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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]

Low-carbon building regulations are acknowledged as critical instruments to facilitate the building industry's decarbonization transition. However, recent studies have shown that non-compliance with low-carbon requirements is under-researched, leading to a significant divergence between policy intentions and actual performance. In light of this, the paper aims to provide a synthesis of existing research on non-compliance with low-carbon building regulations. It does this using a systematic literature review combined with bibliometric and text mining techniques. Through reviewing 26 scholarly works from the last decade, the paper demonstrates a peak production year around 2015, the year of the Paris Agreement, with the USA and Australia as key countries of concern. Subsequently, the study reveals three focused research areas: the development of building policy during the low-carbon transition; the role of building energy performance requirements in achieving low-carbon buildings; and building energy code compliance. Findings suggest widespread non-compliance with building energy codes and also indicate influencing factors and associated enhancement strategies. Finally, the paper identifies gaps in the investigation of new forms of building energy codes; an inconsistent conception of compliance; and a lack of understanding in building practitioners' compliance behavior. The study contributes to knowledge by providing future research areas in this under-researched topic and by successfully applying both bibliometric and text mining analysis in the construction management domain. This is found to have advantages in terms of time efficiency and objectivity. It also offers practical implications for industry by minimizing the gap between policy intentions and real compliance performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurate electricity price forecasting (EPF) can provide a necessary basis for market decision making by power market participants to reduce the operating cost of the power system and ensure the system's stable operation. To address the characteristics of high frequency, strong nonlinearity, and high volatility of electricity prices, this paper proposes a short-term electricity price forecasting model based on a two-layer variational modal decomposition (VMD) technique, using the sparrow search algorithm (SSA) to optimize the long and short-term memory network (LSTM). The original electricity price sequence is decomposed into multiple modal components using VMD. Then, each piece is predicted separately using an SSA-optimized LSTM. For the element with the worst prediction accuracy, IMF-worst is decomposed for a second time using VMD to explore the price characteristics further. Finally, the prediction results of each modal component are reconstructed to obtain the final prediction results. To verify the validity and accuracy of the proposed model, this paper uses data from three electricity markets, Australia, Spain, and France, for validation analysis. The experimental results show that the proposed model has MAPE of 0.39%, 1.58%, and 0.95%, RMSE of 0.25, 0.9, and 0.3, and MAE of 0.19, 0.68, and 0.31 in three different cases, indicating that the proposed model can well handle the nonlinear and non-stationarity characteristics of the electricity price series and has superior forecasting performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, the discourse from media outlets around the globe, including Australia, has narrated a teacher supply crisis and highlighted the need to address an ever-growing teacher shortage. In Australia, a recent exodus of accredited teachers has seen a rapid change in the stability of the teaching workforce. School leaders are significantly challenged to find suitable teachers, especially in hard-to-staff schools in rural and remote communities. To fill the supply gap, governments have targeted career professionals looking to segue into a second career in education. Initial teacher education (ITE) preservice teachers trying to balance their external commitments and studies have necessitated a more flexible and versatile online learning platform and community. This paper discusses the need for ITE providers to pivot from the traditional modes of on-campus teaching and to establish a more accessible and highly engaging pedagogical approach to preservice teacher education to prepare this cohort of future teachers to be educators in schools. With a focus on the well-established pedagogical approach of collaborative communities of practice, this paper explores new narratives surrounding collective engagement and the link to academic accomplishment. The findings and thematic analyses unveiled a teaching-focused lecturer's lived experiences while creating and delivering collaborative and authentic pedagogically mobile curricula. The goal is to prepare preservice teachers for their new careers while creating authentic learning experiences that build their capacity to become pedagogically adaptable beginning teachers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Build-to-rent (BTR) is an important pathway for rental housing supply across the cities of Australia. The discourse has become more prevalent as stakeholders seek government support to expand the sector to provide, amongst other reform measures, affordable rental accommodation. This paper examines the effectiveness of BTR as a pathway to affordable housing supply in Australia and identifies the additional reforms needed to increase that supply further. Interviews with key stakeholders were used to assess the success of the asset class to date and how it is likely to perform in increasing affordable rental housing supply, as well as what additional reforms may be required to expedite supply. The paper found that while BTR aims to scale up rental housing supply, its limitations in its present form demonstrate the need for additional reforms. At present, unfavorable taxes, inner-city locational attributes, and ultramodern services make the asset class a high-end housing model. Experts posit that BTR rental prices are justified given the quality amenities and the 24/7 onsite professional management. While it is a premium product, several BTR projects in Australia have included portions of those projects for affordable housing. The study concluded that BTR can generate affordable housing outcomes in Australia. As more developments take place across the private sector, several regulatory reforms in land release and taxes are needed to produce a sizable portfolio of affordable BTR. Without government support and regulation through additional supply-side incentives, development and recurrent holding costs will remain high, making BTR unaffordable to many urban residents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Superannuation is the fund set aside by employers to provide their employees with a dignified retirement. Studies highlight that issues can arise with retirement funds from employers, such as failure to make required contributions to an employee's superannuation fund, incorrect payments, or debiting the wrong fund, contrary to legal or contractual obligations. To address these issues, the Australian Government has implemented laws and regulations to ensure employers fulfil their contribution obligations. Despite these safeguards and highly secured information systems, there has been a significant increase in fraudulent activity in the finance sector, and there have been several instances of employers not making contributions, misusing retirement funds, or reporting incorrectly in their systems. The current process restricts employees from viewing recent data until the contributions reach their super fund, which opens the doors for fraud. Recently, blockchain technology has gained popularity because of its ability to improve security and prevent fraud across many sectors, including finance. Prior studies have shed limited light on how superannuation fraud can be prevented. Moreover, there is limited literature on the possibility of utilizing blockchain technology to address this issue. Therefore, this paper aims to review the current superannuation contribution process and identify the factors contributing to non-payment, incorrect payments, misallocation of funds and communication gaps. This study presents a novel process model and develops a blockchain-based application to mitigate fraudulent practices. This research provides valuable insights into the design of innovative process models that utilize blockchain technology to address superannuation challenges. Furthermore, the paper presents a sample simulated smart contract to explore additional implications and advancements in this domain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, I posit a relationship between what I consider to be two distinct views of natural resource management: the reductionist and holistic views. The purpose of this comparison is to highlight the dangers of reducing environmental management to its ability to bolster a nation's economic status. Part of the problem with this view is that it cannot take seriously the needs and desires of Indigenous persons. As such, I compare the reductionist view with the holistic view. The holistic view does not only consider the economics of natural resources; unlike the reductionist view, it aims to take seriously the needs and desires of Indigenous communities that have used natural resources in their territories since time immemorial. To illustrate the differences between the reductionist and holistic views, I examine at length the case of the James Bay Hydro Development in Quebec, Canada. I then apply these insights to an international context by utilizing the literature from Australia. The literature from both Canada and Australia implies that natural resource management involving First Nations needs to take a holistic approach to water management and policy such that the hopes, needs, and desires of Indigenous communities are not merely placated, but fulfilled. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Battery energy storage systems can be integrated with photovoltaic (PV)-diesel microgrids as an enabling technology to increase the penetration of PV systems and aid microgrid stability by smoothing out the power fluctuations of the PV systems. This paper focuses on this topic and aims to derive correlations between the optimal capacity of the smoothing batteries and variabilities in the daily solar irradiance. To this end, the two most commonly used moving average and ramp rate control techniques are employed on a real solar irradiance dataset with a 1-min resolution for a full calendar year across 11 sites in Australia. The paper then presents the developed empirical model, based on linear regressions, to estimate the batteries' optimal capacity without requiring detailed simulation studies, which are useful for practitioners at the early stages of a project's feasibility evaluation. The performance of the developed technique is validated through numerical simulation studies in MATLAB®. The study demonstrates that the empirical model provided reasonably accurate estimates when using the moving average smoothing technique but had limited accuracy under the ramp rate control technique. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrology and land surface and models (HM and LSM) are essential tools for estimating global terrestrial water storage (TWS), an important component of the global water budget for assessing the accessibility and long-term variability of water supplies. With the expansion of open-source and open-data policies, the community can now perform model TWS simulation from source codes as well as directly exploit end-user hydrologic products for water resource applications. Regardless of the model effectiveness and usability, an accuracy assessment is necessary to quantify the model's global and regional strengths, weaknesses, and reliability. This paper compares the most recent global TWS estimates from six models, namely the PCRaster Global Water Balance (PCR-GLOBWB), Noah, Noah-Multiparameterization (Noah-MP), Catchment LSM, and Variable Infiltration Capacity (VIC), and Community Atmosphere Biosphere Land Exchange (CABLE)—the latter of which is cross validated for the first time. TWS observations from the Gravity Recovery And Climate Experiment (GRACE) and GRACE Follow-On (GRACE-FO) satellite missions between 2002 and 2021 are used to validate the model. The analyses show that Noah-MP outperforms other models in terms of global average correlations and root mean square errors. PCR-GLOBWB performance is superior in irrigated regions because of the inclusion of human intervention components in the model. CABLE, a core LSM of the Australian climate model, significantly outperforms all others in Australia. CLSM performs reasonably well, but the TWS long-term trend appears to be incorrect due to an overestimated groundwater component. Noah performs similarly (but inferiorly) to Noah-MP, most likely due to model physics sharing. VIC has the least agreement with GRACE and GRACE-FO. The evaluation also sheds some light on the role of forcing data in model performance, particularly for ready-to-use products such as GLDAS, where incorporating MERRA-2 or ERA5 data into GLDAS Noah simulations may potentially improve its TWS accuracy, which has previously been overlooked due to limited modeling capacity. Despite each model's unique strength, the ensemble mean TWS, particularly when Noah-MP and PCR-GLOBWB are included, yields better TWS estimates than an individual model result. The findings of this study could serve as a benchmark for future model development and the data published in this paper could aid in the scientific advancement and discoveries of the hydrology community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Healthy ageing refers to the development and maintenance of the functional ability of ageing individuals. Aged care nurses provide nursing care to elderly individuals and usually work in aged care residential facilities, nursing homes, home care services, and/or hospital departments. The registered nurse working in the aged care sector has several important roles. Key roles cover both therapeutic and preventative paradigms, as discussed in this paper. The aged care nurse is also "tasked with" holistic patient-centred care and the promotion of healthy ageing via advocacy and sociocultural roles. This paper examined, described, and analysed the multifaceted role of an aged care nurse from an Australian perspective. We conducted meticulous searches using PubMed, Google Scholar, government guidelines, authoritative body regulations, quality control guidelines, and government portals pertaining to aged care nursing in Australia. This paper relied upon the information garnered from publications, reports, and guidelines resulting from these searches and analyses. Multiple aspects of healthy ageing and holistic aged care nursing are discussed. The key roles of the aged care nurse are enumerated next, in accordance with the code of conduct from the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA). The NMBA promotes evidence-based, culturally sensitive, consultative, holistic aged care clinical practice that includes input from care recipients, their decision makers, and/or their health care providers. The difficult issue of loneliness is discussed with strategies to ameliorate aspects of this. Good social networks, community interactions, meaningful friendships, and participation in personalised spiritual/religious practices improve the quality of aged care. The key topic of elder abuse and its forms are discussed apropos of aged care nursing. Healthy ageing is promoted by identifying and reporting elder abuse at the earliest. Current Australian law and recent federal legislation changes pertaining to aged care nursing are discussed next. As a result of these legislation changes, several new quality control imperatives (for aged care organisations/facilities) under the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission (ACQSC) have been implemented. Residential and flexible aged care providers should now have robust ongoing documentation and a well-developed behaviour support plan (BSP) for each care recipient who currently requires or may require restrictive practices, which must be reported under the new serious incident reporting scheme (SIRS). Various strategies to promote healthy ageing and approaches to communicate effectively with aged care recipients are also discussed. Healthy ageing is promoted when age care recipients are empowered with making their own autonomous choices in "major and minor" aspects of life. Finally, approaches to optimise quality aged care nursing care are discussed. The Roper–Logan–Tierney model is one of the models used to assess and optimise nursing care. This is premised on the capability of an ageing individual to accomplish 12 basic activities of daily living. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The registered nurse has crucial preventative, therapeutic, sociocultural, and advocacy roles in promoting quality holistic patient-centred palliative care. This paper examines, describes, and analyses this multifaceted role from an antipodean perspective. We conducted systematic searches using PubMed, Google Scholar, government guidelines, authoritative body regulations, quality control guidelines, and government portals pertaining to palliative care nursing in Australia. This paper relies upon the information garnered from publications, reports, and guidelines resulting from these searches and analyses. The fundamental principles and guiding values of palliative care (and nursing) and the raison d'etre for palliative care as a discipline are underscored and expanded on. Australian Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPGs) pertaining to palliative end-of-life (EOL) nursing care and associated services are discussed. The relevant NMBA nursing standards that RNs need to have to administer opioids/narcotics in palliative care are summarised. The identification of patients who need EOL care, holistic person-centred care planning for them, and consultative multidisciplinary palliative clinical decision making are discussed in the palliative care context. Several components of advance care planning apropos health deterioration and conflicts are discussed. Several aspects of EOL care, especially palliative nursing care, are analysed using research evidence, established nursing and palliative care standards, and the Australian EOL CPGs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper uses a 30 m record of valley alluviation in the Lockyer Creek, a major tributary of the mid-Brisbane River in Southeast Queensland, to document the timing and nature of Quaternary fluvial response. A combination of radiocarbon and optically stimulated luminescence dating reveals a sequence of major cut and fill episodes. The earliest aggradation phase is represented by a basal gravel unit, dating to ~220 ka (marine isotope sub-stage 7d), and although little evidence supports higher fluvial discharges during MIS 5, a MIS 3 fluvial episode characterised by incision and aggradation dates to ~60 ka. A penultimate phase of incision to a depth of 30 m prior to ~14 ka saw the lower Lockyer occupy its current position within the valley floor. The Lockyer Creek shows evidence of only minor fluvial activity during MIS 2, suggesting a drier LGM climate. The appearance of alternating fine- and coarse-grained units at about 2 ka is notable and may represent higher-energy flood conditions associated with a strengthening of El Niño Southern Oscillation activity as observed in the flood of 2011. The aggradation rate for this Holocene floodplain unit is ~11 times higher than the long-term rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper introduces an innovative framework for wind power prediction that focuses on the future of energy forecasting utilizing intelligent deep learning and strategic feature engineering. This research investigates the application of a state-of-the-art deep learning model for wind energy prediction to make extremely short-term forecasts using real-time data on wind generation from New South Wales, Australia. In contrast with typical approaches to wind energy forecasting, this model relies entirely on historical data and strategic feature engineering to make predictions, rather than relying on meteorological parameters. A hybrid feature engineering strategy that integrates features from several feature generation techniques to obtain the optimal input parameters is a significant contribution to this work. The model's performance is assessed using key metrics, yielding optimal results with a Mean Absolute Error (MAE) of 8.76, Mean Squared Error (MSE) of 139.49, Root Mean Squared Error (RMSE) of 11.81, R-squared score of 0.997, and Mean Absolute Percentage Error (MAPE) of 4.85%. Additionally, the proposed framework outperforms six other deep learning and hybrid deep learning models in terms of wind energy prediction accuracy. These findings highlight the importance of advanced data analysis for feature generation in data processing, pointing to its key role in boosting the precision of forecasting applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coalbed methane (CBM) pilot wells typically exhibit a short production period, necessitating evaluation of their estimated ultimate recovery (EUR) through numerical simulation. Utilizing limited geological data from the pilot areas to finish history matching and subsequent production forecasting presents substantial challenges. This paper introduces a comprehensive numerical simulation workflow for CBM pilot wells, encompassing the following steps. Initially, geological parameters are categorized into two groups based on their statistical distribution trends: trend parameters (i.e., gas content, permeability, Langmuir volume, and Langmuir pressure) and non-trend parameters (i.e., fracture porosity, gas–water relative permeability, and rock compressibility). The probability method is employed to ascertain the probable high and low limits for trend parameter distributions, while empirical or analogous methods are applied to define the boundaries for non-trend parameters. Subsequently, the parameter sensitivity analysis is conducted to understand the influence of varying parameters on cumulative gas and water production. Conclusively, experimental design algorithms generate over 100 simulation cases using the identified sensitive parameters, from which the top ten optimal cases are chosen for EUR prediction. This workflow features two technological innovations: (1) considering the most comprehensive set of reservoir parameters for uncertainty and sensitivity analyses, and (2) considering the matching accuracy of both cumulative production and dynamic production trends when selecting optimal matching cases. This approach was successfully implemented in the C pilot area of the Bowen Basin, Australia. In addition, it offers valuable insights for numerical simulation of unconventional natural gases, such as shale gas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For workers living with a disability, pathways to sustainable employment in the open labour market are inhibited by barriers operating at different structural and societal levels. The culture of Australia's government employment services has applied a 'work-first' approach that emphasises finding people employment rather than supporting the acquisition of skills and education. The net effect of this approach is the preferencing of short-term employment solutions, with a focus on individual behaviour or so-called resilience and an emphasis on personal responsibility instead of addressing structural issues. In this paper, we explore how people with disability can be supported in finding employment through a shared resilience approach offered by a Work Integration Social Enterprise (WISE). We suggest that WISEs can provide the conditions for shared resilience by developing and sustaining networks needed to generate hybrid pathways to work and by role modelling inclusive work conditions in the open labour market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photovoltaic (PV) power prediction plays a significant role in supporting the stable operation and resource scheduling of integrated energy systems. However, the randomness and volatility of photovoltaic power generation will greatly affect the prediction accuracy. Focusing on this issue, a prediction framework is proposed in this research by developing an improved sparrow search algorithm (ISSA) to optimize the hyperparameters of long short-term memory (LSTM) neural networks. The ISSA is specially designed from the following three aspects to support a powerful search performance. Firstly, the initial population variety is enriched by using an enhanced sine chaotic mapping. Secondly, the relative position of neighboring producers is introduced to improve the producer position-updating strategy to enhance the global search capabilities. Then the Cauchy–Gaussian variation is utilized to help avoid the local optimal solution. Numerical experiments on 20 test functions indicate that ISSA could identify the optimal solution with better precision compared to SSA and PSO algorithms. Furthermore, a comparative study of PV power prediction methods is provided. The ISSA-LSTM algorithm developed in this paper and five benchmark models are implemented on a real dataset gathered from the Alice Springs area in Australia. In contrast to the SSA-LSTM model, most MAE, MAPE, and RMSE values of the proposed model are reduced by 20∼60%, demonstrating the superiority of the proposed model under various weather conditions and typical seasons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With a shift towards plant-based diets for human and planetary health, monitoring the mineral content of staple crops is important to ensure population nutrient requirements can be met. This review aimed to explore changes in the iron content of unprocessed wheat and rice in Australia over time. A comprehensive systematic search of four electronic databases and the gray literature was conducted. A total of 25 papers published between 1930 and 2023 that measured the iron content of unprocessed wheat and rice were included. Triticum aestivum was the most common wheat type studied, including 26 cultivars; iron content ranged from 40 to 50 µg/g in the 1930s and 1970s and was more variable after this time due to the introduction of modern cultivars, with most values between 25 and 45 µg/g. The iron content of rice (Oryza sativa) was more consistent at 10–15 µg/g between the 1980s and 2020s. Variations over the years may be attributed to environmental, biological, and methodological factors but these were not well documented across all studies, limiting the interpretation of findings. As the number of individuals following plant-based diets continues to rise, the ongoing monitoring of the mineral content in commonly consumed plant-based foods is warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Design flood estimation is an essential step in many water engineering design tasks such as the planning and design of infrastructure to reduce flood damage. Flood frequency analysis (FFA) is widely used in estimating design floods when the at-site flood data length is adequate. One of the problems in FFA with an annual maxima (AM) modeling approach is deciding how to handle smaller discharge values (outliers) in the selected AM flood series at a given station. The objective of this paper is to explore how the practice of censoring (which involves adjusting for smaller discharge values in FFA) affects flood quantile estimates in FFA. In this regard, two commonly used probability distributions, log-Pearson type 3 (LP3) and generalized extreme value distribution (GEV), are used. The multiple Grubbs and Beck (MGB) test is used to identify low-flow outliers in the selected AM flood series at 582 Australian stream gauging stations. It is found that censoring is required for 71% of the selected stations in using the MGB test with the LP3 distribution. The differences in flood quantile estimates between LP3 (with MGB test and censoring) and GEV distribution (without censoring) increase as the return period reduces. A modest correlation is found (for South Australian catchments) between censoring and the selected catchment characteristics (correlation coefficient: 0.43), with statistically significant associations for the mean annual rainfall and catchment shape factor. The findings of this study will be useful to practicing hydrologists in Australia and other countries to estimate design floods using AM flood data by FFA. Moreover, it may assist in updating Australian Rainfall and Runoff (national guide). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Trans and gender-diverse people visiting pharmacies may not always receive optimum care due to pharmacists' lack of knowledge and confidence to provide such care. This situation prompts a need for training. Objectives: This paper aimed to describe a guide to the design, implementation, and evaluation of a training program on transgender healthcare for pharmacists in Australia. Methods: The Implementation Mapping Framework provided a foundation for the design, implementation, and evaluation of this training program. Through active involvement in the program development, trans and gender diverse people and pharmacists guided the program design, ensuring alignment with the cultural, social, and healthcare contexts. Results: The needs analysis highlighted the necessity for training for pharmacists to improve their cultural awareness and pharmacotherapeutic knowledge about transgender healthcare. Applying a novel Gender Inclusivity in Pharmacy Framework, online modules—(1) Transgender healthcare—language, terminology, and key healthcare issues, (2) Gender-affirming therapies, and (3) Case studies in transgender healthcare—were developed to enable the implementation of a training program. Conclusion: The Implementation Mapping Framework and the Gender Inclusivity in Pharmacy Framework proved effective tools for providing an education program for pharmacists. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Colonisation, genocide, ecocide, and climate derangement are ongoing, unfurling, global tragedies. In so-called Australia, spiritual practitioners can respond to these crises by deepening their engagement with Aboriginal perspectives/practices. This paper contends that some Eurocentric habitual categorisations subtly misinterpret Aboriginal experiences of the sacred, such as identifying creation myths as beliefs comparable to post-Enlightenment representations of the sacred and identifying the performance of sacred activity with similar characteristics to separateness and priesthood. This leads to erroneous characterisations of Aboriginal ritual practices as being based on a strong hierarchy, distinctive castes, and esotericism. We argue that an embodied and practice-based sense of sacredness guides Aboriginal spirituality. As a living culture, Aboriginal ongoing care for Country provides an enfleshed, real, palpable enactment of human spirituality. We argue that Aboriginal spirituality has been fetishised to the neglect of a call to care for Country in the most 'mundane' sense of tending to food, water, air, etc., as embodied religious experiences. Delving into dadirri and death, we elucidate contemporary cases of practical care for Country that illustrate how being on, in, and with Country can be a contemplative experience. We conclude by outlining how caring for Country 'layers' the various expressions of Aboriginal religious experience socially, psychologically, interpersonally, and ritually. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite primary school teachers demonstrating strong preferences for using non-digital games over digital games to support mathematics instruction, much of the research review literature has focused on learning outcomes associated with digital mathematical games. To address this gap, the current systematic literature review focuses on non-digital, games-based, empirical studies in the primary mathematics classroom over the past two decades from 2003 to 2022. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews (PRISMA) statement was employed as a guideline for the data-collection process. The review presents an analysis and synthesis of 34 manuscripts, representing 32 distinct studies. Over three-quarters of manuscripts employed quantitative methodologies and around half qualitative methodologies, whilst studies focused exclusively on student, as opposed to teacher, outcomes. Despite Australia and Indonesia being comparatively overrepresented, the studies in scope were notable for both their geographic diversity and the eclectic range of game types and structures incorporated; although they did tend to disproportionately focus on number and operations, as opposed to other mathematical content areas. Moreover, the impact of mathematical games was generally positive across the broad range of outcomes considered, suggesting that mathematical games are potentially effective for both developing mathematical proficiencies, as well as improving dispositions towards mathematics. Future research directions are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite their relatively small numbers, large old trees play disproportionately important roles in global biodiversity and ecosystem functions. There is a lack of systematic reviews and quantitative analyses of the accumulated literature. Understanding the research context and evolution could pump prime research and conservation endeavors. Using the comprehensive Web of Science, we applied VOSviewer (1.6.19) and CiteSpace (6.1R2) bibliometric software to examine the large old tree research field in 2000–2022. The queries of the bibliographic database generated quantitative–visual depictions in the form of knowledge maps. The nodes denote research intensity, and inter-node linkages denote the pathways and frequencies of collaborative activities. The research outputs differed significantly in terms of regions, countries, institutions, high-citation articles, productive researchers, hot topics, and research frontiers. Conspicuous spatial disparities were displayed, with the U.S.A., China, and Australia leading in publication counts and a cluster of European countries making considerable collective contributions. The research collaboration demonstrated a dichotomy: European countries networked more by geographical propinquity, and the top three countries connected by long-distance leap-frog jumps. The entrenched discrepancies between the endowed developed domains vis-à-vis the deprived developing domains were clearly expressed. The research productivity progressed through three stages: initial, growth, and flourishing. The leading institutions, researchers, and highly cited papers were recognized. The keyword analysis pinpointed diverse research hotspots: growth dynamics, conservation and management, ecological functions, and environmental response. This study informs recommendations for future research directions and cooperation on longevity mechanisms, evolutionary adaptation, dynamic monitoring, and temporal–spatial patterns. The integrated application of GIS, machine learning, and big data technologies could strengthen research capability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three-dimensional concrete printing (3DCP) is a sustainable and green approach for rapid construction with the ability to create complex shapes to preserve the intended aesthetic appearance for an affordable cost. Even after a decade of attempts, there are many limitations and challenges to applying this technology for constructions without borders. The lack of guidelines for mix designs, quality control procedures during extrusion, printing and building phases, compatibility of material with extruder, standard testing, and guidelines to verify suitability of mixture with respect to the application and exposure conditions and limited machine capacity are several areas to be addressed for applications without borders. The development of 3DCP applications as a sustainable and green technology is another challenging task due to high Portland cement consumption in 3DCP. However, reducing the high usage of ordinary Portland cement (OPC) with pozzolanic waste materials replacement and environmentally friendly cement indicates the direction of moving 3DCP into a sustainable pathway. The authors reviewed more than 200 refereed articles published on materials and techniques in 3DCP. Inconsistency in disseminating knowledge in research articles has hindered the creation of a monolithically connected chain of research efforts and findings in accelerating the development and adoption of this technology. This paper summarizes the common approach to developing 3DCP mix designs and identifies the key areas for the future development of materials and techniques and challenges to be addressed for the global adoption of 3DCP. The current progress and challenges in the context of Australia's construction industry and future trends for the acceptance of 3DCP are also reviewed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Breast cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer-related death in women. The early detection of breast cancer with screening mammograms plays a pivotal role in reducing mortality rates. Although population-based double-reading screening mammograms have reduced mortality by over 31% in women with breast cancer in Europe, continuing this program is difficult due to the shortage of radiologists. Artificial intelligence (AI) is an emerging technology that has provided promising results in medical imaging for disease detection. This study investigates the performance of AI models on an Australian mammographic database, demonstrating how transfer learning from a USA mammographic database to an Australian one, contrast enhancement on mammographic images and the quality of training data according to radiologists' concordance can improve breast cancer diagnosis. Our proposed methodology offers a more efficacious approach for AI to contribute to radiologists' decision making when interpreting mammography images. This paper investigates the adaptability of four state-of-the-art artificial intelligence (AI) models to the Australian mammographic context through transfer learning, explores the impact of image enhancement on model performance and analyses the relationship between AI outputs and histopathological features for clinical relevance and accuracy assessment. A total of 1712 screening mammograms (n = 856 cancer cases and n = 856 matched normal cases) were used in this study. The 856 cases with cancer lesions were annotated by two expert radiologists and the level of concordance between their annotations was used to establish two sets: a 'high-concordances subset' with 99% agreement of cancer location and an 'entire dataset' with all cases included. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) was used to evaluate the performance of Globally aware Multiple Instance Classifier (GMIC), Global-Local Activation Maps (GLAM), I&H and End2End AI models, both in the pretrained and transfer learning modes, with and without applying the Contrast Limited Adaptive Histogram Equalization (CLAHE) algorithm. The four AI models with and without transfer learning in the high-concordance subset outperformed those in the entire dataset. Applying the CLAHE algorithm to mammograms improved the performance of the AI models. In the high-concordance subset with the transfer learning and CLAHE algorithm applied, the AUC of the GMIC model was highest (0.912), followed by the GLAM model (0.909), I&H (0.893) and End2End (0.875). There were significant differences (p < 0.05) in the performances of the four AI models between the high-concordance subset and the entire dataset. The AI models demonstrated significant differences in malignancy probability concerning different tumour size categories in mammograms. The performance of AI models was affected by several factors such as concordance classification, image enhancement and transfer learning. Mammograms with a strong concordance with radiologists' annotations, applying image enhancement and transfer learning could enhance the accuracy of AI models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The principle of 'working with, not on' people with disabilities is widely espoused within inclusive research, yet historically such opportunities have not been fully realized. This paper speaks from the perspective of users of health, rehabilitation, assistive technology services, and the academics with whom they collaborate. We draw on Australia's Disability Inclusive Research Principles to reflect on the practice of inclusive research across the areas of assistive technology policy, digital information, and health access, as well as the co-design of allied health resources. We consider and provide examples of how power and knowledge play out in health and rehabilitation, the developing discourse around consumer co-design and co-production, and the challenges of enacting inclusive research. This paper is about shared power in the mechanisms of research production and our journeys towards it. Engaging in inclusive research has enabled us to assume roles beyond the binary of the 'researcher' and the 'researched'. We conclude by proposing an adaptation of the ladder of participation for inclusive research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nearly a quarter of all global start-ups are founded by hybrid entrepreneurs, that is, individuals that engage in self-employment activity while simultaneously holding a primary job in wage or remuneration work. This study is the first of its kind to examine hybrid entrepreneurship in Australia using five pragmatic and embedded hybrid entrepreneur mini case studies. Aligning with human capital and skill variety theory, we adopted an interpretivist philosophical paradigm of emergent enquiry action and exploratory research. The paper explores characteristics and antecedents in the forms of the benefits and challenges associated with this increasingly prevalent form of entrepreneurship, including contextual and theoretical foundations. We provide policy and pragmatic research recommendations to enhance the development of this form of employment not only as a steppingstone to full-time self-employment but also as a driver of economic and social benefit to global societies. Furthermore, we provide inferences for future scientific studies within this domain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: The dairy industry in Australia and New Zealand is pasture-based, therefore, monitoring failed transfer of passive immunity (FTPI) is challenging. This study involved a systematic literature search and meta-analysis of papers reporting FTPI data from dairy calves within eight days of birth in Australia and New Zealand, until the end of 2022. An overall prevalence of 33% of FTPI in dairy calves in Australasia and a prevalence of 38% at the farm level were calculated from the meta-analysis, comparable to rates observed elsewhere. Factors, such as the frequency of calf removal from the calving area, time of the first colostrum feed after birth, colostrum volume and quality, and other management practices, were found to play a significant role in FTPI in Australasia. Monitoring and minimizing the prevalence of failed transfer of passive immunity (FTPI) in dairy replacement calves within the first week of life is crucial for calf health and farm profitability. In this study, a systematic literature search and meta-analysis were conducted on papers reporting the prevalence of FTPI in calves from pasture-based dairy farms in Australia and New Zealand. Two search methods, a "traditional method" and a "search engine method", were conducted to identify published studies on FTPI in Australia and New Zealand. Data from a total of 13,430 calves from eight studies in Australasia were included in the analysis for FTPI within 8 days of birth. The meta-analysis revealed that the average prevalence of FTPI was 33% across the two countries, with the lowest FTPI (9%) in Western Australia and the highest FTPI (59%) in New Zealand. Using farm data from three studies, the average prevalence of FTPI at the farm level in Australasia was 38%, with the lowest prevalence found in a farm in South Australia (6%). In conclusion, the meta-analysis confirmed the need for good management of cows and newborn calves after birth in pasture-based systems to reduce FTPI in calves. Collecting newborn calves from pasture at least twice per day after birth and providing colostrum of sufficient quantity and quality as soon as possible were the best practices for preventing FTPI in Australasian dairy systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Featured Application: This paper presents a new, fifth industrial revolution (Industry 5.0)-inspired paradigm for educating and training Australian healthcare professionals and students in the field of digital health. By leveraging Industry 5.0-enabling technologies, such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, blockchain, big data analytics, etc., we can cultivate students to be job-ready for the future of work by providing them with hands-on experience in advanced healthcare technologies. Ultimately, this new training and education paradigm in digital health can help bridge the gap between training and the world of work and prepare students to deliver a more efficient, effective, and sustainable healthcare system. Digital transformation, characterised by advanced digitalisation, blockchain, the Internet of Things, artificial intelligence, machine learning technologies, and robotics, has played a key role in revolutionising various industries, especially the healthcare sector. The adoption of and transition (from traditional) to new technology will bring challenges, opportunities, and disruptions to existing healthcare systems. According to the European Union, we must pursue both digital and green transitions to achieve sustainable, human-centric, and resilient industries to achieve a world of prosperity for all. The study aims to present a novel approach to education and training in the digital health field that is inspired by the fifth industrial revolution paradigm. The paper highlights the role of training and education interventions that are required to support digital health in the future so that students can develop the capacity to recognise and exploit the potential of new technologies. This article will briefly discuss the challenges and opportunities related to healthcare systems in the era of digital transformation and beyond. Then, we look at the enabling technologies from an Industry 5.0 perspective that supports digital health. Finally, we present a new teaching and learning paradigm and strategies that embed Industry 5.0 technologies in academic curricula so that students can develop their capacities to embrace a digital future and minimise the disruption that will inevitably accompany it. By incorporating Industry 5.0 principles into digital health education, we believe students can gain a deeper understanding of the industry and develop skills that will enable them to deliver a more efficient, effective, and sustainable healthcare system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The shift from large-scale centralised energy systems to smaller scale decentralised systems based on Distributed Energy Resources (DER) is likely to cause a sector-wide replacement of current electricity management practices and business models—creating a new energy paradigm. If handled well, such a transition will not be inherently disruptive; however, it can cause major disruption if long-held views and assumptions are not rapidly reconsidered and renewed, and new supporting structures are not swiftly put in place—hence, if disruption is experienced it will be due to a lack of strategic responses rather than the nature of the technology. This paper clarifies the nature of DERs and outlines key issues and opportunities associated with a range of associated service configurations and business models. The paper outlines key factors affecting the viability of such approaches and identifies leverage points for accelerating uptake. The paper concludes by considering how shifting landscape factors and related opportunities in the coming decades will shape the transition to a decentralised energy system. This paper contains findings from research performed at the Renewable, Affordable, Clean Energy Cooperative Research Centre (RACE CRC) in Australia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wood is a renewable material that can store biogenic carbon, and waste wood can be recycled to recover bioenergy. The amount of energy recovery from the waste wood can vary depending on the type of wood and its chemical and structural properties. This paper will analyse the life cycle environmental impact of energy recovery from waste wood, starting from the wood production stage. These are cradle-to-cradle systems, excluding the use phase and the waste collection phase. The types of waste wood considered in the current study are softwood, hardwood, medium-density fibreboard (MDF), plywood, and particleboard. The results showed that all waste wood has great potential to produce energy while reducing climate change impact. Hardwood and softwood products showed the most beneficial aspects in terms of energy recovery from waste wood and thus could help to reduce harmful environmental emissions. However, MDF and particleboard show the least potential for energy recovery as they contribute to the greatest emissions among all types of wood products. The outcomes of this study could be used as guiding principles for Australia to consider waste-to-energy recovery facility establishment to generate additional energy while reducing waste wood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since 2015, religious freedom has become a heated and divisive political and public policy issue in Australia. While rarely defined or interrogated, 'religious freedom' does not exist as a value-neutral principle with a single meaning. Rather, its discursive constructions are varied and serve to promote certain interests at the expense of others. Offering a new perspective on the politics of religious freedom, this paper draws together four separate studies of the public discourse of religious freedom in Australia (spanning 35 years from 1984 to 2019) to chart how its framing has changed over time and to explore the implications of these changes. This analysis reveals three major discourses of religious freedom emerging over three phases: 'religious diversity'; 'balancing rights'; and 'freedom of belief'. This paper demonstrates how, once used to promote a progressive social agenda, religious freedom has become weaponised by the Christian Right and culture warriors in their battle to entrench in law the ongoing acceptability of discrimination against LGBTIQ+ people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy used in buildings is mainly attributed to provide the desired thermal comfort, which could result in an increase in carbon emission and, in turn, lead to further environmental degradation. A Building-Integrated Photovoltaic Double-Skin Façade (BIPV-DSF) is a promising way to maintain indoor thermal comfort, obtained with low environmental impact and energy consumption. The appropriate design of BIPV-DSFs can maximise indoor thermal comfort and energy efficiency for buildings. This paper presents optimal BIPV-DSF design solutions, which are dedicated to offering comfortable and energy-efficient buildings, through optimisation of the most important design parameters of a BIPV-DSF under three different climate conditions in Australia. The results illustrate how thermal transmittance (U-value) and solar heat gain coefficient (SHGC) of windows of the BIPV-DSF, as the most important design parameters, were optimised for application in the context of different climates, operation modes, and orientations. The paper contributes to the matters concerning the integrated effect of BIPV-DSFs on thermal comfort and energy performance in buildings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Investor sentiment is an important aspect of behavioural finance, which provides explanation of anomalies to the asset's intrinsic values. Sentiments can easily affect individual investors. Historically, Australia is regarded as rich in resources but poor in capital, and this motivates the paper to further study and compare the effects of investor sentiment on performance returns. Aggregate and cross-sectional effects, as well as predictive regression analysis to forecast the relationships, while controlling for the macroeconomic variables, are used by employing Consumer Confidence Index (CCI) and trade volume as sentiment proxies. Contrary to some studies with aggregate stock markets, it is discovered that in the short term, investor sentiment poses a positive impact with strong predictive power on the forecast of portfolio returns but not so much in the long run, which supports the classical theories of rational investors. In both Australian and New Zealand markets, the sentiment proxies also cannot predict the returns portfolios with dividends in the long/short portfolio and book-to-market ratio long/short portfolio. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Historically, once the baby was born, the mother and baby were separated shortly after birth into a postnatal ward and a baby nursery. Overtime, with advances in neonatology led to an increasing number of neonates being separated from their mothers at birth for specialised neonatal care if they required additional needs. As more research has been undertaken there is an increasing focus that mothers and babies should be kept together from birth, termed couplet care. Couplet care refers to keeping the mother and baby together. Despite this evidence, in practice, this is not happening. Aim: to examine the barriers to nurses and midwives providing couplet care of the infant requiring additional needs in postnatal and nursery. Methods: A thorough literature review relies on a well-developed search strategy. This resulted in a total of 20 papers that were included in this review. Results: This review revealed five main themes or barriers to nurses and midwives providing couplet care: models of care, systems and other barriers, safety, resistance, and education. Discussion: Resistance to couplet care was discussed as being caused by feelings of lack of confidence and competence, concerns around maternal and infant safety and an under-recognition of the benefits of couplet care. Conclusion: The conclusion is that there is still a paucity of research in relation to nursing and midwifery barriers to couplet care. Although this review discusses barriers to couplet care, more specific original research on what nurses and midwives themselves perceive to be the barriers to couplet care in Australia is needed. The recommendation is therefore to undertake research into this area and interview nurses and midwives to ascertain their perspectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we draw on stories of schooling as told by three transgender secondary school graduates. The study does not aim to be generalizable or 'speak' for the educational experiences of all Australian transgender-identifying students. The study is framed by first person articulations of what a trans-positive educational experience might involve. The paper leverages a life-history approach in which the participants rearticulate the influence that cisnormative school environments and media practices had on their transition timeframes. Throughout the life-history interviews conducted in a focus group, the participants considered the concept of how a trans-positive educational approach could be deployed in schools to develop services and resources that align with the findings of the National LGBTIQ Health Alliance, 2020. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Domestic water heating accounts for 15% to 27% of the total energy consumption in buildings in Australia. Over the past two decades, the latent heat thermal energy storage (LHTES) system has been widely investigated as a way to reduce fossil fuel consumption and increase the share of renewable energy in solar water heating. However, the research has concentrated on the geometric optimisation of the LHTES heat exchanger for the past few years, and this might not be sufficient for commercialisation. Moreover, recent review papers mainly discussed the development of a particular heat-transfer improvement technique. This paper presents perspectives on various solar hot water systems using LHTES to shift focus to on-demand performance studies, as well as structure optimisation studies for faster commercialisation. Future challenges are also discussed. Since the topic is an active area of research, this paper focuses on references that showcase the overall performance of LHTES-assisted solar hot water systems and cannot include all published work in the discussion. This perspective paper provides directional insights to researchers for developing an energy-efficient solar hot water system using LHTES. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the connection between intra-religious dialogue and Muslim identities in Australia. Drawing on empirical literature and analysis, this article investigates the increasing identification and interplay between Australian Muslims from different sects, sub-sects and faith-based groups of Islam. It argues intra-Muslim dialogue is gaining more noticeability among Australian Muslims working to build civic and inclusive identities. At the same time, the article points to the socio-political, organisational and sectarian issues challenging intra-religious unity between Muslim groups in Australia. To achieve genuine and long-lasting intra-faith relations, the article argues for a need to develop organic, theologically inclusive and contextually grounded articulations of intra-Muslim dialogue in Australia. The article concludes that diverse experiences of identity formation in Australia serve as an impetus for strengthening intra-Muslim relations based on previous success with inter-faith initiatives, as well as intergroup contact with non-Muslims. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There has been a growing number of contract cheating incidents recorded in Australia's higher education system. Such activities create a significant threat to the validity and integrity of qualifications obtained by students. This paper introduces a conceptual framework to combat contract cheating by compiling the findings on domain analysis, institute-wide policy analysis, and by applying self-efficacy theories. The literature review on domain analysis lays out two state-of-the-art strategies to combat contract cheating: detect and mitigate the opportunities. Policy document analysis sheds some light on existing operating mechanisms for handling contract cheating cases and the gaps need to be addressed. The proposed framework has three tiers: Awareness, Monitoring and Evaluation. At the awareness level, students' awareness concerning contract cheating is enhanced by several activities, and staff skills are strengthened by professional activities. At the monitoring level, student activities associated with assessments are recorded using a Pre-Designed Template (PDT) and are monitored by analysing the data in three databases; Monitoring database, Academic Integrity breach database, software analysis data. At the evaluation level, the institutional policies, procedures and services related to contract cheating are evaluated and revised on a regular basis, using feedback mechanisms. This holistic approach may discourage contract cheating by increasing the awareness among students, developing professional skills of staff and organising continuous course-wide student monitoring using various databases. Finally, the proposed approach fills the gaps in the existing system by utilising a systematic process to evaluate an institute's policies, procedures and services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Australian construction industry is facing a mental health crisis; poor mental health indicators are significantly higher than the all-industry average. Despite a growing body of research into the mental health of the industry's workforce, concerns have been raised about its alignment with regulatory developments in this area. This raises questions about the relevance of research to support mental health policy development in Australia and evidence-based research on mental health policy relating to the construction industry. However, there has been no research to explore the extent of this problem. This paper addresses this knowledge gap by reporting the results of a systematic review of peer-reviewed mental health research using the PRISMA scoping review methodology. The results reveal significant misalignment between existing research and Australian government regulation in this area. A particularly low level of research–policy alignment is found in the areas of: violence and traumatic events at work, financial concerns, poor organizational change management, workplace injustice, and social support. The paper concludes with recommendations for new avenues of mental health research to address these gaps, enabling closer alignment between mental health research and regulatory reform. It is concluded that this will facilitate more relevant research and improved evidence-based decision-making in this important field of research and policy development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: In radiotherapy treatment, organs at risk and target volumes are contoured by the clinicians to prepare a dosimetry plan. In retrospective data, these structures are not often standardised to universal names across the patients plans, which is required to enable data mining and analysis. In this paper, a new method was proposed and evaluated to automatically standardise radiotherapy structures names using machine learning algorithms. The proposed approach was deployed over a dataset with 1613 patients collected from Liverpool & Macarthur Cancer Therapy Centres, New South Wales, Australia. It was concluded that machine learning techniques can standardise the dosimetry plan structures, taking into consideration the integration of multiple modalities representing each structure during the training process. In progressing the use of big data in health systems, standardised nomenclature is required to enable data pooling and analyses. In many radiotherapy planning systems and their data archives, target volumes (TV) and organ-at-risk (OAR) structure nomenclature has not been standardised. Machine learning (ML) has been utilised to standardise volumes nomenclature in retrospective datasets. However, only subsets of the structures have been targeted. Within this paper, we proposed a new approach for standardising all the structures nomenclature by using multi-modal artificial neural networks. A cohort consisting of 1613 breast cancer patients treated with radiotherapy was identified from Liverpool & Macarthur Cancer Therapy Centres, NSW, Australia. Four types of volume characteristics were generated to represent each target and OAR volume: textual features, geometric features, dosimetry features, and imaging data. Five datasets were created from the original cohort, the first four represented different subsets of volumes and the last one represented the whole list of volumes. For each dataset, 15 sets of combinations of features were generated to investigate the effect of using different characteristics on the standardisation performance. The best model reported 99.416% classification accuracy over the hold-out sample when used to standardise all the nomenclatures in a breast cancer radiotherapy plan into 21 classes. Our results showed that ML based automation methods can be used for standardising naming conventions in a radiotherapy plan taking into consideration the inclusion of multiple modalities to better represent each volume. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil organic carbon (SOC) storage and redistribution across the landscape (through erosion and deposition) are linked to soil physicochemical properties and can affect soil quality. However, the spatial and temporal variability of soil erosion and SOC remains uncertain. Whether soil redistribution leads to SOC gains or losses continues to be hotly debated. These considerations cannot be modelled using conventional soil carbon models and digital soil mapping. This paper presents a coupled-model combining RothPC-1 which considers soil carbon (C) down to 1 m and a soil redistribution model. The soil redistribution component is based on a cellular automata technique using the multi-direction flow (FD8) algorithm. With the optimized input values based on land use, we simulated SOC changes upon soil profiles to 1 m across the Lower Hunter Valley area (11,300 ha) in New South Wales, Australia from the 1970s to 2016. Results were compared to field observations and showed that erosion was predicted mostly in upslope areas and deposition in low-lying areas. We further simulated SOC trends from 2017 until ~2045 in the area under three climate scenarios and five land use projections. The variation in the magnitude and direction of SOC change with different projections shows that the main factors influencing SOC changes considering soil redistribution are climate change which controlled the trend of SOC stocks, followed by land use change. Neglecting soil erosion in carbon models could lead to an overestimation of SOC stocks. This paper provides a framework for incorporating soil redistribution into the SOC dynamics modelling and also postulates the thinking that soil erosion is not just a removal process by surface runoff. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several ungulate species are showing increasing population patterns within their geographical distribution ranges, leading to constant interactions with other animal species. Varying densities and activities of different ungulates may result in diverse impacts on other coexisting species groups, including large numbers of threatened species, such as reptiles. In this study, we performed an analysis of the available literature to investigate the impacts of ungulates on reptiles. We aimed to reveal the diversity of: (1) the geographical and environmental distribution of related investigations; (2) the ungulate and reptile species involved; and (3) the characteristics of interactions (direct or indirect, positive or negative) from 69 publications. Our results show that the most papers were reported from the Americas (42%) and Australia (28%). The proportions of studies were balanced for wild ungulates (53%) and livestock (47%). Wild boar (Sus scrofa) was found to be the most problematic species on reptiles whereas reptiles which suffered the harshest impacts were Squamates (i.e., lizards, and snakes). Ungulate activities (e.g., digging by wild boar) may directly harm reptiles (consuming or killing them) or indirectly affect them by modifying their habitats or destroying their hideouts. Some preferential effects were also noted (e.g., by moderate livestock grazing or when wild ungulates are prey for large reptiles). Published livestock impacts were mainly indirect and mostly negatively linked to overgrazing. We conclude that it is important to manage and monitor the densities of ungulates to minimize their negative impacts on reptile species, especially in case of wild boar and grazing livestock, but also to maintain their moderate beneficial effects (e.g., as prey basis). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The success of reverse total shoulder arthroplasty (RTSA) has expanded its use for a broader range of shoulder indications worldwide. Evidence regarding the relative efficacy and long-term safety of medical technologies used in RTSA is subjected to rigorous assessment. Nonetheless, substantial challenges impede market access for innovative shoulder implant technologies for RTSA in Australia, resulting in delayed patient access. Approach: This paper addresses the key challenges associated with generating evidence for the health technology assessments of innovative medical technologies for RTSA that are required for access to the Australian market. The transition to value-based care requires establishing a benchmarking reference that incorporates patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) and combines revision outcomes with additional clinical outcomes to increase patient cohort sizes. Establishing the benchmark would require agreement on the outcome measures to be collected for each indication, and investment in reporting patient-reported outcomes for RTSA to the national orthopaedic registry. Implications for practice: The need for increased flexibility in developing evidence for health technology assessment of RTSA medical technologies is required. Optimised approaches for benchmarking RTSA require extensive stakeholder discussions, including the agreement on evidence requirements and follow-up periods, selection of clinical outcomes, as well as preoperative and post-operative PROMs as a value assessment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In higher education (HE), collaborative activities that revolve around a core idea, practice, or knowledge base, such as learning circles, communities of practice or inquiry, peer observation, and peer-assisted teaching, are known to support professional learning. This paper explores the experiences of eight HE scholars from Australia and New Zealand, across four years, as they recognized a new means of collaborative professional development that transcends known approaches and extends beyond an immediate focal point. The group originally formed to support the development of HE fellowship applications, but evolved to what they now consider a community for practice (CfP), where the purpose of collaboration has changed to meet the unique learning needs of each member. During their four years of collaboration, meeting discussions were recorded, and individual and community narrative reflections about participation in the group were created. A thematic analysis of these collective data sources revealed the group's evolution, and the authors draw on their experiences to tell their story with an aim to enhance professional learning in HE. The study highlights that individuals' distinct and varied needs can be developed and supported through scholarly, collegial engagements such as a CfP, which does not necessarily require an immediate point of practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Within the real estate sector, the concept of sustainability has traditionally been associated with green building initiatives. This study broadens the scope by examining environmental disclosure practices across a spectrum of stakeholders, including developers, financiers, suppliers, and advisors, within the real estate sectors of Australia and India. Utilizing the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) standards to evaluate environmental reporting, this research scrutinizes publicly disclosed company data to assess the sector's engagement with sustainability. The findings reveal a pronounced focus on emissions and energy, with less attention to other critical factors like biodiversity, materials, and supplier environmental assessment. This selective disclosure suggests a need for a more holistic approach to sustainability reporting. This study also investigates the influence of regional nuances and the integration of international reporting standards, shedding light on the varied practices of sustainability reporting within the industry. Furthermore, this paper examines the relationship between environmental disclosures and financial performance, measured by the economic value added (EVA). It was observed that environmental disclosures do not show a significant correlation with EVA for companies in either country, indicating that current reporting practices do not directly impact financial outcomes as captured by this metric. These findings offer actionable insights for enhancing reporting practices, encouraging a collective approach to address the environmental impacts of real estate, and contributing to the discourse on responsible environmental stewardship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The provision of dental care for paediatric patients with inherited bleeding disorders (IBD) can present a challenging scenario for dentists. Although patients with a low bleeding risk can safely receive preventive procedures in the community, many dentists lack confidence when treating this cohort. Consequently, most patients with IBD are seen in hospital dental clinics. There is currently no protocol for shared delivery of primary dental care for paediatric patients with IBD in Australia. Aim: To provide a narrative review of the protocols for oral health management of paediatric patients with inherited bleeding disorders. Materials and methods: An electronic search of four databases relating to the oral health management and outcomes of paediatric patients with IBD was conducted. Results: Thirty-eight papers were included in this review. Several patient and clinician factors in accessing and providing dental care for paediatric patients with IBD were identified. IBD specific considerations for the provision of safe dental care were discussed relating to elective and emergency dental management principles. There was a paucity of paediatric specific protocols for dental management of children with IBD, with only one paediatric specific shared care protocol identified in this review. Conclusions: This review has highlighted the need for further exploration into patient and clinician related barriers and enabling factors in accessing and providing primary dental care for paediatric patients with IBD. The development of a shared model of care between community and hospital dental clinics may improve both clinician and patient experiences in providing and accessing safe dental care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Regional flood frequency analysis (RFFA) is widely used to estimate design floods in ungauged catchments. Most of the RFFA techniques are based on the annual maximum (AM) flood model; however, research has shown that the peaks-over-threshold (POT) model has greater flexibility than the AM model. There is a lack of studies on POT-based RFFA techniques. This paper presents the development of POT-based RFFA techniques, using regularised linear models (least absolute shrinkage and selection operator, ridge regression and elastic net regression). The results of these regularised linear models are compared with multiple linear regression. Data from 145 stream gauging stations of south-east Australia are used in this study. A leave-one-out cross-validation is adopted to compare these regression models. It has been found that the regularised linear models provide quite accurate flood quantile estimates, with a median relative error in the range of 37 to 47%, which outperform the AM-based RFFA techniques currently recommended in the Australian Rainfall and Runoff guideline. The developed RFFA technique can be used to estimate flood quantiles in ungauged catchments in the study region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many countries have started their transition to a net-zero economy. Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) play an ever-increasing role towards this transition as a rechargeable energy storage medium. Initially, LIBs were developed for consumer electronics and portable devices but have seen dramatic growth in their use in electric vehicles (EVs) and via the gradual uptake in battery energy storage systems (BESSs) over the last decade. As such, critical metals (Li, Co, Ni, and Mn) and chemicals (polymers, electrolytes, Cu, Al, PVDF, LiPF6, LiBF4, and graphite) needed for LIBs are currently in great demand and are susceptible to global supply shortages. Dramatic increases in raw material prices, coupled with predicted exponential growth in global demand (e.g., United States graphite demand from 2022 7000 t to ~145,000 t), means that LIBs will not be sustainable if only sourced from raw materials. LIBs degrade over time. When their performance can no longer meet the requirement of their intended application (e.g., EVs in the 8–12 year range), opportunities exist to extract and recover battery materials for re-use in new batteries or to supply other industrial chemical sectors. This paper compares the challenges, barriers, opportunities, and successes of the United States of America and Australia as they transition to renewable energy storage and develop a battery supply chain to support a circular economy around LIBs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the determinants of refugee students' social integration in Lebanon, Turkey, and Australia. This paper seeks to understand how legal status and the corresponding length of refugee asylum shape refugee children's social integration. The three host countries offer refugees different legal statuses ranging from short-term in Lebanon, medium-term in Turkey, and long-term in Australia. Therefore, our data collection covers a sample of 1298 middle school refugee students from all three countries. Our probit regression analysis sheds light on the importance of micro-level factors related to individual and household characteristics and meso-level factors related to school factors shaping refugee students' social integration. The statistical dominance of meso-level factors indicates that the within-country differences are stronger than the between-country differences, yet it does not rule out the importance of macro policies that indirectly influence refugee students' social integration by shaping provisions at the micro and meso levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To reduce greenhouse gas emissions, nations have introduced energy efficiency regulations for new and existing buildings. This has been considered advantageous as more efficient building envelopes would reduce energy consumed to heat and cool home interiors to within accepted thermal comfort bandwidths. However, as these methods have been adopted, many nations have identified an unintended visible presence of surface and interstitial condensation and mould in new code-compliant buildings. In Australia, it has been estimated that up to 50% of Australian houses constructed in the last decade (2006–2016) have a presence of condensation and mould. Australia introduced its first condensation and mould-related building regulations for new homes in 2019. This paper reports on the hygrothermal and mould growth analysis of the most common low-rise residential external wall system, a timber-framed clay masonry veneer wall. A key component of this paper discusses the application of innovative methods in the Australian context. The external wall's moisture accumulation and mould growth were simulated for a period of ten years using the transient hygrothermal simulation tool, WUFI® Pro, and the mould growth model, WUFI® VTT. This study identified significant risks for this typical external wall system when constructed in a temperate climate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]