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Cross-Sectional Study Of Area-Level Disadvantage And Glycaemic-Related Risk In Community Health Service Users In The Southern.Iml Research (Simlr) Cohort, Roger Cross, Andrew D. Bonney, Darren J. Mayne, Kathryn M. Weston

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

Objectives. The aim of the present study was to determine the association between area-level socioeconomic disadvantage and glycaemic-related risk in health service users in the Illawarra-Shoalhaven region of New South Wales, Australia. Methods. HbA1c values recorded between 2010 and 2012 for non-pregnant individuals aged 18 years were extracted from the Southern.IML Research (SIMLR) database. Individuals were assigned quintiles of the Socioeconomic Indices for Australia (SEIFA) Index of Relative Socioeconomic Disadvantage (IRSD) according to their Statistical Area 1 of residence. Glycaemic risk categories were defined as HbA1c 5.0-5.99% (lowest risk), 6.0-7.49% (intermediate risk) and 7.5% (highest risk). Logistic regression models were …

A Mediterranean-Style Dietary Intervention Supplemented With Fish Oil Improves Diet Quality And Mental Health In People With Depression: A Randomized Controlled Trial (Helfimed), Natalie Parletta, Dorota M. Zarnowiecki, Jihyun Cho, Amy Wilson, Svetlana Bogomolova, Anthony Villani, Catherine Itsiopoulos, Theo Niyonsenga, Sarah Blunden, Barbara J. Meyer, Leonie Segal, Bernhard Baune, Kerin O'Dea

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

Objectives: We investigated whether a Mediterranean-style diet (MedDiet) supplemented with fish oil can improve mental health in adults suffering depression. Methods: Adults with self-reported depression were randomized to receive fortnightly food hampers and MedDiet cooking workshops for 3 months and fish oil supplements for 6 months, or attend social groups fortnightly for 3 months. Assessments at baseline, 3 and 6 months included mental health, quality of life (QoL) and dietary questionnaires, and blood samples for erythrocyte fatty acid analysis. Results: n = 152 eligible adults aged 18-65 were recruited (n = 95 completed 3-month and n = 85 completed 6-month …

Plasma Cortisol And Oxytocin Levels Predict Help-Seeking Intentions For Depressive Symptoms, Susan J. Thomas, Theresa A. Larkin

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

Background: Depressed individuals often refuse or withdraw from help, a phenomenon termed help-negation, which is a risk factor for poor outcomes. Most previous research has investigated psychosocial factors including stigma as causes of low help-seeking intentions for depression, however these do not adequately explain the problem. We hypothesised that because help-negation worsens with symptom severity, it might be linked to important biological changes associated with depression itself. We investigated the relative contributions of cortisol, a stress hormone linked to depression, and oxytocin, a hormone which mediates social behaviours, alongside psychosocial factors, to help-seeking intentions among depressed and non-depressed individuals. Methods: …

Repeated Megafloods From Glacial Lake Vitim, Siberia, To The Arctic Ocean Over The Past 60,000 Years, Martin Margold, John D. Jansen, Alexandru Tiberiu Codilean, Frank Preusser, Artem L. Gurinov, Toshiyuki Fujioka, David Fink

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

Cataclysmic outburst floods transformed landscapes and caused abrupt climate change during the last deglaciation. Whether such events have also characterized previous deglaciations is not known. Arctic marine cores hint at megafloods prior to Oxygen Isotope Stage (OIS) 2, but the overprint of successive glaciations means that geomorphological traces of ancient floods remain scarce in Eurasia and North America. Here we present the first well-constrained terrestrial megaflood record to be linked with Arctic archives. Based on cosmogenic-nuclide exposure dating and optically stimulated luminescence dating applied to glacial-lake sediments, a 300-m deep bedrock spillway, and giant eddy-bars > 200-m high, we reconstruct a …

Biological And Geophysical Feedbacks With Fire In The Earth System, Sally Archibald, Caroline E. R Lehmann, C Belcher, William J. Bond, Ross A. Bradstock, A-L Daniau, K Dexter, E Forrestel, M Greve, T He, S I. Higgins, W Hoffmann, B B. Lamont, D J. Mcglinn, G Moncrieff, C P. Osborne, Juli G. Pausas, Owen F. Price, B Ripley, B Rogers, D Schwilk, M Simon, M Turetsky, G R. Van Der Werf, A E. Zanne

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

Roughly 3% of the Earth's land surface burns annually, representing a critical exchange of energy and matter between the land and atmosphere via combustion. Fires range from slow smouldering peat fires, to low-intensity surface fires, to intense crown fires, depending on vegetation structure, fuel moisture, prevailing climate, and weather conditions. While the links between biogeochemistry, climate and fire are widely studied within Earth system science, these relationships are also mediated by fuels-namely plants and their litter-that are the product of evolutionary and ecological processes. Fire is a powerful selective force and, over their evolutionary history, plants have evolved traits that …

Discovery Of Ancient Roman "Highway" Reveals Geomorphic Changes In Karst Environments During Historic Times, Federico Bernardini, Giacomo Vinci, Emanuele Forte, Stefano Furlani, Michele Pipan, Sara Biolchi, Angelo De Min, Andrea Fragiacomo, Roberto Micheli, Paola Ventura, Claudio Tuniz

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

Sinkholes are a well-known geologic hazard but their past occurrence, useful for subsidence risk prediction, is difficult to define, especially for ancient historic times. Consequently, our knowledge about Holocene carbonate landscapes is often limited. A multidisciplinary study of Trieste Karst (Italy), close to early Roman military fortifications, led to the identification of possible ancient road tracks, cut by at least one sinkhole. Electrical Resistivity Tomography through the sinkhole has suggested the presence of a cave below its bottom, possibly responsible of the sinkhole formation, while Ground Penetrating Radar has detected no tectonic disturbances underneath the tracks. Additionally, archaeological surveys led …

Packaging Data Analytical Work Reproducibly Using R (And Friends), Ben Marwick, Carl Boettiger, Lincoln Mullen

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

Computers are a central tool in the research process, enabling complex and large-scale data analysis. As computer-based research has increased in c omplexity, so have the challenges of ensuring that this research is reproducible. To address this challenge, we review the concept of the research compendium as a solution for providing a standard and easily recognizable way for organizing the digital materials of a research project to enable other researchers to inspect, reproduce, and extend the research. We investigate how the structure and tooling of software packages of the R programming language are being used to produce research compendia in …

Characteristics Of Greenhouse Gas Concentrations Derived From Ground-Based Fts Spectra At Anmyeondo, South Korea, Young-Suk Oh, Samuel Takele Kenea, Tae-Young Goo, Kyu-Sun Chung, Jae-Sang Rhee, Mi-Lim Ou, Young-Hwa Byun, Paul O. Wennberg, Matthaus Kiel, Joshua P. Digangi, G S. Diskin, Voltaire A. Velazco, David W. T Griffith

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

Since the late 1990s, the meteorological observatory established in Anmyeondo (36.5382° N, 126.3311° E, and 30 m above mean sea level) has been monitoring several greenhouse gases such as CO₂, CH₄, N₂O, CFCs, and SF₆ as a part of the Global Atmosphere Watch (GAW) Program. A high resolution ground-based (g-b) Fourier transform spectrometer (FTS) was installed at this observation site in 2013 and has been operated within the frame work of the Total Carbon Column Observing Network (TCCON) since August 2014. The solar spectra recorded by the g-b FTS cover the spectral range …

Tracking The 10be-26al Source-Area Signal In Sediment-Routing Systems Of Arid Central Australia, Martin Struck, John D. Jansen, Toshiyuki Fujioka, Alexandru Tiberiu Codilean, David Fink, Reka H. Fulop, Klaus M. Wilcken, David M. Price, Steven Kotevski, L Keith Fifield, John Chappell

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

Sediment-routing systems continuously transfer information and mass from eroding source areas to depositional sinks. Understanding how these systems alter environmental signals is critical when it comes to inferring source-area properties from the sedimentary record. We measure cosmogenic 10Be and 26Al along three large sediment-routing systems ( ∼  100 000 km2) in central Australia with the aim of tracking downstream variations in 10Be-26Al inventories and identifying the factors responsible for these variations. By comparing 56 new cosmogenic 10Be and 26Al measurements in stream sediments with matching data (n =  55) from source areas, we show that 10Be-26Al inventories in hillslope bedrock …

Technical Note: Open-Paleo-Data Implementation Pilot - The Pages 2k Special Issue, Darrell S. Kaufman, Nerilie J. Abram, Michael N. Evans, Pierre Francus, Hugues Goosse, Hans W. Linderholm, Marie-France Loutre, Belen Martrat, Helen V. Mcgregor, Raphael Neukom, Scott St George, Christian Turney, Lucien Von Gunten

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

Data stewardship is an essential element of the publication process. Knowing how to enact data polices that are described only in general terms can be difficult, however. Examples are needed to model the implementation of open-data polices in actual studies. Here we explain the procedure used to attain a high and consistent level of data stewardship across a special issue of the journal Climate of the Past. We discuss the challenges related to (1) determining which data are essential for public archival, (2) using data generated by others, and (3) understanding data citations. We anticipate that open-data sharing in paleo …

The Effectiveness Of Support Groups: A Literature Review, Hugh Worrall, Richard Schweizer, Ellen Marks, Lin Yuan, Chris Lloyd, Rob Ramjan

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

Purpose: Support groups are a common feature of the mental health support engaged by carers and consumers. The purpose of this paper is to update and consolidate the knowledge and the evidence for the effectiveness of mental health support groups.

Design/methodology/approach: This paper is based on a systematic literature review of relevant databases around support groups for mental health. Support groups are defined as meetings of people with similar experiences, such as those defined as carers of a person living with a mental illness or a person living with a mental illness. These meetings aim to provide support and …

Standardised Alcohol Screening In Primary Health Care Services Targeting Aboriginal And Torres Strait Islander Peoples In Australia, M Islam, Helen Oni, K Lee, Noel Hayman, Scott Wilson, Kristie Harrison, Beth Hummerston, Rowena G. Ivers, Kate M. Conigrave

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

Introduction and aims: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community Controlled Health Services (ACCHSs) around Australia have been asked to standardise screening for unhealthy drinking. Accordingly, screening with the 3-item AUDIT-C (Alcohol Use Disorders Identifcation Test-Consumption) tool has become a national key performance indicator. Here we provide an overview of suitability of AUDIT-C and other brief alcohol screening tools for use in ACCHSs. Methods: All peer-reviewed literature providing original data on validity, acceptability or feasibility of alcohol screening tools among Indigenous Australians was reviewed. Narrative synthesis was used to identify themes and integrate results. Results: Three screening tools-full AUDIT, AUDIT-3 (third …

Short-Term Response Of A Declining Woodland Bird Assemblage To The Removal Of A Despotic Competitor, Galen Davitt, Kimberly L. Maute, Richard E. Major, Paul Mcdonald, Martine Maron

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

Interspecific aggression by the noisy miner (Manorina melanocephala), a highly despotic species, is homogenizing woodland avifaunas across eastern Australia. Although a native species, the noisy miner's aggressive exclusion of small birds is a Key Threatening Process under national law. Large-scale removal of noisy miners has been proposed as a management response to this threat following increases in miner presence due to anthropogenic land use practices. We tested this proposal by experimentally removing noisy miners from eucalypt woodland remnants (16-49 ha), assigned randomly as control (n = 12) or treatment (miner removal) sites (n = 12). Standardized bird surveys were conducted …

An Exploration Of The Experiences Of Australian Grey Nomads Travelling With Chronic Conditions, Kaara Ray Calma, Elizabeth J. Halcomb, Moira Stephens

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

Internationally, the population is ageing and people are living well, longer. In Australia, extended travelling has gained popularity among older Grey Nomads due to time and opportunity post retirement. However, there is limited research available focusing on older Australians' health while travelling. This paper reports the qualitative phase of a larger mixed-method project that explores the experience of Australian Grey Nomads travelling with chronic conditions. Eight Grey Nomads participated in telephone interviews. Data were analysed using inductive thematic analysis. Two themes emerged, namely: continuity of care while travelling and experts on the road. Participants described encountering a fragmented health system, …

Association Between Maternal Sense Of Competence And Self-Efficacy In Primiparous Women During Postpartum Period, Marzieh Bagherinia, Shahla Meedya, Mojgan Mirghafourvand

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

Background: When women's' lives enter a new phase after childbirth, they need to adapt to it in order to accept their motherhood role. Maternal competency depends on the mother's perception of her maternal role and the ability to attain and fulfill it. The aim of this study was to examine the association between maternal sense of competence and self-efficacy in the postpartum period.

Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 305 Iranian women were selected randomly via a two-stage cluster sampling method at the end of the 4th postpartum month. Data were collected from August 2016 to January 2017 and …

Extra Uterine Development Of Preterm Kidneys, Yogavijayan Kandasamy, Donna Rudd, Roger Smith, Eugenie R. Lumbers, Ian M. R Wright

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

Objective: We carried out a study to determine the impact of prematurity on renal development. The primary outcomes measured were nephrinuria and albuminuria; renal volume and glomerular filtration rate were the secondary outcomes. Methods: Preterm neonates born at less than 28 weeks of gestation, with birth weight between 10th and 90th centile (appropriate for gestational age), were recruited and underwent assessments at 28, 32 and 37 weeks postmenstrual age (PMA). Results: Fifty-three premature neonates and 31 term neonates (control) were recruited. The median gestational age of the premature neonates was 26.4 [24.7-27.4] weeks, with a mean birth weight of 886 …

Extending Fluspect To Simulate Xanthophyll Driven Leaf Reflectance Dynamics, Nastassia Vilfan, Christiaan Van Der Tol, Peiqi Yang, Rhys Wyber, Zbynek Malenovky, Sharon A. Robinson, Wouter Verhoef

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

The xanthophyll cycle regulates the energy flow to photosynthetic reaction centres of plant leaves. Changes in the de-epoxidation state (DEPS) of xanthophyll cycle pigments can be observed as changes in the leaf absorption of light with wavelengths between 500 to 570 nm. These spectral changes can be a good remote sensing indicator of the photosynthetic efficiency, and are traditionally quantified with a two-band physiologically based optical index, the Photochemical Reflectance Index (PRI). In this paper, we present an extension of the plant leaf radiative transfer model Fluspect (Fluspect-CX) that reproduces the spectral changes in a wide band of green reflectance: …

Terrestrial Laser Scanning To Quantify Above-Ground Biomass Of Structurally Complex Coastal Wetland Vegetation, Christopher Owers, Kerrylee Rogers, Colin D. Woodroffe

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

Above-ground biomass represents a small yet significant contributor to carbon storage in coastal wetlands. Despite this, above-ground biomass is often poorly quantified, particularly in areas where vegetation structure is complex. Traditional methods for providing accurate estimates involve harvesting vegetation to develop mangrove allometric equations and quantify saltmarsh biomass in quadrats. However broad scale application of these methods may not capture structural variability in vegetation resulting in a loss of detail and estimates with considerable uncertainty. Terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) collects high resolution three-dimensional point clouds capable of providing detailed structural morphology of vegetation. This study demonstrates that TLS is a …

Open-Air Preservation Of Miniaturised Lithics: Experimental Research In The Cederberg Mountains, Southern Africa, Natasha Phillips, Justin Pargeter, Marika Low, Alex Mackay

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

Open-air archaeology plays a limited role in southern African Late Pleistocene research, with most studies focused on rock shelter assemblages. Recently, archaeologists have noted discrepancies in the composition of Late Pleistocene lithic assemblages between some of the region's open-air and rock shelter sites. For example, although relatively abundant in rock shelters, Late Pleistocene Later Stone Age (LSA, c. 44-12 kcal. BP) bipolar cores are rare in open-air contexts. In this paper, we assess this discrepancy by testing for differential preservation of specific artefact classes and sizes in semi-arid open-air conditions. We placed a replicated assemblage of miniaturised cores and flakes …

Dissolved Organic Matter Signatures Vary Between Naturally Acidic, Circumneutral And Groundwater-Fed Freshwaters In Australia, Aleicia Holland, Jenny Stauber, Chris M. Wood, Melanie Trenfield, Dianne F. Jolley

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

Dissolved organic matter (DOM) plays important roles in both abiotic and biotic processes within aquatic ecosystems, and these in turn depend on the quality of the DOM. We collected and characterized chromophoric DOM (CDOM) from different Australian freshwater types (circumneutral, naturally acidic and groundwater-fed waterways), climatic regions and seasons. CDOM quality was characterized using absorbance and fluorescence spectroscopy. Excitation emission scans followed by parallel factor (PARAFAC) analysis showed that CDOM was characterized by three main components: protein-like, fulvic-like and humic-like components commonly associated with various waters globally in the Openfluor database. Principal component analysis showed that CDOM quality varied between …

The Ginninderra Ch4 And Co2 Release Experiment: An Evaluation Of Gas Detection And Quantification Techniques, Andrew Feitz, Ivan Schroder, Frances A. Phillips, Trevor Coates, Karita Neghandhi, Stuart Day, Ashok Luhar, Sangeeta Bhatia, Grant Edwards, Stefan Hrabar, Emili Hernandez, Brett Wood, Travis A. Naylor, Martin J. Kennedy, Murray Hamilton, Mike Hatch, John Malos, Mark Kochanek, Peter E. Reid, Joel Wilson, Nicholas M. Deutscher, Steve Zegelin, Robert Vincent, Stephen White, Cindy Ong, Suman George, Peter Maas, Sean Towner, Nicholas Wokker, David W. T Griffith

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

A methane (CH₄) and carbon dioxide (CO₂) release experiment was held from April to June 2015 at the Ginninderra Controlled Release Facility in Canberra, Australia. The experiment provided an opportunity to compare different emission quantification techniques against a simulated CH₄ and CO₂ point source release, where the actual release rates were unknown to the participants. Eight quantification techniques were assessed: three tracer ratio techniques (two mobile); backwards Lagrangian stochastic modelling; forwards Lagrangian stochastic modelling; Lagrangian stochastic (LS) footprint modelling; atmospheric tomography using point and using integrated line sensors. The majority of CH₄ estimates …

Aerosol Optical Properties And Trace Gas Emissions By Pax And Op-Ftir For Laboratory-Simulated Western Us Wildfires During Firex, Vanessa Selimovic, R Yokelson, Carsten Warneke, J M. Roberts, Joost A. De Gouw, J Reardon, David W. T Griffith

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

Western wildfires have a major impact on air quality in the US. In the fall of 2016, 107 test fires were burned in the large-scale combustion facility at the US Forest Service Missoula Fire Sciences Laboratory as part of the Fire Influence on Regional and Global Environments Experiment (FIREX). Canopy, litter, duff, dead wood, and other fuel components were burned in combinations that represented realistic fuel complexes for several important western US coniferous and chaparral ecosystems including ponderosa pine, Douglas fir, Engelmann spruce, lodgepole pine, subalpine fir, chamise, and manzanita. In addition, dung, Indonesian peat, and individual coniferous ecosystem fuel …

The Use Of Time-Averaged Concentrations Of Metals To Predict The Toxicity Of Pulsed Complex Effluent Exposures To A Freshwater Alga, Brad M. Angel, Kathryn Goodwyn, Dianne F. Jolley, Stuart L. Simpson

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

Intermittent, fluctuating and pulsed contaminant discharges may result in organisms receiving highly variable toxicant exposures. This study investigated the toxicity of continuous and pulsed exposures of a complex, neutralised drainage water (NDW) and dissolved copper-spiked dilute NDW to the green alga, Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata. The effects of single pulses of between 1 and 48 h duration and continuous exposures (72 h) on algal growth rate inhibition were compared on a time-averaged concentration (TAC) basis. Algal growth rates generally recovered to control levels within 24e48 h of the pulse removal. Continuous exposures to NDW resulted in similar or marginally higher toxicity …

Emissions Of Trace Gases From Australian Temperate Forest Fires: Emission Factors And Dependence On Modified Combustion Efficiency, Elise-Andree Guerette, Clare Paton-Walsh, Maximilien Desservettaz, T E L Smith, Liubov Volkova, Christopher Weston, C P Meyer

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

We characterised trace gas emissions from Australian temperate forest fires through a mixture of open-path Fourier transform infrared (OP-FTIR) measurements and selective ion flow tube mass spectrometry (SIFT-MS) and White cell FTIR analysis of grab samples. We report emission factors for a total of 25 trace gas species measured in smoke from nine prescribed fires. We find significant dependence on modified combustion efficiency (MCE) for some species, although regional differences indicate that the use of MCE as a proxy may be limited. We also find that the fire-integrated MCE values derived from our in situ on-the-ground open-path measurements are not …

Long Open-Path Measurements Of Greenhouse Gases In Air Using Near-Infrared Fourier Transform Spectroscopy, David W. T Griffith, Denis Pohler, Stefan Schmitt, S. S. Hammer, S Vardag, Ulrich Platt

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

In complex and urban environments, atmospheric trace gas composition is highly variable in time and space. Point measurement techniques for trace gases with in situ instruments are well established and accurate, but do not provide spatial averaging to compare against developing high-resolution atmospheric models of composition and meteorology with resolutions of the order of a kilometre. Open-path measurement techniques provide path average concentrations and spatial averaging which, if sufficiently accurate, may be better suited to assessment and interpretation with such models. Open-path Fourier transform spectroscopy (FTS) in the mid-infrared region, and differential optical absorption spectroscopy (DOAS) in the UV and …

Students Use Of Exemplars To Support Academic Writing In Higher Education: An Integrative Review, Rebekah B. Carter, Yenna Salamonson, Lucie Ramjan, Elizabeth J. Halcomb

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

Background: Timely and meaningful feedback is essential to promote active learning and student engagement with learning. However, achieving this remains elusive, particularly in undergraduate nursing programs that admit large student cohorts. One strategy to provide meaningful en masse feedback is to provide feed-forward support by using exemplars. To date, there has been limited evaluation of the effectiveness of this feedback strategy.

Objective: To review the impact of using exemplars as a feedback strategy to support student academic writing in higher education.

Data Sources and Review Method: A systematic search of electronic databases for original research papers published …

Communicating A Diagnosis Of Dementia: A Systematic Mixed Studies Review Of Attitudes And Practices Of Health Practitioners, Lee-Fay Low, Margaret Mcgrath, Kate Swaffer, Henry Brodaty

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

The aim of this study is to systematically review practitioners' practices and attitudes in regards to communicating a diagnosis of dementia. A systematic search was conducted of Scopus, Web of Science and PubMed for English language original empirical papers. A sequential explanatory mixed studies analysis approach was used. Twenty-five quantitative descriptive, two intervention, six mixed methods descriptive and 21 qualitative studies were included. Pooled analysis showed that 34% of GPs and 48% of specialists usually/routinely tell the person with dementia their diagnosis, and 89% of GPs and 97% specialists usually/routinely tell the family the diagnosis. Euphemistic terms such as 'memory …

Vegetation History And Paleoclimate At Lake Dojran (Fyrom/Greece) During The Late Glacial And Holocene, Alessia Masi, Alexander Francke, Caterina Pepe, Matthias Thienemann, Bernd Wagner, Laura Sadori

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

A new high-resolution pollen and NPP (non-pollen palynomorph) analysis has been performed on the sediments of Lake Dojran, a transboundary lake located at the border between Greece and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM). The sequence covers the last 12 500 years and provides information on the vegetational dynamics of the Late Glacial and Holocene for the southern Balkans. Robust age model, sedimentological diatom, and biomarker analyses published previously have been the base for a multi-perspective interpretation of the new palynological data. Pollen analysis revealed that the Late Glacial is characterized by steppic taxa with prevailing Amaranthaceae, Artemisia and …

Island-Hopping Study Shows The Most Likely Route The First People Took To Australia, Kasih Norman

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

The First Australians were among the world's earliest great ocean explorers, undertaking a remarkable 2,000km maritime migration through Indonesia which led to the discovery of Australia at least 65,000 years ago. But the voyaging routes taken through Indonesia's islands, and the location of first landfall in Australia, remain a much debated mystery to archaeologists. Our research, published earlier this year in Quaternary Science Reviews, highlights the most likely route by mapping islands in the region over time through changing sea levels.

Mhc Diversity And Female Age Underpin Reproductive Success In An Australian Icon; The Tasmanian Devil, Tracey Russell, Simeon Lisovski, Mats M. Olsson, Gregory Brown, Rebecca Spindler, Amanda Lane, Tamara Keeley, Chris Hibbard, Carolyn Hogg, Frederic Thomas, Katherine Belov, Beata Ujvari, Thomas R. Madsen

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

Devil Facial Tumour Disease (DFTD), a highly contagious cancer, has decimated Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii) numbers in the wild. To ensure its long-term survival, a captive breeding program was implemented but has not been as successful as envisaged at its launch in 2005. We therefore investigated the reproductive success of 65 captive devil pair combinations, of which 35 produced offspring (successful pairs) whereas the remaining 30 pairs, despite being observed mating, produced no offspring (unsuccessful pairs). The devils were screened at six MHC Class I-linked microsatellite loci. Our analyses revealed that younger females had a higher probability of being successful …