Australian National University

About: Australian National University is a education organization based out in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Galaxy. The organization has 34419 authors who have published 109261 publications receiving 4315448 citations. The organization is also known as: The Australian National University & ANU.

Cause and Effect in Biology Revisited: Is Mayr's Proximate-Ultimate Dichotomy Still Useful?

Abstract: Fifty years ago, Ernst Mayr published a hugely influential paper on the nature of causation in biology, in which he distinguished between proximate and ultimate causes. Mayr equated proximate causation with immediate factors (for example, physiology) and ultimate causation with evolutionary explanations (for example, natural selection). He argued that proximate and ultimate causes addressed different questions and were not alternatives. Mayr's account of causation remains widely accepted today, with both positive and negative ramifications. Several current debates in biology (for example, over evolution and development, niche construction, cooperation, and the evolution of language) are linked by a common axis of acceptance/rejection of Mayr's model of causation. We argue that Mayr's formulation has acted to stabilize the dominant evolutionary paradigm against change but may now hamper progress in the biological sciences.

Ecological applications of near infrared reflectance spectroscopy - a tool for rapid, cost-effective prediction of the composition of plant and animal tissues and aspects of animal performance

Abstract: Many ecological studies rely heavily on chemical analysis of plant and animal tissues. Often, there is limited time and money to perform all the required analyses and this can result in less than ideal sampling schemes and poor levels of replication. Near infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS) can relieve these constraints because it can provide quick, non-destructive and quantitative analyses of an enormous range of organic constituents of plant and animal tissues. Near infrared spectra depend on the number and type of C\(\)H, N\(\)H and O\(\)H bonds in the material being analyzed. The spectral features are then combined with reliable compositional or functional analyses of the material in a predictive statistical model. This model is then used to predict the composition of new or unknown samples. NIRS can be used to analyze some specific elements (indirectly – e.g., N as protein) or well-defined compounds (e.g., starch) or more complex, poorly defined attributes of substances (e.g., fiber, animal food intake) have also been successfully modeled with NIRS technology. The accuracy and precision of the reference values for the calibration data set in part determines the quality of the predictions made by NIRS. However, NIRS analyses are often more precise than standard laboratory assays. The use of NIRS is not restricted to the simple determination of quantities of known compounds, but can also be used to discriminate between complex mixtures and to identify important compounds affecting attributes of interest. Near infrared reflectance spectroscopy is widely accepted for compositional and functional analyses in agriculture and manufacturing but its utility has not yet been recognized by the majority of ecologists conducting similar analyses. This paper aims to stimulate interest in NIRS and to illustrate some of the enormous variety of uses to which it can be put. We emphasize that care must be taken in the calibration stage to prevent propagation of poor analytical work through NIRS, but, used properly, NIRS offers ecologists enormous analytical power.

Industry Self‐Regulation: An Institutional Perspective

Abstract: Throughout the advanced countries of the world self-regulatory regimes are being introduced. This article suggests that, at least in some contexts, industry self-regulation can be an effective and efficient means of social control that has been largely ignored by economics (which has a focus on individual rather than group behavior) and prematurely discounted by mainstream regulatory theory. The article examines the strengths and to a lesser extent the weaknesses of industry self-regulation from five closely related yet distinct vantage points: mediating institutions; industrial morality; institutionalizing responsibility; institutions responding to external pressure; and the roles of the state and third parties.

International perspectives on emergency department crowding.

Abstract: The maturation of emergency medicine (EM) as a specialty has coincided with dramatic increases in emergency department (ED) visit rates, both in the United States and around the world ED crowding has become a public health problem where periodic supply and demand mismatches in ED and hospital resources cause long waiting times and delays in critical treatments ED crowding has been associated with several negative clinical outcomes, including higher complication rates and mortality This article describes emergency care systems and the extent of crowding across 15 countries outside of the United States: Australia, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Iran, Italy, The Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Catalonia (Spain), Sweden, and the United Kingdom The authors are local emergency care leaders with knowledge of emergency care in their particular countries Where available, data are provided about visit patterns in each country; however, for many of these countries, no national data are available on ED visits rates or crowding For most of the countries included, there is both objective evidence of increases in ED visit rates and ED crowding and also subjective assessments of trends toward higher crowding in the ED ED crowding appears to be worsening in many countries despite the presence of universal health coverage Scandinavian countries with robust systems to manage acute care outside the ED do not report crowding is a major problem The main cause for crowding identified by many authors is the boarding of admitted patients, similar to the United States Many hospitals in these countries have implemented operational interventions to mitigate crowding in the ED, and some countries have imposed strict limits on ED length of stay (LOS), while others have no clear plan to mitigate crowding An understanding of the causes and potential solutions implemented in these countries can provide a lens into how to mitigate ED crowding in the United States through health policy interventions and hospital operational changes