Mapping the quality of basic and comprehensive emergency obstetric care services in Haiti.

Objective: To investigate geographical inequalities and changes in the quality of emergency obstetric care services available in Haiti over time.

Methods: We utilized data from the Service Provision Assessment survey of all health facilities in Haiti in 2013 and 2017.We developed a quality index for basic emergency obstetric care (BEmOC) and comprehensive emergency obstetric care (CEmOC) based on the items in the signal functions of an emergency obstetric care framework, using a structure, process and outcome framework.

Extreme changes in salinity drive population dynamics of Catostylus mosaicus medusae in a modified estuary.

Modifications to estuaries through the construction of barrages alter the natural dynamics of inhabitant species by controlling freshwater inputs into those systems. To understand the effects of modified freshwater flows on a native scyphozoan jellyfish, Catostylus mosaicus, and to identify the environmental drivers of medusa occurrence, we analysed a 20-year observational dataset composed of 11 environmental variables and medusa presence/absence from 15 sampling stations located below the Fitzroy Barrage, in the Fitzroy River, Queensland. Major decreases in salinity (minimum salinity 0) occurred approximately 16 times during the 20-year period and medusae disappeared from the estuary following every major freshwater flow event.

Location biases in ecological research on Australian terrestrial reptiles.

Understanding geographical biases in ecological research is important for conservation, planning, prioritisation and management. However, conservation efforts may be limited by data availability and poor understanding of the nature of potential spatial bias. We conduct the first continent-wide analysis of spatial bias associated with Australian terrestrial reptile ecological research.

Stable isotopes demonstrate the effectiveness of a tidally-staged sewage release system.

Nutrient loading from sewage wastewater discharge contributes to the eutrophication of coastal waters. Wastewater from the Gold Coast, Australia is discharged into the Gold Coast Seaway (GCS) for 13.5 h d primarily on the ebbing tide to disperse wastewater seawards.

Antimony and arsenic exhibit contrasting spatial distributions in the sediment and vegetation of a contaminated wetland.

Antimony is a priority environmental contaminant that is relatively poorly studied compared to other trace metal(loid)s. In particular, the behaviour of antimony in wetland sediments, where anaerobic conditions often dominate, has received considerably less attention compared to well-drained terrestrial soil environments. Here we report the results of a spatial assessment of antimony in the sediments and vegetation of a freshwater wetland exposed to stibnite tailings for the past forty years.

Decline in recycled water quality during short-term storage in open ponds.

Changes were assessed in urban wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluent quality during short-term storage in open surface ponds. Water quality was monitored over five years at the inlets and outlets of open storage ponds located at three biological nutrient removal plants. Pond influent temperature, rainfall and sewage inflow were not found to be major factors.

Copper and sewage inputs from recreational vessels at popular anchor sites in a semi-enclosed Bay (Qld, Australia): estimates of potential annual loads.

Environmental impacts of vessels are well documented; Cu pollution as result of Cu based antifouling paints and nutrient pollution (such as N) from marine sewage are two examples of such disturbances. Understanding environmental impacts as well as the use of coastal waterways by recreational vessels is of concern to regulatory authorities, waterway users and local residents. In this study more than 55 aerial surveys were conducted of selected popular anchorages in eastern Moreton Bay, Queensland, Australia.

Detection of intermittent sewage pollution in a subtropical, oligotrophic, semi-enclosed embayment system using sterol signatures in sediments.

A field study was conducted to investigate sewage inputs at popular anchorages in Moreton Bay, a sub-tropical, semienclosed embayment system in Southeast Queensland, Australia. Sterol biomarkers were quantified in sediments revealing low levels over a spatial and temporal scale consistent with a shallow, oligotrophic, highly dynamic, sand dominated system. Despite low concentrations (ng/g) and high variability, relevant sterol/stanol pairs remained well-correlated and were successful in identifying an unexpected once-off pollution event from a point source at Moreton Bay Island.

Investigation of recreational boats as a source of copper at anchorage sites using time-integrated diffusive gradients in thin film and sediment measurements.

Antifouling paints on small to medium recreational vessels were first recognized as an important source of pollution in the 1970s. One of the principle biocides in these paints is Cu. Results from a field program in the Gold Coast Broadwater, Queensland, demonstrate a clear correlation between recreational boat numbers at anchorage sites and water column Cu concentrations, for both time-integrated 24 h DGT measurements (n=14, r=0.

The localized environmental degradation of protected areas adjacent to bird feeding stations: a case study of the Australian brush-turkey Alectura lathami.

This study investigated the potential for wildlife feeding to artificially increase population densities of the Australian brush-turkey, Alectura lathami and assessed the indirect adverse effects that this may have on surrounding forest floor vegetation. Census counts and observations of feeding activity conducted in recreation areas of Australia's Gold Coast hinterland confirmed that brush-turkey population densities were significantly elevated by the provision of food by humans. Brush-turkey densities were high at sites where birds are actively fed, moderate at sites where birds feed opportunistically and low at sites where humans have negligible impact on local food availability.

Evaluation of the diffusive gradient in a thin film technique for monitoring trace metal concentrations in estuarine waters.

Monitoring trace metal concentrations in dynamic estuarine waters is not straightforward. This study demonstrated that important information could be obtained from intensive sampling of physicochemical parameters and trace metal concentrations, in the Gold Coast Broadwater, Australia. A regular pattern of variation in Cu and Ni concentrations was related to the movement of water passed point sources with tidal flows, rather than due to conventional estuarine mixing of end-member waters.