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Compound extreme natural events cause a significantly larger impact than individual extreme events. Therefore, the urgency of exploring the climatology of compound events is growing. This paper is aimed to identify the current hotspots of compound heatwaves and droughts (CHD) and trends in their occurrence in southeast Australia. In this context, 61 weather stations were selected from the study area, and analyses were carried out over the extended summer season of the time period 1971–2021. The hotspots of CHDs in southeast Australia were identified considering both the total count of CHD days and 90th percentile of CHDs during the study period. The study period was divided into two periods 1971–2000 and 2001–2021, to assess the change in hotspots spatially and temporally. Four different attributes of CHDs based on the number, duration, severity and amplitude of CHDs were also calculated, and Mann–Kendall (MK) test followed by Sen's slope was adopted to detect the trends in all these four attributes of CHDs. Trends in CHD indices were also calculated for the two periods of 1971–2000 and 2001–2021. For calculating the CHD, excess heat factor (EHF) was used to identify the heatwaves. In the case of drought identification, SPEI and SPI drought indices were adopted with aggregation of 3 and 126 antecedent months, and three different threshold values were selected to consider three levels of dry conditions, e.g. 0, − 0.5 and − 1.0. It has been found that more CHDs occurred on the eastern side of NSW and Queensland states. Furthermore, the total count of CHD days increased notably during the last two decades. The trends in CHD indices were found to be significant in the recent period (2001–2021), and there was no trend in the earlier period (1971–2000). The findings of this study will help to plan heat and drought-related emergency management in the study area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Historical hunting pressures on koalas in the southern part of their range in Australia have led to a marked genetic bottleneck when compared with their northern counterparts. There are a range of suspected genetic disorders such as testicular abnormalities, oxalate nephrosis and microcephaly reported at higher prevalence in these genetically restricted southern animals. This paper reports analysis of differential expression of genes from RNAseq of lymph nodes, SNPs present in genes and the fixation index (population differentiation due to genetic structure) of these SNPs from two populations, one in south east Queensland, representative of the northern genotype and one in the Mount Lofty Ranges South Australia, representative of the southern genotype. SNPs that differ between these two populations were significantly enriched in genes associated with brain diseases. Genes which were differentially expressed between the two populations included many associated with brain development or disease, and in addition a number associated with testicular development, including the androgen receptor. Finally, one of the 8 genes both differentially expressed and with a statistical difference in SNP frequency between populations was SLC26A6 (solute carrier family 26 member 6), an anion transporter that was upregulated in SA koalas and is associated with oxalate transport and calcium oxalate uroliths in humans. Together the differences in SNPs and gene expression described in this paper suggest an underlying genetic basis for several disorders commonly seen in southern Australian koalas, supporting the need for further research into the genetic basis of these conditions, and highlighting that genetic selection in managed populations may need to be considered in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many nineteenth-century Chinese migrants to Pacific Rim countries died far from their home villages. Diverse approaches were adopted to mark graves, possibly anticipating the subsequent, culturally important, repatriation of their bones. This paper evaluates the morphology of grave markers from eight northeast Australian sites and considers reasons for the variations. Physical appraisal of each site was undertaken and, where they exist, cemetery records and allied documentation examined. In an unusual departure from the norm the inscriptions on most identified grave markers rarely indicate date of death. The seemingly meticulous attention to grave identification in some areas contrasts with others where markers are absent. This study indicates divergent approaches to identification and recording of individual graves over time and place. Rather than indicating full-fledged ethnogenesis, wherein Australian Chinese developed new cultural practices, these behaviors suggest that ca.1870–1930 was a transitional period, during which extant cultural processes were adapted to meet immediate needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Platycephalids Ambiserrula jugosa (McCulloch 1914) and Inegocia harrisii (McCulloch 1914) were described as new species based on 10 and 2 specimens, respectively, collected from the coast of Queensland, Australia by the F.I.S. Endeavour in 1910. McCulloch (1914) listed additional specimens at the end of the description, which he did not exclude from the type series. Previous authors considered the specimens, which McCulloch stated the species to have been described from, to be types of the two species, it was revealed that all 43 and 9 specimens included in these species by McCulloch are type specimens, according to the fourth edition of International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, stating "type series of a nominal taxon consists of all the specimens included by the author in the new nominal taxon" in Article 72.4.1. In I. harrisii, it was assumed that a specimen later designated as the lectotype was figured with the original description. Because its plate legend includes the words "sp. nov. Type", the specimen is regarded to be the holotype of the species and the designation of the lectotype was unnecessary. This study newly recognizes additional 12 paratypes of A. jugosa and 5 paratypes of I. harrisii, and gives taxonomic accounts of the two species to show range extensions of intraspecific variation and distribution newly found. Also comments are given about the type status of other species taken by the Endeavour described by McCulloch in a series of five papers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In past few decades, there was a tremendous enhancement in natural disaster and their effects on economy and population. An adverse events like floods, wildfires, cyclones, earthquakes, tsunamis, etc., are regarded as a natural disaster once it strikes the vulnerable population areas. An early tracking of susceptibility areas and immediate tracking of affected areas might help in facilitating rescue and early warnings to the public. To achieve autonomous natural disaster prediction, this paper makes use of current developments in remote sensing, which speed up the availability of aerial/satellite data and are reinforced by progress in the computing sector. The aerial/satellite imageries are employed for acquiring the data from areas of Queensland-Australia that are more prone to natural disaster in an eagle-eye perspective. Since there were several techniques employed so far for the automatic prediction of natural disaster susceptibilities, there were some limitations like reduced rate of accuracy and so on. So as to overcome these limitations, deep learning based automated process is employed for predicting the natural disaster areas and probability of event occurrences. The main intention of the work is to detect the natural disaster occurrence from the sensed data which aids in providing warning to public and to safeguard them by taking necessary actions. Initially, remote sensing data is pre-processed and the features are extracted using Adaptive linear Internal embedding algorithm-based feature extraction (ALIE-FE). The extracted features are selected using Recursive Wrapper-based feature subset selection. To estimate best fitness function and to enhance the prediction accuracy, the optimization process is carried using Bio-Inspired Squirrel Search Optimization algorithm (BI-SSOA). Finally, the classification is carried by means of Deep learning based Multi-layer Alex Net classifier (DBMLA) approach. The simulation is carried and the outcomes attained are estimated for predicting flood susceptibility and wildfire susceptibility. The proposed BISSOA-DBMLA offers sensitivity of 98%, specificity of 99%, and TSS of 97%. The proposed system offers 98.99% classification accuracy. Accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, TSS, and area under the curve (AUC) are used to evaluate the efficacy of the suggested system in light of the achieved results from other approaches. To demonstrate the efficacy of the suggested mechanism, the achieved results are compared with those of current approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper outlines the evolution of an Australian form of Open Marsh Water Management (OMWM) called runnelling which was implemented in relatively pristine saltmarshes. Runnelling involves shallow channels and was distinguished from OMWM which involves ditching. Both methods aim to conserve tidal hydrology. The core research covers 28 years of research on the original experimental site (Coomera Island, Queensland), in routine monitoring and impact assessments that were made periodically. It also introduces and incorporates information from associated research. This includes effects of runnelling on non-target aspects—snails and crabs. Emerging issues during the course of the longer-term research included the risk of mobilising acid sulfates and of mangrove encroachment into the saltmarsh. As well, use of the data was extended to retrofit it to address broader questions about saltmarsh processes and how to identify them. That identified progressive changes at the Coomera site, and so a further query was whether the system showed signs of approaching a tipping point. In summary, there were some identifiable effects of runnelling in all parts of the research. These were mostly related to the increased wetness near runnels, as flooding by tides would occur at tides up to 0.30 m lower than the pre-runnelling situation. The increased wetness was related to plants, snails and crabs. From a mosquito management perspective the method was successful. From an environmental perspective the environmental changes were only very close to runnels (within 10 m). The overall changes at the experimental site were consistent with other changes in eastern Australia, especially of mangrove encroachment into saltmarshes. Once the runnelling method appeared to manage mosquitoes without damaging wetland values it was adopted widely throughout south east Queensland, encouraged by the positive attitude of permitting agencies, but longer-term evaluation was hindered by lack of relevant records. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates use of inventories, or checklists of activities, as an emergency management tool to motivate preparedness action in individuals. It develops the inventory concept to provide the foundation for a more targeted approach to storm preparation communication and community engagement. It also examines the potential efficacy of alternatives to paper-based checklists, such as web or smartphone applications. Academic and grey literature was reviewed to collect activities for a storm inventory for emergency agencies to measure individual preparedness and for individuals to measure their preparation progress. The resulting master list was refined for application and tested for useability in a pilot study of semi-structured interviews in a storm-susceptible community in Queensland, Australia. Also, clustering items by type of preparedness activity reveal where strengths and weaknesses exist in individual preparedness. For instance, preparation for leaving and safety planning were shown to be the areas of weakest activity in the pilot sample, while preparation of the house for a storm was the strongest area. In addition, behaviour change literature shows potential for effective use of an inventory-based smartphone application in motivating preparation activity. Data collected by a storm preparedness smartphone application could show where a communication or engagement program for targeted communities should be focused. It is supported by health literature that identifies preferences of individuals to make progress on complex tasks in stages, the value of lists to achievement of goals and demonstrated increase in uptake of activities prompted by smartphone applications over web or paper-based diaries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Highly Accomplished and Lead Teacher (HALT) Certification process introduced in Australia in 2012 was designed to recognise expert teachers, to encourage them to continue to influence and impact their students and colleagues through their exemplary classroom practice. Expert teachers prepare evidence of their impactful practices, and have this evidence evaluated through a National Certifying Authority. HALTs are a relatively new role in Australian education, and little is known about their impact in schools, or the potential for their ongoing role as middle leaders in schools. This paper analyses the experiences of HALT teachers who had been certified by Independent Schools Queensland (ISQ) in 2018, and what impact they recognised they were having in the schools who supported them through their certification process. Impact is theorised as a temporal, reflexive narrative. Data were gathered in a cascading evaluative process through portfolio analysis, interviews with nationally certified teachers, school-based mentors and school leaders and a survey about their teacher and middle leader efficacy. The process of applying for HALT Certification had significant positive personal impact for the teachers, their students, their colleagues in their school and for some, beyond their school. The recognition of impact as a temporal narrative with distinct genres, and the concept of HALT teachers as middle leaders may point to new avenues of supporting applicants and to potential benefits for schools to encourage teachers to consider national certification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the development of the Wavelet Artificial Neural Networks (WANN) model to forecast seasonal rainfall in Queensland, Australia, using the Inter-decadal Pacific Oscillation (IPO), Southern Oscillation Index (SOI), and Nino3.4 climate indices as predictors. Eight input sets with different combinations of predictive variables from 1908 to 2016 were considered to develop forecast models for ten selected rainfall stations in Queensland, Australia. The outcomes of WANN modeling are compared with Artificial Neural Networks (ANN). Moreover, the skillfulness of the WANN in comparison to the current climate prediction system used by the Australian Community Climate Earth-System Simulator–Seasonal (ACCESS–S) and climatology forecasts are investigated. Besides, the WANN predictions are compared with two other conventional approaches like autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) and multiple linear regression (MLR) for further investigations. The comparisons indicated that the WANN achieves the lower average root mean square error (RMSE) in all the stations with 112.2mm compared to ANN with 178.9mm, ACCESS-S with 281.8mm, climatology prediction with 279.7mm, MLR with 195.1mm, and ARIMA with 187.7mm. The WANN seasonal rainfall forecasts are more accurate than the ANN, ACCESS-S, Climatology, MLR, and ARIMA by 37%, 60%, 53%, 42%, and 40%, respectively. It was also found that the ACCESS-S underestimates the extreme seasonal rainfall during the testing period up to 80%, while it is limited to 21% for the WANN among the selected stations. The results show that the WANN model outperforms the MLR, ARIMA, climatology, ACCESS-S, and ANN forecasts in all the selected stations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Palaeoclimate data relating to hydroclimate variability over the past millennia have a vital contribution to make to the water sector globally. The water industry faces considerable challenges accessing climate data sets that extend beyond that of historical gauging stations. Without this, variability around the extremes of floods and droughts is unknown and stress-testing infrastructure design and water demands is challenging. User-friendly access to relevant palaeoclimate data is now essential, and importantly, an efficient process to determine which proxies are most relevant to a planning scenario, and geographic area of interest. This paper presents PalaeoWISE (Palaeoclimate Data for Water Industry and Security Planning) a fully integrated, and quality-assured database of proxy data extracted from data repositories and publications collated in Linked Paleo Data (LiPD) format. We demonstrate the application of the database in Queensland, one of Australia's most hydrologically extreme states. The database and resultant hydroclimate correlations provides both the scientific community, and water resource managers, with a valuable resource to better manage for future climate changes. Measurement(s) climate Technology Type(s) digital curation Factor Type(s) proxy type • geographic location • temporal interval • environmental material Sample Characteristic - Environment climate system Sample Characteristic - Location Earth (planet) Machine-accessible metadata file describing the reported data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16607162 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Freshly excavated overburden (spoils) dumped during open-cut coal mining generate saline leachate that can lead to environmental impacts. Predictions of leachate salinity remain uncertain, largely due to incomplete knowledge of responses of spoils to varying moisture conditions. This study carried out column leaching experiments on four spoil types, originating from Queensland, Australia. Following characterisation of the fresh spoil material, four moisture regimes were tested: three wetting-drying conditions with leaching occurring biweekly, weekly, and fortnightly and one completely saturated regime with leaching occurring weekly. Thirty-four leaching cycles were conducted except for one spoil type for which only 12 cycles were completed. Results showed higher EC and leachate ion concentrations from the saturated regime, while among the wetting-drying regimes, the spoil leached on a fortnightly basis resulted in higher salt release for two geochemically similar spoil types. Overall, lower and steady pH was recorded for spoils leached under saturated conditions. Irrespective of spoil type, sodium was the dominating cation contributing to the overall leachate salinity. The paper provides new insights into parameterising leaching models and in the role of water-rock interactions which informs experimental design and conceptualisation of full-scale models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

First Nations languages can play a significant role in ensuring connection to land, culture, Songlines, kinship, history, and stories. Ongoing language attrition for First Nations peoples of Australia has been due to colonization and past adverse government policies, which rendered First Nations languages a threat to the expansion of the colony. Through processes of dislocation from country and punishment for speaking language, many First Nations peoples began to lose their languages and were forcefully compelled to speak the English language on missions and reserves. Promoting First Nations languages in early educational contexts can instill a sense of cultural identity and connectedness to schooling for First Nations children, helping to ensure that languages are passed on to future generations. In many parts of Australia, First Nations languages are being revitalized and are being taught to both First Nations children and non-Indigenous children in early learning centers and in classrooms. This paper draws upon existing literature, briefly examining the removal of First Nations languages in Queensland from a historical perspective. The authors consider three essential elements required to work with First Nations communities when revitalizing First Nations languages and implementing a successful language program into schools: co-design, authentic delivery, and cultural inclusivity. We demonstrate how these elements have been used in the revitalization of First Nations languages in two Queensland schools. Finally, the importance of using an Indigenous centered approach to maintain languages at a local level is posited as a critical step in creating culturally inclusive environments for First Nations children in mainstream school settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Data collection for fresh-water regions of The Ecosystem Health Monitoring Program (EHMP), in southeast Queensland, Australia, involves the sampling of over 130 sites among 19 catchments twice per year and has been ongoing for over ten years. The sampling design was derived following an exhaustive process of indicator and site selection to develop a composite indicator that represented aquatic ecosystem health. After 13 years of implementation, there was an interest in identifying redundancies in sampling to reduce sampling costs without making a substantial impact on the integrity of the program and its capacity to report on ecosystem health. This paper focuses on identifying a subset of sites and times that could be removed from sampling with a minimal impact on the subsequent ecosystem health scores. Herein, Mixed models are employed to assess a variance structure from which optimality criteria are utilized to identify the scheme. Integer programs are then used to ensure specific practical constraints are observed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While many remote places in Queensland, Australia have access to schools, very few have provision for preschool education. Recent efforts to change this have included the development of a kindergarten program delivered through the local school. An impact assessment undertaken in 2017 involved visiting 30 remote sites offering the program. Analysis of interview data indicated the importance of sense of place in the delivery of this program. Educators and family members were overwhelmingly supportive of the option of a kindergarten program in their sites, regarding it as an equity and social justice imperative to provide access to programs that seem to be taken-for-granted for children and families in urban and regional locations. The potential for the program to enhance social interactions and educational outcomes was highlighted, even when educators noted a range of challenges in the implementation of the program. Sense of place and the positioning of educators and families are explored in the paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is evident that developing more accurate forecasting methods is the pillar of building robust multi-energy systems (MES). In this context, long-term forecasting is also indispensable to have a robust expansion planning program for modern power systems. While very short-term and short-term forecasting are usually represented with point estimation, this approach is highly unreliable in medium-term and long-term forecasting due to inherent uncertainty in predictors like weather variables in long terms. Accordingly, long-term forecasting is usually represented by probabilistic forecasting values which are based on probabilistic functions. In this paper, a self-organizing mixture network (SOMN) is developed to estimate the probability density function (PDF) of peak load in long-term horizons considering the most important drivers of seasonal similarity, population, gross domestic product (GDP), and electricity price. The proposed methodology is applied to forecast the PDF of annual and seasonal peak load in Queensland Australia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes a practical automated procedure to calibrate and validate a transit assignment model. An optimization method based on particle swarm algorithm is adopted to minimize a defined error term. This error term which is based on the percentage of root mean square error and the mean absolute percent error encompasses deviation of model outputs from observations considering both segment level as well as the mode level and can be applied to a large scale network. This study is based on the frequency-based assignment model using the concept of optimal strategy while any transit assignment model can be used in the proposed methodological framework. Lastly, the model is validated using another weekday data. The proposed methodology uses automatic fare collection (AFC) data to estimate the origin–destination matrix. This study combines data from three sources: the general transit feed specification, AFC, and a strategic transport model from a large-scale multimodal public transport network. The South-East Queensland (SEQ) network in Australia is used as a case study. The AFC system in SEQ has voluminous and high quality data on passenger boardings and alightings across bus, rail and ferry modes. The results indicate that the proposed procedure can successfully develop a multi-modal transit assignment model at a large scale. Higher dispersions are seen for the bus mode, in contrast to rail and ferry modes. Furthermore, a comparison is made between the strategies used by passengers and the generated strategies by the model between each origin and destination to get more insights about the detailed behaviour of the model. Overall, the analysis indicates that the AFC data is a valuable and rich source in calibrating and validating a transit assignment model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper was to identify characteristics and predictors of frequent emergency department (ED) use among people released from prisons in Queensland, Australia. Baseline interview data from a sample of sentenced adults were linked to ED and hospital records. The association between baseline characteristics and frequent ED attendance was modelled by fitting multivariate logistic regression models. Participants who had ≥ 4 visits to the ED in any 365-day period of community follow-up were defined as frequent attenders (FA). The analyses included 1307 people and mean follow-up time in the community was 1063 days. After adjusting for covariates, those with a dual diagnoses of mental illness and substance use (RR = 2.42, 95% CI 1.47–3.99) and those with mental illness alone (RR = 2.47, 95% CI 1.29–4.73) were at higher risk of frequent ED attendance, compared with those with no disorder. Future research should assess whether individually tailored transition supports from prison to community reduce the frequency of ED use among this population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In most modern coal mines, there are many coal quality parameters that are measured on samples taken from boreholes. These data are used to generate spatial models of the coal quality parameters, typically using inverse distance as an interpolation method. At the same time, downhole geophysical logging of numerous additional boreholes is used to measure various physical properties but no coal quality samples are taken. The work presented in this paper uses two of the most important coal quality variables—ash and volatile matter—and assesses the efficacy of using a number of geostatistical interpolation methods to improve the accuracy of the interpolated models, including the use of auxiliary variables from geophysical logs. A multivariate spatial statistical analysis of ash, volatile matter and several auxiliary variables is used to establish a co-regionalization model that relates all of the variables as manifestations of an underlying geological characteristic. A case study of a coal mine in Queensland, Australia, is used to compare the interpolation methods of inverse distance to ordinary kriging, universal kriging, co-kriging, regression kriging and kriging with an external drift. The relative merits of these six methods are compared using the mean error and the root mean square error as measures of bias and accuracy. The study demonstrates that there is significant opportunity to improve the estimations of coal quality when using kriging with an external drift. The results show that when using the depth of a sample as an external drift variable there is a significant improvement in the accuracy of estimation for volatile matter, and when using wireline density logs as the drift variable there is improvement in the estimation of the in situ ash. The economic benefit of these findings is that cheaper proxies for coal quality parameters can significantly increase data density and the quality of estimations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Hydrogeology Journal is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Hydrogeology Journal is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Background: The present paper represented the third installment on the monogenoidean parasites collected during a workshop exploring the diversity of the parasites of fishes in Moreton Bay, Queensland, Australia. Previous reports on monogenoids collected during the workshop included species parasitizing beloniform and gerreid fishes. Purpose: During January 2016, the author, having responsibility for the identification and description of monogenoids, participated in a workshop supported by an Australian Biological Resources Study Grant to Drs. Thomas Cribb and Scott Cutmore, University of Queensland, to explore the diversity of parasites infecting the fishes of Moreton Bay, Queensland, Australia. Methods: Approximately 100 species of marine fishes were necropsied for parasites. Standard procedures for collecting, mounting, drawing, and measuring of monogenoids were employed. Results: A new species of Euryhaliotrema was collected and described from the silver moony Monodactylus argenteus (Monodactylidae) and the first recording of Euryhaliotrema spirotubiforum on the dory snapper Lutjanus fulviflamma and Russell's snapper Lutjanus russellii (both Lutjanidae) in Moreton Bay was reported. Conclusion: The results suggested that the diversity of dactylogyrids off eastern Australia is under estimated in the literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Incursions by exotic tephritids continue to threaten Australia. Host suitability for a specific tephritid is ranked by the number of adults which can emerge from one kg of fruit or the Host Reproduction Number (HRN). Bactrocera dorsalis has previously invaded northern Australia but was eradicated. However, Bactrocera dorsalis remains the largest exotic threat and is likely to invade through northern Australia but B. tryoni and other tephritids are already well established. One question is what hosts would likely provide the best early warning for an exotic incursion. Here, the HRN for 40 hosts for Bactrocera dorsalis and B. tryoni were established from the scientific literature. The reproductive advantages of one species over the other were calculated by dividing the higher HRN by the lower HRN. The fruits with the highest reproductive advantage (> 30) favouring B. dorsalis were soursop, mango and capsicum. The reproductive advantage estimate was compared to surveillance data collected during B. dorsalis eradication in north Queensland from 1995 to 1997. Mangoes and capsicum were among the mostly commonly infested hosts. Capsicums provided the second highest number of samples and would seem ideal candidates as sentinel plants for current surveillance programs. Some inconsistencies are identified and discussed. The HRN and reproductive advantage may have the potential to identify hosts and industries for early warning exotic fruit fly surveillance, better-targeted eradication programs and risk assessments for imports/exports. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides new insights into the food security performance of long and short food chains, through an analysis of the resilience of such chains during the severe weather events that occurred in the Australian State of Queensland in early 2011. Widespread flooding cut roads and highways, isolated towns, and resulted in the deaths of people and animals. Farmlands were inundated and there were food shortages in many towns. We found clear evidence that the supermarket-based (long) food chain delivery system experienced significant difficulties in supplying food to flood-affected towns. In contrast, more localized (short) food supply chains-which relied upon supply from growers in peri-urban areas and community-based food initiatives-remained largely intact, and provided food at a time when the supermarkets were limited in their ability to respond to consumer demand. However, on closer examination of food distribution during flooding in the regional city of Rockhampton and in the State capital, Brisbane, the demarcation of success between 'long' and 'short' food chains became blurred. Both types of food supply chains shared some key resilience characteristics in responding to crisis but diverged in other important ways. We argue that conceptualizing food chains in terms of key elements of resilience-scale, diversity, flexibility and cohesion-may be more fruitful than the short-long dichotomy alone. This approach is particularly useful when prioritizing food security as the basis for evaluating food system sustainability in a context of predicted increases in extreme weather events and future climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conservation translocations can restore populations and prevent extinction of threatened species. Sourcing adequate genetic diversity is an essential consideration when planning reintroductions, because it influences individual fitness and long-term persistence of populations, yet available populations of threatened species may lack diversity. We estimated population genetic parameters for one of Australia's most threatened mammals, the northern bettong, Bettongia tropica, to select source populations for reintroduction. Individuals from sites across the species' extant range in the Wet Tropics of north Queensland were genotyped, using 6,133 informative SNPs. We found that samples clustered into four populations: an isolated northern population at Mt Spurgeon and three connected southern populations in the Lamb Range. Most of the species' genetic diversity was dispersed across the Lamb Range populations in approximately equal proportions. Populations showed an isolation-by-distance effect, even over short distances within continuous habitat. Admixture of populations was high at distances < 7 km but low at distances > 11 km, and there was asymmetrical gene flow between the two closest neighboring populations. All populations had small effective sizes and experienced drift, but connectivity appears to have mitigated drift and stabilized population sizes within the Lamb Range. The Mt Spurgeon population had a very small effective population size and low genetic diversity. We use our findings to weigh up the risks and benefits of mixing sources for reintroduction, and we recommend a mixed source approach. We do not currently recommend sourcing individuals from Mt Spurgeon and conservation efforts to preserve this population are urgently required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purposes: Soil labile carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) pools are vital indicators of soil fertility and soil organic matter (SOM) dynamics. We aimed to evaluate the short-term effects of biochar application on soil labile C and N pools in nutrient-deficient soil in subtropical Australia. Materials and methods: A 9-month field study was conducted to investigate the short-term changes in soil water-extractable organic C (WEOC) and total N (WETN) as well as hot water-extractable organic C (HWEOC) and hot water-extractable total N (HWETN) in response to biochar application rates under two Acacia species (Acacia leiocalyx (A. leiocalyx) and Acacia disparrimma (A. disparrima)) and Eucalyptus psammitica (E. psammitica) in a native subtropical forest in southeast Queensland, Australia. Biochar was applied at three rates: 0 t ha−1 (B0), 5 t ha−1 (B5), and 10 t ha−1 (B10). We collected soil samples from 0–5 cm, 5–10 cm, and 10–20 cm depth after 6 months of biochar application, and soil samples at 0–5 cm depth were also collected shortly before biochar application and after 1, 2, 3, 6, and 9 months of biochar application. Results: Soil WEOC and WETN significantly decreased with the biochar application rate during the study period. In the 10–20 cm layer, soil WEOC, WETN, HWEOC, and HWETN under E. psammitica were significantly higher than those under the Acacia species. Sampling time also significantly affected the soil labile C and N pools, and soil WEOC and HWEOC were significantly higher in the third month after biochar application than at other sampling times, whereas soil WETN and HWETN continuously increased from the third month and peaked in the ninth month after biochar application. Conclusions: Our results indicate that although biochar application consequently decreases labile pools on short timescales, it still highlights the potential to maintain stability of soil labile C and N pools in forest ecosystems in the short term. Our findings might further contribute to accelerating C sequestration and N cycles in low fertility soils and might ultimately be conducive to improving the adaptive capacity of vulnerable ecosystems in response to frequent prescribed burning and climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Populations of the iconic Australian koala are under constant decline. Their deaths are associated with rapid and extensive urbanization and the fragmentation of habitat areas. Using citizen science data on reported koala mortalities, we quantified the association between anthropogenic and environmental factors and the two leading causes of koala deaths, dog attacks and vehicle collisions. We achieved this objective using a case–control study design to compare the odds of exposure to a given risk factor for cases (a given cause of death) with the odds of exposure to a given risk factor for controls (all other causes of death). Koala deaths due to dog attacks were positively associated with registered dog population density and negatively associated with lot density whereas koala deaths due to vehicle collisions were positively associated with road density (road length per square kilometer) and negatively associated with human population density and distance to primary and secondary roads. The results of this research can be used to develop strategies to mitigate the risk of deaths due to dog attacks, for example by conducting educational awareness programs, promoting registration of dogs and discouraging free roaming of dogs. In a similar manner, in high-risk areas for vehicle collisions, over- or underpasses can be built to facilitate safe movement of koalas for road crossings or speed limits could be introduced to reduce the likelihood of premature koala deaths due to vehicle collisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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We report for the first time the occurrence of an Eutypella species on cotton in New South Wales (NSW), Australia. The putative Eutypella was isolated from dead cotton plants that exhibited atypical symptoms of either Fusarium or Verticillium wilt. Dead plants had symptoms resembling lightning strike damage with blackened outer bark around the fifth node zone. Internal vascular discoloration was reddish grey and often occurred in V-shaped sections. Sequences of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) revealed a 93.7–94.1% similarity to Eutypella scoparia, indicating that the NSW cotton isolates represented a putatively novel species within the Eutypella genus. Pathogenicity of the isolated Eutypella was assessed on cotton stem cuts and living plants inoculated with culture agar plugs. Typical black necroses on outer bark and reddish vascular discoloration were reinduced in both Eutypella-inoculated stem cuts and living plants. Subsequently, the same Eutypella pathogen was successfully recovered, thus fulfilling Koch's postulates. The detection of Eutypella on NSW cotton is believed to be an independent event from a recently reported occurrence of Eutypella on Queensland cotton. The Queensland detection occurred in the same 2017/18 cropping season at approximately 730 km apart and was associated with distinct Eutypella isolates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tropical cyclones (TCs) are dangerous and destructive natural hazards that impact population, infrastructure, and the environment. TCs are multi-hazardous severe weather phenomena; they produce damaging winds, storm surges, and torrential rain that can lead to flooding. Identifying regions most at risk to TC impacts assists with improving preparedness and resilience of communities. This study presents results of TC multi-hazard risk assessment and mapping for Queensland (QLD), Australia. Datasets from Global Assessment Report (GAR) Atlas were used to evaluate TC hazards. Data for exposure and vulnerability of population, infrastructure and the environment were sourced from agencies such as the Australian Bureau of Statistics. TC hazards of storm surges, floods, and winds were analysed individually. Combining risk indices for TC hazards, exposure and vulnerability, overall TC risk index was derived. TC multi-hazard risk maps were produced at the Local Government Area level using ArcGIS, and regions with higher risk of being impacted by TCs were identified. The developed TC multi-hazard risk maps provide disaster risk management offices with comprehensive comparative TC risk profile of QLD that can be used to proactively manage TC risk at the subnational scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and aims: Proteaceae species strongly acidify their rhizosphere to increase soil phosphorus (P) availability, which also inadvertently increases the availability of other elements, such as manganese and rare earth elements (REE). This study aimed to investigate REE (hyper) accumulation in the Proteaceae genus Helicia from Queensland, Australia, from a systematic assessment of REE concentrations in herbarium specimens and verification with field collected samples. Methods: Herbarium X-ray fluorescence (XRF) scanning (using yttrium as a proxy for REEs) was undertaken on selected Helicia species (Proteaceae) at the Queensland Herbarium, followed by Inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES) analysis and field collection of H. glabriflora samples to confirm the XRF findings. Results: The herbarium XRF analysis revealed highly anomalous REE concentrations in some Helicia species, reaching ~ 1300 µg Y g-1 in H. australasica and H. glabriflora. The ICP-AES analysis of the herbarium specimens revealed total REE concentrations (REE) of up to 2300 µg g-1 in H. australasica and H. glabriflora, with relatively higher light REEs (~ 70%) and yttrium (~ 20%) concentrations, compared to heavy REEs (~ 10%). The field collected H. glabriflora material had relatively higher total REE concentrations in the mature leaves (~ 850 µg REE g-1) and stems (~ 675 µg REE g-1), compared to young leaves (~ 130 µg REE g-1), roots (~ 220 µg REE g-1) and soil (~ 90 µg REE g-1). Conclusion: The discovery of REE (hyper)accumulation in these Helicia species suggests that the Proteaceae family may host several other REE hyperaccumulators that are hitherto undiscovered. This calls for systematic assessment of the Proteaceae using the same approach as used in this study. The findings have potential implications for (i) discovery of REE hyperaccumulator plants, (ii) investigation of REE uptake and accumulation in plants and (iii) biogeochemical exploration of buried REE ore deposits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Moorena producens is a benthic filamentous cyanobacteria that has been widely documented for its toxicity. This cyanobacterium colonizes both temperate (37%) and tropical (63%) regions, making it a cosmopolitan cyanobacterium with a global distribution. M. producens grows across coral reefs in multiple locations but recurringly blooms in Queensland, Australia. Today, nuisance blooms of M. producens have resulted in major disruptions to recreational activities along coastal areas and are known to cause adverse effects on organism and human health upon contact or ingestion. Specifically, marine organisms such as the green turtle Chelonia mydas and hawksbill turtle Eretmochelys imbricata were fatally poisoned by M. producens after consumption of this cyanobacterium. Reports record a range of effects on human health, from pain and blistering or even death upon ingestion of contaminated seafood. Blooms of M. producens are triggered by influxes of nitrogen, phosphate and iron, from surrounding coastal runoffs or sewage effluents. Additions of these nutrients can result in an increase in growth rate by 4–16 times. Iron bioavailability also plays a crucial role in bloom formation. A total of 231 natural products from 66 groups were identified from M. producens, with the three dominant groups: malyngamides, microcolins and dolastatins. These bioactive secondary metabolites have displayed toxicities against a range of carcinoma cell lines and organisms such as brine shrimp Artemia salina and goldfish Carassius auratus. This review provides a thorough insight to the distribution, ecophysiology and toxicity of M. producens, with reports on bloom events and implications on organism and human health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction and hypothesis: The aim was to develop and validate (internally and externally) a prediction model for the presence and diagnosis of pelvic floor dysfunction (PFD) in women, including pelvic organ prolapse, stress urinary incontinence and/or overactive bladder via a patient-completed online tool. Methods: Using a retrospective cohort of women aged >18 years, from multiple tertiary gynaecology units within Queensland, Australia (2014–2018), the prediction model was developed via penalized logistic regression with internal and external validation utilizing multiple clinical predictors (42 questions from the Australian Pelvic Floor Questionnaire and demographics: age, body mass index, parity and mode of delivery). The main outcome measures were the accuracy of the model in predicting a diagnosis of pelvic floor dysfunction and its specific conditions of prolapse and incontinence. Results: A total of 3,501 women were utilized for model development and internal validation and 449 for external validation. On internal validation the model correctly identified those with PFD with 97% sensitivity, 74% specificity and a concordance index (C-index) of 0.96. Predictions of pelvic organ prolapse were also accurate, with 86% sensitivity, 83% specificity, C-index 0.83, as was stress urinary incontinence, 84% sensitivity, 87% specificity, C-index 0.87, and overactive bladder, 76% sensitivity, 77% specificity, C-index 0.77. External validation confirmed the model's accuracy with a similar C-index in all parameters. Conclusions: This model provides an accurate online tool to differentiate between those with and without PFD and diagnoses of common pelvic floor disorders. It serves as a valuable self-assessment for women and primary care providers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The increasing volumes of mine tailings that are being generated globally because of the rise in metal demand, whilst ore-grades continue to decline, call for novel sustainable management options. Phytoextraction using hyperaccumulator plant species may be one of such strategies to deal with these large volumes of contaminated materials. However, base metals (such as zinc, lead, copper) mine tailings are inherently polymetallic that necessitate targeting multiple metal(loid)s simultaneously for effective phytoextraction. The aim of this study was to conduct a proof-of-concept experiment for polymetallic phytoextraction of base metal mine tailings. Methods: Selected hyperaccumulator plants (Noccaea caerulescens targeting zinc, Biscutella laevigata and Silene latifolia targeting thallium, Phytolacca octandra targeting manganese, Pityrogramma calomelanos targeting arsenic) were grown in monocultures and mixed cultures for 12 weeks on tailings from the zinc-lead-copper Dugald River and Mt Isa Mines, Queensland, Australia. Results: Noccaea caerulescens accumulated zinc and manganese (up to ~ 1 wt% and ~ 1.4 wt%, respectively) with zinc-manganese co-localization at the leaf apex and margins. The monocultured B. laevigata exhibited severe toxicity symptoms, which were alleviated when co-cultured with N. caerulescens. Trichomes were important storage sites for zinc and manganese in B. laevigata. Silene latifolia accumulated higher thallium than B. laevigata, whilst P. octandra promoted thallium accumulation in S. latifolia. Conclusions: This proof-of-concept test of polymetallic phytoextraction provides a real-life demonstration of this innovative technology which could be adapted to further experiments at base metal mines around the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Macadamia is a high value nut crop that is recently domesticated, ideal for testing the effect of artificial selection. Here, we sequence the genome of Hawaiian cultivar 'Kau' and assemble into 794 Mb in 14 pseudo-chromosomes with 37,728 genes. Genome analysis reveals a whole-genome duplication event, occurred 46.8 million years ago. Gene expansions occurred in gene families involves in fatty acid biosynthesis. Gene duplication of MADS-Box transcription factors in proanthocyanidin biosynthesis are relevant for seed coat development. Genome re-sequencing of 112 accessions reveals the origin of Hawaiian cultivars from Mount Bauple in southeast Queensland in Australia. Selective sweeps are detected in macadamia cultivars, including genes involved in fatty acid biosynthesis, seed coat development, and heat stress response. Such strong effects of artificial selection in few generations reveals the genomic basis for 'one-step operation' for clonal crop domestication. The knowledge gained could accelerate domestication of new crops from wild species. Macadamia is a recently domesticated nut crop. Here, the authors report the genome assembly of Hawaiian cultivar 'Kau' and conduct population genomic analyses to reveal the origin of Hawaiian cultivars and the genomic basis for one-step operation for the clonal crop domestication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Preventing unplanned hospitalisations, including readmissions and re-presentations to the emergency department, is an important strategy for addressing the growing demand for hospital care. Significant successes have been reported from interventions put in place by hospitals to reduce their incidence. However, there is limited use of data-driven algorithms in hospital services to identify patients for enrolment into these intervention programs. Here we present the results of a study aiming to develop algorithms deployable at scale as part of a state government's initiative to address rehospitalizations and which fills several gaps identified in the state-of-the-art literature. To the best of our knowledge, our study involves the largest-ever sample size for developing risk models. Logistic regression, random forests and gradient boosted techniques were explored as model candidates and validated retrospectively on five years of data from 27 hospitals in Queensland, Australia. The models used a range of predictor variables sourced from state-wide Emergency Department(ED), inpatient, hospital-dispensed medications and hospital-requested pathology databases. The investigation leads to several findings: (i) the advantage of looking at a longer patient data history, (ii) ED and inpatient datasets alone can provide useful information for predicting hospitalisation risk and the addition of medications and pathology test results leads to trivial performance improvements, (iii) predicting readmissions to the hospital was slightly easier than predicting re-presentations to ED after an inpatient stay, which was slightly easier again than predicting re-presentations to ED after an EDstay, (iv) a gradient boosted approach (XGBoost) was systematically the most powerful modelling approach across various tests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: As global events impact the way organizations operate and innovate in response to regional, workforce and consumer needs, the concept of intrapreneurism is attracting growing interest from policymakers and executives, particularly within the healthcare sector. The aim of this study was to capture the key learnings from the implementation of a telementoring pilot, to understand how intrapreneurship can embed innovation within an established organization to effect more integrated healthcare. Purpose: A qualitative approach was used with a phenomenological lens to explore the key learnings of the Project ECHO® (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes) pilot implementation to provide an understanding of what the project team's strategies and tactics were during the process of embedding a new business innovation. The implementation and piloting of Project ECHO®, a telementoring model, in a large-scale public healthcare organization in Queensland, Australia, was investigated as an exemplar of integration intrapreneurship. Findings: Through an inductive approach, this qualitative study found the implementation of the Project ECHO® pilot had specific dimensions and strategies/tactics which were exemplars of intrapreneurism. The organizational context and workforce characteristics described in this study presented new knowledge of how intrapreneurs implemented an innovation to address fragmentation of healthcare service delivery, professional isolation and instances of low-value care. This research contributes to a better understanding of the strategic and tactical approaches to implementing intrapreneurial innovations within a public healthcare organization, with learnings that can be adapted by intrapreneurs in other contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forecast models of solar radiation incorporating cloud effects are useful tools to evaluate the impact of stochastic behaviour of cloud movement, real-time integration of photovoltaic energy in power grids, skin cancer and eye disease risk minimisation through solar ultraviolet (UV) index prediction and bio-photosynthetic processes through the modelling of solar photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD). This research has developed deep learning hybrid model (i.e., CNN-LSTM) to factor in role of cloud effects integrating the merits of convolutional neural networks with long short-term memory networks to forecast near real-time (i.e., 5-min) PPFD in a sub-tropical region Queensland, Australia. The prescribed CLSTM model is trained with real-time sky images that depict stochastic cloud movements captured through a total sky imager (TSI-440) utilising advanced sky image segmentation to reveal cloud chromatic features into their statistical values, and to purposely factor in the cloud variation to optimise the CLSTM model. The model, with its competing algorithms (i.e., CNN, LSTM, deep neural network, extreme learning machine and multivariate adaptive regression spline), are trained with 17 distinct cloud cover inputs considering the chromaticity of red, blue, thin, and opaque cloud statistics, supplemented by solar zenith angle (SZA) to predict short-term PPFD. The models developed with cloud inputs yield accurate results, outperforming the SZA-based models while the best testing performance is recorded by the objective method (i.e., CLSTM) tested over a 7-day measurement period. Specifically, CLSTM yields a testing performance with correlation coefficient r = 0.92, root mean square error RMSE = 210.31 μ mol of photons m−2 s−1, mean absolute error MAE = 150.24 μ mol of photons m−2 s−1, including a relative error of RRMSE = 24.92% MAPE = 38.01%, and Nash Sutcliffe's coefficient ENS = 0.85, and Legate and McCabe's Index LM = 0.68 using cloud cover in addition to the SZA as an input. The study shows the importance of cloud inclusion in forecasting solar radiation and evaluating the risk with practical implications in monitoring solar energy, greenhouses and high-value agricultural operations affected by stochastic behaviour of clouds. Additional methodological refinements such as retraining the CLSTM model for hourly and seasonal time scales may aid in the promotion of agricultural crop farming and environmental risk evaluation applications such as predicting the solar UV index and direct normal solar irradiance for renewable energy monitoring systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Estimates of non-market values are valuable for policy makers. However, evidence of the stability of value estimates over long timeframes is limited. That can reduce the usefulness of such values in benefit transfer over time. Furthermore, the values might be affected by the choice of presentation of alternatives (e.g., labeled versus unlabeled). Most of the literature comparing the willingness-to-pay (WTP) estimates lacks an investigation of temporal stability for labeled and unlabeled alternatives. In this case study, the temporal stability of WTP estimates for emissions reduction has been assessed for labeled and unlabeled alternatives. Emissions reduction, certainty of emissions reduction and the options for emissions reductions such as green power, efficient technologies and carbon capture were used to identify respondents' WTP. The results show that WTP has changed significantly over the course of 10 years. The case study identified that WTP was larger for labeled alternatives than for unlabeled alternatives. The results indicate that WTP estimated from unlabeled alternatives may be more sensitive to temporal effects than labeled alternatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cattle enterprises are one of the major livestock production systems globally and are forecasted to have stable growth in the next decade. To facilitate sustainable live weight production, optimal reproductive performance is essential. Microbial colonisation in the reproductive tract has been demonstrated as one of the factors contributing to bovine reproductive performance. Studies also implied that reproductive metagenomes are different at each stage of the estrous cycle. This study applied Oxford Nanopore Technologies' adaptive long-read sequencing to profile the bovine reproductive microbiome collected from tropical cattle in northern Queensland, Australia. The microbiome samples were collected from cattle of different sexes, reproductive status and locations to provide a comprehensive view of the bovine reproductive microbiome in northern Australian cattle. Ascomycota, Firmicutes and Proteobacteria were abundant phyla identified in the bovine reproductive metagenomes of Australian cattle regardless of sexes, reproductive status and location. The species level taxonomical investigation suggested that gastrointestinal metagenome and the surrounding environment were potentially the origins of the bovine reproductive metagenome. Functional profiles further affirmed this implication, revealing that the reproductive metagenomes of the prepubertal and postpartum animals were dominated by microorganisms that catabolise dietary polysaccharides as an energy substrate while that of the pregnant animals had the function of harvesting energy from aromatic compounds. Bovine reproductive metagenome investigations can be employed to trace the origins of abnormal metagenomes, which is beneficial for disease prevention and control. Additionally, our results demonstrated different reproductive metagenome diversities between cattle from two different locations. The variation in diversity within one location can serve as the indicator of abnormal reproductive metagenome, but between locations inferences cannot be made. We suggest establishing localised metagenomic indices that can be used to infer abnormal reproductive metagenomes which contribute to abortion or sub-fertility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The invasion of the Australian continent by Europeans caused massive disruptions to Indigenous cultures and ways of life. The adoption of new raw materials, often for the production of "traditional" artifact forms, is one archaeological indicator of the changes wrought by "colonization." Two camp sites associated with the Queensland Native Mounted Police (NMP), a punitive paramilitary government force that operated through the latter half of the nineteenth century in the northeastern part of the continent, contain abundant flaked glass artifacts. These were undoubtedly manufactured by the Aboriginal men who were employed as troopers in the NMP, and/or their wives and children. Produced using traditional stone working techniques applied to a novel raw material, these artifacts are a tangible demonstration of the messy entanglements experienced by people living and working in this particular — and in some ways unique — cross-cultural context. For the Aboriginal troopers stationed in alien landscapes, the easy accessibility of glass afforded a means by which they could maintain cultural practices and exert independence from their employers, unencumbered by traditional normative behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examined systems-level costs before and after the implementation of an emergency department paediatric sepsis screening, recognition and treatment pathway. Aggregated hospital admissions for all children aged < 18y with a diagnosis code of sepsis upon admission in Queensland, Australia were compared for 16 participating and 32 non-participating hospitals before and after pathway implementation. Monte Carlo simulation was used to generate uncertainty intervals. Policy impacts were estimated using difference-in-difference analysis comparing observed and expected results. We compared 1055 patient episodes before (77.6% in-pathway) and 1504 after (80.5% in-pathway) implementation. Reductions were likely for non-intensive length of stay (− 20.8 h [− 36.1, − 8.0]) but not intensive care (–9.4 h [− 24.4, 5.0]). Non-pathway utilisation was likely unchanged for interhospital transfers (+ 3.2% [− 5.0%, 11.4%]), non-intensive (− 4.5 h [− 19.0, 9.8]) and intensive (+ 7.7 h, [− 20.9, 37.7]) care length of stay. After difference-in-difference adjustment, estimated savings were 596 [277, 942] non-intensive and 172 [148, 222] intensive care days. The program was cost-saving in 63.4% of simulations, with a mean value of $97,019 [− $857,273, $1,654,925] over 24 months. A paediatric sepsis pathway in Queensland emergency departments was associated with potential reductions in hospital utilisation and costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To compare the frequency of General Practitioner (GP) services and the time between first and last GP services (service duration) provided to workers with low back pain (LBP) between four Australian workers' compensation jurisdictions. Methods: Retrospective cohort study using service level data collated from the Australian states of Western Australia, South Australia, Victoria and Queensland. Negative binomial regression was used to compare GP service volume between jurisdictions in workers with accepted LBP compensation claims. Quantile regression was used to compare GP service duration. Models were adjusted for sociodemographic factors and occupation. Analyses were repeated in four cohorts with progressively more restrictive cohort definitions to account for the influence of jurisdictional policy variation in employer excess, service delivery and maximum time-loss benefit duration. Results: The study sample included 47,185 time-loss claims accepted between July 2010 and June 2015, that were linked with 452,391 GP services. Workers with LBP in Queensland recorded significantly fewer GP services funded and recorded significantly shorter average service duration than in other states. This pattern of jurisdictional variation was evident in all four cohorts, but was attenuated when cohorts excluded short- and long duration claims. In the final, most restricted cohort statistically significant adjusted incidence rate ratios of 1.47–1.60 were observed in Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia, while these states recorded additional service duration of 4.3–20.7 weeks at the median. Conclusion: There is significant variation in provision of GP services to injured workers with LBP between four Australian workers' compensation jurisdictions. Administrative requirements for time-based provision of work capacity certificates by medical practitioners may be contributing to service variation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bermuda grass latent virus (BGLV; genus Panicovirus) is identified for the first time in Australia and in only the second country after the USA. A full-length genome sequence was obtained, which has 97% nucleotide sequence identity to that of the species exemplar isolate. Surveys for BGLV, utilising a newly designed universal panicovirus RT-PCR assay for diagnosis, demonstrated widespread infection by this virus in a broad variety of Bermuda grass cultivars (Cynodon dactylon and C. dactylon × C. transvaalensis) grown in both New South Wales and Queensland. The virus was also detected in Rhodes grass (Chloris gayana) and Kikuyu grass (Cenchrus clandestinus), which are both important pasture grasses in subtropical Australia, and the latter is also grown as turf. Furthermore, the Rhodes grass plant, which had strong mosaic symptoms, was also infected with sugarcane mosaic virus, warranting further investigations as to whether synergistic interactions occur between these two viruses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The objective of this study is to test whether recorded rates of violent crime declined in the context of social distancing regulations in Queensland, Australia. Methods: ARIMA modeling was used to compute 6-month-ahead forecasts of rates for common assault, serious assault, sexual offenses, and breaches of domestic violence orders. These forecasts (and their 95% confidence intervals) are compared to the observed data for March and April 2020. Results: By the end of April, 2020, rates of common, serious, and sexual assault had declined to their lowest level in a number of years. For serious assault and sexual assault, the decline was beyond statistical expectations. The rate at which domestic violence orders were breached remained unchanged. Conclusions: Social distancing regulations are temporally correlated with reductions in some violent crimes. Social distancing is likely to have significantly limited interpersonal interaction, especially in locations and at times when violence is usually prevalent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and aims: Metallophytes are plants that can tolerate extreme metal concentrations in the soil in which they grow. The Dugald River zinc (Zn)-lead (Pb) gossan in Queensland (Australia) is one of the largest metal deposits in the world with a surface gossan formed after weathering over millions of years. It hosts a range of metallophytes which may have potential to be used in mine site rehabilitation. This study aimed to investigate the soil-plant relationships of metallophytes on the Dugald River gossan. Methods: Plant samples and associated rooting soil samples were collected across the gossan and then analysed for metal concentrations. Soil-plant metal relationships were subsequently explored to characterise the species in relation to metal uptake behaviour. Results: The metallophyte grass, Eriachne mucronata, dominated the gossan, yet there appeared to be no direct relationship between the occurrence of metallophytes and prevailing soil metal concentrations. Using transformation-based redundancy analysis (tb-RDA), two groups of metals, copper (Cu) and Zn-Cadmium (Cd), have been identified to be the primary metals driving species distribution. Crotalaria novae-hollandiae, was able to accumulate high concentrations of each of these metals in its leaves, with up to 16,200 mg Zn kg−1, 545 mg Cu kg−1 and 170 mg Cd kg−1. Conclusions: Soil metal concentrations alone are not suitable indications for metallophyte distribution or composition in a polymetallic environment. Crotalaria novae-hollandiae can tolerate high concentrations of metals and accumulate Zn-Cu-Cd above the respective hyperaccumulation thresholds; the species can be described for the first time as a strong polymetallic indicator-type metallophyte. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lake sediments are important archives of past climate variability and lake responses to climate. In order to accurately infer past climates, it is necessary to understand, and account for, the ecological processes that affect the record of indicators preserved in lake sediment. This is particularly the case with respect to the concentration of carbon and nitrogen (TOC, TN, and calculated C:N), and the stable isotope composition of organic matter preserved in lake sediments. These are common, yet ambiguous, tracers of environmental change. Ideally, palaeoenvironmental reconstructions using the concentration and isotope composition of organic matter should be grounded in a detailed understanding of the sources of the organic material. This study documents the history and evolution of Blue Lake, an environmentally and culturally important oligotrophic, groundwater window lake on North Stradbroke Island, Queensland, Australia. We utilise organic matter δ13C, TOC, TN, and C:N from a 2.4 m sediment core with a basal age of 7.5 cal kyr BP, to investigate changing organic matter sources as a measure of the climate sensitivity of Blue Lake. This interpretation is supported by data from contemporary algae, aquatic and terrestrial plants, and catchment soils. We show that lake nutrient dynamics drove an increase in algal biomass at 4.2 cal kyr BP. This change coincides with a widely documented intensification of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation, which we infer to have influenced lake nutrient concentrations by reducing groundwater throughflow. Climatic changes resulted in marked changes in lake primary productivity, despite relatively little turnover of the lake diatom flora and catchment vegetation. This suggests that south-east Queensland dune lakes are sensitive to climate changes and helps to refine past and future palaeoclimate research using sediments from these lakes. It also indicates that increased nutrient concentrations in Blue Lake may result from projected changes in 21st Century climate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reducing the damage caused by feral cats (Felis catus) to wildlife, livestock and human health is a key objective for many land managers and human health agencies globally. The lack of safe and efficacious lethal control tools in many regions, however, makes the control of feral cats and their impacts challenging. We performed a baiting trial in central Queensland to measure the efficacy and safety of Eradicat®, a feral cat bait currently approved for use only in the state of Western Australia, as a potential tool for the broadscale control of feral cats in eastern Australian environments. We used camera traps, cat-borne GPS collars and chemical residue analysis to monitor mortality and changes in feral cat populations following baiting. We also used camera traps and bird count surveys to monitor the response of key at-risk non-target species, specifically wild dogs (Canis familiaris), common brush-tailed possums (Trichosurus vulpecula) and 10 bird species at risk of consuming baits. Feral cat abundance reduced significantly (29–40%) following baiting, with reductions observed across 83% of the site. There were no significant changes in wild dog, possum or potentially bait-consuming bird populations following baiting. Our findings suggest that Eradicat® could potentially be a safe and efficacious tool for the landscape control of feral cats at some sites in eastern Australia. Future research is required to test the safety and efficacy of Eradicat® at other sites in eastern Australia, as suites of non-target species will vary among sites in different environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Queensland fruit fly (Q-fly), Bactrocera tryoni (Froggatt), is a significant pest of horticultural crops in Australia. The sterile insect technique (SIT) is currently employed to eradicate outbreaks in fruit fly free regions and may also be used to suppress populations in endemic regions. For SIT to succeed, it is imperative that the released sterile males survive, disperse, attain sexual maturity, and are sexually competitive against their wild rivals. Q-fly SIT programmes have conventionally held adult flies for two to three days and have sometimes fed them only sugar before release, providing little time or nutrition for development prior to release. We investigated whether a 5-d pre-release holding period and provision of yeast hydrolysate (YH) together with sugar in the pre-release diet increase abundance of mature male Q-fly in the field. Indicating increased survivorship and/or maturation, the combination of YH feeding and 5-d pre-release holding period resulted in 6–8 times more recaptures of mature male flies in cuelure traps than was the case for flies released at 2 d with or without YH and for flies released at 5 d without YH. Flies held for 5 d and fed YH were relatively more abundant than flies from other treatments in traps close to the release point and were as abundant as other treatments in traps at the greatest assessed distances. These findings strongly support a recommendation that sterile Q-flies be provided a pre-release diet of YH and sugar and be held for 5-d post-eclosion before release. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Land clearing generates coarse woody debris (CWD), much of which ultimately becomes atmospheric CO2. Schemes for greenhouse gas accounting must consider the contribution from land clearing, but the timing of the contribution will have large uncertainty, due to a paucity of knowledge about the rate of CWD disappearance. To better understand above-ground CWD disappearance following a land clearing event—through the actions of microorganisms, invertebrates, wildfire, or deliberate burning—we combined statistical modelling with an archive of semi-quantitative observations (units of CWD %), made within Queensland, Australia. Results: Using a generalised additive mixed-effects model (median absolute error = 14.7%), we found that CWD disappearance was strongly influenced by the: (i) number of years elapsed since clearing; (ii) clearing method; (iii) bioregion (effectively a climate-by-tree species interaction); and (iv) the number of times burned. Years-since-clearing had a strongly non-linear effect on the rate of CWD disappearance. The data suggested that disappearance was reverse-sigmoidal, with little change in CWD apparent for the first three years after clearing. In typical conditions for Queensland, the model predicted that it will take 38 years for 95% of CWD to disappear, following a land clearing event; however, accounting for uncertainty in the data and model, this value could be as few as 5 years, or > 100 years. In contrast, due to an assumption about the propensity of land managers to burn CWD, the official method used to assess Australia's greenhouse gas emissions predicted that 95% of CWD will disappear in < 1 year. Conclusions: In Queensland, the CWD generated by land clearing typically takes 38 years to disappear. This ultimately implies that a key assumption of Australia's official greenhouse gas reporting—i.e. that 98% of CWD is burned soon after a clearing event—does not adequately account for delayed CO2 emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Prescribed burning is a useful tool in a suburban forest of subtropical Australia for bushfire risk management. Toohey Forest has been managed by controlled burns and was used in this study. This study examined the long-term impacts of prescribed burning on biological nitrogen fixation (BNF) of understory acacia species estimated by 15 N natural abundance method, water use efficiency (WUE) as reflected in foliar carbon isotope composition (δ13C), and plant growth 6–14 years after prescribed burning in a suburban Toohey forest ecosystem of subtropical Australia. Materials and methods: Four sites (S1, S2, S3, and S4) were established in Toohey Forest, Queensland, Australia. Foliar samples were collected from two understory species of acacia (A. leiocalyx and A. disparimma) and reference plants (E. psammitica) at each study site for three seasons (growing seasons of Spring October 2018 and Autumn May 2019, and non-growing season of Winter August 2019). Results and discussion: Foliar total nitrogen (N) concentrations of A. leiocalyx were higher at sites of S1, S3, and S4 than those of A. disparimma after 6–14 years of prescribed burning. Both species still depended upon BNF for their N supply, with a higher dependence maybe in winter than in summer at S3. The highest BNF rates for A. leiocalyx at all sites were also found in the winter of August 2019, while the lowest BNF rates were detected during the autumn of May 2019. The BNF was estimated as 56.5% for A. leiocalyx and 52.8% for A. disparimma at S1, with the corresponding values of 74.6% at S2, 63.4% at S3, and 85.0% at S4, respectively. This study demonstrates that A. disparimma for S1, S2, S3, and S4 had relative higher WUE than A. leiocalyx in the winter of August 2019 after 6–14 years of prescribed burning. There was a significant higher plant growth rate (tree height) of A. leiocalyx at sites of S1, S2, and S4, compared with that of A. disparimma. Conclusions: Both young acacia plants were more active in BNF than older plants, with the BNF peaked between 6 and 8 years after prescribed burning. Conversely, BNF was lower after 9–14 years of prescribed burning. There were significant and positive relationship between foliar δ13C and δ15N, highlighting the role of BNF in improving plant WUE and subsequently tree growth in the suburban native forest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]