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Background: Mentorship is critical to success in postgraduate science, technology, engineering, math, and medicine (STEMM) settings. As such, the purpose of this study is to comprehensively explore the state of mentorship interventions in postgraduate STEMM settings to identify novel practices and future research directions. The selection criteria for reviewed articles included: (1) published between 2002 and 2022, (2) peer-reviewed, (3) in English, (4) postgraduate mentees, (5) a program where mentorship is a significant, explicit focus, and (6) a description of mentee outcomes related to the mentorship intervention. Overall, 2583 articles were screened, and 109 articles were reviewed. Results: Most postgraduate STEMM mentorship intervention studies lack strong evidence to evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention, with only 5.5% of articles designed as randomized controlled trials. Most mentorship interventions (45.6%) were created for faculty, and few (4%) were for postdoctoral researchers. Also, only 18.8% of interventions focused on underrepresented groups in STEMM. Most interventions (53.7%) prescribed a dyadic structure, and there was more mentorship training for mentors than mentees. Conclusion: Overall, these findings identify gaps in mentorship interventions and provide step-by-step guidance for future interventions, including a consideration for underrepresented groups and postdoctoral scholars, robust mentorship training, and more randomized controlled trials.

Learning analytics dashboards commonly visualize data about students with the aim of helping students and educators understand and make informed decisions about the learning process. To assist with making sense of complex and multidimensional data, many learning analytics systems and dashboards have relied strongly on AI algorithms based on predictive analytics. While predictive models have been successful in many domains, there is an increasing realization of the inadequacies of using predictive models in decision-making tasks that affect individuals without human oversight. In this paper, we employ a suite of state-of-the-art algorithms, from the online analytics processing, data mining, and process mining domains, to present an alternative human-in-the-loop AI method to enable educators to identify, explore, and use appropriate interventions for subpopulations of students with the highest deviation in performance or learning process compared to the rest of the class. We demonstrate an application of our proposed approach in an existing learning analytics dashboard (LAD) and explore the recommended drill-downs in a course with 875 students. The demonstration provides an example of the recommendations from real course data and shows how recommendations can lead the user to interesting insights. Furthermore, we demonstrate how our approach can be employed to develop intelligent LADs.

Access to interactive, simulated work environments through virtual reality (VR) has potential in teaching safety in design (SiD) to engineering students with reduced risk, cost and inconvenience. However, there is limited understanding of what students learn from immersive VR interventions, or the outcomes from specific learning activities. This study investigated engineering students' SiD learning in engineering design units at an Australian university. Informed by blended cognitivist-constructivist and situative perspectives, the units embedded static visualisation, dynamic visualisation through VR simulation, and group discussion, within an authentic hazard identification and analysis process. Observational data and student performances were analysed. Students' hazard comprehension differed by type of hazard and by learning activity. Students demonstrated understanding of SiD processes, terminology, and relevance of these to engineering design. We conclude that VR simulation is an effective learning tool, however the combination of learning elements was important to achieve learning outcomes.

ChatGPT, a sophisticated online chatbot, sent shockwaves through many sectors once reports filtered through that it could pass exams. In higher education, it has raised many questions about the authenticity of assessment and challenges in detecting plagiarism. Amongst the resulting frenetic hubbub, hints of potential opportunities in how ChatGPT could support learning and the development of critical thinking have also emerged. In this paper, we examine how ChatGPT may affect assessment in engineering education by exploring ChatGPT responses to existing assessment prompts from ten subjects across seven Australian universities. We explore the strengths and weaknesses of current assessment practice and discuss opportunities on how ChatGPT can be used to facilitate learning. As artificial intelligence is rapidly improving, this analysis sets a benchmark for ChatGPT's performance as of early 2023 in responding to engineering education assessment prompts. ChatGPT did pass some subjects and excelled with some assessment types. Findings suggest that changes in current practice are needed, as typically with little modification to the input prompts, ChatGPT could generate passable responses to many of the assessments, and it is only going to get better as future versions are trained on larger data sets.

This paper presents a platform called RiPPLE (Recommendation in Personalised Peer-Learning Environments) that recommends personalized learning activities to students based on their knowledge state from a pool of crowdsourced learning activities that are generated by educators and the students themselves. RiPPLE integrates insights from crowdsourcing, learning sciences, and adaptive learning, aiming to narrow the gap between these large bodies of research while providing a practical platform-based implementation that instructors can easily use in their courses. This paper provides a design overview of RiPPLE, which can be employed as a standalone tool or embedded into any learning management system (LMS) or online platform that supports the Learning Tools Interoperability (LTI) standard. The platform has been evaluated based on a pilot in an introductory course with 453 students at The University of Queensland. Initial results suggest that the use of the RiPPLE platform led to measurable learning gains and that students perceived the platform as beneficially supporting their learning.

Purpose: This study examined 46 articles in total, which yielded 5 recurring themes: perceived discrimination, language barriers, socioeconomic barriers, cultural barriers and educational/knowledge barriers. The two most dominant themes found were the inability to speak the country's primary language and belonging to a culture with different practices and values from the host country. The review provides vital insights into the numerous challenges that immigrants and refugees encounter as they navigate through the primary care systems of English-speaking (E-S) countries and potential solutions to overcome these barriers. Design/methodology/approach: Access to adequate healthcare plays a central part in ensuring the physical and mental wellbeing of society. However, vulnerable groups such as immigrants and refugees, face numerous challenges when utilizing these healthcare services. To shed further light on the barriers impacting healthcare quality, the authors' team performed a scoping thematic review of the available literature on immigrant and refugees' experiences in primary healthcare systems across E-S countries. Articles were systematically reviewed while focusing on healthcare perceptions by immigrants, potential barriers and suggestions to improve the quality of primary care. Findings: This work looked at qualitative and quantitative information, attempting to combine both paradigms to give a rich and robust platform with which to devise a further study through focus groups. Qualitative inquiry accounted for 28/46, or 61%, of studies, and quantitative inquiry made up 9/46, or 20%, while 9/46 or 20% combined both qualitative and qualitative. Emerging themes are -perceived ethnic discrimination faced by immigrants accessing primary care, language barriers, socioeconomic barriers, cultural barriers and educational barriers. Research limitations/implications: Most medical journals rely on quantitative data to relate "results" and cases. The authors set out to change ways in which medical reports can be done. Most of the authors were solely trained in quantitative research; consequently, they had to learn to isolate themes and to use a narrative approach in the article. Practical implications: Research implications clearly indicated that using a qualitative (phenomenological) approach with quantitative data created a human and reachable discourse around patient comfort and the realities of immigrants and refugees to E-S countries. The use of this research opens medical practitioners (and patients) to a richer understanding within a usually difficult arena. Social implications: By understanding the qualitative nature of medical research, practitioners, students and mentors are able to bridge medical quantitivity to the human, widening doors to social science and medical collaboratory research. Originality/value: As stated above, this work is important as it understands the human/patient element and de-emphasizes the medical obsession with quantifying the lives of patients through hard data. This is a unique collaboration that relies on the qualitative to pinpoint and define the difficulties of newcomers to E-S countries.

Engaging students in the creation of learning resources is an effective way of developing a repository of revision items. However, a selection process is needed to separate high- from low-quality resources as some of the materials created by students can be ineffective, inappropriate or incorrect. In this study, we share our experiences and findings in incorporating three approaches for peer evaluation of student-generated content, using an educational technology called RiPPLE which supports learner sourcing of study materials. All approaches asked students to score peer-developed resources, rate their confidence in that judgment and to provide written feedback or justification of their evaluation to the resource's author. The first approach provided no guidance to scoring. The second supplied a simple instructor-developed rubric for scoring. The third utilised a simple data-informed rubric incorporating criteria derived from thematic analysis of students' comments provided in the first two conditions. The analysis of 8,213 evaluations of student-generated content from 813 students shows that the data-informed rubric produced more rigorous evaluations, higher agreement in scores but lower student confidence in the accuracy of their assessments. The analysis of comments shows that students went beyond the criteria supplied in the rubrics and applied their own understanding of resource quality.

Rubrics have been suggested as a means to foster students' evaluative judgement, the capacity to appraise their own work and that of others; however, empirical evidence of rubrics' effectiveness is still emerging. This paper contributes findings from a randomised controlled experiment on the effect of rubrics on evaluative judgement. Participants were randomly assigned to one of two groups: a control group which evaluated peer-authored learning resources without the use of a rubric and an experiment group which carried out the evaluation using a three-item rubric based on (1) alignment with course content, (2) accuracy and (3) clarity. Both groups were asked to rate their confidence and provide comments to justify their scoring. The results showed a small effect size in increasing average agreement on the quality of learning resources in the experiment group. Analysis of comments reveals that criteria in and beyond the rubric guided participants' ratings of quality. The study provides evidence of the impact of rubrics on students' evaluative judgement and an example of how data-driven approaches and learning analytics can inform actionable design choices for embedding pedagogically supported strategies derived from the literature into actively operating educational technologies.

The main goal of this paper is to depict the struggle for cultural existence in "Rabbit Proof Fence." It also reflects the cultural conflict represented in the three aboriginal girls' characters which is due to their rejection and resistance for the colonialists' culture. Besides, the paper presents the cognitive analysis of the cultural struggle and resistance in Molly's character, and it tackles the cultural resistance in "Rabbit Proof Fence" from a postcolonial point of view. Additionally, the semiotic dimension, which is based on a socio-cultural basis, is introduced in this paper.

A barrier to using head mounted display (HMD) virtual reality (VR) in education is access to hardware for large classes. This paper compares students' learning when engaging with an HMD VR simulation as the operator and as the observer, to evaluate whether benefits of HMD VR can be achieved without requiring all students to operate the equipment. Postgraduate engineering students (N = 117) completed a safety hazard identification exercise in a workshop. The performance of students who operated and observed was compared. Results showed that students performed similarly in the exercise that followed the simulation whether they operated HMD VR (n = 33) or observed (n = 84). The finding suggests that educators may be able to use HMD VR simulations in classes with a large enrolment, by reducing the need for investment and management of a large number of sets of HMD VR equipment. Implications for practice or policy: (1) Engineering educators can use HMD VR simulations to teach students about safety in design; (2) Engineering students are able to identify safety hazards in a HMD VR simulation effectively whether they are operating the equipment or observing another student in their group operating the VR equipment; (3) One HMD VR set per student group is sufficient; and (4) HMD VR simulations can be used inclusively, even when some students are unable or unwilling to wear the headset.

Introduction: Culturally and linguistically diverse population groups disproportionately experience higher weight and other non–weight‐related discrimination in healthcare settings outside of their ancestral country. Little is known about the experiences of individuals with Arab heritage. This study aimed to qualitatively explore the intersectional weight‐related healthcare experiences of individuals of Arab heritage with higher weight in Australia. Methods: A general inductive enquiry approach was used. Purposive, convenience and snowball sampling was used to recruit individuals of Arab heritage residing in Australia. Individuals were invited to participate in an online semistructured interview. Interviews were recorded, transcribed and thematically analysed. Results: Fifteen participants took part in the study. Of these participants, 93% were female (n = 14), 80% were aged between 18 and 44 years (n = 12), 73% were university educated (n = 11), 53% were born outside of Australia (n = 8) and all were Muslim (n = 15). Four main themes were identified: (1) appearance‐based judgement, (2) generalised advice and assumptions, (3) cultural responsiveness and (4) healthcare system constraints. Conclusion: Individuals of Arab heritage with higher weight in Australia, namely, females, often perceive their healthcare experiences as dismissive of their cultural and religious needs and driven by causality assumptions around weight. It is crucial that care delivered encompasses cultural humility, is weight‐inclusive and acknowledges systemic constraints. Cultural safety training benchmarks, healthcare management reform and weight‐inclusive healthcare approaches are recommended to assist healthcare providers in delivering effective, holistic and culturally safe care. Patient or Public Contribution: Insights gained from conversations with Arab heritage community members with lived experiences regarding weight‐related healthcare encounters informed the study design and approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Engineering professionals are expected to conduct their work in an ethical manner. However, students may receive limited instruction on ethics and demonstrate resistance to learning about ethics in practice, contributing to graduates being ill-prepared to face ethical dilemmas in the workplace. This study investigated the nascent learning by engineering students (N = 183) about the relevance of ethics to engineering practice in a two-hour workshop that included recounts of experiences that were of immediate relevance to engineering interns and graduates, through use of videos and a serious game. Thematic analysis of qualitative responses highlighted that students gained understanding of how ethics influences engineering practice in general, and how ethical issues influence the work of engineering professionals. Exposing students to the presence of ethical issues in practice through immediately relevant examples early during their studies is likely to improve the way they approach ethics throughout their studies, and subsequently, the workplace.

Introduction: Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) affect up to 10% of all pregnancies annually and are associated with an increased risk of maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality. This guideline represents an update of the Society of Obstetric Medicine of Australia and New Zealand (SOMANZ) guidelines for the management of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy 2014 and has been approved by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) under section 14A of the National Health and Medical Research Council Act 1992. In approving the guideline recommendations, NHMRC considers that the guideline meets NHMRC's standard for clinical practice guidelines. Main recommendations: A total of 39 recommendations on screening, preventing, diagnosing and managing HDP, especially preeclampsia, are presented in this guideline. Recommendations are presented as either evidence‐based recommendations or practice points. Evidence‐based recommendations are presented with the strength of recommendation and quality of evidence. Practice points were generated where there was inadequate evidence to develop specific recommendations and are based on the expertise of the working group. Changes in management resulting from the guideline: This version of the SOMANZ guideline was developed in an academically robust and rigorous manner and includes recommendations on the use of combined first trimester screening to identify women at risk of developing preeclampsia, 14 pharmacological and two non‐pharmacological preventive interventions, clinical use of angiogenic biomarkers and the long term care of women who experience HDP. The guideline also includes six multilingual patient infographics which can be accessed through the main website of the guideline. All measures were taken to ensure that this guideline is applicable and relevant to clinicians and multicultural women in regional and metropolitan settings in Australia and New Zealand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Around the world the Earth's crust is blanketed to various extents by sediment. For continental regions, knowledge of the distribution and thickness of sediments is crucial for a wide range of applications including seismic hazard, resource potential and our ability to constrain the deeper crustal geology. Excellent constraints on the sediment thickness can be obtained from borehole drilling or active seismic surveys. However, these approaches are expensive and impractical in remote continental interiors such as central Australia. Recently, a method for estimating the sediment thickness using passive seismic data, the collection of which is relatively simple and low cost, was developed and applied to seismic stations in South Australia. This method uses receiver functions, specifically the time delay of the P -to- S converted phase generated at the sediment-basement interface, relative to the direct- P arrival, to generate a first-order estimate of the thickness of sediments. In this work, we expand the analysis to the vast array of over 1500 seismic stations across Australia, covering an entire continent and numerous sedimentary basins that span the entire range from Precambrian to present day. We compare with an established yet separate method to estimate the sediment thickness, which utilizes the autocorrelation of the radial receiver functions to ascertain the two-way traveltime of shear waves reverberating in a sedimentary layer. Across the Australian continent the new results match the broad pattern of expected sedimentary features based on the various geological provinces. We are able to delineate the boundaries of many sedimentary basins, such as the Eucla and Murray Basins, which are Cenozoic, and the boundary between the Karumba Basin and the mineral rich Mount Isa Province. Contrasts in seismic delay time across these boundaries are upwards of 0.4  |$\, \mathrm{s}$|⁠. The delay signal is found to diminish to <0.1  |$\, \mathrm{s}$| for older Proterozoic basins, likely due to compaction and metamorphism of the sediments over time. As an application of the method, a comparison with measurements of sediment thickness from local boreholes allows for a straightforward predictive relationship between the delay time and the cover thickness to be defined. This offers future widespread potential, providing a simple and cheap way to characterize the sediment thickness in underexplored areas from passive seismic data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is relatively little research evidence that documents current students' views of science--particularly a comparison of secondary and tertiary science. Further, little is known about how students' views of science differ according to level of study. This study provides evidence of students' view of science from both school and university students. The study uses a qualitative approach to examine how the views of secondary and tertiary students may be influenced by factors such as motivation, interest and career aspirations. Forty Australian students from a high school and a university completed an open-ended questionnaire to capture their view of science. The questionnaire results suggested that whilst the majority of students viewed science positively, with female students being more positive than males, their interest declined as they progressed to tertiary education. (Contains 2 tables.)

Background: The 'PenCS Flu Topbar' app was deployed in Central Queensland (CQ), Australia, medical practices through a pilot programme in March 2021. Methods: We evaluated the app's user experience and examined whether the introduction of 'PenCS Flu Topbar' in medical practices could improve the coverage of NIP‐funded influenza vaccinations. We conducted a mixed‐method study including a qualitative analysis of in‐depth interviews with key end‐users and a quantitative analysis of influenza vaccine administrative data. Results: 'PenCS Flu Topbar' app users reported positive experiences identifying patients eligible for NIP‐funded seasonal influenza vaccination. A total of 3606 NIP‐funded influenza vaccinations was administered in the eight intervention practices, 14% higher than the eight control practices. NIP‐funded vaccination coverage within practices was significantly higher in the intervention practices (31.2%) than in the control practices (27.3%) (absolute difference: 3.9%; 95% CI: 2.9%–5.0%; p < 0.001). The coverage was substantially higher in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged more than 6 months, pregnant women and children aged 6 months to less than 5 years for the practices where the app was introduced when compared to control practices: incidence rate ratio (IRR) 2.4 (95% CI: 1.8–3.2), IRR 2.7 (95% CI: 1.8–4.2) and IRR 2.3 (1.8–2.9) times higher, respectively. Conclusions: Our evaluation indicated that the 'PenCS Flu Topbar' app is useful for identifying the patients eligible for NIP‐funded influenza vaccination and is likely to increase NIP‐funded influenza vaccine coverage in the eligible populations. Future impact evaluation including a greater number of practices and a wider geographical area is essential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Determining the macronutrient requirements for commercially valuable aquaculture species remains crucial for maximising production efficiency. Yet, such information is lacking for Australian hybrid abalone (Haliotis rubra × Haliotis laevigata), particularly with respect to life stage and water temperatures. The present study aimed to evaluate the effect of dietary protein inclusion level on the growth performance, nutrient utilisation and nutritional quality of juvenile (3·3 g) Australian hybrid abalone reared at three different temperatures representative of winter (12°C), average annual (17°C) and summer (22°C) grow-out periods and fed five diets containing graded dietary protein levels of 35, 38, 41, 44 and 47 %. Abalone growth increased with increasing water temperature with weight gains of approximately 100, 280 and 380 % of their initial weight at 12, 17 and 22°C, respectively. Furthermore, the present study clearly demonstrated that higher dietary protein inclusion levels (41 %) than those currently used commercially (35 %) would significantly improve the growth performance when water temperatures are ≥17°C without any adverse impacts on nutrient utilisation, nutrient deposition or nutritional quality of the abalone soft tissue. For example, at 22°C abalone fed a diet containing 41 % protein obtained a significantly higher weight gain percentage (421 %) compared with those fed a diet containing 35 % protein (356 %). Lastly, it is suggested that maintaining a dietary protein inclusion level of 35 % or implementing a 'least cost' feeding approach during cooler seasons, or where water temperatures are ∼12°C, may be beneficial, considering only marginal growth improvements were observed during these periods of slow growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This review aims to identify healthcare providers' (HCPs) experiences with issues related to the quality use of medicines among culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) patients, the underlying factors, and the enablers of and barriers to providing culturally safe care to promote quality use of medicines. The searched databases were Scopus, Web of Science, Academic search complete, CINHAL-Plus, Google Scholar and PubMed/Medline. The initial search returned 643 articles, of which 14 papers were included. HCPs reported that CALD patients were more likely to face challenges in accessing treatment and sufficient information about treatment. According to the theoretical domains framework, determinants such as social influences due to cultural and religious factors, lack of appropriate resources about health information and cultural needs, lack of physical and psychological capabilities such as lack of knowledge and skills, and lack of motivation could impede HCPs' abilities to provide culturally safe care. Future interventions should deploy multilevel interventions, such as education, training, and organisation structural reforms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Non-contrast computed tomography of the brain (NCCTB) is commonly used to detect intracranial pathology but is subject to interpretation errors. Machine learning can augment clinical decision-making and improve NCCTB scan interpretation. This retrospective detection accuracy study assessed the performance of radiologists assisted by a deep learning model and compared the standalone performance of the model with that of unassisted radiologists. Methods: A deep learning model was trained on 212,484 NCCTB scans drawn from a private radiology group in Australia. Scans from inpatient, outpatient, and emergency settings were included. Scan inclusion criteria were age ≥ 18 years and series slice thickness ≤ 1.5 mm. Thirty-two radiologists reviewed 2848 scans with and without the assistance of the deep learning system and rated their confidence in the presence of each finding using a 7-point scale. Differences in AUC and Matthews correlation coefficient (MCC) were calculated using a ground-truth gold standard. Results: The model demonstrated an average area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of 0.93 across 144 NCCTB findings and significantly improved radiologist interpretation performance. Assisted and unassisted radiologists demonstrated an average AUC of 0.79 and 0.73 across 22 grouped parent findings and 0.72 and 0.68 across 189 child findings, respectively. When assisted by the model, radiologist AUC was significantly improved for 91 findings (158 findings were non-inferior), and reading time was significantly reduced. Conclusions: The assistance of a comprehensive deep learning model significantly improved radiologist detection accuracy across a wide range of clinical findings and demonstrated the potential to improve NCCTB interpretation. Clinical relevance statement: This study evaluated a comprehensive CT brain deep learning model, which performed strongly, improved the performance of radiologists, and reduced interpretation time. The model may reduce errors, improve efficiency, facilitate triage, and better enable the delivery of timely patient care. Key Points: • This study demonstrated that the use of a comprehensive deep learning system assisted radiologists in the detection of a wide range of abnormalities on non-contrast brain computed tomography scans. • The deep learning model demonstrated an average area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.93 across 144 findings and significantly improved radiologist interpretation performance. • The assistance of the comprehensive deep learning model significantly reduced the time required for radiologists to interpret computed tomography scans of the brain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the shaping of Australian and Malaysian pre-service teachers' possible selves in a short-term mobility programme. With the theory of possible selves, individuals imagine who they will become based on their past and current selves. The focus of the research was on pre-service teachers' possible selves as global and culturally responsive teachers. The experiential learning through participation in the programme allowed participants to consider their future possible selves as teachers with a deeper understanding of diverse learners' needs and how they might strive to address these needs in their own classrooms. The scaffolding of reflections in the programme encouraged the pre-service teachers to take on multiple perspectives, to step outside their comfort zones and in many ways to see the world from different eyes. The research found that through experiential learning in the short-term mobility programme both the Australian and Malaysian pre-service teachers gained in positioning their cultural selves currently and as future teachers, suggesting that there is merit in utilising the theory of possible selves in future research in the area of shaping teacher identity.

Background: The burden of multimorbidity has been observed worldwide and it has significant consequences on health outcomes. In Australia, health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is comparatively low amongst Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islanders, yet no studies have examined the effect of multimorbidity on HRQoL within this at-risk population. This study seeks to fill that gap by employing a longitudinal research design. Methods: Longitudinal data were derived from three waves (9, 13, and 17) of the household, income and labour dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey. A total of 1007 person-year observations from 592 Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander individuals aged 15 years and above were included. HRQoL was captured using the 36-item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36), and multimorbidity was defined using self-reports of having been diagnosed with two or more chronic health conditions. Symmetric fixed-effects linear regression models were used to assess how intraindividual changes in multimorbidity were associated with intraindividual changes in HRQoL. Results: Approximately 21% of Indigenous Australians were classified as experiencing multimorbidity. Respondents had statistically significantly lower HRQoL on the SF-36 sub-scales, summary measures, and health-utility index in those observations in which they experienced multimorbidity. Among others, multimorbidity was associated with lower scores on the SF-36 physical-component scale (β = − 6.527; Standard Error [SE] = 1.579), mental-component scale (β = − 3.765; SE = 1.590) and short-form six-dimension utility index (β = − 0.075; SE = 0.017). Conclusion: This study demonstrates that having multiple chronic conditions is statistically significantly associated with lower HRQoL amongst Indigenous Australians. These findings suggest that comprehensive and culturally sensitive health strategies addressing the complex needs of individuals with multimorbidity should be implemented to improve the HRQoL of Indigenous Australians. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) care cascade characterisation is important for monitoring HBV elimination progress. This study evaluated care cascade and factors associated with HBV DNA testing and treatment in New South Wales, Australia. HBV care cascade were determined through linkage of HBV notifications (1993–2017) to Medicare and pharmaceutical benefits schemes (2010–2018). Timely HBV DNA testing was within 4 weeks of HBV notification. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression evaluated factors associated with HBV DNA testing and treatment. Among 15,202 people with HBV notification, 10,479 (69%) were tested for HBV DNA. A total of 3179 (21%) initiated HBV treatment. HBV DNA testing was more likely among age ≥45 years (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] 1.07, 95% CI: 1.02, 1.12), hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) (aHR 1.23, 95% CI: 1.01, 1.50), coinfection (aHR 1.61, 95% CI: 1.23, 2.09), later notification (2014–2017) (aHR 1.21, 95% CI: 1.16, 1.26) and less likely among females (aHR 0.95, 95% CI: 0.91, 0.99), history of alcohol use disorder (AUD) (aHR 0.77, 95% CI: 0.66, 0.89), HCV coinfection (aHR.62, 95% CI: 0.55, 0.70) and Indigenous peoples (aHR 0.84, 95% CI: 0.71, 0.98). HBV treatment was associated with age ≥45 years (aHR 1.35, 95% CI: 1.24, 1.48), decompensated cirrhosis (aHR 2.07, 95% CI: 1.62, 2.65), HCC (aHR 2.96, 95% CI: 2.35, 3.74), HIV coinfection (aHR 4.27, 95% CI: 3.43, 5.31) and later notification (2014–2017) (aHR 1.37, 95% CI: 1.26, 1.47). HBV treatment was less likely among females (aHR 0.68, 95% CI: 0.63, 0.73) and Indigenous peoples (aHR 0.58, 95% CI: 0.42, 0.80). HBV DNA testing and treatment coverage have increased, but remain sub‐optimal among some key populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Immediate action is needed to stabilise the climate. Dietitians require knowledge of how the therapeutic diets they prescribe may contribute to climate change. No previous research has quantified the climate footprint of therapeutic diets. This study sought to quantify and compare the climate footprint of two types of therapeutic diets for people with chronic kidney disease (CKD) with two reference diets. Methods: A usual diet for an individual with CKD and a novel plant‐based diet for CKD were compared with the current Australian diet and the Australian‐adapted EAT Lancet Planetary Health Diet (PHD). The climate footprint of these diets was measured using the Global Warming Potential (GWP*) metric for a reference 71‐year‐old male. Results: No diets analysed were climate neutral, and therefore, all contribute to climate change. The novel plant‐based diet for CKD (1.20 kg carbon dioxide equivalents [CO2e] per day) produced 35% less CO2e than the usual renal diet for an individual with CKD (1.83 kg CO2e per day) and 50% less than the current Australian diet (2.38 kg CO2e per day). The Australian‐adapted EAT Lancet PHD (1.04 kg CO2e per day) produced the least amount of CO2e and 56% less than the current Australian diet. The largest contributors to the climate footprint of all four diets were foods from the meats and alternatives, dairy and alternatives and discretionary food groups. Conclusions: Dietetic advice to reduce the climate footprint of therapeutic diets for CKD should focus on discretionary foods and some animal‐based products. Future research is needed on other therapeutic diets. Key points/highlights: The climate footprint of a plant‐based diet was superior to the usual renal diet.Key drivers of emissions were animal‐based foods such as beef, dairy and discretionary foods such as processed meat products.All diets examined contribute to climate warming, including the Australian‐adapted EAT Lancet Planetary Health Diet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Remote communities, which do not have a connection to the national grid in Far North Queensland (FNQ), depend on dirty and costly diesel generators to meet their energy demands. The cost of power generation is considerable in those areas, because the diesel fuel must be carried by truck or ship and a fuel reserve must be held on-site in case of expected demand or weather closure. Moreover, Australia has an energy security issue in relation to liquid fuels. Australia is reliant on imported fuel such as diesel to fill the shortage, as domestic production and supply are unable to fulfil domestic demand. As a result, by deploying hybrid integrated renewable energy systems in remote areas, isolated communities may lower their power prices, enjoy a more secure and dependable source of electricity and minimise their carbon footprint by eliminating or reducing the usage of diesel. In this study, an extensive literature review has been conducted focussing on renewable resources for Australia and Far North Queensland, different hybrid energy systems including energy storage, and finally highlights the alternative clean and renewable energy options for Far North Queensland (FNQ) remote communities. In addition, this study has performed an assessment of renewable energy available from solar and wind resources considering climatic, geographical and economic aspects for FNQ. The literature review and the assessment show that solar and wind resources including hydrogen storage have significant potential for energy solution of FNQ. The assessment results indicate that selected regions of FNQ have suitable land area of 142,294.86 km2 (55.94% of total selected areas) for solar and 144,563.80 km2 (56.83% of total selected areas) for wind. The total calculated potential power can be 14,448 GW from solar PV and 1040.97 GW from wind energy. This study provides a significant pathway for parties interested in investing in renewable energy in FNQ. Moreover, knowing a land's suitability will increase confidence and hence speed up the renewable energy investment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To assess the influence of geographic remoteness on health care utilization at end of life (EOL) by people with advanced cancer in a geographically diverse Australian local health district, using two objective measures of rurality and travel-time estimations to health care facilities. Methods: This retrospective cohort study examined the association between rurality (using the Modified Monash Model) and travel-time estimation, and demographic and clinical factors, with the receipt of >1 inpatient and outpatient health service in the last year of life in multivariate models. The study cohort comprised of 3546 patients with cancer, aged ≥18 years, who died in a public hospital between 2015 and 2019. Results: Compared with decedents from metropolitan areas, decedents from some rural areas had higher rates of emergency department visits (small rural towns: aRR 1.29, 95% CI: 1.07–1.57) and ICU admissions (large rural towns: aRR 1.32, 95% CI: 1.03–1.69), but lower rates of acute hospital admissions (large rural towns: aRR 0.83, 95% CI: 0.76–0.90), inpatient palliative care (PC) (regional centers: aRR 0.85, 95% CI: 0.75–0.97), and inpatient radiotherapy (lowest in small rural towns: aRR 0.07, 95% CI: 0.03–0.18). Decedents from rural and regional centers had lower rates of outpatient chemotherapy and radiotherapy use, yet higher rates of outpatient cancer service utilization (p < 0.05). Shorter travel times (10–<30 minutes) were associated with higher rates of inpatient specialist PC (aRR 1.48, 95% CI: 1.09–1.98). Conclusions: Reporting on a series of inpatient and outpatient services used in the last year of life, measures of rurality and travel-time estimates can be useful tools to estimate geographic variation in EOL cancer care provision, with significant gaps uncovered in inpatient PC and outpatient service utilization in rural areas. Policies aimed at redistributing EOL resources in rural and regional communities to reduce travel times to health care facilities could help to reduce regional disparities and ensure equitable access to EOL care services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

COVID-19 responses have cast a spotlight on the uneven impacts of public health policy with particular populations or sites targeted for intervention. Perhaps the starkest example in Australia was the 'hard' lockdown of nine public housing complexes in inner-city Melbourne from 4 to 18 July 2020, where residents were fully confined to their homes. These complexes are home to diverse migrant communities and the lockdown drew public criticism for unfairly stigmatising ethnic minorities. This article draws on media articles published during the lockdown and the Victorian Ombudsman's subsequent investigation to explore the implications of broad, top-down public health measures for culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities. Drawing on Lea's (2020) conceptualisation of policy ecology, we analyse the lockdown measures and community responses to explore the normative assumptions underpinning health policy mechanisms, constituting 'target populations' in narrow, exclusionary terms. We argue that the lockdown measures and use of police as compliance officers positioned tower residents as risky subjects in risky places. Tracing how such subject positions are produced, and resisted at the grassroots level, we highlight how policy instruments are not neutral interventions, but rather instantiate classed and racialised patterns of exclusion, reinforcing pervasive social inequalities in the name of public health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Internationally there is interest in developing the research skills of pre-service teachers as a means of ongoing professional renewal with a distinct need for systematic and longitudinal investigation of student learning. The current study takes a unique perspective by exploring the research learning journey of pre-service teachers participating in a transnational degree programme. Using a case-study design that includes both a self-reported and direct measure of research knowledge, the results indicate a progression in learning, as well as evidence that this research knowledge is continued or maintained when the pre-service teachers return to their home university. The findings of this study have implications for both pre-service teacher research training and transnational programmes.

In this paper, a general power form of head-loss (pressure-drop) equation and the concept of shear velocity were used to study non-Darcy filtration through coarse granular materials. Using new laboratory data, the validity of four widely-used power form pressure-drop equations were evaluated. The results indicated that for the lower size of grain diameter (d ≤ 8.7 mm) the Wilkins (in: Proceedings of the 2nd Australia-New Zealand Conference on Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering, Christchurch, 1956) method has predicted satisfactorily the hydraulic gradient, while for the higher size of grain diameter (d ≥ 15.6 mm), the Stephenson (Rockfill in Hydraulic Engineering, Elsevier Science Publishers B.V., Amsterdam, 1979) method predicted acceptably the pressure gradient. The results also indicated that the best estimation for the Izbash coefficient a is the Wilkins method. Finally, new correlations for friction factor, shear velocity and Reynolds number as well as new threshold limits for Darcy, partially-turbulent, and fully-turbulent flow regimes are presented and discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solar and wind are now the fastest-growing power generation resources, being ecologically benign and economical. Solar and wind forecasts are significantly noteworthy for their accurate evaluation of renewable power generation and, eventually, their ability to provide profit to the power generation industry, power grid system and local customers. The present study has proposed a Prophet-model-based method to predict solar and wind resources in the Doomadgee area of Far North Queensland (FNQ), Australia. A SARIMA modelling approach is also implemented and compared with Prophet. The Prophet model produces comparatively less errors than SARIMA such as a root mean squared error (RMSE) of 0.284 and a mean absolute error (MAE) of 0.394 for solar, as well as a MAE of 0.427 and a RMSE of 0.527 for wind. So, it can be concluded that the Prophet model is efficient in terms of its better prediction and better fitting in comparison to SARIMA. In addition, the present study depicts how the selected region can meet energy demands using their local renewable resources, something that can potentially replace the present dirty and costly diesel power generation of the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electric Vehicles (EVs) offer a promising solution to reduce the environmental impact compared to internal combustion engine vehicles. However, EV adoption in Australia has been hindered by concerns over fire safety. This study aims to comprehensively analyse EV fire risks and trends in Australia, including those related to charging stations and lithium-ion batteries. The research utilises secondary data from various reputable sources to develop statistical forecasting models, which estimate that Australia will have approximately 1.73 million EVs by 2030 and 15.8 million by 2050. The study reveals an average EV fire frequency of six fires per million EVs in Australia, aligning with the global average. Consequently, Australia is expected to experience 9 to 10 EV fire incidents annually in 2030, 37 to 42 EV fire incidents annually in 2040, and 84 to 95 EV fire incidents annually in 2050. To address these risks, an EV fire risk control framework is considered to identify and recommend appropriate measures for life safety, lithium-ion batteries, charging, EV handling, and EV locations. This research provides vital evidence for regulators, policymakers, and the fire industry to effectively manage EV fire risks and enhance preparedness for the growing EV market in Australia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To identify challenges and strategies to improve the provision of end‐of‐life (EOL) cancer care in an underserved rural and regional Australian local health district (LHD) from the perspective of general practitioners (GPs) and specialist clinicians while exploring the benefits of adopting a generalist health care approach to delivering EOL care in rural and regional communities. Setting: Rural and regional Australia. Participants: General practitioners and palliative care and cancer care specialists (medical and nursing) involved in the provision of EOL care to people with advanced cancer in the rural and regional areas of an Australian LHD. Design: Qualitative descriptive study involving 22 participants in four face‐to‐face and online focus groups. Thematic analysis of the transcripts identified key issues affecting EOL care for people with advanced cancer in rural and regional areas of the LHD. Results: Four themes including geographical remoteness, system structures, medical management and expertise and training emerged from the focus groups. Key barriers to effective EOL care included insufficient remuneration for GPs and other clinicians (especially home visits), resource limitations, limited community awareness of palliative care and lack of confidence and training of clinicians. Continuity of care was identified as an important facilitator to effective EOL care. Participants suggested greater Medicare rebates for palliative care and home visits, adequate equipment and resources, technology‐enabled clinician training and greater rural‐based training for specialist PC clinicians may improve the provision of EOL care in regional and rural communities. Conclusions: Rural‐based clinicians delivering EOL cancer care appear to be disproportionately affected by geographical challenges including resource and funding limitations. A multi‐pronged strategy aimed at greater interdisciplinary collaboration, community awareness and greater resourcing and funding could help to improve the provision of EOL care in underserved rural and remote communities of Australia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Within the quality use of medicines (QUM)—which entails timely access to, and the rational use of, medicines—medicine safety is a global health priority. In multicultural countries, such as Australia, national medicines policies are focused on achieving QUM, although this is more challenging among their Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) patients (i.e., those from ethnic minority groups). Aim: This review aimed to identify and explore the specific challenges to achieving QUM, as experienced by CALD patients living in Australia. Method: A systematic literature search was conducted using Web of Science, Scopus, Academic search complete, CINHAL, PubMed and Medline. Qualitative studies describing any aspects of QUM among CALD patients in Australia were included. Results: Major challenges in facilitating QUM among CALD patients in Australia were identified, particularly in relation to the following medicines management pathway steps: difficulties around participation in treatment decision-making alongside deficiencies in information provision about medicines. Furthermore, medication non-adherence was commonly observed and reported. When mapped against the bio-psycho-socio-systems model, the main contributors to the medicine management challenges identified related to "social" and "system" factors, reflecting the current health-system's lack of capacity and resourcing to respond to patients' low health literacy levels, communication and language barriers, and cultural and religious perceptions about medicines. Conclusion: QUM challenges were different among different ethnic groups. This review suggests a need to engage with CALD patients in co-designing culturally appropriate resources and/or interventions to enable the health-system to address the identified barriers to QUM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines how the design and content of printed educational materials (PEMs) influence clinician capacity to deliver evidence-based sexual healthcare. General practitioners in New South Wales, Australia (n = 214), completed a survey about their use and perceptions of PEMs - a clinical aide, sexual health articles, and an educational booklet. Over half used all three; of these, most recognised changes in knowledge and/or practice. Perceptions about resource design and content collectively explained more variance in perceived impact than independently. However, views about content were a stronger predictor of the perceived impact of the clinical aide, while views about design were a stronger predictor of the perceived impact of the articles and booklet. Clinician perceptions about PEM design and content have different effects on practice. As such, the promotion of evidence-based practices should be guided by resource-type and audience expectations.

This retrospective case-control study evaluated the diagnostic performance of a commercially available chest radiography deep convolutional neural network (DCNN) in identifying the presence and position of central venous catheters, enteric tubes, and endotracheal tubes, in addition to a subgroup analysis of different types of lines/tubes. A held-out test dataset of 2568 studies was sourced from community radiology clinics and hospitals in Australia and the USA, and was then ground-truth labelled for the presence, position, and type of line or tube from the consensus of a thoracic specialist radiologist and an intensive care clinician. DCNN model performance for identifying and assessing the positioning of central venous catheters, enteric tubes, and endotracheal tubes over the entire dataset, as well as within each subgroup, was evaluated. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) was assessed. The DCNN algorithm displayed high performance in detecting the presence of lines and tubes in the test dataset with AUCs > 0.99, and good position classification performance over a subpopulation of ground truth positive cases with AUCs of 0.86–0.91. The subgroup analysis showed that model performance was robust across the various subtypes of lines or tubes, although position classification performance of peripherally inserted central catheters was relatively lower. Our findings indicated that the DCNN algorithm performed well in the detection and position classification of lines and tubes, supporting its use as an assistant for clinicians. Further work is required to evaluate performance in rarer scenarios, as well as in less common subgroups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study investigates the relationship between aged care accommodation pricing options (refundable accommodation deposits (RADs), daily accommodation payment (DAPs) and concessional) and the profitability of aged care facilities. Design/methodology/approach: Data are obtained from 33 aged care facilities across New South Wales in Australia. This study uses multivariate regression for analyses. Findings: The estimation results suggest that higher level of RADs has a negative and significant relationship with profitability of aged care facilities. The authors also find that concessional pricing option is positively associated with higher profitability. Originality/value: These findings may benefit aged care operators by reviewing their strategies and portfolios to enhance their financial performance. The results are also useful to the Australian Government to further explore how the removal of RADs may transform the aged care sector's profitability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: West Indian drywood termite (WIDT) is an invasive insect pest of wood and wood products in Australia, where confirmed infestations have been eliminated using mandatory structural fumigation; however, fumigation is costly, is disruptive, and does not prevent re-infestation. Localized treatments with registered insecticides are the most prevalent and cost-effective ways to treat drywood termite infestations; however, the use of liquid or foam insecticides does not ensure that an infestation has been completely eradicated. The amount of termite frass packed inside a gallery may prevent the chemical from reaching the target spot, and the treatment might not reach all termite galleries, especially during vertical application, which could be a barrier to complete eradication. The current study assessed the potential of aerosol-containing synergized pyrethrins as a spot treatment option for this pest. The results showed that wood surfaces treated with pyrethrins containing aerosol caused a high mortality of WIDT pseudergates in continuous and short exposures. Moreover, in different tests, an aerosol was passed through the loose fecal pellets packed in wooden or silicon tubing, causing high WIDT mortality. The possibility of synergized pyrethrin-containing aerosol as a choice for spot-treating C. brevis in Australia was investigated in laboratory tests. Topical toxicity tests, where C. brevis pseudergates were subjected to multiple doses of pyrethrin mist insecticide, showed the concentration-dependent death of termites with a median lethal dose (LD50) of 193.16 µg. Residual toxicity tests, where the termites were exposed to wood surfaces treated with pyrethrin-containing aerosol, showed a rapid mortality in short and continuous exposures. Less than 20% of the termites survived even when the termites were exposed to a treated wood surface for a minute. All the termites died within 1–5 h in continuous exposure tests, depending on the age of the treated surface. In repellency tests, the termites tended to visit treated surfaces, causing an overall lower survival of the termites. The synergized pyrethrin-containing aerosol remained insufficiently volatile to produce the complete mortality of the termites even after 196 h when there was no contact with a treated surface. The number of termites that survived following the application of the synergized aerosol through a simulated wood gallery or silicon tubing with fecal pellets was also negligible, demonstrating the ability of the aerosol to penetrate through pellets and ultimately resulting in a distribution that is ideal for treatment in the termite galleries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Routinely collected and linked healthcare administrative datasets could be used to monitor mortality among people with hepatitis B (HBV) and C (HCV). This study aimed to evaluate the concordance in records of liver‐related mortality among people with an HBV or HCV notification, between data on hospitalization for end‐stage liver disease (ESLD) and death certificates. In New South Wales, Australia, HBV and HCV notifications (1993–2017) were linked to hospital admissions (2001–2018), all‐cause mortality (1993–2018) and cause‐specific mortality (1993–2016) datasets. Hospitalization for ESLD was defined as a first‐time hospital admission due to decompensated cirrhosis (DC) or hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Consistency of liver death definition of mortality following hospitalization for ESLD was compared with two death certificate‐based definitions of liver deaths coded among primary and secondary cause‐specific mortality data, including ESLD‐related (deaths due to DC and HCC) and all‐liver deaths (ESLD‐related and other liver‐related causes). Of 63,292 and 107,430 individuals with an HBV and HCV notification, there were 4478 (2.6%) post‐ESLD hospitalization deaths, 5572 (3.3%) death certificate liver disease deaths and 2910 (1.7%) death certificate ESLD deaths. Between 2001 and 2016, among HBV post‐ESLD hospitalization deaths (n = 891), 63% (562) had death certificate ESLD recorded, and 83% (741) had death certificate liver disease recorded. Between 2001 and 2016, among HCV post‐ESLD hospitalization deaths (n = 3587), 58% (2082) had death certificate ESLD recorded, and 87% (3135) had death certificate liver disease recorded. At least one‐third of death certificates with DC and HCC as cause of death had no mention of HBV, HCV or viral hepatitis. Our study identified limitations in estimating and tracking HBV and HCV liver disease mortality using death certificate‐based data only. The optimum data for this purpose is either ESLD hospitalisations with vital status information or a combination of these with cause‐specific death certificate data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study examines the levels of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) related stigma among the Iranian population and the factors that contribute to the formation of stigma within the study population. Design: A quantitative research design was used in this research whereby participants completed a self-administrated questionnaire. A sample of 236 adults aged 20-65 were collected using non-probability sampling techniques. Setting: The study was carried out in the Sydney (Australia) metropolitan area and data were collected in 2007. Method: To obtain a desirable sample size, multivariate techniques including snowball were used. Herek's (1986) functional approach to attitudes was used to analyze HIV/AIDS stigma in the study population. Results: The findings illustrate that HIV/AIDS-related stigma was dominant among the study population. Overall, participants had negative feelings toward people with HIV/AIDS (PWHA); they were in favour of punitive policies against them and were more likely to avoid having contact with people who had contracted HIV/AIDS. Multiple regression analysis revealed that both instrumental (fear of contamination) and symbolic factors (attitudes towards homosexuals and injecting drug user) independently contributed to HIV/AIDS stigma. Conclusion: The findings suggest that HIV/AIDS stigma has instrumental and symbolic function, and concentrating solely on instrumental (HIV/AIDS transmission routes) factors is less likely to address it properly. Therefore, educational campaigns to reduce HIV/AIDS stigma should also focus on symbolic factors. The findings contribute to the knowledge area of better understanding of HIV/AIDS stigma among ethnic minorities of similar characteristics. The results are valuable for the Iranian community, health service providers, health educators and policy makers. (Contains 4 tables.)