Incidence and mortality of uveal melanoma in Australia (1982–2014)

AimsWe aimed to estimate the incidence and mortality of uveal melanoma (UM) in Australia from 1982 to 2014.MethodsDeidentified unit data for all cases of ocular melanoma were extracted from the Australian Cancer Database from 1 January 1982 to 31 December 2014. UM cases were extracted and trends in incidence and disease-specific mortality were calculated. Incidence rates were age-standardised against the 2001 Australian Standard Population. Mortality was assessed using Cox regression.ResultsFrom 1982 to 2014, there were 5087 cases of ocular melanoma in Australia, of which 4617 were classified as UM. The average age-standardised incidence rate of UM was 7.6 (95% CI 7.3 to 7.9) per million. There was an increase (p=0.0502) in the incidence of UM from 1982 to 1993 with an annual percent change (APC) of +2.5%, followed by a significant decrease in the incidence of UM from 1993 to 2014 (APC −1.2%). The average 5-year survival from 1982 to 2011 did not significantly change from an average of 81%, with an average APC (AAPC) of +0.1%. A multivariate Cox regression revealed that residence in Western Australia (p=0.001) or Tasmania (p=0.05), age ≥60 years (p<0.001) and histological classification as mixed (p<0.001) or epithelioid cells (p<0.001) were significantly associated with reduced survival.ConclusionIn conclusion, we found that the incidence of UM peaked in the 1990s. Although treatment for primary UM has improved in the last 30 years, overall survival did not change significantly in the last 30 years.

Coupled Dynamics of Vehicle-Bridge Interaction System Using High Efficiency Method

Vehicle-bridge interaction is the core for a variety of applications, including vehicle vibration, bridge vibration, bridge structural health monitoring, weight-in-motion, bridge condition inspection, and load rating. These applications give rise to a great interest in pursuing a high-efficiency method that can tackle intensive computation in the context of vehicle-bridge interaction. This paper studies the accuracy and efficiency of discretizing the beam in space as lumped masses using the flexibility method and as finite elements using the stiffness method. Computational complexity analysis is carried out along with a numerical case study to compare the accuracy and efficiency of both methods against the analytical solutions. It is found that both methods result in a similar level of accuracy, but the flexibility method overperforms the stiffness method in terms of computational efficiency. This high efficiency algorithm and corresponding discretization schema are applied to study the dynamics of vehicle-bridge interaction. A system of coupled equations is solved directly for a simply supported single-span bridge and a four-degree-of-freedom vehicle modeling. Pavement roughness significantly influences dynamic load coefficient, suggesting preventative maintenance or timely maintenance of pavement surface on a bridge, to reduce pavement roughness, is of significant importance for bridge’s longevity and life-cycle cost benefit. For class A and B level pavement roughness, the dynamic load coefficient is simulated within 2.0, compatible with specifications of AASHTO standard, Australian standard, and Switzerland standard. However, the Chinese code underestimates the dynamic load coefficient for a bridge with a fundamental frequency of around 4 Hz. The proposed method is applicable to different types of bridges as well as train-bridge interaction.

Impact of Quantisal® Oral Fluid Collection Device on Drug Stability

The stability of drugs can affect drug tests and interpretations. A comprehensive study to verify drug stability in Quantisal® oral fluid (OF) collection device was undertaken in accordance with Australian standard, AS/NZS 4760:2019 (SAI-Global, 2019). The evaluation was performed for the following drugs: (±) amphetamine, (±) methylamphetamine, (±) 3,4-methylenedioxymethylamphetamine (MDMA), (−)Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), cocaine, benzoylecgonine, morphine, codeine, and oxycodone. Stability was assessed at four different storage temperatures over seven time points at ±50% cut-off concentrations (Appendix A, Para A4-4.1, AS/NZS 4760:2019) (SAI-Global, 2019). All drugs were found to be significantly more stable at 4 and –20°C, with stability spanning at least 14 days with percentage change within ±20% from the cut-off concentrations (SAI-Global, 2019). In addition, we report a variation trend with cocaine and benzoylecgonine at elevated temperatures, suggesting hydrolytic decomposition of cocaine and a concomitant increase in benzoylecgonine quantitative values. We confirm the cross-talk by showing that the percentage change in the profile of average cocaine-benzoylecgonine measurement is within the acceptance concentration range of ±20%. This finding highlights the importance of precaution during storage and careful considerations during subsequent interpretation of liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LCMS) measurements.

Thermal Impacts of Apicultural Practice and Products on the Honey Bee Colony

Hive design and apicultural processes have not been fundamentally changed since the design and commercialization of the Langstroth moveable frame hive in 1854. Colonies of Apis mellifera Linnaeus (Hymentoptera: Apidae) (the honey bee) maintain a brood nest temperature within the narrow range of 34.5–35.5°C, critical for brood development. Apis mellifera invest considerable energy to maintain hive homeostasis through behavioral modification of the hive environment. Human honey-harvesting processes and removal of the honey-filled comb (a source of thermal mass) have a detrimental impact on hive temperature that requires an increased investment of energy to rectify. This additional energy demand on the bees is a form of stress to the colony and diverts workers away from other essential tasks to that of environmental management. We investigated the thermal energy loss resulting from the removal and extraction of honey, the rate of thermal loss of an Australian standard Langstroth 10 frame hive, and the effect of honey and wax as a thermal mass in unoccupied bee hive. The results demonstrate that considerable energy expenditure would be required to rectify the hive thermal environment after honey harvesting or honeycomb frame addition. Honey provides thermal mass in the beehive, acting as a thermal buffer to external temperature change, which may mediate part of the thermal losses from the simplistic design of the Langstroth hive. Identification of these impacts in current apicultural practice and hive design allows for the improvement in the design of beehives and associated practices. These improvements may reduce stress to the bee colony, increasing colony efficiency for pollination and nectar foraging.

Suicide in welfare support workers: a retrospective mortality study in Australia 2001–2016

ObjectivesEmployees working in the welfare and healthcare industry have poorer mental health than other occupational groups; however, there has been little examination of suicide among this group. In this study, we examined suicide rates among welfare support workers and compared them to other occupations in Australia.MethodsWe used data from the National Coroners Information System to obtain suicide deaths between the years 2001 and 2016. Using the Australian standard population from 2001 and Census data from 2006, 2011 and 2016, we calculated age-standardised suicide rates and rate ratios to compare suicide rates across different occupational groups.ResultsOverall, the age-standardised suicide rate of welfare support workers was 8.6 per 100 000 people. The gender-stratified results show that male welfare support workers have a high suicide rate (23.8 per 100 000 people) which is similar to male social workers and nurses (25.4 per 100 000). After adjusting for age and year of death, both males (rate ratio 1.48, 95% CI 1.23 to 1.78) and female welfare support workers (rate ratio 1.49, 95% CI 1.20 to 1.86) have higher suicide rate ratios compared with the reference group (excluding occupations from the comparison groups).ConclusionThe age-standardised suicide rates of male welfare support workers are comparable to occupations which have been identified as high-risk occupations for suicide. Both female and male welfare support workers are at elevated risk of suicide compared with other occupations. Further research is required to understand the drivers of the elevated risk in this group.

International standardisation driving global competitiveness and sustainability of the oil and gas and future energy industries

The World Economic Forum has identified that the oil and gas (O&amp;G) industry must lead the process of its own transformation by innovation and multistakeholder collaboration. The Capital Project Complexity initiative is an industry-wide, noncompetitive collaboration on standardisation and use of procurement specifications. Australia is now a major contributor to this collaboration which has brought together all the major O&amp;G operators through the International Association of Oil &amp; Gas Producers (IOGP) network and the standardisation bodies including International Organization for Standardization (ISO), American Petroleum Institute Standards, European Committee for Standardization, Gulf Cooperation Council Standardization Organization, Standardization Administration of China, Standards Australia (SA) and many more. The focus is on developing common international standards through an IOGP Standards-ISO/TC67 link and standardised equipment specifications linking to these standards through IOGP-JIP33. Australia contributes via SA’s mirror committee ME-92, which is now fully established with direct involvement in the ISO/TC67 9 subcommittee areas and 13 working groups covering 261 current and developing standards. In September 2020, the first of these standards, AS ISO 29001, was identically adopted as an Australian standard. With the Australian experts now ensuring ISO Standards will incorporate Australian industry expertise, knowledge and regulatory requirements where possible future revisions will enable them to be adopted as the next revision of the Australian standard. This industry-wide collaboration will ensure future project costs are optimised and safety enhanced through use of the global industry knowledge while also reducing the need to write local standards. This study describes Australia’s strategy being pursued to align with the global industry. It also provides information on how this network is supporting the development of knowledge transfer to the decommissioning and new energy industries that will form Australia’s future.

ANALISIS HIRA ASPEK KESELAMATAN DAN KESEHATAN KERJA (K3) DI LABORATORIUM MOTOR BAKAR POLITEKNIK NEGERI SUBANG

Penelitian ini merupakan penelitian analisis. Tahapan penelitian di mulai dengan tim peneliti melakukan observasi menggunakan metode HIRA di laboratorium motor bakar Politeknik Negeri Subang. Data yang didapatkan kemudian di analisis dengan pengukuran yang digunakan dalam Australian Standard/New Zealand Standard (AS/NZS). Berdasarkan hasil temuan dan analisis, dapat disimpulkan bahwa (1) ditemukan 9 bahaya (hazard) di laboratorium motor bakar Politeknik Negeri Subang. Dari 9 bahaya tersebut terdiri dari 1 bahaya dalam kategori 3H (high) yaitu penempatan posisi motor terlalu berdekatan dan tidak menggunakan APD; 2 bahaya dalam kategori 2M (medium), dan 6 bahaya masuk kategori L (low). Tidak ada yang masuk dalam kategori bahaya ekstrem; (2) Rekomendasi tindakan yang bisa dilakukan untuk mengurangi bahaya di laboratorium motor bakar Politeknik Negeri Subang yaitu pembuatan SOP laboratorium, penataan kembali tata ruang dan peralatan, serta pemberian instruksi sebelum dan sesudah mahasiswa praktikum.

Effects of Question Type and Order When Measuring Peak Consumption of Risky Drinking Events

Aims There is new interest in measuring alcohol consumption during risky drinking events, but there is little guidance on how to best ask such questions. In this study, we contrast two different types of questions on peak consumption over a single heavy drinking occasion. We used a general question that ask respondents to recall the total amount consumed (total consumption question), and location-specific questions that ask respondents to recall consumption in each drinking location (location-specific peak consumption, LSPC). Methods Heavy drinkers (≥11 Australian Standard Drinks (ASD) per occasion for males, ≥8 for females) from the second wave of a prospective cohort study were recruited via landline random digit dial from Melbourne in 2012. Respondents were randomly assigned to surveys of different question order, and either first received total consumption (n = 127) or LSPC questions (n = 147). T-tests compared peak consumption between categories stratified by sex and consumption tercile. Results Mean peak consumption was 12.5 ASD. Irrespective of question order, consumption amounts for total consumption and LSPC questions were not significantly different for both sexes. However, drinkers in the highest tercile asked LSPC questions first provided significantly higher consumption estimates in response to the total consumption question than in response to the LSPC questions. Conclusion At a population level, LSPC and total consumption questions produce similar estimates of peak consumption for risky drinking events. Except for heavy drinkers, general consumption questions may be sufficient when asking about these drinking events in consumption surveys, without the greater response burden of longer LSPC questions.