Can topography facilitate the refinement of landscape design methods?

Associate Professor Andrew Baker from QUT School of Biology and Environmental Science said antechinuses are carnivorous marsupials well-known for suicidal sex sessions where all males die after the 1 to 3 week breeding period. “During the breeding season, male and females mate promiscuously in frenzied bouts lasting as long as 14 hours. Certain stress-induced death follows for all males as surging testosterone causes cortisol to flood uncontrolled through the body, reaching pathological levels,” Professor Baker said. “The males drop dead, which provides an opportunity ...

Protecting the world’s oceans against accelerating damage from human activities could be cheaper and take up less space than previously thought, new research has found. The University of Queensland’s Professor Anthony Richardson collaborated on the study, which looks to halt the rapid decline of marine biodiversity from expanding industrial activities in marine areas beyond national jurisdictions (ABNJ). “This ‘blue acceleration’ as we call it, has seen a greater diversity of stakeholders interested in ABNJs, such as the high seas and the international seabed beyond exclusive economic zones,” ...

Frequently using more than three strategies to stay alert while driving could be a sign of excessive sleepiness due to obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA), according to a study published today (Thursday) in ERJ Open Research [1].   People with OSA often snore loudly, their breathing starts and stops during the night, and they may wake up several times. Around one in five people are estimated to have OSA but the majority of sufferers do not realise they have a problem. OSA causes excessive sleepiness and people with untreated OSA are at higher risk of collisions on the road.   Researchers say that asking people ...

Globally, non-point source pollution is an important source of water quality deterioration in rivers and lakes. A ditch-pond system, consisting of ditches and ponds, is considered to be similar to free-surface wetlands, linking pollution sources to the receiving water bodies. The ditch-pond system includes vegetation, microorganisms and sediment, which can slow down the flow velocity and promote the precipitation of particulate matter carried by running water. At the same time, ditch and pond systems reduces nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations, and those of other nutrients entering the downstream water by means of plant absorption, sediment adsorption and microbial degradation, ...

The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health: Paediatric care for non-White children is universally worse across the USA; policy reform urgently needed to address disparities Two-paper Series identifies pervasive racial inequities in paediatric care in the USA, and outlines policies to address structural racism embedded in wider sectors of society that shape children’s health. A review of recent evidence reveals widespread patterns of inequitable care across paediatric specialties, including neonatal care, emergency medicine, surgery, developmental disabilities, mental ...

Peer reviewed – observational study - humans Genotyping technology detects Covid variants more quickly and cheaply than ever before – according to research from the University of East Anglia and the UK Health Security Agency. A new study published today reveals that the technique detects new variants almost a week more quickly than traditional whole genome sequencing methods. The research team say that genotyping allowed Covid variant information to be more rapidly detected and communicated to frontline health protection professionals at the height of the pandemic. Importantly, it helped to implement ...

People with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) may have an increased risk of death from both natural and unnatural causes than those without the disorder, finds a study from Sweden published by The BMJ today. The researchers point out that many of the natural causes of death are preventable, suggesting that better surveillance, prevention, and early intervention strategies should be implemented to reduce the risk of fatal outcomes in people with OCD. OCD is typically a long term psychiatric disorder affecting about 2% of the population. It is characterised ...

Routinely referring patients to a tailored programme of physiotherapy after a dislocated shoulder is no better than a single session of advice, supporting materials and the option to self-refer to physiotherapy, finds a clinical trial published by The BMJ today. The findings should help clinicians and patients have informed discussions about the best approach to non-operative rehabilitation, say the researchers. The shoulder is the most frequently dislocated joint, with rates highest in men aged 16-20 years ...

UK law changes pose a threat to the security of messaging apps – and therefore their use in the NHS. In The BMJ today, doctors warn that patient care will suffer if they can no longer use apps such asWhatsApp and Signal to share information. In March 2020, in the face of the pandemic, clinicians were officially allowed to use messaging services such as WhatsApp “where the benefits outweigh the risk,” reversing years of caution about their use in patient care – provided ...

A tiny fraction of schools in England – about three in every 500 – have whole-school policies which address foreign languages, English usage, and integrating students who speak English as an additional language (EAL), new research indicates. The study of almost 1,000 secondary schools, by researchers at the University of Cambridge, questions many schools’ claims to being ‘inclusive’ spaces that value the linguistic diversity of their communities. It also suggests that language learning, and an appreciation of different languages, is being deprioritised, conflicting with Government ambitions for 90% of students to study a ...