Multiscale partitioning effects of livestock grazing management on plant community composition and diversity in arid rangelands.

Arid steppe rangelands in North Africa are highly significant ecosystems that are exceedingly sensitive to global warming and are also influenced by severe grazing and heavy utilization practices. Consequently, it is imperative to conduct extensive investigations regarding the impact of overgrazing due to increased sheep populations on plant diversity in these regions. The objective of this study is to examine the effect of two grazing managements (grazing-excluded vs.

Buruli ulcer in Australia: Evidence for a new endemic focus at Batemans Bay, New South Wales.

We describe two locally acquired cases of Mycobacterium ulcerans infection (Buruli ulcer) in the town of Batemans Bay on the east coast of New South Wales (NSW), Australia, 150 km north of Eden, the only other place in NSW where Buruli ulcer has likely been locally acquired. Genomic analysis showed that the bacterial isolates from the cases were identical but belonged to a phylogenetically distinct M. ulcerans clade that was most closely related to the isolate from the earlier case in Eden to the south.

Dual antiplatelet versus alteplase in anterior and posterior circulation minor stroke.

Objective: The Antiplatelet versus R-tPA for Acute Mild Ischaemic Stroke trial has demonstrated the non-inferiority of dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) to alteplase in minor non-disabling stroke. This prespecified secondary analysis aimed to investigate whether the treatment effects were similar across stroke territories.

Methods: Participants were divided according to stroke territory, which were subdivided into DAPT and alteplase.

Estimating complete migration probabilities from grouped data: A methods protocol for developing a global Human Internal Migration Database.

The majority of migration moves globally are internal within national borders. This makes internal migration intensities an important component for understanding the dynamics of population change according to size, composition and across geographies. While incorporating migration into demography's quantitative framework allows a description of population change across both time and space, and mathematical and conceptual frameworks for migration have been developed, researchers lack a public repository of historical age-origin-destination-specific migration probabilities that is in a common format and spans a range of countries.

National, state and territory trends in gestational diabetes mellitus in Australia, 2016-2021: Differences by state/territory and country of birth.

Objective: To examine trends of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) in Australia by state/territory and country of birth.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was undertaken from 2016 to 2021 using data from the National Diabetes Services Scheme (NDSS) and Australian Bureau of Statistics. The trends were assessed using Average Annual Percentage Changes (AAPCs) and the Cochrane-Armitage test.

Sex differences in the intention and decision to use emergency medical services for acute coronary syndrome in Australia: a retrospective study.

Background: Sex-based disparities in acute coronary syndrome (ACS) presentations exist and women often have worse outcomes after an ACS event. Calling the emergency medical services (EMS) initiates prehospital diagnosis and treatment and reduces in-hospital time to treatment. This study aims to identify factors affecting the intention to call EMS and EMS usage in Australian women and men.

Knowledge about COVID-19 vaccines among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and attitudes to and behaviours regarding COVID-19 and influenza vaccination: a survey.

Objectives: To assess Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people's knowledge about coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines, and their attitudes to and behaviours regarding COVID-19 and influenza vaccinations.

Study Design: Web-based survey.

Setting: Australia (excluding the Northern Territory), 1 October 2021 to 31 May 2022.

Determining health professional students' self-perceived cultural capability following participation in clinical placement with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples: A systematic review.

Background: Collective evaluation of studies assessing students' self-perceived cultural capability following clinical placement is required to help inform future cultural capability training for both university and healthcare service environments. Therefore, the aim of this systematic review was to evaluate studies investigating health professional students' self-perceived cultural capability following participation in a clinical placement with First Nations Peoples.

Methods: Electronic database searchers were conducted in MEDLINE, EMBASE, AMED, PsychINFO, Pubmed, CINAHL and Informit.

Applicability and Validity of the "Bronchiectasis Severity Index" (BSI) and "FACED" Score in Adult Aboriginal Australians.

Background: The prevalence of bronchiectasis is significantly higher among adult Aboriginal Australians (the Indigenous peoples of Australia) compared to non-Aboriginal Australians. Currently, there is no well-established tool to assess bronchiectasis severity specific to Indigenous peoples. Nor has the applicability and validity of the two well-established bronchiectasis severity assessment tools - The "Bronchiectasis Severity Index" (BSI) and "FACED" scale been vigorously tested in an Indigenous population.

A new species of treefrog (Litoria: Pelodryadidae) from the karstic South-fold Mountains of New Guinea.

The frog fauna of New Guinea is exceptionally diverse but very poorly known. Here we describe a new species of pelodryadid treefrog that is currently known only from two specimens from a single site in Hela Province in the highlands of Papua New Guinea. Genetic data show that the new species is closely related to the torrent-breeding species Litoria angiana (Boulenger, 1915) from which it can be readily distinguished by its more slender body and limbs, relatively long forelimbs, and aspects of body colouration and tuberculation.

A new species of rock skink (Scincidae: Liopholis) from the Central Ranges bioregion of arid Australia.

A new species of rock skink Liopholis Fitzinger 1843 (Scincidae) is described from the Mann-Musgrave Ranges of north-western South Australia. Liopholis margaretae sensu lato (Storr 1968) is currently known to occur in two disjunct populations: the MacDonnell Ranges bioregion and nearby regions in the Northern Territory, and the Central Ranges bioregion in South Australia. Based on morphological examination of both museum and field specimens, as well as on newly generated molecular data, we show that specimens from these two ranges constitute distinct species.

Range-wide post- and pre-breeding migratory networks of a declining neotropical-nearctic migratory bird, the blackpoll warbler.

Identifying the drivers of population declines in migratory species requires an understanding of how individuals are distributed between periods of the annual cycle. We built post- (fall) and pre-breeding (spring) migratory networks for the blackpoll warbler (Setophaga striata), a Neotropical-Nearctic songbird, using tracking data from 47 light-level geolocators deployed at 11 sites across its breeding range. During pre-breeding migration, two stopover nodes (regions) on the U.

Aeromedical retrieval for suspected preterm labour or rupture of membranes in the Northern Territory, Australia: may some cases be safely not retrieved?

Background: Suspected preterm labour (PTL) and prelabour rupture of membranes (PPROM) are common indications for aeromedical retrieval in the Top End, Northern Territory, Australia, where many women reside remotely and preterm birth (< 37 completed weeks of gestation) is common. The primary objective of this study was to determine rate of delivery during the index admission following aeromedical transfers from remote clinics to Royal Darwin Hospital for suspected PTL/PPROM.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study of aeromedical transfers for suspected PTL/PPROM from 1 January 2020 to 31 July 2022 was undertaken.

General Practice Sleep Scale - The "GPSS" - A proposed new tool for use in General Practice for risk assessment of Obstructive Sleep Apnoea.

Background: This pilot study investigated a new simplified OSA screening tool that could be used in primary care/GP settings - the "GPSS" tool - "General Practice Sleep Scale" and compared against common existing OSA screening tools.

Methods: A convenience sample of patients attending the respiratory and sleep clinic in the Northern Territory of Australia were included if they completed the GPSS prior to undergoing a diagnostic polysomnography. The GPSS contained 9 questions to provide information on: sex, age, body mass index, neck circumference, snoring, witnessed apnoeas, morning tiredness, daytime sleepiness and presence of hypertension/diabetes/heart disease/depression.

The macroevolutionary dynamics of pharyngognathy in fishes fail to support the key innovation hypothesis.

Key innovations, traits that provide species access to novel niches, are thought to be a major generator of biodiversity. One commonly cited example of key innovation is pharyngognathy, a set of modifications to the pharyngeal jaws found in some highly species-rich fish clades such as cichlids and wrasses. Here, using comparative phylogenomics and phylogenetic comparative methods, we investigate the genomic basis of pharyngognathy and the impact of this innovation on diversification.

Utility of the ASPECT Score for Predicting Intracranial Hemorrhage Following Intravenous Thrombolysis in Patients with Suspected MCA Infarction: Insights from the Northern Thai Stroke Registry.

Purpose:  The association between the Alberta Stroke Programme Early CT Score (ASPECTS) and intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) in acute ischemic stroke (AIS) patients undergoing thrombolysis remains unclear. This study aimed to determine the relationship between ASPECTS and thrombolysis-associated outcomes, focusing on symptomatic (sICH) and asymptomatic (aICH) ICH.

Patients And Methods:  AIS patients with middle cerebral artery (MCA) territory treated with thrombolysis were enrolled.

Experiences and Perspectives of the COVID-19 Pandemic and Vaccinations in Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) Populations in Australia: A Qualitative Study.

Qualitative research surrounding the impacts of COVID-19 and vaccine hesitancy has been extensively studied in the European context; however, limited research has been conducted within communities in the Australian context. This research paper highlights the issues experienced by culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) members during the COVID-19 pandemic and vaccination rollout. The purpose of this study is to strengthen our understanding of the challenges experienced by CALD communities and enable healthcare policies to be developed and implemented to prevent these communities from being disadvantaged in a healthcare crisis.

Sharks and Rays of Northern Australia's Roper River, with a Range Extension for the Threatened Speartooth Shark .

Northern Australia is considered a 'lifeboat' region for globally threatened shark and ray species (elasmobranchs), although much of the region is understudied. The Roper River in the Northern Territory's Gulf of Carpentaria has been inadequately surveyed, with most elasmobranch data gained opportunistically through freshwater fish surveys. This study aimed to report the occurrence of elasmobranch species in the Roper River through targeted field surveys conducted between 2016 and 2024 and to review data from other sources.

Framing a Biobanking Response to Myrtle Rust in Western Australia.

Myrtle rust is a plant disease caused through infection by the fungus and was first detected in Australia in 2010. The disease has spread through New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, the Northern Territory, and Tasmania. In this short timeframe, myrtle rust has had a devastating impact on many native species in the family Myrtaceae, including several rainforest species that are now at risk of extinction.