Literatura científica selecionada sobre o tema "Central Queensland (CQ)"

Summary. The growth and ability of 12 summer-growing annual and perennial legumes to fix nitrogen and the response of a subsequent wheat crop was examined in a field trial on a deep cracking clay soil in the Central Highlands of Queensland. Twelve legumes [Lablab purpureus cv. Highworth, Vigna radiata cv. Satin, Macroptilium atropurpureum cv. Siratro, Medicago sativa cv. Trifecta, Vigna trilobata (CPI 13671), Macroptilium bracteatum (CPI 27404), Glycine latifolia (CQ 3368), Desmanthus virgatus cv. Marc, Desmanthus virgatus cv. Bayamo, Stylosanthes sp. aff scabra (104710), Clitoria ternatea cv. Milgarra, Cajanus cajan cv. Quest)] and grain sorghum (Sorghum bicolor cv. Tulloch) as a non-legume control were established in November 1994 and their growth monitored until March 1995. The legumes averaged greater than 5 t/ha dry matter production and 77 kg N/ha (above-ground only). Dry matter production ranged from less than 2 t/ha for G. latifolia and M. sativa to greater than 9 t/ha for D. virgatus cv. Bayamo and C. cajan. Annual legumes initially had much higher relative growth rates than the perennial legumes but they rapidily exhausted all the plant available water content of the soil thus allowing the well-established perennials to eventually match this production. The proportion of plant nitrogen (above ground) derived from N2 fixation was generally low, reflecting high soil NO3, but varied widely between species ranging from less than 20% for D. virgatus cv. Marc and G. latifolia to over 45% for C. ternatea, S. scabra and V. trilobata. The quantity of nitrogen derived from fixation was correlated with above-ground dry matter and nitrogen content. There was a significant (P<0.05) growth response by wheat following legumes compared with that following sorghum in the increasing order V. radiata = M. atropurpureum = L. purpureus > C. cajan = M. sativa = V. trilobata = M. bracteatum = G. latifolia > S. scabra = D. virgatus = C. ternatea. Previous legume growth had no significant (P>0.05) effect on yield or nitrogen concentration in a second ‘plant-back’ crop (sorghum). It was concluded that a wide range of pasture-ley legumes have the potential to improve cereal crop production in this region.

Genotype × environment (G×E) interactions due to variation in soil moisture and rainfall complicate the interpretation of sorghum hybrid performance trials over locations (L) and years (Y). This paper aims to use pattern analysis to explain measures of the G×L interaction for yield, and whether these can, in turn, be explained using simulation models to determine the occurrence of environment types (within-season patterns of drought). The aim of this work is to simplify the analysis of G×E by explaining it in terms of interactions of genotypes with environment types (ET) that are not ‘fixed’ to locations and years. In a sequential analysis of 17 seasons, 18 locations were separated into groups that tended to represent either the northern (i.e. central Queensland, CQ) or southern Queensland (SQ) regions. For a subset of 6 locations, ordination partially explained differences among locations as being related to latitude (r = 0.88) and rainfall (r = −0.46), but they were better related (r > 0.9) to the frequencies of 3 stress ETs as determined by long-term crop simulations. These 3 environment types were: (1) low stress (occurring in 33% of seasons); (2) severe terminal stress with an early-season (9%) or midseason time (29%) of onset; and (3) intermediate terminal stress with a midseason (9%) or late-season (20%) time of onset. Low stress ETs were more common in two SQ locations than in CQ. Stress ETs as defined by simulation models and pattern analysis had more consistent relationships with simulated yields than did the fixed descriptors of locations and years. Sorghum hybrid trials for broad adaptation in Queensland should include locations at least from each of the 2 regions and the results should be interpreted in the context of the season in which they are conducted. To match the long-term patterns in the 6 locations of the analysis, trial yields would need to sample from at least 3 yield ranges: <1 t/ha, 1–3.5 t/ha, and >3.5 t/ha. Additional seasons of testing are likely to be required when the locations used during a season do not adequately represent the target population of environments over all locations and years.

The implementation of public health measures to control the current COVID-19 pandemic (such as wider lockdowns, overseas travel restrictions and physical distancing) is likely to have affected the spread of other notifiable diseases. This is a descriptive report of communicable disease surveillance in Central Queensland (CQ) for six months (1 April to 30 September 2020) after the introduction of physical distancing and wider lockdown measures in Queensland. The counts of notifiable communicable diseases in CQ in the six months were observed and compared with the average for the same months during the years 2015 to 2019. During the study’s six months, there were notable decreases in notifications of most vaccine-preventable diseases such as influenza, pertussis and rotavirus. Conversely, notifications increased for disease groups such as blood-borne viruses, sexually transmitted infections and vector-borne diseases. There were no reported notifications for dengue fever and malaria which are mostly overseas acquired. The notifications of some communicable diseases in CQ were variably affected and the changes correlated with the implementation of the COVID-19 public health measures.

Background Behavioural and social drivers (BeSD) of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine acceptance among Australian healthcare workers (HCW) living and working in regional areas are not well studied. Understanding local HCWs’ COVID-19 risk perceptions and potential barriers to COVID-19 vaccine uptake is crucial in supporting rollout. We aimed to understand the COVID-19 vaccine drivers among HCW in Central Queensland (CQ), Australia. Method A cross-sectional online survey of HCWs in CQ between 17 May and 31 May 2021, based on the BeSD framework adapted from the World Health Organization (WHO) Data for Action guidance, consisting of the five instrument domains: what people think and feel; social processes; motivations; practical issues; and vaccination uptake. Results Of the 240 responding HCWs within Central Queensland Hospital and Health Service, 78% were female. Of the participating HCWs, 64% percent had received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine; of those who had not yet received a vaccine, 53% said they were willing to receive one. Factors associated with vaccine acceptance included: belief that the vaccine was important for their health (81%; odds ratio (OR): 7.2; 95% confidence interval (CI): 3.5–15.5); belief that their family and friends wanted them to have the vaccine (64%; OR: 6.7; 95% CI: 2.9–16.7); trust in the vaccine (72%; OR: 6.4; 95% CI: 3.5–12.0); and confidence in being able to answer patients’ questions about the vaccine (99%). Conclusions These findings suggest that a combination of communications and educational material framed around the benefits and social norms of vaccination, along with materials addressing vaccine safety concerns, will encourage HCW to take up a COVID-19 vaccine.

Abstract Background and Aims Development of new onset and recurrent glomerular diseases (GD) following Covid-19 infection or vaccination are increasingly reported in the literature with various proposed pathogenic mechanisms. Australia reported its first case of Covid-19 in January 2020. Currently in Australia, there has been 11.3 million cases of Covid-19 infection and 98% of individuals aged ≥ 16 years received at least 1 dose of Covid-19 vaccination. However, there are no studies in Australia that evaluate the risk of GD after Covid-19 infection or vaccination. We compared kidney biopsy results pre- (01/01/2017-31/12/2019) and post- (01/01/2020-31/12/2022) Covid-19 era to assess for potential changes in the epidemiology of kidney biopsy-proven GD. Method In this single-centred retrospective study, all renal biopsies performed in Central Queensland (CQ) between 01/01/2017 and 31/12/2022 were reviewed. This pilot study is a subset of Queensland Kidney Biopsy Registry which has captured all renal biopsies of adults residing in CQ with a regional population of 220,912 with a land area of 497,714 km2. Results Eighty-seven percent of the CQ population received at least one dose of Covid-19 vaccination and 53,234 cases of Covid-19 infection were confirmed by rapid antigen test (RAT) as of the end of January 2023. The total number of kidney biopsies performed pre- and post-Covid-19 era were 47 vs 58, respectively, and the majority were native kidney biopsies (94% vs 95%) in CQ whereby the number of nephrologists in the respective catchment areas and access availability to kidney biopsies remained similar. The mean age of patients was 55.3 years (standard deviation, SD 16.4) vs 55.6 years (SD 15.6) and the majority were males (70% vs 62%) and Caucasians (77% vs 76%). No case of recurrent GD was diagnosed in pre-Covid-19 era whereas 5 cases of recurrent GD {2 membranous nephropathy, 1 minimal change disease, 1 lupus nephritis class III-IV, and 1 ANCA associated vasculitis (AAV)} in post-Covid-19 era, p = 0.025. The commonest cause of GD in the pre-Covid-19 era was IgA nephropathy (IgAN) whereas diabetic nephropathy and AAV was the most common GD during the post-Covid-19 era. The incidence of IgAN decreased from 12 cases (18.1 cases/million person years) in pre-Covid-19 era to 3 cases (4.5 cases/million person years) in the post-Covid-19 era (incidence rate ratio, IRR of 0.25, 95% CI 0.05-0.93, p = 0.020). The incidence of diabetic nephropathy increased from 1 case (1.5 cases million person years) during the three years pre-Covid-19 era to 13 cases (19.6 cases/million person years) for three years post-Covid-19 era (IRR of 13.1, 95% CI 1.95-552.47, p = 0.001). In the post-Covid-19 era, the mean age of patients with diabetic nephropathy was 51.2 years (SD 11.9) and the majority were indigenous Australian (n = 8, 62%) with poor diabetic control. They had kidney biopsies for nephrotic range proteinuria with or without acute kidney injury and haematuria. The incidence of AAV increased from 3 cases (4.5 cases/million person years) during the three years pre-Covid-19 era to 10 cases (15.1 cases/million person years) for three years post-Covid-19 era (IRR of 3.4, 95% CI 0.86-18.85, p = 0.052). In the post-Covid-19 era, the mean age of patients with AAV was 68.4 years (SD 16.1) with Caucasian (n = 10, 100%). PR3-AAV (n = 5) and MPO-AAV (n = 5) are equally prevalent, and 3 patients (30%) had concomitant pulmonary complications. Three cases of AAV each occurred in the first and second years and 4 cases in the third year during the post-Covid-19 era. There was no increase in the incidence rate for other types of glomerular diseases. Conclusion Our findings suggest the frequency of incident and recurrent GD may vary with the emergence of Covid-19 and steps taken to minimise viral complications that include primary preventative measures via vaccination. Larger epidemiological studies are required to better elucidate the risk of Covid-19 infection and vaccination in relation to GD.

ABSTRACTBackgroundThe ‘PenCS Flu Topbar’ app was deployed in Central Queensland (CQ), Australia, medical practices through a pilot programme in March 2021.MethodsWe evaluated the app's user experience and examined whether the introduction of ‘PenCS Flu Topbar’ in medical practices could improve the coverage of NIP‐funded influenza vaccinations. We conducted a mixed‐method study including a qualitative analysis of in‐depth interviews with key end‐users and a quantitative analysis of influenza vaccine administrative data.Results‘PenCS Flu Topbar’ app users reported positive experiences identifying patients eligible for NIP‐funded seasonal influenza vaccination. A total of 3606 NIP‐funded influenza vaccinations was administered in the eight intervention practices, 14% higher than the eight control practices. NIP‐funded vaccination coverage within practices was significantly higher in the intervention practices (31.2%) than in the control practices (27.3%) (absolute difference: 3.9%; 95% CI: 2.9%–5.0%; p < 0.001). The coverage was substantially higher in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged more than 6 months, pregnant women and children aged 6 months to less than 5 years for the practices where the app was introduced when compared to control practices: incidence rate ratio (IRR) 2.4 (95% CI: 1.8–3.2), IRR 2.7 (95% CI: 1.8–4.2) and IRR 2.3 (1.8–2.9) times higher, respectively.ConclusionsOur evaluation indicated that the ‘PenCS Flu Topbar’ app is useful for identifying the patients eligible for NIP‐funded influenza vaccination and is likely to increase NIP‐funded influenza vaccine coverage in the eligible populations. Future impact evaluation including a greater number of practices and a wider geographical area is essential.