That’s entertainment: trends in late-night assaults and acute alcohol illness in Sydney's entertainment precinct

Summary: This report uses various data sources to show the incidence of night-time alcohol-related violence and other alcohol harm in the Sydney CBD in the ten years prior to the 2014 lockout intervention. Between 2004 and 2013 police crime statistics and triple zero (000) calls both show a decrease in alcohol-related assault while emergency department presentations for alcohol illnesses increased.   Aim: To assess the role of administrative police and health databases in monitoring trends in, and epidemiology of, alcohol-related violence and acute alcohol illness associated with the night time economy in the Sydney central business district (CBD) "Entertainment Precinct", prior to the introduction of 2014 government reforms addressing "alcohol-fuelled violence". Method: We examined annual trends in police-recorded incidents of grievous bodily harm, ambulance Triple Zero (000) calls for assault, and acute alcohol illness emergency department presentations that occurred between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. over a 10-year period (2004–2013). Trends were examined among persons of all ages and young adults (18 to 29 year olds) in the CBD. The rest of metropolitan Sydney provided a comparison area to evaluate whether trends were CBD-specific. Results: Among persons of all ages, there were 913 police-recorded incidents of grievous bodily harm, 10,427 ambulance calls for assault and 14,106 emergency department presentations for acute alcohol illness in the CBD over the 10-year period. Young adults accounted for between 62 per cent and 78 per cent of assault incidents and 58 per cent of alcohol emergency department presentations. Between 2004 and 2008, the annual number of assaults and acute alcohol illness increased two-fold. Alcohol illness emergency department presentation trends subsequently stabilised, while assaults in 2013 were at the lowest levels in 10 years. Similar trends were observed in the rest of metropolitan Sydney. Conclusion: The majority of alcohol-related assaults and emergency department presentations involved young adults. Ambulance and police administrative data sources provided a consistent picture of a recent decline in late-night assault trends. Alcohol-related emergency department presentation trends suggested other alcohol harms may be continuing at relatively high levels both in the CBD and in metropolitan Sydney. While violence appears to be declining in the CBD and across Sydney, continuing alcohol harm remains to be addressed. &nbsp

The effects of dams on longitudinal variation in river food webs

We examined the effects of two dams on longitudinal variation of riverine food webs using stable isotope and gut contents analyses along four rivers in the Hunter Valley in eastern Australia. Longitudinal 15N enrichment was observed in most invertebrate taxa and food sources but significant longitudinal variation was rare for 13C, and composition of gut contents of invertebrate taxa did not vary significantly with longitudinal position. Most invertebrates and food sources were more 15N-enriched at sites immediately downstream of the dams than expected from their upstream longitudinal position, a result not mirrored by gut contents and 13C. Enrichment of 15N downstream may be attributed to altered water quality as a result of impoundment but further research is necessary to elucidate whether physico-chemical riverine processes or trophic mechanisms are responsible. Our observations regarding the influence of dams on isotope ratios are contrary to the few existing studies, suggesting the small volumes relative to annual inflows of dams in the present study limit downstream impacts by maintaining aspects of flow variability. © 2013 © 2013 Taylor & Francis

Introduced red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) driving Australian freshwater turtles to extinction? A critical evaluation of the evidence

It has been asserted that introduced red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) destroy ∼95% of nests of freshwater turtles in south-eastern Australia, are more efficient predators of freshwater turtle nests than Australian native predators, and are driving Australian freshwater turtle species to extinction. Available information was reviewed and analysed to test these assertions. Nest predation rates for all predators including foxes averaged 70% across Australia and 76% for south-eastern Australia compared to 72% for North America where freshwater turtles co-exist with many native predators, including foxes. Predation rates on Australian freshwater turtle nests did not differ significantly where foxes were included in the identified nest predators and where they were not, but sample sizes were very small. Evidence was lacking of foxes being the primary driver of population declines of Australian freshwater turtles, and some turtle populations are stable or increasing despite exposure to fox predation. Australian native species can be effective nest predators, and their role has probably been usurped by foxes to some degree. Where research shows that increased recruitment is necessary to conserve Australian freshwater turtle populations, strategies such as electric fencing of nesting beaches, nest protection cages and ex situ incubation of turtle eggs will probably be more cost-effective than efforts to reduce fox numbers. Further research is also needed to better understand the biological and environmental factors that regulate nest predation rates

What's wrong with the Australian River Assessment System (AUSRIVAS)?

The Australian River Assessment System (AUSRIVAS or AusRivAS) is a national biomonitoring scheme that supposedly assesses the 'biological health' of rivers. AUSRIVAS outputs observed-over-expected (O/E) indices derived from macroinvertebrate survey data obtained both at a site to be assessed and at designated reference sites. However, AUSRIVAS reference sites lack any consistent or quantified status, and, therefore, AUSRIVAS O/E indices have no particular meaning. Moreover, many studies have found AUSRIVAS O/E to be a weak or inconsistent indicator of exposure to anthropogenic or human-influenced stressors. Poor performance by AUSRIVAS may relate to numerous factors including the following: (1) variable reference-site status, (2) inappropriate model predictors, (3) limitations of O/E indices, (4) inconstant sampling methods, and (5) neglect of non-seasonal temporal variability. The indices Ephemeroptera-Plecoptera-Trichoptera (EPT) and stream invertebrate grade number-average level (SIGNAL) provide alternatives that have often outperformed AUSRIVAS O/E in comparative tests. In addition, bioassessment of Australian rivers might be advanced by the development of diagnostic methods to identify the stressors causing ecological impact rather than merely to infer impact intensity and assign quality ratings to assessment sites

Exploring the interplay of biotic interactions and salinity stress in freshwater invertebrate assemblages: a response to Kefford et al. (2022)

Controlled mesocosm experiments can add substantially to our knowledge of the influence of environmental factors on freshwater assemblages by partitioning the possible effects of different drivers. Reporting results of such an experiment,Bray et al. (2019)concluded that effects of salinity on salt-sensitive stream invertebrates were substantially modified by interspecific biotic interactions with salt-tolerant invertebrates from a high-salinity stream.Chessman (2021)questioned this conclusion on three grounds: (1) confounding of the experimental design, (2) lack of evidence that purported diverse effects of biotic interactions were beyond mere stochastic variation, and (3) absence of mechanistic explanations for supposed effects grounded in organism biology and ecology.Chessman (2021)also conducted an independent statistical analysis of publicly available data from the experiment, which did not support the study's conclusions.Kefford et al. (2022)disputeChessman's (2021)findings by analysing previously unpublished data from the experiment, which they claim demonstrates that the experimental design was not confounded, and criticiseChessman's (2021)statistical analysis. Here, I respond to their new analysis and criticisms, explaining why they do not dispel any of the concerns expressed byChessman (2021)

Black student chronology

List of important dates in 1969-1970 black student movemen

A Delphi Study of HIPAA Compliance to Battlefield Medical Evacuation

The purpose of this research was to examine the impact of HIPAA compliance on the Battlefield Medical Evacuation process. Specifically, this thesis sought to answer three research questions addressing the current Battlefield Medical Evacuation process and current HIPAA considerations for each step of the process. The research questions were answered through the use of the Delphi Technique. Eight experts, representing Air Force, Army and Civilian medical communities participated in two rounds of the Delphi Technique. The research identified how HIPAA compliance is handled now and identified suggested improvements. An original model of the battlefield medical evacuation process was developed, and this was presented to the Delphi group for changes and acceptance. The group was then tasked to identify the application of the HIPPA requirements at each stage of the model. The final model suggests that partial HIPAA compliance is the current trend in the early steps of battlefield medical evacuation. The culmination of this effort was the development of recommended improvements based upon the suggestions of knowledgeable people. The suggested improvements were: clear guidance, training and additional resources. The study may help Commanders prepare themselves and their personnel to handle HIPAA information in a deployed environment

Drug hypersensitivity caused by alteration of the MHC-presented self-peptide repertoire

Idiosyncratic adverse drug reactions are unpredictable, dose independent and potentially life threatening; this makes them a major factor contributing to the cost and uncertainty of drug development. Clinical data suggest that many such reactions involve immune mechanisms, and genetic association studies have identified strong linkage between drug hypersensitivity reactions to several drugs and specific HLA alleles. One of the strongest such genetic associations found has been for the antiviral drug abacavir, which causes severe adverse reactions exclusively in patients expressing the HLA molecular variant B*57:01. Abacavir adverse reactions were recently shown to be driven by drug-specific activation of cytokine-producing, cytotoxic CD8+ T cells that required HLA-B*57:01 molecules for their function. However, the mechanism by which abacavir induces this pathologic T cell response remains unclear. Here we show that abacavir can bind within the F-pocket of the peptide-binding groove of HLA-B*57:01 thereby altering its specificity. This supports a novel explanation for HLA-linked idiosyncratic adverse drug reactions; namely that drugs can alter the repertoire of self-peptides presented to T cells thus causing the equivalent of an alloreactive T cell response. Indeed, we identified specific self-peptides that are presented only in the presence of abacavir, and that were recognized by T cells of hypersensitive patients. The assays we have established can be applied to test additional compounds with suspected HLA linked hypersensitivities in vitro. Where successful, these assays could speed up the discovery and mechanistic understanding of HLA linked hypersensitivities as well as guide the development of safer drugs