Soil carbon sequestration rates and associated economic costs for farming systems of south-eastern Australia

Soil organic carbon (C) sequestration rates based on the Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC) methodology were combined with local economic data to simulate the economic potential for C sequestration in response to conservation tillage in the six agro-ecological zones within the Southern Region of the Australian grains industry. The net C sequestration rate over 20 years for the Southern Region (which includes discounting for associated greenhouse gases) is estimated to be 3.6 or 6.3 Mg C/ha after converting to either minimum or no-tillage practices, respectively, with no-till practices estimated to return 75% more carbon on average than minimum tillage. The highest net gains in C per ha are realised when converting from conventional to no-tillage practices in the high-activity clay soils of the High Rainfall and Wimmera agro-ecological zones. On the basis of total area available for change, the Slopes agro-ecological zone offers the highest net returns, potentially sequestering an additional 7.1 Mt C under no-tillage scenario over 20 years. The economic analysis was summarised as C supply curves for each of the 6 zones expressing the total additional C accumulated over 20 years for a price per t C sequestered ranging from zero to AU$200. For a price of $50/Mg C, a total of 427 000 Mg C would be sequestered over 20 years across the Southern Region, <5% of the simulated C sequestration potential of 9.1 Mt for the region. The Wimmera and Mid-North offer the largest gains in C under minimum tillage over 20 years of all zones for all C prices. For the no-tillage scenario, for a price of $50/Mg C, 1.74 Mt C would be sequestered over 20 years across the Southern Region, <10% of the simulated C sequestration potential of 18.6 Mt for the region over 20 years. The Slopes agro-ecological zone offers the best return in C over 20 years under no-tillage for all C prices. The Mallee offers the least return for both minimum and no-tillage scenarios. At a price of $200/Mg C, the transition from conventional tillage to minimum or no-tillage practices will only realise 19% and 33%, respectively, of the total biogeochemical sequestration potential of crop and pasture systems of the Southern Region over a 20-year period.

Self-management of cancer treatment-related fatigue, nausea, vomiting and oral mucositis in Chinese cancer patients

Background: Treatment-related symptoms continue to place a significant burden on many cancer patients. Many side effects require patients to engage in a range of self-management actions. While some studies have explored self-management of treatment-related side effects in Western settings, very few studies were identified that described the self-management practices of cancer patients in China. Objective: The purposes of this study are to: (1) Investigate Chinese cancer patients. self-management behaviours in dealing with the fatigue, nausea/vomiting and oral mucositis that result from treatment, as well as the perceived effectiveness of these behaviours and related self-efficacy in performing them. (2) Explore factors influencing symptom self-management behaviours using the Cancer Symptom Self-management Framework based on Grey, Knafl and McCorkle.s (2006) self-management framework as a guide. Methods: This study was divided into two phases. Phase One consisted of the translation and modification of two instruments. The adaptation of these instruments to ensure applicability in the Chinese context was achieved through semi-structured interviews with six cancer patients, and content evaluation with eight experienced oncology nurses. A pilot study was conducted with nine cancer patients to trial the questionnaire set in the Chinese context. Based on the results of Phase One, Phase Two involved a cross-sectional survey of Chinese cancer patients undergoing cancer treatment using these instruments. A total of 277 chemotherapy patients with fatigue and/or nausea and vomiting, and 100 radiotherapy patients with oral mucositis were surveyed. Results: Participants in this study reported a variety of self-management behaviours to cope with fatigue, nausea, vomiting and oral mucositis. There are some consistencies as well disparities between strategies that are frequently used and those rated as effective. For fatigue self-management, participants were more likely to use strategies related to rest and sleep, while activity enhancement strategies were rated as achieving higher relief. For nausea and vomiting self-management, dietary modification and taking medication were most frequently used and rated as moderately effective. Psychological strategies were used by more than a third of participants and were rated as mildly effective. Some other infrequently used strategies, such as distraction by keeping busy and acupressure, were rated as moderately effective. For oral mucositis self-management, having soft, bland food and keeping the mouth moisturised were most frequently reported and they were rated as achieving moderate relief. A prescribed mouthwash was used by most but not all participants and brought moderate relief. In general, patients had low-to-moderate self-efficacy in nausea and vomiting self-management behaviours, moderate self-efficacy in fatigue self-management behaviours, and low-to-moderate self-efficacy in oral mucositis self-management behaviours. In terms of the factors influencing symptom self-management, different predictors were identified affecting engagement in fatigue, nausea/vomiting and oral mucositis self-management behaviours. Self-efficacy scores of different behaviours were consistently found to be a positive predictor of the relief level from corresponding behaviours, after controlling for other variables. Perceived social support from health care professionals was identified as an important factor influencing nausea and vomiting self-management behaviours, while neighbourhood support was important for fatigue self-management. In addition, symptom distress was identified as an important factor influencing nausea and vomiting self-management. Conclusion: Similar to reports from overseas, Chinese cancer patients initiate a wide range of self-management behaviours in response to treatment-related side effects. While some behaviours were reported to provide relief, many did not. Given these results, this study has a number of practical implications for health care professionals, particularly in relation to developing tailored self-management programs for fatigue, nausea, vomiting and oral mucositis. Additionally, this study suggests a number of theoretical implications and directions for future research. It is envisaged that these recommendations may pave the way for further studies understanding and promoting cancer symptom self-management in Chinese people affected by cancer.

Ovine Enzootic Abortion (OEA): a comparison of antibody responses in vaccinated and naturally-infected swiss sheep over a two year period

Background Prevention and control of ovine enzootic abortion (OEA) can be achieved by application of a live vaccine. In this study, five sheep flocks with different vaccination and infection status were serologically tested using a competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (cELISA) specific for Chlamydophila (Cp.) abortus over a two-year time period. Results Sheep in Flock A with recent OEA history had high antibody values after vaccination similar to Flock C with natural Cp. abortus infections. In contrast, OEA serology negative sheep (Flock E) showed individual animal-specific immunoreactions after vaccination. Antibody levels of vaccinated ewes in Flock B ranged from negative to positive two and three years after vaccination, respectively. Positive antibody values in the negative control Flock D (without OEA or vaccination) are probably due to asymptomatic intestinal infections with Cp. abortus. Excretion of the attenuated strain of Cp. abortus used in the live vaccine through the eye was not observed in vaccinated animals of Flock E. Conclusion The findings of our study indicate that, using serology, no distinction can be made between vaccinated and naturally infected sheep. As a result, confirmation of a negative OEA status in vaccinated animals by serology cannot be determined.

The neurokinin 1 receptor antagonist, ezlopitant, reduces appetitive responding for sucrose and ethanol

Abstract Background: The current obesity epidemic is thought to be partly driven by over-consumption of sugar-sweetened diets and soft drinks. Loss-of-control over eating and addiction to drugs of abuse share overlapping brain mechanisms including changes in motivational drive, such that stimuli that are often no longer ‘liked’ are still intensely ‘wanted’ [7,8]. The neurokinin 1 (NK1) receptor system has been implicated in both learned appetitive behaviors and addiction to alcohol and opioids; however, its role in natural reward seeking remains unknown. Methodology/Principal Findings: We sought to determine whether the NK1-receptor system plays a role in the reinforcing properties of sucrose using a novel selective and clinically safe NK1-receptor antagonist, ezlopitant (CJ-11,974), in three animal models of sucrose consumption and seeking. Furthermore, we compared the effect of ezlopitant on ethanol consumption and seeking in rodents. The NK1-receptor antagonist, ezlopitant decreased appetitive responding for sucrose more potently than for ethanol using an operant self-administration protocol without affecting general locomotor activity. To further evaluate the selectivity of the NK1-receptor antagonist in decreasing consumption of sweetened solutions, we compared the effects of ezlopitant on water, saccharin-, and sodium chloride (NaCl) solution consumption. Ezlopitant decreased intake of saccharin but had no effect on water or salty solution consumption. Conclusions/Significance: The present study indicates that the NK1-receptor may be a part of a common pathway regulating the self-administration, motivational and reinforcing aspects of sweetened solutions, regardless of caloric value, and those of substances of abuse. Additionally, these results indicate that the NK1-receptor system may serve as a therapeutic target for obesity induced by over-consumption of natural reinforcers.

A note on trader Sharpe Ratios

Traders in the financial world are assessed by the amount of money they make and, increasingly, by the amount of money they make per unit of risk taken, a measure known as the Sharpe Ratio. Little is known about the average Sharpe Ratio among traders, but the Efficient Market Hypothesis suggests that traders, like asset managers, should not outperform the broad market. Here we report the findings of a study conducted in the City of London which shows that a population of experienced traders attain Sharpe Ratios significantly higher than the broad market. To explain this anomaly we examine a surrogate marker of prenatal androgen exposure, the second-to-fourth finger length ratio (2D:4D), which has previously been identified as predicting a trader's long term profitability. We find that it predicts the amount of risk taken by traders but not their Sharpe Ratios. We do, however, find that the traders' Sharpe Ratios increase markedly with the number of years they have traded, a result suggesting that learning plays a role in increasing the returns of traders. Our findings present anomalous data for the Efficient Markets Hypothesis.