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The aim of the study was to firstly present a comprehensive physical profile of international cricketers in a World Cup winning cricket nation. Secondly, to describe changes in physical profiles across seven years. Fifty-two senior international cricketers’ physical profiles were retrospectively analysed across seven years. Using linear mixed-modelling, changes in stature, body mass, sum-of-8 skinfolds, sprinting time (10 and 40 m), run-2 time, counter movement jump (CMJ), push and pull strength capacity and the Yo-Yo intermittent recovery test level-1 (Yo-Yo-IR1) were analysed during a seven-year period. There were no significant changes in body mass ( p = .63) or stature ( p = .99) during this time. However, there was a significant ( p

The Australian Processing Tomato Industry (APTI) has observed a decline in yield over recent years and speculates that soil-borne pathogens may be a contributing factor. The decline is characterised by poor stand establishment and the presence of stunted plants sporadically spread throughout the field. In preliminary surveys, Pythium spp. were commonly isolated from the roots of plants showing symptoms of poor growth. The aim of this study was to identify those Pythium species and assess their pathogenicity. Four field surveys were undertaken during the 2016/17 season and plants exhibiting symptoms of putative Pythium disease were collected. Pythium isolates were identified based on morphology and ITS sequences. Eight species of Pythium were identified including some common pathogens and some species which have not been previously reported on tomatoes. The in vitro pathogenicity test showed P. aphanidermatum, P. ultimum var. ultimum and P. irregulare were the most aggressive pathogens. In a glasshouse test P. ultimum var. ultimum and P. recalcitrans significantly reduced plant height 1 month after inoculation. Overall, the pathogenicity results confirmed that pathogens in the genus Pythium were most damaging in the pre-emergence and early seedling phases of tomato plant growth. However, some species also had the capacity to continue to reduce the growth of plants at later stages, potentially leading to yield reduction. Further studies are necessary to better understand the aetiology of these and additional Pythium species in the APTI context, and their ultimate effect on tomato yield.

The oomycete genus Phytophthora contains a large number of plant pathogens that cause significant damage to natural and agricultural systems. Until recently species have been distinguished using a limited set of morphological characters. The development of DNA-based technologies has revealed much broader and more complex diversity than previously recognised, and has led to the recent description of many new species. This review looks at the underlying mechanisms for the generation of diversity within the genus. The intercontinental movement and transplantation of infected plant material partially explains the appearance of new species in unexpected places. However, it is also likely that novel species arise as a result of the hybridisation and rapid evolution of introduced species under episodic selection pressures. Hybrid progeny may possess equal or greater virulence than parent species, thereby posing an increasing risk to our natural environment and agricultural production systems. These discoveries amplify the threats posed by the introduction of plant pathogens into new environments, and expose a crucial weakness in current evidence-based biosecurity regimes. Further work is required to identify hybrids, anticipate and understand the occurrence of hybridisation, and to implement appropriate quarantine and risk management measures.

Phytophthora capsici is reported for the first time in the Lao PDR. It was isolated from soil collected from the root zone of wilting red chilli (Capsicum annuum) plants in a polyhouse farm in Paksong district of Champasak province. The wilting chilli plants had typical symptoms of infection by P. capsici including root rot and necrosis of the outer cortex of the stem base. The isolate was identified using morphological and molecular markers. A pathogenicity trial demonstrated that the culture was pathogenic to a local cultivar of chilli seedlings.

Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. niveum is reported for the first time in the Lao PDR. It was isolated from watermelons (Citrullus lanatus) in Songkhon district, Savannahkhet province following a limited ad hoc survey during January and February of 2015. Infected plants showed symptoms of wilt, vascular discolouration, necrosis in the collar region, lower stem base and upper taproot regions, and whole plant death. Identification of the pathogen was confirmed through phylogenetic analysis of the EF1-α locus and a pathogenicity test satisfying Koch’s postulates.

Ropivacaine is a new long-acting, injectable local anaesthetic currently undergoing clinical investigation world wide. It is structurally very similar to bupivacaine, but with less potential for central nervous system or cardiac toxicity. The purpose of this double-blind study was: to investigate the dose-response relationship of increasing doses of ropivacaine on the quality of anaesthesia and the duration of both motor and sensory blockade, and to compare these results with an established local anaesthetic, bupivacaine.One hundred and twenty five patients were randomly assigned to one of four treatment groups and 116 completed the study. Epidural anaesthesia was established using 25 ml test solution, injected over three minutes following a satisfactory test dose. Sensory onset, spread and duration, using the pin prick method, and motor scores using a modified Bromage scoring system were compared.A dose/response relationship was observed with increasing doses of ropivacaine for all variables tested except analgesia and muscle relaxation (P0.01). There were differences in: (i) motor onset (Levels 1 and 2), when ropivacaine 1.0% was compared with ropivacaine 0.75% and 0.5% (P0.05); (ii) in sensory duration at all levels except T6 when ropivacaine was compared with ropivacaine 0.5% (P0.05); (iii) differences in sensory duration at T12 and S1 when ropivacaine 1.0% was compared with bupivacaine 0.5% (P0.05); (iv) differences in motor duration at all levels when ropivacaine 1.0% was compared with ropivacaine 0.5% (P0.05). No serious adverse events were reported in this study.Increasing doses of ropivacaine were associated with an increased clinical effect. The most consistent differences occurred when ropivacaine 1.0% was compared with 0.5% and the least consistent between ropivacaine 0.5%, 0.75% and bupivacaine 0.5%. The main difference between ropivacaine 1.0% and bupivacaine was in sensory duration. No serious adverse events were reported.

Identifying influences on diagnostic decisions is important because diagnostic errors often have far-reaching consequences for an individual's future within the workforce and their eligibility for Accident Compensation Corporation-funded treatment. Most investigations of factors biasing decision making have used quantitative techniques rather than qualitative methods.To identify factors influencing GPs' diagnostic decision-making and to develop a valid questionnaire to determine the desirability and importance of each factor's influence.Focus groups and the Delphi method were combined with Rasch analysis to identify factors influencing GPs' diagnostic decision-making and then examine the strength and stability of ratings of the factors' desirability and importance.Thirty-nine factors were identified. Factors demonstrating high stability but no consensus included the importance of evidence-based medicine, the potential ramifications of a diagnosis, and the desirability of medicolegal issues. Factors for which there was disagreement in the first Delphi round but consensus in the second round included the importance of patient advocacy/support groups and the desirability of examination findings. Rasch analysis indicated that the questionnaire was close to the model (88.6% and 86.2% of variance in the ratings of importance and desirability explained).Participants readily identified factors influencing GPs' diagnostic decision-making. Their ratings did not appear to support a prescriptive model of medicine, yet two cornerstones of prescriptive medicine, clinical information and probability of disease, were rated as highly desirable and important.

Although the published work in health care increasingly promotes aviation as a high-reliability industry to be emulated, there is little empirical research to justify equating the dynamics of health care's operating environment with that of aviation. This article examines some of the potential key areas of difference between the two professional groups with respect to crew resource management. The risks of implementing crew resource management training in health care without an evidential basis are discussed.

An explanation is offered for the asymmetry of Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curves obtained from pilots' decisions to eject. The curves can be fitted by a Gaussian model with unequal variances; however, that model does not provide a ready interpretation of the shape of the obtained ROCs.In an emergency, a pilot receives information from many parallel sources and will decide to eject if any one value from these sources exceeds the criterion for ejection. This process can be described by the extreme maximum value model.When fitted to published asymmetrical ROC curves for the decision to eject, the extreme maximum value model with one parameter provides a better fit, according to Akaike and Baysean information criteria, than the unequal variance Gaussian model with two parameters.In an emergency a pilot's decision to eject depends on whether any one value from several sources provides sufficiently strong evidence to exceed the criterion for ejection. A decision based on this policy is described by the extreme value model, which, therefore, offers a credible explanation of why the obtained ROCs are asymmetrical in shape.

This study investigated a proposal of the Royal New Zealand Air Force to lower its designated ejection decision height (EDH) of 10,000 ft above ground level (agl) so that pilots had more time to make a correct and timely ejection decision. Hypothesis Lowering the EDH will result in pilots adhering to the prescribed height for ejection and enable them to maneuver the aircraft into a profile more conducive to safe ejection.Thirty male strike pilots each flew 20 simulated sorties. Half the sorties involved scenarios that required ejection and half did not. The pilots were divided into three equal groups that were randomly assigned to an EDH of 10,000, 6000, or 3000 ft agl.Analysis was restricted to incorrect ejections. The mean height of ejection, although significantly related to the EDH (as expected), nevertheless was lower than the EDH for all three groups. Furthermore, the percentage below the EDH of the mean ejection height was approximately 28%, and not significantly related to the EDH. This constant percentage was interpreted in terms of Weber's Law. At the point of ejection, the aircraft for all three groups had generated very high rates of descent and low nose attitudes.A significant number of pilots ejected below the EDH. Pilots perceived a constant percentage of the EDH, rather than an absolute value, as the critical height for ejection. A high rate of descent, coupled with a nose-low attitude, prevailed at the point of ejection, independently of the EDH.

We have compared two methods of reducing hypotension during spinal anaesthesia in elderly patients, 6% hetastarch and crystalloid or methoxamine 10 mg i.m., in terms of haemodynamic stability and requirements for additional vasopressors. Sixty-two patients (aged 60-97 yr) undergoing surgical fixation of fractured neck of femur were allocated randomly to receive 6% hetastarch (Hespan) 500 ml followed by Hartmann's solution 500 ml (group HS, n = 32) or a bolus injection of methoxamine 10 mg i.m. (group MX, n = 30), 10 min before induction of spinal anaesthesia with 0.5% hyperbaric bupivacaine 2.25-3.0 ml. Arterial pressure was measured non-invasively by an oscillotonometer at 2-min intervals from 0 to 40 min and at 5-min intervals thereafter. Methoxamine 2 mg i.v. was given if systolic arterial pressure (SAP) decreased to < 100 mm Hg. Hypotension was defined as a 25% decrease from baseline SAP or mean arterial pressure (MAP). Patient data, sensory level and blood loss were similar in the two groups. SAP and MAP increased initially from baseline until induction of spinal anaesthesia and then decreased for 30 min in both groups, but remained higher in group MX (P < 0.05). Heart rate (HR) decreased from baseline in group MX (P < 0.05) and was less than in group HS at all times from 2 to 60 min (P < 0.01). The incidence of SAP hypotension (47% vs 75%; P = 0.03, odds ratio (OR) = 3.43) and MAP hypotension (47% vs 67%; P = 0.09, OR = 2.51) was less in group MX than in group HS. Requirements for rescue methoxamine i.v. (27% vs 53%, P = 0.04, OR = 3.11) was less in group MX than in group HS but the dose of rescue methoxamine given (mean 6.3 (95% confidence intervals 3.0-9.6) vs 8.9 (5.6-12.2) mg) and time to onset of hypotension (20.7 (14.5-26.7) vs 17.3 (11.4-23.1) min) were similar in groups MX and HS, respectively. We conclude that methoxamine 10 mg i.m., given 10 min before induction of spinal anaesthesia in normovolaemic elderly patients, reduced subsequent SAP and MAP hypotension, HR and requirements for rescue vasopressor therapy compared with a combination of 6% hetastarch 500 ml and crystalloid 500 ml. The previously reported benefit of such volume administration may not extend to the elderly.

INTRODUCTION: Identifying influences on diagnostic decisions is important because diagnostic errors often have far-reaching consequences for an individual’s future within the workforce and their eligibility for Accident Compensation Corporation–funded treatment. Most investigations of factors biasing decision making have used quantitative techniques rather than qualitative methods. AIM: To identify factors influencing GPs’ diagnostic decision-making and to develop a valid questionnaire to determine the desirability and importance of each factor’s influence. METHODS: Focus groups and the Delphi method were combined with Rasch analysis to identify factors influencing GPs’ diagnostic decision-making and then examine the strength and stability of ratings of the factors’ desirability and importance. RESULTS: Thirty-nine factors were identified. Factors demonstrating high stability but no consensus included the importance of evidence-based medicine, the potential ramifications of a diagnosis, and the desirability of medicolegal issues. Factors for which there was disagreement in the first Delphi round but consensus in the second round included the importance of patient advocacy/support groups and the desirability of examination findings. Rasch analysis indicated that the questionnaire was close to the model (88.6% and 86.2% of variance in the ratings of importance and desirability explained). DISCUSSION: Participants readily identified factors influencing GPs’ diagnostic decision-making. Their ratings did not appear to support a prescriptive model of medicine, yet two cornerstones of prescriptive medicine, clinical information and probability of disease, were rated as highly desirable and important. KEYWORDS: Decision-making; diagnosis; bias; Rasch analysis; general practitioners

The critical care nurse is frequently challenged to clear respiratory secretions for patients with thick, copious mucous and a weak cough. The traditional interventions nurses use are chest physiotherapy, incentive spirometry, and "blind" endotracheal suctioning to facilitate the removal of secretions, but these are sometimes ineffective and cause complications. Nurses who identify patients needing a more effective way to remove secretions can request consideration of a new method, suctioning through a minitracheostomy.

Intra- and interindividual components of biological variation have been determined for total thyroxin (TT4), free thyroxin (FT4), total triiodothyronine (TT3), free triiodothyronine (FT3), and thyrotropin (TSH). Calculated analytical goals (CV, %) for the precision required for optimal patient care are: TT4 less than or equal to 2.5, FT4 less than or equal to 4.7, TT3 less than or equal to 5.2, FT3 less than or equal to 3.9, and TSH less than or equal to 8.1. The marked degree of individuality demonstrated for all hormones indicates that, if conventional population-based reference ranges are used uncritically, major changes in hormone concentration may not be correctly identified for some patients because observed values continue to lie within the reference range. At analyte concentrations approximating the mean values found in this study, and for analytical performance meeting the appropriate analytical goal, the differences required for consecutive results to be significantly different (p less than or equal to 0.5) have been calculated as: TT4, 14.7 nmol/L; FT4, 5.7 pmol/L; TT3, 0.6 nmol/L; FT3, 1.3 pmol/L, and TSH, 0.7 milli-int. unit/L.

Intra- and interindividual components of biological variation have been determined for total thyroxin (TT4), free thyroxin (FT4), total triiodothyronine (TT3), free triiodothyronine (FT3), and thyrotropin (TSH). Calculated analytical goals (CV, %) for the precision required for optimal patient care are: TT4 less than or equal to 2.5, FT4 less than or equal to 4.7, TT3 less than or equal to 5.2, FT3 less than or equal to 3.9, and TSH less than or equal to 8.1. The marked degree of individuality demonstrated for all hormones indicates that, if conventional population-based reference ranges are used uncritically, major changes in hormone concentration may not be correctly identified for some patients because observed values continue to lie within the reference range. At analyte concentrations approximating the mean values found in this study, and for analytical performance meeting the appropriate analytical goal, the differences required for consecutive results to be significantly different (p less than or equal to 0.5) have been calculated as: TT4, 14.7 nmol/L; FT4, 5.7 pmol/L; TT3, 0.6 nmol/L; FT3, 1.3 pmol/L, and TSH, 0.7 milli-int. unit/L.