This article explores the contribution of higher education to the development of numeracy and literacy competencies. To control for other post-schooling determinants of generic skills, the analysis ...is confined to adults aged 20-24 years who have completed or who are enrolled in tertiary studies. The quality of incoming students is controlled for by estimating the average PISA score attributable to this cohort using a truncated distribution approach. Average tertiary competencies are obtained for 31 countries from the OECD's Programme for the Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC). The empirical findings are that the PISA scores account for most (70 per cent) of the international variation in PIAAC scores. Government expenditure on higher education is found to exert a small positive effect on PIAAC scores, at least for numeracy. The level of national research activity, as measured by research publications, has a small negative effect on PIAAC scores
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
BFBNIB, DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Geopolymer concrete is seen as a potential alternative to standard concrete, and an opportunity to convert a variety of waste streams into useful by-products. One key driver in geopolymer development ...is the desire to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the production of concrete products. This paper presents an examination of the lifecycle cost and carbon impacts of Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) and geopolymers in an Australian context, with an identification of some key challenges for geopolymer development. The results of the examination show that there is wide variation in the calculated financial and environmental “cost” of geopolymers, which can be beneficial or detrimental depending on the source location, the energy source and the mode of transport. Some case study geopolymer concrete mixes based on typical Australian feedstocks indicate potential for a 44–64% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions while the financial costs are 7% lower to 39% higher compared with OPC.
Geopolymers are a class of versatile materials that have the potential for utilisation as a cement replacement, fireproof barriers, materials for high temperatures, and biological implant ...applications. This study investigated methods for determining the formulation for manufacturing geopolymers made with fly ash from coal-fired power stations. The accepted method of determining the formulation of geopolymers to get the desired matrix chemistry uses the bulk composition of the feedstock materials. This formulation method is widely used in investigations using feedstock materials that almost completely react during processing. It is widely considered that amorphous components of fly ash are the reactive components in the geopolymerisation reaction. However, quantification of the amorphous components is challenging and generally avoided with the concomitant problem that the formulation is far from optimum. For the work presented here, the composition of the amorphous part is determined accurately and this information utilised to synthesise geopolymers. The bulk composition is first determined using X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (XRF) and then the amorphous composition determined using XRF and quantitative X-ray diffraction (QXRD). Formulating the mixture based on amorphous composition produced samples with a significantly higher compressive strength than those formulated using the bulk composition. Using the amorphous composition of fly ash produced geopolymers with similar physical properties to that of metakaolin geopolymers with the same targeted composition. We demonstrated a new quantitative formulation method that is superior to the accepted method.
Chromatographic analysis of the Cumberland mudstone in Gale crater by the Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) instrument revealed the detection of two to three isomers of dichlorobenzene. Their individual ...concentrations were estimated to be in the 0.5-17 ppbw range relative to the sample mass. We also report the first detection of trichloromethylpropane and the confirmation of the detection of chlorobenzene previously reported. Supporting laboratory experiments excluded the SAM internal background as the source of those compounds, thus confirming the organic carbon and chlorine of the newly detected chlorohydrocarbons are indigenous to the mudstone sample. Laboratory experiments also demonstrated that the chlorohydrocarbons were mainly produced from chemical reactions occurring in the SAM ovens between organic molecules and oxychlorines contained in the sample. The results we obtained show that meteoritic organics and tested chemical species (a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon, an amino acid, and a carboxylic acid) were plausible organic precursors of the chlorinated aromatic molecules detected with SAM, thus suggesting that they could be among the organic molecules present in the mudstone. Results from this study coupled with previously reported detections of chlorinated aromatics (<300 ppbw) indigenous to the same mudstone highlight that organics can be preserved from the harsh surface conditions even at shallow depth. The detection of new chlorohydrocarbons with SAM confirms that organic molecules should have been available in an environment favorable to life forms, strengthening the habitability aspect of Gale crater.
Acoustically activated submicron droplets of liquid perfluorocarbon are investigated as a new class of ultrasound contrast agent. In the liquid state, intravascular droplets can extravasate within ...tumours. Activation is then accomplished by using bursts of ultrasound to vaporize the droplets. We use acoustical and optical techniques to assess the characteristics of vaporized droplets and the resulting microbubbles in vitro, including size, conversion threshold, echogenicity and nonlinearity. Under exposure to single 5-50 cycle bursts of ultrasound at 7.5 MHz and mechanical index <1.0, droplets with mean diameter of 400 nm convert into microbubbles with mean diameter of 1.4 μm at 1 ms after vaporization, expanding to 5.6 μm by 1 s. The growth of microbubbles produced by vaporization causes a characteristic time-dependent increase in linear and nonlinear echogenicity, enabling selective detection with conventional bubble-specific imaging. These results suggest that submicron perfluorocarbon droplets, activated in situ, may be a candidate for an extravascular ultrasound contrast agent.
COPD is associated with a progressive loss of muscle mass and function. However, there is an unmet need to define and standardise methods to estimate the prevalence of sarcopenia in COPD patients.We ...performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of the prevalence of this extrapulmonary manifestation in COPD patients. We searched Embase, Medline (Ovid), CINAHL (EBSCO), Web of Science, Scopus and Google Scholar for studies published up to January 17, 2019, assessing sarcopenia in COPD patients based on low muscle mass and decreased muscle function. Interventional studies,
experiments, protocols or reviews and meta-analyses were excluded. We estimated heterogeneity (I
) and assessed significance (Q) using a Chi-squared test for estimates obtained from random-effects models.4465 articles were initially identified. After removing the duplicates and applying the selection criteria, we reviewed 62 full-text articles. Finally, 10 articles (n=2565 COPD patients) were included in this systematic review and meta-analyses. Overall, the prevalence of sarcopenia in patients with COPD was 21.6% (95% CI 14.6-30.9%, I
=94%), ranging from 8% in population-based to 21% in clinic-based studies, and 63% in COPD patients residing in nursing homes.Sarcopenia is frequently observed in COPD patients, with varying prevalence across population settings. Sarcopenia in COPD should be assessed using standardised tests and cut-off points from sarcopenia consensus criteria for clinical practice and international comparisons.
Purpose
The purpose of this study was to develop and validate a prediction model for 90-day mortality following a total knee replacement (TKR). TKR is a safe and cost-effective surgical procedure for ...treating severe knee osteoarthritis (OA). Although complications following surgery are rare, prediction tools could help identify high-risk patients who could be targeted with preventative interventions. The aim was to develop and validate a simple model to help inform treatment choices.
Methods
A mortality prediction model for knee OA patients following TKR was developed and externally validated using a US claims database and a UK general practice database. The target population consisted of patients undergoing a primary TKR for knee OA, aged ≥ 40 years and registered for ≥ 1 year before surgery. LASSO logistic regression models were developed for post-operative (90-day) mortality. A second mortality model was developed with a reduced feature set to increase interpretability and usability.
Results
A total of 193,615 patients were included, with 40,950 in The Health Improvement Network (THIN) database and 152,665 in Optum. The full model predicting 90-day mortality yielded AUROC of 0.78 when trained in OPTUM and 0.70 when externally validated on THIN. The 12 variable model achieved internal AUROC of 0.77 and external AUROC of 0.71 in THIN.
Conclusions
A simple prediction model based on sex, age, and 10 comorbidities that can identify patients at high risk of short-term mortality following TKR was developed that demonstrated good, robust performance. The 12-feature mortality model is easily implemented and the performance suggests it could be used to inform evidence based shared decision-making prior to surgery and targeting prophylaxis for those at high risk.
Level of evidence
III.
Econometrics was slow to be adopted in Australian universities but by the end of the century the output of Australian econometricians was ranked in the top five in the world. This paper documents the ...uneven development in research and teaching in the discipline over the period from 1930 to 2000 and examines the factors responsible for progress. The major contributions of Australians to the international literature are discussed.
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