Australian inpatient cancer rehabilitation as seen by patients receiving care pre and post intervention: Insights into unmet needs in the cancer and rehabilitation journey.

Objective: The objective of this study is to explore both the negative and positive lived experiences of cancer survivors during specialist inpatient rehabilitation programmes.

Methods: This phenomenological study explored the negative and positive perspectives of cancer survivors with residual disability, during their inpatient rehabilitation. Semi-structured interviews conducted with 22 inpatients on admission and discharge were analysed using the protocols of Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis.

Lean meat yield estimation using a prototype 3D imaging approach.

Lean Meat Yield (LMY, %) of carcass is an important industry trait, which currently is not routinely measured in Australian beef abattoirs. Objective on-line technology to determine LMY is key for wider adoption. This paper presents a proof-of-concept approach for estimating the LMY of beef carcasses from the 3D information provided by RGB-D cameras.

Dementia families: Relinquishing home care to aged care services: Guilt, traumatic loss and growth.

Background And Objectives: Few studies explore both negative and positive perspectives of family members who relinquish home care of a family member with dementia for systemic aged care.

Research Design And Methods: This phenomenological study sought the 'lived' experience of relinquishing the role of home carer for a family member with mild to severe dementia to others within care home settings, by seeking to understand the impact of aged care on family members' psychological well-being. Using semi-structured interviews, positive and negative subjective interpretations from 17 families (27 individuals) provided data for analysis, following the protocols of interpretative phenomenological analysis.

A method for deriving the genetic matrix needed for selection across combinations of breeds.

A method is described for deriving the genetic matrix G needed for breeders to select across breeds for any breeding objective. The matrix comprises partitions among selection criteria (G ), between selection criteria and the breeding objective traits (G ), and among the breeding objective traits (G ). A weighting procedure is used to combine the G matrix of individual breeds with known breed differences.

Single centre versus multi-centre pooled morbidity data in PCNL and the implications for informed consent.

National and international outcome data following PCNL have been available for many years, but multi-centre data may not reflect the outcome from an individual surgeon or hospital. A combination of retrospective and prospective single centre data was collated from 2000-2016 and are compared to large single and multi-centre series. Data were available on 801 unique cases performed between 2000 and 2016, mean age = 55.

Live animal predictions of carcass components and marble score in beef cattle: model development and evaluation.

Until recently, beef carcass payment grids were predominantly based on weight and fatness categories with some adjustment for age, defined as number of adult teeth, to determine the price received by Australian beef producers for slaughter cattle. With the introduction of the Meat Standards Australia (MSA) grading system, the beef industry has moved towards payments that account for intramuscular fat (IMF) content (marble score (MarbSc)) and MSA grades. The possibility of a payment system based on lean meat yield (LMY, %) has also been raised.

Multidisciplinary healthcare providers' experience of working in an inpatient cancer rehabilitation unit in Sydney, Australia.

Objective: Scant research explores health professionals' experiences of providing inpatient cancer rehabilitation services, either from the negative or positive perspectives.

Method: This report explores the lived experiences of 14 multidisciplinary health professionals providing cancer rehabilitation services within an inpatient setting. Their interpretations provide a distinctive evaluation of an inpatient, cancer rehabilitation service, both negative and positive, and the impacts of their experiences on them and their patients.

Australian inpatient cancer rehabilitation, as seen by patients receiving care, pre- and post-intervention.

Objective: Rehabilitation is increasingly recognised as effective in addressing impairment and functional disability after cancer treatment. Few studies have investigated the lived positive and negative experiences of cancer patients receiving rehabilitation.

Method: Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with 22 inpatient volunteers, at their admission and discharge from a subacute hospital rehabilitation unit.

The PrEP You Want: A Web-Based Survey of Online Cross-Border Shopping for HIV Prophylaxis Medications.

Background: In response to the high cost of HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) medications in Canada, community organizations have created internet-based guides detailing how to legally order generic medications online and travel to collect them in the United States. However, little is known about the patients following these guides.

Objective: Our primary objective was to measure the proportion of Ontario gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (GBMSM) accessing these online guides who intended to use the border-crossing approach.

Methods and consequences of including reduction in greenhouse gas emission in beef cattle multiple-trait selection.

Background: Societal pressures exist to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from farm animals, especially in beef cattle. Both total GHG and GHG emissions per unit of product decrease as productivity increases. Limitations of previous studies on GHG emissions are that they generally describe feed intake inadequately, assess the consequences of selection on particular traits only, or examine consequences for only part of the production chain.

Prediction of ossification from live and carcass traits in young beef cattle: model development and evaluation.

Physiological maturity, measured as carcass ossification [10 unit increments (100, 110, 120, …)], is used by the United States Department of Agriculture and the Meat Standards Australia carcass grading systems to reflect age-associated differences in beef tenderness and determine producer payments. In most commercial cattle herds, the exact age of animals is unknown; thus, prediction of ossification in association with phenotypic prediction systems has the capacity to assist producer decision making to improve carcass and eating quality. This study developed and evaluated prediction equations that use either live animal or carcass traits to predict ossification for use in phenotypic prediction systems to predict meat quality.

Methods and consequences of including feed intake and efficiency in genetic selection for multiple-trait merit.

Methods are presented for including feed intake and efficiency in genetic selection for multiple-trait merit when commercial production is from any combination of pasture or concentrates. Consequences for the production system and for individual animals are illustrated with a beef cattle example. Residual feed intake at pasture (RFI-p), residual feed intake in the feedlot (RFI-f), and cow condition score are additional traits of the breeding objective.

Moderate dementia: relational social engagement (RSE) during family visits.

Objective: This qualitative study seeks evidence of retained social awareness in individuals with moderate dementia residing in care-homes, when engaged in interactive family visits.

Method: Speech/non-speech data collected from 10/15-minute video-recorded family interactions of five family groups (12 individuals; 2 sessions per family group) were coded using thematic analysis.

Results: Interactional patterns embedded in familiar bonds provided the context for the superordinate theme: relational social engagement (RSE).

Live animal assessments of rump fat and muscle score in Angus cows and steers using 3-dimensional imaging.

The objective of this study was to develop a proof of concept for using off-the-shelf Red Green Blue-Depth (RGB-D) Microsoft Kinect cameras to objectively assess P8 rump fat (P8 fat; mm) and muscle score (MS) traits in Angus cows and steers. Data from low and high muscled cattle (156 cows and 79 steers) were collected at multiple locations and time points. The following steps were required for the 3-dimensional (3D) image data and subsequent machine learning techniques to learn the traits: 1) reduce the high dimensionality of the point cloud data by extracting features from the input signals to produce a compact and representative feature vector, 2) perform global optimization of the signatures using machine learning algorithms and a parallel genetic algorithm, and 3) train a sensor model using regression-supervised learning techniques on the ultrasound P8 fat and the classified learning techniques for the assessed MS for each animal in the data set.

Stigma, the medical model and dementia care: Psychological growth in senior health professionals through moral and professional integrity.

Minimal research explores the impact of a career in dementia care on senior health professionals. This study sought positive and negative subjective interpretations from seven senior health professionals regarding their experiences in dementia care. Data from semi-structured interviews were analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA).

Shame, hope, intimacy and growth: Dementia distress and growth in families from the perspective of senior aged care professionals.

Minimal research explores the impact of dementia and a dementia diagnosis on families from the unique vantage of senior health professionals. The participants of this study, eight senior aged care professionals, provided unique interpretative insights into family dynamics and sense-making on the journey with dementia, and their own role in that journey. Both positive and negative perspectives were sought.

Severe dementia: relational social engagement (RSE) during family visits.

Objective: Few studies have utilised observation to investigate retained awareness when individuals with severe dementia interact with family members. Seeking evidence of retained awareness in those with severe dementia, interactive family visits in care homes were observed and analysed.

Method: Five family groups (14 individuals) completed 10/15-minute video recorded family interactions.

Holding on while letting go: trauma and growth on the pathway of dementia care in families.

Objectives: Limited research explores the medical model of residential care in dementia from the family caregiver's perspectives.

Method: This study sought subjective interpretations of nine family caregivers who experienced relinquishing their status as primary caregiver to a medical model, dementia care residential setting. Following semi-structured interviews and transcription data was analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis.

Postweaning substitution of grazed forage with a high-energy concentrate has variable long-term effects on subcutaneous fat and marbling in Bos taurus genotypes.

The objective of this study was to quantify the effects and interactions of stage of growth and genotype on commercial carcass traits and intramuscular fat (IMF) content in 5 muscles of steers ( = 165) and to test the hypothesis that substituting pasture with a high-energy concentrate during the immediate postweaning period increases IMF. Cattle of 3 genotypes (Angus, Hereford, and Wagyu × Angus; = 55/genotype) were selected at weaning from commercial herds, targeting genotypic differences in marbling and subcutaneous fatness. Following weaning, steers were fed for 168 d within 2 different improved, temperate pasture-based nutritional systems: a forage-only system (FS) and forage with high-energy supplemented system (SS), with 2 replicates per system.

Limiting radiation exposure during percutaneous nephrolithotomy.

Background And Purpose: An increase in the prevalence of urologic stone disease and the refinement of endourologic techniques has seen a concomitant rise in the use of fluoroscopy during surgery. As such, there has been increasing concern in regard to the intraoperative radiation exposure to both clinicians and patients. The objective of the study was to audit contemporary data on radiation exposure during percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL), in comparison with published series, and demonstrate that relatively low levels are achievable with clinical vigilance and attention to technique Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed of all PCNLs undertaken between July 2005 and December 2011.

The dance of communication: retaining family membership despite severe non-speech dementia.

There is minimal research investigating non-speech communication as a result of living with severe dementia. This phenomenological study explores retained awareness expressed through non-speech patterns of communication in a family member living with severe dementia. Further, it describes reciprocal efforts used by all family members to engage in alternative patterns of communication.

Blood transfusion, embolisation and nephrectomy after percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL).

Unlabelled: WHAT'S KNOWN ON THE SUBJECT? AND WHAT DOES THE STUDY ADD?: Percutaneous treatment for renal stone disease is associated with a risk of significant morbidity. Our large UK series provides contemporary data on the risk of vascular complications and admission to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) after PCNL. When compared with recent international databases, these data support the current evidence that better outcomes can be achieved in centres performing large numbers of procedures.

Modulation of dendritic synaptic processing in the lateral superior olive by hyperpolarization-activated currents.

We have previously shown that mice lateral superior olive (LSO) neurons exhibit a large hyperpolarization-activated current (I(h) ), and that hyperpolarization-activated cyclic-nucleotide-gated type 1 channels are present in both the soma and dendrites of these cells. Here we show that the dendritic I(h) in LSO neurons modulates the integration of multiple synaptic inputs. We tested the LSO neuron's ability to integrate synaptic inputs by evoking excitatory post-synaptic potentials (EPSPs) in conjunction with brief depolarizing current pulses (to simulate a second excitatory input) at different time delays.

Lateral superior olive function in congenital deafness.

The development of cochlear implants for the treatment of patients with profound hearing loss has advanced considerably in the last few decades, particularly in the field of speech comprehension. However, attempts to provide not only sound decoding but also spatial hearing are limited by our understanding of circuit adaptations in the absence of auditory input. Here we investigate the lateral superior olive (LSO), a nucleus involved in interaural level difference (ILD) processing in the auditory brainstem using a mouse model of congenital deafness (the dn/dn mouse).