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Purpose: This investigation aimed to quantify the typical variation for kinetic and kinematic variables measured during loaded jump squats. Methods: Thirteen professional athletes performed six maximal effort countermovement jumps on fouroccasions. Testing occurred over 2 d, twice per day (8 AM and 2 PM) separated by 7 d, with the same procedures replicated on each occasion. Jump height, peak power (PP), relative peak power (RPP), mean power (MP), peak velocity (PV), peak force (PF), mean force (MF), and peak rate of force development (RFD) measurements were obtained from a linear optical encoder attached to a 40 kg barbell. Results: A diurnal variation in performance was observed with afternoon values displaying an average increase of 1.5-5.6% for PP, RPP, MP, PV, PF, and MF when compared with morning values (effect sizes ranging from 0.2-0.5). Day to day reliability was estimated by comparing the morning trials (AM reliability) and the afternoon trials (PM reliability). In both AM and PM conditions, all variables except RFD demonstrated coefficients of variations ranging between 0.8-6.2%. However, for a number of variables (RPP, MP, PV and height), AM reliability was substantially better than PM. PF and MF were the only variables to exhibit a coefficient of variation less than the smallest worthwhile change in both conditions. Discussion: Results suggest that power output and associated variables exhibit a diurnal rhythm, with improved performance in the afternoon. Morning testing may be preferable when practitioners are seeking to conduct regular monitoring of an athlete's performance due to smaller variability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A vital component of fire detection from remote sensors is the accurate estimation of the background temperature of an area in fire's absence, assisting in identification and attribution of fire activity. New geostationary sensors increase the data available to describe background temperature in the temporal domain. Broad area methods to extract the expected diurnal cycle of a pixel using this temporally rich data have shown potential for use in fire detection. This paper describes an application of a method for priming diurnal temperature fitting of imagery from the Advanced Himawari Imager. The BAT method is used to provide training data for temperature fitting of target pixels, to which thresholds are applied to detect thermal anomalies in 4 μm imagery over part of Australia. Results show the method detects positive thermal anomalies with respect to the diurnal model in up to 99% of cases where fires are also detected by Low Earth Orbiting (LEO) satellite active fire products. In absence of LEO active fire detection, but where a burned area product recorded fire-induced change, this method also detected anomalous activity in up to 75% of cases. Potential improvements in detection time of up to 6 h over LEO products are also demonstrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The greenback flounder Rhombosolea tapirina is a commercially-important flatfish species in southern Australia and New Zealand, whose population dynamics are poorly understood. Acoustic telemetry was used to assess movement patterns and area use for R. tapirina in the Murray River estuary and Coorong, South Australia. Twenty fish (221–313 mm total length) equipped with acoustic transmitters were monitored for up to seven months during a period of high freshwater inflow. Fish were detected over a large part of the system, but showed a strong preference for brackish and near-marine conditions in the inner estuary. Tagged fish exhibited complex movement patterns that differed among individuals, including: (1) within estuary movements; (2) dispersal from the estuary to the sea; and (3) return migrations between the estuary and the sea. A diurnal shift in fine-scale area use was observed in the part of the estuary where residency was highest, with individuals occupying deeper habitats during the day and shallower areas during the night. The results demonstrate the individualistic and often highly transient behaviour of this species and its ability to undertake regular movements over the spatial scale of 10s of km. Understanding such movement patterns can improve effective management of estuarine flatfish populations and ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Diurnal variation in the performance of rapid response systems has not been fully elucidated. Afferent limb failure (ALF) is a significant problem and is an important measure of performance of rapid response systems.Objective: To determine the diurnal variation in the detection and response to acute patient deterioration as measured by ALF, completeness of patient observations (Respiratory rate (RR); Pulse rate (PR) and Systolic blood pressure (SBP), and to explore the diurnal variation in the consequences of ALF in unanticipated admissions to the Intensive care unit (ICU) from the ward.Design, Setting and Participants: Point Prevalence study conducted on two days in 2012 in 41 ICUs in Australia and New Zealand, examining emergency (unanticipated) admissions to the ICU from the ward.Results: 51 patients from the ward were admitted as an emergency to the ICU following a rapid response team call, of whom 48 patients had complete datasets and were enrolled; 32 (67%) were men. The prevalence of ALF was 37.5% (18/48). Median age was 62.5 (IQR 51.5-74.0), Median APACHE II score was 21.0 (IQR 17-26). There was no diurnal variation in the prevalence of ALF (day 28% versus night 28%; p=0.92), patient observations documented over time (p=0.78 for RR, p=0.95 for PR and p=0.74 for SBP) or 28-day mortality (p=0.24). There was a significant diurnal variation between the least recorded observation (SBP) and the most recorded observation (PR) (p<0.01). ALF was more likely (day and night) if a complete set of observations had been taken (p<0.01).Conclusion: The prevalence of ALF amongst patients admitted to the ICU from the ward is high. SBP is the least recorded patient observation. This study was unable to identify a diurnal variation in the prevalence of ALF, its consequences (i.e. mortality) and the completeness of patient observations. Observational studies with a larger sample are required to explore this important problem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Long-term exposure to vehicle emissions has been associated with detrimental health effects. Children are amongst the most susceptible group and schools represent an environment where they can experience significant exposure to vehicle emissions. However, there are limited studies on children's exposure to vehicle emissions in schools. The aim of this study was to quantify the concentration of organic aerosol (OA) and in particular, vehicle emissions that children are exposed to during school hours. Therefore an Aerodyne compact time-of-flight aerosol mass spectrometer (TOF-AMS) was deployed at five urban schools in Brisbane, Australia. TOF-AMS enabled the chemical composition of the non-refractory (NR-PM1) to be analysed with a high temporal resolution to assess the concentration of vehicle emissions and other OA components during school hours. The organic fraction at each school comprised the majority of NR-PM1. Primary emissions were found to dominate the OA at only one school which had an O:C ratio of 0.17, due to fuel powered gardening equipment used near the TOF-AMS. A significant source of the OA at two of the schools was aged vehicle emissions from nearby highways. More oxidised OA was observed at the remaining two schools, which also recorded strong biomass burning influences. In general, the diurnal cycle of the total OA concentration varied between schools and was found to be at a minimum during school hours. The major organic component that school children were exposed to during school hours was secondary OA at all schools. Peak exposure of school children to vehicle emissions occurred during school drop-off and pick-up times. Unless a school is located near major roads, children are exposed predominately to regional secondary OA as opposed to local emissions during school hours in urban environments. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Previous studies have shown that elderly patients (age ≥65 years) are less likely to be admitted to the intensive care unit following a rapid response team call and have high hospital mortality rates. This study has shown that elderly patients have a significantly higher probability of being admitted to an intensive care unit following a rapid response team call at night than during the day. However, at no time are they at greater risk than younger patients of incomplete vital sign recording, a failure to escalate care for acute deterioration or mortality., (© 2016 Royal Australasian College of Physicians.)