The impact of childhood language difficulties on healthcare costs from 4 to 13 years: Australian longitudinal study

© 2016 The Speech Pathology Association of Australia Limited Published by Taylor & Francis. Purpose: This study investigated the relationship between children’s language difficulties and health care costs using the 2004–2012 Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (LSAC). Method: Language difficulties were defined as scores ≤1.25SD below the standardised mean on measures of directly assessed receptive vocabulary (4–9 years) and teacher-reported language and literacy (10–13 years). Participant data were individually linked to administrative data, which were sourced from Australia’s universal subsidised healthcare scheme (Medicare). Result: It was found that healthcare costs over each 2-year age band were higher for children with language difficulties than without in the 4–5-year-age bracket (mean difference = AU$357, 95$59, $659), in the 6–7-year-age bracket (mean difference = AU$602, 95%CI $136,$1068) and in the 10–11-year-age bracket (mean difference = AU$504, 95$153, $854). Out-of-pocket costs, that is the portion of healthcare costs paid for by the family, were also higher for children with than without language difficulties in the 4–5-year-age bracket (mean difference = AU$123, 95%CI $46,$199), in the 6–7-year-age bracket (mean difference = AU$176, 95$74,278) and in the 10–11-year-age bracket (mean difference = AU$79, 95$6, $152). Medical services accounted for 97% of total healthcare cost differences. Conclusion: Overall the findings from this study suggest that language difficulties are associated with increased healthcare costs at key developmental milestones, notably early childhood and as a child approaches the teenage years

The effects of an experimental programme to support students’ autonomy on the overt behaviours of physical education teachers

Although the benefits of autonomy supportive behaviours are now well established in the literature, very few studies have attempted to train teachers to offer a greater autonomy support to their students. In fact, none of these studies has been carried out in physical education (PE). The purpose of this study is to test the effects of an autonomy-supportive training on overt behaviours of teaching among PE teachers. The experimental group included two PE teachers who were first educated on the benefits of an autonomy supportive style and then followed an individualised guidance programme during the 8 lessons of a teaching cycle. Their behaviours were observed and rated along 3 categories (i.e., autonomy supportive, neutral and controlling) and were subsequently compared to those of three teachers who formed the control condition. The results showed that teachers in the experimental group used more autonomy supportive and neutral behaviours than those in the control group, but no difference emerged in relation to controlling behaviours. We discuss the implications for schools of our findings

High-Precision Measurement of the 19Ne Half-Life and Implications for Right-Handed Weak Currents

We report a precise determination of the 19Ne half-life to be $T_{1/2} = 17.262 \pm 0.007$ s. This result disagrees with the most recent precision measurements and is important for placing bounds on predicted right-handed interactions that are absent in the current Standard Model. We are able to identify and disentangle two competing systematic effects that influence the accuracy of such measurements. Our findings prompt a reassessment of results from previous high-precision lifetime measurements that used similar equipment and methods.Comment: 5 pages and 5 figures. Paper accepted for publication in Phys. Rev. Let

Best Practices for Tourism Center Development Along the Red Sea Coast

The spectacular coastlines along Egypt\u27s Red Sea and Gulf of Aqaba are the focus for one of the fastest growing tourism economies in the world. In order to accomplish national objectives for growth in permanent, well-paying jobs and in foreign exchange earnings, the Tourism Development Authority (TDA) has launched an initiative to make land available to investors for resort development along these coastlines. As of December, 1997, 6,000 hotel rooms are under construction in the Red Sea region and the TDA has proposals for at least 240 major resorts to be built by the year 2020. While this program has begun to yield impressive results in terms of new hotel construction, tourism jobs and tourist visitations, TDA has recognized that priority must be given to guiding private development in ways that protect Egypt\u27s natural heritage and insure that tourism can be sustained far into the future. It is clear from experience to date that such rapid growth, if not carefully planned and managed, threatens the very attractions that bring visitors here. In the best practices described here, TDA defines well planned and managed -- as distinct from haphazard and destructive -- tourism development for the Red Sea coastal environment. We look to lessons gained from several case studies of tourism center sites being jointly planned by TDA and development companies and from studies of successful established tourism centers in Egypt and from other parts of the world. We also draw upon technical literature from a variety of related fields, including marine biology, landscape architecture, engineering, tourism marketing, environmental planning, and others. These lessons and research are distilled into best practices for the planning and siting of new tourism centers and for the use and protection of environmental assets adjacent to the centers including the coral reef ecosystems, the beaches and headlands, the setback areas along coastal waters, and the surrounding desert landscape. This Best Practices Handbook is designed to be practical, well-illustrated and easily understood. It covers aspects of tourism center development that will: assist the development community to achieve environmentally sound, aesthetically pleasing and market-sensitive tourism centers, and assist the TDA and other public agencies by providing benchmarks on which to set environmental policies, guide the location of tourism centers and the subdivision of public lands, judge development plans and proposals, and base environmental management regulations. In the first section, Best Practices focuses on the framework for tourism development and environmental protection: the roles and responsibilities of key groups and the development process. The subsequent section describes the unique physical and environmental context in which tourism development is occurring and the special measures needed to respect these development shaping features. The subsequent sections address the best practices to accomplish sustainable tourism development. The best practices are not presented as a rigid set of prescribed steps and procedures, but rather as guidance and assistance in designing successful tourism facilities and managing the environmental assets on which tourism depends. Furthermore, this should be seen as our first effort. We intend to build upon and refine these practices as wel gain continued experience. Your suggestions for improvement will be sincerely appreciated

Surface Deformations as Indicators of Deep Ebullition Fluxes in a Large Northern Peatland

Peatlands deform elastically during precipitation cycles by small (+/- 3 cm) oscillations in surface elevation. In contrast, we used a Global Positioning System network to measure larger oscillations that exceeded 20 cm over periods of 4 - 12 hours during two seasonal droughts at a bog and fen site in northern Minnesota. The second summer drought also triggered 19 depressuring cycles in an overpressured stratum under the bog site. The synchronicity between the largest surface deformations and the depressuring cycles indicates that both phenomena are produced by the episodic release of large volumes of gas from deep semi-elastic compartments confined by dense wood layers. We calculate that the three largest surface deformations were associated with the release of 136 g CH4 m(-2), which exceeds by an order of magnitude the annual average chamber fluxes measured at this site. Ebullition of gas from the deep peat may therefore be a large and previously unrecognized source of radiocarbon depleted methane emissions from northern peatlands

Demonstration of a novel technique to quantitatively assess inflammatory mediators and cells in rat knee joints

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The inflammation that accompanies the pain and swelling associated with osteo- and rheumatoid arthritis is mediated by complex interactions of inflammatory mediators. Cytokines play a pivotal role in orchestrating many of these processes, including inflammatory cell recruitment, adhesion and activation. In addition, prostaglandins are secreted into the synovial cavity and are involved in perpetuation of local inflammation, vasodilatation and vasoconstriction, and also with bone resorption. Pre-clinical models have been developed in order to correlate to the human disease and principle among these is the adjuvant-induced arthritis model in the rat.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We have developed a technique to quantitatively assess the contents of synovial fluid samples from rat joints. Two needles joined together are inserted into the knee joint of anaesthetised rats and connected to a Watson-Marlow perfusion pump. Sterile saline is infused and withdrawn at 100 μl min^-1until a 250 μl sample is collected.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Our results demonstrate up to 125 fold increases in synovial IL1α and IL1β concentrations, approximately 30 fold increases in levels of IL6 and IL10 and a 200–300 fold elevation in synovial concentrations of TNFα during FCA-induced experimental arthritis. Finally, this novel technique has demonstrated a dose-response relationship between FCA and the total cell counts of synovial perfusates.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>In summary, this new technique provides a robust method for quantifying inflammatory mediators and cells from the synovial cavity itself, thereby detailing the inflammatory processes from within the capsule and excluding those processes occurring in other tissues surrounding the entire articulation.</p

Complete genome sequence of the Medicago microsymbiont Ensifer (Sinorhizobium) medicae strain WSM419

Ensifer (Sinorhizobium) medicae is an effective nitrogen fixing microsymbiont of a diverse range of annual Medicago (medic) species. Strain WSM419 is an aerobic, motile, non-spore forming, Gram-negative rod isolated from a M. murex root nodule collected in Sardinia, Italy in 1981. WSM419 was manufactured commercially in Australia as an inoculant for annual medics during 1985 to 1993 due to its nitrogen fixation, saprophytic competence and acid tolerance properties. Here we describe the basic features of this organism, together with the complete genome sequence, and annotation. This is the first report of a complete genome se-quence for a microsymbiont of the group of annual medic species adapted to acid soils. We reveal that its genome size is 6,817,576 bp encoding 6,518 protein-coding genes and 81 RNA only encoding genes. The genome contains a chromosome of size 3,781,904 bp and 3 plasmids of size 1,570,951 bp, 1,245,408 bp and 219,313 bp. The smallest plasmid is a fea-ture unique to this medic microsymbiont

No excess of mitochondrial DNA deletions within muscle in progressive multiple sclerosis

BACKGROUND: Mitochondrial dysfunction is an established feature of multiple sclerosis (MS). We recently described high levels of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) deletions within respiratory enzyme-deficient (lacking mitochondrial respiratory chain complex IV with intact complex II) neurons and choroid plexus epithelial cells in progressive MS. OBJECTIVES: The objective of this paper is to determine whether respiratory enzyme deficiency and mtDNA deletions in MS were in excess of age-related changes within muscle, which, like neurons, are post-mitotic cells that frequently harbour mtDNA deletions with ageing and in disease. METHODS: In progressive MS cases (n=17), known to harbour an excess of mtDNA deletions in the central nervous system (CNS), and controls (n=15), we studied muscle (paraspinal) and explored mitochondria in single fibres. Histochemistry, immunohistochemistry, laser microdissection, real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR), long-range PCR and sequencing were used to resolve the single muscle fibres. RESULTS: The percentage of respiratory enzyme-deficient muscle fibres, mtDNA deletion level and percentage of muscle fibres harbouring high levels of mtDNA deletions were not significantly different in MS compared with controls. CONCLUSION: Our findings do not provide support to the existence of a diffuse mitochondrial abnormality involving multiple systems in MS. Understanding the cause(s) of the CNS mitochondrial dysfunction in progressive MS remains a research priority

Spectral quantification of nonlinear behaviour of the nearshore seabed and correlations with potential forcings at Duck, N.C., U.S.A

Local bathymetric quasi-periodic patterns of oscillation are identified from monthly profile surveys taken at two shore-perpendicular transects at the USACE field research facility in Duck, North Carolina, USA, spanning 24.5 years and covering the swash and surf zones. The chosen transects are the two furthest (north and south) from the pier located at the study site. Research at Duck has traditionally focused on one or more of these transects as the effects of the pier are least at these locations. The patterns are identified using singular spectrum analysis (SSA). Possible correlations with potential forcing mechanisms are discussed by 1) doing an SSA with same parameter settings to independently identify the quasi-periodic cycles embedded within three potentially linked sequences: monthly wave heights (MWH), monthly mean water levels (MWL) and the large scale atmospheric index known as the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) and 2) comparing the patterns within MWH, MWL and NAO to the local bathymetric patterns. The results agree well with previous patterns identified using wavelets and confirm the highly nonstationary behaviour of beach levels at Duck; the discussion of potential correlations with hydrodynamic and atmospheric phenomena is a new contribution. The study is then extended to all measured bathymetric profiles, covering an area of 1100m (alongshore) by 440m (cross-shore), to 1) analyse linear correlations between the bathymetry and the potential forcings using multivariate empirical orthogonal functions (MEOF) and linear correlation analysis and 2) identify which collective quasi-periodic bathymetric patterns are correlated with those within MWH, MWL or NAO, based on a (nonlinear) multichannel singular spectrum analysis (MSSA). (...continued in submitted paper)Comment: 50 pages, 3 tables, 8 figure