South Yarding focus catchment report

This report provides a record of the activities carried out by the South Yarding Focus Support Team and Catchment Group. It covers the results of investigations and summarises the group\u27s catchment plan of South Yarding, Western Australia, based on the best available information on soils, groundwater hydrology, surface water control, alternative crops and pastures and revegetation options

South East Humps focus catchment report

This report provides a record of the activities carried out by the Lockhart Focus Support Team and the Catchment Group. It covers the results of the investigations and a summary of the group\u27s catchment plan for the South East Humps Catchment east of Hyden in Western Australia. It covers the current best available information on soils, groundwater hydrology, surface water control, alternative crops and pastures, and revegetation options

Creation of 3D models from large unstructured image and video datasets

Exploration of various places using low-cost camera solutions over decades without having a photogrammetric application in mind has resulted in large collections of images and videos that may have significant cultural value. The purpose of collecting this data is often to provide a log of events and therefore the data is often unstructured and of varying quality. Depending on the equipment used there may be approximate location data available for the images but the accuracy of this data may also be of varying quality. In this paper we present an approach that can deal with these conditions and process datasets of this type to produce 3D models. Results from processing the dataset collected during the discovery and subsequent exploration of the HMAS Sydney and HSK Kormoran wreck sites shows the potential of our approach. The results are promising and show that there is potential to retrieve significantly more information from many of these datasets than previously thought possible

Diversity of Pol IV Function Is Defined by Mutations at the Maize rmr7 Locus

Mutations affecting the heritable maintenance of epigenetic states in maize identify multiple small RNA biogenesis factors including NRPD1, the largest subunit of the presumed maize Pol IV holoenzyme. Here we show that mutations defining the required to maintain repression7 locus identify a second RNA polymerase subunit related to Arabidopsis NRPD2a, the sole second largest subunit shared between Arabidopsis Pol IV and Pol V. A phylogenetic analysis shows that, in contrast to representative eudicots, grasses have retained duplicate loci capable of producing functional NRPD2-like proteins, which is indicative of increased RNA polymerase diversity in grasses relative to eudicots. Together with comparisons of rmr7 mutant plant phenotypes and their effects on the maintenance of epigenetic states with parallel analyses of NRPD1 defects, our results imply that maize utilizes multiple functional NRPD2-like proteins. Despite the observation that RMR7/NRPD2, like NRPD1, is required for the accumulation of most siRNAs, our data indicate that different Pol IV isoforms play distinct roles in the maintenance of meiotically-heritable epigenetic information in the grasses

Non-parametric belief propagation for mobile mapping sensor fusion

© 2016 Wuhan University. Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. Many different forms of sensor fusion have been proposed each with its own niche. We propose a method of fusing multiple different sensor types. Our approach is built on the discrete belief propagation to fuse photogrammetry with GPS to generate three-dimensional (3D) point clouds. We propose using a non-parametric belief propagation similar to Sudderth et al’s work to fuse different sensors. This technique allows continuous variables to be used, is trivially parallel making it suitable for modern many-core processors, and easily accommodates varying types and combinations of sensors. By defining the relationships between common sensors, a graph containing sensor readings can be automatically generated from sensor data without knowing a priori the availability or reliability of the sensors. This allows the use of unreliable sensors which firstly, may start and stop providing data at any time and secondly, the integration of new sensor types simply by defining their relationship with existing sensors. These features allow a flexible framework to be developed which is suitable for many tasks. Using an abstract algorithm, we can instead focus on the relationships between sensors. Where possible we use the existing relationships between sensors rather than developing new ones. These relationships are used in a belief propagation algorithm to calculate the marginal probabilities of the network. In this paper, we present the initial results from this technique and the intended course for future work

Risk of severe COVID-19 in patients with inflammatory rheumatic diseases treated with immunosuppressive therapy in Scotland

Objective: To investigate the association of severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in patients with inflammatory rheumatic diseases (IRDs) treated with immunosuppressive drugs. Method: A list of 4633 patients on targeted – biological or targeted synthetic – DMARDs in March 2020 was linked to a case– control study that includes all cases of COVID-19 in Scotland. Results: By 22 November 2021, 433 of the 4633 patients treated with targeted DMARDS had been diagnosed with COVID-19, of whom 58 had been hospitalized. With all those in the population not on DMARDs as the reference category, the rate ratio for hospitalized COVID-19 associated with DMARD treatment was 2.14 [95% confidence interval (CI) 2.02–2.26] in those on conventional synthetic (cs) DMARDs, 2.01 (95% CI 1.38–2.91) in those on tumour necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitors as the only targeted agent, and 3.83 (95% CI 2.65–5.56) in those on other targeted DMARDs. Among those on csDMARDs, rate ratios for hospitalized COVID-19 were lowest at 1.66 (95% CI 1.51–1.82) in those on methotrexate and highest at 5.4 (95% CI 4.4–6.7) in those on glucocorticoids at an average dose > 10 mg/day prednisolone equivalent. Conclusion: The risk of hospitalized COVID-19 is elevated in IRD patients treated with immunosuppressive drugs compared with the general population. Of these drugs, methotrexate, hydroxychloroquine, and TNF inhibitors carry the lowest risk. The highest risk is associated with prednisolone. A larger study is needed to estimate reliably the risks associated with each class of targeted DMAR

Introducing mobile fracture prevention services with DXA in Northern Scotland : A comparative study of three rural communities

The authors would like to thank the Grampian Osteoporosis Trust for funding the purchase of the mobile DXA scanner and the set-up costs of the service, and the University of Aberdeen Development Trust for funding the project evaluation.Peer reviewedPostprin

Sex-specific Outcomes of Acute Stroke in Patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus : A National Inpatient Sample Study

We would like to acknowledge the HCUP Data Partners (https://www.hcup-us.ahrq.gov/db/hcupdatapartners.jsp, accessed on 28 December 2022).Peer reviewedPublisher PD

The Potential Federal Tax Implications of United States v. Windsor (Striking Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA)): Selected Issues

This report provides an overview of the potential federal tax implications for same-sex married couples of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in United States v. Windsor, with a focus on the federal income tax. Estate tax issues are also discussed. This report focuses on changes in the interpretation and administration of federal tax law resulting from the Court's decision. The decision itself did not amend federal tax law

Insertion of a foldable hydrophobic IOL through the trabeculectomy fistula in cases with Microincision cataract surgery combined with trabeculectomy

BACKGROUND: The use of conventional foldable hydrophobic intraocular lenses (IOLs) in microincision cataract surgery (MICS) currently requires wound enlargement. We describe a combined surgical technique of MICS and trabeculectomy with insertion of a foldable IOL through the trabeculectomy fistula. METHODS: After completion of MICS through two side port incisions, a 3.2 mm keratome is used to enter the anterior chamber under the previously outlined scleral flap. An Acrysof multi piece IOL (Alcon labs, Fort Worth, Tx) is inserted into the capsular bag through this incision. The scleral flap is then elevated and a 2 × 2 mm fistula made with a Kelly's punch. The scleral flap and conjunctival closure is performed as usual. RESULTS: Five patients with primary open angle glaucoma with a visually significant cataract underwent the above mentioned procedure. An IOL was implated in the capsular bag in all cases with no intraperative complications. After surgery, all patients obtained a best corrected visual acuity of 20/20, IOL was well centered at 4 weeks follow up. The mean IOP (without any antiglaucoma medication) was 13.2 + 2.4 mm Hg at 12 weeks with a well formed diffuse filtering bleb in all the cases. CONCLUSION: The technique of combining MICS with trabeculectomy and insertion of a foldable IOL through the trabeculectomy fistula is a feasible and valuable technique for cases which require combined cataract and glaucoma surgery