Prediction of blast-induced ground vibration at a limestone quarry : an artificial intelligence approach
- Arthur, Clement, Bhatawdekar, Ramesh, Mohamad, Edy, Sabri, Mohanad, Bohra, Manish, Khandelwal, Manoj, Kwon, Sangki
- Authors: Arthur, Clement , Bhatawdekar, Ramesh , Mohamad, Edy , Sabri, Mohanad , Bohra, Manish , Khandelwal, Manoj , Kwon, Sangki
- Date: 2022
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Applied Sciences (Switzerland) Vol. 12, no. 18 (2022), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Ground vibration is one of the most unfavourable environmental effects of blasting activities, which can cause serious damage to neighboring homes and structures. As a result, effective forecasting of their severity is critical to controlling and reducing their recurrence. There are several conventional vibration predictor equations available proposed by different researchers but most of them are based on only two parameters, i.e., explosive charge used per delay and distance between blast face to the monitoring point. It is a well-known fact that blasting results are influenced by a number of blast design parameters, such as burden, spacing, powder factor, etc. but these are not being considered in any of the available conventional predictors and due to that they show a high error in predicting blast vibrations. Nowadays, artificial intelligence has been widely used in blast engineering. Thus, three artificial intelligence approaches, namely Gaussian process regression (GPR), extreme learning machine (ELM) and backpropagation neural network (BPNN) were used in this study to estimate ground vibration caused by blasting in Shree Cement Ras Limestone Mine in India. To achieve that aim, 101 blasting datasets with powder factor, average depth, distance, spacing, burden, charge weight, and stemming length as input parameters were collected from the mine site. For comparison purposes, a simple multivariate regression analysis (MVRA) model as well as, a nonparametric regression-based technique known as multivariate adaptive regression splines (MARS) was also constructed using the same datasets. This study serves as a foundational study for the comparison of GPR, BPNN, ELM, MARS and MVRA to ascertain their respective predictive performances. Eighty-one (81) datasets representing 80% of the total blasting datasets were used to construct and train the various predictive models while 20 data samples (20%) were utilized for evaluating the predictive capabilities of the developed predictive models. Using the testing datasets, major indicators of performance, namely mean squared error (MSE), variance accounted for (VAF), correlation coefficient (R) and coefficient of determination (R2) were compared as statistical evaluators of model performance. This study revealed that the GPR model exhibited superior predictive capability in comparison to the MARS, BPNN, ELM and MVRA. The GPR model showed the highest VAF, R and R2 values of 99.1728%, 0.9985 and 0.9971 respectively and the lowest MSE of 0.0903. As a result, the blast engineer can employ GPR as an effective and appropriate method for forecasting blast-induced ground vibration. © 2022 by the authors.
- Authors: Arthur, Clement , Bhatawdekar, Ramesh , Mohamad, Edy , Sabri, Mohanad , Bohra, Manish , Khandelwal, Manoj , Kwon, Sangki
- Date: 2022
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Applied Sciences (Switzerland) Vol. 12, no. 18 (2022), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Ground vibration is one of the most unfavourable environmental effects of blasting activities, which can cause serious damage to neighboring homes and structures. As a result, effective forecasting of their severity is critical to controlling and reducing their recurrence. There are several conventional vibration predictor equations available proposed by different researchers but most of them are based on only two parameters, i.e., explosive charge used per delay and distance between blast face to the monitoring point. It is a well-known fact that blasting results are influenced by a number of blast design parameters, such as burden, spacing, powder factor, etc. but these are not being considered in any of the available conventional predictors and due to that they show a high error in predicting blast vibrations. Nowadays, artificial intelligence has been widely used in blast engineering. Thus, three artificial intelligence approaches, namely Gaussian process regression (GPR), extreme learning machine (ELM) and backpropagation neural network (BPNN) were used in this study to estimate ground vibration caused by blasting in Shree Cement Ras Limestone Mine in India. To achieve that aim, 101 blasting datasets with powder factor, average depth, distance, spacing, burden, charge weight, and stemming length as input parameters were collected from the mine site. For comparison purposes, a simple multivariate regression analysis (MVRA) model as well as, a nonparametric regression-based technique known as multivariate adaptive regression splines (MARS) was also constructed using the same datasets. This study serves as a foundational study for the comparison of GPR, BPNN, ELM, MARS and MVRA to ascertain their respective predictive performances. Eighty-one (81) datasets representing 80% of the total blasting datasets were used to construct and train the various predictive models while 20 data samples (20%) were utilized for evaluating the predictive capabilities of the developed predictive models. Using the testing datasets, major indicators of performance, namely mean squared error (MSE), variance accounted for (VAF), correlation coefficient (R) and coefficient of determination (R2) were compared as statistical evaluators of model performance. This study revealed that the GPR model exhibited superior predictive capability in comparison to the MARS, BPNN, ELM and MVRA. The GPR model showed the highest VAF, R and R2 values of 99.1728%, 0.9985 and 0.9971 respectively and the lowest MSE of 0.0903. As a result, the blast engineer can employ GPR as an effective and appropriate method for forecasting blast-induced ground vibration. © 2022 by the authors.
Psychological distress among bangladeshi dental students during the covid-19 pandemic
- Sabrina, Farah, Chowdhury, Mohammad, Nath, Sujan, Imon, Ashik, Abdul Quader, S., Jahan, Md Shahed, Noor, Ashek, Podder, Clopa, Gainju, Unisha, Niroula, Rina, Rahman, Muhammad
- Authors: Sabrina, Farah , Chowdhury, Mohammad , Nath, Sujan , Imon, Ashik , Abdul Quader, S. , Jahan, Md Shahed , Noor, Ashek , Podder, Clopa , Gainju, Unisha , Niroula, Rina , Rahman, Muhammad
- Date: 2022
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health Vol. 19, no. 1 (2022), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Background: Psychological sufferings are observed among dental students during their academic years, which had been intensified during the COVID-19 pandemic. Objectives: This study assessed the levels and identified factors associated with psychological distress, fear and coping experienced by dental undergraduate students in Bangladesh. Methods: A cross sectional online survey was conducted during October-November, 2021. The Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K-10), Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S) and Brief Resilient Coping Scale (BRCS) were used in order to assess psychological distress, fear and coping strategies, respectively. Results: A total of 327 students participated; the majority (72%) were 19–23 years old and females (75%). One in five participants were infected with COVID-19 and 15% reported contact with COVID-19 cases. Negative financial impact (AOR 3.72, 95% CIs 1.28–10.8), recent or past COVID-19 infection, and contact with COVID-19 cases were associated with higher levels of psychological distress; but being a third year student (0.14, 0.04–0.55) and being satisfied about current social life (0.11, 0.03–0.33) were associated with lower levels of psychological distress. Being a third year (0.17, 0.08–0.39) and a fourth year student (0.29, 0.12–0.71) were associated with lower levels of fear. Health care service use and feeling positive about life were associated with medium to high resilience coping. Conclusions: This study identified dental students in Bangladesh who were at higher risk of psychological distress, fear and coping during the ongoing pandemic. Development of a mental health support system within dental institutions should be considered in addition to the academic and clinical teaching. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
- Authors: Sabrina, Farah , Chowdhury, Mohammad , Nath, Sujan , Imon, Ashik , Abdul Quader, S. , Jahan, Md Shahed , Noor, Ashek , Podder, Clopa , Gainju, Unisha , Niroula, Rina , Rahman, Muhammad
- Date: 2022
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health Vol. 19, no. 1 (2022), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Background: Psychological sufferings are observed among dental students during their academic years, which had been intensified during the COVID-19 pandemic. Objectives: This study assessed the levels and identified factors associated with psychological distress, fear and coping experienced by dental undergraduate students in Bangladesh. Methods: A cross sectional online survey was conducted during October-November, 2021. The Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K-10), Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S) and Brief Resilient Coping Scale (BRCS) were used in order to assess psychological distress, fear and coping strategies, respectively. Results: A total of 327 students participated; the majority (72%) were 19–23 years old and females (75%). One in five participants were infected with COVID-19 and 15% reported contact with COVID-19 cases. Negative financial impact (AOR 3.72, 95% CIs 1.28–10.8), recent or past COVID-19 infection, and contact with COVID-19 cases were associated with higher levels of psychological distress; but being a third year student (0.14, 0.04–0.55) and being satisfied about current social life (0.11, 0.03–0.33) were associated with lower levels of psychological distress. Being a third year (0.17, 0.08–0.39) and a fourth year student (0.29, 0.12–0.71) were associated with lower levels of fear. Health care service use and feeling positive about life were associated with medium to high resilience coping. Conclusions: This study identified dental students in Bangladesh who were at higher risk of psychological distress, fear and coping during the ongoing pandemic. Development of a mental health support system within dental institutions should be considered in addition to the academic and clinical teaching. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
Roles of selective agriculture practices in sustainable agricultural performance : a systematic review
- Ali, Basharat, Dahlhaus, Peter
- Authors: Ali, Basharat , Dahlhaus, Peter
- Date: 2022
- Type: Text , Journal article , Review
- Relation: Sustainability (Switzerland) Vol. 14, no. 6 (2022), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Feeding the growing global population while improving the Earth’s economic, environmental, and social values is a challenge recognised in both the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Sustaining global agricultural performance requires regular revision of current farming models, attitudes, and practices. In systematically reviewing the international literature through the lens of the sustainability framework, this paper specifically identifies precision conservation agriculture (PCA), digital agriculture (DA), and resilient agriculture (RA) practices as being of value in meeting future challenges. Each of these adaptations carries significantly positive relationships with sustaining agricultural performance, as well as positively mediating and/or moderating each other. While it is clear from the literature that adopting PCA, DA, and RA would substantially improve the sustainability of agricultural performance, the uptake of these adaptations generally lags. More in-depth social science research is required to understand the value propositions that would encourage uptake of these adaptations and the barriers that prevent them. Recommendations are made to explore the specific knowledge gap that needs to be understood to motivate agriculture practitioners to adopt these changes in practice. © 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
- Authors: Ali, Basharat , Dahlhaus, Peter
- Date: 2022
- Type: Text , Journal article , Review
- Relation: Sustainability (Switzerland) Vol. 14, no. 6 (2022), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Feeding the growing global population while improving the Earth’s economic, environmental, and social values is a challenge recognised in both the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Sustaining global agricultural performance requires regular revision of current farming models, attitudes, and practices. In systematically reviewing the international literature through the lens of the sustainability framework, this paper specifically identifies precision conservation agriculture (PCA), digital agriculture (DA), and resilient agriculture (RA) practices as being of value in meeting future challenges. Each of these adaptations carries significantly positive relationships with sustaining agricultural performance, as well as positively mediating and/or moderating each other. While it is clear from the literature that adopting PCA, DA, and RA would substantially improve the sustainability of agricultural performance, the uptake of these adaptations generally lags. More in-depth social science research is required to understand the value propositions that would encourage uptake of these adaptations and the barriers that prevent them. Recommendations are made to explore the specific knowledge gap that needs to be understood to motivate agriculture practitioners to adopt these changes in practice. © 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
Severe tropical cyclones over southwest Pacific Islands : economic impacts and implications for disaster risk management
- Deo, Anil, Chand, Savin, McIntosh, R. Duncan, Prakash, Bipen, Holbrook, Neil, Magee, Andrew, Haruhiru, Alick, Malsale, Philip
- Authors: Deo, Anil , Chand, Savin , McIntosh, R. Duncan , Prakash, Bipen , Holbrook, Neil , Magee, Andrew , Haruhiru, Alick , Malsale, Philip
- Date: 2022
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Climatic Change Vol. 172, no. 3-4 (2022), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Tropical cyclones (TCs) are amongst the costliest natural hazards for southwest Pacific (SWP) Island nations. Extreme winds coupled with heavy rainfall and related coastal hazards, such as large waves and high seas, can have devastating consequences for life and property. Effects of anthropogenic climate change are likely to make TCs even more destructive in the SWP (as that observed particularly over Fiji) and elsewhere around the globe, yet TCs may occur less often. However, the underpinning science of quantifying future TC projections amid multiple uncertainties can be complex. The challenge for scientists is how to turn such technical knowledge framed around uncertainties into tangible products to inform decision-making in the disaster risk management (DRM) and disaster risk reduction (DRR) sector. Drawing on experiences from past TC events as analogies to what may happen in a warming climate can be useful. The role of science-based climate services tailored to the needs of the DRM and DRR sector is critical in this context. In the first part of this paper, we examine cases of historically severe TCs in the SWP and quantify their socio-economic impacts. The second part of this paper discusses a decision-support framework developed in collaboration with a number of agencies in the SWP, featuring science-based climate services that inform different stages of planning in national-level risk management strategies. © 2022, The Author(s).
- Authors: Deo, Anil , Chand, Savin , McIntosh, R. Duncan , Prakash, Bipen , Holbrook, Neil , Magee, Andrew , Haruhiru, Alick , Malsale, Philip
- Date: 2022
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Climatic Change Vol. 172, no. 3-4 (2022), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Tropical cyclones (TCs) are amongst the costliest natural hazards for southwest Pacific (SWP) Island nations. Extreme winds coupled with heavy rainfall and related coastal hazards, such as large waves and high seas, can have devastating consequences for life and property. Effects of anthropogenic climate change are likely to make TCs even more destructive in the SWP (as that observed particularly over Fiji) and elsewhere around the globe, yet TCs may occur less often. However, the underpinning science of quantifying future TC projections amid multiple uncertainties can be complex. The challenge for scientists is how to turn such technical knowledge framed around uncertainties into tangible products to inform decision-making in the disaster risk management (DRM) and disaster risk reduction (DRR) sector. Drawing on experiences from past TC events as analogies to what may happen in a warming climate can be useful. The role of science-based climate services tailored to the needs of the DRM and DRR sector is critical in this context. In the first part of this paper, we examine cases of historically severe TCs in the SWP and quantify their socio-economic impacts. The second part of this paper discusses a decision-support framework developed in collaboration with a number of agencies in the SWP, featuring science-based climate services that inform different stages of planning in national-level risk management strategies. © 2022, The Author(s).
Something went missing : cessation of traditional owner land management and rapid mammalian population collapses in the semi-arid region of the murray‒darling basin, southeastern Australia
- Mansergh, Ian, Cheal, David, Burch, John, Allen, Harry
- Authors: Mansergh, Ian , Cheal, David , Burch, John , Allen, Harry
- Date: 2022
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria Vol. 134, no. 1 (2022), p. 45-84
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: The nineteenth century mass mammal extinctions in the semi-arid zone of the Murray‒Darling basin, southeastern Australia, are examined in the context of prior traditional land management. A model of grassland dynamics reveals a multi-trophic level productive pulse one to five years post-fire, followed by senescence and increasing flammability. Traditional Owner patch burning of grassland optimized human and mammalian food (including tubers, seeds and fungi) and decreased fire risk. Over at least 40 000 years, the persistence and abundance of fauna responded to this energetically closed self-reinforcing management. In 1830, depopulation (disease, massacres and displacement) effectively ended traditional management, an ecologically traumatic event that extinguished these productivity pulses. Associated mammal populations of c. 20 species collapsed, and all eco-engineering and mycophagous species, such as bilbies, bettongs and bandicoots, rapidly disappeared. Traditional land management increased productivity, habitat heterogeneity and reduced wildfire risk, underpinning mammal abundance. This has remained unrecognized by most mammalogists and land managers. Blaming extinctions predominantly on the additions by Europeans (introduction of ungulates, feral grazers and predators etc.), disastrous as they were, fails to acknowledge the initial cause of rarity, i.e. loss of productivity, habitat and niches when traditional management was subtracted from country. As ecosystems continue to degrade, understanding the primary cause is fundamental to improved management. Although too late for extinct species, respect for, and inclusion of, traditional land management knowledge provides a direction for future land management. © 2022 Royal Society of Victoria. All rights reserved.
- Authors: Mansergh, Ian , Cheal, David , Burch, John , Allen, Harry
- Date: 2022
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria Vol. 134, no. 1 (2022), p. 45-84
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: The nineteenth century mass mammal extinctions in the semi-arid zone of the Murray‒Darling basin, southeastern Australia, are examined in the context of prior traditional land management. A model of grassland dynamics reveals a multi-trophic level productive pulse one to five years post-fire, followed by senescence and increasing flammability. Traditional Owner patch burning of grassland optimized human and mammalian food (including tubers, seeds and fungi) and decreased fire risk. Over at least 40 000 years, the persistence and abundance of fauna responded to this energetically closed self-reinforcing management. In 1830, depopulation (disease, massacres and displacement) effectively ended traditional management, an ecologically traumatic event that extinguished these productivity pulses. Associated mammal populations of c. 20 species collapsed, and all eco-engineering and mycophagous species, such as bilbies, bettongs and bandicoots, rapidly disappeared. Traditional land management increased productivity, habitat heterogeneity and reduced wildfire risk, underpinning mammal abundance. This has remained unrecognized by most mammalogists and land managers. Blaming extinctions predominantly on the additions by Europeans (introduction of ungulates, feral grazers and predators etc.), disastrous as they were, fails to acknowledge the initial cause of rarity, i.e. loss of productivity, habitat and niches when traditional management was subtracted from country. As ecosystems continue to degrade, understanding the primary cause is fundamental to improved management. Although too late for extinct species, respect for, and inclusion of, traditional land management knowledge provides a direction for future land management. © 2022 Royal Society of Victoria. All rights reserved.
Source text pre-editing versus target text post-editing in using Google Translate to provide health services to culturally and linguistically diverse clients
- Liang, Yingping, Han, Weifeng
- Authors: Liang, Yingping , Han, Weifeng
- Date: 2022
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Science, Engineering and Health Studies Vol. 16, no. (2022), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: The study reports early-stage research on the efficacy of using the source text pre-editing (STPE) method to improve translation accuracy and cost-efficiency in conjunction with Google Translate as compared to the traditional target text post-editing (TTPE) method. Based on fluency, accuracy, cultural appropriateness and error severity, preliminary results show that STPE significantly increased the meaning adequacy and accuracy in translation as compared to TTPE. STPE also saved significant time, and, therefore, was more cost-efficient, as compared to TTPE. The results suggested a fundamentally new and more efficient method to the better employment of machine translation that differed from existing approaches. Governments and health providers may use the STPE plus Google Translate method more widely to reduce translation inaccuracy as well as to increase cost-efficiency, and provide more accessible information to culturally and linguistically diverse clients. © 2022 Silpakorn University. All Rights Reserved.
- Authors: Liang, Yingping , Han, Weifeng
- Date: 2022
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Science, Engineering and Health Studies Vol. 16, no. (2022), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: The study reports early-stage research on the efficacy of using the source text pre-editing (STPE) method to improve translation accuracy and cost-efficiency in conjunction with Google Translate as compared to the traditional target text post-editing (TTPE) method. Based on fluency, accuracy, cultural appropriateness and error severity, preliminary results show that STPE significantly increased the meaning adequacy and accuracy in translation as compared to TTPE. STPE also saved significant time, and, therefore, was more cost-efficient, as compared to TTPE. The results suggested a fundamentally new and more efficient method to the better employment of machine translation that differed from existing approaches. Governments and health providers may use the STPE plus Google Translate method more widely to reduce translation inaccuracy as well as to increase cost-efficiency, and provide more accessible information to culturally and linguistically diverse clients. © 2022 Silpakorn University. All Rights Reserved.
The effect of the petrography, mineralogy, and physical properties of limestone on Mode I fracture toughness under dry and saturated conditions
- Safari Farrokhad, Sajad, Lashkaripour, Gholam, Hafezi Moghaddas, Nasser, Aligholi, Saeed, Sabri, Mohanad
- Authors: Safari Farrokhad, Sajad , Lashkaripour, Gholam , Hafezi Moghaddas, Nasser , Aligholi, Saeed , Sabri, Mohanad
- Date: 2022
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Applied Sciences (Switzerland) Vol. 12, no. 18 (2022), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Determining the fracture toughness of rock materials is a challenging, costly, and time-consuming task, as fabricating a sharp crack in rock specimens will lead to failure of the specimen, and preparing specimens for determining the rock fracture toughness requires special equipment. In this paper, the relationship between mode I fracture toughness (KIC) with the rock index properties, mineralogy, and petrography of limestone is investigated using simple nonlinear and simple/multiple linear regression analyses to provide alternative methods for estimating the fracture toughness of limestones. The cracked chevron notched Brazilian disk (CCNBD) method was applied to 30 limestones with different petrographic and mineralogical characteristics under both dry and saturated conditions. Moreover, the index properties of the same rocks, including the density, porosity, electrical resistivity, P and S wave velocities, Schmidt rebound hardness, and point load index, were determined. According to the statistical analyses, a classification based on the petrography of the studied rocks was required for predicting the fracture toughness from index properties. By classifying the limestones based on petrography, reliable relationships with high correlations can be introduced for estimating the fracture toughness of different limestones using simple tests. © 2022 by the authors.
- Authors: Safari Farrokhad, Sajad , Lashkaripour, Gholam , Hafezi Moghaddas, Nasser , Aligholi, Saeed , Sabri, Mohanad
- Date: 2022
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Applied Sciences (Switzerland) Vol. 12, no. 18 (2022), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Determining the fracture toughness of rock materials is a challenging, costly, and time-consuming task, as fabricating a sharp crack in rock specimens will lead to failure of the specimen, and preparing specimens for determining the rock fracture toughness requires special equipment. In this paper, the relationship between mode I fracture toughness (KIC) with the rock index properties, mineralogy, and petrography of limestone is investigated using simple nonlinear and simple/multiple linear regression analyses to provide alternative methods for estimating the fracture toughness of limestones. The cracked chevron notched Brazilian disk (CCNBD) method was applied to 30 limestones with different petrographic and mineralogical characteristics under both dry and saturated conditions. Moreover, the index properties of the same rocks, including the density, porosity, electrical resistivity, P and S wave velocities, Schmidt rebound hardness, and point load index, were determined. According to the statistical analyses, a classification based on the petrography of the studied rocks was required for predicting the fracture toughness from index properties. By classifying the limestones based on petrography, reliable relationships with high correlations can be introduced for estimating the fracture toughness of different limestones using simple tests. © 2022 by the authors.
The experiences of people with diabetes during covid-19 pandemic lockdown
- Al-Moteri, Modi, Plummer, Virginia, Youssef, Hanan, Yaseen, Ruba, Al Malki, Mohammed, Elryah, Ahmed, Al Karani, Ahmed
- Authors: Al-Moteri, Modi , Plummer, Virginia , Youssef, Hanan , Yaseen, Ruba , Al Malki, Mohammed , Elryah, Ahmed , Al Karani, Ahmed
- Date: 2022
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health Vol. 19, no. 1 (2022), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Little is known about the theoretical foundation underling the response of people with diabetes managing their everyday routines during COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. Aim: To explore the experience of people with diabetes during COVID-19 pandemic lockdown in light of the risk perception, response and behavioral change theories. Method: A qualitative descriptive design was employed, and Braun and Clark’s six step analysis were used for thematic analysis. Semi-structured interviews were conducted online using Zoom Videos Communication. Result: Five themes were defined as follows: (1) perceived the threat and faced their fears, (2) appraised the damage, (3) identified the challenges, (4) modified their routine, and (5) identified the strengths that facilitate the efficacy of their response. There were eight sub-themes within the themes. Conclusion: The results of this study may provide an opportunity for nurses to reflect on issues highlighted by the patients regarding more effective communication, knowledge and skill development for people to support self-care during national emergencies. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
- Authors: Al-Moteri, Modi , Plummer, Virginia , Youssef, Hanan , Yaseen, Ruba , Al Malki, Mohammed , Elryah, Ahmed , Al Karani, Ahmed
- Date: 2022
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health Vol. 19, no. 1 (2022), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Little is known about the theoretical foundation underling the response of people with diabetes managing their everyday routines during COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. Aim: To explore the experience of people with diabetes during COVID-19 pandemic lockdown in light of the risk perception, response and behavioral change theories. Method: A qualitative descriptive design was employed, and Braun and Clark’s six step analysis were used for thematic analysis. Semi-structured interviews were conducted online using Zoom Videos Communication. Result: Five themes were defined as follows: (1) perceived the threat and faced their fears, (2) appraised the damage, (3) identified the challenges, (4) modified their routine, and (5) identified the strengths that facilitate the efficacy of their response. There were eight sub-themes within the themes. Conclusion: The results of this study may provide an opportunity for nurses to reflect on issues highlighted by the patients regarding more effective communication, knowledge and skill development for people to support self-care during national emergencies. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
- Cahir, David (Fred), Schlagloth, Rolf, Clark, Ian
- Authors: Cahir, David (Fred) , Schlagloth, Rolf , Clark, Ian
- Date: 2022
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Anthrozoos Vol. 35, no. 1 (2022), p. 75-89
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: The principal purpose of this study was to gain a greater understanding of the utilitarian and symbolic significance of koalas for Aboriginal communities in Queensland, Australia as recorded by colonists during the early period of colonization and the early twentieth century. It does this primarily through a close examination of the nineteenth-century and early twentieth-century archival records and contemporary publications that relate to Queensland Aboriginal peoples’ associations with koalas. This paper is the third in a series investigating the historic and cultural importance of the koala according to the location in Australia. It likewise employs the historical method approach, which relies on identifying historical sources, evaluating their relative authority, and combining their testimony appropriately in order to construct an accurate and reliable picture of past events and environments. Through a critique of the published historical sources, the distribution of and the etymology of “koala” are briefly discussed before an examination is made of the animal’s spiritual importance, associated cultural traditions, and simultaneous utilitarian role. Mirroring previous studies published by the authors on Victoria and New South Wales, we confirm that the predominately non-Aboriginal historical records reveal that koalas were hunted for food and their skin in some Queensland regions. It shall be seen that the ethno-historical records are inconclusive about the koala’s distribution in Queensland, whether they were hunted across all of the state at the point of colonization and whether they were considered an integral food source in some regions. Furthermore, this study demonstrates that the extent to which they were used varied across regions and between language groups and was subject to certain rules, and that their spiritual significance can be traced directly to epic creation stories. The implications of this paper are consistent with the earlier New South Wales and Victorian studies: regional variations exist in Queensland in relation to the (pre-colonial, colonial and post-colonial) historic relationship between Aboriginal communities and koalas and that close consultation with Aboriginal communities needs to be taken into consideration when planning conservation measures relating to koalas. © 2021 International Society for Anthrozoology (ISAZ).
The role of late-night infotainment comedy in communicating climate change consensus
- Clarke, Edward, Klas, Anna, Stevenson, Joshua, Kothe, E
- Authors: Clarke, Edward , Klas, Anna , Stevenson, Joshua , Kothe, E
- Date: 2022
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Environmental Communication Vol. 16, no. 3 (2022), p. 289-295
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Climate change is a politically-polarized issue, with conservatives less likely than liberals to support mitigation and adaptation policies needed to reduce its impacts. This study aimed to examine whether John Oliver’s “A Mathematically Representative Climate Change Debate” clip on his program Last Week Tonight polarized or depolarized a politically-diverse audience on climate policy support and behavioral intentions. One hundred and fifty-nine participants, recruited via Amazon MTurk (94 female, 64 male, one not stated, Mage = 51.07, SDage = 16.35), were presented with either John Oliver’s climate change consensus clip, or a humorous video unrelated to climate change. Although the climate change consensus clip did not reduce polarization on mitigation policy support (or increase it), relative to a control, it resulted in larger polarization on support for adaptation policies, and higher climate action intentions among liberals but not conservatives. © 2022 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
- Authors: Clarke, Edward , Klas, Anna , Stevenson, Joshua , Kothe, E
- Date: 2022
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Environmental Communication Vol. 16, no. 3 (2022), p. 289-295
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Climate change is a politically-polarized issue, with conservatives less likely than liberals to support mitigation and adaptation policies needed to reduce its impacts. This study aimed to examine whether John Oliver’s “A Mathematically Representative Climate Change Debate” clip on his program Last Week Tonight polarized or depolarized a politically-diverse audience on climate policy support and behavioral intentions. One hundred and fifty-nine participants, recruited via Amazon MTurk (94 female, 64 male, one not stated, Mage = 51.07, SDage = 16.35), were presented with either John Oliver’s climate change consensus clip, or a humorous video unrelated to climate change. Although the climate change consensus clip did not reduce polarization on mitigation policy support (or increase it), relative to a control, it resulted in larger polarization on support for adaptation policies, and higher climate action intentions among liberals but not conservatives. © 2022 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
The triple blow effect : retailing in an era of disasters and pandemics—the case of Christchurch, New Zealand
- Dyason, David, Fieger, Peter, Prayag, Girish, Hall, C.
- Authors: Dyason, David , Fieger, Peter , Prayag, Girish , Hall, C.
- Date: 2022
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Sustainability (Switzerland) Vol. 14, no. 3 (2022), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: In the last two decades, the retail sector has experienced unprecedented upheaval, having severe implications for economic development and sustenance of traditional inner-city retail dis-tricts. In the city of Christchurch, New Zealand, this effect has been exacerbated by a series of earthquakes in 2010/2011 which destroyed much of the traditional retail precinct of the city. After exten-sive rebuild activity of the city’s infrastructure, the momentum of retailers returning to the inner city was initially sluggish but eventually gathered speed supported by increased international vis-itation. In early 2020, the return to retail normality came to an abrupt halt after the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic. This study uses spending and transaction data to analyze the compounding impact of the earthquake’s aftermath, shift to online shopping, and the retail disruption in the Christchurch central retail precinct because of COVID-19. The findings illustrate how consumers through their spending respond to different types of external shocks, altering their consumption patterns and retail mode (offline and online) to cope with an ever-changing retail landscape. Each event triggers different spending patterns that have some similarities but also stark differences, having implications for a sustainable and resilient retail industry in Christchurch. Implications for urban retail precinct development are also discussed. © 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
- Authors: Dyason, David , Fieger, Peter , Prayag, Girish , Hall, C.
- Date: 2022
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Sustainability (Switzerland) Vol. 14, no. 3 (2022), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: In the last two decades, the retail sector has experienced unprecedented upheaval, having severe implications for economic development and sustenance of traditional inner-city retail dis-tricts. In the city of Christchurch, New Zealand, this effect has been exacerbated by a series of earthquakes in 2010/2011 which destroyed much of the traditional retail precinct of the city. After exten-sive rebuild activity of the city’s infrastructure, the momentum of retailers returning to the inner city was initially sluggish but eventually gathered speed supported by increased international vis-itation. In early 2020, the return to retail normality came to an abrupt halt after the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic. This study uses spending and transaction data to analyze the compounding impact of the earthquake’s aftermath, shift to online shopping, and the retail disruption in the Christchurch central retail precinct because of COVID-19. The findings illustrate how consumers through their spending respond to different types of external shocks, altering their consumption patterns and retail mode (offline and online) to cope with an ever-changing retail landscape. Each event triggers different spending patterns that have some similarities but also stark differences, having implications for a sustainable and resilient retail industry in Christchurch. Implications for urban retail precinct development are also discussed. © 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
Urban region profiling with spatio-temporal graph neural networks
- Hou, Mingliang, Xia, Feng, Gao, Haoran, Chen, Xin, Chen, Honglong
- Authors: Hou, Mingliang , Xia, Feng , Gao, Haoran , Chen, Xin , Chen, Honglong
- Date: 2022
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: IEEE Transactions on Computational Social Systems Vol. 9, no. 6 (2022), p. 1736-1747
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Region profiles are summaries of characteristics of urban regions. Region profiling is a process to discover the correlations between urban regions. The learned urban profiles can be used to represent and identify regions in supporting downstream tasks, e.g., region traffic status estimation. While some efforts have been made to model urban regions, representation learning with awareness of graph-structured data can improve the existing methods. To do this, we first construct an attribute spatio-temporal graph, in which a node represents a region, an edge represents mobility across regions, and a node attribute represents a region's point of interest (PoI) distribution. The problem of region profiling is reformulated as a representation learning problem based on attribute spatio-temporal graphs. To solve this problem, we developed URGENT, a spatio-temporal graph learning framework. URGENT is made up of two modules. The graph convolutional neural network is used in the first module to learn spatial dependencies. The second module is an encoding-decoding temporal learning structure with self-attention mechanism. Furthermore, we use the learned representations of regions to estimate region traffic status. Experimental results demonstrate that URGENT outperforms major baselines in estimation accuracy under various settings and produces more meaningful results. © 2014 IEEE.
Using historical tropical cyclone climate datasets to examine wind speed recurrence for coastal Australia
- Bell, Samuel, Dowdy, Andrew, Ramsay, H., Chand, Savin, Su, C., Ye, Harvey
- Authors: Bell, Samuel , Dowdy, Andrew , Ramsay, H. , Chand, Savin , Su, C. , Ye, Harvey
- Date: 2022
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Scientific Reports Vol. 12, no. 1 (2022), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Likelihood estimates of extreme winds, including those from tropical cyclones (TCs) at certain locations are used to inform wind load standards for structural design. Here, wind speed average recurrence intervals (ARIs) determined from TC climate data dating back to the 1970s in two quantile–quantile adjusted reanalysis datasets (ERA5 and BARRA [1990]), and best-track observations for context, were compared with Standardized ARIs (AS/NZS) across seven tropical and two subtropical Australian inland coastal regions. The novelty of this work lies in determining TC-wind speed ARIs from a range of datasets that are not typically used to evaluate this metric. Inherent differences between the data used to determine the Standard ARIs (large sample size allow for larger extrapolations; GEV function) and TC data ARIs (smaller sample size and less certain data; the more asymptotic Lognormal/Weibull functions are used) led to the use of different extreme value functions. Results indicated that although these are two distinct ways of determining design wind speeds, when they are considered equivalent, there was a moderate reproduction of the ARI curves with respect to the Standard in both reanalysis datasets, suggesting that similar analyses using climate model products can provide useful information on these types of metrics with some caveats. Trends in TC wind strength affecting coastal Australia were also analyzed, indicating a potential slight downtrend in tropical West coast TC wind strength and slight uptrend for tropical East coast TC wind strength, noting considerable uncertainty given the short time period and limitations of data quality including over longer time periods. Such trends are not only limited to the relationship between TC intensity and anthropogenic warming, but also to regional changes in TC frequency and track direction. This could lead to significant trends emerging in regional Australian TC wind gust strength before several decades of warming have occurred. It is hoped that climate models can provide both longer-term and a more homogenous base for these types of evaluations and subsequent projections with respect to climate change simulations. © 2022, Crown.
- Authors: Bell, Samuel , Dowdy, Andrew , Ramsay, H. , Chand, Savin , Su, C. , Ye, Harvey
- Date: 2022
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Scientific Reports Vol. 12, no. 1 (2022), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Likelihood estimates of extreme winds, including those from tropical cyclones (TCs) at certain locations are used to inform wind load standards for structural design. Here, wind speed average recurrence intervals (ARIs) determined from TC climate data dating back to the 1970s in two quantile–quantile adjusted reanalysis datasets (ERA5 and BARRA [1990]), and best-track observations for context, were compared with Standardized ARIs (AS/NZS) across seven tropical and two subtropical Australian inland coastal regions. The novelty of this work lies in determining TC-wind speed ARIs from a range of datasets that are not typically used to evaluate this metric. Inherent differences between the data used to determine the Standard ARIs (large sample size allow for larger extrapolations; GEV function) and TC data ARIs (smaller sample size and less certain data; the more asymptotic Lognormal/Weibull functions are used) led to the use of different extreme value functions. Results indicated that although these are two distinct ways of determining design wind speeds, when they are considered equivalent, there was a moderate reproduction of the ARI curves with respect to the Standard in both reanalysis datasets, suggesting that similar analyses using climate model products can provide useful information on these types of metrics with some caveats. Trends in TC wind strength affecting coastal Australia were also analyzed, indicating a potential slight downtrend in tropical West coast TC wind strength and slight uptrend for tropical East coast TC wind strength, noting considerable uncertainty given the short time period and limitations of data quality including over longer time periods. Such trends are not only limited to the relationship between TC intensity and anthropogenic warming, but also to regional changes in TC frequency and track direction. This could lead to significant trends emerging in regional Australian TC wind gust strength before several decades of warming have occurred. It is hoped that climate models can provide both longer-term and a more homogenous base for these types of evaluations and subsequent projections with respect to climate change simulations. © 2022, Crown.
Validating an inertial measurement unit for cricket fast bowling : a first step in assessing the feasibility of diagnosing back injury risk in cricket fast bowlers during a tele-sport-and-exercise medicine consultation
- Harnett, Keegan, Plint, Brenda, Chan, Ka, Clark, Benjamin, Netto, Kevin, Davey, Paul, Müller, Sean, Rosalie, Simon
- Authors: Harnett, Keegan , Plint, Brenda , Chan, Ka , Clark, Benjamin , Netto, Kevin , Davey, Paul , Müller, Sean , Rosalie, Simon
- Date: 2022
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: PeerJ Vol. 10, no. (2022), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: This study aimed to validate an array-based inertial measurement unit to measure cricket fast bowling kinematics as a first step in assessing feasibility for tele-sport-and-exercise medicine. We concurrently captured shoulder girdle relative to the pelvis, trunk lateral flexion, and knee flexion angles at front foot contact of eight cricket medium-fast bowlers using inertial measurement unit and optical motion capture. We used one sample t-tests and 95% limits of agreement (LOA) to determine the mean difference between the two systems and Smallest Worth-while Change statistic to determine whether any differences were meaningful. A statistically significant (p < 0.001) but small mean difference of -4.7̊ ± 8.6̊ (95% Confidence Interval (CI) [-3.1̊ to -6.4̊], LOA [-22.2 to 12.7], SWC 3.9̊) in shoulder girdle relative to the pelvis angle was found between the systems. There were no statistically significant differences between the two systems in trunk lateral flexion and knee flexion with the mean differences being 0.1̊ ± 10.8̊ (95% CI [-1.9̊ to 2.2̊], LOA [-22.5 to 22.7], SWC 1.2̊) and 1.6̊ ± 10.1̊ (95% CI [-0.2̊ to 3.3̊], LOA [-19.2 to 22.3], SWC 1.9̊) respectively. The inertial measurement unit-based system tested allows for accurate measurement of specific cricket fast bowling kinematics and could be used in determining injury risk in the context of tele-sport-and-exercise-medicine. Copyright 2022 Harnett et al.
- Authors: Harnett, Keegan , Plint, Brenda , Chan, Ka , Clark, Benjamin , Netto, Kevin , Davey, Paul , Müller, Sean , Rosalie, Simon
- Date: 2022
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: PeerJ Vol. 10, no. (2022), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: This study aimed to validate an array-based inertial measurement unit to measure cricket fast bowling kinematics as a first step in assessing feasibility for tele-sport-and-exercise medicine. We concurrently captured shoulder girdle relative to the pelvis, trunk lateral flexion, and knee flexion angles at front foot contact of eight cricket medium-fast bowlers using inertial measurement unit and optical motion capture. We used one sample t-tests and 95% limits of agreement (LOA) to determine the mean difference between the two systems and Smallest Worth-while Change statistic to determine whether any differences were meaningful. A statistically significant (p < 0.001) but small mean difference of -4.7̊ ± 8.6̊ (95% Confidence Interval (CI) [-3.1̊ to -6.4̊], LOA [-22.2 to 12.7], SWC 3.9̊) in shoulder girdle relative to the pelvis angle was found between the systems. There were no statistically significant differences between the two systems in trunk lateral flexion and knee flexion with the mean differences being 0.1̊ ± 10.8̊ (95% CI [-1.9̊ to 2.2̊], LOA [-22.5 to 22.7], SWC 1.2̊) and 1.6̊ ± 10.1̊ (95% CI [-0.2̊ to 3.3̊], LOA [-19.2 to 22.3], SWC 1.9̊) respectively. The inertial measurement unit-based system tested allows for accurate measurement of specific cricket fast bowling kinematics and could be used in determining injury risk in the context of tele-sport-and-exercise-medicine. Copyright 2022 Harnett et al.
A global-scale screening of non-native aquatic organisms to identify potentially invasive species under current and future climate conditions
- Vilizzi, Lorenzo, Copp, Gordon, Hill, Jeffrey, Adamovich, Boris, Lloyd, Lance
- Authors: Vilizzi, Lorenzo , Copp, Gordon , Hill, Jeffrey , Adamovich, Boris , Lloyd, Lance
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Science of the Total Environment Vol. 788, no. (2021), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: The threat posed by invasive non-native species worldwide requires a global approach to identify which introduced species are likely to pose an elevated risk of impact to native species and ecosystems. To inform policy, stakeholders and management decisions on global threats to aquatic ecosystems, 195 assessors representing 120 risk assessment areas across all six inhabited continents screened 819 non-native species from 15 groups of aquatic organisms (freshwater, brackish, marine plants and animals) using the Aquatic Species Invasiveness Screening Kit. This multi-lingual decision-support tool for the risk screening of aquatic organisms provides assessors with risk scores for a species under current and future climate change conditions that, following a statistically based calibration, permits the accurate classification of species into high-, medium- and low-risk categories under current and predicted climate conditions. The 1730 screenings undertaken encompassed wide geographical areas (regions, political entities, parts thereof, water bodies, river basins, lake drainage basins, and marine regions), which permitted thresholds to be identified for almost all aquatic organismal groups screened as well as for tropical, temperate and continental climate classes, and for tropical and temperate marine ecoregions. In total, 33 species were identified as posing a ‘very high risk’ of being or becoming invasive, and the scores of several of these species under current climate increased under future climate conditions, primarily due to their wide thermal tolerances. The risk thresholds determined for taxonomic groups and climate zones provide a basis against which area-specific or climate-based calibrated thresholds may be interpreted. In turn, the risk rankings help decision-makers identify which species require an immediate ‘rapid’ management action (e.g. eradication, control) to avoid or mitigate adverse impacts, which require a full risk assessment, and which are to be restricted or banned with regard to importation and/or sale as ornamental or aquarium/fishery enhancement. © 2021 The Authors. **Please note that there are multiple authors for this article therefore only the name of the first 5 including Federation University Australia affiliate “Lance Lloyd" is provided in this record**
- Authors: Vilizzi, Lorenzo , Copp, Gordon , Hill, Jeffrey , Adamovich, Boris , Lloyd, Lance
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Science of the Total Environment Vol. 788, no. (2021), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: The threat posed by invasive non-native species worldwide requires a global approach to identify which introduced species are likely to pose an elevated risk of impact to native species and ecosystems. To inform policy, stakeholders and management decisions on global threats to aquatic ecosystems, 195 assessors representing 120 risk assessment areas across all six inhabited continents screened 819 non-native species from 15 groups of aquatic organisms (freshwater, brackish, marine plants and animals) using the Aquatic Species Invasiveness Screening Kit. This multi-lingual decision-support tool for the risk screening of aquatic organisms provides assessors with risk scores for a species under current and future climate change conditions that, following a statistically based calibration, permits the accurate classification of species into high-, medium- and low-risk categories under current and predicted climate conditions. The 1730 screenings undertaken encompassed wide geographical areas (regions, political entities, parts thereof, water bodies, river basins, lake drainage basins, and marine regions), which permitted thresholds to be identified for almost all aquatic organismal groups screened as well as for tropical, temperate and continental climate classes, and for tropical and temperate marine ecoregions. In total, 33 species were identified as posing a ‘very high risk’ of being or becoming invasive, and the scores of several of these species under current climate increased under future climate conditions, primarily due to their wide thermal tolerances. The risk thresholds determined for taxonomic groups and climate zones provide a basis against which area-specific or climate-based calibrated thresholds may be interpreted. In turn, the risk rankings help decision-makers identify which species require an immediate ‘rapid’ management action (e.g. eradication, control) to avoid or mitigate adverse impacts, which require a full risk assessment, and which are to be restricted or banned with regard to importation and/or sale as ornamental or aquarium/fishery enhancement. © 2021 The Authors. **Please note that there are multiple authors for this article therefore only the name of the first 5 including Federation University Australia affiliate “Lance Lloyd" is provided in this record**
An annotated catalog of Iranian Symphypleona and Neelipleona (Hexapoda: Collembola) : new records and key to species
- Mayvan, Mahmood, Sadeghi-Namaghi, Hussein, Shayanmehr, Masoumeh, Greenslade, Penelope
- Authors: Mayvan, Mahmood , Sadeghi-Namaghi, Hussein , Shayanmehr, Masoumeh , Greenslade, Penelope
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Asia-Pacific Biodiversity Vol. 14, no. 4 (2021), p. 501-513
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: This article provides an annotated catalog of the Symphypleona and Neelipleona (Hexapoda: Collembola) of Iran based on published literature and specimens recently collected from three different ecosystems in North Khorasan province (Forest, Rangeland, and Agricultural) of the years 2018 and 2019. Thirty-five species in seven families and 17 genera are listed. Among them, Megalothorax minimus and Bourletiella sp. are recorded for the first time from Iran. An updated key to the Iranian species and information on the biology and geographical distribution of each species is provided. © 2021 National Science Museum of Korea (NSMK) and Korea National Arboretum (KNA)
- Authors: Mayvan, Mahmood , Sadeghi-Namaghi, Hussein , Shayanmehr, Masoumeh , Greenslade, Penelope
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Asia-Pacific Biodiversity Vol. 14, no. 4 (2021), p. 501-513
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: This article provides an annotated catalog of the Symphypleona and Neelipleona (Hexapoda: Collembola) of Iran based on published literature and specimens recently collected from three different ecosystems in North Khorasan province (Forest, Rangeland, and Agricultural) of the years 2018 and 2019. Thirty-five species in seven families and 17 genera are listed. Among them, Megalothorax minimus and Bourletiella sp. are recorded for the first time from Iran. An updated key to the Iranian species and information on the biology and geographical distribution of each species is provided. © 2021 National Science Museum of Korea (NSMK) and Korea National Arboretum (KNA)
An empirical analysis of sediment export dynamics from a constructed landform in the wet tropics
- Yavari, Shahla, McIntyre, Neil, Baumgartl, Thomas
- Authors: Yavari, Shahla , McIntyre, Neil , Baumgartl, Thomas
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Water (Switzerland) Vol. 13, no. 8 (2021), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Although plot-scale erosion experiments are numerous, there are few studies on constructed landforms. This limits the understanding of their long-term stability, which is especially important for planning mined land rehabilitation. The objective of this study was to gain insight into the erosion processes in a 30 × 30 m trial plot on a mine waste rock dump in tropical northern Australia. The relationships between rainfall, runoff and suspended and bedload sediment export were assessed at annual, seasonal, inter-event and intra-event timescales. During a five-year study period, 231 rainfall– runoff–sediment export events were examined. The measured bedload and suspended sediments (mainly represented in nephelometric turbidity units (NTU)) showed the dominance of the wet season and heavy rainfall events. The bedload dominated the total mass, although the annual bedload diminished by approximately 75% over the five years, with greater flow energy required over time to mobilise the same bedload. The suspended load was more sustained, though it also exhibited an exhaustion process, with equal rainfall and runoff volumes and intensities, leading to lower NTU values over time. Intra-event NTU dynamics, including runoff-NTU time lags and hysteretic behaviours, were somewhat random from one event to the next, indicating the influence of the antecedent distribution of mobilisable sediments. The value of the results for supporting predictive modelling is discussed. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
- Authors: Yavari, Shahla , McIntyre, Neil , Baumgartl, Thomas
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Water (Switzerland) Vol. 13, no. 8 (2021), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Although plot-scale erosion experiments are numerous, there are few studies on constructed landforms. This limits the understanding of their long-term stability, which is especially important for planning mined land rehabilitation. The objective of this study was to gain insight into the erosion processes in a 30 × 30 m trial plot on a mine waste rock dump in tropical northern Australia. The relationships between rainfall, runoff and suspended and bedload sediment export were assessed at annual, seasonal, inter-event and intra-event timescales. During a five-year study period, 231 rainfall– runoff–sediment export events were examined. The measured bedload and suspended sediments (mainly represented in nephelometric turbidity units (NTU)) showed the dominance of the wet season and heavy rainfall events. The bedload dominated the total mass, although the annual bedload diminished by approximately 75% over the five years, with greater flow energy required over time to mobilise the same bedload. The suspended load was more sustained, though it also exhibited an exhaustion process, with equal rainfall and runoff volumes and intensities, leading to lower NTU values over time. Intra-event NTU dynamics, including runoff-NTU time lags and hysteretic behaviours, were somewhat random from one event to the next, indicating the influence of the antecedent distribution of mobilisable sediments. The value of the results for supporting predictive modelling is discussed. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
- Dey, Sayani, Barton, Andrew, Kandra, Harpreet, Bagirov, Adil, Wilson, Kym
- Authors: Dey, Sayani , Barton, Andrew , Kandra, Harpreet , Bagirov, Adil , Wilson, Kym
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Water Resources Management Vol. 35, no. 12 (2021), p. 4149-4165
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Challenges faced by water resource systems are multi-faceted. The problem can be even more pronounced in a dry continent like Australia where the water resources can often be afflicted by high salinity and turbidity. Therefore, modern water resource systems require to appropriately manage both water quality and quantity. This study aims to illustrate the trade-offs between water quantity and quality in a reservoir, based on decisions to harvest different inflow sources. Taylors Lake of the Grampians reservoir system in Western Victoria, Australia was chosen as the case study for this research as it is sufficiently complex and includes many of the contemporary water resources challenges seen around the world. Different operational scenarios were analysed which included increasingly stringent water quality criteria before the water was harvested or otherwise allowed to by-pass the storage. The study suggests that selective harvesting of water can be an option to improve the overall and long-term water quality within a reservoir, but stringent water quality measures can lead to an associated loss of overall water quantity. This research study provides useful insight to water planners and stakeholders in similar catchment settings around the world, to identify water harvesting regimes with competing water quality constraints. © 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V. Correction to: Analysis of Water Quantity and Quality Trade‑Offs to Inform Selective Harvesting of Inflows in Complex Water Resource Systems (Water Resources Management, (2021), 35, 12, (4149-4165), 10.1007/s11269-021-02936-x)
Association between nocturnal activity of the sympathetic nervous system and cognitive dysfunction in obstructive sleep apnoea
- Alomri, Ridwan, Kennedy, Gerard, Wali, Siraj, Alhejaili, Faris, Robinson, Stephen
- Authors: Alomri, Ridwan , Kennedy, Gerard , Wali, Siraj , Alhejaili, Faris , Robinson, Stephen
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Scientific Reports Vol. 11, no. 1 (2021), p. 11990-11990.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is associated with repetitive breathing obstructions during sleep. These episodes of hypoxia and associated arousals from sleep induce physiological stress and nocturnal over-activation of the sympathetic nervous system (SNS). One consequence of OSA is impairment in a range of cognitive domains. Previous research into cognitive impairment in OSA have focussed on intermittent hypoxia and disrupted sleep, but not nocturnal over-activation of the SNS. Therefore, we investigated whether nocturnal over-activity of the SNS was associated with cognitive impairments in OSA. The extent of nocturnal SNS activation was estimated from heart rate variability (HRV), pulse wave amplitude (PWA) and stress response biomarkers (cortisol and glucose levels). OSA severity was significantly associated with PWA indices and the HRV low frequency/ high frequency ratio (p < 0.05). Morning blood glucose levels were significantly associated with the duration of a blood oxygen saturation (SaO2) < 90% (p < 0.01). PWA and HRV were significantly associated with the time taken to perform a task involving visuospatial functioning (p < 0.05), but not with impairments in sustained attention, reaction time or autobiographical memory. These results suggest that the visuospatial dysfunction observed in people with OSA is associated with increased nocturnal activity of the SNS. © 2021, The Author(s).
- Authors: Alomri, Ridwan , Kennedy, Gerard , Wali, Siraj , Alhejaili, Faris , Robinson, Stephen
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Scientific Reports Vol. 11, no. 1 (2021), p. 11990-11990.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is associated with repetitive breathing obstructions during sleep. These episodes of hypoxia and associated arousals from sleep induce physiological stress and nocturnal over-activation of the sympathetic nervous system (SNS). One consequence of OSA is impairment in a range of cognitive domains. Previous research into cognitive impairment in OSA have focussed on intermittent hypoxia and disrupted sleep, but not nocturnal over-activation of the SNS. Therefore, we investigated whether nocturnal over-activity of the SNS was associated with cognitive impairments in OSA. The extent of nocturnal SNS activation was estimated from heart rate variability (HRV), pulse wave amplitude (PWA) and stress response biomarkers (cortisol and glucose levels). OSA severity was significantly associated with PWA indices and the HRV low frequency/ high frequency ratio (p < 0.05). Morning blood glucose levels were significantly associated with the duration of a blood oxygen saturation (SaO2) < 90% (p < 0.01). PWA and HRV were significantly associated with the time taken to perform a task involving visuospatial functioning (p < 0.05), but not with impairments in sustained attention, reaction time or autobiographical memory. These results suggest that the visuospatial dysfunction observed in people with OSA is associated with increased nocturnal activity of the SNS. © 2021, The Author(s).
Associations of the initial Covid-19 lockdown on self-reported happiness and worry about developing loneliness : a cross-sectional analysis of rural, regional, and urban Australian communities
- Isaac, Vivian, Cheng, Teresa, Townsin, Louise, Assareh, Hassan, Li, Amy, McLachlan, Craig
- Authors: Isaac, Vivian , Cheng, Teresa , Townsin, Louise , Assareh, Hassan , Li, Amy , McLachlan, Craig
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health Vol. 18, no. 18 (2021), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Australia adopted hard lockdown measures to eliminate community transmission of COVID-19. Lockdown imposes periods of social isolation that contributes to increased levels of stress, anxiety, depression, loneliness, and worry. We examined whether lockdowns have similar psychosocial associations across rural and urban areas and whether associations existed between happiness and worry of loneliness in the initial wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia. Data were collected using the “COVID-19 Living Survey” between 13 and 20 May 2020 by BehaviourWorks Australia at the Monash Sustainable Development Institute. The mean self-reported feeling of happiness and anxiousness (N = 1593), on a 10-point Likert scale with 0 being least happy or highly anxious, was 6.5 (SD = 2.4) and 3.9 (2.9), respectively. Factors associated with happiness were older age and having a postgraduate education. Participants worried about becoming lonely also exhibited reduced happiness (estimate = −1.58, 95%CI = −1.84–−1.32) and higher anxiousness (2.22, 1.93–2.51) scores, and these conditions remained associated after adjusting for demographics. Interestingly, worry about loneliness was greater in rural areas than in urban communities. The negative impact of the COVID-19 lockdown on rural youth and those less-educated was evident. Participants in rural Australia who were worried about becoming lonely were reportedly less happy than participants in major cities. This dataset provides a better understanding of factors that influence psychological well-being and quality of life in the Australian population and helps to determine whether happiness may be an associative factor that could mitigate self-feelings of anxiety and worry about loneliness. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
- Authors: Isaac, Vivian , Cheng, Teresa , Townsin, Louise , Assareh, Hassan , Li, Amy , McLachlan, Craig
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health Vol. 18, no. 18 (2021), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Australia adopted hard lockdown measures to eliminate community transmission of COVID-19. Lockdown imposes periods of social isolation that contributes to increased levels of stress, anxiety, depression, loneliness, and worry. We examined whether lockdowns have similar psychosocial associations across rural and urban areas and whether associations existed between happiness and worry of loneliness in the initial wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia. Data were collected using the “COVID-19 Living Survey” between 13 and 20 May 2020 by BehaviourWorks Australia at the Monash Sustainable Development Institute. The mean self-reported feeling of happiness and anxiousness (N = 1593), on a 10-point Likert scale with 0 being least happy or highly anxious, was 6.5 (SD = 2.4) and 3.9 (2.9), respectively. Factors associated with happiness were older age and having a postgraduate education. Participants worried about becoming lonely also exhibited reduced happiness (estimate = −1.58, 95%CI = −1.84–−1.32) and higher anxiousness (2.22, 1.93–2.51) scores, and these conditions remained associated after adjusting for demographics. Interestingly, worry about loneliness was greater in rural areas than in urban communities. The negative impact of the COVID-19 lockdown on rural youth and those less-educated was evident. Participants in rural Australia who were worried about becoming lonely were reportedly less happy than participants in major cities. This dataset provides a better understanding of factors that influence psychological well-being and quality of life in the Australian population and helps to determine whether happiness may be an associative factor that could mitigate self-feelings of anxiety and worry about loneliness. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.