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Aim: To describe the development of social function in children with cerebral palsy (CP) classified in all levels of the Communication Function Classification System (CFCS). Method: This prospective, longitudinal population‐based cohort study recruited children with CP born in Queensland, Australia. Social functioning was measured using the Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory (PEDI) social function domain at 2 years, 2 years 6 months, 3 years, 4 years, and 5 years, and the PEDI Computer Adaptive Test (PEDI‐CAT) social/cognitive domain at 8 to 12 years. Results: Seventy‐four children provided 356 observations. PEDI‐CAT social/cognitive scaled scores at 8 to 12 years were (mean [SD] n) CFCS level I, 68.6 (2.7) 45; CFCS level II, 64.0 (3.4) 10; CFCS level III, 63.5 (3.7) 4; CFCS level IV, 56.8 (5.0) 9; CFCS level V, 47.2 (5.8) 6. Scores within expected range for age (not less than 2 SD below mean) at 8 to 12 years were achieved by 35 (78%) children in CFCS level I and four (14%) in CFCS levels II to V. Forty‐nine per cent of children scored at least two standard deviations below the population mean on a proxy measure of fluid intelligence. Intellectual impairment was associated with lower PEDI‐CAT social/cognitive scaled scores in univariable analysis (β = −8.3, 95% confidence interval − 10.91 to −5.63; p < 0.001) but had a smaller effect when modelled together with CFCS. Interpretation: Social function attained by 8 to 12 years of age was strongly related to level of communication function (CFCS). The small number of children classified in CFCS levels II to V necessitates caution when viewing these individual CFCS level trajectories. What this paper adds: There is a strong relation between social functioning and Communication Function Classification System (CFCS) levels.At 8 to 12 years, 35 out of 45 children in CFCS level I met social functioning age expectations.Twenty‐five out of 29 in CFCS levels II to V had social functioning below that expected for age.CFCS and age were more strongly associated with development of social functioning than Gross Motor Function Classification System or Manual Ability Classification System and age. What this paper adds: There is a strong relation between social functioning and Communication Function Classification System (CFCS) levels.At 8 to 12 years, 35 out of 45 children in CFCS level I met social functioning age expectations.Twenty‐five out of 29 in CFCS levels II to V had social functioning below that expected for age.CFCS and age were more strongly associated with development of social functioning than Gross Motor Function Classification System or Manual Ability Classification System and age. This original article is commented on by Eslinger on pages 596–597 of this issue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fibropapillomatosis (FP) is a tumor‐forming disease which affects all species of marine turtle, but predominantly the green turtle (Chelonia mydas). Expression of this disease is thought to be precipitated by poor environmental conditions and often linked to anthropogenically induced environmental changes. Although FP is a globally distributed disease, targeted studies on the spatial distribution of the disease in Australia are limited. Here, we present the first comprehensive report of FP prevalence in Queensland, Australia. A retrospective analysis of 25,645 capture records for 15 sites along the Queensland coast were used to determine FP prevalence and trends in foraging green turtles. Within this data set, 791 turtles (3.1%) with FP tumors were recorded. Our analysis showed that prevalence varies between sites and years, with juvenile turtles being the most frequently affected by the disease. We found that survey method has a significant influence on the apparent FP prevalence detected at each site. That is, surveys which were explicitly FP‐targeted detected higher numbers of individual turtles with FP, and therefore generated higher prevalence rates than comprehensive population surveys. We also report the first attempt at developing water quality indices (WQIs) to compare with FP prevalence data in foraging green turtles. The WQIs were built from metrics published in a range of peer‐reviewed papers, reports, and based on expert opinion. Despite utilizing an extensive data set, a relationship between FP prevalence and WQI rankings at each site could not be quantified. The analysis was confounded by a range of limitations, including data gaps, varying temporal scales and data capture methods in the FP prevalence, and water quality data sets. This study has significant implications for management as it highlights the benefits of designing and collecting centralized data that can be integrated and used across multiple projects or programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A broad consensus exists that Australian economic activity is too heavily concentrated in capital cities, and regional employment creation should be encouraged. Given the magnitude of international migration to Australia, it is important to determine the impact of migration on regional development by investigating business ownership and job creation by international migrants in regional areas. This paper examines the probability that regional migrant business owners are employers – and thereby employment generators – using a multivariate logit model. We find that migrant business owners with staff are more likely to be male, married and live in regional NSW, metropolitan Victoria and regional and metropolitan Queensland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Princess Alexandra Hospital (PAH) Gamma Knife® Centre of Queensland (GKCoQ) began operations in October of 2015 as a sub‐specialty located within a larger radiation oncology service at PAH. It is uniquely positioned as the only Leksell Gamma Knife® (LGK) treatment unit available in the public hospital system in Australia, and the first and only service in Queensland. The GKCoQ treated the 1000th patient on 23 January 2019. LGK is a non‐invasive alternative to neurosurgery which uses radioactive cobalt sources to treat a variety of intracranial conditions ranging from tumours and metastases to functional disorders. It is a platform for stereotactic radiosurgery, a highly precise form of radiotherapy utilising very high doses to the target while maximally sparing surrounding normal brain. LGK enables patient planning and treatment to be done in one day as an outpatient procedure. This paper will outline our LGK service and provide insight into the expanded role that radiation therapists have within the multidisciplinary team required to deliver radiosurgery in a timely manner. The training programme and radiation licensing pathway that have been established for radiation therapists will also be described. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Protecting native biodiversity is a difficult prospect in extremely modified landscapes, especially where high‐impact exotic species are widespread. Using new data and a review of the literature, this paper comments on the use of livestock grazing to manage the invasive and highly combustible pasture grass species, Buffel Grass (Cenchrus ciliaris) and thereby help conserve fire‐sensitive Brigalow (Acacia harpophylla) vegetation in reserves in Queensland, Australia. We cite evidence that shows that grazing is a potentially useful management tool in such cases and its use can be compatible with the protection of both fire‐sensitive vegetation and other native plant species within the understorey. However, there are limitations in implementing grazing within conservation reserves including the lack of a clear understanding of the influence of grazing on biodiversity and resource condition. Importantly, we highlight secondary invasion by the exotic grass Indian Couch (Bothriochloa pertusa) as a key emerging threat that may undermine the biodiversity benefits gained by grazing in reserves. Grazing can be a useful tool for conservation management in particular scenarios, but the associated risks demand accompanying monitoring and reporting of positive and negative impacts to ensure the fundamental aim of biodiversity protection is being achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We assess the impact of three bias correction approaches on present day means and extremes, and climate change signal, for six climate variables (precipitation, minimum and maximum temperature, radiation, vapour pressure and mean sea level pressure) from dynamically downscaled climate simulations over Queensland, Australia. Results show that all bias‐correction methods are effective at removing systematic model biases, however the results are variable and season‐dependent. Importantly, our results are based on fully independent cross‐validation, an advantage over similar studies. Linear scaling preserves the climate change signals for temperature, while quantile mapping and the distribution‐based transfer function modify the climate change signal and patterns of change. The Perkins score for all the values above the 95th percentile and below the 5th percentile was used to evaluate how well the climate model matches the observational data. Bias correction improved Perkins score for extremes for some variables and seasons. We rank the bias‐correction methods based on the Kling–Gupta efficiency (KGE) score calculated during the validation period. We find that linear scaling and empirical quantile mapping are the best approaches for Queensland for mean climatology. On average, bias correction led to an improvement in the KGE score of 23% annually. However, in terms of extreme values, quantile mapping and statistical distribution‐based transfer function approaches perform best, and linear scaling tends to perform worst. Our results show that, except linear scaling, all approaches impact the climate change signal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Retracing past anthropogenic dispersal of culturally important taxa offers insights to the biogeographic history of species, as well as the history of the people who interacted with them. Bunya Pine (Araucaria bidwillii Hook.) is a culturally and spiritually significant conifer tree for several Indigenous groups in eastern Australia. Sharing the edible nuts and attending Bunya gatherings is an important way for these groups to maintain their cultural connections and it has been hypothesized that prior to European colonization, Indigenous Peoples facilitated the dispersal of Bunya Pine as part of these ancient traditions.We used ethnohistorical information on the use of Bunya Pine by Indigenous Peoples to interpret genomic patterns within and between disjunct distributions of Bunya Pine.We found signatures of long‐term isolation within the Australian Wet Tropics (AWT) and extensive gene flow within southeast Queensland (SEQ) that does not fit models of faunal or passive dispersal. Within SEQ, we found greater population structure amongst sites known to pre‐date European colonization, than when colonial‐era planted sites were included in our analyses, suggesting that pre‐colonial translocation was sporadic or localized rather than systematic and widespread. Increased Indigenous translocations in conjunction with plantings by European settlers appears to have erased the natural pre‐colonial population structure of SEQ Bunya Pine. Our stairway plot models suggest sharp population decline of SEQ Bunya Pine in the early and late Pleistocene, though we did not find evidence that anthropogenic dispersal facilitated effective population size growth of the species in the Holocene.We concluded that pre‐colonial translocation of SEQ Bunya Pine was likely restricted by kinship‐based custodial rights, and that when Indigenous Peoples were displaced by European settlers, translocation was intensified to maintain cultural connectivity. This study is an example of how Indigenous Australian groups adapt plant management strategies to meet socio‐cultural needs and demonstrates the potential for plant genomics to supplement Indigenous Biocultural Knowledge that has been impacted by colonial dispossession. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Leaf wettability and drainage characteristics of different taxa are often hypothesised to have emerged as a result of evolutionary selection, perhaps to limit the duration of leaf wetness, or to direct water toward efficiently to the soil and root system, rather than suffering loss to evaporation. Methods for quantifying leaf wetting and drainage are however not well‐developed. The present work describes a low‐cost, electro‐mechanical tilting table intended to facilitate precise and reproducible measurements of droplet shedding from leaves, describe by the roll‐off angle αroll.The new tilting table uses widely‐available components (microcontroller, stepper motor and driver, liquid‐crystal display (LCD) and custom operating code) to achieve controlled tilting through the range 0° to >90° at user‐controlled rates of tilting. It is suitable for field use, such that leaf specimens can be tested within minutes of collection.Water shedding tests on juvenile leaves from Homolanthus populifolius, native to the wet tropics of northern Queensland, Australia, show that testing of whole leaves (rather than small excised samples) reveals quite complex behaviour in which the open leaf surface is hydrophobic but major adaxial veins are strongly hydrophilic and can trap droplets. These can remain attached to the leaf at inclinations beyond vertical. Moreover, the apparent droplet roll‐off angles are dependent on the tilt speed applied.Droplet roll‐off tests used to characterise the propensity for leaf wetting or water shedding require controlled and reproducible experimental conditions, and a device suitable for studying the whole intact leaf surface. Preliminary results on H. populifolius show complex adaxial leaf surface characteristics, with mixed hydrophobic and hydrophilic components. This suggests that overall propensity to retain or shed water droplets is likely to depend on the size and intensity of rain or canopy drip from above. This makes the inferring of evolutionary costs or advantages more challenging and more likely to co‐vary with regional environmental conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Invasive species cause severe threats to biodiversity and the economy, but often across multi‐actor landscapes. Therefore, collaboration among multiple actors across landscapes is often essential for managing invasive species. Deciding whether to collaborate depends on available resources and potential benefits. As such, it is vital to identify how different factors can influence the outcomes of collaborations.We developed and tested a conceptual model that integrates potential process factors and performance measures for outcomes of collaborative invasive species management. We surveyed professionals engaged in invasive species management in Queensland, Australia. We first assessed their perception of the presence of process factors and perception of the performance measures of collaborative invasive species management projects using descriptive methods. Then we tested the associations between process factors and performance measures using structural equation modelling.While confirming that a good collaboration of stakeholders (e.g. communication and trust) is essential to enhance performances, our results suggest that the way collaborative projects are structured (e.g. ability to participate in decision‐making, having shared goals) also significantly influences the performance of the projects, especially in achieving goals. Furthermore, results suggest that achieving long‐term collaborations and outcomes is directly influenced by the extent to which stakeholders support or oppose the collaboration. As such, our study contributes to a significant research gap by establishing a connection between the collaboration process and its outcomes.We conclude that decision‐makers should give equal importance to both designing favourable collaborative project structures and fostering collaborations with stakeholders through different means to enhance the benefits of collaboration in invasive species management. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Feral pigs (Sus scrofa) are a destructive and widespread invasive pest in Australia. An understanding of feral pig movement is required to develop management strategies to control feral pigs in Australia. Because landscape structure can have a strong influence on animal movement, it is important to determine how landscape features facilitate or impede the movement of feral pigs. Consequently, we conducted a landscape genetic analysis of feral pig populations in the Herbert region of far north Queensland, Australia, to determine management units and provide recommendations to better inform feral pig population control strategies. Using microsatellite data obtained from 256 feral pig samples from 44 sites, we examined feral pig population structure at multiple spatial scales for univariate and multivariate landscape resistance surfaces to determine the optimal spatial scale and to identify which of the nine landscape features tested impede or facilitate feral pig gene flow. Only weak genetic structure was found among the 44 sampling sites, but major waterways were identified as a minor barrier to gene flow, and an isolation by distance model was supported. We also found that highways facilitated gene flow across the study area, and this suggests that they may act as movement corridors or indicate translocation of feral pigs. Additionally, incorporating a second spatial scale enhanced the ability of our landscape genetics analysis to detect the influence of landscape structure on gene flow. We identified three management units based on natural barriers to gene flow and future targeted control should be undertaken in these management units to deliver sustained reduction of feral pig populations in the Herbert region. This study demonstrates how a landscape genetic approach can be used to gain insight into the ecology of an invasive pest species and be used to develop population control strategies which utilise natural barriers to movement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examine the causal impact of internal migration on housing prices across 82 Statistical Areas Level 3 regions in Queensland, Australia from 2014–2019. The primary findings are: (i) an annual increase in the inflow of migrants equal to 1 per cent of a region's initial population leads to a 0.6 to 0.7 per cent annual increase in Queensland's house prices across different empirical specifications; (ii) this effect differs between the Greater Brisbane metropolitan area and Rest of State areas; (iii) migration from New South Wales fails to produce a significant influence on house price growth in Queensland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aims: Policy makers and health system managers are seeking evidence on the risks involved for patients associated with after‐hours care. This study of approximately 1 million patients who were admitted to the 25 largest public hospitals in Queensland Australia sought to quantify mortality and readmission differences associated with after‐hours hospital admission. Methods: Logistic regression was used to assess whether there were any differences in mortality and readmissions based on the time inpatients were admitted to hospital (after‐hours versus within hours). Patient and staffing data, including the variation in physician and nursing staff numbers and seniority were included as explicit predictors within patient outcome models. Results: After adjusting for case‐mix confounding, statistically significant higher mortality was observed for patients admitted on weekends via the hospital's emergency department compared to within hours. This finding of elevated mortality risk after‐hours held true in sensitivity analyses which explored broader definitions of after‐hours care: an "Extended" definition comprising a weekend extending into Friday night and early Monday morning; and a "Twilight" definition comprising weekends and weeknights. There were no significant differences in 30‐day readmissions for emergency or elective patients admitted after‐hours. Increased mortality risks for elective patients was found to be an evening/weekend effect rather than a day‐of‐week effect. Workforce metrics that played a role in observed outcome differences within hours/after‐hours were more a time of day rather than day of week effect, i.e. staffing impacts differ more between day and night than the weekday versus weekend. Conclusion: Patients admitted after‐hours have significantly higher mortality than patients admitted within hours. This study confirms an association between mortality differences and the time patients were admitted to hospital, and identifies characteristics of patients and staffing that affect those outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Landscape rehabilitation following mining is required to be resilient to disturbance impacts such as fire, drought and disease. As mining companies undergo the process of rehabilitation certification and mine closure, there are notable knowledge gaps on the ecological risks associated with mature rehabilitated landscapes, based largely on the assumption that rehabilitation is analogous to reference communities. However, the response to fire disturbance across a range of landscapes remains largely untested and in particular there is limited understanding of recovery traits of plant species that occur naturally or are commonly seeded into rehabilitation. In August 2018, a controlled fire was applied to 37 hectares of 12‐year‐old coal‐mine rehabilitation in central Queensland, Australia. We used a combination of (i) ground plot surveys and (ii) drone imagery to compare the vegetation response of burnt woody species to unburnt controls prior to, and for, two years following the fire. The survival of the most dominant shrub species found on the rehabilitation site was significantly impacted by the fire. Old Man Saltbush (Atriplex nummularia Lindl. subsp. nummularia) recorded significant post‐fire mortality, with ground surveys recording an average reduction of 89% of stems per hectare across the burnt site, while unburnt controls remained unchanged. The plot data analysis was supported with high spatial and temporal resolution drone imagery, classified using a Random Forest machine‐learning approach. Change analysis of these maps showed a significant decline of 82% in Old Man Saltbush plant density and 92% reduction in foliage cover following the fire. In addition, the mean canopy area of individual Old Man Saltbush shrubs reduced significantly from a pre‐fire mean of 11.3 to 4.8 m2 two years following the fire. A spatial proximity analysis showed that those individuals that survived the fire were located significantly closer to unburnt areas and bare spoil, indicating that discontinuous ground fuel loads can greatly improve the survivability of individuals. This study provides new evidence on the contested fire sensitivity of Old Man Salt bush and demonstrates the risk that future climate‐driven extreme events may have on the resilience of novel ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shark bites are of high public concern globally. Information on shark occurrence and behaviour, and of the effects of human behaviours, can help understand the drivers of shark‐human interactions. In Australia, a number of shark bite clusters occurred over the last decade. One of these took place in Cid Harbour the Whitsundays, Queensland, a region for which little was known about the shark community. Here, we describe and evaluate the research in response to that shark bite cluster.Fishing methods, acoustic and satellite tracking, and baited remote underwater video cameras (BRUVs) were used to identify the shark species using Cid Harbour, estimate relative abundance, and describe habitat use and residency. Side‐scan sonar and BRUVs were also used to assess prey availability. Recreational users were surveyed to understand human behaviour and their awareness and perceptions of 'Shark Smart' behaviours. This allowed shark occurrence and behaviour to be interpreted in the context of human behaviours in the Harbour.Eleven shark species were identified. Relative abundance was not unusually high, and residency in Cid Harbour was typically low. For example, 79% of acoustically tagged sharks visited the harbour on <10% days at liberty. Shark prey was available year‐round. Notably, anchored boats regularly conduct activities that can attract sharks (dumping food scraps, provisioning and cleaning fish).Alone, the methods used in this study had variable success, but combined they provided a large amount of complementary information. Including a social science component in the research response to the shark bite incidents allowed for a more holistic understanding of the Cid Harbour bite incidents.This study did not identify anything unusual about the shark community that could have contributed to the Cid Harbour shark bite cluster. However, the three incidents involved people bitten almost instantly after entering the water, which is unusual and suggests that feeding/attracting sharks to boats could have been a contributor and also that any species capable of biting humans could have been responsible.The eradication of activities that attract sharks to areas where people enter the water may reduce shark bite risk.Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wind dispersal is considered to be a potentially important mode of spread for parthenium weed (Parthenium hysterophorus L.), an invasive Asteraceae herb of worldwide significance. However, empirical evidence of the role of wind dispersal on the seeds (achenes) of parthenium weed in natural landscapes is lacking. The results of a simulation study undertaken at a wind tunnel facility, Australia, indicated that the dispersal distance of parthenium weed achenes is largely determined by wind velocity (109–131% increase in distance where wind velocity is doubled) and plant release height (75–80% increase when release height is doubled). Glasshouse harvested achenes released from 1 m in height could travel up to 2 m under a 2 m s−1 wind velocity, with the majority of achenes reaching more than 1 m. Smaller‐sized achenes travelled 5% further than larger‐sized achenes. The terminal velocity was calculated to be 1.256 ± 0.006 m s−1, indicating a moderate wind dispersal ability for the weed. A complementary field study in Southeast Queensland, Australia, indicated that the cumulative wind velocity and wind direction, instead of the mean wind velocity, determined the direction of dispersal of the achenes. Further post‐dispersal surveys suggested the number of achenes outside of a standing population declined rapidly as distance from the population increased. Most achenes were dispersed less than 2 m from their parent plant, while the maximum distance achieved was less than 5 m under natural conditions in North Queensland. In conclusion, the natural wind dispersal of parthenium weed consists of small, but measurable increments each year, thus contributing to the weed proliferation and spread at the landscape scale level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To explore the perceptions and experiences of nurses in communicating the care and caring in the intensive care unit (ICU). Design: A focused ethnography. Methods: This study was conducted in an Australian metropolitan hospital, in which data were gathered from multiple sources: participant observations, document reviews, interviews, and participant's additional written information ‐ over six months (April‐September, 2014). The data were analysed thematically. Findings: This study addressed inclusively communicating care and caring to patients, families, nurses and other health professionals in ICU. The findings identified main themes concerning the changing patterns of communicating the care and caring in ICU, various patterns of communication used, enablers and barriers of communicating care and caring, and significant issues in communicating care and caring in ICU. Documentation of patients' psychological and emotional needs, and nurses' caring behaviours are crucial. These findings need further consideration from all stakeholders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Trade‐offs exist between the point of early detection and the future cost of controlling any invasive species. Finding optimal levels of early detection, with post‐border active surveillance, where time, space and randomness are explicitly considered, is computationally challenging. We use a stochastic programming model to find the optimal level of surveillance and predict damages, easing the computational challenge by combining a sample average approximation (SAA) approach and parallel processing techniques. The model is applied to the case of Asian Papaya Fruit Fly (PFF), a highly destructive pest, in Queensland, Australia. To capture the non‐linearity in PFF spread, we use an agent‐based model (ABM), which is calibrated to a highly detailed land‐use raster map (50 m × 50 m) and weather‐related data, validated against a historical outbreak. The combination of SAA and ABM sets our work apart from the existing literature. Indeed, despite its increasing popularity as a powerful analytical tool, given its granularity and capability to model the system of interest adequately, the complexity of ABM limits its application in optimizing frameworks due to considerable uncertainty about solution quality. In this light, the use of SAA ensures quality in the optimal solution (with a measured optimality gap) while still being able to handle large‐scale decision‐making problems. With this combination, our application suggests that the optimal (economic) trap grid size for PFF in Queensland is ˜0.7 km, much smaller than the currently implemented level of 5 km. Although the current policy implies a much lower surveillance cost per year, compared with the $2.08 million under our optimal policy, the expected total cost of an outbreak is $23.92 million, much higher than the optimal policy of roughly $7.74 million. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: To identify patterns in the temporal dynamics and spatial organization of kangaroo subpopulations that are commercially harvested, we fitted multivariate autoregressive state‐space (MARSS) models to time series of kangaroo abundance from the main harvest zones of eastern Australia (1990–2019 for New South Wales and 1984–2019 for Queensland). We found that the responses of most populations to process variation, that is variation due to environmental or demographic stochasticity were correlated and that populations responded synchronously to environmental changes. Furthermore, we examined the influence of the covariates lagged rainfall, Southern Oscillation Index (SOI) and harvest rate on kangaroo abundance. We found that lagged rainfall had a positive influence, SOI and harvest rate had negative influences but the influence of covariates was not consistent across species or between subpopulations. In terms of population spatial structure, the analysis identified two subpopulations of Red Kangaroo (Osphranter rufus) in New South Wales and four subpopulations of grey kangaroos (a combination of Eastern Grey Kangaroo (Macropus giganteus) and Western Grey Kangaroo (Macropus fuliginosus)), which appeared to be associated with a rainfall gradient from east‐west. In Queensland, separate subpopulations were identified in each of the three main harvest management zones for both Red Kangaroo and Eastern Grey Kangaroo. The implications of these results for the management of commercially harvested kangaroos are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fire regimes are shifting under climate change. Decadal‐scale shifts in fire regime can disrupt the biogeochemical cycling of carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) within forest ecosystems, but the full extent of these disruptions is unknown. It is also unclear whether these disruptions have consequences for the ecological characteristics (e.g., biomass, abundance, and composition) of microbial and invertebrate communities, which together comprise the majority of terrestrial biodiversity and underpin many ecosystem processes. The theoretical framework of ecological stoichiometry has great potential in this context, but it has rarely been used to develop an integrated understanding of the biogeochemical and ecological effects of altered fire regime across trophic levels. Using one of the world's longest‐running fire experiments, located in Queensland, Australia, we carried out a comprehensive investigation into the stoichiometric consequences of a decadal‐scale divergence in prescribed fire frequency and their links to coinciding changes in various ecological characteristics of forest floor microbial and invertebrate communities. Compared to long‐term fire exclusion, forty‐three years of biennial burning led to significantly N‐depleted and/or P‐enriched stoichiometry in soil, leaf litter, leaf litter–associated microbial biomass, and certain groups of invertebrates, although total invertebrate community stoichiometry was not affected. Microbial biomass was 42% lower in biennially burned soils. Invertebrate community composition differed between fire regime treatments on some sampling dates, but fire regime did not have consistent effects on invertebrate biomass or abundance. Microbial biomass and the abundances of some invertebrate taxa were depressed at particularly low and/or high resource N:P, consistent with a coupling of these variables to the stoichiometric effects of decadal‐scale fire regime. Litter transplants likewise indicated that some invertebrate abundances were sensitive to litter properties over 12 months. Together, our results indicate that long‐term changes in fire regime can decouple the within‐ecosystem cycling of N and P, with N and P cycling growing more and less conservative, respectively, under high‐frequency fire in a way that propagates throughout forest floor food webs. Our study provides new insights into the coupled biogeochemical and ecological responses of forest ecosystems to novel fire regimes and establishes a basis for a stoichiometric framework for fire ecology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Fire is a major type of ecological disturbance shaping plant communities and species distributions. Fires in the spring and summer of 2019/2020 in Australia burnt large areas where this type of disturbance was rare in the past, including in the South‐East Queensland region. To assess the potential impacts of these fires, online GIS data layers were used to map where the fires occurred and which protected areas, plant communities and threatened plants were likely burnt. Based on clustering of Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite sensor fire points, 3% (240,000 ha) of the region may have burnt including 107,606 ha of National Parks, sections of 18 Broad Vegetation Groups and 74 Regional Ecosystems and potential habitat of 74 threatened plant species. This included 16% of wet open forests and 13% of rainforests. The results provide preliminary insights into the potential scale of the fires and impact on biodiversity from mapping based on online data, but we also that more detailed mapping including of fire intensity and perimeter combined with ground truthing and ongoing monitoring would be required to better understand changes in fire regimes in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: The Koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) is an arboreal marsupial found throughout southeastern Australia. A high risk of extinction in some areas requires adherence to legislation mandating protection of high‐quality habitat. The Koala primarily eats leaves of the Eucalyptus genus and wildlife managers are, in most cases, currently dependent on habitat maps depicting food resource availability derived from low‐resolution regional‐extent (~100,000 hectares) vegetation maps. These maps might not capture resource variability at planning extents (0.1–300 ha), or at resolutions where Koala ecology processes operate (5–50 ha). Consequently, potentially high‐quality habitat may not be considered in planning decisions. Whether low‐resolution habitat mapping adequately captures food resource variability is therefore relevant to map users at non‐regional extents. We examined four different broad‐scale low‐resolution habitat maps within a small area (150 ha) in southeast Queensland and compared the classifications of each. Map units were generally ranked in the same hierarchical order; however, differences in methodologies meant that, between maps, some units varied widely in assigned habitat quality. Two maps were assessed using quantitative Queensland Herbarium data, and field data we collected. Assessment using overstorey species emphasised habitat quality differences between habitat map units better than the alternative whole‐of‐canopy method. Maps relying on interpretation of vegetation descriptions for habitat class definition sometimes overestimated food tree cover proportions and stakeholders need to be cognisant of these limitations. One method assigned Very Low Suitability to a 60‐ha focal study site containing evidence of Koala use, and we strongly recommend that field validation should be an integral part of habitat management at these scales. We conclude that, rather than mapping approaches encompassing several habitat attributes within a single map, layered datasets, each with specific attributes, would provide greater utility for stakeholders by allowing them to use layers individually or in combination as required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Patellofemoral pain (PFP) is a common cause of knee pain in adolescents, but there are limited evidence-based treatment options for this population. Foot orthoses can improve pain and function in adults with PFP, and may be effective for adolescents. The primary aim of this study is to determine the feasibility of conducting a full-scale randomised controlled trial (RCT) evaluating the effects of contoured foot orthoses on knee pain severity and patient-perceived global change, compared to flat shoe insoles, in adolescents with PFP. The secondary aim is to provide an estimate of treatment effects for foot orthoses, compared to flat insoles, in adolescents with PFP. Methods: This randomised, controlled, participant- and assessor-blinded, feasibility trial has two parallel groups. Forty adolescents (aged 12–18 years) with clinical symptoms of PFP will be recruited from Queensland, Australia. Participants will be randomised to receive either prefabricated contoured foot orthoses or flat shoe insoles. Both interventions will be fit by a physiotherapist, and worn for 3 months. Feasibility will be evaluated through assessing willingness of volunteers to enrol, number of eligible participants, recruitment rate, adherence with the study protocol, adverse effects, success of blinding, and drop-out rate. Secondary outcomes will evaluate knee-related pain, symptoms, function, quality of life, global rating of change, patient acceptable symptom state, and use of co-interventions, at 6 weeks and 3 months. Primary outcomes will be reported descriptively, while estimates of standard deviation and between-group differences (with 95% confidence intervals) will be reported for secondary outcomes. Discussion: Findings of this study will inform the feasibility of a full-scale RCT investigating the efficacy of contoured foot orthoses in adolescents with PFP. This full-scale study is necessary to improve the evidence base for management of adolescent PFP, and enhance outcomes for this population. Trial registration: ACTRN12619000957190. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Premise: Within closed‐canopy forests, vertical gradients of light and atmospheric CO2 drive variations in leaf carbon isotope ratios, leaf mass per area (LMA), and the micromorphology of leaf epidermal cells. Variations in traits observed in preserved or fossilized leaves could enable inferences of past forest canopy closure and leaf function and thereby habitat of individual taxa. However, as yet no calibration study has examined how isotopic, micro‐ and macromorphological traits, in combination, reflect position within a modern closed‐canopy forest or how these could be applied to the fossil record. Methods: Leaves were sampled from throughout the vertical profile of the tropical forest canopy using the 48.5 m crane at the Daintree Rainforest Observatory, Queensland, Australia. Carbon isotope ratios, LMA, petiole metric (i.e., petiole‐width2/leaf area, a proposed proxy for LMA that can be measured from fossil leaves), and leaf micromorphology (i.e., undulation index and cell area) were compared within species across a range of canopy positions, as quantified by leaf area index (LAI). Results: Individually, cell area, δ13C, and petiole metric all correlated with both LAI and LMA, but the use of a combined model provided significantly greater predictive power. Conclusions: Using the observed relationships with leaf carbon isotope ratio and morphology to estimate the range of LAI in fossil floras can provide a measure of canopy closure in ancient forests. Similarly, estimates of LAI and LMA for individual taxa can provide comparative measures of light environment and growth strategy of fossil taxa from within a flora. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research examines the spatial linkages between natural amenities and tourism employment spillovers under alternative neighbourhood structures. A main contribution is to contrast models where economic distance defines neighbouring regions with a model where the spatial structure is defined by geographical proximity. Significant spillovers are found not only between geographical neighbours, but also between economic neighbours with important implications for policy design. Internet, population, regional parks and state forests and World Heritage Areas are found to be important drivers of regional spillovers. This study uses data for Queensland, Australia, however the approach and conclusions can be extrapolated to similar economies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Regional and remote tourism in Australia is characterised by micro‐, small‐ and medium‐sized businesses, spatially dispersed and fragmented. Characteristics which present unique challenges for these communities attempting to develop tourism as a way of diversifying their economy. This study explored the views and experiences from residents and businesses in six remote local government areas in South Western Queensland to identify the barriers and enablers for remote communities to using tourism as a driver of economic and social‐cultural growth. We found a lack of understanding of the structure and behaviour of the tourism industry; a lack of business acumen; a lack of financial and human resources; and a reluctance to collaborate by tourism businesses to be barriers to tourism‐led economic growth. Enablers to tourism led growth included: local government support for tourism development; a sound understanding of the mechanics and structure of the tourism industry; and the capacity to engage in marketing that captured and narrated the visitor experience in digital channels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Medical imaging, including echocardiogram, is a major driver of escalating health-care costs. Aims To examine the utilisation of transthoracic echocardiograms ( TTEs) at a large tertiary hospital in Australia (Gold Coast Hospital and Health Service). Methods We retrospectively looked at 500 transthoracic echocardiograms ordered sequentially. The stated reason for requesting the TTE was then classified into one of 98 indications constructed by the ACCF. These requests were then determined to be 'appropriate', 'inappropriate', or 'uncertain' as per the appropriate use criteria ( AUC). Results Overall, 443 TTEs were ordered appropriately (88.60%), 50 inappropriate (10.00%), and 8 met the criteria for uncertain. TTEs ordered by the cardiology team comprised of 131 appropriate (91.61%), 6 inappropriate (4.20%), and 6 uncertain (4.20%) indications. There were a higher percentage of appropriate TTE (93.23%) when performed on inpatients then when compared to those performed as an outpatient (82.91%). Conclusions Overall, Gold Coast Hospital and Health Service shows a good adherence to the AUC in keeping with similar studies in large hospitals overseas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The priority of an area for conservation is determined by three primary factors: its biodiversity value, the level of threat it is facing, and its cost. Although much attention has been paid to the spatial relationship between biodiversity value and threats, and between biodiversity value and costs, little is known about how costs and threats are spatially correlated. The orthodox assumption in conservation science is that costs and threats are positively correlated. Here, we adapt a classic economic theory of land use to explain how conservation scientists came to expect a positive correlation between costs and threats. We then use high‐resolution, ground‐truthed datasets of land sales and habitat clearance to show that this assumption is false in the state of Queensland, Australia. Our results provide an empirical counterargument to a widespread assumption in conservation science, and illustrate why spatial prioritization needs to include independent measures of costs and threats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In specific populations, including those at risk of falls or foot ulcers, indoor footwear is an important aspect of preventative care. This study aims to describe the indoor footwear worn most over the previous year in a sample representative of the Australian inpatient population, and to explore the sociodemographic, medical, foot condition and foot treatment history factors associated with the indoor footwear worn. Methods: This was a secondary analysis of data collected from inpatients admitted to five hospitals across Queensland, Australia. Sociodemographic information, medical history, foot conditions and foot treatment history were collected as explanatory variables. Outcomes included the self-reported type of indoor footwear (from 16 standard footwear types) worn most in the year prior to hospitalisation, and the category in which the self-reported footwear type was defined according to its features: 'protective', 'non-protective' and 'no footwear'. Multivariate analyses determined explanatory variables independently associated with each type and category. Results: Protective footwear was worn by 11% of participants (including 4% walking shoes, 4% running shoes, 2% oxford shoes), and was independently associated with education above year 10 level (OR 1.78, p = 0.028) and having had foot treatment by a specialist physician (5.06, p = 0.003). Most participants (55%) wore non-protective footwear (including 21% slippers, 15% thongs/flip flops, 7% backless slippers), which was associated with older age (1.03, p < 0.001). No footwear was worn by 34% of participants (30% barefoot, 3% socks only). Those of older age (0.97, p < 0.001) and those in the most disadvantaged socioeconomic group (0.55, p = 0.019) were less likely to wear no footwear (socks or barefoot). Conclusions: Only one in nine people in a large representative inpatient population wore a protective indoor footwear most of the time in the previous year. Whilst having education levels above year 10 and having received previous foot treatment by a specialist physician were associated with wearing protective footwear indoors, the presence of a range of other medical and foot conditions were not. These findings provide information to enable clinicians, researchers and policymakers to develop interventions aimed at improving indoor footwear habits that may help prevent significant health burdens such as falls and foot ulcers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]