Effects of cane-and spur-retained node numbers on the pre-flowering vegetative growth of cane-pruned Sauvignon blanc

In established vineyards, node number retention at winter pruning is the first step to achieving and maintaining vine balance. Balanced vines exhibit timely and quasi-uniform 100 percent budburst. To understand how vine capacity and balance are expressed before flowering, mature Sauvignon blanc vines were pruned according to a 5 [total node numbers on canes: 10, 20, 30, 40, 50] x 3 [total node numbers on spurs: 1, 2, 3] factorial design in one site, and in two other sites according to a 5 [total node numbers on canes: 10, 20, 30, 40, 50] x 2 [total node numbers on spurs: 1, 2] factorial design. Two spurs of one, two or three nodes each were retained on either side of the vine. The number of canes laid down per vine was one, two, three and four canes each of 10 nodes for the 10-, 20-, 30-and 40-node treatments, and four canes averaging 12.5 nodes for the 50-node treatment. The budburst percentage was calculated on the whole vine, canes, and spurs. Blind nodes, count shoots, non-count shoots and double shoots were counted and mapped along canes and spurs. Many non-count shoots were measured on the vine head of 10-node vines (29.5 ± 3.0 shoots, p < 0.001), compared to 50-node vines (2.8 ± 1.9 shoots, p < 0.001). 50-node vines had an overall budburst of 100 %, despite having the highest number of blind nodes (7.6 ± 0.3 nodes, p < 0.001). These were mainly located at the canes’ proximal sections relative to the vine head and were likely caused by correlative inhibition and primary bud necrosis. Cane budburst provided a more accurate assessment of the vine response to node loading than vine budburst. The number of double shoots was not associated with the vine node load, as they appeared on both low-node and high-node vines. Three-node spurs developed more blind nodes than one-node and two-node spurs (p < 0.001). Based on the findings of this research, we recommend a composite metric (cane percent budburst, cane blind node count and head shoot count) to assess vine capacity and balance between budburst and flowering, and the practice of retaining one-or two-node spurs at cane pruning is also justified

The management of acute venous thromboembolism in clinical practice. Results from the European PREFER in VTE Registry

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in Europe. Data from real-world registries are necessary, as clinical trials do not represent the full spectrum of VTE patients seen in clinical practice. We aimed to document the epidemiology, management and outcomes of VTE using data from a large, observational database. PREFER in VTE was an international, non-interventional disease registry conducted between January 2013 and July 2015 in primary and secondary care across seven European countries. Consecutive patients with acute VTE were documented and followed up over 12 months. PREFER in VTE included 3,455 patients with a mean age of 60.8 ± 17.0 years. Overall, 53.0 % were male. The majority of patients were assessed in the hospital setting as inpatients or outpatients (78.5 %). The diagnosis was deep-vein thrombosis (DVT) in 59.5 % and pulmonary embolism (PE) in 40.5 %. The most common comorbidities were the various types of cardiovascular disease (excluding hypertension; 45.5 %), hypertension (42.3 %) and dyslipidaemia (21.1 %). Following the index VTE, a large proportion of patients received initial therapy with heparin (73.2 %), almost half received a vitamin K antagonist (48.7 %) and nearly a quarter received a DOAC (24.5 %). Almost a quarter of all presentations were for recurrent VTE, with &gt;80 % of previous episodes having occurred more than 12 months prior to baseline. In conclusion, PREFER in VTE has provided contemporary insights into VTE patients and their real-world management, including their baseline characteristics, risk factors, disease history, symptoms and signs, initial therapy and outcomes

Identifying and Communicating Current Issues for Regional Australia

The development of policy affecting regional Australia is dependent on a range of information that is collected at many levels. For regional communities to prosper it is important that issues of importance and relevance to regions be collected and considered in the decision making processes of planners and policy makers. This paper reports on an extensive study of regional Australian stakeholders consisting of considered experts, government, business and community members who contributed data via a community consultation process. The data was analysed and developed through a series of action research stages and categorised to identify six broad themes that propose directions for the future. The broad themes span governance, the economy, infrastructure, population and social issues, natural resource use management, and cultural and land rights issues. Each is discussed in detail and provide insights for future action that will promote a stronger Australia

Regional Advantage and InnovationAchieving Australia's National Outcomes /

XXVIII, 443 p. 42 illus., 7 illus. in color.onlin

Realistic computer graphics models for simulation and training of cirurgical procedures.

There is a considerable gap between the promises that the new computing technologies hold, and the expectations that they cause in the medical area, particularly, in the simulation and training of cirurgical procedures even less invasives in which medical professionals may interact with simulated organs. This paper describes realistic deformable models of the behaviour of the upper airways during a cirurgical procedure called laryngoscopy. In this procedure, the anaesthetist uses a rigid blade (laryngoscope) to compress the tongue of the patient, and then inserts a tube into the larynx to allow controlled ventilation of the lungs. This procedure can be difficult and even life threatening, and thus needs regular training. Currently, plastic models are used for this purpose, and these have many disadvantages. Computer simulation is an attractive alternative.In particular, we constructed a deformable model that can realistically simulate the behaviour of the tongue as it is compressed by the blade. We start from medical images, extract the details that characterise the subject, and then incorporate these in a finite element model to investigate how the tongue tissue behaves in response to the insertion of the blade, when it is subjected to a variety of loading conditions. The results show that, within a specific set of tongue material parameters, the simulated outcome can be successfully related to the experimental laryngoscopic studies. Further research is underway to apply these results in a interactive and distributed virtual reality environment. One main problem to be solved is computing the deformations in real time.Existe um espaço considerável entre as promessas de avanços que as novas tecnologias de computação trazem consigo, e as expectativas que estas causam na área médica, particularmente, na simulação e treinamento de procedimentos cirúrgicos cada vez menos invasivos, onde profissionais médicos possam interagir com órgãos simulados. Este artigo descreve modelos realistas de deformação do trato respiratório durante um procedimento cirúrgico chamado laringoscopia. Neste procedimento, o anestesista usa uma lâmina rígida (laringoscópio) para comprimir a língua do paciente, e então inserir um tubo na laringe para controlar a respiração. Este procedimento pode ser difícil e arriscado, exigindo treinamento regular. Atualmente, manequins plásticos são utilizados com este propósito, tendo várias desvantagens. A simulação por computador é uma alternativa atrativa. Em particular, nós construímos um modelo de deformação capaz de simular o comportamento da língua quando comprimida pelo laringoscópio. Inicialmente utilizamos imagens médicas, segmentamos os contornos que caracterizam a anatomia do paciente, e então, os incorporamos em um modelo de elementos finitos para investigar como a língua se comporta em resposta à inserção do laringoscópio, quando sujeita a uma variedade de condições de carregamento.Os resultados mostram que, para um conjunto específico de parâmetros de material que representam a língua, a simulação obtida pode refletir com sucesso laringoscopias realizadas em pacientes reais. Extensões desta pesquisa estão em andamento visando aplicar estes resultados em um ambiente interativo e distribuído de realidade virtual. Um dos problemas a serem resolvidos é o tratamento das deformações em tempo-real

Realistic computer graphics models for simulation and training of cirurgical procedures.

There is a considerable gap between the promises that the new computing technologies hold, and the expectations that they cause in the medical area, particularly, in the simulation and training of cirurgical procedures even less invasives in which medical professionals may interact with simulated organs. This paper describes realistic deformable models of the behaviour of the upper airways during a cirurgical procedure called laryngoscopy. In this procedure, the anaesthetist uses a rigid blade (laryngoscope) to compress the tongue of the patient, and then inserts a tube into the larynx to allow controlled ventilation of the lungs. This procedure can be difficult and even life threatening, and thus needs regular training. Currently, plastic models are used for this purpose, and these have many disadvantages. Computer simulation is an attractive alternative.In particular, we constructed a deformable model that can realistically simulate the behaviour of the tongue as it is compressed by the blade. We start from medical images, extract the details that characterise the subject, and then incorporate these in a finite element model to investigate how the tongue tissue behaves in response to the insertion of the blade, when it is subjected to a variety of loading conditions. The results show that, within a specific set of tongue material parameters, the simulated outcome can be successfully related to the experimental laryngoscopic studies. Further research is underway to apply these results in a interactive and distributed virtual reality environment. One main problem to be solved is computing the deformations in real time.Existe um espaço considerável entre as promessas de avanços que as novas tecnologias de computação trazem consigo, e as expectativas que estas causam na área médica, particularmente, na simulação e treinamento de procedimentos cirúrgicos cada vez menos invasivos, onde profissionais médicos possam interagir com órgãos simulados. Este artigo descreve modelos realistas de deformação do trato respiratório durante um procedimento cirúrgico chamado laringoscopia. Neste procedimento, o anestesista usa uma lâmina rígida (laringoscópio) para comprimir a língua do paciente, e então inserir um tubo na laringe para controlar a respiração. Este procedimento pode ser difícil e arriscado, exigindo treinamento regular. Atualmente, manequins plásticos são utilizados com este propósito, tendo várias desvantagens. A simulação por computador é uma alternativa atrativa. Em particular, nós construímos um modelo de deformação capaz de simular o comportamento da língua quando comprimida pelo laringoscópio. Inicialmente utilizamos imagens médicas, segmentamos os contornos que caracterizam a anatomia do paciente, e então, os incorporamos em um modelo de elementos finitos para investigar como a língua se comporta em resposta à inserção do laringoscópio, quando sujeita a uma variedade de condições de carregamento.Os resultados mostram que, para um conjunto específico de parâmetros de material que representam a língua, a simulação obtida pode refletir com sucesso laringoscopias realizadas em pacientes reais. Extensões desta pesquisa estão em andamento visando aplicar estes resultados em um ambiente interativo e distribuído de realidade virtual. Um dos problemas a serem resolvidos é o tratamento das deformações em tempo-real