A spatial analysis of agriculture in the Republic of Ireland, 1991 to 2000

End of year projectBy linking farm census and administrative data from the CSO and DAF to a geographic information system and analysing the mapping output, this project shows the continued broad division of farming in the state into marginal farming areas in the north and west and more commercial farming areas in the south and east. While this division was compounded by the 1992 CAP reforms, and commercial farming became more spatially concentrated over the 1990s, the influence of the development in the non-farm economy, particularly in peri-urban rural areas across the state, provided local drivers of change that encouraged enterprise substitution to beef production, the farming system most readily combined by farm holders with another job. A full report on the mapping output will be produced in a forthcoming publication (see publications list)

Correlation of Magnetic Resonance images of the human temporomandibular joint with gross and microscopic anatomy

1. MR imaging of the TMJ has a high diagnostic accuracy and should be considered as the prime imaging modality for soft and hard tissue changes of the TMJ. Howevel MR imaging is dependent on technical factors such as magnetic field strength, gradient coil strength, software and surface coils to achieve a high quality image. The small number of false diagnoses in this study were consistently related to underestimation of the pathologic conditions. All of the false diagnoses were false negative's and included an underestimation of disc displacements, disc deformations or osseous changes. The underestimations were usually due to the inability of MR imaging to depict the most lateral or most medial part of the joint. The most lateral and most medial parts of the joint were not depicted with the same high quality images as the central zone. Although the diagnostic accuracy in this study was high, it may be possible to further improve the MR images. One possibility would be to use MR imaging sections that are thinner than 3mm. In this way volume averaging of oblique structures would be reduced, and the image quality of the most lateral and most medial parts of the joint would be improved. Another way to improve MR imaging would be to use a smaller field of view, resulting in higher spatial resolution. 2. The most accurate imaging modality for normal and pathologic joints was the sagittal and coronal T2 weighted sequences which were highly sensitive to at'ticular surface changes, disc displacements and perforations. When the images were compared to the histologic sections of the same joint this accuracy was highlighted. The results also showed that the use of sagittal MR images alone does not provide sufficient accuracy in the evaluation of disc position and articular surface changes. Consequently a full MR examination of the TMJ for positional disc abnormalities ancl osseous changes should include imaging in both coronal and sagittal planesThesis (M.D.S.)--University of Adelaide, Dept. of Dentistry, 199

Pneumonia failing to respond to treatment

SummaryHerpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) is frequently isolated from the respiratory tract of critically ill patients. However, diagnosis of clinically significant HSV-1 pneumonia is difficult as the presentation is non-specific and there is no diagnostic reference standard to differentiate from non-infectious contamination.We present a case of HSV-1 pneumonia in a young asthmatic patient who was potentially immunocompromised through long-term corticosteroid usage. The quantitative PCR titre from bronchoalveolar lavage fluid was high (9×103copies/ml) and the patient made a dramatic clinical and radiographic recovery upon treatment with acyclovir. We suggest that similar PCR levels in the appropriate clinical setting should prompt consideration of anti-viral therapy

On Lagrangian Coherent Structures in Laparoscopy

Laparoscopy is an electrosurgical medical operation often involving an application of high-frequency alternating current to remove undesired biological tissue from the insufflated abdomen accessible through inlet and outlets trocars. One of the main byproducts in this process are the gaseous particles, called surgical smoke, which is found hazardous for both the patient and the operating room staff. The elimination of this hazardous material is an area of active research in the medical community. Thus, understanding dynamics influenced by the underlying flow inside the abdomen is crucial. In this article, we propose a computational fluid dynamics model and analyse the velocity field in an insufflated abdomen shaped domain by identifying the Lagrangian Coherent Structures (LCS) that are responsible for the transportation, mixing and accumulation of the material particles in the flow. By calculating the mixing strength we show that the regions revealed by these material curves are dependent on the angle, positions and number of the outlets and inlets. Hence, a novel utility of LCS in medical surgery is presented that can detail the dynamics of surgical smoke informing better design of effective smoke removal technologies

Assessing the sustainability of fed batch and continuous process formats for mAb manufacturing via bioprocess modeling

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Use of antenatal corticosteroids prior to preterm birth in four South East Asian countries within the SEA-ORCHID project

BackgroundThere is strong evidence supporting the use of antenatal corticosteroids in women at risk of preterm birth to promote fetal lung maturation and reduce neonatal mortality and morbidity. This audit aimed to assess the use of antenatal corticosteroids prior to preterm birth in the nine hospitals in four South East Asian countries participating in the South East Asia Optimising Reproductive Health in Developing Countries (SEA-ORCHID) Project.MethodWe reviewed the medical records of 9550 women (9665 infants including 111 twins and two triplets) admitted to the labour wards of nine hospitals in four South East Asian countries during 2005. For women who gave birth before 34 weeks gestation we collected information on women's demographic and pregnancy background, the type, dose and use of corticosteroids, and key birth and infant outcomes.ResultsAdministration of antenatal corticosteroids to women who gave birth before 34 weeks gestation varied widely between countries (9% to 73%) and also between hospitals within countries (0% to 86%). Antenatal corticosteroids were most commonly given when women were between 28 and 34 weeks gestation (80%). Overall 6% of women received repeat doses of corticosteroids. Dexamethasone was the only type of antenatal corticosteroid used. Women receiving antenatal corticosteroids compared with those not given antenatal corticosteroids were less likely to have had a previous pregnancy and to be booked for birth at the hospital and almost three times as likely to have a current multiple pregnancy. Exposed women were less likely to be induced and almost twice as likely to have a caesarean section, a primary postpartum haemorrhage and postpartum pyrexia. Infants exposed to antenatal corticosteroids compared with infants not exposed were less likely to die. Live born exposed infants were less likely to have Apgar scores of ConclusionIn this survey the use of antenatal corticosteroids prior to preterm birth varied between countries and hospitals. Evaluation of the enablers and barriers to the uptake of this effective antenatal intervention at individual hospitals is needed.Pattanittum P, Ewens MR, Laopaiboon M, Lumbiganon P, McDonald SJ, Crowther CA and The SEA-ORCHID Study Grou

Shallow non-inversion tillage in organic farming maintains crop yields and increases soil C stocks: a meta-analysis

Reduced tillage is increasingly promoted to improve sustainability and productivity of agricultural systems. Nonetheless, adoption of reduced tillage by organic farmers has been slow due to concerns about nutrient supply, soil structure, and weeds that may limit yields. Here, we compiled the results from both published and unpublished research comparing deep or shallow inversion tillage, with various categories of reduced tillage under organic management. Shallow refers to less than 25 cm. We found that (1) division of reduced tillage practices into different classes with varying degrees of intensity allowed us to assess the trade-offs between reductions in tillage intensity, crop yields, weed incidence, and soil C stocks. (2) Reducing tillage intensity in organic systems reduced crop yields by an average of 7.6 % relative to deep inversion tillage with no significant reduction in yield relative to shallow inversion tillage. (3) Among the different classes of reduced tillage practice, shallow non-inversion tillage resulted in non-significant reductions in yield relative to deep inversion; whereas deep non-inversion tillage resulted in the largest yield reduction, of 11.6 %. (4) Using inversion tillage to only a shallow depth resulted in minimal reductions in yield, of 5.5 %, but significantly higher soil C stocks and better weed control. This finding suggests that this is a good option for organic farmers wanting to improve soil quality while minimizing impacts on yields. (5) Weeds were consistently higher, by about 50 %, when tillage intensity was reduced, although this did not always result in reduced yields

A total-population multigenerational family clustering study of autoimmune diseases in obsessive-compulsive disorder and Tourette’s/chronic tic disorders

The association between obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and Tourette's/chronic tic disorders (TD/CTD) with autoimmune diseases (ADs) is uncertain. In this nationwide study, we sought to clarify the patterns of comorbidity and familial clustering of a broad range of ADs in individuals with OCD, individuals with TD/CTD and their biological relatives. From a birth cohort of 7 465 455 individuals born in Sweden between 1940 and 2007, we identified 30 082 OCD and 7279 TD/CTD cases in the National Patient Register and followed them up to 31 December 2013. The risk of 40 ADs was evaluated in individuals with OCD, individuals with TD/CTD and their first- (siblings, mothers, fathers), second- (half siblings) and third-degree (cousins) relatives, compared with population controls. Individuals with OCD and TD/CTD had increased comorbidity with any AD (43% and 36%, respectively) and many individual ADs. The risk of any AD and several individual ADs was consistently higher among first-degree relatives than among second- and third-degree relatives of OCD and TD/CTD probands. The risk of ADs was very similar in mothers, fathers and siblings of OCD probands, whereas it tended to be higher in mothers and fathers of TD/CTD probands (compared with siblings). The results suggest a familial link between ADs in general (that is, not limited to Streptococcus-related conditions) and both OCD and TD/CTD. Additional mother-specific factors, such as the placental transmission of antibodies, cannot be fully ruled out, particularly in TD/CTD.grant from the Tourette Association of America (Mataix-Cols). Dr. Frans was supported by the Swedish Brain Foundation. Ms. Ana Pérez-Vigil was supported by a grant from the Alicia Koplowitz Foundation. Dr. Fernández de la Cruz is supported by a Junior Researcher grant from the Swedish Research Council for Health, Working Life and Welfare (FORTE grant number 2015-00569). Dr. Crowley was supported by NIMH grants R01MH105500 and R01MH110427. Dr. Rück was supported by a grant from the Swedish Research Council (K2013-61P-22168). We also acknowledge financial support from the Swedish Research Council through the Swedish Initiative for Research on Microdata in the Social And Medical Sciences (SIMSAM) framework grant no 340-2013-5867. Dr. Lichtenstein is supported by grants from the Swedish Research Council for Health, Working Life and Welfare and the Swedish Research Council.Accepte

Suppression of Lung Adenocarcinoma Progression by Nkx2-1

Despite the high prevalence and poor outcome of patients with metastatic lung cancer the mechanisms of tumour progression and metastasis remain largely uncharacterized. Here we modelled human lung adenocarcinoma, which frequently harbours activating point mutations in KRAS and inactivation of the p53 pathway, using conditional alleles in mice. Lentiviral-mediated somatic activation of oncogenic Kras and deletion of p53 in the lung epithelial cells of Kras[superscript LSL-G12D/+];p53[superscript flox/flox] mice initiates lung adenocarcinoma development4. Although tumours are initiated synchronously by defined genetic alterations, only a subset becomes malignant, indicating that disease progression requires additional alterations. Identification of the lentiviral integration sites allowed us to distinguish metastatic from non-metastatic tumours and determine the gene expression alterations that distinguish these tumour types. Cross-species analysis identified the NK2-related homeobox transcription factor Nkx2-1 (also called Ttf-1 or Titf1) as a candidate suppressor of malignant progression. In this mouse model, Nkx2-1 negativity is pathognomonic of high-grade poorly differentiated tumours. Gain- and loss-of-function experiments in cells derived from metastatic and non-metastatic tumours demonstrated that Nkx2-1 controls tumour differentiation and limitsmetastatic potential in vivo. Interrogation of Nkx2-1-regulated genes, analysis of tumours at defined developmental stages, and functional complementation experiments indicate that Nkx2-1 constrains tumours in part by repressing the embryonically restricted chromatin regulator Hmga2. Whereas focal amplification of NKX2-1 in a fraction of human lung adenocarcinomas has focused attention on its oncogenic function, our data specifically link Nkx2-1 downregulation to loss of differentiation, enhanced tumour seeding ability and increased metastatic proclivity. Thus, the oncogenic and suppressive functions ofNkx2-1 in the sametumourNational Institutes of Health (U.S.) (grant U01-CA84306 )National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (grant K99-CA151968)Howard Hughes Medical InstituteLudwig Center for Molecular OncologyNational Cancer Institute (U.S.) (Cancer Center Support (core) grant P30-CA14051