Understanding the eating quality perceptions of international consumers to Australian sheepmeat

Consistent eating quality of sheepmeat is crucial to satisfy consumers, ensuring that they repurchase product. Therefore, this thesis explored the key factors that affect consumer perceptions of eating quality, namely American, Australian and Chinese consumers tasting Australian sheepmeat. These international consumer groups were selected based on their divergent relationships with lamb and sheepmeat products, and relevance to the Australian sheepmeat industry. To test consumer responses, the Meat Standards Australia (MSA) sensory protocols were utilised as they provide an internationally accepted methodology to assess untrained consumer perceptions of sheepmeat and beef products. Further, the existing MSA prediction models already adopted by the Australian industry provide a mechanism for the seamless integration of findings from this work. The first experiment compared the sensory responses of 2,160 untrained American, Australian and Chinese consumers to grilled longissimus lumborum and semimembranosus muscles from Australian lambs (n=164) and yearlings (n=168). Linear mixed effects models demonstrated no difference between the three countries for juiciness and overall liking scores, while for tenderness, liking of flavour and odour, American consumers scored highest, followed by Australian and Chinese consumers. Across these consumer groups, similar factors were shown to influence eating quality, yet varied in the magnitude of their effect. All consumer groups preferred the longissimus lumborum, lambs compared to yearlings, and Merino sired and female lambs. Analysis of consumer demographic factors and sheepmeat consumption habits on eating quality scores, demonstrated consumer age, gender, number of adults in a household and income affected sensory scores, however no consistent trend was observed across the different countries. Frequency of lamb consumption had an impact on sensory scores of the three consumer groups. Linear discriminate analyses were used to determine quality thresholds, and accuracy of predicted quality grades compared to actual consumer assigned grades. Chinese consumers demonstrated the most generous consignment of samples to higher quality grades, while American and Australian consumers were similarly more critical. The optimised discriminate function was also most accurate for Chinese consumer assignment to quality grades compared to Australian and American predictions. The last component of this work aimed to develop and test a new MSA cooking method, traditional Chinese hotpot. This experiment involved testing sensory responses of 720 untrained Chinese consumers to Australian lamb (n=108) and yearling (n=109) shoulder and leg cuts to assess the impact of cut-type and animal factors on eating quality using this cooking method. Shoulder cuts were more palatable than leg cuts, lambs were preferred to yearlings, and increasing intramuscular fat had a positive influence on sensory scores. Conversely, increasing muscularity negatively influenced eating quality scores. Results suggest shoulder and leg cuts cooked using hotpot could provide a better eating experience compared to some previously tested sheepmeat cooking methods. In addition, the influence of muscularity and intramuscular fat emphasise the importance of balanced selection for quality and yield traits to ensure consumer satisfaction is maintained. Overall, results demonstrated that consumer sensory perceptions of sheepmeat are highly consistent across countries, irrespective of cultural differences, with minimal variation in eating quality scores between the three countries and a consistent response to animal and production factors. However, the discriminate analysis demonstrated some perceptions of quality varied between the three countries, suggesting further investigation through the scope of the new sheepmeat MSA model may be beneficial to determine whether adjustments should be made to prediction models for product destined for these markets

Occurrence of OsHV-1 in Crassostrea gigas cultured in Ireland during an exceptionally warm summer. Selection of less susceptible oysters

The occurrence of OsHV-1, a herpes virus causing mass mortality in the Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas was investigated with the aim to select individuals with different susceptibility to the infection. Naïve spat transferred to infected areas and juveniles currently being grown at those sites were analyzed using molecular and histology approaches. The survey period distinguishes itself by very warm temperatures reaching up to 3.5°C above the average. The virus was not detected in the virus free area although a spread of the disease could be expected due to high temperatures. Overall mortality, prevalence of infection and viral load was higher in spat confirming the higher susceptibility in early life stages. OsHV-1 and oyster mortality were detected in naïve spat after 15 days of cohabitation with infected animals. Although, infection was associated with mortality in spat, the high seawater temperatures could also be the direct cause of mortality at the warmest site. One stock of juveniles suffered an event of abnormal mortality that was significantly associated with OsHV-1 infection. Those animals were infected with a previously undescribed microvariant whereas the other stocks were infected with OsHV-1 μVar. Cell lesions due to the infection were observed by histology and true infections were corroborated by in situ hybridization. Survivors from the natural outbreak were exposed to OsHV-1 μVar by intramuscular injection and were compared to naïve animals. The survival rate in previously exposed animals was significantly higher than in naïve oysters. Results derived from this study allowed the selection of animals that might possess interesting characteristics for future analysis on OsHV-1 resistance

Multi-scale theory and simulation of direct-gap group-IV semiconductor alloys

Alloying of Ge with other group-IV elements - C, Sn or Pb - represents a promising route to realise direct-gap group-IV semiconductors for applications in Si-compatible devices, including light-emitting diodes and lasers, as well as tunnelling field-effect transistors and multi-junction solar cells. To develop a quantitative understanding of the properties and potential of group-IV alloys, we have established a multi-scale simulation framework to enable predictive analysis of their structural and electronic properties. We provide an overview of these simulation capabilities, and describe previously overlooked fundamental aspects of the electronic structure evolution and indirect- to direct-gap transition in (Si)Ge1-x(C, Sn, Pb)x alloys. We further describe ongoing work related to exploiting this simulation platform to compute the optical and transport properties of (Si)Ge1-xSnx alloys and heterostructures

Effective bridging therapy can improve CD19 CAR-T outcomes while maintaining safety in patients with large B-cell lymphoma

The impact of bridging therapy (BT) on CD19-directed chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CD19CAR-T) outcomes in large B-cell lymphoma (LBCL) is poorly characterised. Current practice is guided by physician preference rather than established evidence. Identification of effective BT modalities and factors predictive of response could improve CAR-T intention to treat and clinical outcomes. We assessed BT modality and response in 375 adult LBCL patients in relation to outcomes following axicabtagene ciloleucel (Axi-cel) or tisagenlecleucel (Tisa-cel). The majority of patients received BT with chemotherapy (57%) or radiotherapy (17%). We observed that BT was safe for patients, with minimal morbidity/mortality. We showed that complete or partial response to BT conferred a 42% reduction in disease progression and death following CD19CAR-T therapy. Multivariate analysis identified several factors associated with likelihood of response to BT, including response to last line therapy, the absence of bulky disease, and the use of Polatuzumab-containing chemotherapy regimens. Our data suggested that complete/partial response to BT may be more important for Tisa-cel than Axi-cel, as all Tisa-cel patients with less than partial response to BT experienced frank relapse within 12 months of CD19CAR-T infusion. In summary, BT in LBCL should be carefully planned towards optimal response and disease debulking, to improve CD19CAR-T patient outcomes. Polatuzumab-containing regimens should be strongly considered for all suitable patients, and failure to achieve complete/partial response to BT pre-Tisa-cel may prompt consideration of further lines of BT where possible

Predicted norovirus resurgence in 2021-2022 due to the relaxation of nonpharmaceutical interventions associated with COVID-19 restrictions in England: a mathematical modeling study.

BACKGROUND: To reduce the coronavirus disease burden in England, along with many other countries, the government implemented a package of non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) that have also impacted other transmissible infectious diseases such as norovirus. It is unclear what future norovirus disease incidence is likely to look like upon lifting these restrictions. METHODS: Here we use a mathematical model of norovirus fitted to community incidence data in England to project forward expected incidence based on contact surveys that have been collected throughout 2020-2021. RESULTS: We report that susceptibility to norovirus infection has likely increased between March 2020 and mid-2021. Depending upon assumptions of future contact patterns incidence of norovirus that is similar to pre-pandemic levels or an increase beyond what has been previously reported is likely to occur once restrictions are lifted. Should adult contact patterns return to 80% of pre-pandemic levels, the incidence of norovirus will be similar to previous years. If contact patterns return to pre-pandemic levels, there is a potential for the expected annual incidence to be up to 2-fold larger than in a typical year. The age-specific incidence is similar across all ages. CONCLUSIONS: Continued national surveillance for endemic diseases such as norovirus will be essential after NPIs are lifted to allow healthcare services to adequately prepare for a potential increase in cases and hospital pressures beyond what is typically experienced

Online social networking and psychological experiences:the perceptions of young people with mental health difficulties

Objectives This study explores the interaction between online social networking experiences and wellbeing in 12 young people accessing mental health services. Methods Data from semi-structured interviews was analysed using Grounded Theory methodology. Results “Threats and judgement” and “connection and support” were experienced by adolescents, facilitated by having continuous access to a vast social network. These experiences influenced adolescents' psychological wellbeing, mediated by their responses to threat and judgement and maintaining “safe sharing” with their network. Social network use was conceived as a gamble of balancing its potentially positive and negative impact in a culture in which social network use appears to be unavoidable. Conclusions The findings indicate the importance of routine assessment and formulation of social networking use in understanding adolescents' psychological distress. Furthermore, a range of opportunities exist for clinicians to utilise the anonymity and peer support that social networks offer to broaden the range of mental health services offered to young people

Impact of Trauma System Structure on Injury Outcomes : A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

The effectiveness of trauma systems in decreasing injury mortality and morbidity has been well demonstrated. However, little is known about which components contribute to their effectiveness. We aimed to systematically review the evidence of the impact of trauma system components on clinically important injury outcomes. We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane CENTRAL, and BIOSIS/Web of Knowledge, gray literature and trauma association Web sites to identify studies evaluating the association between at least one trauma system component and injury outcome. We calculated pooled effect estimates using inverse-variance random-effects models. We evaluated quality of evidence using GRADE criteria. We screened 15,974 records, retaining 41 studies for qualitative synthesis and 19 for meta-analysis. Two recommended trauma system components were associated with reduced odds of mortality: inclusive design (odds ratio [OR] = 0.72 [0.65-0.80]) and helicopter transport (OR = 0.70 [0.55-0.88]). Pre-Hospital Advanced Trauma Life Support was associated with a significant reduction in hospital days (mean difference [MD] = 5.7 [4.4-7.0]) but a nonsignificant reduction in mortality (OR = 0.78 [0.44-1.39]). Population density of surgeons was associated with a nonsignificant decrease in mortality (MD = 0.58 [-0.22 to 1.39]). Trauma system maturity was associated with a significant reduction in mortality (OR = 0.76 [0.68-0.85]). Quality of evidence was low or very low for mortality and healthcare utilization. This review offers low-quality evidence for the effectiveness of an inclusive design and trauma system maturity and very-low-quality evidence for helicopter transport in reducing injury mortality. Further research should evaluate other recommended components of trauma systems and non-fatal outcomes and explore the impact of system component interactions.Peer reviewe

Prediagnostic plasma metabolomics and the risk of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Objective: To identify prediagnostic plasma metabolomic biomarkers associated with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Methods: We conducted a global metabolomic study using a nested case-control study design within 5 prospective cohorts and identified 275 individuals who developed ALS during follow-up. We profiled plasma metabolites using liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry and identified 404 known metabolites. We used conditional logistic regression to evaluate the associations between metabolites and ALS risk. Further, we used machine learning analyses to determine whether the prediagnostic metabolomic profile could discriminate ALS cases from controls. Results: A total of 31 out of 404 identified metabolites were associated with ALS risk (p < 0.05). We observed inverse associations (n = 27) with plasma levels of diacylglycerides and triacylglycerides, urate, purine nucleosides, and some organic acids and derivatives, while we found positive associations for a cholesteryl ester, 2 phosphatidylcholines, and a sphingomyelin. The number of significant associations increased to 67 (63 inverse) in analyses restricted to cases with blood samples collected within 5 years of onset. None of these associations remained significant after multiple comparison adjustment. Further, we were not able to reliably distinguish individuals who became cases from controls based on their metabolomic profile using partial least squares discriminant analysis, elastic net regression, random forest, support vector machine, or weighted correlation network analyses. Conclusions: Although the metabolomic profile in blood samples collected years before ALS diagnosis did not reliably separate presymptomatic ALS cases from controls, our results suggest that ALS is preceded by a broad, but poorly defined, metabolic dysregulation years before the disease onset