623 research outputs found

    The use of a Rotary Asphalt Broom to Groom Aggregate Forest Roads

    Get PDF
    Due to the dispersed nature of forestry operations in much of the world, only a subset of a given forest road network are used in any year. Specifically, spur roads are generally only used when harvesting operations are adjacent to roadways; otherwise, they remain unused or only have infrequent administrative traffic. During these periods of light use, a substantial amount of organic litter may build up on the roads. As this detritus accumulates and decays, it creates conditions that encourage the growth of unwanted vegetation in the roadway, accelerating the contamination of the surface aggregate. This organic material can degrade the road by retaining moisture and creating a less tractive road surface. Contemporary forest practices control this unwanted vegetation by using a combination of grading or herbicides, at significant expense. One potential alternative treatment is the utilization of a rotary-mounted asphalt broom for vegetation and debris removal. A series of field trials were performed on wet, contaminated forest roads, in which we evaluated vegetation, debris removal effectiveness, and tire slip on segments of road before and after sweeping. The combined effects of wire and synthetic bristles on the rotary broom proved effective in both increasing traction and removing unwanted debris and vegetation from the road surface. Application of this technique was expedient, and did not result in significant loss of surface aggregate, removing on average less than 1% of the aggregate surface

    A Fragile Bastion: UNSW Judicial Stress Trauma Study

    Full text link
    Report on a study of NSW judicial officers at all levels on the stressors they face including physical and verbal threats, media vilification, isolation, level of workplace support and indeed level and location of court. The study found significant levels of trauma and seeks to ascertain specific causes for these

    Mechanisms of Oxidative Damage in Multiple Sclerosis and a Cell Therapy Approach to Treatment

    Get PDF
    Although significant advances have recently been made in the understanding and treatment of multiple sclerosis, reduction of long-term disability remains a key goal. Evidence suggests that inflammation and oxidative stress within the central nervous system are major causes of ongoing tissue damage in the disease. Invading inflammatory cells, as well as resident central nervous system cells, release a number of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species which cause demyelination and axonal destruction, the pathological hallmarks of multiple sclerosis. Reduction in oxidative damage is an important therapeutic strategy to slow or halt disease processes. Many drugs in clinical practice or currently in trial target this mechanism. Cell-based therapies offer an alternative source of antioxidant capability. Classically thought of as being important for myelin or cell replacement in multiple sclerosis, stem cells may, however, have a more important role as providers of supporting factors or direct attenuators of the disease. In this paper we focus on the antioxidant properties of mesenchymal stem cells and discuss their potential importance as a cell-based therapy for multiple sclerosis

    Judicial Work and Traumatic Stress: Vilification, Threats, and Secondary Trauma on the Bench

    Full text link
    This article reports the results of a survey of judicial officers’ exposure to potentially traumatic stressors in a single state in Australia. An online survey was fully or partially completed by 205 serving and retired members of state courts between June and August of 2019. Respondents answered questions in a Yes/No and Likert scale format and provided comments on their experience and recommendations for the future. The survey focused on the prevalence and impact of three kinds of traumatic stress: threats to the person, vicarious trauma, and vilification. It sought to measure prevalence and to identify how different events in the workplace impacted psychological wellbeing and traumatic stress. The overall response rate was 55.3%, with 205 out of 371 judicial officers providing a full or partial response. The results indicated that 61% of respondents had experienced threats of violence to themselves or someone close to them. Three quarters (75.1%) of respondents reported being exposed to events associated with vicarious trauma, and 61 (29.7%) reported symptoms consistent with trauma-related effects. Just over half (52.7%) reported instances of harsh public criticism amounting to vilification. On the Kessler 10 scale of psychological distress 25.9% scored in the “moderate” range, 18.9% in the “high” range, and 9.8% in the “very high” range, much higher than the general population’s distress distribution. Respondents also rated the usefulness of current support resources and made recommendation for future resources

    EUV lithography

    Get PDF

    Exploring mental health approaches and curriculum in physiotherapy: an Australasian perspective

    Get PDF
    Background:Exposure to mental health problems are becoming increasingly more frequent within physiotherapy. Physiotherapists recognize the need for a biopsychosocial approach, how-ever their knowledge, assessment, and treatment skills specific to mental health problems requires further research.Purpose:To profile the level of education and perception of education that physiotherapists have acquired specific to mental health problems; and to profile an understanding of the current practice of physiotherapists specific to mental health problems.Methods:An online survey addressed the aims of the study and collected data from physiothera-pists in Australia and New Zealand (open between 20th of October 2022 to the 20th of March 2023).Results: 139 respondents were included in the analysis. Physiotherapists had a perception that a significantly greater amount of coursework related to mental health needed to be included within their initial degree compared to what they received (mean difference of 20.0%, 95% CI: 17.5 to 22.5). This trend was evident irrespective of the degree level or the year of graduation. Higher perceived knowledge of anxiety (MD of 11.4, p = 0.001, ES: 0.5) and depression (MD of 11.8, p = 0.001, ES: 0.5) was evident in outpatient care physiotherapists. Lack of perceived knowledge is a reason for whether an assessment or treatment strategy is used with patients experiencing a mental health problem. Motivational interviewing and mindfulness were the most frequently used psychologically based techniques.Conclusion:This study reveals the need to increase the amount of mental health and psycholo-gically based techniques within Physiotherapy curriculum

    Mesenchymal Stem Cells Restore Frataxin Expression and Increase Hydrogen Peroxide Scavenging Enzymes in Friedreich Ataxia Fibroblasts

    Get PDF
    Dramatic advances in recent decades in understanding the genetics of Friedreich ataxia (FRDA)—a GAA triplet expansion causing greatly reduced expression of the mitochondrial protein frataxin—have thus far yielded no therapeutic dividend, since there remain no effective treatments that prevent or even slow the inevitable progressive disability in affected individuals. Clinical interventions that restore frataxin expression are attractive therapeutic approaches, as, in theory, it may be possible to re-establish normal function in frataxin deficient cells if frataxin levels are increased above a specific threshold. With this in mind several drugs and cytokines have been tested for their ability to increase frataxin levels. Cell transplantation strategies may provide an alternative approach to this therapeutic aim, and may also offer more widespread cellular protective roles in FRDA. Here we show a direct link between frataxin expression in fibroblasts derived from FRDA patients with both decreased expression of hydrogen peroxide scavenging enzymes and increased sensitivity to hydrogen peroxide-mediated toxicity. We demonstrate that normal human mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) induce both an increase in frataxin gene and protein expression in FRDA fibroblasts via secretion of soluble factors. Finally, we show that exposure to factors produced by human MSCs increases resistance to hydrogen peroxide-mediated toxicity in FRDA fibroblasts through, at least in part, restoring the expression of the hydrogen peroxide scavenging enzymes catalase and glutathione peroxidase 1. These findings suggest, for the first time, that stem cells may increase frataxin levels in FRDA and transplantation of MSCs may offer an effective treatment for these patients
    corecore