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In 2001, a study into issues of concern to assistant-in-nursing, registered and enrolled nurse members of the Queensland Nurses Union was undertaken. Approximately equal numbers of nurses from each of the aged care, acute private and acute public sectors were surveyed. Overall, 1477 nurses responded, representing a response rate of 53%. This article focuses on one aspect of the study—the perceived adequacy of support offered to new nursing graduates as they exit university and begin their transition into the workplace. In particular, responses from nurses are compared with professional level or current role designation, age, time spent in the workplace and health sector. Considerable divergence of opinion among the respondents, particularly across designation, age and years of experience, was found within the three sectors. For example, in the public and private employment sectors, older and more experienced nurses were more likely to perceive the support for new nurses as adequate compared to younger and less experienced nurses. Additionally, in the acute private sector, the more senior the nurse the more likely the perception that there was adequate preparation for new graduates entering the workforce. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Up to a half of motor vehicle suicides may be unreported. • Unreported and confirmed cases of motor vehicle suicide share many common factors. • Unreported cases of motor vehicle suicide had a higher prevalence of females and multiple vehicle truck impacts compared to confirmed cases. • Information pertaining to the driver's psychosocial history is missing or unavailable in many coroners reports of driver fatalities. • A standardised procedure for conducting a psychological autopsy for motor vehicle suicide, may increase the accuracy of reporting the cause of such crashes. While suicide is recognised as one of the leading causes of death in Australia, it is often presumed that fatal road crashes are primarily accidental in nature. However, international research has indicated that deliberate attempts at self-harm while driving may account for between 1.1% and 7.4% of road crashes. Despite the personal and financial costs associated with such events, few studies have examined the extent of motor vehicle suicides (MVS) or the circumstances surrounding such incidents in Australia. Given this, the current study reviewed coronial, police and toxicology findings of 762 motor vehicle fatalities in Queensland (Australia) during the period 2011 to 2015 to determine the frequency of confirmed cases and explore the prevalence (and characteristics) of possible MVS that remain undetected. In total, 22 confirmed cases were identified, and such events shared significant similarities with 14 possible events, including evidence of recent emotional upset, adversity and mental health diagnoses. In contrast, differences between the groups were limited to confirmed cases being more likely to involve males and contain a suicide note or evidence of past suicidality, while possible cases were more likely to involve a multiple vehicle impact with a truck. Importantly, crucial information regarding the deceased's psychological state and life circumstances (e.g., psychological autopsy) was not reported in many cases. Corresponding qualitative analysis of the coroners final determination (between the two groups) revealed the occurrence of the word suicide to occur seven times (31.8%) among confirmed cases and five times (35.7%) for possible casers. Furthermore, the coroners final determination of intent to suicide was open or undetermined in six of the possible cases (43%), which further suggests a reluctance (or procedural uncertainty) to categorically identify MVS. The paper further reviews the main findings, illuminates core challenges associated with identifying MVS and proposes a need for future investigations to incorporate a more standardised and evidence-based approach in order to effectively identify such events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is an historical archaeological examination of the socioeconomic relations of the Chinese and European communities of Cooktown in north Queensland during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. It looks at the social landscape and production, exchange and consumption of material culture to show that the Chinese were not a disengaged group, as depicted in conventional understandings of colonial life, but integral to the town's socioeconomic fabric. This close relationship arose out of a process of negotiation between Chinese and Europeans which responded to the strengths, weaknesses and resources of their individual business networks, and the particular conditions of Cooktown's frontier environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this guest editor's introduction to this thematic volume on the historical archaeology of Queensland, Australia, I briefly discuss some of the history and archaeology of Queensland in light of some of the major themes currently being investigated. The papers presented in this volume are also introduced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mount Shamrock township was one of the earliest gold mining towns in the Upper Burnett district of Queensland, Australia. A study of the township and associated industrial area demonstrates the integration of town and mine in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. This paper examines the relative permanence of the mining settlement and reveals a multifaceted landscape influenced not only by miners but by the women, children and other non-mining residents operating within distinct social and administrative frameworks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ability of historical archaeology to make a significant contribution to our understanding of Queensland's recent past is hindered by factors including few practitioners, limited publications about historical archaeological research and a need to establish its relevance beyond the archaeological community. There exists great opportunities in Queensland for researchers to explore a diverse range of research topics of which only some are beginning to be investigated through historical archaeological enquiry. This paper investigates the current state of the discipline in Queensland, the challenges practitioners face today and into the future, and the avenues down which historical archaeologists may make significant contributions to our understanding of Queensland's recent past. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Vocational Education and Training (VET) is an essential tool for providing waste management and recycling workers with the necessary skills and knowledge needed to beneficially influence their own employment and career development; and to also ensure productivity and safe working conditions within the organisations in which they are employed. Current training opportunities within Queensland for the sector are limited and not widely communicated or marketed; with other States, particularly Victoria and New South Wales, realising higher numbers of VET enrollments for waste management courses. This paper presents current VET opportunities and trends for the Queensland waste management sector. Results from a facilitated workshop to identify workforce requirements and future training needs organised by the Waste Contractors and Recyclers Association of Queensland (WCRAQ) are also presented and discussion follows on the future training needs of the industry within Queensland. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The greyback canegrub, Dermolepida albohirtum, is a major sugarcane pest that occurs between Mossman to Sarina in Queensland, Australia. Over a period of more than 100 years, BSES Limited has conducted extensive field and laboratory studies on this pest species and information is available in several reports, articles and scientific papers. This document summarises much of the published work on D. albohirtum as well as anecdotal observations on its biology, ecology and management. D. albohirtum has an annual life cycle, and adult beetles usually lay eggs in cane crops around December-January, by which time the crop has become well advanced making pesticide application difficult. Hence, fields that require chemical treatment need to be carefully selected prior to beetle flights and egg laying. To assist in field selection, a prediction system is currently being developed to ensure that chemicals are strategically applied in areas likely to receive grub damage. Knowledge of the life cycle and population dynamics of this pest is essential in developing robust forecast systems. This document is designed to serve as a comprehensive reference for both researchers and cane growers seeking detailed information on the biology, ecology and management of this pest species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper contains a description of a new species of oribatid mite, Birobates hepaticolus sp. nov., from eucalypt woodland and rainforest in North Queensland, Australia. Adults and immatures of B. hepaticolus live completely enclosed within the ventral lobules of the corticolous liverwort Frullania ferdinandi-muelleri Steph. The ventral lobes provide a protected, moisture-buffered microhabitat on tree bark that would otherwise be subject to extremes of wetting and drying. Analysis of gut contents indicates that B. hepaticolus appears to feed on liverwort tissue. To our knowledge this is the first documented example of an association between an oribatid mite and a leafy liverwort based on the provision of food and habitat. The genus Birobates is redefined and diagnosed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Jakeman et al. (Jakeman, A.J., Letcher, R.A., Norton, J.P., 2006. Ten iterative steps in development and evaluation of environmental models. Environmental Modelling & Software 21, 602–614) outline ten steps in the pursuit of good practice in model development and application to increase the credibility and impact of results from environmental models. This paper shows how the ten steps of model development are relevant to numerical groundwater modelling, using a model of a data-rich coastal groundwater system near Bowen in Queensland, Australia as an example. The model is Geographic Information System-based and estimates the dynamical water balance using Darcy''s Law. The method, which is generally applicable to data-rich aquifers, proved cost and time effective and provided important insights to the groundwater dynamics of the area. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The retrieval of tree and forest structural attributes from Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) data has focused largely on utilising canopy height models, but these have proved only partially useful for mapping and attributing stems in complex, multi-layered forests. As a complementary approach, this paper presents a new index, termed the Height-Scaled Crown Openness Index (HSCOI), which provides a quantitative measure of the relative penetration of LiDAR pulses into the canopy. The HSCOI was developed from small footprint discrete return LiDAR data acquired over mixed species woodlands and open forests near Injune, Queensland, Australia, and allowed individual trees to be located (including those in the sub-canopy) and attributed with height using relationships (r 2 =0.81, RMSE=1.85 m, n =115; 4 outliers removed) established with field data. A threshold contour of the HSCOI surface that encompassed ∼90% of LiDAR vegetation returns also facilitated mapping of forest areas, delineation of tree crowns and clusters, and estimation of canopy cover. At a stand level, tree density compared well with field measurements (r 2 =0.82, RMSE=133 stems ha−1, n =30), with the most consistent results observed for stem densities ≤700 stems ha−1. By combining information extracted from both the HSCOI and the canopy height model, predominant stem height (r 2 =0.91, RMSE=0.77 m, n =30), crown cover (r 2 =0.78, RMSE=9.25%, n =30), and Foliage & Branch Projective Cover (FBPC; r 2 =0.89, RMSE=5.49%, n =30) were estimated to levels sufficient for inventory of woodland and open forest structural types. When the approach was applied to forests in north east Victoria, stem density and crown cover were reliably estimated for forests with a structure similar to those observed in Queensland, but less so for forests of greater height and canopy closure. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]