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Despite widespread vaccination rates, we are living with high transmission rates of SARS‐CoV‐2. Although overall hospitalisation rates are falling, the risk of serious infection remains high for patients who are immunocompromised because of haematological malignancies. In light of the ongoing pandemic and the development of multiple agents for treatment, representatives from the Haematology Society of Australia and New Zealand and infectious diseases specialists have collaborated on this consensus position statement regarding COVID‐19 management in patients with haematological disorders. It is our recommendation that both patients with haematological malignancies and treating specialists be educated regarding the preventive and treatment options available and that patients continue to receive adequate vaccinations, keeping in mind the suboptimal vaccine responses that occur in haematology patients, in particular, those with B‐cell malignancies and on B‐cell‐targeting or depleting therapy. Patients with haematological malignancies should receive treatment for COVID‐19 in accordance with the severity of their symptoms, but even mild infections should prompt early treatment with antiviral agents. The issue of de‐isolation following COVID‐19 infection and optimal time to treatment for haematological malignancies is discussed but remains an area with evolving data. This position statement is to be used in conjunction with advice from infectious disease, respiratory and intensive care specialists, and current guidelines from the National COVID‐19 Clinical Evidence Taskforce and the New Zealand Ministry of Health and Cancer Agency Te Aho o Te Kahu COVID‐19 Guidelines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) is a B‐cell non‐Hodgkin lymphoma characterised by a heterogeneous clinical course. Patients can often receive sequential treatments, yet these typically yield diminishing periods of disease control, raising questions about optimal therapy sequencing. Novel agents, such as chimeric antigen receptor T‐cell therapies and bispecific antibodies, show promise in relapsed MCL, but are often reserved for later treatment lines, which may underserve patients with aggressive disease phenotypes who die early in the treatment journey. To assess the problem of patient attrition from lymphoma‐related death limiting sequential treatment, we performed a multicentre retrospective cohort analysis of 389 patients treated at Australian and UK centres over a 10‐year period. Deaths from MCL increased after each treatment line, with 7%, 23% and 26% of patients dying from uncontrolled MCL after first, second and third lines respectively. Patients with older age at diagnosis and early relapse after induction therapy were at particular risk of death after second‐line treatment. This limitation of sequential treatment by lymphoma‐related death provides support for the trial of novel therapies in earlier treatment lines, particularly in high‐risk patient populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Antiretroviral therapy (ART) has improved outcomes for human immunodeficiency virus‐associated non‐Hodgkin lymphoma (HIV‐NHL). This is an analysis of 44 patients with HIV with Burkitt lymphoma (HIV‐BL) and diffuse large B‐cell lymphoma (HIV‐DLBCL) treated in Australia over a 10‐year period (2009–2019) during the ART and rituximab era. At HIV‐NHL diagnosis, the majority of presenting patients had adequate CD4 counts and undetectable HIV viral load <50 copies/mL. More than 80% of patients received chemotherapy with curative intent, rituximab, and concurrent ART with chemotherapy (immunotherapy). R‐CODOX‐M/IVAC or R‐Hyper‐CVAD (55%) were most commonly used in HIV‐BL. CHOP (58%) was the most commonly used chemotherapy backbone for HIV‐DLBCL, although 45% of patients received more intense chemotherapy regimens. Overall, 93% of patients who received curative therapy completed their intended course. The 2‐year progression‐free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) for the HIV‐BL cohort was 67% and 67% respectively. The 2‐year PFS and OS for the HIV‐DLBCL cohort was 77% and 81% respectively. Treatment related mortality was 5%. In all, 83% of patients achieved a CD4 count of >0.2 ×109/L 6 months after the end of treatment. Current Australian practice favours the treatment of HIV‐BL and HIV‐DLBCL similarly to the HIV‐negative population with the use of concurrent ART, achieving outcomes comparable to the HIV‐negative population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, many educational institutions across the globe have implemented engineering leadership programmes either as a part of a formal engineering curriculum or where leadership development is embedded into separate in-house programmes. This shows the clear intent of these educational institutions to prepare their engineering students for solving real-world problems, recognising that both technical and leadership skills are valuable for tomorrow's engineers. Leadership programmes in engineering education have been implemented in various formats with varying degrees of success. It has already been identified in research studies that 80-90% of engineering leadership programmes offered explicitly across the globe were based in the United States of America. However, in Europe and Australia, there is a noticeable lack of engineering leadership programmes, particularly in undergraduate curricula. The programmes that are offered across Australia and Europe have distinct design and delivery styles but there are certain key features that are common to most of the programmes, including professional partnerships, mentoring, engineering design and project-based approaches. (Contains 1 table and 5 figures.)

Remote access laboratories (RALs) were first developed in 1994 in Australia and Switzerland. The main purposes of developing them are to enable students to do their experiments at their own pace, time and locations and to enable students and teaching staff to get access to facilities beyond their institutions. Currently, most of the experiments carried out through RALs in Australia are heavily biased towards electrical, electronic and computer engineering disciplines. However, the experiments carried out through RALs in Europe had more variety, in addition to the traditional electrical, electronic and computer engineering disciplines, there were experiments in mechanical and mechatronic disciplines. It was found that RALs are now being developed aggressively in Australia and Europe and it can be argued that RALs will develop further and faster in the future with improving Internet technology. The rising costs of real experimental equipment will also speed up their development because by making the equipment remotely accessible, the cost can be shared by more universities or institutions and this will improve their cost-effectiveness. Their development would be particularly rapid in large countries with small populations such as Australia, Canada and Russia, because of the scale of economy. Reusability of software, interoperability in software implementation, computer supported collaborative learning and convergence with learning management systems are the required development of future RALs. (Contains 4 figures.)

The paper starts by emphasising that final year engineering projects are regarded important in the training and education of professional engineers in Australia and Europe. The sources of projects available to students were also mentioned. Some Australian universities insist on individual projects but some not, each with their own reasons. However, it can be argued that all European universities run individual projects. In most cases, whether it is in Australia or Europe, the total load for final year engineering projects is about 6.25% of the load of engineering programmes. Assessment methods were also described. They were all different whether in Australia or Europe but not very significant. It was discovered that literature reviews, oral presentations and written reports or dissertations were important elements in the assessment schemes. Many university staff, in both continents, encouraged students to publish their work in international conferences and journals if the originality of the projects was high. It can be argued that the individual project is most effective in learning outcome; however, the cost involved is also very high and its sustainability in smaller universities in Australia is in doubt. (Contains 8 tables.)

The aim of the current paper is to share the processes in revising the courseware of the course of "Engineering Management Science" coded as ENG4004, in the Bachelor of Engineering (Mechanical, Mechatronics, Electrical and Electronic, Computer Systems, Instrumentation and Control), Bachelor of Engineering Technology (Mechanical, Building and Construction Management) programmes offered by the University of Southern Queensland (USQ), a regional Australian University with excellence in developing e-learning. The paper describes how the authors review the courseware of the course. The needs for the review are also explained. The assessments of the course were also studied and revised. The authors also estimated the costs involved in reviewing the course. At the same time, the paper also predicts the benefits that will be offered to students and the community including employers who are going to employ USQ graduates. It is finally concluded that the review is worthwhile and the actual costs to the university are minimal. (Contains 8 tables and 2 figures.)

As the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia reaches its peak, medical radiation practitioners (MRPs) are at capacity both physically and emotionally. High workloads and stress impact the mental wellbeing of MRPs, with suppression of feelings and emotions resulting in experiences of compassion fatigue. From a MRP workforce perspective, the long-term cost of the pandemic has yet to be realised. MRPs need to be supported to prevent unintended health consequences. Robust management interventions will be required to support the MRP workforce to manage and hopefully mitigate compassion fatigue transitioning out of the pandemic. What is known about the topic? COVID-19 has highlighted the pressures on the healthcare system and subsequent effects on the healthcare workforce. Relatively little is known about this topic in relationship to the psychological wellbeing of medical radiation practitioners. What does this paper add? This paper recognises some of the effects of the impact of COVID-19 and contributes to literature on wellbeing Human Resource Management in the allied health sector. What are the implications for practitioners? Identification of various management interventions required to actively support medical radiation practitioners to manage and address compassion fatigue transitioning out of the COVID-19 pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diffuse large B‐cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is the most common lymphoma subtype, accounting for 30–40% of lymphoma diagnoses. Although aggressive, cure is achievable in approximately 60% of cases with primary chemoimmunotherapy, and in a further substantial minority by salvage therapy and autologous stem cell transplantation. Despite promising activity in early phase clinical trials, no intensified or novel treatment regimen has improved outcomes over R‐CHOP21 in randomised studies. However, there remain several areas of controversy including the most appropriate prognostic markers, central nervous system prophylaxis and the optimal treatment for patients with high‐risk disease. This position statement presents an evidence‐based synthesis of the literature for application in Australasian practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The resettlement of refugees in rural areas is presenting new challenges for healthcare. This article reports on a community-based participatory research project that explored understandings of health and care across the life course in a refugee-background community in regional south-east Australia. Participants identified key challenges, including lack of access to local services that address their complex needs and problems created by communicating across languages, cultures, and ontologies. Clear opportunities were identified for improving local health services to meet the needs of refugee-background communities. Building on participant recommendations, we argue that appropriate, high-quality healthcare requires the cultivation of dialogue and respect across different understandings of health and care. We suggest that approaches grounded in an ethos of collaboration, power-sharing and dialogue provide a way forward, not just for research, but for embedding practices of cultural safety in rural and regional resettlement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Australia and New Zealand have achieved excellent community control of COVID‐19 infection. In light of the imminent COVID‐19 vaccination roll out in both countries, representatives from the Haematology Society of Australia and New Zealand and infectious diseases specialists have collaborated on this consensus position statement regarding COVID‐19 vaccination in patients with haematological disorders. It is our recommendation that patients with haematological malignancies, and some benign haematological disorders, should have expedited access to high‐efficacy COVID‐19 vaccines, given that these patients are at high risk of morbidity and mortality from COVID‐19 infection. Vaccination should not replace other public health measures in these patients, given that the effectiveness of COVID‐19 vaccination, specifically in patients with haematological malignancies, is not known. Given the limited available data, prospective collection of safety and efficacy data of COVID‐19 vaccination in this patient group is a priority. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Healthcare workers are at the frontline managing COVID-19 patients with transmission of the COVID-19 virus to healthcare workers evident in many Australian states. Minimisation of this spread is vital to protecting the healthcare workforce with individual organisations detailing best practice for infection and control. However, interpretation and implementation of infection control guidelines is varied across Australian Radiation Therapy Departments, highlighting inconsistencies. Strong leadership, quality communication and clear direction is required during this crisis to ensure that radiation therapists receive all necessary support and resources required to maintain safety and well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID‐19 pandemic poses a unique challenge to the care of patients with haematological malignancies. Viral pneumonia is known to cause disproportionately severe disease in patients with cancer, and patients with lymphoma, myeloma and chronic lymphocytic leukaemia are likely to be at particular risk of severe disease related to COVID‐19. This statement has been developed by consensus among authors from Australia and New Zealand. We aim to provide supportive guidance to clinicians making individual patient decisions during the COVID‐19 pandemic, in particular during periods that access to healthcare resources may be limited. General recommendations include those to minimise patient exposure to COVID‐19, including the use of telehealth, avoidance of non‐essential visits and minimisation of time spent by patients in infusion suites and other clinical areas. This statement also provides recommendations where appropriate in assessing indications for therapy, reducing therapy‐associated immunosuppression and reducing healthcare utilisation in patients with specific haematological malignancies during the COVID‐19 pandemic. Specific decisions regarding therapy of haematological malignancies will need to be individualised, based on disease risk, risks of immunosuppression, rates of community transmission of COVID‐19 and available local healthcare resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Remote access laboratories (RALs) were first developed in 1994 in Australia and Switzerland. The main purposes of developing them are to enable students to do their experiments at their own pace, time and locations and to enable students and teaching staff to get access to facilities beyond their institutions. Currently, most of the experiments carried out through RALs in Australia are heavily biased towards electrical, electronic and computer engineering disciplines. However, the experiments carried out through RALs in Europe had more variety, in addition to the traditional electrical, electronic and computer engineering disciplines, there were experiments in mechanical and mechatronic disciplines. It was found that RALs are now being developed aggressively in Australia and Europe and it can be argued that RALs will develop further and faster in the future with improving Internet technology. The rising costs of real experimental equipment will also speed up their development because by making the equipment remotely accessible, the cost can be shared by more universities or institutions and this will improve their cost-effectiveness. Their development would be particularly rapid in large countries with small populations such as Australia, Canada and Russia, because of the scale of economy. Reusability of software, interoperability in software implementation, computer supported collaborative learning and convergence with learning management systems are the required development of future RALs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The mechanical properties of sawdust reinforced vinyl ester resin composites post-cured in microwaves have been measured and evaluated in earlier studies. This basic but critical and important data have caused interests in the relevant industry in Australia. This study is therefore carried out to measure and evaluate the thermal properties of the composites with a view to benefit the civil and construction industry as the materials are used in the industry. The original contributions of this paper are that samples post-cured in microwaves, irrespective of the percentage by weight and particle size of sawdust, have higher glass transition temperatures than their counterparts post-cured in an oven; these imply that the stiffness of the samples post-cured in microwaves are higher than their peers. From previous study, it was discovered that the fracture toughness increased with increasing particulate loading. These properties are vital in civil engineering applications because civil structures need composites with high rigidity and fracture toughness. It is hoped that the discussions and results in this work would not only contribute towards the development of sawdust reinforced vinyl ester composites with better material properties, but also useful for the investigations of thermal and mechanical properties in other composites. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The mechanical and thermal properties of hollow glass powder reinforced epoxy resin composites have previously been measured and evaluated in earlier studies (Ku et al., J Compos Mater, submitted). These basic, but critical data sets have yielded interest in relevant industries in Australia. This study therefore focused on measuring and evaluating the dielectric properties of these composites with a view to benefit these relevant industries. The relationship between the dielectric and thermal properties was also studied and correlated. The original contributions of this article states that samples postcured in an oven were found to have lower electrical as well as mechanical loss tangent values than their counterparts cured in ambient conditions alone. The storage modulus of all samples conventionally postcured was also higher than their counterparts. The conventionally postcured samples were also found to have lower glass transition temperature than their rivals and softer material. For all percentages by weight of glass powder, the glass transition temperature for the oven cured samples was higher and it can be argued that the composite was stiffer; the opposite was true for the ambient cured sample. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this article is to share the experience of using different software packages in the delivery of critical path networks in Engineering Management Science coded as ENG4004, in the Bachelor of Engineering and Bachelor of Engineering Technology programs offered by the University of Southern Queensland (USQ), a regional Australian University with excellence in developing e-learning (Good University Guides, 2001). The article describes how the authors use different software packages to solve the critical path network problems of the course. At times, more than one package will be required for the effective delivery of a topic or module of the course. The needs for the usage were also explained. The assessments of the course were also studied and reviewed. How the software packages met the objectives of the module was also discussed together with the desired learning outcomes of students. The preferred software was Production and Operations Management (POM-QM) for Windows 3. It was finally concluded that the actual costs to the university and students are not too much but students learning experience and satisfaction will be greatly improved. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Comput Appl Eng Educ 19: 26-39, 2011 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is not uncommon to find autism among young children. Autism is a spectrum disorder with various labels, such as Asperger's Syndrome and Pervasive Developmental Disorder, and can be classified as mild, moderate, severe and high functioning. Despite the fact that it covers a range of different diagnostic terms, children with autism have impairment in social awareness and interaction. Social ability is crucial in order to cope with everyday life. These children need assistance in learning communication skills so as to get along with others, especially their peers. Methods and styles of interaction and social support provided may vary between cultures and environments. This paper will investigate the socio-cultural contexts of children with autism and the support provided for them both in Japan and Australia, as well as identifying possible cultural hindrances to successful intervention strategies. Moreover, autism does not merely affect the child. It can mean chronic stress for the entire family. Family support advocated in both countries will also be discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper starts by emphasising that final year engineering projects are regarded important in the training and education of professional engineers in Australia and Europe. The sources of projects available to students were also mentioned. Some Australian universities insist on individual projects but some not, each with their own reasons. However, it can be argued that all European universities run individual projects. In most cases, whether it is in Australia or Europe, the total load for final year engineering projects is about 6.25% of the load of engineering programmes. Assessment methods were also described. They were all different whether in Australia or Europe but not very significant. It was discovered that literature reviews, oral presentations and written reports or dissertations were important elements in the assessment schemes. Many university staff, in both continents, encouraged students to publish their work in international conferences and journals if the originality of the projects was high. It can be argued that the individual project is most effective in learning outcome; however, the cost involved is also very high and its sustainability in smaller universities in Australia is in doubt. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study was undertaken in response to an increase in the number of patients treated for Acanthamoeba keratitis at a tertiary referral hospital in Brisbane, Australia. Incidence and patient characteristics were investigated over a 4-year period. Methods: A retrospective consecutive case series study was performed on patients with Acanthamoeba keratitis presenting to the Princess Alexandra Hospital between January 2003 and March 2007. Results: Nine cases of Acanthamoeba keratitis were identified over 12 months from March 2006 to March 2007 compared with four cases over the previous 37 months from January 2003 to February 2006. This was an increase from 0.07 cases per 1000 outpatient visits to 0.42 per 1000 ( P = 0.003). Of the 13 cases, 11 patients used soft contact lenses of which two used monthly extended overnight wear silicone hydrogel lenses. Of the five patients who specified the type of contact lens solution they had used, three reported using AMO Complete Moistureplus Multipurpose solution, one reported using the AMO Complete Comfortplus Multipurpose solution and one was unsure which type of AMO Complete solution they were using. Conclusions: There has been a significant increase in incidence of cases of Acanthamoeba keratitis presenting to our institution. The type of contact lens solution and the use of silicon hydrogel lenses combined with extended overnight wear may play a role; however, the significance is unclear given the small numbers for analysis. Further study of incidence and patient characteristics is warranted to identify risk factors and causes for the rising incidence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study analyzes how telecommunications unions in Australia and Taiwan struggled for their members' interests in response to privatization during 1996-2004. It argues that union revitalization is based on unions' responses rather than external environments; and although unions' strategic choices are influenced by institutions, what is significant is the reciprocal interconnections between the two. This study highlights the importance of union leaders' decisions and membership participation during privatization. Importantly, unions in Australia and Taiwan can learn from each other's successful experiences in a restructuring environment, such as privatization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]