PNG Highlands Research Articles

An observational study of the reactogenicity and immunogenicity of 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine in women of childbearing age in Papua New Guinea

BackgroundMaternal immunization with pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) may protect young infants in high-risk settings against the high risk of pneumococcal infections in early life. The aim of this study was to determine the safety and immunogenicity of 13-valent PCV (PCV13) in healthy women of childbearing age in PNG.MethodsAs part of this observational study, 50 non-pregnant women of childbearing age (18-45 yrs. old) living in the highlands of PNG were vaccinated with a single dose of PCV13. Local and systemic reactogenicity were assessed 24–48 h after vaccination. Venous blood samples were collected before and 1 month after vaccination to measure PCV13 serotype-specific IgG antibody concentrations.ResultsNo severe adverse effects were reported during the 1-month follow-up period. IgG antibody concentrations significantly increased after vaccination for all PCV13 serotypes. One month after vaccination IgG antibody levels ≥2.5 μg/mL were reached in at least 75% of women for all PCV13 serotypes, except serotype 3, and ≥ 5 μg/mL in at least 75% of women for 7 serotypes (serotypes 6B, 9 V, 14, 18C, 19A, 19F and 23F).ConclusionPCV13 is safe and immunogenic in women of childbearing age living in a high-risk setting in PNG. This supports the implementation of studies to investigate the safety and immunogenicity of maternal PCV vaccination in high-risk settings as a strategy to protect infants in these settings against the high risk of pneumococcal infections in early life.Trial registrationNCT04183322. Registered 3 December 2019 - Retrospectively registered

Logistics of data acquisition in tropical, rugged terrain ? the airborne geophysical surveys of the PNG highlands and Papuan Peninsula

Between 2005 to 2008 two areas of the PNG highlands and the Papuan Peninsula were surveyed in the world?s largest helicopter magnetic and radiometric survey. Three major factors affected in the planning of this survey; the extreme terrain, the remoteness and the climatic conditions. This survey ranged in altitude from sea level to the top of Mt Wilhelm (approx 14,500ft or 4,509m) and thus a high performance helicopters were needed. Prevailing weather conditions resulted in need to split the survey lines into smaller segmented sections and fly areas on an opportunistic basis when conditions were suitable. Area 1 consisting of some 1262 survey lines was flown in 10,500 separate line segments. Software was developed for monitoring and processing of individual line segments. The extreme nature of the country and the variable, rapidly changing, weather and remoteness of the survey operations required dedicated Search and Rescue (SAR) planning and aircraft monitoring. Survey bases were located as close as possible to the area being flown. This enabled the local weather to be closely monitored and also made the daily test-lines more representative of the local survey area. As the survey drew to a close the last remaining sections were in the most difficult areas. The final 200 km took almost one month and the last 5 km a week to complete. Despite all difficulties of working in this mountainous region the detailed planning resulted in the survey being completed in less than the projected timeframe.

Living Art in Papua New Guinea by Susan Cochrane (review)

Reviewed by: Living Art in Papua New Guinea by Susan Cochrane Paul Sharrad Living Art in Papua New Guinea, by Susan Cochrane. 2013. isbn 978-1-922007-51-3; e-book, 233 pages. Produced and distributed by Contemporary Arts Media/Artfilms. Available through http://artfilms.com.au: dvd or cd $162.59 university/college, $138.20 school/technical and further education (tafe)/community college, $81.29 private use. Susan Cochrane is a rare enthusiast of oceanic arts, one who bridges diverse roles of collector, curator, conversationalist, and critical commentator on Pacific art, particularly that from Papua New Guinea and New Caledonia. After thirty years of impressive travel in the region, giving papers across Oceania and beyond, and attempting the difficult feat of promoting the region’s culture to the world through hardcopy art publishing—readers may have come across her Contemporary Art in Papua New Guinea (1997) or Bérétara (2001)—she has put together an online interactive compendium, Living Art in Papua New Guinea. This e-book brings together materials going back to the 1950s from Cochrane’s own archive and that of her parents (links to these are in the book) with contemporary statements from artists, all of whom have actively participated in the project. A feature of the collection is that its electronic format allows the commonly seen static artworks to be complemented with moving images of their social context and with associated forms of performative art. Even among the former group, there are things such as large pots and [End Page 586] public sculptures that are not often seen outside of Papua New Guinea. The design is a delight: landscape pages with lots of white space and text surrounded by lively images of birds, animals, and spirits, some familiar from the widely circulated styles of Akis and Kauage. The version I reviewed had a few photos strangely turned on their side, but that may well have been due to the format I was working with on a computer download. Many of the black-and-white photos are stunning for the events captured and for their rarity, irrespective of formatting. The text includes links to clips and other information on topics such as “women in contemporary society,” “the Baining Fire Dance,” “carved canoes,” “the Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art,” and “bamboo bands.” The volume also includes an impressive mix of essays, gallery catalogs, and YouTube clips. The author admits to her amateur status as a photographer and the spontaneous nature of some of the fieldwork clips, but regardless, they are all visually captivating and informative and suggestive of immense possibility for future works on Oceanic art to bridge the gaps between artists, collections, and audiences in homelands and abroad. One envisages more links being added in later editions. Her style is clear and personal—people-centered as well as descriptive of the works. Academics dedicated to a specific art form or region might want a bit more detail, but in a national survey like this, Cochrane covers major art areas and manages to pack in a good deal of information about each one. There is a bit more on the PNG Highlands and a bit less on the Sepik than might be expected through the first three-quarters of the book, but this is rebalanced with a “Sepik journey” toward the end, tracking movements from village production to global circulation. The book is divided into three sections: a survey of “the Arts of Papua New Guinea”; “Kastom and Contemporary Culture,” covering artistic collaborative work, women’s creative work, natural resources, body art, singsing performances, and the spiritual as manifest in haus tambaran and haus lotu; and “Village-Urban-Global.” This last section marks a particular strength of the publication in that it deals with PNG art as a dynamic, living thing (sometimes a bit too dynamic, as seen in the painting of police chasing street art sellers away!), not something to be fixed in “authentic tradition” and abstracted away from lived contexts as objects for a gallery. There is a solid bibliography and a short glossary. For anyone wanting to introduce a friend or student to PNG art, this is definitely the book to go...

The role of technology in delivering the PNG LNG Project

The $19 Billion PNG LNG Project is an outstanding example of what engineers in the oil and gas industry are capable of achieving when they have the support of the community and government. This project is an engineering wonder, not because of what it is, but rather where it is. As it progresses steadily towards construction completion, the Project Executive Decie Autin will explain how the latest technology was used to build this venture responsibly in one of the most pristine and beautiful locations on earth. Every step of the way the project team has worked with scientists, archeologists and the communities to minimise the impact of construction on the environment and the delicate, intricate cultural, social and political fabric of PNG. The objective is to help the nation to develop its resources wealth in a way that preserves the ecology and enhances the lives of the people. The logistics of constructing a gas conditioning plant and pipelines in the inaccessible PNG Highlands is astonishing. Yet build it they did. What’s more, the project remains on schedule for start-up this year despite the challenging conditions—record wet weather and incredible terrain. The magnitude of this engineering achievement can be illustrated with one statement: The project team safely landed a heavily-laden Antanov—one of the largest jet-planes in the world – in the remote PNG Highlands. The PNG LNG Project is truly a partnership. Ms Autin will explain why the strength of the partnership and the spirit of collaboration were critical to the success of this project, which will provide so many benefits to PNG and its citizens.

Investigating the spatial variations of high prevalences of severe malnutrition among children in Papua New Guinea: results from geoadditive models.

BackgroundPapua New Guinea (PNG) is one of the nutritionally vulnerable countries with a high rate of children death without showing a sign of improvement in last two decades. Current study investigated the prevalences of stunting and wasting among a cohort of children in PNG and described the spatial features of these outcomes at the province and district-levels.ObjectiveTo determine the prevalences of stunting and wasting among a cohort of children in PNG and to describe the spatial features of these outcomes at the province and district-levels. We also described the spatial features of these outcomes at province and district-levels.MethodsThe health and nutritional status of 683 children aged less than five years was assessed using a cross-sectional multi-stage household survey conducted in the Eastern Highlands and Madang Provinces of PNG during the period of 2003–2004. Growth z-scores such as height-for-age and weight-for-age were generated using World Health Organization classifications.ResultsThe prevalences of stunting (height-for-age z-score less than −2.0) were 59% and 49% in the Eastern Highlands and Madang respectively (P = 0.019). The prevalences of wasting (weight-for-height z-score less than −2.0) were 14% and 22% in Eastern Highlands and Madang respectively, (P = 0.039); overall, only 21% of the children had completed all their scheduled vaccines and 95% of the caregivers had less than primary school education. Our statistical maps showed considerable spatial variations (province- and district-levels) with regard to the stunting, wasting and other key factors within a relatively small geographical region.ConclusionsCurrent study determined one of the highest prevalence of stunting among children in PNG. The impact of geographical locations on the risk factors must be recognized as it affects epidemiology and intervention coverage.

Looking for the archaeological signature in Australian Megafaunal extinctions

The decline and disappearance of a range of giant marsupials, reptiles and birds from the Australian landscape during the last Glacial cycle continues to capture the imagination of both researchers and the general public. The events hinted at in the Australian fossil sequences appear to be mirrored on other continents through similar time periods, though the exact cause or sequence of extinctions remains largely unresolved. In recent years debate over megafaunal extinctions in Australia has been dominated by reports that humans were the primary drivers, leading some to assert that it is no longer a question of whether humans drove these extinctions, only how. Following the review of Wroe and Field, new reports have been published that claim support for a human-driven extinction (HDE). On closer scrutiny however, the key sites and samples lack firm contextual data and/or clear provenance. These studies fail to prove a key tenet of the HDE – that all, or even most now-extinct species were present at the time of human colonization of the continent. As compared with the easy assertion 5 years ago that this had been established, there are now more faunal species (c. 69% of total known to have become extinct) that cannot be placed within 50–100 ka of human arrival. There are still only two sites that demonstrate a coexistence of humans with some species of megafauna – Nombe Rockshelter in the PNG highlands and Cuddie Springs in the semi-arid southeast of Australia. If there is so little empirical evidence for coexistence or association of megafauna with humans, then support for an HDE through overhunting and ecosystem disruption is seriously compromised. Furthermore, the popularly cited “extinction window”, proposed as c. 51–39 ka when the HDE is argued to occur, is still only a theoretical construct. There is no clear evidence indicating that this period was particularly significant in terms of faunal loss. At present, the great majority of ‘Pleistocene’ sites remain poorly dated and the understanding of faunal turnover through this epoch is almost non-existent. Small datasets, poorly constructed hypotheses and assertive rhetoric are the prominent features of current discussions on a human role in megafaunal extinctions. Importantly, it is yet to be established whether the extinctions are an archaeological problem. The sparse fossil record known from Australia hampers a clear resolution as to how and when the megafauna disappeared, a situation likely to continue into the near future.

Logistics of data acquisition in tropical, rugged terrain – the airborne geophysical surveys of the PNG highlands and Papuan Peninsula

Logistics of data acquisition in tropical, rugged terrain – the airborne geophysical surveys of the PNG highlands and Papuan Peninsula

Logistics of data acquisition in tropical, rugged terrain – the airborne geophysical surveys of the PNG highlands and Papuan Peninsula.

Between 2005 to 2008 two areas of the PNG highlands and the Papuan Peninsula were surveyed in the world’s largest helicopter magnetic and radiometric survey. Three major factors affected in the planning of this survey; the extreme terrain, the remoteness and the climatic conditions. This survey ranged in altitude from sea level to the top of Mt Wilhelm (approx 14,500ft or 4,509m) and thus a high performance helicopters were needed.Prevailing weather conditions resulted in need to split the survey lines into smaller segmented sections and fly areas on an opportunistic basis when conditions were suitable. Area 1 consisting of some 1262 survey lines was flown in 10,500 separate line segments. Software was developed for monitoring and processing of individual line segments. The extreme nature of the country and the variable, rapidly changing, weather and remoteness of the survey operations required dedicated Search and Rescue (SAR) planning and aircraft monitoring.Survey bases were located as close as possible to the area being flown. This enabled the local weather to be closely monitored and also made the daily test-lines more representative of the local survey area. As the survey drew to a close the last remaining sections were in the most difficult areas. The final 200 km took almost one month and the last 5 km a week to complete. Despite all difficulties of working in this mountainous region the detailed planning resulted in the survey being completed in less than the projected timeframe.

DEVELOPMENT OF THE IAGIFU-HEDINIA FIELD, PNG FOLD BELT: A MULTI-DISCIPLINARY RESERVOIR MANAGEMENT SUCCESS STORY

Iagifu-Hedinia oil field was discovered in 1986 in the remote Highlands of PNG following a multi-year exploration effort. Exploration and subsequent field development of PNG's first petroleum export project were carried out without the aid of seismic data due primarily to the intense karst development in the area. Because of historically low oil prices and the remote and difficult environment, the decision to develop the field did not occur until late 1990. First oil was produced in June 1992, with successful development dependent upon an intense focus on cost management, land owner and government relations, and most critically an early commitment to active reservoir management by an empowered and multi-disciplinary reservoir management team (MDRM team). This MDRM team added as much as an incremental 70 MMBBL oil and US$240 million of net present value to the project. This resulted from its being given responsibility for reservoir characterisation, reserve estimation, economic analysis, and active reservoir management. At its core the team consisted of both petroleum engineers and earth scientists, but incorporated numerous other disciplines as they were needed. Key to this success was the support and endorsement of management to a truly empowered team.

Chimbu participation in the pacific war

Abstract At least 4,000 Chimbu civilians were recruited during the Highlands Campaign between May and August 1943. Domestic press coverage emphasised the role of stretcher‐bearers at Kokoda, deflecting public attention from the widespread use of indigenous labour for road and airstrip building and the carrying of materiel in other parts of PNG. A high proportion of Chimbu were recruited forcibly by the Native Constabulary. Witnesses recorded an inadequate diet and harsh conditions for the labourers. Village life was substantially disrupted, both through the absence of young males for traditional tasks and the introduction of dysentery. In their absence Christian missionaries were unable to intervene on their behalf. The long‐term effects included the introduction of malaria to the PNG Highlands and the desire of labourers to return to their own land, eventually to grow coffee. Widespread recruitment introduced labourers to the exigencies of modem warfare and the efficacy of advanced technology. The operation laid the foundations for the building of the Highlands highway and the gradual modernisation of the region.

Re-evaluation of the widal agglutination test in response to the changing pattern of typhoid fever in the highlands of Papua New Guinea

In 1992 it was decided to re-evaluate the Widal slide agglutination test as a rapid diagnostic test for typhoid fever in Papua New Guinea. This was in response to an apparent increase in the number of false positive Widal slide agglutinations occurring using an O cut-off titre greater than or equal to 40 which was previously shown to be appropriate in 1987. The results of the re-evaluation indicated that the Widal test using a diagnostic cut-off titre of ≥40 lacked specificity and was no longer appropriate for this population. A new O antibody titre of ≥160 was recommended as a diagnostic titre for typhoid fever in PNG. The fall in the specificity of the Widal slide agglutination test over the five-year period between the initial assessment and the re-evaluation is due to an increase in general population antibody levels caused by the changing pattern of typhoid in the community. Before 1987 typhoid fever occurred as sporadic, isolated outbreaks and most people living in the highlands of PNG were immunologically naive. By 1992 typhoid fever had become a well-established endemic disease and many more people had been exposed to Salmonella typhi and as a result developed antibodies. We have been able to demonstrate clearly a remarkable change in the immune status of the community, in which the proportion of healthy individuals with a Widal tube O agglutination titre of 40 or more rose from 0 to 56% in the short span of five years. Factors influencing the usefulness of the Widal agglutination test in a population include the endemicity of typhoid fever, the immune response to typhoid, general population antibody levels to Salmonella typhi and the ability to select an appropriate diagnostic cut-off titre. Though its usefulness will vary with time and place, the Widal agglutination test remains a useful diagnostic test under appropriate circumstances.

Natural Hazards in the Papua New Guinea Highlands

Like most areas of the earth's surface, the Papua New Guinea Highlands experience a variety of natural hazards. This paper considers landslide, frost, volcanic, and epidemic hazards. It presents a number of case studies, including some dating from the pre-European contact period. An attempt is made to assess the relative significance of hazards in the area in terms of deaths per decade. Some of the evidence presented suggests that government intervention has reduced reliance on traditional coping strategies. It is also noted that Western definitions of hazards and hazard events are not well suited to the PNG Highlands situation.

Agroforestry in the South Pacific region ? an overview

The developing countries of the Pacific Region consist of 27 countries and territories with a total nd area of 542 000 km2 and over 5 million inhabitants. Though highly variable in physical characteristics and land-use pattern, these countries, in general, give a higher priority for production of export crops over other agricultural crops, so that they are net importers of food. Natural forests of the region are luxuriant and floristically rich, but the level of their commercial exploitation is low. Swidden cultivation is the mainstay of subsistence livelihood, but with the increase in population, the system is now causing severe environmental and land-use problems. The major agroforestry systems and practices in the region include various forms of combination of tree crops such as coffee, coconut and cacao with nitrogen fixing trees such as Casuarina, Gliricidia and Leucaena, and food crops (mostly tubers) such as cassava, taro, sweet potato and yams. Additionally, some improvements to swidden (shifting) cultivation are also being tried in several places, the most common being the u use of Casuarina oligodon before abandoning the swidden as in PNG highlands, and intercropping food crops in tree crop stands. Land tenure system in most of the countries is the traditional clan of extended family control over land. This can have either positive or negative influence on the adoption of agroforestry practices depending on the extent and duration of ‘tenancy’ tenure enjoyed by the assignees of land. Several governments of the region are now promoting the agroforestry approach. In hilly areas with poor access, farmers are forced to produce most of their basic necessities locally. On the other hand, the lack of roads and communication facilities can pose a problem in marketing any surplus products they have. The immediate opportunity in agroforestry in the region lies in making better use of the unexplored potential of a large number of locally available trees and agricultural crops. Intercropping in tree crop stands and the taungya system seem to propromising m methods for the Pacific region.