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Five global monthly top-of-atmosphere (TOA) outgoing longwave radiation (OLR) products are evaluated in this study, including the products derived from the High-Resolution Infrared Radiation Sounder (HIRS), Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES), Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR), the CM SAF cLoud, Albedo and surface RAdiation dataset from AVHRR data (CLARA), and the Global Energy and Water Cycle EXchanges (GEWEX) project. Results show that overall there is good consistency among these five products. Larger differences are found between GEWEX and CERES (HIRS) after (before) 2000 (RMSE ~ 5 W/m2), particularly in the tropical regions. In terms of global mean values, GEWEX shows large differences with the other products from the year 1992 to 2002, and CLARA shows large differences from the year 1979 to 1981, which are more obvious in the global ocean values. Large discrepancies among these products exist at low latitudinal bands, particularly before the year 2000. Australia and Asia (mid–low latitude part) are two typical regions in which larger differences are found. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over recent decades, efforts have been made to reduce human exposure to atmospheric pollutants including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) through emission control and abatement. Along with the potential changes in their concentrations resulting from these efforts, profiles of emission sources may have also changed over such extended timeframes. However relevant data are quite limited in the Southern Hemisphere. We revisited two sampling sites in an Australian city, where the concentration data in 1994/5 for atmospheric PAHs and PCBs were available. Monthly air samples from July 2013 to June 2014 at the two sites were collected and analysed for these compounds, using similar protocols to the original study. A prominent seasonal pattern was observed for PAHs with elevated concentrations in cooler months whereas PCB levels showed little seasonal variation. Compared to two decades ago, atmospheric concentrations of ∑ 13 PAHs (gaseous + particle-associated) in this city have decreased by approximately one order of magnitude and the apparent halving time ( t 1 / 2 ) was estimated as 6.2 ± 0.56 years. ∑ 6 i PCBs concentrations (median value; gaseous + particle-associated) have decreased by 80% with an estimated t 1 / 2 of 11 ± 2.9 years. These trends and values are similar to those reported for comparable sites in the Northern Hemisphere. To characterise emission source profiles, samples were also collected from a bushfire event and within a vehicular tunnel. Emissions from bushfires are suggested to be an important contributor to the current atmospheric concentrations of PAHs in this city. This contribution is more important in cooler months, i.e. June, July and August, and its importance may have increased over the last two decades. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Construction is an important industry and forms a vital part of national economics in the world. Factors affecting the productivity of the construction industry should be measured appropriately to reflect its development situation and economic performance. The Malmquist index method with a novel decomposition technique is employed to estimate the total factor productivity of the Australian construction industry during the period 1990-2007 and to analyse the factors affecting the technological change in the industry. Research results exemplified by two input variables and one output variable elaborate how construction technology, pure technical efficiency and scale economy take effect in the change of construction productivity. In addition, based on temporal and spatial comparisons, the analysis for construction productivities reveals their changes over time and across the country. Proposals and recommendations are expected to be beneficial for policy making and strategic decisions to improve the performance of the Australian construction industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Role of indicators in measuring sustainability is critically evaluated. • Role of SDI in solving the shortcomings of indicators is discussed. • UADI has been developed using Ontology as a core component. • Selected transport sustainability indicators are quantified manually and using UADI. • Indicators quantification by user and UADI are compared considering 5 technical lenses. This paper examines capabilities of a new Spatial Data Infrastructure called Urban Analytics Data Infrastructure (UADI 1 1 Spatial Data Infrastructure called Urban Analytics Data Infrastructure), through deriving and evaluating transport sustainability indicators. The UADI was developed in Australia to support multi-disciplinary and cross-jurisdictional analytics to overcome the challenges related to model generalisation, data accessibility, data integration, data heterogeneity and city performance benchmarking. In this paper, the UADI were evaluated through 5 technical lenses of: data accessibility; integration; harmonisation; data reliability and model reliability. The paper shows that using open geospatial standards in UADI enabled transport sustainability indicators to be derived through accessing and integrating different spatial data layers and the process of mapping data to ontology facilitated data harmonisation. In addition, the input data, tool processing, and output of ontology-based transport sustainability indicators could be traced in UADI, which addresses the challenge of model and data reliability. The paper highlights the role of spatial data infrastructures in decision support systems for uncertainty analysis and promoting smart cities and resilient environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental and behavioural factors assessed via an online questionnaire were compared to insecticide metabolite concentrations in urine collected from 61 children from South East Queensland, Australia. Metabolite concentrations (μg/L urine) were transformed using the natural logarithm prior to regression analysis and adjusted for age and creatinine. A significant dietary association was reported for vegetable intake and 3-phenoxybenzoic acid (3-PBA) (β: 1.47 for top quartile of intake versus bottom quartile of intake 95% CI: 0.36, 2.57). Intake of vegetables and fruit were also positively associated with sum non-specific organophosphate metabolites (ƩnsOP). ƩnsOP concentrations were lower when fruits and vegetables were always or almost always washed prior to cooking or eating (β: −0.69 95% CI: −1.25, −0.12). In multivariable modelling 3-PBA concentrations were also associated with hand-washing frequency (β: 1.69 95% CI: 0.76, 2.61 for <1 day versus > 3 day), presence of a dog in the home (β: 0.73 95% CI: 0.07, 1.38), frequency of pest-spray use in the summer months (β: 0.88 95% CI: 0.22, 1.54 weekly versus less than weekly) and season (β: 0.88 95% CI: 0.32, 1.44 for spring/summer versus winter/autumn). This is the first study in Australia to report dietary, behavioural and environmental factors associated with biomarkers of insecticide exposure in young children. • Online questionnaire data was compared to kids urinary insecticide metabolites. • Significant dietary variables: fruit and vegetable intake and washing prior to eating. • Significant environmental factors: season and having a dog in the home. • Significant behavioural factors: hand-washing and frequency of pest product use. • Age was associated with organophosphate metabolite concentrations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil microbial communities and their interactions play a critical role in shaping the functions of ecosystems at regional and continental scales. In recent years, co-occurrence network analyses have provided a way to investigate microbial interactions among different microorganisms. But understanding how different environmental factors shape these networks at the continental scale remains challenging. Analyzing fungal, bacterial, and archaeal data from 166 study sites across Australia, we inferred a meta-community level soil microbial co-occurrence network for the Australian continent. Additionally, we analyzed node-level and network-level topological shifts associated with the five major vegetation types. Our results indicate that soils in the Australian savannah systems harbor a unique microbial association pattern, with the highest proportion of positive linkages, highest modularity and lowest average path length in comparison to soils from other vegetation types. Multi-model approaches revealed that different environmental drivers, including soil properties, temperature, and vegetation type, regulated the spatial distribution of topological parameters of the soil microbial networks analyzed in our study. We further generated high-resolution predication maps of microbial networks for Australia, providing insight into the distribution of soil microbes across the continent. By determining how the microbial co-occurrence networks vary according to vegetation type and mapping the distribution of the key parameters of these networks across Australia, we provide a unique understanding of microbial biogeography at the continental scale. [Display omitted] • Soil microbial networks are critical for ecosystem functions in continental scales. • Key parameters of soil microbial co-occurrence networks in Australia were mapped. • Australian savanna systems harbor a unique microbial association pattern. • Multiple environmental factors determine Australian network parameter distribution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Australia implemented an mRNA-based booster vaccination strategy against the COVID-19 Omicron variant in November 2021. We aimed to evaluate the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of the booster strategy over 180 days. We developed a decision-analytic Markov model of COVID-19 to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of a booster strategy (administered 3 months after 2nd dose) in those aged ≥ 16 years, from a healthcare system perspective. The willingness-to-pay threshold was chosen as A$ 50,000. Compared with 2-doses of COVID-19 vaccines without a booster, Australia's booster strategy would incur an additional cost of A$0.88 billion but save A$1.28 billion in direct medical cost and gain 670 quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) in 180 days of its implementation. This suggested the booster strategy is cost-saving, corresponding to a benefit-cost ratio of 1.45 and a net monetary benefit of A$0.43 billion. The strategy would prevent 1.32 million new infections, 65,170 hospitalisations, 6,927 ICU admissions and 1,348 deaths from COVID-19 in 180 days. Further, a universal booster strategy of having all individuals vaccinated with the booster shot immediately once their eligibility is met would have resulted in a gain of 1,599 QALYs, a net monetary benefit of A$1.46 billion and a benefit-cost ratio of 1.95 in 180 days. The COVID-19 booster strategy implemented in Australia is likely to be effective and cost-effective for the Omicron epidemic. Universal booster vaccination would have further improved its effectiveness and cost-effectiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, the production and usage volumes of organophosphate flame retardants (OPFRs) has increased substantially. Certain OPFRs are suspected reproductive toxins, carcinogenic, and neurotoxic. Insufficient information is available on human exposure pathways to these chemicals, particularly in Australia. We aim to assess the association between OPFR concentrations in the urine of children to environmental and behavioural risk factors. Concentrations of eight OPFRs and eleven metabolites were measured in the urine of 51 children, aged 3–29 months, in Southeast Queensland, Australia and compared to their behavioural and environmental risk factor data obtained by an online questionnaire. Of the 11 OPFR metabolites analysed, 55% were frequently detected in the majority (> 80%) of samples. The most frequently detected metabolite was bis(1,3-dichloroisopropyl) phosphate (BDCIPP) (detected in 100% of samples), followed by 1-hydroxy-2-propyl bis(1-chloro-2-propyl) phosphate (BCIPHIPP) (96%), diphenyl phosphate (DPHP) (94%) and bis(1-chloroisopropyl) phosphate (BCIPP) (86%). In multivariable modelling, age was positively associated with concentrations of bis(2-butoxyethyl) phosphate (BBOEP) and negatively associated with concentrations of BCIPP and BCIPHIPP. Other non-age related factors, including vacuuming frequency, hand-washing frequency and presence and number of some electrical appliances in the home were also associated with concentrations of OPFR metabolites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reliable models that can forecast energy demand (G) are needed to implement affordable and sustainable energy systems that promote energy security. In particular, accurate G models are required to monitor and forecast local electricity demand. However, G forecasting is a multivariate problem, and thus models must employ robust pattern recognition algorithms that can detect subtle variations in G due to causal factors, such as climate variables. Therefore, this study developed an artificial neural network (ANN) model that used climatic variables for 6-hour (h) and daily G forecasting. The input variables included the six most relevant climate variables from Scientific Information for Land Owners (SILO) and 51 Reanalysis variables obtained from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecast (ECMWF) models. This information was used to forecast G data obtained from the energy utility (Energex) at 8 stations in southeast Queensland, Australia, by utilizing statistically significant lagged cross-correlations of G with its predictor variables. The developed ANN model was then benchmarked against multivariate adaptive regression spline (MARS), multiple linear regression (MLR), and autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) models using various statistical metrics, such as relative root-mean square error (RRMSE %). Additionally, this study developed a hybrid ANN model by combining the forecasts of the ANN, MARS, and MLR models. The bootstrap (B) technique was also used with the hybrid ANN model, creating the B-hybrid ANN, to estimate the forecast uncertainty. According to both forecast horizons, the results indicated that the ANN model was more accurate than the ARIMA, MARS, and MLR models for G forecasting. Furthermore, the hybrid ANN was the most accurate model developed in this research study. For example, at the best site (Redcliffe), the hybrid ANN model generated an RRMSE of 3.85% and 4.37% for the 6-h and daily horizons, respectively. This study found that an ANN model could be used for accurately forecasting G over multiple horizons in southeast Queensland. • Importance of external datasets (climate and atmospheric Reanalysis) to forecast energy demand. • Developing a hybrid ANN model by combining the outputs of three models. • Estimating the forecast uncertainty using a bootstrap method. • Low and high-dimensional models. • Energy security studies should explore ANN models trained with climate variables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to assess pesticide concentration and composition trends associated with age and sex in Australian infants and toddlers. Individual urine samples (n = 400) were collected in 2014/5 from Queensland infants and toddlers aged 0-5 y and composited into 20 pools of 20 individual samples by age (of 5 strata) and sex. Nineteen biomarkers including organophosphate and pyrethroid pesticide metabolites, herbicides and metabolites, and an insect repellent, DEET, were measured. In total, seven organophosphate pesticide metabolites, three pyrethroid metabolites and one herbicide metabolite were detectable in >50% of the sample pools. A significant increase of concentrations of dimethyl phosphate, dimethyl dithiophosphate, diethyl thiophosphate (DETP), 3,5,6-trichloro-2-pyridinol (TCPY), 4-nitrophenol and 3-phenoxybenzoic acid with age was observed (with the p value of <0.0001 to 0.034). This suggested that exposure increases following weaning or as a result of increased dietary intake and mobility/activity. Significant age trends remained after adjustment for body weight and urine flow for DETP and TCPY (p = 0.029 and 0.016 respectively). The level of estimated "worst-case scenario" daily intake of chlorpyrifos from these pooled samples ranged from 0.40 to 1.8 μg/kg-day, which was below the Australian Acceptable Daily Intake guideline (3 μg/kg-day). This study presents the first dataset of age trends in concentrations of these pesticides for infants and toddlers and contributed to new understanding of exposure pathways and potential risks., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The design of "sham acupuncture" is necessary in clinical trials of acupuncture for confirming its effectiveness in the treatment of different disorders. The authors of the present paper made a comprehensive analysis on "sham acupuncture"or "placebo acupuncture" in clinical trials of acupuncture therapy in western countries from 1) the definition and background of sham acupuncture, 2) current state of acupuncture clinical trials with sham acupuncture design in different countries, 3) current situations of acupuncture clinical trials with sham acupuncture design in Germany, and 4) current state of large sample, randomized controlled clinical trials of acupuncture therapy with sham acupuncture design in other western countries. The authors of the present paper also make an analysis on the developing trends of acupuncture clinical trials with sham acupuncture design and put forward some problems existing in current acupuncture researches.

The genus Singerocybe (Tricholomataceae, Agaricales, Basidiomycota) has been the subject of controversy since its proposal in 1988. Its taxonomic foundation, species circumscription and geographical distribution have not yet been examined with molecular sequence data. In this study phylogenetic analyses on this group of fungi were conducted based on collections from Europe, eastern Asia, southern Asia, North America and Australia, with four nuclear markers, ITS, nrLSU, tef1-α and rpb2. Molecular phylogenetic analyses, together with morphological observations, strongly support Singerocybe as a monophyletic group and identify the vesicles in the pileal and stipe cuticle as a synapomorphy of this genus. Seven species are recognized in the genus, including one new species and four new combinations. Clitocybe trogioides and Clitocybe trogioides var. odorifera are synonyms of Singerocybe humilis and Singerocybe alboinfundibuliformis respectively. Most of these species are geographically restricted in their distributions. Furthermore our study expands the distribution range of Singerocybe from the North Temperate Zone to Australia (Tasmania) and tropical southern Asia., (© 2014 by The Mycological Society of America.)

Objective: To investigate the infection rate and genotypes of HPV in cervical cancer and analyse the clinicopathological characteristics and risk factors for cervical cancer with HPV infection in Chinese and Australian patients., Methods: The human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA in cervical cancer specimens from 115 Chinese women and 79 Australian women was detected by polymerase chain reaction.HPV types were determined by sequencing and reverse hybridization. The relationship a between the HPV types and the clinicopathological characteristics of cervical cancer in Chinese and Australian women were analyzed., Results: HPV DNA positive rate was 76. 5% in the Chinese women (88/115) and 89.9% in the Australian women (71/79, P = 0. 017). There were no significant differences of HPV 16 and HPV 18 prevalence between the two groups (P = 0. 806). HPV 58 and 59 were more prevalent in Chinese women (both 6. 8%) than in Australian women (1. 4% and 0). In China, HPV 58 prevalence rate was significantly higher in the Hunan region than in the Guangdong region (P = 0. 007). The mean ages at diagnosis was 44. 24 +/- 11. 31 years for Chinese and 53.08 +/- 16. 54 years for Australian women (P <0. 001). Combining the two groups, no relationship was found between HPV positivity/negativity and the FIGO stage, macroscopic features, histological type and grade of tumour, as well as pelvic lymphatic metastasis. However, HPV type wa significantly correlated with the histological type (P < 0. 001 ) and grade of cervical tumour (P = 0. 028). In comparison with the Chinese group, the Australian group presented more advanced cancers, a greater proportion of endocervical patterns, and more non-squamous cell carcinoma. There were no significant differences in grade of tumour and lymphatic node status between the two groups., Conclusion: The HPV infection rate in cervical cancer patients is significantly higher among Australians than among Chinese, which may be caused by more sexual transmitted diseases and more sex partners among the former group. HPV 58 and HPV 59 tie for third common genotypes in cervical cancers in China, however, these types are uncommon in Australia. There was a significant variation in types of HPV infection among different histological type and grade of cervical tumors. Both HPV 18 and 59 appear to be associated with the malignancy of cervical cancer.