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Special Feature that lists the names of people involved in the review of technical papers for the IEEE Transactions on Industry Applications and Industry Applications Magazine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper draws together critical learnings from diverse qualitative health research projects in Australia that sought to shift power and focus on the strengths and expertise of people with lived experience who are involved as co-researchers. These projects have included exploring and challenging identities, understanding experiences in treatment programs, critiquing and designing/re-designing services, and sharing experiences with the wider community in novel and innovative ways. Lived experiences included alcohol and other drug dependency, mental health, domestic, family or sexual violence, and living with HIV. This paper provides important learnings and actions about partnering with co-researchers with lived experience. In this paper we draw on a process of reflective discussions that occurred over six months with fortnightly online meetings between co-researchers, including co-authors with lived experience external to academia and university-based researchers, some of whom also have lived-experience that intersects with their research. From this, we distilled key learnings across seven themes: (1) the ethics of ethics, which highlights a need for constant reflection on the ethical issues in co-research; (2) recruiting co-researchers, which focuses on ensuring and integrating a diversity of voices; (3) creating safety for all, which must be a priority of engagement and support self-determination; (4) supporting different ways of partnering, which emphasises the need for diverse roles and ways to contribute on research teams; (5) capacity building and training, which requires ongoing evaluation of needs and tailored responses; (6) positioning, which highlights the need to transition from the idea of vulnerability to a strengths-based perspective of lived experience; and (7) power plays, reflecting the need to disrupt the dynamics and established hierarchies of privileging certain forms of knowledge and expertise. The paper includes recommendations for action against these seven themes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Australia, like in several of the Nordic countries, truth commissions (TCs) are becoming part of the political and educational landscape. These developments are related to a global phenomenon over the past 40-odd years, where states are examining their relations to minority groups and/or Indigenous people, including acknowledging historical mistreatment and addressing remaining injustices. A common aim of these processes is to spread knowledge to the broader public via institutions for education. This paper focuses on ongoing TC processes in the Australian and Nordic contexts, with a specific focus on their potential consequences for teacher education (TE). By addressing barriers and possibilities on systemic, institutional, and practical levels of TE, the paper aims to develop an understanding of (1) how new knowledge produced through TCs meets the organization of teacher training; possible ways for TE to respond to new requirements; and (2) of the pedagogical and didactical challenges that might entail. The main argument is that a closer professional dialogue is needed between scholars engaged in TCs and TEs for TE to better respond to the requirements of TCs and for TCs to better recognize conditions for organizing TE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Despite the extensive benefits associated with the provision of comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) within a school context, many initial teacher training programs inadequately prepare pre-service teachers to deliver this content. Programs that do provide such instruction do not routinely share details of their curriculum, syllabi, or evaluation data. Methods: This paper outlines the structure of an Australian undergraduate course for pre-service teachers that focuses on instruction in CSE. This course spans twelve teaching weeks, aligns with evidence-based principles for sexuality education, prioritises experiential learning and requires students to complete authentic, practical assessment tasks. Formative, process, and short-term impact evaluation data, based upon five years of delivery, are described. Results: Students completing this course reported statistically significant improvements in attitudes associated with CSE and comfort in facilitating all domains of learning (knowledge, attitudes, skills). Conclusions: Positive process and short-term impact data provide strong evidence for the provision of CSE to pre-service teachers, regardless of future teaching speciality. Proposed amendments include the creation of a fully online tuition pattern and an expansion of content to incorporate other audiences, such as community-based educators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Racialised and culturally distinct refugee groups increasingly face hostilities and negative representations in countries of resettlment. The experience of African refugee youth in Australia illustrates this general trend. This paper explores how racial Othering discourse seriously undermines the group's wellbeing. The article concentrates in particular on two aspects of relational wellbeing, the capacity to move in public without fear or shame and the ability to feel a sense of belonging to the place where one lives in. Theoretically, the paper draws together work on wellbeing from a capability approach and relational perspective with interdisciplinary literature on racial Othering. Empirically, the paper demonstrates the pervasive culture of racial Othering through media identifications of African youth with criminality and gang violence and illustrates impacts on young people's wellbeing through data from interviews with African refugee youth. The youth's accounts show how it feels to be a problem and what it means not to belong. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Forest Fire Danger Index (FFDI) is the main measure used in Australia for estimating fire risk. Recent work by the authors showed that the FFDI forms stable state regimes, nominated as fire climate regimes. These regimes shifted to greater intensity in southern and eastern Australia around the year 2000 and, a decade later, further north. Reductions in atmospheric moisture were the primary contributor. These changes have not been fully incorporated into future projections. This paper compares the recent regime shifts with the most recent national projections of FFDI, published in 2015. They show that for most states and regions, the 2030 upper limit is approached or exceeded by the recent shift, except for two states with large arid zones, South Australia and Western Australia. Methods for attributing past changes, constructing projections, and the inability of climate models to reproduce the recent decreases in atmospheric moisture, all contribute to these underestimates. To address these shortcomings, we make some suggestions to modify efforts aiming to develop seamless predictions and projections of future fire risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Australia is a member of many multilateral trade bodies and engages in trade agreements of a multilateral and bilateral kind across most regions. In June 2018, it launched negotiations for a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the European Union (EU) which are still ongoing and since then Australia and the EU have conducted fifteen rounds of negotiations (last one on 28 May 2023 in Brussels). This paper aims to explore the business awareness of the EU amongst Australian small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and to analyse the factors that influence their internationalisation. To ascertain this, we reviewed the results of two surveys1 that were conducted pre- and post-COVID-19 pandemic (also coinciding with the Brexit transition period). This paper argues that SMEs in Australia are essentially unaware of the EU as a market and that no significant change in the business perception of the EU and potential international trade opportunities occurred between the pre- and post-COVID-19 political contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon farming presents an opportunity for the land sector to generate income and transition to more sustainable land management practices. In Australia, establishing a carbon project and earning carbon credits is complex, with project proponents needing to satisfy eligibility requirements and adhere to rigorous measurement, verification, and reporting protocols of approved methods. To address these challenges, a human centered design (HCD) approach was used to deliver a digital solution, serving landowners' needs related to method discovery and reconfiguring how the methodological and scientific complexity of abatement potentials was delivered. The solution, called LOOC-C (pronounced "Look-see"), supports the discovery of abatement methods that are available for a given land area and provides an initial estimate of the potential quantum of carbon sequestered/emitted and the nature of co-benefits associated with each eligible method. Reporting on LOOC-C development and its observed impact demonstrates the role that human centered digital tools have in promoting land management actions that are both sustainable and reasonable to undertake. It equally demonstrates the power of integrating environmental market and user requirements with a robust design methodology. With similar opportunities in environmental markets globally, additional applications of an HCD approach are proposed. In 2012, the Australian government established the Emissions Reduction Fund (ERF) to reward landowners (via awarding Australian Carbon Credit Units, or ACCUs) for the implementation of management practices that either sequester carbon and/or reduce emissions of greenhouse gases. Rigorous eligibility and method requirements are intended to provide confidence in abatement outcomes, but they introduce significant complexity that participants must overcome. 11 years later, uncertainties in the implementation and ACCU generation potential of ERF projects and implications on productivity/co-benefits have limited uptake and the quantum of ACCU generation of land sector enterprises. Digital tools that support the discovery of options and provide estimated potential outcomes, such as the LOOC-C tool described in this paper (), can generate interest and empowerment, helping to initiate decisions toward market participation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This review aimed to better understand barriers to and facilitators of the professional integration of internationally qualified nurses (IQNs) in Australia. Background: Nursing shortages are a critical global issue, including developed countries such as Australia, where about 20% of the nursing workforce has been trained overseas. IQNs face many challenges associated with the migration process itself; and their professional integration is crucial in retaining them in the workforce and in maintaining the quality of nursing care in Australia. Study design and methods: This review followed the JBI methodology for mixed methods systematic review. Web of Sciences, Scopus, Informit, ProQuest, Ovid, and Cinahl databases were searched from inception. Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods original studies, published in English, were considered. Screening, data extraction and quality assessment were conducted independently by two reviewers. The assessment of methodological quality used the JBI Qualitative Checklist and Checklist for Analytical Cross-Sectional studies, and the data were extracted using the JBI data extraction tool. Disagreements were resolved by a third researcher and the synthesis used a convergent integrated approach. Results: From an initial 110 studies, eight studies were included. Individual and social factors emerged as the main themes. The first theme was analysed in terms of two sub-themes: psychological adaptation plus communication and language. Social factors were analysed in terms of three sub-themes: a) cultural differences in the nursing role; b) support, mentoring and appreciation and c) discrimination and racism. Discussion: psychological adaptation and language proficiency are linked to personal factors. Cultural differences in the nursing role should be addressed with strong support and mentoring programs. Recognition of previous experience and appreciation of pre-existing skills are important facilitators. Discriminatory and racist behaviours continue in the work setting, yet are rarely reported. Conclusion: Discrimination and racism from colleagues, co-workers, and patients should be addressed with a more direct approach than is currently in place. Training of locally and internationally qualified nurses in intraprofessional cultural competence may improve interaction and communication, reduce racism and discriminatory practices, and increase quality of care. Implications for research, policy, and practice: This research may be of interest to policy makers, healthcare educators, healthcare workforce planners and healthcare institutions. This study contributes to our understanding of the phenomena of nurse migration, retention, and professional integration, especially in high income countries. It is also a call to address the persistence of discriminatory and racist practices in the Australian context, as well as the education in intraprofessional cultural competence of some local nurses who work with IQNs. What is already known about the topic? • High-income countries like Australia rely on the attraction and retention of IQNs to meet their health outcomes. • Personal characteristics, language proficiency, support and mentoring programs are strong facilitators for IQNs' professional integration. • The persistence of discriminatory and racist practices are barriers to integration of IQNs in Australia. What this paper adds: • In Australia discrimination and racism continue to be dominant barriers to IQNs' professional integration. • It is crucial to improve the reporting of situations involving discrimination and racism and discuss further consequences for patients, visitors, and co-workers. • It is essential to promote training programs in intraprofessional cultural competence, and to focus on working with IQNs, as well as caring for patients from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Voltage rise caused by high levels of distributed generation is manifesting as voltage regulation challenges for many electricity network service providers. In this environment it would be ideal to reduce supply voltage magnitudes, however, many network operators are hesitant to do so due to concerns related to consumer appliance performance at reduced supply voltage magnitudes. Voltage regulation requirements are defined by network standards and network service providers must ensure voltages remain within specified limits. Through an evaluation of domestic appliance performance when supplied at various voltage magnitudes, this paper examines the impact of varying voltage levels on residential appliances. Equipment energy demand, operation and actuation were monitored for each applied voltage magnitude. While no equipment failures were recorded, appliance behaviour varied significantly with applied voltage magnitude. Individual appliance conservation voltage reduction (CVR) factors have also been established. The results highlight the importance of good voltage regulation and provide substantiated appliance performance figures for future studies. The outcomes of this paper allow electricity network service providers to understand the implications of supply voltage magnitude on domestic appliance performance, whether it be understating of the impact of higher voltage magnitudes caused by distributed generation or implications of reducing voltage magnitudes to provide headroom for distributed generation integration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previously published studies on Australia's energy security did not examine the country's domestic energy security situation in tandem with its international energy statecraft. This paper fills this research gap. In order to provide a robust analysis of a country's strategic options in the energy sector, it is paramount to balance domestic and international dimensions, along with internal and external factors. The paper utilizes the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) method to review Australia's strategic options by balancing the inward-looking, domestic risk minimization dimension (energy security), with the outward-looking, international power projection dimension (energy statecraft). The paper also applies the 4A framework (availability, accessibility, affordability, and acceptance) to assess Australia's energy security performance. On the one hand, the results demonstrate that Australia has many strengths and opportunities as a reliable and stable energy supplier, endowed with traditional and renewable energy resources, and critical minerals. On the other hand, numerous internal weaknesses and external threats may affect Australia's strategic options in the future. The most pressing issue is the historical lack of strategic government intervention in the energy market, which has, paradoxically, resulted in domestic energy accessibility and affordability crisis. The market-based approach is also the main reason why Australia has not transformed its energy resources into capabilities to be used as instruments of statecraft. The paper uses the SWOT analysis and the 4A assessment as the basis for discussion on how Australia can transform its energy sector weaknesses and threats into strengths and opportunities, to benefit the national interest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fredrik Barth called attention to two ways ritually transmitted knowledge gains value: knowledge he associated with the figure of the 'Guru' valued for being widely shared versus knowledge associated with the figure of the 'conjurer' or 'initiator' valued for the opposite reason. In this article, I argue that there is another kind of ritual knowledge-transmitter who holds an appropriately 'in-between' position: the spirit medium. During 'demonstrations', mediums in the Spiritualist tradition offer signs from the spirit world for their audiences to recognise in relation to their deceased loved ones. Whereas Gurus (in Barth's typology) are likely to be storytellers and conjurers are not, mediums are distinct for telling what I call 'protonarratives'. Protonarratives are character sketches joined with allusions to events or signs that suggest stories. They are not narrative in form, but can evoke stories that live in listeners' memories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Estimating depth from RGB images is a long-standing ill-posed problem, which has been explored for decades by the computer vision, graphics, and machine learning communities. Among the existing techniques, stereo matching remains one of the most widely used in the literature due to its strong connection to the human binocular system. Traditionally, stereo-based depth estimation has been addressed through matching hand-crafted features across multiple images. Despite the extensive amount of research, these traditional techniques still suffer in the presence of highly textured areas, large uniform regions, and occlusions. Motivated by their growing success in solving various 2D and 3D vision problems, deep learning for stereo-based depth estimation has attracted a growing interest from the community, with more than 150 papers published in this area between 2014 and 2019. This new generation of methods has demonstrated a significant leap in performance, enabling applications such as autonomous driving and augmented reality. In this paper, we provide a comprehensive survey of this new and continuously growing field of research, summarize the most commonly used pipelines, and discuss their benefits and limitations. In retrospect of what has been achieved so far, we also conjecture what the future may hold for deep learning-based stereo for depth estimation research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry globally has a long history of prudently adopting novel technologies to improve products and services. Yet the rapid development of digital technology currently taking place is threatening to produce a more disruptive inflection, or substantial jolt. This paper explores the state of readiness of the AEC industry for such anticipated transformation. We illustrate our conceptual arguments with evidence from an explorative study across a sample of AEC organizations in Australia. At the core of this paper, we offer six provocations that highlight what we consider major challenges for the AEC industry—across multiple levels of analysis—related to the increasing role of digital technology. We then turn to lessons learned from other industries in order to propose a framework consisting of four leadership thinking schemas to enable digital transformation readiness: future thinking, strategic thinking, capability thinking, and experimental thinking. For these four schemas, we present practices and initiatives that may help AEC firms to better adapt—or to proactively create and shape a sustainable future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: As the Australian population grows and ages, the demand for eye care services, and nurses to provide the services, is expected to increase. This will impact nurses, who are Australia's largest health-care provider group. Understanding and mapping the current role and use of nurses in eye care is an essential first step for future health workforce planning and development. To map their engagement, we undertook a scoping review to gain an understanding of the current Australian nurse eye care workforce landscape, to help guide and support future workforce development activities. Secondly, we evaluated if publications in this field incorporated or mentioned the Australian Ophthalmic Nursing Association's National Standards (Practice standards) in their publication. This review also offers other nations and eye care providers the opportunity to evaluate their own health workforce plan and nurse utility. Study Design and Methods: We conducted a review of academic and grey literature, via various search engines, and an inclusion and exclusion criteria. Results: We uncovered 11 publications. Of those, five were academic papers examining extended and advanced nursing practice, one was a letter to the editor, two were industry feature reviews, two were industry reports and the final was the Practice Standards. Key themes throughout indicated the benefit of nurse training and nurse involvement in eye care. Overall, there was insufficient information or data to describe nurse deployment, practice and utility. Finally, the Practice Standards were not referenced in any publication. Conclusion: There is insufficient published information to calculate the level and involvement of nurses, or describe their existing role, advancement or future deployment in eye care in Australia. Without clear information, Australia is unable to develop effective health workforce strategies to attract, train, retain, and appropriately deploy nurses to meet future eye care needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Twenty years after the birth of medical imaging from Röntgen's 1895 discovery, military authorities understood the advantage of visualising injuries of wounded soldiers and monitoring their treatment. In World War One, medical imaging equipment was difficult to use and had to be operated in challenging environments. The most common use of x‐rays was the imaging of metallic foreign bodies such as bullets and shrapnel lodged within a soldier's body. The need to diagnose, manage war injuries and return soldiers to battle, led to medical imaging innovations including alternate means to record an image, better x‐ray tubes and an early form of tomography. Such technological advancements were made by scientists serving their respective countries. With information sourced from the Australian War Memorial archives, this paper also focusses on the experiences of an Australian wartime radiographer. This investigation demonstrates the importance, sacrifice and skills of men and women who took on the difficult task of medical imaging in the first truly world‐based conflict. It highlights how a new profession and associated technology emerged as an important tool in military medicine. Importantly, our profession's history within the context of military history should be preserved, while also honouring the legacy of individuals who contributed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This paper explores the feasibility of delivering a music festival-based drug checking service in Australia, evaluating service design and stakeholder acceptability. Methods: Questionnaire and interview data were collected from adult service users and key stakeholders. A mixed methods approach was used to analyse the data on implementation, impact and acceptability. Results: The trial service tested 170 substances with more than 230 patrons (including individuals who attended in groups). Adult service users had an average age of 21 years. Voluntary participation in the evaluation resulted in 158 participants completing the pre-service questionnaire, most of whom also completed the post-service (147 participants). Eleven in-depth qualitative interviews were conducted with patrons in the weeks following the drug checking. Concordance between what the patron expected the drug to be and drug checking results occurred in 88 per cent (n = 139) of the sample. Evaluation results show that the experience of testing and the accompanying harm reduction brief interventions positively impacted on patrons' self-reported drug harm reduction knowledge, trust of health providers and stated drug use intentions. The service was received positively by service users. Conclusion: This is the first independent evaluation of a pilot drug checking service in Australia. Consideration of operational feasibility and self-reported behavioural change suggests that the program was successful, although communication about the interpretation of drug checking results could be improved. Future studies should develop strategies for follow-up and consider the applicability of behavioural change theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Globally, tertiary education has been greatly affected by the Covid-19 crisis. In this essay we explore the impact of the pandemic on this educational sector in an Australian setting; specifically, we discuss how the Research School of Population Health at the Australian National University adjusted and adapted to the changing circumstances arising from the pandemic. In this respect, two adjustments (both described in detail in the text) in the way mental health education was delivered at the School were proposed to mitigate the impact of Covid-19 and enhance the university's capacity to provide quality public health education to students. Thus, this essay shows that it is possible to design educational interventions that surmount the challenges posed by the pandemic. In addition, educators may use the examples cited in this paper to guide them to respond appropriately to the challenges that have arisen in terms of health education due to Covid-19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this systematic literature review was to investigate the current understanding of the competencies needed by Engineering Asset Management personnel in local authorities within Australia. During the development of the search string for the literature review, it was found that there were no available peer-reviewed articles on Engineering Asset Management competencies through an Australian local authority lens between January 2010 and December 2019 within the searched databases. Based on this, the search string criteria was re-focused onto Engineer Asset Management competencies within Australia (in general), as the new frame. Using this updated string search, the authors searched several databases (EBSCOHost, Informit, Scopus Informit and Web of Science) for research published in English between January 2010 and December 2019 that detailed the competencies deemed necessary for personnel undertaking Engineering Asset Management activities within the Australian context. Additional records were searched for in relation to the topic, from a range of Engineering and Engineering Management Conferences held between 2010 and 2019. Two hundred and thirty publications were identified through database searches, while eight conference proceedings were identified from the additional conference search. These were initially checked for duplicates, and then subjected to the refinement stage against a detailed review criteria, as per the PRISMA framework checklist process. Four articles progressed through the full PRISMA framework process. Further in-depth reviews of the remaining four papers found that one article was principally focused on the Australian Quality Framework (AQF) certification training processes, while the remaining three papers contained data of competency requirements (and example subjects) for Engineering Asset Management personnel within Australia. This data was collated, and through a deductive qualitative content analysis, was coded into three common themes: (1) Technical skills, (2) Professional skills – internally focused and (3) Professional skills – externally focused. The review process undertaken within this research initially showed that there were no papers within the original search frame of Australian local authorities, while the updated search detailed limited available literature within the general Australian context. This highlights an apparent gap within the available literature for the research topic scope during the period within January 2010 and December 2019. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Recruitment for randomised controlled trials in palliative care can be challenging; disease progression and terminal illness underpin high rates of attrition. Research into participant decision-making in medicinal cannabis randomised controlled trials (RCTs) is very limited. Nesting qualitative sub-studies within RCTs can identify further challenges to participation, informing revisions to study designs and recruitment practices. This paper reports on findings from a qualitative sub-study supporting RCTs of medicinal cannabis for symptom burden relief in patients with advanced cancer in one Australian city.Methods: Semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with 48 patients with advanced cancer, eligible to participate in a medicinal cannabis RCT (n=28 who consented to participate in an RCT; n=20 who declined). An iterative and abductive approach to thematic analysis and data collection fostered exploration of barriers and enablers to participation.Results: Key enablers included participants' enthusiasm and expectations of medicinal cannabis as beneficial (to themselves and future patients) for symptom management, especially after exhausting currently approved options, and a safer alternative to opioids. Some believed medicinal cannabis to have anti-cancer effects. Barriers to participation were the logistical challenges of participating (especially due to driving restrictions and fatigue), reluctance to interfere with an existing care plan, cost, and concerns about receiving the placebo and the uncertainty of the benefit. Some declined due to concerns about side-effects or a desire to continue accessing cannabis independent of the study.Conclusions: The findings support revisions to subsequent medicinal cannabis RCT study designs, namely, omitting a requirement that participants attend weekly hospital appointments. These findings highlight the value of embedding qualitative sub-studies into RCTs. While some challenges to RCT recruitment are universal, others are context (population, intervention, location) specific. A barrier to participation found in research conducted elsewhere-stigma-was not identified in the current study. Thus, findings have important implications for those undertaking RCTs in the rapidly developing context of medical cannabis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A significant contribution to the reduction of carbon emissions will be enabled through the transition from a centralised fossil fuel system to a decentralised, renewable electricity system. However, due to the intermittent nature of renewable energy, storage is required to provide a suitable response to dynamic loads and manage the excess generated electricity with utilisation during periods of low generation. This paper investigates the use of stationary hydrogen-based energy storage systems for microgrids and distributed energy resource systems. An exploratory study was conducted in Australia based on a mixed methodology. Ten Australian industry experts were interviewed to determine use cases for hydrogen-based energy storage systems' requirements, barriers, methods, and recommendations. This study suggests that the current cost of the electrolyser, fuel cell, and storage medium, and the current low round-trip efficiency, are the main elements inhibiting hydrogen-based energy storage systems. Limited industry and practical experience are barriers to the implementation of hydrogen storage systems. Government support could help scale hydrogen-based energy storage systems among early adopters and enablers. Furthermore, collaboration and knowledge sharing could reduce risks, allowing the involvement of more stakeholders. Competition and innovation could ultimately reduce the costs, increasing the uptake of hydrogen storage systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a novel reactive power-based control strategy for single-phase PV inverters (PVIs) to simultaneously improve voltage unbalance (VU) and voltage regulation (VR) in low-voltage distribution networks. The proposed strategy relies on communication links between neighboring PVIs to exchange limited data. In this strategy, each PVI finds communication paths between itself and the closest neighboring ones connected to other phases. Then, using the obtained paths and the maximum and the minimum voltage magnitude of the grid, PVIs improve both VU and VR at the same time. The performance of the proposed control strategy is evaluated by various simulation studies using the IEEE European low-voltage test feeder and considering different operational conditions. In addition, the impacts of moving clouds and a failure in the communication links have been assessed. The simulation results exhibit that using the proposed control strategy, the voltage magnitude of all the nodes will remain within the allowed limits and at the same time, the phase voltage unbalance factor will be also significantly improved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Person re-identification (re-ID) is of great importance to video surveillance systems by estimating the similarity between a pair of cross-camera person shorts. Current methods for estimating such similarity require a large number of labeled samples for supervised training. In this paper, we present a pseudo-pair based self-similarity learning approach for unsupervised person re-ID without human annotations. Unlike conventional unsupervised re-ID methods that use pseudo labels based on global clustering, we construct patch surrogate classes as initial supervision, and propose to assign pseudo labels to images through the pairwise gradient-guided similarity separation. This can cluster images in pseudo pairs, and the pseudos can be updated during training. Based on pseudo pairs, we propose to improve the generalization of similarity function via a novel self-similarity learning:it learns local discriminative features from individual images via intra-similarity, and discovers the patch correspondence across images via inter-similarity. The intra-similarity learning is based on channel attention to detect diverse local features from an image. The inter-similarity learning employs a deformable convolution with a non-local block to align patches for cross-image similarity. Experimental results on several re-ID benchmark datasets demonstrate the superiority of the proposed method over the state-of-the-arts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to explore how first-year university students at a regional university in Australia perceive and use Information Literacy (IL) as they transition from school to university. A survey method was used to gather data through pre- and post-intervention surveys with 1,333 first-year students enrolled in their first semester of study across all disciplines at the university. The study identified that between 25-35% of students did not enjoy reading, with many students preferring not to read. Students arrived at university with largely misguided confidence in their personal IL skills, especially the skills needed to meet the demands of university level coursework, with up to 47% of students unlikely to have experienced well-resourced libraries at school. The study concludes that implications for university teaching include gaining an early understanding of the IL skills students have when they arrive at university, and the explicit teaching of IL skills, given the identified impact of IL skills on student success and retention rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With a higher pH level and being unlikely to erode the tooth, bottled water has been considered a safe alternative to acidic beverages. How-ever, recent studies have reported some bottled water products in different countries to be acidic. The present paper aimed to examine the pH values of 42 bottled waters commercially available in Australia, using a pH meter and probe, and classify their risks to cause erosive tooth wear in comparison with the critical pH of enamel and dentine. Of the 42 bottled water samples collected, 81.0 and 73.8% were considered erosive to tooth dentine and enamel, respectively. Flavoured waters were the most acidic, followed by sparkling waters, spring waters, artesian waters, mineral waters, and alkaline waters. All sparkling waters and flavoured waters showed an erosive risk to the enamel and dentine. A portion of spring waters and artesian waters was also acidic enough to erode tooth structures. The findings of this work were of concern given the risk of sustaining erosive tooth wear from consuming bottled waters. Health promotion strategies including public awareness and education on oral health consequences related to the consumption of bottled water are needed. Future epidemiological and in vivo investigations are also warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Racism has been identified as a major source of injustice and a health burden in Australia and across the world. Despite the surge in Australian quantitative research on the topic, and the increasing recognition of the prevalence and impact of racism in Australian society, the collective evidence base has yet to be comprehensively reviewed or meta-analysed. This protocol describes the first systematic review and meta-analysis of racism in Australia at the national level, focussing on quantitative studies. The current study will considerably improve our understanding of racism, including its manifestations and fluctuation over time, variation across settings and between groups, and associations with health and socio-economic outcomes. Methods: The research will consist of a systematic literature review and meta-analysis. Searches for relevant studies will focus on the social and health science databases CINAHL, PsycINFO, PubMed and Scopus. Two reviewers will independently screen eligible papers for inclusion and extract data from included studies. Studies will be included in the review and meta-analysis where they meet the following criteria: (1) report quantitative empirical research on self-reported racism in Australia, (2) report data on the prevalence of racism, or its association with health (e.g. mental health, physical health, health behaviours) or socio-economic outcomes (e.g. education, employment, income), and (3) report Australian data. Measures of racism will focus on study participants' self-reports, with a separate analysis dedicated to researcher-reported measures, such as segregation and differential outcomes across racial/ethnic groups. Measures of health and socio-economic outcomes will include both self-reports and researcher-reported measures, such as physiological measurements. Existing reviews will be manually searched for additional studies. Study characteristics will be summarised, and a meta-analysis of the prevalence of racism and its associations will be conducted using random effects models and mean weighted effect sizes. Moderation and subgroup analyses will be conducted as well. All analyses will use the software CMA 3.0. Discussion: This study will provide a novel and comprehensive synthesis of the quantitative evidence base on racism in Australia. It will answer questions about the fluctuation of racism over time, its variation across settings and groups, and its relationship with health and socio-economic outcomes. Findings will be discussed in relation to broader debates in this growing field of research and will be widely disseminated to inform anti-racism research, action and policy nationally. Systematic review registration: PROSPERO CRD42021265115. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the results of a research project which investigated permeability prediction for the Precipice Sandstone of the Surat Basin. Machine learning techniques were used for permeability estimation based on multiple wireline logs. This information improves the prediction of CO2 injectivity in this formation. Well logs and core data were collected from 5 boreholes in the Surat Basin, where extensive core data and complete sets of conventional well logs exist for the Precipice Sandstone. Four different machine learning (ML) techniques, including Random Forest (RF), Artificial neural network (ANN), Gradient Boosting Regressor (GBR), and Support Vector Regressor (SVR), were independently trained with a wide range of hyper-parameters to ensure that not only is the best model selected, but also the right combination of model parameters is selected. Cross-validation for 20 different combinations of the seven available input logs was used for this study. Based on the performances in the validation and blind testing phases, the ANN with all seven logs used as input was found to give the best performance in predicting permeability for the Precipice Sandstone with the coefficient of determination (R2) of about 0.93 and 0.87 for the training and blind data sets respectively. Multi-regression analysis also appears to be a successful approach to calculate reservoir permeability for the Precipice Sandstone. Models with a complete set of well logs can generate reservoir permeability with R2 of more than 90%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Recognition of the role of structural, cultural, political and social determinants of health is increasing. A key principle of each of these is self-determination, and according to the United Nations (2007), this is a right of Indigenous Peoples. For First Nations Australians, opportunities to exercise this right appear to be limited. This paper explores First Nations Australian communities' responses to reducing alcohol-related harms and improving the health and well-being of their communities, with a focus on understanding perceptions and experiences of their self-determination. It is noted that while including First Nations Australians in policies is not in and of itself self-determination, recognition of this right in the processes of developing health and alcohol policies is a critical element. This study aims to identify expert opinion on what is needed for First Nations Australians' self-determination in the development of health- and alcohol-related policy.Methods: This study used the Delphi technique to translate an expert panel's opinions into group consensus. Perspectives were sought from First Nations Australians (n = 9) and non-Indigenous Peoples (n = 11) with experience in developing, evaluating and/or advocating for alcohol interventions led by First Nations Australians. Using a web-based survey, this study employed three survey rounds to identify and then gain consensus regarding the elements required for First Nations Australians' self-determination in policy development.Results: Twenty panellists (n = 9 First Nations Australian) participated in at least one of the three surveys. Following the qualitative round 1 survey, six main themes, 60 subthemes and six examples of policy were identified for ranking in round 2. In round 2, consensus was reached with 67% of elements (n = 40/60). Elements that did not reach consensus were repeated in round 3, with additional elements (n = 5). Overall, consensus was reached on two thirds of elements (66%, n = 43/65).Conclusions: Self-determination is complex, with different meaning in each context. Despite some evidence of self-determination, systemic change in many areas is needed, including in government. This study has identified a starting point, with the identification of elements and structural changes necessary to facilitate First Nations Australian community-led policy development approaches, which are vital to ensuring self-determination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the evolution of the ethics committees for health research, their history, membership, and function in China and Australia is described. Investigators in each country compared the history and governance of their ethical systems based on the published evidence rather than personal opinions. Similarly, examples of challenges were selected from the literature. In both countries, the aim was to maximize the social benefits of research and minimize the risk imposed on the participants. Common challenges include maintaining independence, funding and delivering timely ethical reviews of the research projects. These challenges can be difficult where research ethics committees rely on voluntary contributions and lack a strong resource base. They must adapt to the increasingly rapid pace of research as well as the technological sophistication. Population health research can challenge the conventional views of consent and privacy. The principles of the sound ethical review are common in both countries; governance arrangements and operational procedures, however, can differ, reflecting the cultural values and norms of their host countries and in respect of legal environments. By studying the evolution and function of ethics committees in the two countries, we established the differences in the governance and health systems, while similar ethical objectives helped sustain collaborative research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Market and network integration of distributed energy resources can be facilitated by their coordination within a virtual power plant (VPP). However, VPP operation subject to network limits and different market and physical uncertainties is a challenging task. This paper introduces a framework that co-optimizes the VPP provision of multiple market (e.g., energy, reserve), system (e.g., fast frequency response, inertia, upstream reactive power), and local network (e.g., voltage support) services with the aim of maximizing its revenue. To ensure problem tractability, while accommodating the uncertain nature of market prices, local demand, and renewable output and while operating within local network constraints, the framework is broken down into three sequentially coordinated optimization problems. Specifically, a scenario-based robust optimization for day-ahead resource scheduling, with linearized power flows, and two receding horizon optimizations for close-to-real-time dispatch, with a more accurate second-order cone relaxation of the power flows. The results from a real Australian case study demonstrate how the framework enables effective deployment of VPP flexibility to maximize its multi-service value stack, within an uncertain operating environment, and within technical limits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Operational performance in the low-voltage distribution network (LVDN) can be undermined by its inherent unbalances, which may become worse as the penetration of rooftop solar continuously increases. To address this issue, load balancing via phase-reconfiguration devices (PRDs), which can change phase positions of residential customers as required, provides a cost-efficient option. However, most reported approaches to control PRDs require that demands of all residential customers are available, which are not viable for many LVDNs without smart meters or advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) installed. To bridging the gap in this field, this paper proposes a novel method to control PRDs purely based on measurable data from PRDs, and its controller. Based on limited information, sensitivity analysis in the network with PRDs is studied, followed by the optimization model that comprehensively considers operational requirements in the network. Moreover, slack variables are introduced to the model, and penalized in the objective function to assure either a strategy that is secure or with minimized violations can always be provided. The model is a challenging mixed-integer non-convex programming (MINCP) problem, which is reformulated as an efficient solvable mixed-integer second-order cone programming (MISOCP) based on exact reformulations or accurate linear approximations. Simulations based on two modified IEEE systems, and a real system in Australia demonstrate that an efficient strategy can be provided to mitigate unbalances in the network. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the fact that great progress has been made on single image deraining tasks, it is still challenging for existing models to produce satisfactory results directly, and it often requires a single or multiple refinement stages to gradually improve the quality. However, in this paper, we demonstrate that existing image-level refinement with a stage-independent learning design is problematic with the side effect of over/under-deraining. To resolve this issue, we for the first time propose the mechanism of learning to carry out refinement on the unsatisfactory features, and propose a novel attentive feature refinement (AFR) module. Specifically, AFR is designed as a two-branched network for simultaneous rain-distribution-aware attention map learning and attention guided hierarchy-preserving feature refinement. Guided by task-specific attention, coarse features are progressively refined to better model the diversified rainy effects. By using a separable convolution as the basic component, our AFR module introduces little computation overhead and can be readily integrated into most rainy-to-clean image translation networks for achieving better deraining results. By incorporating a series of AFR modules into a general encoder-decoder network, AFR-Net is constructed for deraining and it achieves new state-of-the-art results on both synthetic and real images. Furthermore, by using AFR-Net as a teacher model, we explore the use of knowledge distillation to successfully learn a student model that is also able to achieve state-of-the-art results but with a much faster inference speed (i.e., it only takes 0.08 second to process a $512\times 512$ rainy image). Code and pre-trained models are available at $\langle $ https://github.com/RobinCSIRO/AFR-Net $\rangle $. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The Australian Gold Coast Integrated Care programme trialled a model of care targeting those with chronic and complex conditions at highest risk of hospitalisation with the goal of producing the best patient outcomes at no additional cost to the healthcare system. This paper reports the economic findings of the trial. Methods: A pragmatic non-randomised controlled study assessed differences between patients enrolled in the programme (intervention group) and patients who received usual care (control group), in health service utilisation, including Medicare Benefits Schedule and Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme claims, patient-reported outcome measures, including health-related quality of life, mortality risk, and cost. Results: A total of 1,549 intervention participants were enrolled and matched on the basis of patient level data to 3,042 controls. We found no difference in quality of life between groups, but a greater decrease in capability, social support and satisfaction with care scores and higher hospital service use for the intervention group, leading to a greater cost to the healthcare system of AUD$6,400 per person per year. In addition, the per person per year cost of being in the GCIC programme was AUD$8,700 equating to total healthcare expenditures of AUD$15,100 more for the intervention group than the control group. Conclusion: The GCIC programme did not show value for money, incurring additional costs to the health system and demonstrating no significant improvements in healthrelated quality of life. Because patient recruitment was gradual throughout the trial, we had only one year of complete data for analysis which may be too short a period to determine the true cost-consequences of the program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurately predicting estuaries water quality is essential to support immediate intervention to water quality problem management. Deep learning is used to improve forecasting of water quality parameters in many aquatic systems. However, it is frequently constrained by low data frequency and quality. High-frequency, continuous monitoring using integrated in-situ water quality and environmental sensors can be an input to deep learning models resulting in highly accurate water quality and environmental predictions. This paper proposes a novel approach to improve forecasting of water quality and environmental variables. The results of the real-world data from the Swan Canning Estuary sites show how well the suggested model works. With different sizes of training and testing sets, the model can still predict the increased number of hours in high scores. Eliminating highly correlated variables impact the model's performance, emphasising the usefulness of strongly correlated variables in scarce data scenarios. • This article proposes a framework to enhance water quality variable forecasting. • The framework reframes the time series problem as a supervised learning problem. • The results on the set of data from the estuary show how well the framework works. • The approach is envisaged to support management in detecting water quality issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditional glass bottles are the wine industry's major source of carbon emissions. Those wishing to reduce the carbon footprint embedded in wine have been looking to alternative packaging, such as PET, aluminium cans, and bag-in-box (BIB) to mitigate the impact. However, these alternative formats pose challenges with consumer acceptance and knowledge of the eco-benefits of each format. This paper uses a discrete choice experiment and latent class analysis to investigate the possible effects of message content and style (abstract vs concrete) on wine purchase in the context of brand size, brand prestige, and pricing. The analysis reveals the presence of two customer segments, which highly emphasise the pack format. Of the four non-glass packs tested, BIB and flat glass lookalike PET bottles score the highest preference after glass bottles. Message content and appeal type score low in their ability to alter preferences, whilst mid-to-low prices increase the chances of alternative packaging to be chosen. • Packaging format is a key choice driver for wine. • Glass is still the most preferred packaging format. • Bag in Box and low-carbon alternatives that look most like glass have the most potential for uptake. • Message content and appeal have little impact on choice. • Alternative packaging is more likely to be chosen for mid-to-low-priced wines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water fluoridation is considered a safe and effective public health strategy to improve oral health. This review aimed to systematically summarize the available evidence of water fluoridation in Australia, focusing on the history, health impacts, cost effectiveness, challenges, and limitations. A systematic search was conducted on the Ovid Medline, Web of Science, Scopus, ProQuest Central, Cinahl, and Informit databases to identify literature on water fluoridation in Australia. A grey literature search and backward snowballing were used to capture additional literature. Primary studies, reviews, letters, and opinion papers were included in the quantitative analysis and summarized based on the year of publication and geographical location. The data were extracted from primary studies and summarized under three subheadings: history, community health impacts and the limitations and challenges. Water fluoridation in Australia was first implemented in 1953 in Tasmania. Most states and territories in Australia embraced water fluoridation by 1977 and currently, 89% of the Australian population has access to fluoridated drinking water. Studies report that water fluoridation has reduced dental caries by 26–44% in children, teenagers, and adults, benefiting everyone regardless of age, income, or access to dental care. It has been recognized as a cost-effective intervention to prevent dental caries, especially in rural and low-income areas. Water fluoridation as a public health measure has faced challenges, including political and public opposition, implementation and maintenance costs, access and equity, communication and education, and ethical concerns. Variations in research activities on water fluoridation across Australian states and territories over the last seven decades can be due to several factors, including the time of implementation, funding, and support. Ongoing monitoring and research to review and update optimal fluoride levels in drinking water in Australia is warranted to ensure sustainable benefits on oral health while preventing any adverse impacts. [Display omitted] • Approximately 90% of Australians can access fluoridated drinking water. • Water fluoridation has reduced the prevalence of dental caries by 26%–44% in Australia. • There is still some opposition to fluoridation due to health and ethical concerns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Activism has a substantial role within the specialization of Indigenous Australian public relations. • Indigenous women working in public relations utilize their activist skill set in their personal lives. • There are unique cultural connections between the concepts of Indigeneity, professional activism and personal activism. • Indigenous Australian public relations strategies can involve activism through fashion. The role of activism is important in the field of Indigenous Australian public relations as a strategy for creating change and giving back to Indigenous people and communities. However, there is a dearth of information on how, when, and why Indigenous women employed in public relations engage in activist practices. This paper aims to help fill this gap by exploring the activist practices used by Indigenous women working in public relations in their personal lives. By considering personal activism from the perspectives of Indigenous women in public relations, we can further conceptualize activism within the profession. Through the critical lens of Indigenous women's standpoint theory, and utilizing an Indigenous yarning method, five Indigenous women discuss their definitions of activism and the various ways in which they engage in activism within their personal lives. This paper builds upon the ideas of activism within public relations and demonstrates the power of public relations in terms of influencing social change for Indigenous people and others. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dairy industry can be considered a contributor to biodiversity loss in Australia. To address this, many forms of governance can be enlisted, including traditional legislation and regulations, persuasive techniques such as publicly funded subsidy programs or education, and participation in voluntary stewardship programs. This paper explores the benefits of collaborative governance programs, which have international applications to reduce the impact of the dairy industry on biodiversity loss. However, as the Australian sector is unique, the specific opportunities and present challenges are discussed. This paper reports three important objectives that could underpin industry-led initiatives by supporting improved biodiversity conservation on dairy farms: (1) Increase the personal and financial capacities of individual farmers to operate profitable, biodiverse farms; (2) Facilitate market rewards to incentivise pro-conservation behaviours; and (3) Improve the effectiveness of the implementation of biodiversity protection laws and regulatory objectives via collaborative governance arrangements. Existing environmental programs that have been developed by the dairy industry could be suitable for incorporation into more formal co-governance structures sympathetic to biodiversity conservation. However, to be successful in addressing sustainability issues, including biodiversity loss, strengthening the integrity mechanisms around farmers' self-reporting of performance is required to ensure that the industry can credibly refute claims of greenwashing and defend their environmental credentials in the global marketplace. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prior research has identified both the contribution that people make to nature and the contribution that nature makes to people (by enhancing wellbeing) – with clear conceptual models to describe the interactions. Prior research has also made a clear case for incorporating insights from multiple perspectives and knowledge systems when seeking to better understand this interactive system. What is lacking, is guidance on how to operationalise some of these ideas to provide bespoke advice to environmental managers. Arguably, we have an adequate, albeit imperfect, understanding of how to operationalise (measure, value and/or otherwise account for) some parts of the conceptual model. There is, for example, abundant literature that describes different ways of valuing Ecosystem services, and a growing body of literature that describes and quantifies the ecological benefits of various stewardship activities, which will subsequently also generate an indirect benefit to people (since improved ecological conditions will improve Ecosystem services). In comparison, we know relatively little about the way in which stewardship activities directly benefit people – and it is on this gap that our paper focuses. We partially fill that knowledge gap by first reaching out to and learning from some of Australia's First Nations People. Key learnings underscore the inter-connectedness of the system, and the need for resource managers to not only monitor the extent and condition of natural system but also the extent and condition of an inextricably connected human system, in addition to the human-nature interactions. We clearly identify ways in which those insights can be used to improve and extend accounting frameworks, such as SEEA Ecosystem Accounts developed by the United Nations that are often used by natural resource managers. In so doing, we generate new insights about Indigenous stewardship (Caring for Country) and methods of accounting for and monitoring stewardship activities. As such, our work provides a practical illustration of one way to populate conceptual models with 'real world' data that also incorporates different world views, to support decision makers for improved social and environmental outcomes. • Linear models of nature-human system omit the benefits from people via stewardship. • Piecemeal stewardship activities generate only piecemeal benefits. • Stewardship done the 'right way' benefits the environment AND the people involved. • Stewardship the 'right way' by the right people maximises human wellbeing. • Accounting systems could be enhanced to better show benefits of Caring for Country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental issues are becoming more urgent. Biodiversity loss, climate change, extreme events and global pressures on resources place increasing importance on decision making about how natural resources should be managed. Natural capital accounting (NCA) is gaining popularity as a systematic approach to recognise the full value of natural resources such as soil, vegetation, animals, water, and biodiversity. To understand perceptions and opportunities for awareness and behaviour change relating to the use of NCA, we conducted a discourse analysis of 57 interviews with stakeholders across Australia. Our aim is to promote discussion and reflection about perceptions of natural resources as forms of capital, and the role of NCA to underpin management practice change and support sustainability. We identify four key areas of contestation that relate to values, complexity, digital technology, and the desired future vision of NCA in society. Findings include conflicting views around whether NCA should have a diversity of tailored approaches or a consistent approach for all and that digital technology has and will continue to shape the way NCA is conducted. To our knowledge, this is the first paper to take a discourse analysis approach to perceptions of natural capital accounting. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we assess residents' preferences for different options of large-scale water sensitive urban improvement of a heritage site in Melbourne, the Main Outfall Sewer (MOS) reserve. We use a hedonic pricing analysis and a discrete choice experiment to understand the benefits associated with improving the MOS reserve. We find that there are significant non-market benefits associated with various options, both in terms of the potential to reflect increases in house value and in terms of people's willingness to pay for improvements in amenity and environmental quality. This information will contribute to determining investment options for this important heritage site. Importantly, we demonstrate the combination of the hedonic and stated choice willingness to pay estimates to provide an aggregate estimate of welfare, revealing a useful approach for greenspace valuation applications where multiple non-market values should be considered. • Non-market valuation of improvement options for a decommissioned heritage site in Melbourne. • Hedonic analysis to capture use values of residents living adjacent to the site. • Complementary choice experiment to capture use and non-use values of residents. • An aggregation method proposed to combine values from both methods. • The aggregate benefit of a high-level upgrade could be as high as $152 million (AUD). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study considers the emissions implications of co-combusting imported ammonia in coal-fired power stations. The study adopts a supply chain approach, estimating the emissions reduction potential of 20% ammonia co-combustion in coal-fired power stations in the country of use, and the emissions associated with ammonia production in the country of origin. The paper considers the emissions implications of using different ammonia production technologies: Haber-Bosch (HB) ammonia production with hydrogen generated from steam methane reforming using natural gas (SMR), with and without carbon capture and storage (CCS); Haber-Bosch ammonia production with hydrogen generated from renewable sources; and fully renewable electricity generated ammonia. The empirical setting of the study is an ammonia supply chain encompassing Japan and Australia. The results show co-combustion of ammonia produced with SMR-HB provides no net benefit for the combined country emissions, as ammonia production related greenhouse emissions in Australia are equivalent to the emission reductions in Japan. In contrast, co-firing ammonia produced from fully renewable sources reduces emissions in the two countries in 2030 by 43 MT per annum. SMR-HB processes with varying levels of CCS reduce annual emissions by 16–34 MT. Based on the results, different policy options are suggested for managing the emissions associated with a Japan-Australia ammonia supply chain. • Japan actively pursuing ammonia/coal co-combustion to reduce power sector greenhouse gas emissions. • An Australia-Japan ammonia supply is examined at a country boundary emissions basis. • Choice of ammonia manufacturing approach has significant impact on emissions. • 40 MT pa saving in Japan offset by 39 ± 11 MT pa increase in Australia from Best Available Technology. • Only a fully renewable ammonia manufacturing process reduces emissions in both Australia and Japan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrogen is fast becoming a new international "super fuel" to accelerate global climate change ambitions. This paper has two inter-weaving themes. Contextually, it focuses on the potential impact of the EU's new Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) on fossil fuel-generated as opposed to green hydrogen imports. The CBAM, as a transnational carbon adjustment mechanism, has the potential to impact international trade in energy. It seeks both a level playing field between imports and EU internal markets (subject to ambitious EU climate change policies), and to encourage emissions reduction laggards through its "carbon diplomacy". Countries without a price on carbon will be charged for embodied carbon in their supply chains when they export to the EU. Empirically, we focus on two hydrogen export/import case studies: Australia as a non-EU state with ambitions to export hydrogen, and Germany as an EU Member State reliant on energy imports. Energy security is central to energy trade debates but needs to be conceptualized beyond supply and demand economics to include geopolitics, just transitions and the impacts of border carbon taxes and EU carbon diplomacy. Accordingly, we apply and further develop a seven-dimension energy security-justice framework to the examples of brown, blue and green hydrogen export/import hydrogen operations, with varying carbon-intensity supply chains, in Australia and Germany. Applying the framework, we identify potential impact—risks and opportunities—associated with identified brown, blue and green hydrogen export/import projects in the two countries. This research contributes to the emerging fields of international hydrogen trade, supply chains, and international carbon diplomacy and develops a potentially useful seven-dimension energy security-justice framework for energy researchers and policy analysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mean sea level rise is a significant emerging risk from climate change. This research paper is based on the use of artificial intelligence models to assess and predict the trend on mean sea level around northern Australian coastlines. The study uses sea-level times series from four sites (Broom, Darwin, Cape Ferguson, Rosslyn Bay) to make the prediction. Multivariate adaptive regression splines (MARS) and artificial neural network (ANN) algorithms have been implemented to build the prediction model. Both models show high accuracy (R2 > 0.98) and low error values (RMSE < 27%) overall. The ANN model showed slightly better performance compared to MARS over the selected sites. The ANN performance was further assessed for modelling storm surges associated with cyclones. The model reproduced the surge profile with the maximum correlation coefficients ~0.99 and minimum RMS errors ~4 cm at selected validating sites. In addition, the ANN model predicted the maximum surge at Rosslyn Bay for cyclone Marcia to within 2 cm of the measured peak and the maximum surge at Broome for cyclone Narelle to within 7 cm of the measured peak. The results are comparable with a MARS model previously used in this region; however, the ANN shows better agreement with the measured peak and arrival time, although it suffers from slightly higher predictions than the observed sea level by tide gauge station. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to evaluate the life cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of importing electrical power into Singapore, generated from a large-scale solar photovoltaic (PV) power plant in Australia, through a long-distance subsea high-voltage direct current (HVDC) cable. A cost optimization model was developed to estimate the capacities of the system components. A comprehensive life cycle assessment model was built to estimate emissions of manufacturing and use of these components. Our evaluation shows that, for covering one fifth of Singapore's electrical energy needs, a system with an installed capacity of 13 G W P V , 17 GWh battery storage and 3.2 G W subsea cable is required. The life cycle GHG emissions of such a system are estimated to be 110 g CO 2 eq/ kWh , with the majority coming from the manufacturing of solar PV panels. Cable manufacturing does not contribute largely toward GHG emissions. By varying full-load hours and cable lengths, it was assessed that sites closer to Singapore might provide the same energy at same/lower carbon footprint and reduced cost, despite the lower insolation as compared to Australia. However, these sites could cause greater emissions from land use changes than the deserts of Australia, offsetting the advantages of a shorter HVDC cable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper develops new practical rule-based energy management systems (EMSs) for typical grid-connected houses with solar photovoltaic (PV) and battery by considering different rates for purchasing and selling electricity. The EMSs are developed to supply the household's loads and reduce operating costs of the system based on different options of flat and time-of-use (ToU) rates for buying and selling electricity prices. Four different options are evaluated and compared in this study: (1) Flat-Flat, (2) ToU-Flat, (3) Flat-ToU, and (4) ToU-ToU. The operation cost is calculated based on the electricity exchange with the main grid, the equivalent cost of PV generation, as well as the degradation cost of battery storage. The operation of the grid-connected house with rooftop solar PV and battery is evaluated for a sunny week in summer and a cloudy week in winter to investigate the proper performance for high and low generations of PV. While the developed rule-based EMS are generic and can be applied for any case studies, a grid-connected house in Australia is examined. For this purpose, real data of solar radiation, air temperature, electricity consumption, and electricity rates are used. It is found that the ToU-Flat option has the lowest operating cost for the customers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]