University of Queensland

Amidst globally escalating housing and cost of living crises, more and more people face the double challenge of securing shelter and food in their day-to-day lives. Yet, what meanings people with experience of homelessness attribute to eating is not well understood. We analyse eating as embedded in social relations between individual actors, social institutions, and organisations. We draw on a study conducted in Australia between March and October 2022 combining narrative interviews and participant-produced photography with 48 participants to focus on the role of pleasure derived from eating. Including participants who had exited homelessness and were now securely housed alongside participants who continued to experience homelessness offered analytical leverage to tease out nuances across different settings of housing and homelessness. Constraints on eating, how the task of eating is accomplished, and how people partake in civil rituals via food (re)produce the allocation of a position within a moral and social order. Attending to eating as a source of enjoyment in addition to nutrition and a means to quell hunger, we develop the notion of ‘ontological pleasure’ as a conceptual tool to make sense of these complexities.

Pathogens that infect multiple host species have an increased capacity to cause extinctions through parasite‐mediated apparent competition. Given unprecedented and continuing losses of biodiversity due to Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), the causative fungus of the amphibian skin disease chytridiomycosis, a robust understanding of the mechanisms driving cross‐species infection dynamics is essential. Here, we used stage‐structured, susceptible‐infected compartmental models to explore drivers of Bd‐mediated apparent competition between two sympatric amphibians, the critically endangered Litoria spenceri and the non‐threatened Litoria lesueurii. We additionally simulated the impact of plausible L. spenceri conservation management interventions on competitive outcomes between these two species. Despite being more susceptible to disease than its competitor, a high relative rate of recruitment allowed the non‐threatened L. lesueurii to reach substantially higher densities than L. spenceri in our baseline models, applying a strong absolute force of infection on L. spenceri as an amplifying host. However, simulated management interventions which bolstered L. spenceri recruitment (i.e., captive breeding and release, removal of predatory non‐native trout) spurred strong recoveries of L. spenceri while simultaneously (1) increasing the force of Bd infection in the environment and (2) reducing L. lesueurii population density. At high and moderate elevations, combined captive breeding/release and non‐native trout removal were sufficient to make L. spenceri the most abundant species. Overall, our results demonstrate the importance of recruitment in moderating pathogen dynamics of multi‐host amphibian chytridiomycosis systems. While infection‐based parameters are undoubtedly important in Bd management, modifying relative rates of recruitment can substantially alter pathogen‐mediated competition between species of an amphibian community.

The third component in a ternary organic solar cell (OSC) is generally selected to maximize absorption of the solar spectrum. The fused ring non‐fullerene acceptor 2,2′‐[({4,4,9,9‐tetra‐n‐octyl‐4,9‐dihydro‐s‐indaceno[1,2‐b:5,6‐b']dithiophene‐2,7‐diyl}bis{benzo[c][1,2,5]thiadiazole‐7,4‐diyl})bis(methaneylylidene)]dimalononitrile (o‐IDT‐BT‐DCV) was investigated for use in binary and ternary OSCs. The optimized binary device with o‐IDT‐BT‐DCV as the acceptor and PM6 as the donor had a maximum power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 10.8%. Incorporation of o‐IDT‐BT‐DCV into a donor:acceptor PM6:Y6 blend delivered a ternary OSC with a maximum PCE of 16.2%. Femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy (fs‐TAS), transient photovoltage (TPV), and transient photocurrent (TPC) measurements in combination showed that o‐IDT‐BT‐DCV in the ternary blend did not behave as an acceptor. Instead, it contributed to charge carrier generation through a sub‐picosecond energy transfer process to Y6, followed by a photoinduced hole transfer mechanism with PM6 and/or spontaneous exciton dissociation within the Y6 phase. Encapsulated ternary blend devices were found to be more stable than the binary blend solar cells. Under 1‐sun illumination and maximum power point (MPP) tracking, excluding the initial burn‐in loss, the ternary device retained ≈80% of its MPP over 1200 h compared to the 40% retained by the PM6:Y6 devices.

Myostatin is a paracrine myokine that regulates muscle mass in a variety of species, including humans. In this work, we report a functional role for myostatin as an endocrine hormone that directly promotes pituitary follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) synthesis and thereby ovarian function in mice. Previously, this FSH-stimulating role was attributed to other members of the transforming growth factor–β family, the activins. Our results both challenge activin’s eponymous role in FSH synthesis and establish an unexpected endocrine axis between skeletal muscle and the pituitary gland. Our data also suggest that efforts to antagonize myostatin to increase muscle mass may have unintended consequences on fertility.

The nanoscale mechanisms of ion deintercalation in battery cathode materials remain poorly understood, especially the relationship between crystallographic defects (dislocations, small angle grain boundaries, vacancies, etc), device performance, and durability. In this work, operando scanning X‐ray diffraction microscopy (SXDM) and multi‐crystal X‐ray diffraction (MCXD) are used to investigate microstrain and lattice tilt inhomogeneities inside Li1 − x Ni0.5Mn1.5O4 cathode particles during electrochemical cycling and their influence on the material degradation. Using these techniques, microscale lattice degradation mechanisms are investigated inside single crystals, extend it to an inter‐particle scale, and correlate it with the long‐term degradation of the cathode. During cycling, a crystal lattice deformation is observed, associated with phase transitions and inherent lattice defects in the measured particle. Residual misorientations are observed in the structure even after full discharge, indicating an irreversible structural change of the lattice. However, after long‐term cycling such lattice misorientations together with active material dissolution are further exacerbated only in a subset of particles, suggesting high heterogeneity of degradation mechanisms between the cathode particles. Selective degradation of particles could be caused by varying crystal quality across the sample, highlighting the need for a deep understanding of defect microstructures to enable a more rational design of materials with enhanced durability.

Aim Angiostrongylus cantonensis , the leading cause of eosinophilic meningoencephalitis, is well established in eastern Australia. Prolonged wet weather in Queensland during 2021–2022 coincided with anecdotal reports of increased neuroangiostrongyliasis cases, prompting an evaluation of paediatric cases from 2013 to 2022. Methods This retrospective observational study reviewed children (0–16 years) with cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) eosinophilia (≥ 10% of the total CSF leukocyte count) and/or A. cantonensis testing (serology or polymerase chain reaction) between 01/01/2013 and 31/12/2022, using statewide laboratory data and patient records. Results Eighty children were identified: 59 (74%) had CSF eosinophilia without A. cantonensis testing, 9 (11%) had CSF eosinophilia with A. cantonensis testing, and 12 (15%) had A. cantonensis testing without CSF eosinophilia. Neuroangiostrongyliasis was either proven or probable in seven children: five (71%) during 2021–2022, coinciding with prolonged wet weather. A significant positive correlation was observed between rainfall and case numbers ( r = 0.88, p < 0.01). Median age of diagnosed children was 4 years (IQR 1.8–8.5, range 1.5–13 years) and five (71%) were male. Snail or slug exposure was reported in four (57%) children. All children presented with vomiting, and six also had a headache and focal neurology (86%). Abnormal neuroimaging was noted in six (86%) cases. Five children received corticosteroid therapy alone (71%), while two (29%) were managed conservatively. There were no deaths, but one child had persistent focal neurological abnormalities at discharge. Conclusion Awareness of A. cantonensis and exposure risks is crucial, especially during prolonged wet weather conditions. While most children in this study had good outcomes, this is not always the case.

Since the creation of the Web, recommender systems (RSs) have been an indispensable personalization mechanism in information filtering. Most state-of-the-art RSs primarily depend on categorical features such as user and item IDs, and use embedding vectors to encode their information for accurate recommendations, resulting in an excessively large embedding table owing to the immense feature corpus. To prevent the heavily parameterized embedding table from harming RSs’ scalability, both academia and industry have seen increasing efforts compressing RS embeddings, and this trend is further amplified by the recent uptake in edge computing for online services. However, despite the prosperity of existing lightweight embedding-based RSs (LERSs), a strong diversity is seen in the evaluation protocols adopted across publications, resulting in obstacles when relating the reported performance of those LERSs to their real-world usability. On the other hand, among the two fundamental recommendation tasks, namely traditional collaborative filtering and content-based recommendation, despite their common goal of achieving lightweight embeddings, the outgoing LERSs are designed and evaluated with a straightforward “either-or” choice between the two tasks. Consequently, the lack of discussions on a method's cross-task transferability will likely hinder the development of unified, more scalable solutions for production environments. Motivated by these unresolved issues, this study aims to systematically investigate existing LERSs’ performance, efficiency, and cross-task transferability via a thorough benchmarking process. To create a generic, task-independent baseline, we propose an efficient embedding compression approach based on magnitude pruning, which is proven to be an easy-to-deploy yet highly competitive baseline that outperforms various complex LERSs. Our study reveals the distinct performance of different LERSs across the two recommendation tasks, shedding light on their effectiveness and generalizability under different settings. Furthermore, to account for edge-based recommendation – an increasingly popular use case of LERSs, we have also deployed and tested all LERSs on a Raspberry Pi 4, where their efficiency bottleneck is exposed compared with GPU-based deployment. Finally, we conclude this paper with critical summaries on the performance comparison, suggestions on model selection based on task objectives, and underexplored challenges around the applicability of existing LERSs for future research. To encourage and support future LERS research, we publish all source codes and data, checkpoints, and documentation at https://github.com/chenxing1999/recsys-benchmark .

This chapter aims to get readers thinking outside the box about whether and, if so, how the role of the rapid response team (RRT) has evolved from rescuing patients from acute and reversible deterioration into engaging in treatment limitation to allow a natural death. It provides suggestions on how the RRT can still transform the way in which end-of-life care is delivered in the current climate of acute hospitals treating many frail older people. It encourages adaptable perspectives in response to a changing society, ageing population and diminishing healthcare resources. It describes challenges of real-life practice and proposes solutions for models of care within and beyond the acute hospital. It leaves some questions unanswered; we trust that readers will be enticed to explore them further.

Background Liposuction has emerged as one of the most common cosmetic procedures globally, increasing by more than two-fold since 1997. While different liposuction techniques exist, each with distinct advantages and potential sequelae, a comprehensive comparative analysis of complication rates across various techniques in purely aesthetic cases remains unexplored. We aimed to (1) systematically review the literature on complications of distinctliposuction techniques, and (2) compare complication rates between different techniques. Methods PubMed, EMBASE, and Web of Science databases were searched for studies reporting on complications of isolated cosmetic liposuction techniques in specific anatomical regions. Complication rates were pooled, and heterogeneity was assessed using the I² statistic. Publication bias was evaluated using the Luis Furuya-Kanamori index and Doi plot. Results Twenty-three studies were included. Laser-assisted liposuction (LAL) demonstrated the lowest overall complication rates for hemorrhage, infection, seroma formation, thermal injury, and cutaneous necrosis (all 0.13%). Power-assisted liposuction (PAL) exhibited the highest rates for hemorrhage (0.72%), infection (1.34%), and cutaneous necrosis (0.72%). Radiofrequency-assisted liposuction (RFAL) showed the highest rates for seroma formation (3.93%) and thermal injuries/blistering (1.64%). Suction-assisted liposuction (SAL) presented the highest rate of cutaneous irregularities (3.36%). Heterogeneity varied widely across complication types and techniques, with I² values ranging from 0 to 91.4%. Conclusions This study provides the first comprehensive comparison of complication rates across different liposuction techniques in aesthetic cases. LAL demonstrated superior safety profiles, while PAL and RAL showed higher rates for specific complications. These findings can inform surgical decision-making and patient counseling. Level of Evidence Not gradable.

Engaging in research during medical training is crucial for fostering critical thinking, enhancing clinical skills, and deepening understanding of medical science. Despite its importance, the shortage of physician-scientists lingers with many trainees and junior doctors encountering challenges navigating the research process. Drawing on current literature, this article provides a comprehensive roadmap, categorising 12 actionable strategies into five themes, to help medical trainees overcome common obstacles and optimise their research experience. The strategies include early planning, research conduct and integrity, productivity and time management, collaboration and dissemination, and personal growth and development. By implementing these evidence-based recommendations, derived from current literature and expert insights, medical trainees can refine their research skills, produce high-quality outputs, and contribute meaningfully to the scientific community, ultimately enriching their medical training and future careers.

The Clubhouse Model of Psychosocial Rehabilitation provides non-clinical social support for adults living with a diagnosed mental illness or self-reported mental ill-health (referred to as ‘members’). The Stepping Stone Clubhouse in Brisbane, Australia was evaluated between August 2022 and August 2023 using a participatory action research approach. Data was sourced from member surveys, member interviews, and an existing Clubhouse Member Database. Outcomes included members’ self-reported psychosocial recovery, social connectedness, quality of life, frequency of hospitalizations, and their attainment of employment and/or education aspirations. In this cross-sectional evaluation, it was hypothesized that existing members (membership: 11 months – 28 years) would report better outcomes than new members (membership: 0–14 days). In total, 161 existing members and 76 new members completed a survey. Twenty-three members also participated in a semi-structured interview. Participants were aged on average 47.1 years (± 13.5), 62% were male and 31% had a primary diagnosis of schizophrenia/schizoaffective disorder. Existing members reported better scores than new members for: three of the four psychosocial recovery domains (Functional Recovery: 78.0% vs. 74.0%, p = 0.01; Symptom Management Recovery 69.5% vs. 65.2%, p = 0.03; Social Recovery 74.3% vs. 70.0%, p = 0.01); social connection with other members (38.1 vs. 32.2, p = 0.03) and staff (44.5 vs. 38.1, p = 0.02); quality-of-life summary scores (4.6 vs. 4.1, p = 0.01), and rates of mental health-related hospitalization (16% vs. 41%, p < 0.01). Existing members were also more likely to be in some form of employment, compared to new members (p = 0.01). There were no significant differences between existing and new members for their educational goals, with 58% of each group wanting further formal education. Stepping Stone members have better outcomes than members who have recently joined the Clubhouse. This evaluation was successful because it intentionally built evaluative capacity and empowered member-centric processes.

Background and Objectives Assessment and care of substance use disorder within mental health services are essential due to the high prevalence and harms associated with comorbidity. Substance use disorder assessment and care are routinely recommended in clinical guidelines; however, processes are not agreed. This systematic review of routine clinical practice in relation to substance use disorders in adult mental health service aims to identify routine assessment and diagnosis processes, the proportion of patients and service episodes in which they occur and their outputs. Methods We searched MEDLINE, PsycINFO, Embase and relevant Cochrane databases for articles until July 2024 reporting on substance use assessment, diagnosis or treatment in adults receiving routine mental health service and locating additional articles by snowballing. Variables including setting, study method, period, cohort, substances, clinical assessment type, diagnosis and care pathways were compared. Results In 137 heterogeneous studies reporting routine practice within a wide variety of adult mental health service from 29 nations, 44 (32%) expected or reported on substance use assessment in domains of pattern or impact. However, 23 studies (17%) reported structured approaches to substance use disorder assessment, while 67 (49%) reported a diagnostic structure, including classification system. Diagnostic prevalence varied markedly. Treatment was reported in 16 studies (12%) and no substance use disorder outcomes were reported. Conclusion This systematic review shows marked variation in routine practice in mental health service across a range of substance use disorder assessment and diagnosis processes. To better identify substance use disorder, enhance its care and reduce associated morbidity, adult mental health service may benefit from standardising expectations and systematically monitoring the performance of substance use assessment and diagnosis.

An 84-year-old Caucasian male was referred for evaluation of a worsening left medial canthal lesion for consideration of excision. The patient reported a 4-year history of the painless canthal lesion gradually increasing in size with progressively obstructed peripheral vision. On examination, the cream-colored cyst measured 10 × 8 mm. The best-corrected visual acuity with glasses was 6/7.5-2 in the right eye and 6/7.5 in the left eye with intraocular pressure of 10 mm Hg bilaterally. The lesion was excised under local anesthetic. Histopathology confirmed a cutaneous angioleiomyoma with adipocytic metaplasia. The postoperative course was uneventful, with a planned 3-month review for surveillance of recurrence.

Background Lymphatic filariasis (LF), a mosquito-borne parasitic disease caused by three species of filarial worms, was first detected in Niue, a small Pacific Island nation of approximately 1,600 people, in 1954. After extensive efforts involving multiple rounds of Mass Drug Administration, Niue was validated by the World Health Organization (WHO) as having e4liminated LF as a public health problem in 2016. However, no surveillance has been conducted since validation to confirm infection rates have remained below WHO’s elimination threshold. WHO has encouraged an integrated approach to disease surveillance and integrating LF post-validation surveillance (PVS) with existing surveys is an anticipated recommendation of the upcoming WHO LF-PVS guidelines. This paper describes a protocol for the implementation of an integrated approach to LF-PVS in Niue as cost-efficient and operationally feasible means of monitoring the disease in the population. Methods The LF-PVS will be implemented as part of a planned national population-based WHO STEPwise approach to non-communicable disease (NCD) risk factor surveillance (STEPS) in Niue. Integration between the LF-PVS and STEPS will occur at multiple points, including during pre-survey community awareness raising and engagement, when obtaining informed consent, during the collection of demographics, risk factor, and location data, and when collecting finger-prick blood samples (for glucose as part of the STEPS survey and LF as part of the LF-PVS). The primary outcome measure for LF transmission will be antigen positivity. Microfilaria slides will be prepared for any antigen-positive cases. Dried blood spots will be prepared for all participants for Multiplex Bead Assays-based analysis to detect anti-filarial antibodies. We estimate a total sample size of 1,062 participants aged 15–69, representing approximately 66% of the population. Conclusions The results of this study will provide insight into the status of LF in Niue and evaluate the advantages, challenges, and opportunities offered by integrated approaches to disease surveillance.

Spot blotch (SB), a prevalent foliar disease of barley, is caused by the hemibiotrophic fungal pathogen Bipolaris sorokiniana. Predominately occurring in humid growing regions worldwide, SB can result in yield losses of up to 30%. Genetic resistance remains the most effective strategy for disease management; however, most Australian barley cultivars exhibit susceptibility despite the previous identification of major resistance loci. This study investigates the genetic architecture underlying spot blotch resistance within an Australian barley breeding program. Resistance was assessed at both the seedling and adult growth stages using a single conidial isolate (SB61) across two consecutive years. A total of 337 barley lines were genotyped with 16,824 polymorphic DArT-seq™ markers. Two mapping approaches were employed: a single-marker genome-wide association study (GWAS) and a haplotype-based local genomic estimated breeding values (Local GEBV) approach. Both methodologies identified two major resistance-associated regions on chromosomes 3H and 7H, effective across growth stages. Additionally, the haplotype-based Local GEBV approach revealed resistance-associated regions on 1H, 3H, and 6H that were not detected by GWAS. Haplotype stacking analysis underscored the critical role of the 7H region for adult-plant resistance when combined with other resistance haplotypes, suggesting significant gene-by-gene interactions and highlighting the complex, quantitative nature of spot blotch resistance. This research confirms the presence of key resistance loci within Australian barley breeding populations, provides novel insight into the genetic architecture of spot blotch resistance, and emphasises the potential to enhance resistance through haplotype stacking and whole-genome prediction approaches.