Search

Aims: To (i) assess the population mortality rates of cocaine‐related deaths in Australia, 2000 to 2021; (ii) determine the circumstances of death and case characteristics; and (iii) determine their toxicological profile. Design: Retrospective study of cocaine‐related deaths in Australia, 2000 to 2021, retrieved from the National Coronial Information System. Setting: Australia‐wide. Cases A total of 884 cases, mean age = 33.8 (SD, 10.0) years and 86.5% (n = 765) male. Measurements Information was collected on characteristics, manner of death and toxicology. Only cases in which the presence of blood cocaine and/or metabolites were included. Findings Population rates did not significantly increase during 2001–2011 (annual percentage change [APC] = 1.5; CI, −3.2, 6.5), but from 2012, there was a marked acceleration (APC = 20.0, 95% CI, 15.5, 25.3). Circumstances of death were unintentional drug toxicity (70.7%, n = 625), intentional self‐harm (17.8%, n = 157), traumatic accident (11.5%, n = 102). The proportion of cases constituted by unintentional toxicity declined across the study period (APC = −2.6; CI, −3.1, −2.1). There was a substantial decline in the proportion of cases with a history of injecting drug use (APC = −5.7; CI, −6.5, −4.9) and with a history of substance use problems (APC = −3.2; CI, −3.9, −2.5). Both cocaine (0.100 vs 0.050 mg/L, P < 0.001) and benzoylecgonine (0.590 vs 0.240 mg/L, P < 0.001) concentrations were higher amongst toxicity cases than in cases of death from traumatic injury. Cocaethylene was present in 26.4% (n = 233), levamisole in 18.6% (n = 164) and lignocaine in 11.5% (n = 102). Psychoactive drugs in addition to cocaine were present in 92.9% (n = 821), most commonly opioids (50.5%, n = 446), alcohol (47.1%, n = 416), hypnosedatives (43.2%, n = 382) and psychostimulants (30.3%, n = 268). There was a steady decline in the proportion of opioid positive cases (APC = −5.4; CI, −6.3, −4.5). Conclusions: There was a large increase in cocaine‐related deaths across Australia from 2000 to 2021. This was accompanied by changes in case profiles, with histories of injecting drug use and substance use problems, as well as recent opioid use, becoming less prominent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The utility of speleothems as environmental and geological archives has greatly expanded with recent advances in geochronology. Here we reevaluate their ability to constrain late Cenozoic uplift in karst terranes. Using combined U-Th and U-Pb speleothem chronologies for the Buchan karst along the passive margin of southeastern Australia, we calculate a maximum uplift rate of 76 ± 7 m m.y.-1 maintained over the past 3.5 m.y. The timing and extent of this process is consistent with independent constraints on Neogene uplift in Australia, possibly in response to increased plate-boundary strain with New Zealand. Speleothem chronologies provide highly precise age control on individual events and the potential for near-continuous records across long periods of geological time, complementing and expanding upon existing uplift proxies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Higher stocking rates of lambing ewes have been associated with poorer ewe-lamb behaviour and lamb survival. This study tested the hypothesis that increasing the mob size and stocking rate of lambing ewes on commercial farms will reduce the survival of their lambs. Data were collected from 66 producers in Australia for Experiment one and 22 producers in New Zealand for Experiment two. Survival of single- and twin-born lambs decreased by 1.4% and 3.5% per extra 100 ewes in the mob, regardless of breed, in Experiment one. The survival of Merino lambs in Experiment two decreased by 0.9% per extra 100 ewes in the mob, regardless of birth type. Increasing stocking rate by 1 ewe/ha also decreased lamb survival by 0.7% in Experiment one. However, this was not evident in Experiment two. These findings highlight the scope to optimise ewe mob size and stocking rate at lambing to improve lamb survival. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Much of our current understanding of song originates from studies of species living in seasonal environments, where breeding seasons are short and highly synchronised at the population level. By comparison, the form and function of song are less well understood in aseasonal environments, where breeding cycles are less predictable. We examined song rates of male and female Chirruping Wedgebills (Psophodes cristatus), a passerine endemic to the arid regions of inland, south-eastern Australia, across a 4 month period of breeding activity. Our results show that both males and females sing, and provide evidence of duetting. The song rate of male Wedgebills was highest in the early morning and during breeding and was substantially higher than the song rate of female Wedgebills. Over the course of the day, bouts of male singing were two orders of magnitude longer than females. By contrast, female song rate was independent of the time of day or reproductive phase. Females more often sang in tandem with their partners than expected by chance and duets occurred at a relatively low rate, independently of breeding phase. We discuss the possibility that male and female song and duets serve different functions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study the influence of a mortality trade-off in a nonlocal reaction-diffusion-mutation equation that we introduce to model the invasion of cane toads in Australia. This model is built off of one that has attracted attention recently, in which the population of toads is structured by a phenotypical trait that governs the spatial diffusion. We are concerned with the case when the diffusivity can take unbounded values and the mortality trade-off depends only on the trait variable. Depending on the rate of increase of the penalization term, we obtain the rate of spreading of the population. We identify two regimes, an acceleration regime when the penalization is weak and a linear spreading regime when the penalization is strong. While the development of the model comes from biological principles, the bulk of the article is dedicated to the mathematical analysis of the model, which is very technical. The upper and lower bounds are proved via the Li-Yau estimates of the fundamental solution of the heat equation with potential on Riemannian manifolds and a moving ball technique, respectively, and the traveling waves by a Leray-Schauder fixed point argument. We also present a simple method for a priori bounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses a 2019 retrospective study on the use of a central venous access device (CVAD) for care of patients with inherited bleeding disorders in Australia. Topics covered include the greater issues suffered by non-infectious complications of CVAD, the higher infectious complication rate, and current inhibitors' increase of infection risk. Also noted is the projected change in CVAD use via extended half-life (EHL) products and non-factor replacement strategies.

Adolescent suicide rates in Australia have fallen significantly during recent years. The incidence, however, clearly remains a serious concern for young people, parents, professionals and policy makers. Some groups of Australian youth appear to be at heightened risk. Adolescents within the welfare system, indigenous, rural and refugee youth, along with same sex attracted young people often need very careful monitoring and support. Young men continue to take their lives more frequently than young women. Prevention programmes in Australia aim to develop resilience in young people, families and communities that can serve as protection against self harm and suicide. The improvement of mental health literacy, a fostering of adolescent self-efficacy and better access to early intervention strategies are currently privileged in national and state policies related to young people in Australia. More work is needed, however, to achieve a well integrated mental health framework capable of effectively addressing adolescent suicide prevention into the twenty-first century. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Background: The purpose of this study was to describe patterns and rates of sport and active recreation injuries that result in major trauma or death and to examine trends in these rates for all sport and active recreation activities and key sporting groups, for the period July 2001–June 2007, in Victoria, Australia. Methods: All sport and active recreation related major trauma cases and deaths were extracted from the Victorian State Trauma Registry (VSTR) and the National Coroners Information System, for the period July 2001–June 2007. Participation data from the Exercise Recreation and Sports Survey (ERASS) was used to establish incidence rates for the group as a whole and for key sporting groups. Poisson regression analysis was used to examine trends in major trauma and death due to participation in sport and active recreation across the six year study period. Results: There were 1019 non-fatal major trauma cases and 218 deaths. The rate of major trauma or death from sport and active recreation injuries was 6.3 per 100,000 participants per year. There was an average annual increase of 10% per year in the major trauma rate (including deaths) across the study period, for the group as a whole (IRR 1.10, 95% CI, 1.06–1.14). There was no increase in the death rate (IRR=0.94, 95% CI, 0.87–1.02; p =0.12). Significant increases were also found for cycling (IRR 1.16, 95% CI, 1.09–1.24) off-road motor sports (IRR 1.10, 95% CI, 1.03–1.19), Australian football (IRR 1.21, 95% CI, 1.03–1.42) and swimming (IRR 1.16, 95% CI, 1.004–1.33). Conclusion: The rate of major trauma inclusive of deaths, due to participation in sport and active recreation has increased over recent years, in Victoria, Australia. Much of this increase can be attributed to cycling, off-road motor sports, Australian football and to a lesser extent swimming, highlighting the need for co-ordinated injury prevention in these areas. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Recovery of the Australian fur seal (Arctocephalus pusillus doriferus) population has been slower than that of other fur seals, perhaps due to nutritional constraints on fecundity. However, the population doubled in recent decades, suggesting that reproductive rates may have changed. Pregnancy rates and birthrates were estimated and the influences of maternal age, size, condition, and lactation status were investigated over 3 consecutive breeding seasons (2003-2005). Mid-gestation pregnancy rate, estimated from plasma progesterone concentrations, was 84% ± 3% (mean ± SE) and was negatively influenced only by age (P , 0.001). Birthrate, estimated from observations of females with newborn offspring during the breeding season, was 53% 6 3% (mean ± SE) and was influenced negatively by lactation status (P 5 0.035). The difference between pregnancy rates and birthrates suggests that a high degree of late-gestation abortion occurs, especially in younger females. Lactation status was not influenced by any variables, and the high rate (86% ± 2%; mean 6 SE) suggests that many offspring are suckled beyond the typical weaning period. Although relationships between reproductive rates and body condition were not found, the results are consistent with a nutritional stress hypothesis. The recent increase in population growth is not due to increased fecundity, which remains low compared to other otariids. Paradoxically, high pregnancy rates were observed in young females (3 years), suggesting that rapid maturity is adaptive for benthic foragers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the study which determines the injury rates and the risk factors for injury in a cohort of professional boxers in Australia. It cites that the study analyzed injury data collected during competition maintained by the Professional Boxing and Combat Sports Board of Victoria (PBCSBV) from January 1997 to June 2005. The study found out that majority of injuries were laceration to the head and face and that increasing age and number of fights are significant predictors of injury. Information on the risk factors and conclusions drawn from the study are also offered.

In recent centuries bird species have been deteriorating in status and becoming extinct at a rate that may be 2–3 orders of magnitude higher than in prehuman times. We examined extinction rates of bird species designated critically endangered in 1994 and the rate at which species have moved through the IUCN (World Conservation Union) Red List categories of extinction risk globally for the period 1988–2004 and regionally in Australia from 1750 to 2000. For Australia we drew on historical accounts of the extent and condition of species habitats, spread of invasive species, and changes in sighting frequencies. These data sets permitted comparison of observed rates of movement through the IUCN Red List categories with novel predictions based on the IUCN Red List criterion E, which relates to explicit extinction probabilities determined, for example, by population viability analysis. The comparison also tested whether species listed on the basis of other criteria face a similar probability of moving to a higher threat category as those listed under criterion E. For the rate at which species moved from vulnerable to endangered, there was a good match between observations and predictions, both worldwide and in Australia. Nevertheless, species have become extinct at a rate that, although historically high, is 2 (Australia) to 10 (globally) times lower than predicted. Although the extinction probability associated with the critically endangered category may be too high, the shortfall in realized extinctions can also be attributed to the beneficial impact of conservation intervention. These efforts may have reduced the number of global extinctions from 19 to 3 and substantially slowed the extinction trajectory of 33 additional critically endangered species. Our results suggest that current conservation action benefits species on the brink of extinction, but is less targeted at or has less effect on moderately threatened species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The management of our households and the way we spend our leisure time has been greatly influenced by the introduction of various household technologies in the 1980s and 1990s. This paper compares the extent and rate of adoption of selected household products in Australian households. The diffusion of colour television sets, video cassette recorders, compact disc players, microwave ovens and personal computers into various types of households during the 1980s and 1990s was examined. This study found that different types of Australian households adopted new technology at different rates. The levels of ownership of various household technologies were highest for households with children. In general, one-adult households were slower to adopt new household technology when compared to other types of households. This paper speculates as to why one-person households are slower to purchase the latest in cooking and entertainment technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Questions whether it is cheaper for households in Australia to use electricity or gas for space heating, water heating and cooking. Claims that gas appliances are technically less efficient than electrical appliances; How reference to a MJ basis can make gas cheaper that electricity; Utilization of an alternative perspective based on econometric methods to determine which is cheaper, gas or electricity.

Objectives . The two major aims of this study were (1) to assess senior medical students’ knowledge of the age pattern of suicides in Australia, and (2) to note changes in the pattern of suicide in recent years. Design . (1) Two groups of medical students were asked to graph the age distribution of Australian male and female suicides. (2) Suicide statistics (up to 1994) were provided by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Results . (1) Only 40% of the 75 medical students were aware that suicide in Australia is much more frequent among males. Only two of the 75 drew graphs that were similar to the true pattern. (2) The male rate of suicide at age 20–40 years was almost 35 per 100 000 in 1989–94; above 80 years it was nearly 40 per 100 000. The female suicide rate of all age groups from 20 years to late old age was about 7 per 100 000. The most striking changes in method of suicide in Australia in recent years have been the doubling of male rates of suicide by hanging and car exhaust fumes, increases being greater in younger age groups. Elderly females are more likely than younger females to use hanging as a means of suicide. Conclusions . Male suicide rates peak in young adulthood and (higher) in late old age. Senior medical students were unaware of the true age and sex patterns of suicide in Australia. Treating depressions and preventing suicides of elderly people (as well as of young people) should be top priorities. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]