Determination of the Influence of Cultural Techniques "Densities and Opening Standardʺ on Agrophysiological Parameters of Clones Pb 260, Irca 111 and Rrim 703

To find out the effect of cultural techniques on agrophysiological parameters, four combinations ̏planting densities (low density or DF at 350 t/ha, normal density or DN at 510 t/ha) and opening standards (opening at 65cm and opening at 50 cm) ̋ were tested on Hevea brasiliensis clones PB 260, IRCA 111 and RRIM 703. This study was conducted for nine years with a split-plot experimental design of two treatments and two subtreatments repeated three times. The different combinations of treatments and subtreatments tested were low density (DN-50 cm), low density (DN-65 cm), normal density (DF-50 cm), normal density (DF- 65 cm). The parameters evaluated were the production at bleeding and per hectare, the average annual increase in circumference, the rate of tree losses and the rate of trees with dry notches. Production per tree was significantly higher at 350 t/ha and 65 cm opening (DF-65 cm), while per hectare production was higher at 510 t/ha. The girths of the different clones are stronger at DF and at the 65 cm opening. The rate of tree loss and the rate of trees with dry notch were low at the 510 t/ha density and the 65cm opening. The appropriate density and opening standard was "normal density 510 t/ha and opening to circumference 50 cm". The cultivation techniques especially the density and opening standard judiciously applied can participate in the sustainable improvement of rubber productivity of rubber plantations.

Increasing Prevalence and Direct Health Care Cost of Inflammatory Bowel Disease Among Adults: A Population-Based Study From a Western Canadian Province

Objectives Our study aimed to calculate the prevalence and estimate the direct health care costs of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and test if trends in the prevalence and direct health care costs of IBD increased over two decades in the province of Saskatchewan, Canada. Methods We conducted a retrospective population-based cohort study using administrative health data of Saskatchewan between 1999/2000 and 2016/2017 fiscal years. A validated case definition was used to identify prevalent IBD cases. Direct health care costs were estimated in 2013/2014 Canadian dollars. Generalized linear models with generalized estimating equations tested the trend. Annual prevalence rates and direct health care costs were estimated along with their 95% confidence intervals (95%CI). Results In 2016/2017, 6468 IBD cases were observed in our cohort; Crohn’s disease: 3663 (56.6%), ulcerative colitis: 2805 (43.4%). The prevalence of IBD increased from 341/100,000 (95%CI 340 to 341) in 1999/2000 to 664/100,000 (95%CI 663 to 665) population in 2016/2017, resulting in a 3.3% (95%CI 2.4 to 4.3) average annual increase. The estimated average health care cost for each IBD patient increased from $1879 (95%CI 1686 to 2093) in 1999/2000 to $7185 (95%CI 6733 to 7668) in 2016/2017, corresponding to an average annual increase of 9.5% (95%CI 8.9 to 10.1). Conclusions Our results provide relevant information and analysis on the burden of IBD in Saskatchewan. The evidence of the constant increasing prevalence and health care cost trends of IBD needs to be recognized by health care decision-makers to promote cost-effective health care policies at provincial and national levels and respond to the needs of patients living with IBD.

Evaluation of Forestry Ecological Efficiency: A Spatiotemporal Empirical Study Based on China’s Provinces

Forests play a very important role in carbon dioxide emissions and climate change, and the development of China’s forestry is of great significance to our citizens. However, it is an arduous task for us to improve forestry output at a high and good level while taking environmental factors into account. In this paper, the non-expected super-efficiency SBM (slacks-based measure) model was used to measure the forestry ecological efficiency (FEE) of 31 provinces in China from 2004 to 2018, and the spatial and temporal evolution of FEE in different regions of China was analysed by using spatial econometric method. Tobit regression and random forest algorithm were selected to analyze the influence on FEE. The results showed that, firstly, the average annual increase of the national total factor productivity change of China’s forestry was 1.2%, and that the average annual increase of the national total factor productivity change in the eastern region was lower than that in the central and western regions. Secondly, the distribution of China’s FEE of the northeast and the south was higher, and FEE of China’s middle regions was relatively lower in 2004, but then the FEE in Northeast China has decreased, and the FEE has increased gradually from north to south in 2018. The agglomeration of high-tech industries in most regions of China had obvious positive spatial correlation characteristics in 2018. Thirdly, there was a negative correlation between forestry fixed assets investment and FEE, environmental regulation was an important factor affecting the ecological efficiency of forestry in China, and the level of economic development and industrial structure also had a certain impact on FEE.

Changes in production and reproduction traits in population of the Slovak Spotted Cattle

The study aimed to examine the analyses of the trend in the numbers of dairy cows, production and reproductive traits in the population the Slovak Spotted cattle for period 2010 to 2019. The number of Slovak Spotted dairy cows is maintained on a relatively stable level in recent years. There was a decrease in the number of animals (12 428 in 2010), but not as strong as after 1990 (85 518). From 2017 number of animals is rising from 14,062, to 14,150 (2018) and 14,627 (2019), respectively. As compared to 2010 an increase of 13.15% in 2017, 13.86% and 17.68%, in 2018 and 2019 respectively was observed. Population size raised from 113.15% (2017) to 117.68% in 2019 respectively. The average annual increase in milk production between the years 2010 to 2019 was + 157.5 kg of milk (total 1,575 kg of milk), + 5.8 kg of fat (total 58 kg of fat) and + 6.1 kg of protein (total 61 kg of protein). Positive growth of milk production in recent years is slightly comparable with the trend of breeding improvement.

National Trends in Antibiotic Use in Australian Residential Aged Care Facilities, 2005–2016

Background Understanding current patterns of antibiotic use in residential aged care facilities (RACFs) is essential to inform stewardship activities, but limited utilization data exist. This study examined changes in prevalence and consumption of antibiotics in Australian RACFs between 2005–2006 and 2015–2016. Methods This population-based, repeated cross-sectional analysis included all long-term permanent residents of Australian RACFs between July 2005 and June 2016 who were aged ≥ 65 years. The yearly prevalence rate of antibiotic use and number of defined daily doses (DDDs) of systemic antibiotics per 1000 resident-days were determined annually from linked pharmaceutical claims data. Trends were assessed using ordinary least squares regression. Results This study included 502 752 residents from 3218 RACFs, with 424.9 million resident-days analyzed. Antibiotics were dispensed on 5 608 126 occasions during the study period, of which 88% were for oral use. Cefalexin, amoxicillin-clavulanic acid, and trimethoprim were the most commonly dispensed antibiotics. The annual prevalence of antibiotic use increased from 63.8% (95% confidence interval [CI], 63.3%–64.4%) to 70.3% (95% CI, 69.9%–70.7%) between 2005–2006 and 2015–2016 (0.8% average annual increase, P < .001). There was a 39% relative increase in total consumption of systemic antibiotics, with utilization increasing from 67.6 to 93.8 DDDs/1000 resident-days during the study period (average annual increase of 2.8 DDDs/1000 resident-days, P < .001). Conclusions This nationwide study showed substantial increases in both prevalence of use and total consumption of antibiotics in Australian RACFs between 2005 and 2016. The increasingly widespread use of antibiotics in Australian RACFs is concerning and points to a need for enhanced efforts to optimize antibiotic use in this setting.

Ambulance Use by International Travelers in Japan: A Retrospective Descriptive Study

Introduction: Reports indicate that 22%–64% of travelers experience some illness when in a foreign country. To date, no prior study has reported the use of ambulances by travelers or the epidemiology of travel-related injury. Methods: In this retrospective study, we aimed to describe ambulance use by international travelers, including the rates of travel-related injury and illness. To do so, ambulance dispatch data from January 1, 2010 to December 31, 2018 was used. Results: Overall, of the 43201 cases of ambulance use during the study period, 524 (1.2%) were international travelers. Ambulance use by international travelers increased from 0.35% in 2010 (15/4311) to 2.54% in 2018 (125/4913), an average annual increase of 0.27%. Of the international travelers, 392 (74.8%) had minor complaints, 110 cases (21.0%) had moderate complaints, 280 (53.4%) had internal disease, and 223 cases (42.6%) had suffered trauma. Regarding location, 253 (48.3%) were from a hotel/lodge, 83 (15.8%) were from a road/parking, and 30 (5.7%) were in the forest/mountain. Conclusion: Most international travelers use ambulances for minor complaints, typically internal disease or trauma, and approximately half access the service from a hotel or lodge.

Evaluating compression or expansion of morbidity in Canada: trends in life expectancy and health-adjusted life expectancy from 1994 to 2010

Introduction The objective of this study was to investigate whether morbidity in Canada, at the national and provincial levels, is compressing or expanding by tracking trends in life expectancy (LE) and health-adjusted life expectancy (HALE) from 1994 to 2010. “Compression” refers to a decrease in the proportion of life spent in an unhealthy state over time. It happens when HALE increases faster than LE. “Expansion” refers to an increase in the proportion of life spent in an unhealthy state that happens when HALE is stable or increases more slowly than LE. Methods We estimated LE using mortality and population data from Statistics Canada. We took health-related quality of life (i.e. morbidity) data used to calculate HALE from the National Population Health Survey (1994–1999) and the Canadian Community Health Survey (2000–2010). We built abridged life tables for seven time intervals, covering the period 1994 to 2010 and corresponding to the year of each available survey cycle, for females and males, and for each of the 10 Canadian provinces. National and provincial trends were assessed at birth, and at ages 20 years and 65 years. Results We observed an overall average annual increase in HALE that was statistically significant in both Canadian females and males at each of the three ages assessed, with the exception of females at birth. At birth, HALE increased an average of 0.2% (p = .08) and 0.3% (p $lt; .001) annually for females and males respectively over the 1994 to 2010 period. At the national level for all three age groups, we observed a statistically nonsignificant average annual increase in the proportion of life spent in an unhealthy state, with the exception of men at age 65, who experienced a non-significant decrease. At the provincial level at birth, we observed a significant increase in proportion of life spent in an unhealthy state for Newfoundland and Labrador (NL) and Prince Edward Island (PEI). Conclusion Our study did not detect a clear overall trend in compression or expansion of morbidity from 1994 to 2010 at the national level in Canada. However, our results suggested an expansion of morbidity in NL and PEI. Our study indicates the importance of continued tracking of the secular trends of life expectancy and HALE in Canada in order to verify the presence of compression or expansion of morbidity. Further study should be undertaken to understand what is driving the observed expansion of morbidity in NL and in PEI.

Estimated Prevalence of Glaucoma in South Korea Using the National Claims Database

Purpose. To estimate the prevalence of glaucoma and costs associated with glaucoma care in South Korea between 2008 and 2013 using the Korean national claims database.Design. Retrospective cross-sectional study from a national claims database.Methods. Patients who were diagnosed with glaucoma between 2008 and 2013 were retrospectively identified in the national claims database using glaucoma diagnostic codes. For each year, the prevalence of glaucoma and direct medical costs associated with glaucoma care were estimated.Result. The prevalence of glaucoma in patients ≥40 years of age increased from 0.79% in 2008 to 1.05% in 2013. The number of patients with glaucoma increased by 54% between 2008 and 2013 (9% average annual increase). The prevalence of glaucoma increased with age and was higher in males than in females. The cost to care for glaucoma patients increased from $16.5 million in 2008 to $29.2 million in 2013, which translated into an 81% increase over the 6 years examined (12.7% average annual increase).Conclusion. The estimated prevalence and socioeconomic burden of glaucoma have steadily increased each year in South Korea. Nevertheless, many glaucoma patients remain undiagnosed in the present study using national claims database.

Increasing Incidence of Adenocarcinoma of the Gastroesophageal Junction and Distal Stomach in Canada – An Epidemiological Study from 1964 to 2002

BACKGROUND: The increasing incidence of esophageal and proximal gastric (cardia) adenocarcinoma and the decreasing incidence of distal gastric (antropyloric) adenocarcinoma has been documented in several populations. The aim of the present study was to examine incidence trends of these neoplasms in Ontario, Canada’s most populous province, over a 39-year period.METHODS: Analyses were based on data obtained from the Ontario Cancer Registry of Cancer Care Ontario. Number of cases and rates per 100,000, age-adjusted to the 1996 Canadian standard, were obtained for all esophageal and gastric carcinoma cases reported between 1964 and 2002. Rates were grouped into five-year periods to analyze trends over the 39-year period. Point and 95% CI estimates of average annual percentage change in incidence rates were calculated with a log-linear regression model.RESULTS: The incidence of adenocarcinoma of the distal esophagus increased in men and women (average annual increase of 9.5% in men; 4.3% in women). The incidence of adenocarcinoma of the cardia increased in men and women (average annual increase of 7.3% in men; 5.8% in women). The incidence of antropyloric adenocarcinoma increased in men and women (average annual increase of 4.4% in men; 5.3% in women). The incidence of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma remained stable.CONCLUSIONS: There has been a significant increase in the incidence of adenocarcinoma around the gastroesophageal junction in men over the 39-year study period. The increase in incidence of distal gastric adenocarcinoma is unexpected and may relate to a reclassification phenomenon, immigration trends in Ontario and a rising incidence of diffuse/signet ring cell adenocarcinoma.

Yield comparisons and cropping patterns of Kensington Pride mango selections

Thirty-three trees were identified from commercial orchards in Queensland during the 1990–91 and 1991–92 seasons to investigate the potential of improving the agronomic and fruit quality aspects of Kensington Pride mango. These selections were grafted and planted in a replicated field trial in the Burdekin district for comparative evaluation. Cropping characteristics were recorded annually until the trees reached 10 years of age. Small yield variations were observed between the selections, with no significant differences between the top 19�selections. No single selection had outstanding yields, however 2 selections had significantly lower yields than the rest. These findings indicate the difficulty in significantly improving Kensington Pride mangoes through selection from existing commercial germplasm. Sixteen of the best performing selections from the field trial were used as a top group to investigate the cropping characteristics of the cultivar. The average annual increase in yield and fluctuations from this average were modelled. The first significant crop was 15.7 kg per tree in year 4 and modelled yields increased by 23.3 kg per tree per year thereafter to year 10. There were significant annual fluctuations from the modelled trend with yields varying from between –44.7 to +35.7% of the expected yield. As fruit number per tree increased, average fruit weight decreased by 0.14g for every extra fruit.