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With the liberalization and deregulation of the power industry, the power market presents increasingly invisible dynamics and uncertainty. Establishing an effective price forecasting model has always been an important issue for power market participants to avoid risks and maximize economic benefits. However, due to the inherent characteristics of high frequency and high volatility of electricity price data, it is still a difficult and challenging problem to achieve high-precision forecasting. To overcome these difficulties, this study constructed a novel multivariate electric price bi-forecasting system based on the proposed linear operator combination mechanism and deep learning model. Specifically, improved complete ensemble empirical mode decomposition with adaptive noise (ICEEMDAN) is used for data preprocessing, while the multiobjective golden eagle optimization algorithm (MOGEO) optimized deep belief network and bidirectional long short-term memory network are used as the main prediction models for realizing two forecasting modes of point forecast and interval forecast by a multi-input multi-output structure simultaneously. To verify the model forecasting ability and effectiveness, four datasets from Australia (New South Wales) from 2020.7 to 2021.1 are selected for experiments. According to the empirical results, the mean absolute percentage error results of the designed forecasting strategy in point forecasting are within 4% for the four datasets, and the average coverage width criterion values in interval forecasting are all approximately 0.3. The results show that the system has good electricity price forecasting ability and can help policy-makers better understand market dynamics and develop more effective market regulation and intervention measures. • A novel electric price multi-bi-forecasting is constructed using MIMO scheme. • Multi-variable forecast scheme is adopted using the electric price and load data. • A new combination mechanism is introduced to combine the member models. • A superior optimizer is introduced in this system to realize two functions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Asthma poses a significant burden for the Australian population. Understanding severe exacerbation rates, and steroid-related burden for adults diagnosed with asthma stands to offer insights into how this could be reduced. Methods: Electronic medical records (EMR) and questionnaires from the Optimum Patient Care Research Database Australia (OPCRDA) were utilised retrospectively. OPCRDA is a real-world database with > 800,000 medical records from Australian primary care practices. Outcomes were severe asthma exacerbations in Australian adults, over a 12-month period, stratified by Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) treatment intensity steps, and steroid associated comorbidities. Results: Of the 7868 adults treated for asthma, 19% experienced at least one severe exacerbation in the last 12-months. Severe exacerbation frequency increased with treatment intensity (≥ 1 severe exacerbation GINA 1 13%; GINA 4 23%; GINA 5a 33% and GINA 5b 28%). Questionnaire participants reported higher rates of severe exacerbations than suggested from their EMR (32% vs 23%) especially in steps 1, 4 and 5. Patients repeatedly exposed to steroids had an increased risk of osteoporosis (OR 1.95, 95% CI 1.43– 2.66) and sleep apnoea (OR 1.78, 95% CI 1.30– 2.46). Conclusion: The Australian population living with GINA 1, 4, 5a and 5b asthma have high severe exacerbation rates and steroid-related burden, especially when compared to other first world countries, with these patients needing alternative strategies or possibly specialist assessment to better manage their condition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and purpose: Physical inactivity and prolonged sitting have associations with adverse health. University office workers are at a high risk of psychological and pain issues. This study aimed to explore the differences in sitting time, levels of physical activity participation, stress, depression, anxiety, and pain among university office workers in China and Australia. Methods: Online surveys were distributed to university office workers over 55 years at two universities in China and Australia, respectively. Results: A total of 185 participants completed the online survey (119 in China and 66 in Australia). Significant differences were found in sitting time during workdays between the two countries (p < 0.05) with a longer sitting time in the Australian respondents (7.5 h/day) than those in China (4.6 h/day). Additionally, there were also significant differences in terms of levels of depression and pain symptoms within the two countries (p < 0.05). The Australian respondents reported high levels of depression and pain (M = 7.38, SD = 5.86 and M = 3.65, SD = 2.21, respectively) than those in China (M = 5.71, SD = 4.87 and M = 1.89, SD = 1.89, respectively). The gender, education level, and sitting time of participants were found to be associated with pain scores (p < 0.05). A significant association between marital status and pain scores was found among the Australian respondents (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Future studies with a larger population are needed to validate the results and to further explore the association between physical activity participation and psychological wellbeing among university office workers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Severe asthma is a high-burden disease. Real-world data on mepolizumab in patients with severe eosinophilic asthma is needed to assess whether the data from randomised controlled trials are applicable in a broader population.The Australian Mepolizumab Registry (AMR) was established with an aim to assess the use, effectiveness and safety of mepolizumab for severe eosinophilic asthma in Australia.Patients (n=309) with severe eosinophilic asthma (median age 60 years, 58% female) commenced mepolizumab. They had poor symptom control (median Asthma Control Questionnaire (ACQ)-5 score of 3.4), frequent exacerbations (median three courses of oral corticosteroids (OCS) in the previous 12 months), and 47% required daily OCS. Median baseline peripheral blood eosinophil level was 590 cells·µL -1 Comorbidities were common: allergic rhinitis 63%, gastro-oesophageal reflux disease 52%, obesity 46%, nasal polyps 34%.Mepolizumab treatment reduced exacerbations requiring OCS compared with the previous year (annualised rate ratio 0.34 (95% CI 0.29-0.41); p<0.001) and hospitalisations (rate ratio 0.46 (95% CI 0.33-0.63); p<0.001). Treatment improved symptom control (median ACQ-5 reduced by 2.0 at 6 months), quality of life and lung function. Higher blood eosinophil levels (p=0.003) and later age of asthma onset (p=0.028) predicted a better ACQ-5 response to mepolizumab, whilst being male (p=0.031) or having body mass index ≥30 (p=0.043) predicted a lesser response. Super-responders (upper 25% of ACQ-5 responders, n=61, 24%) had a higher T2 disease burden and fewer comorbidities at baseline.Mepolizumab therapy effectively reduces the significant and long-standing disease burden faced by patients with severe eosinophilic asthma in a real-world setting., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest: E.S. Harvey reports grants from GlaxoSmithKline that were paid to her employer, during the conduct of the study. Conflict of interest: D. Langton has received fees from GlaxoSmithKline for participation in severe asthma advisory boards. Conflict of interest: C. Katelaris reports grants from GlaxoSmithKline, during the conduct of the study; grants and personal fees for advisory board work and lectures from Sanofi, Novartis and CSL, personal fees from Seqirus and Takeda, outside the submitted work. Conflict of interest: S. Stevens has nothing to disclose. Conflict of interest: C.S. Farah reports personal fees from AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, GlaxoSmithKline and Sanofi Genzyme, outside the submitted work. Conflict of interest: A. Gillman reports personal fees for advisory board work and education from GlaxoSmithKline, outside the submitted work. Conflict of interest: J. Harrington reports personal fees for education and advisory board work from AstraZeneca and GlaxoSmithKline, personal fees for education from Novartis, outside the submitted work. Conflict of interest: M. Hew reports grants and personal fees from AstraZeneca, GlaxoSmithKline and Novartis, personal fees from Sanofi, Teva and Seqirus, outside the submitted work; all paid to his institutional employer Alfred Health. Conflict of interest: V. Kritikos has nothing to disclose. Conflict of interest: N. Radhakrishna reports grants from Sanofi, outside the submitted work. Conflict of interest: P. Bardin reports per patient trial participation fees from Monash Lung and Sleep, during the conduct of the study; personal fees for advisory board work from Philip Bardin, outside the submitted work. Conflict of interest: M. Peters reports personal fees for advisory board work from Sanofi Genzyme, Novartis Pharmaceuticals and AstraZeneca, outside the submitted work. Conflict of interest: P.N. Reynolds reports grants from GlaxoSmithKline and AstraZeneca, during the conduct of the study. Conflict of interest: J.W. Upham reports grants and personal fees from AstraZeneca and GlaxoSmithKline, personal fees from Novartis and Boehringer Ingelheim, outside the submitted work. Conflict of interest: M. Baraket has nothing to disclose. Conflict of interest: S. Bowler reports personal fees for advisory board work from GlaxoSmithKline, outside the submitted work. Conflict of interest: J. Bowden reports personal fees for advisory board work from GlaxoSmithKline, AstraZeneca and Novartis, outside the submitted work. Conflict of interest: J. Chien reports personal fees from GlaxoSmithKline, outside the submitted work. Conflict of interest: L.P. Chung has nothing to disclose. Conflict of interest: C. Grainge reports personal fees from Boehringer Ingelheim, Roche Pharmaceuticals and GlaxoSmithKline, outside the submitted work. Conflict of interest: C. Jenkins reports personal fees for advisory board work, conducting meetings and developing educational content, and non-financial support from AstraZeneca, personal fees for advisory board work from Boehringer Ingleheim, grants and personal fees for advisory board work from GlaxoSmithKline, personal fees for advisory board work, facilitating symposia and developing educational content from Novartis, outside the submitted work. Conflict of interest: G.P. Katsoulotos has nothing to disclose. Conflict of interest: J. Lee reports personal fees for lectures from Boehringer Ingelheim and AstraZeneca, personal fees for consultancy from GlaxoSmithKline, outside the submitted work. Conflict of interest: V.M. McDonald reports grants and personal fees from GlaxoSmithKline, AstraZeneca and Menarini, outside the submitted work. Conflict of interest: H.K. Reddel reports grants from GlaxoSmithKline, during the conduct of the study; grants and personal fees for data monitoring committee work, advisory board work, providing independent medical education and consultancy from AstraZeneca, grants, personal fees for data monitoring committee work, advisory board work, providing independent medical education and consultancy and non-financial support (study medication) from GlaxoSmithKline, personal fees for data monitoring committee work from Merck, grants and personal fees for data monitoring committee work, advisory board work and providing independent medical education from Novartis, personal fees for providing independent medical education from Teva and Mundipharma, personal fees for advisory board work and providing independent medical education from Boehringer Ingelheim, personal fees for advisory board work from Sanofi Genzyme, outside the submitted work. Conflict of interest: J. Rimmer has nothing to disclose. Conflict of interest: P.A.B. Wark has nothing to disclose. Conflict of interest: P.G. Gibson reports grants from GlaxoSmithKline, during the conduct of the study; personal fees for lectures from AstraZeneca, GlaxoSmithKline and Novartis, grants from AstraZeneca and GlaxoSmithKline, outside the submitted work., (Copyright ©ERS 2020.)

Comparative genomic analyses among closely related species can greatly enhance our understanding of plant gene and genome evolution. We report de novo-assembled AA-genome sequences for Oryza nivara, Oryza glaberrima, Oryza barthii, Oryza glumaepatula, and Oryza meridionalis. Our analyses reveal massive levels of genomic structural variation, including segmental duplication and rapid gene family turnover, with particularly high instability in defense-related genes. We show, on a genomic scale, how lineage-specific expansion or contraction of gene families has led to their morphological and reproductive diversification, thus enlightening the evolutionary process of speciation and adaptation. Despite strong purifying selective pressures on most Oryza genes, we documented a large number of positively selected genes, especially those genes involved in flower development, reproduction, and resistance-related processes. These diversifying genes are expected to have played key roles in adaptations to their ecological niches in Asia, South America, Africa and Australia. Extensive variation in noncoding RNA gene numbers, function enrichment, and rates of sequence divergence might also help account for the different genetic adaptations of these rice species. Collectively, these resources provide new opportunities for evolutionary genomics, numerous insights into recent speciation, a valuable database of functional variation for crop improvement, and tools for efficient conservation of wild rice germplasm.