Flinders University

About: Flinders University is a education organization based out in Adelaide, South Australia, Australia. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Health care. The organization has 12033 authors who have published 32831 publications receiving 973172 citations. The organization is also known as: Flinders University of South Australia.

Prevalence and Risk Factors for Depression in a Longitudinal, Population-Based Study Including Individuals in the Community and Residential Care.

Abstract: Objective The authors report the population prevalence of depression in older adults living in the community and in residential care. Demographic, medical, health behavior, functional and cognitive measures, and transition to residential care are evaluated as risk factors for depression over eight years. Methods Depression prevalence estimates were obtained from the initial electoral role sample of the Australian Longitudinal Study of Ageing that included persons living in residential care. A subsample (N = 1,116) based on follow-up data were included in longitudinal multilevel analyses that evaluated between-person and within-person predictors associated with scores from the Center for Epidemiology–Depression Scale. Results At wave 1, 14.4% of community-dwelling and 32.0% of residential care-dwelling participants were depressed (15.2% of total cases). Increase in depression was associated with antidepressant status, sex, education, and marital status, but not history of hypertension, stroke, diabetes, heart disease, or smoking. Time-varying predictors, including residential care, activities of daily living, instrumental activities of daily living, self-rated health, and Mini-Mental State Examination, predicted depressive symptoms both between and within persons. Conclusions Depression is strongly linked with factors indicating increased dependency. Risk assessment and targeting of intervention strategies to prevent depression in late life should incorporate changes in functional capacity, mental status, and need for residential care.

Morphological characterization of bovine primordial follicles and their environment in vivo.

Abstract: Classically, primordial follicles have flattened pre-granulosa cells that become cuboidal and divide during follicular activation. This change in shape is thus an index of activation. To examine this and follicular morphology in cattle, ovaries were processed for light and electron microscopy (n = 21). In single sections (5 microns thick), primordial follicles had a mean ratio of maximum to minimum diameters of 1.33 +/- 0.18 (mean +/- SD; n = 317, randomly selected), indicating that they had a prolate rather than a spherical shape. The prolate shape was attributable to clustering of granulosa cells at two opposite poles on the long axis of each follicle; and in each histological section, 82.5% of primordial follicles (n = 317) had at least one cuboidal granulosa cell. More accurate measurements of primordial follicles indicated that they had three dimensions measured as length (45.4 +/- 2.4 microns), breadth (26.8 +/- 1.5 microns), and depth (< 30.4 +/- 1.4 microns) (mean +/- SEM; n = 12, constructed from serial sections); a surface area of 0.0032 mm2; and 24 +/- 2 granulosa cells. The ultrastructural morphology of the cells of the bovine primordial follicle (n = 31 examined by electron microscopy) was similar to that of other species. The ovarian cortex was composed of discrete zones. The zones containing primordial follicles were substantially avascular, as observed by localizing von Willebrand factor, and rich in collagen fibrils. In conclusion, since primordial follicles of bovine ovaries contain some cuboidal pre-granulosa cells, changes in shape cannot be used with certainty as a marker of activation of bovine follicles.

The Soil Moisture Active Passive Experiments (SMAPEx): Toward Soil Moisture Retrieval From the SMAP Mission

Abstract: NASA's Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) mission will carry the first combined spaceborne L-band radiometer and Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) system with the objective of mapping near-surface soil moisture and freeze/thaw state globally every 2-3 days. SMAP will provide three soil moisture products: i) high-resolution from radar (~3 km), ii) low-resolution from radiometer (~36 km), and iii) intermediate-resolution from the fusion of radar and radiometer (~9 km). The Soil Moisture Active Passive Experiments (SMAPEx) are a series of three airborne field experiments designed to provide prototype SMAP data for the development and validation of soil moisture retrieval algorithms applicable to the SMAP mission. This paper describes the SMAPEx sampling strategy and presents an overview of the data collected during the three experiments: SMAPEx-1 (July 5-10, 2010), SMAPEx-2 (December 4-8, 2010) and SMAPEx-3 (September 5-23, 2011). The SMAPEx experiments were conducted in a semi-arid agricultural and grazing area located in southeastern Australia, timed so as to acquire data over a seasonal cycle at various stages of the crop growth. Airborne L-band brightness temperature (~1 km) and radar backscatter (~10 m) observations were collected over an area the size of a single SMAP footprint (38 km × 36 km at 35° latitude) with a 2-3 days revisit time, providing SMAP-like data for testing of radiometer-only, radar-only and combined radiometer-radar soil moisture retrieval and downscaling algorithms. Airborne observations were supported by continuous monitoring of near-surface (0-5 cm) soil moisture along with intensive ground monitoring of soil moisture, soil temperature, vegetation biomass and structure, and surface roughness.

Workshop on treatment of and postexposure prophylaxis for Burkholderia pseudomallei and B. mallei Infection, 2010.

Abstract: The US Public Health Emergency Medical Countermeasures Enterprise convened subject matter experts at the 2010 HHS Burkholderia Workshop to develop consensus recommendations for postexposure prophylaxis against and treatment for Burkholderia pseudomallei and B. mallei infections, which cause melioidosis and glanders, respectively. Drugs recommended by consensus of the participants are ceftazidime or meropenem for initial intensive therapy, and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole or amoxicillin/clavulanic acid for eradication therapy. For postexposure prophylaxis, recommended drugs are trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole or co-amoxiclav. To improve the timely diagnosis of melioidosis and glanders, further development and wide distribution of rapid diagnostic assays were also recommended. Standardized animal models and B. pseudomallei strains are needed for further development of therapeutic options. Training for laboratory technicians and physicians would facilitate better diagnosis and treatment options.