AusTraits, a curated plant trait database for the Australian flora
- Falster, Daniel, Gallagher, Rachael, Wenk, Elizabeth, Wright, Ian, Cheal, David
- Authors: Falster, Daniel , Gallagher, Rachael , Wenk, Elizabeth , Wright, Ian , Cheal, David
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Journal article , Data article
- Relation: Scientific Data Vol. 8, no. 1 (2021), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: We introduce the AusTraits database - a compilation of values of plant traits for taxa in the Australian flora (hereafter AusTraits). AusTraits synthesises data on 448 traits across 28,640 taxa from field campaigns, published literature, taxonomic monographs, and individual taxon descriptions. Traits vary in scope from physiological measures of performance (e.g. photosynthetic gas exchange, water-use efficiency) to morphological attributes (e.g. leaf area, seed mass, plant height) which link to aspects of ecological variation. AusTraits contains curated and harmonised individual- and species-level measurements coupled to, where available, contextual information on site properties and experimental conditions. This article provides information on version 3.0.2 of AusTraits which contains data for 997,808 trait-by-taxon combinations. We envision AusTraits as an ongoing collaborative initiative for easily archiving and sharing trait data, which also provides a template for other national or regional initiatives globally to fill persistent gaps in trait knowledge. © 2021, The Author(s). **Please note that there are multiple authors for this article therefore only the name of the first 5 including Federation University Australia affiliate “David Cheal" is provided in this record**
- Authors: Falster, Daniel , Gallagher, Rachael , Wenk, Elizabeth , Wright, Ian , Cheal, David
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Journal article , Data article
- Relation: Scientific Data Vol. 8, no. 1 (2021), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: We introduce the AusTraits database - a compilation of values of plant traits for taxa in the Australian flora (hereafter AusTraits). AusTraits synthesises data on 448 traits across 28,640 taxa from field campaigns, published literature, taxonomic monographs, and individual taxon descriptions. Traits vary in scope from physiological measures of performance (e.g. photosynthetic gas exchange, water-use efficiency) to morphological attributes (e.g. leaf area, seed mass, plant height) which link to aspects of ecological variation. AusTraits contains curated and harmonised individual- and species-level measurements coupled to, where available, contextual information on site properties and experimental conditions. This article provides information on version 3.0.2 of AusTraits which contains data for 997,808 trait-by-taxon combinations. We envision AusTraits as an ongoing collaborative initiative for easily archiving and sharing trait data, which also provides a template for other national or regional initiatives globally to fill persistent gaps in trait knowledge. © 2021, The Author(s). **Please note that there are multiple authors for this article therefore only the name of the first 5 including Federation University Australia affiliate “David Cheal" is provided in this record**
Blood–brain barrier disruption and ventricular enlargement are the earliest neuropathological changes in rats with repeated sub-concussive impacts over 2 weeks
- Hiles-Murison, Bailey, Lavender, Andrew, Hackett, Mark, Armstrong, Joshua, Nesbit, Michael
- Authors: Hiles-Murison, Bailey , Lavender, Andrew , Hackett, Mark , Armstrong, Joshua , Nesbit, Michael
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Scientific Reports Vol. 11, no. 1 (2021), p.
- Full Text:
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- Description: Repeated sub-concussive impact (e.g. soccer ball heading), a significantly lighter form of mild traumatic brain injury, is increasingly suggested to cumulatively alter brain structure and compromise neurobehavioural function in the long-term. However, the underlying mechanisms whereby repeated long-term sub-concussion induces cerebral structural and neurobehavioural changes are currently unknown. Here, we utilised an established rat model to investigate the effects of repeated sub-concussion on size of lateral ventricles, cerebrovascular blood–brain barrier (BBB) integrity, neuroinflammation, oxidative stress, and biochemical distribution. Following repeated sub-concussion 3 days per week for 2 weeks, the rats showed significantly enlarged lateral ventricles compared with the rats receiving sham-only procedure. The sub-concussive rats also presented significant BBB dysfunction in the cerebral cortex and hippocampal formation, whilst neuromotor function assessed by beamwalk and rotarod tests were comparable to the sham rats. Immunofluorescent and spectroscopic microscopy analyses revealed no significant changes in neuroinflammation, oxidative stress, lipid distribution or protein aggregation, within the hippocampus and cortex. These data collectively indicate that repeated sub-concussion for 2 weeks induce significant ventriculomegaly and BBB disruption, preceding neuromotor deficits. © 2021, The Author(s). *Please note that there are multiple authors for this article therefore only the name of the first 5 including Federation University Australia affiliate “Andrew Lavender” is provided in this record**
- Authors: Hiles-Murison, Bailey , Lavender, Andrew , Hackett, Mark , Armstrong, Joshua , Nesbit, Michael
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Scientific Reports Vol. 11, no. 1 (2021), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Repeated sub-concussive impact (e.g. soccer ball heading), a significantly lighter form of mild traumatic brain injury, is increasingly suggested to cumulatively alter brain structure and compromise neurobehavioural function in the long-term. However, the underlying mechanisms whereby repeated long-term sub-concussion induces cerebral structural and neurobehavioural changes are currently unknown. Here, we utilised an established rat model to investigate the effects of repeated sub-concussion on size of lateral ventricles, cerebrovascular blood–brain barrier (BBB) integrity, neuroinflammation, oxidative stress, and biochemical distribution. Following repeated sub-concussion 3 days per week for 2 weeks, the rats showed significantly enlarged lateral ventricles compared with the rats receiving sham-only procedure. The sub-concussive rats also presented significant BBB dysfunction in the cerebral cortex and hippocampal formation, whilst neuromotor function assessed by beamwalk and rotarod tests were comparable to the sham rats. Immunofluorescent and spectroscopic microscopy analyses revealed no significant changes in neuroinflammation, oxidative stress, lipid distribution or protein aggregation, within the hippocampus and cortex. These data collectively indicate that repeated sub-concussion for 2 weeks induce significant ventriculomegaly and BBB disruption, preceding neuromotor deficits. © 2021, The Author(s). *Please note that there are multiple authors for this article therefore only the name of the first 5 including Federation University Australia affiliate “Andrew Lavender” is provided in this record**
Can optimum solar radiation exposure or supplemented vitamin D intake reduce the severity of COVID-19 symptoms?
- Abraham, Joji, Dowling, Kim, Florentine, Singarayer
- Authors: Abraham, Joji , Dowling, Kim , Florentine, Singarayer
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Journal article , Review
- Relation: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health Vol. 18, no. 2 (2021), p. 1-21
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- Description: The foremost mortality-causing symptom associated with COVID-19 is acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). A significant correlation has been identified between the deficiency in vitamin D and the risk of developing ARDS. It has been suggested that if we can reduce or modify ARDS in COVID-19 patients, we may significantly reduce the severity of COVID-19 symptoms and associated mortality rates. The increased mortality of dark-skinned people, who have a reduced UV absorption capacity, may be consistent with diminished vitamin D status. The factors associated with COVID-19 mortality, such as old age, ethnicity, obesity, hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, and diabetes, are all found to be linked with vitamin D deficiency. Based on this review and as a precautionary measure, it is suggested that the adoption of appropriate and safe solar exposure and vitamin D enriched foods and supplements should be considered to reduce the possible severity of COVID-19 symptoms. Safe sun exposure is deemed beneficial globally, specifically in low and middle- income countries, as there is no cost involved. It is also noted that improved solar exposure and vitamin D levels can reduce the impact of other diseases as well, thus assisting in maintaining general human well-being. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
- Authors: Abraham, Joji , Dowling, Kim , Florentine, Singarayer
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Journal article , Review
- Relation: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health Vol. 18, no. 2 (2021), p. 1-21
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: The foremost mortality-causing symptom associated with COVID-19 is acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). A significant correlation has been identified between the deficiency in vitamin D and the risk of developing ARDS. It has been suggested that if we can reduce or modify ARDS in COVID-19 patients, we may significantly reduce the severity of COVID-19 symptoms and associated mortality rates. The increased mortality of dark-skinned people, who have a reduced UV absorption capacity, may be consistent with diminished vitamin D status. The factors associated with COVID-19 mortality, such as old age, ethnicity, obesity, hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, and diabetes, are all found to be linked with vitamin D deficiency. Based on this review and as a precautionary measure, it is suggested that the adoption of appropriate and safe solar exposure and vitamin D enriched foods and supplements should be considered to reduce the possible severity of COVID-19 symptoms. Safe sun exposure is deemed beneficial globally, specifically in low and middle- income countries, as there is no cost involved. It is also noted that improved solar exposure and vitamin D levels can reduce the impact of other diseases as well, thus assisting in maintaining general human well-being. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
Changes in tobacco use patterns during COVID-19 and their correlates among older adults in Bangladesh
- Mistry, Sabuj, Ali, , Armm, Rahman, Md Ashfikur, Yadav, , Uday, Rahman, Muhammad Aziz
- Authors: Mistry, Sabuj , Ali, , Armm , Rahman, Md Ashfikur , Yadav, , Uday , Rahman, Muhammad Aziz
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health Vol. 18, no. 4 (2021), p. 1-11
- Full Text:
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- Description: The present study explored the changes in tobacco use patterns during the COVID-19 pandemic and their correlates among older adults in Bangladesh. This cross-sectional study was conducted among 1032 older adults aged ≥60 years in Bangladesh through telephone interviews in October 2020. Participants’ characteristics and COVID-19-related information were gathered using a pretested semi-structured questionnaire. Participants were asked if they noted any change in their tobacco use patterns (smoking or smokeless tobacco) during the COVID-19 pandemic compared to pre-pandemic (6 months prior to the survey). Nearly half of the participants (45.6%) were current tobacco users, of whom 15.9% reported increased tobacco use during the COVID-19 pandemic and all others had no change in their tobacco use patterns. Tobacco use was significantly increased among the participants from rural areas, who had reduced communications during COVID-19 compared to pre-pandemic (OR = 2.76, 95%CI:1.51–5.03). Participants who were aged ≥70 years (OR = 0.33, 95% CI: 0.14–0.77), widowed (OR = 0.36, 95% CI: 0.13–1.00), had pre-existing, non-communi-cable, and/or chronic conditions (OR = 0.44, 95% CI:0.25–0.78), and felt themselves at the highest risk of COVID-19 (OR = 0.31, 95% CI: 0.15–0.62), had significantly lower odds of increased tobacco use. Policy makers and practitioners need to focus on strengthening awareness and raising initia-tives to avoid tobacco use during such a crisis period. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. **Please note that there are multiple authors for this article therefore only the name of the first 5 including Federation University Australia affiliate “Muhammad Aziz Rahman” is provided in this record**
- Authors: Mistry, Sabuj , Ali, , Armm , Rahman, Md Ashfikur , Yadav, , Uday , Rahman, Muhammad Aziz
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health Vol. 18, no. 4 (2021), p. 1-11
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: The present study explored the changes in tobacco use patterns during the COVID-19 pandemic and their correlates among older adults in Bangladesh. This cross-sectional study was conducted among 1032 older adults aged ≥60 years in Bangladesh through telephone interviews in October 2020. Participants’ characteristics and COVID-19-related information were gathered using a pretested semi-structured questionnaire. Participants were asked if they noted any change in their tobacco use patterns (smoking or smokeless tobacco) during the COVID-19 pandemic compared to pre-pandemic (6 months prior to the survey). Nearly half of the participants (45.6%) were current tobacco users, of whom 15.9% reported increased tobacco use during the COVID-19 pandemic and all others had no change in their tobacco use patterns. Tobacco use was significantly increased among the participants from rural areas, who had reduced communications during COVID-19 compared to pre-pandemic (OR = 2.76, 95%CI:1.51–5.03). Participants who were aged ≥70 years (OR = 0.33, 95% CI: 0.14–0.77), widowed (OR = 0.36, 95% CI: 0.13–1.00), had pre-existing, non-communi-cable, and/or chronic conditions (OR = 0.44, 95% CI:0.25–0.78), and felt themselves at the highest risk of COVID-19 (OR = 0.31, 95% CI: 0.15–0.62), had significantly lower odds of increased tobacco use. Policy makers and practitioners need to focus on strengthening awareness and raising initia-tives to avoid tobacco use during such a crisis period. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. **Please note that there are multiple authors for this article therefore only the name of the first 5 including Federation University Australia affiliate “Muhammad Aziz Rahman” is provided in this record**
Continuing the discussion about ecological futures for the lower Murray River (Australia) in the Anthropocene
- Finlayson, C. Max, Gell, Peter, Conallin, John
- Authors: Finlayson, C. Max , Gell, Peter , Conallin, John
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Marine and Freshwater Research Vol. 73, no. 10 (2021), p. 1241-1244
- Full Text:
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- Description: The lower Murray River (Australia) has been subject to considerable change from human activities, including the conversion of a variable flow system to one with regulated water levels and the conversion of the estuary to a freshwater system. These conditions will face further pressures owing to reduced flows and higher sea levels associated with climate change. Policy decisions to retain present target conditions could be reconsidered to improve habitat conditions for wetlands, native fish and waterbirds. Contrary to many views, this would be permissible under the Ramsar Convention and, by increasing the diversity of conditions, may assist managers to retain functional systems. This paper encourages a new conversation across the broader community to develop pathways to prepare for emerging pressures on the riverine ecosystems, and move into anthropogenic futures for the Lower Murray. © 2021 CSIRO. All rights reserved.
- Authors: Finlayson, C. Max , Gell, Peter , Conallin, John
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Marine and Freshwater Research Vol. 73, no. 10 (2021), p. 1241-1244
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: The lower Murray River (Australia) has been subject to considerable change from human activities, including the conversion of a variable flow system to one with regulated water levels and the conversion of the estuary to a freshwater system. These conditions will face further pressures owing to reduced flows and higher sea levels associated with climate change. Policy decisions to retain present target conditions could be reconsidered to improve habitat conditions for wetlands, native fish and waterbirds. Contrary to many views, this would be permissible under the Ramsar Convention and, by increasing the diversity of conditions, may assist managers to retain functional systems. This paper encourages a new conversation across the broader community to develop pathways to prepare for emerging pressures on the riverine ecosystems, and move into anthropogenic futures for the Lower Murray. © 2021 CSIRO. All rights reserved.
Data-driven decision-making in COVID-19 response : a survey
- Yu, Shuo, Qing, Qing, Zhang, Chen, Shehzad, Ahsan, Oatley, Giles, Xia, Feng
- Authors: Yu, Shuo , Qing, Qing , Zhang, Chen , Shehzad, Ahsan , Oatley, Giles , Xia, Feng
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Journal article , Review
- Relation: IEEE Transactions on Computational Social Systems Vol. 8, no. 4 (2021), p. 989-1002
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: COVID-19 has spread all over the world, having an enormous effect on our daily life and work. In response to the epidemic, a lot of important decisions need to be taken to save communities and economies worldwide. Data clearly play a vital role in effective decision-making. Data-driven decision-making uses data-related evidence and insights to guide the decision-making process and verify the plan of action before it is committed. To better handle the epidemic, governments and policy-making institutes have investigated abundant data originating from COVID-19. These data include those related to medicine, knowledge, media, and so on. Based on these data, many prevention and control policies are made. In this survey article, we summarize the progress of data-driven decision-making in the response to COVID-19, including COVID-19 prevention and control, psychological counseling, financial aid, work resumption, and school reopening. We also propose some current challenges and open issues in data-driven decision-making, including data collection and quality, complex data analysis, and fairness in decision-making. This survey article sheds light on current policy-making driven by data, which also provides a feasible direction for further scientific research. © 2014 IEEE.
- Authors: Yu, Shuo , Qing, Qing , Zhang, Chen , Shehzad, Ahsan , Oatley, Giles , Xia, Feng
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Journal article , Review
- Relation: IEEE Transactions on Computational Social Systems Vol. 8, no. 4 (2021), p. 989-1002
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: COVID-19 has spread all over the world, having an enormous effect on our daily life and work. In response to the epidemic, a lot of important decisions need to be taken to save communities and economies worldwide. Data clearly play a vital role in effective decision-making. Data-driven decision-making uses data-related evidence and insights to guide the decision-making process and verify the plan of action before it is committed. To better handle the epidemic, governments and policy-making institutes have investigated abundant data originating from COVID-19. These data include those related to medicine, knowledge, media, and so on. Based on these data, many prevention and control policies are made. In this survey article, we summarize the progress of data-driven decision-making in the response to COVID-19, including COVID-19 prevention and control, psychological counseling, financial aid, work resumption, and school reopening. We also propose some current challenges and open issues in data-driven decision-making, including data collection and quality, complex data analysis, and fairness in decision-making. This survey article sheds light on current policy-making driven by data, which also provides a feasible direction for further scientific research. © 2014 IEEE.
Determination of soil hydraulic parameters and evaluation of water dynamics and nitrate leaching in the unsaturated layered zone: A modeling case study in Central Croatia
- Defterdarović, Jasmina, Filipović, Lana, Kranjčec, Filip, Ondrašek, Gabrijel, Kikić, Diana, Novosel, Alen, Mustać, Ivan, Krevh, Vedran, Magdić, Ivan, Rubinić, Vedran, Bogunović, Igor, Dugan, Ivan, Čopec, Krešimir, He, Hailong, Filipović, Vilim
- Authors: Defterdarović, Jasmina , Filipović, Lana , Kranjčec, Filip , Ondrašek, Gabrijel , Kikić, Diana , Novosel, Alen , Mustać, Ivan , Krevh, Vedran , Magdić, Ivan , Rubinić, Vedran , Bogunović, Igor , Dugan, Ivan , Čopec, Krešimir , He, Hailong , Filipović, Vilim
- Date: 2021
- Type: Journal article
- Relation: Sustainability (Basel, Switzerland) Vol. 13, no. 12 (2021), p. 6688
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Nitrate leaching through soil layers to groundwater may cause significant degradation of natural resources. The aims of this study were: (i) to estimate soil hydraulic properties (SHPs) of the similar soil type with same management on various locations (ii) to determine annual water dynamics and (iii) to estimate the impact of subsoil horizon properties on nitrate leaching. The final goal was to compare the influence of different SHPs and layering on water dynamics and nitrate leaching. The study was conducted in central Croatia (Zagreb), at four locations on Calcaric Phaeozem, Calcaric Regosol, and Calcaric Fluvic Phaeozem soil types. Soil hydraulic parameters were estimated using the HYPROP system and HYPROP-FIT software. Water dynamics and nitrate leaching were evaluated using HYDRUS 2D/3D during a period of 365 days. The amount of water in the soil under saturated conditions varied from 0.422 to 0.535 cm3 cm−3 while the hydraulic conductivity varied from 3 cm day−1 to 990.9 cm day−1. Even though all locations have the same land use and climatic conditions with similar physical properties, hydraulic parameters varied substantially. The amount and velocity of transported nitrate (HYDRUS 2D/3D) were affected by reduced hydraulic conductivity of the subsoil as nitrates are primarily transported via advective flux. Despite the large differences in SHPs of the topsoil layers, the deeper soil layers, having similar SHPs, imposed a buffering effect preventing faster nitrate downward transport. This contributed to a very similar distribution of nitrates through the soil profile at the end of simulation period. This case study indicated the importance of carefully selecting relevant parameters in multilayered soil systems when evaluating groundwater pollution risk.
- Authors: Defterdarović, Jasmina , Filipović, Lana , Kranjčec, Filip , Ondrašek, Gabrijel , Kikić, Diana , Novosel, Alen , Mustać, Ivan , Krevh, Vedran , Magdić, Ivan , Rubinić, Vedran , Bogunović, Igor , Dugan, Ivan , Čopec, Krešimir , He, Hailong , Filipović, Vilim
- Date: 2021
- Type: Journal article
- Relation: Sustainability (Basel, Switzerland) Vol. 13, no. 12 (2021), p. 6688
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Nitrate leaching through soil layers to groundwater may cause significant degradation of natural resources. The aims of this study were: (i) to estimate soil hydraulic properties (SHPs) of the similar soil type with same management on various locations (ii) to determine annual water dynamics and (iii) to estimate the impact of subsoil horizon properties on nitrate leaching. The final goal was to compare the influence of different SHPs and layering on water dynamics and nitrate leaching. The study was conducted in central Croatia (Zagreb), at four locations on Calcaric Phaeozem, Calcaric Regosol, and Calcaric Fluvic Phaeozem soil types. Soil hydraulic parameters were estimated using the HYPROP system and HYPROP-FIT software. Water dynamics and nitrate leaching were evaluated using HYDRUS 2D/3D during a period of 365 days. The amount of water in the soil under saturated conditions varied from 0.422 to 0.535 cm3 cm−3 while the hydraulic conductivity varied from 3 cm day−1 to 990.9 cm day−1. Even though all locations have the same land use and climatic conditions with similar physical properties, hydraulic parameters varied substantially. The amount and velocity of transported nitrate (HYDRUS 2D/3D) were affected by reduced hydraulic conductivity of the subsoil as nitrates are primarily transported via advective flux. Despite the large differences in SHPs of the topsoil layers, the deeper soil layers, having similar SHPs, imposed a buffering effect preventing faster nitrate downward transport. This contributed to a very similar distribution of nitrates through the soil profile at the end of simulation period. This case study indicated the importance of carefully selecting relevant parameters in multilayered soil systems when evaluating groundwater pollution risk.
Does climate play any role in covid-19 spreading? : an Australian perspective
- Abraham, Joji, Turville, Christopher, Dowling, Kim, Florentine, Singarayer
- Authors: Abraham, Joji , Turville, Christopher , Dowling, Kim , Florentine, Singarayer
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health Vol. 18, no. 17 (2021), p.
- Full Text:
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- Description: Compared to other countries, the COVID-19 pandemic did not severely affect Australia as measured by total deaths until mid-2021. Though a substantial number of daily confirmed cases (up to 698) were reported during the second wave, most of them were from the southern state of Victoria. This study examined the possible correlations between climate variables and the number of daily confirmed COVID-19 cases in Victoria, Australia, from 25 January to 31 October 2020. Appropriate regression models and cross-correlation diagnostics were used to examine the effect of temperature, rainfall, solar exposure, and ultraviolet index (UVI) with the number of daily confirmed cases. Significant positive associations were identified for solar exposure and maximum and average UVI for confirmed cases one and 19 days later. Negative associations for these variables were found for confirmed cases five days later. Minimum temperature had a significant negative correlation one day later and a positive effect 21 days later. No significant correlation was found for maximum temperature and rainfall. The most significant relationships were found for confirmed cases 19 days after changes in the meteorological variables. A 1% increase in solar exposure, maximum UVI, and average UVI was associated with a 0.31% (95% CI: 0.13 to 0.51), 0.71% (95% CI: 0.43 to 0.98), and 0.63% (95%CI: 0.20 to 1.61) increase 19 days later in the number of confirmed cases, respectively. The implications of these results can be used in the public health management of any possible future events in Australia. It also highlights the significance of considering the climatic variables and seasonality in all kinds of epidemics and pandemics. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
- Authors: Abraham, Joji , Turville, Christopher , Dowling, Kim , Florentine, Singarayer
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health Vol. 18, no. 17 (2021), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Compared to other countries, the COVID-19 pandemic did not severely affect Australia as measured by total deaths until mid-2021. Though a substantial number of daily confirmed cases (up to 698) were reported during the second wave, most of them were from the southern state of Victoria. This study examined the possible correlations between climate variables and the number of daily confirmed COVID-19 cases in Victoria, Australia, from 25 January to 31 October 2020. Appropriate regression models and cross-correlation diagnostics were used to examine the effect of temperature, rainfall, solar exposure, and ultraviolet index (UVI) with the number of daily confirmed cases. Significant positive associations were identified for solar exposure and maximum and average UVI for confirmed cases one and 19 days later. Negative associations for these variables were found for confirmed cases five days later. Minimum temperature had a significant negative correlation one day later and a positive effect 21 days later. No significant correlation was found for maximum temperature and rainfall. The most significant relationships were found for confirmed cases 19 days after changes in the meteorological variables. A 1% increase in solar exposure, maximum UVI, and average UVI was associated with a 0.31% (95% CI: 0.13 to 0.51), 0.71% (95% CI: 0.43 to 0.98), and 0.63% (95%CI: 0.20 to 1.61) increase 19 days later in the number of confirmed cases, respectively. The implications of these results can be used in the public health management of any possible future events in Australia. It also highlights the significance of considering the climatic variables and seasonality in all kinds of epidemics and pandemics. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
Duration of intervals in the care seeking pathway for lung cancer in Bangladesh : a journey from symptoms triggering consultation to receipt of treatment
- Ansar, Adnan, Lewis, Virginia, McDonald, Christine, Liu, , Chaojie, Rahman, Muhammad Aziz
- Authors: Ansar, Adnan , Lewis, Virginia , McDonald, Christine , Liu, , Chaojie , Rahman, Muhammad Aziz
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: PLoS ONE Vol. 16, no. 9 September (2021), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Timeliness in seeking care is critical for lung cancer patients survival and better prognosis. The care seeking trajectory of patients with lung cancer in Bangladesh has not been explored, despite the differences in health systems and structures compared to high income countries. This study investigated the symptoms triggering healthcare seeking, preferred healthcare providers (including informal healthcare providers such as pharmacy retailers, village doctors, and "traditional healers"), and the duration of intervals in the lung cancer care pathway of patients in Bangladesh. A cross-sectional study was conducted in three tertiary care hospitals in Bangladesh among diagnosed lung cancer patients through face-Toface interview and medical record review. Time intervals from onset of symptom and care seeking events were calculated and compared between those who sought initial care from different providers using Wilcoxon rank sum tests. Among 418 study participants, the majority (90%) of whom were males, with a mean age of 57 ±9.86 years, cough and chest pain were the most common (23%) combination of symptoms triggering healthcare seeking. About two-Thirds of the total respondents (60%) went to informal healthcare providers as their first point of contact. Living in rural areas, lower levels of education and lower income were associated with seeking care from such providers. The median duration between onset of symptom to confirmation of diagnosis was 121 days, between confirmation of diagnosis and initiation of treatment was 22 days, and between onset of symptom and initiation of treatment was 151 days. Pre-diagnosis durations were longer for those who had sought initial care from an informal provider (p<0.05). Time to first contact with a health provider was shorter in this study compared to other developed and developing countries but utilizing informal healthcare providers caused delays in diagnosis and initiation of treatment. Encouraging people to seek care from a formal healthcare provider may reduce the overall duration of the care seeking pathway. © 2021 Public Library of Science. All rights reserved.
- Authors: Ansar, Adnan , Lewis, Virginia , McDonald, Christine , Liu, , Chaojie , Rahman, Muhammad Aziz
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: PLoS ONE Vol. 16, no. 9 September (2021), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Timeliness in seeking care is critical for lung cancer patients survival and better prognosis. The care seeking trajectory of patients with lung cancer in Bangladesh has not been explored, despite the differences in health systems and structures compared to high income countries. This study investigated the symptoms triggering healthcare seeking, preferred healthcare providers (including informal healthcare providers such as pharmacy retailers, village doctors, and "traditional healers"), and the duration of intervals in the lung cancer care pathway of patients in Bangladesh. A cross-sectional study was conducted in three tertiary care hospitals in Bangladesh among diagnosed lung cancer patients through face-Toface interview and medical record review. Time intervals from onset of symptom and care seeking events were calculated and compared between those who sought initial care from different providers using Wilcoxon rank sum tests. Among 418 study participants, the majority (90%) of whom were males, with a mean age of 57 ±9.86 years, cough and chest pain were the most common (23%) combination of symptoms triggering healthcare seeking. About two-Thirds of the total respondents (60%) went to informal healthcare providers as their first point of contact. Living in rural areas, lower levels of education and lower income were associated with seeking care from such providers. The median duration between onset of symptom to confirmation of diagnosis was 121 days, between confirmation of diagnosis and initiation of treatment was 22 days, and between onset of symptom and initiation of treatment was 151 days. Pre-diagnosis durations were longer for those who had sought initial care from an informal provider (p<0.05). Time to first contact with a health provider was shorter in this study compared to other developed and developing countries but utilizing informal healthcare providers caused delays in diagnosis and initiation of treatment. Encouraging people to seek care from a formal healthcare provider may reduce the overall duration of the care seeking pathway. © 2021 Public Library of Science. All rights reserved.
Effectiveness of mouth rinsing versus ingesting pickle juice for alleviating electrically induced cramp in physically active adults
- Georgieva, Julia, Brade, Carly, Ducker, Kagan, Davey, Paul, Jacques, Angela, Ohno, Masato, Lavender, Andrew
- Authors: Georgieva, Julia , Brade, Carly , Ducker, Kagan , Davey, Paul , Jacques, Angela , Ohno, Masato , Lavender, Andrew
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Applied Sciences (Switzerland) Vol. 11, no. 24 (2021), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: (1) Background: Stimulating oropharyngeal transient receptor potential (TRP) channels in-hibits muscle cramping by triggering a supraspinal reflex to reduce α-motor neuron hyperexcitability. This study investigated whether the longer stimulation of the TRP channels via mouth rinsing with PJ is more effective than drinking PJ at inhibiting an electrically induced muscle cramp (EIMC). Both conditions were compared to the control (water). (2) Methods: The tibial nerves in 11 cramp-prone adults were percutaneously stimulated to elicit an EIMC of the flexor hallucis brevis in three trials that took place one week apart from each other. At cramp onset, the participants received mouth rinsing and expelling PJ (25 mL), ingesting PJ (1 mL·kg−1 body-mass (BM)), or ingesting water (1 mL·kg−1 BM). Cramp onset and offset were induced by electromyography, and the severity of discomfort was recorded using a visual analogue scale (VAS). (3) Results: The median time to cramp cessation as a percentage of water was 82.8 ± 14.63% and 68.6 ± 47.78% for PJ ingestion and PJ mouth rinsing, respectively. These results had large variability, and no statistically significant differences were observed. There were also no differences in perceived cramp discomfort between conditions, despite the hazard ratios for the time taken to reach VAS = 0, which was higher than water (control) for PJ ingestion (22%) and mouth rinsing (35%) (p = 0.66 and 0.51, respectively). (4) Conclusions: The data suggest no difference in cramp duration and perceived discomfort between PJ and water. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. **Please note that there are multiple authors for this article therefore only the name of the first 5 including Federation University Australia affiliate “Andrew Lavender” is provided in this record**
- Authors: Georgieva, Julia , Brade, Carly , Ducker, Kagan , Davey, Paul , Jacques, Angela , Ohno, Masato , Lavender, Andrew
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Applied Sciences (Switzerland) Vol. 11, no. 24 (2021), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: (1) Background: Stimulating oropharyngeal transient receptor potential (TRP) channels in-hibits muscle cramping by triggering a supraspinal reflex to reduce α-motor neuron hyperexcitability. This study investigated whether the longer stimulation of the TRP channels via mouth rinsing with PJ is more effective than drinking PJ at inhibiting an electrically induced muscle cramp (EIMC). Both conditions were compared to the control (water). (2) Methods: The tibial nerves in 11 cramp-prone adults were percutaneously stimulated to elicit an EIMC of the flexor hallucis brevis in three trials that took place one week apart from each other. At cramp onset, the participants received mouth rinsing and expelling PJ (25 mL), ingesting PJ (1 mL·kg−1 body-mass (BM)), or ingesting water (1 mL·kg−1 BM). Cramp onset and offset were induced by electromyography, and the severity of discomfort was recorded using a visual analogue scale (VAS). (3) Results: The median time to cramp cessation as a percentage of water was 82.8 ± 14.63% and 68.6 ± 47.78% for PJ ingestion and PJ mouth rinsing, respectively. These results had large variability, and no statistically significant differences were observed. There were also no differences in perceived cramp discomfort between conditions, despite the hazard ratios for the time taken to reach VAS = 0, which was higher than water (control) for PJ ingestion (22%) and mouth rinsing (35%) (p = 0.66 and 0.51, respectively). (4) Conclusions: The data suggest no difference in cramp duration and perceived discomfort between PJ and water. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. **Please note that there are multiple authors for this article therefore only the name of the first 5 including Federation University Australia affiliate “Andrew Lavender” is provided in this record**
Establishment of sex difference in circulating uric acid is associated with higher testosterone and lower sex hormone-binding globulin in adolescent boys
- Wang, Yutang, Charchar, Fadi
- Authors: Wang, Yutang , Charchar, Fadi
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Scientific Reports Vol. 11, no. 1 (2021), p.
- Relation: https://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/1062671
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Men have higher circulating levels of uric acid than women. This sex difference is suspected to be a result of suppressive effects of estradiol on uric acid. If so, estradiol would be inversely associated with circulating uric acid. This study aimed to test this hypothesis. This cross-sectional study included 9472 participants (weighted sample size of 184,342,210) aged 12–80 years from the 2013 to 2016 US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Associations of sex hormones with uric acid were analyzed using weighted least squares regression, adjusting for demographic characteristics, lifestyle risk factors, and comorbidities. Neither free nor bioavailable estradiol was inversely associated with circulating uric acid in adolescent boys or girls, or adult men or women, or perimenopausal women after full adjustment. The sex difference in uric acid was established during adolescence as a result of a dramatic increase in uric acid in adolescent boys. During adolescence, the increase in estradiol in girls over time was accompanied by a relatively unchanged level of uric acid. All three fractions of estradiol (free, bioavailable, and total) were positively associated with uric acid in adolescent boys and girls after full adjustment. In adolescent boys, all three fractions of testosterone were positively associated with serum uric acid, and sex hormone-binding globulin was inversely associated with uric acid after full adjustment. These results suggest that estradiol is not inversely associated with circulating uric acid in adolescents and the establishment of sex difference in circulating uric acid during adolescence is associated with higher testosterone and lower sex hormone-binding globulin in adolescent boys. © 2021, The Author(s).
- Authors: Wang, Yutang , Charchar, Fadi
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Scientific Reports Vol. 11, no. 1 (2021), p.
- Relation: https://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/1062671
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Men have higher circulating levels of uric acid than women. This sex difference is suspected to be a result of suppressive effects of estradiol on uric acid. If so, estradiol would be inversely associated with circulating uric acid. This study aimed to test this hypothesis. This cross-sectional study included 9472 participants (weighted sample size of 184,342,210) aged 12–80 years from the 2013 to 2016 US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Associations of sex hormones with uric acid were analyzed using weighted least squares regression, adjusting for demographic characteristics, lifestyle risk factors, and comorbidities. Neither free nor bioavailable estradiol was inversely associated with circulating uric acid in adolescent boys or girls, or adult men or women, or perimenopausal women after full adjustment. The sex difference in uric acid was established during adolescence as a result of a dramatic increase in uric acid in adolescent boys. During adolescence, the increase in estradiol in girls over time was accompanied by a relatively unchanged level of uric acid. All three fractions of estradiol (free, bioavailable, and total) were positively associated with uric acid in adolescent boys and girls after full adjustment. In adolescent boys, all three fractions of testosterone were positively associated with serum uric acid, and sex hormone-binding globulin was inversely associated with uric acid after full adjustment. These results suggest that estradiol is not inversely associated with circulating uric acid in adolescents and the establishment of sex difference in circulating uric acid during adolescence is associated with higher testosterone and lower sex hormone-binding globulin in adolescent boys. © 2021, The Author(s).
Exclusive breastfeeding continuation and associated factors among employed women in North Ethiopia : a cross-sectional study
- Gebrekidan, Kahsu, Hall, Helen, Plummer, Virginia, Fooladi, Ensieh
- Authors: Gebrekidan, Kahsu , Hall, Helen , Plummer, Virginia , Fooladi, Ensieh
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: PLoS ONE Vol. 16, no. 7 (2021), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Background Exclusive Breastfeeding (EBF) can prevent up to 13% of under-five mortality in developing countries. In Sub-Saharan Africa the rate of EBF at six months remains very low at 36%. Different types of factors such as maternal, family and work-related factors are responsible for the low rate of EBF among employed women. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of EBF continuation and associated factors among employed women in North Ethiopia. Materials and methods A community-based, cross-sectional study was conducted in two towns of Tigray region, North Ethiopia. Employed women who had children between six months and two years were surveyed using multistage, convenience sampling. Women filled in a paper based validated questionnaire adopted from the Breastfeeding and Employment Study toolkit (BESt). The questions were grouped into four parts of sociodemographic characteristics, maternal characteristics, family support and work-related factors. Factors associated with EBF continuation as a binary outcome (yes/no) were determined using multivariable logistic regression. Results Four-hundred and forty-nine women participated in this study with a mean (SD) age 30.4 (4.2) years. Two hundred and fifty-four (56.4%) participants exclusively breastfed their children for six months or more. The main reason for discontinuation of EBF was the requirement of women to return to paid employment (31.5%). Four-hundred and forty (98.2%) participants believed that breastfeeding has benefits either to the infant or to the mother. Three hundred and seventy-one (82.8%) of the participants received support from their family at home to assist with EBF, most commonly from their husbands and mothers. Having family support (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 2.1, 95%, CI 1.2–3.6; P = 0.005), having frequent breaks at work (AOR = 2.6, 95% CI, 1.4–4.8; P = 0.002) and the possibility of buying or borrowing required equipment for expressing breast milk (AOR = 1.7, 95% CI, 1.0–3.0; P = 0.033) were statistically associated with an increased chance of EBF. Conclusion Although returning to work was reported by the study participants as the main reason for discontinuation of EBF, families and managers’ support play significant roles in EBF continuation, which in the absence of six-month’s maternity leave for employed women in Ethiopia would be of benefit to both mothers and children. © 2021 Gebrekidan et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
- Authors: Gebrekidan, Kahsu , Hall, Helen , Plummer, Virginia , Fooladi, Ensieh
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: PLoS ONE Vol. 16, no. 7 (2021), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Background Exclusive Breastfeeding (EBF) can prevent up to 13% of under-five mortality in developing countries. In Sub-Saharan Africa the rate of EBF at six months remains very low at 36%. Different types of factors such as maternal, family and work-related factors are responsible for the low rate of EBF among employed women. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of EBF continuation and associated factors among employed women in North Ethiopia. Materials and methods A community-based, cross-sectional study was conducted in two towns of Tigray region, North Ethiopia. Employed women who had children between six months and two years were surveyed using multistage, convenience sampling. Women filled in a paper based validated questionnaire adopted from the Breastfeeding and Employment Study toolkit (BESt). The questions were grouped into four parts of sociodemographic characteristics, maternal characteristics, family support and work-related factors. Factors associated with EBF continuation as a binary outcome (yes/no) were determined using multivariable logistic regression. Results Four-hundred and forty-nine women participated in this study with a mean (SD) age 30.4 (4.2) years. Two hundred and fifty-four (56.4%) participants exclusively breastfed their children for six months or more. The main reason for discontinuation of EBF was the requirement of women to return to paid employment (31.5%). Four-hundred and forty (98.2%) participants believed that breastfeeding has benefits either to the infant or to the mother. Three hundred and seventy-one (82.8%) of the participants received support from their family at home to assist with EBF, most commonly from their husbands and mothers. Having family support (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 2.1, 95%, CI 1.2–3.6; P = 0.005), having frequent breaks at work (AOR = 2.6, 95% CI, 1.4–4.8; P = 0.002) and the possibility of buying or borrowing required equipment for expressing breast milk (AOR = 1.7, 95% CI, 1.0–3.0; P = 0.033) were statistically associated with an increased chance of EBF. Conclusion Although returning to work was reported by the study participants as the main reason for discontinuation of EBF, families and managers’ support play significant roles in EBF continuation, which in the absence of six-month’s maternity leave for employed women in Ethiopia would be of benefit to both mothers and children. © 2021 Gebrekidan et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Factors associated with chronic kidney disease in patients with type 2 diabetes in Bangladesh
- Islam, Sheikh, Salehin, Masudus, Zaman, Sojib, Tansi, Tania, Gupta, Rajat
- Authors: Islam, Sheikh , Salehin, Masudus , Zaman, Sojib , Tansi, Tania , Gupta, Rajat
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health Vol. 18, no. 23 (2021), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Diabetes and chronic kidney disease (CKD) are a major public health burden in low- and middle-income countries. This study aimed to explore factors associated with CKD in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) in Bangladesh. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 315 adults with T2D presenting at the outpatient department of Bangladesh Institute of Health Sciences (BIHS) hospital between July 2013 to December 2013. CKD was diagnosed based on the estimated glomerular filtration rate using the ‘Modification of Diet in Renal Disease’ equations and the presence of albu-minuria estimated by the albumin-to-creatinine ratio. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to determine the factors associated with CKD. The overall prevalence of CKD among patients with T2D was 21.3%. In the unadjusted model, factors associated with CKD included age 40–49 years (OR: 5.7, 95% CI: 1.3–25.4), age 50–59 years (7.0, 1.6–39), age ≥60 years (7.6, 1.7–34), being female (2.2, 1.2–3.8), being hypertensive (1.9, 1.1–3.5), and household income between 10,001 and 20,000 Bangladeshi taka, BDT (2.9, 1.0–8.2) compared with income ≤10,000 BDT. However, after ad-justment of other covariates, only the duration of hypertension and household income (10,001– 20,000 BDT) remained statistically significant. There is a need to implement policies and programs for early detection and management of hypertension and CKD in T2D patients in Bangladesh. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. **Please note that there are multiple authors for this article therefore only the name of the first 5 including Federation University Australia affiliate “Masudus Salehin” is provided in this record**
- Authors: Islam, Sheikh , Salehin, Masudus , Zaman, Sojib , Tansi, Tania , Gupta, Rajat
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health Vol. 18, no. 23 (2021), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Diabetes and chronic kidney disease (CKD) are a major public health burden in low- and middle-income countries. This study aimed to explore factors associated with CKD in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) in Bangladesh. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 315 adults with T2D presenting at the outpatient department of Bangladesh Institute of Health Sciences (BIHS) hospital between July 2013 to December 2013. CKD was diagnosed based on the estimated glomerular filtration rate using the ‘Modification of Diet in Renal Disease’ equations and the presence of albu-minuria estimated by the albumin-to-creatinine ratio. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to determine the factors associated with CKD. The overall prevalence of CKD among patients with T2D was 21.3%. In the unadjusted model, factors associated with CKD included age 40–49 years (OR: 5.7, 95% CI: 1.3–25.4), age 50–59 years (7.0, 1.6–39), age ≥60 years (7.6, 1.7–34), being female (2.2, 1.2–3.8), being hypertensive (1.9, 1.1–3.5), and household income between 10,001 and 20,000 Bangladeshi taka, BDT (2.9, 1.0–8.2) compared with income ≤10,000 BDT. However, after ad-justment of other covariates, only the duration of hypertension and household income (10,001– 20,000 BDT) remained statistically significant. There is a need to implement policies and programs for early detection and management of hypertension and CKD in T2D patients in Bangladesh. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. **Please note that there are multiple authors for this article therefore only the name of the first 5 including Federation University Australia affiliate “Masudus Salehin” is provided in this record**
Factors influencing place of delivery : evidence from three south-Asian countries
- Rahman, Ms Ashfikur, Rahman, Muhammad Aziz, Rawal, Lal, Paudel, Mohan, Howlader, Md Hasan
- Authors: Rahman, Ms Ashfikur , Rahman, Muhammad Aziz , Rawal, Lal , Paudel, Mohan , Howlader, Md Hasan
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: PLoS ONE Vol. 16, no. 4 April (2021), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Background High maternal mortality is still a significant public health challenge in many countries of the South-Asian region. The majority of maternal deaths occur due to pregnancy and deliveryrelated complications, which can mostly be prevented by safe facility delivery. Due to the paucity of existing evidence, our study aimed to examine the factors associated with place of delivery, including women's preferences for such in three selected South-Asian countries. Methods We extracted data from the most recent demographic and health surveys (DHS) conducted in Bangladesh (2014), Nepal (2016), and Pakistan (2017-18) and analyzed to identify the association between the outcome variable and socio-demographic characteristics. A total of 16,429 women from Bangladesh (4278; mean age 24.57 years), Nepal (3962; mean age 26.35 years), and Pakistan (8189; mean age 29.57 years) were included in this study. Following descriptive analyses, bivariate and multivariate logistic regressions were conducted. Results Overall, the prevalence of facility-based delivery was 40%, 62%, and 69% in Bangladesh, Nepal, and Pakistan, respectively. Inequity in utilizing facility-based delivery was observed for women in the highest wealth quintile. Participants from Urban areas, educated, middle and upper household economic status, and with high antenatal care (ANC) visits were significantly associated with facility-based delivery in all three countries. Interestingly, watching TV was also found as a strong determinant for facility-based delivery in Bangladesh (aOR = 1.31, 95% CI:1.09-1.56, P = 0.003), Nepal (aOR = 1.42, 95% CI:1.20-1.67, P<0.001) and Pakistan (aOR = 1.17, 95% CI: 1.03-1.32, P = 0.013). Higher education of husband was a significant predictor for facility delivery in Bangladesh (aOR = 1.73, 95% CI:1.27-2.35, P = 0.001) and Pakistan (aOR = 1.19, 95% CI: 0.99-1.43, P = 0.065); husband's occupation was also a significant factor in Bangladesh (aOR = 1.30, 95% CI:1.04-1.61, P = 0.020) and Nepal (aOR = 1.26, 95% CI:1.01-1.58, P = 0.041). Conclusion Our findings suggest that the educational status of both women and their husbands, household economic situation, and the number of ANC visits influenced the place of delivery. There is an urgent need to promote facility delivery by building more birthing facilities, training and deployment of skilled birth attendants in rural and hard-to-reach areas, ensuring compulsory female education for all women, encouraging more ANC visits, and providing financial incentives for facility deliveries. There is a need to promote facility delivery by encouraging health facility visits through utilizing social networks and continuing mass media campaigns. Ensuring adequate Government funding for free maternal and newborn health care and local community involvement is crucial for reducing maternal and neonatal mortality and achieving sustainable development goals in this region. © 2021 Rahman et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. *Please note that there are multiple authors for this article therefore only the name of the first 5 including Federation University Australia affiliate “Muhammad Rahman” is provided in this record**
- Authors: Rahman, Ms Ashfikur , Rahman, Muhammad Aziz , Rawal, Lal , Paudel, Mohan , Howlader, Md Hasan
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: PLoS ONE Vol. 16, no. 4 April (2021), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Background High maternal mortality is still a significant public health challenge in many countries of the South-Asian region. The majority of maternal deaths occur due to pregnancy and deliveryrelated complications, which can mostly be prevented by safe facility delivery. Due to the paucity of existing evidence, our study aimed to examine the factors associated with place of delivery, including women's preferences for such in three selected South-Asian countries. Methods We extracted data from the most recent demographic and health surveys (DHS) conducted in Bangladesh (2014), Nepal (2016), and Pakistan (2017-18) and analyzed to identify the association between the outcome variable and socio-demographic characteristics. A total of 16,429 women from Bangladesh (4278; mean age 24.57 years), Nepal (3962; mean age 26.35 years), and Pakistan (8189; mean age 29.57 years) were included in this study. Following descriptive analyses, bivariate and multivariate logistic regressions were conducted. Results Overall, the prevalence of facility-based delivery was 40%, 62%, and 69% in Bangladesh, Nepal, and Pakistan, respectively. Inequity in utilizing facility-based delivery was observed for women in the highest wealth quintile. Participants from Urban areas, educated, middle and upper household economic status, and with high antenatal care (ANC) visits were significantly associated with facility-based delivery in all three countries. Interestingly, watching TV was also found as a strong determinant for facility-based delivery in Bangladesh (aOR = 1.31, 95% CI:1.09-1.56, P = 0.003), Nepal (aOR = 1.42, 95% CI:1.20-1.67, P<0.001) and Pakistan (aOR = 1.17, 95% CI: 1.03-1.32, P = 0.013). Higher education of husband was a significant predictor for facility delivery in Bangladesh (aOR = 1.73, 95% CI:1.27-2.35, P = 0.001) and Pakistan (aOR = 1.19, 95% CI: 0.99-1.43, P = 0.065); husband's occupation was also a significant factor in Bangladesh (aOR = 1.30, 95% CI:1.04-1.61, P = 0.020) and Nepal (aOR = 1.26, 95% CI:1.01-1.58, P = 0.041). Conclusion Our findings suggest that the educational status of both women and their husbands, household economic situation, and the number of ANC visits influenced the place of delivery. There is an urgent need to promote facility delivery by building more birthing facilities, training and deployment of skilled birth attendants in rural and hard-to-reach areas, ensuring compulsory female education for all women, encouraging more ANC visits, and providing financial incentives for facility deliveries. There is a need to promote facility delivery by encouraging health facility visits through utilizing social networks and continuing mass media campaigns. Ensuring adequate Government funding for free maternal and newborn health care and local community involvement is crucial for reducing maternal and neonatal mortality and achieving sustainable development goals in this region. © 2021 Rahman et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. *Please note that there are multiple authors for this article therefore only the name of the first 5 including Federation University Australia affiliate “Muhammad Rahman” is provided in this record**
Healthy waterways and ecologically sustainable cities in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei urban agglomeration (northern China) : challenges and future directions
- Kattel, Giri, Reeves, Jessica, Western, Andrew, Zhang, Wenjing, Dowling, Kim
- Authors: Kattel, Giri , Reeves, Jessica , Western, Andrew , Zhang, Wenjing , Dowling, Kim
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Water Vol. 8, no. 2 (2021), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: The cities across the northern dry region of China are exposed to multiple sustainability challenges. Beijing-Hebei-Tianjin (BTH) urban agglomeration, for example, experiences severe water shortages due to rapidly expanding urban populations, industrial use, and irrigation-intensive agriculture. Climate change has further threatened water resources security. Overuse of water resources to meet the demand of various water sectors has far-reaching health and environmental implications including ecosystem sustainability. Surface water and groundwater pollution present public health risks. Despite the extraordinary policies and efforts being made and implemented by the Government of China, the BTH region currently lacks coordination among stakeholders leading to poor water governance. Consultation among scientists, engineers and stakeholders on regional water security issues is crucial and must be frequent and inclusive. An international symposium was held in Shijiazhuang in early November 2019 to identify some of the key water security challenges and scope of an idealized future eco-city in the region by developing a sustainability framework. This work drew on experiences from across China and beyond. Scientists agree that integration of science, technology, and governance within an appropriate policy framework was particularly significant for combating the issue of water insecurity, including in the region's newly developed city, Xiong'an New Area. An emerging concept, “Healthy Waterways and Ecologically Sustainable Cities” which integrates social, ecological and hydrological systems and acts as an important pathway for sustainability in the 21st century was proposed in the symposium to tackle the problems in the region. This high level biophysical and cultural concept empowers development goals and promotes human health and wellbeing. The framework on healthy waterways and ecologically sustainable cities can overcome sustainability challenges by resolving water resource management issues in BTH in a holistic way. To implement the concept, we strongly recommend the utilization of evidence-based scientific research and institutional cooperation including national and international collaborations to achieve the Healthy Waterways and Ecologically Sustainable Cities goal in the BTH in future. This article is categorized under: Water and Life > Conservation, Management, and Awareness. © 2020 Wiley Periodicals LLC. **Please note that there are multiple authors for this article therefore only the name of the first 5 including Federation University Australia affiliate “Giri Kattel, Jessica Reeves and Kim Dowling” is provided in this record**
- Authors: Kattel, Giri , Reeves, Jessica , Western, Andrew , Zhang, Wenjing , Dowling, Kim
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Water Vol. 8, no. 2 (2021), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: The cities across the northern dry region of China are exposed to multiple sustainability challenges. Beijing-Hebei-Tianjin (BTH) urban agglomeration, for example, experiences severe water shortages due to rapidly expanding urban populations, industrial use, and irrigation-intensive agriculture. Climate change has further threatened water resources security. Overuse of water resources to meet the demand of various water sectors has far-reaching health and environmental implications including ecosystem sustainability. Surface water and groundwater pollution present public health risks. Despite the extraordinary policies and efforts being made and implemented by the Government of China, the BTH region currently lacks coordination among stakeholders leading to poor water governance. Consultation among scientists, engineers and stakeholders on regional water security issues is crucial and must be frequent and inclusive. An international symposium was held in Shijiazhuang in early November 2019 to identify some of the key water security challenges and scope of an idealized future eco-city in the region by developing a sustainability framework. This work drew on experiences from across China and beyond. Scientists agree that integration of science, technology, and governance within an appropriate policy framework was particularly significant for combating the issue of water insecurity, including in the region's newly developed city, Xiong'an New Area. An emerging concept, “Healthy Waterways and Ecologically Sustainable Cities” which integrates social, ecological and hydrological systems and acts as an important pathway for sustainability in the 21st century was proposed in the symposium to tackle the problems in the region. This high level biophysical and cultural concept empowers development goals and promotes human health and wellbeing. The framework on healthy waterways and ecologically sustainable cities can overcome sustainability challenges by resolving water resource management issues in BTH in a holistic way. To implement the concept, we strongly recommend the utilization of evidence-based scientific research and institutional cooperation including national and international collaborations to achieve the Healthy Waterways and Ecologically Sustainable Cities goal in the BTH in future. This article is categorized under: Water and Life > Conservation, Management, and Awareness. © 2020 Wiley Periodicals LLC. **Please note that there are multiple authors for this article therefore only the name of the first 5 including Federation University Australia affiliate “Giri Kattel, Jessica Reeves and Kim Dowling” is provided in this record**
Identifying tobacco retailers in the absence of a licensing system : lessons from Australia
- Baker, John, Masood, Mohd, Rahman, Muhammad Aziz, Thornton, Lukar, Begg, Stephen
- Authors: Baker, John , Masood, Mohd , Rahman, Muhammad Aziz , Thornton, Lukar , Begg, Stephen
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Tobacco Control Vol. 31, no. 4 (2021), p. 543-548
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: ObjectivesTo estimate the proportion of retailers that sell tobacco in the absence of appropriate local government oversight, and to describe the characteristics by which they differ from those that can expect to receive such oversight.MethodsA database of listed tobacco retailers was obtained from a regional Victorian local government. Potential unlisted tobacco retailers were added using online searches, and attempts to visit all retailers were undertaken. GPS coordinates and sales type information of retailers that sold tobacco were recorded and attached to neighbourhood-level data on socioeconomic disadvantage and smoking prevalence using ArcMap. Logistic regression analyses, χ2 tests and t-tests were undertaken to explore differences in numbers of listed and unlisted retailers by business and neighbourhood-level characteristics.ResultsOf 125 confirmed tobacco retailers, 43.2% were trading potentially without government oversight. Significant differences were found between listed and unlisted retailers by primary business type (p<0.001), and sales type (p<0.001) but not by the other characteristics.ConclusionsThe database of tobacco retailers was inaccurate in two ways: (1) a number of listed retailers no longer operated or sold tobacco, and (2) 43.2% of businesses confirmed as selling tobacco were missing. As no form of licensing system exists in Victoria, it is difficult to identify the number of retailers operating, or to determine how many receive formal regulatory oversight. A positive licensing system is recommended to regulate the sale of tobacco and to generate a comprehensive database of retailers, similar to that which exists for food registration, gaming and liquor-licensed premises.
- Authors: Baker, John , Masood, Mohd , Rahman, Muhammad Aziz , Thornton, Lukar , Begg, Stephen
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Tobacco Control Vol. 31, no. 4 (2021), p. 543-548
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: ObjectivesTo estimate the proportion of retailers that sell tobacco in the absence of appropriate local government oversight, and to describe the characteristics by which they differ from those that can expect to receive such oversight.MethodsA database of listed tobacco retailers was obtained from a regional Victorian local government. Potential unlisted tobacco retailers were added using online searches, and attempts to visit all retailers were undertaken. GPS coordinates and sales type information of retailers that sold tobacco were recorded and attached to neighbourhood-level data on socioeconomic disadvantage and smoking prevalence using ArcMap. Logistic regression analyses, χ2 tests and t-tests were undertaken to explore differences in numbers of listed and unlisted retailers by business and neighbourhood-level characteristics.ResultsOf 125 confirmed tobacco retailers, 43.2% were trading potentially without government oversight. Significant differences were found between listed and unlisted retailers by primary business type (p<0.001), and sales type (p<0.001) but not by the other characteristics.ConclusionsThe database of tobacco retailers was inaccurate in two ways: (1) a number of listed retailers no longer operated or sold tobacco, and (2) 43.2% of businesses confirmed as selling tobacco were missing. As no form of licensing system exists in Victoria, it is difficult to identify the number of retailers operating, or to determine how many receive formal regulatory oversight. A positive licensing system is recommended to regulate the sale of tobacco and to generate a comprehensive database of retailers, similar to that which exists for food registration, gaming and liquor-licensed premises.
Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on mobility in ten countries and associated perceived risk for all transport modes
- Barbieri, Diego, Lou, Baowen, Passavanti, Marco, Hui, Cang, Lam, Louisa
- Authors: Barbieri, Diego , Lou, Baowen , Passavanti, Marco , Hui, Cang , Lam, Louisa
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: PLoS ONE Vol. 16, no. 2 (2021), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: The restrictive measures implemented in response to the COVID-19 pandemic have triggered sudden massive changes to travel behaviors of people all around the world. This study examines the individual mobility patterns for all transport modes (walk, bicycle, motorcycle, car driven alone, car driven in company, bus, subway, tram, train, airplane) before and during the restrictions adopted in ten countries on six continents: Australia, Brazil, China, Ghana, India, Iran, Italy, Norway, South Africa and the United States. This cross-country study also aims at understanding the predictors of protective behaviors related to the transport sector and COVID-19. Findings hinge upon an online survey conducted in May 2020 (N = 9,394). The empirical results quantify tremendous disruptions for both commuting and non-commuting travels, highlighting substantial reductions in the frequency of all types of trips and use of all modes. In terms of potential virus spread, airplanes and buses are perceived to be the riskiest transport modes, while avoidance of public transport is consistently found across the countries. According to the Protection Motivation Theory, the study sheds new light on the fact that two indicators, namely income inequality, expressed as Gini index, and the reported number of deaths due to COVID-19 per 100,000 inhabitants, aggravate respondents’ perceptions. This research indicates that socio-economic inequality and morbidity are not only related to actual health risks, as well documented in the relevant literature, but also to the perceived risks. These findings document the global impact of the COVID-19 crisis as well as provide guidance for transportation practitioners in developing future strategies. © 2021 Barbieri et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. *Please note that there are multiple authors for this article therefore only the name of the first 5 including Federation University Australia affiliate “Louisa Lam” is provided in this record**
- Authors: Barbieri, Diego , Lou, Baowen , Passavanti, Marco , Hui, Cang , Lam, Louisa
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: PLoS ONE Vol. 16, no. 2 (2021), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: The restrictive measures implemented in response to the COVID-19 pandemic have triggered sudden massive changes to travel behaviors of people all around the world. This study examines the individual mobility patterns for all transport modes (walk, bicycle, motorcycle, car driven alone, car driven in company, bus, subway, tram, train, airplane) before and during the restrictions adopted in ten countries on six continents: Australia, Brazil, China, Ghana, India, Iran, Italy, Norway, South Africa and the United States. This cross-country study also aims at understanding the predictors of protective behaviors related to the transport sector and COVID-19. Findings hinge upon an online survey conducted in May 2020 (N = 9,394). The empirical results quantify tremendous disruptions for both commuting and non-commuting travels, highlighting substantial reductions in the frequency of all types of trips and use of all modes. In terms of potential virus spread, airplanes and buses are perceived to be the riskiest transport modes, while avoidance of public transport is consistently found across the countries. According to the Protection Motivation Theory, the study sheds new light on the fact that two indicators, namely income inequality, expressed as Gini index, and the reported number of deaths due to COVID-19 per 100,000 inhabitants, aggravate respondents’ perceptions. This research indicates that socio-economic inequality and morbidity are not only related to actual health risks, as well documented in the relevant literature, but also to the perceived risks. These findings document the global impact of the COVID-19 crisis as well as provide guidance for transportation practitioners in developing future strategies. © 2021 Barbieri et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. *Please note that there are multiple authors for this article therefore only the name of the first 5 including Federation University Australia affiliate “Louisa Lam” is provided in this record**
Impact of domestic travel restrictions on transmission of COVID-19 infection using public transportation network approach
- Murano, Yayoi, Ueno, Ryo, Shi, Shoi, Kawashima, Takayuki, Nguyen, Huy
- Authors: Murano, Yayoi , Ueno, Ryo , Shi, Shoi , Kawashima, Takayuki , Nguyen, Huy
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Scientific Reports Vol. 11, no. 1 (2021), p.
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- Description: The international spread of COVID-19 infection has attracted global attention, but the impact of local or domestic travel restriction on public transportation network remains unclear. Passenger volume data for the domestic public transportation network in Japan and the time at which the first confirmed COVID-19 case was observed in each prefecture were extracted from public data sources. A survival approach in which a hazard was modeled as a function of the closeness centrality on the network was utilized to estimate the risk of importation of COVID-19 in each prefecture. A total of 46 prefectures with imported cases were identified. Hypothetical scenario analyses indicated that both strategies of locking down the metropolitan areas and restricting domestic airline travel would be equally effective in reducing the risk of importation of COVID-19. While caution is necessary that the data were limited to June 2020 when the pandemic was in its initial stage and that no other virus spreading routes have been considered, domestic travel restrictions were effective to prevent the spread of COVID-19 on public transportation network in Japan. Instead of lockdown that might seriously damage the economy, milder travel restrictions could have the similar impact on controlling the domestic transmission of COVID-19. © 2021, The Author(s).
- Authors: Murano, Yayoi , Ueno, Ryo , Shi, Shoi , Kawashima, Takayuki , Nguyen, Huy
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Scientific Reports Vol. 11, no. 1 (2021), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: The international spread of COVID-19 infection has attracted global attention, but the impact of local or domestic travel restriction on public transportation network remains unclear. Passenger volume data for the domestic public transportation network in Japan and the time at which the first confirmed COVID-19 case was observed in each prefecture were extracted from public data sources. A survival approach in which a hazard was modeled as a function of the closeness centrality on the network was utilized to estimate the risk of importation of COVID-19 in each prefecture. A total of 46 prefectures with imported cases were identified. Hypothetical scenario analyses indicated that both strategies of locking down the metropolitan areas and restricting domestic airline travel would be equally effective in reducing the risk of importation of COVID-19. While caution is necessary that the data were limited to June 2020 when the pandemic was in its initial stage and that no other virus spreading routes have been considered, domestic travel restrictions were effective to prevent the spread of COVID-19 on public transportation network in Japan. Instead of lockdown that might seriously damage the economy, milder travel restrictions could have the similar impact on controlling the domestic transmission of COVID-19. © 2021, The Author(s).
Indoor emission sources detection by pollutants interaction analysis
- Pang, Shaoning, Song, Lei, Sarrafzadeh, Abdolhossein, Coulson, Guy, Longley, Ian, Olivares, Gustavo
- Authors: Pang, Shaoning , Song, Lei , Sarrafzadeh, Abdolhossein , Coulson, Guy , Longley, Ian , Olivares, Gustavo
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Applied Sciences (Switzerland) Vol. 11, no. 16 (2021), p.
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- Description: This study employs the correlation coefficients technique to support emission sources detection for indoor environments. Unlike existing methods analyzing merely primary pollution, we consider alternatively the secondary pollution (i.e., chemical reactions between pollutants in addition to pollutant level), and calculate intra pollutants correlation coefficients for characterizing and distinguishing emission events. Extensive experiments show that seven major indoor emission sources are identified by the proposed method, including (1) frying canola oil on electric hob, (2) frying olive oil on an electric hob, (3) frying olive oil on a gas hob, (4) spray of household pesticide, (5) lighting a cigarette and allowing it to smoulder, (6) no activities, and (7) venting session. Furthermore, our method improves the detection accuracy by a support vector machine compared to without data filtering and applying typical feature extraction methods such as PCA and LDA. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
- Authors: Pang, Shaoning , Song, Lei , Sarrafzadeh, Abdolhossein , Coulson, Guy , Longley, Ian , Olivares, Gustavo
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Applied Sciences (Switzerland) Vol. 11, no. 16 (2021), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: This study employs the correlation coefficients technique to support emission sources detection for indoor environments. Unlike existing methods analyzing merely primary pollution, we consider alternatively the secondary pollution (i.e., chemical reactions between pollutants in addition to pollutant level), and calculate intra pollutants correlation coefficients for characterizing and distinguishing emission events. Extensive experiments show that seven major indoor emission sources are identified by the proposed method, including (1) frying canola oil on electric hob, (2) frying olive oil on an electric hob, (3) frying olive oil on a gas hob, (4) spray of household pesticide, (5) lighting a cigarette and allowing it to smoulder, (6) no activities, and (7) venting session. Furthermore, our method improves the detection accuracy by a support vector machine compared to without data filtering and applying typical feature extraction methods such as PCA and LDA. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
Kallistatin limits abdominal aortic aneurysm by attenuating generation of reactive oxygen species and apoptosis
- Krishna, Smriti, Li, Jiaze, Wang, Yutang, Moran, Corey, Trollope, Alexandra
- Authors: Krishna, Smriti , Li, Jiaze , Wang, Yutang , Moran, Corey , Trollope, Alexandra
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Scientific Reports Vol. 11, no. 1 (2021), p.
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- Description: Inflammation, vascular smooth muscle cell apoptosis and oxidative stress are believed to play important roles in abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) pathogenesis. Human kallistatin (KAL; gene SERPINA4) is a serine proteinase inhibitor previously shown to inhibit inflammation, apoptosis and oxidative stress. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of KAL in AAA through studies in experimental mouse models and patients. Serum KAL concentration was negatively associated with the diagnosis and growth of human AAA. Transgenic overexpression of the human KAL gene (KS-Tg) or administration of recombinant human KAL (rhKAL) inhibited AAA in the calcium phosphate (CaPO4) and subcutaneous angiotensin II (AngII) infusion mouse models. Upregulation of KAL in both models resulted in reduction in the severity of aortic elastin degradation, reduced markers of oxidative stress and less vascular smooth muscle apoptosis within the aorta. Administration of rhKAL to vascular smooth muscle cells incubated in the presence of AngII or in human AAA thrombus-conditioned media reduced apoptosis and downregulated markers of oxidative stress. These effects of KAL were associated with upregulation of Sirtuin 1 activity within the aortas of both KS-Tg mice and rodents receiving rhKAL. These results suggest KAL-Sirtuin 1 signalling limits aortic wall remodelling and aneurysm development through reductions in oxidative stress and vascular smooth muscle cell apoptosis. Upregulating KAL may be a novel therapeutic strategy for AAA. © 2021, The Author(s).
- Authors: Krishna, Smriti , Li, Jiaze , Wang, Yutang , Moran, Corey , Trollope, Alexandra
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Scientific Reports Vol. 11, no. 1 (2021), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Inflammation, vascular smooth muscle cell apoptosis and oxidative stress are believed to play important roles in abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) pathogenesis. Human kallistatin (KAL; gene SERPINA4) is a serine proteinase inhibitor previously shown to inhibit inflammation, apoptosis and oxidative stress. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of KAL in AAA through studies in experimental mouse models and patients. Serum KAL concentration was negatively associated with the diagnosis and growth of human AAA. Transgenic overexpression of the human KAL gene (KS-Tg) or administration of recombinant human KAL (rhKAL) inhibited AAA in the calcium phosphate (CaPO4) and subcutaneous angiotensin II (AngII) infusion mouse models. Upregulation of KAL in both models resulted in reduction in the severity of aortic elastin degradation, reduced markers of oxidative stress and less vascular smooth muscle apoptosis within the aorta. Administration of rhKAL to vascular smooth muscle cells incubated in the presence of AngII or in human AAA thrombus-conditioned media reduced apoptosis and downregulated markers of oxidative stress. These effects of KAL were associated with upregulation of Sirtuin 1 activity within the aortas of both KS-Tg mice and rodents receiving rhKAL. These results suggest KAL-Sirtuin 1 signalling limits aortic wall remodelling and aneurysm development through reductions in oxidative stress and vascular smooth muscle cell apoptosis. Upregulating KAL may be a novel therapeutic strategy for AAA. © 2021, The Author(s).