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The aim of the present study is to reconcile previous findings (a) that testing mode has no effect on test outcomes or cognitive load (Comput Hum Behav 77:1–10, 2017) and (b) that younger learners' working memory processes are more sensitive to computer-based test formats (J Psychoeduc Assess 37(3):382–394, 2019). We addressed key methodological limitations in past cognitive load research by employing a repeated measures design with 263, year 9 (aged 13–14) science students in Western Australia. Question difficulty (intrinsic cognitive load) and test mode (extraneous cognitive load) were manipulated to measure changes in test performance, cognitive load and scratch paper use on equivalent paper and computer-based versions of an Ohm's Law revision quiz. Hierarchical linear modelling indicated significantly higher paper-based test performance on difficult questions in addition to greater cognitive load and scratch paper use for all paper questions. Testing mode effects on test score, as well as both measures of cognitive load, were not significant when controlling for working memory capacity, although the testing mode*question difficulty interaction remained significant. Together, these results contradict previous findings that computer-based testing can be implemented without consequence for all learners. With the increased use of computer-based testing in national and international-level assessments, these findings warrant further research into the effect of different testing modes on school-aged students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On-site surveys involving face-to-face interviews are implemented globally across many scientific disciplines. Incorporating new technologies into such surveys by using electronic devices is becoming more common and is widely viewed to be more cost-effective and accurate. However, Electronic Data Capture methods (EDC) when compared to traditional Paper-based Data Capture (PDC) are often implemented without proper evaluation of any changes in efficiency, especially from surveys in coastal and marine environments. A roving creel survey of recreational shore-based fishers in Western Australia in 2019 enabled a direct comparison between the two methods. Randomisation strategies were employed to ensure biases in using each technique were minimised. A total of 1,068 interviews with recreational fishers were undertaken with a total error rate of 5.1% (CI95%: 4.8–5.3%) for PDC and 3.1% (CI95%: 2.9–3.3%) for EDC. These results confirmed that EDC can reduce errors whilst increasing efficiency and decreasing cost, although some aspects of this platform could be improved with some streamlining. This study demonstrates how EDC can be successfully implemented in coastal and marine environments without compromising the randomised, stratified nature of a survey and highlights the cost-effectiveness of this method. Such findings can be widely applied to any discipline which uses face-to-face interviews for data collection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In summary I applaud the authors for their research and writing, and for presenting the often confronting schism that occurred between the First Nations and the colonisers within the western third of the continent. Mokare was to share this same strong bond with Barker's successor, medical officer Alexander Collie, whose friendship was so strong that he requested to be buried next to Mokare upon his death. Charting Two Cultures: First Nations and Europeans in Western Australia: By Bill and Jenny Bunbury. [Extracted from the article]

The issues associated with long‐screened wells (LSWs) (and open boreholes) at contaminated sites are well documented in the groundwater literature but are still not fully appreciated in practice. As established in seminal and review papers going back over three decades, the interpretation of sampling results from LSWs is challenging in the presence of vertical hydraulic gradients and borehole flow; furthermore, LSWs allow for vertical redistribution of contamination between aquifer layers. Acknowledgment of these issues has led to the development of new technologies and well designs to enable discrete‐zone monitoring (DZM), yet LSWs remain common for many reasons, for example, as multipurpose wells, for geophysical logging, and (or) as legacy installations. Despite the literature on LSWs and despite the adoption of DZM at many sites, the use of LSWs persists and the challenges of interpreting sampling results from LSWs remain. In this issue paper, we provide a conceptual overview of the problems posed by LSWs and review existing literature and past work to improve the interpretation of sampling in LSWs. We draw on experience from previous studies at the Hanford Site in eastern WA, USA, and use synthetic examples to illustrate key concepts and challenges for interpretation. A recently published analytical modeling framework is used to develop illustrative synthetic examples and demonstrate a workflow for building scientific intuition to understand issues around interpreting samples from LSWs, which is critical to effective characterization and groundwater remediation at sites with LSWs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper shows how system-level data can generate useful insights into the profile of first-year graduates who are teaching out-of-field (OOF). Understanding in-school demand and impacts on first-year graduates teaching OOF is important, especially when the first years of teaching are complex, busy, and involve a steep learning curve. A mixed methods sequential explanatory design was used to generate qualitative and quantitative data collected from teacher and principal surveys. This study establishes the prevalence of OOF teaching amongst first-year graduates in Western Australian public schools and develops a profile of their OOF experiences and support needs based on their perceptions and their principals' perceptions. This study details the supports that will make a difference to teachers' capability, in particular a reduction in load where the OOF teaching workload is high, and access to formal subject-specific mentoring, both noted in research as important support mechanisms. This paper provokes new research questions, highlights areas for further research, and establishes the need for more large-scale datasets and longitudinal studies to examine change over time and the enduring effects of OOF teaching, both in relation to transitions into teaching, as teachers learn on-the-job, and when teachers undertake formal professional development programmes or courses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: This paper introduces the special issue of Pacific Conservation Biology devoted to the natural history of Two Peoples Bay Nature Reserve on the south coast of Western Australia. Methods: This paper provides the background to the special issue. Key results: Two Peoples Bay Nature Reserve was gazetted in 1967 for the conservation of the native biota, including two species; the Djimaalap/noisy scrub-bird (Atrichornis clamosus) and Ngilgaitch/Gilbert's potoroo (Potorous gilbertii), both believed extinct for over 100 years before being rediscovered on the Reserve. The Reserve is 4774.7 ha in area, with wetlands, heathlands, granite outcrops, sand dunes, beaches, cliffs, and islands. Since it was established, mean annual rainfall has decreased by 16.8%, mean annual maximum temperature has increased by 0.2°C, and mean annual minimum temperature has increased by 0.7°C. Conclusions: The paper poses the question: what do the changes of drier winters, hotter summers, and more extreme weather events mean for managers of conservation areas such as Two Peoples Bay? Implications: Changing climate will pose problems for the managers of Two Peoples Bay Nature Reserve in ensuring the conservation of the Djimaalap/noisy scrub-bird and Ngilgaitch/Gilbert's potoroo. Two Peoples Bay Nature Reserve comprises ~5000 ha of wetlands, heathlands, granite outcrops, sand dunes, beaches, cliffs, and islands. Two species, the Djimaalap/noisy scrub-bird and Ngilgaitch/Gilbert's potoroo, were believed extinct for over 100 years before being rediscovered on the Reserve. Since the Reserve was established in 1967, rainfall has decreased, while minimum and maximum temperatures have increased. We ask what the climate change means for managers of conservation areas such as Two Peoples Bay. This article belongs to the Collection The Natural History of Two Peoples Bay Nature Reserve, Western Australia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Existing therapeutic interventions to treat diabetes are well known, yet the majority of people with diabetes do not consistently achieve blood glucose targets (even individual therapy targets) for optimal health, despite the large range of treatment options available. Such outcomes have remained stubbornly poor for decades with <25% adults with diabetes achieving glycaemic targets. Patient behaviour, individually supported in routine clinical care, is an important missing component to improved outcomes, in a medical healthcare model not ideally suited to supporting successful diabetes management.Methods: A multi-centre, parallel group, individually randomised trial comparing consultation duration in adults with type 1, type 2 or pre-diabetes using the Spotlight Consultations pre-clinic assessment compared to usual care in the Spotlight-AQ study. Two hundred adults with type 1, type 2 or pre-diabetes attending routine care outpatient appointments across up to ten participating sites will be invited to participate.Intervention: An outpatient pre-clinic intervention delivered within 1 week prior to scheduled routine outpatient appointment.Primary Outcome Measure: Duration of routine outpatient consultation.Secondary Outcome Measures: Functional health status Diabetes distress Depression Treatment satisfaction Impact on self-care behaviours HCP burnout HCP treatment satisfaction and burden Hypoglycaemia (time less than 70mg/dL) Hyperglycaemia (time above 180 mg/dL) Change in weight Change in HbA1c Cost effectiveness of intervention DISCUSSION: Results from the study will provide valuable insights into patient-professional communication practices within routine care and recommendations will be made, as necessary, for improvements to that. If the intervention is shown to be clinically and cost-effective, the feedback from participants and healthcare professionals will be used to make any improvements prior to its deployment to support improved communication and associated health outcomes.Ethics and Dissemination: The trial was approved by the Wales REC7 Research Ethics Committee (21/WA/0020). Results will be disseminated through national and international conferences, scientific journals, newsletters, magazines and social media. Target audiences include consultants and other clinicians in diabetes, and medical professionals or scientists overall.Trial Registration: ISRCTN15511689 . Registered on 10 November 2021. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: This paper sets out the events leading to the establishment of Two Peoples Bay Nature Reserve. Methods: This paper is based on research into literature relating to the Albany region, government files and oral accounts relating to the area. Key results: Long known to the Noongar peoples, Two Peoples Bay was first mapped by Europeans in 1791 by Captain George Vancouver. The area was rapidly established as a base for the over-exploitation of natural resources. As the region became more developed and human population increased, recreational pressure on the area was such that the Western Australian Government surveyed Two Peoples Bay to establish a townsite. Just before the final surveys for the townsite were completed, the supposedly-extinct noisy scrub-bird (Atrichornis clamosus), was rediscovered there. National and international pressure on the WA Government from the conservation movement resulted in the reversal of the decision to develop a town in the area and led to the establishment of Two Peoples Bay Nature Reserve in 1967. Conclusions: The establishment of Two Peoples Bay Nature Reserve in the face of pressure for the development of a town on the bay, provides an interesting example of the needs of nature conservation over-riding real estate development. Implications: Although nature conservation values rarely stop real estate development, the Two Peoples Bay example demonstrates that nature conservation may prevail over real estate development, in this case involving the rediscovery of a species believed extinct. We describe the events leading to establishment of Two Peoples Bay Nature Reserve. The area was long known to Noongar peoples. Mapping by Europeans in 1791 was followed by sealing and whaling in the 19th century, and after World War II plans were prepared for a townsite. After the discovery of the noisy scrub-bird (Atrichornis clamosus), hitherto believed extinct for 100 years, plans for the town were cancelled and the Reserve was established in 1967. This article belongs to the Collection The Natural History of Two Peoples Bay National Park, Western Australia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To establish the burden of respiratory illness in cerebral palsy (CP) on the Western Australian health care system by quantifying the costs of respiratory hospitalizations in children with CP, compared with non‐respiratory hospitalizations. Method: A 2‐year (2014–2015) retrospective study using linked hospital data (excluding emergency department visits), in a population of children with CP in Western Australia aged 18 years and under (median age at hospitalization 7 years; interquartile range 5–12 years). Results: In 671 individuals (57% male) there were 726 emergency hospitalizations, and 1631 elective hospitalizations. Although there were more elective hospitalizations, emergency hospitalizations were associated with longer stays in hospital, and more days in an intensive care unit, resulting in a higher total cost of emergency hospitalizations than elective hospitalizations (total costs: emergency AU$7 748 718 vs elective AU$6 738 187). 'Respiratory' was the leading cause of emergency hospitalizations, contributing to 36% of all emergency admission costs. For a group of high‐cost inpatient users (top 5% of individuals with the highest total inpatient costs) the most common reason for hospitalization was 'respiratory'. Where non‐respiratory admissions were complicated by an additional respiratory diagnosis, length of stay was greater. Interpretation: Respiratory hospitalizations in CP are a significant driver of health care costs. In the paediatric group, they are a burden for a subgroup of children with CP. What this paper adds: Respiratory illness is the most costly area for unplanned, emergency hospitalizations for children and young people with cerebral palsy.The top 5% of individuals with the highest total inpatient costs account for a disproportionate amount of health care costs. What this paper adds: Respiratory illness is the most costly area for unplanned, emergency hospitalizations for children and young people with cerebral palsy.The top 5% of individuals with the highest total inpatient costs account for a disproportionate amount of health care costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Mental illness is a public health challenge disproportionately affecting rural Australians. GPs provide most of the mental health care, and they report increasing levels of burnout and unsustainable workload in the context of increased patient complexity. This may be more salient in rural settings characterised by resource constraints. In this paper, we use evaluation data from a GP psychiatry phone line established in Western Australia's Great Southern region in 2021 to describe GPs' perspectives on the service and reflect on how it may help alleviate rural GP workload. Methods: The sample was recruited among GPs practicing in the region. Data were collected through an online survey and semistructured interviews. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse the survey data. Interview data were subjected to thematic analysis; qualitative survey data were used for triangulation. Results: A total of 45 GPs completed the survey and 14 were interviewed. Interview data yielded three themes: the criticality of timeliness; the building blocks of confidence; and trust. GPs were highly satisfied with the service, and timeliness and trust were the characteristics underpinning its effectiveness. The service built GPs' confidence in managing mental health and alcohol and other drug use issues through strengthening knowledge and providing reassurance. Conclusions: Our results suggest that a telephone line operated by trusted, local psychiatrists with knowledge of the local mental health ecosystem of support can reduce rural GP workload through building confidence and strengthening personal agency, helping GPs navigate the ethical and clinical labyrinth of managing patient complexity in rural settings. GPs provide most of the mental health care and deal with an increasing number of patients with complex problems; this is more acute in rural areas where there are fewer services. This paper shows how a rural GP psychiatry phone line operated by local psychiatrists helps GPs manage their patients' mental health problems and may, in turn, reduce the workload rural GPs experience. The results add to the limited evidence and have implications for other rural locations characterised by limited resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While there is growing recognition of the importance of meaningful youth participation in activities and decisions which impact their lives, facilitating such engagement within different forums requires varied approaches. A programme of youth research at one Western Australian university has sought to embed pathways for ongoing youth participation in longitudinal research. In particular, we discuss Navigating Through Life, a large‐scale WA research project comprising three sub‐studies exploring young people's transitions from out of home care (OOHC) to independence. We established a youth advisory group to run alongside the project and employed peer researchers to conduct research tasks. In this paper, we seek to explicate the development and various iterations of youth participation in the project. We utilise our reflections, interview data and documentation from YAG meetings and feedback sessions with the peer researchers to illustrate the processes of transformation and flexibility required to develop and maintain youth participation in various ways across the project's life. Drawing on our findings and current literature, we highlight how funding bodies and researchers must consider the additional needs, unique and changeable life circumstances of young people to best facilitate their involvement in research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • The geographic distribution of Rhipicephalus linnaei is much wider than previously known. • Rhipicephalus linnaei was recorded on a dingo. • The record of R. linnaei on a dingo suggest that dingoes might aid the spread of Ehrlichia canis in Australia. • We discuss possible incursion routes and how E. canis has apparently spread rapidly in Australia. The tropical brown dog tick, Rhipicephalus linnaei , is a tick of much medical, veterinary, and zoonotic importance. This tick has a nearly world-wide distribution due to its ability to survive and propagate in kennels and houses. Rhipicephalus linnaei is the vector of Ehrlichia canis , the causative agent of canine monocytic ehrlichiosis, an often debilitating disease of canids and, occasionally, humans. To prevent incursion of E. canis into Australia, dogs entering Australia have been required to have a negative immunofluorescence antibody test for E. canis. In May 2020 however, E. canis was detected in Western Australia. The detection of E. canis in Australia prompted disease investigation and concerted surveillance for R. linnaei and E. canis in regions across Australia. These investigations revealed that R. linnaei was established far beyond the previously recognised geographic range limits of this tick. In the present paper, using records from various collections, published data, and data from our network of veterinarian collaborators and colleagues, we update the current geographic range of R. linnaei in Australia. Our analyses revealed that the geographic range of R. linnaei in Australia is much wider than was previously supposed, particularly in Western Australia, and in South Australia. We also map, for the first time, where E. canis has been detected in Australia. Last, we discuss the possible routes of incursion and subsequently the factors which may have aided the spread of E. canis in Australia which led to the establishment of this pathogen in 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]

Background: Oral antineoplastic agents have caused a paradigm shift in cancer treatment, however, they produce many unique challenges. Although oral antineoplastics can have complex administration regimes, low adherence rates and high possibilities of drug-drug interactions, they are administered unsupervised at home. Cancer services pharmacists have the required skillsets to improve patient outcomes associated with oral antineoplastic treatment by increasing patient health literacy, improving concordance and optimising administration protocols. Aim: To evaluate patients' perceptions, experiences and overall satisfaction with dedicated clinical pharmacist consultations in patients treated with oral antineoplastic agents at a major public hospital. Method: In this retrospective cross-sectional study at a quaternary hospital in Western Australia, data were collected by a paper questionnaire (mailed in March 2022) to a random sample of 191 patients initiated on oral antineoplastic drugs between January 2021 and February 2022. Demographics, prescribed antineoplastic drug/s, cancer type data were collected including using 5-point Likert scale questions assess patients' overall satisfaction with the clinical pharmacist consultations. Results: The questionnaire response rate was 27.7% (52/188) (mean age 63.2 years; 57.5% female). Most patients (42/52; 80.8%) were satisfied with pharmacist consultations, trusted the pharmacist's advice (45/52; 86.5%), considered that the pharmacist improved their understanding of how to manage side effects (43/52; 82.7%) and they provided an important service in outpatient care (45/52; 86.5%). Conclusion: Overall, patients reported positive perceptions, experiences, and satisfaction with the cancer services pharmacist counselling services during their oral antineoplastic treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores whether the introduction of police-imposed barring notices in Western Australia (WA) is associated with changes to the number, type and location of recorded assaults. Police-imposed barring notices were introduced in WA in January 2011, and are issued in response to alcohol-related disorderly behaviours in/around licensed venues. A barring notice can exclude the recipient from one or more licensed venues for up to one year. WA Police provided unit level records of 67,750 assault incidents occurring during high-alcohol hours – 8pm to 6am on Friday and Saturday nights – between 1 July 2007 and 30 June 2020. This enabled data from before and after the introduction of barring notices to be compared. The findings identified a number of potentially positive effects of barring notices, including significant reductions (p < 0.001) in non-family assault offences marked with an alcohol flag, assault offences recorded occurring on pathways (which includes areas around licensed premises), and common assault offences marked with an alcohol flag. These categories clearly align with the intended use and effect/s of barring notices, and the findings are encouraging. The effects of other factors on offending numbers cannot be excluded, but the association between the introduction of barring notices and, in particular, a reduction in alcohol-flagged violent offending appears to support the use of barring notices in WA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: Australia is renowned for its climate variation, featuring years with drought and years with floods, which result in significant production and profit variability. Accordingly, to maximise profitability, dryland farming systems need to be dynamically managed in response to unfolding weather conditions. Aims: The aim of this study is to identify and quantify optimal tactical livestock management for different weather-years. Methods: This study employed a whole-farm optimisation model to analyse a representative mixed enterprise farm located in the Great Southern region of Western Australia. Using this model, we investigated the economic significance of five key livestock management tactics. These included timing of sheep sales, pasture-area adjustments, rotational grazing, crop grazing and sheep nutrition adjustments. Key results: The results showed that, on the modelled dryland mixed-enterprise farm in the Great Southern region of Western Australia, short-term adjustments to the overall farm strategy in response to unfolding weather conditions increased expected profit by approximately 16%. Each tactic boosted profit by between A$7704 and A$53,171. However, we outline several complexities that farmers must consider when implementing tactics. Conclusions: The financial gains from short-term tactical management highlighted their importance and farmers' need to develop and apply those skills. The tactical skills promote business resilience and adaptability in the face of climate uncertainties. Implications: The study highlighted the economic value of dynamic livestock management in response to climate variations, offering farmers in the Great Southern region the means to underpin profitable and sustainable farm practices. Under Australia's renowned climate variation, it is profitable for farmer to implement short-term tactical management adjustments in response to the unfolding weather conditions. This paper has identified and quantified optimal tactical livestock management for different weather-years for a mixed-farming system in the Great Southern region of Western Australia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lack of service data for cardiac rehabilitation limits understanding of program delivery, benchmarking and quality improvement. This study aimed to describe current practices, management, utilisation and engagement with quality indicators in Australian programs. Cardiac rehabilitation programs (n=396) were identified from national directories and networks. Program coordinators were surveyed on service data capture, management systems and adoption of published national quality indicators. Text responses were coded and classified. Logistic regression determined independent associates of the use of data for quality improvement. A total of 319 (81%) coordinators completed the survey. Annual patient enrolments/programs were >200 (31.0%), 51−200 (46%) and ≤50 (23%). Most (79%) programs used an electronic system, alongside paper (63%) and/or another electronic system (19%), with 21% completely paper. While 84% knew of the national quality indicators, only 52% used them. Supplementary to patient care, data were used for reports to managers (57%) and funders (41%), to improve quality (56%), support funding (43%) and research (31%). Using data for quality improvement was more likely when enrolments where >200 (Odds ratio [OR] 3.83, 95% Confidence Interval [CI] 1.76−8.34) and less likely in Victoria (OR 0.24 95%, CI 0.08−0.77), New South Wales (OR 0.25 95%, CI 0.08−0.76) and Western Australia (OR 0.16 95%, CI 0.05−0.57). The collection of service data for cardiac rehabilitation patient data and its justification is diverse, limiting our capacity to benchmark and drive clinical practice. The findings strengthen the case for a national low-burden approach to data capture for quality care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents abstracts on nutrition and dietetics topics which include supporting mental health of dietetic students, exploration of learner autonomy in a pre-placement work-incorporated learning experience for dietetic students, and evaluation of a protected mealtimes programme in a general surgical ward.

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]

Issue Addressed: Lifelong eating behaviours are established in childhood. Improving parents' food literacy skills is essential, as parents play a fundamental role in establishing their children's healthy eating behaviours and preferences for nutritious food. This paper describes the development and evaluation of an innovative program that combines food literacy with positive parent feeding practices, targeting parents in disadvantaged areas of Western Australia. Methods: The Food Sensations® for Parents five‐week program was delivered to participants from community‐based parenting organisations during 2020 and 2021. Formative research and a pre‐post evaluation design were adopted. Results: Pre‐ and post‐evaluation data were collected from 224 participants (96% female). There was a statistically significant improvement in the mean score for 13 food literacy behaviours, 10 positive parenting feeding practices and a mean increase in parents' daily vegetable intake of 1/3 serve. Participants reported significantly greater net improvements in food literacy behaviours than feeding practices, the largest being the Use a nutrition information panel to make food choices (33.1%). Multivariate logistic regression analyses found English as a first language, being older than 35, and from a higher Socio‐Economic Index for Areas resulted in a higher likelihood of positive changes in behaviours and practices. Conclusions: The findings indicate that the program is effective in improving the frequency of use of food literacy behaviours, positive parenting feeding practices and increasing vegetable consumption. So What?: Analysing improvements in food literacy behaviours and feeding practices provides clarity on what change can be expected with a five‐week parent program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Data that is collected at the individual-level from mobile phones is typically aggregated to the population-level for privacy reasons. If we are interested in answering questions regarding the mean, or working with groups appropriately modeled by a continuum, then this data is immediately informative. However, coupling such data regarding a population to a model that requires information at the individual-level raises a number of complexities. This is the case if we aim to characterize human mobility and simulate the spatial and geographical spread of a disease by dealing in discrete, absolute numbers. In this work, we highlight the hurdles faced and outline how they can be overcome to effectively leverage the specific dataset: Google COVID-19 Aggregated Mobility Research Dataset (GAMRD). Using a case study of Western Australia, which has many sparsely populated regions with incomplete data, we firstly demonstrate how to overcome these challenges to approximate absolute flow of people around a transport network from the aggregated data. Overlaying this evolving mobility network with a compartmental model for disease that incorporated vaccination status we run simulations and draw meaningful conclusions about the spread of COVID-19 throughout the state without de-anonymizing the data. We can see that towns in the Pilbara region are highly vulnerable to an outbreak originating in Perth. Further, we show that regional restrictions on travel are not enough to stop the spread of the virus from reaching regional Western Australia. The methods explained in this paper can be therefore used to analyze disease outbreaks in similarly sparse populations. We demonstrate that using this data appropriately can be used to inform public health policies and have an impact in pandemic responses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This case study utilizes data from the Roy Hill iron ore mine, which has a daily water balance of abstraction, use, and surplus disposal, to address the problem of water management prediction at a global level by analysing the results of each modelling task and evaluating the presence of potential critical scenarios with an automated, mathematically rigorous tool. This paper describes the development of a software application that aggregates the results of the various water management models built for each task and provides the optimal utilisation of water to minimise water disposal and thereby maximise water usage. The business benefits of this work include the ability to calculate the net present cost (NPC) for new water infrastructure configurations in an integrated way. Investing in capital projects for water management and evaluating various scenarios helps determine the optimal water infrastructure configuration, minimizing operational impact. Traditionally, water has not been viewed as a significant cost; however, the cost of water infrastructure is now one of the highest business investments in the mining industry of the Pilbara region of Western Australia. Introducing the concept of NPC for water in the mining industry is a novel approach to making informed decisions on water expenses and investments. The key to success lies in using automated modelling to achieve the most efficient environmental and operational balance. This approach reduces individual decision-making and leads to a more cost-effective and beneficial production outcome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Millennia of evolutionary ecology have seen Australia become one of the driest and flattest continents on Earth—and in the process, home to more than 700 species of Eucalyptus. Colonial scientists named them using a binomial system, thereby overwriting local vernaculars that had persisted for tens of thousands of years. This paper traces the man commemorated in the Albany Blackbutt, Eucalyptus staeri , a tree unique to the Great Southern region of Western Australia, traditionally the land of the Menang Noongar people. Using a biographical lens, the paper examines the intersection of Western science and commerce in plant collection and naming, and the ways in which these processes exclude or discount Indigenous knowledge. The paper argues that a more holistic and inclusive historical interpretation of herbarium specimens of E. staeri is achieved by correcting and re-analysing information about the German settler after whom it is named, John Staer, while at the same time acknowledging the Noongar people's deep knowledge (kartijin) of plants that has been passed down over many thousands of years. Australia is home to more than 700 species of Eucalyptus, named by Colonial scientists with a binomial system that displaced local Aboriginal vernaculars. Using a biographical lens, this paper traces the man commemorated in the Albany Blackbutt, Eucalyptus staeri , a tree unique to the Great Southern region of Western Australia, traditionally the land of the Menang Noongar people. In doing so, it suggests corrections and additions to public documents that speak to a need to Indigenise and decolonise written sources in herbaria the world over. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pavement engineering has always relied on asphalt concrete as the primary material. As a result, increasing the quality of asphalt concrete for greater performance and longer durability has remained a focus of research. The present paper aims to assess the potential of soft computing-based models, such as Artificial neural networks, Support vector machines, Gaussian process, M5P tree, Random forest, and Random tree-based models, used for the prediction of Marshall Stability of carbon–fiber asphalt mix. Five different statistical indices are used to evaluate the performance of each model with different input variables, such as Bitumen content (BC), Carbon fiber (CF), Bitumen grade (VG), Fiber length (FL), and Fiber diameter (FD), Specific gravity coarse aggregate (SG(CA)), Water absorption coarse aggregate (WA(CA)) and Specific Gravity of bitumen (SG(B)), to get the Marshall Stability (MS) as an output. Five statistical indices were used to assess the effectiveness of the applied models i.e., Coefficient of correlation (CC), Mean absolute error (MAE), Root mean square error (RMSE), Relative absolute error (RAE) and Root relative squared error (RRSE). According to performance evaluation results, it has been found that the ANN-based model has outperformed all the applied models for predicting the Marshall Stability of asphalt concrete using carbon fiber with CC value as 0.9287 and 0.9126, R2 value as 0.8624 and 0.8328, MAE value as 1.7527 and 1.8702, RMSE value as 2.3305 and 2.4438, RAE value as 32.51 and 39.64% and RRSE values as 37.30 and 43.59% for both the training and testing stages respectively. Taylor's diagram suggests that the ANN model outperforms the other applied models. Sensitivity analysis shows that the bitumen content (BC) is the more sensitive parameter in the carbon–fiber asphalt mix. Furthermore, carbon fiber is comparable to the sensitivity of the bitumen content which shows the significance of the carbon fiber in the asphalt mix in predicting the Marshall Stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quality and morphology of outcrop exposure places fundamental constraints on what ichnological observations can be made and the veracity of these observations. Whilst the limits and potential biases are well known and reported for core studies, in the majority of field studies the equivalent biases are typically overlooked. In this paper we present a widely applicable method for recording outcrop characteristics based on their morphology, and how these characteristics may affect observations. We consider the impacts of structural orientation, superficial cover, and outcrop location on outcrop quality. Finally, we present two case studies, from the Tumblagooda Sandstone of Western Australia and the Armorican Sandstone Formation of northwestern France, to highlight the importance of recording outcrop characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the on-going research at Cliff Head, Garden Island (Indigenous name Meeandip) in Western Australia, the first British settlement on the west coast of Australia dating to 1829. The research has recorded features of local limestone and introduced materials such as low-fired brick, a well, and other artifacts brought from Britain. Early results suggest that areas at the camp existed for domestic purposes, storage of equipment and food supplies, the running of stock, and intra and inter-island communication, but other hypotheses are proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Establishing an alternative resource of rare earth elements (REEs) in coal by-products has been a topic of high interest for the past decade. Despite this, research that characterizes REEs in such materials produced in Australia is lacking. This paper focuses on the concentration and occurrence of REEs in power station coal ashes that represent a suite of major economic coal basins in Australia. The concentration of REEs in coal ash samples was determined by Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectroscopy (ICP-MS). Fly ash and bottom ash generated at power stations that utilize coals from the Collie Basin in Western Australia contained elevated REE concentrations. A REE-rich fly ash containing 0.21% total rare earth oxides (REO) was subject to further analysis by Scanning Electron Microscopy with Energy Dispersive X-rays (SEM-EDX) and TESCAN Integrated Mineral Analysis (TIMA). Fine (avg. <5 μm) monazite grains were observed in the fly ash which were typically bound to Al/Si-rich phases. A substantial increase in the aqua regia-extractable fraction of REEs occurred when fly ash samples were milled to an ultrafine particle size. The current investigation has demonstrated that Australian coal ash may represent a promising resource of REEs as the demand for these metals increases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: : Group singing for people with Parkinson's disease (PD) is an established intervention not only to improve voice and speech difficulties but also for emotional and social benefit. Less is known about the experiences of group singing on the couple—the person with PD and their spouse or partner together—and studies have not specifically tracked impact through time or in combination with songwriting. Aims: : To understand the impact of group singing/songwriting on couples (participants with PD and their spouses) to unpack whether this broader view might help explain why such interventions are reported as beneficial. Using a trajectory approach, a form of longitudinal research and focused ethnography, the research sought a deeper appreciation of participation through time for the couple in a singing/songwriting group. Methods & Procedures: : Four couples attending a singing/songwriting programme were observed for 10 weeks, and interviewed formally and informally weekly. Data were analysed thematically across‐case through framework analysis but also within‐case to explore the couples' experiences and narratives over time. Outcomes & Results: : The theme of 'improved relationships' between the couples was new and extended previous studies' findings of positivity, physical benefit, sense of self and social opportunity. The stories of each couple highlighted the importance of musical reminiscence and emotional respite, and demonstrated changes with time through the singing and songwriting group. Conclusions & Implications: : The benefits of offering singing/songwriting groups may be felt not only by participants with PD but also by their spouses/partners even if they choose not to attend themselves. Such benefits may include improved relationships related to the shared joy of music, musical reminiscence and emotional respite. The addition of songwriting encourages creativity and agency. A longitudinal trajectory approach is one way to appreciate how these benefits may unfold over time for participants. WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS: What is already known on the subject: Group singing for people with PD has been shown to have physical, emotional and social benefits as measured on mainly pre‐post‐assessments of vocal, speech, respiratory function and quality of life questionnaires. What this study adds to the existing knowledge: This study adds three new aspects: studying the benefits for the couple (both people with PD and their spouse/partner); taking an in‐depth focused ethnographic approach over time to collect couples' narratives and experiences; and exploring the potential for adding songwriting to the intervention. What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work?: A qualitative trajectory approach may help clinicians understand why such interventions are experienced as beneficial. Clinicians running singing groups for people with PD should offer attendance to spouses/partners because of the potential for such groups to improve relationships and build new points of connection for the couple, as well as provide peer support for spouses. Songwriting is a useful addition for creativity, cognitive flexibility and self‐expression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mining industry is a significant water user, an issue that gains a particular prominence in arid zone mining regions, such as the Pilbara region in Western Australia (WA). Mining companies extract vast amounts of water from the groundwater aquifers to access orebodies and to dewater the mine pits. Much of this water is dumped in creeks, injected back into the aquifer downstream or used in mining processing. There is increased awareness from community members for sustainable water use in mining beyond life of mine, and the emergence of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) principles in the mining and metals sector signals a shift towards recognizing the importance of water stewardship. Much of the land subject to dewatering in the Pilbara is also subject to native title determinations. For Traditional Owners, important cultural values are associated with water. However, water is not adequately covered in native title, especially in relation to commercial use. We argue that Traditional Owner involvement in design and management of the use of excess water from a mining proponent's water licence (dewatering) can assist in sustainable use of groundwater, as well as provide opportunities in social and economic enterprises. As a provocation style piece, this paper is based on secondary literature, rather than ethnographic data. It explores the political and regulatory landscape of mine dewatering and outlines the limitations that have existed historically and currently and which inhibit Traditional Owners to participate in water management or commercial water interests. We also provide a high‐level analysis of several mining proponents' public policy commitments to water stewardship to assess the sustainable use of water which involves stakeholders such as Traditional Owners in water decision‐making. Finally, we identify possible opportunities and provide some recommendations, for water futures in this dry region where iron ore mining and gas extraction, already massive, are expanding further. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we present an efficient statistical method (denoted as 'Adaptive Resources Allocation CUSUM') to robustly and efficiently detect the hotspot with limited sampling resources. Our main idea is to combine the multi-arm bandit (MAB) and change-point detection methods to balance the exploration and exploitation of resource allocation for hotspot detection. Further, a Bayesian weighted update is used to update the posterior distribution of the infection rate. Then, the upper confidence bound (UCB) is used for resource allocation and planning. Finally, CUSUM monitoring statistics to detect the change point as well as the change location. For performance evaluation, we compare the performance of the proposed method with several benchmark methods in the literature and showed the proposed algorithm is able to achieve a lower detection delay and higher detection precision. Finally, this method is applied to hotspot detection in a real case study of county-level daily positive COVID-19 cases in Washington State WA) and demonstrates the effectiveness with very limited distributed samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes a set of educational initiatives in Religious Education (RE). The paper addresses RE as an academic learning area and reserved for Kindergarten to Year 10 classrooms in Catholic schools. The initiatives described in the paper are evidence-based; they are guided by research and student achievement data addressing contemporary assessment reforms within the Australian educational context and considering the implications that the reforms have on the quality of student learning in RE. The reforms include quality assurance measures such as large-scale, standardised assessments (LSAs) and social moderation tools. The purpose of the measures is to establish standards that support the alignment of teaching and assessment practices. Such an alignment in the RE learning area has the potential to strengthen and improve student, as well as teacher, knowledge and understanding of the Catholic Faith Tradition. The paper draws from the Catholic RE school curriculum in Western Australia (WA), assessment principles outlined for schools in WA, an Australian Research Council Linkage project and local research about teacher perceptions of an LSA in RE. The paper supports local and national policy expectations recommending a review of the quality of RE as a learning area. Furthermore, given the prominence of the Catholic Church's mission of evangelisation and the nature and role of RE in Catholic schools as part of that mission, the paper endorses the Church's current stance on thoughtful dialogue and renewed efforts to bring a better understanding about Catholic culture and education to the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Western Australia (WA), Religious Education (RE) is a mandated learning area within the compulsory years of the Catholic school sector. RE is advocated as a curriculum subject, timetabled for and assessed alongside other subjects and focussed on developing religious knowledge and understanding. In addition to the RE lesson, faith development, or catechesis occurs through the intersection of RE and other faith-based activities in the Catholic school. In the early learning centre that caters for children prior to compulsory schooling, there is no formalised RE curriculum and educators are tasked with raising the religious awareness of children as opportunities arise. This paper presents findings from research that explored educators' understandings of, and practices in, promoting children's spirituality specifically in connection to RE. As a result, the paper advocates for spirituality as the starting point for developing young children's religious beliefs. In addition, it become evident through this investigation that understandings of spirituality, religiosity and RE continue to be complex and educators require assistance to disentangle these if they are to intentionally promote children's spirituality, and subsequently, their religious beliefs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To explore the experiences of close family members when another family member is using methamphetamine and how the family member responds over time. Background: Methamphetamine use has widespread implications and harms for both people who use the drug and those that live with them. While there is a significant representation in the literature relating to family members of people who use drugs or alcohol, there are limited studies specifically considering family members experiences of methamphetamine use. Families have been shown to have both positive and negative impacts on people using drugs, but less is known on the impact on the family members themselves. Study design and methods: Multiple semi- structured qualitative interviews were conducted with 11 families (17 individual participants) from regional and metropolitan Western Australia over a 12-month period. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis was used in data collection and analysis. Results: Four main themes were identified: 1. the New Lifeguard describes family members' unplanned insertion into a new role and their rapidly changing experience of the person using methamphetamine. 2. Hit by the Wave demonstrates participants' experience of repeated and unpredictable impacts on their lives. 3. Life in the Ocean describes the groundlessness associated with changes to goals and family structure. 4. Learning to Surf illuminates the changing strategies employed over time, moving away from trying to fix the person, to participants managing their own wellbeing. Discussion: This study identified common aspects within the lived experience of close family members of people using methamphetamine and ascertained a commonality in the process of this experience. Significant impacts to all areas of life were reported, and distress was fluctuating and unpredictable in line with the cyclical nature of the drug use. Participant responses to these changes varied over time between resentment and trying to fix things, and acceptance and resilience, while gaining or maintaining like-minded supports. Conclusion: Understanding the issues faced by families around this unique drug is vital in providing informed interventions for this group. Family members experience a broad range of financial, social and health impacts and harms over a protracted length of time. They are often not the focus of available support and in adapting to these issues, will themselves seek support away from treatment services for the person using methamphetamine. Implications for practice Understanding the complex journey of families has a broad range of implications (and opportunities) for a variety of areas such as criminal justice, family support and child protection. There is an opportunity for these areas to consider broader and more specific supports and approaches, and to develop more appropriate, bespoke, and inclusive treatment for families of people using methamphetamine. What is already known about the topic? • Methamphetamine is recognised worldwide as a harmful drug with few effective treatments for methamphetamine dependence. • Few studies exist exploring the specific impact of methamphetamine on family members. • Fewer studies explore the experiences over time. What this paper adds: • Family members with a relative who is using methamphetamine experience a range of harms in many areas of their lives. • The impact of methamphetamine use is unpredictable and takes place over long periods of time, affecting both individual family members and impacting on the overall structure of the family unit. • Families and family members adapt their approach over time, from attempting to fix the situation, to stepping back and seeking support from others who they perceive to be in similar circumstances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a new method of deriving 9-parameter affine 3D datum transformations by ordinary least-squares. Unlike previous methods, it covers all versions of the transformation. Initially, an 'average' scale factor is computed by distance analysis. Removing the scaling effect, the 'RIGOPT' subroutine is applied to optimise the rigid transformation that consists of 3 translations and 3 rotations. Using an equivalent enlargement hypothesis, the number of scale factors is increased to 3 by a short series of single-search-direction optimisations. The minimisation of residuals is verified by enclosing-interval analysis. The case studies cover datasets in Western Australia, Great Britain and Sweden. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The study explored the experiences and perceptions of GPs regarding the management of chronic non-cancer pain (CNCP). Specifically, participants were asked to identify perceived enablers and barriers to CNCP care and how the care of patients with CNCP may be improved. Methods: The study utilised a qualitative descriptive methodology. General practice in Western Australia. The sample was purposive with 12 Australian GPs from predominantly metropolitan locations and with experience in managing CNCP. Semi structured interviews were conducted. Each interview was of 45–60 min duration. All interviews were audio recorded and transcribed using a secure transcription service. Thematic analysis developed themes inductively and deductively. Results: Themes emerged regarding: the importance of a holistic and personalised approach; the important role of a coordinating GP; the need for an evidence-based approach to opioid management; concerns relating to access to multidisciplinary services; the importance of clinician and patient education regarding CNCP; and an acknowledgement of the challenges for doctors and patients in managing CNCP. Conclusions: Currently, the management of CNCP in Australia is challenging. Notable challenges include: difficulties with continuity of patient care; challenges with patient expectations of treatment, in particular opioid medications; difficulty with access to the health services required to enable holistic care; and the need for improved pain education in the community. The breadth of these challenges suggests there is a need for supportive organisational and structural considerations in the healthcare system to enable optimal care of CNCP in the community. Access to specialist services for chronic non-cancer pain is problematic ins In Australia, resulting in general practitioners bearing much of the burden of care that requires a holistic and multidimensional approach. In this paper, 12 general practitioners in Western Australia described, through qualitative interviews, the challenges of caring for patients with chronic pain including fragmentation of care, difficulty with access to recommended services, mismatched patient and practitioner expectations and inadequate GP and community knowledge about chronic pain. These findings could assist in planning better services for chronic pain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wild salmon stocks in the Pacific Northwest are imperiled by a variety of declining habitat factors, including riparian shade and in‐channel large wood. In this paper, a relatively simple lidar model of the riparian canopy was used along anadromous streams in the Skagit River watershed in western Washington State, United States, to delineate where riparian trees were most lacking, and where restoration efforts would have the greatest benefit in terms of shade and large wood recruitment potential. Within a 45‐m riparian buffer, 61% of riparian zones were currently incapable of delivering large wood to the stream. Current potential for large wood recruitment is greatest adjacent to stream edges and falls off rapidly with distance from the channel. Approximately 99% of large wood recruitment potential lies within 45 m of the channel edge, and 50% of the wood potential is within 9 m. A hypothetical canopy model in which all trees mature to a 100‐year height would provide 18% more shade distributed over the entire watershed, and 90% more shade in the tributaries. Most of the potential gains in improved shade and large wood contributions are in agricultural areas, as opposed to forestry or urban land uses. The shade and large wood models were constructed from widely available geographic information system tools and are readily transferable to other watersheds with similar characteristics. Model outputs are intended for use in planning restoration projects, as an input to stream temperature models, and to inform policy on restoration priorities and regulatory buffer widths. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• This paper uses a constructivist phenomenological study with 55 in-depth interviews. • Participants include representatives from diverse Western Australian businesses. • Uses a workplace vignette to elicit cultural norms from the participants. • Thematic analysis used to classify interview text into specific concepts and phrases. • New employees, pro-active approach, and 'No-blame' culture are the key themes. Introduction: This paper uses an extensive review of the safety culture literature to identify three key themes (a) role of new employees, (b) absence of a pro-active approach, and (c) need for a 'No-blame' culture, and explores their impact on the occupational health and safety culture (OHS). Method: We use a qualitative study with a constructivist phenomenological approach consisting of 55 in-depth interviews with a diverse range of participants, including business owners, line managers and supervisors, OHS advisors, workers, and union representatives in Western Australia. A workplace vignette was used to elicit cultural norms derived from the participants' attitudes and beliefs, which were analyzed using NVivo software to conduct a thematic analysis to classify the interview text into specific concepts and phrases. Results: Findings confirm the three themes identified from our literature review and provide useful insights into the challenges faced by the participants in the implementation of safety policies. Practical Applications: Besides extending the occupational health and safety literature, these findings have important managerial implications in view of the evolving nature of work and workplaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inclusion is a core philosophy for health practitioners and human service users, and co-production is a way to achieve inclusion. Australia's assistive technology (AT) community seeks to include and amplify the voices of service and product users at multiple levels. Implementation of genuine partnerships for inclusion is however challenging. This paper describes the iterative co-design process undertaken to structure and deliver a peer-led information and support program, enabling AT users and supporters to build their AT decision making capability and share their expertise with each other and the broader community. A living labs approach was grounded in co-design principles and drew on the peer education, AT competency and capability-building knowledge base. Methods included embedding intersectional capabilities within the service, and the engagement of over 600 people in design thinking and program iterations through surveys, focus groups, journey mapping and think tanks. A national, peer-led, co-designed online community for AT users was established and has been running since 2017. The community of 5000 users contribute to a peer-led information and support initiative geared to share expertise and build AT decision making capability. Service delivery by the AT user community and for the AT user community requires a commitment to co-design, and an engagement with concepts of risk, competency, scope of practice and capability. The learnings from AT Chat have implications for AT services on this journey everywhere. Active co-design of AT services meets human rights and good practice benchmarks required by contemporary services. Foregrounding AT users within program design and delivery, brings a range of positive outcomes and possibilities for the way services are delivered. AT users have substantial untapped potential which brings tangible outcomes for other AT users, health professionals, service provider organizations and for society. Development of paid roles and pathways to recognize the skills of AT users, and indeed AT communities has potential to improve AT user self-efficacy as well as to contribute to the AT workforce. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the progressive clinical trajectory of motor neurone disease (MND) is widely understood, multiple challenges remain preventing optimal end-of-life care for this population with unique needs from the patient, carer and service provider perspectives. This paper reports on the experiences, gaps in service and unmet needs of MND patients and family carers and explores public health palliative care approaches that would facilitate coordinated and integrated care to respond to their changing needs. This is a qualitative study of responses to questions in an online consumer survey (353 respondents) in Western Australia (2020), focusing on a subset of 29 current and bereaved carers of people with MND who have used health services in the last five years. The analysis identified themes, highlighting the insufficient integration of services across health and social care; poor and unequal access to coordinated palliative care; significant gaps in the knowledge base of the workforce and a failure to meet the consumer expectations of person-centred care. For palliative care to be accessible to those living with MND and other under-served conditions, there needs to be a shift to more comprehensive, inclusive and sustainable options, such as the public health approach to palliative/end-of-life care that engages the assets of local communities in partnership with health services, one example being the "Compassionate Communities Connectors" model of care. Further considerations include advocacy for policy changes, fostering partnerships and developing indicators for evaluating the impact of the proposed models of care. The end result is not only better care but substantial savings for the health system. [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]

There is a wealth of research that shows juvenile justice systems that utilize structured and validated assessment tools, such as the YLS/CMI, are far more effective at reducing rates of recidivism than those who do not. In line with this research, the Department of Justice (DoJ) in Western Australia adopted the YLS/CMI as the standard risk assessment tool for evaluating the criminogenic risk and needs of youth entering the justice system. While there is evidence supporting the utility of the YLS/CMI in predicting recidivism, there is little research demonstrating its effectiveness in Australian juvenile populations and no such research in a West Australian population. There is also a lack of research on the utility of the tool with young Indigenous offenders, which is particularly concerning given the significant overrepresentation of Indigenous people in the Australian criminal justice system. Our study was the first to examine the reliability and predictive validity of the YLS/CMI on a sample of West Australian juvenile offenders. In this paper, we present the results of two analyses. The first examines the properties of the YLS/CMI in a cohort of 4,653 juvenile offenders in Western Australia, including factor structure, internal consistency, and differences between male and female youth and between Indigenous and non-Indigenous youth. Consistent with our hypotheses, the tool demonstrated excellent internal consistency (α =.91) and cross-validation analyses identified significant differences between groups on total YLS scores and risk domains. The second analysis examines the predictive validity of the YLS/CMI in a subsample of 921 youth with a minimum follow-up period of 2 years. The overall recidivism rate was 74.8% and there were differences in scores and recidivism rates for Indigenous compared to non-Indigenous youth, although the predictive accuracies in terms of AUC were similar (c. = 0.65 and 0.66, respectively). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Individuals who engage in problematic behaviours within Australian night‐time entertainment precincts can be banned from entering certain locations. Bans are expected to deter recipients, and prospective recipients, from further inappropriate behaviours. The collective effect is intended to reduce crime and increase community safety within entertainment precincts. This article explores key informant perspectives regarding the enforcement of two patron banning mechanisms (police barring notices and prohibition orders) used across Western Australia. Methods: Interviews were conducted with 54 participants, including licensees, venue staff, WA Police officers, ID scanner representatives, and Registered Training Organisations. Results: Few participants opposed patron banning in principle, but most identified limitations within the current operation of both provisions. Concerns were expressed about the effectiveness of enforcement, linked to questions about the way in which banned patron information is currently shared and the practicalities of identifying recipients of bans. Suggestions included improved data‐sharing protocols and the wider use of ID scanners. Discussion/Conclusion: With improvements to operational processes—particularly more effective sharing of banned patron data, and consideration of networked ID scanners—there is clear potential to improve the enforcement and increase the effectiveness of police barring notices and prohibition orders. This study is part of a wider project which has examined the use and effects of patron banning in WA. Additional findings are presented in further papers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inundation mapping is an essential part of environmental monitoring, flood disaster management and risk mitigation. There are many earth observation sensors that can provide spatial information about inundation extent at different times. However, these extents need to be comparable to provide an accurate and consistent estimate of a flood's progression. Monitoring inundation extent around the peak of a flood event is important because it captures the hazardous period during a large flood event, and it identifies connections between off-stream waterholes and flood waters for environmental monitoring. This paper presents results from a study comparing near-coincident flood inundation maps derived from optical (Landsat, MODIS, Sentinel-2 and VIIRS) and Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) (Sentinel-1 and NovaSAR-1) remote sensing imagery. We also compare all inundation maps derived from remote sensing data with near-coincident hydrodynamic (HD) modelling. The study was conducted for the Fitzroy floodplain in Western Australia, a large, complex and remotely located river basin. The results show that optical remote sensing data have average F1 scores ranging from 0.57 to 0.65 when compared to the HD model results, with Landsat and MODIS performing best. Sentinel-1 and NovaSAR-1 SAR have a poor agreement (average F1 score of 0.31 and 0.35 respectively) when compared to the HD model results, particularly within scattered vegetation adjacent to the river channel, with better results in open water on the floodplain and in the river. If comparisons are made only during the peak flood stage, the F1 scores improve for the optical data (0.61 up to 0.8). Comparisons of the remote sensing inundation maps show that the optical data are suitable for interchangeable mapping during large flood events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this paper is an experimental study of the most crucial parameters of the received acoustic signals (e.g. signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), side-lobes level (SLL), axial resolution) obtained as a result of simultaneous emission of mutually orthogonal Golay complementary sequences (MOGCS) to demonstrate their feasibility of being used in ultrasound diagnostics. Application of the MOGCS in ultrasound measurements allows the image reconstruction time to be shortened without decreasing the resulting quality of reconstructed images in comparison with regular complementary Golay coded sequences (CGCS). In this paper two sets of 16-bits long MOGCS were implemented in the Verasonics Vantage™ (Verasonics Inc., Kirkland, WA, USA) scanner. Ultrasound data were generated using a perfect reflector, a custom-made nylon wire phantom and tissue mimicking phantom. Parameters of the detected MOGCS echoes like SNR, SLL and axial resolution were determined and compared to that of the standard CGCS and the short two-sine cycles pulse. It was evidenced that applying MOGCS did not compromise the parameters of the separated and compressed echoes in comparison to the other types of transmitted signal - the CGCS and the short pulse. Concretely, both the MOGCS and CGCS yield similar SNR increase in comparison to the short pulse. Almost similar values of the axial resolution estimated at the full width at the half maximum level for all types of the transmitted signals were also obtained. At the same time, using the MOGCS the data acquisition speed can be increased twice in comparison with the CGCS signal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adaptive modulation received significant attention for underwater acoustic (UA) communication systems with the aim of increasing the system efficiency. It is challenging to attain a high data rate in UA communication, as UA channels vary fast, along with the environmental factors. For a time-varying UA channel, a self-adaptive system is an attractive option, which can choose the best method according to the channel condition to guarantee the continuous connectivity and high performance constantly. A real-time orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM)-based adaptive UA communication system is presented in this paper, employing the National Instruments (NI) LabVIEW software and NI CompactDAQ device. In this paper, the received SNR is considered as a performance metric to select the transmission parameters, which are sent back to the transmitter for data transmission. In this research, a UA OFDM communication system is developed, employing adaptive modulation schemes for a nonstationary UA environment which allows to select subcarriers, modulation size, and allocate power adaptively to enhance the reliability of communication, guarantee continuous connectivity, and boost data rate. The recent UA communication experiments carried out in the Canning River, Western Australia, verify the performance of the proposed adaptive UA OFDM system, and the experimental results confirm the superiority of the proposed adaptive scheme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A CNFET-based nonvolatile 4CNFET2M resistive RAM (ReRAM) cell is proposed in this paper. In this design, four CNFETs are employed as high-speed, low power and high endurance switches while the two memristors constitute the memory element. In this paper, the proposed 4CNFET2M ReRAM has been compared with the standard 6T SRAM (S6T) cell and the contemporary 2T2M ReRAM cell. The proposed cell shows 1.68 ×/2.14 × shorter read delay (TRA) when compared to S6T/2T2M while exhibiting 4.16 × shorter write delay (TWA) than that of 2T2M @ VDD = 1 V. Moreover, at VDD = 1 V, it displays a 2.32 × narrower spread in TWA than 2T2M as well as 8.0 ×/7.25 × narrower spread in TRA than that of S6T/2T2M. The proposed cell consumes 2.57 × 106 ×/2.70 × lower hold power (HPWR) than that of S6T/2T2M at VDD = 1 V. In addition, it exhibits tolerance to variations in temperature as well as pitch and Vth of memristor. All this is achieved at a 32.44 × penalty in TWA when compared to S6T. The use of CNFET devices, which possess far superior electrical characteristics in comparison to traditional CMOS devices, integrated with memristor technology, paves the way for such major improvements in design metrics of the proposed cell. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Effective and scalable prevention approaches are urgently needed to address the rapidly increasing rates of e-cigarette use among adolescents. School-based eHealth interventions can be an efficient, effective, and economical approach, yet there are none targeting e-cigarettes within Australia. This paper describes the protocol of the OurFutures Vaping Trial which aims to evaluate the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of the first school-based eHealth intervention targeting e-cigarettes in Australia. Methods: A two-arm cluster randomised controlled trial will be conducted among Year 7 and 8 students (aged 12–14 years) in 42 secondary schools across New South Wales, Western Australia and Queensland, Australia. Using stratified block randomisation, schools will be assigned to either the OurFutures Vaping Program intervention group or an active control group (health education as usual). The intervention consists of four web-based cartoon lessons and accompanying activities delivered during health education over a four-week period. Whilst primarily focused on e-cigarette use, the program simultaneously addresses tobacco cigarette use. Students will complete online self-report surveys at baseline, post-intervention, 6-, 12-, 24-, and 36-months after baseline. The primary outcome is the uptake of e-cigarette use at 12-month follow-up. Secondary outcomes include the uptake of tobacco smoking, frequency/quantity of e-cigarettes use and tobacco smoking, intentions to use e-cigarettes/tobacco cigarettes, knowledge about e-cigarettes/tobacco cigarettes, motives and attitudes relating to e-cigarettes, self-efficacy to resist peer pressure and refuse e-cigarettes, mental health, quality of life, and resource utilisation. Generalized mixed effects regression will investigate whether receiving the intervention reduces the likelihood of primary and secondary outcomes. Cost-effectiveness and the effect on primary and secondary outcomes will also be examined over the longer-term. Discussion: If effective, the intervention will be readily accessible to schools via the OurFutures platform and has the potential to make substantial health and economic impact. Without such intervention, young Australians will be the first generation to use nicotine at higher rates than previous generations, thereby undoing decades of effective tobacco control. Trial registration: The trial has been prospectively registered with the Australian and New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ACTRN12623000022662; date registered: 10/01/2023). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since learning how "to make use of your own Understanding" (WA, AA 08: 35), and "seeking the supreme touchstone of truth in oneself (i.e., in one's own Reason)" (WDO, AA 08: 146, footnote) - in a word: to enlighten oneself - is a process; and since Reason, in such a process, "needs attempts, practice and instruction" (IaG, AA 08: 19), it is only slowly that one can arrive at Enlightenment (cf. WA, AA 08: 36). As a matter of fact, the process of Enlightenment involves culture, i.e. the cultivation of the human being and his or her rational predispositions. And of fundamental importance in this process are communicability, participation and publicity - i.e., the possibility of making an idea public. Now, since these abilities are so important for Enlightenment, everything that does not allow the communication of ideas and thoughts to each and every human being is diametrically opposed to this process. This seems to be the case with the phenomenon of social irrationality and cognitive vices. The present paper aims to highlight how the problem of (lack of) communicability proves essential to understanding the phenomenon of social irrationality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A global challenge concerns reconciling population growth and increasing built infrastructure with foreshore ecosystems that are 'squeezed' against a rising sea levels, hampering their ability to deliver life-sustaining ecosystem services. This paper tests established sea-level rise strategies – fortification, accommodation, and retreat – using a city-centre adjacent estuarine case study in Western Australia to understand the implications for foreshore ecosystem service provision. The results indicate that some retreat of urban areas will be required, combined with the migration of the foreshore reserves landward, to maintain ecosystem service functions over the longer term. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Technical ceramics is characterised by high bending strength, high melting temperature. It has high thermal and wear resistance but its usage is limited to some extent due to its low resistance to cracking and bad electric conductivity. The introduction of carbon fillers in ceramic matrices is an effective approach to solving these problems. The present paper reports for the manufacturing of ceramic samples based on barium titanate with added graphene structures obtained from three different graphene sources. The barium titanate ceramics is synthesised by the method of solid state sintering. For the characterisation of the initial blends and the ceramic samples prepared from them, the methods of X-ray phase analysis, infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy and visual microscopy were used. Besides, the basic physicochemical properties of the samples synthesised on the basis of barium titanate were determined, e.g. water absorption (WA, %), apparent density (AD, %) and apparent (open) porosity (Pa, %). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]