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Artificial intelligence (AI) is not only disrupting industries and businesses, particularly the ones have fallen behind the adoption, but also significantly impacting public life as well. This calls for government authorities pay attention to public opinions and sentiments towards AI. Nonetheless, there is limited knowledge on what the drivers behind the public perception of AI are. Bridging this gap is the rationale of this paper. As the methodological approach, the study conducts an online public perception survey with the residents of Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane, and explores the collected survey data through statistical analysis. The analysis reveals that: (a) the public is concerned of AI invading their privacy, but not much concerned of AI becoming more intelligent than humans; (b) the public trusts AI in their lifestyle, but the trust is lower for companies and government deploying AI; (c) the public appreciates the benefits of AI in urban services and disaster management; (d) depending on the local context, public perceptions vary; and (e) the drivers behind the public perception include gender, age, AI knowledge, and AI experience. The findings inform authorities in developing policies to minimise public concerns and maximise AI awareness. [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]

Innovation districts are widely known as an effective land use type for fostering and sustaining knowledge and innovation economy growth in cities. Knowledge workers and the public are among the main stakeholders and key drivers for the growth of innovation districts. However, these groups' needs are often not well considered in the top-down implementation of innovation districts. This paper aims to explore the user preferences and decision makers' perspectives in innovation district planning, design, and development. The study tackles the question of which characteristics fulfil the responsibility of innovation districts toward both societies (reflecting user preferences) and cities (reflecting decision makers' perspectives). As for the methodology, a case study approach was employed to collect the required data from three innovation districts in Brisbane, Australia. The data are qualitatively and quantitatively analysed. The analysis findings highlighted the similarities between user preferences and decision makers' perspectives—e.g., usefulness of decentralisation, urbanism, mixed-use development, street life, and social interactions in innovation districts—and the differences that need to be carefully factored into the planning, design, and development of innovation districts with a user-centric approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental sustainability priorities for infrastructure development have traditionally focused on aspects including minimising negative impacts in areas such as water and air quality, erosion control, biodiversity and waste management, both in compliance and voluntary frameworks. Associated project performance priorities have focused on avoiding damage beyond 'pre-project baselines'. In contrast, 'best practice' regenerative performance requires infrastructure project outcomes that not only avoid damage but contribute positively to social and ecological systems. For such best practice to become mainstream, industry frameworks, standards and rating schemes must evolve. However, there is limited knowledge regarding 'how' regenerative performance could be encouraged as a business-as-usual infrastructure expectation. This paper therefore explores the potential for a benchmarking methodology called Ecological Performance Standards (EPS) as a transformed approach to facilitate the mainstreaming of regenerative performance expectations. Three research workshops (Phoenix, AZ, USA; Sydney and Brisbane, Australia) were undertaken to investigate the potential for this methodology in infrastructure applications. Mapping was undertaken to align the EPS process steps with associated infrastructure lifecycle phases. Research findings include the synthesis of key opportunities for capturing EPS within infrastructure sustainability rating schemes to leverage current efforts and pivot towards regenerative performance. The authors present a comprehensive matrix mapping 18 ecosystem services against the Infrastructure Sustainability (IS) Rating Scheme credits and categories, summarising where ecosystem services are addressed within the current scheme. The authors conclude the presence of significant opportunities for a new 'business-as-usual' for infrastructure through the integration of regenerative performance benchmarking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Australian housing prices are reported to be overvalued and unaffordable for the past two decades. Many researchers and practitioners have attributed the persistent growth in housing prices to the prolonged period of low borrowing costs. However, due to inflationary pressure, the Central Bank has raised its cash rate consecutively in recent months. This paper aims to examine whether interest rate rises affect housing price in different parts of Australia. Evidence generated from the analysis reported bipolar results between the large and smaller cities, whereby housing prices in Sydney and Melbourne show a significant negative relationship with interest rate changes while Brisbane and the Gold Coast and Perth and Adelaide, respectively, are showing negative but insignificant results during the study period. Short-run trend projections on housing prices indicate that Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and the Gold Coast are on a downward trend while Adelaide and Perth will maintain its current momentum before plateauing out later next year. Likewise, control variables, such as oil prices, inflation rate and stock market performance, are found to be related to housing prices in larger cities only. These findings have implications on housing policy, house purchase decisions and investment portfolio management strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding housing preferences is critical for successful compact city development. However, there is limited research on understanding preference heterogeneity in dwelling type choices. Using the Household Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia survey, this paper identifies the key housing and built environment characteristics associated with changes in dwelling type choice from detached houses to high-density. A latent class choice model captures the heterogeneity of dwelling type preferences within a traditionally low-density city, Brisbane, Australia. Findings reveal six household classes with distinct dwelling preferences: Class 1 (senior households without children with other family members) and Class 2 (couple families with children) in inner-city areas, Class 3 (high-income young households) and Class 4 (low-income households without children) in middle-city areas, Class 5 (low-income families with children) and Class 6 (middle-income young families without children) in outer-city areas. Residential environments with better access to educational facilities encourage Classes 3 and 6 to change to high-density living. Greater land use diversity encourages Classes 2, 3, and 6 to move towards high-density living. The findings can be used to design and improve high-density housing for targeted population groups across inner-, middle- and outer-city areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prediction of ionospheric parameters, such as ionospheric F2 layer critical frequency (foF2) at low latitude regions is of significant interest in understanding ionospheric variation effects on high-frequency communication and global navigation satellite system. Currently, deep learning algorithms have made a striking accomplishment in capturing ionospheric variability. In this paper, we use the state-of-the-art hybrid neural network combined with a quantile mechanism to predict foF2 parameter variations under low and high solar activity years (solar cycle-24) and space weather events. The hybrid neural network is composed of a convolutional neural network (CNN) and bidirectional long short-term memory (BiLSTM), in which CNN and BiLSTM networks extracted spatial and temporal features of ionospheric variation, respectively. The proposed method was trained and tested on 5 years (2009–2014) of ionospheric foF2 observation data from Advanced Digital Ionosonde located in Brisbane, Australia (27°53′S, 152°92′E). It is evident from the results that the proposed model performs better than International Reference Ionosphere 2016 (IRI-2016), long short-term memory (LSTM), and BiLSTM ionospheric prediction models. The proposed model extensively captured the variation in ionospheric foF2 feature, and better predicted it under two significant space weather events (29 September 2011 and 22 July 2012). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a new land use type, innovation districts are taking prominence in the urban development policies and plans of many cities across the globe. This new urban land use comes in many shapes and forms and offers various features and functions to the users. Despite its increasing popularity, there exist only limited approaches to classify innovation districts, and there are no holistic typologies developed so far. This study focuses on this understudied, but important area of research. The paper aims to develop an innovation district typology matrix and evaluates its practicality with real innovation district data. The methodological approach is three-fold. First, the multidimensional innovation district classification framework is adopted as a performance framework. Second, data from three eminent Australian innovation districts—i.e., Macquarie Park Innovation District (Sydney), Monash Technology Precinct (Melbourne), and Kelvin Grove Urban Village (Brisbane)—are collected. Third, both qualitative and quantitative analysis methods are employed for data analysis. The study finds that innovation district performances can be measured, and typologies can be developed though a novel approach. These, in return, inform property developers and managers, city administrators, and urban planners in their efforts to plan, design, develop, and manage competitive innovation districts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper seeks to bridge a gap in Australian art histories by examining the contribution of Northern Queensland to the Australian arts narrative. The story of the visual arts in Australia is often written from the perspective of the southern states, and the story of Queensland art is often written from the perspective of its capital, Brisbane. This is despite the early depiction of the rich flora and fauna of Far North Queensland recognised in early surveys. In examining the history of the arts from the north however, key themes emerge that characterise and challenge understandings of the visual arts in Queensland. By exploring the work of artist Clem Forbes (1938-1997) and sculptor Tom Risley (1947-2010) this paper suggests that the contribution made by artists living and working in Northern Queensland can throw light on what is distinct about the north as a vision of Australian art. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Suicide in young people is a leading cause of death. Interventions that are reflexive, tailored, and developed in concert with this at-risk population are needed. This study aimed to integrate lived-experience into the design of a suicide prevention intervention delivered by phone to young people post-discharge from an emergency department (ED) for suicide risk or self-harm. Methods: Qualitative study was conducted at the Queensland Children's Hospital, Brisbane Australia. Four focus groups with young people with lived-experience, parents or carers and ED mental health clinicals were conducted. In total 5 young people with lived-experience of suicidality (17–21 years, Mage = 19.20), 3 parents and carers with a lived-experience of caring for a young person with mental illness, and 10 ED mental health clinicians participated in focus groups. The first phase of qualitative analysis involved a phenomenological analysis and second phase included a deductive content analysis. The paper is following the Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research. Results: First phase, a phenomenological analysis identified three foundational themes to structure future follow-up phone interventions: a person-centred focus, the phone-call dynamic, and the phone-call purpose. Second phase, a deductive content analysis found that participants preferred an intervention that was structured, consistent, and finite. Moreover, an intervention that was authentic, able to facilitate and empower growing independence, and achievable of young people after an ED presentation was desired. Conclusions: Participants expressed their desire for a responsive, structured, and clearly focused phone call that would recognise the young person and parent/carer's needs while providing tailored support to ease transition from the ED to available community and family led care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the role of local weather conditions in explaining variations in assault, in sub-tropical Brisbane, Australia. It details the extent to which local variations in weather are important in shaping the necessary preconditions for assault to take place. Results suggest that higher daily temperatures are associated with an increased propensity for assault at the neighborhood level after controlling for seasonal effects. Assaults occur significantly less frequently in summer than in spring and there is a greater propensity for assaults to occur on weekends compared to weekdays. Neighborhood disadvantage, ethnic diversity, and the presence of risky facilities such bars, schools, or shops increased the propensity for assault above and beyond the effect of temperature. Findings are important in their capacity to isolate the effect of the prevailing local weather conditions whilst controlling for seasonal variations, land use, and the socio-economic and demographic context within which assaults took place. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study evaluates positive (topophilic) and negative (topophobic) perceptions of places using participatory mapping methods. Current research on mapping perceptions of urban environments relies heavily on retrospective self-reports from citizens. These methods are often susceptible to recall bias and do not capture granular information about urban environments. Places are dynamic, and peoples' perceptions of them vary by time and space. To address these gaps in methods, we collected data from individuals living in two cities, Olomouc, Czech Republic and Brisbane, Australia. GIS was used to analyse a combined total of 634 momentary assessments from Olomouc, and 318 assessments from Brisbane. Our findings suggest that this approach can yield accurate and reliable data about perceptions of topophobia and topophilia in the two cities as well as enable researchers to clearly define hotspots and hot times related to individual activity spaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To evaluate the efficiency and associated costs of a digital cataract workflow system and manual cataract workflow system for patients, with astigmatism presenting for cataract surgery in Brisbane, Australia. Patients and Methods: Sixty patients with bilateral cataract requiring toric intraocular lenses (IOL) were sequentially assigned to a manual cataract workflow (n = 30) or digital workflow (n = 30) using EQ Workplace (SW v1.7.0) running on FORUM (SW v.4.2.1.66) (Carl Zeiss Meditec, Jena, Germany). Each step of preoperative data acquisition and analysis was timed. Steps in each workflow were divided into presurgical planning time and total workflow time, the latter including the time required to input toric data into CALLISTO eye (Carl Zeiss Meditec). Secondary outcomes included staff costs within each workflow. Results: Median presurgical planning time using a digital workflow process was 6.51 ± 0.65 minutes, and using a manual workflow process, 12.32 ± 0.56 minutes (p < 0.001). Similarly, median total workflow time using a digital workflow process was 6.93 ± 0.57 minutes and using a manual workflow process, 13.49 ± 0.47 minutes (p < 0.001). Evaluating the staff remuneration during presurgical planning and the operating costs associated with running EQ Workplace, there was a cost-reduction of 35% per patient when using the digital cataract workflow process. Conclusion: Using a digital cataract workflow process is more efficient and provides staff cost-savings compared to a manual workflow process when planning for toric IOL implantation. Plain Language Summary: The prevalence of both cataracts and cataract surgery is known to be increasing in Australia and other economically developed countries. During cataract surgery, an individual's natural lens is removed, and an artificial lens (known as an intraocular lens or IOL) is inserted. Many patients elect to correct their astigmatism at the time of their cataract surgery by choosing to have a specific type of IOL, called a toric lens, implanted, which should reduce their dependence on spectacles following surgery. Ophthalmology clinics and clinical staff can spend significant time accurately planning and selecting a toric IOL in preparation for surgery. We evaluated the time spent on toric IOL planning in a digital workflow versus a manual workflow. There was a significant reduction in time (and therefore reduced staffing costs) with the digital workflow. Digital workflows offer improved efficiency and can be more cost-effective, both of which are important when meeting the increasing demands and rates of cataract surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we developed a score-based credibility assessment model which assesses the credibility of text and map-based VGI. We proposed parameters for assessing the credibility of VGI such as distance, hazard, and clustering. Then, the model was created based on the above-mentioned parameters, and the credibility scores of reports were computed. Furthermore, we categorized the reports into high-credible and low-credible categories, and accuracy of the model was determined by comparing the model's output with the real situation. To assess the credibility of VGI, we made use of reports from the Ushahidi project in Brisbane, Australia, which was hit by a severe flood in 2013 as our first dataset. Besides the aforementioned parameters, we examined the distance between the location of the user and location of the incident as a parameter for the credibility assessment of VGI. For doing so, in a case study, we developed a VGI-based website to collect data for the analysis. Results show that our model which was created by spatial clustering and flood hazard parameters can categorize the credibility classes with 92.6% accuracy. In addition, in the second study area, the credibility model using the proximity of the volunteer to the incident site parameter can assess the credibility classes of VGI with 90% accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Floods are the most common and destructive disasters around the globe, which becomes more challenging in coastal areas due to higher population density and catchment areas relative to floods in an inland area. For effective coastal flood management to reduce flood adverse impacts it is necessary to investigate the flooding processes and their joint interaction in a coastal area. This paper selected the Brisbane River Estuary, Australia as an example, and the MIKE 21 model is applied to investigate the effects of mesh resolution on the flood discharge and to explores compound flooding by computing variances in coastal flood assessments resulting from a separation of tidal and riverine processes. The statistical results showed that the Nash-Sutcliffe coefficient, E of water level are varied from 0.84 to 0.95 and the model simulated the 2011 flood extent results agreed with 90 % accuracy with the observed flood extent. Five mesh resolutions cases were analyzed and the result found that the finer mesh resolution Case 5 was more appropriate for calculating the peak discharge with 2.7 % with estimated discharge. Compound flood event simulation results emphasized that not considering the interaction of various flooding drivers caused 0.62 m and 0.12 m reduction in the flood levels at Jindalee and Brisbane city gauges, and uncertainties in flood extent. Simulated results of flood at Brisbane city gauge, showed that 2011 and 2013 floods with storm surge scenario 4 demonstrate, the increase in flood level to be 12 % and 34 % respectively. The results recommend flooding assessment by using mesh convergence with joint probability of compound flood under future storm surge for planning and management of coastal projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Foetal MRI scans can induce feelings of fear, concern and anxiety in pregnant patients. The aim of this research was to determine if providing patients with an information leaflet reduced maternal anxiety regarding foetal MRI. Methods: A prospective, three‐arm comparative pilot study was performed in the MRI department of a quaternary public hospital in Brisbane, Australia. Three groups of 30 participants (total 90 participants) received differing levels of information about foetal MRI: Group A – no foetal‐MRI specific information (current practice at the site); Group B – a basic information leaflet; Group C – a comprehensive information leaflet. All participants completed a survey that explored their pre‐scan anxiety immediately after their MRI scan. Results: Over 50% of participants in each group felt anxious before the MRI. Participants expressed anxiety towards the general process of the MRI, the outcome or results of the scan, and the safety of the modality. The basic and comprehensive leaflets were both efficacious in reducing anxiety for the majority of participants. Conclusions: Whilst not all patients express anxiety regarding MRI scans, emotional distress surrounding the entire process is prevalent. Providing patients with comprehensive information about what the MRI scan entails (including the scan environment and duration, positioning, breath‐holding requirements, and foetal safety) reduces anxiety for most patients. These findings can be used to determine ways in which reduction of anxiety improves the patient experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Non-beneficial treatment affects a considerable proportion of older people in hospital, and some will choose to decline invasive treatments when they are approaching the end of their life. The Intervention for Appropriate Care and Treatment (InterACT) intervention was a 12-month stepped wedge randomised controlled trial with an embedded process evaluation in three hospitals in Brisbane, Australia. The aim was to increase appropriate care and treatment decisions for older people at the end-of-life, through implementing a nudge intervention in the form of a prospective feedback loop. However, the trial results indicated that the expected practice change did not occur. The process evaluation aimed to assess implementation using the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research, identify barriers and enablers to implementation and provide insights into the lack of effect of the InterACT intervention. Methods: Qualitative data collection involved 38 semi-structured interviews with participating clinicians, members of the executive advisory groups overseeing the intervention at a site level, clinical auditors, and project leads. Online interviews were conducted at two times: implementation onset and completion. Data were coded to the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research and deductively analysed. Results: Overall, clinicians felt the premise and clinical reasoning behind InterACT were strong and could improve patient management. However, several prominent barriers affected implementation. These related to the potency of the nudge intervention and its integration into routine clinical practice, clinician beliefs and perceived self-efficacy, and wider contextual factors at the health system level. Conclusions: An intervention designed to change clinical practice for patients at or near to end-of-life did not have the intended effect. Future interventions targeting this area of care should consider using multi-component strategies that address the identified barriers to implementation and clinician change of practice. Trial registration: Australia New Zealand Clinical Trial Registry (ANZCTR), ACTRN12619000675123p (approved 06/05/2019). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fidelity of the decadal experiment in Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase-5 (CMIP5) has been examined, over different climate variables for multiple temporal and spatial scales, in many previous studies. However, most of the studies were for the temperature and temperature-based climate indices. A quite limited study was conducted on precipitation of decadal experiment, and no attention was paid to the catchment level. This study evaluates the performances of eight GCMs (MIROC4h, EC-EARTH, MRI-CGCM3, MPI-ESM-MR, MPI-ESM-LR, MIROC5, CMCC-CM, and CanCM4) for the monthly hindcast precipitation of decadal experiment over the Brisbane River catchment in Queensland, Australia. First, the GCMs datasets were spatially interpolated onto a spatial resolution of 0.05 × 0.05° (5 × 5 km) matching with the grids of observed data and then were cut for the catchment. Next, model outputs were evaluated for temporal skills, dry and wet periods, and total precipitation (over time and space) based on the observed values. Skill test results revealed that model performances varied over the initialization years and showed comparatively higher scores from the initialization year 1990 and onward. Models with finer spatial resolutions showed comparatively better performances as opposed to the models of coarse spatial resolutions, where MIROC4h outperformed followed by EC-EARTH and MRI-CGCM3. Based on the performances, models were grouped into three categories, where models (MIROC4h, EC-EARTH, and MRI-CGCM3) with high performances fell in the first category, and middle (MPI-ESM-LR and MPI-ESM-MR) and comparatively low-performing models (MIROC5, CanCM4, and CMCC-CM) fell in the second and third categories, respectively. To compare the performances of multi-model ensembles' mean (MMEMs), three MMEMs were formed. The arithmetic mean of the first category formed MMEM1, the second and third categories formed MMEM2, and all eight models formed MMEM3. The performances of MMEMs were also assessed using the same skill tests, and MMEM2 performed best, which suggests that evaluation of models' performances is highly important before the formation of MMEM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Physical activity levels are low in people with Parkinson's disease (PD) and have proved difficult to increase with exercise programs alone. Intervention approaches that address both the capacity to engage in physical activity and self-management strategies to change and maintain exercise behaviours are needed to address this intractable issue. Methods: This will be an assessor-blinded, randomized controlled trial performed in Brisbane, Australia. Ninety-two people with mild-moderate PD will be randomly allocated to two groups: usual care, and a physiotherapy-led group exercise program combined with self-management strategies. In the intervention group, twelve, 80-min sessions will be conducted over 4 weeks in groups of up to 4 participants. The intervention will consist of circuit training including treadmill walking to target aerobic fitness, and activities targeting strength, balance, and gait performance. In addition, each session will also incorporate strategies focusing on self-management and behaviour change, augmented by the provision of a fitness activity tracker. Outcome measures will be collected at baseline (T1), immediately post intervention (T2) and at 6 months follow-up (T3). The primary outcome measure is free-living physical activity (average daily step count over 7 days) at pre (T1) and post (T2) intervention measured using an activPAL™ device. Secondary outcome measures captured at all time points include time spent walking, sedentary and in moderate intensity exercise over 7 days; spatiotemporal gait performance (step length, gait speed, endurance); health-related quality of life; and outcome expectations and self-efficacy for exercise. Discussion: Sustainability of gains in physical activity following exercise interventions is a challenge for most populations. Our incorporation of a chronic disease self-management approach into the exercise program including fitness tracking extends previous trials and has potential to significantly improve free-living physical activity in people with PD. Trial registration: This study has been prospectively registered in Australian and New Zealand Clinical Trial Registry (ACTRN12617001057370), registered on 19/07/2017. Available from www.anzctr.org.au/ACTRN12617001057370.aspx. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding and projecting drought, especially in the face of climate change, is crucial for assessing its impending risks. However, the causes of drought are multifaceted. As the environmental research paradigm pivots towards machine learning (ML) for predictions, our investigation contrasted multiple ML techniques to simulate the Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI) from 2009 to 2022, utilizing various potential evapotranspiration (PET) methods. Our primary focus was Australia, the world's driest inhabited continent. Given the challenges with ML model interpretation, SHAP (SHapley Additive exPlanations) values were employed to decipher SPEI variations and to gauge the relative importance of precipitation (Prec) and PET in six key Australian cities. Our findings revealed that while different PET methods resulted in distinct mean values, their trends remained consistent. Post the Millennium Drought, Australia experienced several drought events. SPEI discrepancies based on PET methods were minimal in humid regions like Brisbane and Darwin. However, for arid cities, the Priestley–Taylor equation-driven SPEI differed notably from other methods. Ridge regression was the most adept at mirroring SPEI changes among the assessed ML models. Furthermore, the SHAP explainer discerned that PET-related climate variables had a greater impact on SPEI in drier cities, whereas in humid cities, Prec was more influential. Notably, the research emphasised CO2′s role in influencing drought dynamics in humid cities. These insights are invaluable for enhancing drought mitigation strategies and refining predictive models. Such revelations are crucial for stakeholders aiming to improve drought prediction and management, especially in drought-prone regions like Australia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plant fungal pathogen Pyrrhoderma noxium is responsible for the destructive and invasive disease of brown root rot currently affecting the city of Brisbane, Australia. In order to address this issue, environmentally friendly and safe alternatives to chemical control are preferred due to the city's public setting. Antifungal natural products are ideal candidates as biological control alternatives and can be detected through investigating the metabolomes of microbial symbionts. Within this study, an NMR-based metabolomics approach was applied to fermentation extracts obtained from 15 termite gut-associated streptomycetes. By analysing the NMR spectra, six of the extracts which displayed similar chemical profiles exhibited antifungal activity against the P. noxium pathogen. The major compound within these extracts was identified as acetomycin using NMR and X-ray crystallography analyses. This is the first reporting of acetomycin as a potential natural product fungicide, particularly as an antifungal agent against P. noxium. Inhibitory activity was also found against other important fungal crop pathogens, including Aspergillus niger, Botrytis cinerea, and Alteranaria alternata. Further experimentation using a woodblock test found inhibitory activity on the growth of the P. noxium pathogen for up to 3 weeks and a significant difference in the integrity of the woodblocks when conducting compression strength tests after 6 weeks. Therefore, acetomycin may be used as a biological control agent and natural product fungicide against P. noxium. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the rising prices of houses and rent, apartment buildings have become the preferred and most utilized dwellings in Australia. However, there have been cases of serious defects in multi-unit dwellings (apartment buildings), posing various risks to and reducing potential residents' confidence in such dwellings. To address this issue, the current study investigated the types, causes, risk severity, and impacts of defects on residents in mid- to high-rise multi-unit dwellings in Australia. The study utilized a mixed approach involving quantitative (online questionnaire) and qualitative (interviews) methods. Data were collected from 104 apartment building residents in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, with support from interviews with six experienced local construction professionals. The results revealed that there are 11 key defects present in local apartment buildings, with waterproofing, internal finishes, and structural issues being the most frequently reported. Residents typically report these defects to building owners, agents, and managers, who take more than three months, on average, to rectify them, adding to the residents' psychological issues and their inability to use the property as intended. The reasons for the delayed rectification of defects include non-responsive owners, agents, and building management teams, scheduling conflicts, litigation, and high costs. The interviewed professionals acknowledged the presence of defects and identified the reliance on Design and Construct (D&C) and fixed price contracts, lack of public awareness, and absence of a system to capture builders' reputation, as well as a manipulative quality check system, as key reasons for defects. This study addresses the defect concerns in multi-unit Australian dwellings (apartments) and expects to spark a much-needed debate around reforms in the construction sector to address these issues and minimize their risks and impact on residents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research on multi-dimensional aspect of dam engineering is gaining momentum because of massive flood destructions in lives, ecosystem and development including Wivenhoe dam flood in 2011, Oroville dam's spillway incident 2017 and the Europe's widespread flooding in 2021. The aim of this study is to capture and review research activities in dam science since 1980. A case study of the Wivenhoe dam Brisbane Australia, focusing on its design, catchment, water storage and flood mitigation capacity, management procedure, climate change and historical rainfall pattern has been carried out to conclude why such a catastrophic flood event happened in Brisbane in January 2011. The methodology applied in the study includes related literature review followed by documentation and analysis of reports and data of Queensland Water, Wivenhoe Alliance and Flood Commission. Reviewed literatures indicated that dam failures are primarily associated with improper design, inadequate monitoring in construction period and poor management (operational) practices. In the case of the Wivenhoe dam flood, the report of the Flood Commission of Inquiry Australia was that the dam was operated so that its flood mitigation was near optimal. Whilst the operators were found to be at fault for not following the Operation Manual, it was found that the manual was confusing and difficult to follow, and therefore, they were cleared of all liability. Hence, it is difficult to conclude what would have actually happened if the Wivenhoe dam operators had released more water earlier, author's reasoned outlook about the flood mitigation measures used at the time is to ask the question "was reasonable discretion" used during the flood. In the light of the warnings that the dam operators were given even as far back as December 2010 about the strong La Nina, it would seem that operators made sub-optimal decision about water releases and hence "reasonable discretion" wasn't applied properly. Hence, it can be said that the Brisbane Flood 2011 was a dam release type flood basically related to poor management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flooding has become one of the most dangerous and expensive disasters due to urbanization and climate change. Tools for assessing flood impact are required to support the shift of flood mitigation management from post-disaster recovery and reconstruction to community-driven pre-disaster warning and preparation. This study aims to develop an integrated approach to spatially assess the economic and social losses and ecological gain and identify the geographical factors of locations with high impacts of floods in Brisbane using the datasets collected from both the 2011 and 2022 flood events. Water depth, inundated area, land cover, ecosystem service value, mortality, and morbidity were considered to assess flood impacts. It is found that downstream (above 23,500 m from the upper stream) riverside communities (within 800 m of the river) with low altitudes (below 15 m) are more likely to experience significant flood damage. Flood impacts have bell-shaped developments with elevation and direct distance to the upstream river source and an exponential decline with distances to the river. These findings have implications for formulating future urban land use and community-tailored mitigation strategies, particularly for flood warning and preparation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the transition to LED lighting technology, multispectral night-time sensors are needed to quantify the changing nightscapes, given the limitations of the panchromatic sensors. Our objective was to quantify the contribution of lighting sources as measured on the ground and examine their correspondence with night-time brightness and color as measured from space. We conducted ground-based measurements of night-time brightness using the multidirectional (top, rear, right, front, left) and multispectral LANcube v2, which was mounted on the roof of a car, over 458 km of roads in central Israel and in Brisbane, Australia. For spaceborne measurements, we used the SDGSAT-1 multispectral Glimmer sensor. We found that spaceborne measurements of apparent radiance were best explained when including all ground-based directional measurements, with greater explanatory power for highways (R2 = 0.725) than for urban roads (R2 = 0.556). Incoming light in the five directions varied between road classes and land use. In most cases, the variability in night-time brightness and color was greater for urban road sections than for highways. We conclude that due to the spectral mixture of lighting sources, at a medium spatial resolution, the impact of the transition to LED lighting may be more easily recognized from space over highways than in dense urban settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pyrrhoderma noxium is a plant fungal pathogen that induces the disease of brown root rot in a large variety of tree species. It is currently infecting many of the amenity trees within Brisbane City of Queensland, Australia. Steering away from harmful chemical fungicides, biological control agents offer environmentally friendly alternatives. Streptomycetes are known for their production of novel bioactive secondary metabolites with biocontrol potential, particularly, streptomycete symbionts isolated from unique ecological niches. In this study, 37 termite gut-associated actinomycete isolates were identified using molecular methods and screened against P. noxium. A majority of the isolates belonged to the genus Streptomyces, and 15 isolates exhibited strong antifungal activity with up to 98.5% mycelial inhibition of the fungal pathogen. MS/MS molecular networking analysis of the isolates' fermentation extracts revealed several chemical classes with polyketides being among the most abundant. Most of the metabolites, however, did not have matches to the GNPS database, indicating potential novel antifungal compounds in the active extracts obtained from the isolates. Pathway enrichment and overrepresentation analyses revealed pathways relating to polyketide antibiotic production, among other antibiotic pathways, further confirming the biosynthetic potential of the termite gut-associated streptomycetes with biocontrol potential against P. noxium. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OAA0304 Hypoxic adaptation uncovers a glycolytic dependence of HIV-1 latency reversal Y.I. Kayode SP 1 sp , D.C. Clemmer SP 1 sp , A.A. Owolabi SP 1 sp , L.M. Clark SP 1 sp , H.E. Taylor SP 1 sp SP 1 sp SUNY Upstate Medical University, Microbiology and Immunology, Syracuse, United States B Background b : The main barrier to HIV-1 curative strategies is the persistence of latently infected CD4 T cells in lymphoid tissue compartments which readily fuel viral rebound following antiretroviral therapy (ART) interruption in people living with HIV (PLWH). Mamba SP 1 sp , V. Williams SP 1 sp , A. Mafukidze SP 1 sp , P. Bongomin SP 1 sp , P. Dlamini SP 1 sp , G. Mchunu SP 1 sp , S. Mhlanga SP 1 sp , H. Byarugaba SP 1 sp , J. Opoku SP 2 sp , S. Kibwana SP 3 sp , S. Ojoo SP 2 sp , D. Bazira SP 2 sp , S. Haumba SP 1 sp SP 1 sp Center for Global Health Practice and Impact, Georgetown University, Mbabane, Eswatini, SP 2 sp Center for Global Health Practice and Impact, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington DC, United States, SP 3 sp Center for Global Health Practice and Impact, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, United States B Background b : Pill count is widely used as an adherence measure among clients taking antiretroviral therapy (ART). OAA0102 Resident microbiota enhance HIV acquisition, replication and pathogenesis in vivo A. Wahl SP 1 sp , W. Yao SP 1 sp , B. Liao SP 1 sp , M. Chateau SP 1 sp , C. Richardson SP 1 sp , L. Ling SP 1 sp , J. Tucker SP 1 sp , I. McGowan SP 2 sp , R.B. Sartor SP 1 sp , J.V. Garcia SP 1 sp SP 1 sp University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, United States, SP 2 sp University of Pittsburgh Medical School, Pittsburgh, United States B Background b : Resident microbiota maintain intestinal homeostasis by regulating digestion, metabolism, immune development and providing protection from infection. [Extracted from the article]

The Darling Downs region, located over 100 km west of Brisbane, comprises predominately fertile black soil. Black soil found across the region has characteristics that are extremely problematic to civil engineers and have caused significant damage to the road infrastructure in the region. The black soil in the region has a high shrink/swell characteristic which has caused substantial pavement damage through rutting, shoving, washouts and settlement issues. Many pavement rehabilitation techniques, such as lime stabilization and foamed bitumen, have been used to minimize the damage caused by moisture infiltration. However, the issues remain. The Department of Transport and Main Roads developed ten innovative rehabilitation methods as a trial using geocells and geosynthetics along a 1km section of the main highway in the region. The Gore Highway had been identified as the ideal location as previous rehabilitation methods achieved limited benefits in reducing pavement failures, which posed safety concerns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

STUDY QUESTION In women with threatened miscarriage, does progesterone supplementation until the completion of the first trimester of pregnancy increase the probability of live birth? SUMMARY ANSWER In women with threatened miscarriage, 400 mg vaginal progesterone nightly, from onset of bleeding until 12 weeks, did not increase live birth rates. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY Limited evidence has indicated that vaginal micronized progesterone may make little or no difference to the live birth rate when compared with placebo in women with threatened miscarriage. Subgroup analysis of one recent randomized trial reported that in women with bleeding and at least one previous miscarriage, progesterone might be of benefit. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION We performed a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial between February 2012 and April 2019. Eligible pregnant women under 10 weeks gestation, experiencing a threatened miscarriage as apparent from vaginal bleeding were randomized into two groups in a 1:1 ratio: the intervention group received 400 mg progesterone as vaginal pessaries, the control group received placebo vaginal pessaries, both until 12 weeks gestation. The primary endpoint was live birth. We planned to randomize 386 women (193 per group). The study was stopped at a planned interim analysis for futility after randomization of 278 women. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS This trial was conducted at the Mater Mothers' Hospital, a tertiary centre for maternity care in South Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. We randomized 139 women to the intervention group and 139 women to the placebo group. Primary outcome data were available for 136 women in the intervention group and 133 women in the placebo group. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE The live birth rates were 82.4% (112/136) and 84.2% (112/133) in the intervention group and placebo group, respectively (risk ratio (RR) 0.98, 95% CI 0.88 to 1.09; risk difference −0.02, 95% CI −0.11 to 0.07; P  = 0.683). Among women with at least one previous miscarriage, live birth rates were 80.6% (54/67) and 84.4% (65/77) (RR 0.95, 95% CI 0.82–1.11; P  = 0.550). No significant effect was seen from progesterone in women with two (RR 1.28, 95% CI 0.96–1.72; P  = 0.096) or more (RR 0.79, 95% CI 0.53–1.19; P  = 0.267) previous miscarriages. Preterm birth rates were 12.9% and 9.3%, respectively (RR 1.38; 95% CI 0.69 to 2.78; P  = 0.361). Median birth weight was 3310 vs 3300 g (P  = 0.992). There were also no other significant differences in obstetric and perinatal outcomes. LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION Our study was single centre and did not reach the planned sample size because it was stopped prematurely at an interim analysis. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS We did not find evidence supporting the treatment effect of vaginal progesterone in women with threatened miscarriage. Progesterone in this setting should not be routinely used for threatened miscarriage. The treatment effect in women with threatened miscarriage after previous miscarriages warrants further research. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S) Mothers' and babies Golden Casket Clinical Fellowship (L.A.M.). Progesterone and placebo pessaries were provided by Perrigo Australia. B.W.J.M. reports grants from NHMRC, personal fees from ObsEva, personal fees from Merck KGaA, personal fees from Guerbet, personal fees from iGenomix, outside the submitted work. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER ACTRN12611000405910 TRIAL REGISTRATION DATE 19 April 2011 DATE OF FIRST PATIENT'S ENROLMENT 06 February 2012 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Disadvantaged areas experience higher levels of loneliness than advantaged areas, though studies rarely identify environmental determinants of neighbourhood inequity in loneliness. We studied the contribution of the quantity and quality of green space to neighbourhood inequity in loneliness in three buffer sizes (400 m, 800 m, 1600 m), using cross-sectional data from 3778 individuals aged 48–77 years old living in 200 neighbourhoods in Brisbane, Australia. Levels of loneliness were significantly higher in disadvantaged neighbourhoods, and these neighbourhoods had less green space and less access to quality green space. However, there was no evidence that neighbourhood disparities in green space contributed to the association between neighbourhood disadvantage and loneliness. Possible methodological and substantive reasons for this result are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As fragmented landscapes become increasingly common around the world, managing the spatial arrangement of landscape elements (i.e., landscape configuration) may help to promote the conservation of biodiversity. However, the relative effects of landscape configuration on different dimensions of biodiversity across species assemblages are largely unknown. Thus, a key challenge consists in understanding when it is necessary to focus on landscape configuration, in addition to landscape composition, to achieve multifunctional landscapes. We tested the effects of landscape composition (the percentage of tree cover and built infrastructure) and landscape configuration (degree of fragmentation) on landscape‐level species richness and different metrics of functional diversity of urban birds. We collected data on different bird guilds (nectarivores/frugivores, insectivores) from Brisbane, Australia. Using structural equation models, we found that landscape structure (landscape composition and configuration) affected functional diversity via two main pathways: (1) through effects of landscape composition, mediated by landscape configuration (indirect effects), and (2) through direct ("independent") effects of landscape composition and configuration, filtering species with extreme trait values. Our results show that landscape‐level species richness declined with the extent of built infrastructure, but patterns of trait diversity did not necessarily correlate with this variable. Landscape configuration had a stronger mediating effect on some metrics of the functional diversity of insectivores than on the functional diversity of frugivores/nectarivores. In addition, fragmentation increased the effects of built infrastructure for some traits (body size and dispersal capacity), but not for others (habitat plasticity and foraging behavior). These results suggest that differential approaches to managing landscape structure are needed depending on whether the focus is on protecting functional diversity or species richness and what the target guild is. Managing landscape fragmentation in areas with high levels of built infrastructure is important if the objective is to protect insectivore species with uncommon traits, even if it is not possible to preserve high levels of species richness. However, if the target is to enhance both functional diversity and species richness of multiple guilds, the focus should be on improving composition through the reduction of negative effects of built infrastructure, rather than promoting specific landscape configurations in growing cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Urgent responses to the climate change crisis are required, with concerns that cattle and buffalo are contributing to greenhouse gas emissions, particularly in developing countries where large ruminant production is inefficient. Recent studies in Lao PDR demonstrated that ad libitum supplementation of smallholder large ruminants with high-quality molasses nutrient blocks (MNB, 20 kg) with and without anthelmintics and 8% or 10% urea, provided from Australia (Four Seasons Pty Ltd., Brisbane, Qld, Australia), significantly improved productivity, average daily gains and milk production for MNB-supplemented animals compared to controls. 'Emissions control molasses blocks (n = 200) were then formulated and distributed to beef farmers (n = 60) and two institutional farms to obtain block consumption rates (156 g/day) and farmer acceptance data. Modelling of greenhouse gas emissions (GHGe) intensity using Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Inventory software model V 2.69 of the recently published data on use of molasses nutrient blocks demonstrated a conservative net abatement of 350 kg CO2e over a 200-day feeding period, whereas modelling of the Emissions control molasses blocks identified an abatement of 470 kg CO2e per block consumed. We conclude that provision of high-quality molasses blocks to smallholder large ruminants may achieve impressive productivity gains and inclusion of greenhouse gas reducing agents improves the likely abatement of greenhouse gases during rumen fermentation. Large ruminant production in developing countries is inefficient with low growth rates and likely high greenhouse gas emissions per unit of meat or milk produced. Trials conducted in Lao PDR from 2017 to 2020, studied ad libitum supplementation for 12 weeks with 20 kg high-quality molasses nutrient blocks (Four Seasons Pty Ltd., Brisbane, Australia), that were either non-medicated; fenbendazole-medicated (Panacur100®, Coopers Australia, 5 g/kg); triclabendazole-medicated (Fasinex®, Novartis Australia, 5 g/kg or 10 g/kg, respectively); or formulated with urea (8% or 10% urea, respectively). Average daily gains were determined for access to all molasses blocks and compared with access to control blocks, no supplementation, or previously determined free-grazing baseline average daily gains (55–84 g in cattle; 92–106 g in buffalo). Productivity was significantly improved following access to all molasses blocks. Average daily gains following access to 8% urea and control blocks were calculated for three age cohorts of cattle: young calves <8 m (238–298 g), growing cattle (143–214 g) and lactating cows (179–191 g). Modelling using IPCC Inventory software model V 2.69 of published data demonstrated a conservative net abatement of 350 kg CO2e was achievable over a 200-day feeding period. An additional trial of Emissions control blocks (n = 200) distributed to farmers (n = 60) and two educational institutions were conducted. Consumption rates (156 g/day) and farmer and institutional acceptance of these blocks were similar to our published findings with other molasses blocks, confirming all formulations of blocks improved animal productivity and body condition score, with healthier animals that were easier to manage. Modelling of changes in greenhouse gas emissions intensity identified an abatement of 470 kg CO2e per Emissions control blocks consumed, delivering a total project emissions abatement of 94 t CO2e. Provision of high-quality molasses blocks significantly improved smallholder large ruminant productivity and addition of greenhouse gas reducing agents is likely to achieve impressive abatement of greenhouse gas emissions due to improved efficiency of rumen fermentation and productivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] Pre-cooling is a method to shift peak air conditioning demand to off-peak and shoulder hours by utilizing energy storage in the thermal mass of buildings. This paper evaluates the pre-cooling potential of a range of residential buildings broadly representative of the Australian housing stock. Pre-cooling in 2-, 6-, and 8-star buildings with light, medium, and heavy construction weights in the cities of Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, and Sydney is simulated, and its impacts on household bills, thermal comfort and peak air-conditioning demand reduction are assessed. Star rating is the method for rating Australian buildings based on their annual heating and cooling demand. The housing assessment by both star rating and construction weight highlights the varied potential of pre-cooling. Pre-cooling sensitivity to air conditioning size is also evaluated by simulating 5 k W th , 15 k W th , and 25 k W th air conditioning sizes representing typical small, medium, and large units in the Australian air conditioning market. Using an adaptive thermal comfort model, the impact of people's thermal comfort expectations on pre-cooling is also considered. The results highlight that compared with 2-star buildings, the percentage of daily cost savings from pre-cooling is considerably higher in 6-star and 8-star buildings. Moreover, with a small air conditioner, 2-star buildings are prone to negative seasonal cost savings as the air conditioner is not able to achieve thermostat temperature settings and hence runs longer. However, pre-cooling does offer considerable discomfort reduction to household members. A maximum summer seasonal cost savings of around $260 is observed in a 6-star light-weight building in Adelaide, and a 2-star light-weight building in Brisbane. Households that accept wider temperature variations with pre-cooling may not necessarily see cost savings. These households do provide greater peak air conditioning demand reductions. In conclusion, the value of pre-cooling for households and network peak demand reduction depends significantly on the housing type and location but can be highly valuable in many cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diabetes is on the rise as the worldwide population ages. While physical activity can help protect against diabetes, ageing is commonly associated with reduced physical activity. This study aimed to examine if physical activity differs by diabetes status in mid-aged adults, how this association changes over time, and whether physical activity-related sociodemographic factors and health indicators differ in those with and without diabetes. Data came from four waves of the How Areas in Brisbane Influence HealTh and AcTivity (HABITAT), a longitudinal study of mid-age adults living in Brisbane, Australia. Random effects/Expectation-maximisation (RE-EM) regression trees were used to identify factors affecting physical activity among those with and without diabetes, both separately and combined. At study entry, those with diabetes had a higher median age of 58 years (95% CI: 57–60) and a lower median physical activity of 699 MET.min/week (95% CI: 599–799) than people without diabetes (53 years (95% CI: 53–53) and 849 MET.min/week (95% CI: 799–899)). However, the strongest factors influencing physical activity were BMI and gender, not diabetes status. It is vital to promote physical activity among adults, in particular among those with high BMI and women, as well as those with and at high risk of diseases like diabetes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the Australian summer season of 2022, exceptional rainfall events occurred in Southeast Queensland and parts of New South Wales, leading to extensive flooding of rural and urban areas. Here, we map the extent of flooding in the city of Brisbane and evaluate the change in electricity usage as a proxy for flood impact using VIIRS nighttime brightness imagery. Scanning a wide range of possible sensors, we used pre-flood and peak-flood PlanetScope imagery to map the inundated areas, using a new spectral index we developed, the Normalized Difference Inundation Index (NDII), which is based on changes in the NIR reflectance due to sediment-laden flood waters. We compared the Capella-Space X-band/HH imaging radar data captured at peak-flood date to the PlanetScope-derived mapping of the inundated areas. We found that in the Capella-Space image, significant flooded areas identified in PlanetScope imagery were omitted. These omission errors may be partly explained by the use of a single-date radar image, by the X-band, which is partly scattered by tree canopy, and by the SAR look angle under which flooded streets may be blocked from the view of the satellite. Using VIIRS nightly imagery, we were able to identify grid cells where electricity usage was impacted due to the floods. These changes in nighttime brightness matched both the inundated areas mapped via PlanetScope data as well as areas corresponding with decreased electricity loads reported by the regional electricity supplier. Altogether we demonstrate that using a variety of optical and radar sensors, as well as nighttime and daytime sensors, enable us to overcome data gaps and better understand the impact of flood events. We also emphasize the importance of high temporal revisit times (at least twice daily) to more accurately monitor flood events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Previous studies of sociodemographic and lifestyle correlates of dietary patterns among young adults have primarily focused on physical activity and smoking, with inconclusive results. This study aims to examine the associations between a broader range of lifestyles of young adults and their patterns of food consumption. Design: Cross-sectional. Setting: Brisbane, Australia. Participants: The data set are from a long running birth cohort study which commenced in 1981. Details of dietary intake and sociodemographic and lifestyle factors were from the 21-year follow-up of the Mater-University of Queensland Study of Pregnancy (MUSP) birth cohort. The effective cohort (n 2665, 57 % women) is of young adult offspring. Usual dietary intake was assessed using a Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ). Data on sociodemographic and lifestyle variables were obtained from self-reports. Results: Western and prudent dietary patterns were identified for the combined cohort of women and men using principal components analysis. Multivariable linear regression models were used to examine the associations between lifestyle variables and dietary patterns adjusting for potential confounders. Results from multivariable adjusted models showed that physical activity, watching TV and smoking were strongly associated with each dietary pattern; alcohol consumption and BMI showed weaker associations (P < 0·05 for all). Conclusions: Our study describes a clustering of unhealthy lifestyles in young adults. Young adults with unhealthy lifestyles less often adhere to a healthy prudent dietary pattern and more often an unhealthy Western pattern. Dietary preferences are enmeshed in a lifestyle matrix which includes physical activity, sedentary activity, smoking and alcohol consumption of young adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two lineages of influenza B viruses (IBV) co-circulating in human beings have been posing a significant public health burden worldwide. A substantial number of broadly neutralizing antibodies (bnAbs) have been identified targeting conserved epitopes on hemagglutinin (HA) stem domain, posing great interest for universal influenza vaccine development. Various strategies to design immunogens that selectively present these conserved epitopes are being explored. However, it has been a challenge to retain native conformation of the HA stem region, especially for soluble expression in prokaryotic systems. Here, using a structure prediction tool AlphaFold2, we rationally designed a stable stem antigen "B60-Stem-8071", an HA stem vaccine derived from B/Brisbane/60/2006 grafted with a CR8071 epitope as a linker. The B60-Stem-8071 exhibited better solubility and more stable expression in the E. coli system compared to the naïve HA stem antigen. Immunization with B60-Stem-8071 in mice generated cross-reactive antibodies and protected mice broadly against lethal challenge with Yamagata and Victoria lineages of influenza B virus. Notably, soluble expression of B60-stem-8071 in the E. coli system showed the potential to produce the influenza B vaccine in a low-cost way. This study represents a proof of concept for the rational design of HA stem antigen based on structure prediction and analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study aims to explore the emotional and behavioural responses and coping strategies of fathers or expectant fathers who faced a significant traumatic event during a partner's pregnancy, labour, or the postpartum period.Methods: This prospective qualitative study of 24 fathers was conducted at a public teaching hospital in Brisbane, Australia. 'Traumatic pregnancy' was defined as a pregnancy complicated by life-threatening or severe risk to the mother and the fetus, termination of pregnancy, intrauterine fetal death or stillbirth. Semi-structured interviews of participants were conducted 3-4 months after the traumatic event. An initial qualitative analysis with automatic coding was performed using Leximancer and later followed by a six-phase manual thematic analysis.Results: A pregnancy-related traumatic event had significant mental and physical impacts on fathers. Participants' reactions and coping strategies were varied and influenced by their background history, pre-existing vulnerabilities, and the gap between expectation and reality. Most fathers described a fluctuating state between their needs 'not being met' and 'being met'. These needs were conceptualised using Maslow's hierarchy and Calman's gap theory to construct a composite thematic model to depict the universal requirements of men facing a traumatic pregnancy or childbirth.Conclusions: A greater understanding of the needs of men and gaps in their care is urgently needed. A targeted effort is required to make maternity services father-inclusive. This approach may assist in preventing long term consequences on fathers, partners, and their children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Increasing numbers of older adults with complex health deficits presenting to emergency departments has prompted the development of innovative models of care. One such model designed to reduce poor outcomes associated with acute healthcare, is the Geriatric Emergency Department Intervention. This intervention is a nurse-led, physician-championed, Emergency Department intervention that improves the health outcomes for frail older adults in the emergency department.Methods: This quantitative cohort study aimed to evaluate the healthcare outcomes and costs associated with the implementation of the Geriatric Emergency Department Intervention (GEDI) for adults aged 70 years and over at two hospital sites that implemented the model using the integrated-Promoting Action on Research Implementation in Health Services (i-PARHIS) framework. Hospital A was large teaching hospital located in the tropical north of Australia. Hospital B was a medium sized teaching hospital near Brisbane, Queensland Australia. The effect of the intervention was examined in two ways. Outcomes were compared between: 1) all patients in the pre- and post- implementation periods, and 2) patients seen or not seen by the Geriatric Emergency Department Intervention team in the post-implementation period. The outcomes measured were disposition (discharged home, admitted); emergency department length of stay; hospital length of stay; all cause in-hospital mortality within 28 days; time to re-presentation up to 28 days post-discharge; emergency department and in-hospital costs. Survival analyses were used for the primary and secondary outcome variables and a Cox survival model was used to estimate the associations between variables and outcomes. Multiple regression models were used to examine other secondary outcomes whilst controlling for a range of confounders.Results: The Geriatric Emergency Department Intervention was successfully translated into two different emergency departments. Both demonstrated an increased likelihood of discharge, decreased emergency department length of stay, decreased hospital costs for those who were admitted, with an associated reduction in risk of mortality, for adults aged 70 years and over.Conclusions: The Geriatric Emergency Department Intervention was successfully translated into new sites that adapted the model design. Improvement in healthcare outcomes for older adults presenting to the emergency department was demonstrated, although this was more subtle than in the original model setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a growing need to introduce warning dissemination systems in disaster-prone regions to improve the coverage of information distribution. In this study, a warning dissemination system was designed in which disaster information transmitted by a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) is received by terrestrial infrastructure, such as sirens and public transportation, converted into audio messages, and delivered automatically. The originality of the designed system lies in its appropriate integration of existing satellite systems and terrestrial infrastructure, making the system potentially applicable in many regions. First, we evaluated the effectiveness of the designed system in distributing audio messages using public buses in Brisbane, Australia, where large floods occur frequently. Real-time location information for public buses was acquired in the format of General Transit Feed Specification (GTFS), which is currently used in many countries. Time-series changes in the coverage rate relative to both the flood inundation zone and population were calculated using a geographic information system (GIS). The simulation results showed that the system could reach 60% of the flood inundation zone and 70% of the population on a holiday, indicating that the designed system could be effectively adapted to the target area. The coverage rate was found to peak during 15:00–16:00, with minimum rates observed late at night and early in the morning. These results will allow the development of an effective disaster management plan. In the future, this system will be evaluated in other regions using the same calculation process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We shed new light on the processes through which institutions are created and changed by investigating the question how does institutional entrepreneuring unfold in an already organized world. We conducted a longitudinal case study of the field of scientific research production in Australia, which changed over three decades through entrepreneuring processes associated with the creation of a new 'Smart State' place in the city of Brisbane in Queensland. A new place is a form of organizing human activity that has materiality and meaning at a specific geographic location. Our findings showed how field change was interwoven with place creation through four processes of entrepreneuring: structural emancipation, dissociating and reimagining place meanings, bricolaging of place forms and co-evolving place identities. These entrepreneuring processes constituted the field as a flow of 'becoming' that spilled over into temporary and provisional settlements in local places. Our findings make important contributions through: (1) deepening understanding of how organizational fields change through multilevel, distributed, cascading and often unreflexive processes of entrepreneuring in an already organized world; (2) bringing attention to a relationship between institutions and place, in which place is both the medium and outcome of institutional entrepreneuring; and (3) providing new insight into embedded agency by illustrating how institutions in 'becoming' continually (re)produce the resources and possibilities for agency within gradual institutional change over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 2019 Australian mega fires were unprecedented considering their intensity and consistency. There has been much research on the environmental and ecological effects of these mega fires, most of which focused on the effect of huge aerosol loadings and the ecological devastation. Sea land breeze (SLB) is a regional thermodynamic circulation closely related to coastal pollution dispersion, yet few have looked into how it is influenced by different types of aerosols transported from either nearby or remote areas. Mega fires provide an optimal scenario of large aerosol emissions. Near the coastal site of Brisbane Archerfield during January 2020, when mega fires were the strongest, reanalysis data from Modern-Era Retrospective analysis for Research and Applications version 2 (MERRA-2) showed that mega fires did release huge amounts of aerosols, making aerosol optical depth (AOD) of total aerosols, black carbon (BC) and organic carbon (OC) approximately 240 %, 425 % and 630 % of the averages in other non-fire years. Using 20 years' wind observations of hourly time resolution from a global observation network managed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), we found that the SLB day number during that month was only 4, accounting for 33.3 % of the multi-years' average. The land wind (LW) speed and sea wind (SW) speed also decreased by 22.3 % and 14.8 % compared with their averages respectively. Surprisingly, fire spot and fire radiative power (FRP) analysis showed that heating effects and aerosol emission of the nearby fire spots were not the main causes of the local SLB anomaly, while the remote transport of aerosols from the fire centre was mainly responsible for the decrease of SW, which was partially offset by the heating effect of nearby fire spots and the warming effect of long-range transported BC and CO 2. The large-scale cooling effect of aerosols on sea surface temperature (SST) and the burst of BC contributed to the slump of LW. The remote transport of total aerosols was mainly caused by free diffusion, while the large-scale wind field played a secondary role at 500 m. The large-scale wind field played a more important role in aerosol transport at 3 km than at 500 m, especially for the gathered smoke, but free diffusion remained the major contributor. The decrease of SLB speed boosted the local accumulation of aerosols, thus making SLB speed decrease further, forming a positive feedback mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Bronchiectasis is a major contributor to respiratory morbidity and healthcare utilization in children. Children with bronchiectasis exhibit low levels of physical activity (PA) and poor fundamental movement skills (FMS) may be a contributing factor. However, there are no data on FMS's in this population. The current study assessed FMS proficiency in children with bronchiectasis and examined associations with objectively measured PA.Methods: Forty-six children with bronchiectasis (mean age 7.5 ± 2.6 year, 63% Male) were recruited from the Queensland Children's Hospital, Brisbane. PA was measured using the ActiGraph GT3X + accelerometer. Raw accelerometer data were processed into daily time spent in sedentary activities, light-intensity activities and games, walking, running, and moderate-to-vigorous activities and games using a random forest (RF) PA classification algorithm specifically developed for children. Daily MVPA was calculated by summing time spent in walking, running, and moderate-to-vigorous activities and games. FMS were assessed using the Test of Gross Motor Development 2nd Edition (TGMD-2).Results: Fewer than 5% of children demonstrated mastery in the run, gallop, hop, and leap; while fewer than 10% demonstrated mastery for the two-handed strike, overarm throw, and underarm throw. Only eight of the 46 children (17.4%) achieved their age equivalency for locomotor skills, while just four (8.7%) achieved their age equivalency for object control skills. One-way ANCOVA revealed that children achieving their age equivalency for FMS had significantly higher levels of MVPA than children not achieving their age equivalency (51.7 vs 36.7 min/day). When examined by the five activity classes predicted by the RF algorithm, children achieving their age equivalency exhibited significantly greater participation moderate-to-vigorous intensity activities and games (22.1 vs 10.7 min/day). No significant differences were observed for sedentary activities, light-intensity activities and games, walking, and running.Conclusion: Children with bronchiectasis exhibit significant delays in their FMS development. However, those who meet their age equivalency for FMS proficiency participate in significantly more daily MVPA than children who do not meet their age-equivalency. Therapeutic exercise programs designed to improve FMS proficiency are thus likely to be beneficial in this population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Older people are particularly vulnerable to hospital re-presentation following discharge. Ideal discharge planning processes facilitate the transition from hospital to home and prevent subsequent re-presentations to hospital. The objective of this study was to examine discharge planning processes in two Australian hospitals, compare them between sites and to best-practice recommendations. An ethnographic observational study of discharge planning processes was conducted at two general medical inpatient wards at a large tertiary hospital and a smaller regional hospital in Brisbane, Australia. Participants were patients and ward staff involved in discharge planning during a hospital admission. A literature review was conducted to elicit best-practice recommendations for discharge planning. Data for this study (duration: 112 h) were collected directly using field notes by a research assistant embedded in the ward. A directed qualitative content analysis approach was used for data analysis. Results were compared to best-practice recommendations. Findings indicate that both hospitals implemented various best-practice interventions to enhance communication, collaboration, coordination and patient/family engagement for optimal discharge planning. Strategies used were context specific and effective to varying degrees. Clear responsibilities and goals within the multidisciplinary team helped to create cohesive, well-functioning teams. More work is needed to engage patients and families in discharge planning, and to encourage health professionals to consider patients and family as active team members in the discharge planning process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The adaptive T cell response to influenza B virus is understudied, relative to influenza A virus, for which there has been considerable attention and progress for many decades. Here, we have developed and utilized the C57BL/6 mouse model of intranasal infection with influenza B (B/Brisbane/60/2008) virus and, using an iterative peptide discovery strategy, have identified a series of robustly elicited individual CD4 T cell peptide specificities. The CD4 T cell repertoire encompassed at least eleven major epitopes distributed across hemagglutinin, nucleoprotein, neuraminidase, and non-structural protein 1 and are readily detected in the draining lymph node, spleen, and lung. Within the lung, the CD4 T cells are localized to both lung vasculature and tissue but are highly enriched in the lung tissue after infection. When studied by flow cytometry and MHC class II: peptide tetramers, CD4 T cells express prototypical markers of tissue residency including CD69, CD103, and high surface levels of CD11a. Collectively, our studies will enable more sophisticated analyses of influenza B virus infection, where the fate and function of the influenza B-specific CD4 T cells elicited by infection and vaccination can be studied as well as the impact of anti-viral reagents and candidate vaccines on the abundance, functionality, and localization of the elicited CD4 T cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large damages and losses resulting from floods are widely reported across the globe. Thus, the identification of the flood-prone zones on a flood susceptibility map is very essential. To do so, 13 conditioning factors influencing the flood occurrence in Brisbane river catchment in Australia (i.e., topographic, water-related, geological, and land use factors) were acquired for further processing and modeling. In this study, artificial neural networks (ANN), deep learning neural networks (DLNN), and optimized DLNN using particle swarm optimization (PSO) were exploited to predict and estimate the susceptible areas to the future floods. The significance of the conditioning factors analysis for the region highlighted that altitude, distance from river, sediment transport index (STI), and slope played the most important roles, whereas stream power index (SPI) did not contribute to the hazardous situation. The performance of the models was evaluated against the statistical tests such as sensitivity, specificity, the area under curve (AUC), and true skill statistic (TSS). DLNN and PSO-DLNN models obtained the highest values of sensitivity (0.99) for the training stage to compare with ANN. Moreover, the validations of specificity and TSS for PSO-DLNN recorded the highest values of 0.98 and 0.90, respectively, compared with those obtained by ANN and DLNN. The best accuracies by AUC were evaluated in PSO-DLNN (0.99 in training and 0.98 in testing datasets), followed by DLNN and ANN. Therefore, the optimized PSO-DLNN proved its robustness to compare with other methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]