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The Journal revisits two historic papers from 1971 covering the thermal design and environmental controls in repeater shelters of the Australian East-West radio relay system from Northam in Western Australia to Port Pirie in South Australia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.) is a globally-significant agricultural crop used to feed millions of people. Lentils have been cultivated in the Australian states of Victoria and South Australia for several decades, but efforts are now being made to expand their cultivation into Western Australia and New South Wales. Plant architecture plays a pivotal role in adaptation, leading to improved and stable yields especially in new expansion regions. Image-based high-throughput phenomics technologies provide opportunities for an improved understanding of plant development, architecture, and trait genetics. This paper describes a novel method for mapping and quantifying individual branch structures on immature glasshouse-grown lentil plants grown using a LemnaTec Scanalyser 3D high-throughput phenomics platform, which collected side-view RGB images at regular intervals under controlled photographic conditions throughout the experiment. A queue and distance-based algorithm that analysed morphological skeletons generated from images of lentil plants was developed in Python. This code was incorporated into an image analysis pipeline using open-source software (PlantCV) to measure the number, angle, and length of individual branches on lentil plants. Results: Branching structures could be accurately identified and quantified in immature plants, which is sufficient for calculating early vigour traits, however the accuracy declined as the plants matured. Absolute accuracy for branch counts was 77.9% for plants at 22 days after sowing (DAS), 57.9% at 29 DAS and 51.9% at 36 DAS. Allowing for an error of ± 1 branch, the associated accuracies for the same time periods were 97.6%, 90.8% and 79.2% respectively. Occlusion in more mature plants made the mapping of branches less accurate, but the information collected could still be useful for trait estimation. For branch length calculations, the amount of variance explained by linear mixed-effects models was 82% for geodesic length and 87% for Euclidean branch lengths. Within these models, both the mean geodesic and Euclidean distance measurements of branches were found to be significantly affected by genotype, DAS and their interaction. Two informative metrices were derived from the calculations of branch angle; 'splay' is a measure of how far a branch angle deviates from being fully upright whilst 'angle-difference' is the difference between the smallest and largest recorded branch angle on each plant. The amount of variance explained by linear mixed-effects models was 38% for splay and 50% for angle difference. These lower R2 values are likely due to the inherent difficulties in measuring these parameters, nevertheless both splay and angle difference were found to be significantly affected by cultivar, DAS and their interaction. When 276 diverse lentil genotypes with varying degrees of salt tolerance were grown in a glasshouse-based experiment where a portion were subjected to a salt treatment, the branching algorithm was able to distinguish between salt-treated and untreated lentil lines based on differences in branch counts. Likewise, the mean geodesic and Euclidean distance measurements of branches were both found to be significantly affected by cultivar, DAS and salt treatment. The amount of variance explained by the linear mixed-effects models was 57.8% for geodesic branch length and 46.5% for Euclidean branch length. Conclusion: The methodology enabled the accurate quantification of the number, angle, and length of individual branches on glasshouse-grown lentil plants. This methodology could be applied to other dicotyledonous species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Forest Fire Danger Index (FFDI) is the main measure used in Australia for estimating fire risk. Recent work by the authors showed that the FFDI forms stable state regimes, nominated as fire climate regimes. These regimes shifted to greater intensity in southern and eastern Australia around the year 2000 and, a decade later, further north. Reductions in atmospheric moisture were the primary contributor. These changes have not been fully incorporated into future projections. This paper compares the recent regime shifts with the most recent national projections of FFDI, published in 2015. They show that for most states and regions, the 2030 upper limit is approached or exceeded by the recent shift, except for two states with large arid zones, South Australia and Western Australia. Methods for attributing past changes, constructing projections, and the inability of climate models to reproduce the recent decreases in atmospheric moisture, all contribute to these underestimates. To address these shortcomings, we make some suggestions to modify efforts aiming to develop seamless predictions and projections of future fire risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Common vetch is one of the most profitable forage legumes due to its versatility in end-use which includes grain, hay, green manure, and silage. Furthermore, common vetch is one of the best crops to rotate with cereals as it can increase soil fertility which results in higher yield in cereal crops. The National Vetch Breeding Program located in South Australia is focused on developing new vetch varieties with higher grain and dry matter yields, better resistance to major diseases, and wider adaptability to Australian cropping environments. As part of this program, a study was conducted with 35 field trials from 2015 to 2021 in South Australia, Western Australia, Victoria, and New South Wales with the objective of determining the best parents for future crosses and the vetch lines with highest commercial value in terms of grain yield production. A total of 392 varieties were evaluated. The individual field trials were combined in a multi-environment trial data, where each trial is identified as an environment. Multiplicative mixed models were used to analyze the data and a factor analytic approach to model the genetic by environment interaction effects. The pedigree of the lines was then assembled and incorporated into the analysis. This approach allowed to partition the total effects into additive and non-additive components. The total and additive genetic effects were inspected across and within environments for broad and specific selections of the lines with the best commercial value and the best parents. Summary measures of overall performance and stability were used to aid with selection of parents. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study which used the pedigree information to breed common vetch. In this paper, the application of this statistical methodology has been successfully implemented with the inclusion of the pedigree improving the fit of the models to the data with most of the total genetic variation explained by the additive heritable component. The results of this study have shown the importance of including the pedigree information for common vetch breeding programs and have improved the ability of breeders to select superior commercial lines and parents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Adaptations for scale-up are ubiquitous but are rarely described in detail. Adaptations may be a key reason for the "scale-up penalty" which is when there is a reduction in intervention effect size following scale-up. The Play Active intervention consists of a physical activity policy for early childhood education and care (ECEC) services, with accompanying implementation support strategies. It was first implemented with 81 ECEC services in Perth, Western Australia, in 2021 — with significant positive changes in physical activity practice uptake. The aim of this paper is to describe the extent, type, fidelity consistency, goals, size, scope, and proposed impact of proposed adaptations to the implementation support strategies for scaling-up Play Active. Methods: Proposed adaptations were defined as planned changes, made prior to making the intervention available. The authors created a list of adaptations from a comparison of the Play Active implementation support strategies, before and after adaptation for proposed statewide availability across Western Australia, Queensland and South Australia, Australia. We used the Framework for Reporting Adaptations and Modifications-Enhanced Implementation Strategies (FRAME-IS) to code adaptations to implementation support strategies. Three authors coded each adaptation and rated their size, scope and proposed impact. Results: Fifty-three adaptations to Play Active were identified. Most (68%) were proposed for the 'content' of implementation strategies, including aspects of their delivery. In practice, this involved changing the delivery mode of implementation support strategies from phone call and email support, to website-based delivery. More than half (56%) of adaptations involved 'adding elements' for scale-up. Most adaptations were 'fidelity consistent' (95%). The main goals for adaptations were related to 'increasing the acceptability, appropriateness, or feasibility' (45%), 'decreasing the costs' (19%) and 'increasing adoption of the evidence-based practice' (19%). Adaptations were small to medium in size, with most proposed to have a positive (87%) or neutral (8%) effect on the effectiveness of the intervention, rather than negative (4%). Conclusions: A large number of small, fidelity-consistent, adaptations were proposed for Play Active scale-up. Overall, the process of reporting adaptations was found to be feasible. To understand the impact of these adaptations, it will be important to re-evaluate implementation, effectiveness and process outcomes, at-scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To describe patterns of use of the available Government-subsidised mental health services among people living in Australian residential aged care facilities. Methods: A retrospective population-based trend analysis was conducted, including all non-Indigenous people living in an Australian facility between 2012 and 2017. Adjusted incidence proportions and trends were estimated for four groups of mental health services. Results: The use of Medicare-subsidised mental health services was very low overall. The proportion of residents who accessed primary care mental health services increased from 1.3% in 2012/2013 to 2.4% in 2016/2017, while psychiatry service use increased from 1.9 to 2.3%. Claims for clinical psychology increased from 0.18 to 0.26%, and claims for a registered psychologist, occupational therapist or social worker rose from 0.45 to 1.2%. People with dementia were less likely than people without dementia to access all services aside from psychiatry services. Conclusions: Less than 3% of residents accessed funding subsidies for mental health services and people with dementia experienced pronounced barriers to service access. Mental health care is a pillar of the publicly-funded health system in Australia, and low use of these services among aged care residents indicates a need for organisational and policy changes to improve access. What is known about the topic? People living in residential aged care facilities report very high rates of mental health conditions, including depression and anxiety. What does this paper add? We demonstrate very low use (<3%) of Government-funded mental health services among people living in residential aged care facilities in Australia, with only small increases in use over time. What are the implications for practitioners? Practitioners should routinely assess the mental health needs of people living in residential aged care and refer for in-reach mental health services where needed, noting that facility staff are usually not trained for this role. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores forms of public administration and public policy associated with the governance of mining regions in Australia, many of which experienced unprecedented levels of resource-based development during the country's most recent mining boom. Drawing on data from a two-year investigation into the governance challenges associated with the resources boom, the authors document the different approaches adopted by State government authorities to deliver public infrastructure and services to mining-affected regions. This paper introduces a typology that classifies State government action by the extent to which it enables, influences, or harnesses private sector action to deliver public services. Analysis reveals that a range of environmental variables affect the prevailing governance model. Adopting a contingency approach, it is argued that governance arrangements should be viewed as dynamic, with State governments engaging in different approaches to policy implementation in response to location-specific environmental factors. • Individual state governments respond differently to demands for infrastructure and services in mining communities. • State government approaches are categorized according to whether they enable, influence, or harness private sector action to deliver public services. • Western Australia, Queensland and South Australia during the mining boom are characterised as enabling state, influencing state or minimal state. • The paths followed by each state were contingent on critical external influences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Australian tomato Solanum orbiculatum ssp. orbiculatum is an edible bush tomato endemic to the more arid areas of Western Australia, South Australia, and the Northern Territory. Breeding system data indicate that the plants are potentially self-compatible but are unable to carry out spontaneous autogamy or agamospermy. The flower is protogynous, as the stigma become receptive to pollen germination while still in bud condition and the anthers do not release pollen immediately after anthesis. This arrangement is a simple and common way to avoid too much self-pollination, favours cross pollination, and would allow forced bud pollination for hybrid development. The floral structure and morphology of this species can also encourage cross pollination, as the stigma is mostly exserted above the anther's tips. In an attempt to examine the hypothesis of a positive correlation between pollen grain size and style length, we found a statistically significant difference between the pollen size of the long-styled and short-styled flowers. Pollen in vitro germination and viability tests have been optimised to facilitate effective breeding work on this species. A modified Brewbake and Kwack (BK) medium supplemented with 20% sucrose and 2.5% PEG 4000 has been found to be the most efficient media components for the in vitro germination of viable pollen grains. Alternatively, Alexander's and acetocarmine (1%) stains have shown the highest positive correlation with the in vitro pollen germination test and, therefore, can be used as quick tests for checking pollen viability. Moreover, pollen grains stored for three months under 4 °C and dry conditions can be used efficiently to effect fertilisation in breeding programs, as it can maintain more than 50% of the original viability. This study will contribute to understanding the evolution and systematic relationships of species and for founding effective conservation programs. Furthermore, understanding the reproductive biology of this species is also of interest because of its potential for tomato breeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Influenza and COVID-19 infections during pregnancy may have serious adverse consequences for women as well as their infants. However, uptake of influenza and COVID-19 vaccines during pregnancy remains suboptimal. This study aims to assess the effectiveness of a multi-component nudge intervention to improve influenza and COVID-19 vaccine uptake among pregnant women. Methods: Pregnant women who receive antenatal care at five tertiary hospitals in South Australia, Western Australia and Victoria will be recruited to two separate randomised controlled trials (RCTs). Women will be eligible for the COVID-19 RCT is they have received two or less doses of a COVID-19 vaccine. Women will be eligible for the influenza RCT if they have not received the 2023 seasonal influenza vaccine. Vaccination status at all stages of the trial will be confirmed by the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR). Participants will be randomised (1:1) to standard care or intervention group (n = 1038 for each RCT). The nudge intervention in each RCT will comprise three SMS text message reminders with links to short educational videos from obstetricians, pregnant women and midwives and vaccine safety information. The primary outcome is at least one dose of a COVID-19 or influenza vaccine during pregnancy, as applicable. Logistic regression will compare the proportion vaccinated between groups. The effect of treatment will be described using odds ratio with a 95% CI. Discussion: Behavioural nudges that facilitate individual choices within a complex context have been successfully used in other disciplines to stir preferred behaviour towards better health choices. If our text-based nudges prove to be successful in improving influenza and COVID-19 vaccine uptake among pregnant women, they can easily be implemented at a national level. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier NCT05613751. Registered on November 14, 2022. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Comparing two Australian regions, Western Australia (WA) and South Australia (SA), this research investigates official noncompliance datasets of recreational blue swimmer crab (Portunus armatus) fishing between 2009 and 2019. These recreational fisheries in both jurisdictions are license-free and therefore participating fisher information is limited. Analyses provide a glimpse at the (noncompliant) fisher population profiles against the application of management strategies. The data provide (1) an evidence-base to optimize regulatory strategies by balancing education and enforcement activities with recreational fisher enjoyment. The results of this research enable application within and beyond these fisheries and jurisdictions; and (2) drawing from the criminology discipline, deterrence theory offers insight to enhance compliance tools. Further, it shows the importance of a multi-disciplinary approach to assessing compliance and identifies some practical approaches to data collection that can be readily undertaken to assist with more detailed analysis and enhance compliance strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lunatic asylums formed part of the civic infrastructure that was constructed out of British colonists invading and subsequently colonising unceded, Indigenous Australian lands during the eighteenth and nineteenth century. This historical narrative examined nineteenth century primary and secondary sources including, patient lists, medical files, and government correspondence, to provide insight into the experiences of Indigenous Australians admitted to Australia's earliest lunatic asylums. Awareness that lunatic asylums formed part of the structure imposed during colonisation, provides nurses and other health professionals with greater historical literacy regarding the impact of colonial lunatic asylums on Indigenous Australians. Such impacts continue to be experienced through transgenerational trauma and emphasise the importance of culturally safe mental health services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On June 1, 2019, just before 7:30 p.m. local time, the Desert Fireball Network (DFN) detected a −9.3 magnitude fireball over South Australia near the Western Australia border. The event was observed by six fireball observatories, and lasted for 5 s. One station was nearly directly underneath the trajectory, greatly constraining the trajectory solution. This trajectory's backward numerical integrations indicate that the object originated from the outer main belt with a semimajor axis of 2.75 au. A light curve was also extracted and showed that the body experienced very little fragmentation during its atmospheric passage. A search campaign was conducted with several DFN team members and other volunteers. One 42 g fragment was recovered within the predicted fall area based on the dark flight model. Based on measurements of short‐lived radionuclides, the fragment was confirmed to be a fresh fall. The meteorite, Arpu Kuilpu, has been classified as an H5 ordinary chondrite. This marks the fifth fall recovered in Australia by the DFN, and the smallest meteoroid (≃2 kg) to ever survive entry and be recovered as a meteorite. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. To analyse Medicare expenditure by State/Territory, remoteness, and Indigenous demography to assess funding equality in meeting the health needs of remote Indigenous populations in the Northern Territory. Methods. Analytic descriptions of Medicare online reports on services and benefits by key demographic variables linked with Australian Bureau of Statistics data on remoteness and Indigenous population proportion. The Northern Territory Indigenous and non-Indigenous populations were compared with the Australian average between the 2010/2011 and 2019/2020 fiscal years in terms of standardised rates of Medicare services and benefits. These were further analysed using ordinary least squares, simultaneous equations and multilevel models. Results. In per capita terms, the Northern Territory receives around 30% less Medicare funds than the national average, even when additional Commonwealth funding for Aboriginal medical services is included. This funding shortfall amounts to approximately AU$80 million annually across both the Medicare Benefits Schedule and Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. The multilevel models indicate that providing healthcare for an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander person in a remote area involves a Medicare shortfall of AU$531-- AU$1041 less Medicare Benefits Schedule benefits per annum compared with a non-Indigenous person in an urban area. Indigenous population proportion, together with remoteness, explained 51% of the funding variation. An age--sex based capitation funding model would correct about 87% of the Northern Territory primary care funding inequality. Conclusions. The current Medicare funding scheme systematically disadvantages the Northern Territory. A needs-based funding model is required that does not penalise the Northern Territory population based on the remote primary health care service model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To assess the variability in Australian screening guidelines for developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH). Methods: Ovid MEDLINE®, EMBASE, EMB Reviews‐Cochrane, CINAHL, TRIP and grey literature were searched to identify screening guidelines for DDH. Key data items related to recommendations for timing and method of screening were extracted and summarised in a table format for qualitative analysis. Results: Seventeen guidelines met inclusion criteria, comprising nine Australian DDH screening guidelines and eight Child Health Books. The guidelines showed variation in recommendations for the examiner, specific screening methods used for high‐risk groups, timing of examinations and recommendations for referral. Conclusions: Variability exists within Australian DDH screening guidelines. Lack of knowledge regarding local screening guidelines may contribute to the current trend of increased incidence of late diagnosed DDH in Australia, reported in New South Wales, South Australia, and Western Australia. An evidence‐based and consistent approach to DDH screening is necessary to minimise late detected cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research article aims to examine the extent of holistic sustainability (economic, environmental, and social) disclosure practices of public agencies in Tasmania, South Australia, and Western Australia under the influence of over-arching state-based public policies. The article also investigates other factors that have influenced these disclosure practices. To accomplish these objectives, the study analyzed ten to twelve years of annual reports from twelve key public agencies. The analyses of these annual reports were based on the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI)'s Sector Supplementary for Public Agencies (SASP) framework. We have analyzed each state's policy documents, disclosure instruction manuals to agencies, and selected agencies' annual reports. The study found that holistic sustainability disclosure practices (economic, social, and environmental) were embraced by agencies in all jurisdictions and manifested through several initiatives. However, our analysis revealed that among the three selected states, South Australian agencies' commitment toward holistic sustainability practices were the most robust, consistent, and comprehensive. The Tasmanian public agencies also reflected a similar degree of commitment. In comparison, the Western Australian agencies' disclosure practices were weak, superficial, and inconsistent, primarily due to lack of institutional pressure. Finally, our analysis found that, in general, the level of holistic sustainability disclosure practices and other policy measures improves if political support and institutional regulatory pressure prevail, in addition to overall change in global normative values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Behavioural medicine is characterised by findings for the effectiveness and efficacy of complex behaviour change interventions. Comparatively, scant attention has been paid to key intervention components or mechanisms of action. Evaluating relationships between process variables (fidelity) and intervention effects is central to addressing this imbalance. Accordingly, in the current study, we sought to explore the magnitude and direction of effect between fidelity predictors (dietitian adherence and competence) and intervention effects (patient nutritional status) during the intervention phase of a real-world, stepped-wedge evaluation of 'EAT: Eating As Treatment'.Methods: The EAT clinical trial was conducted within five major Australian hospitals located in Queensland, Western Australia, Victoria and South Australia between 2013 and 2016. EAT is a dietitian-delivered health behaviour change intervention designed to reduce malnutrition in head and neck cancer (HNC) patients undergoing radiotherapy. Dietitian adherence and competence ratings were derived from a 20% random sample of audio-recorded dietetic consultations (n=194) conducted after dietitians (n=18) were trained in EAT. Sessions were coded by trained, independent, coders using a study checklist, the Behaviour Change Counselling Index (BECCI) and items from the Cognitive Therapy Scale-Revised (CTS-R). Patient nutritional status was measured using the Patient-Generated Subjective Global Assessment (PGSGA).Results: Dietitian adherence to a written nutrition plan (β=7.62, 95% CI=0.65 to 14.58, p=0.032), dietitian adherence to behaviour change counselling (β=0.69, 95% CI =0.02 to 1.38, p=0.045) and competence in delivering behaviour change counselling (β=3.50, 95% CI =0.47 to 6.53, p=0.024) were significant predictors of patient nutritional status. Dietitian adherence and competence ratings were higher during consultations with intervention patients at greater risk of malnutrition.Conclusions: This study contributes new insights into the relationship between fidelity and treatment outcome by demonstrating that dietitian adherence and competence is greater when working with more challenging patients. This is likely central to the demonstrated success of the EAT intervention in reducing malnutrition and highlights the importance of ensuring that providers are adequately equipped to flexibly integrate intervention elements according to patient need.Trial Registration: This study is a process analysis of a stepped-wedge randomised controlled trial prospectively registered on the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ( ACTRN12613000320752 ; Date of registration 21/03/2013). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Western Whistler Pachycephala occidentalis Ramsay, 1878, endemic to south-western Western Australia, is almost phenotypically identical with P. pectoralis fuliginosa, the westernmost of six subspecies of Golden Whistler P. pectoralis on Australia and its islands. New mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequence data affirm multiple prior studies in aligning P. pectoralis fuliginosa with other subspecies of P. pectoralis, not P. occidentalis. Conversely, principal coordinates and phylogenetic analyses of new data from >17,000 single nucleotide polymorphisms show P. occidentalis and P. pectoralis fuliginosa barely differentiated from each other, neither being close to any P. pectoralis subspecies. In earlier work, weak, ambiguous signal in nuclear DNA sequences possibly suggested close relationship between P. occidentalis and P. pectoralis fuliginosa but was 'swamped' by the phylogenetic signal of the mtDNA. Accordingly, we recognise one species, P. fuliginosa Vigors and Horsfield, 1827, having two subspecies P. fuliginosa occidentalis and P. fuliginosa fuliginosa. Western Whistler remains an appropriate English name for the species P. fuliginosa. MtDNA of Golden Whistler P. pectoralis is hypothesised to have introgressed westwards into the range of P. fuliginosa fuliginosa but not further west into P. fuliginosa occidentalis and we address this. Our conclusions open questions for the conservation of the Western Whistler, now known to have a greater breeding range spanning drier parts of South Australia and Victoria and, potentially, western New South Wales where its occurrence is still unproven. For example, what are the extents of seasonal range overlap, intergradation and niche differentiation of Golden and Western Whistlers in south-eastern Australia and of the two subspecies of Western Whistler? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The central Australian Musgrave Province at the junction of the South, North and West Australian cratons has undergone and continues to retain evidence of significant whole-of-crust, and most likely 'whole-of-lithosphere' tectono-magmatic processes. The area is known for some of the largest geophysical anomalies related to significant Moho offsets of up to 15 km, which resulted from repeated intracratonic reworking since the Neoproterozoic. New magnetotelluric (MT) data have been collected across the Musgrave Province in Western Australia and South Australia as part of the Australian Lithospheric Architecture Magnetotelluric Project (AusLAMP). Station spacing was ∼ 50 km between 96 sites over an area of 500 × 700 km. Long-period MT impedance and tipper data over a bandwidth of 8 s to 10,000 s period have been inverted using a smooth 3D inverse algorithm. The 3D model shows two predominant resistivity trends. There are deep ( > 65 km ) north–south mantle conductors that we infer to be related to the Palaeo- to Mesoproterozoic north-trending arc-related rocks that experienced ultra-high temperature metamorphism and widespread magmatism during the Mesoproterozoic Musgravian Orogeny. These conductors are preserved in the crust south of the Musgrave Province. The upper mantle also contains a localised resistive zone that possibly represents generation of mafic- to ultramafic magmas during the c. 1090–1040 Ma Giles Event. The crust ( < 65 km depth) contains strong east–west crustal conductors interpreted to reflect the east–west structural grain that initiated during the c. 1090–1040 Ma Giles Event and overprinted the older N–S-oriented mantle anomalies. These E–W crustal conductors coincide with magnetic anomalies that represent crustal-scale structures, and high gravity anomalies associated with significant Moho offsets resulting from further reactivation during the c. 630–520 Ma Petermann and c. 450–300 Ma Alice Springs orogenies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To examine trends in ED presentations with a mental health diagnosis (MHdx) in Australia by jurisdiction and by sex, between 2004–05 and 2016–17. Methods: Data were captured in the National Non‐Admitted Patient Emergency Department Care Database. Outcomes were the proportion of ED presentations with a principal diagnosis of ICD‐10‐AM F00‐F99 (MHdx), and the rate of all ED and MHdx presentations per 10 000 population. Results: Between 2004–05 and 2016–17, MHdx presentations experienced compounding annual growth of 5.9% nationally, and increased from 3.3% to 3.7% of all ED presentations with a diagnosis. Most growth occurred between 2010–11 and 2015–16. Northern Territory (NT) had the highest level of MHdx presentations per 10 000 population, more than double the Australian average. The proportion of MHdx presentations was highest in South Australia (SA) in most years, and the average annual proportion of MHdx presentations was statistically significantly higher than the national average in SA, Queensland (QLD) and Western Australia (WA). The proportion of MHdx presentations increased in each jurisdiction, with significant increases for Victoria, QLD, WA, Australian Capital Territory and NT. Males experienced greater numbers and rates of all ED and MHdx presentations, while the proportion of MHdx presentations was 8% higher for females. Conclusions: The proportion of ED presentations for MH conditions, narrowly defined, has increased in all Australian jurisdictions between 2004–05 and 2016–17, but particularly since 2010–11. Differences between jurisdictions indicate jurisdictional specific issues. However, significant or upward trend of MHdx presentations across all jurisdictions indicates generic issues necessitating concern and policy development at a national level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Analysis of the distribution of allied dental practitioners relative to the socio-economic profile of the population, to develop a baseline of employment demographics at a time of proposed deregulation of practicing restrictions.Methods: A database of allied dental practitioners (ADP - oral health therapists, dental therapists and dental hygienists) was compiled from the public access register of the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency. The principal practice locations limited to suburb and postcode were geocoded by latitude and longitude and superimposed on a map of the Australian landmass using QGIS software. Using Australian Bureau of Statistics data, the number of ADPs for each Statistical Area 2 (SA2) was counted and apportioned according to proportion of the population within each SA2 for each quintile of the Index of Relative Socio-economic Disadvantage (IRSD). The results were reported according to oral health therapists, dental therapists and dental hygienists per 100 000 population for each IRSD quintile, by state and territory, and the Australian Regional Index for Areas (ARIA+).Results: The ADP to population ratio was not consistent for each professional class between states and territories, IRSD quintiles and (ARIA+) regional areas. Across major cities, South Australia was the state with the highest ratio of oral health therapists (10.6-12.9) and dental hygienists (14.6-24.5) for all IRSD quintiles. Western Australia had the highest ratio of dental therapists (9.3-16.0), CONCLUSION: There is no consistent pattern of distribution of ADPs relative to the socio-economic profile of the population across states and territories, and regional (ARIA+) areas of Australia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The advance of renal replacement therapy options for people with end-stage kidney disease has given rise to the development of specialist renal nurses including the renal transplant coordinator. The renal transplant coordinator role requires a high level of specialist knowledge in renal and transplantation nursing plus a commitment to following through with people in the long term. To find out just what renal transplant coordinators in Australia do, an interview was conducted with renal transplant coordinators from each Australian state and territory. Their stories relate to transplanting units; referring centres; and, adult, paediatric, statewide and national renal services. They demonstrate the diversity that exists within the role of the renal transplant coordinator. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

People's views of landscape can have significant impact on their land use choices. This in turn can have climate implications. In the literature, there is significant attention paid to the effect of climate on landscape, but as well, there are more examples than one might expect of the effects of landscape change on climate. I present evidence of this from Western Australia and Africa, and some conjectured negative and positive effects in two locations in South Australia. I argue that the land use change affecting the landscape and thus affecting the climate emanates from one's view of landscape. There are also some personal reflections of perceptions of landscape from someone who started life in a climate and landscape far removed from the South Australian environment within which he has chosen to live. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]