Areas Of South Australia Research Articles

Water as Country on the Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Lands, South Australia

ABSTRACTAnangu, Pitjantjatjara and Yankunytjatjara people living in the north‐western areas of South Australia, conceptualize changes in the surface of land as evincing the presence of Ancestral power. Rain is one such catalyst of change, though it is by no means a certainty on the Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Lands. When it does appear, water does not stay long on the surface: it is shimmering and unstable. This chapter examines the nature of various water sources in contemporary indigenous life, the spatial relationships between earth and sky and the dialectic between life and death that they mediate.

Assessing and predicting the illegal dumping risks in relation to road characteristics

Using historical data to assess illegal dumping risks has significant potential to enhance the effectiveness of waste management in low-population density counties where the ability to patrol and regulate illegal dumping is limited. Using big data and geographical analysis to identify high-risk areas plays an important role in improving the effectiveness of supervision related to illegal dumping. However, current methods for classifying risk areas have limited accuracy. Taking an area in South Australia as an example, this study aims to improve the accuracy of classifying risk areas by using geo-information technology and machine learning methods. The results show that combining illegal dumping locations with road characteristics allows the high-risk areas to be refined to road sections. Compared with identifying the whole road or area as a high-risk spot, this result could be beneficial for monitoring illegal dumping in real life. Moreover, this model allows the analysis of factors that affect illegal dumping locations. Results show that the influencing factors for different risk levels of illegal dumping vary significantly. The model developed in this research can effectively distinguish risk levels according to these factors, and the model classification accuracy can reach 85%. In addition, there are priorities amongst these factors. This finding could help environmental authorities to allocate equipment and personnel with consideration of varying level of importance of those factors. This study has both technical contributions to identify high risk areas of illegal dumping, and theoretical implications for its management.

Outcomes of patients with oesophageal and gastric cancer in relation to their age and metropolitan residential status: A South Australian audit.

e16095 Background: The incidence of oesophago-gastric cancer (OG) is increasing in the younger population. Factors such as obesity, chronic gastroesophageal reflux disease, smoking or a low dietary intake of fruits and vegetables may be responsible. Inferior survival outcomes are observed in younger patients with OG cancer. Survival rates can differ by geographic location, with poorer outcomes seen in remote and non-metropolitan regions. Aim To evaluate patient characteristics and outcomes of patients with gastro-oesophageal cancers in younger (<50 years) when compared to older (>50 years) patients and those residing in rural versus metropolitan areas in South Australia. Methods: Data from a tertiary referral hospital database in South Australia was retrospectively collected between 2012 to 2022. All patients with OG cancers were included. Baseline characteristics including demographics, risk factors for OG cancer, type and stages of disease, geographic location were collected. Survival outcomes of gastro oesophageal cancer patients <50 years and >50 years of age as well as those living in metropolitan versus rural locations were analysed. Statistical analyses were done using Pearson’s Chi square test, Wilcoxon rank sum test, Fisher exact tests and multivariate models. Results: Of the 937 patients in this audit, 6.5%% (n=61) were < 50 years of age, 72% men (n=670), median age of diagnosis was 72 years. There was statistically significant difference in the proportion of patients with different anatomical types of OG cancer based on age <50 versus >50 (P=0.02), while there was no difference in other baseline characteristics. Within the group of OG cancer patients <50 years, the frequency of gastric adenocarcinoma was more, when compared to older, >50 year group (55.7% vs 31.3%) whilst other cancer types such as GOJ adenocarcinoma (1.6% vs 6.3%), oesophageal squamous (8.2% vs 14.8%) and adenocarcinoma (34.4% vs 47.6%) were found less frequent in <50 year group compared to >50 year group. There were no significant differences observed in the 3 year (P=0.49), 5 year (P=0.61) and overall survival (2.29 vs 1.78 years, P=0.63) rates, in OG cancer patients < 50 years vs > 50 years old. Among 874 OG cancer patients with data available on geographic location, there was no significant differences observed between 3-year (P = 0.25), 5-year (P =0.27) or overall survival (1.72 vs 1.61 years, P = 0.3) in metropolitan versus rural patients in South Australia. Conclusions: In this audit gastric adenocarcinoma was more common in younger patients (<50 years of age). Young-onset OG cancer patients, when defined as aged younger than 50 years, had equivalent survival compared with their older counterparts and there were no significant differences seen in overall survival rates based on their geographic locations.

Telehealth Education And Counselling program to optimise secondary prevention of Heart disease for patients with cardiovascular Disease living in Rural Australia: TEACH-RA study

Abstract Funding Acknowledgements Type of funding sources: Other. Main funding source(s): SOLVE CHD Collaboration grant Introduction The burden of cardiovascular disease (CVD) is rapidly increasing, however, access to secondary prevention in rural areas is limited. Moreover, rural and remote CVD patients have limited access to primary care and other health services to receive ongoing support and post-discharge follow-up, and this may predispose them to insufficient secondary prevention in terms of a high risk of uncontrolled blood pressure and consequent life-threatening complications including coronary heart disease. Therefore, reform of secondary prevention in rural and remote areas is required to improve reach and access for patients living in such areas, and consequently improve clinical and other health outcomes. Objective To evaluate the feasibility of an innovative, tailored telehealth education and counselling program to optimise secondary prevention of CVD in patients living in rural areas in South Australia. Methods A quasi experimental study will be conducted by recruiting patients from existing database; country access to cardiac health (CATCH) program. Patients with CVD, aged ≥ 18, enrolled into CATCH program and living in rural and remote South Australia. Sample size is calculated using an online tool and is based on the primary endpoint to detect reduced readmission rate in patients with CVD and cardiac events. Patients with acute coronary syndrome/myocardial infarction, revascularisation procedure, stable and unstable angina, post coronary artery bypass grafting, post cardiac valve replacement surgery, and heart failure will be included. The sample size is calculated using online tool with appropriate statistical assumptions, which gives 113. The intervention of this study consists of two components: 1) delivery of a tailored telehealth counselling and education through telephone by a nurse and 2) use of an iPad application for patient education. Primary outcome is readmission for CVD and cardiac events. Secondary outcomes are knowledge of cardiovascular risk factors, lifestyle modification (e.g. smoking, alcohol, diet and physical exercise), medication adherence, health related quality of life and clinical outcomes such as lipid profile and blood pressure. Conclusion TEACH-RA study will test the feasibility of a tailored telehealth education and counselling program in patients with cardiac conditions living in rural and remote areas.

Converting waste plastics into construction applications: A business perspective

The detrimental effects of waste plastics have drawn wide public concern. As a result, significant efforts have been made to bring waste plastics back into the supply chain. For instance, the use of recycled plastics has great potential in the building and civil construction industries. Extensive experiments have been conducted to assess improvements in the technical properties and environmental impacts of incorporating recycled waste plastics into construction products.An exploratory case study was conducted in this research to examine the business activities involved in the conversion of waste plastics to construction materials in the Adelaide Metropolitan Area in South Australia. The reports issued by government agencies provide some, although limited, understanding of the barriers to transforming waste plastics into recycled waste plastics and to their utilisation for remanufacturing construction materials. To identify enablers of and barriers to value recovery and value-added activities, in-depth interviews were undertaken with selected industry practitioners. This study revealed that market demand is the most critical driver for the conversion. To boost market demand of this sustainable application, it is necessary to improve public acceptance by enhancing standards and specifications, rather than simply relying on efforts from local governments. Meanwhile, the current recycling capacity still far exceeds the demand for the innovative construction products remanufacturing.

Building community resilience through youth volunteering: towards a new model

ABSTRACT Australian regional communities are changing. The combined impact of out-migration and ageing populations means that the capacity of regional communities to function as they traditionally have is challenged. In this context, volunteer effort remains a vital part of building community resilience and social capital. Yet, volunteering per se is under threat, and encouraging young people to volunteer an even greater challenge. This paper presents the results of a project that sought to understand the barriers to, and incentives for, youth volunteering at three regional local government areas in South Australia. First, we find that despite a popular conviction that youth volunteering is on the decline, it has in fact increased; the actual decline is with those volunteers who are within the 35–55-year age groups. Second, we found that two models of volunteering exist in the regions: (1) volunteering as an activity involving participation on committees or doing regular primarily public good group-based work (e.g., emergency services, Rotary, conservation); and (2) event-based, one-off, fun activities (sometimes, but not always, for the broader public good). Volunteering per se, however, was considered by all participants as central to community identity. Culture, sports and youth clubs emerged as important hubs for youth activity and potential volunteer recruitment. We suggest a new model for regional youth volunteering that prioritizes events, partnerships and social media, as well as using existing institutions as bridging organizations.

P118 The prevalence of self-reported sleep difficulties in wind farm noise, urban road traffic noise and quiet rural exposure areas in South Australia

Abstract Introduction The prevalence of sleep difficulties from wind farm noise (WFN) compared to road traffic noise (RTN) or other sources is unknown. This study investigated the prevalence, severity and source of sleep difficulties in WFN, RTN and quiet rural exposure areas. Methods Geographic sampling and computer assisted telephone interviews were used to evaluate sleep difficulties (falling or staying asleep, waking too early, or feeling unrefreshed) attributed to RTN, WFN or non-WFN and RTN related factors using 0–4 scales (none, mild, moderate, severe, very severe). Three groups were sampled; WFN exposed (n=38–84 in five 2 km bands <10 km from a wind farm; total 372), RTN exposed (n=87 <800 m from a busy road >50,000 vehicles/day) and quiet rural controls (n=83). Preliminary prevalence estimates and odds of moderate-to-very severe sleep difficulties attributed to RTN, WFN or other sources were evaluated. Results Few WFN exposed respondents attributed sleep difficulties to WFN (0.8%) compared to moderate-to-very severe difficulties from RTN (2.2%) or other sources (16.1%). Sleep difficulties were higher in RTN exposed (17.2%) compared to quiet (6% OR[95%CI] 4.1[1.3–13.0]) or WFN exposed (OR[95%CI] 9.5[3.9–23.3]) rural areas. Sleep difficulties attributed to other sources were not different between groups (Chi² p=0.054), but tended to be higher in urban RTN exposed residents (26.4%). Conclusions Preliminary findings do not support more prevalent sleep difficulties in WFN compared to RTN exposed or quiet rural area residents. Given low rates of WFN-attributed sleep difficulties, larger and/or more sensitive studies remain warranted to further clarify potential WFN effects on sleep.

How the COVID pandemic affected utilisation of cardiac rehabilitation in rural Australia?

Abstract Funding Acknowledgements Type of funding sources: Public Institution(s). Main funding source(s): Caring Futures Institute Background Provision of cardiac rehabilitation (CR) was disrupted in 31% of the 155 countries according to the World Health Organisation during the early months of the COVID pandemic. This might have been associated with worsening clinical outcomes and is of particular concern to patients living in rural and remote areas. In Australia, these patients have a higher prevalence of cardiovascular diseases, higher rates of adverse outcomes due to acute myocardial infarction and limited availability to regional services. Purpose We aimed to investigate how the COVID affected the delivery of CR services in rural and remote South Australia (SA) during the first wave of the COVID pandemic. Methods CR attendance, completion and waiting times in the pre-COVID period (February-July 2019) was compared to data during the first wave of COVID (February-July 2020) using data from CR services across six regional local health networks recorded in the Country Access to Cardiac Health (CATCH) database. Results There were 922 patients (32.2% females; mean age 69.2 years; 36.6% living in areas with high socio-economic disadvantage) referred to CR in the pre-COVID period, and 1032 patients (30.7% females; mean age 68.1 years; 35.7% living in areas with high socio-economic disadvantage) in the COVID period across the six regional areas in South Australia. Acute coronary syndrome was the main reason for referral both pre (251; 27.2%) and during COVID (273; 26.5%). The proportion of CR attendance was higher in the pre (522; 56.6%) compared to the COVID period (431, 41.8%; p < 0.001). Completion was higher pre (413, 79.1%) compared to during COVID period (205,47.6%) completed CR during the COVID period (p < 0.001). The waiting time was 35 (SD 27) days pre-COVID and 34 (SD 25) days in the COVID period (p = 0.37). Conclusion Our data show that attendance and completion of CR programs were significantly reduced during the COVID period in rural and remote Australia. Limited service access during the pandemic and fear to physically attend health services during the period of social and physical restrictions might have contributed to this. Telehealth-delivered CR can provide opportunities to continuity of cardiovascular care and secondary prevention during pandemic restrictions.

Grief, vulnerability, and hope

For the four weeks prior to writing this editorial in mid-January, I have been on annual leave and have been determined to take those days for rest and recreation We are deeply grateful to those authors who have engaged with the call for papers and who have wrangled both with their own inner upsets - for there most certainly have been those - and with the additional complexities the pandemic has wrought Following these six articles is a small special section of three other articles based on work originally presented at the Royal Geographical Society/Institute of British Geographers Conference in Cardiff in 2018 [Extracted from the article] Copyright of Geographical Research is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use This abstract may be abridged No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract (Copyright applies to all Abstracts )

Discriminating Natal Source Populations of a Temperate Marine Fish Using Larval Otolith Chemistry

The life cycles of many marine species depend on a dispersive larval stage that connects spatially segregated populations. However, quantifying larval movement among populations remains one of the greatest challenges in marine ecology. Such movement determines whether a population is essentially a self-recruiting stock, or if it forms part of a larger meta-population where recruits originate from multiple sources. Previous research has struggled to differentiate between such stock structure models for King George whiting (Sillaginodes punctatus; Perciformes) in southern Australia, largely due to difficulties in identifying the source populations of dispersing larvae. In this study, pelagic larvae were collected throughout the only recognized spawning area in South Australia in 2017 and 2018. First, we identified that the distribution of larvae was broadly divisible into two groups – those in southern Spencer Gulf and those in Investigator Strait. Then, the incremental structure and elemental composition of otoliths of larvae from the two regions were compared to determine if they had originated from a common source population. There were no spatial differences in the sizes (3.0-5.0 mm SL), ages (5-21 d), hatch dates (7-24 April) or average growth rates (0.09-0.21 mm d-1) of larvae. However, multi-elemental (Li, Mg, Mn, Sr and Ba) otolith signatures differed significantly between the two regions, primarily driven by differences in concentrations of Li and Ba. Although otolith signatures were year-specific, larvae were assigned to their region of capture with 70-82% accuracy. Larvae in each region hatched at the same time yet had significantly different otolith chemistry, providing strong evidence that those in southern Spencer Gulf and Investigator Strait originated from spatially segregated water masses. This study has demonstrated the ability of otolith chemistry to discriminate source populations of pelagic larvae in a fully marine environment, which provides a basis to quantify larval movement between fish populations.

Optimal sizing of an AC‐coupled hybrid power system considering incentive‐based demand response

This study investigates the impact of incentive-based demand response on the optimal economic sizing of hybrid power systems for a remote area in South Australia. The hybrid power systems are modelled as AC-coupled system with various power generation and energy storage systems including diesel generators, solar photovoltaics, wind turbines, battery storages and flywheels. Operating reserve requirements are introduced to ensure a specified reliability with variable renewable energy generation and consumer loads. Incentive-based demand response is introduced to allow a reduction in customer loads, up to a maximum value, during peak load events. Customers receive a financial benefit as an incentive for the total demand response energy reduction. Active power operation of four different power system configurations is modelled over one year in hourly time steps. The study uses real data for customer demand, wind speed, solar insolation and ambient temperature profiles in a specific location. The hybrid power systems with demand response are optimised to minimise the system net present cost in project lifetime (20 years) using a particle swarm optimisation algorithm. Sensitivity analysis of levellised cost of energy for various values of the maximum demand response power and the incentive payments are also carried out.

An Evaluation of HTM and LSTM for Short-Term Arterial Traffic Flow Prediction

Recent years have seen the emergence of two significant technologies: big data systems capable of storing, retrieving, and processing large amounts of data, and machine learning algorithms capable of learning and predicting complex sequences. In combination, these technologies present new opportunities to leverage the increasingly large amounts of traffic volume data to improve traffic flow prediction and the detection of anomalous traffic flows. In this paper, we investigate and evaluate the use of hierarchical temporal memory (HTM) for short-term prediction of traffic flows over real-world Sydney Coordinated Adaptive Traffic System data on arterial roads in the Adelaide metropolitan area in South Australia. Results are compared with those from long–short-term memory (LSTM). Extended experimentation with LSTM network configurations in both batch learning and online learning modes provide results with superior predictive performance over previous usage of LSTM and other deep learning techniques for short-term traffic flow prediction. In addition, we argue that HTM has potential as an effective tool for short term traffic flow prediction with results on par with LSTM and improvements when traffic flow distributions change.

Evaluation of the Young Deadly Free Peer Education Training Program: Early Results, Methodological Challenges, and Learnings for Future Evaluations

Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people experience disproportionately higher rates of sexually transmissible infections (STIs) and blood borne viruses (BBVs) when compared with the non-Indigenous population. Both incidence and prevalence data for bacterial STIs, such as chlamydia, gonorrhea, trichomonas, and syphilis in remote areas of Australia are reported at rates many times higher than that of non-Indigenous Australians. Similarly, rates of hepatitis B are disproportionately higher for non-Indigenous people in remote communities. The Young Deadly STI and BBV Free project was designed to increase the uptake of STI and BBV testing and treatment in young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living in remote and very remote areas of South Australia, Western Australia, Queensland, and the Northern Territory. Peer education formed one component of this pilot project and involved training up to 100 young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people across 19 communities in a culturally appropriate and respectful manner on the transmission, testing, and treatment of STIs and BBVs. The trained peer educators were then required to deliver three community education sessions to young people in their respective communities in an effort to raise awareness about STIs and BBVs and encourage testing and treatment uptake. Preliminary evaluation findings, limited to the trained peer educators, revealed the peer educator training program contributed to STI and BBV knowledge gains among the trained peer educators and positively influenced their behavioral intentions and attitudes pertaining to STIs and BBVs. Working with remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations on a highly sensitive, stigmatized topic presented many methodological challenges, particularly in terms of ensuring the collection of reliable evaluation data across geographically remote communities. The challenges and strengths associated with the implementation of the peer education training program along with implications for developing culturally inclusive evaluation practices will be discussed.

Emergency rural obstetric transfers in South Australia: a review of the clinical and precipitating factors.

The provision of critical management of obstetric emergencies is a vital service for rural women and their families. Emergency obstetric transfers are indispensable to reduce maternal and neonatal mortality and morbidity because local rural hospitals often do not have the resources or expertise to manage both maternal and neonatal outcomes. However, the transfer of a rural pregnant woman to a higher level, tertiary perinatal centre (TPC) is often stressful for the patient and costly for health services. Currently, little is known about the main reasons for obstetric transfers in rural South Australia, and there is even less information about the management of mothers and babies once they arrive at their destination. The present guidelines for informing the necessity of transferring from a rural or remote area to a TPC are unclear. This study aims to describe the clinical reasons for obstetric transfers from a rural area in South Australia and explore predictive factors of likelihood of delivery on transfer. Additionally, this study aims to determine the outcomes of transfers in terms of location of delivery, timing of delivery and to explore the association between delivery after transfer and clinical reasons for transfer. All women from the Riverland region of South Australia who were transferred antenatally at >20 weeks gestational age for an acute admission to a TPC over a 5-year period were included in a retrospective review. Participants were determined from hospital coding data, and medical case notes were retrieved for all participants. The demographic and clinical data, including details of the emergency presentation and outcomes of women transferred to a tertiary hospital, were analysed with descriptive statistics (mean, standard deviation). A logistic regression was performed for predictive factors associated with delivery on transfer. A total of 160 patients were transferred antenatally. A minority of participants delivered on admission (35%). Of the women who were discharged undelivered, 43% eventually delivered at their rural hospital and the remainder delivered later in a tertiary hospital as part of a planned admission. The most common diagnoses for transfer were preterm labour, premature preterm rupture of membranes, antepartum haemorrhage and placental disorders. Delivery on transfer was associated with preterm premature rupture of membranes and pre-eclampsia. Likelihood of delivery on transfer was not increased with preterm gestation, cervical dilation or other presenting diagnosis. There was not an association of increased number of indications for transfer and likelihood of delivering after transfer. This study suggests that the rural doctor workforce in the Riverland region appears to be well skilled at identifying obstetric emergencies despite the lack of guidance around what constitutes a high risk perinatal situation. Furthermore, this study quantifies the number of women who would potentially require support services associated with rural perinatal transfers from this area. There was a comparatively lower rate of delivery on transfer and, as such, these women eventually delivered their babies either at their hospital of origin or returned to a metropolitan hospital as part of a planned admission for delivery. Further research is needed about the practical implications of transferring pregnant women to tertiary centres and clinical decision-making tools to improve this process.

Resolving the early life history of King George whiting (Sillaginodes punctatus: Perciformes) using otolith microstructure and trace element chemistry

Understanding the early life history processes of fish that lead to recruitment is critical for understanding population dynamics. This study explored the early life history of King George whiting (Sillaginodes punctatus) that recruited to an important nursery area in South Australia in 2016 and 2017. The early life history was reconstructed based on the retrospective analysis of otolith microstructure and chemistry for settlement-stage larvae collected fortnightly from July to November. These fish hatched between March and July, but a 3-week period in May led to 52–71% of recruitment. Recruits from successive sampling occasions differed in age, size and growth rate, potentially related to seasonal changes in water temperature and larval food availability. During both years, there were significant changes in otolith elemental chemistry among the groups of recruits that primarily related to changes in Sr:Ca. There are two hypotheses to account for the differences in otolith chemistry: either (1) a single, primary spawning source and within-season environmental change; or (2) multiple spawning sources. Further investigation with oceanographic models of larval dispersal will help differentiate between these. The retrospective analysis of otoliths has improved the understanding of early life history for this important species, with implications for fishery management.

Cost‐effective sizing of an AC mini‐grid hybrid power system for a remote area in South Australia

This study determines the optimal capacity of various components of an AC mini-grid hybrid power system in a remote area of South Australia. A range of generation and storage technologies, such as diesel generators, wind turbines, solar photovoltaic arrays, battery banks, and flywheels are considered. A minimum system operating reserve is maintained to ensure a certain degree of reliability. Four different configurations of hybrid power systems are analysed in hourly time-steps, over a year, using real data for system load, solar insolation, ambient temperature, and wind speed. Particle swarm optimisation approach is used to optimise the capacity of various components of each hybrid system to obtain the minimum net present cost (NPC) over a 20-year system lifespan. Suitable capital, operating, and maintenance costs in Australian context are considered in evaluating the system. Various simulation results, such as annual energy balances, NPCs, levelised cost of energy and cash flow analysis obtained for each optimised system are carefully analysed and discussed. The modelling and results confirms the feasibility and economical replacement of the diesel power system with those of hybrid power systems which use renewable energy supply.

Rickettsia Detected in the Reptile Tick Bothriocroton hydrosauri from the Lizard Tiliqua rugosa in South Australia.

Rickettsiosis is a potentially fatal tick borne disease. It is caused by the obligate intracellular bacteria Rickettsia, which is transferred to humans through salivary excretions of ticks during the biting process. Globally, the incidence of tick-borne diseases is increasing; as such, there is a need for a greater understanding of tick–host interactions to create more informed risk management strategies. Flinders Island spotted fever rickettsioses has been identified throughout Australia (Tasmania, South Australia, Queensland and Torres Strait Islands) with possible identifications in Thailand, Sri Lanka and Italy. Flinders Island spotted fever is thought to be spread through tick bites and the reptile tick Bothriocroton hydrosauri has been implicated as a vector in this transmission. This study used qPCR to assay Bothriocroton hydrosauri ticks collected from Tiliqua rugosa (sleepy lizard) hosts on mainland South Australia near where spotted fever cases have been identified. We report that, although we discovered Rickettsia in all tick samples, it was not Rickettsia honei. This study is the first to use PCR to positively identify Rickettsia from South Australian Bothriocroton hydrosauri ticks collected from Tiliqua rugosa (sleepy lizard) hosts. These findings suggest that B. hydrosauri may be a vector of multiple Rickettsia spp. Also as all 41 tested B. hydrosauri ticks were positive for Rickettsia this indicates an extremely high prevalence within the studied area in South Australia.

An ecological and evolutionary perspective on the parallel invasion of two cross-compatible trees.

Invasive trees are generally seen as ecosystem-transforming plants that can have significant impacts on native vegetation, and often require management and control. Understanding their history and biology is essential to guide actions of land managers. Here, we present a summary of recent research into the ecology, phylogeography and management of invasive olives, which are now established outside of their native range as high ecological impact invasive trees. The parallel invasion of European and African olive in different climatic zones of Australia provides an interesting case study of invasion, characterized by early genetic admixture between domesticated and wild taxa. Today, the impact of the invasive olives on native vegetation and ecosystem function is of conservation concern, with European olive a declared weed in areas of South Australia, and African olive a declared weed in New South Wales and Pacific islands. Population genetics was used to trace the origins and invasion of both subspecies in Australia, indicating that both olive subspecies have hybridized early after introduction. Research also indicates that African olive populations can establish from a low number of founder individuals even after successive bottlenecks. Modelling based on distributional data from the native and invasive range identified a shift of the realized ecological niche in the Australian invasive range for both olive subspecies, which was particularly marked for African olive. As highly successful and long-lived invaders, olives offer further opportunities to understand the genetic basis of invasion, and we propose that future research examines the history of introduction and admixture, the genetic basis of adaptability and the role of biotic interactions during invasion. Advances on these questions will ultimately improve predictions on the future olive expansion and provide a solid basis for better management of invasive populations.

The reproductive biology of the introduced root holoparasite Orobanche ramosa subsp. mutelii (Orobanchaceae) in South Australia

An understanding of the timing and constraints on seed production is necessary for the successful control of many invasive plant species. In the present study, we investigated the reproductive traits of the annual root holoparasite, Orobanche ramosa L. subsp. mutelii (F.W.Shultz) Cout. (branched broomrape), which occurs in the western Murray mallee area of South Australia. Flowering stems emerge above the ground from early September. Each flower spike has from 2 to 24 flowers and the first flower opens on the base 8 days after emergence and senesces 6 days later. An additional flower opens acropetally every 1–2 days. The species is autogamous and self-pollination can occur before anthesis. Mature seeds were observed from 9–10 days after flower senescence and capsules dehisced 12 days later. Although each plant is in flower only for an average of 20 days, in large populations or multi-branched plants, the flowering period extends over several weeks, with a peak in mid-October. Seed production in sampled populations was highly variable, ranging from 1000 to over 200 000 per plant. Large plants with several branching stems produced the most seeds, although capsules produced per stem and seeds per capsule were also variable. There is a brief window of opportunity for control of O. ramosa subsp. mutelii after it emerges above the soil surface and before it sets seed. Weedy root parasites such as Orobanche ramosa can have devastating impacts on host crops, but are difficult to control because most growth occurs underground. We identified key characters that contribute to the success of this introduced plant, including self-pollination, rapid maturation of the reproductive stages and high seed output. Vigilance is required so that plants can be controlled before they set seed.

Missed opportunities: a qualitative exploration of the experiences of smoking cessation interventions among socially disadvantaged pregnant women.

Pregnant women who smoke are rarely consulted in the design and evaluation of the interventions that target them. In Australia, women will typically be counselled for smoking cessation as a part of routine antenatal care. However this approach achieves only modest rates of cessation. This study aimed to privilege the perspectives of women from low socioeconomic backgrounds who are most likely to smoke during pregnancy and who are less likely to quit spontaneously. Guided by feminist principles, in-depth interviews were undertaken with a purposive sample of six pregnant women, who resided in lower socioeconomic status areas in South Australia. Their experiences and views of being part of a smoking cessation intervention in metropolitan Adelaide were explored. Transcriptions were thematically analysed using an inductive approach and an open coding framework. An over-arching theme of 'missed opportunities' and four inter-related sub-themes encapsulated the predominantly negative experiences of the intervention for the women. The women's interest in quitting was hindered by a didactic communication style employed by maternity care professionals. The participants' information and support needs were reported as being superficially managed by maternity care professionals or Quitline workers who provided care in routine ways. These findings indicate that smoking cessation interventions and associated Quitline support needs to become more personalised and sensitive to the needs of women who face barriers posed by complex socio-economic disadvantage. These findings have important policy and practice implications for Australian public maternity care settings where smoking cessation interventions are embedded.