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Imported, minimally processed food products have been historically associated with several hepatitis A outbreaks in Australia. Here, we report the first known hepatitis A outbreak in Australia linked to consumption of imported fresh Medjool dates. Between June and September 2021, six genetically identical hepatitis A cases were notified in New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory. All cases reported date consumption during their exposure period. The implicated dates were positive for hepatitis A virus (HAV) by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. Rapid detection of this outbreak and the swift implementation of control measures was facilitated by two key factors. Firstly, Australian international border closures implemented in response to the COVID-19 pandemic meant that a common locally-acquired, as opposed to travel-acquired, source for cases was strongly suspected. Secondly, prompt awareness of a hepatitis A outbreak in the United Kingdom (which was found to be associated with date consumption) allowed for early hypothesis generation and investigation. This paper details the epidemiological and microbiological factors involved in this outbreak investigation and the actions taken to mitigate public health risk.

Foodborne disease causes an estimated 4.1 million cases of illness in Australia each year and is responsible for causing many significant common source outbreaks. We analyzed 18 years of foodborne outbreak data collected in New South Wales (NSW), and classified the likely pathogen type responsible for outbreaks of unknown etiology, to track broad trends over time. A total of 869 outbreaks were reported in NSW from 2000 to 2017. The majority (53%) of outbreaks did not have a pathogen identified and underwent pathogen type categorization based on the epidemiology of the outbreak. The proportion of outbreaks due to toxin producing bacteria decreased over time, whereas the proportion of outbreaks due to other bacterial pathogens increased. The proportion of outbreaks due to viral gastroenteritis pathogens had no overall changing trend over time. Bacterial outbreaks had significantly more identified cases and had more hospitalizations than other pathogen type causes. Other features associated with high case numbers, hospitalizations, and deaths in foodborne outbreaks included being due to food contaminated in primary production, involving consumption of raw products, and having evidence of poor sanitation in the food preparation areas. Eggs were the most commonly determined pathogen food source, occurring in 12% of outbreaks; however, most outbreak investigations (77%) did not have a pathogen food source identified. This analysis demonstrates a changing landscape of foodborne outbreaks over time. Increases in outbreaks due to bacterial and viral pathogens coincide with increases in sporadic notifications of the same pathogens, whereas decreases in toxin caused outbreaks followed the introduction of mandatory food safety training in retail food businesses. Recognizing issues in food production and implementing improvements that reduce the number of pathogens in food will be key to reducing the incidence of foodborne outbreaks.

Background More than seventy per cent of salmonellosis in Australia is thought to be due to contaminated food. Rates of salmonellosis vary across the Australian states and territories, with the highest rates in the Northern Territory. In 2020, to control coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), Australia implemented public health measures including border closures, physical distancing and hygiene advice. This study analyses salmonellosis notification rates in 2020 and considers possible impacts of COVID-19 measures. Methods Monthly and annual salmonellosis notifications per 100,000 population, for each of Australia’s eight states and territories for the years 2015 to 2020, were extracted from Australia’s publicly accessible National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System. For each jurisdiction, the salmonellosis rate each month in 2020 was compared with the previous 5-year median rate for that calendar month. The possible impacts of COVID-19 public health measures on salmonellosis notifications in the respective states and territories were examined. Results The annual Australian salmonellosis notification rate was 27% lower in 2020 than the previous 5-year median. The reduction in salmonellosis rate varied throughout Australia. States and territories with more stringent, more frequent or longer COVID-19 public health measures had generally greater salmonellosis rate reductions. However, Tasmania had a 50% deeper reduction in salmonellosis rate than did the Northern Territory, despite similar restriction levels. Conclusions Salmonellosis notifications decreased in Australia during the global COVID-19 pandemic. The reduction in notifications corresponded with the implementation of public health measures. Persistence of high rates in the Northern Territory could indicate the overarching importance of demographic and environmental factors.

This report summarises the incidence of diseases potentially transmitted by food in Australia and details outbreaks associated with food in 2010. OzFoodNet sites reported 30,035 notifications of 9 diseases or conditions that are commonly transmitted by food. The most frequently notified infections were Campylobacter (16,968 notifications) and Salmonella (11,992 notifications). The most frequently notified Salmonella serotype was Salmonella Typhimurium, accounting for 44% of all Salmonella notifications. OzFoodNet sites also reported 1,640 outbreaks of gastrointestinal illness affecting 30,193 people and resulting in 722 people being hospitalised. There were 89 deaths associated with these outbreaks. The majority of outbreaks (81%, 1,330/1,640) were due to person-to-person spread, 9% (154/1,640) were suspected or confirmed to have been transmitted by contaminated food, 9% (155/1,640) had an unknown mode of transmission and 1 outbreak was due to transmission from animal to person. Foodborne and suspected foodborne outbreaks affected 2,146 persons and included 157 hospitalisations.Fifteen deaths were reported during these outbreaks. Salmonella was the most common aetiological agent identified in foodborne outbreaks and restaurants were the most frequently reported food preparation setting. A single food source was identified for 43 outbreaks, 21 of which were associated with the consumption of dishes containing raw or minimally cooked eggs; the majority (n=20) due to S. Typhimurium. These data assist agencies to document sources of foodborne disease, develop food safety policies, and prevent foodborne illness. This work is copyright. Apart from any use as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part may be reproduced by any process without prior written permission from the Commonwealth. Requests and inquiries concerning reproduction and rights should be addressed to the Commonwealth Copyright Administration, Attorney General's Department, Robert Garran Offices, National Circuit, Barton ACT 2600 or posted at http://www.ag.gov.au/cca.

In this paper, a 32-bit Datapath with RISC-V instruction set architecture based on RV32I CPU instruction set has been designed. Furthermore, through analysis of function and theory of RISC-V CPU instruction set, the processor has been optimized by designing a six staged folded pipeline core. Finally, the design has been examined on the current industrial standards FPGA boards. Synthesis and implementation on two Boards of Virtex family has been compared on the basis of Utilization reports and Power Reports. The comparison shows the more heavily configurable board i.e. the Virtex Ultrascale delivers better power – performance tradeoff at higher costs.

SUMMARYDuring May 2015, an increase inSalmonellaAgona cases was reported from western Sydney, Australia. We examine the public health actions used to investigate and control this increase. A descriptive case-series investigation was conducted. Six outbreak cases were identified; all had consumed cooked tuna sushi rolls purchased within a western Sydney shopping complex. Onset of illness for outbreak cases occurred between 7 April and 24 May 2015.Salmonellawas isolated from food samples collected from the implicated premise and a prohibition order issued. No further cases were identified following this action. Whole genome sequence (WGS) analysis was performed on isolates recovered during this investigation, with additionalS.Agona isolates from sporadic-clinical cases and routine food sampling in New South Wales, January to July 2015. Clinical isolates of outbreak cases were indistinguishable from food isolates collected from the implicated sushi outlet. Five additional clinical isolates not originally considered to be linked to the outbreak were genomically similar to outbreak isolates, indicating the point-source contamination may have started before routine surveillance identified an increase. This investigation demonstrated the value of genomics-guided public health action, where near real-time WGS enhanced the resolution of the epidemiological investigation.

Locally acquired hepatitis A infection is re-emerging in Australia owing to person-to-person outbreaks among men who have sex with men and imported frozen produce. This paper describes a multi-state foodborne outbreak in the first half of 2018. Enhanced human epidemiological investigation including a case–control study, as well as microbial surveillance and trace-back investigations concluded that the outbreak was caused by consumption of imported frozen pomegranate arils. A total of 30 cases of hepatitis A infection, genotype IB with identical sequences met the outbreak case definition, including 27 primary cases and three secondary cases. Twenty-five (83%) of the cases were hospitalised for their illness and there was one death. Imported frozen pomegranate arils from Egypt were strongly implicated as the source of infection through case interviews (19 of 26 primary cases) as well as from a case–control study (adjusted odds ratio 43.4, 95% confidence interval 4.2–448.8, P = 0.002). Hepatitis A virus (HAV) was subsequently detected by polymerase chain reaction in two food samples of the frozen pomegranate aril product. This outbreak was detected and responded to promptly owing to routine genetic characterisation of HAVs from all hepatitis A infections in Australia as part of a national hepatitis A enhanced surveillance project. This is now the third outbreak of hepatitis A in Australia from imported frozen fruits. A re-assessment of the risk of these types of imported foods is strongly recommended.

FSO stands for free space optics which is a communication technology in which information is being transferred from one point (transmitter) to another (receiver) by propagation of light in free space (atmosphere). Its working is similar to that of Optical Fiber Cable (OFC) network but it does not require any cables. It is faster than OFC communication and is also a cost effective technique. But its performance is affected by many parameters like internal (wavelength, optical power, etc.) and external (visibility, cloud conditions, scintillation, atmospheric attenuation, etc There are ten different types of clouds with their own liquid water content (LWC) which in turn results in attenuations and affects the visibility range. This paper predicts the visibility/range of the link as a result of attenuation due to different cloud conditions. Quality of the received signal has been analyzed as a function of link range, transmitted power and data rate for different cloud types, in order to have proper reception of the signal avoiding link failure.

Salmonella Typhimurium is a common cause of foodborne illness in Australia. We report on seven outbreaks of Salmonella Typhimurium multilocus variable-number tandem-repeat analysis (MLVA) 03-26-13-08-523 (European convention 2-24-12-7-0212) in three Australian states and territories investigated between November 2015 and March 2016. We identified a common egg grading facility in five of the outbreaks. While no Salmonella Typhimurium was detected at the grading facility and eggs could not be traced back to a particular farm, whole genome sequencing (WGS) of isolates from cases from all seven outbreaks indicated a common source. WGS was able to provide higher discriminatory power than MLVA and will likely link more Salmonella Typhimurium cases between states and territories in the future. National harmonization of Salmonella surveillance is important for effective implementation of WGS for Salmonella outbreak investigations.

Objectives To examine antimicrobial susceptibility patterns and predictors of resistance among Shigella isolates in New South Wales (NSW), Australia during 2013-14 with emphasis on azithromycin. Methods Cross-sectional analysis of all shigellosis cases (160) notified to public health authorities in NSW, Australia was performed. Results Among 160 Shigella isolates tested, 139 (86.9%) were susceptible to azithromycin, 104 (65.0%) to ciprofloxacin and 38 (23.7%) to co-trimoxazole. Ciprofloxacin resistance was 1.9 times more common in infections acquired in Australia compared with those acquired overseas, while azithromycin resistance was 8.5 times more common in males. Conclusions We recommend ongoing reconsideration of guidelines for the treatment of shigellosis based on emerging resistance patterns. First-line therapy may need to be reconsidered based on local resistance rates due to common resistance to co-trimoxazole and ciprofloxacin. We recommend culture and susceptibility testing for suspected and proven shigellosis. Azithromycin susceptibility breakpoints for Shigella species may need to be species specific.

A relatively new form of alternative energy known as reverse electrodialysis (RED) appears to be one of the promising energy sources of the future. This technology harvests the energy stored in the salinity gradient between two different liquids, and converts it directly into electric power. This power is generated by pumping water through an array of alternating pairs of cation and anion exchange membranes called cells. An experimental system was designed and assembled with cells 61 cm × 16.5 cm. Along with having much larger dimensions than the prototype systems reported in the literature, the design has an adjustable number of cells in the stack, allowing users to obtain test results at a variety of settings. Comparing the output of systems with few cells to systems with a higher number of cells will help us to optimize the stack size in terms of hydrodynamic losses. Tests results have shown a voltage output of 1.98V, 83% of the predicted output. The current and power produced by the system did not meet theoretical output levels, but our group believes a redesign of the electrode rinse system will bring these values up to expectations. Future works will benefit from the learning experience.

Today’s rate of fossil fuel consumption rapidly depletes fuel reserves and leads to a number of adverse environmental effects. Although the scope of these effects has yet to be fully realized, it is clear that the development of alternative energy sources is very important. A relatively new form of alternative energy known as reverse electrodialysis (RED) appears to be one of the promising energy sources of the future. This technology harvests the energy stored in the salinity gradient between two different liquids, and converts it directly into electric power. This power is generated by pumping water through an array of alternating pairs of cation and anion exchange membranes called cells. Various academic sources calculate the available energy to be 1.5 MJ for every cubic meter of sea and river water mixed, making all river basins a potential location for power production. Small prototype systems using 50 cells with areas of 100 cm2 were assembled by a group in the Netherlands, but larger stacks remain to be tested. An understanding of the feasibility of RED as a possible energy source relies on testing of cells with larger membrane area and different numbers of membrane pairs. An experimental system was designed with cells 61 cm × 16.5 cm, which will increase the output by nearly a factor of 10. Along with having much larger dimensions than previous systems, the design has an adjustable number of cells in the stack, allowing users obtain test results at a variety of settings. Comparing the output of systems with few cells to systems with many cells will help us to optimize the stack size in terms of hydrodynamic losses. Initial testing of the system resulted in a positive result. The tests showed that the system produced power, and the 1.98 volts measured was 83% of the predicted value. Leakage of the electrode rinse solution contaminated the membranes, and prevented more testing. Once the electrode rinse system is redesigned, more testing will be done.

Background: In most Australian settings, chlamydia notifications do not contain information on the gender of sexual partners. We assessed trends and predictors of chlamydia testing and positivity among men who have sex with men (MSM), attending sexual health services in Australia. Methods: The Australian Collaboration for Chlamydia Enhanced Sentinel Surveillance (ACCESS) program was established in 2008 to collate demographic and chlamydia testing information from 25 sexual health services. We calculated the proportion tested and chlamydia positivity amon, MSM and assessed trends from 2004 to 2008 using a χ 2 test and predictors using logistic regression. Results: In the 5-year period. 11,777 MSM attended as new patients (first visit ever to the service) and the proportion tested for chlamydia increased significantly from 71% in 2004 to 79% in 2008 (P < 0.01). Independent predicton of chlamydia testing were younger age, residing in a metropolitan area (adjusted prevalence ratio [APR] = 1.23; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.19, 1.27), being Australian-born (APR = 1.03; 95% CI: 1.01, 1.06), being a traveler or migrant (APR = 1.09; 95% CI: 1.06. 1.12), and sex overseas in the past year (APR = 1.05; 95% CI: 1.03. 1.07). Overall chlamydia positivity was 8.6% (95% CI: 8.0%―9.2%). There was no significant trend in chlamydia positivity between 2004 and 2008. Independent predictors of chlamydia positivity were younger age, being a traveler or migrant (APR = 1.52; 95% CI: 1.26―1.84), and exclusive same-sex contact (APR = 1.28; 95% CI: 1.05―1.55). Conclusions: This new national surveillance program demonstrates that the majority of MSM attending sexual health services was offered chlamydia testing and testing has increased over time. The MSM at highest risk of chlamydia were more likely to be tested. Chlamydia transmission was frequent but stable among MSM accessing clinical services.

The Australian Collaboration for Chlamydia Enhanced Sentinel Surveillance (ACCESS) was established with funding from the Department of Health and Ageing to trial the monitoring of the uptake and outcome of chlamydia testing in Australia. ACCESS involved 6 separate networks; 5 clinical networks involving sexual health services, family planning clinics, general practices, antenatal clinics, Aboriginal community controlled health services, and 1 laboratory network. The program ran from May 2007 to September 2010. An evaluation of ACCESS was undertaken in early 2010, 2 years after the program was funded. At the time of the evaluation, 76 of the 91 participating sites were contributing data. The jurisdictional distribution of the 76 sites generally matched the jurisdictional distribution of the Australian population. In 2008, the chlamydia testing rates in persons aged 16-29 years attending the 26 general practices was 4.2% in males and 7.0% in females. At the 25 sexual health services, the chlamydia testing rates in heterosexuals aged less than 25 years in 2008 was 77% in males and 74% in females. Between 2004 and 2008, the chlamydia positivity rate increased significantly in heterosexual females aged less than 25 years attending the sexual health services, from 11.5% to 14.1% (P0.01). Data completeness was above 85% for all core variables except Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander status and country of birth, which ranged from 68%-100%, and 74%-100%, respectively, per network. There were delays in establishment of the system due to recruitment of 91 sites, multiple ethics applications and establishment of automated extraction programs in 10 different database systems, to transform clinic records into a common, pre-defined surveillance format. ACCESS has considerable potential as a mechanism toward supporting a better understanding of long-term trends in chlamydia notifications and to support policy and program delivery.

Quadrivalent human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine has high efficacy in clinical trials but no reports describe its effects at a population level. From July, 2007, Australia was the first country to fund a vaccination programme for all women aged 12-26 years. We established a national surveillance network in Australia and aimed to identify trends in diagnoses of genital warts in 2004-09.We obtained standardised data for demographic factors, frequency of genital warts, HPV vaccination status, and sexual behaviour for new patients attending eight sexual health services in Australia between January, 2004, and December, 2009. We used χ² analysis to identify significant trends in proportions of patients diagnosed with warts in periods before and after vaccination began. Our primary group of interest was female Australian residents who were eligible for free vaccination, although data were assessed for patients ineligible for free vaccination, including women older than 26 years of age, non-resident women, and men.Among 112 083 new patients attending sexual health services, we identified 9867 (9%) cases of genital warts. Before the vaccine programme started, there was no change in proportion of women or heterosexual men diagnosed with genital warts. After vaccination began, a decline in number of diagnoses of genital warts was noted for young female residents (59%, p(trend)0·0001). No significant decline was noted in female non-residents, women older than 26 years in July, 2007, or in men who have sex with men. However, proportionally fewer heterosexual men were diagnosed with genital warts during the vaccine period (28%, p(trend)0·0001), and this effect was more pronounced in young men. By 2009, 65·1% of female Australian residents who were eligible for free vaccine reported receipt of quadrivalent or unknown HPV vaccine.The decrease in frequency of genital warts in young Australian women resulting from the high coverage of HPV vaccination might provide protective effects in heterosexual men through herd immunity.CSL Biotherapies.

Objective To describe the frequency of the 3-month test for re-infection among sexual health service patients in Australia. Methods: We assessed the re-testing rates at 30–120 days after chlamydia infection in men who have sex with men (MSM), heterosexual males and females attending sexual health services across Australia between 2004 and 2008. A χ2-test was used to determine significant differences in re-testing rates according to demographic characteristics and trends over time. Results: In the 5-year period, 10 207 MSM, 28 530 heterosexual males and 31 190 heterosexual females were tested for chlamydia. Of those tested, 9057 (13.0%) were positive. The proportion of patients with chlamydia infection who were re-tested in 30–120 days was 8.6% in MSM, 11.9% in heterosexual males and 17.8% in heterosexual females. Among MSM, chlamydia re-testing rates were lower in men aged

The otter civet Cynogale bennettii is a specialized, semi-aquatic viverrid found throughout the forests of South-east Asia. Although described over 160 years ago, little is known of the species' natural history, and questions remain regarding its taxonomy and distribution. We compiled an exhaustive list of museum specimens and observations to reassess the conservation status, taxonomy and distribution of this species. Data were collected from museums, literature, field surveys, and from other field scientists. Although two species of otter civet have been described, C. bennettii and C. lowei, our morphological examinations do not support specific differentiation. The presence of the otter civet was confirmed for peninsular Thailand, Malaysia and the islands of Sumatra and Borneo. However, more northerly distributions were not confirmed, including the supposed origin of C. lowei from northern Vietnam. Based on the scarcity of recent observations or carcasses, otter civet populations are probably in decline. Recent increases in the number of wildlife surveys throughout the putative range of the otter civet have rarely documented the species. The reduction in primary forest habitat has probably reduced otter civet populations and threatens the persistence of this unique species.

Background: Australia has a widely dispersed network of public sexual health services that test large numbers of people from high prevalence populations for genital Chlamydia trachomatis infection. These populations include young sexually active heterosexuals, men who have sex with men, sex workers and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. The Australian Collaboration for Chlamydia Enhanced Sentinel Surveillance (ACCESS) Project was established to monitor chlamydia testing rates and positivity rates at a national level, which in turn will help interpret trends in chlamydia diagnoses reported through passive surveillance. The ACCESS Project is the first time that chlamydia-related data including priority population and testing denominators has been collated at a national level. The present paper reports on chlamydia testing and positivity rates in a sexual health service in the inner west of Sydney between 2004 and 2008 and compares these to published national data from the ACCESS Project in sexual health services. Methods: Chlamydia positivity and testing rates at an inner western Sydney sexual health service were compared with aggregate data from the ACCESS Project obtained from 14 sexual health services across Australia. Using a standardised extraction program, retrospective de-identified line-listed demographic and chlamydia testing data on all patients were extracted from patient management systems. Results: Over the 5-year period, 5145 new patients attended the inner-west sexual health service. Almost 66% had a chlamydia test at first visit and there was no significant difference in this testing rate when compared with the ACCESS Project national rate for sexual health services (67.0%; odds ratio [OR] 0.94, 95% confidence intervals 0.88–1.00). The testing rate increased over time from 61% in 2004 to 70% in 2008. There were 281 chlamydia diagnoses at this service, giving an overall chlamydia positivity rate of 9.3%, significantly higher than the ACCESS Project national rate of 8.2% (OR 1.16, 95% confidence intervals 1.02–1.32). Discussion: Testing rates were similar and positivity rates for Chlamydia trachomatis were higher in this sexual health service in Sydney than national trends.

Hipólito José da Costa Pereira Furtado de Mendonça é considerado o primeiro jornalista brasileiro. Ao lançar em Londres, em 1º de junho de 1808, o Correio Braziliense ou Armazém Literário, também fundou a imprensa política em língua portuguesa. Seu periódico, que circulou todos os meses de junho de 1808 a dezembro de 1822, foi objeto de vários historiadores e comentaristas. Sua inserção nos quadros da maçonaria e a conseqüente passagem pelos cárceres da Inquisição, em Lisboa, também receberam alguma atenção de nossa historiografia. Contudo, a viagem que empreendeu em sua juventude à América do Norte ainda é tema praticamente inexplorado. Tratava-se de uma missão oficial, inserida no contexto de um ambicioso projeto desenvolvido pela Coroa portuguesa nas últimas décadas do século XVIII, com o intuito de modernizar a economia colonial. Ali o jovem naturalista deveria investigar inovações e adquirir conhecimentos úteis à diversificação da agricultura no Brasil. Agente desta política de Estado, Hipólito da Costa chegou aos Estados Unidos aos 24 anos de idade, em dezembro de 1798. Lá permaneceria até fins de 1800, registrando os percalços da missão e suas impressões sobre a jovem nação norte-americana em seu Diário da minha Viagem para Filadélfia. Este trabalho é uma tentativa de interpretar as representações que ele construiu sobre os Estados Unidos em seu diário de viagem, tendo este documento como base principal, mas não exclusiva. Também são utilizados textos que ele escreveu durante sua permanência na América do Norte e ainda escritos de sua maturidade, publicados no período de seu exílio em Londres. Ao cotejar estes escritos, a pesquisa segue a assertiva de que a viagem aos Estados Unidos foi um marco importante na trajetória de Hipólito da Costa e as idéias com as quais conviveu ali uma das matrizes de sua escrita e de seu pensamento político. Hipólito José da Costa Pereira Furtado de Mendonça is considerated the first brazilians journalist. When launching the Correio Braziliense ou Armazém Literário, in Junes first of 1808, in London he has also founded the politicians press in portuguese language. His journal was been studied by several historians and commentators. His masonrys participation and the consequent ticket for the jails of the Inquisition, at Lisbon, also received some attention from our historiography. Meanwhile his youths North America travel remains an unexplored subject. It was an official mission, part of an ambitious Portuguese crowns project, developed in the last few decades of century XVIII, intending to modernize colonial economy. There, the young naturalist would have to investigate innovations and to acquire useful knowledge to brazilians agriculture diversification. Agent of this State politician, Hipólito da Costa has arrived at the United States at the age of 24, in December of 1798. He would remain there until 1800 ends, registering his mission profits and impressions about the young North America nation in his Diário da minha Viagem para Filadélfia. This job is an intention to interpret the North America representations he has build in his travel diary, taking it by main base, but not exclusive. Thats also been used his writings from North America stay and from his maturity, published during his London exile. When considering these writings, the research follows the assertive one of that the travel to the United States was an important landmark in the Hipólito da Costa trajectory and the ideas he has coexisted was one of the matrices of his writings and politician thoughts.