An Australian Fuel Substitution

Over the past ten years, the revenue collected by Australia's Commonwealth government from excises and royalties on liquid fuels has increased substantially. These revenues have risen from around six per cent of total taxation in 1975-76 to nearly 12.5 per cent in 1985-86, and from 43.6 per cent of total excise revenue to 76 per cent over the same period (Figure 1). The proportion of liquid fuels excise and royalties raised from each of crude oil and petroleum products has also varied considerably, and changed particularly dramatically during 1986-87 (Figure 2). These changes have been induced variously by movements in volumes produced and demanded and by policy decisions affecting import parity prices and tax rates. For example, it is clear from Figure 3 that the dramatic fall in crude oil revenue can be associated with falls in all three of the import parity price, the crude oil levy rate, and the production of indigenous crude. But in Figure 4, the corresponding substantial increase in products revenue is most closely aligned with an increased excise rate. A major general purpose of this paper is therefore to identify the principal aggregate and structural impacts which result from a substantial switch to petroleum products excise revenue from crude oil levy revenue. Industrial ·sector interfuel substitution effects are explicitly allowed for, under conditions of no net change in nominal or real liquid fuel tax receipts. Specific account is also taken of two important strands of the Australian government's pre-1988 oil regulatory framework, namely the import parity pricing (IPP) and domestic allocation systems for crude oil

USING THE RESERVOIR WAVE APPROACH TO STUDY THE HORIZON EFFECT

INTRODUCTION Differing theories and models have been explored in the field of arterial hemodynamics in an effort to better understand how the blood flows in the body. The existence of discrete reflection sites remains a source of disagreement. As a wave proceeds along an artery, any local change in impedance will result in partial reflection. Thus, because of the great complexity of the arterial system, it has been suggested that no distinct reflector sites should exist. On the other hand, there is recent experimental evidence using the reservoir-wave approach (RWA) that implies discrete positive and negative reflection sites. The pattern of wave propagation and reflection is plausible, as are the modifications produced by pharmacologic interventions [1]. The classical, frequency-domain, “impedance analysis” approach uses Fourier analysis to break down pressure and flow waveforms into summations of sinusoids, resulting in an impedance spectrum [2]. The RWA is a novel alternative, positing that measured pressures and flows are the instantaneous sums of “excess” (wave-related) and reservoir (volume-related) components [2]. The “Horizon Effect” (HE) [3] implies that a reflector site can never be reached no matter how far into the periphery one measures (Figure 1). As such, it supports the idea that there are no distinct reflector sites. Measuring peripheral pressure and flow and using the RWA, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the HE and the question of fixed reflector sites. METHODS Eight anesthetized pigs were catheterized and pressure and flow were measured simultaneously at 4 locations: the aortic root and the brachial, carotid and renal arteries. Pharmacologic interventions were used to manipulate propagation and reflection patterns. MatLab (The MathWorks Inc., Natick, MA) was used to calculate the reservoir pressure, the local wave speed and to carry out wave intensity analysis (WIA) to obtain the forwards and backwards components of pressure. RESULTS Analysis has been completed on 4 of the 8 animals studied. Each showed minimal backward wave activity at the aortic root and in the carotid artery. However, in the brachial and renal arteries, no backward waves could be detected. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS Backward waves were scarcely detected in the periphery using either the RWA or classical analysis. This may suggest that the pig model was inappropriate to study the HE. Porcine anatomy does not allow measurement at remote peripheral sites and reflection sites cannot be studied if no reflections are to be found. Further analysis of the data is needed before more definitive conclusions can be made

Narrative-based psychotherapies for mood disorders: A scoping review of the literature

Background: Narrative-based psychotherapies are strengths-based psychotherapeutic approaches that could be beneficial for people with mood disorders. This scoping review synthesizes the research on the outcomes of various modalities of narrative-based psychotherapies for adults with mood disorders. Methods: Scoping review methodology was followed. Relevant studies were identified via systematic database searches. Articles were eligible if they reported on the outcomes of narrative therapy, narrative therapy integrated with other treatment modalities, and other narrative-based psychotherapies delivered to adults with mood disorders, and were published in English or French. Eighteen reports were included in the review. Results: A small body of research has applied the original narrative therapy model, integrated narrative therapies, and other narrative-based psychotherapies to depressive disorders and, to a lesser extent, to bipolar disorder. Across studies and methodologies, these approaches are associated with improvements in mood symptoms and other metrics. Comparative research tentatively suggests that outcomes of narrative approaches may be similar to those of other psychotherapeutic approaches, across a range of populations. Conclusions: Narrative approaches to psychotherapy may constitute promising psychotherapeutic modalities for adults with mood disorders. However, these approaches are under-researched to date; ongoing research is justified to establish a more robust evidence base on the efficacy and effectiveness of narrative-based psychotherapies for mood disorders

Event-Based Surveillance at Community and Healthcare Facilities, Vietnam, 2016–2017

Surveillance and outbreak reporting systems in Vietnam required improvements to function effectively as early warning and response systems. Accordingly, the Ministry of Health of Vietnam, in collaboration with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, launched a pilot project in 2016 focusing on community and hospital event–based surveillance. The pilot was implemented in 4 of Vietnam’s 63 provinces. The pilot demonstrated that event-based surveillance resulted in early detection and reporting of outbreaks, improved collaboration between the healthcare facilities and preventive sectors of the ministry, and increased community participation in surveillance and reporting

Advanced cell-based products generated via automated and manual manufacturing platforms under the quality by design principle: Are they equivalent or different?

Mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs) are multipotent stem cells that can be isolated from bone marrow, adipose tissue, the umbilical cord, dental pulp, etc. These cells have unique properties that give them excellent therapeutic potential, including immunoregulation, immunomodulation, and tissue regeneration functions. MSC-based products are considered advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMPs) under European regulations (1394/2007); thus, they must be manufactured under good manufacturing practices and via effective manufacturing methods. The former can be achieved via a proper laboratory design and compliance with manufacturing protocols, whereas the latter requires an approach that ensures that the quality of the products is consistent regardless of the manufacturing procedure. To meet these daunting requirements, this study proposes an exchangeable approach that combines optimized and equivalent manufacturing processes under the Quality by Design (QbD) principle, allowing investigators to convert from small laboratory-scale to large-scale manufacturing of MSC-based products for clinical applications without altering the quality and quantity of the cell-based products

Widely targeted metabolomics reveals the species‐specific, matureness‐specific and post‐harvest‐specific discriminations in the chemical profiles of Vietnamese endemic golden camellias

International audienceSummary Vietnam is one of the countries with the highest diversity of golden camellias in the world, with more than forty endemic species. However, studies on Vietnamese golden camellias need to be expanded to fill a knowledge gap on these species' chemical profiles and pharmacological properties. This qualitative study focuses on six golden camellias: four endemic species from Tam Dao district, Vinh Phuc province, including Camellia hakodae , Camellia phanii , Camellia tamdaoensis , Camellia tienii and two species commonly cultivated in Quang Ninh province including Camellia petelotii and Camellia euphlebia . A mutual profile of 131 metabolites was obtained by using widely targeted metabolomics analysis using ultra‐performance liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry. Comparative metabolomics was performed among leaf extracts of six golden teas, between young and mature leaves and between freeze‐drying and oven‐drying leaves to discriminate these species, and determine the effect of developmental stage and post‐harvesting method on the plant metabolism. The PLS‐DA model successfully illustrated a clear separation of the six species and suggested apigenin C‐glycoside derivatives as chemical markers for the diversity. Young and mature leaves of all six species also produced distinguished metabolomes, differentiated by mostly amino acid derivatives. The multivariate analysis also indicated the conversion of some flavonoids and amino acids induced by heat in the drying process. These results offer metabolite markers for quality control of Vietnamese golden camellias and recommendations for their usage and preparation

Contactless and Spatially Resolved Determination of Current-Voltage Curves in Perovskite Solar Cells via Photoluminescence

Early prediction of spatially resolved performance of perovskite solar cells (PSCs) is essential for process monitoring, control and fault diagnosis, and upscaling of this emerging technology. Herein, a fast, nonde structive, contactless imaging-based approach is developed to visualize the spatial distribution of possible light current density−voltage (pseudo-J−V) curves on finished and partly finished cells. This allows for the extraction of other critical spatially resolved properties including implied open-circuit voltage and pseudo-fill factor. The technique is applied to systematically investigate various degradation behaviors on PSCs including thermal stability, light soaking, and ambient air exposure. Finally, it is used to predict pseudo-J−V curves of various perovskite films with different compositions. These results demonstrate the significant value of this fast imaging technique for the research and development of PSCs ranging from material selection, process optimization, to degradation study