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A literature review of the COVID-19 pandemic’s effect on sustainable HRM

- Liang, Xiaoyan, Zhang, Xiwei, Paulet, Renee, Zheng, Leven

  • Authors: Liang, Xiaoyan , Zhang, Xiwei , Paulet, Renee , Zheng, Leven
  • Date: 2022
  • Type: Text , Journal article , Review
  • Relation: Sustainability (Switzerland) Vol. 14, no. 5 (2022), p.
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  • Description: The ramifications of the COVID-19 pandemic continue to emerge across all facets of the world of work, including the field of human resource management (HRM). Sustainable HRM, drawing on the triple bottom line elements of the economic, environmental and social pillars of sustainability, provides an ideal basis from which to understand the intersection of the COVID-19 pandemic and HRM. In this systematic literature review, we analyze peer reviewed articles published in the nexus of the pandemic and sustainable HRM, identifying the dimensions and extent of research in this topical area of study. Our CEDEL model—complicator–exposer–disruptor–enabler– legitimizer—conceptualizes our understanding of the role of COVID-19 in sustainable HRM. This paper provides a framework from which future studies can benefit when investigating the impacts of COVID-19, and a comprehensive identification of future research avenues. © 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.

A review of sediment carbon sampling methods in mangroves and their broader impacts on stock estimates for blue carbon ecosystems

- Fest, Benedikt, Swearer, Stephen, Arndt, Stefan

  • Authors: Fest, Benedikt , Swearer, Stephen , Arndt, Stefan
  • Date: 2022
  • Type: Text , Journal article , Review
  • Relation: Science of the Total Environment Vol. 816, no. (2022), p.
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  • Description: Blue carbon ecosystems (BCEs), such as mangroves, tidal marshes, and seagrasses, are attracting interest for their potential to mitigate climate change arising from their high rates of carbon accumulation and the significant carbon stocks in their sediments. However, current sediment carbon sampling methods present a mixture of approaches adopted from paleoenvironmental methods focused on historical reconstruction of carbon accumulation, and from soil science methods developed to provide highly accurate and spatially representative carbon stock measurements. Currently, no international standard method for sediment carbon stock analysis exists. Consequently, current estimates of sediment carbon stock values for BCEs may have large uncertainties due to variable methodology. We reviewed and analysed the methods used 217 studies included in two recent global syntheses of carbon stocks in mangrove forest ecosystems to illustrate a lack of consistency in sediment sampling. We then outline how the choice of study design and field sampling methods can introduce inaccuracies and uncertainties in sediment carbon stock analysis. We conclude with examples of how each of these challenges can be resolved and how greater carbon stock quantification accuracy and higher spatial integration can be achieved for blue carbon ecosystems in the future. © 2021 Elsevier B.V.

A study on environmental issues of blasting using advanced support vector machine algorithms

- Chen, Lihua, Armaghani, Danial, Fakharian, Pouyan, Bhatawdekar, Ramesh, Samui, P., Khandelwal, Manoj, Khedher, Khaled

  • Authors: Chen, Lihua , Armaghani, Danial , Fakharian, Pouyan , Bhatawdekar, Ramesh , Samui, P. , Khandelwal, Manoj , Khedher, Khaled
  • Date: 2022
  • Type: Text , Journal article
  • Relation: International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology Vol. 19, no. 7 (2022), p. 6221-6240
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  • Description: Air overpressure is a critical negative effect of blasting in construction or production sites and projects. So far, many attempts have been made to prevent or reduce this negative effect on the nearby construction, equipment, or people. While various experiential equations have been proposed to forecast the air overpressure value for determining the blasting area, these models are typically inaccurate and impractical. Due to the recent efforts to predict the air overpressure by employing artificial intelligence techniques, this study developed five support vector machine-based models optimized by some praised optimization techniques, including the moth flame optimization, particle swarm optimization, grey wolf optimization, cuckoo optimization algorithm, and whale optimization algorithm. These algorithms optimize the most important parameters of the support vector machine, including “C” and “gamma”, and improve the performance of this model for air overpressure prediction. The findings showed that the moth flame optimization algorithm is the best optimizer for support vector machine and is suitable for air overpressure prediction. The support vector machine–moth flame optimization model achieved the best R2 (train: 0.9939; test: 0.9941) and comprehensive score (34). On the other hand, the worst model was the support vector machine–particle swarm optimization, which achieved the lowest comprehensive score (13). In addition, all optimization techniques improved the performance of the single support vector machine model. The findings of this study imply that all optimization techniques successfully enhanced the performance of the support vector machine model; however, the moth flame optimization optimizer was the most effective one. The support vector machine–moth flame optimization technique can be employed to solve other mining-related issues. © 2022, Islamic Azad University (IAU). Correction to: A study on environmental issues of blasting using advanced support vector machine algorithms (International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology, (2022), 19, 7, (6221-6240), 10.1007/s13762-022-03999-y): The original version of this article unfortunately contains two mistakes. The spelling of the third author's name was incorrect. The correct name is Pouyan Fakharian (P. Fakharian). Another error was in the acknowledgment section. The correct Grant No. is KJQN202103415. © The Author(s) under exclusive licence to Iranian Society of Environmentalists (IRSEN) and Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University 2022

Air pollution perception in ten countries during the COVID-19 pandemic

- Lou, Baowen, Barbieri, Diego, Passavanti, Marco, Hui, Cang, Gupta, Akshay, Hoff, Inge, Lessa, Daniela, Sikka, Gaurav, Chang, Kevin, Fang, Kevin, Lam, Louisa, Maharaj, Brij, Ghasemi, Navid, Qiao, Yaning, Adomako, Solomon, Foroutan Mirhosseini, Ali, Naik, Bhaven, Banerjee, Arunabha, Wang, Fusong, Tucker, Andrew, Liu, Zhuangzhuanga, Wijayaratna, Kasunt, Naseri, Sahra, Yu, Lei, Chen, Hao, Shu, Benan, Goswami, Shubham, Peprah, Prince, Hessami, Amir, Abbas, Montasir, Agarwal, Nithin

CHIEF : clustering With higher-order motifs in big networks

- Xia, Feng, Yu, Shuo, Liu, Chengfei, Li, Jianxin, Lee, Ivan

  • Authors: Xia, Feng , Yu, Shuo , Liu, Chengfei , Li, Jianxin , Lee, Ivan
  • Date: 2022
  • Type: Text , Journal article
  • Relation: IEEE Transactions on Network Science and Engineering Vol. 9, no. 3 (2022), p. 990-1005
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  • Description: Clustering network vertices is an enabler of various applications such as social computing and Internet of Things. However, challenges arise for clustering when networks increase in scale. This paper proposes CHIEF (Clustering with HIgher-ordEr motiFs), a solution which consists of two motif clustering techniques: standard acceleration CHIEF-ST and approximate acceleration CHIEF-AP. Both algorithms firstly find the maximal $k$-edge-connected subgraphs within the target networks to lower the network scale by optimizing the network structure with maximal $k$-edge-connected subgraphs, and then use heterogeneous four-node motifs clustering in higher-order dense networks. For CHIEF-ST, we illustrate that all target motifs will be kept after this procedure when the minimum node degree of the target motif is equal or greater than $k$. For CHIEF-AP, we prove that the eigenvalues of the adjacency matrix and the Laplacian matrix are relatively stable after this step. CHIEF offers an improved efficiency of motif clustering for big networks, and it verifies higher-order motif significance. Experiments on real and synthetic networks demonstrate that the proposed solutions outperform baseline approaches in large network analysis, and higher-order motifs outperform traditional triangle motifs in clustering. © 2022 IEEE Computer Society. All rights reserved.

Declining tropical cyclone frequency under global warming

- Chand, Savin, Walsh, Kevin, Camargo, Suzana, Kossin, James, Tory, Kevin, Wehner, Michael, Chan, Johnny, Klotzbach, Philip, Dowdy, Andrew, Bell, Samuel, Ramsay, Hamish, Murakami, Hiroyuki

  • Authors: Chand, Savin , Walsh, Kevin , Camargo, Suzana , Kossin, James , Tory, Kevin , Wehner, Michael , Chan, Johnny , Klotzbach, Philip , Dowdy, Andrew , Bell, Samuel , Ramsay, Hamish , Murakami, Hiroyuki
  • Date: 2022
  • Type: Text , Journal article
  • Relation: Nature Climate Change Vol. 12, no. 7 (2022), p. 655-661
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  • Description: Assessing the role of anthropogenic warming from temporally inhomogeneous historical data in the presence of large natural variability is difficult and has caused conflicting conclusions on detection and attribution of tropical cyclone (TC) trends. Here, using a reconstructed long-term proxy of annual TC numbers together with high-resolution climate model experiments, we show robust declining trends in the annual number of TCs at global and regional scales during the twentieth century. The Twentieth Century Reanalysis (20CR) dataset is used for reconstruction because, compared with other reanalyses, it assimilates only sea-level pressure fields rather than utilize all available observations in the troposphere, making it less sensitive to temporal inhomogeneities in the observations. It can also capture TC signatures from the pre-satellite era reasonably well. The declining trends found are consistent with the twentieth century weakening of the Hadley and Walker circulations, which make conditions for TC formation less favourable. © 2022, The Author(s).

Electronic cigarettes or vaping : are there any differences in the profiles, use and perceptions between a developed and a developing country?

- Rahman, Muhammad Aziz, Joseph, Bindu, Nimmi, Naima

  • Authors: Rahman, Muhammad Aziz , Joseph, Bindu , Nimmi, Naima
  • Date: 2022
  • Type: Text , Journal article
  • Relation: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health Vol. 19, no. 3 (2022), p.
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  • Description: The use of electronic cigarettes or vaping is currently increasing in popularity globally. Debate continues regarding their potential role for smoking cessation. We aimed to compare the profiles, use and perceptions of using e-cigarettes amongst online forum users in a developed and a developing country. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among members of different popular online forums in Australia and Bangladesh who were current or ex-users of e-cigarettes. There were 422 study participants, 261 (62%) from Australia and 161 (38%) from Bangladesh. The mean age was 36.3 (±12) years and 83% were men. Australians were more likely to be exclusive users of e-cigarettes (70% vs. 30%, AOR 3.05 [95% CI 1.63–5.71]), but less likely to be dual users of smoking and e-cigarettes (43% vs. 57%, 0.36 [0.19–0.69]); they were also more likely to mention that the perceived reasons for using were their low cost, good taste/flavour, safety and assistance in reducing or quitting smoking (66% vs. 34%, 5.10 [2.04–12.8]), but less likely to mention a social/cool image as a reason for use (23% vs. 77%, 0.11 [0.01–0.87]) compared with Bangladeshi participants. About two-thirds of the participants in both countries perceived the use of e-cigarettes as less addictive than cigarettes and more than three-quarters perceived them as less harmful. E-cigarette users in Australia were more likely to use them to reduce or quit cigarettes compared with those in Bangladesh, and dual use was common in Bangladesh. These findings warrant the consideration of precautions for promoting e-cigarettes as a harm reduction strategy for smoking cessation in developing countries, such as Bangladesh. © 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.

Evaluating a peer-led wellbeing programme for doctors-in-training during the COVID-19 pandemic in Victoria, Australia, using the most significant change technique

- Crinall, Karen, Ward, Madeleine, McDonald, Rebecca, Crinall, William, Aridas, James, Rolnik, Daniel

  • Authors: Crinall, Karen , Ward, Madeleine , McDonald, Rebecca , Crinall, William , Aridas, James , Rolnik, Daniel
  • Date: 2022
  • Type: Text , Journal article
  • Relation: Evaluation Journal of Australasia Vol. 22, no. 2 (2022), p. 90-107
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  • Description: This article discusses the use of the Most Significant Change (MSC) technique in a mixed-methods evaluation of a pilot wellbeing programme for obstetrics and gynaecology doctors-in-training introduced at a large public hospital during Melbourne, Australia’s second coronavirus (COVID-19) lockdown, which occurred from 7 July to 26 October 2020. The evaluation was conducted remotely using videoconferencing technology, to conform with pandemic restrictions. MSC complemented the program’s participatory principles and was chosen because it seeks to learn about participants’ perceptions of programme impacts by evaluating their stories of significant change. Stakeholders select one story exemplifying the most significant change resulting from the evaluated program. Inductive thematic analysis of all stories is combined with reasons for making the selection, to inform learnings (Dart & Davies, 2003; Tonkin et al., 2021). Nine stories of change were included in the selection. The most significant change was a more supportive workplace culture brought about by enabling basic needs to be met and breaking down hierarchical barriers. This was linked to five interconnected themes – connection, caring, communication, confidence and cooperation. The evaluation learnings are explored and reflections on remotely conducting MSC evaluation are shared. © The Author(s) 2022.

Incidence, mortality, and factors associated with primary postpartum haemorrhage following in-hospital births in northwest Ethiopia

- Tiruneh, Bewket, Fooladi, Ensieh, McLelland, Gayle, Plummer, Virginia

  • Authors: Tiruneh, Bewket , Fooladi, Ensieh , McLelland, Gayle , Plummer, Virginia
  • Date: 2022
  • Type: Text , Journal article
  • Relation: PLoS ONE Vol. 17, no. 4 (2022), p.
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  • Description: Background Of the 1010 reported maternal deaths in 2018, just over 65% occurred in hospitals in Ethiopia. However, there is a lack of standardised data about the contributing factors. This study aimed to investigate the incidence, mortality, and factors associated with primary postpartum haemorrhage following in-hospital births in northwest Ethiopia. Methods A retrospective cohort design was used; an audit of 1060 maternity care logbooks of adult women post-partum at Felege Hiwot Referral Hospital and University of Gondar Comprehensive Specialized Hospital. The data were abstracted between December 2018 and May 2019 using a systematic random sampling technique. We used the Facility Based Maternal Death Abstraction Form containing sociodemographic characteristics, women’s medical history, and partographs. Primary postpartum haemorrhage was defined as the estimated blood loss recorded by the staff greater or equal to 500 ml for vaginal births and 1000 ml for caesarean section births, or the medical doctor diagnosis and recording of the woman as having primary postpartum haemorrhage. The data analysis was undertaken using Stata version 15. Variables with P 0.10 for significance were selected to run multivariable logistic analyses. Variables that had associations with primary postpartum haemorrhage were identified based on the odds ratio, with 95% confidence interval (CI) and P-value less than 0.05. Results The incidence of primary postpartum haemorrhage in the hospitals was 8.8% (95% CI: 7.2, 10.6). Of these, there were 7.4% (95% CI: 2.1, 13.3) maternal deaths. Eight predictor variables were found to be independently associated with primary postpartum haemorrhage, including age 35 years (AOR: 2.20; 95% CI: 1.08, 4.46; P = 0.03), longer than 24 hours duration of labour (AOR: 7.18; 95% CI: 2.73, 18.90; P = 0.01), vaginal or cervical lacerations (AOR: 4.95; 95% CI: 2.49, 9.86; P = 0.01), instrumental (forceps or vacuum)-assisted birth (AOR: 2.92; 95% CI: 1.25, 6.81; P = 0.01), retained placenta (AOR: 21.83; 95% CI: 6.33, 75.20; P = 0.01), antepartum haemorrhage in recent pregnancy (AOR: 6.90; 95% CI: 3.43, 13. 84; p = 0.01), women in labour referred from primary health centres (AOR: 2.48; 95% CI: 1.39, 4.42; P = 0.02), and births managed by medical interns (AOR: 2.90; 95% CI: 1.55, 5.37; P = 0.01). Conclusion We found that while the incidence of primary postpartum haemorrhage appeared to be lower than in other studies in Africa the associated maternal mortality was higher. Although most factors associated with primary postpartum haemorrhage were consistent with those identified in the literature, two additional specific factors, were found to be prevalent among women in Ethiopia; the factors were referred women in labour from primary health facilities and births managed by medical interns. Maternal healthcare providers in these hospitals require training on the management of a birthing emergency. © 2022 Tiruneh 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.

Investigating the relationship between human activity and the urban heat island effect in Melbourne and four other international cities impacted by COVID-19

- Wai, Cheuk, Muttil, Nitin, Tariq, Muhammad, Paresi, Prudvireddy, Nnachi, R, Ng, A. W. M.

  • Authors: Wai, Cheuk , Muttil, Nitin , Tariq, Muhammad , Paresi, Prudvireddy , Nnachi, R , Ng, A. W. M.
  • Date: 2022
  • Type: Text , Journal article
  • Relation: Sustainability (Switzerland) Vol. 14, no. 1 (2022), p.
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  • Description: Climate change is one of the biggest challenges of our times, even before the onset of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. One of the main contributors to climate change is greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, which are mostly caused by human activities such as the burning of fossil fuels. As the lockdown due to the pandemic has minimised human activity in major cities, GHG emissions have been reduced. This, in turn, is expected to lead to a reduction in the urban heat island (UHI) effect in the cities. The aim of this paper is to understand the relationship between human activity and the UHI intensity and to provide recommendations towards developing a sustainable approach to minimise the UHI effect and improve urban resilience. In this study, historical records of the monthly mean of daily maximum surface air temperatures collected from official weather stations in Melbourne, New York City, Tokyo, Dublin, and Oslo were used to estimate the UHI intensity in these cities. The results showed that factors such as global climate and geographic features could dominate the overall temperature. However, a direct relationship between COVID-19 lockdown timelines and the UHI intensity was observed, which suggests that a reduction in human activity can diminish the UHI intensity. As lockdowns due to COVID-19 are only temporary events, this study also provides recommendations to urban planners towards long-term measures to mitigate the UHI effect, which can be implemented when human activity returns to normal. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.

Late non-fasting plasma glucose predicts cardiovascular mortality independent of hemoglobin A1c

- Wang, Yutang, Fang, Yan

  • Authors: Wang, Yutang , Fang, Yan
  • Date: 2022
  • Type: Text , Journal article
  • Relation: Scientific Reports Vol. 12, no. 1 (2022), p.
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  • Description: It is unknown whether non-fasting plasma glucose (PG) is associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality. This study aimed to investigate this association in US adults. This study included adults from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys from 1988 to 2014. Mortality outcomes were ascertained by linkage to the National Death Index records. Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of PG for CVD mortality. Among 34,907 participants, 1956, 5564, and 27,387 had PG from participants in early non-fasting, late non-fasting, and fasting states, respectively (defined as a period since last calorie intake of 0–2.9, 3.0–7.9, or

Multiproxy approach to track changes in the ecological condition of wetlands in the Gunbower Forest, a Ramsar site

- Mall, Neeraj, Gell, Peter, Kattel, Giri, Gadd, Patricia, Zawadzki, Atun

  • Authors: Mall, Neeraj , Gell, Peter , Kattel, Giri , Gadd, Patricia , Zawadzki, Atun
  • Date: 2022
  • Type: Text , Journal article
  • Relation: Marine and Freshwater Research Vol. 73, no. 10 (2022), p. 1196-1211
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  • Description: Gunbower Forest is bordered by the Murray River and Gunbower Creek and hosts several floodplain wetlands listed under the Ramsar Convention. Sediment cores were retrieved from three wetlands to trace changes to their ecological state over time. The basal sediments of the wetlands date back to the beginning of river regulation in the 1930s, suggesting that only after then were they inundated sufficiently often to allow for net sediment accumulation. The diatoms preserved in the lower levels of all cores suggest clear, freshwater conditions prevailed during that period. Increased sediment and nutrient loads are inferred by increased epiphytic forms and nutrient indicators. Over recent decades the wetlands have transitioned to plankton dominance, reflecting greater connectivity to the river and distributary, and a reduced light environment. This pattern resembles to that recorded both upstream and downstream, suggesting a regional-scale change in the wetlands of the southern Murray-Darling Basin. © CSIRO 2022.

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.
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  • 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.
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  • 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.
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  • 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).

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.
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  • 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.

The Importance of the koala in Aboriginal society in nineteenth-century Queensland (Australia) : a reconsideration of the archival record

- 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
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  • 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 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.
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  • 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.

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.
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  • 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.
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  • 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.