The allometric relationship between mean fibre diameter of mohair and the fleece-free liveweight of Angora goats over their lifetime

As mean fibre diameter (MFD) is the primary determinant of mohair price we aimed to quantify the lifetime changes in mohair MFDas Angora goats aged and grew. Measurements were made over 12 shearing periods on a population of Angora goats representing the current range and diversity of genetic origins including South African, Texan and interbred admixtures of these and Australian sources. Records of sire, dam, birthweight, birth parity, liveweight, fleece growth and fleece quality were taken for does and castrated males (wethers) (n = 267 animals). Fleece-free liveweights (FFL_wt) were determined for each goat at shearing time by subtracting the greasy fleece weight from the liveweight recorded immediately before shearing. A restricted maximum likelihood growth curve model was developed for relating MFD to FFL_wt, age and other measurements.Asimple way of describing the results is:MFD= k (FFL_wt)b E; where k is a parameter that can vary in a systematic way with shearing(age), breed, weaning weight, sire, dam and individual; b is a parameter that is the same for nearly the whole study; and E are independent errors from a log-normal distribution. The analysis shows that ^b = 0.34, with s.e. (^b) = 0.021. Thus, mohair MFD was allometrically related to the cube root of FFLwt over the lifetime of Angora goats. However, the allometric proportionality constant differed in a systematic way with age at shearing, genetic strain, weaning weight, sire, dam and individual. For Texan-breed goats, MFD decreased as weaning weight increased (P = 0.00016). The findings indicate that management factors that affect liveweight and weaning weight have lifetime effects on mohair fibre diameter and therefore the value of mohair and the profitability of the mohair enterprise.

Understanding determinants of nutrition, physical activity and quality of life among older adults : the Wellbeing, Eating and Exercise for a Long Life (WELL) study

Background : Nutrition and physical activity are major determinants of health and quality of life; however, there exists little research focusing on determinants of these behaviours in older adults. This is important, since just as these behaviours vary according to subpopulation, it is likely that the determinants also vary. An understanding of the modifiable determinants of nutrition and physical activity behaviours among older adults to take into account the specific life-stage context is required in order to develop effective interventions to promote health and well-being and prevent chronic disease and improve quality of life.

Methods : The aim of this work is to identify how intrapersonal, social and environmental factors influence nutrition and physical activity behaviours among older adults living in urban and rural areas. This study is a cohort study of adults aged 55-65 years across urban and rural Victoria, Australia. Participants completed questionnaires at baseline in 2010 and will complete follow-up questionnaires in 2012 and 2014. Self-report questionnaires will be used to assess outcomes such as food intake, physical activity and sedentary behaviours, anthropometry and quality of life. Explanatory variables include socioeconomic position, and measures of the three levels of influence on older adults' nutrition and physical activity behaviours (intrapersonal, social and perceived environmental influences).

Discussion : Obesity and its determinant behaviours, physical inactivity and poor diet are major public health concerns and are significant determinants of the quality of life among the ageing population. There is a critical need for a better understanding of the determinants of nutrition and physical activity in this important target group. This research will provide evidence for the development of effective policies and programs to promote and support increased physical activity and healthy eating behaviours among older adults.

The direct costs of raising external equity capital for US REIT IPOs

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the total direct costs of raising external equity capital for US real estate investment trust (REIT) initial public offerings (IPOs).

Design/methodology/approach – The study provides recent evidence on total direct costs for a comprehensive dataset of 125 US REIT IPOs from 1996 until June 2010. A multivariate OLS regression is performed to determine significant factors influencing the level of total direct costs and also underwriting fees and non-underwriting direct expenses.

Findings – The study finds economies of scale in total direct costs, underwriting fees and non-underwriting expenses. The equally (value) weighted average total direct costs are 8.33 percent (7.52 percent), consisting of 6.49 percent (6.30 percent) underwriting fees and 1.87 percent (1.22 percent) non-underwriting direct expenses. The study finds a declining trend of total direct costs for post 2000 IPOs which is attributed to the declining trend in both underwriting fees and non-underwriting direct expenses. Offer size is a critical determinant for both total direct costs and their individual components and inversely affects these costs. The total direct costs are found significantly higher for equity REITs than for mortgage REITs and are also significantly higher for offers listed in New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). Underwriting fees appear to be negatively influenced by the offer price, the number of representative underwriters involved in the issue, industry return volatility and the number of potential specific risk factors but positively influenced by prior quarter industry dividend yield and ownership limit identified in the prospectus. After controlling for time trend, the paper finds REIT IPOs incur higher non-underwriting direct expenses in response to higher industry return volatility prior to the offer.

Originality/value – This paper adds to the international REIT IPO literature by exploring a number of new influencing factors behind total direct costs, underwriting fees and non-underwriting direct expenses. The study includes data during the recent GFC period.

Variation in the whiteness and brightness of white Australian cashmere associated with farm of origin and fibre attributes

While white cashmere is preferred by processors, its whiteness and brightness is affected by country of origin, amino acid composition, nutrition and cashmere production of goats. This work aimed to quantify the factors which affect the whiteness and brightness of 36 batches of processed Australian white cashmere sourced from nine different farms. The cashmere was tested for tristimulus values brightness (Y) and whiteness, as measured by yellowness (Y-Z). Linear models, relating Y and Y-Z were fitted to farm of origin and other objective measurements. Mean attributes (range) were: mean fibre diameter, 16.9 µm (13.9–20.4 μm); fibre curvature, 45°/mm (31–59°/mm); clean washing yield, 91.3% (79.5–97.3%); Y, 78.7 (74.7–82.2); Y-Z, 11.9 (10.3–13.6). Farm alone accounted for 72% of the variation in Y and 65% of the variation in Y-Z (P < 0.001). Once farm had been taken into account only fibre curvature (P = 0.003) was significant in predicting Y and only clean washing yield (P = 0.047) affected Y-Z. Neither the proportion of the fleece present as guard hair (clean cashmere yield) nor cashmere staple length was a significant determinant of Y or Y-Z. For each 10°/mm increase in fibre curvature Y increased 1.3 units. For each 10% increase in clean washing yield Y-Z declined 0.9 units. Variations in Y and Y-Z among farms were probably related to differences in geographic and climatic conditions and were significantly correlated to cashmere production. The effect of clean washing yield was probably related to a reduction in suint content.

Three year follow-up of an early childhood intervention : is movement skill sustained?

Background
Movement skill competence (e.g. the ability to throw, run and kick) is a potentially important physical activity determinant. However, little is known about the long-term impact of interventions to improve movement skills in early childhood. This study aimed to determine whether intervention preschool children were still more skill proficient than controls three years after a 10 month movement skill focused intervention: ‘Tooty Fruity Vegie in Preschools’.

Methods
Children from 18 intervention and 13 control preschools in NSW, Australia were assessed at ages four (Time1), five (T2) and eight years (T3) for locomotor (run, gallop, hop, leap, horizontal jump, slide) and object control proficiency (strike, bounce, catch, kick, overhand throw, underhand roll) using the Test of Gross Motor Development-2. Multi-level object control and locomotor regression models were fitted with variables time, intervention (yes/no) and a time*intervention interaction. Both models added sex of child and retained if significant, in which case interactions of sex of child with other variables were modelled and retained. SPSS (Version 17.0) was used.

Results
Overall follow-up rate was 29% (163/560). Of the 137 students used in the regression models, 53% were female (n = 73). Intervention girls maintained their object control skill advantage in comparison to controls at T3 (p = .002), but intervention boys did not (p = .591). At T3, there were no longer intervention/control differences in locomotor skill (p = .801).

Conclusion
Early childhood settings should implement movement skill interventions and more intensively target girls and object control skills.

Genetic variation in SH3-domain GRB2-like (endophilin)-interacting protein 1 has a major impact on fat mass

Objective:

The SH3-domain GRB2-like (endophilin)-interacting protein 1 (SGIP1) gene has been shown to be differentially expressed in the hypothalamus of lean versus obese Israeli sand rats (Psammomys obesus), and is suspected of having a role in regulating food intake. The purpose of this study was to assess the role of genetic variation in SGIP1 in human disease.
Subjects:

We performed single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotyping in a large family pedigree cohort from the island of Mauritius. The Mauritius Family Study (MFS) consists of 400 individuals from 24 Indo-Mauritian families recruited from the genetically homogeneous population of Mauritius. We measured markers of the metabolic syndrome, including diabetes and obesity-related phenotypes such as fasting plasma glucose, waist:hip ratio, body mass index and fat mass.
Results:

Statistical genetic analysis revealed associations between SGIP1 polymorphisms and fat mass (in kilograms) as measured by bioimpedance. SNP genotyping identified associations between several genetic variants and fat mass, with the strongest association for rs2146905 (P=4.7 × 10−5). A strong allelic effect was noted for several SNPs where fat mass was reduced by up to 9.4% for individuals homozygous for the minor allele.
Conclusions:

Our results show association between genetic variants in SGIP1 and fat mass. We provide evidence that variation in SGIP1 is a potentially important determinant of obesity-related traits in humans.

Intergenerational effects of the Holocaust : subjective well-being in the offspring of survivors

Offspring of Holocaust survivors have been the subject of much research into how traumatic events affect future generations. This study considers the effects of the Holocaust on the well-being rather than trauma of offspring of Holocaust survivors in Australia. 285 Jewish participants completed a questionnaire to measure components of subjective well-being. Analyses revealed that offspring of Holocaust survivors reported lower general positive mood than non-OHS. This result was limited to offspring of Holocaust survivors with two survivor parents. These findings imply that effects of the Holocaust are transmitted to nonclinical offspring of Holocaust survivors and that the number of survivor parents is a crucial determinant in understanding these transgenerational outcomes.

An impaired mitochondrial electron transport chain increases retention of the hypoxia imaging agent diacetylbis(4-methylthiosemicarbazonato)copper II

Radiolabeled diacetylbis(4-methylthiosemicarbazonato)copper^II [Cu^II(atsm)] is an effective positron-emission tomography imaging agent for myocardial ischemia, hypoxic tumors, and brain disorders with regionalized oxidative stress, such as mitochondrial myopathy, encephalopathy, and lactic acidosis with stroke-like episodes (MELAS) and Parkinson’s disease. An excessively elevated reductive state is common to these conditions and has been proposed as an important mechanism affecting cellular retention of Cu from Cu^II(atsm). However, data from whole-cell models to demonstrate this mechanism have not yet been provided. The present study used a unique cell culture model, mitochondrial xenocybrids, to provide whole-cell mechanistic data on cellular retention of Cu from Cu^II(atsm). Genetic incompatibility between nuclear and mitochondrial encoded subunits of the mitochondrial electron transport chain (ETC) in xenocybrid cells compromises normal function of the ETC. As a consequence of this impairment to the ETC we show xenocybrid cells upregulate glycolytic ATP production and accumulate NADH. Compared to control cells the xenocybrid cells retained more Cu after being treated with Cu^II(atsm). By transfecting the cells with a metal-responsive element reporter construct the increase in Cu retention was shown to involve a Cu^II(atsm)-induced increase in intracellular bioavailable Cu specifically within the xenocybrid cells. Parallel experiments using cells grown under hypoxic conditions confirmed that a compromised ETC and elevated NADH levels contribute to increased cellular retention of Cu from CuII(atsm). Using these cell culture models our data demonstrate that compromised ETC function, due to the absence of O2 as the terminal electron acceptor or dysfunction of individual components of the ETC, is an important determinant in driving the intracellular dissociation of Cu^II(atsm) that increases cellular retention of the Cu.

Effect of timing of dialysis commencement on clincial outcomes of patients with planned initiation of peritoneal dialysis in the ideal trial

Background: Since the mid-1990s, early dialysis initiation has dramatically increased in many countries. The Initiating Dialysis Early and Late (IDEAL) study demonstrated that, compared with late initiation, planned early initiation of dialysis was associated with comparable clinical outcomes and increased health care costs. Because residual renal function is a key determinant of outcome and is better preserved with peritoneal dialysis (PD), the present pre-specified subgroup analysis of the IDEAL trial examined the effects of early-compared with late-start dialysis on clinical outcomes in patients whose planned therapy at the time of randomization was PD.

Methods: Adults with an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) of 10 - 15 mL/min/1.73 m2 who planned to be treated with PD were randomly allocated to commence dialysis at an eGFR of 10 - 14 mL/min/1.73 m2 (early start) or 5 - 7 mL/min/1.73 m2 (late start). The primary outcome was all-cause mortality.

Results: Of the 828 IDEAL trial participants, 466 (56%) planned to commence PD and were randomized to early start (n = 233) or late start (n = 233). The median times from randomization to dialysis initiation were, respectively, 2.03 months [interquartile range (IQR):1.67 - 2.30 months] and 7.83 months (IQR: 5.83 - 8.83 months). Death occurred in 102 early-start patients and 96 late-start patients [hazard ratio: 1.04; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.79 - 1.37]. No differences in composite cardiovascular events, composite infectious deaths, or dialysis-associated complications were observed between the groups. Peritonitis rates were 0.73 episodes (95% CI: 0.65 - 0.82 episodes) per patient-year in the early-start group and 0.69 episodes (95% CI: 0.61 - 0.78 episodes) per patient-year in the late-start group (incidence rate ratio: 1.19; 95% CI: 0.86 - 1.65; p = 0.29). The proportion of patients planning to commence PD who actually initiated dialysis with PD was higher in the early-start group (80% vs 70%, p = 0.01).

Conclusion: Early initiation of dialysis in patients with stage 5 chronic kidney disease who planned to be treated with PD was associated with clinical outcomes comparable to those seen with late dialysis initiation. Compared with early-start patients, late-start patients who had chosen PD as their planned dialysis modality were less likely to commence on PD.

Injecting content into the mirage that is proportionality in sentencing

Sentencing involves the deliberate infliction of harm by society on individuals. It is the most coercive means through which the community imposes its collective (albeit civilised) displeasure at harmful conduct. It is an important and complex process, which involves balancing fundamental interests of victims and the community on the one hand and offenders on the other. The single most important determinant in setting criminal sanctions is the principle of proportionality, which provides that the harshness of the penalty should match the seriousness of the offence. The principle is intuitively appealing but in reality is an illusion, and hence the reason why penalties for criminal offences vary enormously within and across jurisdictions. The main reason is because there is no agreement regarding the considerations that inform offence severity or sanction hardship. This article injects content into the proportionality principle by suggesting that both limbs of the principle should be informed by the extent to which the crime and the sanction set back the well-being of victims and offenders, respectively. These interests are not conclusively mapped. However, a methodology is set out for establishing these interests. This will lead to greater consistency in sentencing and provide a sounder, normative foundation for the manner in which society deals with criminals.

Heat for nothing or activity for free? Evidence and implications of activity-thermoregulatory heat substitution

If heat generated through activity can substitute for heat required for thermoregulation, then activity in cold environments may be energetically free for endotherms. Although the possibility of activity-thermoregulatory heat substitution has been long recognized, its empirical generality and ecological implications remain unclear. We combine a review of the literature and a model of heat exchange to explore the generality of activity-thermoregulatory heat substitution, to assess the extent to which substitution is likely to vary with body size and ambient temperature, and to examine some potential macroecological implications. A majority of the 51 studies we located showed evidence of activity-thermoregulatory heat substitution (35 of 51 studies), with 28 of 32 species examined characterized by substitution in one or more study. Among studies that did detect substitution, the average magnitude of substitution was 57%, but its occurrence and extent varied taxonomically, allometrically, and with ambient temperature. Modeling of heat production and dissipation suggests that large birds and mammals, engaged in intense activity and exposed to relatively warm conditions, have more scope for substitution than do smaller endotherms engaged in less intense activity and experiencing cooler conditions. However, ambient temperature has to be less than the lower critical temperature (the lower bound of the thermal neutral zone) for activity-thermoregulatory heat substitution to occur and this threshold is lower in large endotherms than in small endotherms. Thus, in nature, substitution is most likely to be observed in intermediate-sized birds and mammals experiencing intermediate ambient temperatures. Activity-thermoregulatory heat substitution may be an important determinant of the activity patterns and metabolic ecology of endotherms. For example, a pattern of widely varying field metabolic rates (FMR) at low latitudes that converges to higher and less variable FMR at high latitudes has been interpreted as suggesting that warm environments at low latitudes allow a greater variety of feasible metabolic niches than do cool, high-latitude environments. However, activity-thermoregulatory heat substitution will generate this pattern of latitudinal FMR variation even if endotherms from cold and warm climates are metabolically and behaviorally identical, because the metabolic rates of resting and active animals are more similar in cold than in warm environments. Activity-thermoregulatory heat substitution is an understudied aspect of endotherm thermal biology that is apt to be a major influence on the physiological, behavioral and ecological responses of free-ranging endotherms to variation in temperature.

Basal metabolic rate of canidae from hot deserts to cold arctic climates

Canids form the most widely distributed family within the order Carnivora, with members present in a multitude of different environments from cold arctic to hot, dry deserts. We reviewed the literature and compared 24 data sets available on the basal metabolic rate (BMR) of 12 canid species, accounting for body mass and climate, to examine inter- and intraspecific variations in mass-adjusted BMR between 2 extreme climates (arctic and hot desert). Using both conventional and phylogenetically independent analysis of covariance, we found that canids from the arctic climate zone had significantly higher mass-adjusted BMR than species from hot deserts. Canids not associated with either arctic or desert climates had an intermediate and more variable mass-adjusted BMR. The climate effect also was significant at the intraspecific level in species for which we had data in 2 different climates. Arctic and desert climates represent contrasting combinations of ambient temperatures and water accessibility that require opposite physiological adaptations in terms of metabolism. The fact that BMR varies within species when individuals are subjected to different climate regimes further suggests that climate is an important determinant of BMR.

Thermosets : structure, properties and applications

Structure-property relationships of thermosets are important in the manufacture and application of materials. Understanding the desired properties of a material in a certain application is related to the material's structure and vice versa. The way in which the material is processed is also a determinant of the structure and resulting properties. Many books have been written about the chemistry of thermosets but with only brief consideration of structure-property relationships. This book focuses on how the structure and properties of a range of thermosets affect the final material and applications. It is composed of two parts: I Structure and properties of thermosets and II Applications of thermosets. Part I starts with a comprehensive overview of thermosets covering structure, properties and processing for advanced applications, followed by four chapters addressing mechanical properties, thermal properties, rheology, and nanostructures and toughening. The applications presented in Part II range from the use of thermosets in the building and construction industry to aerospace applications, electrical applications, thermoset adhesives and insulation materials in appliances and other applications. We hope that this book will not only be a useful textbook for advanced undergraduate and postgraduate students, but also a concise reference for researchers in academia and engineers in related industries. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the staff of Woodhead Publishing Limited, especially Kathryn Picking who invited me to edit this book and helped develop the initial content, also Adam Hooper, Helen Bradley, Emily Cole, Francis Dodds and Rachel Cox for their assistance in many ways during the preparation of the manuscript. Finally, I wish to express my appreciation and respects to all the contributors for their commitment, patience and pleasant cooperation.

Critical evaluation of the nursery role hypothesis for seagrass meadows

The vast majority of published papers concerning seagrass meadows contain statements to the effect that seagrass beds serve as important nurseries for many species. We reviewed more than 200 papers that were relevant to the nursery role hypothesis. We used both vote counting and meta-analytic techniques to evaluate whether the body of previous studies that report seagrass meadows to be nursery grounds actually contain data that support this proposition. We restricted our analyses to papers that compared seagrass beds to other habitats, and examined data on a variety of well-studied species concerning their density, growth, survival and migration to adult habitat. Within this group of papers, we considered potential factors that could influence the nursery function (e.g. location, or laboratory vs field studies). We also evaluated case histories of well-documented large-scale seagrass losses on the nursery function. Major results were consistent with the expectations that abundance, growth and survival were greater in seagrass than in unstructured habitats. Abundance data also suggested that seagrass beds in the Northern Hemisphere might be more important as nursery areas than those in the Southern Hemisphere. Surprisingly, few significant differences existed in abundance, growth or survival when seagrass meadows were compared to other structured habitats, such as oyster or cobble reefs, or macroalgal beds. Nor were there decreases in harvests of commercially important species that could clearly be attributed to significant seagrass declines in 3 well-studied areas. However, there were decreased abundances of juveniles of commercially important species in these areas, suggesting a strong link between seagrass abundance and those of juvenile finfish and shellfish. One important implication of these results is that structure per se, rather than the type of structure, appears to be an important determinant of nursery value. Clearly, more rigorous studies that test all aspects of the nursery role hypothesis are clearly needed for seagrass meadows as well as other structured habitats. The results of such studies will allow better decisions to be made concerning the conservation and restoration of marine habitats.

Endurance training in Wistar rats decreases receptor sensitivity to a serotonin agonist

There is mounting evidence that increased brain serotonin during exercise is associated with the onset of CNS-mediated fatigue. Serotonin receptor sensitivity is likely to be an important determinant of this fatigue. Alterations in brain serotonin receptor sensitivity were examined in Wistar rats throughout 6 weeks of endurance training, running on a treadmill four times a week with two exercise tests per week to exhaustion. Receptor sensitivity was determined indirectly as the reduction in exercise time in response to a dose of a serotonin (1A) agonist, m-chlorophenylpiperazine (m-CPP). The two groups of controls were used to examine (i) the effect of the injection per se on exercise performance and (ii) changes in serotonin receptor sensitivity associated with maturation. In the test group, undrugged exercise performance significantly improved by 47% after 6 weeks of training (4518 ± 729 to 6640 ± 903 s, P=0.01). Drugged exercise performance also increased significantly from week 1 to week 6 (306 ± 69–712 ± 192 s, P = 0.04). Control group results indicated that the dose of m-CPP alone caused fatigue during exercise tests and that maturation was not responsible for any decrease in receptor sensitivity. Improved resistance to the fatiguing effects of the serotonin agonist suggests desensitization of central serotonin receptors, probably the 5-HT1A receptors. Endurance training appears to stimulate an adaptive response to the fatiguing effects of increased brain serotonin, which may enhance endurance exercise performance.