Alien Registration- Mahar, Henry D. (Baldwin, Cumberland County)

https://digitalmaine.com/alien_docs/32941/thumbnail.jp

The Wool ComfortMeter and the Wool HandleMeter, new opportunities for wool

Two instruments have been developed by the Sheep CRC that provide the tools for a new standard in comfort and handle for the next generation of next-to-skin wool knitwear. The Wool ComfortMeter and Wool HandleMeter provide a rapid, accurate and objective measure of two important characteristics of wool knitwear that are currently determined by subjective assessment. The Wool HandleMeter allows the prediction of a set of handle attribute values that can quantify the hand feel of a lightweight jersey fabric. The instrument uses the principle of pushing a fabric sample through a ring. The force displacement curve associated with the fabric test is characterised and used to define each fabric. These values were then compared to the average handle values, as determined by a group of experts, of a large set of lightweight knitted fabrics. Algorithms were developed that enable the instrument to more accurately predict each of seven handle attributes than an individual expert. The Wool ComfortMeter provides a measure of the fibres that are protruding from the surface of the fabric that are responsible for the itchy sensation caused by some knitwear. The results from the instrument have been compared to the results from extensive wearer trials to provide an understanding of the relationship between the instrument value and the comfort perceptions of wearers. The results have shown a very clear relationship between the instrument and wearer trials

Millennials and Masculinity: A Shifting Tide of Gender Typing of ICT?

The question of a possible shift in Millennials’ perceptions about gender and ICT resulted from a survey of gender stereotyping of ICT skills among college age Millennials in the USA. The results identify three clusters of skills: masculine (includes computer programming, database and networking); feminine (includes communication, working in teams, ethics, global and cultural awareness, and openness to new experiences) and gender neutral (includes initiative, ability to work under pressure, critical thinking and problem solving). These findings suggest a possible shift of gender stereotypes about ICT skills among Millennials. Nevertheless, the gender stereotyping of the more technical skills in the IT profession as masculine argues for continued interventions to alter these perceptions and expand the gender neutral space in order to broaden the participation of women in the IT field

CHOOSING IT AS A CAREER: EXPLORING THE ROLE OF SELF-EFFICACY AND PERCEIVED IMPORTANCE OF IT SKILLS

Understanding the factors which shape students’ IT career choices will allow educators to design recruitment and retention strategies to tackle the enrolment challenges. The objective of this research-in-progress is to explore the effects of two such factors, i.e., IT skills Self-efficacy (SE) and IT Skills Importance, on students’ attraction to IT careers. A survey methodology was used to achieve the aforementioned objective. Undergraduate students enrolled in IT courses at two large U.S. public universities were surveyed. This study makes a contribution to the field of IT education in multiple ways. First it develops scales for two beliefs which are crucial in capturing students’ attraction to IT careers. Second, it provides insights into students’ perceptions regarding the importance of various IT skills. Third, it posits a preliminary model which helps in our understanding of how students’ personal perceptions regarding the importance of IT skills affect SE beliefs and career intentions

Spirituality and attitudes towards nature in the Pacific Islands: insights for enabling climate - change adaptation

A sample of 1226 students at the University of the South Pacific, the premier tertiary institution in the Pacific Islands, answered a range of questions intended to understand future island decision-makers’ attitudes towards Nature and concern about climate change. Questions asking about church attendance show that the vast majority of participants have spiritual values that explain their feelings of connectedness to Nature which in turn may account for high levels of pessimism about the current state of the global/Pacific environment. Concern about climate change as a future livelihood stressor in the Pacific region is ubiquitous at both societal and personal levels. While participants exhibited a degree of understanding matching objective rankings about the vulnerability of their home islands/countries, a spatial optimism bias was evident in which ‘other places’ were invariably regarded as ‘worse’. Through their views on climate change concern, respondents also favoured a psychological distancing of environmental risk in which ‘other places’ were perceived as more exposed than familiar ones. Influence from spirituality is implicated in both findings. Most interventions intended to reduce exposure to environmental risk and to enable effective and sustainable adaptation to climate change in the Pacific Islands region have failed to acknowledge influences on decision making of spirituality and connectedness to Nature. Messages that stress environmental conservation and stewardship, particularly if communicated within familiar and respected religious contexts, are likely to be more successful than secular ones

Lysyl oxidases regulate fibrillar collagen remodelling in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a progressive scarring disease of the lung with few effective therapeutic options. Structural remodelling of the extracellular matrix [i.e. collagen cross-linking mediated by the lysyl oxidase (LO) family of enzymes (LOX, LOXL1-4)] might contribute to disease pathogenesis and represent a therapeutic target. This study aimed to further our understanding of the mechanisms by which LO inhibitors might improve lung fibrosis. Lung tissues from IPF and non-IPF subjects were examined for collagen structure (second harmonic generation imaging) and LO gene (microarray analysis) and protein (immunohistochemistry and western blotting) levels. Functional effects (collagen structure and tissue stiffness using atomic force microscopy) of LO inhibitors on collagen remodelling were examined in two models, collagen hydrogels and decellularized human lung matrices. LOXL1/LOXL2 gene expression and protein levels were increased in IPF versus non-IPF. Increased collagen fibril thickness in IPF versus non-IPF lung tissues correlated with increased LOXL1/LOXL2, and decreased LOX, protein expression. β-Aminoproprionitrile (β-APN; pan-LO inhibitor) but not Compound A (LOXL2-specific inhibitor) interfered with transforming growth factor-β-induced collagen remodelling in both models. The β-APN treatment group was tested further, and β-APN was found to interfere with stiffening in the decellularized matrix model. LOXL1 activity might drive collagen remodelling in IPF lungs. The interrelationship between collagen structural remodelling and LOs is disrupted in IPF lungs. Inhibition of LO activity alleviates fibrosis by limiting fibrillar collagen cross-linking, thereby potentially impeding the formation of a pathological microenvironment in IPF

Taking things public: a contribution to address human dimensions of environmental change

This paper addresses the question of environmental change in Amazônia, by looking at the experiences of the large-scale biosphere–atmosphere (LBA) experiment in the Amazon, and three other enterprises—the extractive reserves, the Pilot Programme to Conserve the Brazilian Rain Forest (PPG7) and ecological-economic zoning—that address questions of sustainable development in the region. The LBA experience shows how the integration with the social sciences can be critical for science to explore its own outcomes for society, while the other programmes expose environmental change as a problem with too many intersections within society, so the outcomes of any initiative depends on placing it before a complex, tense and wide arena

Hazardous base surges of Taal’s 2020 eruption

After 43 years of repose, Taal Volcano erupted on 12 January 2020 forming hazardous base surges. Using field, remote sensing (i.e. UAV and LiDAR), and numerical methods, we gathered primary data to generate well-constrained observed information on dune bedform characteristics, impact dynamic pressures and velocities of base surges. This is to advance our knowledge on this type of hazard to understand and evaluate its consequences and risks. The dilute and wet surges traveled at 50-60 ms−1 near the crater rim and decelerated before making impact on coastal communities with dynamic pressures of at least 1.7 kPa. The base surges killed more than a thousand livestock in the southeast of Taal Volcano Island, and then traveled another ~ 600 m offshore. This work is a rare document of a complete, fresh, and practically undisturbed base surge deposit, important in the study of dune deposits formed by volcanic and other processes on Earth and other planets

Sheep Updates 2005 - Part 5

This session covers eleven papers from different authors; MARKET INFORMATION 1. Crystal Spring - Crystal clear and consistant, Geoff Duddy, Livestock Officer (Sheep & Wool) Yanco, NSW, Brent McLoud, (Product Development Officer) Cowra, NSW, John Sullivan, J.J Dresser and Co (Agent), Woodstock, NSW 2. An overview of Recent Developments in Dark and Medullated Fibre Testing, T.J. Mahar, A. Balasingam, AWTA Ltd 3. Opportunities and Implications for Wool Producers of the TEAM3 Prediction Equations, J.H. Stanton12 K.M.S. Curtis1 , 1Department of Agriculture Western Australia, 2 Curtin University, WA 4. Premiums and Discounts for Fibre Properties in Superfine Wool, Now and in the Future?, K.M.S. Curtis1, P.R. Lamb2, 1 Department of Agriculture Western Australia, 2Lambshift Consulting, Geelong VIC FEEDLOTTING 5. Manure in sheep feedlots: problem or opportunity?, Eliza Dowling, Ned Crossley Department of Agriculture , Western Australia, Surrender Mann, Chemistry Centre (WA), East Perth WA, 6. The State of Lamb Confinement Feeding in WA, Ned Crossley, Department of Agriculture, Western Australia 7. Finishing lambs in a feed lot - Is it profitable?, Lucy Anderton, Department of Agriculture, Western Australia 8. Repeated live weights can mardinally improve prediction of compliance to markey specifications, Mattew Kelly, Andrew Swan, CSIRO livestock industries, Ian McFarland, Department of Agriculture Western Australia. WELFARE 9. Mulesing accreditation - to be or not to be? Di Evans, Department of Agriculture, Western Australia. 10. The Economic and Research Implications of managing Merino Sheep with out Mulesing, K. Bell, Sheep Management and Production Consultants, North Fremantle WA, D. Sackett, Homes Sackett and Associates, Wagga Wagga NSW 11. How do lambs fare during curfew, Dr Robin Jacob, Department of Agriculture, Western Australi