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The research protocol described aims to examine and establish the health outcomes of children and young people living in Out-of-Home Care (OOHC) in Perth, Western Australia (WA) from the perspective of the care recipients and service providers. A Study Advisory Panel (SAP) will be established comprised of Aboriginal Elders (because of the over-representation of Aboriginal children in OOHC), health professionals and other relevant stakeholders to help co-design all phases of the study. Mixed methods will be used in data collection and analysis. In the quantitative phase, it is proposed to collect retrospective data from three WA Department of Communities (DOC) districts. The data proposed to be collected includes: the number of children who received initial and annual health assessments, the health needs identified, and interventions put in place to address these needs. The qualitative phase will consist of interviews with service recipients (young people who have exited OOHC and Carers), health service providers (Community Health Nurses, School Nurses, General Practitioners and Paediatricians) and OOHC Case Workers. The research will provide an overview of the current health needs of children and young people in OOHC in WA and the perspectives of these young people, their Carers and service providers on current processes for accessing healthcare. It is anticipated that the study will provide valuable evidence for quality improvement in health service delivery to better meet the health needs of children and young people in OOHC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic presented the unique challenge of having to deliver novel vaccines during a public health crisis. For pediatric patients, it was further complicated by the delayed timeline for authorizing the vaccine and the differences in dosing/products depending on the patient's age. This paper investigates the relationship between the spatial accessibility and uptake of the COVID-19 vaccine in King County, WA, USA. Public data for COVID-19 vaccine sites were used to calculate spatial accessibility using an enhanced two-step floating catchment area (E2SFCA) technique. Spatial regression analyses were performed to look at the relationship between spatial accessibility and ZIP-code-level vaccination rates. The relationships of these data with other socioeconomic and demographic variables were calculated as well. Higher rates of vaccine accessibility and vaccine coverage were found in adolescent (12- to 17-year-old) individuals relative to school-age (5- to 11-year-old) individuals. Vaccine accessibility was positively associated with coverage in both age groups in the univariable analysis. This relationship was affected by neighborhood educational attainment. This paper demonstrates how measures such as E2SFCA can be used to calculate the accessibility of the COVID-19 vaccine in a region and provides insight into some of the ecological factors that affect COVID-19 vaccination rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A number of regolith-hosted REE occurrences have recently been discovered in the Esperance region in southern Western Australia. This paper summarizes major characteristics of REE mineralization and discusses contributing factors and potential controls. The main aim is to explain why there is a lack of highly sought-after ion-adsorption-clay-type REE deposits across the region despite the presence of the regolith-hosted REE mineralization on a regional scale. Local mineralization mostly occurs as continuous flat-lying enrichment "blankets" within the residual regolith developed over Archaean–Proterozoic granite gneisses and granitoids with elevated REE content. The enriched horizon is commonly located in the lower saprolite and saprock and is accompanied by an overlying REE-depleted zone. This distribution pattern, together with the data on HREE fractionation and the presence of the supergene REE minerals, indicates chemogenic type enrichment formed by supergene REE mobilization into groundwater, downward transport, and accumulation in the lower part of the weathering profile. Residual REE accumulation processes due to bulk rock volume and mass reduction during weathering also contribute to mineralization. It is proposed that climate and groundwater chemistry are the critical regional controls on the distribution of REEs in the weathering profile and on their speciation in the enrichment zone. Cenozoic aridification of climate in southwest Australia heavily overprinted pre-existing REE distributions in the weathering profile. Acidic (pH < 4), highly saline groundwaters intensely leached away any relatively weakly bound, adsorbed or colloidal REE forms, moving them downward. Dissolved REEs precipitated as secondary phosphates in neutral to alkaline environment at lower Eh near the base of the weathering profile forming the supergene enrichment zone. Low denudation rates, characteristic of areas of low relief under the arid climate, are favourable for the preservation of the existing weathering profiles with REE mineralization. [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]

The effects of preterm birth, neonatal morbidities and environmental influences on infant sleep development is an important yet under-researched topic, with little known about normative sleep for infants born sick or preterm. The aim of this prospective, observational longitudinal study was to evaluate maternal perceptions and degree of bother with infant sleep behaviours and feeding outcomes across the first 9 months after discharge for sick/preterm infants cared for in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and for healthy term-born infants. This paper reports outcomes for the sick/preterm cohort (I = 94) that were recruited from two NICUs in Perth, Western Australia. Total bother scores were on average 20.2% higher at 9 months than at two weeks post-discharge (p < 0.001). Increased night waking frequency, evening settling duration and crying duration were all positively associated with total bother scores. Maternal confidence scores were negatively associated with maternal bother scores; with each unit increase in confidence, maternal bother decreased by 8.5% (p < 0.001). Covariates such as birth gestation, breastfeeding status and multiple births were not associated with maternal bother. Families may benefit from additional support when experiencing increased night waking frequency and crying and settling durations in the first 9 months after discharge from NICU. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hypersaline Hamelin Pool, with mean salinity >65, is located in Shark Bay, Western Australia. The high salinity has reduced its biodiversity, but it is home to a diverse assemblage of modern marine stromatolites. The limited exchange of water between Hamelin Pool and the rest of Shark Bay, due to the presence of the shallow Faure Sill together with high evaporation and low rainfall-runoff have resulted in a hypersaline environment. With climate-change-induced mean sea level rise (MSLR), hydrodynamic processes that maintain the hypersaline environment may be affected and are the focus of this paper. Oceanographic observations, together with hydrodynamic model results, were used to examine the hydrodynamic processes under present and future MSLR scenarios. A large attenuation in the tidal range, changes in the tidal characteristics, and current speeds together with a strong salinity gradient were observed across the Faure Sill under present-day conditions. Under an MSLR scenario of 1 m, the tidal amplitude decreased by up to 10% to the north, whilst to the south, the tidal range increased by up to 15%. Regions of strong vertical stratification were present on both sides of the Faure Sill. The simulations indicated that, under MSLR scenarios, these regions expanded in area and exhibited higher levels of vertical stratification. The salt flux across the Faure Sill was maintained as a diffusive process under MSLR scenarios. [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]

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]

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) appears to be essential for lowering emissions during the necessary energy transition. However, in Australia, it has not delivered this result, at any useful scale, and this needs explanation. To investigate the reasons for this failure, the paper undertakes a historical and social case study of the Gorgon gas project in Western Australia, which is often declared to be one of the biggest CCS projects in the world. The Gorgon project could be expected to succeed, as it has the backing of government, a practical and economic reason for removing CO2, a history of previous exploration, nearby storage sites, experienced operators and managers, and long-term taxpayer liability for problems. However, it has run late, failed to meet its targets, and not lowered net emissions. The paper explores the social factors which seem to be disrupting the process. These factors include the commercial imperatives of the operation, the lack of incentives, the complexity of the process, the presence of ignored routine problems, geological issues (even in a well-explored area), technical failures, regulatory threats even if minor, tax issues, and the project increasing emissions and consuming carbon budgets despite claims otherwise. The results of this case study suggest that CCS may work in theory, but not well enough under some contemporary forms of social organisation, and the possibilities of CCS cannot be separated from its social background. Social dynamics should be included in CCS projections to enhance the accuracy of expectations. [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]

Virtual power plants (VPPs) are an effective platform for attracting private investment and customer engagement to speed up the integration of green renewable resources. In this paper, a robust bidding strategy to participate in both energy and ancillary service markets in the wholesale electricity market is proposed for a realistic VPP in Western Australia. The strategy is accurate and fast, so the VPP can bid in a very short time period. To engage customers in the demand management schemes of the VPP, the gamified approach is utilized to make the exercise enjoyable while not compromising their comfort levels. The modelling of revenue, expenses, and profit for the load-following ancillary service (LFAS) is provided, and the effective bidding strategy is developed. The simulation results show a significant improvement in the financial indicators of the VPP when participating in both the LFAS and energy markets. The payback period can be improved by 3 years to the payback period of 6 years and the internal rate of return (IRR) by 7.5% to the IRR of 18% by participating in both markets. The accuracy and speed of the proposed bidding strategy method is evident when compared with a mathematical method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Schools can have a significant role in affecting the mental health and wellbeing of both students and staff, with considerable implications for society as a whole. Hence, there is a need for school-based interventions to both assist those experiencing mental health problems and to implement activities and policies that facilitate the enhancement and maintenance of good mental health. Unlike most school mental health interventions that are focussed on, and specific to, the school setting, the Act–Belong–Commit Mentally Healthy Schools Framework is based on the principles of the Act–Belong–Commit community-wide general population mental health promotion campaign, which has been adapted to the school setting via the World Health Organisation's Health Promoting Schools Framework. The Mentally Healthy Schools Framework is a whole-school approach to enhancing both student and staff mental health. This paper reports the findings of a preliminary impact survey administered to students after the adoption of the Framework in a number of primary and secondary schools in Western Australia. Students from two schools that had only recently adopted the Framework completed a "Baseline" questionnaire, and students from three schools that had been implementing the Framework for at least 17 months completed a "Follow-up" questionnaire. The results suggest that the Mentally Healthy Schools Framework, adapted from a community-wide campaign, can have a positive impact on students in terms of increasing openness about mental health, increasing awareness of behaviours conducive to good mental health, and increasing engagement in behaviours to improve their mental health. Such positive impacts have clear implications not only for prevention of mental disorders, but for academic achievement, employment, and overall contribution to society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Myopia is a significant cause of visual impairment which may lead to many complications. However, the understanding of the mechanisms of myopia is still limited. In this paper, in order to investigate the development and the treatment of myopia, we analyzed the biological structure parameters of mice eyes, obtained from optical coherence tomography (OCT), and the optical performance of mice eyes calculated using ZEMAX software (ZEMAX Development Corporation, Kirkland, WA, USA) in which the optical model was built on the segment-by-segment optically corrected OCT 3D-images. Time-serial evaluation of three groups of mice eyes (form-deprivation myopia mice eyes, normal mice eyes, and atropine-treated myopia mice eyes) was performed. In addition to the biological structure parameters, imaging performance with the development of root-mean-square wavefront aberration at six filed angles was compared and analyzed. Results show that the biological structure parameters of the eye are closely related to the development of myopia. The peripheral defocus of the retina has a significant impact on inducing myopia, which verifies the new theory of myopia development. The delaying effect of atropine solution on myopia development is shown to verify the therapeutic effect of the medicine. This study provides technical support for the investigation of the myopia mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a novel magnetic abrasive finishing (MAF) process that uses an auxiliary magnetic machining tool for the internal surface finishing of a thick-walled tube. The auxiliary magnetic machining tool and external poles form a closed magnetic field circuit. Thus, a stronger magnetic force can be generated during the process. In the current study, we focus on analyzing the distribution of the magnetic field and magnetic flux density and investigating the finishing characteristics of a mixed magnetic abrasive finishing process and speed of relative revolutions. Based on the finishing characteristics, we also conduct a stage-by-stage finishing process by changing the combinations of the mixed magnetic abrasive finishing process. The finishing quality of the internal surface was mainly evaluated by the measured roundness and surface roughness. The experimental results show that the roundness and surface roughness Ra are affected when the total amount of WA abrasive and iron powder is too much; a better surface roughness could be obtained when the difference in the speed of relative revolutions is considerable, but the roundness is the worst. Furthermore, the original roundness measurement of 270 µm can reach 10 µm, and the surface roughness Ra can increase from an original surface roughness of 4.1 µm to reach 10 nm after 105 min of the stage-by-stage finishing process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A large database of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) logging data from clastic rocks of offshore oil and gas fields of Western Australia was used to assess the performance of multi regression analysis (MRA) to calculate NMR log outputs from conventional well logs. This short paper introduces a set of MRA equations for the calculation of the NMR log outputs using conventional well logs as inputs. This study shows that unlike machine learning methods the MRA approach fails to predict most of the NMR log outputs with acceptable accuracy but can provide Coates and SDR permeabilities with R2 of more than 0.75. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Younger granite bodies form two arches, the western and the eastern (WA, EA), which extend from the south northwards from the Meatique, ophiolitic group-island arc rocks, to the large older granite outcrop to the north. This paper concerns the feasibility of exploration in the El-Erediya-Ria El-Garah-El-Gidami-El-Missikat Y Gr regions. Fieldwork and remote sensing, together with geochemical, petrochemical, and mineralogical studies, are used to show the controlling factors, routes, and the origins of the deposits. Remote sensing is used to delineate the different rock units. Normal and strike–slip NW, NNE faults, veins, fractured ENE shear zones, and alteration zones of magmatic-hydrothermal fluids are discussed. Granites are considered using petrochemical diagrams as resources. These rocks are categorized as syeno- and alkali feldspar granites. Geochemical binary relationships recognized the granites are highly fractionated calc-alkaline-altered Monzo-, syeno-, and alkali feldspar granites formed in the active continental margin. The observed positive Ga vs. Cu, Zn, and Ni correlations are used for epithermal-magmatic-hydrothermal polymetallic veins and mineralized greisen zones. Negative Cu vs. Mo correlation patterns show probable Mo-porphyry deposits in the deeper zones at the contact point between porphyritic perthite and perthite granitic El-Erediya mass. The Zr/Sr between 1.65 to 2.93 plus fluorites in El-Missikat and up to 5.48 plus fluorites in El-Erediya show both U-poor at El-Missikat and U-rich deposits at El-Erediya. The recorded U, Th, Cu, and Pb vertical zoning sequence of deposition differentiates U aureole and deposit zones. The estimated lateral zoning sequences of deposition of these elements define the centers of U deposits. Pathfinders for the deposit of the examined area include the positive Fe2O3 vs. Mg O and Fe2O3 vs. Ca O correlations, and also negative Rb/Sr vs. K/Na and Rb vs. Sr ones, can be applied to future prospecting for similar U-F-Au-W-Mo deposits in the Eastern Desert of Egypt. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conservation practitioners require cost-effective and repeatable remotely sensed data for assistive monitoring. This paper tests the ability of standard remotely piloted aircraft (DJI Phantom 4 Pro) imagery to discriminate between plant species in a rangeland environment. Flights were performed over two 0.3–0.4 ha exclusion plot sites, established as controls to protect vegetation from translocated animal disturbance on Dirk Hartog Island, Western Australia. Comparisons of discriminatory variables, classification potential, and optimal flight height were made between plot sites with different plant species diversity. We found reflectance bands and height variables to have high differentiation potential, whilst measures of texture were less useful for multisegmented plant canopies. Discrimination between species varied with omission errors ranging from 13 to 93%. Purposely resampling c. 5 mm imagery as captured at 20–25 m above terrain identified that a flight height of 120 m would improve capture efficiency in future surveys without hindering accuracy. Overall accuracy at a site with low species diversity (n = 4) was 70%, which is an encouraging result given the imagery is limited to visible spectral bands. With higher species diversity (n = 10), the accuracy reduced to 53%, although it is expected to improve with additional bands or grouping like species. Findings suggest that in rangeland environments with low species diversity, monitoring using a standard RPA is viable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding risk factors for frailty, functional decline and incidence of adverse healthcare outcomes amongst community-dwelling older adults is important to plan population-level health and social care services. We examined variables associated with one-year risk of institutionalisation, hospitalisation and death among patients assessed in their own home by a community-based Aged Care Assessment Team (ACAT) in Western Australia. Frailty and risk were measured using the Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS) and Risk Instrument for Screening in the Community (RISC), respectively. Predictive accuracy was measured from the area under the curve (AUC). Data from 417 patients, median 82 ± 10 years, were included. At 12-month follow-up, 22.5% (n = 94) were institutionalised, 44.6% (n = 186) were hospitalised at least once and 9.8% (n = 41) had died. Frailty was common, median CFS score 6/9 ± 1, and significantly associated with institutionalisation (p = 0.001), hospitalisation (p = 0.007) and death (p < 0.001). Impaired activities of daily living (ADL) measured on the RISC had moderate correlation with admission to long-term care (r = 0.51) and significantly predicted institutionalisation (p < 0.001) and death (p = 0.01). The RISC had the highest accuracy for institutionalisation (AUC 0.76). The CFS and RISC had fair to good accuracy for mortality (AUC of 0.69 and 0.74, respectively), but neither accurately predicted hospitalisation. Home assessment of community-dwelling older patients by an ACAT in Western Australia revealed high levels of frailty, ADL impairment and incident adverse outcomes, suggesting that anticipatory care planning is imperative for these patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Analysis of observations, reanalysis, and model simulations, including those using machine learning methods specifically designed for regime identification, has revealed changes in aspects of the Southern Hemisphere (SH) circulation and Australian climate and extremes over the last half-century that indicate transitions to new states. In particular, our analysis shows a dramatic shift in the metastability of the SH climate that occurred in the late 1970s, associated with a large-scale regime transition in the SH atmospheric circulation, with systematic changes in the subtropical jet, blocking, zonal winds, and storm tracks. Analysis via nonstationary clustering reveals a regime shift coincident with a sharp transition to warmer oceanic sea surface temperatures and increased baroclinicity in the large scales of the Antarctic Circumpolar Circulation (ACC), extending across the whole hemisphere. At the same time, the background state of the tropical Pacific thermocline shoaled, leading to an increased likelihood of El Niño events. The SH climate shift in the late 1970s is the first hemispheric regime shift that can be directly attributed to anthropogenic climate change. These changes in dynamics are associated with additional regional tipping points, including reductions in mean and extreme rainfall in south-west Western Australia (SWWA) and streamflow into Perth dams, and also with increases in mean and extreme rainfall over northern Australia since the late 1970s. The drying of south-eastern Australia (SEA) occurred against a background of accelerating increases in average and extreme temperatures across the whole continent since the 1990s, implying further inflection points may have occurred. Analysis of climate model simulations capturing the essence of these observed shifts indicates that these systematic changes will continue into the late 21st century under high greenhouse gas emission scenarios. Here, we review two decades of work, revealing for the first time that tipping points characteristic of regime transitions are inferred to have already occurred in the SH climate system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With increasing numbers of parents choosing to home-school their child, currently there is very limited information about how this is implemented. Utilizing the recently developed Parents' Perceptions of Home-Schooling scale (PPHS), a survey of 93 home-schooling parents in Western Australia was undertaken. Data were collected using five Likert scales to obtain information concerned with a range of implementation aspects. Key findings were related to the process for registering and providing an appropriate learning program, the role of the home-educator moderator, the type of study and support utilized, and whether the student had a disability or ALNs. The discussion considers links to inclusion and how the heightened uptake of home-schooling can be monitored effectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite countless advances in recent years, exploration for volcanogenic massive sulfide (VMS) deposits remains challenging. This is particularly the case in the Yilgarn Craton of Western Australia, where outcrop is limited, weathering is deep and extensive, and metamorphism is variable. At Erayinia in the southern Kurnalpi terrane, intercepts of VMS-style mineralization occur along ~35 km strike length of stratigraphy, and a small Zn (-Cu) deposit has been defined at King (2.15 Mt at 3.47% Zn). An extensive aircore and reverse circulation drilling campaign on the regional stratigraphy identified additional VMS targets, including the King North prospect. Through a combination of detailed rock chip logging, petrography (inc. SEM imaging), and lithogeochemistry, we have reconstructed the volcanic stratigraphy and alteration halos associated with the King North prospect. Hydrothermal alteration assemblages and geochemical characteristics at King North (Mg-Si-K enrichment, Na depletion, and high Sb, Tl, Eu/Eu*, alteration index, CCPI, and normative corundum abundance values) are consistent with an overturned VMS system. The overturned footwall stratigraphy at King North is dominated by metamorphosed volcanic rocks, namely the following: garnet amphibolite (tholeiitic, basaltic), biotite amphibolite (andesitic, calc-alkaline), chlorite–quartz schist (dacitic), and narrow horizons of muscovite–quartz schist (dacitic to rhyolitic, HFSE-enriched). The hanging-wall to the Zn-bearing sequence is characterized by quartz–albite schists (metasedimentary rocks) and thick sequences of amphibolite (calc-alkaline, basaltic andesite). An iron-rich unit (>25% Fe2O3) of chlorite–actinolite–quartz schist, interpreted as a meta-exhalite, is associated with significant Cu-Au mineralization, adjacent to a likely syn-volcanic fault. Extensive Mg metasomatism of the immediate felsic footwall is represented by muscovite–chlorite schist. Diamond drilling into the deep hanging-wall stratigraphy at both King North and King has also revealed the potential for additional, stacked VMS prospective horizons in the greenstone belt stratigraphy. The discovery of HFSE-enriched rhyolites, zones of muscovite–chlorite schist, presence of abundant sulfide-rich argillaceous metasedimentary rocks, and a second upper meta-exhalite horizon further expand the exploration potential of the King–King North region. Our combined petrographic and lithogeochemical approach demonstrates that complex volcanic lithologies and VMS alteration signatures can be established across variably metamorphosed greenstone belts. This has wider implications for more cost-effective exploration across the Yilgarn Craton, utilizing RC drilling to reconstruct the local geology and identify proximal halos, and limiting more costly diamond drilling to key areas of complex geology and deeper EM targets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Speech signals contain abundant information on personal emotions, which plays an important part in the representation of human potential characteristics and expressions. However, the deficiency of emotion speech data affects the development of speech emotion recognition (SER), which also limits the promotion of recognition accuracy. Currently, the most effective approach is to make use of unsupervised feature learning techniques to extract speech features from available speech data and generate emotion classifiers with these features. In this paper, we proposed to implement autoencoders such as a denoising autoencoder (DAE) and an adversarial autoencoder (AAE) to extract the features from LibriSpeech for model pre-training, and then conducted experiments on the Interactive Emotional Dyadic Motion Capture (IEMOCAP) datasets for classification. Considering the imbalance of data distribution in IEMOCAP, we developed a novel data augmentation approach to optimize the overlap shift between consecutive segments and redesigned the data division. The best classification accuracy reached 78.67% (weighted accuracy, WA) and 76.89% (unweighted accuracy, UA) with AAE. Compared with state-of-the-art results to our knowledge (76.18% of WA and 76.36% of UA with the supervised learning method), we achieved a slight advantage. This suggests that using unsupervised learning benefits the development of SER and provides a new approach to eliminate the problem of data scarcity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Speech emotion recognition poses challenges due to the varied expression of emotions through intonation and speech rate. In order to reduce the loss of emotional information during the recognition process and to enhance the extraction and classification of speech emotions and thus improve the ability of speech emotion recognition, we propose a novel approach in two folds. Firstly, a feed-forward network with skip connections (SCFFN) is introduced to fine-tune wav2vec 2.0 and extract emotion embeddings. Subsequently, ConLearnNet is employed for emotion classification. ConLearnNet comprises three steps: feature learning, contrastive learning, and classification. Feature learning transforms the input, while contrastive learning encourages similar representations for samples from the same category and discriminative representations for different categories. Experimental results on the IEMOCAP and the EMO-DB datasets demonstrate the superiority of our proposed method compared to state-of-the-art systems. We achieve a WA and UAR of 72.86% and 72.85% on IEMOCAP, and 97.20% and 96.41% on the EMO-DB, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phenotypic plasticity is the ability of an individual genotype to express phenotype variably in different environments. This study investigated the plasticity of yield-related traits of bread wheat by utilising 225 doubled haploid (DH) lines developed from cv. Westonia and cv. Kauz, through two field trials in Western Australia. Plasticity was quantified via two previously published methods: responsiveness to varying ecological conditions and slopes of reaction norms. The spikelets/spike was the most plastic trait, with an overall plasticity of 1.62. The least plastic trait was grain protein content, with an overall plasticity of 0.79. The trait hierarchy based on phenotypic plasticity was spikelets/spike > thousand kernel weight > seed number > seed length > grain yield > grain protein content. An increase in yield plasticity of 0.1 was associated with an increase in maximum yield of 4.45 kg ha−1. The plasticity of seed number and grain protein content were significantly associated with yield plasticity. The maximal yield was positively associated with spikelets/spike and grain yield, whereas it negatively associated with grain protein content. In contrast, the minimal yield was found to be negatively related to the plasticity of spikelets/spike and the plasticity of grain yield, whereas it was not related to grain protein content plasticity. Seed number and seed length exhibited plastic responses at the higher fertilisation state while remaining relatively stable at the lower fertilisation state for the wheat DH population. The finding of the current study will play a key role in wheat improvement under the changing climate. Seed length and seed number should be the breeding target for achieving stable yield in adverse environmental conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The global construction sector contributes a significant share of total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In Australia, infrastructure activity alone generates 18% of the GHG emissions. The use of low-embodied carbon building materials is crucial to decarbonise the construction sector and fulfil national and international climate goals. Industrial hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) is a promising feedstock for low-carbon construction materials because of its carbon sequestration capacity, fast-growing cycles, and technical functionality comparable to traditional materials. This study utilised the life cycle assessment (LCA) guideline ISO 14040:2006 to estimate the carbon footprint (CF) of hemp-based building materials in Western Australia capturing region-specific variations in terms of inputs, soil, productivity, and energy mix. The functional unit was 1 m2 of a hemp-based board, and the system boundary was cradle-to-gate, i.e., pre-farm, on-farm, and post-farm activities. The CF of 1 m2 of hemp-based board was estimated to be −2.302 kg CO2 eq. Electricity from the public grid for bio-based binder production during the post-farm stage was the main contributor to total CO2 eq emissions (26%), followed by urea production (14%) during the pre-farm stage. Overall, the use of electricity from the public grid during the post-farm stage accounted for 45% of total emissions. Sensitivity analysis showed that the CF of hemp-based boards was highly sensitive to the source of energy; i.e., total replacement of the public grid by solar power decreased the CF by 164% (−2.30 to −6.07 kg CO2 eq). The results suggested that hemp-based boards exhibit lower embodied GHG emissions compared to traditional materials, such as gypsum plasterboards. [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]

We analysed changes in magnitude and timing of the largest annual observed daily flow (Amax), in each water year, for 596 stations in high-value water resource catchments and flood risk locations across Australia. These stations are either included in the Bureau of Meteorology's Hydrologic Reference Stations or used in its operational flood forecasting services. Monotonic trend (which is either consistently increasing or decreasing) analyses of the magnitude and timing of flood peaks (estimated using Amax) were performed using the Theil–Sen and Mann–Kendall approaches and circular statistics to identify the strength of seasonality and timing. We analysed regional significance across different drainage divisions using the Walker test. Monotonic decreasing trends in Amax flood magnitude were found in the Murray–Darling River Basin and in other drainage divisions in Victoria, southwest and midwest of Western Australia and South Australia. No significant obvious pattern in Amax magnitude was detected in northern Queensland, coastal NSW, central Australia and Tasmania. Monotonic increasing trends were only found in the Tanami–Timor Sea Coast drainage division in northern Australia. Monotonic trends in Amax magnitude were regionally significant at the drainage division scale. We found two distinct patterns in flood seasonality and timing. In the northern and southern parts of Australia, flood peaks generally occur from February to March and August to October, respectively. The strength of this seasonality varies across the country. Weaker seasonality was detected for locations in the Murray–Darling River Basin, and stronger seasonality was evident in northern Australia, the southwest of Western Australia, South Australia, Victoria and Tasmania. The trends of seasonality and timing reveal that in general, flood peaks have occurred later in the water year in recent years. In northern Australia, flood peaks have generally occurred earlier, at a rate of 12 days/decade. In Victoria, New South Wales and Tasmania, the trends in timing are generally mixed. However, in the southwest of Western Australia, the largest change in timing was evident, with Amax peaks commencing later at a rate of 15 days/decade. Decadal variability in flood timing was found at the drainage division scale as well. Most stations show a decreasing trend in Amax magnitude, but how that trend is associated with the change in timing is not clear. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In response to climate change, wood pellets have been increasingly utilized as a sustainable energy source. However, their growing utilization increases the production of wood pellet fly ash (WA) by-products, necessitating alternative recycling technologies due to a shortage of discharging landfills. Thus, this research seeks to utilize WA by developing a new sustainable construction material, called wood pellet fly ash blended binder (WABB), and to validate its stabilizing performance in natural soils, namely weathered granite soil (WS). WABB is made from 50% WA, 30% ground granulated blast-furnace slag (GGBS), and 20% cement by dry mass. WS was mixed with 5%, 15%, and 25% WABB and was tested for a series of unconfined compressive strength (qu), pH, and suction tests at 3, 7, 14, and 28 days. For the microstructural analyses, XRD, SEM, and EDS were employed. As the WABB dosage rate increased, the average qu increased by 1.88 to 11.77, which was higher than that of compacted WS without any binder. Newly cementitious minerals were also confirmed. These results suggest that the effects of the combined hydration mechanism of WABB are due to cement's role in facilitating early strength development, GGBS's latent hydraulic properties, and WA's capacity to stimulate the alkaline components of WABB and soil grains. Thus, this research validates a new sustainable binder, WABB, as a potential alternative to conventional soil stabilizers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Motivation: This study deals with the introduction of artificial intelligence (AI) in digital pathology (DP). The study starts from the highlights of a companion paper. Objective: The aim was to investigate the consensus and acceptance of the insiders on this issue. Procedure: An electronic survey based on the standardized package Microsoft Forms (Microsoft, Redmond, WA, USA) was proposed to a sample of biomedical laboratory technicians (149 admitted in the study, 76 males, 73 females, mean age 44.2 years). Results: The survey showed no criticality. It highlighted (a) the good perception of the basic training on both groups, and (b) a uniformly low perceived knowledge of AI (as arisen from the graded questions). Expectations, perceived general impact, perceived changes in the work-flow, and worries clearly emerged in the study. Conclusions: The of AI in DP is an unstoppable process, as well as the increase of the digitalization in the health domain. Stakeholders must not look with suspicion towards AI, which can represent an important resource, but should invest in monitoring and consensus training initiatives based also on electronic surveys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Medical image segmentation can effectively identify lesions in medicine, but some small and rare lesions cannot be well identified. Existing studies do not take into account the uncertainty of the occurrence of diseased tissue, and the problem of long-tailed distribution of medical data. Meanwhile, the grayscale image obtained from Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) detection has problems, such as the features being difficult to extract and invalid features being difficult to distinguish. In order to solve these problems, we propose a new weighted attention ResUNet (WA-ResUNet) and a class weight formula based on the number of images contained in the class, which improves the performance of the model in the low-frequency class and the overall effect of the model by improving the degree of attention paid to the valid features and invalid ones and rebalancing the learning efficiency among the classes. We evaluated our method on an uterine MRI dataset and compared it with the ResUNet. WA-ResUNet increased Intersection over Union (IoU) in the low-frequency class (Nabothian cysts) by 21.87%, and the overall mIoU increased by more than 6.5%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Damage on clothing worn by homicide victims can provide valuable information about the weapon or the actions of the assault. For instance, knives deposit distinct marks on fabric depending on the blade's characteristics, and tears produce a unique morphology on clothing. However, in cases where a victim is found after a period of time, the natural processes of decomposition and insect colonization can potentially modify the damage on clothing, hindering the reconstruction of the crime. To evaluate these modifications, we conducted this study on stillborn piglets wrapped in different fabrics that were stabbed or had their fabric torn before being placed in the field to decompose. Our results show that decomposition and insect activity can modify existing cuts and tears and introduce new artifacts on fabrics as the time since death increases. The modifications of the inflicted cuts and tears were influenced by factors such as the type of fabric, type of initial damage, decomposition processes, insect activity, bacterial and fungal colonization, and length of exposure to the environment. Fatal stabbings are the leading cause of homicide in countries with restricted access to firearms, such as Australia. The analysis of damage on clothing imparted by a sharp object can assist in the characterization of the weapon. However, decomposition and carrion insects can modify the features of the damage, impeding textile damage analysis and crime reconstruction. This study aimed to identify and characterize the modifications of textile damage over 47 days of decomposition during the summer season in Western Australia. Fabric modifications were analyzed on cotton, synthetic, and blended fabrics with standardized cuts and tears, wrapped on 99 stillborn piglets. Six unclothed piglets acted as controls, with three being stabbed. All piglets were placed simultaneously in the field alongside swatches of fabric. Analyses considered taphonomy, insect interactions, and any textile damage using optical microscopy and SEM. The results showed that carrion insects can modify existing cuts and tears and introduce new artifacts on textiles. The 100% cotton fabric was the most affected by mechanical and chemical degradation, especially cuts and areas stained with blood or decomposition fluids. The study highlights the combined effect of multiple factors on textile damage, including the type of fabric, initial damage, bloating, insect activity, and biodegradation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study presents an unexplored method to produce formaldehyde-free MDF. Steam exploded Arundo donax L. (STEX-AD) and untreated wood fibers (WF) were mixed at different mixing rates (0/100, 50/50, and 100/0, respectively) and two series of boards were manufactured, with 4 wt% of pMDI, based on dry fibers, and self-bonded. The mechanical and physical performance of the boards was analyzed as a function of the adhesive content and the density. The mechanical performance and dimensional stability were determined by following European standards. The material formulation and the density of the boards had a significant effect on both mechanical and physical properties. The boards made solely of STEX-AD were comparable to those made with pMDI, while the panels made of WF without adhesive were those that performed the worst. The STEX-AD showed the ability to reduce the TS for both pMDI-bonded and self-bonded boards, although leading to a high WA and a higher short-term absorption for the latter. The results presented show the feasibility of using STEX-AD in the manufacturing of self-bonded MDF and the improvement of dimensional stability. Nonetheless, further studies are needed especially to address the enhancement of the internal bond (IB). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Larval mosquito development is directly impacted by environmental water temperature. Shallow water less than 1 m deep is a common larval mosquito habitat. Existing mathematical models estimate water temperature using meteorological variables, and they range in complexity. We developed a modification of an existing one-layer heat balance model for estimating hourly water temperature and compared its performance with that of a model that uses only air temperature and water volume as inputs and that uses air temperature itself as an indicator of water temperature. These models were assessed against field measurements from a shallow tidal wetland—a known larval habitat—in southwest Western Australia. We also analysed publicly available measurements of air temperature and river height to determine whether they could be used in lieu of field measurements to allow cost-effective long-term monitoring. The average error of the modified version of the heat balance equation was −0.5 °C per hour. Air temperature was the second-best performing method ( x ¯ error = −2.82 °C). The public data sources accurately represented the onsite water temperature measurements. The original heat balance model, which incorporates a parameterisation of evaporative heat flux, performed poorly in hot, dry, windy conditions. The modified model can be used as an input to larval mosquito development models, assisting Local Government Environmental Health officers to determine optimal mosquito development periods and the timing of mosquito monitoring activities to enhance mosquito control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Methods for detecting emotions that employ many modalities at the same time have been found to be more accurate and resilient than those that rely on a single sense. This is due to the fact that sentiments may be conveyed in a wide range of modalities, each of which offers a different and complementary window into the thoughts and emotions of the speaker. In this way, a more complete picture of a person's emotional state may emerge through the fusion and analysis of data from several modalities. The research suggests a new attention-based approach to multimodal emotion recognition. This technique integrates facial and speech features that have been extracted by independent encoders in order to pick the aspects that are the most informative. It increases the system's accuracy by processing speech and facial features of various sizes and focuses on the most useful bits of input. A more comprehensive representation of facial expressions is extracted by the use of both low- and high-level facial features. These modalities are combined using a fusion network to create a multimodal feature vector which is then fed to a classification layer for emotion recognition. The developed system is evaluated on two datasets, IEMOCAP and CMU-MOSEI, and shows superior performance compared to existing models, achieving a weighted accuracy WA of 74.6% and an F1 score of 66.1% on the IEMOCAP dataset and a WA of 80.7% and F1 score of 73.7% on the CMU-MOSEI dataset. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The jarrah forest is a natural ecosystem with significant endemism in the flora and fauna. The forest stands on the western edge of the ancient Great Plateau of Western Australia on the granitic shield of the Yilgarn craton (2.5 Gya). The long-term migration of soluble iron and aluminium led to the formation of bauxite ore. The regolith ore is bound by surficial topsoil and deep pallid zone kaolinite clays, primarily used in land rehabilitation. We investigated the chemical fertility of the substrates, along with key physical properties. We found the capacity of these soils to provide a stable growth medium differed considerably in their ability to retain and supply nutrients. These substrates are deficient in nitrogen, phosphorus, and micronutrients. In the topsoil, 15% of total P is plant-available, while in the pallid zone layer, only 1% of total P is available. 31P-NMR showed no organic P in the pallid zone, whereas the topsoil had significant organic P and, consequently, a supply of phosphate ions. This shows the importance of organic P in the topsoil for ecosystem nutrition when inorganic fertilisers are not applied in state-of-the-art restoration schemes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban green and blue space (GBS) significantly impacts the diffusion range of atmospheric particulate matter. By determining the diffusion distance of atmospheric particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10) in Shanghai, combined with the GBS landscape pattern index, this study completed a stepwise multiple regression equation and correlation analysis to explore the relationship between the morphological structure and spatial configuration of GBS on the diffusion distance of atmospheric particles. The results show that the landscape shape index (LSI) and the number of patches (NP) of GBS have a significant positive correlation with the diffusion distance of atmospheric particles, while the coefficient of the percent of landscape (PLAND), as a key influencing factor, has a negative correlation. The mean Euclidean nearest neighbor distance (ENN_MN) and splitting index (SPLIT) in the spatial configuration metrics positively affect the diffusion distance. Studies have proved that complex and dispersed GBS will lead to the weakening of its purification ability, thereby increasing the pollution range of atmospheric particulate matter. The order of the influence of different GBS types on the diffusion distance of atmospheric particles is as follows: DT > BS > LP > ST > WA. Therefore, high-density GBS with simple shapes and concentrated distribution should be considered in the future construction of new cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Mount Weld rare earth element (REE) deposit, Western Australia, is one of the largest of its type on Earth. Current mining exploits the high-grade weathered goethite-bearing resource that lies above, and which represents the weathering product of a subjacent carbonatite. The mineralogy, petrography, deportment of lanthanides among the different components, and variation in mineral speciation, textures, and chemistry are examined. Microanalysis, involving scanning electron microscope (SEM) imaging, electron probe microanalysis (EPMA) and laser ablation inductively coupled-plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS), was conducted on sized fractions of three crushed and ground laterite ore samples from current and planned production, and a representative sample from the underlying carbonatite. High-magnification imaging of particles in laterite samples show that individual REE-bearing phases are fine-grained and extend in size well below the micron-scale. Nanoscale inclusions of REE-phosphates are observed in apatite, Fe-(Mn)-(hydr)oxides, and quartz, among others. These have the appearance, particularly in fluorapatite, of pervasive, ultrafine dusty domains. Apart from the discrete REE minerals and abundant nano- to micron-scale inclusions in gangue, all ore components analysed by LA-ICP-MS contain trace to minor levels of REEs within their structures. This includes apatite, where low levels of REE are confirmed in preserved igneous apatite, but also Fe- and Mn-(hydr)oxides in which concentrations of hundreds, even thousands of ppm are measured. This is significant given that Fe-(Mn)-(hydr)oxides are the most abundant component of the laterite and points to extensive mobility and redistribution of REEs, and especially HREE, during progressive lateritisation. Late-formed minerals, notably tiny grains of cerianite, reflect a shift to oxidising conditions. REE-fluorocarbonates are the main host for REEs in carbonatite and are systematically replaced by hydrated, Ca-bearing REE-phosphates (largely rhabdophane). The latter displays varied compositions but is characteristically enriched in HREE relative to monazite in the same sample. Fine-grained, compositionally heterogeneous rhabdophane is accompanied by minor amounts of other paragenetically late, hydrated phosphates with enhanced MREE/HREE relative to LREE (although still LREE-dominant). Minor, relict xenotime and zircon are significant HREE carriers. Ilmenite and pyrochlore group members contain REE but contribute only negligibly to the overall REE budget. Although the proportions of individual mineral species differ, the chemistry of key ore components are similar in different laterite samples from the current resource. Mineral signatures are, however, subtly different in the lower grade southeastern part of the deposit, including higher concentrations of HREE relative to LREE in monazite, rhabdophane, florencite and Fe-(Mn)-(hydr)oxides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Precise prediction of ore grade is essential in feasibility studies, mine planning, open-pit and underground optimization, and ore grade control. Conventional methods, such as geometric and geostatistical methods, are the most popular techniques for mineral resource estimation but fail to capture the complexity of orebodies. Due to this limitation, grades are incorrectly estimated, leading to inaccurate mine plans and costly financial decisions. Here, we propose an ore grade prediction method using an artificial neural network (ANN). We collected 14,294 datasets from the Jaguar mine in Western Australia. The proposed model was developed by incorporating lithology, alteration, eastings, northwards, altitude, dip, and azimuth to predict the grade, and the performance evaluation metrics were measured based on the mean absolute error (MAE), mean square error (MSE), root mean square error (RMSE), correlation coefficient, R, and coefficient of determination (R2). The proposed ANN model outperformed classic machine learning methods with R2, R, MAE, MSE, and RMSE of 0.584, 0.765, 0.0018, 0.0016, and 0.041, respectively. The Shapley technique was used to evaluate the feature importance of the input variables for the grade prediction. Lithology demonstrated the highest influence on ore prediction, whereas eastings had the least impact on output. The proposed approach is promising for ore model prediction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the diet of whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) is essential for the development of appropriate conservation strategies for the species. This study evaluated the use of the parasitic copepod (Pandarus rhincodonicus) as a proxy to infer short-term foraging habitats and trophic positions of whale shark hosts. To accomplish this, bulk stable carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) isotope compositions were analysed from 72 paired samples of whale shark skin (dermal) tissues and copepods collected across six years at the Ningaloo Reef aggregation site, Western Australia. This study found that δ15N from parasites and whale shark hosts were strongly correlated. As turn-over times of the parasite and whale shark differ (months vs. years, respectively), the ability of copepods to predict δ15N values indicates that the trophic positions of whale sharks remain consistent across these timeframes. Contrastingly, δ13C in the parasite and host were weakly correlated, likely reflecting differences in the physiology and lifecycle of the copepod parasite compared to the host. Our results suggest δ15N from parasitic copepods provides a reliable proxy of the trophic position of their whale shark hosts, but interpretation of δ13C values as a proxy for the host will require future studies on the lifecycle of P. rhincodonicus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the decades in the US, the introduction of rootstocks with precocity, stress tolerance, and dwarfing has increased significantly to improve the advancement in modern orchard systems for high production of tree fruits. In pear, it is difficult to establish modern high-density orchard systems due to the lack of appropriate vigor-controlling rootstocks. The measurement of traits using unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) sensing techniques can help in identifying rootstocks suitable for higher-density plantings. The overall goal of this study is to optimize UAV flight parameters (sensor angles and direction) and preprocessing approaches to identify ideal flying parameters for data extraction and achieving maximum accuracy. In this study, five UAV missions were conducted to acquire high-resolution RGB imagery at different sensor inclination angles (90°, 65°, and 45°) and directions (forward and backward) from the pear rootstock breeding plot located at a research orchard belonging to the Washington State University (WSU) Tree Fruit Research and Extension Center in Wenatchee, WA, USA. The study evaluated the tree height and canopy volume extracted from four different integrated datasets and validated the accuracy with the ground reference data (n = 504). The results indicated that the 3D point cloud precisely measured the traits (0.89 < r < 0.92) compared to 2D datasets (0.51 < r < 0.75), especially with 95th percentile height measure. The integration of data acquired at different angles could be used to estimate the tree height and canopy volume. The integration of sensor angles during UAV flight is therefore critical for improving the accuracy of extracting architecture to account for varying tree characteristics and orchard settings and may be useful to further precision orchard management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

(1) Background: Pulmonary embolism (PE) can be fatal. Computed tomography pulmonary angiography (CTPA) can accurately diagnose PE, but it should be used only when reasonable pre-test probability exists. Overtesting with CTPA exposes patients to excess ionizing radiation and contrast media, while PE overdiagnosis leads to the treatment of small emboli unlikely to cause harm. This study assessed trends in CTPA use and diagnostic yield. We also assessed trends in PE hospitalizations and mortality to indicate PE severity. (2) Methods: Analysis of Western Australian linked administrative data for 2003–2015 including hospitalizations, emergency department (ED) attendances, and CTPA performed at hospitals. Age-sex standardized trends were calculated for CTPA use, PE hospitalizations, and mortality (as a proxy for severity). Logistic regression assessed diagnostic yield of CTPA following unplanned ED presentations. (3) Results: CTPA use increased from 3.3 per 10,000 person-years in 2003 (95% CI 3.0–3.6) to 17.1 per 10,000 person-years (16.5–17.7) in 2015. Diagnostic yield of CTPA increased from 12.7% in 2003 to 17.4% in 2005, declining to 12.2% in 2015 (p = 0.049). PE hospitalizations increased from 3.8 per 10,000 (3.5–4.1) in 2003 to 5.2 per 10,000 (4.8–5.5) in 2015. Mortality remained constant at 0.50 per 10,000 (0.39–0.62) in 2003 and 0.42 per 10,000 (0.32–0.51) in 2015. (4) Conclusions: CTPA increased from 2003 to 2015, while diagnostic yield decreased, potentially indicating overtesting. PE mortality remained constant despite increasing hospitalizations, likely indicating a higher proportion of less severe cases. As treatment can be harmful, this could represent overdiagnosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reports findings from a study that examines the factors which influence early childhood and care (ECEC) early career teachers' confidence in teaching Religious Education (RE) and how it impacts their teaching of RE in Catholic primary schools in Western Australia. Teachers' confidence is a teacher's belief in their ability to accomplish a goal and refers to strength of belief. Research in this area has shown that confidence is correlated with the sense of teaching efficacy and responsibility for student learning. Whilst there has been some research into teacher confidence, there has been insufficient research into early childhood teachers' confidence to teach RE in Catholic schools in an Australian context. Literature supports the notion that if early childhood teachers have a strong teacher confidence for a subject, they are more motivated to teach the subject and this has a positive correlation with positive student outcomes. The epistemological approach underpinning the research is constructivist in nature; therefore, it is based on understanding the constructed realities of what humans know of the world and themselves as produced by communications and systems of meaning. Three case studies follow teachers from their early career to second-year experience in Catholic schools. This study investigates support structures and aspects that contribute to teacher confidence in the teaching of RE. The main themes identified by the data that contributed to confidence or lack of confidence included training, family and religious backgrounds, teaching and learning, mentoring and support in the first year of teaching. The implications of the results for pre-service teacher training and support for graduate teachers are discussed and some suggestions are offered about the courses provided by universities and what schools and education systems can do to support early career teachers to teach RE effectively in Catholic schools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research was conducted to determine the compositional and textural characteristics and sensory profile of 'Ambrosia' apples with different dry matter content (DMC) as estimated using a Felix-750 Produce Quality Meter (Felix Instruments Inc., Camas, WA, USA). Fruits were harvested from a commercial orchard in Cawston and an experimental field in Summerland Research and Development Centre (SuRDC) in British Columbia, Canada, when the average absorbance difference index/coefficient of fruit skin δAbsorbance (δA) dropped under 0.45 ± 0.10. DMC levels were estimated after harvest at the blush/background transition zone for fruit categorization on 300 fruits from each location. Fruits were coded with an individual number and grouped in different DMC categories. The distribution of the estimated DMC levels obtained from two locations was different. The results indicate that DMC levels were strongly and positively correlated with the soluble solids content (SSC) of the fruit (r = 0.81). Sensory evaluations also demonstrated that apples in the lowest DMC category (12.5% ± 0.5 from Cawston) were considered the least sweet apples with the least overall flavour quality by panellists compared to the apples from the other DMC categories included in the sensory evaluations from the two locations. Panellists also perceived less-than-expected "fresh apple" and "tropical" flavours but more-than-expected "no flavour" and "bland" off flavour from the lowest-DMC-category apples. The non-destructive DMC measurements show a potential to be used to sort apples for SSC, sweetness and flavour; nevertheless, they were not related to firmness or textural attributes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shellfish reefs have been lost from bays and estuaries globally, including in the Swan-Canning Estuary in Western Australia. As part of a national program to restore the ecosystem services that such reefs once provided and return this habitat from near extinction, the mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis was selected for a large-scale shellfish reef construction project in this estuary. To assess the potential filtration capacity of the reef, estuary seston quality, mussel feeding behavior, and valve gape activity were quantified in the laboratory and field during winter and summer. In general, estuary water contained high total particulate concentrations (7.9–8.7 mg L−1). Standard clearance rates were greater in winter (1.9 L h−1; 17 °C) than in summer (1.3 L h−1; 25 °C), the latter producing extremely low absorption efficiencies (37%). Mussel valves remained open ~97% and ~50% of the time in winter and summer, respectively. They often displayed erratic behavior in summer, possibly due to elevated temperatures and the toxic microalgae Alexandrium spp. Despite numerous stressors, the reef, at capacity, was estimated to filter 35% of the total volume of the estuary over winter, incorporating 42.7 t of organic matter into mussel tissue. The reefs would thus make a substantial contribution to improving estuary water quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study reports on the total phenolic content and antioxidant activity as well as the phenolic compounds that are present in Calothamnus spp. (Red Bell), Agonis flexuosa (Coastal Peppermint), Corymbia calophylla (Marri) and Eucalyptus marginata (Jarrah) honeys from Western Australia. The honey's total phenolic content (TPC) was determined using a modified Folin–Ciocalteu assay, while their total antioxidant activity was determined using FRAP and DPPH assays. Phenolic constituents were identified using a High Performance Thin-Layer Chromatography (HTPLC)-derived phenolic database, and the identified phenolic compounds were quantified using HPTLC. Finally, constituents that contribute to the honeys' antioxidant activity were identified using a DPPH-HPTLC bioautography assay. Based on the results, Calothamnus spp. honey (n = 8) was found to contain the highest (59.4 ± 7.91 mg GAE/100 g) TPC, followed by Eucalyptus marginata honey (50.58 ± 3.76 mg GAE/100 g), Agonis flexuosa honey (36.08 ± 4.2 mg GAE/100 g) and Corymbia calophylla honey (29.15 ± 5.46 mg GAE/100 g). In the FRAP assay, Calothamnus spp. honey also had the highest activity (9.24 ± 1.68 mmol Fe2+/kg), followed by Eucalyptus marginata honey (mmol Fe2+/kg), whereas Agonis flexuosa (5.45 ± 1.64 mmol Fe2+/kg) and Corymbia calophylla honeys (4.48 ± 0.82 mmol Fe2+/kg) had comparable FRAP activity. In the DPPH assay, when the mean values were compared, it was found that Calothamnus spp. honey again had the highest activity (3.88 ± 0.96 mmol TE/kg) while the mean DPPH antioxidant activity of Eucalyptus marginata, Agonis flexuosa, and Corymbia calophylla honeys were comparable. Kojic acid and epigallocatechin gallate were found in all honeys, whilst other constituents (e.g., m-coumaric acid, lumichrome, gallic acid, taxifolin, luteolin, epicatechin, hesperitin, eudesmic acid, syringic acid, protocatechuic acid, t-cinnamic acid, o-anisic acid) were only identified in some of the honeys. DPPH-HPTLC bioautography demonstrated that most of the identified compounds possess antioxidant activity, except for t-cinnamic acid, eudesmic acid, o-anisic acid, and lumichrome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: A novel taxonomic treatment is provided for the Drosera microphylla complex, which is a group of closely related carnivorous plants endemic to southwest Western Australia. The species that comprise this group are generally rare, micro-endemic, and are potentially threatened by habitat destruction and illegal collection. Resolving the taxonomy and systematics of this complex has been critical to the accurate assessment of its component species under conservation legislation. Following two decades of fieldwork in Western Australia, studies of preserved plant collections, and crucial contributions by citizen scientists and social media, we establish here that the Drosera microphylla complex comprises nine distinct species, three times the number previously recognised. Four species are here described and illustrated as new to science. Two previously described varieties are here re-circumscribed as distinct species in light of their rediscoveries via social media posts, allowing them to be studied for the first time since they were described more than 100 years ago. We provide examples from the genus Drosera for the impact of social media and citizen science on taxonomic work and biological conservation. This work demonstrates the great potential that citizen science has in supporting rapid advances in taxonomic knowledge in the face of extinction crises worldwide. The carnivorous Drosera microphylla complex from southwest Western Australia comprises a group of rare, narrowly endemic species that are potentially threatened by habitat destruction and illegal collection, thus highlighting a need for accurate taxonomic classification to facilitate conservation efforts. Following extensive fieldwork over two decades, detailed studies of both Australian and European herbaria and consideration of both crucial contributions by citizen scientists and social media observations, nine species of the D. microphylla complex are here described and illustrated, including four new species: D. atrata, D. hortiorum, D. koikyennuruff, and D. reflexa. The identities of the previously described infraspecific taxa D. calycina var. minor and D. microphylla var. macropetala are clarified. Both are here lectotypified, reinstated, and elevated to species rank. A replacement name, D. rubricalyx, is provided for the former taxon. Key morphological characters distinguishing the species of this complex include the presence or absence of axillary leaves, lamina shape, petal colour, filament shape, and style length. A detailed identification key, comparison figures, and a distribution map are provided. Six of the nine species are recommended for inclusion on the Priority Flora List under the Conservation Codes for Western Australian Flora and Fauna. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conventional wastewater treatment processes require extensive energy inputs for their operations. Biologically enhanced primary treatment (BEPT) is a promising technology to capture incoming organics that may be utilized to produce biogas and potentially hydrogen with further downstream processing. This study involved a biologically enhanced primary treatment (BEPT) of raw wastewater at bench and pilot-scale using activated sludge (AS) addition and dissolved air flotation (DAF) using raw wastewater at a municipal wastewater facility in Western Australia with average chemical oxygen demand of ~800 mg/L. The results of pilot-scale testing showed an improved removal performance for total chemical oxygen demand (COD-T), soluble chemical oxygen demand (COD-S), and total suspended solids (TSS) compared to conventional primary treatment (PT). Specifically, average COD-T, COD-S and TSS removals for BEPT were 33.3%, 13.5% and 45%, respectively which was 10%, 100% and 6% higher than PT. Moreover, the sludge produced from BEPT had a high solids content of 4.8 g/L, which might not need further thickening prior to anaerobic digestion. It is important to note that no chemicals were used during BEPT testing, which makes the process very cost-effective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil remediation is an important practice in the restoration of heavy metal-contaminated soils and reduce the heavy metal exposure of the local population. Here, we investigated the effect of an ex-situ soil washing technique, based on ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) as a chelating agent, on a contaminated Cambisol. Lead, Cd and Zn were investigated in different soil fractions, drainage water and four vegetables from August 2019 to March 2021. Three treatments consisting of (C) contaminated soil, (W) washed soil and (WA) washed soil amended with vermicompost and biochar were investigated in an outdoor raised bed set up. Our results showed that the total and bioavailable metal fractions were significantly reduced but failed to meet Austrian national guideline values. Initial concentrations in the soil leachate increased significantly, especially for Cd. Vegetables grown on the remediated soil took up significantly lower amounts of all heavy metals and were further reduced by the organic amendment, attaining acceptable values within EU guideline values for food safety. Only spinach exceeded the thresholds in all soil treatments. The increase in soil pH and nutrient availability led to significantly higher vegetable yields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although mobile hemodialysis treatments have been found to be an effective alternative to current in-center and home-based hemodialysis treatments, many barriers to its successful implementation remain. These barriers include the lack of considering user-centered monitoring protocols. This study investigates 24 patients' and 12 care partners' expectations for monitoring procedures for a mobile hemodialysis device. Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted at three locations within the Veterans Affairs Health Care System: Seattle, WA; Nashville, TN; and Louisville, KY. All interviews were transcribed and analyzed using inductive or deductive content analysis approaches. We identified 10 categories of indicators suggesting patients' needs to receive dialysis treatment and 11 categories of indicators suggesting patients' successful dialysis treatment. Furthermore, we identified six categories of patients' and care partners' design expectations for monitoring procedures. The findings from this study have the potential to guide the development of a monitoring system to help ensure users' acceptance of future mobile hemodialysis devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]