Influence of virtual reality training on the roadside crossing judgements of child pedestrians

The roadside crossing judgments of children aged 7, 9, and 11 years were assessed relative to controls before and after training with a computer-simulated traffic environment. Trained children crossed more quickly, and their estimated crossing times became better aligned with actual crossing times. They crossed more promptly, missed fewer safe opportunities to cross, accepted smaller traffic gaps without increasing the number of risky crossings, and showed better conceptual understanding of the factors to be considered when making crossing judgments. All age groups improved to the same extent, and there was no deterioration when children were retested 8 months later. The results are discussed in relation to theoretical arguments concerning the extent to which children's pedestrian judgments are amenable to training

Where and when to revegetate : a quantitative method for scheduling landscape reconstruction

Restoration of native vegetation is required in many regions of the world, but determining priority locations for revegetation is a complex problem. We consider the problem of determining spatial and temporal priorities for revegetation to maximize habitat for 62 bird species within a heavily cleared agricultural region, 11 000 km2 in area. We show how a reserve-selection framework can be applied to a complex, large-scale restoration-planning problem to account for multi-species objectives and connectivity requirements at a spatial extent and resolution relevant to management. Our approach explicitly accounts for time lags in planting and development of habitat resources, which is intended to avoid future population bottlenecks caused by delayed provision of critical resources, such as tree hollows. We coupled species-specific models of expected habitat quality and fragmentation effects with the dynamics of habitat suitability following replanting to produce species-specific maps for future times. Spatial priorities for restoration were determined by ranking locations (150-m grid cells) by their expected contribution to species habitat through time using the conservation planning tool, ‘‘Zonation.’’ We evaluated solutions by calculating expected trajectories of habitat availability for each species. We produced a spatially explicit revegetation schedule for the region that resulted in a balanced increase in habitat for all species. Priority areas for revegetation generally were clustered around existing vegetation, although not always. Areas on richer soils and with high rainfall were more highly ranked, reflecting their potential to support high-quality habitats that have been disproportionately cleared for agriculture. Accounting for delayed development of habitat resources altered the rank-order of locations in the derived revegetation plan and led to improved expected outcomes for fragmentation-sensitive species. This work demonstrates the potential for systematic restoration planning at large scales that accounts for multiple objectives, which is urgently needed by land and natural resource managers

Variability in the growth, feeding and condition of barramundi (Lates calcarifer Bloch) in a northern Australian coastal river and impoundment

Lates calcarifer supports important fisheries throughout tropical Australia. Community-driven fish stocking has resulted in the creation of impoundment fisheries and supplemental stocking of selected wild riverine populations. Using predominantly tag-recapture methods, condition assessment and stomach flushing techniques, this study compared the growth of stocked and wild L. calcarifer in a tropical Australian river (Johnstone River) and stocked fish in a nearby impoundment (Lake Tinaroo). Growth of L. calcarifer in the Johnstone River appeared resource-limited, with juvenile fish in its lower freshwater reaches feeding mainly on small aytid shrimp and limited quantities of fish. Growth was probably greatest in estuarine and coastal areas than in the lower freshwater river. Fish in Lake Tinaroo, where prey availability was greater, grew faster than either wild or stocked fish in the lower freshwater areas of the Johnstone River. Growth of L. calcarifer was highly seasonal with marked declines in the cooler months. This was reflected in both stomach fullness and the percentage of fish with empty stomachs but the condition of L. calcarifer was similar across most sites. In areas where food resources appear stretched, adverse effects on resident L. calcarifer populations and their attendant prey species should be minimised through cessation of, or more conservative, stocking practices

Fish stocking programs: assessing the benefits against long term impacts

OBJECTIVES: 1. Assess movements and ecological impacts of stocked barramundi in a model river and impoundment 2. Determine if barramundi stocking has any discernable adverse genetic impacts on wild populations in a previously stocked river syste

Altered functional brain network connectivity and glutamate system function in transgenic mice expressing truncated Disrupted-in-Schizophrenia 1

Considerable evidence implicates DISC1 as a susceptibility gene for multiple psychiatric diseases. DISC1 has been intensively studied at the molecular, cellular and behavioral level, but its role in regulating brain connectivity and brain network function remains unknown. Here, we utilize a set of complementary approaches to assess the functional brain network abnormalities present in mice expressing a truncated Disc1 gene (Disc1tr Hemi mice). Disc1tr Hemi mice exhibited hypometabolism in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and reticular thalamus along with a reorganization of functional brain network connectivity that included compromised hippocampal–PFC connectivity. Altered hippocampal–PFC connectivity in Disc1tr Hemi mice was confirmed by electrophysiological analysis, with Disc1tr Hemi mice showing a reduced probability of presynaptic neurotransmitter release in the monosynaptic glutamatergic hippocampal CA1–PFC projection. Glutamate system dysfunction in Disc1tr Hemi mice was further supported by the attenuated cerebral metabolic response to the NMDA receptor (NMDAR) antagonist ketamine and decreased hippocampal expression of NMDAR subunits 2A and 2B in these animals. These data show that the Disc1 truncation in Disc1tr Hemi mice induces a range of translationally relevant endophenotypes underpinned by glutamate system dysfunction and altered brain connectivity

Guidelines for Perioperative Care for Liver Surgery: Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) Society Recommendations 2022.

Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) has been widely applied in liver surgery since the publication of the first ERAS guidelines in 2016. The aim of the present article was to update the ERAS guidelines in liver surgery using a modified Delphi method based on a systematic review of the literature. A systematic literature review was performed using MEDLINE/PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library. A modified Delphi method including 15 international experts was used. Consensus was judged to be reached when >80% of the experts agreed on the recommended items. Recommendations were based on the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluations system. A total of 7541 manuscripts were screened, and 240 articles were finally included. Twenty-five recommendation items were elaborated. All of them obtained consensus (>80% agreement) after 3 Delphi rounds. Nine items (36%) had a high level of evidence and 16 (64%) a strong recommendation grade. Compared to the first ERAS guidelines published, 3 novel items were introduced: prehabilitation in high-risk patients, preoperative biliary drainage in cholestatic liver, and preoperative smoking and alcohol cessation at least 4 weeks before hepatectomy. These guidelines based on the best available evidence allow standardization of the perioperative management of patients undergoing liver surgery. Specific studies on hepatectomy in cirrhotic patients following an ERAS program are still needed

Point vortices and polynomials of the Sawada-Kotera and Kaup-Kupershmidt equations

Rational solutions and special polynomials associated with the generalized K_2 hierarchy are studied. This hierarchy is related to the Sawada-Kotera and Kaup-Kupershmidt equations and some other integrable partial differential equations including the Fordy-Gibbons equation. Differential-difference relations and differential equations satisfied by the polynomials are derived. The relationship between these special polynomials and stationary configurations of point vortices with circulations Gamma and -2Gamma is established. Properties of the polynomials are studied. Differential-difference relations enabling one to construct these polynomials explicitly are derived. Algebraic relations satisfied by the roots of the polynomials are found.Comment: 23 pages, 8 figure

Thermodynamic Description of the Relaxation of Two-Dimensional Euler Turbulence Using Tsallis Statistics

Euler turbulence has been experimentally observed to relax to a metaequilibrium state that does not maximize the Boltzmann entropy, but rather seems to minimize enstrophy. We show that a recent generalization of thermodynamics and statistics due to Tsallis is capable of explaining this phenomenon in a natural way. The maximization of the generalized entropy $S_{1/2}$ for this system leads to precisely the same profiles predicted by the Restricted Minimum Enstrophy theory of Huang and Driscoll. This makes possible the construction of a comprehensive thermodynamic description of Euler turbulence.Comment: 15 pages, RevTe

The Effects of Prophylactic Cyclosporin A on Experimental Allergic Neuritis (EAN) in the Lewis Rat: Induction of Relapsing EAN Using Low Dose Cyclosporin A

Experimental allergic neuritis (EAN) was induced in Lewis rats by inoculation with bovine intradural root myelin plus adjuvants. Animals treated with high dose (30 mg/kg) cyclosporin A (CsA) 3 times per week did not develop clinical EAN during the period of CsA treatment, but had an episode of EAN after cessation of CsA treatment. Animals treated with low dose (4 mg/kg) CsA 3 times per week developed EAN during the period of treatment, and after cessation of CsA treatment all of these animals developed relapsing EAN with disease continuing for up to four episodes. In contrast, 30-40% of untreated animals had a mild second episode of EAN but no further attacks. Histological studies performed in treated and untreated animals at the time of clinical episodes revealed inflammation and demyelination in the spinal roots and dorsal root ganglia. When animals were challenged with a second inoculation at age 7 months, one of 15 untreated control animals but none of the CsA treated animals developed an episode of EAN