdoms specific cell types become polyploid as part of their differentiation programs. When this occurs in subsets of tissues within an organism it is termed somatic polyploidy, because it is distinct from the increase in ploidy that is inherited through the germline and present in every cell type of the organism. Germline polyploidy is common in plants and occurs in some animals, such as amphibians, but will not be discussed further here. Somatic polyploid cells can be mononucleate or multinucleate, and the replicated sister chromatids can remain attached and aligned, producing polytene chromosomes, or they can be dispersed (Figure 1). In this Primer, we focus on why somatic polyploidy occurs and how cells become polyploid — the first of these issues being more speculative, given the status of the field

Is there an association between the use of complementary medicine and vaccine uptake: Results of a pilot study

© 2018 The Author(s). Objective: Despite the incredible success of paediatric immunisation, support is not universal. It has been suggested that complementary medicine practitioners enable vaccine rejection and his study aims to explore the relationship between complementary medicine use and paediatric vaccination. A total of 149 Australian parents were recruited via a parenting website and Facebook groups to complete an online questionnaire. Results: The majority of parents (66.4%) stated that their children's vaccination status was up-to-date. Vaccination status was associated with parental education, area of residence, income, private health insurance, and having a Health Care Card (p < 0.05). Children's vaccinations were more likely to be up-to-date if they had consulted a general practitioner in the previous 12 months (OR 21.75; p < 0.001), and less likely to be up-to-date if they had consulted a complementary medicine practitioner (OR 0.10; p < 0.001) in the same period. Concerns about vaccine safety and efficacy were the most common reasons for a child's immunisation status not being up-to-date. These findings highlight an interface between lower vaccine uptake and visits to complementary medicine practitioners. These results emphasise the need to examine the routine paediatric care practices of complementary medicine practitioners as a crucial piece of the puzzle in understanding vaccine rejection

Improved definition of crustal magnetic anomalies for MAGSAT data

The routine correction of MAGSAT vector magnetometer data for external field effects such as the ring current and the daily variation by filtering long wavelength harmonics from the data is described. Separation of fields due to low altitude sources from those caused by high altitude sources is affected by means of dual harmonic expansions in the solution of Dirichlet's problem. This regression/harmonic filter procedure is applied on an orbit by orbit basis, and initial tests on MAGSAT data from orbit 1176 show reduction in external field residuals by 24.33 nT RMS in the horizontal component, and 10.95 nT RMS in the radial component

The health care utilization and out-of-pocket expenditure associated with asthma amongst a sample of Australian women aged over 45 years: analysis from the '45 and up' study.

Objective: This study aims to describe the prevalence of health care utilization (including conventional medicine, self-care and complementary medicine treatments) for the management of asthma by women aged 45 years and over and their associated out-of-pocket expenditure.Methods: A self-reported mail survey of 375 Australian women, a cohort of the national 45 and Up Study, reporting a clinical diagnosis of asthma. The women were asked about their use of health care resources including conventional medicine, complementary medicine, and self-prescribed treatments for asthma and their associated out-of-pocket spending. Spearman's correlation coefficient, student's t-test and chi-square test were used as appropriate. Population level costs were created by extrapolating the costs reported by participants by available national prevalence data.Results: Survey respondents (N = 375; response rate, 46.9%) were, on average, 67.0 years old (min 53, max 91). The majority (69.1%; n = 259) consulted at least one health care practitioner in the previous 12 months for their asthma. Most of the participants (n = 247; 65.9%) reported using at least one prescription medication for asthma in the previous 12 months. The total out-of-pocket expenditure on asthma treatment for Australian women aged 50 years and over is estimated to be AU$159 million per annum.Conclusions: The breadth of conventional and complementary medicine health care services reported in this study, as well as the range of treatments that patients self-prescribe, highlights the challenges of coordinating care for individuals living with asthma

Associations Between Cancer Screening Behavior and Complementary Medicine Use: Results of a National Cross-Sectional Survey of 9151 Australian Women

© The Author(s) 2018. Introduction: Complementary medicine (CM) use has been found to influence the uptake of conventional cancer treatment. This study examines associations between CM use and cancer screening rates. Methods: Women aged 62 to 67 years from the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health were surveyed regarding their use of cancer screening initiatives. Associations between cancer screening behavior and visits to CM practitioners were analyzed. Results: Of the 9151 women, 9049 (98.9%) completed questions about cancer screening. A total of 65.1% of women had received a clinical skin examination, 54.3% colorectal cancer screening, 56.2% Pap test (within past 2 years), 83.3% mammogram (within past 2 years), 55.8% clinical breast examination, and 55.8% had conducted breast self-examination. Women who had consulted a massage therapist were more likely to undergo clinical skin examination (P =.002), clinical breast examination (P =.018), and mammogram (P =.001). Women who had consulted a chiropractor were more likely to undergo a clinical skin examination (P =.001), colorectal cancer screening (P =.020), and mammogram (P =.011). Women who had consulted an acupuncturist were more likely to undergo colorectal cancer screening (P =.019), and those who consulted with an osteopath were more liable to have a Pap test (P =.049). Conclusion: Women who visit CM practitioners are more likely to participate in cancer screening initiatives. Research is required to understand the current and potential role that CM practitioners (can) have as public health advocates, recommending preventative health measures such as cancer screening. Such an examination will help ensure optimal screening utilization and effective, timely care for all cancer patients

Complementary medicine use in the Australian population: Results of a nationally-representative cross-sectional survey

© 2018, The Author(s). In order to describe the prevalence and characteristics of complementary medicine (CM) practice and product use by Australians, we conducted a cross-sectional online survey with Australian adults aged 18 and over. Rates of consultation with CM practitioners, and use of CM products and practices were assessed. The sample (n = 2,019) was broadly representative of the Australian population. Prevalence of any CM use was 63.1%, with 36% consulting a CM practitioner and 52.8% using any CM product or practice. Bodywork therapists were the most commonly consulted CM practitioners (massage therapists 20.7%, chiropractors 12.6%, yoga teachers 8.9%) and homeopaths were the least commonly consulted (3.4%). Almost half of respondents (47.8%) used vitamin/mineral supplements, while relaxation techniques/meditation were the most common practice (15.8%). CM users were more likely to be female, have a chronic disease diagnosis, no private health insurance, a higher education level, and not be looking for work. Prevalence of CM use in Australia has remained consistently high, demonstrating that CM is an established part of contemporary health management practices within the general population. It is critical that health policy makers and health care providers acknowledge CM in their attempts to ensure optimal public health and patient outcomes