Australian data do not support current pharmaceutical benefits scheme criteria for use of tumour necrosis factor-α inhibitors in ankylosing spondylitis

On the basis of local data, we write in support of the conclusions of Smith and Ahern that current Pharmaceu- tical Benefits Scheme (PBS) criteria for tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-a inhibitors in ankylosing spondylitis (AS) are not evidence-based. 1 As a prerequisite to the appropriate use of biological therapy in AS, three aspects of the disease need to be defined: (i) diagnosis, (ii) activity and (iii) therapeutic failure (Table 1)....

Support services for higher degree research students: A survey of three Australian universities

A survey was conducted across three Australian universities to identify the types and format of support services available for higher degree research (HDR, or MA and Ph.D.) students. The services were classified with regards to availability, location and accessibility. A comparative tool was developed to help institutions categorise their services in terms of academic, administrative, social and settlement, language and miscellaneous (other) supports. All three universities showed similarities in the type of academic support services offered, while differing in social and settlement and language support services in terms of the location and the level of accessibility of these services. The study also examined the specific support services available for culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) students. The three universities differed in their emphases in catering to CALD needs, with their allocation of resources reflecting these differences. The organisation of these services within the universities was further assessed to determine possible factors that may influence the effective delivery of these services, by considering HDR and CALD student specific issues. The findings and tools developed by this study may be useful to HDR supervisors and university administrators in identifying key support services to better improve outcomes for the HDR students and universities.

A continuum to characterise and support teacher interpretation of an innovative curriculum

A continuum for describing the degree to which teachers interpret the various features of a curriculum is presented. The continuum has been developed based upon the observation of classroom practices and discussions with a group of teachers who are using an innovative junior secondary mathematics curriculum. It is anticipated that the ongoing use of the continuum will lead to its improvement as well as the refinement of the curriculum, more focussed support for the teachers,improved student learning, and the building of explanatory theory regarding mathematics teaching and learning.

Role of predictors in downscaling surface temperature to river basin in India for IPCC SRES scenarios using support vector machine

In this paper, downscaling models are developed using a support vector machine (SVM) for obtaining projections of monthly mean maximum and minimum temperatures (T-max and T-min) to river-basin scale. The effectiveness of the model is demonstrated through application to downscale the predictands for the catchment of the Malaprabha reservoir in India, which is considered to be a climatically sensitive region. The probable predictor variables are extracted from (1) the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) reanalysis dataset for the period 1978-2000, and (2) the simulations from the third-generation Canadian Coupled Global Climate Model (CGCM3) for emission scenarios A1B, A2, B1 and COMMIT for the period 1978-2100. The predictor variables are classified into three groups, namely A, B and C. Large-scale atmospheric variables Such as air temperature, zonal and meridional wind velocities at 925 nib which are often used for downscaling temperature are considered as predictors in Group A. Surface flux variables such as latent heat (LH), sensible heat, shortwave radiation and longwave radiation fluxes, which control temperature of the Earth's surface are tried as plausible predictors in Group B. Group C comprises of all the predictor variables in both the Groups A and B. The scatter plots and cross-correlations are used for verifying the reliability of the simulation of the predictor variables by the CGCM3 and to Study the predictor-predictand relationships. The impact of trend in predictor variables on downscaled temperature was studied. The predictor, air temperature at 925 mb showed an increasing trend, while the rest of the predictors showed no trend. The performance of the SVM models that are developed, one for each combination of predictor group, predictand, calibration period and location-based stratification (land, land and ocean) of climate variables, was evaluated. In general, the models which use predictor variables pertaining to land surface improved the performance of SVM models for downscaling T-max and T-min

Governance and regional planning outcomes: Using governance indicators to support a policy implementation approach

Regional planning faces numerous decision making uncertainties related to the complex interdependencies between urban and regional centres. Questions about how to achieve sustainable planning solutions across regions are a key uncertainty and relate to a lack of information about the actual achievement of outcomes as proposed by the objectives of a plan. Regional plan implementation and its impact on environmental, social and economic outcomes have been little explored within Australian urban and regional planning research. Despite a desire to improve the conditions across Australian regions, ambiguity persists regarding the results of regional planning efforts. Of the variables affecting regional planning, scholars argue that governance has a significant impact on achieving outcomes (see Pahl-Wostl 2009). In order to better analyse the impact of governance, we propose a set of governance indicators to examine decisions across regional planning institutions and apply this to governance models across Queensland’s regions. We contend that these governance indicators can support a more rigorous assessment of the impacts of governance models on plan implementation and outcomes. We propose that this is a way to better understand the relationship between planning and outcomes across urban and regional areas.

Metal-free graphitic carbon nitride as mechano-catalyst for hydrogen evolution reaction

Graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4), as a promising metal-free catalyst for photo-catalytic and electrochemical water splitting, has recently attracted tremendous research interest. However, the underlying catalytic mechanism for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is not fully understood. By using density functional theory calculations, here we have established that the binding free energy of hydrogen atom (ΔGH∗0) on g-C3N4 is very sensitive to mechanical strain, leading to substantial tuning of the HER performance of g-C3N4 at different coverages. The experimentally-observed high HER activity in N-doped graphene supported g-C3N4 (Zheng et al., 2014) is actually attributed to electron-transfer induced strain. A more practical strategy to induce mechanical strain in g-C3N4 is also proposed by doping a bridge carbon atom in g-C3N4 with an isoelectronic silicon atom. The calculated ΔGH∗0 on the Si-doped g-C3N4 is ideal for HER. Our results indicate that g-C3N4 would be an excellent metal-free mechano-catalyst for HER and this finding is expected to guide future experiments to efficiently split water into hydrogen based on the g-C3N4 materials.

Nutritional support in children with end-stage liver disease : a randomized crossover trial of a branched-chain amino acid supplement

Malnutrition is common in children with end-stage liver disease (ESLD) awaiting orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT), and nutritional support is assuming an important role in preoperative management. To evaluate preoperative nutritional therapy, 19 children (median age 1.25 y) with ESLD awaiting OLT were prospectively studied. Two high-energy, isoenergetic and isonitrogenous nutritional formulations delivered nasogastrically were compared: a branched-chain amino acid (BCAA)-enriched semielemental formulation and a matched standard semielemental formulation. Twelve of 19 patients completed a randomized controlled study before OLT and 10 of 19 completed a full crossover study. Improvements in weight and height occurred during the BCAA supplements, with no statistical change on the standard formulation. Significant increases in total body potassium, midupper arm circumference, and subscapular skinfold thickness occurred during the BCAA supplements, whereas no significant changes occurred during the standard formulation period. Significantly fewer albumin infusions were required during the BCAA supplement. These findings suggest that BCAA-enriched formulas have advantages over standard semielemental formulas in improving nutritional status in children with ESLD. and are deserving of wider application and study.

Controversy on the Free Energy of Formation of CaO Additional Evidence in Support of Thermochemical Data

The standard free energies of formation of CaO derived from a variety of high-temperature equilibrium measurements made by seven groups of experimentalists are significantly different from those given in the standard compilations of thermodynamic data. Indirect support for the validity of the compiled data comes from new solid-state electrochemical measurements using single-crystal CaF2 and SrF2 as electrolytes. The change in free energy for the following reactions are obtained: CaO + MgF2 --> MgO + CaF2 Delta G degrees = -68,050 -2.47 T(+/-100) J mol(-1) SrO + CaF2 --> SrF2 + CaO Delta G degrees = -35,010 + 6.39 T (+/-80) J mol(-1) The standard free energy changes associated with cell reactions agree with data in standard compilations within +/- 4 kJ mol(-1). The results of this study do not support recent suggestions for a major revision in thermodynamic data for CaO.

ACE research briefing paper 009: Global Entrepreneurship Monitor: GEM Australia - 2014 National Report

Most policymakers and academics agree that entrepreneurship is critical to the development and wellbeing of society. Entrepreneurs create jobs. They drive and shape innovation, thereby speeding up structural changes in the economy. By introducing new competition they contribute indirectly to increased productivity and overall economic activity. Entrepreneurship is thus a catalyst for economic growth and national competitiveness. In 2014, the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM)conducted its 15th annual survey of the rate and profile of entrepreneurial activity around the globe. GEM interviewed over 206,000 adults aged 18–64 in 70 economies, spanning diverse geographies and a range of development levels. The Australian Centre for Entrepreneurship Research (ACE) participated as the Australian GEM partner, surveying 2,177 Australian adults. This report provides a summary of entrepreneurship in Australia as measured by GEM, and benchmarks this against other countries. We compare the level of entrepreneurship in the population across different phases of the entrepreneurial process, and provide a profile of some key characteristics of entrepreneurs and the businesses they are starting. We also report on some of the institutional and framework conditions that support entrepreneurship.

Support Frameworks for the Use of Social Media by Emergency Management Organisations

Social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter are now widely recognised as playing an increasingly important role in the dissemination of information during crisis events. They are used by emergency management organisations as well as by the public to share information and advice. However, the official use of social media for crisis communication within emergency management organisations is still relatively new and ad hoc, rather than being systematically embedded within or effectively coordinated across agencies. This policy report suggests a more effectively coordinated approach to leverage social media use, involving stronger networking between social media staff within emergency management organisations. This could be realised by establishing a national network of social media practitioners managed by the Australia-New Zealand Emergency Management Committee (ANZEMC), reinforced by a Federal government task force that promotes further policy initiatives in this space.

Partial Loss Of Support And Frame-Soil Interaction

An interaction analysis has been conducted to study the effects of a local loss of support beneath the beam footing of a two-bay plane frame. The results of the study indicate that the magnitude of increase in the bending moment and axial force in the structure due to the presence of a void are dependent, not only on the extent of support loss, but also on the relative stiffnesses between foundation beam and soil, and between superstructure and soil. The increase in bending moment even for a void span of 1/12 of the foundation beam length can become so significant as to exceed the safety provisions. The study shows that the effect of a void on the superstructure moments can be greatly minimized by a combination of rigid foundation and flexible superstructure.

Pre-operative nutritional support in children with end-stage liver disease accepted for liver transplantation: An approach to management

Pre-operative nutritional support was studied in 28 children with end-stage liver disease awaiting orthotopic liver transplantation. Nasogastric supplemental administration of a standard semi-elemental enteral nutritional formula was compared with a similar formula enriched with branched chain amino acids, and with a group receiving oral nutrition only. The duration of treatment in all groups was similar (mean 90 days). Energy intakes in the supplemented groups were 120-150% of recommended daily intakes (RDI), whereas ad libitum intakes in the oral group ranged 58-100% RDI. A significant improvement in mean Z-score for body weight (denoting catch-up) was noted only in those children who received nasogastric supplements enriched with branched-chain amino acids. The standard enterally-fed group maintained their body weight and Z-scores did not change significantly. In contrast, body weight Z-scores in those fed orally declined significantly. Nutritional supportive therapy of malnourished children with end-stage liver disease can minimize or improve nutritional status in children awaiting liver transplantation. The use of nutritional formulae rich in branche-chain amino acids may have nutritional advantages in children with chronic liver disease which require further study and evaluation.

Formative evaluation to benchmark and improve climate-based decision support for graziers in Western Queelsland

Researchers developing climate-based forecasts, workshops, software tools and information to aid grazier decisions undertook an evaluation study to enhance planning and benchmark impact. One hundred graziers in Western Queensland were randomly selected from 7 shires and surveyed by mail and telephone (43 respondents) to explore levels of knowledge and use of climate information, practices and information needs. We found 36% of respondents apply the Southern Oscillation Index to property decisions but 92% were unaware El Niño Southern Oscillation’s predictive signal in the region is greater for pasture growth than rainfall, suggesting they may not recognise the potential of pasture growth forecasts. Almost 75% of graziers consider they are conservative or risk averse in their attitude to managing their enterprise. Mail respondents (n= 20) if given a 68%, on average, probability of exceeding median rainfall forecast may change a decision; almost two-thirds vary stocking rate based on forage available, last year’s pasture growth or the Southern Oscillation Index; the balance maintain a constant stocking rate strategy; 90% have access to a computer; 75% to the internet and 95% have a fax. This paper presents findings of the study and draws comparisons with a similar study of 174 irrigators in the Northern Murray-Darling Basin (Aust. J. Exp. Ag. 44, 247-257). New insights and information gained are helping the team better understand client needs and plan, design and extend tools and information tailored to grazier knowledge, practice, information needs and preferences. Results have also provided a benchmark against which to measure project impact and have influenced the team to make important changes to their project planning, activities and methods for transferring technology tailored to grazier preferences.

Predicting wood value in Queensland Caribbean pine plantations using a decision support system

A decision support system has been developed in Queensland to evaluate how changes in silvicultural regimes affect wood quality, and specifically the graded recovery of structural timber. Models of tree growth, branch architecture and wood properties were developed from data collected in routine Caribbean pine plantations and specific silvicultural experiments. These models were incorporated in software that simulates the conversion of standing trees into logs, and the logs into boards, and generates detailed data on knot location and basic density distribution. The structural grade of each board was determined by simulating the machine stress-grading process, and the predicted graded recovery provided an indicator of wood value. The decision support system improves the basis of decision-making by simulating the performance of elite genetic material under specified silvicultural regimes and by predicting links between wood quality and general stand attributes such as stocking and length of rotation.