Liver transplantation in children: Experience with the development of an Australian pilot programme. The Queensland Liver Transplantation Programme

Children with end-stage liver disease now form a major sub-group of patients considered suitable for liver transplantation (ltp), and enjoy better survival statistics after transplantation than do adults. Since June 1984, a paediatric ltp programme has been developed in Brisbane with an initial working relationship and ongoing close links with two USA centres (Pittsburgh, and the UCLA Medical Center). Fourteen children with end-stage liver disease have been referred to the Queensland Liver Transplantation Programme for formal assessment. Following frank, informed discussion with their parents, 10 of these children were offered the option of ltp. During the transition stage, two infants with biliary atresia were referred to UCLA at their parents' request and, subsequently, eight children aged from 9 months to 6 years have been placed on a transplant candidacy list in Brisbane. A donor procurement team with access to a Queensland Government jet has been available to cover all mainland States except Western Australia. Six of the children have now had orthotopic ltp (two children at the UCLA Medical Center; four children at the Royal Children's Hospital, Brisbane). One UCLA patient died with a non-functioning graft, and one Brisbane patient died 5 weeks post-transplant with rejection, hepatic artery thrombosis and sepsis. The other four children are alive and well, three with normal liver function and one with unexplained intrahepatic cholestasis, during the 1-20 month follow-up to date. Three further children have died of their liver disease without a donor of an appropriate blood group and size being found, and one patient still awaits a suitable donor. The experience of these authors suggests that ltp is a major advance in the treatment of paediatric liver disease, and that the procedure can be carried out successfully in Australia with initial results comparable with leading overseas centres. The procedure requires the full array of services of a major paediatric tertiary care facility, an intensive team effort with awareness of the special needs of children, and a widespread procurement capability. A major problem for Australia is the procurement of sufficient numbers of optimal paediatric donor livers.

Mechanical performances of track-shaped rebar stiffened concrete-filled steel tubular (SCFRT) stub columns under axial compression

This paper presents a combined experimental, numerical, and theoretical study on the mechanical behaviors of track-shaped concrete-filled steel tubular (SCFRT) stub columns stiffened by rebars under compressive load. A total of 18 track-shaped concrete-filled steel tubular specimens including 12 specimens stiffened by rebars and 6 non-stiffened counterparts are tested, with consideration of parameters including flakiness ratio, concrete strength, and stiffeners. Failure pattern, bearing capacity, and ductility are all analyzed and discussed based on the experimental results. The numerical simulation by finite element (FE) software ABAQUS is also conducted. Based on both experimental and numerical results, theoretical formula to predict the load-bearing capacity of SCFRT stub columns subjected to axial compression loading is established according to the superposition principle of ultimate load-bearing capacity with rational simplification. The proposed theoretical method provides accurate predictions on the load bearing capacity by comparing with experimental results from 18 groups of specimens.

The effects of +Gz force on the bone mineral density of fighter pilots

HYPOTHESIS Bone is a metabolically active tissue which responds to high strain loading. The purpose of this study was to examine the bone response to high +Gz force loading generated during high performance flying. METHODS The bone response to +Gz force loading was monitored in 10 high performance RAAF pilots and 10 gender-, age-, height-, weight-matched control subjects. The pilots were stationed at the RAAF base at Pearce, Western Australia, all completing the 1-yr flight training course. The pilots flew the Pilatus PC-9 aircraft, routinely sustaining between 2.0 and 6.0 +Gz. Bone mineral density (BMD) and bone mineral content (BMC) were measured at baseline and 12 mo, using the Hologic QDR 2000+ bone densitometer. RESULTS After controlling for change in total body weight and fat mass, the pilots experienced a significant increase in BMD and BMC for thoracic spine, pelvis, and total body, in the magnitude of 11.0%, 4.9%, and 3.7%, respectively. However, no significant changes in bone mineral were observed in the pilots lumbar spine, arms or legs. The control group experienced a significant decrease in pelvic BMC, with no other bone mineral changes observed at any site. CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest that site specific BMD is increased in response to high +Gz forces generated during high performance flying in a PC-9.

The pandemic of conflict-related sexual violence and the political economy of gender inequality

Since the 1998 Rome Statute recognized widespread and systematic acts of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) as an act of genocide, a war crime and crime against humanity, the last decade has seen historic recognition that egregious acts of sexual violence merit international political and legal attention (UN General Assembly, 1998). Notably there are now no fewer than seven United Nations Security Council resolutions on the cross-cutting theme of Women, Peace and Security.

National media regulations in an age of convergent media: Beyond globalisation, neo-liberalism and internet freedom theories

There is a widely held view that the nation-state has become less central to media and communications policy over the last two decades. As Jan van Cuilenberg and Denis McQuail (2003, p. 181) observed in their overview of trends in communications policy-making, 'the old normative media policies have been challenged and policy-makers are searching for a new communications policy paradigm'. There are characteristically five factors put forward as to why the nation-state has become less central to media in the twenty-first century

A distributed services based conference planner application using software agents, grid services and web services

This demonstration highlights the applications of our research work i.e. second generation (Scalable Fault Tolerant Agent Grooming Environment - SAGE) Multi Agent System, Integration of Software Agents and Grid Computing and Autonomous Agent Architecture in the Agent Platform. It is a conference planner application that uses collaborative effort of services deployed geographically wide in different technologies i.e. Software Agents, Grid computing and Web services to perform useful tasks as required. Copyright 2005 ACM.

Expecting too much? Can Indigenous sport programs in Australia deliver development and social outcomes?

Sport holds a special place in the national psyche of many nations with claims for sport being far reaching. More recently sport has been identified as a development and an educational tool in the areas of health and behaviour modification. Against the backdrop of the Close the Gap blueprint for Indigenous Australians and within the context of competing claims for sport, this paper discusses whether sport can genuinely contribute to community development in Indigenous Australian communities. Drawing on cases from sports-based programmes that spanned a 5-year research programme and informed by a theoretical framework inspired by Sen’s notion of ‘Development as Freedom’, this paper makes the case that sport can be a robust developmental tool capable of delivering social outcomes to marginalized communities.

The influence of impurities on calcium phosphate floc structure and size in sugar solutions

Settling, dewatering and filtration of flocs are important steps in industry to remove solids and improve subsequent processing. The influence of non-sucrose impurities (Ca2+, Mg2+, phosphate and aconitic acid) on calcium phosphate floc structure (scattering exponent, Sf), size and shape were examined in synthetic and authentic sugar juices using X-ray diffraction techniques. In synthetic juices, Sf decreases with increasing phosphate concentration to values where loosely bound and branched flocs are formed for effective trapping and removal of impurities. Although, Sf did not change with increasing aconitic acid concentration, the floc size significantly decreased reducing the ability of the flocs to remove impurities. In authentic juices, the flocs structures were marginally affected by increasing proportions of non-sucrose impurities. However, optical microscopy indicated the formation of well-formed macro-floc network structures in sugar cane juices containing lower proportions of non-sucrose impurities. These structures are better placed to remove suspended colloidal solids.