Seasonal variation and impact of waste-water lagoons as larval habitat on the population dynamics of Culicoides sonorensis (Diptera:Ceratpogonidae) at two dairy farms in northern California.

The Sacramento (northern Central) Valley of California (CA) has a hot Mediterranean climate and a diverse ecological landscape that is impacted extensively by human activities, which include the intensive farming of crops and livestock. Waste-water ponds, marshes, and irrigated fields associated with these agricultural activities provide abundant larval habitats for C. sonorensis midges, in addition to those sites that exist in the natural environment. Within this region, C. sonorensis is an important vector of bluetongue (BTV) and related viruses that adversely affect the international trade and movement of livestock, the economics of livestock production, and animal welfare. To characterize the seasonal dynamics of immature and adult C. sonorensis populations, abundance was monitored intensively on two dairy farms in the Sacramento Valley from August 2012- to July 2013. Adults were sampled every two weeks for 52 weeks by trapping (CDC style traps without light and baited with dry-ice) along N-S and E-W transects on each farm. One farm had large operational waste-water lagoons, whereas the lagoon on the other farm was drained and remained dry during the study. Spring emergence and seasonal abundance of adult C. sonorensis on both farms coincided with rising vernal temperature. Paradoxically, the abundance of midges on the farm without a functioning waste-water lagoon was increased as compared to abundance on the farm with a waste-water lagoon system, indicating that this infrastructure may not serve as the sole, or even the primary larval habitat. Adult midges disappeared from both farms from late November until May; however, low numbers of parous female midges were detected in traps set during daylight in the inter-seasonal winter period. This latter finding is especially critical as it provides a potential mechanism for the "overwintering" of BTV in temperate regions such as northern CA. Precise documentation of temporal changes in the annual abundance and dispersal of Culicoides midges is essential for the creation of models to predict BTV infection of livestock and to develop sound abatement strategies

Cardiac rehabilitation in rural and remote areas of North Queensland: how well are we doing?

Objective: To address access to cardiac rehabilitation (CR) for people in R&R areas, this research aimed to investigate: (1) post discharge systems and support for people returning home from hospital following treatment for heart disease (HD). (2) propose changes to improve access to CR in R&R areas of NQ. Setting: Four focus communities in R&R areas of NQ. Participants: Focus communities’ health staff (resident/visiting) (57), community leaders (10) and community residents (44), discharged from hospital in past 5 years following treatment for heart disease (purposeful sampling). Design: A qualitative descriptive case study, with data collection via semi-structured interviews. Inductive/deductive thematic analysis was used to identify primary and secondary themes. Health service audit of selected communities. Results: Health services in the focus communities included multipurpose health services, and primary health care centres staffed by resident and visiting staff that included nurses, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Workers, medical officers, and allied health professionals. Post-discharge health care for people with HD was predominantly clinical. Barriers to CR included low referrals to community-based health professions by discharging hospitals; poorly defined referral pathways; lack of guidelines; inadequate understanding of holistic, multidisciplinary CR by health staff, community participants and leaders; limited centre-based CR services; lack of awareness, or acceptance of telephone support services. Conclusion: To address barriers identified for CR in R&R areas, health care systems’ revision, including development of referral pathways to local health professionals, CR guidelines and in-service education, is required to developing a model of care that focuses on self-management and education: Heart: Road to Health

The Canadian Cooperative Wildlife Health Centre and Surveillance of Wild Animal Diseases in Canada, Volume 38, May 1997

The Canadian Cooperative Wildlife Health Centre (CCWHC) was established in 1992 as an organization among Canada\u27s 4 veterinary colleges, with a mandate to apply veterinary medicine to wildlife management and conservation in Canada. A major function of the CCWHC is nation-wide surveillance of wild animal diseases. Disease surveillance is conceived as consisting of 4 different activities: detection, diagnosis, information management, and use of information. In the CCWHC surveillance program, detection of disease is carried out by a wide range of professional and avocational field personnel, and much effort is expended to stimulate and support this activity. Diagnosis is done by personnel of provincial and federal veterinary laboratories and the CCWHC. Information management is achieved through a national database of wildlife disease incidents developed and maintained by the CCWHC. Use of information is enabled through established channels for distribution of information derived from the surveillance program to persons responsible for wildlife programs and policies, and to the public. There has been a high demand for the services of the CCWHC since its establishment. The CCWHC responds to approximately 2000 requests for information annually, distributes its newsletter to over 1700 recipients, examines approximately 1200 wild animal submissions each year, and has accumulated records of over 5000 disease incidents in its database. Technical information from the CCWHC has benefited federal, provincial/territorial, and non-government wildlife agencies; endangered species recovery programs; federal and provincial veterinary services; and federal and provincial public health programs

The Canadian Cooperative Wildlife Health Centre and Surveillance of Wild Animal Diseases in Canada, Volume 38, May 1997

The Canadian Cooperative Wildlife Health Centre (CCWHC) was established in 1992 as an organization among Canada\u27s 4 veterinary colleges, with a mandate to apply veterinary medicine to wildlife management and conservation in Canada. A major function of the CCWHC is nation-wide surveillance of wild animal diseases. Disease surveillance is conceived as consisting of 4 different activities: detection, diagnosis, information management, and use of information. In the CCWHC surveillance program, detection of disease is carried out by a wide range of professional and avocational field personnel, and much effort is expended to stimulate and support this activity. Diagnosis is done by personnel of provincial and federal veterinary laboratories and the CCWHC. Information management is achieved through a national database of wildlife disease incidents developed and maintained by the CCWHC. Use of information is enabled through established channels for distribution of information derived from the surveillance program to persons responsible for wildlife programs and policies, and to the public. There has been a high demand for the services of the CCWHC since its establishment. The CCWHC responds to approximately 2000 requests for information annually, distributes its newsletter to over 1700 recipients, examines approximately 1200 wild animal submissions each year, and has accumulated records of over 5000 disease incidents in its database. Technical information from the CCWHC has benefited federal, provincial/territorial, and non-government wildlife agencies; endangered species recovery programs; federal and provincial veterinary services; and federal and provincial public health programs

Offsetting of CO₂ emissions by air capture in mine tailings at the Mount Keith Nickel Mine, Western Australia: Rates, controls and prospects for carbon neutral mining

The hydrated Mg-carbonate mineral, hydromagnesite [Mg₅(CO₃)₄(OH)₂•4H₂O], precipitates within mine tailings at the Mount Keith Nickel Mine, Western Australia as a direct result of mining operations. We have used quantitative mineralogical data and δ¹³C, δ¹⁸O and F¹⁴C isotopic data to quantify the amount of CO₂fixation and identify carbon sources. Our radiocarbon results indicate that at least 80% of carbon stored in hydromagnesite has been captured from the modern atmosphere. Stable isotopic results indicate that dissolution of atmospheric CO₂ into mine tailings water is kinetically limited, which suggests that the current rate of carbon mineralization could be accelerated. Reactive transport modeling is used to describe the observed variation in tailings mineralogy and to estimate rates of CO₂ fixation. Based on our assessment, approximately 39,800 t/yr of atmospheric CO₂ are being trapped and stored in tailings at Mount Keith. This represents an offsetting of approximately 11% of the mine's annual greenhouse gas emissions. Thus, passive sequestration via enhanced weathering of mineral waste can capture and store a significant amount of CO₂. Recommendations are made for changes to tailings management and ore processing practices that have potential to accelerate carbonation of tailings and further reduce or completely offset the net greenhouse gas emissions at Mount Keith and many other mines

Cardiac rehabilitation services for people in rural and remote areas: an integrative literature review

Introduction: Morbidity and mortality from heart disease continues to be high in Australia with cardiac rehabilitation (CR) recognised as best practice for people with heart disease. CR is known to reduce mortality, reoccurrence of heart disease, hospital readmissions and costs, and to improve quality of life. Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders (Australian First Peoples or Indigenous peoples) have a greater need for CR due to their higher burden of disease. However, CR referral, access and attendance remain low for all people who live in rural and remote areas. The aim of this integrative review was to identify barriers, enablers and pathways to CR for adults living independently in rural and remote areas of high-income countries, including Australia. Methods: Studies were identified through five online data bases, plus reference lists of the selected studies. The studies focused on barriers and enablers of CR for adults in rural and remote areas of Australia and other high-income countries, in English peer reviewed journals (2007-2016). A mix of qualitative, quantitative and mixed method studies were reviewed through a modified Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta Analyses (PRISMA), followed by a critical review and thematic analysis. Results: Sixteen studies were selected: seven qualitative, four quantitative and five mixed method. Five themes that influence CR attendance were identified: referral, health services pathways and planning; cultural and geographic factors necessitating alternative and flexible programs; professional roles and influence; knowing, valuing, and psychosocial factors; and financial costs - personal and health services. Factors identified that impact on referral and access to CR were hospital inpatient education programs on heart disease and risk factors; discharge processes including CR eligibility criteria and referral to ensure continuum and transition of care; need for improved accessibility of services, both geographically and through alternative programs, including home based with IT and/or telephone support Also, the need to ensure that health professionals understand, value and support CR; the impact of mental health, coping with change and competing priorities; costs including travel, medications and health professional consultations; as well as low levels of involvement of Australian First Peoples in their own care and poor cultural understanding by non-Australian First Peoples staff all negatively impact on CR access and attendance. Conclusion: This study found weak systems with low referral rates and poor access to CR in rural and remote areas. Underlying factors include lack of health professional and public support, often based on poor perception of benefits of CR, compounded by scarce and inflexible services. Low levels of involvement of Australian First Peoples, as well as a lack of cultural understanding by non-Australian First Peoples staff, is evident Overall, the findings demonstrate the need for improved models of referral and access, greater flexibility of programs and professional roles, with management support Further, increased education and involvement of Australian First Peoples, including Indigenous health workers taking a lead in their own people's care, supported by improved education and greater cultural awareness of non Australian First Peoples staff, is required

An individual based computational model of intestinal crypt fission and its application to predicting unrestrictive growth of the intestinal epithelium.

Intestinal crypt fission is a homeostatic phenomenon, observable in healthy adult mucosa, but which also plays a pathological role as the main mode of growth of some intestinal polyps. Building on our previous individual based model for the small intestinal crypt and on in vitro cultured intestinal organoids, we here model crypt fission as a budding process based on fluid mechanics at the individual cell level and extrapolated predictions for growth of the intestinal epithelium. Budding was always observed in regions of organoids with abundant Paneth cells. Our data support a model in which buds are biomechanically initiated by single stem cells surrounded by Paneth cells which exhibit greater resistance to viscoelastic deformation, a hypothesis supported by atomic force measurements of single cells. Time intervals between consecutive budding events, as simulated by the model and observed in vitro, were 2.84 and 2.62 days, respectively. Predicted cell dynamics was unaffected within the original crypt which retained its full capability of providing cells to the epithelium throughout fission. Mitotic pressure in simulated primary crypts forced upward migration of buds, which simultaneously grew into new protruding crypts at a rate equal to 1.03 days-1 in simulations and 0.99 days-1 in cultured organoids. Simulated crypts reached their final size in 4.6 days, and required 40 6.2 days to migrate to the top of the primary crypt. The growth of the secondary crypt is independent of its migration along the original crypt. Assuming unrestricted crypt fission and multiple budding events, a maximal growth rate of the intestinal epithelium of 0.10 days-1 43 is predicted and thus approximately 22 days are required for a 10-fold increase of polyp size. These predictions are in agreement with the time reported to develop macroscopic adenomas in mice after loss of Apc in intestinal stem cells

Iso-osmotic regulation of nitrate accumulation in lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.)

Concerns about possible health hazards arising from human consumption of lettuce and other edible vegetable crops with high concentrations of nitrate have generated demands for a greater understanding of processes involved in its uptake and accumulation in order to devise more sustainable strategies for its control. This paper evaluates a proposed iso-osmotic mechanism for the regulation of nitrate accumulation in lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) heads. This mechanism assumes that changes in the concentrations of nitrate and all other endogenous osmotica (including anions, cations and neutral solutes) are continually adjusted in tandem to minimise differences in osmotic potential of the shoot sap during growth, with these changes occurring independently of any variations in external water potential. The hypothesis was tested using data from six new experiments, each with a single unique treatment comprising a separate combination of light intensity, N source (nitrate with or without ammonium) and nitrate concentration carried out hydroponically in a glasshouse using a butterhead lettuce variety. Repeat measurements of plant weights and estimates of all of the main soluble constituents (nitrate, potassium, calcium, magnesium, organic anions, chloride, phosphate, sulphate and soluble carbohydrates) in the shoot sap were made at intervals from about 2 weeks after transplanting until commercial maturity, and the data used to calculate changes in average osmotic potential in the shoot. Results showed that nitrate concentrations in the sap increased when average light levels were reduced by between 30 and 49 % and (to a lesser extent) when nitrate was supplied at a supra-optimal concentration, and declined with partial replacement of nitrate by ammonium in the external nutrient supply. The associated changes in the proportions of other endogenous osmotica, in combination with the adjustment of shoot water content, maintained the total solute concentrations in shoot sap approximately constant and minimised differences in osmotic potential between treatments at each sampling date. There was, however, a gradual increase in osmotic potential (ie a decline in total solute concentration) over time largely caused by increases in shoot water content associated with the physiological and morphological development of the plants. Regression analysis using normalised data (to correct for these time trends) showed that the results were consistent with a 1:1 exchange between the concentrations of nitrate and the sum of all other endogenous osmotica throughout growth, providing evidence that an iso-osmotic mechanism (incorporating both concentration and volume regulation) was involved in controlling nitrate concentrations in the shoot