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Context. A new meteor shower λ-Sculptorids produced by the comet 46P/Wirtanen was forecast for December 12, 2023. The predicted activity was highly uncertain, but generally considered to be low. Observations in Australia, New Zealand, and Oceania were solicited to help constrain the size distribution of meteoroids in the shower. Aims. This work aims to characterize the new meteor shower, by comparing the observed and predicted radiants and orbits, and to provide a calibration for future predictions. Methods. Global Meteor Network video cameras were used to observe the meteor shower. Multi-station observations were used to compute trajectories and orbits, while single-station observations were used to measure the flux profile. Results. A total of 23 λ-Sculptorid orbits have been measured. The shower peaked at a zenithal hourly rate (ZHR) of 0.65−0.20+0.24 0. 65 − 0.20 + 0.24 $ 0.65^{+0.24}_{-0.20} $ meteors per hour at λ⊙ = 259.988° ±0.042°. Due to the low in-atmosphere speed of 15 km s−1, the mean mass of observed meteoroids was 0.5 g (∼10 mm diameter), an order of magnitude higher than predicted. The dynamical simulations of the meteoroid stream can only produce such large meteoroids arriving at Earth in 2023 with correct radiants when a very low meteoroid density of ∼100 kg m−3 is assumed. However, this assumption cannot reproduce the activity profile. It may be reproduced by considering higher density meteoroids in a larger ecliptic plane-crossing time window (ΔT = 20 days) and trails ejected prior to 1908, but then the observed radiant structure is not reproduced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

TNX-1800 is a preclinical stage synthetic-derived live attenuated chimeric horsepox virus vaccine engineered to express the SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) gene. The objectives of this study were to assess the safety, tolerability, and immunogenicity of TNX-1800 administration in Syrian golden hamsters and New Zealand white rabbits. Animals were vaccinated at three doses via percutaneous inoculation. The data showed that the single percutaneous administration of three TNX-1800 vaccine dose levels was well tolerated in both hamsters and rabbits. At all dose levels, rabbits were more decerning regarding vaccine site reaction than hamsters. Lastly, no TNX-1800 genomes could be detected at the site of vaccination. Post-vaccination, all animals had anti-SARS-CoV-2 spike protein IgG specific antibody responses. These data demonstrate that TNX-1800 infection was limited, asymptomatic, and cleared by the end of this study, and a single dose was able to generate immune responses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study investigated the assessment of depression, anxiety, and stress during normal and COVID‐19 pandemic conditions. Generalisability theory (G‐theory) was applied to examine stable and dynamic aspects of psychological distress and the overall reliability of the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scales (DASS‐21), using data from two independent samples collected on three occasions with 2‐ to 4‐week intervals. The US data (n = 115) was collected before the COVID‐19 pandemic, and the New Zealand (NZ) data (n = 114) was obtained during the pandemic. The total DASS‐21 demonstrated excellent reliability in measuring enduring symptoms of psychological distress (G =.94–.96) across both samples. While all DASS‐21 subscales demonstrated good reliability with the pre‐pandemic US sample, the subscales' reliability was below an acceptable level for the NZ sample. Findings from this study indicate that the overall psychological distress is enduring and can be reliably measured by the DASS‐21 across different conditions and populations, while shifts across depression, anxiety and stress levels are likely during emergency and uncertainty, as seen in the COVID‐19 pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Could the challenge of mastering threshold concepts be a potential factor that influences a student's decision to continue in electronics engineering? This was the question that led to a collaborative research project between educational researchers and the Faculty of Engineering in a New Zealand university. This paper deals exclusively with the qualitative data from this project, which was designed to investigate the high attrition rate of students taking introductory electronics in a New Zealand university. The affordances of the various teaching opportunities and the barriers that students perceived are examined in the light of recent international research in the area of threshold concepts and transformational learning. Suggestions are made to help students move forward in their thinking, without compromising the need for maintaining the element of intellectual uncertainty that is crucial for tertiary teaching. The issue of the timing of assessments as a measure of conceptual development or the crossing of thresholds is raised. (Contains 2 figures and 1 table.)

Precast concrete building cores are a widely used lateral load resisting system in low and mid-rise multi-storey buildings. However, despite their widespread use in countries like Australia or New Zealand, a very little research or experimental testing has been undertaken to assess their lateral drift behaviour. This article will present the findings and observations of a recent experimental testing programme into reinforced concrete precast building cores, which included three large-scale 'box-shaped' precast building core specimens. Adjacent panels in each specimen were connected together using welded stitch plate connections and then connected to foundation blocks on the top and bottom using grout tube connections. The results of the testing showed that the welded stitch plate connections were too flexible to allow full composite action to be developed in the cross-section, which meant the precast building core specimens were around 25% more flexible than an equivalent cast in-situ version. The testing also highlighted common detailing and construction deficiencies that can severely inhibit the ductility of the core. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the validity of the soil class dependent spectral shape factors used to calculate seismic design actions in the New Zealand seismic design standard NZS1170.5, which currently specifies seismic design spectra corresponding to five different soil classes. According to the current provisions stipulated in NZS1170.5, for all natural periods, the seismic demand for structures on soft soil is either equal to or greater than that for structures on hard soil. This is opposite to the basic structural dynamics theory which suggests that an increase in stiffness of a system results in an increase in the acceleration response. In this pretext, a numerical parametric study is undertaken using a nonlinear site response analysis tool in order to capture the effect of soil characteristics on structural seismic demand and to scrutinize the validity of the current site specific seismic design spectra. It is identified that the level of input ground motion intensity and shear stiffness of the soil deposit (represented by its shear wave velocity Vs) greatly affect the maximum acceleration and frequency content of the surface motion. The study found some shortfalls in the way the current code defines seismic design demand, in particular the hierarchy of soil stiffness at low structural periods. It was found that stiff soils generally tend to have a higher spectral acceleration response in comparison to soft soils although this trend is less prominent for high intensity bed rock motions. It was also found that for medium to hard soils the spectral acceleration response at short period is grossly underestimated by the current NZS 1170.5 provisions. Based on the outcomes of the parametric numerical analyses, a revised strategy to determine structural seismic demand for different soil classes is proposed and its application is demonstrated through an example. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous U-Pb zircon dating of the Pomona Island Granite (PIG) pluton (South Island, New Zealand) yielded either Permo-Carboniferous or Late Jurassic ages for five samples essentially indistinguishable in their field, petrographic, and geochemical characteristics. Detailed cathodoluminescence imaging and LA-ICP-MS dating of zircon in new and previously dated samples reveal that portions of the pluton contain either delicately oscillatory-zoned Late Jurassic zircon grains with rare Permo-Carboniferous cores, or Permo-Carboniferous grains with ubiquitous but thin Late Jurassic rims. Based on zircon dissolution-overgrowth textures, zircon rim and core trace element compositions, and the limited extent of sub-solidus rock recrystallisation textures, the bipartite age distribution is unlikely to reflect variable Pb-loss or metamorphic re-equilibration. Magmatic Zr-saturation temperatures were ≥851°C for samples dominated by Jurassic zircon and ≤809°C for samples with a predominance of Permo-Carboniferous zircon. Together, these data are consistent with PIG magmas having been derived from partial melting of a Permo-Carboniferous felsic igneous source at variable temperature wholly in the Late Jurassic (157 ± 3 Ma). The lowest temperature melts would have been incapable of dissolving significant amounts of pre-existing zircon and consequently generated inheritance-rich magmas, with the very thin rims on the pre-existing zircon grains the only evidence of the Late Jurassic magmatic age. As the partial melting temperature increased and nearly all pre-existing zircon grains dissolved into the magma, an inheritance-poor batch of melt was generated, which precipitated new zircon grains upon crystallisation. Concentrations of major and many trace elements in both magma batches may have been buffered by retention of residual quartz and feldspar in the source, which would explain the limited geochemical differences between inheritance-rich and inheritance-poor portions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An isolate of the tentative carlavirus species Hydrangea chlorotic mottle virus (HdCMV) was found in New Zealand (NZ) in 2007. The host range, serological properties and complete genome sequence of this isolate were determined in this study. While the NZ isolate shared 98% nucleotide sequence identity with the US isolate of HdCMV, differences in titre and host range were found. The HdCMV-NZ genome sequence of 8,433 nt possessed a typical carlavirus organisation with six open reading frames. HdCMV is most closely related (60.4% nt identity) to blueberry scorch virus, a relationship also suggested by serology. These data suggest that HdCMV is a new carlavirus species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A younger age limit to high-grade metamorphism in part of western Fiordland, New Zealand, is obtained from an unmetamorphosed hornblende gabbro that intrudes kyanite-margarite-bearing amphibolite in the mountains east of George Sound. Laser ablation ICP-MS analyses and cathodoluminescence imaging show that zircon grains from the hornblende gabbro form two distinct populations: (1) brightly luminescent grains with a pooled age of 345.8 ± 2.9 Ma and dully luminescent rims, and (2) dully luminescent whole grains with a pooled age of 118.5 ± 1.2 Ma. On the basis of a lack of metamorphic assemblages, and distinct zircon rare earth element concentrations, the hornblende gabbro is interpreted to have been emplaced at 118.5 ± 1.2 Ma. This age puts a younger limit to kyanite grade metamorphism in this area and demonstrates that it did not re-equilibrate during subsequent extension, as has been suggested for other parts of Fiordland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Beehive Diorite is a small but distinctive two-pyroxene pluton exposed amongst the heterogeneous Hunter Intrusives on the shoreline of lake Manapouri in Fiordland, New Zealand. This 149 Ma pluton has been partially rehydrated and deformed to amphibole-bearing meta-diorite, but contains relict hypersthene-augite primary assemblages in low strain domains. Mafic and felsic dikes that intrude Beehive Diorite recrystallised under amphibolite and then greenschist facies conditions. Geochemical composition indicates that Beehive Diorite is a calc-alkaline cumulate derived from a primitive source in a volcanic arc setting, and provides a baseline for Darran Suite mafic magmatism at Lake Manapouri. The crosscutting mafic dikes also belong to the Darran Suite, but the felsic dikes belong to the Separation Point Suite. Beehive Diorite is petrographically and geochemically similar to Hollyford Gabbronorite, and diorite at Mt Underwood in northern Fiordland. This correlation indicates that subduction-related processes in the outboard Median Batholith remained dominant from 149 to 138 Ma, but contrasts with slightly younger and older A-type magmatic pulses, which suggest short periods of slab rollback or stalling. Amphibolite facies metamorphism of Beehive Diorite and the crosscutting dikes occurred between 124 and 116 Ma, after the cessation of Darran Suite and initiation of Separation Point Suite magmatism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides a comprehensive description of all major plutonic rock units in Fiordland between Lakes Poteriteri and Te Anau, and the heads of Doubtful and George Sounds. Plutonic rocks comprise c. 80% of the basement in the area described, the remainder being metasedimentary and metavolcaniclastic rocks. The plutonic rocks, of which c. 50% are granitoids, were emplaced in three phases--at c. 492 Ma, between c. 365 and 318 Ma, and between 168 and 116 Ma. correlatives of the Devonian Karamea Suite emplaced between c. 375 and 367 Ma, and the Triassic to Early Jurassic part of the Darran Suite emplaced between c. 230 and 168 Ma, are not present in the area described here. The strongly deformed Late Cambrian to Early Oordovician Jaquiery Granitoid Gneiss is one of the oldest plutonic rocks yet discovered in New Zealand and is of similar age to plutonic rocks within the Ross and Delamerian Orogens of Victoria Land and South Australia. Rocks emplaced between c. 365 and 318 Ma include Ridge Suite S-type granitoids and closely related S/A-type plutons, Foulwind Suite A-type mafic and granitoid plutons, Tobin Suite I-type granitoids, and several unassigned mafic plutons. Rocks emplaced between 168 and 116 Ma include extensive c. 168-128 Ma old calc-alkaline loSY gabbros, diorites, and granitoids of the Darran Suite, c. 165-135 Ma old hypersolvus perthitic syenogranites and peralkaline granitoids, c. 125 Ma gneissic diorite similar to the Western Fiordland Orthogneiss, and c. 123-116 Ma old quartz diorites and granitoids of the HiSY Separation Point Suite. Plutons from each suite tend to be concentrated in distinct NNE-striking parallel belts up to 20 km wide and 110+ km long. These belts are one of the key features which define the regional structural grain of Fiordland basement geology. Their strike remains constant from the Carboniferous through to the Cretaceous. S, S/A, and A-type plutons of the Carboniferous Ridge and Foulwind Suites are confined to a 125 km long but discontinuous belt in southern and central Fiordland, wholly within the areal extent of early Paleozoic metasedimentary basement. Volumetrically minor Carboniferous Tobin Suite I-type granitoids are confined to the area east of exposed early Paleozoic metasedimentary basement. Much of eastern Fiordland is underlain by an extensive belt of heterogeneous Darran Suite rocks. Darran Suite rocks extend from Stewart Island to the Darran Mountains of northern Fiordland, forming a belt c. 15 km wide and 300 km long. Correlative Darran Suite rocks also occur further west where they intrude early Paleozoic metasediments, indicating that Jurassic to Early Cretaceous arc-related plutonism and volcanism occurred inboard of the edge of early Paleozoic basement in some parts of the Median Batholith. distinctive Jurassic, pink, hypersolvus syenogranite and alkalic granitoids form a narrow discontinuous belt within the wider calcalkaline Darran Suite. Cretaceous Separation Point Suite plutons form two major belts, one in easternmost Fiordland partially covered by Cenozoic sedimentary rocks, and the other stitching inboard and outboard parts of the Median Batholith in central Fiordland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Loch Burn Formation in eastern Fiordland is the metamorphosed and eroded effusive product of a long-lived Jurassic to Early Cretaceous volcanic arc. Relict sedimentary features within meta-volcaniclastic components indicate sedimentation in a mostly terrestrial or shallow-water environment that was fed by debris flows from proximal granitic and volcanic high points. In the Murchison Mountains, deposition is constrained by a c. 342 Ma granite, which is unconformably overlain by the Loch Burn Formation, and a c. 158 Ma quartz diorite that intrudes the Loch Burn Formation. This latter age is 8-9 m.y. older than a volcanic clast from Loch Burn Formation and a sandstone horizon previously dated from the Stuart Mountains, and therefore supports previous suggestions that the Loch Burn Formation is a long-lived and time-transgressive unit. The Carboniferous basement provides a potential source for detrital zircon in metasediment, inherited zircon in the intrusive quartz diorite, and some granitoid clasts within the formation. Geochemical similarities between the quartz diorite, volcanic clasts within the Loch Burn Formation, and nearby Jurassic to Early Cretaceous Darran Suite plutons imply that the Loch Burn Formation is the volcanic equivalent of the Darran Suite. The distinctive lithological, geochemical, age, and internal relationships of the Loch Burn Formation are also seen in the volcano-sedimentary Largs Group of northern Fiordland and Paterson Group of Stewart Island, suggesting that these three units are lithological and chronological equivalents to one another. The Loch Burn Formation provides a comprehensive record of the tectonic evolution of eastern Fiordland, with several episodes of uplift and burial. These are: uplift and erosion of a Carboniferous plutonic basement by c. 195 Ma; deposition of the older part of the Loch Burn Formation sequence in the Jurassic before burial and intrusion by Darran Suite plutons at 158 Ma; deposition continuing until at least 148 Ma; metamorphism of the entire Loch Burn Formation at greenschist and amphibolite facies conditions; uplift, erosion, and then deposition of the overlying Eocene sediments; reburial to zeolite facies depths beneath the Tertiary Te Anau and Waiau Basins; final uplift in the Pliocene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass-spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) 206Pb-238U zircon dates are reported for eight plutonic rocks from eastern Fiordland. The oldest samples are Jurassic (granodiorite, 160.6 ± 1.4 Ma; quartz diorite, 153.0 ± 0.8 Ma; granodiorite, 152.5 ± 0.7 Ma; errors at 2 δ) and collectively belong to the Hunter Intrusives member of the Darran/Median Suite. The LA-ICP-MS age for the younger granodiorite agrees with a concordant multigrain TIMS U-Pb zircon age previously obtained from the same sample. Xenoliths of Hunter Intrusives occur within the Early Cretaceous (127.9 ± 1.1 Ma) granitic Fowler Pluton, also of the Darran/Median Suite. There was a short lull in plutonism until emplacement of leucogranite dikes (123.5 ± 1.2 Ma) and granitoids of the Refrigerator Orthogneiss (120.7 ± 1.1 Ma), Puteketeke Pluton (120.8 ± 0.9 Ma), and West Arm Leucogranite (116.3 ± 1.2 Ma), all of which are members of the Separation Point Suite. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the climate warmed at the end of the Last glacial period, a rapid reversal in temperature, the Younger Dryas (YD) event, briefly returned much of the North Atlantic region to near full-glacial conditions. The event was associated with climate reversals in many other areas of the Northern Hemisphere and also with warming over and near Antarctica. However, the expression of the YD in the mid- to low latitudes of the Southern Hemisphere (and the southwest Pacific region in particular) is much more controversial. Here we show that the Waiho Loop advance of the Franz Josef Glacier in New Zealand was not a YD event, as previously thought, and that the adjacent ocean warmed throughout the YD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focuses on fertilization of radiata pine plantations in New Zealand with phosphate. Use of national foliage database to determine the proportion of forest likely to be deficient in the country; Use of soil maps for additional definition of phosphate fertilization operations.

Intermittent cultivation for forage cropping and subsequent grazing by dairy cattle during winter is practiced in southern New Zealand to protect remaining pastures from poaching damage by cattle. However, this practice may degrade soil aggregate structure affecting pasture yield and nutrient loss. A study was conducted to determine the ability of different aggregate sizes to supply phosphorus (P) to ryegrass in a soil used for winter forage cropping and grazed by dairy cattle 2 out of 7 years. Over 35 weeks ryegrass was grown in pots containing one of six wet-sieved soil aggregate size classes and leached every 2 weeks. Soil analyses included water soluble P, inorganic and organic P fractions, and P in leachate. Results showed that organic P was preferentially lost in leachate or mineralized and used by ryegrass with decreasing aggregate size, although this did not affect yield. Ryegrass yield was best correlated with bicarbonate extractable P in aggregates, and P loss with water soluble inorganic P after minimum disturbance. These findings suggest that although intermittent cultivation did not affect yield, if this practice decreases aggregate size in the future, it may increase the risk of P loss. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Developing expertise in flexible bronchoscopy is limited by inadequate opportunities to train on difficult airways. The new ORSIM bronchoscopy simulator aims to address this by creating virtual patients with difficult airways. This study aims to provide evidence on the validity and reliability of the ORSIM for assessment of subjects on both normal and abnormal airway simulations.Methods: Novice, trainee, and expert subjects performed seven simulations of varying difficulty and scored the perceived difficulty for each. Time to completion was measured. Three blinded raters independently scored videos of each subject's performance. We measured inter-rater agreement and the difference in raters' scores between subject groups.Results: We recruited 28 study subjects, generating 196 videos for analysis. Expert subjects consistently completed the scenarios faster than novices. Overall performance scores showed significant differences between subject groups (P<0.0001). Inter-rater reliability of scores was >0.8.Conclusions: Our results provide initial evidence on the validity and reliability of the ORSIM bronchoscopy simulator, supporting its potential value in training and assessment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] Comprehensive non-targeted method applied to monitoring tea manufacturing LC–MS. [•] Detected significant changes in product composition after the ‘de-greening’ manufacturing step. [•] Detected for the first time, increases in jasmonic acid levels during tea fermentation. [•] Demonstrated the potential of non-targeted LC–MS to monitor the progress of complex manufacturing processes. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Heart failure is a major healthcare problem in New Zealand. The Acute Decompensated Heart Failure (ADHF) Registry was introduced in 2015, and has identified the need for quality improvement strategies to improve care of patients hospitalised with heart failure. In this paper, we describe the implementation of the revised ANZACS-QI Heart Failure Registry, which has a primary aim to support evidence-based management of and quality improvement measures for patients who are hospitalised with heart failure in New Zealand. Taking the learnings from the initial experience with the ADHF Registry, the revised ANZACS-QI Heart Failure Registry i) utilises age-stratified sampling of hospital discharge coding to identify a representative heart failure cohort, ii) utilises existing ANZACS-QI infrastructure for data-linkage to reduce the burden of manual data entry, iii) receives governance from the Heart Failure Working Group, and iv) focusses on established quality improvement indicators for heart failure management., Competing Interests: DZC is supported by the A H Couch Trust. RND is the holder of the Heart Foundation Chair of Heart Health. KKP is supported in part by a Heart Foundation Heart Health Research Trust fellowship. MH is supported by the New Zealand Heart Foundation and Healthier Lives (National Science Challenge)., (© PMA.)

Background: Chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis are common sexually transmitted infections that disproportionately affect specific groups in New Zealand (NZ). Predictors of reinfection are not well studied in NZ but could inform public health strategies to decrease sexually transmitted infection (STI) incidence., Methods: New Zealand-wide chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis cases during 2019 were identified using nationally collected data. Cases were followed-up to identify reinfection with the same STI within 12 months of initial infections. Logistic regression models were used to identify predictors for each STI reinfection., Results: Determinants identified for increased odds of chlamydia reinfection were age groups 16-19 and 20-24 years, females, Māori and Pacific peoples, cases in the Northern region, and cases with at least one test before the initial infection. Age 40 years and older was associated with lower odds of gonorrhea reinfection, as was being of Asian ethnicity, living in Midland or Southern regions, and reporting heterosexual behavior. Region was the only statistically significant predictor for syphilis reinfection, with higher odds of reinfection for people living in the Central region., Conclusions: Our findings reflect disproportionate STI rates for some groups in NZ, with younger age groups, Māori and Pacific peoples, men who have sex with men, and people living in the Northern region experiencing higher odds of reinfection. Groups identified with higher odds for reinfection require increased access to culturally responsive health services to treat, understand, and prevent possible reinfection. Changes to current public health strategies could include culturally specific behavioral counseling, and improvements to and adherence to effective contract tracing., Competing Interests: Conflict of Interest and Sources of Funding: The authors declare no conflicts of interest. This work was supported by funds from the New Zealand Ministry of Health STI Surveillance. P.S. was supported by a Burnett Foundation Aotearoa Fellowship., (Copyright © 2023 American Sexually Transmitted Diseases Association. All rights reserved.)

Background: Tube thoracostomy (TT) in trauma is lifesaving. A previous audit at Counties Manukau District Health Board (CMDHB), New Zealand, showed a 22% complication rate for trauma TT. Subsequently CMDHB introduced a procedural guideline to reduce complications. The Health and Disability Commission published a report concerning oversights in TT removal. This led us to evaluate complications, documentation and procedural monitoring to identify ways to improve patient safety., Method: A 30-month retrospective audit of patients presenting to CMDHB, with injuries which may require TT. Those who had a TT in situ, did not require a TT or whose presentation was not secondary to trauma were excluded., Results: One hundred and forty-three TTs were performed in one hundred and fifteen patients. About 87% had injuries secondary to blunt mechanism. Penetrating injuries were more likely to require TT (P = 0.015). Non-accidental injuries were more likely to need TT (P = 0.025). The complication rate was 25.2%. TT prior to imaging had a 31% complication rate (P < 0.03). About 23% had no TT insertion note. 40% had no TT removal note. About 9% TT insertions had no tertiary information to identify the proceduralist and a complication rate of 46%. About 22% of insertions and 4% of removals documented consent. About 2% of insertions documented anticoagulation status. Interventional radiology had the best documentation of data points assessed (P < 0.0001). Post-procedural monitoring recommendations were documented in 1% insertions and 11% removals., Conclusions: The complication rate has not reduced despite introduction of a guideline. Procedural documentation and monitoring were inadequate, potentially impacting patient safety., (© 2022 Royal Australasian College of Surgeons.)

Police officers require a certain amount of occupational fitness to successfully perform physically demanding tasks. As such, trainees are required to undergo training to develop their ability to perform such tasks. The physical competency test (PCT) is a 400 m obstacle course consisting of key police occupational physical tasks used to evaluate a trainee's ability to complete tasks that a police officer is expected to perform whilst on duty. The purpose of this study was to profile the PCT in a police recruit population to provide an indication of the current level of occupational fitness within a policing population to inform conditioning requirements. Retrospective data for 813 male (age = 27.41 ± 5.92 years, body mass = 83.98 ± 14.03 kg, height = 179.23 ± 10.50 cm, BMI = 25.85 ± 3.92 kg/m2) and 372 female (mean age = 27.01 ± 6.45 years, mean weight = 67.14 ± 8.60 kg, mean height = 168.14 ± 6.46 cm and mean BMI = 23.61 ± 2.52 kg/m2) police trainees from the New Zealand Police Constabulary Recruitment database were provided for analysis. Anthropometric data, including height, body mass, and BMI were provided, in addition to trainee PCT time. Data were split by sex and age. Significant differences were observed between sexes for all anthropometric measures and PCT time ( p < 0.001). Generally, in both the male and female groups, younger recruits tended to perform better than the older recruits with results between the "under 20" and the 20-24-year-old-age groups performing significantly better than the 35-39-year-old-age group in both sexes, and the 25-29-year-old-age group performing significantly better than the 35-39-year-old-age group in female officers. The data provided in this study provides a profile for performance of male and female recruits of various ages on the PCT in preparation for entry, or re-entry following injury, into the NZ Police. However, given that the PCT is considered a measure of occupational task performance, consideration should be given to the use of sex and age neutral requirements as the occupational tasks performed by police officers exhibit the same traits regardless of sex or age. Older trainees may therefore need conditioning to improve PCT times and subsequently occupational performance., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Dawes, Scott, Canetti, Lockie, Schram and Orr.)

Background: In early 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, New Zealand implemented graduated, risk-informed national COVID-19 suppression measures aimed at disease elimination. We investigated their impacts on the epidemiology of the first wave of COVID-19 in the country and response performance measures., Methods: We did a descriptive epidemiological study of all laboratory-confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 and all patients tested for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in New Zealand from Feb 2 to May 13, 2020, after which time community transmission ceased. We extracted data from the national notifiable diseases database and the national SARS-CoV-2 test results repository. Demographic features and disease outcomes, transmission patterns (source of infection, outbreaks, household transmission), time-to-event intervals, and testing coverage were described over five phases of the response, capturing different levels of non-pharmaceutical interventions. Risk factors for severe outcomes (hospitalisation or death) were examined with multivariable logistic regression and time-to-event intervals were analysed by fitting parametric distributions using maximum likelihood estimation., Findings: 1503 cases were detected over the study period, including 95 (6·3%) hospital admissions and 22 (1·5%) COVID-19 deaths. The estimated case infection rate per million people per day peaked at 8·5 (95% CI 7·6-9·4) during the 10-day period of rapid response escalation, declining to 3·2 (2·8-3·7) in the start of lockdown and progressively thereafter. 1034 (69%) cases were imported or import related, tending to be younger adults, of European ethnicity, and of higher socioeconomic status. 702 (47%) cases were linked to 34 outbreaks. Severe outcomes were associated with locally acquired infection (crude odds ratio [OR] 2·32 [95% CI 1·40-3·82] compared with imported), older age (adjusted OR ranging from 2·72 [1·40-5·30] for 50-64 year olds to 8·25 [2·59-26·31] for people aged ≥80 years compared with 20-34 year olds), aged residential care residency (adjusted OR 3·86 [1·59-9·35]), and Pacific peoples (adjusted OR 2·76 [1·14-6·68]) and Asian (2·15 [1·10-4·20]) ethnicities relative to European or other. Times from illness onset to notification and isolation progressively decreased and testing increased over the study period, with few disparities and increasing coverage of females, Māori, Pacific peoples, and lower socioeconomic groups., Interpretation: New Zealand's response resulted in low relative burden of disease, low levels of population disease disparities, and the initial achievement of COVID-19 elimination., Funding: Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment Strategic Scientific Investment Fund, and Ministry of Health, New Zealand., (Copyright © 2020 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an Open Access article under the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 license. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (NMOSD) are an inflammation of the central nervous system associated with autoantibodies to aquaporin-4. We have undertaken a clinic-based survey of NMOSD in the Australia and New Zealand populations with the aim of characterising the clinical features and establishing the value of recently revised diagnostic criteria. Cases of possible NMOSD and age and sex-matched controls with multiple sclerosis (MS) were referred from centres across Australia and New Zealand. Cases were classified as NMOSD if they met the 2015 IPND criteria and remained as suspected NMOSD if they did not. Clinical and paraclinical data were compared across the three groups. NMOSD was confirmed in 75 cases and 89 had suspected NMOSD. There were 101 controls with MS. Age at onset, relapse rates and EDSS scores were significantly higher in NMOSD than in MS. Lesions and symptoms referable to the optic nerve were more common in NMOSD whereas brainstem, cerebellar and cerebral lesions were more common in MS. Longitudinally extensive spinal cord lesions were seen in 48/71 (68%) of cases with NMOSD. Elevations of CSF, white cell count and protein were more common in NMOSD. We have confirmed a clinical pattern of NMOSD that has been seen in several geographical regions. We have demonstrated the clinical utility of the current diagnostic criteria. Distinct patterns of disease are evident in NMOSD and MS, but there remains a large number of patients with NMOSD-like features who do not meet the current diagnostic criteria for NMOSD and remain a diagnostic challenge.

The All Right? campaign was developed as a mental health promotion campaign following the 2010-2011 Canterbury earthquakes. One aspect of the overall campaign was the utilisation of social media as a means of promoting wellbeing messages. This research evaluates the use of the All Right? Facebook page as a means of promoting wellbeing after a major natural disaster. Quantitative and qualitative methods were used to gather data about the social media component of the All Right? campaign. Findings indicate that the All Right? Facebook page has become a valued source of consistent wellbeing tips and advice -'the place that I go'. Wellbeing reminders posted on the page were especially valued following earthquake aftershocks. High proportions of respondents to a survey (n = 212) linked from the All Right? Facebook page agreed that the page was helpful (98%), gave people ideas of things that they can do to help themselves (96%), and made people think about their wellbeing (93%). Over four fifths (85%) of respondents had done activities as a result of what they saw on the All Right? Facebook page. Success factors for the Facebook page often mirrored those for the campaign itself, including: local research to inform the use of appropriate language for translating evidence-based wellbeing messages into a local setting; not being marketed as a government message; and effectively combining public health and communications expertise. Success factors specific to the Facebook page included: regular posts with a focus on issues that affect everyone in Canterbury post-disaster; timely posts, especially immediately following aftershocks; a consistent tone for the All Right? Facebook page; and balancing wellbeing facts and tips with other content that was relevant to the Canterbury population. The overall success of the All Right? Facebook page was reliant on being part of a trusted population-wide mental health promotion campaign., (© The Author(s) 2019. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Introduction: Health and safety within the recreational diving industry are poorly described. We aimed to obtain the true prevalence of decompression illness (DCI) and other diving and non-diving injuries, including occupational injuries, in a large recreational diving charter operation., Methods: A New Zealand recreational diving operator keeps detailed records of diving activity and event/incident reports. We extracted passenger and crew numbers, dive numbers and incident statistics from all boat trips and associated work-related injuries between 01 January 2008 and 31 December 2014. The records of divers referred to the regional hyperbaric unit for suspected DCI were reviewed retrospectively. Using these data the prevalence of DCI and non-diving injuries were calculated., Results: There were 65,536 person-trips to sea and 57,072 divers undertook 97,144 dives. Fifty-five injury events were documented over seven years, 31 in customers and 24 in staff. Four divers (including one staff member) diagnosed with DCI underwent recompression therapy, giving a prevalence of 0.41 cases requiring recompression per 10,000 dives, or one case per 24,386 dives, whilst five other divers were assessed as not having DCI. There was one cardiac-related fatality. Thirty-five non-diving injuries (mainly lacerations and minor musculoskeletal injuries) were documented in 30 people resulting in 10 consulting a general practitioner and seven presenting to the local regional hospital emergency department., Conclusions: DCI requiring recompression was relatively rare in this supervised recreational diving operation. Minor non-diving injuries were the most common adverse event. Compared to other adventure sports, the prevalence of injury in recreational scuba diving is low., (Copyright: This article is the copyright of the authors who grant Diving and Hyperbaric Medicine a non-exclusive licence to publish the article in electronic and other forms.)

Objectives: We have undertaken a clinic-based survey of neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (NMOSDs) in Australia and New Zealand to establish incidence and prevalence across the region and in populations of differing ancestry., Background: NMOSD is a recently defined demyelinating disease of the central nervous system (CNS). The incidence and prevalence of NMOSD in Australia and New Zealand has not been established., Methods: Centres managing patients with demyelinating disease of the CNS across Australia and New Zealand reported patients with clinical and laboratory features that were suspicious for NMOSD. Testing for aquaporin 4 antibodies was undertaken in all suspected cases. From this group, cases were identified who fulfilled the 2015 Wingerchuk diagnostic criteria for NMOSD. A capture-recapture methodology was used to estimate incidence and prevalence, based on additional laboratory identified cases., Results: NMOSD was confirmed in 81/170 (48%) cases referred. Capture-recapture analysis gave an adjusted incidence estimate of 0.37 (95% CI 0.35 to 0.39) per million per year and a prevalence estimate for NMOSD of 0.70 (95% CI 0.61 to 0.78) per 100 000. NMOSD was three times more common in the Asian population (1.57 (95% CI 1.15 to 1.98) per 100 000) compared with the remainder of the population (0.57 (95% CI 0.50 to 0.65) per 100 000). The latitudinal gradient evident in multiple sclerosis was not seen in NMOSD., Conclusions: NMOSD incidence and prevalence in Australia and New Zealand are comparable with figures from other populations of largely European ancestry. We found NMOSD to be more common in the population with Asian ancestry., Competing Interests: Competing interests: MHB has received honoraria for participation in advisory boards and travel sponsorship from Novartis, BioCSL, Genzyme and Biogen Idec. MBo has received travel sponsorship and honoraria from Sanofi-Genzyme, Teva, Novartis, BiogenIdec and Roche. BJB has received honoraria as a board member for GlaxoSmithKline, Biogen Idec, ViiV Healthcare and Merck Serono, has received speaker honoraria from ViiV Healthcare, Boehringer Ingelheim, Abbott, AbbVie and Biogen Idec, has received travel sponsorship from Abbott and ViiV Healthcare and has received research support funding from EIi Lilly, GlaxoSmithKline, ViiV Healthcare and Merck Serono. SAB has received honoraria for attendance at advisory boards and travel sponsorship from Bayer Schering Pharma, BiogenIdec, Merck Serono, Novartis and Sanofi-Genzyme, has received speaker honoraria from Biogen Idec and Genzyme, is an investigator in clinical trials sponsored by Biogen Idec, Novartis and Genzyme and was the recipient of an unencumbered research grant from Biogen Idec. HB has received honoraria for serving on scientific advisory boards for Biogen Idec, Novartis and Sanofi-Genzyme, has received conference travel sponsorship from Novartis and Biogen Idec, has received honoraria for speaking and acting as Chair at educational events organised by Novartis, Biogen Idec, Medscape and Merck Serono, serves on steering committees for trials conducted by Biogen Idec and Novartis, is chair (honorary) of the MSBase Foundation, which has received research support from Merck Serono, Novartis, Biogen Idec, Genzyme Sanofi and CSL Biopharma and has received research support form Merck Serono. WMC has been the recipient of travel sponsorship from, and provided advice to, Bayer Schering Pharma, BiogenIdec, Novartis, Genzyme, Sanofi-Aventis, BioCSL and Merck Serono. RCD has received research funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council, MS Research Australia, Star Scientific Foundation, Pfizer Neuroscience, Tourette Syndrome Association, University of Sydney and the Petre Foundation and has received honoraria from Biogen Idec and Bristol-Myers Squibb as an invited speaker. MjF-P has received travel sponsorship from Biogen Australia and New Zealand. RH has received honoraria, educational support and clinic funding from Novartis, Biogen Idec, Genzyme and BioCSL. AGK has received scientific consulting fees and/or lecture honoraria from Bayer, BioCSL, BiogenIdec, Genzyme, Merck, Novartis, Sanofi-Aventis and Teva. TJK has received travel sponsorship from Novartis, BioCSL, Novartis, Merck Serono and BiogenIdec, has received speaker honoraria from Biogen Idec, BioCSL, Merck Serono, Teva, Genzyme and Novartis, has received research support from Biogen Idec, Genzyme, GlaxoSmithKline, Bayer Schering Pharma and Merck Serono and has received scientific consulting fees from GlaxoSmithKline China, Biogen Idec and Novartis. JK has received remuneration for advisory board activities and presentations from Bayer Healthcare, Biogen Idec, BioCSL, Genzyme and Novartis. CK has received travel support, honoraria and advisory board payments from Biogen Idec, Bayer,Genzyme, Novartis and Serono. JL-S has received unencumbered funding as well as honoraria for presentations and membership on advisory boards from Sanofi-Aventis, Biogen Idec, Bayer Health Care, CSL, Genzyme, Merck Serono, Novartis Australia and Teva. RALM has received honoraria for attendance at advisory boards and travel sponsorship from Bayer Schering Pharma, Biogen Idec, CSL, Merck Serono, Novartis and Sanofi-Genzyme. MPMa has received travel sponsorship, honoraria, trial payments, research and clinical support from Bayer Schering Pharma, Biogen Idec, BioCSL, Genzyme, Novartis and Sanofi-Aventis Genzyme. DFM has received honoraria for attendance at advisory boards from Biogen Idec and Novartis, and travel sponsorship from Bayer Schering Pharma, Biogen Idec and Sanofi-Genzyme. PAMcC has received honoraria or travel sponsorship from Novartis, Sanofi-Aventis and Biogen Idec. JAP has received travel sponsorship, honoraria for presentations and membership on advisory boards from Biogen Idec and Novartis and Sanofi-Aventis. JDP has received honoraria for seminars or advisory boards from Teva, Biogen, Sanofi-Genzyme, Novartis, Merck, Bayer and research grants or fellowships from Merck, Novartis, Bayer, Biogen, Sanofi-Genzyme and Teva. SWR has received travel sponsorship, honoraria, trial payments, research and clinical support from Aspreva, Baxter, Bayer Schering Pharma, Biogen Idec, BioCSL, Genzyme, Novartis, Sanofi-Aventis Genzyme and Servier, and is a director of Medical Safety Systems Pty Ltd. CPS has received travel sponsorship from Biogen Idec, Novartis and Bayer Schering Pharma. IS has received remuneration for Advisory Board activities from Biogen, CSL and Bayer Schering Pharma and educational activities with Biogen, CSL and travel sponsorship from Biogen, Novartis and Bayer Schering Pharma. MS has received research support from Novartis, Biogen Idec and BioCSL. JSp has received honoraria for lectures and participation in advisory boards, and travel sponsorship from Novartis, BioCSL, Genzyme and Biogen Idec. BVT has received travel sponsorship from Novartis and Bayer Schering Pharma. AV and the University of Oxford hold patents and receive royalties for antibody testing. PW and the University of Oxford hold patents for antibody assays and have received royalties, has received speaker honoraria from Biogen Idec and Euroimmun AG and travel grants from the Guthy-Jackson Charitable Foundation. EW has received honoraria for participation in advisory boards from Biogen Idec and Novartis, travel sponsorship from Biogen Idec, Bayer Schering Pharma and Teva and is an investigator in clinical trials funded by Biogen Idec and Teva. DA, SBh, SBl, KB, MBr, WBr, WBu, CSB, CCM, LC, AC, CD, KD, DF, DG, SHa, APDH, SHe, SHo, SJ-S, AJK, M-WL, CL, CO’G, MPM, CS, RS, JSt, AV, SV, MWa, RJW, RCW, MWo and EMY report no disclosures., (© Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2017. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.)

Background: Delirium in hospitalised older persons is common and is correlated with adverse outcomes. Few studies of this have been done in New Zealand. The study aimed to measure the impact of delirium on 6-month mortality, length of inpatient stay and level of care., Method: We performed a retrospective analysis utilising data from the Delirium Point Prevalence Audit conducted at Waitemata District Health Board. The subjects were older inpatients (>65 years) surveyed between 15/05/2012 to 24/07/2012. Delirium was defined as screening positive on the Confusion Assessment Method (CAM). Patients were dichotomised into those with delirium or without., Results: 250 patients were identified. 28(11.2%) were CAM-positive while 222 (88.8%) were CAM-negative. Mortality at 6 months for the CAM-positive group was 39%, compared to 10% in the CAM-negative group (p<0.005). The mean inpatient day stay for the CAM-positive group was 25.4 days; for the CAM-negative group it was 21.6 days (p=0.721). The proportion requiring an increased level of care at discharge was 66.6% for the CAM-positive group, while for CAM-negative persons the rate was 13.8% (p<0.00003)., Conclusion: In hospitalised older adults, the presence of a positive CAM test for delirium was strongly associated with both a higher mortality rate at 6 months and a requirement for an increased level of care at discharge as compared to a negative CAM. No effect was observed on inpatient length of stay.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a potentially life-changing immune mediated disease of the central nervous system. Until recently, treatment has been largely confined to acute treatment of relapses, symptomatic therapies and rehabilitation. Through persistent efforts of dedicated physicians and scientists around the globe for 160 years, a number of therapies that have an impact on the long term outcome of the disease have emerged over the past 20 years. In this three part series we review the practicalities, benefits and potential hazards of each of the currently available and emerging treatment options for MS. We pay particular attention to ways of abrogating the risks of these therapies and provide advice on the most appropriate indications for using individual therapies. In Part 1 we review the history of the development of MS therapies and its connection with the underlying immunobiology of the disease. The established therapies for MS are reviewed in detail and their current availability and indications in Australia and New Zealand are summarised. We examine the evidence to support their use in the treatment of MS., (Crown Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

In this third and final part of our review of multiple sclerosis (MS) treatment we look at the practical day-to-day management issues that are likely to influence individual treatment decisions. Whilst efficacy is clearly of considerable importance, tolerability and the potential for adverse effects often play a significant role in informing individual patient decisions. Here we review the issues surrounding switching between therapies, and the evidence to assist guiding the choice of therapy to change to and when to change. We review the current level of evidence with regards to the management of women in their child-bearing years with regards to recommendations about treatment during pregnancy and whilst breast feeding. We provide a summary of recommended pre- and post-treatment monitoring for the available therapies and review the evidence with regards to the value of testing for antibodies which are known to be neutralising for some therapies. We review the occurrence of adverse events, both the more common and troublesome effects and those that are less common but have potentially much more serious outcomes. Ways of mitigating these risks and managing the more troublesome adverse effects are also reviewed. Finally, we make specific recommendations with regards to the treatment of MS. It is an exciting time in the world of MS neurology and the prospects for further advances in coming years are high., (Crown Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

In Part 2 of this three part review of multiple sclerosis (MS) treatment with a particular focus on the Australian and New Zealand perspective, we review the newer therapies that have recently become available and emerging therapies that have now completed phase III clinical trial programs. We go on to compare the relative efficacies of these newer and emerging therapies alongside the existing therapies. The effectiveness of β-interferon in the treatment of different stages and the different disease courses of MS is critically reviewed with the conclusion that the absolute level of response in term of annualised relapse rates (where relapses occur) and MRI activity are similar, but are disappointing in terms of sustained disability progression for progressive forms of the disease. Finally we review the controversial area of combination therapy for MS. Whilst it remains the case that we have no cure or means of preventing MS, we do have a range of effective therapies that when used appropriately and early in the disease course can have a significant impact on short term and longer term outcomes., (Crown Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: A female/male (F/M) ratio increase over time in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients was demonstrated in many countries around the world. So far, a direct comparison of sex ratio time-trends among MS populations from different geographical areas was not carried out., Objective: In this paper we assessed and compared sex ratio trends, over a 60-year span, in MS populations belonging to different latitudinal areas., Methods: Data of a cohort of 15,996 (F = 11,290; M = 4,706) definite MS with birth years ranging from 1930 to 1989 were extracted from the international MSBase registry and the New Zealand MS database. Gender ratios were calculated by six decades based on year of birth and were adjusted for the F/M born-alive ratio derived from the respective national registries of births., Results: Adjusted sex ratios showed a significant increase from the first to the last decade in the whole MS sample (from 2.35 to 2.73; p = 0.03) and in the subgroups belonging to the areas between 83° N and 45° N (from 1.93 to 4.55; p<0.0001) and between 45° N to 35° N (from 1.46 to 2.30; p<0.05) latitude, while a sex ratio stability over time was found in the subgroup from areas between 12° S and 55° S latitude. The sex ratio increase mainly affected relapsing-remitting (RR) MS., Conclusions: Our results confirm a general sex ratio increase over time in RRMS and also demonstrate a latitudinal gradient of this increase. These findings add useful information for planning case-control studies aimed to explore sex-related factors responsible for MS development.

An isolate of the tentative carlavirus species Hydrangea chlorotic mottle virus (HdCMV) was found in New Zealand (NZ) in 2007. The host range, serological properties and complete genome sequence of this isolate were determined in this study. While the NZ isolate shared 98% nucleotide sequence identity with the US isolate of HdCMV, differences in titre and host range were found. The HdCMV-NZ genome sequence of 8,433 nt possessed a typical carlavirus organisation with six open reading frames. HdCMV is most closely related (60.4% nt identity) to blueberry scorch virus, a relationship also suggested by serology. These data suggest that HdCMV is a new carlavirus species.

Aim: Workplace bullying is a growing concern amongst health professionals. Our aim was to explore the frequency, nature, and extent of workplace bullying in an Auckland Hospital (Auckland, New Zealand)., Method: A cross-sectional questionnaire survey of house officers and registrars at a tertiary hospital was conducted., Results: There was an overall response rate of 33% (123/373). 50% of responders reported experiencing at least one episode of bullying behaviour. The largest source of workplace bullying was consultants and nurses in equal frequency. The most common bullying behaviour was unjustified criticism. Only 18% of respondents had made a formal complaint., Conclusion: Workplace bullying is a significant issue with junior doctors. We recommend education about unacceptable behaviours and the development of improved complaint processes.

Diagnostic delay was measured in 455 consecutive patients who had large bowel cancer and it was found to be less pronounced than in a previous study in the same hospitals. However overall corrected five year survival remained the same. The duration of symptoms was not correlated with the stage of the disease, nor with five year survival. The pattern of disease resembled other Western series, with an overall corrected five year survival rate of 33.2%. Prognosis was significantly better in women and worse in patients with an elevated ESR on presentation. Intestinal obstruction due to carcinoma did not adversely affect prognosis.

Three hundred and twenty patients with malignant melanoma were treated in Otago and Southland during the 10 years 1968 to 1977. Retrospective examination of available information showed a greater frequency in women than in men. The overall incidence of the area increased from 6.2 per 100 000 at the beginning of the study, to 12.8 per 100 000 in 1977. The five year survival rate was 76 percent overall, and 83 percent for superficial invasion (levels I to III). The only factor significantly affecting prognosis was old age, which diminished the five year survival rate.