Last glacial megafaunal death assemblage and early human occupation at Lake Menindee, southeastern Australia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cupper, Matthew L.; Duncan, Jacqui

2006-09-01

The Tedford subfossil locality at Lake Menindee preserves a diverse assemblage of marsupials, monotremes and placental rodents. Of the 38 mammal taxa recorded at the site, almost a third are of extinct megafauna. Some of the bones are articulated or semi-articulated and include almost complete skeletons, indicating that aeolian sediments rapidly buried the animals following death. New optical ages show the site dates to the early part of the last glacial (55,700 ± 1300 yr weighted mean age). This is close to the 51,200-39,800 yr Australia-wide extinction age for megafauna suggested by Roberts et al. [2001, Science 292:1888-1892], but like all previous researchers, we cannot conclusively determine whether humans were implicated in the deaths of the animals. Although an intrusive hearth at the site dating to 45,100 ± 1400 yr ago is the oldest evidence of human occupation of the Darling River, no artifacts were identified in situ within the sub-fossil-bearing unit. Non-anthropogenic causes, such as natural senescence or ecosystem stress due to climatic aridity, probably explain the mortality of the faunal assemblage at Lake Menindee.

River and Wetland Food Webs in Australia's Wet-Dry Tropics: General Principles and Implications for Management.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Douglas, M. M.; Bunn, S. E.; Davies, P. M.

2005-05-01

The tropical rivers of northern Australia are internationally recognised for their high ecological and cultural values. They have largely unmodified flow regimes and are comparatively free of the impacts associated with intensive land use. However, there is growing demand for agricultural development and existing pressures, such as weeds and feral animals, threaten their ecological integrity. Using the international literature to provide a conceptual framework and drawing on limited published and unpublished data on rivers in northern Australia, we have derived five general principles about food webs and related ecosystem processes that both characterise tropical rivers of northern Australia and have important implications for their management. These are: (1) Seasonal hydrology is a strong driver of ecosystem processes and food web structure; (2) Hydrological connectivity is largely intact and underpins important terrestrial-aquatic food web subsidies; (3) River and wetland food webs are strongly dependent on algal production; (4) A few common macroconsumers species have a strong influence on benthic food webs; (5) Omnivory is widespread and food chains are short. These principles have implications for the management and protection of tropical rivers and wetlands of northern Australia and provide a framework for the formation of testable hypotheses in future research programs.

Playing with Maths: Implications for Early Childhood Mathematics Teaching from an Implementation Study in Melbourne, Australia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cohrssen, Caroline; Tayler, Collette; Cloney, Dan

2015-01-01

The Early Years Learning Framework for Australia governs early childhood education in the years before school in Australia. Since this framework is not a curriculum, early childhood educators report uncertainty regarding what mathematical concepts to teach and how to teach them. This implementation study, positioned within the broader E4Kids…

Scope of ACE in Australia. Volume 1: Implications for Improved Data Collection and Reporting [and] Volume 2: Analysis of Existing Information in National Education and Training Data Collection.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Borthwick, J.; Knight, B.; Bender, A.; Loveder, P.

These two volumes provide information on the scope of adult and community education (ACE) in Australia and implications for improved data collection and reporting. Volume 1 begins with a glossary. Chapter 1 addresses project objectives and processes and methodology. Chapter 2 analyzes the scope and diversity of ACE in terms of what is currently…

The Goethe Institute with Implications for Australia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Garrick, Natalie

1976-01-01

The work of the Goethe Institute in teaching German to foreigners and in fostering interest in German culture is described. The desirability of a change in attitude in Australia toward foreign language study is discussed. (RM)

Examination of Sarcocystis spp. of giant snakes from Australia and Southeast Asia confirms presence of a known pathogen - Sarcocystis nesbitti.

PubMed

Wassermann, Marion; Raisch, Lisa; Lyons, Jessica Ann; Natusch, Daniel James Deans; Richter, Sarah; Wirth, Mareike; Preeprem, Piyarat; Khoprasert, Yuvaluk; Ginting, Sulaiman; Mackenstedt, Ute; Jäkel, Thomas

2017-01-01

We examined Sarcocystis spp. in giant snakes from the Indo-Australian Archipelago and Australia using a combination of morphological (size of sporocyst) and molecular analyses. We amplified by PCR nuclear 18S rDNA from single sporocysts in order to detect mixed infections and unequivocally assign the retrieved sequences to the corresponding parasite stage. Sarcocystis infection was generally high across the study area, with 78 (68%) of 115 examined pythons being infected by one or more Sarcocystis spp. Among 18 randomly chosen, sporocyst-positive samples (11 from Southeast Asia, 7 from Northern Australia) the only Sarcocystis species detected in Southeast Asian snakes was S. singaporensis (in reticulated pythons), which was absent from all Australian samples. We distinguished three different Sarcocystis spp. in the Australian sample set; two were excreted by scrub pythons and one by the spotted python. The sequence of the latter is an undescribed species phylogenetically related to S. lacertae. Of the two Sarcocystis species found in scrub pythons, one showed an 18S rRNA gene sequence similar to S. zamani, which is described from Australia for the first time. The second sequence was identical/similar to that of S. nesbitti, a known human pathogen that was held responsible for outbreaks of disease among tourists in Malaysia. The potential presence of S. nesbitti in Australia challenges the current hypothesis of a snake-primate life cycle, and would have implications for human health in the region. Further molecular and biological characterizations are required to confirm species identity and determine whether or not the Australian isolate has the same zoonotic potential as its Malaysian counterpart. Finally, the absence of S. nesbitti in samples from reticulated pythons (which were reported to be definitive hosts), coupled with our phylogenetic analyses, suggest that alternative snake hosts may be responsible for transmitting this parasite in Malaysia.

Climate change and Australia's healthcare system - risks, research and responses.

PubMed

Weaver, Haylee J; Blashki, Grant A; Capon, Anthony G; McMichael, Anthony J

2010-11-01

Climate change will affect human health, mostly adversely, resulting in a greater burden on the health care system, in addition to any other coexistent increases in demand (e.g. from Australia's increasingly ageing population). Understanding the extent to which health is likely to be affected by climate change will enable policy makers and practitioners to prepare for changing demands on the health care system. This will require prioritisation of key research questions and building research capacity in the field. There is an urgent need to better understand the implications of climate change for the distribution and prevalence of diseases, disaster preparedness and multidisciplinary service planning. Research is needed to understand the relationship of climate change to health promotion, policy evaluation and strategic financing of health services. Training of health care professionals about climate change and its effects will also be important in meeting long-term workforce demands.

Leptospira Species in Feral Cats and Black Rats from Western Australia and Christmas Island.

PubMed

Dybing, Narelle A; Jacobson, Caroline; Irwin, Peter; Algar, David; Adams, Peter J

2017-05-01

Leptospirosis is a neglected, re-emerging bacterial disease with both zoonotic and conservation implications. Rats and livestock are considered the usual sources of human infection, but all mammalian species are capable of carrying Leptospira spp. and transmitting pathogenic leptospires in their urine, and uncertainty remains about the ecology and transmission dynamics of Leptospira in different regions. In light of a recent case of human leptospirosis on tropical Christmas Island, this study aimed to investigate the role of introduced animals (feral cats and black rats) as carriers of pathogenic Leptospira spp. on Christmas Island and to compare this with two different climatic regions of Western Australia (one island and one mainland). Kidney samples were collected from black rats (n = 68) and feral cats (n = 59) from Christmas Island, as well as feral cats from Dirk Hartog Island (n = 23) and southwest Western Australia (n = 59). Molecular (PCR) screening detected pathogenic leptospires in 42.4% (95% confidence interval 29.6-55.9) of cats and 2.9% (0.4-10.2) of rats from Christmas Island. Sequencing of cat- and rat-positive samples from Christmas Island showed 100% similarity for Leptospira interrogans. Pathogenic leptospires were not detected in cats from Dirk Hartog Island or southwest Western Australia. These findings were consistent with previous reports of higher Leptospira spp. prevalence in tropical regions compared with arid and temperate regions. Despite the abundance of black rats on Christmas Island, feral cats appear to be the more important reservoir species for the persistence of pathogenic L. interrogans on the island. This research highlights the importance of disease surveillance and feral animal management to effectively control potential disease transmission.

Setting Standards: Confronting Paradox.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Doecke, Brenton; Gill, Margaret

2001-01-01

Discusses implications of the issues of continuity and discontinuity, commonality and difference, congruity and paradox as they engage the research team, the industry partners, and the teachers around Australia who constitute the STELLA (Standards for Teachers of English Language and Literacy in Australia) project. (RS)

Human Resource Development Practices, Managers and Multinational Enterprises in Australia: Thinking Globally, Acting Locally

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sablok, Gitika; Stanton, Pauline; Bartram, Timothy; Burgess, John; Boyle, Brendan

2017-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine the HRD practices of multinational enterprises (MNEs) operating in Australia to understand the value that MNEs place on investment in their human capital, particularly managerial talent. Design/methodology/approach: Drawing on a representative sample of 211 MNEs operating in Australia, this paper…

New Genetic and Linguistic Analyses Show Ancient Human Influence on Baobab Evolution and Distribution in Australia

PubMed Central

Rangan, Haripriya; Bell, Karen L.; Baum, David A.; Fowler, Rachael; McConvell, Patrick; Saunders, Thomas; Spronck, Stef; Kull, Christian A.; Murphy, Daniel J.

2015-01-01

This study investigates the role of human agency in the gene flow and geographical distribution of the Australian baobab, Adansonia gregorii. The genus Adansonia is a charismatic tree endemic to Africa, Madagascar, and northwest Australia that has long been valued by humans for its multiple uses. The distribution of genetic variation in baobabs in Africa has been partially attributed to human-mediated dispersal over millennia, but this relationship has never been investigated for the Australian species. We combined genetic and linguistic data to analyse geographic patterns of gene flow and movement of word-forms for A. gregorii in the Aboriginal languages of northwest Australia. Comprehensive assessment of genetic diversity showed weak geographic structure and high gene flow. Of potential dispersal vectors, humans were identified as most likely to have enabled gene flow across biogeographic barriers in northwest Australia. Genetic-linguistic analysis demonstrated congruence of gene flow patterns and directional movement of Aboriginal loanwords for A. gregorii. These findings, along with previous archaeobotanical evidence from the Late Pleistocene and Holocene, suggest that ancient humans significantly influenced the geographic distribution of Adansonia in northwest Australia. PMID:25830225

Comparative Analysis of Language and Education Policies for Indigenous Minorities in Australia and Malaysia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Renganathan, Sumathi; Kral, Inge

2018-01-01

This paper examines the implication of language and education policies for the indigenous minority populations in two contrasting multicultural and multilingual post-colonial nations, Australia and Malaysia. By comparing and contrasting ethnolinguistic and educational policies in these two diverse nations, this paper explores how indigenous…

National Innovation Policy and Public Science in Australia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carter, Lyn

2017-01-01

In this paper, I have positioned myself with Kean Birch and explored some of the political-economic actors/actants of policy suites implicated in the biotechnologies and bioeconomy. In particular, I have considered Australia's recent National Innovation and Science Agenda and allied documents and entities (that is, Innovation and Science…

Temporal overlap of humans and giant lizards (Varanidae; Squamata) in Pleistocene Australia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Price, Gilbert J.; Louys, Julien; Cramb, Jonathan; Feng, Yue-xing; Zhao, Jian-xin; Hocknull, Scott A.; Webb, Gregory E.; Nguyen, Ai Duc; Joannes-Boyau, Renaud

2015-10-01

An obvious but key prerequisite to testing hypotheses concerning the role of humans in the extinction of late Quaternary 'megafauna' is demonstrating that humans and the extinct taxa overlapped, both temporally and spatially. In many regions, a paucity of reliably dated fossil occurrences of megafauna makes it challenging, if not impossible, to test many of the leading extinction hypotheses. The giant monitor lizards of Australia are a case in point. Despite commonly being argued to have suffered extinction at the hands of the first human colonisers (who arrived by 50 ka), it has never been reliably demonstrated that giant monitors and humans temporally overlapped in Australia. Here we present the results of an integrated U-Th and 14C dating study of a late Pleistocene fossil deposit that has yielded the youngest dated remains of giant monitor lizards in Australia. The site, Colosseum Chamber, is a cave deposit in the Mt Etna region, central eastern Australia. Sixteen new dates were generated and demonstrate that the bulk of the material in the deposit accumulated since ca. 50 ka. The new monitor fossil is, minimally, 30 ky younger than the previous youngest reliably dated record for giant lizards in Australia and for the first time, demonstrates that on a continental scale, humans and giant lizards overlapped in time. The new record brings the existing geochronological dataset for Australian giant monitor lizards to seven dated occurrences. With such sparse data, we are hesitant to argue that our new date represents the time of their extinction from the continent. Rather, we suspect that future fossil collecting will yield new samples both older and younger than 50 ka. Nevertheless, we unequivocally demonstrate that humans and giant monitor lizards overlapped temporally in Australia, and thus, humans can only now be considered potential drivers for their extinction.

The success of failed Homo sapiens dispersals out of Africa and into Asia.

PubMed

Rabett, Ryan J

2018-02-01

The evidence for an early dispersal of Homo sapiens from Africa into the Levant during Marine Isotope Stage 5 (MIS-5) 126-74 ka (thousand years ago) was characterized for many years as an 'abortive' expansion: a precursor to a sustained dispersal from which all extant human populations can be traced. Recent archaeological and genetic data from both western and eastern parts of Eurasia and from Australia are starting to challenge that interpretation. This Perspective reviews the current evidence for a scenario where the MIS-5 dispersal encompassed a much greater geographic distribution and temporal duration. The implications of this for tracking and understanding early human dispersal in Southeast Asia specifically are considered, and the validity of measuring dispersal success only through genetic continuity into the present is examined.

Projected change in characteristics of near surface temperature inversions for southeast Australia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ji, Fei; Evans, Jason Peter; Di Luca, Alejandro; Jiang, Ningbo; Olson, Roman; Fita, Lluis; Argüeso, Daniel; Chang, Lisa T.-C.; Scorgie, Yvonne; Riley, Matt

2018-05-01

Air pollution has significant impacts on human health. Temperature inversions, especially near surface temperature inversions, can amplify air pollution by preventing convective movements and trapping pollutants close to the ground, thus decreasing air quality and increasing health issues. This effect of temperature inversions implies that trends in their frequency, strength and duration can have important implications for air quality. In this study, we evaluate the ability of three reanalysis-driven high-resolution regional climate model (RCM) simulations to represent near surface inversions at 9 sounding sites in southeast Australia. Then we use outputs of 12 historical and future RCM simulations (each with three time periods: 1990-2009, 2020-2039, and 2060-2079) from the NSW/ACT (New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory) Regional Climate Modelling (NARCliM) project to investigate changes in near surface temperature inversions. The results show that there is a substantial increase in the strength of near surface temperature inversions over southeast Australia which suggests that future inversions may intensify poor air quality events. Near surface inversions and their future changes have clear seasonal and diurnal variations. The largest differences between simulations are associated with the driving GCMs, suggesting that the large-scale circulation plays a dominant role in near surface inversion strengths.

Clonal group distribution of fluoroquinolone-resistant Escherichia coli among humans and companion animals in Australia.

PubMed

Platell, Joanne L; Cobbold, Rowland N; Johnson, James R; Trott, Darren J

2010-09-01

To determine the phylogenetic group distribution and prevalence of three major globally disseminated clonal groups [clonal group A (CGA) and O15:K52:H1, associated with phylogenetic group D, and sequence type ST131, associated with phylogenetic group B2] among fluoroquinolone-resistant extra-intestinal Escherichia coli isolates from humans and companion animals in Australia. Clinical extra-intestinal fluoroquinolone-resistant E. coli isolates were obtained from humans (n = 582) and companion animals (n = 125), on Australia's east coast (October 2007-October 2009). Isolates were tested for susceptibility to seven antimicrobial agents, and for phylogenetic group, O type and clonal-group-specific single nucleotide polymorphisms by PCR. The fluoroquinolone-resistant isolates were typically resistant to multiple agents (median of four). Analysis revealed that clonal group ST131 accounted for a large subset of the human isolates (202/585, 35%), but for a much smaller proportion of the companion animal isolates (9/125, 7.2%; P

Methodological issues in medical workforce analysis: implications for regional Australia.

PubMed

Hays, R B; Veitch, P C; Franklin, L; Crossland, L

1998-02-01

Medical workforce data have a profound impact on health policy formulation, but derived doctor population ratios (DPR) are often more relevant to plotting national trends than providing a detailed regional or local workforce perspective. Regional workforce data may be more useful if national approaches are augmented by local information. In developing a detailed workforce analysis for one region of Australia, the authors encountered several challenging methodological issues, including the accuracy of medical workforce databases, clarity of definition of community boundaries, interpretation of workforce definitions and the difficulty accounting for local community needs. This paper discusses the implications for regional workforce research.

Outbreak of Sporotrichosis, Western Australia

PubMed Central

Feeney, Kynan T.; Whittle, Amanda J.; Altman, Shelley A.; Speers, David J.

2007-01-01

A cluster of sporotrichosis cases occurred in the Busselton-Margaret River region of Western Australia from 2000 to 2003. Epidemiologic investigation and mycologic culture for Sporothrix schenckii implicated hay initially distributed through a commercial hay supplier as the source of the outbreak. Declining infection rates have occurred after various community measures were instigated. PMID:17953099

National innovation policy and public science in Australia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carter, Lyn

2017-12-01

In this paper, I have positioned myself with Kean Birch and explored some of the political-economic actors/actants of policy suites implicated in the biotechnologies and bioeconomy. In particular, I have considered Australia's recent National Innovation and Science Agenda and allied documents and entities (that is, Innovation and Science Australia, the National Science Statement and the 2016 National Research Infrastructure Roadmap) as one of the National Innovation Strategies in place now in OECD countries and beyond. In overview, these policy suites utilise the same high knowledge creation/low translation and commericalisation arguments as elsewhere to press for particular ideologically based `improvements' to public science. Mapping the terrain of these entities has revealed the innovation, biotechnology and bioeconomy policy space to be inordinately complex and challenging to navigate. Reviewing Australia's position enables the type of comparative work that contributes to a closer understanding of the largely neoliberal global economic imperatives shaping contemporaneity. Moreover, while these policy suites attempt to constitute and circulate particular visions of science education, their complex nature mitigates against science teachers/educators grappling with their implications.

Rights for All: The Human Rights of Rural Citizens. Keynote Address.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sodoti, Chris

The Australian Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission visited over 50 communities throughout Australia to assess the state of human rights in rural, regional, and remote Australia. Education and health services predominated the discussions. Rural children, especially Aboriginal children, have lower school attendance and completion rates…

The imperative to develop a human vaccine for the Hendra virus in Australia.

PubMed

Zahoor, Bilal A; Mudie, Lucy I

2015-01-01

The Hendra virus (HeV) poses a significant challenge to public health in Australia. Expanding migratory patterns observed among bats and the mutation of the virus to seek and successfully infect new hosts is a significant departure from the generalized epidemiological trend. The recent discovery of equine-related infections and deaths in addition to a canine infection demonstrates the inadequacy of the current equine vaccine developed in 2012. Traditional models for controlling the spread of the vector are futile given the rapid pace at which bats' habitats are eroded. Recent ongoing zoonotic epidemics, for example, Ebola and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus, demonstrate that human-to-human transmission is a distinct reality rather than an obscure possibility. The development of a human HeV vaccine is essential for the biosecurity of Australia, as part of a multipronged strategy to control HeV in Australia.

The imperative to develop a human vaccine for the Hendra virus in Australia

PubMed Central

Zahoor, Bilal A.; Mudie, Lucy I.

2015-01-01

The Hendra virus (HeV) poses a significant challenge to public health in Australia. Expanding migratory patterns observed among bats and the mutation of the virus to seek and successfully infect new hosts is a significant departure from the generalized epidemiological trend. The recent discovery of equine-related infections and deaths in addition to a canine infection demonstrates the inadequacy of the current equine vaccine developed in 2012. Traditional models for controlling the spread of the vector are futile given the rapid pace at which bats' habitats are eroded. Recent ongoing zoonotic epidemics, for example, Ebola and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus, demonstrate that human-to-human transmission is a distinct reality rather than an obscure possibility. The development of a human HeV vaccine is essential for the biosecurity of Australia, as part of a multipronged strategy to control HeV in Australia. PMID:26519254

Recruitment and Financing of Candidates To Study Overseas: Its Implications for Australia.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smart, Don

Growing numbers of Malaysian students are going to Australia for overseas study. This paper begins with a discussion of Malaysia's New Economic Policy, whose provisions include a phasing out of English as the language of instruction in favor of Bahasa Malaya, the language of the indigenous Malay majority. This policy provides a background for the…

The Growth in International Enrolments in Accounting: Implications for an Established Nexus between Education and Migration

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ekanayake, Dimuthu; Jackling, Beverley

2014-01-01

International student enrolments globally have grown substantially over the first decade of the twenty-first century. In the context of Australia, the higher education (HE) sector and specifically the accounting discipline grew during this time, together with the growth in the demand for qualified accountants. Australia was attractive to…

School Autonomy Reform and Public Education in Australia: Implications for Social Justice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Keddie, Amanda

2017-01-01

The renewed commitment to school autonomy reform in Australia is based on the view that it will drive up academic standards. There remains, however, little conclusive evidence to support this view. Simply instating the structural changes to bring about greater autonomy for schools within public education systems across the world has not led…

Water Security and Farming Systems: Implications for Advisory Practice and Policy-Making

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nettle, Ruth; Paine, Mark

2009-01-01

Water issues are a feature of public debate in Australia. The increasing privatisation of water and changes to water allocation systems are resulting in change, often referred to as water "wars" (de Villiers, 1999). The Australian dairy industry uses 25% of the surface irrigation water in Australia. How does a rural industry like…

Overview of Disability Employment Policy and Rehabilitation Practice in Australia: Implications for Rehabilitation Counselor Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Matthews, Lynda R.; Buys, Nicholas J.; Crocker, Ruth; Degeneffe, Charles Edmund

2007-01-01

This article provides an overview of the development of disability employment policy and rehabilitation services in Australia. In particular, it focuses on recent legislative and policy changes that attempt to address the high rates of welfare dependency, low employment rates and workplace discrimination experienced by people with disabilities. An…

Deaf People Communicating via SMS, TTY, Relay Service, Fax, and Computers in Australia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Power, Mary R.; Power, Des; Horstmanshof, Louise

2007-01-01

Despite the expansion of Deaf people's use of communication technology little is published about how they use electronic communication in their social and working lives and the implications for their concepts of identity and community. Australia is an ideal research base because the use of a range of technologies is widespread there. To gain…

Mothers' knowledge of and attitudes toward human milk banking in South Australia: a qualitative study.

PubMed

Mackenzie, Catherine; Javanparast, Sara; Newman, Lareen

2013-05-01

The beneficial effects of breastfeeding for mothers and babies are well recognized. When maternal breast milk is not available in sufficient quantity, donor breast milk is recommended as an alternate source of nutrition, particularly in preterm and other high-risk infants. Australia lags behind the rest of the developed world in establishing and promoting human milk banks; there is no human milk bank in South Australia and little is known concerning mothers' perceptions of using human milk banks in that state. This study explored mothers' knowledge of and attitudes toward human milk banks, to inform the development of human milk banking policies and guidelines in South Australia should a milk bank be established. In-depth semistructured interviews were conducted with 12 mothers who were breastfeeding and/or had preterm or sick babies. In addition, 2 focus groups were conducted-1 with breastfeeding mothers as potential donors (n = 5) and the other with mothers of preterm or high-risk infants (n = 4)-to answer questions raised by early analysis of the individual interview data. Breastfeeding mothers, as potential donors, unanimously supported donating their breast milk to a human milk bank, provided it would be easy (especially if required to drop off milk) and not overly time consuming. Mothers of preterm or sick infants would use a human milk bank if they were assured the milk was safe and appropriate for their babies. Study participants would welcome having access to a human milk bank for both donating and receiving milk in South Australia.

"Why won't they just vaccinate?" Horse owner risk perception and uptake of the Hendra virus vaccine.

PubMed

Manyweathers, J; Field, H; Longnecker, N; Agho, K; Smith, C; Taylor, M

2017-04-13

Hendra virus is a paramyxovirus that causes periodic serious disease and fatalities in horses and humans in Australia first identified in 1994. Pteropid bats (commonly known as flying-foxes) are the natural host of the virus, and the putative route of infection in horses is by ingestion or inhalation of material contaminated by flying-fox urine or other bodily fluids. Humans become infected after close contact with infected horses. Horse owners in Australia are encouraged to vaccinate their horses against Hendra virus to reduce the risk of Hendra virus infection, and to prevent potential transmission to humans. After the vaccine was released in 2012, uptake by horse owners was slow, with some estimated 11-17% of horses in Australia vaccinated. This study was commissioned to examine barriers to vaccine uptake and potential drivers to future adoption of vaccination by horse owners. This study examined qualitative comments from respondents to an on-line survey, reporting reasons for not vaccinating their horses. The study also investigated scenarios in which respondents felt they might consider vaccinating their horses. Self-reported barriers to uptake of the Hendra virus vaccine by horse owners (N = 150) included concerns about vaccine safety, cost, and effectiveness. Reduction in vaccination costs and perception of immediacy of Hendra virus risk were reported as being likely to change future behaviour. However, the data also indicated that horse owners generally would not reconsider vaccinating their horses if advised by their veterinarian. While changes to vaccine costs and the availability data supporting vaccine safety and efficacy may encourage more horse owners to vaccinate, this study highlights the importance of protecting the relationship between veterinarians and horse owners within the risk management strategies around Hendra virus. Interactions and trust between veterinarians and animal owners has important implications for management of and communication around Hendra virus and other zoonotic disease outbreaks.

The Mungo Mega-Lake Event, Semi-Arid Australia: Non-Linear Descent into the Last Ice Age, Implications for Human Behaviour

PubMed Central

Fitzsimmons, Kathryn E.; Stern, Nicola; Murray-Wallace, Colin V.; Truscott, William; Pop, Cornel

2015-01-01

The Willandra Lakes complex is one of the few locations in semi-arid Australia to preserve both paleoenvironmental and Paleolithic archeological archives at high resolution. The stratigraphy of transverse lunette dunes on the lakes’ downwind margins record a late Quaternary sequence of wetting and drying. Within the Willandra system, the Lake Mungo lunette is best known for its preservation of the world’s oldest known ritual burials, and high densities of archeological traces documenting human adaptation to changing environmental conditions over the last 45 ka. Here we identify evidence at Lake Mungo for a previously unrecognised short-lived, very high lake filling phase at 24 ka, just prior to the Last Glacial Maximum. Mega-lake Mungo was up to 5 m deeper than preceding or subsequent lake full events and represented a lake volume increase of almost 250%. Lake Mungo was linked with neighboring Lake Leaghur at two overflow points, creating an island from the northern part of the Mungo lunette. This event was most likely caused by a pulse of high catchment rainfall and runoff, combined with neotectonic activity which may have warped the lake basin. It indicates a non-linear transition to more arid ice age conditions. The mega-lake restricted mobility for people living in the area, yet archeological traces indicate that humans rapidly adapted to the new conditions. People repeatedly visited the island, transporting stone tools across water and exploiting food resources stranded there. They either swam or used watercraft to facilitate access to the island and across the lake. Since there is no evidence for watercraft use in Australia between initial colonization of the continent prior to 45 ka and the mid-Holocene, repeated visits to the island may represent a resurrection of waterfaring technologies following a hiatus of at least 20 ky. PMID:26083665

Geomorphic responses of lower Bega River to catchment disturbance, 1851?1926

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brooks, Andrew P.; Brierley, Gary J.

1997-03-01

Prior to significant European settlement of the area in the 1850s, lower Bega River on the South Coast of NSW had a narrow, relatively deep channel lined by river oaks. The river had a suspended or mixed load, with platypus habitat available in pools. Banks were fine-grained and relatively cohesive (silts and clays), as was the floodplain, which graded to a series of valley-marginal swamps and lakes. Extensive evidence from maps and portion plans, archival photographs, bridge surveys, and anecdotal sources, complemented by field analysis of floodplain sedimentology (including radiocarbon-dated samples) and vegetation remnants are used to document the dramatic metamorphosis in the character and behaviour of lower Bega River in the latter half of the nineteenth century. By 1926 the channel had widened extensively (up to 340%) and shallowed in association with bed aggradation by coarse sandy bedload. Floodplain accretion was dominated by fine to medium sands, with some coarse sand splays. In contrast with most other studies of channel metamorphosis in Australia, which have emphasised river responses to climatically-induced flood histories, relegating human impacts to a secondary role, the profound changes to the geomorphic condition and behaviour of Bega River reflect indirect human disturbance of Bega catchment, and direct but non point source disturbance to the channel. Extensive clearance of catchment, floodplain, and channel-marginal vegetation occurred within a few decades of European settlement, altering the hydrologic and sediment regime of the river, and transforming the geomorphic effectiveness of floods. Although this study is situated in a relatively sensitive, granitic catchment, catchment clearance is likely to have induced equally significant responses in many other river systems in eastern Australia. In some instances the diffuse aspects of human disturbance on landscapes induce impacts on river character that are just as profound as major direct disturbances of river channels. This may have profound implications in understanding, and hence managing, the geomorphic consequences of river behaviour in Australia and elsewhere.

“Vicious, Aggressive Bird Stalks Cyclist”: The Australian Magpie (Cracticus tibicen) in the News

PubMed Central

van Vuuren, Kitty; O’Keeffe, Scott; Jones, Darryl N.

2016-01-01

Simple Summary This article explores the role of print media in reporting the conflict between the Australian Magpie (Cracticus tibicen) and human populations in Australia. The results indicate that this issue is primarily covered during the spring “swooping” season in the regional and suburban press. Abstract The Australian Magpie (Cracticus tibicen) is a common bird found in urban Australian environments where its nest defense behavior during spring brings it into conflict with humans. This article explores the role of print media in covering this conflict. Leximancer software was used to analyze newspaper reports about the Australian Magpie from a sample of 634 news stories, letters-to-the editor and opinion pieces, published in newspapers from around Australia between 1 January 2010 and 31 December 2014. The results confirm that stories about these birds are primarily published in the daily regional and weekly suburban press, and that the dominant story frame concerns the risk of “swooping” behavior to cyclists and pedestrians from birds protecting their nests during the spring breeding season. The most prominent sources used by journalists are local and state government representatives, as well as members of the public. The results show that the “swooping season” has become a normal part of the annual news cycle for these publications, with the implication that discourse surrounding the Australian Magpie predominantly concerns the risk these birds pose to humans, and ignores their decline in non-urban environments. PMID:27128947

Assessment of Local Mosquito Species Incriminates Aedes aegypti as the Potential Vector of Zika Virus in Australia.

PubMed

Hall-Mendelin, Sonja; Pyke, Alyssa T; Moore, Peter R; Mackay, Ian M; McMahon, Jamie L; Ritchie, Scott A; Taylor, Carmel T; Moore, Frederick A J; van den Hurk, Andrew F

2016-09-01

Within the last 10 years Zika virus (ZIKV) has caused unprecedented epidemics of human disease in the nations and territories of the western Pacific and South America, and continues to escalate in both endemic and non-endemic regions. We evaluated the vector competence of Australian mosquitoes for ZIKV to assess their potential role in virus transmission. Mosquitoes were exposed to infectious blood meals containing the prototype African ZIKV strain. After 14 days incubation at 28°C and high relative humidity, infection, dissemination and transmission rates were assessed. Infection in Culex annulirostris and Cx. sitiens could not be detected. 8% of Cx. quinquefasciatus were infected, but the virus did not disseminate in this species. Despite having infection rates > 50%, Aedes notoscriptus and Ae. vigilax did not transmit ZIKV. In contrast, Ae. aegypti had infection and transmission rates of 57% and 27%, respectively. In susceptibility trials, the virus dose required to infect 50% (ID50) of Ae. aegypti was106.4 tissue culture infectious dose50 (TCID50)/mL. Additionally, a threshold viral load within the mosquito of at least 105.1 TCID50 equivalents/mL had to be reached before virus transmission occurred. We confirmed Ae. aegypti to be the most likely mosquito vector of ZIKV in Australia, although the restricted distribution of this species will limit the receptive zone to northern Queensland where this species occurs. Importantly, the role in ZIKV transmission of Culex and other Aedes spp. tested will be negligible. Despite being the implicated vector, the relatively high ID50 and need for a high titer disseminated infection in Ae. aegypti suggest that high mosquito population densities will be required to facilitate epidemic ZIKV transmission among the currently immunologically naïve human population in Australia.

The Millennium Drought in southeast Australia (2001-2009): Natural and human causes and implications for water resources, ecosystems, economy, and society

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van Dijk, Albert I. J. M.; Beck, Hylke E.; Crosbie, Russell S.; de Jeu, Richard A. M.; Liu, Yi Y.; Podger, Geoff M.; Timbal, Bertrand; Viney, Neil R.

2013-02-01

The "Millennium Drought" (2001-2009) can be described as the worst drought on record for southeast Australia. Adaptation to future severe droughts requires insight into the drivers of the drought and its impacts. These were analyzed using climate, water, economic, and remote sensing data combined with biophysical modeling. Prevailing El Niño conditions explained about two thirds of rainfall deficit in east Australia. Results for south Australia were inconclusive; a contribution from global climate change remains plausible but unproven. Natural processes changed the timing and magnitude of soil moisture, streamflow, and groundwater deficits by up to several years, and caused the amplification of rainfall declines in streamflow to be greater than in normal dry years. By design, river management avoided impacts on some categories of water users, but did so by exacerbating the impacts on annual irrigation agriculture and, in particular, river ecosystems. Relative rainfall reductions were amplified 1.5-1.7 times in dryland wheat yields, but the impact was offset by steady increases in cropping area and crop water use efficiency (perhaps partly due to CO2 fertilization). Impacts beyond the agricultural sector occurred (e.g., forestry, tourism, utilities) but were often diffuse and not well quantified. Key causative pathways from physical drought to the degradation of ecological, economic, and social health remain poorly understood and quantified. Combined with the multiple dimensions of multiyear droughts and the specter of climate change, this means future droughts may well break records in ever new ways and not necessarily be managed better than past ones.

Handing down the Farm? The Increasing Uncertainty of Irrigated Farm Succession in Australia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wheeler, S.; Bjornlund, H.; Zuo, A.; Edwards, J.

2012-01-01

Farming is still primarily a family concern in Australia. Having a farm successor in place is important as it is associated with the likelihood of the current farmer adapting to external conditions and hence may have long-term implications for the structure and profitability of agriculture. We used current and historical surveys across a number of…

The End of Car Manufacturing in Australia: What Is the Role of Training?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stanwick, John; Circelli, Michelle; Lu, Tham

2015-01-01

The loss of jobs in the automotive manufacturing industry, together with a more general decline of the manufacturing industry in Australia, has implications for the types of skills needed in the labour market. Both of these scenarios affect particular groups of people, such as displaced car workers, but within that category other groups such as…

Maintaining an Effective Research Environment in Australia. Submission to IP Australia Patents Law Reform Process

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Group of Eight (NJ1), 2010

2010-01-01

It is widely stated that a purpose of patent law is to encourage inventors to innovate and to disclose their inventions for the benefit of society. In return for this disclosure they receive a limited exploitation monopoly defined essentially by commercial pursuits. A necessary implication of the requirement of disclosure is that knowledge…

After the Whistle: Issues Impacting on the Health and Wellbeing of Polynesian Players off the Field

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rodriguez, Lena; McDonald, Brent

2013-01-01

In Australia and New Zealand recognition of Polynesians is almost exclusively defined by their physicality. Sought after for size and strength on the sporting field, excellence in sport is arguably regarded as a life goal in itself. This paper will examine how this situation arose and the implications for Polynesians living in Australia. For a…

Young People and the Environment in Australia: Beliefs, Knowledge, Commitment and Educational Implications

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Connell, Sharon; Fien, John; Sykes, Helen; Yencken, David

2014-01-01

There is a paucity of research in Australia on the nature of young people's attitudes, knowledge and actions. This paper reports on the findings from one such study of Australian high school students. The research was based on a survey of 5,688 students form Melbourne and Brisbane. These young people identified protection of the environment as the…

Microevolution of aquatic Streptococcus agalactiae ST-261 from Australia indicates dissemination via imported tilapia and ongoing adaptation to marine hosts or environment.

PubMed

Kawasaki, Minami; Delamare-Deboutteville, Jerome; Bowater, Rachel O; Walker, Mark J; Beatson, Scott; Ben Zakour, Nouri L; Barnes, Andrew C

2018-06-18

Streptococcus agalactiae (GBS) causes disease in a wide range of animals. The serotype Ib lineage is highly adapted to aquatic hosts, exhibiting substantial genome reduction compared with terrestrial conspecifics. Here we sequence genomes from 40 GBS isolates including 25 from wild fish and captive stingrays in Australia, six local veterinary or human clinical isolates, and nine isolates from farmed tilapia in Honduras and compare with 42 genomes from public databases. Phylogenetic analysis based on non-recombinant core genome SNPs indicated that aquatic serotype Ib isolates from Queensland were distantly related to local veterinary and human clinical isolates. In contrast, Australian aquatic isolates are most closely related to a tilapia isolate from Israel, differing by only 63 core-genome SNPs. A consensus minimum spanning tree based on core genome SNPs indicates dissemination of ST-261 from an ancestral tilapia strain, which is congruent with several introductions of tilapia into Australia from Israel during the 1970s and 1980s. Pan-genome analysis identified 1,440 genes as core with the majority being dispensable or strain-specific with non-protein-coding intergenic regions (IGRs) divided amongst core and strain-specific genes. Aquatic serotype Ib strains have lost many virulence factors during adaptation, but six adhesins were well conserved across the aquatic isolates and might be critical for virulence in fish and targets for vaccine development. The close relationship amongst recent ST-261 isolates from Ghana, USA and China with the Israeli tilapia isolate from 1988 implicates the global trade in tilapia seed for aquaculture in the widespread dissemination of serotype Ib fish-adapted GBS. Importance Streptococcus agalactiae (GBS) is a significant pathogen of humans and animals. Some lineages have become adapted to particular hosts and serotype Ib is highly specialized to fish. Here we show that this lineage is likely to have been distributed widely by the global trade in tilapia for aquaculture, with probable introduction into Australia in the 1970s and subsequent dissemination in wild fish populations. We report variability in the polysaccharide capsule amongst this lineage, but identify a cohort of common surface proteins that may be a focus of future vaccine development to reduce the biosecurity risk in international fish trade. © Crown copyright 2018.

A norovirus outbreak associated with consumption of NSW oysters: implications for quality assurance systems.

PubMed

Huppatz, Clare; Munnoch, Sally A; Worgan, Tory; Merritt, Tony D; Dalton, Craig; Kelly, Paul M; Durrheim, David N

2008-03-01

Norovirus is a common cause of gastroenteritis outbreaks associated with raw shellfish consumption. In Australia there have been several reports of norovirus outbreaks associated with oysters despite the application of regulatory measures recommended by Food Standards Australia New Zealand. This study describes an outbreak of norovirus gastroenteritis following the consumption of New South Wales oysters. In September 2007, OzFoodNet conducted a cohort study of a gastroenteritis outbreak amongst people that had dined at a Port Macquarie restaurant. Illness was strongly associated with oyster consumption, with all cases having eaten oysters from the same lease (RR undefined, p < 0.0001). Norovirus was detected in a faecal specimen. Although no pathogen was identified during the environmental investigation, the source oyster lease had been closed just prior to harvesting due to sewage contamination. Australian quality assurance programs do not routinely test oysters for viral contamination that pose a risk to human health. It is recommended that the feasibility of testing oysters for norovirus, particularly after known faecal contamination of oyster leases, be assessed.

Changing patterns of meat consumption and greenhouse gas emissions in Australia: Will kangaroo meat make a difference?

PubMed Central

Ratnasiri, Shyama; Bandara, Jayatilleke

2017-01-01

The Australian per capita consumption of ruminant meat such as beef and lamb has declined over the last two decades. Over the same period, however, per capita consumption of non-ruminant meat such as chicken and pork has continued to increase. Furthermore, it is now observed that the human consumption of kangaroo meat is on the rise. This study investigates the implications of these changes in meat consumption patterns on Green House Gases (GHGs) emission mitigation in Australia using a Vector Auto Regression (VAR) forecasting approach. Our results suggest that the increase will continue in non-ruminant meat consumption and this will not only offset the decline in ruminant meat consumption, but will also raise the overall per capita meat consumption by approximately 1% annually. The per capita GHGs emissions will likely decrease by approximately 2.3% per annum, due to the inclusion of non-ruminant meat in Australian diets. The GHGs emissions can further be reduced if the average Australian consumer partially replaces ruminant meat with kangaroo meat. PMID:28196141

Changing patterns of meat consumption and greenhouse gas emissions in Australia: Will kangaroo meat make a difference?

PubMed

Ratnasiri, Shyama; Bandara, Jayatilleke

2017-01-01

The Australian per capita consumption of ruminant meat such as beef and lamb has declined over the last two decades. Over the same period, however, per capita consumption of non-ruminant meat such as chicken and pork has continued to increase. Furthermore, it is now observed that the human consumption of kangaroo meat is on the rise. This study investigates the implications of these changes in meat consumption patterns on Green House Gases (GHGs) emission mitigation in Australia using a Vector Auto Regression (VAR) forecasting approach. Our results suggest that the increase will continue in non-ruminant meat consumption and this will not only offset the decline in ruminant meat consumption, but will also raise the overall per capita meat consumption by approximately 1% annually. The per capita GHGs emissions will likely decrease by approximately 2.3% per annum, due to the inclusion of non-ruminant meat in Australian diets. The GHGs emissions can further be reduced if the average Australian consumer partially replaces ruminant meat with kangaroo meat.

Federal Education Policy in Australia: Implications for the United States. School Finance Project Working Paper.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sherman, Joel D.

Resting on the assertion that there is less criticism of the federal role in education in Australia than in the U.S., this paper attempts to identify the structures and practices associated with this less negative view and to determine if they are transferable to the U.S. The first section provides a contextual comparison for national education…

A Study of Child Rearing Practices amongst Selected, Sudanese Families in South Australia: Implications for Child Care Service Selection

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ebbeck, Marjory Anne; Dela Cerna, Carmencita H.

2007-01-01

Child care services in Australia, for example, are largely defined and shaped by the historically dominant Anglo-Australian discourse and norms. The aim of this research was to examine critically and to find meaning in the experiences of recently arrived Sudanese families as they began to settle into their new cultural environment. The cultural…

'She'll Be Right.' Or Will She? Practitioner Perspectives on Risk Assessment for Led Outdoor Activities in Australia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dallat, Clare; Goode, Natassia; Salmon, Paul M.

2018-01-01

Inadequate risk assessment has been implicated as a contributory factor in the deaths and injuries of participants on led outdoor activity (LOA) programmes in both Australia and overseas. The identification and assessment of risks is a required component of LOA programmes, and multiple risk assessment methods and techniques are available to the…

"It's Not My Problem": The Growth of Non-Standard Work and Its Impact on Vocational Education and Training in Australia.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hall, Richard; Bretherton, Tanya; Buchanan, John

A study investigated implications of the increase in non-standard forms of employment (casual work, working through labor-hire companies, and work that is outsourced) for vocational education and training (VET) in Australia. Data sources were published statistics on growth of non-standard work; research on reasons for the growth and the business…

Suicide, Canadian law, and Exit International's "peaceful pill".

PubMed

Ogden, Russel D

2010-11-01

Australia's Exit International ("Exit") is probably the most visible and controversial right-to-die organization in the world. Founded by Dr. Philip Nitschke, Exit is known for do-it-yourself ("DIY") suicide workshops and a book banned in Australia: The Peaceful Pill Handbook. In 2009, Exit held its first workshop in Canada. Due to legal concerns, the Vancouver Public Library reneged on a commitment to give Exit a venue, so the workshop proceeded in the sanctuary of a church hall. This article summarizes the history of suicide law in Canada and gives an overview of the emerging DIY movement. A case report describes how a Canadian woman studied Exit's literature and learned how to import veterinary pentobarbital. In accordance with Exit's information, she ended her life. Ethical and legal implications for researching DIY suicide are discussed and it is argued that prohibition contributes to an undesirable situation of uncontrolled and unregulated suicide. Whether they are prohibited, permitted, or tolerated, suicide and assisted suicide are controversial. Their legal treatment in Canada is conflicting because suicide is not a crime but it is a serious offense to assist, encourage, or counsel someone to suicide. Individuals can lawfully take their lives, but they must act independently. This legal situation has given rise to a do-it-yourself ("DIY") right-to-die movement dedicated to technologies and information to enhance the possibilities for planned and humane suicide, while limiting the legal exposure of sympathetic third parties (Martin, 2010; Ogden 2001). My aim is to summarize the legal history of suicide in Canada and discuss the emerging social movement for DIY suicide and assistance in suicide. Exit International ("Exit"), based in Australia, is a leading organization in this movement. I present a case report that describes how a Canadian woman ended her life using DIY techniques learned from Exit. Some ethical and legal implications for researching DIY suicide are discussed. I argue that the DIY movement is an undesirable consequence of prohibition.

National dental waitlists: what would it take to reset to zero?

PubMed

Dudko, Yevgeni; Kruger, Estie; Tennant, Marc

2016-06-01

Objective Over the years, long public dental waitlists across Australia have received much attention from the media. The issue for eligible patients, namely a further deterioration of dental health because of not being able to address dental concerns relatively quickly, has been the subject of several state and Federal initiatives. The present study provides a cost model for eliminating public dental waitlists across Australia and compares these results with the cost of contracting out public dental care to private clinics. Methods Waitlist data from across Australia were collected from publicly available sources and confirmed through direct communication with each individual State or Territory Dental Health body. Average costs associated with employing key dental personnel and performance figures were used from previously published data to estimate the potential financial commitment and probable public benefits. Results The cost model suggests that, on average, it would be more than twice as expensive to contract the work out to private dental clinics as to treat eligible patients within public dental clinics. It is estimated that the cost of eliminating the legacy dental waiting lists (over 12 months) would be between A$50 and A$100million depending on the method adopted. The effort would require some 360 dental teams. Conclusion The design of the Australian public dental care system that is targeted at meeting the needs of eligible patients into the future, in addition to being effective and sustainable, must also offer a level of protection to the taxpayer. The ability to address waitlist backlog identified in the present study clearly would require a mix of service models depending on service availability at different locations. Further research is needed to optimise the mix of service providers to address community needs. What is known about the topic? Long public dental waitlists across Australia have received much attention from the media. The topic has been the subject of debate at the government level and, over the years, has seen an increase in allocation of public funds in an effort to address the policy needs. What does this paper add? This study calculates the actual number of people on the public dental waitlist, provides a detailed analysis of the distribution of the demand for the services and offers a cost model for resetting public dental waitlists across Australia. What are the implications for practitioners? This study carries no implications for individual practitioners at the clinical level. However, at the state and national levels, this model offers direction to a more cost-effective allocation of public funds and human resources.

Are flying-foxes coming to town? Urbanisation of the spectacled flying-fox (Pteropus conspicillatus) in Australia.

PubMed

Tait, Jessica; Perotto-Baldivieso, Humberto L; McKeown, Adam; Westcott, David A

2014-01-01

Urbanisation of wildlife populations is a process with significant conservation and management implications. While urban areas can provide habitat for wildlife, some urbanised species eventually come into conflict with humans. Understanding the process and drivers of wildlife urbanisation is fundamental to developing effective management responses to this phenomenon. In Australia, flying-foxes (Pteropodidae) are a common feature of urban environments, sometimes roosting in groups of tens of thousands of individuals. Flying-foxes appear to be becoming increasingly urbanised and are coming into increased contact and conflict with humans. Flying-fox management is now a highly contentious issue. In this study we used monitoring data collected over a 15 year period (1998-2012) to examine the spatial and temporal patterns of association of spectacled flying-fox (Pteropus conspicillatus) roost sites (camps) with urban areas. We asked whether spectacled flying-foxes are becoming more urbanised and test the hypothesis that such changes are associated with anthropogenic changes to landscape structure. Our results indicate that spectacled flying-foxes were more likely to roost near humans than might be expected by chance, that over the period of the study the proportion of the flying-foxes in urban-associated camps increased, as did the number of urban camps. Increased urbanisation of spectacled flying-foxes was not related to changes in landscape structure or to the encroachment of urban areas on camps. Overall, camps tended to be found in areas that were more fragmented, closer to human habitation and with more urban land cover than the surrounding landscape. This suggests that urbanisation is a behavioural response rather than driven by habitat loss.

Are Flying-Foxes Coming to Town? Urbanisation of the Spectacled Flying-Fox (Pteropus conspicillatus) in Australia

PubMed Central

Tait, Jessica; Perotto-Baldivieso, Humberto L.; McKeown, Adam; Westcott, David A.

2014-01-01

Urbanisation of wildlife populations is a process with significant conservation and management implications. While urban areas can provide habitat for wildlife, some urbanised species eventually come into conflict with humans. Understanding the process and drivers of wildlife urbanisation is fundamental to developing effective management responses to this phenomenon. In Australia, flying-foxes (Pteropodidae) are a common feature of urban environments, sometimes roosting in groups of tens of thousands of individuals. Flying-foxes appear to be becoming increasingly urbanised and are coming into increased contact and conflict with humans. Flying-fox management is now a highly contentious issue. In this study we used monitoring data collected over a 15 year period (1998–2012) to examine the spatial and temporal patterns of association of spectacled flying-fox (Pteropus conspicillatus) roost sites (camps) with urban areas. We asked whether spectacled flying-foxes are becoming more urbanised and test the hypothesis that such changes are associated with anthropogenic changes to landscape structure. Our results indicate that spectacled flying-foxes were more likely to roost near humans than might be expected by chance, that over the period of the study the proportion of the flying-foxes in urban-associated camps increased, as did the number of urban camps. Increased urbanisation of spectacled flying-foxes was not related to changes in landscape structure or to the encroachment of urban areas on camps. Overall, camps tended to be found in areas that were more fragmented, closer to human habitation and with more urban land cover than the surrounding landscape. This suggests that urbanisation is a behavioural response rather than driven by habitat loss. PMID:25295724

What population studies can do for business.

PubMed

Hugo, G

1991-05-01

This paper examines how specific skills essential to demography, the scientific study of human populations, can be useful in private and public sector planning. Over the past 2 decades, Australia's population has undergone profound transformations -- a shift to below replacement level fertility and a change in ethnic composition, to name a few. And these changes have reshaped the markets for goods, services, and labor. Because demography seeks to analyze and explain changes in the size, composition, and spatial distribution of people, this discipline requires certain skills that can be particularly valuable to both private and public sector planning. These skills include: 1) a sound knowledge of why and how populations change over time; 2) a wide range of concepts (the "cohort," for example) which allow demographers to analyze the dynamics of change in a population; 3) statistical techniques; and 4) life tables techniques. Having named the specific skills of demographers, the author identifies the areas of business and public administration where these skills can be most useful, areas that include the following: strategic long-term planning, marketing, market segmentation, small area analysis, household and family level analysis, projections and estimates, human resources analysis, and international population trends. Finally, the author discusses the implications of applied population analysis on the training of demographers in Australia, emphasizing the role of the Australian Population Association in improving the status of demography as an important planning tool.

Global University Rankings: Implications in General and for Australia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marginson, Simon

2007-01-01

Global university rankings have arrived, and though still in a process of rapid evolution, they are likely to substantially influence the long-term development of higher education across the world. The inclusions, definitions, methods, implications and effects are of great importance. This paper analyses and critiques the two principal rankings…

Best practice guidelines for the operation of a donor human milk bank in an Australian NICU.

PubMed

Hartmann, B T; Pang, W W; Keil, A D; Hartmann, P E; Simmer, K

2007-10-01

Until the establishment of the PREM Bank (Perron Rotary Express Milk Bank) donor human milk banking had not occurred in Australia for the past 20 years. In re-establishing donor human milk banking in Australia, the focus of the PREM Bank has been to develop a formal and consistent approach to safety and quality in processing during the operation of the human milk bank. There is currently no existing legislation in Australia that specifically regulates the operation of donor human milk banks. For this reason the PREM Bank has utilised existing and internationally recognised management practices for managing hazards during food production. These tools (specifically HACCP) have been used to guide the development of Standard Operating Procedures and Good Manufacturing Practice for the screening of donors and processing of donor human milk. Donor screening procedures are consistent with those recommended by other human milk banks operating internationally, and also consistent with the requirements for blood and tissue donation in Australia. Controlled documentation and record keep requirements have also been developed that allow complete traceability from individual donation to individual feed dispensed to recipient and maintain a record of all processing and storage conditions. These operational requirements have been developed to reduce any risk associated with feeding pasteurised donor human milk to hospitalised preterm or ill infants to acceptable levels.

Developing human capital: what is the impact on nurse turnover?

PubMed

Rondeau, Kent V; Williams, Eric S; Wagar, Terry H

2009-09-01

To investigate the impact that increasing human capital through staff training makes on the voluntary turnover of registered nurses. Healthcare organizations in Canada, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Australia are experiencing turbulent nursing labour markets characterized by extreme staff shortages and high levels of turnover. Organizations that invest in the development of their nursing human resources may be able to mitigate high turnover through the creation of conditions that more effectively develop and utilize their existing human capital. A questionnaire was sent to the chief nursing officers of 2208 hospitals and long-term care facilities in every province and territory of Canada yielding a response rate of 32.3%. The analysis featured a three-step hierarchical regression with two sets of control variables. After controlling for establishment demographics and local labour market conditions, perceptions of nursing human capital and the level of staff training provided were modestly associated with lower levels of establishment turnover. and implications for Nursing Management The results suggest that healthcare organizations that have made greater investments in their nursing human capital are more likely to demonstrate lower levels of turnover of their registered nursing personnel.

Salmonella infections in Antarctic fauna and island populations of wildlife exposed to human activities in coastal areas of Australia.

PubMed

Iveson, J B; Shellam, G R; Bradshaw, S D; Smith, D W; Mackenzie, J S; Mofflin, R G

2009-06-01

Salmonella infections in Antarctic wildlife were first reported in 1970 and in a search for evidence linking isolations with exposure to human activities, a comparison was made of serovars reported from marine fauna in the Antarctic region from 1982-2004 with those from marine mammals in the Northern hemisphere. This revealed that 10 (83%) Salmonella enterica serovars isolated from Antarctic penguins and seals were classifiable in high-frequency (HF) quotients for serovars prevalent in humans and domesticated animals. In Australia, 16 (90%) HF serovars were isolated from marine birds and mammals compared with 12 (86%) HF serovars reported from marine mammals in the Northern hemisphere. In Western Australia, HF serovars from marine species were also recorded in humans, livestock, mussels, effluents and island populations of wildlife in urban coastal areas. Low-frequency S. enterica serovars were rarely detected in humans and not detected in seagulls or marine species. The isolation of S. Enteritidis phage type 4 (PT4), PT8 and PT23 strains from Adélie penguins and a diversity of HF serovars reported from marine fauna in the Antarctic region and coastal areas of Australia, signal the possibility of transient serovars and endemic Salmonella strains recycling back to humans from southern latitudes in marine foodstuffs and feed ingredients.

Salmonella Typhimurium and Outbreaks of Egg-Associated Disease in Australia, 2001 to 2011.

PubMed

Moffatt, Cameron R M; Musto, Jennie; Pingault, Nevada; Miller, Megge; Stafford, Russell; Gregory, Joy; Polkinghorne, Benjamin G; Kirk, Martyn D

2016-07-01

Salmonellosis is a significant public health problem, with eggs frequently identified as a food vehicle during outbreak investigations. Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium and Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis are the two most frequently identified causes of egg-associated disease in industrialized countries. In Australia, a comprehensive review of egg-associated outbreaks has not been previously undertaken. Using a national register of foodborne outbreaks, we undertook a descriptive review of egg-associated outbreaks between 2001 and 2011. Included in our review was additional detail from the findings of trace back investigations conducted to the farm level. Evidence classifications were developed and applied to each outbreak based on descriptive and analytical epidemiology, food safety investigations, and microbiological testing of clinical, food, and trace back-derived samples. Over the study period, the proportion of foodborne Salmonella outbreaks linked to eggs increased significantly (p < 0.001). In total, 166 outbreaks were identified, with 90% caused by Salmonella Typhimurium. The majority of outbreaks were linked to commercial food providers, with raw egg use the major contributing factor. These events resulted in more than 3200 cases, more than 650 hospitalizations, and at least 4 deaths. Fifty-four percent of investigations used analytical epidemiology, food microbiology, and trace back microbiology to demonstrate links between human illness and eggs. Trace back investigations identified S. enterica indistinguishable from outbreak-associated clinical or food samples on 50% of sampled egg farms. Effective control of egg-associated salmonellosis remains a challenge in Australia, with Salmonella Typhimurium dominating as the causative serotype in outbreak events. Although outbreaks predominantly occur in the settings of restaurants, the high recovery rate of indistinguishable Salmonella on epidemiologically implicated egg farms suggests that further efforts to minimize infection pressure at the primary production level are needed in Australia.

The emergence of sarcoptic mange in Australian wildlife: an unresolved debate.

PubMed

Fraser, Tamieka A; Charleston, Michael; Martin, Alynn; Polkinghorne, Adam; Carver, Scott

2016-06-02

Due to its suspected increase in host range and subsequent global diversification, Sarcoptes scabiei has important implications at a global scale for wildlife conservation and animal and human health. The introduction of this pathogen into new locations and hosts has been shown to produce high morbidity and mortality, a situation observed recently in Australian and North American wildlife.Of the seven native animal species in Australia known to be infested by S. scabiei, the bare-nosed wombat (Vombatus ursinus) suffers the greatest with significant population declines having been observed in New South Wales and Tasmania. The origins of sarcoptic mange in Australian native animals are poorly understood, with the most consistent conclusion being that mange was introduced by settlers and their dogs and subsequently becoming a major burden to native wildlife. Four studies exist addressing the origins of mange in Australia, but all Australian S. scabiei samples derive from only two of these studies. This review highlights this paucity of phylogenetic knowledge of S. scabiei within Australia, and suggests further research is needed to confidently determine the origin, or multiple origins, of this parasite.At the global scale, numerous genetic studies have attempted to reveal how the host species and host geographic location influence S. scabiei phylogenetics. This review includes an analysis of the global literature, revealing that inconsistent use of gene loci across studies significantly influences phylogenetic inference. Furthermore, by performing a contemporary analytical approach on existing data, it is apparent that (i) new S. scabiei samples, (ii) appropriate gene loci targets, and (iii) advanced phylogenetic approaches are necessary to more confidently comprehend the origins of mange in Australia. Advancing this field of research will aid in understanding the mechanisms of spillover for mange and other parasites globally.

Nipah encephalitis - an update.

PubMed

Sherrini, B A; Chong, T T

2014-08-01

Between September 1998 to May 1999, Malaysia and Singapore were hit by an outbreak of fatal encephalitis caused by a novel virus from the paramyxovirus family. This virus was subsequently named as Nipah virus, after the Sungei Nipah village in Negeri Sembilan, where the virus was first isolated. The means of transmission was thought to be from bats-topigs and subsequently pigs-to-human. Since 2001, almost yearly outbreak of Nipah encephalitis has been reported from Bangladesh and West Bengal, India. These outbreaks were characterized by direct bats-to-human, and human-to-human spread of infection. Nipah virus shares many similar characteristics to Hendra virus, first isolated in an outbreak of respiratory illness involving horses in Australia in 1994. Because of their homology, a new genus called Henipavirus (Hendra + Nipah) was introduced. Henipavirus infection is a human disease manifesting most often as acute encephalitis (which may be relapsing or late-onset) or pneumonia, with a high mortality rate. Pteropus bats act as reservoir for the virus, which subsequently lead to human spread. Transmission may be from consumption of food contaminated by bats secretion, contact with infected animals, or human-to-human spread. With wide geographical distribution of Pteropus bats, Henipavirus infection has become an important emerging human infection with worldwide implication.

What exactly is an exact copy? And why it matters when trying to ban human reproductive cloning in Australia.

PubMed

Gogarty, B

2003-04-01

This paper examines the current Australian regulatory response to human reproductive cloning. The central consideration is the capacity of the current regulatory regime to effectively deter human cloning efforts. A legislative prohibition on human cloning must be both effective and clear enough to allow researchers to know what practices are acceptable. This paper asks whether the current Australian regime evinces these qualities and suggests that Australia should follow the example set in the UK by the enactment of the Human Reproductive Cloning Act 2001.

Increasing injuries as trampoline parks expand within Australia: a call for mandatory standards.

PubMed

Sharwood, Lisa N; Adams, Susan; Blaszkow, Tracy; Eager, David

2018-04-01

To quantify an apparent increase in indoor trampoline park related injuries in children and young people across Australia, and to understand the implications for current regulatory standards. Retrospective analyses of three state-based Injury Surveillance databases, identifying children and adolescents presenting to emergency departments between the years 2005 and 2017, who had sustained injuries during trampolining activity at an indoor trampoline park. Across the three datasets, 487 cases were identified. No cases were recorded prior to 2012, the year the first indoor trampoline park opened. At least half occurred among those aged 10-14 years. In Victoria, 58% were male, with 52% in Queensland and 60% in Western Australia being male, respectively. Hospital admission rates in these states were 15%, 11.7% and 14.5%, respectively. The most frequent injury types were dislocations, sprains and strains, followed by fractures, with some head and spinal injuries. Across several states in Australia, the incidence of indoor trampoline park related injuries is concerning, as these venues are increasing in number. Some injuries can be serious and result in lifelong disability for children or adolescents. Implications for public health: National safety standards that apply to indoor trampoline park operators are not currently mandatory; injury prevention efforts would be assisted if such standards were mandatory. © 2018 The Authors.

Psittacid herpesvirus 3 infection in the eclectus parrot (Eclectus roratus) in Australia.

PubMed

Gabor, M; Gabor, L J; Peacock, L; Srivastava, M; Rosenwax, A; Phalen, D

2013-11-01

Psittacid herpesvirus 3 (PsHV-3) has recently been implicated as the cause of a severe respiratory disease in Bourke's parrots (Neopsephotus bourkii) in the United States. In this report, the clinical manifestations and gross and microscopic lesions of PsHV-3 infection in 2 eclectus parrots (Eclectus roratus) in Australia are described. The presence of a PsHV-3 infection was confirmed by polymerase chain reaction amplification and sequencing of PsHV-3 DNA using degenerate and PsHV-3 primers. Electron microscopy of infected cells demonstrated the assembly of herpesvirus virions as well as intranuclear tubular structures. The detection of PsHV-3 in Australia in 2 eclectus parrots broadens the list of known affected species and confirms the presence of this virus in Australia.

The importance of least restrictive care: the clinical implications of a recent High Court decision on negligence.

PubMed

Ryan, Christopher James; Callaghan, Sascha; Large, Matthew

2015-08-01

This paper aims to explain the meaning and implications for practice of the High Court of Australia's finding in the negligence case, Hunter and New England Local Health District v McKenna [2014] HCA 44. The facts of the case and the law of negligence are reviewed before reporting the Court's decision. The High Court found that the obligation upon doctors to provide the least restrictive option for care that was imposed by the, then applicable, Mental Health Act 1990 (NSW) was inconsistent with an obligation that might otherwise be imposed by a common law duty to have regard to the interests of those with whom a psychiatric patient may come into contact if not detained. The Court's finding underlines the importance of clinicians documenting their clinical reasoning around why their negotiated management plan was the option least restrictive of the patient's freedom and most protective of his or her human rights. © The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists 2015.

Individual Returns to Vocational Education and Training Qualifications: Their Implications for Lifelong Learning.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ryan, Chris

The individual results to vocational education and training qualifications (VET) and the implications thereof for lifelong learning were examined by analyzing data from Australia's 1997 Survey of Education and Training. Private rates of return to various VET qualifications for individuals were calculated by using the internal rate of return, which…

The Legal Trends--Implications for Menstruation/Fertility Management for Young Women Who Have an Intellectual Disability.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Taylor, Miriam; Carlson, Glenys

1993-01-01

This paper reviews Family Court of Australia cases concerning performing hysterectomies on premenarchal women who have an intellectual disability, with specific reference to relevant Australian legislation. The paper discusses the implications for women who have an intellectual disability, which may have international applicability. (Author/JDD)

Regulation of veterinary antibiotics in Australia.

PubMed

Dyke, T M

2003-01-01

The Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA)* registers veterinary antibiotic products before they can be supplied, distributed or sold in Australia. Extensive scientific assessment on all new veterinary antibiotic products is undertaken for the APVMA by experts in other government agencies including the Therapeutic Goods Administration (toxicology), the National Occupational Health and Safety Commission (occupational health and safety), Environment Australia (environmental hazards) and state departments of agriculture or primary industry (efficacy and safety) as well as APVMA assessments on food residues, trade and manufacturing. The National Health and Medical Research Council Expert Advisory Group on Antimicrobial Resistance provides advice to the APVMA on the potential transfer of antibiotic resistance from the use of antibiotics in animals to humans, and the impact transfer may have on public health. Food Standards Australia New Zealand (previously Australia New Zealand Food Authority) set maximum residue levels for human foods. The APVMA monitors registered product use through compliance activities and an adverse experience reporting program, and reviews registered products as necessary. The import, manufacture, supply and use of veterinary antibiotics are regulated by Commonwealth and State governments in Australia.

Which bank? A guardian model for regulation of embryonic stem cell research in Australia.

PubMed

McLennan, A

2007-08-01

In late 2005 the Legislation Review: Prohibition of Human Cloning Act 2002 (Cth) and the Research Involving Human Embryos Act 2002 (Cth) recommended the establishment of an Australian stem cell bank. This article aims to address a lack of discussion of issues surrounding stem cell banking by suggesting possible answers to the questions of whether Australia should establish a stem cell bank and what its underlying philosophy and functions should be. Answers are developed through an analysis of regulatory, scientific and intellectual property issues relating to embryonic stem cell research in the United Kingdom, United States and Australia. This includes a detailed analysis of the United Kingdom Stem Cell Bank. It is argued that a "guardian" model stem cell bank should be established in Australia. This bank would aim to promote the maximum public benefit from human embryonic stem cell research by providing careful regulatory oversight and addressing ethical issues, while also facilitating research by addressing practical scientific concerns and intellectual property issues.

Teachers' Conceptions About the Genetic Determinism of Human Behaviour: A Survey in 23 Countries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Castéra, Jérémy; Clément, Pierre

2014-02-01

This work analyses the answers to a questionnaire from 8,285 in-service and pre-service teachers from 23 countries, elaborated by the Biohead-Citizen research project, to investigate teachers' conceptions related to the genetic determinism of human behaviour. A principal components analysis is used to assess the main trends in all the interviewed teachers' conceptions. This illustrates that innatism is present in two distinct ways: in relation to individuals (e.g. genetic determinism to justify intellectual likeness between individuals such as twins) or in relation to groups of humans (e.g. genetic determinism to justify gender differences or the superiority of some human ethnic groups). A between-factor analysis discriminates between countries, showing very significant differences. There is more innatism among teachers' conceptions in African countries and Lebanon than in European countries, Brazil and Australia. Among the other controlled parameters, only two are significantly independent of the country: the level of training and the level of knowledge of biology. A co-inertia analysis shows a strong correlation between non-citizen attitudes towards and innatist conceptions of genetic determinism regarding human groups. We discuss these findings and their implications for education.

What exactly is an exact copy? And why it matters when trying to ban human reproductive cloning in Australia

PubMed Central

Gogarty, B

2003-01-01

This paper examines the current Australian regulatory response to human reproductive cloning. The central consideration is the capacity of the current regulatory regime to effectively deter human cloning efforts. A legislative prohibition on human cloning must be both effective and clear enough to allow researchers to know what practices are acceptable. This paper asks whether the current Australian regime evinces these qualities and suggests that Australia should follow the example set in the UK by the enactment of the Human Reproductive Cloning Act 2001. PMID:12672887

The timing and cause of megafauna mass deaths at Lancefield Swamp, south-eastern Australia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dortch, Joe; Cupper, Matt; Grün, Rainer; Harpley, Bernice; Lee, Kerrie; Field, Judith

2016-08-01

Lancefield Swamp, south-eastern Australia, was one of the earliest sites to provoke interest in Pleistocene faunal extinctions in Sahul (Pleistocene Australia-New Guinea). The systematic investigation of the deposit in the early 1970s identified megafaunal remains dominated by the 100-200 kg kangaroo Macropus giganteus titan. Associated radiocarbon ages indicated that the species was extant until c.30,000 BP, suggesting significant overlap with human settlement of Sahul. This evidence was inconsistent with contemporary models of rapid human-driven extinctions. Instead, researchers inferred ecological tethering of fauna at Lancefield Swamp due to intense drought precipitated localised mass deaths, consistent with Late Pleistocene climatic variability. Later investigations in another part of the swamp, the Mayne Site, remote to the initial investigations, concluded that mass flow disturbed this area, and Electron Spin Resonance (ESR) analyses on megafauna teeth returned wide-ranging ages. To clarify site formation processes and dating of Lancefield Swamp, we excavated new test-pits next to previous trenches in the Classic and Mayne Sites. We compared absolute chronologies for sediments and teeth, sedimentology, palaeo-topography, taphonomy, and macropod age at death across the swamp. Luminescence dating of sediments and ESR analysis of teeth returned ages between c.80,000 and 45,000 years ago. We found no archaeological remains in the bone beds, and evidence of carnivore activity and fluvial action, in the form of reactivated spring flow. The latter disturbed limited parts of the site and substantial areas of the bone beds remained intact. The faunal assemblage is dominated by megafaunal adult Macropus, consistent with mass die-offs due to severe drought. Such droughts appear to have recurred over millennia during the climatic variability of Marine Isotope Stages 4 and 3. These events began tens of millennia before the first appearance of Aboriginal people in Sahul and only the very youngest fossil deposits could be coeval with the earliest human arrivals. Therefore, anthropogenic causes cannot be implicated in most if not all of mass deaths at the site. Climatic and environmental changes were the main factors in site formation and megafauna deaths at Lancefield Swamp.

Belonging and Learning to Belong in School: The Implications of the Hidden Curriculum for Indigenous Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rahman, Kiara

2013-01-01

This paper engages with current educational literature in Australia and internationally, in exploring the implications of the hidden curriculum for Indigenous students. It argues that in schools, most of the learning rules or guidelines reflect the "white" dominant culture values and practices, and that it is generally those who don't…

Implications for Vocational Education and Training of Changing Work Arrangements. Working Paper.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hawke, Geof

Ideas about what constitutes work, the ways work is organized, the tools used in work, and the relationship between work and the other components of life are all changing rapidly. The implications of these changes for vocational education and training (VET) in Australia and elsewhere were examined. The following issues were considered: (1) the…

"Newstart" or "Stop-Start"? the Implications of Recent Welfare Reforms on Undergraduate Students Who Are Sole Parents

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lenette, Caroline; McDonald, Donna; Fowler, Jane L.

2014-01-01

This article discusses the implications of recent income support payment changes for sole-parented families in Australia, and in particular, their capacity to access tertiary education. The government's program to reduce welfare benefit payments to sole-parented families already at high risk of economic disadvantage and social marginalization…

An Enterprising Approach to Regional Growth: Implications for Policy and the Role of VET--Support Document

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Garlick, Steve; Taylor, Michael; Plummer, Paul

2007-01-01

"An Enterprising Approach to Regional Growth: Implications for Policy and the Role of Vocational Education and Training" explores patterns of regional economic growth in Australia over the period 1984 to 2002 with the aim of identifying the drivers of variation in regional growth; the research also aimed to identify regional…

77 FR 39162 - Implementation of the Understandings Reached at the 2011 Australia Group (AG) Plenary Meeting and...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-07-02

... June 2011 plenary meeting of the Australia Group (AG). This rule amends the Commerce Control List (CCL) entry in the EAR that controls human and zoonotic pathogens and ``toxins'' and the entry that controls...-03] RIN 0694-AF45 Implementation of the Understandings Reached at the 2011 Australia Group (AG...

Empathy, culture and self-humanising: Empathising reduces the attribution of greater humanness to the self more in Japan than Australia.

PubMed

Park, Joonha; Haslam, Nick; Kashima, Yoshi; Norasakkunkit, Vinai

2016-08-01

People tend to ascribe greater humanness to themselves than to others. Previous research has indicated that this "self-humanising" bias is independent of self-enhancement and robust across cultures. The present study examined the possible role of empathy in reducing this bias in Japan (N = 80) and Australia (N = 80). Results showed that unlike Australians, Japanese participants who recalled personal experiences of empathising with others were less likely to self-humanise than those in a neutral condition. The effect of the empathy manipulation was not observed in Australia. The findings suggest that empathy may reduce self-focus and enable perceivers to appreciate the full humanness of others, but this effect may be culturally contingent. © 2015 International Union of Psychological Science.

Flow characteristics of rivers in northern Australia: Implications for development

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Petheram, Cuan; McMahon, Thomas A.; Peel, Murray C.

2008-07-01

SummaryAnnual, monthly and daily streamflows from 99 unregulated rivers across northern Australia were analysed to assess the general surface water resources of the region and their implications for development. The potential for carry-over storages was assessed using the Gould-Dincer Gamma method, which utilises the mean, standard deviation, skewness and lag-one serial correlation coefficient of annual flows. Runs Analysis was used to describe the characteristics of drought in northern Australia and the potential for 'active' water harvesting was evaluated by Base Flow Separation, Flow Duration Curves and Spells Analysis. These parameters for northern Australia were compared with data from southern Australia and data for similar Köppen class from around the world. Notably, the variability and seasonality of annual streamflow across northern Australia were observed to be high compared with that of similar Köppen classes from the rest of the world (RoW). The high inter-annual variability of runoff means that carry-over storages in northern Australia will need to be considerably larger than for rivers from the RoW (assuming similar mean annual runoff, yield and reliability). For example, in the three major Köppen zones across the North, it was possible (theoretically) to only exploit approximately 33% (Köppen Aw; n = 6), 25% (Köppen BSh; n = 12) and 13% (Köppen BWh; n = 11) of mean annual streamflow (assuming a hypothetical storage size equal to the mean annual flow). Over 90% of north Australian rivers had a Base Flow Index of less than 0.4, 72% had negative annual lag-one autocorrelation values and in half the rivers sampled greater than 80% of the total flow occurred during the 3-month peak period. These data confirm that flow in the rivers of northern Australia is largely event driven and that the north Australian environment has limited natural storage capacity. Hence, there is relatively little opportunity in many northern rivers to actively harvest water for on-farm storage, particularly under environmental flow rules that stipulate that water can only be extracted during the falling limb of a hydrograph. Streamflow drought severity, the product of drought length and magnitude, was found to be greater in northern Australia than in similar climatic regions of the RoW, due to higher inter-annual variability increasing the drought magnitude over the course of normal drought lengths. The high likelihood of severe drought means that agriculturalists seeking to irrigate from rivers in northern Australia should have especially well developed drought contingency plans.

The archaeology, chronology and stratigraphy of Madjedbebe (Malakunanja II): A site in northern Australia with early occupation.

PubMed

Clarkson, Chris; Smith, Mike; Marwick, Ben; Fullagar, Richard; Wallis, Lynley A; Faulkner, Patrick; Manne, Tiina; Hayes, Elspeth; Roberts, Richard G; Jacobs, Zenobia; Carah, Xavier; Lowe, Kelsey M; Matthews, Jacqueline; Florin, S Anna

2015-06-01

Published ages of >50 ka for occupation at Madjedbebe (Malakunanja II) in Australia's north have kept the site prominent in discussions about the colonisation of Sahul. The site also contains one of the largest stone artefact assemblages in Sahul for this early period. However, the stone artefacts and other important archaeological components of the site have never been described in detail, leading to persistent doubts about its stratigraphic integrity. We report on our analysis of the stone artefacts and faunal and other materials recovered during the 1989 excavations, as well as the stratigraphy and depositional history recorded by the original excavators. We demonstrate that the technology and raw materials of the early assemblage are distinctive from those in the overlying layers. Silcrete and quartzite artefacts are common in the early assemblage, which also includes edge-ground axe fragments and ground haematite. The lower flaked stone assemblage is distinctive, comprising a mix of long convergent flakes, some radial flakes with faceted platforms, and many small thin silcrete flakes that we interpret as thinning flakes. Residue and use-wear analysis indicate occasional grinding of haematite and woodworking, as well as frequent abrading of platform edges on thinning flakes. We conclude that previous claims of extensive displacement of artefacts and post-depositional disturbance may have been overstated. The stone artefacts and stratigraphic details support previous claims for human occupation 50-60 ka and show that human occupation during this time differed from later periods. We discuss the implications of these new data for understanding the first human colonisation of Sahul. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Of Mice and ‘Convicts’: Origin of the Australian House Mouse, Mus musculus

PubMed Central

Gabriel, Sofia I.; Stevens, Mark I.; Mathias, Maria da Luz; Searle, Jeremy B.

2011-01-01

The house mouse, Mus musculus, is one of the most ubiquitous invasive species worldwide and in Australia is particularly common and widespread, but where it originally came from is still unknown. Here we investigated this origin through a phylogeographic analysis of mitochondrial DNA sequences (D-loop) comparing mouse populations from Australia with those from the likely regional source area in Western Europe. Our results agree with human historical associations, showing a strong link between Australia and the British Isles. This outcome is of intrinsic and applied interest and helps to validate the colonization history of mice as a proxy for human settlement history. PMID:22174847

'Newness-struggle-success' continuum: a qualitative examination of the cultural adaptation process experienced by overseas-qualified dentists in Australia.

PubMed

Balasubramanian, Madhan; Brennan, David S; Spencer, A John; Short, Stephanie D

2016-04-01

Objectives Overseas-qualified dentists constitute a significant proportion of the Australian dental workforce (approximately one in four). The aim of the present study was to provide a better understanding of the cultural adaptation process of overseas-qualified dentists in Australia, so as to facilitate their integration into the Australian way of life and improve their contribution to Australian healthcare, economy and society. Methods Life stories of 49 overseas-qualified dentists from 22 countries were analysed for significant themes and patterns. We focused on their settlement experience, which relates to their social and cultural experience in Australia. This analysis was consistent with a hermeneutic phenomenological approach to qualitative social scientific research. Results Many participants noted that encounters with 'the Australian accent' and 'slang' influenced their cultural experience in Australia. Most of the participants expressed 'fascination' with the people and lifestyle in Australia, primarily with regard to the relaxed way of life, cultural diversity and the freedom one usually experiences living in Australia. Few participants expressed 'shock' at not being able to find a community of similar religious faith in Australia, as they are used to in their home countries. These issues were analysed in two themes; (1) language and communication; and (2) people, religion and lifestyle. The cultural adaptation process of overseas-qualified dentists in Australia is described as a continuum or superordinate theme, which we have entitled the 'newness-struggle-success' continuum. This overarching theme supersedes and incorporates all subthemes. Conclusion Family, friends, community and organisational structures (universities and public sector) play a vital role in the cultural learning process, affecting overseas-qualified dentist's ability to progress successfully through the cultural continuum. What is known about the topic? Australia is a popular host country for overseas-qualified dentists. Migrant dentists arrive from contrasting social and cultural backgrounds, and these contrasts can be somewhat more pronounced in dentists from developing countries. To date, there is no evidence available regarding the cultural adaptation process of overseas-qualified dentists in Australia or elsewhere. What does this paper add? This study provides evidence to support the argument that the cultural adaptation process of overseas-qualified dentists in Australia can be viewed as a continuum state, where the individual learns to adapt to the people, language and lifestyle in Australia. The ongoing role of family and friends is primary to a successful transition process. Our research also identifies the positive role played by community and organisational structures, such as universities and public sector employment schemes. What are the implications for practitioners? A potential implication for policy makers is to focus on the positive roles played by organisational structures, particularly universities and the public sector. This can inform more supportive migration policy, as well as strengthen the role these organisations play in providing support for overseas-qualified dentists, thus enabling them to integrate more successfully into Australia's health care system, economy and society.

Action learning enhances professional development of research supervisors: an Australian health science exemplar.

PubMed

Davis, Kierrynn; Brownie, Sonya; Doran, Frances; Evans, Sue; Hutchinson, Marie; Mozolic-Staunton, Beth; Provost, Stephen; van Aken, Rosalie

2012-03-01

The worldwide academic workforce is ageing. At the same time, health and human services workforces are expanding. The preparation of educators to fill gaps in expertise and to position the health sciences for future growth is an urgent need. The findings from a recent action learning project that aimed to enhance the professional growth and development of higher degree researcher student supervisors in a School of Health and Human Sciences are presented. Seven early career researchers and the facilitator met for two hours every two to three weeks over 4 months between April and July 2010, in a rural and regional university in New South Wales, Australia. The processes initiated were a combination of experiential knowledge, referral to relevant published reports, use of an effective supervision checklist, and critical conversations. Learning outcomes centered on higher degree management and supervision pedagogy, communities of practice, knowledge translation, and the establishment of a research culture. The contextual barriers and implications of the methodology and learning outcomes for the professional development of health and human science practitioners, researchers and educators is also discussed. © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.

"Mitochondrial Replacement" Technologies and Human Germline Nuclear Modification.

PubMed

Lane, Alyssa; Nisker, Jeff

2016-08-01

In 2015 the United Kingdom became the first jurisdiction to approve "mitochondrial replacement techniques" (MRT), thereby dropping prohibitions against creating human embryos with a permanently altered genetic make-up for purposes of reproduction. MRT is a misnomer because in fact it is the nucleus of the oocyte of the woman who wants a genetically related child that is transferred to the enucleated oocyte of a woman paid to undergo IVF to provide the oocyte. MRT thus constitutes nuclear transfer, which is prohibited by criminal sanctions under sections of laws on reproductive cloning in Canada, the United States, Australia, and European countries that regulate assisted reproduction. By adopting policies permitting the use of MRT, the United Kingdom has become the first jurisdiction to counteract an international consensus prohibiting germline modification. Analyses of the legal, ethical, and societal implications of MRT in assisted human reproduction are essential. Copyright © 2016 The Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada/La Société des obstétriciens et gynécologues du Canada. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The National Competition Policy Review (The Hilmer Report) and Its Implications for the Vocational Education and Training System.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Joy Selby

This paper examines the implications of the Report of the Independent Committee of Inquiry into a national competition policy (the Hilmer Report) for the vocational education and training system in Australia. It identifies issues of importance for training markets and points of strategic intervention to facilitate the development of more open and…

Property rights in human gametes in Australia.

PubMed

White, Vanessa

2013-03-01

It has long been a basic tenet of the common law that there can be no property interest in human bodies or body parts. However, exceptions to the rule have been recognised from the mid-19th century and developed over time. In the early 21st century, there have been interesting developments in the common law of Australia and England, with Australian Supreme Court judges and the English Court of Appeal casting aside existing exceptions, and finding property rights in human body parts, including gametes, by relying instead on a "rational" and "logical" basis to identify property interests in human body parts.

The curious case of the date of introduction of leaded fuel to Australia: Implications for the history of Southern Hemisphere atmospheric lead pollution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cook, D. E.; Gale, S. J.

By comparison with the Northern Hemisphere, the history of atmospheric lead pollution in the Southern Hemisphere is still poorly understood. Until recently, the main source of atmospheric lead fallout in the Southern Hemisphere was tetraethyl lead from motor fuel and for most of the 20th century the most important single source of this pollutant was Australia. Yet there is little agreement over when leaded fuel made its first appearance in Australia. Reported dates range from the early 1920s to the late 1940s. A study of oil company advertisements and reports in motoring and oil company journals shows that leaded petrol first became available in Australia in August 1932. This date is important both for the reconstruction of lead pollution histories and in the use of lead stratigraphies to determine chronology.

Why do we need detailed gravity over continents: Some Australian examples

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lambeck, K.

1985-01-01

Geophysical quantities available over a continent are gravity and components of the magnetic field. Direct inferences on crustal structure are difficult to make and strongly dependent on mechanical assumptions the isostatic state. The data for Australia represents one of the best continental scale gravity surveys. The gravity anomalies are generally bland over the continent which confirms that stress relaxation and erosion and rebound were instrumental in reducing nonhydrostatic stresses. In central Australia very large gravity anomalies occur and the region is out of isostatic equilibrium despite the fact that tectonic activity ceased 300 ma ago. The isostatic response functions points to a substantial horizontal compression in the crust. Similar conclusions are drawn for the large anomalies in western Australia. The tectonic implications of these anomalies are examined. In eastern Australia the gravity anomalies are explained in terms of a model of erosion of the highlands and concomitant regional isostatic rebound.

Dingoes at the Doorstep: Home Range Sizes and Activity Patterns of Dingoes and Other Wild Dogs around Urban Areas of North-Eastern Australia

PubMed Central

McNeill, Alice T.; Leung, Luke K. -P.; Goullet, Mark S.; Gentle, Matthew N.; Allen, Benjamin L.

2016-01-01

Simple summary Conflicts with dingoes and other wild dogs are becoming increasingly common in and around urban areas of Australia. A lack of basic information about wild dog movement ecology hampers efficient planning and allocation of resources to mitigate human–wild dog conflicts. We captured, collared and released 37 wild dogs in urban areas of north-eastern Australia to investigate their movement ecology. In general, wild dogs occupied small fragments of bushland within an urban matrix, were active at all times of the day, and lived within a few hundred meters of houses and humans at all times. We conclude that wild dog management strategies in urban areas should focus on the mitigation of impacts at the individual or group level, and not population-level reductions in numbers. Abstract Top-predators around the world are becoming increasingly intertwined with humans, sometimes causing conflict and increasing safety risks in urban areas. In Australia, dingoes and dingo × domestic dog hybrids are common in many urban areas, and pose a variety of human health and safety risks. However, data on urban dingo ecology is scant. We GPS-collared 37 dingoes in north-eastern Australia and continuously monitored them each 30 min for 11–394 days. Most dingoes were nocturnal, with an overall mean home range size of 17.47 km2. Overall mean daily distance travelled was 6.86 km/day. At all times dingoes were within 1000 m of houses and buildings. Home ranges appeared to be constrained to patches of suitable vegetation fragments within and around human habitation. These data can be used to reallocate dingo management effort towards mitigating actual conflicts between humans and dingoes in urban areas. PMID:27537916

Ross River virus and Barmah Forest virus infections: a review of history, ecology, and predictive models, with implications for tropical northern Australia.

PubMed

Jacups, Susan P; Whelan, Peter I; Currie, Bart J

2008-04-01

The purpose of the present article is to present a review of the Ross River virus (RRV) and Barmah Forest virus (BFV) literature in relation to potential implications for future disease in tropical northern Australia. Ross River virus infection is the most common and most widespread arboviral disease in Australia, with an average of 4,800 national notifications annually. Of recent concern is the sudden rise in BFV infections; the 2005-2006 summer marked the largest BFV epidemic on record in Australia, with 1,895 notifications. Although not life-threatening, infection with either virus can cause arthritis, myalgia, and fatigue for 6 months or longer, resulting in substantial morbidity and economic impact. The geographic distribution of mosquito species and their seasonal activity is determined in large part by temperature and rainfall. Predictive models can be useful tools in providing early warning systems for epidemics of RRV and BFV infection. Various models have been developed to predict RRV outbreaks, but these appear to be mostly only regionally valid, being dependent on local ecological factors. Difficulties have arisen in developing useful models for the tropical northern parts of Australia, and to date no models have been developed for the Northern Territory. Only one model has been developed for predicting BFV infections using climate and tide variables. It is predicted that the exacerbation of current greenhouse conditions will result in longer periods of high mosquito activity in the tropical regions where RRV and BFV are already common. In addition, the endemic locations may expand further within temperate regions, and epidemics may become more frequent in those areas. Further development of predictive models should benefit public health planning by providing early warning systems of RRV and BFV infection outbreaks in different geographical locations.

Breast milk donation after neonatal death in Australia: a report.

PubMed

Carroll, Katherine E; Lenne, Brydan S; McEgan, Kerri; Opie, Gillian; Amir, Lisa H; Bredemeyer, Sandra; Hartmann, Ben; Jones, Rachel; Koorts, Pieter; McConachy, Helen; Mumford, Patricia; Polverino, Jan

2014-01-01

Lactation and breast milk can hold great value and meaning for grieving mothers who have experienced a recent death of an infant. Donation to a human milk bank (HMB) as an alternative to discarding breast milk is one means of respecting the value of breast milk. There is little research, national policy discussion, or organizational representation in Australia on the subject of breast milk donation after infant death. On 29 November 2013 the Mercy Hospital for Women in Melbourne, Australia hosted Australia's first National Stakeholder Meeting (NSM) on the topic of milk donation after neonatal death. The NSM drew together representatives from Australian HMBs, neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) currently using donor human milk, and Australia's chief NICU parent support organization. The NSM was video-recorded and transcribed, and analyzed thematically by researchers. This article reports the seven dominant themes discussed by stakeholders during the NSM: the spectrum of women's lactation and donation experiences after infant death; the roles of the HMB and NICU in meeting the needs of the bereaved donor; how bereaved mothers' lactation autonomy may interface with a HMB's donation guidelines; how milk donation may be discussed with bereaved mothers; the variation between four categories of milk donation after neonatal death; the impact of limited resources and few HMBs on providing donation programs for bereaved mothers in Australia. This article provides evidence from researchers and practitioners that can assist HMB staff in refining their bank's policy on milk donation after infant death, and provides national policy makers with key considerations to support lactation, human milk banking, and bereavement services nation-wide.

Rare, Intense, Big fires dominate the global tropics under drier conditions.

PubMed

Hantson, Stijn; Scheffer, Marten; Pueyo, Salvador; Xu, Chi; Lasslop, Gitta; van Nes, Egbert H; Holmgren, Milena; Mendelsohn, John

2017-10-30

Wildfires burn large parts of the tropics every year, shaping ecosystem structure and functioning. Yet the complex interplay between climate, vegetation and human factors that drives fire dynamics is still poorly understood. Here we show that on all continents, except Australia, tropical fire regimes change drastically as mean annual precipitation falls below 550 mm. While the frequency of fires decreases below this threshold, the size and intensity of wildfires rise sharply. This transition to a regime of Rare-Intense-Big fires (RIB-fires) corresponds to the relative disappearance of trees from the landscape. Most dry regions on the globe are projected to become substantially drier under global warming. Our findings suggest a global zone where this drying may have important implications for fire risks to society and ecosystem functioning.

New ages for human occupation and climatic change at Lake Mungo, Australia.

PubMed

Bowler, James M; Johnston, Harvey; Olley, Jon M; Prescott, John R; Roberts, Richard G; Shawcross, Wilfred; Spooner, Nigel A

2003-02-20

Australia's oldest human remains, found at Lake Mungo, include the world's oldest ritual ochre burial (Mungo III) and the first recorded cremation (Mungo I). Until now, the importance of these finds has been constrained by limited chronologies and palaeoenvironmental information. Mungo III, the source of the world's oldest human mitochondrial DNA, has been variously estimated at 30 thousand years (kyr) old, 42-45 kyr old and 62 +/- 6 kyr old, while radiocarbon estimates placed the Mungo I cremation near 20-26 kyr ago. Here we report a new series of 25 optical ages showing that both burials occurred at 40 +/- 2 kyr ago and that humans were present at Lake Mungo by 50-46 kyr ago, synchronously with, or soon after, initial occupation of northern and western Australia. Stratigraphic evidence indicates fluctuations between lake-full and drier conditions from 50 to 40 kyr ago, simultaneously with increased dust deposition, human arrival and continent-wide extinction of the megafauna. This was followed by sustained aridity between 40 and 30 kyr ago. This new chronology corrects previous estimates for human burials at this important site and provides a new picture of Homo sapiens adapting to deteriorating climate in the world's driest inhabited continent.

Tissue banking in australia.

PubMed

Ireland, Lynette; McKelvie, Helen

2003-01-01

The legal structure for the regulation of tissue banking has existed for many years. In Australia, the donation of human tissue is regulated by legislation in each of the eight States and Territories. These substantially uniform Acts were passed in the late 1970's and early 1980's, based on model legislation and underpinned by the concept of consensual giving. However, it was not until the early 1990's that tissue banking came under the notice of regulatory authorities. Since then the Australian Government has moved quickly to oversee the tissue banking sector in Australia. Banked human tissue has been deemed to be a therapeutic good under the Therapeutic Goods Act 1989, and tissue banks are required to be licensed by the Therapeutic Goods Administration and are audited for compliance with the Code of Good Manufacturing Practice- Human Blood and Tissues. In addition, tissue banks must comply with a myriad of other standards, guidelines and recommendations.

The human and animal health impacts of introduction and spread of an exotic strain of West Nile virus in Australia.

PubMed

Hernández-Jover, Marta; Roche, Sharon; Ward, Michael P

2013-05-01

Vector-borne diseases can have substantial impacts on human and animal health, including major epidemics. West Nile virus (WNV) is of particular international importance due to its recent emergence and impact in the Western Hemisphere. Despite the presence of a sub-type of WNV (Kunjin virus, KUN) in Australia, a potential ecological niche could be occupied by an exotic strain of WNV of the North American type. This study assesses the probability an exotic strain of WNV enters Australia via an infected mosquito in an aircraft from the United States (U.S.) landing at Sydney airport, the probability it spreads to susceptible species and the impact of the resulting outbreak on human and animal health. A release, exposure and consequence assessment were conducted using expert opinion and scientific literature to parameterise the inputs for the models (OIE, 2009). Following establishment of WNV in Australia, the spatio-temporal spread of WNV was predicted over a six year period based on the Australian human and equine populations at-risk, the known distribution of other mosquito-borne flaviviruses in Australia, climatic factors, and the spread of WNV in the U.S. following it's incursion in New York City in 1999. The impact of this spread was measured as a multiplier of human and equine demographics using the U.S. incidence and case fatality rates as a reference. For an 8 month period from September to April (considering seasonal impact on mosquito activity during the coldest months in Australia and the U.S.), and assuming WNV is endemic in the U.S., the median probability an infected mosquito is introduced is 0.17, and the median number of infected mosquitoes introduced is predicted to be zero, with a 95th percentile range of one. The overall probability of a WNV outbreak (WNV released into Australia, susceptible hosts exposed and the virus spread) occurring in the human and the horse population during this time period is estimated to be 7.0×10(-6) and 3.9×10(-6), respectively. These values are largely influenced by the presence of mosquitoes in aircrafts and whether the introduced infected mosquito contacts wild birds. Results of this study suggest there is a low risk of introduction and spread of an exotic strain of WNV from the U.S via aircraft, and provides an insight into the magnitude and impact of the spread among human and horse populations. The generic framework presented could be applied to assess the potential introduction of other mosquito-borne diseases (which involve a wild bird transmission cycle) via international aircraft movements. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The history and development of the Human Genetics Society of Australasia.

PubMed

Sutherland, Grant R

2008-08-01

The Human Genetics Society of Australasia is a vibrant professional society with more than 900 members that promotes and regulates the practice of human and medical genetics in Australia and New Zealand. The growth of human genetics was stimulated by the development of diagnostic clinical cytogenetics laboratories in the early to mid 1960s. This coincided with the recognition by medical specialists, mainly pediatricians, that genetic disorders, especially inborn errors of metabolism and birth defects, were of clinical interest and potentially challenging areas for their skills. The organization of professionals in human genetics was slow to evolve. There was an early Western Australian Human Genetics Society, and the cytogenetics community had begun to meet annually from about 1966 but was coordinated by a mailing list rather than as a formal organization. In 1976, as part of the celebrations of the Centenary Year of the Adelaide Children's Hospital, a clinical genetics meeting involving several high profile international speakers and most of the senior medical geneticists in Australia and New Zealand along with the annual meeting of the loose-knit cytogeneticists group agreed that a small working group be charged with setting up a Human Genetics Society. The society was formally incorporated in South Australia in 1977.

Skin bank development and critical incident response.

PubMed

Hamilton, Kellie T; Herson, Marisa R

2011-05-01

The Donor Tissue Bank of Victoria (DTBV), situated in Melbourne, Australia developed a skin banking program in 1994. It remains Australia's only operational skin bank, processing cryopreserved human cadaveric skin for the treatment of burns. The demand for allograft skin in Australia has steadily increased since the development of the program. The bank has been involved in the provision of skin for a number of critical incidences or disasters both in Australia and overseas. Demand always exceeds supply, and in the absence of other local skin banks, the DTBV has needed to develop strategies to enable increased provision of allograft skin nationally.

Adults and children prefer a plate food guide relative to a pyramid.

PubMed

Talati, Zenobia; Pettigrew, Simone; Moore, Sarah; Pratt, Iain S

2017-01-01

This study explored attitudes toward two food guides currently being widely used in Australia: the Healthy Eating Pyramid and the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating Plate. Ten focus groups were conducted with adults (aged 18+ years) and children (aged 10-17 years) across various locations in Perth, Western Australia. The discussions focused on liked and disliked aspects of each food guide and the implications for participants' perceptions of their relative usefulness. When asked to state their preference, a large majority of participants nominated the plate as their preferred nutrition guide. The style of presentation used for the plate was reportedly clearer and more aesthetically pleasing. The plate was also perceived to be more complex while the pyramid was considered by adults to be more child-friendly. This study provides information on consumers' reactions to different food guides and the implications for perceived relevance and utility.

The recovery paradigm - a model of hope and change for alcohol and drug addiction.

PubMed

Best, David W; Lubman, Dan I

2012-08-01

Alcohol and drug disorders remain major health and social problems in Australia, contributing enormously to the global burden of disease and the everyday practice of primary care. A recent growth in recovery research and recovery focused policies are starting to have an impact in Australia, with implications for how we attempt to resolve these problems. In this article we discuss recent international findings in recovery research, and explore their implications for primary care. Research indicates that over half of dependent substance users will eventually achieve stable recovery. Key predictors of recovery are active engagement in the community and immersion in peer support groups and activities. Recovery requires a twin track approach: enabling and supporting individual recovery journeys, while creating environmental conditions that enable and support a 'social contagion' of recovery, in which recovery is transmitted through supportive social networks and dedicated recovery groups, such as mutual aid.

Emerging tropical diseases in Australia. Part 3. Australian bat lyssavirus.

PubMed

Moore, P R; Jansen, C C; Graham, G C; Smith, I L; Craig, S B

2010-12-01

Since its discovery in a juvenile black flying fox (Pteropus alecto) in 1996, Australian bat lyssavirus (ABLV) has become the cause of a potentially important emerging disease for health authorities in Australia, with two human deaths (one in 1996 and one in 1998) attributed to the virus in the north-eastern state of Queensland. In Australia, the virus has been isolated from all four species of flying fox found on the mainland (i.e. P. alecto, P. scapulatus, P. poliocephalus and P. conspicillatus) as well as a single species of insectivorous bat (Saccolaimus flaviventris). Australian bat lyssavirus belongs to the Lyssavirus genus and is closely related, genetically, to the type strain of Rabies virus (RABV). Clinically, patients infected with ABLV have displayed the 'classical' symptoms of rabies and a similar disease course. This similarity has led to the belief that the infection and dissemination of ABLV in the body follows the same pathways as those followed by RABV. Following the two ABLV-related deaths in Queensland, protocols based on the World Health Organization's guidelines for RABV prophylaxis were implemented and, presumably in consequence, no human infection with ABLV has been recorded since 1998. ABLV will, however, probably always have an important part to play in the health of Australians as the density of the human population in Australia and, consequently, the level of interaction between humans and flying foxes increase.

Ecosystem Collapse in Pleistocene Australia and a Human Role in Megafaunal Extinction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miller, Gifford H.; Fogel, Marilyn L.; Magee, John W.; Gagan, Michael K.; Clarke, Simon J.; Johnson, Beverly J.

2005-07-01

Most of Australia's largest mammals became extinct 50,000 to 45,000 years ago, shortly after humans colonized the continent. Without exceptional climate change at that time, a human cause is inferred, but a mechanism remains elusive. A 140,000-year record of dietary δ13C documents a permanent reduction in food sources available to the Australian emu, beginning about the time of human colonization; a change replicated at three widely separated sites and in the marsupial wombat. We speculate that human firing of landscapes rapidly converted a drought-adapted mosaic of trees, shrubs, and nutritious grasslands to the modern fire-adapted desert scrub. Animals that could adapt survived; those that could not, became extinct.

Human T-cell lymphotropic virus type 1 subtype C molecular variants among indigenous australians: new insights into the molecular epidemiology of HTLV-1 in Australo-Melanesia.

PubMed

Cassar, Olivier; Einsiedel, Lloyd; Afonso, Philippe V; Gessain, Antoine

2013-01-01

HTLV-1 infection is endemic among people of Melanesian descent in Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu. Molecular studies reveal that these Melanesian strains belong to the highly divergent HTLV-1c subtype. In Australia, HTLV-1 is also endemic among the Indigenous people of central Australia; however, the molecular epidemiology of HTLV-1 infection in this population remains poorly documented. Studying a series of 23 HTLV-1 strains from Indigenous residents of central Australia, we analyzed coding (gag, pol, env, tax) and non-coding (LTR) genomic proviral regions. Four complete HTLV-1 proviral sequences were also characterized. Phylogenetic analyses implemented with both Neighbor-Joining and Maximum Likelihood methods revealed that all proviral strains belong to the HTLV-1c subtype with a high genetic diversity, which varied with the geographic origin of the infected individuals. Two distinct Australians clades were found, the first including strains derived from most patients whose origins are in the North, and the second comprising a majority of those from the South of central Australia. Time divergence estimation suggests that the speciation of these two Australian clades probably occurred 9,120 years ago (38,000-4,500). The HTLV-1c subtype is endemic to central Australia where the Indigenous population is infected with diverse subtype c variants. At least two Australian clades exist, which cluster according to the geographic origin of the human hosts. These molecular variants are probably of very ancient origin. Further studies could provide new insights into the evolution and modes of dissemination of these retrovirus variants and the associated ancient migration events through which early human settlement of Australia and Melanesia was achieved.

Does school suspension affect subsequent youth nonviolent antisocial behavior? A longitudinal study of students in Victoria, Australia and Washington State, United States

PubMed Central

Hemphill, Sheryl A.; Kotevski, Aneta; Herrenkohl, Todd I.; Smith, Rachel; Toumbourou, John W.; Catalano, Richard F.

2013-01-01

School suspension has been not only associated with negative behaviours but is predictive of future poor outcomes. The current study investigates a) whether school suspension is a unique predictor of youth nonviolent antisocial behaviour (NVAB) relative to other established predictors, and b) whether the predictors of NVAB are similar in Australia and the United States (U.S.). The data analysed here draws on two state-wide representative samples of Grade 7 and 9 students in Victoria, Australia and Washington State, U.S., resurveyed at 12-month follow-up (N = 3,677, 99% retention). School suspension did not uniquely predict NVAB in the final model. The predictors of NVAB, similar across states, included previous student NVAB; current alcohol and tobacco use; poor family management; association with antisocial friends; and low commitment to school. An implication of the findings is that U.S. evidence-based prevention programs targeting the influences investigated here could be trialled in Australia. PMID:24860192

Australia's health care reform agenda: implications for the nurses' role in chronic heart failure management.

PubMed

Betihavas, Vasiliki; Newton, Phillip J; Du, Hui Yun; Macdonald, Peter S; Frost, Steven A; Stewart, Simon; Davidson, Patricia M

2011-08-01

The importance of the nursing role in chronic heart failure (CHF) management is increasingly recognised. With the recent release of the National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission (NHHRC) report in Australia, a review of nursing roles in CHF management is timely and appropriate. This paper aims to discuss the implications of the NHHRC report and nursing roles in the context of CHF management in Australia. The electronic databases, Thomson Rheuters Web of Knowledge, Scopus and the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), were searched using keywords including; "heart failure", "management", "Australia" and "nursing". In addition policy documents were reviewed including statements and reports from key professional organisations and Government Departments to identify issues impacting on nursing roles in CHF management. There is a growing need for the prevention and control of chronic conditions, such as CHF. This involves an increasing emphasis on specialist cardiovascular nurses in community based settings, both in outreach and inreach health service models. This review has highlighted the need to base nursing roles on evidence based principles and identify the importance of the nursing role in coordinating and managing CHF care in both independent and collaborative practice settings. The importance of the nursing role in early chronic disease symptom recognition and implementing strategies to prevent further deterioration of individuals is crucial to improving health outcomes. Consideration should be given to ensure that evidence based principles are adopted in models of nursing care. Copyright © 2010 Australian College of Critical Care Nurses Ltd. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The incidence of public sector hospitalisations due to dog bites in Australia 2001-2013.

PubMed

Rajshekar, Mithun; Blizzard, Leigh; Julian, Roberta; Williams, Anne-Marie; Tennant, Marc; Forrest, Alex; Walsh, Laurence J; Wilson, Gary

2017-08-01

To estimate the incidence of dog bite-related injuries requiring public sector hospitalisation in Australia during the period 2001-13. Summary data on public sector hospitalisations due to dog bite-related injuries with an ICD 10-AM W54.0 coding were sourced from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare for the study period 2001-2013. In Australia, on average, 2,061 persons were hospitalised each year for treatment for dog bite injuries at an annual rate of 12.39 (95%CI 12.25-12.53) per 100,000 during 2001-13. The highest annual rates of 25.95 (95%CI 25.16-26.72) and 18.42 (95%CI 17.75-19.07) per 100,000 were for age groups 0-4 and 5-9 years respectively. Rates of recorded events increased over the study period and reached 16.15 (95%CI 15.78-16.52) per 100,000 during 2011-13. Dog bites are a largely unrecognised and growing public health problem in Australia. Implications for public health: There is an increasing public sector burden of hospitalisations for injuries from dog bites in Australia. © 2017 Menzies Institute for Medical Research.

Virulence and Evolution of West Nile Virus, Australia, 1960-2012.

PubMed

Prow, Natalie A; Edmonds, Judith H; Williams, David T; Setoh, Yin X; Bielefeldt-Ohmann, Helle; Suen, Willy W; Hobson-Peters, Jody; van den Hurk, Andrew F; Pyke, Alyssa T; Hall-Mendelin, Sonja; Northill, Judith A; Johansen, Cheryl A; Warrilow, David; Wang, Jianning; Kirkland, Peter D; Doggett, Stephen; Andrade, Christy C; Brault, Aaron C; Khromykh, Alexander A; Hall, Roy A

2016-08-01

Worldwide, West Nile virus (WNV) causes encephalitis in humans, horses, and birds. The Kunjin strain of WNV (WNVKUN) is endemic to northern Australia, but infections are usually asymptomatic. In 2011, an unprecedented outbreak of equine encephalitis occurred in southeastern Australia; most of the ≈900 reported cases were attributed to a newly emerged WNVKUN strain. To investigate the origins of this virus, we performed genetic analysis and in vitro and in vivo studies of 13 WNVKUN isolates collected from different regions of Australia during 1960-2012. Although no disease was recorded for 1984, 2000, or 2012, isolates collected during those years (from Victoria, Queensland, and New South Wales, respectively) exhibited levels of virulence in mice similar to that of the 2011 outbreak strain. Thus, virulent strains of WNVKUN have circulated in Australia for >30 years, and the first extensive outbreak of equine disease in Australia probably resulted from a combination of specific ecologic and epidemiologic conditions.

Historical human exposure to perfluoroalkyl acids in the United States and Australia reconstructed from biomonitoring data using population-based pharmacokinetic modelling.

PubMed

Gomis, Melissa I; Vestergren, Robin; MacLeod, Matthew; Mueller, Jochen F; Cousins, Ian T

2017-11-01

Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) and perfluorohexanesulfonic acid (PFHxS) are found in the blood of humans and wildlife worldwide. Since the beginning of the 21st century, a downward trend in the human body burden, especially for PFOS and PFOA, has been observed while there is no clear temporal trend in wildlife. The inconsistency between the concentration decline in human serum and in wildlife could be indicative of a historical exposure pathway for humans linked to consumer products that has been reduced or eliminated. In this study, we reconstruct the past human exposure trends in two different regions, USA and Australia, by inferring the historical intake from cross-sectional biomonitoring data of PFOS, PFOA and PFHxS using a population-based pharmacokinetic model. For PFOS in the USA, the reconstructed daily intake peaked at 4.5ng/kg-bw/day between 1988 and 1999 while in Australia it peaked at 4.0ng/kg-bw/day between 1984 and 1996. For PFOA in the USA and Australia, the peak reconstructed daily intake was 1.1ng/kg-bw/day in 1995 and 3.6ng/kg-bw/day in 1992, respectively, and started to decline in 2000 and 1995, respectively. The model could not be satisfactorily fitted to the biomonitoring data for PFHxS within reasonable boundaries for its intrinsic elimination half-life, and thus reconstructing intakes of PFHxS was not possible. Our results indicate that humans experienced similar exposure levels and trends to PFOS and PFOA in the USA and Australia. Our findings support the hypothesis that near-field consumer product exposure pathways were likely dominant prior to the phase-out in industrialized countries. The intrinsic elimination half-life, which represents elimination processes that are common for all humans, and elimination processes unique to women (i.e., menstruation, cord-blood transfer and breastfeeding) were also investigated. The intrinsic elimination half-lives for PFOS and PFOA derived from model fitting for men were 3.8 and 2.4years, respectively, for the USA, and 4.9 and 2years respectively for Australia. Our results show that menstruation is a depuration pathway for PFOA for women, similarly but to a lesser extent compared to previous reports for PFOS. However menstruation, cord-blood transfer and breastfeeding together do not fully explain the apparently more rapid elimination of PFOA and PFOS by women compared to men; the intrinsic elimination half-lives in women were up to 13% lower for PFOS and up to 12% lower for PFOA compared to the corresponding half-lives in men. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Pleistocene cave art from Sulawesi, Indonesia.

PubMed

Aubert, M; Brumm, A; Ramli, M; Sutikna, T; Saptomo, E W; Hakim, B; Morwood, M J; van den Bergh, G D; Kinsley, L; Dosseto, A

2014-10-09

Archaeologists have long been puzzled by the appearance in Europe ∼40-35 thousand years (kyr) ago of a rich corpus of sophisticated artworks, including parietal art (that is, paintings, drawings and engravings on immobile rock surfaces) and portable art (for example, carved figurines), and the absence or scarcity of equivalent, well-dated evidence elsewhere, especially along early human migration routes in South Asia and the Far East, including Wallacea and Australia, where modern humans (Homo sapiens) were established by 50 kyr ago. Here, using uranium-series dating of coralloid speleothems directly associated with 12 human hand stencils and two figurative animal depictions from seven cave sites in the Maros karsts of Sulawesi, we show that rock art traditions on this Indonesian island are at least compatible in age with the oldest European art. The earliest dated image from Maros, with a minimum age of 39.9 kyr, is now the oldest known hand stencil in the world. In addition, a painting of a babirusa ('pig-deer') made at least 35.4 kyr ago is among the earliest dated figurative depictions worldwide, if not the earliest one. Among the implications, it can now be demonstrated that humans were producing rock art by ∼40 kyr ago at opposite ends of the Pleistocene Eurasian world.

A voyage to Terra Australis: human-mediated dispersal of cats.

PubMed

Koch, K; Algar, D; Searle, J B; Pfenninger, M; Schwenk, K

2015-12-04

Cats have been transported as human commensals worldwide giving rise to many feral populations. In Australia, feral cats have caused decline and extinction of native mammals, but their time of introduction and origin is unclear. Here, we investigate hypotheses of cat arrival pre- or post-European settlement, and the potential for admixture between cats of different invasion events. We analyse the genetic structure and diversity of feral cats from six locations on mainland Australia, seven Australian islands and samples from Southeast Asia and Europe using microsatellite and mitochondrial DNA data. Our results based on phylogeographic model selection are consistent with a European origin of cats in Australia. We find genetic distinctiveness of Australian mainland samples compared with Dirk Hartog Island, Flinders Island, Tasman Island and Cocos (Keeling) Island samples, and genetic similarities between some of the island populations. Historical records suggest that introduction of cats to these islands occurred at the time of European exploration and/or in connection with the pearling, whaling and sealing trades early in the 19th century. On-going influx of domestic cats into the feral cat population is apparently causing the Australian mainland populations to be genetically differentiated from those island populations, which likely are remnants of the historically introduced cat genotypes. A mainly European origin of feral cats in Australia, with possible secondary introductions from Asia following the initial establishment of cats in Australia is reasonable. The islands surrounding Australia may represent founding populations and are of particular interest. The results of the study provide an important timeframe for the impact of feral cats on native species in Australia.

Australia's contribution to global immunisation.

PubMed

Ruff, Tilman A; Taylor, Kate; Nolan, Terry

2012-12-01

To review Australian contributions to global immunisation. We summarise Australian scientific and program contributions to vaccines and global immunisation, describe key developments and strengths in Australia's national immunisation program, and outline how both of these can link with Australia's increasing international development budget to build Australia's future contribution to global immunisation. Australian contributions to vaccines and immunisation have been substantial, and Australia offers a range of good practices in its domestic and development approaches. There are major opportunities to build on this strong track record. These include committing to help roll out important new life-saving vaccines against pneumococcal disease, rotavirus and human papilloma virus (HPV) to the children who need them most, but whose communities can least afford them. Australia is one of a few countries expanding their aid budgets towards 0.7% development assistance and other development commitments. Given the importance of immunisation to health gains, Australia is well placed to expand its investment in immunisation within its development portfolio. The GAVI Alliance is the best-established global mechanism to do this. Additionally, however, Australia could harness other national and regional mechanisms to support low and middle-income countries, thereby complementing GAVI's focus and global needs. © 2012 The Authors. ANZJPH © 2012 Public Health Association of Australia.

Exploring the implications of a fixed budget for new medicines: a study of reimbursement of new medicines in Australia and New Zealand.

PubMed

Taylor, Colman; Wonder, Michael

2015-09-01

Spending on medicines under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) represents the ninth largest expense to the Federal Government. A recent report by the Commission of Audit to the Federal Government suggested spending on the PBS is unsustainable and a capped budget, similar to New Zealand's PHARMAC model, may be required to contain costs. The objective of the present study was to compare listing outcomes between Australia and New Zealand, thereby exploring the opportunity cost of a capped budget for new medicines. Listing outcomes in Australia and New Zealand were compared through published research and an updated search of listing outcomes from publicly available information. Previous research has demonstrated that New Zealand listed less than half of the new medicines listed in Australia over a 10-year period (2000-09). Our research shows that most of the new medicines not listed in New Zealand during this period remain unlisted today. In the previous 12 months, Australia listed 17 new medicines on the PBS, whereas New Zealand listed only one new medicine that was not already listed in Australia. The discrepancy in the number of new medicines listed in New Zealand compared with Australia raises questions regarding the consequences of implementing a capped budget for new medicines. However, further research is needed to understand the relationship between listing outcomes, access to medicines and health benefits for the community.

Comparison of oropharyngeal and oral cavity squamous cell cancer incidence and trends in New Zealand and Queensland, Australia.

PubMed

Elwood, J Mark; Youlden, Danny R; Chelimo, Carol; Ioannides, Sally J; Baade, Peter D

2014-02-01

Increases in the incidence of squamous cell oropharyngeal cancer (OPC) have been reported from some countries, but have not been assessed in Australia or New Zealand. This study examines trends for squamous cell OPC and squamous cell oral cavity cancer (OCC) in two similarly sized populations, New Zealand and Queensland, Australia. Incidence data for 1982-2010 were obtained from the respective population-based cancer registries for squamous cell OPC and OCC, by subsite, sex, and age. Time trends and annual percentage changes (APCs) were assessed by joinpoint regression. The incidence rates of squamous cell OPC in males in New Zealand since 2005 and Queensland since 2006 have increased rapidly, with APCs of 11.9% and 10.6% respectively. The trends were greatest at ages 50-69 and followed more gradual increases previously. In females, rates increased by 2.1% per year in New Zealand from 1982, but by only 0.9% (not significant) in Queensland. In contrast, incidence rates for OCC decreased by 1.2% per year in males in Queensland since 1982, but remained stable for females in Queensland and for both sexes in New Zealand. Overall, incidence rates for both OCC and OPC were substantially higher in Queensland than in New Zealand. In males in both areas, OPC incidence is now higher than that of OCC. Incidence rates of squamous cell OPC have increased rapidly in men, while rates of OCC have been stable or reducing, showing distinct etiologies. This has both clinical and public health importance, including implications for the extension of human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccination to males. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Recent advances in our knowledge of Australian anisakid nematodes

PubMed Central

Shamsi, Shokoofeh

2014-01-01

Anisakidosis is an emerging infection associated with a wide range of clinical syndromes in humans caused by members of the family Anisakidae. Anisakid nematodes have a cosmopolitan distribution and infect a wide range of invertebrates and vertebrates during their life cycles. Since the first report of these parasites in humans during the early 60s, anisakid nematodes have attracted considerable attention as emerging zoonotic parasites. Along with rapid development of various molecular techniques during last several decades, this has caused a significant change in the taxonomy and systematics of these parasites. However, there are still huge gaps in our knowledge on various aspects of the biology and ecology of anisakid nematodes in Australia. Although the use of advanced morphological and molecular techniques to study anisakids had a late start in Australia, great biodiversity was found and unique species were discovered. Here an updated list of members within the family and the current state of knowledge on Australian anisakids will be provided. Given that the employment of advanced techniques to study these important emerging zoonotic parasites in Australia is recent, further research is needed to understand the ecology and biology of these socio economically important parasites. After a recent human case of anisakidosis in Australia, such understanding is crucial if control and preventive strategies are to be established in this country. PMID:25180162

International Student Flows for University Education and the Bilateral Market Integration of Australia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Min, Byung S.; Falvey, Rod

2018-01-01

Study at a foreign university can be an important way of developing international human capital. We investigate factors affecting international student flows for higher education and their consequences for bilateral market integration in Australia. Estimation results demonstrate that income, cost competitiveness, migration network effects and…

Human Security in the Asia-Pacific: In Australia’s National Interests?

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-12-16

Australian doctrine does not clearly define instruments of national power, this research uses the U.S. military definition. In accordance with U.S. 9...military doctrine , the instruments of national power are diplomatic, informational, military, and economic.16 Australia has been a very secure...

People Management Practices in the Public Health Sector: Developments from Victoria, Australia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stanton, Pauline; Bartram, Timothy; Harbridge, Raymond

2004-01-01

This study investigates the impact on human resource management (HRM) practices in the public health sector in Victoria, Australia of two different government policy environments. First, it explores the Liberal Coalition Government's decentralisation of public health sector management, from 1992-1999 and second, the Labor Government's…

Identifying Characteristics of Airline Frequent-Fliers in Australia: Implications for Market Segmentation, Target Marketing, and Product Differentiation

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1998-01-01

Airlines can cultivate new business, enjoy repeat patronage through progressively attractive awards given directly to frequent fliers, deter emerging airlines from entering established markets, and compile the demographic profiles and travel characte...

Traces d'apprentissage (Path of Learning).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Allouche, Victor

1996-01-01

A French professor teaching in Australia, and learning to cope with the distinctive features of Australian English, reflects on second-language learning processes and their implications for language teaching. Topics discussed include verbal versus nonverbal communication, authentic language situations, cultural context, developing…

ESR and U-series analyses of faunal material from Cuddie Springs, NSW, Australia: implications for the timing of the extinction of the Australian megafauna

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grün, Rainer; Eggins, Stephen; Aubert, Maxime; Spooner, Nigel; Pike, Alistair W. G.; Müller, Wolfgang

2010-03-01

The timing and cause of late Pleistocene faunal extinctions in Australia are subjects of a debate that has become polarised by two vigorously defended views. One contends that the late Pleistocene extinction was a short event caused by humans colonising the Australian continent, whereas the other promotes a gradual demise of the fauna, over a period of at least 10-20 ka, due to a combination of climatic changes and ecological pressures by humans. Cuddie Springs is central to this debate as it is the only site known in continental Australia where archaeological and megafauna remains co-occur. We have analysed more than 60 bones and teeth from the site by laser ablation ICP-MS to determine U, and Th concentrations and distributions, and those with sufficiently high U concentrations were analysed for U-series isotopes. Twenty-nine teeth were analysed by ESR. These new results, as well as previously published geochronological data, contradict the hypothesis that the clastic sediments of Stratigraphic Unit 6 (SU6) are in primary context with the faunal, archaeological and other materials found in SU6, and that all have ages consistent with the optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) estimates of 30-36 ka. These young OSL results were used to argue for a relatively recent age of the extinct fauna. Our results imply that SU6 is either significantly older than the OSL results, or that a large fraction of the faunal material and the charcoal found in SU6 was derived from older, lateral deposits. Our U and Th laser ablation ICPMS results as well as the REE profiles reported by Trueman et al. [2008. Comparing rates of recystallisation and the potential for preservation of biomolecules from the distribution of trace elements in fossil bones. C.R. Palevol. General Paleontology (Taphonomy and Fossilization) 7, 145-158] contradict the interpretation of previously reported rare earth element compositions of bones, and the argument based thereon for the primary context of faunal material and clastic sediments in SU6 layers.

Discounting the distant future-Data on Australian discount rates estimated by a stochastic interest rate model.

PubMed

Truong, Chi; Trück, Stefan

2017-04-01

Data on certainty equivalent discount factors and discount rates for stochastic interest rates in Australia are provided in this paper. The data has been used for the analysis of investments into climate adaptation projects in ׳It׳s not now or never: Implications of investment timing and risk aversion on climate adaptation to extreme events ׳ (Truong and Trück, 2016) [3] and can be used for other cost-benefit analysis studies in Australia. The data is of particular interest for the discounting of projects that create monetary costs and benefits in the distant future.

Crisis Management.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hore, Terry

1978-01-01

Problems of "steady state" institutions and techniques of management that have implications for Monash University, Australia are considered. The term "steady state" is used to indicate a lack of additional funds being injected into the system to promote growth and/or development. A trend toward public accountability in higher…

Invasive ants influence native lizard populations

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The red imported fire ant (Solenopsis invicta; hereafter RIFA) is an invasive predator found on four continents, including South America, North America, Australia, and Asia. RIFAs are implicated in the decline of native invertebrates and vertebrates throughout their invaded range. We used the easter...

Genetic diversity and virulence potential of shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli O113:H21 strains isolated from clinical, environmental, and food sources.

PubMed

Feng, Peter C H; Delannoy, Sabine; Lacher, David W; Dos Santos, Luis Fernando; Beutin, Lothar; Fach, Patrick; Rivas, Marta; Hartland, Elizabeth L; Paton, Adrienne W; Guth, Beatriz E C

2014-08-01

Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli strains of serotype O113:H21 have caused severe human diseases, but they are unusual in that they do not produce adherence factors coded by the locus of enterocyte effacement. Here, a PCR microarray was used to characterize 65 O113:H21 strains isolated from the environment, food, and clinical infections from various countries. In comparison to the pathogenic strains that were implicated in hemolytic-uremic syndrome in Australia, there were no clear differences between the pathogens and the environmental strains with respect to the 41 genetic markers tested. Furthermore, all of the strains carried only Shiga toxin subtypes associated with human infections, suggesting that the environmental strains have the potential to cause disease. Most of the O113:H21 strains were closely related and belonged in the same clonal group (ST-223), but CRISPR analysis showed a great degree of genetic diversity among the O113:H21 strains. Copyright © 2014, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

The Decade of Education for Sustainable Development: A Perspective from Australia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lang, Josephine R.

2005-01-01

Amidst Australia's background of ecological devastation there is hope as people and their communities search for ways to re-think and revision their future, moving ever so slowly towards sustainability. For the author, sustainability is the intersection where humanity consciously engages with the ecological systems in ways to ensure all life is…

Globalisation and Chinese Knowledge Diaspora: An Australian Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yang, Rui; Qiu, Fang-fang

2010-01-01

In a context of intensified globalisation, knowledge diaspora as "trans-national human capital" have become increasingly valuable to society. With an awareness of a need for more empirical studies especially in Australia, this article concentrates on a group of academics who were working at a major university in Australia and came…

Hendra Virus Infection in Dog, Australia, 2013

PubMed Central

Gabor, Melinda; Poe, Ian; Neale, Kristie; Chaffey, Kim; Finlaison, Deborah S.; Gu, Xingnian; Hick, Paul M.; Read, Andrew J.; Wright, Therese; Middleton, Deborah

2015-01-01

Hendra virus occasionally causes severe disease in horses and humans. In Australia in 2013, infection was detected in a dog that had been in contact with an infected horse. Abnormalities and viral RNA were found in the dog’s kidney, brain, lymph nodes, spleen, and liver. Dogs should be kept away from infected horses. PMID:26583697

The Decline in the Standing of Educational Credentials in Australia.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marginson, Simon

1995-01-01

An analysis of the economic returns of education in Australia finds a rising need for education at a time of diminishing apparent returns. It is proposed that the notions of credentialism and education as a positional good provide a better explanation for this phenomenon than does the human capital approach. (MSE)

Man and His Environment. Octagon Lectures 1969.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Appleyard, R. T., Ed.

Utilizing the theme "Man and His Environment," the Octagon Lectures of 1969 were presented at the University of Western Australia, Nedlands, Western Australia. Problems arising from the imbalance between the ancient forces of nature and the new forces of human culture were dealt with by the lecturers. They revealed that the most important…

Ethnicity, Class and Multicultural Education. Sociology of the School.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rizvi, Fazal

This monograph examines the nature of ethnicity as a general feature of human society, as it functions in Australia, and how it is used in the development of policy on multicultural education in Australia. Three influential accounts of ethnicity are examined, and it is argued that, although different, the theories share common problematics and…

Characterization of Fitzroy River Virus and Serologic Evidence of Human and Animal Infection.

PubMed

Johansen, Cheryl A; Williams, Simon H; Melville, Lorna F; Nicholson, Jay; Hall, Roy A; Bielefeldt-Ohmann, Helle; Prow, Natalie A; Chidlow, Glenys R; Wong, Shani; Sinha, Rohini; Williams, David T; Lipkin, W Ian; Smith, David W

2017-08-01

In northern Western Australia in 2011 and 2012, surveillance detected a novel arbovirus in mosquitoes. Genetic and phenotypic analyses confirmed that the new flavivirus, named Fitzroy River virus, is related to Sepik virus and Wesselsbron virus, in the yellow fever virus group. Most (81%) isolates came from Aedes normanensis mosquitoes, providing circumstantial evidence of the probable vector. In cell culture, Fitzroy River virus replicated in mosquito (C6/36), mammalian (Vero, PSEK, and BSR), and avian (DF-1) cells. It also infected intraperitoneally inoculated weanling mice and caused mild clinical disease in 3 intracranially inoculated mice. Specific neutralizing antibodies were detected in sentinel horses (12.6%), cattle (6.6%), and chickens (0.5%) in the Northern Territory of Australia and in a subset of humans (0.8%) from northern Western Australia.

End-of-life experiences and expectations of Africans in Australia: cultural implications for palliative and hospice care.

PubMed

Hiruy, Kiros; Mwanri, Lillian

2014-03-01

The ageing and frail migrants who are at the end of life are an increasing share of migrants living in Australia. However, within such populations, information about end-of-life experiences is limited, particularly among Africans. This article provides some insights into the sociocultural end-of-life experiences of Africans in Australia and their interaction with the health services in general and end-of-life care in particular. It provides points for discussion to consider an ethical framework that include Afro-communitarian ethical principles to enhance the capacity of current health services to provide culturally appropriate and ethical care. This article contributes to our knowledge regarding the provision of culturally appropriate and ethical care to African patients and their families by enabling the learning of health service providers to improve the competence of palliative care systems and professionals in Australia. Additionally, it initiates the discussion to highlight the importance of paying sufficient attention to a diverse range of factors including the migration history when providing palliative and hospice care for patients from African migrant populations.

Managing crime through migration law in Australia and the United States: a comparative analysis.

PubMed

Hoang, Khanh; Reich, Sudrishti

2017-01-01

This article examines the intertwining of migration law and criminal law - termed 'crimmigration' by scholars - in Australia and the United States of America, and its implications for non-citizens who engage in criminal conduct. Our comparison of the two systems demonstrates that the laws and policies in both jurisdictions are similar to a significant degree. Both have strong exclusionary policies characterised by sweeping visa cancellation/removal powers, a heavy focus on enforcement, and limited review rights. In Australia, legislative amendments in 2014 have given the executive greater powers to cancel visas and remove non-citizens on character grounds as a means of ensuring national security and public safety. This has coincided with a new law enforcement body created within the Australian Department of Immigration. These changes reflect a repurposing of migration law as a tool for managing criminal threats based on the concept of 'risk management'. Drawing on the experience of the United States - where such a 'risk management' approach is entrenched - we query the utility of this shift and highlight the potential pitfalls of pursuing such a policy for Australia.

Educating Australian Circus Children: Strategies To Reinvigorate Rural Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Danaher, P. A.; Hallinan, P. M.; Moriarty, B. J.

1999-01-01

Explores the educational experiences of Australian travelling circus people, who regularly cross the boundaries between urban and rural, as evidence contradicting pervasive negative stereotypes about rural education. Discusses implications of these experiences for reinvigorating education in rural Australia. Calls for enactment of strategies that…

Segmenting the MBA Market: An Australian Strategy.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Everett, James E.; Armstrong, Robert W.

1990-01-01

A University of Western Australia market segmentation study for the masters program in business administration examined the relationship between Graduate Management Admission Test scores, work experience, faculty of undergraduate degree, gender, and academic success in the program. Implications of the results for establishing admission criteria…

Intercultural Counselling and Assessment: Global Perspectives.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Samuda, Ronald J., Ed.; Wolfgang, Aaron, Ed.

This book concerning the need for more appropriate approaches to intercultural counseling in counselor training includes these articles: (1) "Comparative Immigration Patterns in the U.S., Australia and Canada: Social and Educational Implications" (R. J. Samuda); (2) "Theories of Counselling: A Comparative Analysis" (C. E.…

Workplace practices with mental health implications impacting on recruitment and retention of overseas nurses in the context of nursing shortages.

PubMed

Omeri, Akram

2006-01-01

In response to nursing workforce shortages, health agencies in Australia and elsewhere have sought to meet the demand for nursing services by recruiting nurses internationally. While there is a major focus on recruitment, little attention is given to factors that could enhance retention of overseas qualified nurses. There are a host of factors reported in the literature that impact upon retention of overseas nurses in the workforce, including: impact of re-settlement experiences in the new country; discriminatory practices in accessing employment and negative experiences in the work place. For the benefit of long term retention of overseas nurse graduates in the workforce in Australia and globally, these experiences are major issues needing urgent attention. This discussion paper reviews the literature to explore the impact of aggression and discriminatory practices in nursing as evidence for nurses leaving the profession, and discusses the mental health implications and consequences of such practices relating to overseas nurse graduates.

Characteristics of health impact assessments reported in Australia and New Zealand 2005–2009

PubMed Central

Haigh, Fiona; Harris, Elizabeth; Chok, Harrison NG; Baum, Fran; Harris-Roxas, Ben; Kemp, Lynn; Spickett, Jeff; Keleher, Helen; Morgan, Richard; Harris, Mark; Wendel, Arthur M; Dannenberg, Andrew L

2013-01-01

Abstract Objective : To describe the use and reporting of Health Impact Assessment (HIA) in Australia and New Zealand between 2005 and 2009. Methods : We identified 115 HIAs undertaken in Australia and New Zealand between 2005 and 2009. We reviewed 55 HIAs meeting the study's inclusion criteria to identify characteristics and appraise the quality of the reports. Results : Of the 55 HIAs, 31 were undertaken in Australia and 24 in New Zealand. The HIAs were undertaken on plans (31), projects (12), programs (6) and policies (6). Compared to Australia, a higher proportion of New Zealand HIAs were on policies and plans and were rapid assessments done voluntarily to support decision-making. In both countries, most HIAs were on land use planning proposals. Overall, 65% of HIA reports were judged to be adequate. Conclusion : This study is the first attempt to empirically investigate the nature of the broad range of HIAs done in Australia and New Zealand and has highlighted the emergence of HIA as a growing area of public health practice. It identifies areas where current practice could be improved and provides a baseline against which future HIA developments can be assessed. Implications: There is evidence that HIA is becoming a part of public health practice in Australia and New Zealand across a wide range of policies, plans and projects. The assessment of quality of reports allows the development of practical suggestions on ways current practice may be improved. The growth of HIA will depend on ongoing organisation and workforce development in both countries. PMID:24892152

Rickettsia australis and Queensland Tick Typhus: A Rickettsial Spotted Fever Group Infection in Australia.

PubMed

Stewart, Adam; Armstrong, Mark; Graves, Stephen; Hajkowicz, Krispin

2017-07-01

Rickettsia australis , the etiologic agent of Queensland tick typhus (QTT), is increasingly being recognized as a cause of community-acquired acute febrile illness in eastern Australia. Changing human population demographics, climate change, and increased understanding of expanding vector distribution indicate QTT is an emerging public health threat. This review summarizes the epidemiology, pathogenesis, clinical features, treatment principles, and future directions of this disease. Increased recognition of QTT will enable consideration of and prompt treatment of R. australis infection by clinicians in Australia.

The Implications of the Shift Toward Donation After Circulatory Death in Australia

PubMed Central

Reiling, Janske; Forrest, Elizabeth; Bridle, Kim R.; Britton, Laurence J.; Santrampurwala, Nishreen; Crawford, Darrell H.G.; Dejong, Cornelis H.C.; Fawcett, Jonathan

2017-01-01

Background In recent years, an increasing number of donor livers are being declined for transplantation in Australia. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of donation after cardiac death and other factors associated with organ quality on liver utilization rates in Australia. Methods Data on organ donors who donated at least 1 organ between 2005 and 2014 were obtained from the Australia and New Zealand organ donation registry. Temporal changes in donor characteristics were assessed and a logistical regression analysis was performed to evaluate their association with liver nonuse. Results The number of organ donors increased from 175 in 2005 to 344 in 2014, with overall 19% being donation after cardiac death donors (P < 0.001). The percentage of livers deemed unsuitable for transplantation increased from 24% in 2005 to 41% in 2014 (P < 0.001). Donation after cardiac death was identified as the most important risk factor for nonuse with an odds ratio of 25.88 (95% confidence interval, 18.84-35.56), P < 0.001) followed by donor age, obesity, and diabetes. Discussion This study shows that livers donated after circulatory death are an underused resource in Australia. Better use of these currently available organs would be a highly cost-effective way of reducing waiting list mortality in liver transplantation. PMID:29536027

Childbearing traditions of Indian women at home and abroad: An integrative literature review.

PubMed

Wells, Young-Oak; Dietsch, Elaine

2014-12-01

The percentage of overseas-born mothers giving birth in Australia has increased to 31.5% in 2012 and Indian women represent 10% (the highest proportion). It is important for midwives in Australia to be aware of the childbearing traditions of Indian women and how these influence Indian women birthing in Australia. To explore childbearing practices in India and Indian women's experience of giving birth abroad; and to discuss the relevant findings for midwives working with Indian women in Australia. An integrative literature review was employed. 32 items, including 18 original research articles were thematically reviewed to identify commonly occurring themes relating to Indian women's childbearing traditions. Five themes relating to traditional childbearing practices of women birthing in India were identified. These themes included diversity and disparity; social context of childbirth and marriage; diet based on Ayurveda; pollution theory and confinement; and finally, rituals and customs. Indian women giving birth abroad and by implication in Australia experience a transition to motherhood in a new culture. While adjusting to motherhood, they are also negotiating between their old and new cultural identities. To provide culturally safe care, it is essential that midwives reflect on their own culture while exploring what traditions are important for Indian women. Copyright © 2014 Australian College of Midwives. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Dugong dugon feeding in tropical Australian seagrass meadows: implications for conservation planning.

PubMed

Tol, Samantha J; Coles, Rob G; Congdon, Bradley C

2016-01-01

Dugongs (Dugong dugon) are listed as vulnerable to extinction due to rapid population reductions caused in part by loss of seagrass feeding meadows. Understanding dugong feeding behaviour in tropical Australia, where the majority of dugongs live, will assist conservation strategies. We examined whether feeding patterns in intertidal seagrass meadows in tropical north-eastern Australia were related to seagrass biomass, species composition and/or nitrogen content. The total biomass of each seagrass species removed by feeding dugongs was measured and compared to its relative availability. Nitrogen concentrations were also determined for each seagrass species present at the sites. Dugongs consumed seagrass species in proportion to their availability, with biomass being the primary determining factor. Species composition and/or nitrogen content influenced consumption to a lesser degree. Conservation plans focused on protecting high biomass intertidal seagrass meadows are likely to be most effective at ensuring the survival of dugong in tropical north-eastern Australia.

Asynchrony of wind and hydropower resources in Australia.

PubMed

Gunturu, Udaya Bhaskar; Hallgren, Willow

2017-08-18

Wind and hydropower together constitute nearly 80% of the renewable capacity in Australia and their resources are collocated. We show that wind and hydro generation capacity factors covary negatively at the interannual time scales. Thus, the technology diversity mitigates the variability of renewable power generation at the interannual scales. The asynchrony of wind and hydropower resources is explained by the differential impact of the two modes of the El Ni˜no Southern Oscillation - canonical and Modoki - on the wind and hydro resources. Also, the Modoki El Ni˜no and the Modoki La Ni˜na phases have greater impact. The seasonal impact patterns corroborate these results. As the proportion of wind power increases in Australia's energy mix, this negative covariation has implications for storage capacity of excess wind generation at short time scales and for generation system adequacy at the longer time scales.

Trends in hospitalised sport/leisure injuries in New South Wales, Australia--implications for the targetting of population-focussed preventive sports medicine efforts.

PubMed

Finch, Caroline F; Mitchell, Rebecca; Boufous, Soufiane

2011-01-01

Sport/leisure injuries are a population health issue in Australia. Over 2003-2004 to 2007-2008, the rate of sport/leisure injury NSW hospitalisations was 195.5/100,000 residents. Males and children/young people had consistently highest rates of hospitalisation. There was no significant decline in rates over this period and no change in the profiles of the types of sport/leisure injuries. The extent to which effective preventive programs have been developed and implemented needs to be determined as current programs do not seem to be impacting on hospitalisation rates. Medical/health promotion agencies and sports bodies need to jointly formulate and implement policies to reduce sport/leisure injuries. This is one of the most significant challenges facing sports medicine professionals today. Copyright © 2010 Sports Medicine Australia. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The source of naturally occurring arsenic in a coastal sand aquifer of eastern Australia.

PubMed

O'Shea, Bethany; Jankowski, Jerzy; Sammut, Jesmond

2007-07-01

The discovery of dissolved arsenic in a coastal aquifer used extensively for human consumption has led to widespread concern for its potential occurrence in other sandy coastal environments in eastern Australia. The development of an aquifer specific geomorphic model (herein) suggests that arsenic is regionally derived from erosion of arsenic-rich stibnite (Sb(2)S(3)) mineralisation present in the hinterland. Fluvial processes have transported the eroded material over time to deposit an aquifer lithology elevated in arsenic. Minor arsenic contribution to groundwater is derived from mineralised bedrock below the unconsolidated aquifer. An association with arsenic and pyrite has been observed in the aquifer in small discrete arsenian pyrite clusters rather than actual acid sulfate soil horizons. This association is likely to influence arsenic distribution in the aquifer, but is not the dominant control on arsenic occurrence. Arsenic association with marine clays is considered a function of their increased adsorptive capacity for arsenic and not solely on the influence of sea level inundation of the aquifer sediments during the Quaternary Period. These findings have implications for, but are not limited to, coastal aquifers. Rather, any aquifer containing sediments derived from mineralised provenances may be at risk of natural arsenic contamination. Groundwater resource surveys should thus incorporate a review of the aquifer source provenance when assessing the likely risk of natural arsenic occurrence in an aquifer.

Australian quad bike fatalities: what is the economic cost?

PubMed

Lower, Tony; Pollock, Kirrily; Herde, Emily

2013-04-01

To determine the economic costs associated with all quad bike-related fatalities in Australia, 2001 to 2010. A human capital approach to establish the economic costs of quad bike related fatalities to the Australian economy. The model included estimates on loss of earnings due to premature death and direct costs based on coronial records for ambulance, police, hospital, premature funeral, coronial and work safety authority investigation, and death compensation costs. All costs were calculated to 2010 dollars. The estimated total economic cost associated with quad bike fatalities over this period was $288.1 million, with an average cost for each fatality of $2.3 million. When assessing the average cost of incidents between age cohorts, those aged 25-34 years had the lowest number of fatalities but had the highest average cost ($4.2 million). Quad bike fatalities have a significant economic impact on Australian society that is increasing. Implications : Given the high cost to society, interventions to address quad bike fatalities have the potential to be highly cost-effective. Such interventions should focus on design approaches to improve the safety of quad bikes in terms of stability and protection in the event of a rollover. Additionally, relevant policy (e.g. no children under 16 years riding quads, no passengers) and intervention approaches (e.g. training and use of helmets) must also support the design modifications. © 2013 The Authors. ANZJPH © 2013 Public Health Association of Australia.

The concept of difference and the experience of China-educated nurses working in Australia: a symbolic interactionist exploration.

PubMed

Zhou, Yunxian; Windsor, Carol; Theobald, Karen; Coyer, Fiona

2011-11-01

The migration of registered nurses as a response to a global nurse shortage has seen a growth in research interest in this area. Much of the research focuses on differences in language and culture which are posed as the attributes of the immigrant nurse. In reporting on an analysis of data drawn from China-educated nurses working in the Australian health care system, this paper explores the social construction of difference and the related intersection of difference and racialisation. A symbolic interactionist approach informed 46 in-depth interviews with 28 China-educated nurses. The method of analysis was initial and focused coding and constant comparison of data. The focus of interpretation was on human action and interaction as contextual and thus structural factors were critical to the analysis. Two levels of meaning were depicted in this study: difference as "you are you and I am I" and difference as "incompetence". Negative meanings were ascribed to difference which in turn legitimised inequality and held the potential to perpetuate racism. We argue that it is problematic to conceptualise difference as individual attributes. Difference needs to be contextualised and thus explored as a complex and socially constructed concept that in its application has social and political implications for immigrant nurses in Australia and elsewhere. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Water Sources of Temperate Upland Swamps of Eastern Australia. Implications for Groundwater Management and Climate Change.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cowley, K.; Fryirs, K.; Chisari, R.; Hose, G. C.

2016-12-01

Temperate upland swamps in Eastern Australia are endangered ecological communities under State and National legislation. They occur in headwaters of low order streams on low relief plateaus, providing base flow to streams that contribute to Sydney's major drinking water supplies that support some 4.5 million people. The swamps are also subject to aquifer interference activities from long wall mining and groundwater extraction, and are threatened by a changing climate. It is therefore critical that we understand their water source, storage capacity and residence times. We collected seasonal water samples from perched swamp aquifers in two highland regions of Eastern Australia for analysis of hydrogen and oxygen isotopes and compared them with rainwater, surface water and deeper groundwater to determine whether the swamps were primarily rainwater or groundwater fed. 222Rn was used as an environmental tracer to calculate residence times and relative groundwater/surface water ratios. We found over 60% of the swamps were sensitive to evaporation which has implications for swamp health in a warmer climate. Over a third of water from the perched swamp aquifer is derived from deeper sandstone aquifers with residence times of between 1.2 and 15 days. This swamp-groundwater connectivity means that mining activities or large-scale groundwater extraction could interfere with a significant component of the swamps' water source, its water storage capacity and downstream contributions to Sydney's drinking water supplies.

Modelling the resource implications and budget impact of managing cow milk allergy in Australia.

PubMed

Guest, J F; Nagy, E

2009-02-01

To estimate the resource implications and budget impact of current clinical practice for managing cow milk allergy (CMA) in Australia, from the perspective of the publicly funded healthcare system. A decision model was constructed using published clinical outcomes and clinician-derived resource utilisation estimates. The model was used to estimate the expected 6-monthly levels of healthcare resource use and corresponding costs attributable to managing 6150 new CMA sufferers following referral to a specialist. The expected 6-monthly costs of managing 6150 newly-diagnosed infants with CMA following referral to a specialist was an estimated (Australian dollars, AU$) AU$6.5 million at 2006/07 prices. Clinical nutrition preparations were found to be the primary cost driver accounting for 62% of the total 6-monthly cost and clinician visits were the secondary cost driver accounting for up to a further 28% of the total 6-monthly cost. Sensitivity analysis showed there would be fewer visits to hospital-based paediatric gastroenterologists and paediatric immunologists/allergists if all newly-diagnosed patients were prescribed an amino acid formula (AAF) following referral to a specialist, instead of being managed according to current practice. CMA imposes a substantial burden on the publicly funded healthcare system in Australia. However, using an AAF as the initial treatment for CMA can potentially release limited hospital resources for alternative use within the paediatric healthcare system.

Don't fight the site: three geomorphic considerations in catchment-scale river rehabilitation planning.

PubMed

Brierley, Gary; Fryirs, Kirstie

2009-06-01

Three geomorphic considerations that underpin the design and implementation of realistic and strategic river conservation and rehabilitation programs that work with the nature are outlined. First, the importance of appreciating the inherent diversity of river forms and processes is discussed. Second, river dynamics are appraised, framing the contemporary behavioral regime of a reach in relation to system evolution to explain changes to river character and behavior over time. Third, the trajectory of a reach is framed in relation to downstream patterns of river types, analyzing landscape connectivity at the catchment scale to interpret geomorphic river recovery potential. The application of these principles is demonstrated using extensive catchment-scale analyses of geomorphic river responses to human disturbance in the Bega and Upper Hunter catchments in southeastern Australia. Differing implications for reach- and catchment-scale rehabilitation planning prompt the imperative that management practices work with nature rather than strive to 'fight the site.'

Schooling for Work: Gender Differentiation in Commercial Education in Victoria, Australia, 1935-1960.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Blackmore, Jill

Implicit in the human capital approach of 20th-century educational rhetoric in Australia was the belief that schools imparted vocationally useful cognitive skills beyond basic literacy and numeracy. These skills were believed to be transferable to the workplace and to increase the productivity of the individual to the benefit of society. For…

Training Guarantee: A Levy To Improve the Quality of Australian Workforce.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Navaratnam, K. K.

The Training Guarantee Act (TGA) passed by the Federal Parliament of Australia in 1990 establishes a training guarantee scheme. It requires employers to invest in high quality, employment-related training that will most benefit their businesses. The levy is having an impact on many facets of human resource development in Australia. In seeking to…

School Projects for Monitoring the State of the Marine Environment.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Benkendorff, Kirsten

Australia's marine environment hosts a high level of diverse endemic species along with some of the highest biodiversity in the world. Two-thirds of the population of Australia are living in coastal areas and can be considered a threat to marine life which is very vulnerable to human impacts. Although marine environments conserve high economic…

Fatal Infection with Murray Valley Encephalitis Virus Imported from Australia to Canada, 2011.

PubMed

Niven, Daniel J; Afra, Kevin; Iftinca, Mircea; Tellier, Raymond; Fonseca, Kevin; Kramer, Andreas; Safronetz, David; Holloway, Kimberly; Drebot, Michael; Johnson, Andrew S

2017-02-01

Murray Valley encephalitis virus (MVEV), a flavivirus belonging to the Japanese encephalitis serogroup, can cause severe clinical manifestations in humans. We report a fatal case of MVEV infection in a young woman who returned from Australia to Canada. The differential diagnosis for travel-associated encephalitis should include MVEV, particularly during outbreak years.

Talking up Country: Language, Natureculture and Interculture in Australian Environmental Education Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Whitehouse, Hilary

2011-01-01

Australia is an old continent with an immensely long history of human settlement. The argument made in this paper is that Australia is, and has always been, a "natureculture". Just as English was introduced as the dominant language of education with European colonisation, so arrived an ontological premise that linguistically divides a…

Haycocknema perplexum: an emerging cause of parasitic myositis in Australia.

PubMed

Vos, Luke J; Robertson, Thomas; Binotto, Enzo

2016-12-24

Haycocknema perplexum is a rare cause of parasitic myositis, with all cases of human infection reported from Australia. This case involved an 80-year-old Queensland wildlife carer, who presented with muscle weakness, mild eosinophilia and creatine kinase elevation. This case supports an association with native animal contact and highlights the debilitating nature of this infection.

The Role of Libraries in eHealth Service Delivery in Australia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rao, Sarada

2009-01-01

eHealth is an emerging service sector which has great potential to improve health care delivery to rural and remote communities, facilitate health surveillance, and promote health education and research. Despite the critical need for eHealth services in Australia based on the challenges of distance and human resources, its utility has yet to be…

Salmonellosis Outbreak Traced to Playground Sand, Australia, 2007–2009

PubMed Central

Musto, Jennie; Hogg, Geoff; Janssen, Monika; Rose, Karrie

2012-01-01

A community outbreak of gastroenteritis in Australia during 2007–2009 was caused by ingestion of playground sand contaminated with Salmonella enterica Paratyphi B, variant Java. The bacterium was also isolated from local wildlife. Findings support consideration of nonfood sources during salmonellosis outbreak investigations and indicate transmission through the animal–human interface. PMID:22709539

Arboviruses associated with human disease in Australia.

PubMed

Russell, R C; Dwyer, D E

2000-11-01

Mosquito-borne arboviruses are an important public health issue in Australia. The alphaviruses Ross River and Barmah Forest virus are widespread and active annually, and cause debilitating polyarthritis. The flaviviruses Murray Valley encephalitis, Kunjin and Japanese encephalitis virus are restricted in distribution and activity but may cause life-threatening illness, and dengue viruses are active in some areas.

The Life Story Experience of "Migrant Dentists" in Australia: Potential Implications for Health Workforce Governance and International Cooperation

PubMed Central

Balasubramanian, Madhan; Spencer, A. John; Short, Stephanie D.; Watkins, Keith; Chrisopoulos, Sergio; Brennan, David S.

2017-01-01

Background: The migration of dentists is a major policy challenge facing both developing and developed countries. Dentists from over 120 countries migrate to Australia, and a large proportion are from developing countries. The aim of the study was to assess the life story experience (LSE) of migrant dentists in Australia, in order to address key policy challenges facing dentist migration. Methods: A national survey of all migrant dentists resident in Australia was conducted in 2013. Migrant experiences were assessed through a suite of LSE scales, developed through a qualitative-quantitative study. Respondents rated experiences using a five-point Likert scale. Results: A total of 1022 migrant dentists responded to the survey (response rate = 54.5%). LSE1 (health system and general lifestyle concerns in home country), LSE2 (appreciation towards Australian way of life) and LSE3 (settlement concerns in Australia) scales varied by migrant dentist groups, sex, and years since arrival to Australia (chi-square, P < .05). In a logistic regression model, migrants mainly from developing countries (ie, the examination pathway group) faced greater health system and general lifestyle concerns in their home countries (9.32; 3.51-24.72) and greater settlement challenges in Australia (5.39; 3.51-8.28), compared to migrants from well-developed countries, who obtained direct recognition of qualifications. Migrants also are more appreciative towards the Australian way of life if they had lived at least ten years in Australia (1.97; 1.27-3.05), compared to migrants who have lived for less than ten years. Conclusion: Migrant dentists, mainly from developing countries, face challenges both in their home countries and in Australia. Our study offers evidence for multi-level health workforce governance and calls for greater consensus towards an international agenda to address dentist migration. Better integration of dentist migration with the mainstream health workforce governance is a viable and opportunistic way forward. PMID:28812824

Job Satisfaction Among Academic Staff: An International Perspective.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lacy, Fiona J.; Sheehan, Barry A.

1997-01-01

A study examined aspects of college faculty's satisfaction with their jobs across eight nations (Australia, Germany, Hong Kong, Israel, Mexico, Sweden, United Kingdom, United States) and the implications for governance and administration. Results indicate that factors related to work environment (university atmosphere, morale, sense of community,…

The experience of collective trauma in Australian Indigenous communities.

PubMed

Krieg, Anthea

2009-08-01

The concept of collective trauma has predominantly been applied in the context of natural and human disasters. This paper seeks to explore whether collective trauma offers a respectful way in which to explore and respond to mental health and wellbeing issues for Aboriginal families and communities. A review of the international literature was undertaken in order to determine the elements of collective and mass trauma studies which may have relevance for Indigenous communities in Australia. Findings support the proposition that the patterns of human responses to disasters, particularly in protracted traumas such as war-zones, shows strong parallels to the contemporary patterns of experience and responses articulated by Aboriginal people affected by colonization and its sequelae in Australia. Adopting evidence-informed principles of family and community healing developed internationally in disaster situations may provide helpful ways of conceptualizing and responding in a coordinated way to mental health and wellbeing issues for Indigenous people within Australia.

Human milk banking in the volunteer sector: policy development and actuality in 1970s Australia.

PubMed

Thorley, Virginia

2012-04-01

to describe the development of rigorous milk banking policies in the voluntary sector in Australia, 1975-1979, by the non-government organisation, the Nursing Mothers' Association of Australia (now the Australian Breastfeeding Association), and the eventual abandonment of milk banking by the organisation. historical article. Australia in the years 1975-1979. during the period in which the policy development described here took place, conducting a milk bank to the rigorous standards set by the organisation required too heavy an investment of hours by unpaid volunteer coordinators to be sustainable. in establishing and continuing a successful milk bank, models which depend less on volunteer hours may be more sustainable. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Anthropometry for design for the elderly.

PubMed

Kothiyal, K; Tettey, S

2001-01-01

This paper presents anthropometric data on elderly people in Australia. Data were collected in the metropolitan city of Sydney, NSW, Australia. In all 171 elderly people (males and females, aged 65 years and above) took part in the study. Mean values, standard deviations, medians, range, and coefficients of variation for the various body dimensions were estimated. Correlation coefficients were also calculated to determine the relationship between different body dimensions for the elderly population. The mean stature of elderly Australian males and females were compared with populations from other countries. The paper discusses design implications for elderly people and provides several examples of application of the anthropometric data.

Acculturative stressor and meaning of life as predictors of negative affect in acculturation: a cross-cultural comparative study between Chinese international students in Australia and Hong Kong.

PubMed

Pan, Jia-Yan; Wong, Daniel Fu Keung; Joubert, Lynette; Chan, Cecilia Lai Wan

2007-09-01

The purpose of the present study was to compare the predictive effects of acculturative stressor and meaning of life on negative affect in the process of acculturation between Chinese international students in Australia and Hong Kong. Four hundred mainland Chinese students studying at six universities in Hong Kong and 227 Chinese international students studying at the University of Melbourne in Australia completed a questionnaire that included measures of acculturative stressor, meaning of life, negative affect and demographic information. The Australian sample was found to have a higher level of acculturative stressor and negative affect than the Hong Kong sample. Acculturative stressor had a positive impact on negative affect in both samples, but the impact of different domains of acculturative stressor on negative affect varied between the two groups. Finally, meaning of life partially mediated the relationship between acculturative stressor and negative affect in the Hong Kong sample, but no such effect was found in the Australia sample. Acculturative stressor is a critical risk factor for negative affect in acculturation for Chinese international students in Australia and Hong Kong. Meaning of life acted as a protective factor that mitigated negative affect for mainland Chinese students in Hong Kong, but not for the Chinese international students in Australia. The theoretical and practical implications for resilience-based and meaning-oriented intervention for Chinese international students are discussed.

The Australian Paradox: A Substantial Decline in Sugars Intake over the Same Timeframe that Overweight and Obesity Have Increased

PubMed Central

Barclay, Alan W.; Brand-Miller, Jennie

2011-01-01

Ecological research from the USA has demonstrated a positive relationship between sugars consumption and prevalence of obesity; however, the relationship in other nations is not well described. The aim of this study was to analyze the trends in obesity and sugar consumption in Australia over the past 30 years and to compare and contrast obesity trends and sugar consumption patterns in Australia with the UK and USA. Data on consumption of sugar in Australia, the UK and USA were obtained from the Food and Agriculture Organization for the years 1980-2003. The prevalence of obesity has increased 3 fold in Australians since 1980. In Australia, the UK and USA, per capita consumption of refined sucrose decreased by 23%, 10% and 20% respectively from 1980 to 2003. When all sources of nutritive sweeteners, including high fructose corn syrups, were considered, per capita consumption decreased in Australia (−16%) and the UK (−5%), but increased in the USA (+23%). In Australia, there was a reduction in sales of nutritively sweetened beverages by 64 million liters from 2002 to 2006 and a reduction in percentage of children consuming sugar-sweetened beverages between 1995 and 2007. The findings confirm an “Australian Paradox”-a substantial decline in refined sugars intake over the same timeframe that obesity has increased. The implication is that efforts to reduce sugar intake may reduce consumption but may not reduce the prevalence of obesity. PMID:22254107

Job satisfaction among 'migrant dentists' in Australia: implications for dentist migration and workforce policy.

PubMed

Balasubramanian, M; Spencer, A J; Short, S D; Watkins, K; Chrisopoulos, S; Brennan, D S

2016-06-01

Migrants occupy a significant proportion of the dental workforce in Australia. The objectives of this study were to assess the level of job satisfaction of employed migrant dentists in Australia, and to examine the association between various migrant dentist characteristics and job satisfaction. All migrant dentists resident in Australia were surveyed using a five-point Likert scale that measured specific aspects of job, career and satisfaction with area and type of practice. A total of 1022 migrant dentists responded to this study; 974 (95.4%) were employed. Responses for all scales were skewed towards strongly agree (scores ≥4). The overall scale varied by age group, marital status, years since arrival to Australia and specialist qualification (chi-square, p < 0.05). In a multivariate logistic regression model, there was a trend towards greater satisfaction amongst older age groups. Dentists who migrated through the examination pathway (mainly from low- and middle-income countries) had a lower probability of being satisfied with the area and type of practice (OR = 0.71; 0.51-0.98), compared with direct-entry migrant dentists (from high-income countries). The high level of job satisfaction of migrant dentists reflects well on their work-related experiences in Australia. The study offers policy suggestions towards support for younger dentists and examination pathway migrants, so they have appropriate skills and standards to fit the Australian health care environment. © 2016 Australian Dental Association.

Cultural innovation and megafauna interaction in the early settlement of arid Australia.

PubMed

Hamm, Giles; Mitchell, Peter; Arnold, Lee J; Prideaux, Gavin J; Questiaux, Daniele; Spooner, Nigel A; Levchenko, Vladimir A; Foley, Elizabeth C; Worthy, Trevor H; Stephenson, Birgitta; Coulthard, Vincent; Coulthard, Clifford; Wilton, Sophia; Johnston, Duncan

2016-11-10

Elucidating the material culture of early people in arid Australia and the nature of their environmental interactions is essential for understanding the adaptability of populations and the potential causes of megafaunal extinctions 50-40 thousand years ago (ka). Humans colonized the continent by 50 ka, but an apparent lack of cultural innovations compared to people in Europe and Africa has been deemed a barrier to early settlement in the extensive arid zone. Here we present evidence from Warratyi rock shelter in the southern interior that shows that humans occupied arid Australia by around 49 ka, 10 thousand years (kyr) earlier than previously reported. The site preserves the only reliably dated, stratified evidence of extinct Australian megafauna, including the giant marsupial Diprotodon optatum, alongside artefacts more than 46 kyr old. We also report on the earliest-known use of ochre in Australia and Southeast Asia (at or before 49-46 ka), gypsum pigment (40-33 ka), bone tools (40-38 ka), hafted tools (38-35 ka), and backed artefacts (30-24 ka), each up to 10 kyr older than any other known occurrence. Thus, our evidence shows that people not only settled in the arid interior within a few millennia of entering the continent, but also developed key technologies much earlier than previously recorded for Australia and Southeast Asia.

Dogma disputed: potential endemic heterosexual transmission of human immunodeficiency virus in Australia.

PubMed

Chapman, S

1992-06-01

The concept of tertiary sexual transmission of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) has been central to government efforts to communicate notions of risk to heterosexuals in Australia. Data on heterosexually transmitted acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) and HIV for Australia are reviewed with emphasis given to the probability of misclassification bias in the heterosexually acquired and 'other/undetermined' categories. Tertiary cases are almost certainly rare in Australia, with little evidence of any increase in their incidence since the first cases were recorded. Three factors (low probability of exposure, the infectivity of HIV and a comparatively low rate of sexual partner change) make it improbable that Australian heterosexuals with no risk factors will experience endemic HIV infection, with a caveat to this conclusion lying in the potential of Australian sex tourism to Southeast Asia for introducing HIV into the Australian heterosexual population. Four hegemonic factors which have acted to suppress any serious debate of the notion that HIV in Australia is unlikely to become endemic among heterosexuals are discussed: the political 'democratization' of risk inspired by concerns that gay men should not be further vilified as a victim group; the preventive imperative; a reluctance among health educators to question the very foundations of the message they are employed to deliver; and a reluctance to curtail 'Trojan horse' benefits to sexually transmissible disease prevention engendered by HIV education promoting safe sex messages.

Early experience with human papillomavirus vaccine introduction in the United States, Canada and Australia.

PubMed

Shefer, Abigail; Markowitz, Lauri; Deeks, Shelley; Tam, Theresa; Irwin, Kathleen; Garland, Suzanne M; Schuchat, Anne

2008-08-19

Successful incorporation of a new vaccine into a nation's vaccination program requires addressing a number of issues, including: 1) establishing national recommendations; 2) assuring education of and acceptance by the public and medical community; 3) establishing and maintaining an appropriate infrastructure for vaccine delivery; 4) financing the vaccine and the program, in addition to political will. This article reviews the early experience with implementation of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination programs. It focuses on the United States of America and Canada and provides a brief report on Australia, where introduction is underway.

Climate change: a brief overview of the science and health impacts for Australia.

PubMed

Hanna, Elizabeth G; McIver, Lachlan J

2018-04-16

The scientific relationship between atmospheric CO2 and global temperatures has been understood for over a century. Atmospheric concentrations of CO2 due to burning of fossil fuels have contributed to 75% of the observed 1°C rise in global temperatures since the start of the industrial era (about 1750). Global warming is associated with intensifying climatic extremes and disruption to human society and human health. Mitigation is vital for human health as continued current emission rates are likely to lead to 4°C of warming by 2100. Further escalation of Australia's hot and erratic climate will lead to more extreme climate-related disasters of heatwaves, droughts, fires and storms, as well as shifts in disease burdens.

Education and Technological Change.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Skertchly, A. R. B.

1980-01-01

Provides an overview of the social malaises present in Australia and the world, examines the technologies of concern to education, and looks at the educational implications of coping with the new technologies in the hard sciences and in the social sciences. Available from "Unicorn," Australian College of Education, 916 Swanston Street,…

The Issue of Research Graduate Employability in Australia: An Analysis of the Policy Framing (1999-2013)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Molla, Tebeje; Cuthbert, Denise

2015-01-01

The prevalent knowledge economy discourse has direct implications for higher education policies and practices. It is expected that the higher education sector supports national economic competitiveness mainly through promoting scientific research, supporting technological transfer and innovation, and producing "knowledge workers" such as…

Inclusive Education Reform in Queensland: Implications for Policy and Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bourke, Patricia E.

2010-01-01

In Queensland, Australia, the school system is being reformed to be more "inclusive". However, the enthusiasm for "inclusive education" in Queensland seems to be waning amongst practitioners, and the "confusion, frustration, guilt and exhaustion" that has emerged with teachers and support practitioners in the UK is…

Commencing Student Experience: New Insights and Implications for Action

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grebennikov, Leonid; Shah, Mahsood

2012-01-01

In many developed countries, including Australia, it is common practice to regularly survey university students in order to assess their experience inside and beyond the classroom. Governments conduct nationwide surveys to assess the quality of student experience, benchmark outcomes nationally and in some cases reward better performing…

Characteristics of Those Persons with Mental Retardation Registered with the Mental Retardation Division.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cocks, Errol; Ng, Pin Chee

1983-01-01

The paper discusses an analysis of a computerized data bank on the mentally retarded population in Victoria, Australia. Prevalence rates, severity of handicap, age, sex, and residence type are reviewed and implications for community vocational and residential services for adults are noted. (CL)

Education Policies: Potential Impacts and Implications in Australia and Beyond

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jones, Tiffany

2016-01-01

Australian education is delivered through government and independent systems. This article discusses how education policies on gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, intersex, and queer students in these different sectors have affected school climates. It describes how previously published policy analysis and survey data on Australian gay, lesbian,…

University Mission and Identity for a Post Post-Public Era

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marginson, Simon

2007-01-01

The paper reflects on the implications of two influential albeit contrary movements affecting research universities in Australia (and many other nations): global rankings, which normalize the comprehensive science-based research university; and the policy emphasis on diversification. It critiques the global rankings developed by the "Times…

Tensions and Dilemmas in Leading Australia's Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gurr, David; Drysdale, Lawrie

2012-01-01

In this article we address several tensions and dilemmas that are impacting on Australian principals and other school leaders. The first section explores areas associated with improving teaching and learning and includes discussion of education trends, the construction of new learning environments and the implication of these for more…

Strategic Renewal and Development Implications of Organisational Effectiveness Research in Higher Education in Australia.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lysons, Art

1999-01-01

Suggests that organizational effectiveness research has made considerable progress in empirically deriving a systematic framework of theoretical and practical utility in Australian higher education. Offers a taxonomy based on the competing values framework and discusses use of inter-organizational comparisons and profiles for diagnosis in…

VET Leadership for the Future -- Characteristics, Contexts and Capabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Coates, Hamish; Meek, Lynn; Brown, Justin; Friedman, Tim; Noonan, Peter; Mitchell, John

2013-01-01

This paper examines leadership in Australia's vocational education and training (VET) sector. VET leaders make a vital and growing contribution to learners, industry and society, yet research on their work is limited. This has direct implications for ensuring leadership is most effective, and for framing evidence-based capacity development. The…

Increasing the Effectiveness of Education for Students with Tourette Syndrome.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wilson, Jeni; Shrimpton, Bradley

This paper examines the educational implications for students with Tourette syndrome (TS) and outlines a multi-dimensional approach for improving their education. It presents data from two qualitative studies in Australia. TS is a debilitating neurological disorder that causes involuntary vocal and motor tics. The first study investigated the…

Research Practices, Evaluation and Infrastructure in the Digital Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Houghton, John W.

2004-01-01

This paper examines changing research practices in the digital environment and draws out implications for research evaluation and the development of research infrastructure. Reviews of the literature, quantitative indicators of research activities and our own field research in Australia suggest that a new mode of knowledge production is emerging,…

Distance Education and Open Learning--Implications for Professional Development and Retraining.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scriven, Bruce

1991-01-01

Discusses the increasing need for professional development and retraining in Australia, especially for inservice teacher education, and describes new methods that may be more effective than traditional methods. Highlights include open learning; the modularization of courses and programs; the adaptation of instructional materials; and distance…

Changing Research Practices and Research Infrastructure Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Houghton, John W.

2005-01-01

This paper examines changing research practices in the digital environment and draws out implications for the development of research infrastructure. Reviews of the literature, quantitative indicators of research activities and our own field research in Australia suggest that there is a new mode of knowledge production emerging, changing research…

Young People, Culture, and Spirituality: Some Implications for Ministry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Engebretson, Kathleen

2003-01-01

This article brings together some of the literature and research on young people and spirituality from Australia and elsewhere. Using Harris's (1998:109) seven-component approach to defining spirituality, the literature and research about young people and spirituality are grouped and described as such: personal\\communal; concerned with justice and…

Grades of Severity and the Validation of an Atopic Dermatitis Assessment Measure (ADAM).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Charman, Denise P.; Varigos, George A.

1999-01-01

Studied the validity of the Atopic Dermatitis Assessment Measure (D. Charman and others, 1999) with 171 pediatric patients in Australia using partial credit analyses to produce clinically relevant "word pictures" of grades of severity for atopic dermatitis. Discusses implications for measurement in medicine. (SLD)

Localization/Globalization and the Midwife State: Strategic Dilemmas for State Feminism in Education?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Blackmore, Jill

1999-01-01

Explores implications of the globalization/localization process for state feminism, focusing on Australia. Localization is one response to globalization, exemplified by devolution to self-managing schools. However, global/local relations have gendered effects that resonate cross-nationally. Problems will emerge as the state withdraws from its…

APPRENTICESHIP--A THEORETICAL MODEL.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

DUFTY, NORMAN F.

AN INQUIRY INTO RECRUITMENT OF APPRENTICES TO SKILLED TRADES IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA INDICATED LITTLE CORRELATION BETWEEN THE NUMBER OF NEW APPRENTICES AND THE LEVEL OF INDUSTRIAL EMPLOYMENT OR THE TOTAL NUMBER OF APPRENTICES. THIS ARTICLE ATTEMPTS TO OUTLINE A MATHEMATICAL MODEL OF AN APPRENTICESHIP SYSTEM AND DISCUSS ITS IMPLICATIONS. THE MODEL, A…

Factors Implicated in High Mathematics Achievement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Forgasz, Helen J.; Hill, Janelle C.

2013-01-01

The most recent Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) (2009) mathematical literacy results provide evidence that in Western English-speaking countries, including Australia, the gender gap in achievement appears to be widening in favour of males. In the study reported in this article, the aim was to explore the effects of gender,…

Microdiversity of Echinococcus granulosus sensu stricto in Australia.

PubMed

Alvarez Rojas, C A; Ebi, D; Gauci, C G; Scheerlinck, J P; Wassermann, M; Jenkins, D J; Lightowlers, M W; Romig, T

2016-07-01

Echinococcus granulosus (sensu lato) is now recognized as an assemblage of cryptic species, which differ considerably in morphology, development, host specificity (including infectivity/pathogenicity for humans) and other aspects. One of these species, E. granulosus sensu stricto (s.s.), is now clearly identified as the principal agent causing cystic echinococcosis in humans. Previous studies of a small section of the cox1 and nadh1 genes identified two variants of E. granulosus s.s. to be present in Australia; however, no further work has been carried out to characterize the microdiversity of the parasite in its territory. We have analysed the sequence of the full length of the cox1 gene (1609 bp) from 37 isolates of E. granulosus from different hosts and geographic regions of Australia. The analysis shows that seven haplotypes of E. granulosus s.s. not previously described were found, together with five haplotypes known to be present in other parts of the world, including the haplotype EG01 which is widespread and present in all endemic regions. These data extend knowledge related to the geographical spread and host range of E. granulosus s.s. in a country such as Australia in which the parasite established around 200 years ago.

Multi-temporal clustering of continental floods and associated atmospheric circulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Jianyu; Zhang, Yongqiang

2017-12-01

Investigating clustering of floods has important social, economic and ecological implications. This study examines the clustering of Australian floods at different temporal scales and its possible physical mechanisms. Flood series with different severities are obtained by peaks-over-threshold (POT) sampling in four flood thresholds. At intra-annual scale, Cox regression and monthly frequency methods are used to examine whether and when the flood clustering exists, respectively. At inter-annual scale, dispersion indices with four-time variation windows are applied to investigate the inter-annual flood clustering and its variation. Furthermore, the Kernel occurrence rate estimate and bootstrap resampling methods are used to identify flood-rich/flood-poor periods. Finally, seasonal variation of horizontal wind at 850 hPa and vertical wind velocity at 500 hPa are used to investigate the possible mechanisms causing the temporal flood clustering. Our results show that: (1) flood occurrences exhibit clustering at intra-annual scale, which are regulated by climate indices representing the impacts of the Pacific and Indian Oceans; (2) the flood-rich months occur from January to March over northern Australia, and from July to September over southwestern and southeastern Australia; (3) stronger inter-annual clustering takes place across southern Australia than northern Australia; and (4) Australian floods are characterised by regional flood-rich and flood-poor periods, with 1987-1992 identified as the flood-rich period across southern Australia, but the flood-poor period across northern Australia, and 2001-2006 being the flood-poor period across most regions of Australia. The intra-annual and inter-annual clustering and temporal variation of flood occurrences are in accordance with the variation of atmospheric circulation. These results provide relevant information for flood management under the influence of climate variability, and, therefore, are helpful for developing flood hazard mitigation schemes.

Regulating stem-cell research and human cloning in an Australian context: an exercise in protecting the status of the human subject.

PubMed

Harvey, Olivia

2005-01-01

Over 12 months prior to the recent United Nations decision to defer a decision about what type of international treaty should be developed in the global stem-cell research and human cloning debate, the Federal Parliament of Australia passed two separate pieces of legislation relating to both these concerns. After a five-year long process of community consultation, media spectacle and parliamentary debate, reproductive cloning has been banned in Australia and only embryos considered to be excess to assisted reproductive technologies in existence on the 5th of April 2002 are currently valid research material. This paper argues that underpinning both pieces of legislation is a profound belief in the disruptive potential of all types of human cloning for the very nature and integrity of human species being. A belief, moreover, that is based on a presumption that it is apparently possible to conceptualise what being human even means for all Australians.

Patient access to medicines in two countries with similar health systems and differing medicines policies: Implications from a comprehensive literature review.

PubMed

Babar, Zaheer-Ud-Din; Gammie, Todd; Seyfoddin, Ali; Hasan, Syed Shahzad; Curley, Louise E

2018-04-13

Countries with similar health systems but different medicines policies might result in substantial medicines usage differences and resultant outcomes. The literature is sparse in this area. To review pharmaceutical policy research in New Zealand and Australia and discuss differences between the two countries and the impact these differences may have on subsequent medicine access. A review of the literature (2008-2016) was performed to identify relevant, peer-reviewed articles. Systematic searches were conducted across the six databases MEDLINE, PubMed, Science Direct, Springer Links, Scopus and Google Scholar. A further search of journals of high relevance was also conducted. Using content analysis, a narrative synthesis of pharmaceutical policy research influencing access to medicines in Australia and New Zealand was conducted. The results were critically assessed in the context of policy material available via grey literature from the respective countries. Key elements regarding pharmaceutical policy were identified from the 35 research papers identified for this review. Through a content analysis, three broad categories of pharmaceutical policy were found, which potentially could influence patient access to medicines in each country; the national health system, pricing and reimbursement. Within these three categories, 9 subcategories were identified: national health policy, pharmacy system, marketing authorization and regulation, prescription to non-prescription medicine switch, orphan drug policies, generic medicine substitution, national pharmaceutical schedule and health technology assessment, patient co-payment and managed entry agreements. This review systematically evaluated the current literature and identified key areas of difference in policy between Australia and NZ. Australia appears to cover and reimburse a greater number of medicines, while New Zealand achieves much lower prices for medicines than their Australian counterparts and has been more successful in controlling national pharmaceutical expenditure. Delays in patient access to new therapies in New Zealand have considerable implications for overall patient access to medicines; however, higher patient co-payments and relative pharmaceutical expenditure in Australia and its effect upon patient access to medicines must also be considered. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Reflecting on ethical and legal issues in wildlife disease.

PubMed

McCallum, Hamish; Hocking, Barbara Ann

2005-08-01

Disease in wildlife raises a number of issues that have not been widely considered in the bioethical literature. However, wildlife disease has major implications for human welfare. The majority of emerging human infectious diseases are zoonotic: this is, they occur in humans by cross-species transmissions from animal hosts. Managing these diseases often involves balancing concerns with human health against animal welfare and conservation concerns. Many infectious diseases of domestic animals are shared with wild animals, although it is often unclear whether the infection spills over from wild animals to domestic animals or vice versa. Culling is the standard means of managing such diseases, bringing economic considerations, animal welfare and conservation into conflict. Infectious diseases are also major threatening processes in conservation biology and their appropriate management by culling, vaccination or treatment raises substantial animal ethics issues. One particular issue of great significance in Australia is an ongoing research program to develop genetically modified pathogens to control vertebrate pests including rabbits, foxes and house mice. Release of any self-replicating GMO vertebrate pathogen gives rise to a whole series of ethical questions. We briefly review current Australian legal responses to these problems. Finally, we present two unresolved problems of general importance that are exemplified by wildlife disease. First, to what extent can or should 'bioethics' be broadened beyond direct concerns with human welfare to animal welfare and environmental welfare? Second, how should the irreducible uncertainty of ecological systems be accounted for in ethical decision making?

Data linkage capabilities in Australia: practical issues identified by a Population Health Research Network 'Proof of Concept project'.

PubMed

Mitchell, Rebecca J; Cameron, Cate M; McClure, Rod J; Williamson, Ann M

2015-08-01

To describe the practical issues that need to be overcome to conduct national data linkage projects in Australia and propose recommendations to improve efficiency. Review of the processes, documentation and applications required to conduct national data linkage in Australia. The establishment of state and national data linkage centres in Australia has placed Australia at the forefront of research linking health-related administrative data collections. However, improvements are needed to reduce the clerical burden on researchers, simplify the process of obtaining ethics approval, improve data accessibility, and thus improve the efficiency of data linkage research. While a sound state and national data linkage infrastructure is in place, the current complexity, duplication and lack of cohesion undermines any attempts to conduct research involving national record linkage in a timely manner. Data linkage applications and Human Research Ethics Committee approval processes need to be streamlined and duplication removed, in order to reduce the administrative and financial burden on researchers if national data linkage research is to be viable. © 2015 Public Health Association of Australia.

Heterogeneity of Human Research Ethics Committees and Research Governance Offices across Australia: An observational study.

PubMed

De Smit, Elisabeth; Kearns, Lisa S; Clarke, Linda; Dick, Jonathan; Hill, Catherine L; Hewitt, Alex W

2016-01-01

Conducting ethically grounded research is a fundamental facet of all investigations. Nevertheless, the administrative burdens of current ethics review are substantial, and calls have been made for a reduction in research waste. To describe the heterogeneity in administration and documentation required by Human Research Ethics Committees (HRECs) and Research Governance Offices (RGOs) across Australia. In establishing a nationwide study to investigate the molecular aetiology of Giant Cell Arteritis (GCA), for which archived pathological specimens from around Australia are being recruited, we identified variation across separate HREC and RGO requirements. Submission paperwork and correspondence from each collaborating site and its representative office for research were reviewed. This data was interrogated to evaluate differences in current guidelines. Twenty-five pathology departments across seven Australian States collaborated in this study. All states, except Victoria, employed a single ethics review model. There was discrepancy amongst HRECs as to which application process applied to our study: seven requested completion of a "National Ethics Application Form" and three a "Low Negligible Risk" form. Noticeable differences in guidelines included whether electronic submission was sufficient. There was variability in the total number of documents submitted (range five to 22) and panel review turnaround time (range nine to 136 days). We demonstrate the challenges and illustrate the heavy workload involved in receiving widespread ethics and governance approval across Australia. We highlight the need to simplify, homogenise, and nationalise human ethics for non-clinical trial studies. Reducing unnecessary administration will enable investigators to achieve research aims more efficiently.

Dynamic spatiotemporal trends of imported dengue fever in Australia

PubMed Central

Huang, Xiaodong; Yakob, Laith; Devine, Gregor; Frentiu, Francesca D.; Fu, Shiu-Yun; Hu, Wenbiao

2016-01-01

Dengue fever (DF) epidemics in Australia are caused by infected international travellers and confined to Northern Queensland where competent vectors exist. Recent analyses suggest that global trade and climate change could lead to the re-establishment of Ae. aegypti across the country and promote the spread of dengue nationally. This study aimed to describe the dynamic spatiotemporal trends of imported DF cases and their origins, identify the current and potential future high-risk regions and locate areas that might be at particular risk of dengue transmission should competent mosquito vectors expand their range. Our results showed that the geographical distribution of imported DF cases has significantly expanded in mainland Australia over the past decade. In recent years, the geographical distribution of source countries of DF has expanded from the Pacific region and Asia to include Africa and the Americas. Australia is now exposed to dengue importations from all of the regions involved in the current global pandemic. The public health implications of a range expansion of dengue mosquito vectors are severe. Enhanced mosquito surveillance in those areas that have high imported cases is called for to reduce emerging threats from this globally expanding pathogen. PMID:27460696

Reported waterborne outbreaks of gastrointestinal disease in Australia are predominantly associated with recreational exposure.

PubMed

Dale, Katie; Kirk, Martyn; Sinclair, Martha; Hall, Robert; Leder, Karin

2010-10-01

To examine the frequency and circumstances of reported waterborne outbreaks of gastroenteritis in Australia. Examination of data reported to OzFoodNet between 2001 and 2007. During these seven years, 6,515 gastroenteritis outbreaks were reported to OzFoodNet, most of which were classified as being transmitted person-to-person or from an unknown source. Fifty-four (0.83%) outbreaks were classified as either 'waterborne' or 'suspected waterborne', of which 78% (42/54) were attributed to recreational water and 19% (10/54) to drinking water. Of the drinking water outbreaks, implicated pathogens were found on all but one occasion and included Salmonella sp. (five outbreaks), Campylobacter jejuni (three outbreaks) and Giardia (one outbreak). There have been few waterborne outbreaks detected in Australia, and most of those reported have been associated with recreational exposure. However, there are difficulties in identifying and categorising gastroenteritis outbreaks, as well as in obtaining microbiological and epidemiological evidence, which can result in misclassification or underestimation of water-associated events. Gastroenteritis surveillance data show that, among reported water-associated gastroenteritis outbreaks in Australia, recreational exposure is currently more common than a drinking water source. However, ongoing surveillance for waterborne outbreaks is important, especially as drought conditions may necessitate replacement of conventional drinking water supplies with alternative water sources, which could incur potential for new health risks. © 2010 The Authors. Journal Compilation © 2010 Public Health Association of Australia.

Retinal photography screening programs to prevent vision loss from diabetic retinopathy in rural and urban Australia: a review.

PubMed

Tapp, Robyn J; Svoboda, Jean; Fredericks, Bronwyn; Jackson, A Jonathan; Taylor, Hugh R

2015-02-01

This review assessed the effectiveness of diabetic retinopathy (DR) screening programs, using retinal photography in Australian urban and rural settings, and considered implications for public health strategy and policy. An electronic search of MEDLINE, PubMed, and Embase for studies published between 1 January 1996 and the 30 June 2013 was undertaken. Key search terms were "diabetic retinopathy," "screening," "retinal photography" and "Australia." Twelve peer-reviewed publications were identified. The 14 DR screening programs identified from the 12 publications were successfully undertaken in urban, rural and remote communities across Australia. Locations included a pathology collection center, and Indigenous primary health care and Aboriginal community controlled organizations. Each intervention using retinal photography was highly effective at increasing the number of people who underwent screening for DR. The review identified that prior to commencement of the screening programs a median of 48% (range 16-85%) of those screened had not undergone a retinal examination within the recommended time frame (every year for Indigenous people and every 2 years for non-Indigenous people in Australia). A median of 16% (range 0-45%) of study participants had evidence of DR. This review has shown there have been many pilot and demonstration projects in rural and urban Australia that confirm the effectiveness of retinal photography-based screening for DR.

Nurses' experiences of practice and political reform in long-term aged care in Australia: implications for the retention of nursing personnel.

PubMed

Venturato, Lorraine; Kellett, Ursula; Windsor, Carol

2007-01-01

The aim of the study was to explore registered nurses' experiences in long-term aged care in light of the political reform of aged care services in Australia. In Australia, the aged care industry has undergone a lengthy period of political and structural reform. Despite reviews into various aspects of these reforms, there has been little consideration of the effect these are having on the practice experiences and retention of nursing staff in long-term care. In this critical hermeneutic study, 14 nurses from long-term care facilities in Australia were interviewed about their experiences during the reform period. The data revealed a sense of tension and conflict between nurses' traditional values, roles and responsibilities and those supported by the reforms. Nurses struggled to re-negotiate both their practice roles and values as the reforms were implemented and the system evolved. Nursing management support was an important aspect in mediating the effect of reforms on nursing staff. This research highlights both the tensions experienced by nurses in long-term aged care in Australia and the need to re-negotiate nursing roles, responsibilities and values within an evolving care system. This research supports a role for sensitive and proactive nursing management during periods of industry reform as a retention strategy for qualified nursing personnel.

Developing a Model for the Measurement of Social Inclusion and Social Capital in Regional Australia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wilson, Lou

2006-01-01

This paper reviews the literature on social inclusion and social capital to develop a framework to guide the selection of items and measures for the forthcoming SA Department of Human Services Survey of Social Inclusion to be held in the region of Northern Adelaide in South Australia. Northern Adelaide is a region with areas of high socio-economic…

Humanism, Modernism and Designing Education: Exploring Progressive Relations between Australia, New Zealand and the West Riding of Yorkshire 1930s-1970s

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burke, Catherine

2018-01-01

This article takes as a starting point the career of Sir Alec Clegg, Chief Education Officer for the West Riding of Yorkshire (1945-1974), and traces his professional connections with educationists in Australia and New Zealand. In exploring the nature of global exchanges between educators, artists, architects and designers in the decades…

Smoke from wildfires and prescribed burning in Australia: effects on human health and ecosystems

Treesearch

Tina Bell; Mark Adams

2009-01-01

Much of Australia is seasonally hot and dry, and fuel beds can become very flammable. Biomass burning ranges from annual savanna fires in the north to sporadic but extensive forest fires in the south. In addition, prescribed burning (the controlled application of fire) is being used more frequently as a means of reducing fuel loads, for maintenance of plant and animal...

Letting Schools off the Hook? Exploring the Role of Australian Secondary Schools in the COAG Year 12 Attainment Agenda

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Keating, Jack; Savage, Glenn C.; Polesel, John

2013-01-01

In 2009, the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) set a target to lift Australia's Year 12 or equivalent attainment rate from 83.5 to 90% by 2015. In the context of global financial uncertainty, the target was rationalised as a means for boosting national productivity and developing human capital to help Australia compete in the global…

Uncertainties around the Implementation of a Clearing-Control Policy in a Unique Catchment in Northern Australia: Exploring Equity Issues and Balancing Competing Objectives

PubMed Central

Adams, Vanessa M.; Pressey, Robert L.

2014-01-01

Land use change is the most significant driver linked to global species extinctions. In Northern Australia, the landscape is still relatively intact with very low levels of clearing. However, a re-energized political discourse around creating a northern food bowl means that currently intact ecosystems in northern Australia could be under imminent threat from increased land clearing and water extraction. These impacts are likely to be concentrated in a few regions with suitable soils and water supplies. The Daly River Catchment in the Northern Territory is an important catchment for both conservation and development. Land use in the Daly catchment has been subject to clearing guidelines that are largely untested in terms of their eventual implications for the spatial configuration of conservation and development. Given the guidelines are not legislated they might also be removed or revised by subsequent Territory Governments, including the recently-elected one. We examine the uncertainties around the spatial implications of full implementation of the Daly clearing guidelines and their potential effects on equity of opportunity across land tenures and land uses. We also examine how removal of the guidelines could affect conservation in the catchment. We conclude that the guidelines are important in supporting development in the catchment while still achieving conservation goals, and we recommend ways of implementing the guidelines to make best use of available land resources for intensified production. PMID:24798486

[Time series studies of air pollution by fires and the effects on human health].

PubMed

do Carmo, Cleber Nascimento; Hacon, Sandra de Souza

2013-11-01

Burnoffs (intentional fires for agricultural purposes) and forest fires of large proportions have been observed in various regions of the planet. Exposure to high levels of air pollutants emitted by fires can be responsible for various harmful effects on human health. In this article, the literature on estimating acute effects of air pollution on human health by fires in the regions with the highest number of fires on the planet, using a time series approach is summarized. An attempt was made to identify gaps in knowledge. The study consisted of a narrative review, in which the characteristics of the selected studies were grouped by regions of the planet with a higher incidence of burnoffs: Amazon, America, Australia and Asia. The results revealed a large number of studies in Australia, few studies in the Amazon and great heterogeneity in the results on the significant effects on human health.

A method to identify drivers of societal change likely to affect natural assets in the future, illustrated with Australia's native biodiversity.

PubMed

Pepper, D A; Lada, Hania; Thomson, James R; Bakar, K Shuvo; Lake, P S; Mac Nally, Ralph

2017-03-01

Human society has a profound adverse effect on natural assets as human populations increase and as global climate changes. We need to envisage different futures that encompass plausible human responses to threats and change, and become more mindful of their likely impacts on natural assets. We describe a method for developing a set of future scenarios for a natural asset at national scale under ongoing human population growth and climate change. The method involves expansive consideration of potential drivers of societal change, a reduction of these to form a small set of key drivers to which contrasting settings are assigned, which we use to develop a set of different scenarios. We use Australia's native biodiversity as the focus to illustrate the method. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Paleo-Antarctic rainforest into the modern Old World tropics: the rich past and threatened future of the "southern wet forest survivors".

PubMed

Kooyman, Robert M; Wilf, Peter; Barreda, Viviana D; Carpenter, Raymond J; Jordan, Gregory J; Sniderman, J M Kale; Allen, Andrew; Brodribb, Timothy J; Crayn, Darren; Feild, Taylor S; Laffan, Shawn W; Lusk, Christopher H; Rossetto, Maurizio; Weston, Peter H

2014-12-01

• Have Gondwanan rainforest floral associations survived? Where do they occur today? Have they survived continuously in particular locations? How significant is their living floristic signal? We revisit these classic questions in light of significant recent increases in relevant paleobotanical data.• We traced the extinction and persistence of lineages and associations through the past across four now separated regions-Australia, New Zealand, Patagonia, and Antarctica-using fossil occurrence data from 63 well-dated Gondwanan rainforest sites and 396 constituent taxa. Fossil sites were allocated to four age groups: Cretaceous, Paleocene-Eocene, Neogene plus Oligocene, and Pleistocene. We compared the modern and ancient distributions of lineages represented in the fossil record to see if dissimilarity increased with time. We quantified similarity-dissimilarity of composition and taxonomic structure among fossil assemblages, and between fossil and modern assemblages.• Strong similarities between ancient Patagonia and Australia confirmed shared Gondwanan rainforest history, but more of the lineages persisted in Australia. Samples of ancient Australia grouped with the extant floras of Australia, New Guinea, New Caledonia, Fiji, and Mt. Kinabalu. Decreasing similarity through time among the regional floras of Antarctica, Patagonia, New Zealand, and southern Australia reflects multiple extinction events.• Gondwanan rainforest lineages contribute significantly to modern rainforest community assembly and often co-occur in widely separated assemblages far from their early fossil records. Understanding how and where lineages from ancient Gondwanan assemblages co-occur today has implications for the conservation of global rainforest vegetation, including in the Old World tropics. © 2014 Botanical Society of America, Inc.

Awareness of and compliance with recommended dietary supplement among age-related macular degeneration patients.

PubMed

Ng, Weng T; Goggin, Michael

2006-01-01

The age-related eye disease study suggested that taking zinc and anti-oxidants supplements could reduce the progression of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). In Australia, the available supplement is Macu-Vision. The study aimed to assess the awareness of and compliance with taking this supplement and the public health implication. The fundus photograph database of patients aged 55 years and older at the ophthalmology department of a public teaching hospital in Adelaide, Australia was reviewed. In total, 125 patients with category 3 and 4 AMD were identified. A total of 100 patients participated in this cross-sectional study. In total, 53% of participants were aware of the availability of the formulae available in Australia, 38% were taking the supplement and only 1% were taking the correct dose. Of those taking the supplement 95% (36/38) were taking half the recommended dosage. Among those who were aware of the supplement but not taking it, cost was the most common reason (31%). Another 31% were not taking it because of actual side-effects experienced, fear of potential side-effect and/or fear of interaction with other medications. There was no predictive factor for failing to take the formulae available in Australia among age, sex, smoking status, living arrangement and category of AMD. Clinicians need to emphasize that the recommended dosage is twice that on the supplement label. If the trend demonstrated here of underutilizing the formulae available in Australia among public hospital patients continues, it is unlikely to have any major public health impact in similar settings in Australia.

A right to die? Euthanasia and the law in Australia.

PubMed

Bartels, Lorana; Otlowski, Margaret

2010-02-01

This article examines the legal regulation of active voluntary euthanasia and assisted suicide in Australia. The Dying with Dignity Bill 2009 (Tas), which was recently defeated by the Tasmanian Parliament, is discussed, as well as other jurisdictions' past and present legislative developments in this context. The recent case law is also considered to ascertain how "mercy killing" or assisted suicide cases are dealt with by the criminal justice system, with particular reference to the case of R v Justins [2008] NSWSC 1194. This is followed by a critical evaluation of the key arguments for and against euthanasia. The article concludes by examining the significance of the Tasmanian Bill and the implications of such legislation.

Mobilization of the platinum group elements by low-temperature fluids: Implications for mineralization and the iridium controversy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dowling, Kim; Keays, Reid R.; Wallace, Malcolm W.; Gostin, Victor A.

1992-01-01

Geochemical investigations on the widely dispersed Late Proterozoic Acraman impact ejecta horizon and its host marine shales in the Adelaide Geosyncline provide strong evidence for low-temperature mobilization of the platinum group elements (PGE), including Ir. The ejecta horizon was formed when the middle Proterozoic dacitic volcanics in the Gawler Ranges, central South Australia, were impacted by a very large (ca. 4 km) meteorite. The resulting structure, now represented by Lake Acraman, is Australia's largest meteorite impact structure. Debris from the impact was blasted for many hundreds of kilometers, some falling into the shallow sea of the Adelaide Geosyncline, some 300 km to the east of the impact site.

Barriers Accessing Mental Health Services Among Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) Immigrant Women in Australia: Policy Implications.

PubMed

Wohler, Yvonne; Dantas, Jaya Ar

2017-06-01

Immigrant and refugee women from diverse ethnic backgrounds encounter multiple barriers in accessing mental healthcare in various settings. A systematic review on the prevalence of mental health disorders among culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) women in Australia documented the following barriers: logistical, language and communication, dissonance between participants and care providers and preference for alternative interventions. This article proposes recommendations for policies to better address the mental health needs of immigrant and refugee women. Key policy recommendations include: support for gender specific research, implementation and evaluation of transcultural policies, cultural responsiveness in service delivery, review of immigration and refugee claims policies and social integration of immigrants.

Not a surgical vaccine: there is no case for boosting infant male circumcision to combat heterosexual transmission of HIV in Australia.

PubMed

Darby, Robert; Van Howe, Robert

2011-10-01

To conduct a critical review of recent proposals that widespread circumcision of male infants be introduced in Australia as a means of combating heterosexually transmitted HIV infection. These arguments are evaluated in terms of their logic, coherence and fidelity to the principles of evidence-based medicine; the extent to which they take account of the evidence for circumcision having a protective effect against HIV and the practicality of circumcision as an HIV control strategy; the extent of its applicability to the specifics of Australia's HIV epidemic; the benefits, harms and risks of circumcision; and the associated human rights, bioethical and legal issues. Our conclusion is that such proposals ignore doubts about the robustness of the evidence from the African random-controlled trials as to the protective effect of circumcision and the practical value of circumcision as a means of HIV control; misrepresent the nature of Australia's HIV epidemic and exaggerate the relevance of the African random-controlled trials findings to it; underestimate the risks and harm of circumcision; and ignore questions of medical ethics and human rights. The notion of circumcision as a 'surgical vaccine' is criticised as polemical and unscientific. Circumcision of infants or other minors has no place among HIV control measures in the Australian and New Zealand context; proposals such as these should be rejected. © 2011 The Authors. ANZJPH © 2011 Public Health Association of Australia.

"Knitting Nannas" and "Frackman": A Gender Analysis of Australian Anti-Coal Seam Gas Documentaries (CSG) and Implications for Environmental Adult Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Larri, Larraine J.; Newlands, Maxine

2017-01-01

"Frackman" ("FM") and "Knitting Nannas" ("KN") are two documentaries about the anti-coal seam gas movement in Australia. "Frackman" features a former construction worker turned eco-activist, Dayne Pratzky (DP), fighting coal seam gas extraction. "Knitting Nannas" follows a group of women…

Lessons from the Introduction of Fees for Overseas Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baker, Ian

1993-01-01

Australia's new policy of encouraging higher education to market its services to foreign students and introduce fees is examined. It is suggested that higher education needs to give more attention to long-term implications of the policy, including pricing, marketing, obtaining feedback, and clarity of communication with other cultural groups. (MSE)

Rejecting Ahmed's "Melancholy Migrant": South Sudanese Australians in Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harris, Anne; Marlowe, Jay; Nyuon, Nyadol

2015-01-01

This paper draws on related research studies in two urban centres (Melbourne and Adelaide, Australia) with South Sudanese men and women engaged in varying degrees with higher education. The co-authors examine some gendered differences in the process and demands of resettlement, including within employment and education, and its implications for…

"Which Sexuality? Which Service?": Bisexual Young People's Experiences with Youth, Queer and Mental Health Services in Australia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pallotta-Chiarolli, Maria; Martin, Erik

2009-01-01

This qualitative study explored the mental health of Australian bisexual-identifying and/or behaving adolescents and young people. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 30 adolescents and young adults, and 15 youth health/community service providers. The health implications of misrepresentation, marginalization, and exclusion from a…

Aboriginal English: Some Grammatical Features and Their Implications

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Malcolm, Ian G.

2013-01-01

Aboriginal English has been documented in widely separated parts of Australia and, despite some stylistic and regional variation, is remarkably consistent across the continent, and provides a vehicle for the common expression of Aboriginal identity. There is, however, some indeterminacy in the way in which the term is used in much academic and…

Pre-Apprenticeships in Australia: Differing Orientations and Their Policy Implications

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dumbrell, Tom; Smith, Erica

2013-01-01

Little has been published in the Australian vocational education and training (VET) literature on the topic of pre-apprenticeships, which are a loose type of preparatory courses for apprenticeships available in some trades. Nevertheless, pre-apprenticeships have been in existence for several decades. With continuing concern over skill shortages in…

The Radical Reform of Administrative Policies in New South Wales School Education: Practical and Theoretical Implications.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Macpherson, R. J. S.

The government of New South Wales (Australia) is attempting to enhance the quality of public education by radically altering management structures and practices. Despite some popular objections, political intervention was mandated and warranted due to excessive centralization in administrative policy making, curriculum development, and resource…

Research Implications for Science and Mathematics Teachers. Volume 1. Key Centre Monograph Number 5.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fraser, Barry J., Ed.

This document was compiled to help keep science and mathematics teachers in Australia abreast of the results of important research endeavors in education. The monograph is divided into 12 chapters. Chapter one, "Exemplary Science and Mathematics Teachers," (Barry Fraser and Kenneth Tobin) describes a study focusing on examples of…

Flexible Delivery. Will a Client Focus System Mean Better Learning?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Misko, Josie

This paper outlines and examines the implications of the main points of the national framework for flexible delivery of vocational education in Australia's technical and further education (TAFE) colleges. Endorsed by the National TAFE Chief Executives Committee in 1992, the framework establishes specific plans of action to be achieved by 1995. The…

The Relationship of Gender, Sex Role, and Law-and-Order Attitudes to Nuclear Opinions.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Peterson, Candida C.; And Others

1990-01-01

Examines the effect of gender, sex role orientation, and political orientation on attitudes among 46 male and 62 female first-year university students in Perth, Australia, concerning nuclear weapons. Females were found to be more opposed to their development and use. Discusses practical implications for political behavior. (DM)

The Diverse Risk Profiles of Persistently Absent Primary Students: Implications for Attendance Policies in Australia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hancock, Kirsten J.; Mitrou, Francis; Taylor, Catherine L.; Zubrick, Stephen R.

2018-01-01

The risk factors associated with absenteeism are well known. However, children's exposure to combinations of risks and how these relate to absence patterns remains unclear. Understanding variations in risk profiles among persistently non-attending children will inform the development of absence interventions. Using a longitudinal sample of…

Application of a Framework for Educational Provision--Research Findings and Implications for Education for Sustainability

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hewitt, Nan A.

2007-01-01

Learning for sustainability has the potential to play a significant role in enhancing social ecological resilience--as individuals and institutions develop the capacity to adaptively manage the environment. This article outlines an audience and learning needs analysis of irrigators in Western Australia's East Wanneroo area. Interviews were…

Returning "History" to the Educational Formation of Health Professionals in Australia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Peseta, Tai; Fortune, Tracy; Jones, Adrian; Barradell, Sarah; Kennedy-Jones, Mary

2018-01-01

History has practically vanished from allied health professional education. We ask, what kind of problem does a "history of the professions" pose for health sciences curriculum? What are the implications of graduates being unschooled in the history of their profession? Literature on knowledge in the curriculum, is used to interrogate how…

Variation in Student Selection within the Australian Unified National System: A Case Study in Undergraduate Business Studies from Western Australia.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stanley, Gordon; Oliver, Jeff

1994-01-01

Data on admission criteria for four undergraduate business administration programs in Western Australian universities were used to investigate variation in student characteristics across schools. Results indicated large differences in student characteristics among schools, which could affect student progress and outcomes. Implications for such…

Transitioning Design and Technology Education from Physical Classrooms to Virtual Spaces: Implications for Pre-Service Teacher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Best, Marnie; MacGregor, Denise

2017-01-01

Technology-mediated teaching and learning enables access to educational opportunities, irrespective of locality, ruruality or remoteness. The design, development and delivery of technology enhanced learning in pre-service teacher education programs is therefore gaining momentum, both in Australia and internationally. Much research regarding…

Bilingual Beginning Mandarin Teachers' Classroom English in Sydney Schools: Linguistic Implications for Teacher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yao, Jun; Han, Jinghe

2013-01-01

Little empirical research on bilingual beginning teachers has been conducted to examine their actual linguistic performance in the classrooms in Australia and other English-speaking countries. This study investigates the bilingual beginning Mandarin teachers' use of English in Mandarin classes in Australian primary and secondary schools, focusing…

Professional versus Academic Values: Cultural Ambivalence in University Professional School in Australia.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harman, K. M.

1989-01-01

University staff who teach and research in professional schools are required to commit both to traditional academic norms and scholarship and to the transmission of distinctly vocational skills and attitudes. Tensions created by these two roles and the implications of these for the functioning of a university are explored. (Author/MLW)

Personality, Stress, and Coping: Implications for Education. Research on Stress and Coping in Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reevy, Gretchen M., Ed.; Frydenberg, Erica, Ed.

2011-01-01

Nearly all chapters in this volume are contemporary original research on personality, stress, and coping in educational contexts. The research spans primary, secondary, and tertiary education. Research participants are students and teachers. The volume brings together contributions from the United States, Australia, Canada, Italy, Scotland, and…

Some Implications of Award Restructure Proposals for Adult Literacy and Basic Education Provision.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gribble, Helen; Bottomley, John

Award restructure poses questions about appropriate response to the retraining and education needs of workers in Australia who have literacy difficulties. The following actions should be taken: (1) the government should fund a research project that will evaluate workplace efficiency outcomes for employers who have participated in the Workplace…

Canine rabies in Australia: a review of preparedness and research needs.

PubMed

Sparkes, J; Fleming, P J S; Ballard, G; Scott-Orr, H; Durr, S; Ward, M P

2015-06-01

Australia is unique as a populated continent in that canine rabies is exotic, with only one likely incursion in 1867. This is despite the presence of a widespread free-ranging dog population, which includes the naturalized dingo, feral domestic dogs and dingo-dog cross-breeds. To Australia's immediate north, rabies has recently spread within the Indonesian archipelago, with outbreaks occurring in historically free islands to the east including Bali, Flores, Ambon and the Tanimbar Islands. Australia depends on strict quarantine protocols to prevent importation of a rabid animal, but the risk of illegal animal movements by fishing and recreational vessels circumventing quarantine remains. Predicting where rabies will enter Australia is important, but understanding dog population dynamics and interactions, including contact rates in and around human populations, is essential for rabies preparedness. The interactions among and between Australia's large populations of wild, free-roaming and restrained domestic dogs require quantification for rabies incursions to be detected and controlled. The imminent risk of rabies breaching Australian borders makes the development of disease spread models that will assist in the deployment of cost-effective surveillance, improve preventive strategies and guide disease management protocols vitally important. Here, we critically review Australia's preparedness for rabies, discuss prevailing assumptions and models, identify knowledge deficits in free-roaming dog ecology relating to rabies maintenance and speculate on the likely consequences of endemic rabies for Australia. © 2014 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

Cost and resource implications of clinical supervision in nursing: an Australian perspective.

PubMed

White, Edward; Winstanley, Julie

2006-11-01

The aim of this article was to explore the resource and management issues in introducing and maintaining a clinical supervision programme for nurses. A number of federal, state and non-governmental agency reports have recently indicted the quality of present-day mental health service provision in Australia. Clinical supervision in nursing has been widely embraced in many parts of the developed world, as a positive contribution to the clinical governance agenda, but remains largely underdeveloped in Australia. Using data derived from several empirical clinical supervision research studies conducted in mental health nursing settings, preliminary financial modelling has provided new information for Nurse Managers, about the material implications of implementing clinical supervision. It is suggested that, on average, the cost of giving peer group one-to-one supervision to any nurse represented about 1% of an annual salary. When interpreted as a vanishingly small cap on clinical nursing practice necessary to reap demonstrable benefits, it behoves Nurse Managers to comprehend clinical supervision as bona fide nursing work, not an activity which is separate from nursing work.

How Two Small Pharmacy Schools' Competency Standards Compare with an International Competency Framework and How Well These Schools Prepare Students for International Placements.

PubMed

Hawboldt, John; Nash, Rose; FitzPatrick, Beverly

2017-03-06

International standards of pharmacy curricula are necessary to ensure student readiness for international placements. This paper explores whether curricula from two pharmacy programs, in Australia and Canada, are congruent with international standards and if students feel prepared for international placements. Nationally prescribed educational standards for the two schools were compared to each other and then against the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) Global Competency Framework. Written student reflections complemented this analysis. Mapping results suggested substantial agreement between the FIP framework and Australia and Canada, with two gaps being identified. Moreover, the students felt their programs prepared them for their international placements. Despite differences in countries, pharmacy programs, and health-systems all students acclimatized to their new practice sites. Implications are that if pharmacy programs align well with FIP, pharmacists should be able to integrate and practise in other jurisdictions that also align with the FIP. This has implications for the mobility of pharmacy practitioners to countries not of their origin of training.

Trace element differences between Archean, Proterozoic and Phanerozoic crustal components: Implications for crustal growth processes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tarney, J.; Wyborn, L. E. A.; Sheraton, J. W.; Wyborn, D.

1988-01-01

Critical to models for continental crust growth and recycling are the processes through which crustal growth takes place. In particular, it is important to know whether these processes have changed fundamentally with time in response to the earth's thermal evolution, and whether the crustal compositions generated are compatible with crustal remobilization, crustal recycling, or represent primary additions. There are some significant and consistent differences in the major and trace element compositions of crustal components with time which have important implications for crustal growth processes. These will be illustrated with reference to Archean rocks from a number of shield areas, Proterozoic granitoids from Australia and elsewhere, Palaeozoic granitoids from Australia and Scotland, and Mesozoic - recent granitoids from present continental margin belts. Surprisingly some rather simple and consistent patterns energy using this technique. There are then significant differences in compositions of granitoid crustal additions throughout geological time, with a particular type of granitoid apparently dominating a particular time period. This implies that the tectonic processes giving rise to granite generation have changed in response to the earth's thermal evolution.

A comparison of paediatrics occupational therapy university program curricula in New Zealand, Australia, and Canada.

PubMed

Rodger, Sylvia; Brown, G Ted; Brown, Anita; Roever, Carsten

2006-01-01

Comparisons were made of the paediatric content of professional entry-level occupational therapy university program curricula in Australia, New Zealand, and Canada using an ex post facto survey methodology. The findings indicated that in Australia/New Zealand, paediatrics made up 20% of the total curriculum, but only 13% in Canada. Canadian reference materials were utilized less often in Canadian universities than in Australia/New Zealand. Theories taught most often in Australia/New Zealand were: Sensory Integration, Neurodevelopmental Therapy, Client-Centered Practice, Playfulness, and the Model of Human Occupation. In Canada, the most frequent theories were: Piaget's Stages of Cognitive/Intellectual Development, Neurodevelopmental Therapy, Erikson's Eight Stages of Psychosocial Development and Sensory Integration. The most frequently taught paediatric assessment tools in both regions were the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency and Miller Assessment for Preschoolers. Paediatric intervention methods taught to students in all three countries focused on activities of daily living/self-care, motor skills, perceptual and visual motor integration, and infant and child development.

Late-surviving megafauna in Tasmania, Australia, implicate human involvement in their extinction.

PubMed

Turney, Chris S M; Flannery, Timothy F; Roberts, Richard G; Reid, Craig; Fifield, L Keith; Higham, Tom F G; Jacobs, Zenobia; Kemp, Noel; Colhoun, Eric A; Kalin, Robert M; Ogle, Neil

2008-08-26

Establishing the cause of past extinctions is critical if we are to understand better what might trigger future occurrences and how to prevent them. The mechanisms of continental late Pleistocene megafaunal extinction, however, are still fiercely contested. Potential factors contributing to their demise include climatic change, human impact, or some combination. On the Australian mainland, 90% of the megafauna became extinct by approximately 46 thousand years (ka) ago, soon after the first archaeological evidence for human colonization of the continent. Yet, on the neighboring island of Tasmania (which was connected to the mainland when sea levels were lower), megafaunal extinction appears to have taken place before the initial human arrival between 43 and 40 ka, which would seem to exonerate people as a contributing factor in the extirpation of the island megafauna. Age estimates for the last megafauna, however, are poorly constrained. Here, we show, by direct dating of fossil remains and their associated sediments, that some Tasmanian megafauna survived until at least 41 ka (i.e., after their extinction on the Australian mainland) and thus overlapped with humans. Furthermore, a vegetation record for Tasmania spanning the last 130 ka shows that no significant regional climatic or environmental change occurred between 43 and 37 ka, when a land bridge existed between Tasmania and the mainland. Our results are consistent with a model of human-induced extinction for the Tasmanian megafauna, most probably driven by hunting, and they reaffirm the value of islands adjacent to continental landmasses as tests of competing hypotheses for late Quaternary megafaunal extinctions.

Late-surviving megafauna in Tasmania, Australia, implicate human involvement in their extinction

PubMed Central

Turney, Chris S. M.; Flannery, Timothy F.; Roberts, Richard G.; Reid, Craig; Fifield, L. Keith; Higham, Tom F. G.; Jacobs, Zenobia; Kemp, Noel; Colhoun, Eric A.; Kalin, Robert M.; Ogle, Neil

2008-01-01

Establishing the cause of past extinctions is critical if we are to understand better what might trigger future occurrences and how to prevent them. The mechanisms of continental late Pleistocene megafaunal extinction, however, are still fiercely contested. Potential factors contributing to their demise include climatic change, human impact, or some combination. On the Australian mainland, 90% of the megafauna became extinct by ≈46 thousand years (ka) ago, soon after the first archaeological evidence for human colonization of the continent. Yet, on the neighboring island of Tasmania (which was connected to the mainland when sea levels were lower), megafaunal extinction appears to have taken place before the initial human arrival between 43 and 40 ka, which would seem to exonerate people as a contributing factor in the extirpation of the island megafauna. Age estimates for the last megafauna, however, are poorly constrained. Here, we show, by direct dating of fossil remains and their associated sediments, that some Tasmanian megafauna survived until at least 41 ka (i.e., after their extinction on the Australian mainland) and thus overlapped with humans. Furthermore, a vegetation record for Tasmania spanning the last 130 ka shows that no significant regional climatic or environmental change occurred between 43 and 37 ka, when a land bridge existed between Tasmania and the mainland. Our results are consistent with a model of human-induced extinction for the Tasmanian megafauna, most probably driven by hunting, and they reaffirm the value of islands adjacent to continental landmasses as tests of competing hypotheses for late Quaternary megafaunal extinctions. PMID:18719103

Comparative evaluation of human heat stress indices on selected hospital admissions in Sydney, Australia.

PubMed

Goldie, James; Alexander, Lisa; Lewis, Sophie C; Sherwood, Steven

2017-08-01

To find appropriate regression model specifications for counts of the daily hospital admissions of a Sydney cohort and determine which human heat stress indices best improve the models' fit. We built parent models of eight daily counts of admission records using weather station observations, census population estimates and public holiday data. We added heat stress indices; models with lower Akaike Information Criterion scores were judged a better fit. Five of the eight parent models demonstrated adequate fit. Daily maximum Simplified Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (sWBGT) consistently improved fit more than most other indices; temperature and heatwave indices also modelled some health outcomes well. Humidity and heat-humidity indices better fit counts of patients who died following admission. Maximum sWBGT is an ideal measure of heat stress for these types of Sydney hospital admissions. Simple temperature indices are a good fallback where a narrower range of conditions is investigated. Implications for public health: This study confirms the importance of selecting appropriate heat stress indices for modelling. Epidemiologists projecting Sydney hospital admissions should use maximum sWBGT as a common measure of heat stress. Health organisations interested in short-range forecasting may prefer simple temperature indices. © 2017 The Authors.

Human predation contributed to the extinction of the Australian megafaunal bird Genyornis newtoni ∼47 ka

PubMed Central

Miller, Gifford; Magee, John; Smith, Mike; Spooner, Nigel; Baynes, Alexander; Lehman, Scott; Fogel, Marilyn; Johnston, Harvey; Williams, Doug; Clark, Peter; Florian, Christopher; Holst, Richard; DeVogel, Stephen

2016-01-01

Although the temporal overlap between human dispersal across Australia and the disappearance of its largest animals is well established, the lack of unambiguous evidence for human–megafauna interactions has led some to question a human role in megafaunal extinction. Here we show that diagnostic burn patterns on eggshell fragments of the megafaunal bird Genyornis newtoni, found at >200 sites across Australia, were created by humans discarding eggshell in and around transient fires, presumably made to cook the eggs. Dating by three methods restricts their occurrence to between 53.9 and 43.4 ka, and likely before 47 ka. Dromaius (emu) eggshell occur frequently in deposits from >100 ka to present; burnt Dromaius eggshell first appear in deposits the same age as those with burnt Genyornis eggshell, and then continually to modern time. Harvesting of their eggs by humans would have decreased Genyornis reproductive success, contributing to the bird's extinction by ∼47 ka. PMID:26823193

The protective function of meaning of life on life satisfaction among Chinese students in Australia and Hong Kong: a cross-cultural comparative study.

PubMed

Pan, Jia-Yan; Wong, Daniel Fu Keung; Joubert, Lynette; Chan, Cecilia Lai Wan

2008-01-01

The authors compared the predictive effects of acculturative stressors and meaning of life on life satisfaction between Chinese students in Australia and in Hong Kong. In 2006, the researchers recruited 606 Chinese students studying abroad at the University of Melbourne in Australia and at 6 universities in Hong Kong. Participants completed a questionnaire that included measures of acculturative stressors, meaning of life, life satisfaction, and demographic information. The Australian sample experienced a significantly higher level of acculturative stressors than did the Hong Kong sample, but life satisfaction did not differ significantly between the 2 samples. Meaning of life had a strong positive contribution and acculturative stressors had a negative contribution in predicting life satisfaction in both samples. Meaning of life partially mediated the relationship between acculturative stressors and life satisfaction in both samples. The authors discuss the theoretical and practical implications for Chinese students studying abroad.

Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders: A consideration of sentencing and unreliable confessions.

PubMed

Douglas, Heather

2015-12-01

While Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASDs) are now a strong focus of policy-makers throughout Australia, they have received strikingly little consideration in Australian criminal courts. Many people who have an FASD are highly suggestible, have difficulty linking their actions to consequences, controlling impulses and remembering things, and thus FASD raises particular issues for appropriate sentencing and the admissibility of evidence. This article considers the approach of Australian criminal courts to FASD. It reviews the recent case of AH v Western Australia which exemplifies the difficulties associated with appropriate sentencing in cases where the accused is likely to have an FASD. The article also considers the implications for Australian courts of the New Zealand case of Pora v The Queen, recently heard by the Privy Council. In this case, the Privy Council accepted expert evidence that people with FASD may confabulate evidence, potentially making their testimony unreliable. The article concludes with an overview of developments in criminal policy and legal response in relation to FASD in the United States, Canada and Australia.

Family care: an exploratory study of experience and expectations among older Chinese immigrants in Australia.

PubMed

Lo, Meihan; Russell, Cherry

2007-01-01

Family caregiving in East Asian cultures is traditionally based on the Confucian ethic of filial piety that mandates total, holistic care for elders. While research suggests changes in 'family care' are occurring in Asian countries themselves, remarkably little is known about immigrant Asian families in Australia. The study aimed to explore the experience of 'family care' among Chinese-speaking older people who have migrated to Australia in later life. In-depth interviews were conducted in Cantonese with a convenience sample of five cases, including six older Chinese and analysed inductively for dominant themes. Although no single model of 'family care' emerged, findings reveal significant departures from the norms of filial piety and an overall 'westernisation' of care practices, both in relation to what families actually do for their parents and what the older people themselves expect. Transformation of filial culture has implications for policy, service planning and professional practice. It cannot be assumed that elderly Chinese immigrants' needs are being met through traditional family structures.

Near elimination of genital warts in Australia predicted with extension of human papillomavirus vaccination to males.

PubMed

Korostil, Igor A; Ali, Hammad; Guy, Rebecca J; Donovan, Basil; Law, Matthew G; Regan, David G

2013-11-01

The National Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Vaccination Program for females delivering the quadrivalent vaccine Gardasil has been included in the National Immunisation Program in Australia since 2007. Sentinel surveillance data show that genital wart incidence has been steadily declining since then. The objective of this study was to estimate the additional impact on genital warts as a result of male vaccination, which was approved by the Australian government in 2012 and commenced in 2013. We use a mathematical model of HPV transmission in the Australian heterosexual population to predict the impact of male vaccination on the incidence of genital warts. Our model produced results that are consistent with the actual observed decline in genital warts and predicted a much lower incidence, approaching elimination, in coming decades with the introduction of male vaccination. Results from our model indicate that the planned extension of the National HPV Vaccination Program to males will lead to the near elimination of genital warts in both the female and male heterosexual populations in Australia.

Characteristics and practice profiles of migrant dentist groups in Australia: implications for dental workforce policy and planning.

PubMed

Balasubramanian, Madhan; Spencer, A John; Short, Stephanie D; Watkins, Keith; Chrisopoulos, Sergio; Brennan, David S

2015-06-01

Migrants comprise a growing proportion of the dental workforce in Australia. To date, research on migrant dentists is limited, raising policy questions regarding the motivations for migration, demographic profiles and work patterns. The purpose of this paper was to present findings from the first national survey of migrant dentists in Australia. All dentists with a primary dental qualification from an overseas institution and registered with the Australian Dental Association (n=1,872) or enrolled as a graduate student in any of the nine dental schools in Australia (n=105) were surveyed between January and May 2013. A total of 1,022 participants (response rate=54.5%) were classifiable into three migrant dentist groups: direct recognition (n=491); Australian Dental Council (ADC) (n=411); and alternative pathway (n=120). Overall, 41.8% of migrant dentists were female. More than half of the ADC group (54.1%) were from lower middle income countries. The most frequent motivation for migration according to the direct recognition group (21.1%) was 'adventure', whereas other groups migrated for 'better opportunity'. The majority of ADC respondents (65%) were under 45 years of age, and a larger proportion worked in the most disadvantaged areas (12.4%), compared with other groups. Gender, marital status, years since arrival in Australia and having children varied between the groups (chi square; P<0.05). Dentist groups migrate to Australia for different reasons. The large proportion of the migrant dentist workforce sourced from lower middle income countries points towards deficiencies in oral health systems both for these countries and for Australia. The feminisation of the migrant dentist profile could in future affect dentist-practice activity patterns in Australia. Further research, especially on the settlement experiences of these dentists, can provide better insights into issues faced by these dentists, the nature of support that migrant dentists receive in Australia, the probable future patterns of work and potential impact on the dental workforce and dental service provision. © 2015 FDI World Dental Federation.

Phenotypic and Genotypic Analysis of Antimicrobial Resistance among Listeria monocytogenes Isolated from Australian Food Production Chains

PubMed Central

Wilson, Annaleise; Gray, Jessica; Chandry, P. Scott; Fox, Edward M.

2018-01-01

The current global crisis of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) among important human bacterial pathogens has been amplified by an increased resistance prevalence. In recent years, a number of studies have reported higher resistance levels among Listeria monocytogenes isolates, which may have implications for treatment of listeriosis infection where resistance to key treatment antimicrobials is noted. This study examined the genotypic and phenotypic AMR patterns of 100 L. monocytogenes isolates originating from food production supplies in Australia and examined this in the context of global population trends. Low levels of resistance were noted to ciprofloxacin (2%) and erythromycin (1%); however, no resistance was observed to penicillin G or tetracycline. Resistance to ciprofloxacin was associated with a mutation in the fepR gene in one isolate; however, no genetic basis for resistance in the other isolate was identified. Resistance to erythromycin was correlated with the presence of the ermB resistance gene. Both resistant isolates belonged to clonal complex 1 (CC1), and analysis of these in the context of global CC1 isolates suggested that they were more similar to isolates from India rather than the other CC1 isolates included in this study. This study provides baseline AMR data for L. monocytogenes isolated in Australia, identifies key genetic markers underlying this resistance, and highlights the need for global molecular surveillance of resistance patterns to maintain control over the potential dissemination of AMR isolates. PMID:29425131

"Is It Like One of Those Infectious Kind of Things?" The Importance of Educating Young People about HPV and HPV Vaccination at School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Davies, Cristyn; Skinner, Susan Rachel; Stoney, Tanya; Marshall, Helen Siobhan; Collins, Joanne; Jones, Jane; Hutton, Heidi; Parrella, Adriana; Cooper, Spring; McGeechan, Kevin; Zimet, Gregory

2017-01-01

The National Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Vaccination Program in Australia commenced in 2007 for girls and in 2013 for boys, using the quadrivalent HPV [4vHPV] vaccine. In Australia, students are primarily vaccinated en masse, on school grounds, after parental/ guardian consent is obtained. Students most often receive little, or no, education at…

Lunar and Planetary Science XXXV: Astrobiology: Analogs and Applications to the Search for Life

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

The session "Astrobiology: Analogs and Applications to the Search for Life" included the folowing reports:The Search for Life on Mars Using Macroscopically Visible Microbial Mats (Stromatolites) in 3.5/3.3 Ga Cherts from the Pilbara in Australia and Barberton in South Africa as Analogues; Life in a Mars Analog: Microbial Activity Associated with Carbonate Cemented Lava Breccias from NW Spitsbergen; Groundwater-fed Iron-rich Microbial Mats in a Freshwater Creek: Growth Cycles and Fossilization Potential of Microbial Features; Episodic Fossilization of Microorganisms on an Annual Timescale in an Anthropogenically Modified Natural Environment: Geochemical Controls and Implications for Astrobiology; Proterozoic Microfossils and Their Implications for Recognizing Life on Mars; Microbial Alteration of Volcanic Glass in Modern and Ancient Oceanic Crust as a Proxy for Studies of Extraterrestrial Material ; Olivine Alteration on Earth and Mars; Searching for an Acidic Aquifer in the R!o Tinto Basin. First Geobiology Results of MARTE Project; In-Field Testing of Life Detection Instruments and Protocols in a Mars Analogue Arctic Environment; Habitability of the Shallow Subsurface on Mars: Clues from the Meteorites; Mars Analog Rio Tinto Experiment (MARTE): 2003 Drilling Campaign to Search for a Subsurface Biosphere at Rio Tinto Spain; Characterization of the Organic Matter in an Archean Chert (Warrawoona, Australia); and The Solfatara Crater, Italy: Characterization of Hydrothermal Deposits, Biosignatures and Their Astrobiological Implication.

Geographic Clustering of Cardiometabolic Risk Factors in Metropolitan Centres in France and Australia

PubMed Central

Paquet, Catherine; Chaix, Basile; Howard, Natasha J.; Coffee, Neil T.; Adams, Robert J.; Taylor, Anne W.; Thomas, Frédérique; Daniel, Mark

2016-01-01

Understanding how health outcomes are spatially distributed represents a first step in investigating the scale and nature of environmental influences on health and has important implications for statistical power and analytic efficiency. Using Australian and French cohort data, this study aimed to describe and compare the extent of geographic variation, and the implications for analytic efficiency, across geographic units, countries and a range of cardiometabolic parameters (Body Mass Index (BMI) waist circumference, blood pressure, resting heart rate, triglycerides, cholesterol, glucose, HbA1c). Geographic clustering was assessed using Intra-Class Correlation (ICC) coefficients in biomedical cohorts from Adelaide (Australia, n = 3893) and Paris (France, n = 6430) for eight geographic administrative units. The median ICC was 0.01 suggesting 1% of risk factor variance attributable to variation between geographic units. Clustering differed by cardiometabolic parameters, administrative units and countries and was greatest for BMI and resting heart rate in the French sample, HbA1c in the Australian sample, and for smaller geographic units. Analytic inefficiency due to clustering was greatest for geographic units in which participants were nested in fewer, larger geographic units. Differences observed in geographic clustering across risk factors have implications for choice of geographic unit in sampling and analysis, and highlight potential cross-country differences in the distribution, or role, of environmental features related to cardiometabolic health. PMID:27213423

Demographic and Phenotypic Effects of Human Mediated Trophic Subsidy on a Large Australian Lizard (Varanus varius): Meal Ticket or Last Supper?

PubMed Central

Jessop, Tim S.; Smissen, Peter; Scheelings, Franciscus; Dempster, Tim

2012-01-01

Humans are increasingly subsidizing and altering natural food webs via changes to nutrient cycling and productivity. Where human trophic subsidies are concentrated and persistent within natural environments, their consumption could have complex consequences for wild animals through altering habitat preferences, phenotypes and fitness attributes that influence population dynamics. Human trophic subsidies conceptually create both costs and benefits for animals that receive increased calorific and altered nutritional inputs. Here, we evaluated the effects of a common terrestrial human trophic subsidies, human food refuse, on population and phenotypic (comprising morphological and physiological health indices) parameters of a large predatory lizard (∼2 m length), the lace monitor (Varanus varius), in southern Australia by comparison with individuals not receiving human trophic subsidies. At human trophic subsidies sites, lizards were significantly more abundant and their sex ratio highly male biased compared to control sites in natural forest. Human trophic subsidies recipient lizards were significantly longer, heavier and in much greater body condition. Blood parasites were significantly lower in human trophic subsidies lizards. Collectively, our results imply that human trophic subsidized sites were especially attractive to adult male lace monitors and had large phenotypic effects. However, we cannot rule out that the male-biased aggregations of large monitors at human trophic subsidized sites could lead to reductions in reproductive fitness, through mate competition and offspring survival, and through greater exposure of eggs and juveniles to predation. These possibilities could have negative population consequences. Aggregations of these large predators may also have flow on effects to surrounding food web dynamics through elevated predation levels. Given that flux of energy and nutrients into food webs is central to the regulation of populations and their communities, we advocate further studies of human trophic subsidies be undertaken to evaluate the potentially large ecological implications of this significant human environmental alteration. PMID:22509271

Gay and Lesbian Youth Research: An East Asian Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sugiyama, Takashi

2006-01-01

As globalization proceeded, the rights of sexual minority groups have become one of the human rights that cannot be ignored. However, recognizing sexuality as a human right and promoting educational practices which affect human rights policies, have been implemented mainly in the United States, Australia, New Zealand, and Europe. For example, the…

Mycobacterium lentiflavum in Drinking Water Supplies, Australia

PubMed Central

Carter, Robyn; Torbey, Matthew J.; Minion, Sharri; Tolson, Carla; Sidjabat, Hanna E.; Huygens, Flavia; Hargreaves, Megan; Thomson, Rachel M.

2011-01-01

Mycobacterium lentiflavum, a slow-growing nontuberculous mycobacterium, is a rare cause of human disease. It has been isolated from environmental samples worldwide. To assess the clinical significance of M. lentiflavum isolates reported to the Queensland Tuberculosis Control Centre, Australia, during 2001–2008, we explored the genotypic similarity and geographic relationship between isolates from humans and potable water in the Brisbane metropolitan area. A total of 47 isolates from 36 patients were reported; 4 patients had clinically significant disease. M. lentiflavum was cultured from 13 of 206 drinking water sites. These sites overlapped geographically with home addresses of the patients who had clinically significant disease. Automated repetitive sequence–based PCR genotyping showed a dominant environmental clone closely related to clinical strains. This finding suggests potable water as a possible source of M. lentiflavum infection in humans. PMID:21392429

Public health response to an imported case of canine melioidosis.

PubMed

Ryan, C W; Bishop, K; Blaney, D D; Britton, S J; Cantone, F; Egan, C; Elrod, M G; Frye, C W; Maxted, A M; Perkins, G

2018-06-01

Melioidosis in humans presents variably as fulminant sepsis, pneumonia, skin infection and solid organ abscesses. It is caused by Burkholderia pseudomallei, which in the United States is classified as a select agent, with "potential to pose a severe threat to both human and animal health, to plant health or to animal and plant products" (Federal Select Agent Program, http://www.selectagents.gov/, accessed 22 September 2016). Burkholderia pseudomallei is found in soil and surface water in the tropics, especially South-East Asia and northern Australia, where melioidosis is endemic. Human cases are rare in the United States and are usually associated with travel to endemic areas. Burkholderia pseudomallei can also infect animals. We describe a multijurisdictional public health response to a case of subclinical urinary B. pseudomallei infection in a dog that had been adopted into upstate New York from a shelter in Thailand. Investigation disclosed three human contacts with single, low-risk exposures to the dog's urine at his residence, and 16 human contacts with possible exposure to his urine or culture isolates at a veterinary hospital. Contacts were offered various combinations of symptom/fever monitoring, baseline and repeat B. pseudomallei serologic testing, and antibiotic post-exposure prophylaxis, depending on the nature of their exposure and their personal medical histories. The dog's owner accepted recommendations from public health authorities and veterinary clinicians for humane euthanasia. A number of animal rescue organizations actively facilitate adoptions into the United States of shelter dogs from South-East Asia. This may result in importation of B. pseudomallei into almost any community, with implications for human and animal health. © 2018 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

Impact of smoke from prescribed burning: Is it a public health concern?

PubMed

Haikerwal, Anjali; Reisen, Fabienne; Sim, Malcolm R; Abramson, Michael J; Meyer, Carl P; Johnston, Fay H; Dennekamp, Martine

2015-05-01

Given the increase in wildfire intensity and frequency worldwide, prescribed burning is becoming a more common and widespread practice. Prescribed burning is a fire management tool used to reduce fuel loads for wildfire suppression purposes and occurs on an annual basis in many parts of the world. Smoke from prescribed burning can have a substantial impact on air quality and the environment. Prescribed burning is a significant source of fine particulate matter (PM2.5 aerodynamic diameter<2.5µm) and these particulates are found to be consistently elevated during smoke events. Due to their fine nature PM2.5 are particularly harmful to human health. Here we discuss the impact of prescribed burning on air quality particularly focussing on PM2.5. We have summarised available case studies from Australia including a recent study we conducted in regional Victoria, Australia during the prescribed burning season in 2013. The studies reported very high short-term (hourly) concentrations of PM2.5 during prescribed burning. Given the increase in PM2.5 concentrations during smoke events, there is a need to understand the influence of prescribed burning smoke exposure on human health. This is important especially since adverse health impacts have been observed during wildfire events when PM2.5 concentrations were similar to those observed during prescribed burning events. Robust research is required to quantify and determine health impacts from prescribed burning smoke exposure and derive evidence based interventions for managing the risk. Given the increase in PM2.5 concentrations during PB smoke events and its impact on the local air quality, the need to understand the influence of PB smoke exposure on human health is important. This knowledge will be important to inform policy and practice of the integrated, consistent, and adaptive approach to the appropriate planning and implementation of public health strategies during PB events. This will also have important implications for land management and public health organizations in developing evidence based objectives to minimize the risk of PB smoke exposure.

Australian net (1950s-1990) soil organic carbon erosion: implications for CO2 emission and land-atmosphere modelling

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The debate remains unresolved about soil erosion substantially offsetting fossil fuel emissions and acting as an important source or sink of CO2. There is little historical land use and management context to this debate, which is central to Australia's recent past of European settlement, agricultura...

Gender Differences in Factor Scores of Anxiety and Depression among Australian University Students: Implications for Counselling Interventions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bitsika, Vicki; Sharpley, Chris F.; Melham, Therese C.

2010-01-01

Anxiety and depression inventory scores from 200 male and female university students attending a private university in Australia were examined for their factor structure. Once established, the two sets of factors were tested for gender-based differences, revealing that females were more likely than males to report symptomatology associated with…

Understanding Contexts of Family Violence in Rural, Farming Communities: Implications for Rural Women's Health

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wendt, Sarah; Hornosty, Jennie

2010-01-01

Research on family violence in rural communities in Australia and Canada has shown that women's experience of family violence is shaped by social and cultural factors. Concern for economic security and inheritance for children, closeness and belonging, and values of family unity and traditional gender roles are factors in rural communities that…

Workforce Development and Renewal in Australian Universities and the Management of Casual Academic Staff

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

May, Robyn; Strachan, Glenda; Peetz, David

2013-01-01

Most undergraduate teaching in Australia's universities is now performed by hourly paid staff, and these casual academics form the majority of the academic teaching workforce in our universities. This recent development has significant implications for the careers and working lives of those staff, for other academic staff, and for students,…

Posting Traditional Ecological Knowledge on Open Access Biodiversity Platforms: Implications for Learning Design

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Funk, Johanna; Guthadjaka, Kathy; Kong, Gary

2015-01-01

BowerBird is an open platform biodiversity website (http://www.BowerBird.org.au) and a nationally funded project under management of the Atlas of Living Australia (ALA) and Museum Victoria. Members post sightings and information about local species of plants and animals, and record other features of ecosystems. Charles Darwin University's Northern…

Whatever It Takes! Using a Component Theory Approach with Public Secondary School Principals "Doing Schooling Differently"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bills, Andrew; Giles, David; Rogers, Bev

2017-01-01

Purpose: The research seeks to capture the "special character" of schools as seen through the eyes of the Principal and to introduce alternative understandings of ideological praxis' to challenge and unsettle the dominant ideology and logics of secondary schooling with consequent school design implications in South Australia.…

Contesting the Neoliberal Project for Agriculture: Productivist and Multifunctional Trajectories in the European Union and Australia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dibden, Jacqui; Potter, Clive; Cocklin, Chris

2009-01-01

The liberalisation of agricultural trade is strongly contested as an international policy project. In the context of the current World Trade Organisation (WTO) Doha trade round, concerns revolve around the implications of freer trade for rural livelihoods and environments. Analysis of this complex and morally charged issue offers important…

The Limits of School Choice: Some Implications for Accountability of Selective Practices and Positional Competition in Australian Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Windle, Joel

2009-01-01

The application of market principles to educational provision continues to attract governments across the globe, despite an international body of literature suggesting that marketisation can exacerbate inequalities. In light of a renewed policy push in Australia towards accountability via a market model, this paper analyses the impact of existing…

STAND BY ME. NURSES AND MIDWIVES PUTTING A STOP TO DOMESTIC VIOLENCE.

PubMed

Dragon, Natalie

2015-08-01

The scale and atrocity of domestic and family violence in Australia has come under the spotlight in 2015 largely due to the voice of Australian of the Year and family violence campaigner Rosie Batty. The implications of family violence are far reaching for many nurses and midwives, professionally and personally. Natalie Dragon reports.

International Trends in the Implementation of Assessment for Learning: Implications for Policy and Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Birenbaum, Menucha; DeLuca, Christopher; Earl, Lorna; Heritage, Margaret; Klenowski, Val; Looney, Anne; Smith, Kari; Timperley, Helen; Volante, Louis; Wyatt-Smith, Claire

2015-01-01

This paper discusses the emergence of assessment for learning (AfL) across the globe with particular attention given to Western educational jurisdictions. Authors from Australia, Canada, Ireland, Israel, New Zealand, Norway, and the USA explain the genesis of AfL, its evolution and impact on school systems, and discuss current trends in policy…

Ground cover, erosion risk and production implications of targeted management practices in Australian mixed farming systems: lessons from the Grain and Graze program

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Maintaining the productive capacity of the agricultural soils of Australia's broadacre cropping zone requires careful management, given a highly variable climate and soils that are susceptible to degradation. Mixed croplivestock farming systems are the predominant land use across these regions and m...

Teacher Educator Professional Learning in the Third Space: Implications for Identity and Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Williams, Judy

2014-01-01

This article reports on the results of a research project in which 18 teacher educators in three countries-Australia, The Netherlands, and United Kingdom-were interviewed about their experiences of working in the so-called "third space" between schools and universities, particularly in relation to the practicum, or field supervision.…

"I Can Sort of Slot into Many Different Roles": Examining Teacher Aide Roles and Their Implications for Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harris, Lois Ruth; Aprile, Kerry Therese

2015-01-01

This study utilised role theory to investigate teacher aide roles within regional schools in Queensland, Australia. Twenty primary schoolteacher aides were interviewed; data were triangulated with 27 teacher aides' responses to a follow-up questionnaire and interviews with 6 administrative staff. Data suggest that classroom instructional support…

Seniors Online: Online Literacy and Learning by Senior Citizens in Rural Centres.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Millar, Pat; Falk, Ian

The learning needs of older adults living in rural Tasmania, Australia, and the potential of online technologies to foster local literacy and community well-being were examined. The study used a qualitative inquiry strategy that included visits to three sites to investigate the literacy and numeracy implications of senior citizens' use of online…

An Investigation on Allocative Efficiency and Implications of New Funding Plans for the Australian Universities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mamun, Shamsul Arifeen Khan; Rahman, Mohammand Mafizur

2016-01-01

In 2013 and 2014, the Australian Federal Government introduced the Gonski reforms and fee deregulation measures to reform the prevailing financing provisions for education sectors in Australia. The central proposition of the proposed new measures was to reduce the funding of public universities by the Federal Government. One likely consequence of…

Implications of China’s Growing Demand for Oil: A Case Study in Venezuela

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-12-01

Mearsheimer is a leading exponent of the perspective that a rising China poses a danger. He contends that a rising power is always interested in...Soft power. 57 Mike Hurst , “A Giant Awakens - $48 bn to kick-start a new era --- Beijing 2008,” The Daily Telegraph (Australia), Extended Metro

Using Expectancy-Value Theory to Explore Aspects of Motivation and Engagement in Inquiry-Based Learning in Primary Mathematics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fielding-Wells, Jill; O'Brien, Mia; Makar, Katie

2017-01-01

Inquiry-based learning (IBL) is a pedagogical approach in which students address complex, ill-structured problems set in authentic contexts. While IBL is gaining ground in Australia as an instructional practice, there has been little research that considers implications for student motivation and engagement. Expectancy-value theory (Eccles and…

Securitisation and/or Westernisation: Dominant Discourses of Australian Values and the Implications for Teacher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Peterson, Andrew; Bentley, Brendan

2016-01-01

Debates concerning the nature, purpose and importance of Australian values have resurfaced in Australia following the election of the Liberal-led Coalition Government in September 2013. Two dominant discourses on Australian values have emerged within recent government rhetoric and public policy, both of which have included a demand for changes to…

Pre-Service Teachers' Attitudes towards Overseas Professional Experience: Implications for Professional Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chinnappan, Mohan; McKenzie, Barbra; Fitzsimmons, Phil

2013-01-01

Reforms in Australia about the education of future teachers has placed a high degree of emphasis on the development of knowledge and skills that are necessary for practitioners who will ply their trade in culturally rich and diverse classrooms (Ramsey, 2000). There is now a broad consensus from key stakeholders (Australian Institute for Teaching…

Cultural Democracy and Cultural Capital--Some Reflections on the Australian Case: A Response to Michael Clyne.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Dennis

1997-01-01

A response to an article on multiculturalism and the status of community languages in Australia focuses on three aspects of the article: (1) proposed links between global capitalism, nation-state development, migration, and language policy; (2) the meaning ascribed to "cultural democracy;" and (3) implications of language policy issues…

Workforce Development in Early Childhood Education and Care. Research Overview

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bretherton, Tanya

2010-01-01

The early childhood education and care industry in Australia is undergoing a shift in philosophy. Changes in policy are driving the industry towards a combined early childhood education and care focus, away from one on child care only. This move has implications for the skilling of the child care workforce. This research overview describes the…

Dark Matter: The "Gravitational Pull" of Maternalist Discourses on Politicians' Decision Making for Early Childhood Policy in Australia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bown, Kathryn; Sumsion, Jennifer; Press, Frances

2011-01-01

The article reports on a study investigating influences on Australian politicians' decision making for early childhood education and care (ECEC) policy. The astronomical concept of dark matter is utilised as a metaphor for considering normalising, and therefore frequently difficult to detect and disrupt, influences implicated in politicians'…

The Policy Problem: The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) and Implications for Access to Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Whitburn, Ben; Moss, Julianne; O'Mara, Jo

2017-01-01

This paper explores the changing terrain of disability support policy in Australia. Drawing on a critical disability framework of policy sociology, the paper considers the policy problem of access to education for people with disabilities under recent reform by means of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), which commenced full roll-out…

Transforming Education: Global Perspectives, Experiences and Implications. Educational Psychology: Critical Pedagogical Perspectives. Volume 24

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

DeVillar, Robert A., Ed.; Jiang, Binbin, Ed.; Cummins, Jim, Ed.

2013-01-01

This research-based volume presents a substantive, panoramic view of ways in which Australia and countries in Africa, Asia, Europe, and North and South America engage in educational programs and practices to transform the learning processes and outcomes of their students. It reveals and analyzes national and global trajectories in key areas of…

Developing the Child Care Workforce: Understanding "Fight" or "Flight" Amongst Workers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bretherton, Tanya

2010-01-01

The early childhood education and care sector in Australia is undergoing a shift in philosophy. Changes in policy are driving the industry towards a combined early childhood education and care focus, away from one only on child care. This move has implications for the skilling of the child care workforce. This report examines workforce development…

Immigrant Status and Home Language Background: Implications for Australian Student Performance in PISA 2000

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cresswell, John

2004-01-01

The primary focus of this report is to examine the effect that immigrant status and home language background may have on the performance of Australian students who participated in the OECD/Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA 2000). Approximately 5,477 students from 231 schools across Australia participated in the study. In this…

Adult Literacy Practices in Rural Families and Communities. Research into Practice Series No. 1.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bull, Geoff; Anstey, Michele

This booklet, which was written for literacy educators in Australia, examines selected research on adult literacy practices in rural families and communities and the implications of that research for adult literacy practice. The booklet begins with a discussion of literacy as social practice. The role of case studies in identifying factors…

Teaching in the "Performative" State: Implications for Teacher Appraisal in Australia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Naidu, Sham

2011-01-01

Teacher appraisal is viewed by bureaucrats as a means of effecting organisational change in schools. It is for this reason that educational policy leaders have turned to technical competency as a way of accounting for teachers' performance in classrooms. In other words, teachers' work is now subject to minute scrutiny by the observation of…

Continuity of Microblade Technology in the Indian Subcontinent Since 45 ka: Implications for the Dispersal of Modern Humans

PubMed Central

Mishra, Sheila; Chauhan, Naveen; Singhvi, Ashok K.

2013-01-01

We extend the continuity of microblade technology in the Indian Subcontinent to 45 ka, on the basis of optical dating of microblade assemblages from the site of Mehtakheri, (22° 13' 44″ N Lat 76° 01' 36″ E Long) in Madhya Pradesh, India. Microblade technology in the Indian Subcontinent is continuously present from its first appearance until the Iron Age (~3 ka), making its association with modern humans undisputed. It has been suggested that microblade technology in the Indian Subcontinent was developed locally by modern humans after 35 ka. The dates reported here from Mehtakheri show this inference to be untenable and suggest alternatively that this technology arrived in the Indian Subcontinent with the earliest modern humans. It also shows that modern humans in Indian Subcontinent and SE Asia were associated with differing technologies and this calls into question the “southern dispersal” route of modern humans from Africa through India to SE Asia and then to Australia. We suggest that modern humans dispersed from Africa in two stages coinciding with the warmer interglacial conditions of MIS 5 and MIS 3. Competitive interactions between African modern humans and Indian archaics who shared an adaptation to tropical environments differed from that between modern humans and archaics like Neanderthals and Denisovans, who were adapted to temperate environments. Thus, while modern humans expanded into temperate regions during warmer climates, their expansion into tropical regions, like the Indian Subcontinent, in competition with similarly adapted populations, occurred during arid climates. Thus modern humans probably entered the Indian Subcontinent during the arid climate of MIS 4 coinciding with their disappearance from the Middle East and Northern Africa. The out of phase expansion of modern humans into tropical versus temperate regions has been one of the factors affecting the dispersal of modern humans from Africa during the period 200–40 ka. PMID:23840912

Science Engagement and Literacy: A retrospective analysis for students in Canada and Australia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Woods-McConney, Amanda; Colette Oliver, Mary; McConney, Andrew; Schibeci, Renato; Maor, Dorit

2014-07-01

Given international concerns about students' pursuit (or more correctly, non-pursuit) of courses and careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, this study is about achieving a better understanding of factors related to high school students' engagement in science. The study builds on previous secondary analyses of Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) datasets for New Zealand and Australia. For the current study, we compared patterns of science engagement and science literacy for male and female students in Canada and Australia. The study's secondary analysis revealed that for all PISA measures included under the conceptual umbrella of engagement in science (i.e. interest, enjoyment, valuing, self-efficacy, self-concept and motivation), 15-year-old students in Australia lagged their Canadian counterparts to varying, albeit modest, degrees. Our retrospective analysis further shows, however, that gender equity in science engagement and science literacy is evident in both Canadian and Australian contexts. Additionally, and consistent with our previous findings for indigenous and non-indigenous students in New Zealand and Australia, we found that for male and female students in both countries, the factor most strongly associated with variations in engagement in science was the extent to which students participate in science activities outside of school. In contrast, and again for both Canadian and Australian students, the factors most strongly associated with science literacy were students' socioeconomic backgrounds, and the amount of formal time spent doing science. The implications of these results for science educators and researchers are discussed.

Perceived Challenges in Dementia Care by Vietnamese Family Caregivers and Care Workers in South Australia.

PubMed

Xiao, Lily Dongxia; Habel, Lesley; De Bellis, Anita

2015-09-01

The majority of Vietnamese Australians migrated to Australia as refugees to escape a war and this unique migration background may affect their ability to access and utilize healthcare services in Australia. Inability to utilize dementia services is associated with higher levels of caregiver burden, higher rates of morbidities and mortality and hospitalization. The aim of the study was to explore the perceived challenges of dementia care from Vietnamese family caregivers and Vietnamese care workers. Gadamer's philosophical hermeneutics was used to interpret and describe the experiences of the participants. Data were collected from in-depth interviews with six Vietnamese family caregivers and a focus group with Vietnamese care workers using purposive sampling. Participants were recruited from a Vietnamese community care organization in South Australia. Five themes were identified from the data analysis namely: (1) a need for culturally and linguistically appropriate dementia education programs; (2) a willingness and unwillingness to seek help; (3) poor knowledge of health care service availability related to dementia; (4) the effect of language barrier in accessing services; and (5) the main sources of services utilized. The study revealed that Vietnamese family caregivers and Vietnamese care workers held different views on the association of stigma with dementia. Findings also revealed factors that impacted accessing and utilizing dementia services. These findings facilitate a more comprehensive understanding of Vietnamese family caregivers' needs and have implications for developing individualized support for family caregivers and for consumer-directed dementia services in Australia.

The intention to continue nursing: work variables affecting three nurse generations in Australia.

PubMed

Shacklock, Kate; Brunetto, Yvonne

2012-01-01

The aims of the study were to examine how seven variables impacted upon the intention of hospital nurses to continue working as nurses and to investigate whether there are generational differences in these impacts. There is a critical shortage of trained nurses working as nurses in Australia, as in many other Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development member countries. The retention of nurses has been examined from the traditional management perspectives; however, this paper presents a different approach (Meaning of Working theory). A self-report survey of 900 nurses employed across four states of Australia was completed in 2008. The sample was hospital nurses in Australia from three generational cohorts - Baby Boomers (born in Australia between 1946 and 1964), Generation X (1965-1979) and Generation Y (1980-2000). Six variables were found to influence the combined nurses' intentions to continue working as nurses: work-family conflict, perceptions of autonomy, attachment to work, importance of working to the individual, supervisor-subordinate relationship and interpersonal relationships at work. There were differences in the variables affecting the three generations, but attachment to work was the only common variable across all generations, affecting GenYs the strongest. The shortage of nurses is conceptualized differently in this paper to assist in finding solutions. However, the results varied for the three generations, suggesting the need to tailor different retention strategies to each age group. Implications for management and policy planning are discussed. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Creating a human brain proteome atlas--14th HUPO BPP workshop September 20-21, 2010, Sydney, Australia.

PubMed

Gröttrup, Bernd; Marcus, Katrin; Grinberg, Lea T; Lee, Sang K; Meyer, Helmut E; Park, Young M

2011-08-01

The HUPO Brain Proteome Project (HUPO BPP) held its 14th workshop during the HUPO 9th Annual World Congress in Sydney, Australia. The principal aim of this project is to discover prognostic and diagnostic biomarkers associated with neurodegenerative diseases and brain aging, with the ultimate objective of obtaining a better understanding of these conditions and creating roads for the development of novel diagnostic techniques and effective treatments. The attendees came together to discuss progress in the human clinical neuroproteomics and to define the needs and guidelines required for more advanced proteomics approaches. Copyright © 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Novel insights, challenges and practical implications of DOHaD-omics research.

PubMed

Hodyl, Nicolette A; Muhlhausler, Beverly

2016-02-15

Research investigating the developmental origins of health and disease (DOHaD) has never had the technology to investigate physiology in such a data-rich capacity and at such a microlevel as it does now. A symposium at the inaugural meeting of the DOHaD Society of Australia and New Zealand outlined the advantages and challenges of using "-omics" technologies in DOHaD research. DOHaD studies with -omics approaches to generate large, rich datasets were discussed. We discuss implications for policy and practice and make recommendations to facilitate successful translation of results of future DOHaD-omics studies.

Mosquito communities with trap height and urban-rural gradient in Adelaide, South Australia: implications for disease vector surveillance.

PubMed

Johnston, Emily; Weinstein, Phillip; Slaney, David; Flies, Andrew S; Fricker, Stephen; Williams, Craig

2014-06-01

Understanding the factors influencing mosquito distribution is important for effective surveillance and control of nuisance and disease vector mosquitoes. The goal of this study was to determine how trap height and distance to the city center influenced the abundance and species of mosquitoes collected in Adelaide, South Australia. Mosquito communities were sampled at two heights (<2 m and ~10 m) along an urban-rural gradient. A total of 5,133 mosquitoes was identified over 176 trap nights. Aedes notoscriptus, Ae. vigilax, and Culex molestus were all more abundant in lower traps while Cx. quinquefasciatus (an ornithophilic species) was found to be more abundant in high traps. Distance to city center correlated strongly with the abundance of Ae. vigilax, Ae. camptorhynchus, Cx. globocoxitus, and Cx. molestus, all of which were most common at the sites farthest from the city and closest to the saltmarsh. Overall, the important disease vectors in South Australia (Ae. vigilax, Ae. camptorhynchus, Ae. notoscriptus, and Cx. annulirostris) were more abundant in low traps farthest from the city and closest to the saltmarsh. The current mosquito surveillance practice of setting traps within two meters of the ground is effective for sampling populations of the important disease vector species in South Australia. © 2014 The Society for Vector Ecology.

Australia's evolving food practices: a risky mix of continuity and change.

PubMed

Venn, Danielle; Banwell, Cathy; Dixon, Jane

2017-10-01

To investigate trends in five key aspects of Australian food practice which have been implicated in diet-related health risks, specifically energy intake. They are: the replacement of home-prepared foods by commercially prepared foods; consumer reliance on ultra-processed foods; de-structured dining; increased pace of eating; and a decline in commensal eating. Data were from repeated cross-sections from the national Household Expenditure and Time Use Surveys. Trends in food practice aspects were examined using indicators of food expenditure across different food groups and time spent eating and cooking, including where, when and with whom eating activities took place. Australia, 1989-2010. Nationally representative samples of Australian households. The share of the total food budget spent on food away from home rose steadily from 22·8 % in 1989 to 26·5 % in 2010, while spending on ultra-processed foods increased. The basic patterning of meals and the pace of eating changed little, although people spent more time eating alone and at restaurants. Cooking time declined considerably, particularly for women. These changes have occurred over the same time that obesity and diet-related, non-communicable diseases have increased rapidly in Australia. Some aspects are implicated more than others: particularly the shift from domestic cooking to use of pre-prepared and ultra-processed foods, a reduction in time spent in food preparation and cooking, as well as an upsurge in time and money devoted to eating away from home. These are all likely to operate through the higher energy content of commercially prepared, compared with unprocessed or lightly processed, foods.

KSC-02pd0403

NASA Image and Video Library

2002-03-01

VANDENBERG AFB,CALIF. - On the SLC-2 launch pad, the gantry closes in on the Delta II rocket to enable mating of the second stage. The Delta II will launch the Aqua-EOS satellite. Aqua is one of a series of spacebased platforms that are central to NASA's Earth Science Enterprise (ESE), a long-term study of the scope, dynamics and implications of global change. The Aqua program is composed of Aqua and other spacecraft (including Terra and Aura) and a data distribution system (ESDIS, and Mission Operations Center Implementation Team). Flying in an orbit that covers the globe every 16 days, Aqua will provide a six-year chronology of the planet and its processes. Comprehensive measurements taken by its onboard instruments will allow multidisciplinary teams of scientists and researchers from North and South America, Asia, Australia and Europe to assess long-term change, identify its human and natural causes and advance the development of models for long-term forecasting. Launch is scheduled for April 26 from Vandenberg

KSC-02pd0394

NASA Image and Video Library

2002-02-26

VANDENBERG AFB, CALIF. -- On the launch pad, an overhead crane lifts a solid rocket booster to vertical for mating with the Delta II rocket that will launch the Aqua-EOS satellite. Aqua is one of a series of spacebased platforms that are central to NASA's Earth Science Enterprise (ESE), a long-term study of the scope, dynamics and implications of global change. The Aqua program is composed of Aqua and other spacecraft (including Terra and Aura) and a data distribution system (ESDIS, and Mission Operations Center Implementation Team). Flying in an orbit that covers the globe every 16 days, Aqua will provide a six-year chronology of the planet and its processes. Comprehensive measurements taken by its onboard instruments will allow multidisciplinary teams of scientists and researchers from North and South America, Asia, Australia and Europe to assess long-term change, identify its human and natural causes and advance the development of models for long-term forecasting. Launch is scheduled for April 26 from Vandenberg

KSC-02pd0406

NASA Image and Video Library

2002-03-01

VANDENBERG AFB, CALIF. - On the SLC-2 launch pad, the first half of the Delta II fairing for the Aqua-EOS satellite arrives at the gantry. The Delta II will launch the Aqua-EOS satellite. Aqua is one of a series of spacebased platforms that are central to NASA's Earth Science Enterprise (ESE), a long-term study of the scope, dynamics and implications of global change. The Aqua program is composed of Aqua and other spacecraft (including Terra and Aura) and a data distribution system (ESDIS, and Mission Operations Center Implementation Team). Flying in an orbit that covers the globe every 16 days, Aqua will provide a six-year chronology of the planet and its processes. Comprehensive measurements taken by its onboard instruments will allow multidisciplinary teams of scientists and researchers from North and South America, Asia, Australia and Europe to assess long-term change, identify its human and natural causes and advance the development of models for long-term forecasting. Launch is scheduled for April 26 from Vandenberg

KSC-02pd0402

NASA Image and Video Library

2002-03-01

VANDENBERG AFB,CALIF. - The gantry (left) on SLC-2 moves toward the first stage of the Delta II rocket, for mating with the second stage. The Delta II will launch the Aqua-EOS satellite. Aqua is one of a series of spacebased platforms that are central to NASA's Earth Science Enterprise (ESE), a long-term study of the scope, dynamics and implications of global change. The Aqua program is composed of Aqua and other spacecraft (including Terra and Aura) and a data distribution system (ESDIS, and Mission Operations Center Implementation Team). Flying in an orbit that covers the globe every 16 days, Aqua will provide a six-year chronology of the planet and its processes. Comprehensive measurements taken by its onboard instruments will allow multidisciplinary teams of scientists and researchers from North and South America, Asia, Australia and Europe to assess long-term change, identify its human and natural causes and advance the development of models for long-term forecasting. Launch is scheduled for April 26 from Vandenberg

KSC-02pd0408

NASA Image and Video Library

2002-03-01

VANDENBERG AFB, CALIF. - On the SLC-2 launch pad, the first half of the Delta II fairing for the Aqua-EOS satellite nears the top of the gantry. The Delta II will launch the Aqua-EOS satellite, one of a series of spacebased platforms that are central to NASA's Earth Science Enterprise (ESE), a long-term study of the scope, dynamics and implications of global change. The Aqua program is composed of Aqua and other spacecraft (including Terra and Aura) and a data distribution system (ESDIS, and Mission Operations Center Implementation Team). Flying in an orbit that covers the globe every 16 days, Aqua will provide a six-year chronology of the planet and its processes. Comprehensive measurements taken by its onboard instruments will allow multidisciplinary teams of scientists and researchers from North and South America, Asia, Australia and Europe to assess long-term change, identify its human and natural causes and advance the development of models for long-term forecasting. Launch is scheduled for April 26 from Vandenberg

Size-Resolved Dust and Aerosol Contaminants Associated with Copper and Lead Smelting Emissions: Implications for Emissions Management and Human Health

PubMed Central

Csavina, Janae; Taylor, Mark P.; Félix, Omar; Rine, Kyle P.; Sáez, A. Eduardo; Betterton, Eric A.

2014-01-01

Mining operations, including crushing, grinding, smelting, refining, and tailings management, are a significant source of airborne metal and metalloid contaminants such as As, Pb and other potentially toxic elements. In this work, we show that size-resolved concentrations of As and Pb generally follow a bimodal distribution with the majority of contaminants in the fine size fraction (< 1 μm) around mining activities that include smelting operations at various sites in Australia and Arizona. This evidence suggests that contaminated fine particles (< 1 μm) are the result of vapor condensation and coagulation from smelting operations while coarse particles are most likely the result of windblown dust from contaminated mine tailings and fugitive emissions from crushing and grinding activities. These results on the size distribution of contaminants around mining operations are reported to demonstrate the ubiquitous nature of this phenomenon so that more effective emissions management and practices that minimize health risks associated with metal extraction and processing can be developed. PMID:24995641

Measuring effectiveness of the cervical cancer vaccine in an Australian setting (the VACCINE study).

PubMed

Young, Elisa J; Tabrizi, Sepehr N; Brotherton, Julia Ml; Wark, John D; Pyman, Jan; Saville, Marion; Wrede, C David; Jayasinghe, Yasmin; Tan, Jeffrey; Gertig, Dorota M; Pitts, Marian; Garland, Suzanne M

2013-06-19

The quadrivalent human papillomavirus vaccine has been provided in Australia through the National Human Papillomavirus Vaccination Program since April 2007. National registry data demonstrates good coverage of the vaccine, with 73% of school-aged girls having received all three doses. To evaluate the effectiveness of the program, we propose a two-pronged approach. In one (sub study A), the prevalence of the vaccine-targeted human papillomavirus genotypes in a population cohort is being estimated, and will be analysed in relation to vaccination status, cervical cytology screening status, demographic, social, behavioural, medical and clinical factors. In sub study B, the distribution of human papillomavirus genotypes detected in high grade cervical intraepithelial neoplastic lesions from vaccine eligible women is being assessed. Sub Study A involves the recruitment of 1569 women aged 18-25, residing in Victoria, Australia, through Facebook advertising. Women who are sexually active are being asked to provide a self-collected vaginal swab, collected at home and posted into the study centre, where human papillomavirus DNA detection and genotyping is performed. Participants also complete an online questionnaire regarding sexual history, experience with, knowledge of, and attitudes towards human papillomavirus, the human papillomavirus vaccine, and cervical screening.Sub Study B will involve the collection of 500 cervical biopsies, positively identified as containing high grade cervical intraepithelial neoplastic lesions and/or adenocarcinoma in situ. Five serial sections are being taken from each case: sections 1 and 5 are being assessed to confirm the presence of the high grade cervical intraepithelial neoplastic lesions or adenocarcinoma in situ; human papillomavirus genotyping is performed on sections 2 and 3; single lesions are excised from section 4 using laser capture microdissection to specifically define causality of a human papillomavirus genotyping of each specific lesion. Australia is well placed to gain a clear and early insight into the effectiveness of the human papillomavirus vaccine in reducing the prevalence of human papillomavirus infection in young women, and any subsequent reduction in the prevalence of pre-cancerous cervical lesions, specifically high grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia lesions, particularly of vaccine related types. The findings of a successful population based human papillomavirus program will have wide-reaching translational benefits across the globe.

Deliberate introduction of the European rabbit, Oryctolagus cuniculus, into Australia.

PubMed

Fenner, F

2010-04-01

The European rabbit was brought to Australia as a companion animal by early settlers. It sometimes escaped, but failed to survive in the Australian bush. In 1879 wild rabbits were deliberately sent to Victoria to provide game for wealthy settlers to shoot. They soon spread all over Australia, except in the tropics, and became Australia's major animal pest. After careful testing in Australian wildlife and in humans, control by myxoma virus was introduced at various sites between 1937 and 1950, spreading all over the Murray-Darling Basin in 1950. Within one year mutations in the virus had led to slightly less virulence, and these continued for the next 50 years. In the early 21st Century testing viruses obtained from wild rabbits showed that the majority of these viruses were more virulent than the virus used to initiate the epidemic. In 1995 another virus specific for European rabbits, rabbit haemorrhagic disease virus, escaped from areas in which field trials were being carried out and spread around Australia. It was more successful than myxomatosis for rabbit control in arid regions.

Generic drug prices and policy in Australia: room for improvement? a comparative analysis with England.

PubMed

Mansfield, Sarah J

2014-02-01

To assess the degree to which reimbursement prices in Australia and England differ for a range of generic drugs, and to analyse the supply- and demand-side factors that may contribute to these differences. Australian and English reimbursement prices were compared for a range of generic drugs using pricing information obtained from government websites. Next, a literature review was conducted to identify supply- and demand-side factors that could affect generic prices in Australia and England. Various search topics were identified addressing potential supply-side (e.g. market approval, intellectual property protection of patented drugs, generic pricing policy, market size, generic supply chain and discounting practices) and demand-side (consumers, prescribers and pharmacists) factors. Related terms were searched in academic databases, official government websites, national statistical databases and internet search engines. Analysis of drug reimbursement prices for 15 generic molecules (representing 45 different drug presentations) demonstrated that Australian prices were on average over 7-fold higher than in England. Significant supply-side differences included aspects of pricing policy, the relative size of the generics markets and the use of clawback policies. Major differences in demand-side policies related to generic prescribing, pharmacist substitution and consumer incentives. Despite recent reforms, the Australian Government continues to pay higher prices than its English counterpart for many generic medications. The results suggest that particular policy areas may benefit from review in Australia, including the length of the price-setting process, the frequency of subsequent price adjustments, the extent of price competition between originators and generics, medical professionals' knowledge about generic medicines and incentives for generic prescribing. WHAT IS KNOWN ABOUT THE TOPIC? Prices of generic drugs have been the subject of much scrutiny over recent years. From 2005 to 2010 the Australian Government responded to observations that Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme prices for many generics were higher than in numerous comparable countries by instituting several reforms aimed at reducing the prices of generics. Despite this, several studies have demonstrated that prices for generic statins (one class of cholesterol-lowering drug) are higher in Australia compared with England and many other developed countries, and prices of numerous other generics remain higher than in the USA and New Zealand. Recently there has been increasing interest in why these differences exist. WHAT DOES THIS PAPER ADD? By including a much larger range of commonly used and costly generic drugs, this paper builds significantly on the limited previous investigations of generic drug prices in Australia and England. Additionally, this is the first comprehensive investigation of multiple supply- and, in particular, demand-side factors that may explain any price differences between these countries. WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTITIONERS? Practitioners may contribute to the higher prices of generic medications in Australia compared with England through relatively low rates of generic prescribing. There are also significant implications for health policy makers, as this paper demonstrates that if Australia achieved the same prices as England for many generic drugs there could be substantial savings for the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme.

The knowns and unknowns of human milk banking.

PubMed

Simmer, Karen; Hartmann, Ben

2009-11-01

The PREM Bank has been providing pasteurised donor human milk (PDHM) to very preterm for the past 3 years. It is the first human milk bank (HMB) to operate in Australia in over 20 years. Our community has rapidly embraced the concept of human milk banking, with both donations and demand for PDHM exceeding expectations. Providing PDHM in 'exceptional circumstances' where a mothers' own milk is unavailable is supported by the WHO and UNICEF. We submit that neonatal intensive care is an exceptional circumstance. Although evidence supporting PDHM use from randomised control trial (RCT) is limited, the latest systematic reviews suggest a lower risk of necrotising enterocolitis with PDHM as opposed to artificial formula. Study design and ethical issues may limit future evidence from RCT. We therefore support the ongoing use of PDHM in neonatal care, where provided by an appropriately managed HMB. Internationally many HMBs operate unregulated, and this is also the case in Australia. To ensure safety the PREM Bank has committed to meet the appropriate standards recommended in the Code of Good Manufacturing Practices (Blood and Tissues) in Australia and models risk management during processing on Codex HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point) requirements. There is scope to continually re-evaluate the screening of donors and quality standards recommended during HMB. This will be most effective if strong networks of HMBs are developed with regional reference laboratories to encourage compliance with safety guidelines. HMB networks will facilitate collection of evidence for refining HMB practice and improving outcomes for preterm and sick infants.

An Aboriginal Australian genome reveals separate human dispersals into Asia.

PubMed

Rasmussen, Morten; Guo, Xiaosen; Wang, Yong; Lohmueller, Kirk E; Rasmussen, Simon; Albrechtsen, Anders; Skotte, Line; Lindgreen, Stinus; Metspalu, Mait; Jombart, Thibaut; Kivisild, Toomas; Zhai, Weiwei; Eriksson, Anders; Manica, Andrea; Orlando, Ludovic; De La Vega, Francisco M; Tridico, Silvana; Metspalu, Ene; Nielsen, Kasper; Ávila-Arcos, María C; Moreno-Mayar, J Víctor; Muller, Craig; Dortch, Joe; Gilbert, M Thomas P; Lund, Ole; Wesolowska, Agata; Karmin, Monika; Weinert, Lucy A; Wang, Bo; Li, Jun; Tai, Shuaishuai; Xiao, Fei; Hanihara, Tsunehiko; van Driem, George; Jha, Aashish R; Ricaut, François-Xavier; de Knijff, Peter; Migliano, Andrea B; Gallego Romero, Irene; Kristiansen, Karsten; Lambert, David M; Brunak, Søren; Forster, Peter; Brinkmann, Bernd; Nehlich, Olaf; Bunce, Michael; Richards, Michael; Gupta, Ramneek; Bustamante, Carlos D; Krogh, Anders; Foley, Robert A; Lahr, Marta M; Balloux, Francois; Sicheritz-Pontén, Thomas; Villems, Richard; Nielsen, Rasmus; Wang, Jun; Willerslev, Eske

2011-10-07

We present an Aboriginal Australian genomic sequence obtained from a 100-year-old lock of hair donated by an Aboriginal man from southern Western Australia in the early 20th century. We detect no evidence of European admixture and estimate contamination levels to be below 0.5%. We show that Aboriginal Australians are descendants of an early human dispersal into eastern Asia, possibly 62,000 to 75,000 years ago. This dispersal is separate from the one that gave rise to modern Asians 25,000 to 38,000 years ago. We also find evidence of gene flow between populations of the two dispersal waves prior to the divergence of Native Americans from modern Asian ancestors. Our findings support the hypothesis that present-day Aboriginal Australians descend from the earliest humans to occupy Australia, likely representing one of the oldest continuous populations outside Africa.

An Aboriginal Australian Genome Reveals Separate Human Dispersals into Asia

PubMed Central

Rasmussen, Morten; Guo, Xiaosen; Wang, Yong; Lohmueller, Kirk E.; Rasmussen, Simon; Albrechtsen, Anders; Skotte, Line; Lindgreen, Stinus; Metspalu, Mait; Jombart, Thibaut; Kivisild, Toomas; Zhai, Weiwei; Eriksson, Anders; Manica, Andrea; Orlando, Ludovic; De La Vega, Francisco M.; Tridico, Silvana; Metspalu, Ene; Nielsen, Kasper; Ávila-Arcos, María C.; Moreno-Mayar, J. Víctor; Muller, Craig; Dortch, Joe; Gilbert, M. Thomas P.; Lund, Ole; Wesolowska, Agata; Karmin, Monika; Weinert, Lucy A.; Wang, Bo; Li, Jun; Tai, Shuaishuai; Xiao, Fei; Hanihara, Tsunehiko; van Driem, George; Jha, Aashish R.; Ricaut, François-Xavier; de Knijff, Peter; Migliano, Andrea B; Romero, Irene Gallego; Kristiansen, Karsten; Lambert, David M.; Brunak, Søren; Forster, Peter; Brinkmann, Bernd; Nehlich, Olaf; Bunce, Michael; Richards, Michael; Gupta, Ramneek; Bustamante, Carlos D.; Krogh, Anders; Foley, Robert A.; Lahr, Marta M.; Balloux, Francois; Sicheritz-Pontén, Thomas; Villems, Richard; Nielsen, Rasmus; Wang, Jun; Willerslev, Eske

2013-01-01

We present an Aboriginal Australian genomic sequence obtained from a 100-year-old lock of hair donated by an Aboriginal man from southern Western Australia in the early 20th century. We detect no evidence of European admixture and estimate contamination levels to be below 0.5%. We show that Aboriginal Australians are descendants of an early human dispersal into eastern Asia, possibly 62,000 to 75,000 years ago. This dispersal is separate from the one that gave rise to modern Asians 25,000 to 38,000 years ago. We also find evidence of gene flow between populations of the two dispersal waves prior to the divergence of Native Americans from modern Asian ancestors. Our findings support the hypothesis that present-day Aboriginal Australians descend from the earliest humans to occupy Australia, likely representing one of the oldest continuous populations outside Africa. PMID:21940856

Quantifying Queensland patients with cancer health service usage and costs: study protocol

PubMed Central

Callander, Emily; Topp, Stephanie M; Larkins, Sarah; Sabesan, Sabe

2017-01-01

Introduction The overall mortality rate for cancer has declined in Australia. However, socioeconomic inequalities exist and the out-of-pocket costs incurred by patients in Australia are high compared with some European countries. There is currently no readily available data set to provide a systematic means of measuring the out-of-pocket costs incurred by patients with cancer within Australia. The primary aim of the project is to quantify the direct out-of-pocket healthcare expenditure of individuals in the state of Queensland, who are diagnosed with cancer. Methods and analysis This project will build Australia's first model (called CancerCostMod) of out-of-pocket healthcare expenditure of patients with cancer using administrative data from Queensland Cancer Registry, for all individuals diagnosed with any cancer in Queensland between 1 July 2011 and 30 June 2012, linked to their Admitted Patient Data Collection, Emergency Department Information System, Medicare Benefits Schedule and Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme records from 1 July 2011 to 30 June 2015. No identifiable information will be provided to the authors. The project will use a combination of linear and logistic regression modelling, Cox proportional hazards modelling and machine learning to identify differences in survival, total health system expenditure, total out-of-pocket expenditure and high out-of-pocket cost patients, adjusting for demographic and clinical confounders, and income group, Indigenous status and geographic location. Results will be analysed separately for different types of cancer. Ethics and dissemination Human Research Ethics approval has been obtained from the Townsville Hospital and Health Service Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC/16/QTHS/110) and James Cook University Human Research Ethics Committee (H6678). Permission to waive consent has been sought from Queensland Health under the Public Health Act 2005. PMID:28119391

Whole-Genome Genetic Diversity in a Sample of Australians with Deep Aboriginal Ancestry

PubMed Central

McEvoy, Brian P.; Lind, Joanne M.; Wang, Eric T.; Moyzis, Robert K.; Visscher, Peter M.; van Holst Pellekaan, Sheila M.; Wilton, Alan N.

2010-01-01

Australia was probably settled soon after modern humans left Africa, but details of this ancient migration are not well understood. Debate centers on whether the Pleistocene Sahul continent (composed of New Guinea, Australia, and Tasmania) was first settled by a single wave followed by regional divergence into Aboriginal Australian and New Guinean populations (common origin) or whether different parts of the continent were initially populated independently. Australia has been the subject of relatively few DNA studies even though understanding regional variation in genomic structure and diversity will be important if disease-association mapping methods are to be successfully evaluated and applied across populations. We report on a genome-wide investigation of Australian Aboriginal SNP diversity in a sample of participants from the Riverine region. The phylogenetic relationship of these Aboriginal Australians to a range of other global populations demonstrates a deep common origin with Papuan New Guineans and Melanesians, with little evidence of substantial later migration until the very recent arrival of European colonists. The study provides valuable and robust insights into an early and important phase of human colonization of the globe. A broader survey of Australia, including diverse geographic sample populations, will be required to fully appreciate the continent's unique population history and consequent genetic heritage, as well as the importance of both to the understanding of health issues. PMID:20691402

REGULATION OF AUSTRALIAN MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS AND NATIONAL SECURITY: LESSONS FROM THREE CASE STUDIES.

PubMed

Faunce, Thomas; McKenna, Michael; Rayner, Johanna; Hawes, Jazmin

2016-03-01

In recent times, Australia's national security concerns have had controversial impacts on regulation of Australian medical practitioners in areas related to immigration detention. This column explores three recent case studies relevant to this issue. The first involves the enactment of the Australian Border Force Act 2015 (Cth), which has a significant impact on the regulation of medical professionals who work with people in immigration detention. The second involves the decision of the High Court of Australia in Plaintiff M68/2015 v Minister for Immigration and Border Protection [2016] HCA 1 that an amendment to Australian federal legislation justified sending children back to immigration detention centres in Papua New Guinea and Nauru. This legislation was previously heavily criticised by the Australian Human Rights Commissioner. The third concerns the deregistration of Tareq Kamleh, an Australian doctor of German-Palestinian heritage who came to public attention on ANZAC Day 2015 with his appearance online in a propaganda video for the Islamic State terrorist organisation al-Dawla al-Islamyia fil Iraq wa'al Sham, also known as Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) or Daesh. Australia's professional regulatory system should presumptively respect professional virtues, such as loyalty to the relief of individual patient suffering, when dealing with doctors (whether in Australia or ISIS-occupied Syria) working under regimes whose principles appear inconsistent with those of ethics and human rights.

Social Change and Family Policies. Key Papers, Part 2. International CFR Seminar (20th, Melbourne, Australia, August 19-24, 1984).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Eichler, Margrit; And Others

These papers from an International Committee on Family Research (CFR) seminar explore seven themes, three of which are presented in Part 2. Work, economic policies, and welfare consequences and responsibilities (Theme 5) are discussed in Margrit Eichler's "The Familism-Individualism Flip-Flop and Its Implications for Economic and Social…

The Involvement of Migrant Mothers in Their Children's Education: Cultural Capital and Transnational Class Processes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jamal Al-deen, Taghreed; Windle, Joel

2015-01-01

This paper analyses the kinds of capital, practices and investments that are implicated in the participation of migrant mothers in the educational careers of their children, drawing on a Bourdieusian framework. We present findings of a study of Muslim Iraqi mothers with school-aged children in Australia, based on 47 interviews with 25…

Social Change and Family Policies. Free Papers, Part 4. International CFR Seminar (20th, Melbourne, Australia, August 19-24, 1984).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baum, Frances E.; And Others

These free papers presented at an International Committee on Family Research (CFR) seminar include (1) Frances E. Baum's "There's No Room in the Nuclear Family: Sharing As an Alternative Housing Option"; (2) Paula W. Dail's "Parental Role Perceptions among Young, Dual Parent Families in America: Family Policy Implications for the…

Middle-Level Secondary School Leaders: Potential, Constraints and Implications for Leadership Preparation and Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gurr, David; Drysdale, Lawrie

2013-01-01

Purpose: The aim of this paper is to bring together for the first time three studies of middle-level leaders in secondary schools in Victoria, Australia. The studies span more than a decade and allow consideration of the progress in developing middle-level leadership roles. Design/methodology/approach: All studies followed a consistent approach…

The Development of a Tutor Programme in a University Hall of Residence--A Case Study.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Beasley, V. J.

The tutor system within a university hall of residence at Flinders University of South Australia and a method of inquiry used to study the system are examined. Interviews with residence hall tutors revealed four concerns: the need for guidelines, the nature of academic tutoring, pastoral care and its implications, and communication channels within…

Going Metric: An Analysis of Experiences in Five Nations and Their Implications for U.S. Educational Planning. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chalupsky, Albert B.; And Others

This study was undertaken in order to gather information concerning conversion to the metric system by other countries which might be useful in planning for conversion by the United States. Representatives of organizations in five countries (United Kingdom, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, and Canada) which had recently converted to the…

Serum Antibody Response to Koala Retrovirus Antigens Varies in Free-Ranging Koalas ( Phascolarctos cinereus ) in Australia: Implications for Vaccine Design.

PubMed

Waugh, Courtney; Gillett, Amber; Polkinghorne, Adam; Timms, Peter

2016-04-28

Little is known about the immune response in the koala ( Phascolarctos cinereus ) to its retroviruses. Koala retroviruses (KoRVs) have been linked to neoplasia in wild and captive koalas, but there is no treatment available. We tested the KoRV-specific serum immunoglobulin G antibody response in nonimmunized and immunized koalas.

Reconciling Means and Ends in Equity and Access through Further and Higher Education Sector Partnerships: An Australian Case

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Broughton, Sharon

2005-01-01

This paper examines the educational implications of pursuing equity and access for adult learners across further and higher education sectors. It contextualizes some advantages and disadvantages in cross-sectoral arrangements by reference to a specific access and equity partnership program in Australia and analyses the impact on the equity aims of…

Student Injuries and Negligence: Lessons from the International Scene with Implications for Singapore's Educators

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Teh, Kim

2008-01-01

Many jurisdictions are showing a trend of school-related negligence cases being taken to court. This article explores the legal principles applied by the courts in England, Australia, Canada, the United States, and New Zealand to ensure the safety of students in schools. As we look at the developments in these countries, we can see student injury…

Diagnosis, Treatment, and Educational Implications for Students with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in the United States, Australia, and the United Kingdom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schlachter, Sarah

2008-01-01

For many years there has been debate over Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and whether this condition, which commonly afflicts adolescent children, is a medical or social condition and whether it is exclusively an American phenomenon. This article reviews the basis of ADHD's definition, diagnosis, treatment, and educational…

Re-Positioning Australia's International Education in Global Knowledge Economies: Implications of Shifts in Skilled Migration Policies for Universities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gribble, Cate; Blackmore, Jill

2012-01-01

In recent times, many key host nations have made it easier for foreign graduates to migrate after graduation. These students are often considered ideal migrants, possessing local qualifications along with a degree of acculturation, language skills and, in many cases, relevant local work experience. For the student, the opportunity to obtain…

Challenges Faced by a Faith-Based School in a Rural, Predominantly Secular Setting: Implications

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Evangelinou-Yiannakis, Angela

2016-01-01

A new, independent Catholic school in rural Australia has had to face significant challenges in relation to its distinct Catholic ethos and curriculum. The challenges have included resistance from parents of the School with regard to the weekly time allocation for Religious Education, the nature of the faith-based curriculum, and the way in which…

Best Practice Irrigation Management and Extension in Peri-Urban Landscapes--Experiences and Insights from the Hawkesbury-Nepean Catchment, Australia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Maheshwari, B. L.; Plunkett, M.

2015-01-01

Purpose: The aim of this article to examine key irrigation management issues and their implications for future research and extension developments. Design/Methodology/Approach: Peri-urban landscapes are important as they supply fresh fruit, vegetables, turf, ornamental plants and other farm products to the cities. In this study, the…

The Future of the Curriculum: School Knowledge in the Digital Age. MacArthur Foundation Reports on Digital Media and Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Williamson, Ben

2013-01-01

Although ideas about digital media and learning have become an important area for educational research, little attention has been given to the practical and conceptual implications for the school curriculum. In this book, Ben Williamson examines a series of contemporary curriculum innovations in the United States, Great Britain, and Australia that…

Autism Spectrum Disorder Coursework for Teachers and Teacher-Aides: An Investigation of Courses Offered in Queensland, Australia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Coates, Mitchell; Lamb, Janeen; Bartlett, Brendan; Datta, Poulomee

2017-01-01

The content and structure of pre-service and teacher-aide programs has major implications for training, management, support and deployment of teachers and teacher-aides in mainstream schools working with students who have ASD. Data pertaining to course content and structure were collected from university and teacher-aide training websites, program…

An Australian casemix classification for palliative care: lessons and policy implications of a national study.

PubMed

Eagar, Kathy; Gordon, Robert; Green, Janette; Smith, Michael

2004-04-01

To provide a nontechnical discussion of the development of a palliative care casemix classification and some policy implications of its implementation. 3866 palliative care patients who, in a three month period, had 4596 episodes of care provided by 58 palliative care services in Australia and New Zealand. A detailed clinical and service utilization profile was collected on each patient with staff time and other resources measured on a daily basis. A statistical summary of the clinical variables was compiled as the first stage of the analysis. Palliative care phase was found to be a good predictor of resource use, with patients fairly evenly distributed across the five categories. Clients treated in an inpatient setting had poorer function and higher symptom severity scores than those treated in an ambulatory setting, a result that is not surprising in this Australian setting. Implementation of the resultant AN-SNAP classification has been proceeding since 1998 in some Australian jurisdictions. The development and implementation of a classification such as AN-SNAP provides the possibility of having a consistent approach to collecting palliative care data in Australia as well as a growing body of experience on how to progressively improve the classification over time.

Casualisation of the nursing workforce in Australia: driving forces and implications.

PubMed

Creegan, Reta; Duffield, Christine; Forrester, Kim

2003-01-01

This article provides an overview of the extent of casualisation of the nursing workforce in Australia, focusing on the impact for those managing the system. The implications for nurse managers in particular are considerable in an industry where service demand is difficult to control and where individual nurses are thought to be increasingly choosing to work casually. While little is known of the reasons behind nurses exercising their preference for casual work arrangements, some reasons postulated include visa status (overseas trained nurses on holiday/working visas); permanent employees taking on additional shifts to increase their income levels; and those who elect to work under casual contracts for lifestyle reasons. Unknown is the demography of the casual nursing workforce, how these groups are distributed within the workforce, and how many contracts of employment they have across the health service--either through privately managed nursing agencies or hospital managed casual pools. A more detailed knowledge of the forces driving the decisions of this group is essential if health care organisations are to equip themselves to manage this changing workforce and maintain a standard of patient care that is acceptable to the community.

The Life Story Experience of "Migrant Dentists" in Australia: Potential Implications for Health Workforce Governance and International Cooperation.

PubMed

Balasubramanian, Madhan; Spencer, A John; Short, Stephanie D; Watkins, Keith; Chrisopoulos, Sergio; Brennan, David S

2016-10-10

The migration of dentists is a major policy challenge facing both developing and developed countries. Dentists from over 120 countries migrate to Australia, and a large proportion are from developing countries. The aim of the study was to assess the life story experience (LSE) of migrant dentists in Australia, in order to address key policy challenges facing dentist migration. A national survey of all migrant dentists resident in Australia was conducted in 2013. Migrant experiences were assessed through a suite of LSE scales, developed through a qualitative-quantitative study. Respondents rated experiences using a five-point Likert scale. A total of 1022 migrant dentists responded to the survey (response rate = 54.5%). LSE1 (health system and general lifestyle concerns in home country), LSE2 (appreciation towards Australian way of life) and LSE3 (settlement concerns in Australia) scales varied by migrant dentist groups, sex, and years since arrival to Australia (chi-square, P < .05). In a logistic regression model, migrants mainly from developing countries (ie, the examination pathway group) faced greater health system and general lifestyle concerns in their home countries (9.32; 3.51-24.72) and greater settlement challenges in Australia (5.39; 3.51-8.28), compared to migrants from well-developed countries, who obtained direct recognition of qualifications. Migrants also are more appreciative towards the Australian way of life if they had lived at least ten years in Australia (1.97; 1.27-3.05), compared to migrants who have lived for less than ten years. Migrant dentists, mainly from developing countries, face challenges both in their home countries and in Australia. Our study offers evidence for multi-level health workforce governance and calls for greater consensus towards an international agenda to address dentist migration. Better integration of dentist migration with the mainstream health workforce governance is a viable and opportunistic way forward. © 2017 The Author(s); Published by Kerman University of Medical Sciences. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Shining the light on the dark side of medical leadership - a qualitative study in Australia.

PubMed

Loh, Erwin; Morris, Jennifer; Thomas, Laura; Bismark, Marie Magdaleen; Phelps, Grant; Dickinson, Helen

2016-07-04

Purpose The paper aims to explore the beliefs of doctors in leadership roles of the concept of "the dark side", using data collected from interviews carried out with 45 doctors in medical leadership roles across Australia. The paper looks at the beliefs from the perspectives of doctors who are already in leadership roles themselves; to identify potential barriers they might have encountered and to arrive at better-informed strategies to engage more doctors in the leadership of the Australian health system. The research question is: "What are the beliefs of medical leaders that form the key themes or dimensions of the negative perception of the 'dark side'?". Design/methodology/approach The paper analysed data from two similar qualitative studies examining medical leadership and engagement in Australia by the same author, in collaboration with other researchers, which used in-depth semi-structured interviews with 45 purposively sampled senior medical leaders in leadership roles across Australia in health services, private and public hospitals, professional associations and health departments. The data were analysed using deductive and inductive approaches through a coding framework based on the interview data and literature review, with all sections of coded data grouped into themes. Findings Medical leaders had four key beliefs about the "dark side" as perceived through the eyes of their own past clinical experience and/or their clinical colleagues. These four beliefs or dimensions of the negative perception colloquially known as "the dark side" are the belief that they lack both managerial and clinical credibility, they have confused identities, they may be in conflict with clinicians, their clinical colleagues lack insight into the complexities of medical leadership and, as a result, doctors are actively discouraged from making the transition from clinical practice to medical leadership roles in the first place. Research limitations/implications This research was conducted within the Western developed-nation setting of Australia and only involved interviews with doctors in medical leadership roles. The findings are therefore limited to the doctors' own perceptions of themselves based on their past experiences and beliefs. Future research involving doctors who have not chosen to transition to leadership roles, or other health practitioners in other settings, may provide a broader perspective. Also, this research was exploratory and descriptive in nature using qualitative methods, and quantitative research can be carried out in the future to extend this research for statistical generalisation. Practical implications The paper includes implications for health organisations, training providers, medical employers and health departments and describes a multi-prong strategy to address this important issue. Originality/value This paper fulfils an identified need to study the concept of "moving to the dark side" as a negative perception of medical leadership and contributes to the evidence in this under-researched area. This paper has used data from two similar studies, combined together for the first time, with new analysis and coding, looking at the concept of the "dark side" to discover new emergent findings.

Food- and waterborne disease outbreaks in Australian long-term care facilities, 2001-2008.

PubMed

Kirk, Martyn D; Lalor, Karin; Raupach, Jane; Combs, Barry; Stafford, Russell; Hall, Gillian V; Becker, Niels

2011-01-01

Abstract Food- or waterborne diseases in long-term care facilities (LTCF) can result in serious outcomes, including deaths, and they are potentially preventable. We analyzed data collected by OzFoodNet on food- and waterborne disease outbreaks occurring in LTCF in Australia from 2001 to 2008. We compared outbreaks by the number of persons affected, etiology, and implicated vehicle. During 8 years of surveillance, 5.9% (55/936) of all food- and waterborne outbreaks in Australia occurred in LTCF. These LTCF outbreaks affected a total of 909 people, with 66 hospitalized and 23 deaths. The annual incidence of food- or waterborne outbreaks was 1.9 (95% confidence intervals 1.0-3.7) per 1000 facilities. Salmonella caused 17 outbreaks, Clostridium perfringens 14 outbreaks, Campylobacter 8 outbreaks, and norovirus 1 outbreak. Residents were at higher risk of death during outbreaks of salmonellosis than for all other outbreaks combined (relative risk 7.8, 95% confidence intervals 1.8-33.8). Of 15 outbreaks of unknown etiology, 11 were suspected to be due to C. perfringens intoxication. Food vehicles were only identified in 27% (14/52) of outbreaks, with six outbreak investigations implicating pureed foods. Dishes containing raw eggs were implicated as the cause of four outbreaks. Three outbreaks of suspected waterborne disease were attributed to rainwater collected from facility roofs. To prevent disease outbreaks, facilities need to improve handling of pureed foods, avoid feeding residents raw or undercooked eggs, and ensure that rainwater tanks have a scheduled maintenance and disinfection program.

CCA 3101/4101 Environmental Humanities: The History of a Unit through an Ecopedagogical Lens

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ryan, John Charles

2012-01-01

In 2011 the author taught, for the first time, the well-established unit CCA3101/4101 Environmental Humanities in the School of Communications and Arts at ECU (Edith Cowan University) in Western Australia. The unit has a 20-year history through associate professor Rod Giblett and parallels the development of the environmental humanities as a field…

Human Resource Management in Australian Registered Training Organisations: Literature Review and Discussion Starter. Support Document

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Andrew

2008-01-01

This project seeks to establish the current state of human resource management practice in RTOs in Australia. The project takes a strategic approach, particularly in the case study phase where the research will attempt to examine the links between human resource management and the strategy of the organisation. The results of the project will…

The ethics of clinical research and the conduct of clinical drug trials: international comparisons and codes of conduct.

PubMed

Beran, R G

2000-01-01

Human research must respect most rigorous ethical standards to protect both the investigators and subjects. Codes of ethical practice relevant to such research are subjected to reviews around the world including The European Union (EU), the Canadian Tri-Council Policy Statement (including the Medical Research Council, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council), the Finnish Parliament Research Act (April 1999) and the National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Research Involving Humans in accordance with the NHMRC Act 1992 (Cth) from the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia. The Australian Statement was endorsed by the Australian Vice-Chancellors' Committee, the Australian Research Council, the Australian Academy of the Humanities, the Australian Academy of Science and the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia and supported by the Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering. This reflects the extensive ramifications of human experimentation and the range of stack holders. Private organisations have also produced interpretations of minimum standards of good clinical practice. The paper that follows analyses approaches to human experimentation and the minimal ethical expectations in the conduct of such research.

Breasts for hire and shared breastfeeding: wet nursing and cross feeding in Australia, 1900-2000.

PubMed

Thorley, Virginia

2008-01-01

Wet nursing and cross-nursing both involve the breastfeeding of a baby by someone who is not the baby's mother. They differ in that wet nurses were usually employees in paid situations and the breastfeeding was not reciprocated, whereas cross-nursing was between peers and was usually unpaid and could be reciprocal. In Australia at the turn of the twentieth century wet nurses were employed in private homes or institutions. By the 1920s, finding a wet nurse had become extremely difficult, but informal cross-feeding existed long after this. This study examines both practices in twentieth century Australia, 1900-2000, and includes a discussion of the decline of human milk banks, another means of sharing mothers' milk.

The characteristics of oncology social work in Australia: Implications for workforce planning in integrated cancer care.

PubMed

Pockett, Rosalie; Peate, Michelle; Hobbs, Kim; Dzidowska, Monika; L Bell, Melanie; Baylock, Brandi; Epstein, Irwin

2016-12-01

To describe the demographics, professional characteristics, self-reported professional development needs and research involvement of oncology social workers in Australia and to describe perceived barriers to provision of quality psychosocial care. A cross-sectional online survey was administered to social workers working in the oncology field who were contacted through three professional organizations; the Australian Association of Social Workers, Oncology Social Work Australia and the Psycho-oncology Co-operative Research Group, the University of Sydney. A snowball recruitment method was adopted to maximize the sample size. Two thirds of respondents had over 10 years professional practice experience but with lesser experience in oncology settings. Twenty-eight percent had post-graduate qualifications. Professional development needs were reported as moderate or high by 68% of respondents. No association between professional needs and work setting was found. Years of experience in oncology practice and living in an urban area increased the likelihood of involvement in research. Barriers to psychosocial care included poor understandings of the social work role, time constraints and an inadequate number of social work positions. In this first Australian study of the social work oncology workforce, the results demonstrated active, well-qualified and experienced social workers providing frontline services to people with cancer and their caregivers in geographically diverse locations across Australia. Inadequate resources and a lack of integrated psychosocial care were identified as barriers to comprehensive cancer care. The need for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander social workers was identified as an urgent workforce priority. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.

Gamete and Embryo Donation and Surrogacy in Australia: The Social Context and Regulatory Framework

PubMed Central

Hammarberg, Karin; Johnson, Louise; Petrillo, Tracey

2011-01-01

The social and legal acceptability of third-party reproduction varies around the world. In Australia, gamete and embryo donation and surrogacy are permitted within the regulatory framework set out by federal and state governments. The aim of this paper is to describe the social context and regulatory framework for third-party reproduction in Australia. This is a review of current laws and regulations related to third-party reproduction in Australia. Although subtle between-state differences exist, third-party reproduction is by and large a socially acceptable and legally permissible way to form a family throughout Australia. The overarching principles that govern the practice of third-party reproduction are altruism; the right of donorconceived people to be informed of their biological origins; and the provision of comprehensive counselling about the social, psychological, physical, ethical, financial and legal implications of third-party reproduction to those considering donating or receiving gametes or embryos and entering surrogacy arrangements. These principles ensure that donors are not motivated by financial gain, donor offspring can identify and meet with the person or persons who donated gametes or embryos, and prospective donors and recipients are aware of and have carefully considered the potential consequences of third-party reproduction. Australian state laws and federal guidelines prohibit commercial and anonymous third-party reproduction; mandate counselling of all parties involved in gamete and embryo donation and surrogacy arrangements; and require clinics to keep records with identifying and non- identifying information about the donor/s to allow donor-conceived offspring to trace their biological origins. PMID:24851179

Phylogeography of Australia's king brown snake (Pseudechis australis) reveals Pliocene divergence and Pleistocene dispersal of a top predator.

PubMed

Kuch, Ulrich; Keogh, J Scott; Weigel, John; Smith, Laurie A; Mebs, Dietrich

2005-03-01

King brown snakes or mulga snakes (Pseudechis australis) are the largest and among the most dangerous and wide-ranging venomous snakes in Australia and New Guinea. They occur in diverse habitats, are important predators, and exhibit considerable morphological variation. We infer the relationships and historical biogeography of P. australis based on phylogenetic analysis of 1,249 base pairs from the mitochondrial cytochrome b, NADH dehydrogenase subunit 4 and three adjacent tRNA genes using Bayesian, maximum-likelihood, and maximum-parsimony methods. All methods reveal deep phylogenetic structure with four strongly supported clades comprising snakes from New Guinea (I), localities all over Australia (II), the Kimberleys of Western Australia (III), and north-central Australia (IV), suggesting a much more ancient radiation than previously believed. This conclusion is robust to different molecular clock estimations indicating divergence in Pliocene or Late Miocene, after landbridge dispersal to New Guinea had occurred. While members of clades I, III and IV are medium-sized, slender snakes, those of clade II attain large sizes and a robust build, rendering them top predators in their ecosystems. Genetic differentiation within clade II is low and haplotype distribution largely incongruent with geography or colour morphs, suggesting Pleistocene dispersal and recent ecomorph evolution. Significant haplotype diversity exists in clades III and IV, implying that clade IV comprises two species. Members of clade II are broadly sympatric with members of both northern Australian clades. Thus, our data support the recognition of at least five species from within P. australis (auct.) under various criteria. We discuss biogeographical, ecological and medical implications of our findings.

Phylogeography of Australia's king brown snake (Pseudechis australis) reveals Pliocene divergence and Pleistocene dispersal of a top predator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuch, Ulrich; Keogh, J. Scott; Weigel, John; Smith, Laurie A.; Mebs, Dietrich

2005-03-01

King brown snakes or mulga snakes (Pseudechis australis) are the largest and among the most dangerous and wide-ranging venomous snakes in Australia and New Guinea. They occur in diverse habitats, are important predators, and exhibit considerable morphological variation. We infer the relationships and historical biogeography of P. australis based on phylogenetic analysis of 1,249 base pairs from the mitochondrial cytochrome b, NADH dehydrogenase subunit 4 and three adjacent tRNA genes using Bayesian, maximum-likelihood, and maximum-parsimony methods. All methods reveal deep phylogenetic structure with four strongly supported clades comprising snakes from New Guinea (I), localities all over Australia (II), the Kimberleys of Western Australia (III), and north-central Australia (IV), suggesting a much more ancient radiation than previously believed. This conclusion is robust to different molecular clock estimations indicating divergence in Pliocene or Late Miocene, after landbridge dispersal to New Guinea had occurred. While members of clades I, III and IV are medium-sized, slender snakes, those of clade II attain large sizes and a robust build, rendering them top predators in their ecosystems. Genetic differentiation within clade II is low and haplotype distribution largely incongruent with geography or colour morphs, suggesting Pleistocene dispersal and recent ecomorph evolution. Significant haplotype diversity exists in clades III and IV, implying that clade IV comprises two species. Members of clade II are broadly sympatric with members of both northern Australian clades. Thus, our data support the recognition of at least five species from within P. australis (auct.) under various criteria. We discuss biogeographical, ecological and medical implications of our findings.

Gamete and embryo donation and surrogacy in australia: the social context and regulatory framework.

PubMed

Hammarberg, Karin; Johnson, Louise; Petrillo, Tracey

2011-01-01

The social and legal acceptability of third-party reproduction varies around the world. In Australia, gamete and embryo donation and surrogacy are permitted within the regulatory framework set out by federal and state governments. The aim of this paper is to describe the social context and regulatory framework for third-party reproduction in Australia. This is a review of current laws and regulations related to third-party reproduction in Australia. Although subtle between-state differences exist, third-party reproduction is by and large a socially acceptable and legally permissible way to form a family throughout Australia. The overarching principles that govern the practice of third-party reproduction are altruism; the right of donorconceived people to be informed of their biological origins; and the provision of comprehensive counselling about the social, psychological, physical, ethical, financial and legal implications of third-party reproduction to those considering donating or receiving gametes or embryos and entering surrogacy arrangements. These principles ensure that donors are not motivated by financial gain, donor offspring can identify and meet with the person or persons who donated gametes or embryos, and prospective donors and recipients are aware of and have carefully considered the potential consequences of third-party reproduction. Australian state laws and federal guidelines prohibit commercial and anonymous third-party reproduction; mandate counselling of all parties involved in gamete and embryo donation and surrogacy arrangements; and require clinics to keep records with identifying and non- identifying information about the donor/s to allow donor-conceived offspring to trace their biological origins.

Cigarette tax and public health: what are the implications of financially stressed smokers for the effects of price increases on smoking prevalence?

PubMed

Martire, Kristy A; Mattick, Richard P; Doran, Christopher M; Hall, Wayne D

2011-03-01

This paper models the predicted impact of tobacco price increases proposed in the United States and Australia during 2009 on smoking prevalence in 2010 while taking account of the effects of financial stress among smokers on cessation rates. Two models of smoking prevalence were developed for each country. In model 1, prevalence rates were determined by price elasticity estimates. In model 2 price elasticity was moderated by financial stress. Each model was used to estimate smoking prevalence in 2010 in Australia and the United States. Proposed price increases resulted in a 1.89% and 7.84% decrease in smoking participation among low socio-economic status (SES) groups in the United States and Australia, respectively. Model 1 overestimated the number of individuals expected to quit in both the United States (0.13% of smokers) and Australia (0.36% of smokers) by failing to take account of the differential effects of the tax on financially stressed smokers. The proportion of low-income smokers under financial stress increased in both countries in 2010 (by 1.06% in the United States and 3.75% in Australia). The inclusion of financial stress when modelling the impact of price on smoking prevalence suggests that the population health returns of increased cigarette price will diminish over time. As it is likely that the proportion of low-income smokers under financial stress will also increase in 2010, future population-based approaches to reducing smoking will need to address this factor. © 2010 The Authors, Addiction © 2010 Society for the Study of Addiction.

Australian Extinctions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Science Teacher, 2005

2005-01-01

Massive extinctions of animals and the arrival of the first humans in ancient Australia--which occurred 45,000 to 55,000 years ago--may be linked. Researchers at the Carnegie Institution, University of Colorado, Australian National University, and Bates College believe that massive fires set by the first humans may have altered the ecosystem of…

"Care": Moral Concept or Merely an Organisational Suffix?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clapton, J.

2008-01-01

Background: Over recent decades, a couple of interesting trends have occurred in regard to human services practices in Australia. First, there has been a significant shift from practices that previously have intentionally responded to emerging and continuing human need within communities to practices that are now managed within a context of…

Issues in Work-Related Education. EAE605 Human Resource Development.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Deakin Univ., Victoria (Australia).

This publication is part of the study materials for the one-semester distance education unit, Human Resource Development, in the Open Campus Program at Deakin University (Australia). It contains three essays that explore the approaches to learning currently modeled within industry. "Training for Women" (Kathy MacDermott) presents the…

Development of a Human Papillomavirus Vaccination Intervention for Australian Adolescents

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cooper, Spring C.; Davies, Cristyn; McBride, Kate; Blades, Joanna; Stoney, Tanya; Marshall, Helen; Skinner, S. Rachel

2016-01-01

Objective: Australia has implemented a nation-wide programme providing a human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine to girls and boys through school-based programmes. Previous research has identified three distinct areas for attention: (1) lack of understanding about HPV and HPV vaccination, (2) young people's desire for involvement in decision-making…

Brain drain or links to the world: views on emigrants from Singapore.

PubMed

Yap, M T

1994-01-01

"This article will present a general picture of emigration and emigrants from Singapore, with specific references to Australia where the data permit. The first section presents some flow data on the magnitudes of emigration from Singapore.... It is necessary to place this outflow against the background of the constraints imposed by the country's small size. This is discussed in the second section, together with the economic policies and strategies adopted to overcome these constraints. The third section documents the public debate on emigration and the responses to the 'problem.' This is followed in the last section by a prognosis for the future, particularly with regard to the implications for Australia. The article ends with a discussion of the relationship between emigration and nation building, using Singapore as a case study." excerpt

Australian eldercare providers: comparing volunteers and temporary staff on work environment, interpersonal relationships, and self-efficacy.

PubMed

Ferrari, Joseph R

2004-12-01

Volunteers (n = 52) and temporary employees (n = 49) at a nonprofit, health care program for the elderly in Australia completed measures on community self-efficacy, sense of community, and caregiver satisfaction and stress. Results indicated that both samples of respondents experienced a relatively strong sense of common mission to help the elderly, but volunteers, compared to employees, reported stronger self-efficacy about making a difference in their community. Volunteers, in comparison to temporary (or casual, the preferred term in Australia) employees, also reported a stronger sense of reciprocal responsibility to help their peers but stronger disharmony among members. Employees compared to volunteers reported greater satisfaction as a caregiver. Implications suggest marked differences in experiences of eldercare among volunteer and temporary employees working with the elderly.

The impact of changing intracranial aneurysm practice on the education of cerebrovascular neurosurgeons.

PubMed

Lai, Leon; Morgan, Michael Kerin

2012-01-01

Endovascular repair of intracranial aneurysms has transformed the practice of cerebrovascular surgery. We reviewed the National Hospital Morbidity Database in Australia for the years 2000 to 2008 and investigated the changing trends of aneurysm practice. During this period 7,503 craniotomies for aneurysm repair and 7,863 endovascular coiling procedures were performed. The number of aneurysm procedures performed surgically reduced from 9 cases per neurosurgeon per year to 4.2 cases, a reduction of 53.3%. The number of endovascular treatments increased 2.1 fold, from 3.6 aneurysms per neurosurgeon in 2000 to 7.5 in 2008. The implications of reduced numbers of surgically treated aneurysms were considered for the education of cerebrovascular neurosurgeons in Australia. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Benefits of Australian Design Rule 69 (full frontal crash protection) and airbags in frontal crashes in Australia.

PubMed

Fitzharris, Michael; Fildes, Brian; Newstead, Stuart; Logan, David

2004-01-01

In-depth data at MUARC was used to evaluate the Australian Design Rule 69 (ADR69) - Full frontal dynamic crash requirement, as well as the effectiveness of frontal airbag deployment on injury risk and associated cost of injury. ADR69 was introduced in Australia in mid-1995 and was based largely on the US equivalent FMVSS-208. The results indicate reductions in excess of 90% in the likelihood of sustaining AIS 2+ injuries in body regions where frontal airbags would be expected to benefit. The average injury cost savings for drivers of post-ADR69 manufactured vehicles was found to be up to AUD19,000 dollars depending on body region considered. Limitations and implications of these findings are discussed.

Benefits of Australian Design Rule 69 (full frontal crash protection) and airbags in frontal crashes in Australia

PubMed Central

Fitzharris, Michael; Fildes, Brian; Newstead, Stuart; Logan, David

2004-01-01

In-depth data at MUARC was used to evaluate the Australian Design Rule 69 (ADR69) - Full frontal dynamic crash requirement, as well as the effectiveness of frontal airbag deployment on injury risk and associated cost of injury. ADR69 was introduced in Australia in mid-1995 and was based largely on the US equivalent FMVSS-208. The results indicate reductions in excess of 90% in the likelihood of sustaining AIS 2+ injuries in body regions where frontal airbags would be expected to benefit. The average injury cost savings for drivers of post-ADR69 manufactured vehicles was found to be up to AUD$19,000 depending on body region considered. Limitations and implications of these findings are discussed.

Shangri-La and the integration of mental health care in Australia.

PubMed

Rosenberg, Sebastian

2017-07-26

We wanted the best, but it turned out like always. Victor Chernomydrin) 1 According to literary legend, Shangri-La is an idyllic and harmonious place. Mental health is aspiring to its own Shangri-La in the shape of better integrated care. But do current reforms make integrated practice more or less likely? And what can be done to increase the chances of success? The aim of this article is to review the current state of mental health reforms in Australia now under way across Primary Health Networks, the National Disability Insurance Scheme, psychosocial support services and elsewhere. What are these changes and what are the implications for the future of integrated mental health care? Is Shangri-La just over the horizon, or have we embarked instead on a fool's errand?

Perils and positives of science journalism in Australia.

PubMed

McKinnon, Merryn; Howes, Johanna; Leach, Andrew; Prokop, Natasha

2017-03-01

Scientists, science communicators and science journalists interact to deliver science news to the public. Yet the value of interactions between the groups in delivering high-quality science stories is poorly understood within Australia. A recent study in New Zealand on the perspectives of the three groups on the challenges facing science journalism is replicated here in the context of New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory. While all three groups perceived the quality of science journalism as generally high, the limitations of non-specialists and public relation materials were causes for concern. The results indicate that science communicators are considered to play a valuable role as facilitators of information flow to journalists and support for scientists. Future studies on the influence and implications of interactions between these three groups are required.

Science Teacher Education in Australia: Initiatives and Challenges to Improve the Quality of Teaching

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Treagust, David F.; Won, Mihye; Petersen, Jacinta; Wynne, Georgie

2015-02-01

In this article, we describe how teachers in the Australian school system are educated to teach science and the different qualifications that teachers need to enter the profession. The latest comparisons of Australian students in international science assessments have brought about various accountability measures to improve the quality of science teachers at all levels. We discuss the issues and implications of government initiatives in preservice and early career teacher education programs, such as the implementation of national science curriculum, the stricter entry requirements to teacher education programs, an alternative pathway to teaching and the measure of effectiveness of teacher education programs. The politicized discussion and initiatives to improve the quality of science teacher education in Australia are still unfolding as we write in 2014.

Indigenous well-being in four countries: an application of the UNDP'S human development index to indigenous peoples in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United States.

PubMed

Cooke, Martin; Mitrou, Francis; Lawrence, David; Guimond, Eric; Beavon, Dan

2007-12-20

Canada, the United States, Australia, and New Zealand consistently place near the top of the United Nations Development Programme's Human Development Index (HDI) rankings, yet all have minority Indigenous populations with much poorer health and social conditions than non-Indigenous peoples. It is unclear just how the socioeconomic and health status of Indigenous peoples in these countries has changed in recent decades, and it remains generally unknown whether the overall conditions of Indigenous peoples are improving and whether the gaps between Indigenous peoples and other citizens have indeed narrowed. There is unsettling evidence that they may not have. It was the purpose of this study to determine how these gaps have narrowed or widened during the decade 1990 to 2000. Census data and life expectancy estimates from government sources were used to adapt the Human Development Index (HDI) to examine how the broad social, economic, and health status of Indigenous populations in these countries have changed since 1990. Three indices - life expectancy, educational attainment, and income - were combined into a single HDI measure. Between 1990 and 2000, the HDI scores of Indigenous peoples in North America and New Zealand improved at a faster rate than the general populations, closing the gap in human development. In Australia, the HDI scores of Indigenous peoples decreased while the general populations improved, widening the gap in human development. While these countries are considered to have high human development according to the UNDP, the Indigenous populations that reside within them have only medium levels of human development. The inconsistent progress in the health and well-being of Indigenous populations over time, and relative to non-Indigenous populations, points to the need for further efforts to improve the social, economic, and physical health of Indigenous peoples.

Vulnerability of eco-environmental health to climate change: the views of government stakeholders and other specialists in Queensland, Australia.

PubMed

Strand, Linn B; Tong, Shilu; Aird, Rosemary; McRae, David

2010-07-28

There is overwhelming scientific evidence that human activities have changed and will continue to change the climate of the Earth. Eco-environmental health, which refers to the interdependencies between ecological systems and population health and well-being, is likely to be significantly influenced by climate change. The aim of this study was to examine perceptions from government stakeholders and other relevant specialists about the threat of climate change, their capacity to deal with it, and how to develop and implement a framework for assessing vulnerability of eco-environmental health to climate change. Two focus groups were conducted in Brisbane, Australia with representatives from relevant government agencies, non-governmental organisations, and the industry sector (n = 15) involved in the discussions. The participants were specialists on climate change and public health from governmental agencies, industry, and non-governmental organisations in South-East Queensland. The specialists perceived climate change to be a threat to eco-environmental health and had substantial knowledge about possible implications and impacts. A range of different methods for assessing vulnerability were suggested by the participants and the complexity of assessment when dealing with multiple hazards was acknowledged. Identified factors influencing vulnerability were perceived to be of a social, physical and/or economic nature. They included population growth, the ageing population with associated declines in general health and changes in the vulnerability of particular geographical areas due to for example, increased coastal development, and financial stress. Education, inter-sectoral collaboration, emergency management (e.g. development of early warning systems), and social networks were all emphasised as a basis for adapting to climate change. To develop a framework, different approaches were discussed for assessing eco-environmental health vulnerability, including literature reviews to examine the components of vulnerability such as natural hazard risk and exposure and to investigate already existing frameworks for assessing vulnerability. The study has addressed some important questions in regard to government stakeholders and other specialists' views on the threat of climate change and its potential impacts on eco-environmental health. These findings may have implications in climate change and public health decision-making.

Abrupt shifts in ecosystem function and intensification of global biogeochemical cycle driven by hydroclimatic extremes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ma, Xuanlong; Huete, Alfredo; Ponce-Campos, Guillermo; Zhang, Yongguang; Xie, Zunyi; Giovannini, Leandro; Cleverly, James; Eamus, Derek

2016-04-01

Amplification of the hydrologic cycle as a consequence of global warming is increasing the frequency, intensity, and spatial extent of extreme climate events globally. The potential influences resulting from amplification of the hydro-climatic cycle, coupled with an accelerating warming trend, pose great concerns on the sustainability of terrestrial ecosystems to sequester carbon, maintain biodiversity, provide ecosystem services, food security, and support human livelihood. Despite the great implications, the magnitude, direction, and carry-over effect of these extreme climate events on ecosystem function, remain largely uncertain. To address these pressing issues, we conducted an observational, interdisciplinary study using satellite retrievals of atmospheric CO2 and photosynthesis (chlorophyll fluorescence), and in-situ flux tower measures of ecosystem-atmosphere carbon exchange, to reveal the shifts in ecosystem function across extreme drought and wet periods. We further determine the factors that govern ecosystem sensitivity to hydroclimatic extremes. We focus on Australia but extended our analyses to other global dryland regions due to their significant role in global biogeochemical cycles. Our results revealed dramatic impacts of drought and wet hydroclimatic extremes on ecosystem function, with abrupt changes in vegetation productivity, carbon uptake, and water-use-efficiency between years. Drought resulted in widespread reductions or collapse in the normal patterns of vegetation growth seasonality such that in many cases there was no detectable phenological cycle during extreme drought years. We further identified a significant increasing trend (p < 0.001) in extreme wet year precipitation amounts over Australia and many other global regions, resulting in an increasing trend in magnitude of the episodic carbon sink pulses coupled to each La Niña-induced wet years. This finding is of global biogeochemical significance, with the consequence of amplifying the global carbon cycle. Lastly, we use landscape measurements of carbon and water fluxes from eddy-covariance towers and field sampling of aboveground net primary productivity from long-term ecological networks to verify the patterns observed by top-down approaches. Our results demonstrate the intensification of hydroclimatic extremes due to global warming is exerting important impacts on ecosystem function, which further have significant implications on global biogeochemical cycles as well as local ecosystem processes.

Detection and management of familial hypercholesterolaemia in primary care in Australia: protocol for a pragmatic cluster intervention study with pre-post intervention comparisons.

PubMed

Arnold-Reed, Diane E; Brett, Tom; Troeung, Lakkhina; Vickery, Alistair; Garton-Smith, Jacquie; Bell, Damon; Pang, Jing; Grace, Tegan; Bulsara, Caroline; Li, Ian; Bulsara, Max; Watts, Gerald F

2017-10-22

Familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH), an autosomal dominant disorder of lipid metabolism, results in accelerated onset of atherosclerosis if left untreated. Lifelong treatment with diet, lifestyle modifications and statins enable a normal lifespan for most patients. Early diagnosis is critical. This protocol trials a primary care-based model of care (MoC) to improve detection and management of FH. Pragmatic cluster intervention study with pre-post intervention comparisons in Australian general practices. At study baseline, current FH detection practice is assessed. Medical records over 2 years are electronically scanned using a data extraction tool (TARB-Ex) to identify patients at increased risk. High-risk patients are clinically reviewed to provide definitive, phenotypic diagnosis using Dutch Lipid Clinic Network Criteria. Once an index family member with FH is identified, the primary care team undertake cascade testing of first-degree relatives to identify other patients with FH. Management guidance based on disease complexity is provided to the primary care team. Study follow-up to 12 months with TARB-Ex rerun to identify total number of new FH cases diagnosed over study period (via TARB-Ex, cascade testing and new cases presenting). At study conclusion, patient and clinical staff perceptions of enablers/barriers and suggested improvements to the approach will be examined. Resources at each stage will be traced to determine the economic implications of implementing the MoC and costed from health system perspective. Primary outcomes: increase in number of index cases clinically identified; reduction in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol of treated cases. increase in the number of family cases detected/contacted; cost implications of the MoC. Study approval by The University of Notre Dame Australia Human Research Ethics Committee Protocol ID: 0 16 067F. Registration: Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ID: 12616000630415. Information will be disseminated via research seminars, conference presentations, journal articles, media releases and community forums. Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ID 12616000630415; Pre-results. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2017. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

Vulnerability of eco-environmental health to climate change: the views of government stakeholders and other specialists in Queensland, Australia

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Background There is overwhelming scientific evidence that human activities have changed and will continue to change the climate of the Earth. Eco-environmental health, which refers to the interdependencies between ecological systems and population health and well-being, is likely to be significantly influenced by climate change. The aim of this study was to examine perceptions from government stakeholders and other relevant specialists about the threat of climate change, their capacity to deal with it, and how to develop and implement a framework for assessing vulnerability of eco-environmental health to climate change. Methods Two focus groups were conducted in Brisbane, Australia with representatives from relevant government agencies, non-governmental organisations, and the industry sector (n = 15) involved in the discussions. The participants were specialists on climate change and public health from governmental agencies, industry, and non-governmental organisations in South-East Queensland. Results The specialists perceived climate change to be a threat to eco-environmental health and had substantial knowledge about possible implications and impacts. A range of different methods for assessing vulnerability were suggested by the participants and the complexity of assessment when dealing with multiple hazards was acknowledged. Identified factors influencing vulnerability were perceived to be of a social, physical and/or economic nature. They included population growth, the ageing population with associated declines in general health and changes in the vulnerability of particular geographical areas due to for example, increased coastal development, and financial stress. Education, inter-sectoral collaboration, emergency management (e.g. development of early warning systems), and social networks were all emphasised as a basis for adapting to climate change. To develop a framework, different approaches were discussed for assessing eco-environmental health vulnerability, including literature reviews to examine the components of vulnerability such as natural hazard risk and exposure and to investigate already existing frameworks for assessing vulnerability. Conclusion The study has addressed some important questions in regard to government stakeholders and other specialists' views on the threat of climate change and its potential impacts on eco-environmental health. These findings may have implications in climate change and public health decision-making. PMID:20663227

Using the latest paleoclimate insights to better quantify the risk of low probability, high impact floods and hydrological droughts - how robust are existing water resource management and supply systems in eastern Australia?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kiem, Anthony; Vance, Tessa; Roberts, Jason; Ho, Michelle

2015-04-01

Floods and droughts always have and always will occur. Both natural climate variability and anthropogenic change influence flood and drought risk but their exact roles, and proportional importance, are not yet properly understood or quantified. To address these challenges, and to move towards a more resilient, well adapted world, a paradigm shift is required that accepts and accounts for the non-linear and non-stationary nature of the processes that drive hydroclimatic risk. This study focuses on recent research from Australia that utilizes several independently derived paleoclimate reconstructions to better understand interannual to multidecadal climate variability and to provide improved quantification of the true risk of low probability, high impact floods and hydrological droughts in the heavily populated eastern Australian region. It is demonstrated that the instrumental hydroclimatic records (which cover only 100 years at best for most parts of Australia) do not capture the full range of flooding and drought that is possible. Also discussed are the implications for water resources management of the realisation that hydroclimatic risk changes over time and that fundamental questions of whether flood and drought risk in Australia will increase or decrease in the future (and where and when and by how much) are as yet unanswered, and how decision makers can robustly deal with such uncertainty.

High resolution radio imaging study of the Pulsar Wind Nebula MSH 15-52

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leung, W.-Y.; Ng, C.-Y.

2016-06-01

We present a new high-resolution radio imaging study of the pulsar wind nebula (PWN) MSH 15-52, also dubbed as "the hand of God", with the Australia Telescope Compact Array observations. The system is powered by a young and energetic radio pulsar B1509-58 with high spin down luminosity of E(dot) = 2 x 10^37 erg/s. Previous X-ray images have shown that the PWN has a complex hand-shape morphology extending over 10 pc with features like jets, arc, filaments and enhanced emission knots in the HII region RCW 89. The new 6cm and 3cm radio images show different morphology than the X-ray counterpart. No radio counterpart of the X-ray jet is detected, instead we found enhanced emission in a sheath surrounding the jet. Additional small-scale features including a polarized linear filament next to the pulsar have also been discovered. Our polarisation measurements show that the intrinsic orientation of magnetic field aligns with the sheath. Finally, spectral analysis results indicate a steep spectrum for the system, which is rather unusual among PWNe. Implications of these findings will be discussed. The Australia Telescope Compact Array is part of the Australia Telescope National Facility which is funded by the Commonwealth of Australia for operation as a National Facility managed by CSIRO. This work is supported by an ECS grant under HKU 709713P.

Ethnicity and the risk of late-pregnancy stillbirth.

PubMed

Drysdale, Henry; Ranasinha, Sanjeeva; Kendall, Amanda; Knight, Michelle; Wallace, Euan M

2012-09-03

To determine if maternal country of birth is associated with the risk of antepartum stillbirth in late pregnancy. Retrospective cross-sectional study of all singleton births at 37-42 weeks' gestation, excluding those with congenital abnormalities and intrapartum stillbirths, between 1 June 2001 and 31 May 2011 at Southern Health, a large metropolitan maternity service in Melbourne, Australia. Rate of late-pregnancy antepartum stillbirth, analysed by maternal country of birth. Among 44 326 births, there was a significant difference in the stillbirth rate by maternal country of birth (P < 0.001). The rate of stillbirth per 1000 births was 1.48 among Australian-born women, 3.55 among South Asian-born women and 1.06 among South-East-East Asian-born women. Women born in South Asia were 2.4 (95% CI, 1.4-4.0) times more likely to have a late-pregnancy stillbirth than women born in Australia (P < 0.001). There was no significant difference between women born in Australia and women born in South-East-East Asia (P = 0.34). Adjusting for potential confounding factors, South Asian maternal birth remained an independent risk factor for stillbirth (adjusted odds ratio, 2.5; 95% CI, 1.3-5.1; P = 0.009). Women born in South Asia have an increased risk of antepartum stillbirth in late pregnancy, compared with other women. This observation may have implications for the delivery of pregnancy care in Australia.

Analysis of policy implications and challenges of the Cuban health assistance program related to human resources for health in the Pacific

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background Cuba has extended its medical cooperation to Pacific Island Countries (PICs) by supplying doctors to boost service delivery and offering scholarships for Pacific Islanders to study medicine in Cuba. Given the small populations of PICs, the Cuban engagement could prove particularly significant for health systems development in the region. This paper reviews the magnitude and form of Cuban medical cooperation in the Pacific and analyses its implications for health policy, human resource capacity and overall development assistance for health in the region. Methods We reviewed both published and grey literature on health workforce in the Pacific including health workforce plans and human resource policy documents. Further information was gathered through discussions with key stakeholders involved in health workforce development in the region. Results Cuba formalised its relationship with PICs in September 2008 following the first Cuba-Pacific Islands ministerial meeting. Some 33 Cuban health personnel work in Pacific Island Countries and 177 Pacific island students are studying medicine in Cuba in 2010 with the most extensive engagement in Kiribati, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu and Vanuatu. The cost of the Cuban medical cooperation to PICs comes in the form of countries providing benefits and paying allowances to in-country Cuban health workers and return airfares for their students in Cuba. This has been seen by some PICs as a cheaper alternative to training doctors in other countries. Conclusions The Cuban engagement with PICs, while smaller than engagement with other countries, presents several opportunities and challenges for health system strengthening in the region. In particular, it allows PICs to increase their health workforce numbers at relatively low cost and extends delivery of health services to remote areas. A key challenge is that with the potential increase in the number of medical doctors, once the local students return from Cuba, some PICs may face substantial rises in salary expenditure which could significantly strain already stretched government budgets. Finally, the Cuban engagement in the Pacific has implications for the wider geo-political and health sector support environment as the relatively few major bilateral donors, notably Australia (through AusAID) and New Zealand (through NZAID), and multilaterals such as the World Bank will need to accommodate an additional player with whom existing links are limited. PMID:22558940

Implications of climate change for potamodromous fishes.

PubMed

Beatty, Stephen J; Morgan, David L; Lymbery, Alan J

2014-06-01

There is little understanding of how climate change will impact potamodromous freshwater fishes. Since the mid 1970s, a decline in annual rainfall in south-western Australia (a globally recognized biodiversity hotspot) has resulted in the rivers of the region undergoing severe reductions in surface flows (ca. 50%). There is universal agreement amongst Global Climate Models that rainfall will continue to decline in this region. Limited data are available on the movement patterns of the endemic freshwater fishes of south-western Australia or on the relationship between their life histories and hydrology. We used this region as a model to determine how dramatic hydrological change may impact potamodromous freshwater fishes. Migration patterns of fishes in the largest river in south-western Australia were quantified over a 4 year period and were related to a number of key environmental variables including discharge, temperature, pH, conductivity and dissolved oxygen. Most of the endemic freshwater fishes were potamodromous, displaying lateral seasonal spawning migrations from the main channel into tributaries, and there were significant temporal differences in movement patterns between species. Using a model averaging approach, amount of discharge was clearly the best predictor of upstream and downstream movement for most species. Given past and projected reductions in surface flow and groundwater, the findings have major implications for future recruitment rates and population viabilities of potamodromous fishes. Freshwater ecosystems in drying climatic regions can only be managed effectively if such hydro-ecological relationships are considered. Proactive management and addressing existing anthropogenic stressors on aquatic ecosystems associated with the development of surface and groundwater resources and land use is required to increase the resistance and resilience of potamodromous fishes to ongoing flow reductions. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Climate change not to blame for late Quaternary megafauna extinctions in Australia

PubMed Central

Saltré, Frédérik; Rodríguez-Rey, Marta; Brook, Barry W.; Johnson, Christopher N; Turney, Chris S. M.; Alroy, John; Cooper, Alan; Beeton, Nicholas; Bird, Michael I.; Fordham, Damien A.; Gillespie, Richard; Herrando-Pérez, Salvador; Jacobs, Zenobia; Miller, Gifford H.; Nogués-Bravo, David; Prideaux, Gavin J.; Roberts, Richard G.; Bradshaw, Corey J. A.

2016-01-01

Late Quaternary megafauna extinctions impoverished mammalian diversity worldwide. The causes of these extinctions in Australia are most controversial but essential to resolve, because this continent-wide event presaged similar losses that occurred thousands of years later on other continents. Here we apply a rigorous metadata analysis and new ensemble-hindcasting approach to 659 Australian megafauna fossil ages. When coupled with analysis of several high-resolution climate records, we show that megafaunal extinctions were broadly synchronous among genera and independent of climate aridity and variability in Australia over the last 120,000 years. Our results reject climate change as the primary driver of megafauna extinctions in the world's most controversial context, and instead estimate that the megafauna disappeared Australia-wide ∼13,500 years after human arrival, with shorter periods of coexistence in some regions. This is the first comprehensive approach to incorporate uncertainty in fossil ages, extinction timing and climatology, to quantify mechanisms of prehistorical extinctions. PMID:26821754

Flame retardants (PBDEs) in marine turtles, dugongs and seafood from Queensland, Australia.

PubMed

Hermanussen, S; Matthews, V; Päpke, O; Limpus, C J; Gaus, C

2008-01-01

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are used as flame retardants in numerous products. These compounds have been found to enter the marine environment where they have the potential to bioaccumulate in biota. Limited information is currently available concerning the levels of PBDEs in Australian marine wildlife. This study presents baseline information on PBDE levels in a variety of marine species from Queensland, Australia and considers the influence of species-specific factors on contaminant levels and tissue distribution in marine turtles. Overall, the PBDE levels measured in this study are relatively low compared to marine biota from the northern hemisphere, indicating low level input into the marine system of Queensland. This is in general agreement with global estimates which suggest low PBDE usage in Australia. Previous studies, however, have found relatively high PBDE levels in Australian human milk and sera. This discrepancy in contamination trends between terrestrial and marine biota suggests that future transport of PBDEs may occur to the marine system in Australia.

Curriculum Renewal in Second-Language Learning: An Overview.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clark, John L.

1985-01-01

Directions in second-language curriculum development in Australia are discussed in the context of three contemporary educational value systems or ideologies: classical humanism, reconstructionism, and progressivism. (MSE)

Body Image and Obesity among Australian Adolescents from Indigenous and Anglo-European Backgrounds: Implications for Health Promotion and Obesity Prevention among Aboriginal Youth

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cinelli, Renata Leah; O'Dea, Jennifer A.

2009-01-01

This study examines the relationship between body image and obesity, among 4367 indigenous and Anglo-European adolescents in Australia in 2006. It shows that indigenous adolescents, male and female, were more likely than their non-indigenous counterparts to desire and pursue weight gain. Indigenous males showed the greatest tendencies to gain…

The End of Modernist Approaches to School Funding Policy in Australia: A New Rationale for Funding with Inclusive Implications for All Australian Schools?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Furtado, Michael

2005-01-01

The Australian Senate Employment, Workplace Relations and Education References Committee has been asked to examine the principles of Commonwealth Funding for schools, with particular emphasis on how these principles apply in meeting the current future needs of government and non-government schools and whether they ensure efficiency in the…

Meeting Skills Needs in a Market-Based Training System: A Study of Employer Perceptions and Responses to Training Challenges in the Australian Transport and Logistics Industry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gekara, Victor O.; Snell, Darryn; Chhetri, Prem; Manzoni, Alex

2014-01-01

Many countries are adopting market-based training systems to address industry skills needs. This paper examines the marketisation of Australia's training system and the implications for training provision and outcomes in the Transport and Logistics industry. Drawing on qualitative interviews from industry employers and training providers, we…

'Care': moral concept or merely an organisational suffix?

PubMed

Clapton, J

2008-07-01

Over recent decades, a couple of interesting trends have occurred in regard to human services practices in Australia. First, there has been a significant shift from practices that previously have intentionally responded to emerging and continuing human need within communities to practices that are now managed within a context of managerialism and influenced by market forces. Second, in such a changing context, increasingly, organisations have added the suffix 'care' to their organisational name. One is therefore left to consider why this latter change has occurred, and how is care being considered, particularly in organisations supporting people with intellectual disability (ID). A conceptual-theoretical analysis is undertaken to explore the characteristics of human services that embrace managerialism. The moral constructions of personhood in regard to people with ID within this service context are investigated; and the implications of how care is practised are considered. An immoral-amoral binary of personhood within an underpinning neo-liberal context is identified and analysed. Further analysis reveals a more insidious independent-dependent binary for people with an ID linked to a dominating Ethic of Normalcy. This latter binary suggests that care seemingly becomes neither ethically relevant nor legitimate for people with ID in managerialist service contexts. Ethical transformation in regard to care is needed for contemporary human services practice for people with ID. The underpinning Ethic of Normalcy is challenged for an Ethic of Engagement; whereby a deep understanding of care as a moral concept needs to be at the core of practice, rather than merely attached in an organisational name.

Collaboration in the Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences in Australia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Haddow, Gaby; Xia, Jianhong; Willson, Michele

2017-01-01

This paper reports on the first large-scale quantitative investigation into collaboration, demonstrated in co-authorship, by Australian humanities, arts and social sciences (HASS) researchers. Web of Science data were extracted for Australian HASS publications, with a focus on the softer social sciences, over the period 2004-2013. The findings…

The Reproduction of Biological "Race" through Physical Education Textbooks and Curriculum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McDonald, Brent

2013-01-01

This paper examines the usage of "race" in high school physical education textbooks in Australia. In particular, it examines the concept of biological "race" in connection with human performance in sport. DNA studies do not indicate that separate classifiable subspecies (races) exist within modern humans. A content analysis of…

Dysferlin, annexin A1, and mitsugumin 53 are upregulated in muscular dystrophy and localize to longitudinal tubules of the T-system with stretch.

PubMed

Waddell, Leigh B; Lemckert, Frances A; Zheng, Xi F; Tran, Jenny; Evesson, Frances J; Hawkes, Joanne M; Lek, Angela; Street, Neil E; Lin, Peihui; Clarke, Nigel F; Landstrom, Andrew P; Ackerman, Michael J; Weisleder, Noah; Ma, Jianjie; North, Kathryn N; Cooper, Sandra T

2011-04-01

Mutations in dysferlin cause an inherited muscular dystrophy because of defective membrane repair. Three interacting partners of dysferlin are also implicated in membrane resealing: caveolin-3 (in limb girdle muscular dystrophy type 1C), annexin A1, and the newly identified protein mitsugumin 53 (MG53). Mitsugumin 53 accumulates at sites of membrane damage, and MG53-knockout mice display a progressive muscular dystrophy. This study explored the expression and localization of MG53 in human skeletal muscle, how membrane repair proteins are modulated in various forms of muscular dystrophy, and whether MG53 is a primary cause of human muscle disease. Mitsugumin 53 showed variable sarcolemmal and/or cytoplasmic immunolabeling in control human muscle and elevated levels in dystrophic patients. No pathogenic MG53 mutations were identified in 50 muscular dystrophy patients, suggesting that MG53 is unlikely to be a common cause of muscular dystrophy in Australia. Western blot analysis confirmed upregulation of MG53, as well as of dysferlin, annexin A1, and caveolin-3 to different degrees, in different muscular dystrophies. Importantly, MG53, annexin A1, and dysferlin localize to the t-tubule network and show enriched labeling at longitudinal tubules of the t-system in overstretch. Our results suggest that longitudinal tubules of the t-system may represent sites of physiological membrane damage targeted by this membrane repair complex.

Disentangling the impacts of climate and human colonization on the flora and fauna of the Australian arid zone over the past 100 ka using stable isotopes in avian eggshell

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miller, Gifford H.; Fogel, Marilyn L.; Magee, John W.; Gagan, Michael K.

2016-11-01

Throughout the Quaternary, the flora and fauna of Australia evolved and adapted to the high-amplitude, low- and high-frequency climate changes that characterized the ice-age cycles. However, during the last glacial cycle, between ∼120 and 15 ka, unprecedented irreversible changes in flora and fauna occurred, and in that same interval modern humans established their first firm presence in the landscape. Disentangling the impacts of the first-order trend toward a colder, drier planet through the Late Quaternary from the impacts of human colonization has been challenging, from both the chronological and paleoenvironmental perspectives. We utilize the stable isotopes of carbon and oxygen preserved in near-continuous time series of Dromaius (emu) eggshell from five regions across Australia to provide independent reconstructions of ecosystem status and climate over the past 100 ka. Carbon isotopes are determined by the diet consumed by the female bird, whereas oxygen isotopes record the status of local moisture balance in the months prior to breeding. Together, δ13C and δ18O provide ecosystem status and climate from the same dated sample, reducing correlation uncertainties between proxies. Combined with recent improvements in the chronologies of Late Quaternary shorelines fringing inland lake basins and deflation during arid times, these data collectively reaffirm that Australia generally became increasingly, albeit irregularly, drier from the last interglaciation through to the last glacial maximum. Dromaius eggshell δ18O documents peak aridity between 30 and 15 ka, but shows no evidence of exceptional climate change between 60 and 40 ka. In contrast, Dromaius δ13Cdiet documents an irreversible loss of the majority of palatable summer-rainfall-related C4 grasses across the Australian arid zone between 50 and 45 ka, about the same time that the giant megafaunal bird, Genyornis, became extinct, and coincident with human dispersal across the continent. Our data indicate that changes unique to Australia occurred between 50 and 45 ka that led to a new climate-vegetation relationship and an overall reduction in effective moisture across much of the continent. The large summer-rainfall-dominated lakes of interior Australia failed to re-fill subsequently, despite a wide range of global climate states. A full explanation for the mechanisms behind these changes remains elusive, but they are almost certainly related to human agency. Plausible explanations include a change in fire regime resulting from human-lit fires, a change in fire regime following extinction of megafaunal browsers, and/or a threshold response to increasing aridity. Of these, the climate change explanation is least likely, given the lack of evidence for unprecedented aridity between 60 and 40 ka, and the successful adaptation of Australian ecosystems to 2.5 Ma of similar changes.

How evidence-based workforce planning in Australia is informing policy development in the retention and distribution of the health workforce.

PubMed

Crettenden, Ian F; McCarty, Maureen V; Fenech, Bethany J; Heywood, Troy; Taitz, Michelle C; Tudman, Sam

2014-02-03

Australia's health workforce is facing significant challenges now and into the future. Health Workforce Australia (HWA) was established by the Council of Australian Governments as the national agency to progress health workforce reform to address the challenges of providing a skilled, innovative and flexible health workforce in Australia. HWA developed Australia's first major, long-term national workforce projections for doctors, nurses and midwives over a planning horizon to 2025 (called Health Workforce 2025; HW 2025), which provided a national platform for developing policies to help ensure Australia's health workforce meets the community's needs. A review of existing workforce planning methodologies, in concert with the project brief and an examination of data availability, identified that the best fit-for-purpose workforce planning methodology was the stock and flow model for estimating workforce supply and the utilisation method for estimating workforce demand. Scenario modelling was conducted to explore the implications of possible alternative futures, and to demonstrate the sensitivity of the model to various input parameters. Extensive consultation was conducted to test the methodology, data and assumptions used, and also influenced the scenarios selected for modelling. Additionally, a number of other key principles were adopted in developing HW 2025 to ensure the workforce projections were robust and able to be applied nationally. The findings from HW 2025 highlighted that a 'business as usual' approach to Australia's health workforce is not sustainable over the next 10 years, with a need for co-ordinated, long-term reforms by government, professions and the higher education and training sector for a sustainable and affordable health workforce. The main policy levers identified to achieve change were innovation and reform, immigration, training capacity and efficiency and workforce distribution. While HW 2025 has provided a national platform for health workforce policy development, it is not a one-off project. It is an ongoing process where HWA will continue to develop and improve health workforce projections incorporating data and methodology improvements to support incremental health workforce changes.

Nature and frequency of services provided by child and family health nurses in Australia: results of a national survey.

PubMed

Schmied, Virginia; Fowler, Cathrine; Rossiter, Chris; Homer, Caroline; Kruske, Sue

2014-05-01

Australia has a system of universal child and family health (CFH) nursing services providing primary health services from birth to school entry. Herein, we report on the findings of the first national survey of CFH nurses, including the ages and circumstances of children and families seen by CFH nurses and the nature and frequency of the services provided by these nurses across Australia. A national survey of CFH nurses was conducted. In all, 1098 CFH nurses responded to the survey. Over 60% were engaged in delivering primary prevention services from a universal platform. Overall, 82.8% reported that their service made first contact with families within 2 weeks of birth, usually in the home (80.7%). The proportion of respondents providing regular support to families decreased as the child aged. Services were primarily health centre based, although 25% reported providing services in other locations (parks, preschools).The timing and location of first contact, the frequency of ongoing services and the composition of families seen by nurses varied across Australian jurisdictions. Nurses identified time constraints as the key barrier to the delivery of comprehensive services. CFH nurses play an important role in supporting families across Australia. The impact of differences in the CFH nursing provision across Australia requires further investigation. What is known about the topic? Countries that offer universal well child health services demonstrate better child health and developmental outcomes than countries that do not. Australian jurisdictions offer free, universal child and family health (CFH) nursing services from birth to school entry. What does this paper add? This paper provides nation-wide data on the nature of work undertaken by CFH nurses offering universal care. Across Australia, there are differences in the timing and location of first contact, the frequency of ongoing services and the range of families seen by nurses. What are the implications for practitioners? The impact for families of the variation in CFH nursing services offered across Australia is not known. Further research is required to investigate the outcomes of the service provision variations identified in the present study.

The Most Serious Offenses and Penalties Concerning Unsafe Foods under the Food Safety Laws in Bangladesh, India, and Australia: A Critical Analysis.

PubMed

Solaiman, S M; Ali, Abu Noman M Atahar

2015-01-01

The right to food is an internationally recognized human rignt, which inherently denotes the right to safe food simply because unsafe foods cause different diseases resulting in consumer's disability, organ failure, or even early demise. Food safety currently may not be an issue of public concern in Australia, but it has been a "silent killer" for decades in both Bangladesh and India contributing to deaths of thousands and injuries of millions of others. Unscrupulous businesses have been making money at the cost of immense human casualties with almost complete impunity in Bangladesh. The situation in Bangladesh is so intractable that the government has been making laws one after another; but food traders remain undeterred, and consequently consumers continue to die from adulterated foods. This paper examines the loopholes in the definitions of the most serious offenses under three major pieces of legislation in Bangladesh, India, and Australia. It finds that all three statutes seem flawed to some extent, though they all may mutually benefit from one another in defining and clarifying the most serious food safety offenses and penalties with a view to strengthening their effectiveness.

Case Study of an Aboriginal Community-Controlled Health Service in Australia

PubMed Central

Baum, Fran; Lawless, Angela; Labonté, Ronald; Sanders, David; Boffa, John; Edwards, Tahnia; Javanparast, Sara

2016-01-01

Abstract Universal health coverage provides a framework to achieve health services coverage but does not articulate the model of care desired. Comprehensive primary health care includes promotive, preventive, curative, and rehabilitative interventions and health equity and health as a human right as central goals. In Australia, Aboriginal community-controlled health services have pioneered comprehensive primary health care since their inception in the early 1970s. Our five-year project on comprehensive primary health care in Australia partnered with six services, including one Aboriginal community-controlled health service, the Central Australian Aboriginal Congress. Our findings revealed more impressive outcomes in several areas—multidisciplinary work, community participation, cultural respect and accessibility strategies, preventive and promotive work, and advocacy and intersectoral collaboration on social determinants of health—at the Aboriginal community-controlled health service compared to the other participating South Australian services (state-managed and nongovernmental ones). Because of these strengths, the Central Australian Aboriginal Congress’s community-controlled model of comprehensive primary health care deserves attention as a promising form of implementation of universal health coverage by articulating a model of care based on health as a human right that pursues the goal of health equity. PMID:28559679

Advances in drug metabolism and pharmacogenetics research in Australia.

PubMed

Mackenzie, Peter I; Somogyi, Andrew A; Miners, John O

2017-02-01

Metabolism facilitates the elimination, detoxification and excretion in urine or bile (as biotransformation products) of a myriad of structurally diverse drugs and other chemicals. The metabolism of drugs, non-drug xenobiotics and many endogenous compounds is catalyzed by families of drug metabolizing enzymes (DMEs). These include the hemoprotein-containing cytochromes P450, which function predominantly as monooxygenases, and conjugation enzymes that transfer a sugar, sulfate, acetate or glutathione moiety to substrates containing a suitable acceptor functional group. Drug and chemical metabolism, especially the enzymes that catalyse these reactions, has been the research focus of several groups in Australia for over four decades. In this review, we highlight the role of recent and current drug metabolism research in Australia, including elucidation of the structure and function of enzymes from the various DME families, factors that modulate enzyme activity in humans (e.g. drug-drug interactions, gene expression and genetic polymorphism) and the application of in vitro approaches for the prediction of drug metabolism parameters in humans, along with the broader pharmacological/clinical pharmacological and toxicological significance of drug metabolism and DMEs and their relevance to drug discovery and development, and to clinical practice. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Antibiotic resistance of native and faecal bacteria isolated from rivers, reservoirs and sewage treatment facilities in Victoria, south-eastern Australia.

PubMed

Boon, P I; Cattanach, M

1999-03-01

The incidence of resistance to ampicillin, chloramphenicol, kanamycin, nalidixic acid, neomycin and streptomycin was significantly greater (P < 0.001) in native heterotrophic bacteria than in Escherichia coli isolated from a range of sites along the Yarra River in south-eastern Australia. There was no significant difference in the incidence of resistance between native and faecal bacteria to tetracycline. Both groups were almost totally resistant to penicillin. Multivariate analyses indicated little clear spatial pattern in the incidence of resistance in native bacteria from upstream vs downstream sites along the Yarra River. In contrast, E. coli isolated from upstream (rural) sites tended to have a lower incidence of resistance than isolates from downstream (urban) sites. These findings have implications for the use of antibiotic resistance as a bacteriological water quality parameter.

Australia unlocks her uranium reserves. [Will develop deposits in Northern Territories

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Scott, W.E.

1977-11-01

The economic implications of Australia's move to permit the development of uranium mining and to resume exporting uranium have led to forecasts that range from pessimism over unseen factors to an optimistic estimate of $A20 billion and 500,000 jobs. Direct benefits will go to those involved in road construction, mining equipment, and construction camps. The goverment plan calls for mining operations and yellowcake exports from four major uranium mines by 1985. An overview is given of the development plan, which emphasizes an orderly procedure rather than exploitation and excessive competition. The uranium industry is viewed as a stable long-term suppliermore » for international trade. Customers will be required to submit to international Atomic Energy Agency inspection and must guarantee to limit their uranium use to peaceful projects. (DCK)« less

Gambling Participation, Expenditure and Risk of Harm in Australia, 1997-1998 and 2010-2011.

PubMed

Armstrong, Andrew Richard; Thomas, Anna; Abbott, Max

2018-03-01

Gambling-related harm results primarily from financial losses. Internationally Australia continues to rank as the largest spending nation per capita on gambling products. This would suggest that Australian gamblers are at disproportionately high risk of harm despite almost two decades of industry scrutiny and regulation, and investment in research, treatment and education programs. However, declines in participation rates, per capita expenditure, household expenditure, national disposable income spent on gambling and problem gambling rates have been cited as evidence that fewer people are gambling, that gamblers are spending less, and that gambling safety in Australia has improved. The current study investigated these propositions using national population and accounts data, and statistics from Australia's two population-representative gambling surveys conducted in 1997-1998 and 2010-2011. Despite a falling participation rate the study found no real change in the number of people gambling overall, and increasing numbers consuming casino table games, race wagering and sports betting. Further found were increases rather than decreases in average gambler expenditure, overall, and across most products, particularly electronic gaming machines (EGMs). Potentially risky levels of average expenditure were observed in both periods, overall and for race wagering, casino table gaming, and EGMs. Changes in the proportion of income spent on gambling suggest risks declined overall and for race wagering and casino table gaming, but increased for EGMs. Finally, while problem gambling statistics were not comparable between periods, the study found double the number of moderate risk gamblers previously estimated for 2010-2011 amongst the 2 million Australians found to have experienced one or more gambling-related problems. The findings have implications for public health policy and resourcing, and the way in which prevalence and expenditure statistics have been interpreted by researchers, government and industry in Australia and elsewhere.

Reasons and remedies for under-representation of women in medical leadership roles: a qualitative study from Australia

PubMed Central

Bismark, Marie; Morris, Jennifer; Thomas, Laura; Loh, Erwin; Phelps, Grant; Dickinson, Helen

2015-01-01

Objective To elicit medical leaders’ views on reasons and remedies for the under-representation of women in medical leadership roles. Design Qualitative study using semistructured interviews with medical practitioners who work in medical leadership roles. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and transcripts were analysed using thematic analysis. Setting Public hospitals, private healthcare providers, professional colleges and associations and government organisations in Australia. Participants 30 medical practitioners who hold formal medical leadership roles. Results Despite dramatic increases in the entry of women into medicine in Australia, there remains a gross under-representation of women in formal, high-level medical leadership positions. The male-dominated nature of medical leadership in Australia was widely recognised by interviewees. A small number of interviewees viewed gender disparities in leadership roles as a ‘natural’ result of women's childrearing responsibilities. However, most interviewees believed that preventable gender-related barriers were impeding women's ability to achieve and thrive in medical leadership roles. Interviewees identified a range of potential barriers across three broad domains—perceptions of capability, capacity and credibility. As a counter to these, interviewees pointed to a range of benefits of women adopting these roles, and proposed a range of interventions that would support more women entering formal medical leadership roles. Conclusions While women make up more than half of medical graduates in Australia today, significant barriers restrict their entry into formal medical leadership roles. These constraints have internalised, interpersonal and structural elements that can be addressed through a range of strategies for advancing the role of women in medical leadership. These findings have implications for individual medical practitioners and health services, as well as professional colleges and associations. PMID:26576814

Promoting oral health during pregnancy: current evidence and implications for Australian midwives.

PubMed

George, Ajesh; Johnson, Maree; Blinkhorn, Anthony; Ellis, Sharon; Bhole, Sameer; Ajwani, Shilpi

2010-12-01

The aim of this paper is to examine current evidence supporting the promotion of oral health during pregnancy and proffer aspects of a potential role for Australian midwives. Research continues to show that poor oral health during pregnancy can have an impact on the health outcomes of the mother and baby. Poor maternal oral health increases the chances of infants developing early caries and is strongly associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes such as preterm and low birth-weight babies. Unfortunately in Australia, no preventive strategies exist to maintain the oral health of pregnant women. Systematic review. This review examines all literature on oral health during pregnancy published to date in the English language and focuses on whether preventive oral health strategies during the prenatal period are warranted in Australia and if so, how they could be provided. Maintaining oral health is important during pregnancy and many developed countries have implemented preventive strategies to address this issue using non-dental professionals such as prenatal care providers. However, despite the positive international evidence, limited importance is being given to the oral health of pregnant women in Australia. It is also evident that the unique potential of prenatal care providers such as midwives to assess and improve maternal oral heath is not being thoroughly utilised. Compounding the issue in Australia, especially for pregnant women from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds, is the limited access to public dental services and the high cost of private dental treatment. Promoting and maintaining oral health during pregnancy is crucial, and preventive prenatal oral health services are needed in Australia to achieve this. Midwives have an excellent opportunity to offer preventive oral health services by providing oral health assessments, education and referrals for pregnant women attending antenatal clinics. © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Fitness to stand trial, human rights and possibilities from England and Wales.

PubMed

Stewart, Jeanette; Woodward, Mary; Hepner, Flana

2015-06-01

The capacity of individuals with disability, including cognitive or mental health impairments, to access justice on an equal basis has been considered recently in several Australian jurisdictions. Impairments can render individuals vulnerable in the legal system, affecting their reliability as a witness or their fitness to be tried, especially when limited support is available to help these individuals meet the test and criteria for fitness to stand trial. This article considers the situation in Australia in light of human rights perspectives and compares it with the England and Wales approach where special support measures have been introduced to help individuals access justice. The article recommends that better support measures be introduced in Australia that would be consistent with a human rights framework calling for support to enable individuals with disability to access justice. In particular, the introduction of intermediaries, as used in England and Wales, would go some way towards helping vulnerable individuals to access justice.

Interactions of forests, climate, water resources, and humans in a changing environment: research needs

Treesearch

Ge Sun; Catalina Segura

2013-01-01

The aim of the special issue “Interactions of Forests, Climate, Water Resources, and Humans in a Changing Environment” is to present case studies on the influences of natural and human disturbances on forest water resources under a changing climate. Studies in this collection of six papers cover a wide range of geographic regions from Australia to Nigeria with spatial...

Teaching and Learning through the Eyes of Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Postgraduates and Their Lecturers in Australia and Vietnam: Implications for the Internationalisation of Education in Australian Universities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dobinson, Toni

2015-01-01

International and transnational education has become common place. Australian universities have embraced the rise in international enrolments from students in the Asia-Pacific region. There are many considerations, however, if these courses are to avoid being labelled neo-colonial exercises, not least of which is the necessity for informed…

Knowledge Types Used by Researchers and Wool Producers in Australia under a Workplace Learning Typology: Implications for Innovation in the Australian Sheep Industry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thompson, Lyndal-Joy; Reeve, Ian

2011-01-01

This paper reports on research into the learning aspects of adopting integrated parasite management practices for sheep (IPM-s) applying a workplace learning framework. An analysis of four primary data sources was conducted; a postal survey of Australian wool producers, a Delphi process with IPM-s researchers, focus groups and interviews with wool…

Australia's economic transition, unemployment, suicide and mental health needs.

PubMed

Myles, Nicholas; Large, Matthew; Myles, Hannah; Adams, Robert; Liu, Dennis; Galletly, Cherrie

2017-02-01

There have been substantial changes in workforce and employment patterns in Australia over the past 50 years as a result of economic globalisation. This has resulted in substantial reduction in employment in the manufacturing industry often with large-scale job losses in concentrated sectors and communities. Large-scale job loss events receive significant community attention. To what extent these mass unemployment events contribute to increased psychological distress, mental illness and suicide in affected individuals warrants further consideration. Here we undertake a narrative review of published job loss literature. We discuss the impact that large-scale job loss events in the manufacturing sector may have on population mental health, with particular reference to contemporary trends in the Australian economy. We also provide a commentary on the expected outcomes of future job loss events in this context and the implications for Australian public mental health care services. Job loss due to plant closure results in a doubling of psychological distress that peaks 9 months following the unemployment event. The link between job loss and increased rates of mental illness and suicide is less clear. The threat of impending job loss and the social context in which job loss occurs has a significant bearing on psychological outcomes. The implications for Australian public mental health services are discussed.

New Australian sauropods shed light on Cretaceous dinosaur palaeobiogeography

PubMed Central

Poropat, Stephen F.; Mannion, Philip D.; Upchurch, Paul; Hocknull, Scott A.; Kear, Benjamin P.; Kundrát, Martin; Tischler, Travis R.; Sloan, Trish; Sinapius, George H. K.; Elliott, Judy A.; Elliott, David A.

2016-01-01

Australian dinosaurs have played a rare but controversial role in the debate surrounding the effect of Gondwanan break-up on Cretaceous dinosaur distribution. Major spatiotemporal gaps in the Gondwanan Cretaceous fossil record, coupled with taxon incompleteness, have hindered research on this effect, especially in Australia. Here we report on two new sauropod specimens from the early Late Cretaceous of Queensland, Australia, that have important implications for Cretaceous dinosaur palaeobiogeography. Savannasaurus elliottorum gen. et sp. nov. comprises one of the most complete Cretaceous sauropod skeletons ever found in Australia, whereas a new specimen of Diamantinasaurus matildae includes the first ever cranial remains of an Australian sauropod. The results of a new phylogenetic analysis, in which both Savannasaurus and Diamantinasaurus are recovered within Titanosauria, were used as the basis for a quantitative palaeobiogeographical analysis of macronarian sauropods. Titanosaurs achieved a worldwide distribution by at least 125 million years ago, suggesting that mid-Cretaceous Australian sauropods represent remnants of clades which were widespread during the Early Cretaceous. These lineages would have entered Australasia via dispersal from South America, presumably across Antarctica. High latitude sauropod dispersal might have been facilitated by Albian–Turonian warming that lifted a palaeoclimatic dispersal barrier between Antarctica and South America. PMID:27763598

New Australian sauropods shed light on Cretaceous dinosaur palaeobiogeography.

PubMed

Poropat, Stephen F; Mannion, Philip D; Upchurch, Paul; Hocknull, Scott A; Kear, Benjamin P; Kundrát, Martin; Tischler, Travis R; Sloan, Trish; Sinapius, George H K; Elliott, Judy A; Elliott, David A

2016-10-20

Australian dinosaurs have played a rare but controversial role in the debate surrounding the effect of Gondwanan break-up on Cretaceous dinosaur distribution. Major spatiotemporal gaps in the Gondwanan Cretaceous fossil record, coupled with taxon incompleteness, have hindered research on this effect, especially in Australia. Here we report on two new sauropod specimens from the early Late Cretaceous of Queensland, Australia, that have important implications for Cretaceous dinosaur palaeobiogeography. Savannasaurus elliottorum gen. et sp. nov. comprises one of the most complete Cretaceous sauropod skeletons ever found in Australia, whereas a new specimen of Diamantinasaurus matildae includes the first ever cranial remains of an Australian sauropod. The results of a new phylogenetic analysis, in which both Savannasaurus and Diamantinasaurus are recovered within Titanosauria, were used as the basis for a quantitative palaeobiogeographical analysis of macronarian sauropods. Titanosaurs achieved a worldwide distribution by at least 125 million years ago, suggesting that mid-Cretaceous Australian sauropods represent remnants of clades which were widespread during the Early Cretaceous. These lineages would have entered Australasia via dispersal from South America, presumably across Antarctica. High latitude sauropod dispersal might have been facilitated by Albian-Turonian warming that lifted a palaeoclimatic dispersal barrier between Antarctica and South America.

How common is multiple general practice attendance in Australia?

PubMed

Wright, Michael; Hall, Jane; van Gool, Kees; Haas, Marion

2018-05-01

Australians can seek general practice care from multiple general practitioners (GPs) in multiple locations. This provides high levels of patient choice but may reduce continuity of care. The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of attendance at multiple general practices in Australia, and identify patient characteristics associated with multiple practice attendances. A cross-sectional survey of 2477 Australian adults was conducted online in July 2013. Respondents reported whether they had attended more than one general practice in the past year, and whether they had a usual general practice and GP. Demographic information, health service use and practice characteristics were also obtained from the survey. Over one-quarter of the sample reported attending more than one practice in the previous year. Multiple practice attendance is less common with increasing age, and less likely for survey respondents from regional Australia, compared with respondents from metropolitan areas. Multiple practice attenders are just as likely as single practice attenders to have a usual GP. A significant proportion of general practice care is delivered away from usual practices. This may have implications for health policy, in terms of continuity and quality of primary care.

Culture and sun exposure in immigrant East Asian women living in Australia.

PubMed

Jang, Haeyoung; Koo, Fung Kuen; Ke, Liang; Clemson, Lindy; Cant, Rosemary; Fraser, David R; Seibel, Marcus J; Tseng, Marilyn; Mpofu, Elias; Mason, Rebecca S; Brock, Kaye

2013-01-01

In this qualitative study, researchers examined cultural and attitudinal factors that might be related to sun-exposure behaviors among East Asian women living in Australia. Researchers asked Chinese (n = 20) and Korean (n = 16) immigrant women who participated in a larger cross-sectional quantitative study of vitamin D blood levels to volunteer to participate in an in-depth interview in 2010. These women reported a number of cultural factors related to their attitudes and behaviors with regard to sun exposure. They expressed preference for fair skin, a tradition of covering skin when outdoors, and no sunbathing culture. They believed that fair skin was more beautiful than tanned skin. They reported that beauty was the reason for active avoidance of sunlight exposure. Although they reported knowledge of the need for sun avoidance due to skin cancer risk, few reported knowledge about the benefits of sun exposure for adequate vitamin D levels. These findings may provide some reasons for vitamin D deficiency previously reported in these populations. Thus, researchers recommend that these attitudes of excessive sun protection and limiting sun exposure be further investigated as they may have implications for planning and delivery of health promotion programs to this growing population of immigrants in Australia.

A simulation of dementia epidemiology and resource use in Australia.

PubMed

Standfield, Lachlan B; Comans, Tracy; Scuffham, Paul

2018-06-01

The number of people in the developed world who have dementia is predicted to rise markedly. This study presents a validated predictive model to assist decision-makers to determine this population's future resource requirements and target scarce health and welfare resources appropriately. A novel individual patient discrete event simulation was developed to estimate the future prevalence of dementia and related health and welfare resource use in Australia. When compared to other published results, the simulation generated valid estimates of dementia prevalence and resource use. The analysis predicted 298,000, 387,000 and 928,000 persons in Australia will have dementia in 2011, 2020 and 2050, respectively. Health and welfare resource use increased markedly over the simulated time-horizon and was affected by capacity constraints. This simulation provides useful estimates of future demands on dementia-related services allowing the exploration of the effects of capacity constraints. Implications for public health: The model demonstrates that under-resourcing of residential aged care may lead to inappropriate and inefficient use of hospital resources. To avoid these capacity constraints it is predicted that the number of aged care beds for persons with dementia will need to increase more than threefold from 2011 to 2050. © 2017 The Authors.

Shigella species epidemiology and antimicrobial susceptibility: the implications of emerging azithromycin resistance for guiding treatment, guidelines and breakpoints.

PubMed

Brown, Jeremy D; Willcox, Simon J; Franklin, Neil; Hazelton, Briony; Howard, Peter; Reinten, Tracie; Sheppeard, Vicky; O'Sullivan, Matthew

2017-11-01

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. Cross-sectional analysis of all shigellosis cases (160) notified to public health authorities in NSW, Australia was performed. 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. 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. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Regional Influences on Chinese Medicine Education: Comparing Australia and Hong Kong

PubMed Central

Chung, Vincent C. H.; Zhang, Anthony L.; Adams, Jon

2016-01-01

High quality education programs are essential for preparing the next generation of Chinese medicine (CM) practitioners. Currently, training in CM occurs within differing health and education policy contexts. There has been little analysis of the factors influencing the form and status of CM education in different regions. Such a task is important for understanding how CM is evolving internationally and predicting future workforce characteristics. This paper compares the status of CM education in Australia and Hong Kong across a range of dimensions: historical and current positions in the national higher education system, regulatory context and relationship to the health system, and public and professional legitimacy. The analysis highlights the different ways in which CM education is developing in these settings, with Hong Kong providing somewhat greater access to clinical training opportunities for CM students. However, common trends and challenges shape CM education in both regions, including marginalisation from mainstream health professions, a small but established presence in universities, and an emphasis on biomedical research. Three factors stand out as significant for the evolution of CM education in Australia and Hong Kong and may have international implications: continuing biomedical dominance, increased competition between universities, and strengthened links with mainland China. PMID:27379170

Predicting Circulatory Diseases from Psychosocial Safety Climate: A Prospective Cohort Study from Australia

PubMed Central

Becher, Harry; Dollard, Maureen F.; Smith, Peter

2018-01-01

Circulatory diseases (CDs) (including myocardial infarction, angina, stroke or hypertension) are among the leading causes of death in the world. In this paper, we explore for the first time the impact of a specific aspect of organizational climate, Psychosocial Safety Climate (PSC), on CDs. We used two waves of interview data from Australia, with an average lag of 5 years (excluding baseline CDs, final n = 1223). Logistic regression was conducted to estimate the prospective associations between PSC at baseline on incident CDs at follow-up. It was found that participants in low PSC environments were 59% more likely to develop new CD than those in high PSC environments. Logistic regression showed that high PSC at baseline predicts lower CD risk at follow-up (OR = 0.98, 95% CI 0.96–1.00) and this risk remained unchanged even after additional adjustment for known job design risk factors (effort reward imbalance and job strain). These results suggest that PSC is an independent risk factor for CDs in Australia. Beyond job design this study implicates organizational climate and prevailing management values regarding worker psychological health as the genesis of CDs. PMID:29495533

Humanities Education as a Pathway for Women in Regional and Rural Australia: Clemente Ballarat

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gervasoni, Ann; Smith, Jeremy; Howard, Peter

2013-01-01

This paper provides insight into the experience of Clemente humanities education for six regional and rural Australian women living around Ballarat. Each took part in an audio-taped semi-structured interview which explored the impact that university study had on their lives. Their responses suggest that Clemente Ballarat was life-giving. The…

Quantifying Queensland patients with cancer health service usage and costs: study protocol.

PubMed

Callander, Emily; Topp, Stephanie M; Larkins, Sarah; Sabesan, Sabe; Bates, Nicole

2017-01-24

The overall mortality rate for cancer has declined in Australia. However, socioeconomic inequalities exist and the out-of-pocket costs incurred by patients in Australia are high compared with some European countries. There is currently no readily available data set to provide a systematic means of measuring the out-of-pocket costs incurred by patients with cancer within Australia. The primary aim of the project is to quantify the direct out-of-pocket healthcare expenditure of individuals in the state of Queensland, who are diagnosed with cancer. This project will build Australia's first model (called CancerCostMod) of out-of-pocket healthcare expenditure of patients with cancer using administrative data from Queensland Cancer Registry, for all individuals diagnosed with any cancer in Queensland between 1 July 2011 and 30 June 2012, linked to their Admitted Patient Data Collection, Emergency Department Information System, Medicare Benefits Schedule and Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme records from 1 July 2011 to 30 June 2015. No identifiable information will be provided to the authors. The project will use a combination of linear and logistic regression modelling, Cox proportional hazards modelling and machine learning to identify differences in survival, total health system expenditure, total out-of-pocket expenditure and high out-of-pocket cost patients, adjusting for demographic and clinical confounders, and income group, Indigenous status and geographic location. Results will be analysed separately for different types of cancer. Human Research Ethics approval has been obtained from the Townsville Hospital and Health Service Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC/16/QTHS/110) and James Cook University Human Research Ethics Committee (H6678). Permission to waive consent has been sought from Queensland Health under the Public Health Act 2005. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.

First Report of a Toxic Nodularia spumigena (Nostocales/ Cyanobacteria) Bloom in Sub-Tropical Australia. I. Phycological and Public Health Investigations

PubMed Central

McGregor, Glenn B.; Stewart, Ian; Sendall, Barbara C.; Sadler, Ross; Reardon, Karen; Carter, Steven; Wruck, Dan; Wickramasinghe, Wasa

2012-01-01

Cyanobacterial blooms represent one of the most conspicuous and widespread waterborne microbial hazards to human and ecosystem health. Investigation of a cyanobacterial bloom in a shallow brackish water recreational cable ski lake in south-eastern Queensland, Australia revealed the dominance of the toxigenic species Nodularia spumigena. The bloom spanned three months, during which time cell concentrations exceeded human guideline thresholds for recreational risk, and concentrations of the hepatotoxic cyanotoxin nodularin exceeded 200 µg L−1. Cyanotoxin origin and identification was confirmed by amplification of the ndaF-specific PCR product and sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene. From the limited data available leading up to, and throughout the bloom, it was not possible to establish the set of causative factors responsible for its occurrence. However a combination of factors including salinity, hydraulic retention time and nutrient status associated with an extended period of drought are likely to have contributed. This was the first known occurrence of this species in bloom proportions from sub-tropical Australia and as such represents a hitherto uncharacterized risk to human and ecosystem health. It highlights the need for adaptive monitoring regimes to ensure a comprehensive understanding of the potentially toxic cyanobacteria likely to inhabit any given region. Such monitoring needs to recognize that cyanobacteria have a significant capacity for range expansion that has been facilitated by recent changes in global climate. PMID:22851951

Comparison of Human Milk Fatty Acid Composition of Women From Cambodia and Australia.

PubMed

Gao, Chang; Liu, Ge; Whitfield, Kyly C; Kroeun, Hou; Green, Timothy J; Gibson, Robert A; Makrides, Maria; Zhou, Shao J

2018-05-01

Human milk is a rich source of omega-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, which are postulated to be important for brain development. There is a lack of data on the human milk fatty acid composition of Cambodian women compared with data from Western women. Research Aim: The aim of this study was to determine the human milk fatty acid composition of women living in Cambodia and compare it with that of women living in Australia. Human milk samples from Cambodian ( n = 67) and Australian ( n = 200) mothers were collected at 3 to 4 months postpartum. Fatty acid composition was analyzed using capillary gas chromatography followed by Folch extraction with chloroform/methanol (2:1 v/v), and fat content was measured gravimetrically. Compared with Australian participants, human milk from Cambodian participants contained a significantly lower level of total fat (2.90 vs. 3.45 g/dL, p = .028), lower percentages of linoleic acid (9.30% vs. 10.66%, p < .0001) and α-linolenic acid (0.42% vs. 0.95%, p < .0001), but higher percentages of arachidonic acid (0.68% vs. 0.38%, p < .0001) and docosahexaenoic acid (0.40% vs. 0.23%, p < .0001). Differences in human milk fatty acid composition between Cambodian and Australian participants may be explained by differences in the dietary patterns between the two populations.

Global, Regional, and Megacity Trends in the Highest Temperature of the Year: Diagnostics and Evidence for Accelerating Trends

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Papalexiou, Simon Michael; AghaKouchak, Amir; Trenberth, Kevin E.; Foufoula-Georgiou, Efi

2018-01-01

Trends in short-lived high-temperature extremes record a different dimension of change than the extensively studied annual and seasonal mean daily temperatures. They also have important socioeconomic, environmental, and human health implications. Here, we present analysis of the highest temperature of the year for approximately 9000 stations globally, focusing on quantifying spatially explicit exceedance probabilities during the recent 50- and 30-year periods. A global increase of 0.19°C per decade during the past 50 years (through 2015) accelerated to 0.25°C per decade during the last 30 years, a faster increase than in the mean annual temperature. Strong positive 30-year trends are detected in large regions of Eurasia and Australia with rates higher than 0.60°C per decade. In cities with more than 5 million inhabitants, where most heat-related fatalities occur, the average change is 0.33°C per decade, while some east Asia cities, Paris, Moscow, and Houston have experienced changes higher than 0.60°C per decade.

Global, Regional, and Megacity Trends in the Highest Temperature of the Year: Diagnostics and Evidence for Accelerating Trends.

PubMed

Papalexiou, Simon Michael; AghaKouchak, Amir; Trenberth, Kevin E; Foufoula-Georgiou, Efi

2018-01-01

Trends in short-lived high-temperature extremes record a different dimension of change than the extensively studied annual and seasonal mean daily temperatures. They also have important socioeconomic, environmental, and human health implications. Here, we present analysis of the highest temperature of the year for approximately 9000 stations globally, focusing on quantifying spatially explicit exceedance probabilities during the recent 50- and 30-year periods. A global increase of 0.19°C per decade during the past 50 years (through 2015) accelerated to 0.25°C per decade during the last 30 years, a faster increase than in the mean annual temperature. Strong positive 30-year trends are detected in large regions of Eurasia and Australia with rates higher than 0.60°C per decade. In cities with more than 5 million inhabitants, where most heat-related fatalities occur, the average change is 0.33°C per decade, while some east Asia cities, Paris, Moscow, and Houston have experienced changes higher than 0.60°C per decade.

Size-resolved dust and aerosol contaminants associated with copper and lead smelting emissions: implications for emission management and human health.

PubMed

Csavina, Janae; Taylor, Mark P; Félix, Omar; Rine, Kyle P; Eduardo Sáez, A; Betterton, Eric A

2014-09-15

Mining operations, including crushing, grinding, smelting, refining, and tailings management, are a significant source of airborne metal and metalloid contaminants such as As, Pb and other potentially toxic elements. In this work, we show that size-resolved concentrations of As and Pb generally follow a bimodal distribution with the majority of contaminants in the fine size fraction (<1 μm) around mining activities that include smelting operations at various sites in Australia and Arizona. This evidence suggests that contaminated fine particles (<1 μm) are the result of vapor condensation and coagulation from smelting operations while coarse particles are most likely the result of windblown dust from contaminated mine tailings and fugitive emissions from crushing and grinding activities. These results on the size distribution of contaminants around mining operations are reported to demonstrate the ubiquitous nature of this phenomenon so that more effective emission management and practices that minimize health risks associated with metal extraction and processing can be developed. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Tuberculosis in Asia and the pacific: the role of socioeconomic status and health system development.

PubMed

Wu, Jie; Dalal, Koustuv

2012-01-01

To identify the relationship between socioeconomic status, health system development and the incidence, prevalence and mortality of tuberculosis in Asia and the Pacific. Incidence, prevalence and mortality rates of tuberculosis and 20 variables of socioeconomic, health system and biological-behavioral issues were included in the study involving all 46 countries of the Asian Development Bank region (2007 data). Both univariate and multivariate linear regressions were used. The worst three tuberculosis affected countries were Cambodia, India and Indonesia, while the least affected was Australia. Tuberculosis incidence, prevalence and mortality rate were higher in countries with lower human development index, corruption perception index, gross domestic product (GDP) per capita and countries with more people under minimum food supplements. Among the health system variables, total health expenditure per capita, governmental health expenditure per capita, hospital beds, and access to improved water and sanitation were strongly associated with tuberculosis. Socioeconomic determinants and health system development have significant effect on the control of tuberculosis in Asia and the Pacific region. The study has some policy implications by means of lowering the corruption and improving the sanitation.

The First Isolation and Whole Genome Sequencing of Murray Valley Encephalitis Virus from Cerebrospinal Fluid of a Patient with Encephalitis.

PubMed

Russell, Jessica S; Caly, Leon; Kostecki, Renata; McGuinness, Sarah L; Carter, Glen; Bulach, Dieter; Seemann, Torsten; Stinear, Tim P; Baird, Rob; Catton, Mike; Druce, Julian

2018-06-11

Murray Valley Encephalitis virus (MVEV) is a mosquito-borne Flavivirus. Clinical presentation is rare but severe, with a case fatality rate of 15⁻30%. Here we report a case of MVEV from the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of a patient in the Northern Territory in Australia. Initial diagnosis was performed using both MVEV-specific real-time, and Pan- Flavivirus conventional, Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), with confirmation by Sanger sequencing. Subsequent isolation, the first from CSF, was conducted in Vero cells and the observed cytopathic effect was confirmed by increasing viral titre in the real-time PCR. Isolation allowed for full genome sequencing using the Scriptseq V2 RNASeq library preparation kit. A consensus genome for VIDRL-MVE was generated and phylogenetic analysis identified it as Genotype 2. This is the first reported isolation, and full genome sequencing of MVEV from CSF. It is also the first time Genotype 2 has been identified in humans. As such, this case has significant implications for public health surveillance, epidemiology, and the understanding of MVEV evolution.

Rethinking work and family policy: the making and taking of parental leave in Australia.

PubMed

Baird, M; Litwin, A S

2005-10-01

Despite the continued increase in female participation rates, Australia remains one of only two developed nations in the world without a paid maternity leave scheme. While research interest and public policy debate about paid maternity leave entitlements continues, little is known about the actual utilization of the 52 weeks unpaid parental leave that is currently available to all employees. Moreover, research and policy debate on the availability and provision of paid paternity leave has only just begun. This paper argues that, given the gendered nature of employee entitlements, it is time to re-evaluate all aspects of parental leave policy in Australia. Using unique data from a national survey of Australian employees, the paper provides a statistical analysis of the use of unpaid parental leave and the availability of paid maternity leave. The paper models the availability of paid maternity leave to Australian employees as a function of demographic and organizational characteristics, including annual income, union status, and establishment size. A parallel analysis of the likelihood that an individual has used the unpaid parental leave provision is also provided. The results show that the existing unpaid parental leave provision is rarely used and that the current availability of paid maternity leave is inequitable. The paper discusses the conceptual and policy implications of these results and concludes that a re-thinking of parental leave policy in Australia is essential if gender inequities at work and in society are to be addressed.

A map of community-based obesity prevention initiatives in Australia following obesity funding 2009–2013

PubMed Central

Whelan, Jillian; Love, Penny; Romanus, Anne; Pettman, Tahna; Bolton, Kristy; Smith, Erin; Gill, Tim; Coveney, John; Waters, Elizabeth; Allender, Steve

2015-01-01

Abstract Objective: Obesity is the single biggest public health threat to developed and developing economies. In concert with healthy public policy, multi-strategy, multi-level community-based initiatives appear promising in preventing obesity, with several countries trialling this approach. In Australia, multiple levels of government have funded and facilitated a range of community-based obesity prevention initiatives (CBI), heterogeneous in their funding, timing, target audience and structure. This paper aims to present a central repository of CBI operating in Australia during 2013, to facilitate knowledge exchange and shared opportunities for learning, and to guide professional development towards best practice for CBI practitioners. Methods: A comprehensive search of government, non-government and community websites was undertaken to identify CBI in Australia in 2013. This was supplemented with data drawn from available reports, personal communication and key informant interviews. The data was translated into an interactive map for use by preventive health practitioners and other parties. Results: We identified 259 CBI; with the majority (84%) having a dual focus on physical activity and healthy eating. Few initiatives, (n=37) adopted a four-pronged multi-strategy approach implementing policy, built environment, social marketing and/or partnership building. Conclusion: This comprehensive overview of Australian CBI has the potential to facilitate engagement and collaboration through knowledge exchange and information sharing amongst CBI practitioners, funders, communities and researchers. Implications: An enhanced understanding of current practice highlights areas of strengths and opportunities for improvement to maximise the impact of obesity prevention initiatives. PMID:25561083

Climate change and rising heat: population health implications for working people in Australia.

PubMed

Hanna, Elizabeth G; Kjellstrom, Tord; Bennett, Charmian; Dear, Keith

2011-03-01

The rapid rise in extreme heat events in Australia recently is already taking a health toll. Climate change scenarios predict increases in the frequency and intensity of extreme heat events in the future, and population health may be significantly compromised for people who cannot reduce their heat exposure. Exposure to extreme heat presents a health hazard to all who are physically active, particularly outdoor workers and indoor workers with minimal access to cooling systems while working. At air temperatures close to (or beyond) the core body temperature of 37°C, body cooling via sweating is essential, and this mechanism is hampered by high air humidity. Heat exposure among elite athletes and the military has been investigated, whereas the impacts on workers remain largely unexplored, particularly in relation to future climate change. Workers span all age groups and diverse levels of fitness and health status, including people with higher than "normal" sensitivity to heat. In a hotter world, workers are likely to experience more heat stress and find it increasingly difficult to maintain productivity. Modeling of future climate change in Australia shows a substantial increase in the number of very hot days (>35°C) across the country. In this article, the authors characterize the health risks associated with heat exposure on working people and discuss future exposure risks as temperatures rise. Progress toward developing occupational health and safety guidelines for heat in Australia are summarized.

Continental synchronicity of human influenza virus epidemics despite climatic variation.

PubMed

Geoghegan, Jemma L; Saavedra, Aldo F; Duchêne, Sebastián; Sullivan, Sheena; Barr, Ian; Holmes, Edward C

2018-01-01

The factors that determine the pattern and rate of spread of influenza virus at a continental-scale are uncertain. Although recent work suggests that influenza epidemics in the United States exhibit a strong geographical correlation, the spatiotemporal dynamics of influenza in Australia, a country and continent of approximately similar size and climate complexity but with a far smaller population, are not known. Using a unique combination of large-scale laboratory-confirmed influenza surveillance comprising >450,000 entries and genomic sequence data we determined the local-level spatial diffusion of this important human pathogen nationwide in Australia. We used laboratory-confirmed influenza data to characterize the spread of influenza virus across Australia during 2007-2016. The onset of established epidemics varied across seasons, with highly synchronized epidemics coinciding with the emergence of antigenically distinct viruses, particularly during the 2009 A/H1N1 pandemic. The onset of epidemics was largely synchronized between the most populous cities, even those separated by distances of >3000 km and those that experience vastly diverse climates. In addition, by analyzing global phylogeographic patterns we show that the synchronized dissemination of influenza across Australian cities involved multiple introductions from the global influenza population, coupled with strong domestic connectivity, rather than through the distinct radial patterns of geographic dispersal that are driven by work-flow transmission as observed in the United States. In addition, by comparing the spatial structure of influenza A and B, we found that these viruses tended to occupy different geographic regions, and peak in different seasons, perhaps indicative of moderate cross-protective immunity or viral interference effects. The highly synchronized outbreaks of influenza virus at a continental-scale revealed here highlight the importance of coordinated public health responses in the event of the emergence of a novel, human-to-human transmissible, virus.

The Role of Regional Organizations in US Security Strategy: An Opportunity to Lead Among Partners

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-06-01

the latest collaboration between ASEAN and Australia to prevent human trafficking .37 This partnership has matured since 2003, and AAPTIP is just...its Strategy to Combat Transnational Organized Crime include drug trafficking , human smuggling, trafficking in persons, weapons trafficking ...of the world’s population lives on less than a dollar a day.8 It is this population that provides the many human trafficking victims, cheap labor

Impact of high coverage of monovalent human rotavirus vaccine on Emergency Department presentations for rotavirus gastroenteritis.

PubMed

Davey, Heather M; Muscatello, David J; Wood, James G; Snelling, Thomas L; Ferson, Mark J; Macartney, Kristine K

2015-03-30

Australia was one of the first countries to introduce nationally funded rotavirus vaccination. The program has had a substantial impact on both rotavirus and all-cause acute gastroenteritis (AGE) hospitalisations and rotavirus laboratory tests. Evidence for an impact on Emergency Department (ED) presentations is limited. This study assessed changes in ED presentations for rotavirus in children aged <5 years in New South Wales, Australia, following introduction of monovalent human rotavirus vaccine (RV1, Rotarix(®), GlaxoSmithKline Australia Pty Ltd., Victoria, Australia). A time series analysis to examine trends in total non-admitted ED presentations for all-cause AGE and in the rotavirus-attributable fraction using data on rotavirus positive laboratory tests. A decline in the rate of non-admitted ED presentations for all-cause AGE was observed for all ages, being most notable in 1 year old children. Compared with the pre-vaccination period, we estimated the average weekly rate was lower across the first 4.5 years of the program for both all-cause AGE (18.3%; 70.5 versus 57.5 per 100,000 population) and rotavirus attributable (55.4%; 17.3 versus 7.7 per 100,000 population) presentations. In the fourth year of the program, estimated annual rotavirus attributable presentations were 77% lower than the pre-vaccination annual mean (996 versus 4300 per year). The program was associated with a substantial decline in rotavirus attributable non-admitted AGE presentations to ED among children aged <5 years. Crown Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A guide to multi-centre ethics for surgical research in Australia and New Zealand.

PubMed

Boult, Maggi; Fitzpatrick, Kate; Maddern, Guy; Fitridge, Robert

2011-03-01

This paper describes existing inconsistencies as well as the disparate processes and logistics required when obtaining ethics approval in Australia and New Zealand in order to initiate a multi-centre bi-national surgical trial. The endovascular aortic aneurysm repair trial is a large multi-centre trial that aims to obtain pre- and post-operative data from patients in hospitals across Australia and New Zealand. As the trial was research based, ethics applications were submitted to all hospitals where surgeons wished to be involved in the trial. Few ethics committees have embraced attempts to simplify the application process for multi-centre trials. There was limited mutual review between Human Research Ethics Committees necessitating the submission of multiple applications. Though the use of the National Ethics Application Form in ethical review is increasing, some Human Research Ethics Committees do not accept it in its entirety; many require site-specific applications or sections of the Common Application Form modules. Queensland, New South Wales and New Zealand were the easiest systems to prepare, submit and lodge ethics applications because of their understanding and accommodation of reviewing multi-centred trials. The time, expense and complexity of obtaining ethics approval for multi-centre research projects are impediments to their establishment and reduce the time available for research. Australia is working to implement a system named the Harmonisation of Multi-centre Ethical Review to ease the process of obtaining multi-centre ethics clearance. Our experience suggests there will be some teething problems with implementation and acceptance. © 2010 The Authors. ANZ Journal of Surgery © 2010 Royal Australasian College of Surgeons.

Social networking sites (SNS); exploring their uses and associated value for adolescent mothers in Western Australia in terms of social support provision and building social capital.

PubMed

Nolan, Samantha; Hendricks, Joyce; Towell, Amanda

2015-09-01

to explore the use of social networking sites (SNS) by adolescent mothers in Western Australia (WA) in relation to social support and the building of social capital. a constructionist narrative inquiry approach was employed to guide the research design and processes. Approval was gained from the university human ethics department. Sampling was purposeful and data were collected using in-depth interviews with seven adolescent mothers in WA. interviews were undertaken within the homes of adolescent mothers across WA. from within three fundamental domains of social support; tangible, emotional and informational support, provided by SNS use, five key themes were identified from the narratives. 'Social connectedness' was identified as a form of tangible support, sometimes termed 'practical' or 'instrumental' support. This theme incorporates connectedness with family, friends, and peers and across new and existing social groups. Three themes were identified that relate to emotional support; 'increased parenting confidence'; 'reduced parental stress' and 'enhanced self-disclosure' afforded by use of SNS. 'Access to information' was identified in terms of informational support, with participants often highlighting SNS use as their primary portal for information and advice. the findings of this study suggest that SNS use affords adolescent mothers in WA access to tangible, informational and emotional support and thus is a valuable source of social capital for these mothers. This study provides a platform for further exploration into this phenomenon, and possible implications include the potential for midwives and health care professionals to promote the benefits of SNS use with, and for, this group of mothers, or to incorporate SNS use into modern health care practices to further develop the potential for improved social capital related outcomes for them. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The management, privacy and medico-legal issues of electronic CPAP data in Australia and New Zealand: Electronic CPAP data management in Australia and New Zealand.

PubMed

Swieca, John; Hamilton, Garun S; Meaklim, Hailey

2017-08-01

Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) is considered to be the gold standard treatment for obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA). CPAP monitoring systems allow tracking of patient CPAP adherence and treatment efficacy, by measuring residual sleep-disordered breathing, hours of CPAP use, and mask leak etc. The American Thoracic Society (ATS) published a position paper in 2013 highlighting issues of interpreting CPAP data such as a lack of consistency between CPAP manufacturers data algorithms, legal implications of CPAP data and implications for CPAP adherence. This paper extends on this work by investigating these issues in an Australasian context. A review of current literature on CPAP monitoring systems, privacy and security of CPAP data for major Australasian CPAP providers, and CPAP adherence was undertaken. A legal review was also commissioned for issues related to privacy and security of CPAP data. CPAP manufacturers' utilize different algorithms for respiratory event detection and clinicians need to be aware the implications for interpreting CPAP data. Australasian CPAP manufacturers have created security/privacy policies with the intent to follow relevant legislation to protect patients' CPAP data, however they do need to be constantly reviewed and updated to avoid data breaches and changes to agreements. No guarantees can be provided by the Australasian Sleep Association on CPAP manufacturers' compliance with these policies and there is the potential for some degree of liability for physicians and CPAP providers associated with CPAP data. Lastly, providing patients with feedback on their CPAP usage and OSA management appears to have positive influence CPAP adherence. CPAP data provides many opportunities to increase OSA patient care and to help patients self-manage this chronic condition. However, issues relating to lack of standardization of CPAP parameters, privacy, security, and legal implications will need to be managed in this changing technologic and clinical environment. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

An Enterprising Approach to Regional Growth: Implications for Policy and the Role of Vocational Education and Training. A National Vocational Education and Training Research and Evaluation Program Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Garlick, Steve; Taylor, Mike; Plummer, Paul

2007-01-01

This report explores patterns of regional economic growth in Australia over the period 1984 to 2002 in order to determine how and why these patterns evolved. From the results, the authors have attempted to identify regional opportunities and the policies and practices that can assist in realising them and, in particular, the potential contribution…

Aspects of Student Assessment. Proceedings of a Conference Held at the University of New South Wales, 18-20 July 1978. Tertiary Education Research Centre Occasional Publication No. 13.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Andresen, L. W., Ed.; Boud, D. J., Ed.

A conference was held by the University of New South Wales, Australia, to enable staff and students to examine the purposes of student assessment, implications of various forms of assessment, and ways in which assessment might be most effectively conducted. Eric Daniels spoke on the jury system of assessment in architecture, Raja Bandaranayake…

Portfolio careers for medical graduates: implications for postgraduate training and workforce planning.

PubMed

Eyre, Harris A; Mitchell, Rob D; Milford, Will; Vaswani, Nitin; Moylan, Steven

2014-06-01

Portfolio careers in medicine can be defined as significant involvement in one or more portfolios of activity beyond a practitioner's primary clinical role, either concurrently or in sequence. Portfolio occupations may include medical education, research, administration, legal medicine, the arts, engineering, business and consulting, leadership, politics and entrepreneurship. Despite significant interest among junior doctors, portfolios are poorly integrated with prevocational and speciality training programs in Australia. The present paper seeks to explore this issue. More formal systems for portfolio careers in Australia have the potential to increase job satisfaction, flexibility and retention, as well as diversify trainee skill sets. Although there are numerous benefits from involvement in portfolio careers, there are also risks to the trainee, employing health service and workforce modelling. Formalising pathways to portfolio careers relies on assessing stakeholder interest, enhancing flexibility in training programs, developing support programs, mentorship and coaching schemes and improving support structures in health services.

Temporal trends and bioavailability assessment of heavy metals in the sediments of Deception Bay, Queensland, Australia.

PubMed

Brady, James P; Ayoko, Godwin A; Martens, Wayde N; Goonetilleke, Ashantha

2014-12-15

Thirteen sites in Deception Bay, Queensland, Australia were sampled three times over a period of 7 months and assessed for contamination by a range of heavy metals, primarily As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Pb and Hg. Fraction analysis, enrichment factors and Principal Components Analysis-Absolute Principal Component Scores (PCA-APCS) analysis were conducted in order to identify the potential bioavailability of these elements of concern and their sources. Hg and Te were identified as the elements of highest enrichment in Deception Bay while marine sediments, shipping and antifouling agents were identified as the sources of the Weak Acid Extractable Metals (WE-M), with antifouling agents showing long residence time for mercury contamination. This has significant implications for the future of monitoring and regulation of heavy metal contamination within Deception Bay. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Can Regional Climate Modeling Capture the Observed Changes in Spatial Organization of Extreme Storms at Higher Temperatures?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, J.; Wasko, C.; Johnson, F.; Evans, J. P.; Sharma, A.

2018-05-01

The spatial extent and organization of extreme storm events has important practical implications for flood forecasting. Recently, conflicting evidence has been found on the observed changes of storm spatial extent with increasing temperatures. To further investigate this question, a regional climate model assessment is presented for the Greater Sydney region, in Australia. Two regional climate models were considered: the first a convection-resolving simulation at 2-km resolution, the second a resolution of 10 km with three different convection parameterizations. Both the 2- and the 10-km resolutions that used the Betts-Miller-Janjic convective scheme simulate decreasing storm spatial extent with increasing temperatures for 1-hr duration precipitation events, consistent with the observation-based study in Australia. However, other observed relationships of extreme rainfall with increasing temperature were not well represented by the models. Improved methods for considering storm organization are required to better understand potential future changes.

Fire assisted pastoralism vs. sustainable forestry--the implications of missing markets for carbon in determining optimal land use in the wet-dry tropics of Australia.

PubMed

Ockwell, David; Lovett, Jon C

2005-04-01

Using Cape York Peninsula, Queensland, Australia as a case study, this paper combines field sampling of woody vegetation with cost-benefit analysis to compare the social optimality of fire-assisted pastoralism with sustainable forestry. Carbon sequestration is estimated to be significantly higher in the absence of fire. Integration of carbon sequestration benefits for mitigating future costs of climate change into cost-benefit analysis demonstrates that sustainable forestry is a more socially optimal land use than fire-assisted pastoralism. Missing markets for carbon, however, imply that fire-assisted pastoralism will continue to be pursued in the absence of policy intervention. Creation of markets for carbon represents a policy solution that has the potential to drive land use away from fire-assisted pastoralism towards sustainable forestry and environmental conservation.

Getting stuck in the blues: persistence of mental health problems in Australia.

PubMed

Roy, John; Schurer, Stefanie

2013-09-01

Do episodes of mental health (MH) problems cause future MH problems, and if yes, how strong are these dynamics? We quantify the degree of persistence in MH problems using nationally representative, longitudinal data from Australia and system generalized method of moments (GMM), and correlated random effects approaches are applied to separate true from spurious state dependence. Our results suggest only a moderate degree of persistence in MH problems when assuming that persistence is constant across the MH distribution once individual-specific heterogeneity is accounted for. However, individuals who fell once below a threshold that indicates an episode of depression are up to five times more likely to experience such a low score again a year later, indicating a strong element of state dependence in depression. Low income is a strong risk factor in state dependence for both men and women, which has important policy implications. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

A comparative study of the course-related family and financial problems of mature nursing students in Scotland and Australia.

PubMed

Cuthbertson, Philip; Lauder, William; Steele, Rebekah; Cleary, Sonja; Bradshaw, Julie

2004-07-01

This study reports a comparative survey of mature students undertaking pre-registration undergraduate nursing education in Australia and Scotland. The study aimed to explore comparisons between the course-related and course-related financial difficulties faced by mature students in two very different educational and funding systems. Financial stress is a predictor of both physical and mental health problems. A similar pattern of course-related problems were reported by both Australian and Scottish students with the exception that Scottish students experienced more problems with childcare and caring for elderly relatives. Course-related problems may be inherent in the nature of undergraduate nursing education although the relatively time-intensive nature of Scottish curricula may explain the childcare and elderly relatives difference. Scottish students reported higher overall financial-related problems but Australian students reported more problems with funding placements. These findings have implications for both curriculum designers and policy makers.

Theoretical and practical issues in the definition of health: insights from Aboriginal Australia.

PubMed

Boddington, Paula; Räisänen, Ulla

2009-02-01

This paper discusses attempts to define health within a public policy arena and practical and conceptual difficulties that arise. An Australian Aboriginal definition of health is examined. Although there are certain difficulties of translation, this definition is prominent in current Australian health policy and discourse about health. The definition can be seen as broadly holistic in comparison to other holistic definitions such as that of the World Health Organization. The nature of this holism and its grounding within the context of Aboriginal Australia is discussed. In particular, its implications for the phenomenon of medicalization, which may be associated with a holistic notion of health, is critically explored, as is the link of notions of health to culture and the question of the possibility of a universal definition of health. The question of to what extent a definition of health is inspirational or operational is also raised.

Nurse-Performed Endoscopy: Implications for the Nursing Profession in Australia.

PubMed

Duffield, Christine; Chapman, Susan; Rowbotham, Samantha; Blay, Nicole

2017-02-01

Increasing demands for health care globally often lead to discussions about expanding the involvement of nurses in a range of nontraditional roles. Several countries have introduced nurse endoscopists as a means of easing the burden of demand for a range of endoscopic procedures. A shortage of medical staff in Australia combined with increasing demand for endoscopy led to the implementation of nurse endoscopists as a pilot program in the state of Queensland, where a nurse practitioner model was implemented, and Victoria, where an advanced practice model was used. This article will discuss the implementation of and responses from the nursing, medical, and policy community to nurse-performed endoscopy in this country. Regarding health policy, access to cancer screening may be improved by providing nurses with advanced training to safely perform endoscopy procedures. Moreover, issues of nurse credentialing and payment need to be considered appropriate to each country's health system model.

A treatment for and vaccine against the deadly Hendra and Nipah viruses.

PubMed

Broder, Christopher C; Xu, Kai; Nikolov, Dimitar B; Zhu, Zhongyu; Dimitrov, Dimiter S; Middleton, Deborah; Pallister, Jackie; Geisbert, Thomas W; Bossart, Katharine N; Wang, Lin-Fa

2013-10-01

Hendra virus and Nipah virus are bat-borne paramyxoviruses that are the prototypic members of the genus Henipavirus. The henipaviruses emerged in the 1990s, spilling over from their natural bat hosts and causing serious disease outbreaks in humans and livestock. Hendra virus emerged in Australia and since 1994 there have been 7 human infections with 4 case fatalities. Nipah virus first appeared in Malaysia and subsequent outbreaks have occurred in Bangladesh and India. In total, there have been an estimated 582 human cases of Nipah virus and of these, 54% were fatal. Their broad species tropism and ability to cause fatal respiratory and/or neurologic disease in humans and animals make them important transboundary biological threats. Recent experimental findings in animals have demonstrated that a human monoclonal antibody targeting the viral G glycoprotein is an effective post-exposure treatment against Hendra and Nipah virus infection. In addition, a subunit vaccine based on the G glycoprotein of Hendra virus affords protection against Hendra and Nipah virus challenge. The vaccine has been developed for use in horses in Australia and is the first vaccine against a Biosafety Level-4 (BSL-4) agent to be licensed and commercially deployed. Together, these advances offer viable approaches to address Hendra and Nipah virus infection of livestock and people. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Australia's proactive approach to radiation protection of the environment: how integrated is it with radiation protection of humans?

PubMed

Hirth, G A; Grzechnik, M; Tinker, R; Larsson, C M

2018-01-01

Australia's regulatory framework has evolved over the past decade from the assumption that protection of humans implies protection of the environment to the situation now where radiological impacts on non-human species (wildlife) are considered in their own right. In an Australian context, there was a recognised need for specific national guidance on protection of non-human species, for which the uranium mining industry provides the major backdrop. National guidance supported by publications of the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (Radiation Protection Series) provides clear and consistent advice to operators and regulators on protection of non-human species, including advice on specific assessment methods and models, and how these might be applied in an Australian context. These approaches and the supporting assessment tools provide a mechanism for industry to assess and demonstrate compliance with the environmental protection objectives of relevant legislation, and to meet stakeholder expectations that radiological protection of the environment is taken into consideration in accordance with international best practice. Experiences from the past 5-10 years, and examples of where the approach to radiation protection of the environment has been well integrated or presented some challenges will be discussed. Future challenges in addressing protection of the environment in existing exposure situations will also be discussed.

A Question of Agency: Applying Sen's Theory of Human Capability to the Concept of Secondary School Student Career "Choice"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Galliott, Natal'ya; Graham, Linda J.

2014-01-01

In this paper, we seek to operationalize Amartya Sen's concept of human capability to guide a scholarly investigation of student career choice capability. We begin by outlining factors affecting youth labour markets in Australia; a prosperous country that is affected by a "two-speed" national economy. We then examine recent government…

The Use of Ethical Frameworks for Implementing Science as a Human Endeavour in Year 10 Biology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yap, Siew Fong; Dawson, Vaille

2014-01-01

This research focuses on the use of ethical frameworks as a pedagogical model for socio-scientific education in implementing the "Science as a Human Endeavour" (SHE) strand of the Australian Curriculum: Science in a Year 10 biology class in a Christian college in metropolitan Perth, Western Australia. Using a case study approach, a mixed…

I'm Not Sure What to Do! Learning Experiences in the Humanities and Social Sciences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Maher, JaneMaree; Mitchell, Jennifer

2010-01-01

This article reports on a focus group study of student experience in a large humanities and social science faculty in Australia. The study had two purposes: the first was to examine student study/work/life balance issues, and the second purpose was to investigate their experiences of study, workloads and assessment. This article reports on the…

Gaps in Indigenous disadvantage not closing: a census cohort study of social determinants of health in Australia, Canada, and New Zealand from 1981–2006

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Australia, Canada, and New Zealand are all developed nations that are home to Indigenous populations which have historically faced poorer outcomes than their non-Indigenous counterparts on a range of health, social, and economic measures. The past several decades have seen major efforts made to close gaps in health and social determinants of health for Indigenous persons. We ask whether relative progress toward these goals has been achieved. Methods We used census data for each country to compare outcomes for the cohort aged 25–29 years at each census year 1981–2006 in the domains of education, employment, and income. Results The percentage-point gaps between Indigenous and non-Indigenous persons holding a bachelor degree or higher qualification ranged from 6.6% (New Zealand) to 10.9% (Canada) in 1981, and grew wider over the period to range from 19.5% (New Zealand) to 25.2% (Australia) in 2006. The unemployment rate gap ranged from 5.4% (Canada) to 16.9% (Australia) in 1981, and fluctuated over the period to range from 6.6% (Canada) to 11.0% (Australia) in 2006. Median Indigenous income as a proportion of non-Indigenous median income (whereby parity = 100%) ranged from 77.2% (New Zealand) to 45.2% (Australia) in 1981, and improved slightly over the period to range from 80.9% (Canada) to 54.4% (Australia) in 2006. Conclusions Australia, Canada, and New Zealand represent nations with some of the highest levels of human development in the world. Relative to their non-Indigenous populations, their Indigenous populations were almost as disadvantaged in 2006 as they were in 1981 in the employment and income domains, and more disadvantaged in the education domain. New approaches for closing gaps in social determinants of health are required if progress on achieving equity is to improve. PMID:24568143

Humans, water, and the colonization of Australia.

PubMed

Bird, Michael I; O'Grady, Damien; Ulm, Sean

2016-10-11

The Pleistocene global dispersal of modern humans required the transit of arid and semiarid regions where the distribution of potable water provided a primary constraint on dispersal pathways. Here, we provide a spatially explicit continental-scale assessment of the opportunities for Pleistocene human occupation of Australia, the driest inhabited continent on Earth. We establish the location and connectedness of persistent water in the landscape using the Australian Water Observations from Space dataset combined with the distribution of small permanent water bodies (springs, gnammas, native wells, waterholes, and rockholes). Results demonstrate a high degree of directed landscape connectivity during wet periods and a high density of permanent water points widely but unevenly distributed across the continental interior. A connected network representing the least-cost distance between water bodies and graded according to terrain cost shows that 84% of archaeological sites >30,000 y old are within 20 km of modern permanent water. We further show that multiple, well-watered routes into the semiarid and arid continental interior were available throughout the period of early human occupation. Depletion of high-ranked resources over time in these paleohydrological corridors potentially drove a wave of dispersal farther along well-watered routes to patches with higher foraging returns.

Humans, water, and the colonization of Australia

PubMed Central

O’Grady, Damien

2016-01-01

The Pleistocene global dispersal of modern humans required the transit of arid and semiarid regions where the distribution of potable water provided a primary constraint on dispersal pathways. Here, we provide a spatially explicit continental-scale assessment of the opportunities for Pleistocene human occupation of Australia, the driest inhabited continent on Earth. We establish the location and connectedness of persistent water in the landscape using the Australian Water Observations from Space dataset combined with the distribution of small permanent water bodies (springs, gnammas, native wells, waterholes, and rockholes). Results demonstrate a high degree of directed landscape connectivity during wet periods and a high density of permanent water points widely but unevenly distributed across the continental interior. A connected network representing the least-cost distance between water bodies and graded according to terrain cost shows that 84% of archaeological sites >30,000 y old are within 20 km of modern permanent water. We further show that multiple, well-watered routes into the semiarid and arid continental interior were available throughout the period of early human occupation. Depletion of high-ranked resources over time in these paleohydrological corridors potentially drove a wave of dispersal farther along well-watered routes to patches with higher foraging returns. PMID:27671630

A retrospective audit of bacterial culture results of donated human milk in Perth, Western Australia.

PubMed

Almutawif, Yahya; Hartmann, Benjamin; Lloyd, Megan; Erber, Wendy; Geddes, Donna

2017-02-01

The bacterial content of donated human milk is either endogenous or introduced via contamination. Defining milk bank bacterial content will allow researchers to devise appropriate tests for significant and commonly encountered organisms. A retrospective audit was conducted on data recorded from the Perron Rotary Express Milk Bank, King Edward Memorial Hospital, Subiaco, Western Australia. This aimed to describe the incidence of bacterial species detected in donated human milk and to identify potentially pathogenic bacteria. The data comprised of 2890 batches donated by 448 women between 2007 and 2011. Coagulase negative Staphylococcus (CoNS) represented the highest prevalence of bacteria in donated milk, isolated from 85.5% of batches (range: 20 to 650,000CFU/mL) followed by Acinetobacter species in 8.1% of batches (range: 100 to 180,000CFU/mL). Staphylococcus aureus was the most prevalent potentially pathogenic bacteria in 5% of batches (range: 40 to 100,000CFU/mL). Further investigation is warranted to better define the risks posed by the presence of toxin-producing S. aureus in raw and pasteurized human milk which may allow minimization of risk to the preterm infants. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

The clinical implications of poly implant prothèse breast implants: an overview.

PubMed

Wazir, Umar; Kasem, Abdul; Mokbel, Kefah

2015-01-01

Mammary implants marketed by Poly Implant Prothèse (PIP) were found to contain industrial grade silicone and this caused heightened anxiety and extensive publicity regarding their safety in humans. These implants were used in a large number of patients worldwide for augmentation or breast reconstruction. We reviewed articles identified by searches of Medline, PubMed, Embase, and Google Scholar databases up to May 2014 using the terms: "PIP", "Poly Implant Prothèse", "breast implants" and "augmentation mammoplasty" "siloxanes" or "silicone". In addition the websites of regulating bodies in Europe, USA, and Australia were searched for reports related to PIP mammary implants. PIP mammary implants are more likely to rupture than other implants and can cause adverse effects in the short to the medium term related to the symptoms of rupture such as pain, lumps in the breast and axilla and anxiety. Based on peer-reviewed published studies we have calculated an overall rupture rate of 14.5% (383/2,635) for PIP implants. However, there is no evidence that PIP implant rupture causes long-term adverse health effects in humans so far. Silicone lymphadenopathy represents a foreign body reaction and should be treated conservatively. The long-term adverse effects usually arise from inappropriate extensive surgery, such as axillary lymph node dissection or extensive resection of breast tissue due to silicone leakage.

The Clinical Implications of Poly Implant Prothèse Breast Implants: An Overview

PubMed Central

Wazir, Umar; Kasem, Abdul

2015-01-01

Mammary implants marketed by Poly Implant Prothèse (PIP) were found to contain industrial grade silicone and this caused heightened anxiety and extensive publicity regarding their safety in humans. These implants were used in a large number of patients worldwide for augmentation or breast reconstruction. We reviewed articles identified by searches of Medline, PubMed, Embase, and Google Scholar databases up to May 2014 using the terms: "PIP", "Poly Implant Prothèse", "breast implants" and "augmentation mammoplasty" "siloxanes" or "silicone". In addition the websites of regulating bodies in Europe, USA, and Australia were searched for reports related to PIP mammary implants. PIP mammary implants are more likely to rupture than other implants and can cause adverse effects in the short to the medium term related to the symptoms of rupture such as pain, lumps in the breast and axilla and anxiety. Based on peer-reviewed published studies we have calculated an overall rupture rate of 14.5% (383/2,635) for PIP implants. However, there is no evidence that PIP implant rupture causes long-term adverse health effects in humans so far. Silicone lymphadenopathy represents a foreign body reaction and should be treated conservatively. The long-term adverse effects usually arise from inappropriate extensive surgery, such as axillary lymph node dissection or extensive resection of breast tissue due to silicone leakage. PMID:25606483

The Excess Heat Factor: A Metric for Heatwave Intensity and Its Use in Classifying Heatwave Severity

PubMed Central

Nairn, John R.; Fawcett, Robert J. B.

2014-01-01

Heatwaves represent a significant natural hazard in Australia, arguably more hazardous to human life than bushfires, tropical cyclones and floods. In the 2008/2009 summer, for example, many more lives were lost to heatwaves than to that summer’s bushfires which were among the worst in the history of the Australian nation. For many years, these other forms of natural disaster have received much greater public attention than heatwaves, although there are some signs of change. We propose a new index, called the excess heat factor (EHF) for use in Australian heatwave monitoring and forecasting. The index is based on a three-day-averaged daily mean temperature (DMT), and is intended to capture heatwave intensity as it applies to human health outcomes, although its usefulness is likely to be much broader and with potential for international applicability. The index is described and placed in a climatological context in order to derive heatwave severity. Heatwave severity, as characterised by the climatological distribution of heatwave intensity, has been used to normalise the climatological variation in heatwave intensity range across Australia. This methodology was used to introduce a pilot national heatwave forecasting service for Australia during the 2013/2014 summer. Some results on the performance of the service are presented. PMID:25546282

A risk assessment approach to contaminants in Port Curtis, Queensland, Australia.

PubMed

Jones, Mary-Anne; Stauber, Jenny; Apte, Simon; Simpson, Stuart; Vicente-Beckett, Vicky; Johnson, Rod; Duivenvoorden, Leo

2005-01-01

Port Curtis is one of Australia's leading ports for which substantial industrial expansion is proposed over the next decade. However, there has been little attempt to date to assess the extent of contamination in waters, sediments and biota or to characterize the potential impacts of contaminants on aquatic biota. Contaminants of potential concern to biota and human health were investigated in the Port Curtis estuary using a screening-level risk assessment approach. Dissolved metal concentrations in waters were below [ANZECC/ARMCANZ, 2000. Australian and New Zealand Guidelines for Fresh and Marine Water Quality, Vol. 1. The Guidelines, Australian and New Zealand Environment and Conservation Council and Agriculture and Resource Management Council of Australia and New Zealand] trigger values, suggesting low risk of these contaminants. In sediments, arsenic, nickel and chromium concentrations exceeded interim sediment quality guidelines-low (ISQG-low), but were also high in the reference zone suggesting a natural origin. Historical data on naphthalene in Harbour sediments showed that it was also of potential concern. Bioaccumulation of contaminants in a range of biota was also used as an indicator of contaminant exposure. Biota were generally enriched in metals and tributyltin, which was also elevated in water and sediments. Although not unique to Port Curtis, mercury in barramundi was identified as a potential risk to human health.

Human-environment interactions in arid Australia: a geoarchaeological approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fanning, Patricia C.; Holdaway, Simon J.; Rhodes, Edward J.

2010-05-01

The conventional approach to assessing the archaeological record in semi-arid regions of many parts of the world involves extensive survey of surface deposits thought to indicate the use of space by past peoples. However, such interpretations require a detailed understanding not only of how these deposits formed but also why they have survived. In summarizing more than a decade of research in western New South Wales, Australia, we argue that over much of semi-arid and arid Australia, archaeological ‘sites' are, in fact, accretion phenomena (or ‘palimpsests') that are not easily interpreted as the outcome of short-term behavioural events. Moreover, while the desert landscapes may appear to be unchanging, there is considerable variability in landsurface age, and hence the ‘availability' of archaeological surfaces. It cannot be assumed that stone artefact deposits, for example, from a similar location are of a similar age. To make behavioural inferences from these records, an approach is needed based on a geoarchaeological assessment of landscape potential, analyses able to detect human responses to environmental change, and analyses of artefacts that emphasise mobility rather than static settlement patterns. Landscape, paleoenvironmental and artifact assemblage data from our field area will be presented that demonstrates episodic occupation by highly mobile groups of people, most likely reacting to environmental changes and resource availability.

"Lost milk?": Counting the economic value of breast milk in gross domestic product.

PubMed

Smith, J P

2013-11-01

The contribution of breastfeeding and mothers milk to the economy is invisible in economic statistics. This article demonstrates how the economic value of human milk production can be included in economic statistics such as gross domestic product (GDP) and provides estimates for Australia, the United States, and Norway. The contribution of human milk and lactation to GDP in these countries is estimated using United Nations (System of National Accounting) guidelines and conventional economic valuation approaches to measuring production in GDP. In Australia, current human milk production levels exceed $3 billion annually. The United States has the potential to produce human milk worth more than US$110 billion a year, but currently nearly two thirds of this value is lost due to premature weaning. In Norway, production valued at US$907 million annually is 60% of its potential value. The potential loss of economic value from not protecting women's lactation and milk production from competing market pressures is large. Failure to account for mothers' milk production in GDP and other economic data has important consequences for public policy. The invisibility of human milk reduces the perceived importance of programs and regulations that protect and support women to breastfeed. The value of human milk can be measured using accepted international guidelines for calculating national income and production. It is quantitatively nontrivial and should be counted in GDP.

Socio-hydrology and integrated water resources management in northern Australia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Douglas, Michael; Jackson, Sue

2017-04-01

Australia's tropical rivers account for more than half of the nation's freshwater resources. Nearly all of these rivers flow freely to the sea, with less than 0. 01% of river flows diverted for human use, but there is increasing interest in developing the region's water resources for irrigated agriculture. Interdisciplinary research conducted over the past decade has demonstrated the reliance of biodiversity on free-flowing rivers and has also identified a broad range of benefits that people derive from these river systems including irrigated agriculture, tourism, commercial and recreational fishing and Indigenous subsistence harvesting. This has revealed the highly coupled nature of the socio-hydrological system in northern Australia's catchments and the trade-offs among different water users. This paper provides an overview of past and current research with a focus on how socio-hydrology may assist in undertaking integrated water resource management in this region.

Clinical review of two fatal equine cases of infection with the insectivorous bat strain of Australian bat lyssavirus.

PubMed

Annand, E J; Reid, P A

2014-09-01

The first two confirmed cases of Australian bat lyssavirus (ABLV) infection in horses are presented. Both cases occurred in the same week in May 2013 in paddock mates in south-east Queensland. Australia has been one of only a few countries considered free from rabies-like viruses in domestic animal species. ABLV infection had previously only been confirmed in bats and humans. All three confirmed human cases were fatal, the latest in February 2013. An additional human case of possible abortive infection in 1996 has also been reported. Both equine cases reported here resulted in euthanasia. The risks of infection across other mammalian species are still to be determined. These two equine cases highlight that ABLV should be considered as a differential diagnosis in animals with similar clinical presentations in Australia. There is a need for greater awareness regarding the zoonotic risk, use of personal protective equipment, pre- and post-exposure prophylactic measures and laboratory diagnostic options. The authors recommend ABLV testing for all Australian cases of progressive equine neurological disease. © 2014 Australian Veterinary Association.

The age-specific prevalence of human parvovirus immunity in Victoria, Australia compared with other parts of the world.

PubMed Central

Kelly, H. A.; Siebert, D.; Hammond, R.; Leydon, J.; Kiely, P.; Maskill, W.

2000-01-01

The age-specific immunity to human parvovirus infection was estimated in Victoria, Australia using prospectively collected samples from the Royal Children's Hospital, the Royal Women's Hospital and the Australian Red Cross Blood Service and from sera stored at the Victorian Infectious Diseases Reference Laboratory (VIDRL). All testing was performed at VIDRL using a commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (Biotrin). Of the 824 sera tested, 28% of those drawn from people aged 0-9 years contained protective antibodies to human parvovirus. This rose to 51% in the next decade of life. There was then a slow rise to about 78% immunity over 50 years of age. An analysis of all requests for parvovirus serology at VIDRL from 1992 to 1998 suggested that parvovirus tended to occur in 4-year cycles, with 2 epidemic years followed by 2 endemic years. A review of published reports of parvovirus immunity suggested that parvovirus infection may be more common, with a correspondingly higher proportion of the community immune, in temperate as opposed to tropical countries. PMID:10982069

Australia: Climate-Ecosystem Variability and Impacts on Disease

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gustafson, K. C.; Diabate, M.; Anyamba, A.

2012-12-01

Climate variability in Australia is largely driven by an atmospheric phenomenon called the Southern Oscillation (SO), which involves a see-saw like behavior between low and high pressure systems within the equatorial Pacific regions. The interaction of SO with abnormally high sea surface temperatures (SSTs) - El Niño - or abnormally low SSTs - La Niña ("anti-El Niño") - creates extreme drought or extreme flooding respectively throughout the Australian continent. These El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) events have significant impacts on Australia's landscape, ecosystems, agriculture production, and, as this report show, human health. The teleconnection between ENSO and human health is straight forward but not obvious. During La Niña years, when ENSO events are characterized by increased rainfall and consequential flooding, Australia's tropical, warm climate in addition to an associated increase in vegetation growth from the increased rainfall creates an ideal habitat for mosquito population increase. Certain species of Australian mosquitoes [Culux annulirostris] are carriers of Murray Valley Encephalitis (MVE) virus which is a rare but potentially fatal infection that attacks neurological and muscular functioning. It is hypothesized that a widespread increase in vegetation indicates an expansion of ideal mosquito production habitats and will translate to an increased risk of MVE contraction. The objective of this research is to show if a correlation exists between the ENSO-driven climate- and consequential ecosystem- changes and MVE outbreaks throughout Australia. To do so, this study makes use of the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) sensor operating on NASA's Terra satellite to obtain monthly Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) data. It is assumed in this research that an anomalous increase in NDVI values - indicative of vegetation growth - occurs as a result of increased rainfall. Due to Australia's tropical positioning and therefore high exposure to warm, sunny conditions, the NDVI data serves as an adequate proxy for the combined influence of rainfall and temperature on mosquito ecology. We compiled MVE outbreak data from two online databases that reported incidents: (1) Pro-MED mail and (2) National Notifiable Disease Surveillance System (NNDSS). NDVI monthly anomalies were calculated with respect to the long-term averages of plant growth to assess the departure patterns. The outbreak sites were geo-coded and mapped on NDVI anomaly maps and statistical analysis was run on four case study sites where human infection was most prevalent. The research shows a general correlation between outbreak occurrences and a prior period of positive NDVI anomalies or "greening". The correlation and timing of these results support the hypothesis that increased rainfall, as a result of ENSO events, stimulates mosquito population growth, raising the potential for transmitting MVE to humans. However, further research is needed to confirm this hypothesis. It is expected that through the use of actual rainfall data and time-series Southern Oscillation Index data, a comprehensive, robust link can be shown between ENSO events and vector-borne disease outbreaks. Additionally, added geographically accurate outbreak data will provide a more scientifically sound spatial correlation.

Percussive technology in human evolution: an introduction to a comparative approach in fossil and living primates.

PubMed

de la Torre, Ignacio; Hirata, Satoshi

2015-11-19

Percussive technology is part of the behavioural suite of several fossil and living primates. Stone Age ancestors used lithic artefacts in pounding activities, which could have been most important in the earliest stages of stone working. This has relevant evolutionary implications, as other primates such as chimpanzees and some monkeys use stone hammer-and-anvil combinations to crack hard-shelled foodstuffs. Parallels between primate percussive technologies and early archaeological sites need to be further explored in order to assess the emergence of technological behaviour in our evolutionary line, and firmly establish bridges between Primatology and Archaeology. What are the anatomical, cognitive and ecological constraints of percussive technology? How common are percussive activities in the Stone Age and among living primates? What is their functional significance? How similar are archaeological percussive tools and those made by non-human primates? This issue of Phil. Trans. addresses some of these questions by presenting case studies with a wide chronological, geographical and disciplinary coverage. The studies presented here cover studies of Brazilian capuchins, captive chimpanzees and chimpanzees in the wild, research on the use of percussive technology among modern humans and recent hunter-gatherers in Australia, the Near East and Europe, and archaeological examples of this behaviour from a million years ago to the Holocene. In summary, the breadth and depth of research compiled here should make this issue of Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, a landmark step forward towards a better understanding of percussive technology, a unique behaviour shared by some modern and fossil primates. © 2015 The Author(s).

Not an ancient relic: the endemic Livistona palms of arid central Australia could have been introduced by humans

PubMed Central

Kondo, Toshiaki; Crisp, Michael D.; Linde, Celeste; Bowman, David M. J. S.; Kawamura, Kensuke; Kaneko, Shingo; Isagi, Yuji

2012-01-01

Livistona mariae is an endemic palm localized in arid central Australia. This species is separated by about 1000 km from its congener L. rigida, which grows distantly in the Roper River and Nicholson–Gregory River catchments in northern Australia. Such an isolated distribution of L. mariae has been assumed to have resulted from contraction of ancestral populations as Australia aridified from the Mid-Miocene (ca 15 Ma). To test this hypothesis at the population level, we examined the genetic relationships among 14 populations of L. mariae and L. rigida using eight nuclear microsatellite loci. Our population tree and Bayesian clustering revealed that these populations comprised two genetically distinct groups that did not correspond to the current classification at species rank, and L. mariae showed closest affinity with L. rigida from Roper River. Furthermore, coalescent divergence-time estimations suggested that the disjunction between the northern populations (within L. rigida) could have originated by intermittent colonization along an ancient river that has been drowned repeatedly by marine transgression. During that time, L. mariae populations could have been established by opportunistic immigrants from Roper River about 15 000 years ago, concurrently with the settlement of indigenous Australians in central Australia, who are thus plausible vectors. Thus, our results rule out the ancient relic hypothesis for the origin of L. mariae. PMID:22398168

Dingoes (Canis dingo Meyer, 1793) continue to be an important reservoir host of Dirofilaria immitis in low density housing areas in Australia.

PubMed

Smout, Felicity A; Skerratt, Lee F; Butler, James R A; Johnson, Christopher N; Congdon, Bradley C

2016-01-15

Heartworm (Dirofilaria immitis) is a parasitic nematode responsible for canine and feline cardiopulmonary dirofilariasis and human zoonotic filariosis in both tropical and temperate regions throughout the world. Importantly, this study in the Wet Tropics of Far North Queensland found D. immitis remains at high prevalence (72.7%) in wild dingoes in low density housing areas in Australia. This prevalence is equivalent to the highest levels seen in wild dogs in Australia and represents an ongoing risk to domestic dogs, cats and humans. In contrast, in higher density residential areas prevalence was significantly lower (16.7%, p=0.001). It is possible that chemotherapeutic heartworm (HW) prevention in domestic dogs in these higher density housing areas is helping to control infection in the resident dingo population. Five dingoes killed in council control operations around Atherton, a non-endemic HW region in the Wet Tropics, were all negative for HW likely due to the colder climate of the region restricting transmission of the disease. This survey highlights the importance of dingoes as reservoir hosts of HW disease and that the subsequent risk of infection to companion animals and humans depends on local factors such as housing density, possibly linked to chemotherapeutic HW control in domestic dogs and climate. Our findings show that veterinary clinicians need to ensure that pet owners are aware of HW disease and do not become complacent about HW chemoprohylaxis in areas which support dingo populations. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Service development for intellectual disability mental health: a human rights approach.

PubMed

Evans, E; Howlett, S; Kremser, T; Simpson, J; Kayess, R; Trollor, J

2012-11-01

People with intellectual disability (ID) experience higher rates of major mental disorders than their non-ID peers, but in many countries have difficulty accessing appropriate mental health services. The aim of this paper is to review the current state of mental health services for people with ID using Australia as a case example, and critically appraise whether such services currently meet the standards set by the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The literature regarding the current state of mental health services for people with ID was reviewed, with a particular focus on Australia. The review highlighted a number of issues to be addressed to meet the mental health needs of people with ID to ensure that their human rights are upheld like those of all other citizens. Many of the barriers to service provision encountered in Australia are likely also to be relevant to other nations, including the culture of division between disability and mental health services, the inadequate training of both disability and mental health workers in ID mental health, and the lack of relevant epidemiological data. None of these barriers are insurmountable. Recommendations are made for adopting a human rights-based approach towards the development and provision of mental health services for people with ID. These include improved policy with measurable outcomes, improved service access via clear referral pathways and the sharing of resources across disability and mental health services, and improved service delivery through training and education initiatives for both the mental health and disability workforce. © 2012 The Authors. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

A review of the evidence for a human role in the extinction of Australian megafauna and an alternative interpretation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wroe, Stephen; Field, Judith

2006-11-01

Arguments that megafaunal extinctions in Australia were anthropogenically mediated have focused on establishing terminal appearance ages. This approach has been underpinned by three principle tenets: (1) if megafauna disappeared before significant climate change, but after human colonisation, then it can be inferred that extinctions were human mediated; (2) climate change within the last glacial cycle was unremarkable relative to previous cycles; and (3) all or most Pleistocene megafauna were present when people arrived on the continent. We review the evidence for human causation and note mounting evidence suggesting that the last 400-300 ka in Australia has been characterised by escalating aridity and climatic variability, culminating in the breach of a hydrological threshold within the last glacial cycle. Only 21 species (35%) of megafauna whose disappearance has been attributed to human activity are known to have persisted after the Penultimate Glacial Maximum, a time of undoubtedly severe climate change. Thus, 39 species of megafauna (65%) cannot be reliably placed within 85,000 years of firm evidence for human arrival, ca 50-43 ka. At most eight species (13%) were clearly present at this time. Four or more persisted until the onset of full glacial conditions at ca 30 ka. We argue for a falsifiable model of staggered extinction in which most megafaunal extinctions predated human arrival and with the influence of people as a minor superimposition on broader trends in train since middle Pleistocene times.

Assessing the Implications of Allowing Transgender Personnel to Serve Openly

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-01-01

their utilization estimates. Data from several sources (e.g., Sonier et al ., 2013; Gould , 2012) imply an approximate average one-to-one ratio of... et al ., 2014). Our analysis focused on the policies of the four countries—Australia, Canada, Israel, and the United Kingdom— with the most well...hor- mone levels stabilize (Hembree et al ., 2009; Elders et al ., 2014). To avoid this cost, DoD would need to either permit more flexible monitoring

The United States Strategy in East Asia-Pacific-Implications for Australia’s Defenses

DTIC Science & Technology

1996-01-01

Mohamed Najib bin Tun Abdul Razak , "Towards Cooperative Security and Regional Stability, the Malaysian View." The Army and the Future. Ed. David Horner...repair and maintenance of warships on a commercial basis. See The Hon. Datuk Seri Mohamed Najib bin Tun Abdul Razak , 132. Times says that Jakarta...Cambridge University Press, 1965. The Hon. Datuk Seri Mohamed Najib bin Tun Abdul Razak . "Towards Cooperative Security and Regional Stability: The

Prevalence and Correlates of the Belief That Electronic Cigarettes are a Lot Less Harmful Than Conventional Cigarettes Under the Different Regulatory Environments of Australia and the United Kingdom

PubMed Central

Borland, Ron; Balmford, James; Hitchman, Sara C.; Cummings, K. Michael; Driezen, Pete; Thompson, Mary E.

2017-01-01

Introduction: The rapid rise in electronic cigarettes (ECs) globally has stimulated much debate about the relative risk and public health impact of this new emerging product category as compared to conventional cigarettes. The sale and marketing of ECs containing nicotine are banned in many countries (eg, Australia) but are allowed in others (eg, United Kingdom). This study examined prevalence and correlates of the belief that ECs are a lot less harmful than conventional cigarettes under the different regulatory environments in Australia (ie, more restrictive) and the United Kingdom (ie, less restrictive). Methods: Australian and UK data from the 2013 survey of the International Tobacco Control Four-Country project were analyzed. Results: More UK than Australian respondents (58.5% vs. 35.2%) believed that ECs are a lot less harmful than conventional cigarettes but more respondents in Australia than in the United Kingdom selected “Don’t Know” (36.5% vs. 17.1%). The proportion that responded “A little less, equally or more harmful” did not differ between countries. Correlates of the belief that ECs are “A lot less harmful” differed between countries, while correlates of “Don’t Know” response did not differ. Conclusions: Consistent with the less restrictive regulatory environment affecting the sale and marketing of ECs, smokers and recent ex-smokers in the United Kingdom were more likely to believe ECs were less harmful relative to conventional cigarettes compared to those in Australia. Implications: What this study adds: Among smokers and ex-smokers, this study found that the belief that ECs are (a lot) less harmful than conventional cigarettes was considerably higher in the United Kingdom than in Australia in 2013. The finding is consistent with the less restrictive regulatory environment for ECs in the United Kingdom, suggesting that the regulatory framework for ECs adopted by a country can affect smokers’ perceptions about the relative harmfulness of ECs, the group that stands to gain the most from having an accurate belief about the relative harms of ECs. PMID:27190403

Report [of the] Expert Meeting on Intercultural Education, Section of Education for Peace and Human Rights (UNESCO Headquarters, Paris, March 20-22, 2006)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), 2006

2006-01-01

The Section of Education for Peace and Human Rights of the Division for the Promotion of Quality Education held an expert meeting on Intercultural Education from March 20-22, 2006 at UNESCO Headquarters, bringing together international experts from Australia, Bolivia, Egypt, Finland, Hungary, Korea, Lebanon, Mexico, Nigeria, South Africa and the…

Review of “Managing Arsenic in the Environment: From Soil to Hman Health”

EPA Science Inventory

This is a book review of "Managing Arsenic in the Environment: From Soil to Human Health," R. Naidu, E. Smith, G. Owens, P. Bhattacharya, and P. Nadebaum eds., CSIRO Publishing, Melbourne, Australia, 656 pp.,

Scientific, Engineering, and Financial Factors of the 1989 Human-Triggered Newcastle Earthquake in Australia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Klose, C. D.

2006-12-01

This presentation emphasizes the dualism of natural resources exploitation and economic growth versus geomechanical pollution and risks of human-triggered earthquakes. Large-scale geoengineering activities, e.g., mining, reservoir impoundment, oil/gas production, water exploitation or fluid injection, alter pre-existing lithostatic stress states in the earth's crust and are anticipated to trigger earthquakes. Such processes of in- situ stress alteration are termed geomechanical pollution. Moreover, since the 19th century more than 200 earthquakes have been documented worldwide with a seismic moment magnitude of 4.5

Towards an Accurate and Precise Chronology for the Colonization of Australia: The Example of Riwi, Kimberley, Western Australia.

PubMed

Wood, Rachel; Jacobs, Zenobia; Vannieuwenhuyse, Dorcas; Balme, Jane; O'Connor, Sue; Whitau, Rose

An extensive series of 44 radiocarbon (14C) and 37 optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) ages have been obtained from the site of Riwi, south central Kimberley (NW Australia). As one of the earliest known Pleistocene sites in Australia, with archaeologically sterile sediment beneath deposits containing occupation, the chronology of the site is important in renewed debates surrounding the colonization of Sahul. Charcoal is preserved throughout the sequence and within multiple discrete hearth features. Prior to 14C dating, charcoal has been pretreated with both acid-base-acid (ABA) and acid base oxidation-stepped combustion (ABOx-SC) methods at multiple laboratories. Ages are consistent between laboratories and also between the two pretreatment methods, suggesting that contamination is easily removed from charcoal at Riwi and the Pleistocene ages are likely to be accurate. Whilst some charcoal samples recovered from outside hearth features are identified as outliers within a Bayesian model, all ages on charcoal within hearth features are consistent with stratigraphy. OSL dating has been undertaken using single quartz grains from the sandy matrix. The majority of samples show De distributions that are well-bleached but that also include evidence for mixing as a result of post-depositional bioturbation of the sediment. The results of the two techniques are compared and evaluated within a Bayesian model. Consistency between the two methods is good, and we demonstrate human occupation at this site from 46.4-44.6 cal kBP (95.4% probability range). Importantly, the lowest archaeological horizon at Riwi is underlain by sterile sediments which have been dated by OSL making it possible to demonstrate the absence of human occupation for between 0.9-5.2 ka (68.2% probability range) prior to occupation.

Towards an Accurate and Precise Chronology for the Colonization of Australia: The Example of Riwi, Kimberley, Western Australia

PubMed Central

Balme, Jane; O’Connor, Sue; Whitau, Rose

2016-01-01

An extensive series of 44 radiocarbon (14C) and 37 optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) ages have been obtained from the site of Riwi, south central Kimberley (NW Australia). As one of the earliest known Pleistocene sites in Australia, with archaeologically sterile sediment beneath deposits containing occupation, the chronology of the site is important in renewed debates surrounding the colonization of Sahul. Charcoal is preserved throughout the sequence and within multiple discrete hearth features. Prior to 14C dating, charcoal has been pretreated with both acid-base-acid (ABA) and acid base oxidation-stepped combustion (ABOx-SC) methods at multiple laboratories. Ages are consistent between laboratories and also between the two pretreatment methods, suggesting that contamination is easily removed from charcoal at Riwi and the Pleistocene ages are likely to be accurate. Whilst some charcoal samples recovered from outside hearth features are identified as outliers within a Bayesian model, all ages on charcoal within hearth features are consistent with stratigraphy. OSL dating has been undertaken using single quartz grains from the sandy matrix. The majority of samples show De distributions that are well-bleached but that also include evidence for mixing as a result of post-depositional bioturbation of the sediment. The results of the two techniques are compared and evaluated within a Bayesian model. Consistency between the two methods is good, and we demonstrate human occupation at this site from 46.4–44.6 cal kBP (95.4% probability range). Importantly, the lowest archaeological horizon at Riwi is underlain by sterile sediments which have been dated by OSL making it possible to demonstrate the absence of human occupation for between 0.9–5.2 ka (68.2% probability range) prior to occupation. PMID:27655174

MARS-OZ - A Design for a Simulated Mars Base in the Australian Outback

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Willson, D.; Clarke, J. D. A.; Murphy, G.

Mars Society Australia has developed the design of a simulated Mars base, MARS-OZ, for deployment in outback Australia. MARS-OZ will provide a platform for a diverse range of Mars analogue research in Australia. The simulated base consists of two mobile modules whose dimensions and shape approximate those of horizontally landed bent biconic spacecraft described in an earlier paper. The modules are designed to support field engineering, robotics, architectural, geological, biological and human factors research at varying levels of simulation fidelity. Non-Mars related research can also be accommodated, for example general field geology and biology, and engineering research associated with sustainable, low impact architecture. Crews of up to eight can be accommodated. In addition to its research function, the base also will serve as a centre of space education and outreach activities. The prime site for the MARS-OZ simulated base is located in the northern Flinders Ranges near Arkaroola in South Australia. This region contains many features that provide useful scientific analogues to known or possible past and present conditions on Mars from both a geological and biological perspective. The features will provide a wealth of study opportunities for crews. The very diverse terrain and regolith materials will provide ideal opportunities to field trial a range of equipment, sensors and exploration strategies. If needed, the prime site can be secured from casual visitors, allowing research into human interaction in isolation. Despite its relative isolation, the site is readily accessible by road and air from major Australian centres. This paper provides description of the configuration, design and construction of the proposed facility, its interior layout, equipment and systems fitouts, a detailed cost estimate, and its deployment. We estimate that the deployment of MARS-OZ could occur within nine months of securing funding.

Paleoseismicity of two historically quiescent faults in Australia: Implications for fault behavior in stable continental regions

USGS Publications Warehouse

Crone, A.J.; De Martini, P. M.; Machette, M.M.; Okumura, K.; Prescott, J.R.

2003-01-01

Paleoseismic studies of two historically aseismic Quaternary faults in Australia confirm that cratonic faults in stable continental regions (SCR) typically have a long-term behavior characterized by episodes of activity separated by quiescent intervals of at least 10,000 and commonly 100,000 years or more. Studies of the approximately 30-km-long Roopena fault in South Australia and the approximately 30-km-long Hyden fault in Western Australia document multiple Quaternary surface-faulting events that are unevenly spaced in time. The episodic clustering of events on cratonic SCR faults may be related to temporal fluctuations of fault-zone fluid pore pressures in a volume of strained crust. The long-term slip rate on cratonic SCR faults is extremely low, so the geomorphic expression of many cratonic SCR faults is subtle, and scarps may be difficult to detect because they are poorly preserved. Both the Roopena and Hyden faults are in areas of limited or no significant seismicity; these and other faults that we have studied indicate that many potentially hazardous SCR faults cannot be recognized solely on the basis of instrumental data or historical earthquakes. Although cratonic SCR faults may appear to be nonhazardous because they have been historically aseismic, those that are favorably oriented for movement in the current stress field can and have produced unexpected damaging earthquakes. Paleoseismic studies of modern and prehistoric SCR faulting events provide the basis for understanding of the long-term behavior of these faults and ultimately contribute to better seismic-hazard assessments.

Identifying educational priorities for occupational therapy students to prepare for mental health practice in Australia and New Zealand: Opinions of practising occupational therapists.

PubMed

Scanlan, Justin Newton; Pépin, Geneviève; Haracz, Kirsti; Ennals, Priscilla; Webster, Jayne S; Meredith, Pamela J; Batten, Rachel; Bowman, Siann; Bonassi, Marianne; Bruce, Rosie

2015-10-01

The effective preparation of occupational therapy students for mental health practice is critical to facilitate positive consumer outcomes, underpin optimal practice and support new graduates' professional identity. This project was established to determine a set of 'educational priorities' for occupational therapy students to prepare them for current (and future) entry-level practice in mental health, from the perspective of mental health occupational therapists in Australia and New Zealand. The study included two phases. In Phase One, participants identified what they considered to be important educational priorities for occupational therapy students to prepare them for practice in mental health. For Phase Two, an 'expert panel' was assembled to review and rank these using a Policy Delphi approach. Eighty-five participants provided educational priorities in Phase One. These were grouped into a total of 149 educational themes. In Phase Two, the expert panel (consisting of 37 occupational therapists from diverse locations and practice settings) prioritised these themes across three Delphi rounds. A final priority list was generated dividing educational themes into three prioritised categories: 29 'Essential', 25 'Important' and 44 'Optional' priorities. Highest-ranked priorities were: clinical reasoning, client-centred practice, therapeutic use of self, functional implications of mental illness, therapeutic use of occupation and mental health fieldwork experience. The priority list developed as part of this project provides additional information to support the review of occupational therapy curricula across Australia and New Zealand to ensure that new graduates are optimally prepared for mental health practice. © 2015 Occupational Therapy Australia.

Mental health of newly arrived Burmese refugees in Australia: contributions of pre-migration and post-migration experience.

PubMed

Schweitzer, Robert D; Brough, Mark; Vromans, Lyn; Asic-Kobe, Mary

2011-04-01

This study documents the mental health status of people from Burmese refugee backgrounds recently arrived in Australia, then examines the contributions of gender, pre-migration and post-migration factors in predicting mental health. Structured interviews, including a demographic questionnaire, the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire, the Post-migration Living Difficulties Checklist and Hopkins Symptom Checklist assessed pre-migration trauma, post-migration living difficulties, depression, anxiety, somatization and traumatization symptoms in a sample of 70 adults across five Burmese ethnic groups. Substantial proportions of participants reported psychological distress in symptomatic ranges including: post-traumatic stress disorder (9%), anxiety (20%) and depression (36%), as well as significant symptoms of somatization (37%). Participants reported multiple and severe pre-migration traumas. Post-migration living difficulties of greatest concern included communication problems and worry about family not in Australia. Gender did not predict mental health. Level of exposure to traumatic events and post-migration living difficulties each made unique and relatively equal contributions to traumatization symptoms. Post-migration living difficulties made unique contributions to depression, anxiety and somatization symptoms. While exposure to traumatic events impacted on participants' mental well-being, post-migration living difficulties had greater salience in predicting mental health outcomes of people from Burmese refugee backgrounds. Reported rates of post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms were consistent with a large review of adults across seven western countries. High levels of somatization point to a nuanced expression of distress. Findings have implications for service provision in terms of implementing appropriate interventions to effectively meet the needs of this newly arrived group in Australia.

Genetic structure and signatures of selection in grey reef sharks (Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos).

PubMed

Momigliano, P; Harcourt, R; Robbins, W D; Jaiteh, V; Mahardika, G N; Sembiring, A; Stow, A

2017-09-01

With overfishing reducing the abundance of marine predators in multiple marine ecosystems, knowledge of genetic structure and local adaptation may provide valuable information to assist sustainable management. Despite recent technological advances, most studies on sharks have used small sets of neutral markers to describe their genetic structure. We used 5517 nuclear single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and a mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) gene to characterize patterns of genetic structure and detect signatures of selection in grey reef sharks (Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos). Using samples from Australia, Indonesia and oceanic reefs in the Indian Ocean, we established that large oceanic distances represent barriers to gene flow, whereas genetic differentiation on continental shelves follows an isolation by distance model. In Australia and Indonesia differentiation at nuclear SNPs was weak, with coral reefs acting as stepping stones maintaining connectivity across large distances. Differentiation of mtDNA was stronger, and more pronounced in females, suggesting sex-biased dispersal. Four independent tests identified a set of loci putatively under selection, indicating that grey reef sharks in eastern Australia are likely under different selective pressures to those in western Australia and Indonesia. Genetic distances averaged across all loci were uncorrelated with genetic distances calculated from outlier loci, supporting the conclusion that different processes underpin genetic divergence in these two data sets. This pattern of heterogeneous genomic differentiation, suggestive of local adaptation, has implications for the conservation of grey reef sharks; furthermore, it highlights that marine species showing little genetic differentiation at neutral loci may exhibit patterns of cryptic genetic structure driven by local selection.

Independent colonization and extensive cryptic speciation of freshwater amphipods in the isolated groundwater springs of Australia's Great Artesian Basin.

PubMed

Murphy, Nicholas P; Adams, Mark; Austin, Andrew D

2009-01-01

The groundwater-dependent springs of the Great Artesian Basin (GAB) in arid inland Australia represent a unique and threatened ecosystem. These incredibly isolated springs support a diverse array of endemic flora and fauna. One of the common faunal groups in the GAB springs is the freshwater amphipods of the family Chiltoniidae. The morphological conservatism and taxonomic uncertainty associated with these amphipods has ensured their true biodiversity, phylogeographical history and evolutionary affinities have remained unknown. We have used mitochondrial DNA and allozyme data to unravel a complicated history of isolation, extinction and dispersal among spring amphipod populations across the GAB. The results provide evidence for multiple independent colonizations in the GAB springs, particularly within the Lake Eyre group of springs. The inclusion of a group of Western Australian (WA) stygobitic amphipods from populations up to 1500 km away found surprising evidence for a shared evolutionary history between stygobitic and GAB spring amphipods. Approximate dating of the diversity found between major clades suggests the majority of lineages originated in the late Miocene, around the time of the aridification of inland Australia. The large number of independent lineages and the close connection between GAB spring and WA stygobitic amphipods suggest that a significantly rich amphipod fauna existed in the much wetter environment that once existed in inland Australia. The results also provide evidence for a gross underestimation of the species diversity within the springs, with 12 putative species identified, a conclusion with significant implications for the ongoing conservation of the GAB springs.

Evaluation of Immune Responses Mediated by Listeria-Stimulated Human Dendritic Cells: Implications for Cancer Vaccine Therapy

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-07-01

and J.W. Young, Human dendritic cells : potent antigen-presenting cells at the crossroads of innate and adaptive immunity. J Immunol, 2005. 175(3): p...by Listeria-Stimulated Human Dendritic Cells : Implications for Cancer Vaccine Therapy PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: David J. Chung, MD, PhD...5a. CONTRACT NUMBER Evaluation of Immune Responses Mediated by Listeria-Stimulated Human Dendritic Cells : Implications for Cancer Vaccine

Implications of the behavioural immune system for social behaviour and human health in the modern world.

PubMed

Schaller, Mark; Murray, Damian R; Bangerter, Adrian

2015-05-26

The 'behavioural immune system' is composed of mechanisms that evolved as a means of facilitating behaviours that minimized infection risk and enhanced fitness. Recent empirical research on human populations suggests that these mechanisms have unique consequences for many aspects of human sociality--including sexual attitudes, gregariousness, xenophobia, conformity to majority opinion and conservative sociopolitical attitudes. Throughout much of human evolutionary history, these consequences may have had beneficial health implications; but health implications in modern human societies remain unclear. This article summarizes pertinent ways in which modern human societies are similar to and different from the ecologies within which the behavioural immune system evolved. By attending to these similarities and differences, we identify a set of plausible implications-both positive and negative-that the behavioural immune system may have on health outcomes in contemporary human contexts. We discuss both individual-level infection risk and population-level epidemiological outcomes. We also discuss a variety of additional implications, including compliance with public health policies, the adoption of novel therapeutic interventions and actual immunological functioning. Research on the behavioural immune system, and its implications in contemporary human societies, can provide unique insights into relationships between fitness, sociality and health. © 2015 The Author(s) Published by the Royal Society. All rights reserved.

Implications to stormwater management as a result of lot scale rainwater tank systems: a case study in Western Sydney, Australia.

PubMed

van der Sterren, M; Rahman, A; Dennis, G R

2012-01-01

Rainwater tanks are increasingly adopted in Australia to reduce potable water demand and are perceived to reduce the volume of stormwater discharge from developments. This paper investigates the water balance of rainwater tanks, in particular the possible impacts these tanks could have in controlling the stormwater discharge volume. The study collected water quantity data from two sites in the Hawkesbury City Council area, New South Wales, Australia and utilised the collected data in a simple water balance model to assess the effectiveness of rainwater tanks in reducing the stormwater discharge volume. The results indicate that a significant reduction in discharge volume from a lot scale development can be achieved if the rainwater tank is connected to multiple end-uses, but is minimal when using irrigation alone. In addition, the commonly used volumetric runoff coefficient of 0.9 was found to over-estimate the runoff from the roof areas and to thereby under-estimate the available volume within the rainwater tanks for retention or detention. Also, sole reliance on the water in the rainwater tanks can make the users aware of their water use pattern and water availability, resulting in significant reductions in water use as the supply dwindles, through self-imposed water restrictions.

The exposure of Sydney (Australia) to earthquake-generated tsunamis, storms and sea level rise: a probabilistic multi-hazard approach

PubMed Central

Dall'Osso, F.; Dominey-Howes, D.; Moore, C.; Summerhayes, S.; Withycombe, G.

2014-01-01

Approximately 85% of Australia's population live along the coastal fringe, an area with high exposure to extreme inundations such as tsunamis. However, to date, no Probabilistic Tsunami Hazard Assessments (PTHA) that include inundation have been published for Australia. This limits the development of appropriate risk reduction measures by decision and policy makers. We describe our PTHA undertaken for the Sydney metropolitan area. Using the NOAA NCTR model MOST (Method for Splitting Tsunamis), we simulate 36 earthquake-generated tsunamis with annual probabilities of 1:100, 1:1,000 and 1:10,000, occurring under present and future predicted sea level conditions. For each tsunami scenario we generate a high-resolution inundation map of the maximum water level and flow velocity, and we calculate the exposure of buildings and critical infrastructure. Results indicate that exposure to earthquake-generated tsunamis is relatively low for present events, but increases significantly with higher sea level conditions. The probabilistic approach allowed us to undertake a comparison with an existing storm surge hazard assessment. Interestingly, the exposure to all the simulated tsunamis is significantly lower than that for the 1:100 storm surge scenarios, under the same initial sea level conditions. The results have significant implications for multi-risk and emergency management in Sydney. PMID:25492514

Barriers and facilitators to childhood obesity prevention among culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities in Victoria, Australia.

PubMed

Cyril, Sheila; Nicholson, Jan M; Agho, Kingsley; Polonsky, Michael; Renzaho, Andre M

2017-06-01

Childhood obesity is rising among culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) groups who show poor engagement in obesity prevention initiatives. We examined the barriers and facilitators to the engagement of CALD communities in obesity prevention initiatives. We used the nominal group technique to collect data from 39 participants from Vietnamese, Burmese, African, Afghani and Indian origins living in disadvantaged areas of Victoria, Australia. Data analysis revealed ranked priorities for barriers and facilitators for CALD community engagement in obesity prevention initiatives. CALD parents identified key barriers as being: competing priorities in the post-migration settlement phase; language, cultural and program accessibility barriers; low levels of food and health literacy; junk food advertisement targeting children; and lack of mandatory weight checks for schoolchildren. Key facilitators emerged as: bicultural playgroup leaders; ethnic community groups; and school-based healthy lunch box initiatives. This study has identified several policy recommendations including: the implementation of robust food taxation policies; consistent control of food advertising targeting children; improving CALD health literacy using bicultural workers; and matching health promotional materials with CALD community literacy levels. Implications for Public Health: These recommendations can directly influence public health policy to improve the engagement of CALD communities in obesity prevention services and ultimately reduce the widening obesity disparities in Australia. © 2017 The Authors.

Indoor environmental quality in a 'low allergen' school and three standard primary schools in Western Australia.

PubMed

Zhang, G; Spickett, J; Rumchev, K; Lee, A H; Stick, S

2006-02-01

To investigate indoor environmental quality in classrooms, assessments were undertaken in a 'low allergen' school and three standard primary schools in Western Australia. Dust allergens, air pollutants and physical parameters were monitored in the four schools at four times (summer school term, autumn holiday, winter school term and winter holiday) in 2002. The levels of particulate matter (PM(10)) and volatile organic compounds were similar between the four primary schools. Although slightly decreased levels of dust-mite and cat allergens were observed in the 'low allergen' school, the reductions were not statistically significant and the allergen levels in all schools were much lower than the recommended sensitizing thresholds. However, significantly lower levels of relative humidity and formaldehyde level during summer-term were recorded in the 'low allergen' school. In conclusion, the evidence here suggests that the 'low allergen' school did not significantly improve the indoor environmental quality in classrooms. Practical Implications School is an important environment for children in terms of exposure to pollutants and allergens. By assessing the levels of key pollutants and allergens in a low allergen school and three standard primary schools in Western Australia, this study provides useful information for implementation of healthy building design that can improve the indoor environment in schools.

Can land use intensification in the Mallee, Australia increase the supply of soluble iron to the Southern Ocean?

PubMed Central

Bhattachan, Abinash; D'Odorico, Paolo

2014-01-01

The supply of soluble iron through atmospheric dust deposition limits the productivity of the Southern Ocean. In comparison to the Northern Hemisphere, the Southern Hemisphere exhibits low levels of dust activity. However, given their proximity to the Southern Ocean, dust emissions from continental sources in the Southern Hemisphere could have disproportionate impact on ocean productivity. Australia is the largest source of dust in the Southern Hemisphere and aeolian transport of dust has major ecological, economic and health implications. In the Mallee, agriculture is a major driver of dust emissions and dust storms that affect Southeastern Australia. In this study, we assess the dust generating potential of the sediment from the Mallee, analyze the sediment for soluble iron content and determine the likely depositional region of the emitted dust. Our results suggest that the Mallee sediments have comparable dust generating potential to other currently active dust sources in the Southern Hemisphere and the dust-sized fraction is rich in soluble iron. Forward trajectory analyses show that this dust will impact the Tasman Sea and the Australian section of the Southern Ocean. This iron-rich dust could stimulate ocean productivity in future as more areas are reactivated as a result of land-use and droughts. PMID:25109703

The exposure of Sydney (Australia) to earthquake-generated tsunamis, storms and sea level rise: a probabilistic multi-hazard approach.

PubMed

Dall'Osso, F; Dominey-Howes, D; Moore, C; Summerhayes, S; Withycombe, G

2014-12-10

Approximately 85% of Australia's population live along the coastal fringe, an area with high exposure to extreme inundations such as tsunamis. However, to date, no Probabilistic Tsunami Hazard Assessments (PTHA) that include inundation have been published for Australia. This limits the development of appropriate risk reduction measures by decision and policy makers. We describe our PTHA undertaken for the Sydney metropolitan area. Using the NOAA NCTR model MOST (Method for Splitting Tsunamis), we simulate 36 earthquake-generated tsunamis with annual probabilities of 1:100, 1:1,000 and 1:10,000, occurring under present and future predicted sea level conditions. For each tsunami scenario we generate a high-resolution inundation map of the maximum water level and flow velocity, and we calculate the exposure of buildings and critical infrastructure. Results indicate that exposure to earthquake-generated tsunamis is relatively low for present events, but increases significantly with higher sea level conditions. The probabilistic approach allowed us to undertake a comparison with an existing storm surge hazard assessment. Interestingly, the exposure to all the simulated tsunamis is significantly lower than that for the 1:100 storm surge scenarios, under the same initial sea level conditions. The results have significant implications for multi-risk and emergency management in Sydney.

Addressing the challenges of cross-jurisdictional data linkage between a national clinical quality registry and government-held health data.

PubMed

Andrew, Nadine E; Sundararajan, Vijaya; Thrift, Amanda G; Kilkenny, Monique F; Katzenellenbogen, Judith; Flack, Felicity; Gattellari, Melina; Boyd, James H; Anderson, Phil; Grabsch, Brenda; Lannin, Natasha A; Johnston, Trisha; Chen, Ying; Cadilhac, Dominique A

2016-10-01

To describe the challenges of obtaining state and nationally held data for linkage to a non-government national clinical registry. We reviewed processes negotiated to achieve linkage between the Australian Stroke Clinical Registry (AuSCR), the National Death Index, and state held hospital data. Minutes from working group meetings, national workshop meetings, and documented communications with health department staff were reviewed and summarised. Time from first application to receipt of data was more than two years for most state data-sets. Several challenges were unique to linkages involving identifiable data from a non-government clinical registry. Concerns about consent, the re-identification of data, duality of data custodian roles and data ownership were raised. Requirements involved the development of data flow methods, separating roles and multiple governance and ethics approvals. Approval to link death data presented the fewest barriers. To our knowledge, this is the first time in Australia that person-level data from a clinical quality registry has been linked to hospital and mortality data across multiple Australian jurisdictions. Implications for Public Health: The administrative load of obtaining linked data makes projects such as this burdensome but not impossible. An improved national centralised strategy for data linkage in Australia is urgently needed. © 2016 Public Health Association of Australia.

Implementing guideline based heart failure care in the Northern Territory: challenges and solutions.

PubMed

Iyngkaran, Pupalan; Harris, Melanie; Ilton, Marcus; Kangaharan, Nadarajan; Battersby, Malcolm; Stewart, Simon; Brown, Alex

2014-05-01

The Northern Territory of Australia is a vast area serviced by two major tertiary hospitals. It has both a unique demography and geography, which pose challenges for delivering optimal heart failure services. The prevalence of congestive heart failure continues to increase, imposing a significant burden on health infrastructure and health care costs. Specific patient groups suffer disproportionately from increased disease severity or service related issues often represented as a "health care gap". The syndrome itself is characterised by ongoing symptoms interspersed with acute decompensation requiring lifelong therapy and is rarely reversible. For the individual client the overwhelming attention to heart failure care and the impact of health care gaps can be devastating. This gap may also contribute to widening socio-economic differentials for families and communities as they seek to take on some of the care responsibilities. This review explores the challenges of heart failure best practice in the Northern Territory and the opportunities to improve on service delivery. The discussions highlighted could have implications for health service delivery throughout regional centres in Australia and health systems in other countries. Copyright © 2014 Australian and New Zealand Society of Cardiac and Thoracic Surgeons (ANZSCTS) and the Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand (CSANZ). All rights reserved.

Difference in the crab fauna of mangrove areas at a southwest Florida and a northeast Australia location: Implications for leaf litter processing

USGS Publications Warehouse

McIvor, C.C.; Smith, T. J.

1995-01-01

Existing paradigms suggest that mangrove leaf litter is processed primarily via the detrital pathway in forests in the Caribbean biogeographic realm whereas herbivorous crabs are relatively more important litter processors in the Indo-West Pacific. To test this hypothesis, we used pitfall traps to collect intertidal crabs to characterize the crab fauna in a mangrove estuary in southwest Florida. We also tethered mangrove leaves to determine if herbivorous crabs are major leaf consumers there. We compared the results with previously published data collected in an analogous manner from forests in northeastern Australia. The crab fauna in Rookery Bay, Florida, is dominated by carnivorous xanthid and deposit-feeding ocypodid crabs whereas that of the Murray River in northeastern Australia is dominated by herbivorous grapsid crabs. No leaves tethered at five sites in the forests in Southwest Florida were taken by crabs. This contrasts greatly with reported values of leaf removal by crabs in Australian forests of 28-79% of the leaves reaching the forest floor. These differences in the faunal assemblages and in the fate of marked or tethered leaves provide preliminary support for the hypothesis that leaf litter is in fact processed in fundamentally different ways in the two biogeographic realms.

Quantification of atmospheric lead emissions from 70 years of leaded petrol consumption in Australia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kristensen, Louise Jane

2015-06-01

Lead is a persistent pollutant and the subject of many environmental studies, yet, in Australia, the extent of atmospheric lead emissions from the use of leaded petrol is unquantified. This paper details the first comprehensive account of leaded petrol sales and its lead concentrations over the 70 years of use in Australia. The resulting atmospheric lead emissions are calculated to provide the most complete understanding of the volume of lead released to the Australian continent from the consumption of leaded petrol. Atmospheric emissions of lead to the entire Australian continent from leaded petrol are calculated to total 240,510 tonnes over seven decades of use, peaking at 7869 tonnes in 1974. Total emissions for individual states and territories range from 1745 to 67,893 tonnes, with New South Wales responsible for the largest emissions. The effect of regulations on allowable concentrations of tetraethyl-lead additives are observed in the reduction of lead emissions in New South Wales and Victoria. The consequences to human health and the environment of leaded petrol consumption in Australia's populous cities are examined against historical air quality data and blood lead levels.

Is it merely a myth that alcoholic beverages such as red wine can be cardioprotective?

PubMed

Stockley, Creina S

2012-07-01

It has been suggested that although the negative impact of alcohol consumption varies from person to person, on a global level the adverse effect of alcohol on cardiovascular disease outweighs any protective effect by between two- and three-fold. This is inaccurate. There is a proven positive relationship between alcohol consumption and cardiovascular disease that is acknowledged by the World Health Organization. For example, moderate alcohol consumption reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease by approximately 25%, such that alcohol consumption per se accounts for -4.7% of the total cardiovascular disease burden in Australia. Correspondingly, cardiovascular disease accounted for 34% of the total number of deaths in Australia in 2008, and 18% of the overall burden of disease in Australia in 2003, with coronary heart disease and stroke contributing over 80% of this burden. Australia is not substantially different from other developed countries having similar demographics to, and the same leading causes of burden as, other high-income developed countries. This article examines the suggestions and evidence surrounding the relationship between light-to-moderate alcohol consumption and benefits to human health. Copyright © 2012 Society of Chemical Industry.

Assessment of arsenic in Australian grown and imported rice varieties on sale in Australia and potential links with irrigation practises and soil geochemistry.

PubMed

Fransisca, Yunnita; Small, Darryl M; Morrison, Paul D; Spencer, Michelle J S; Ball, Andrew S; Jones, Oliver A H

2015-11-01

Chronic dietary exposure to arsenic, particularly the inorganic forms (defined as elemental arsenic, predominantly As(3+) and As(5+), and all its inorganic compounds except arsine), is a matter of concern for human health. Ingestion of arsenic usually occurs via contaminated water but recent studies show there is also a risk of exposure from food, particularly Asian rice (Oryza sativa). Australia is a rice growing country, contributing around 2% of the world rice trade, and a large proportion of the population consumes rice regularly. In the present study we investigated concentrations of arsenic in both Australian grown and imported rice on sale in Australia and examined the potential links with irrigation practises and soil geochemistry. The results indicated a wide spread of arsenic levels of 0.09-0.33 mg kg(-1), with Australian grown Arborio and sushi varieties of O. sativa containing the highest mean value of ∼0.22 mg kg(-1). Arsenic levels in all samples were below the 1 mg kg(-1) limit set by Food Standards Australia New Zealand. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Tropical Indian Ocean Variability Driving Southeast Australian Droughts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ummenhofer, C. C.; England, M. H.; McIntosh, P. C.; Meyers, G. A.; Pook, M. J.; Risbey, J. S.; Sen Gupta, A.; Taschetto, A. S.

2009-04-01

Variability in the tropical Indian Ocean has widespread effects on rainfall in surrounding countries, including East Africa, India and Indonesia. The leading mode of tropical Indian Ocean variability, the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD), is a coupled ocean-atmosphere mode characterized by sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies of opposite sign in the east and west of the basin with an associated large-scale atmospheric re-organisation. Earlier work has often focused on the positive phase of the IOD. However, we show here that the negative IOD phase is an important driver of regional rainfall variability and multi-year droughts. For southeastern Australia, we show that it is actually a lack of the negative IOD phase, rather than the positive IOD phase or Pacific variability, that provides the most robust explanation for recent drought conditions. Since 1995, a large region of Australia has been gripped by the most severe drought in living memory, the so-called "Big Dry". The ramifications for affected regions are dire, with acute water shortages for rural and metropolitan areas, record agricultural losses, the drying-out of two of Australia's major river systems and far-reaching ecosystem damage. Yet the drought's origins have remained elusive. For Southeast Australia, we show that the "Big Dry" and other iconic 20th Century droughts, including the Federation Drought (1895-1902) and World War II drought (1937-1945), are driven by tropical Indian Ocean variability, not Pacific Ocean conditions as traditionally assumed. Specifically, a conspicuous absence of characteristic Indian Ocean temperature conditions that are conducive to enhanced tropical moisture transport has deprived southeastern Australia of its normal rainfall quota. In the case of the "Big Dry", its unprecedented intensity is also related to recent above-average temperatures. Implications of recent non-uniform warming trends in the Indian Ocean and how that might affect ocean characteristics and climate in Indian Ocean rim countries are also discussed.

Reasons and remedies for under-representation of women in medical leadership roles: a qualitative study from Australia.

PubMed

Bismark, Marie; Morris, Jennifer; Thomas, Laura; Loh, Erwin; Phelps, Grant; Dickinson, Helen

2015-11-16

To elicit medical leaders' views on reasons and remedies for the under-representation of women in medical leadership roles. Qualitative study using semistructured interviews with medical practitioners who work in medical leadership roles. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and transcripts were analysed using thematic analysis. Public hospitals, private healthcare providers, professional colleges and associations and government organisations in Australia. 30 medical practitioners who hold formal medical leadership roles. Despite dramatic increases in the entry of women into medicine in Australia, there remains a gross under-representation of women in formal, high-level medical leadership positions. The male-dominated nature of medical leadership in Australia was widely recognised by interviewees. A small number of interviewees viewed gender disparities in leadership roles as a 'natural' result of women's childrearing responsibilities. However, most interviewees believed that preventable gender-related barriers were impeding women's ability to achieve and thrive in medical leadership roles. Interviewees identified a range of potential barriers across three broad domains-perceptions of capability, capacity and credibility. As a counter to these, interviewees pointed to a range of benefits of women adopting these roles, and proposed a range of interventions that would support more women entering formal medical leadership roles. While women make up more than half of medical graduates in Australia today, significant barriers restrict their entry into formal medical leadership roles. These constraints have internalised, interpersonal and structural elements that can be addressed through a range of strategies for advancing the role of women in medical leadership. These findings have implications for individual medical practitioners and health services, as well as professional colleges and associations. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/

Discovery of a novel iflavirus sequence in the eastern paralysis tick Ixodes holocyclus.

PubMed

O'Brien, Caitlin A; Hall-Mendelin, Sonja; Hobson-Peters, Jody; Deliyannis, Georgia; Allen, Andy; Lew-Tabor, Ala; Rodriguez-Valle, Manuel; Barker, Dayana; Barker, Stephen C; Hall, Roy A

2018-05-11

Ixodes holocyclus, the eastern paralysis tick, is a significant parasite in Australia in terms of animal and human health. However, very little is known about its virome. In this study, next-generation sequencing of I. holocyclus salivary glands yielded a full-length genome sequence which phylogenetically groups with viruses classified in the Iflaviridae family and shares 45% amino acid similarity with its closest relative Bole hyalomma asiaticum virus 1. The sequence of this virus, provisionally named Ixodes holocyclus iflavirus (IhIV) has been identified in tick populations from northern New South Wales and Queensland, Australia and represents the first virus sequence reported from I. holocyclus.

Towards Ratification of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities--And Why It Matters for Education of People with Disability in Australia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Innes, Graeme

2007-01-01

In this article, the author gives an overview of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is an international human rights convention that sets out the fundamental human rights of people with disabilities. The Convention sets out general and specific obligations for…

Human migration is important in the international spread of exotic Salmonella serovars in animal and human populations.

PubMed

Iveson, J B; Bradshaw, S D; How, R A; Smith, D W

2014-11-01

The exposure of indigenous humans and native fauna in Australia and the Wallacea zoogeographical region of Indonesia to exotic Salmonella serovars commenced during the colonial period and has accelerated with urbanization and international travel. In this study, the distribution and prevalence of exotic Salmonella serovars are mapped to assess the extent to which introduced infections are invading native wildlife in areas of high natural biodiversity under threat from expanding human activity. The major exotic Salmonella serovars, Bovismorbificans, Derby, Javiana, Newport, Panama, Saintpaul and Typhimurium, isolated from wildlife on populated coastal islands in southern temperate areas of Western Australia, were mostly absent from reptiles and native mammals in less populated tropical areas of the state. They were also not recorded on the uninhabited Mitchell Plateau or islands of the Bonaparte Archipelago, adjacent to south-eastern Indonesia. Exotic serovars were, however, isolated in wildlife on 14/17 islands sampled in the Wallacea region of Indonesia and several islands off the west coast of Perth. Increases in international tourism, involving islands such as Bali, have resulted in the isolation of a high proportion of exotic serovar infections suggesting that densely populated island resorts in the Asian region are acting as staging posts for the interchange of Salmonella infections between tropical and temperate regions.

The ecology and epidemiology of Ross River and Murray Valley encephalitis viruses in Western Australia: examples of One Health in Action

PubMed Central

Mackenzie, John S; Lindsay, Michael D A; Smith, David W; Imrie, Allison

2017-01-01

Abstract Arboviruses are maintained and transmitted through an alternating biological cycle in arthropods and vertebrates, with largely incidental disease in humans and animals. As such, they provide excellent examples of One Health, as their health impact is inextricably linked to their vertebrate hosts, their arthropod vectors and the environment. Prevention and control requires a comprehensive understanding of these interactions, and how they may be effectively and safely modified. This review concentrates on human disease due to Ross River and Murray Valley encephalitis viruses, the two major arboviral pathogens in Australia. It describes how their pattern of infection and disease is influenced by natural climatic and weather patterns, and by anthropogenic activities. The latter includes human-mediated environmental manipulations, such as water impoundment infrastructures, human movements and migration, and community and social changes, such as urban spread into mosquito larval habitats. Effective interventions need to be directed at the environmental precursors of risk. This can best be achieved using One Health approaches to improve collaboration and coordination between different disciplines and cross-sectoral jurisdictions in order to develop more holistic mitigation and control procedures, and to address poorly understood ecological issues through multidisciplinary research. PMID:29044370

China Naval Modernization: Implications for U.S. Navy Capabilities - Background and Issues for Congress

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-07-20

coordinate all these forces in two major simultaneous operations: (1) to bring Taiwan to its knees and (2) cause the U.S. to be tardy , indecisive, or...years), the Philippines (where the U.S. Navy ships used as a major repair port until the early 1990s), and Australia. On-Station and Early-Arriving...affect the mainland, Japan, the Philippines , and commercial shipping and air routes in the region.236 Whether China would agree with the above view that

China Naval Modernization: Implications for U.S. Navy Capabilities - Background and Issues for Congress

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-02-07

United States, such as Taiwan, Russia, Japan, South Korea, the Philippines , the countries of Southeast Asia, Australia, India, and (through issues such as...two major simultaneous operations: (1) to bring Taiwan to its knees and (2) cause the U.S. to be tardy , indecisive, or ineffective in responding.75 CRS...Pacific locations, at least in theory, include South Korea (where other U.S. forces have been based for years), the Philippines (where the U.S. Navy